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Brewers: Opening Day tailgating scene (with photos)

Adam Mertz  —  4/05/2008 5:51 am

Cindy Krause and Sue Carini weren't exactly playing hooky on Friday, because their company knew they were headed to Miller Park.

"We love Sam's Yams," Carini said, touting the chew toys that are the signature item for Front Porch Pets, "but the Brewers are No. 1 today."

But give them credit for guts in this regard: They went to Opening Day for the Milwaukee Brewers without tickets.

This would not have been a problem five years ago, when not only were the scalpers holding bunches in their hands, but some seats were available at the box office.

But in the wake of the Brewers' emergence as a playoff contender last year -- and with the franchise expected to contend for the National League Central title this season -- that's no longer the case.

The game was sold out well in advance; buoyed by a rise in partial-season ticket packages that included an Opening Day option, the official supply was exhausted a few weeks ago.

It wasn't any easier on the street Friday; as late as the second inning, Krause and Carini were looking at paying $200 apiece for top-of-the-line Diamond Box seats or $70 for the Terrace Reserved section (face value $20), which is the second-cheapest seat in the house.

The women, both from the Milwaukee suburb of Menomonee Falls, opted for Door No. 3 -- parking themselves in front of a big-screen TV at one of the bars on Bluemound Road across I-94 from Miller Park.

The game drew 45,212, the third-highest total since the stadium opened in 2001.

Meanwhile, on a pleasant spring day, the tailgaters were out in force. Greg Diamond of Madison, a manager at Zas restaurant on State Street, was playing a spirited game of ladder golf with a group of friends that included Mandy Winter of Racine (see photo in gallery).

But one sight was all but absent: traffic.

Two years ago, when Opening Day started taking on a buzz related to the success of the team rather than the bounty of suds, much of Milwaukee turned into a parking lot due to poor traffic flow.

The Brewers took sound measures to improve the experience.

They pushed hard on their offer of a pre-paid parking pass for Opening Day at a discount rate ($8 for general parking in advance, $15 on Friday; $12 for advance preferred, $25 on Friday).

That not only increased the flow of vehicles into the lots but also decreased the number of stowaway tailgaters -- that is, fans without tickets who came just for the party.

The Brewers also streamlined their shuttle service from auxiliary lots at nearby State Fair Park, which was the only option for fans after 11 a.m., when the Miller Park lots were deemed full. Notably, spaces were reserved for preferred pass-holders, and the back end of most of those lots was empty even an inning into the game.

The end result: At noon, an hour before first pitch, it was clear sailing on I-94 eastbound, and on the city streets near Miller Park as well.

Notably, the retractable roof was closed. While that may have burned some fans of outdoor baseball -- the temperature was near 50 degrees and sunny skies predominated -- but was a relief to the players, who had labored through chilly and wet conditions in the opening series at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

"I'm from Florida, so unless it's 70, I'll take the dome," Brewers second baseman Rickie Weeks said.

Adam Mertz  —  4/05/2008 5:51 am