There are many good reasons to cheer for the Milwaukee Brewers making it to the NLCS, but an underrated one is a reprise of last week’s NLDS watch party.
The NLCS watch party is again set for the first road game – Thursday at 5:08 p.m. – and again at Davidson Park (3725 W. Juneau Ave.). That time and place were big factors in the magic of that first fan gathering. And it was special.
This park – a gift from Harley-Davidson, whose corporate headquarters provide its backdrop – was designed exactly for public events like this one. Its tiered terraces rise amphitheater-like from the central hub, providing ample space for sitting, for getting around and for vendors serving the 5,000 fans (according to the Brewers).
A screen the size of a truck trailer – 200 inches, the Brewers say – was set up on one end of the park, and fans were into it: hanging on every pitch, booing Craig Counsell, etc. Energy was high.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
A DJ spun let’s-get-fired-up songs during the many commercial breaks in the regular TBS broadcast. The 4-1-Force, the same spirit squad charged with rallying the crowd during home games, was on pep patrol here, too, leading chants between innings and coordinating some programming, including what had to be the shortest show of rapper 414BigFrank’s career.
The 4-1-Force was also tossing out merch, especially early on. And this was good swag, too – good T-shirts, division-champion hats, koozies and the like. I snagged a little pack of baseball cards; my friend got the pack with Yeli on top. Vendors like Unfinished Legacy had booths along the walkways. An assortment of food trucks was on hand, too. You could bring a cooler or buy drinks there; a 12-ounce can of High Life was $5.
Maybe I was just basking in a little Oktoberfest-fueled glow, but there was something special about that night. A picture-postcard fall afternoon gave way to twilight as the innings marched on, and while the Brewers lost, the game had all the tension postseason baseball should.
Through it all, I kept looking around me, surrounded by pumped-up fans, in this beautiful, new-ish civic space in the cradle of Milwaukee’s legacy industrial might. The sun was setting, the American flag was waving, and for a couple of hours it felt like it was going to be OK. Not just the game, but everything. It felt like one of my best Milwaukee moments, and I’ll never forget.
OK, some practical things if you’re coming out Thursday. Come early if you want a decent viewing front-ish viewing spot. Bring a lawn chair per person and a cooler of bevvies if you’re thrifty. A bag of chips won’t hurt either. Use the bathroom immediately before you arrive; there were only three portajohns serving those 5,000 fans and lines were very long, like well over an inning. The Brewers say they will have more facilities this time, but I’m watering the horse before I arrive just to keep eyes on the game. There’s not really parking and the surrounding neighborhood fills up quickly; consider taking a bus if you can.
And go Crew!
