Massive crowds packed the streets of Downtown Milwaukee Friday morning to toast their world champion Milwaukee Brewers.
The World Series parade began at 10 a.m. but fans began lining Wisconsin Avenue and Jackson Street before dawn.
The procession included dozens of vehicles – classic cars and pickups, semis and buses – carrying Brewers players and staff, broadcasters, former players and other people affiliated with the team. The destination was the Summerfest grounds, where a rally with speeches and further celebration began after noon.
At the center of the action were the two buses carrying the players who left Tropicana Field after beating the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 5 of the World Series just 35 hours earlier. Team captain Christian Yelich held the championship trophy aloft at the front of the first bus as players drank beer – Miller Lite and High Life, natch – and sprayed the crowd with Champagne from their platforms at the top of the massive buses.
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Players on the buses were signing jerseys, hats, even shoes tossed up to them as many others fell short of the target. Fans waved from every floor of every parking structure along the route, and, around the Summerfest grounds, while sitting or standing on top of columns 5 feet above the crowd.
The procession stopped for about 10 minutes at the intersection of Jackson and Mason streets – a strategic stop as the 100-foot mural of Bob Uecker loomed above. Blue and gold confetti flew as players got out and high-fived with fans and took photos. NLCS MVP Jake Bauers greeted fans along the perimeter of the parade while the 30-pound championship trophy and players took several group photos against the crowd.
After the player and Brewers staff buses were cars carrying Brewers legends and fan favorites Robin Yount, Ted Simmons, Paul Molitor, Ryan Braun, Rollie Fingers and – perhaps the most awesomely random former star – Eric Thames, bearded and swole, riding in a showy red sports car.
Manager Pat Murphy was last in the procession – presumably by his choice – sitting in a folding chair in the bed of a pickup truck, resting his bum knee. Surrounded by his young sons Austin and Jaxon and 26-year-old son Kai, he constantly mouthed “thank you” to the fans.
Jubilation was the only single story here, but small scenes unfolded throughout the route and the procession. World Series MVP William Contreras pointing to who-knows-who in the crowd. Hitting coach Dan Vogelbach, a man of ample stature, was double-fisting Miller Lites. A couple getting married at the parade. The 6-foot-7 Jacob Misiorowski – who with a host of other players brought the trophy to Lambeau Field for Thursday night’s game – lifting 5-foot-7 Luis Lara to get him visible in the back row of a group photo. David Gruber waving from a car.
As the parade arrived in the festival park area, the flyover arrived: four Wisconsin National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters.
Jake Bauers and other players went tarps off as they arrived, baring their chests and high-fiving with fans.
Inside, at the rally, there was an early highlight moment as longtime TV broadcaster Brian Anderson spoke with Murphy. Anderson asked for a final thought on the team standing behind him, reminded Murphy: “Now, you don’t have to be all tough and mean, though. You don’t have a game tomorrow.” “We don’t play tomorrow?” Murphy responded. “Shit.”
The sentiment – and the first of several expletives that made it over the air on broadcast television – set off a cascade of cheers and “Murphy! Murphy Murphy!” chants.
This story will be updated.
