After game 4: Did the Brewers finally come out of the dugout and say thanks?

[brewerjamie15]

Just a quick question here folks in regards to game 4 of the NLDS. I was at the game and really tried to cheer and support the team for all I I could muster.

At the end of the game in the bottom of the ninth inning, we as fans, cheered and cheered for a season appreciated. We kept trying to get the players to come back out, but they did not while I was there. Half of the ballpark had emptied out and I was still going at. Nobody had come out of the dugout while I waited. No fist pumping, no waving, no nothing. I waited around 20 minutes, and still nothing. I got pressed for time and had to go, but I was pretty well ticked at that point. Does anyone know if they came out of the dugout?

[sbrylski]

I was waiting too, but the piss starting running down my leg so I had to bolt. It would have been a nice gesture, but eh, no biggie.

[1992casey]

From the standpoint of watching on television, it looked that the field was pretty much dominated by Phillies with interviews, etc. I think the players coming out would have been a nice gesture, but maybe it wasn't practical.

[Dmiles23]

About 25 minutes after the game, they announced the players were not coming out. I stayed for another 5 or so minutes, before security started kicking people out. Sheets was the only one that came out. He didn't do much... just walked out of the dugout in his street clothes and left through the bullpen I believe.

[brewerjamie15]

Pra ctical or not, that field belongs to the Milwaukee Brewers and not the Philadelphia Phillies. That field was watched by Brewer fans for 83 games this year and the team drew over 3 million fans this season. Thank you, thank you, ThAnk YoU on the billboard is nice, but the players should have come out to say good bye for the season. They did not. To tell you the truth I am disappointed in them as a team and I'm disappointed in the coaching staff for not mandating the team get out there and show appreciation to their fans.

Maybe in the eyes of some I am over reacting but in the eyes of many, that was a slap in the face. It has me ticked off quite frankly. We as fans hang there and cheer and scream for them to come out and say bye, they choose not to, we keep trying, they still hide. Not at all very appriciative and not at all cool. I'm not a child, I'm not a casual fan. I am a life long fan and I deserve a tip of the cap from the players after a long season.

 

Like I said- perhaps I'm over reacting in your eyes, but not in my mind at all.

[rm121978]

Very disappointing to hear they didn't come out. I was there last year on the final day where they came out and threw everything out to the crowd (balls, hats, gloves, game-used stuff). Even if they didn't want to give anything away, they still could have come out and thanked the fans who were staying. Although based on the way they've played the last month, they probably just wanted to get home as soon as possible...

[bobskube]

Very disappointing to hear they didn't come out. I was there last year on the final day where they came out and threw everything out to the crowd (balls, hats, gloves, game-used stuff). Even if they didn't want to give anything away, they still could have come out and thanked the fans who were staying. Although based on the way they've played the last month, they probably just wanted to get home as soon as possible...

They have done plenty more than the average major league team. Give them a break. They just got beat.

 

Would you rather have them dragged out by ownership so they can give fake political waves and smiles?

[AJAY]

I was also disappointed that the players didn't come out. But I am going to give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they must have been busy with media interviews, etc. I am sure there were so many reporters who were hounding them.

 

They have done so much this year with the fans, and I am positive they weren't being cold to us or anything like that.

[jason21nl]

There were hundreds of fans waiting for them to come out most chanting lets go brewers. They should have come out and showed respect to the fans that remained there. Also security were being jerks about it, and the police even threatened some fans to leave "or else". Yeah, it sucks they lost and they probably were feeling horrible about it but come out of the dugout and show some appreciation.

[brewerjamie15]

I'd fully expect that the players could muster 15 more minutes of time on the field tipping their caps to the fans. After all, we sat through 3 plus hours of that game just like the players did. No excuses in my opinion. Management should not have to drag them out there, the chanting and calling for players from the fans should have surely been heard by the players. We all shared the disappointment from the loss- fans and players alike. No, I can't buy that they were too sad to show up on the field, not at all. Media interviews are surely a post game event, but can surely be put off until an on field appearance has been completed.

[hawing]

We waited for a while too (must have been why we crossed paths on the way out, Jamie), and Phillies action did not take up that much space or time - though I'm not surprised it would have looked otherwise on TV.

 

It would have been nice for there to be a semi-formal announcement that the Brewers weren't going to make an encore, rather than some not very cordial ushers barking at fans who were seeking a bit of closure. (I'm not speaking for all ushers, but one of the employees clearing 213 was unnecessarily brusque.)

[Patrick425]

On the way home there was someone that called 620 and was very upset about the players not coming out. I'm a bit torn on this. One thought I had was that there were some loud boos for both Suppan and Hart during the game at various points. We have had several discussion regarding the "merits" of booing, so I don't really want to get into that too much, but I wonder how much that plays into it, if at all.

On a side note, Hawing...were you sitting on the Isle in section 213 Row 8? If so, we were basically sitting right across from you, except we were a couple of seats in from the aisle in row 8 in Section 214. I would have come over and asked however I felt kind of odd going up to a stranger and asking "Are you Hawing?" Since, I would have been taking a total guess, just from your response in the "Where you sittin" thread.

[bobskube]

I respect everyone's opinion but there are some things I just don't understand, I guess.

 

I don't get why 5 minutes of hand waving really matters to people. You just saw those same guys for three hours plus during the game. If they were coming to see you personally to say thanks, that would be different because it seems a heck of a lot more genuine.

[JoeHova]

I never heard of this either. Bizarre that people are upset. Do guys come out at the end of every game? I always leave after the last pitch.

[PrimeTime955]

To feel that the Brewer players owe it to you to come out and say thanks is bogus in my opinion. I'm really sure players that get boo'd day in and day out AT HOME, really want to come out and say thanks to the same people that were booing them an hour earlier. Especially after a loss that just ended your season. This team brought us our first post season since 1982. They don't owe us a thing, we should be thanking them.

[Tbadder]

I don't know why the Brewers would come out. I wouldn't have. I thought the fans were awful at times. And my loyalty to my teammates would preclude thanking the fans. They way we, as fans, treated Weeks, Hart, Fielder. Bush earlier in the season. Gagne--Torres when he struggled. I couldn't wait to get out if I was one of them.

[phxMILWfan]

I'm not normally a big fan of booing, especially your own team. I don't boo my own team but I understand some of it. Guys that give their best every day don't deserve it. I think that Corey Hart should hear it from the fans though. After some of his comments this year and horrible play. I don't think he hustles in the field as much as he used to. Watching the game with my wife we comment on when JJ or whoever happens to be hitting in front of Corey gets walked on 4 straight pitches that Corey won't make the pitcher throw him a strike before swinging. Sure enough he's hacking at balls in the dirt against a pitcher that hasn't been getting it over the plate. I don't agree with booing Suppan because I don't think it's his fault. He is who he is. Management just over paid for him.

I don't agree with the comment that the players shouldn't be bothered with coming out and thanking the fans, the same ones who have been booing them an hour earlier. 3 million fans walked through the turnstiles, surely all of them didn't boo those players. A few people making noise shouldn't rob genuinely great fans of an oppurtunity to say goodbye to their favorite players for the winter. I know that the last game of the year the players usually come out and throw hats and batting gloves, that type of stuff to the fans. Maybe it's different after a home playoff loss but I understand some of the fans looking forward to that.

The we should be thanking them comment doesn't make much sense to me either. Thats what the fans were doing by chanting their names and applauding for twenty minutes after the game. The fans just wanted an oppurtunity to applaud the players. Not too much to ask for in my opinion.

[gypcasino]

Thanks Gagne. I'm sorry some people booed. Thank you for having 10 saves this year. Thank you for making only a million dollars per save. Go enjoy your five month vacation while the rest of us toil away for peanuts.

[phxMILWfan]

One more thought, "we should be thanking them" isn't that what 14,000 people did at the summerfest grounds the day after the season ended? I don't think anyone should let the actions of a few affect their opinon of a whole group of people. I know some people have booed but as a whole the fans thanked Corey Hart by voting him into the all-star game. That little all-star game bonus will be nice for Corey, along with the experience and exposure he got. It also thanked him by giving him more leverage come contract signing time. Perhaps if poor performances being booed bothers you, you should cheer your head off next time Corey strikes out on 3 pitches in the dirt he had no business swinging at. Or when Mota or Gagne blow a late lead stand up and scream about how great they are so the players won't hear the boos.

[jeffy]

I never heard of this either. Bizarre that people are upset. Do guys come out at the end of every game? I always leave after the last pitch.

I stuck around for a final ovation and a few (<5) minutes of cheering the team just to say "thanks for the season". I briefly thought maybe some players might pop-out to tip their hats to the fans, but did not really expect it given the situation with the other team celebrating on the field. When I could see that they had cleared out of the dugout right away I left too. I can't imagine sticking around for 20-30 minutes, sort of begging the players to come out...

 

As for a few brief boos yesterday, so what?...some fans voiced their disappointment with the player's performance in the heat of the moment. I really don't think that sort of thing bothers them, or it certainly shouldn't. It's not like fans were booing Corey as he stepped up to the plate or booing Suppan as he took the mound in the 1st inning.

 

In any case, any boos were more than offset by an ovation and cheering after losing the game. Fans were cheering loudly right to the bitter end and after. I don't know, but I think in most ballparks there would have been silence for most of the game after the three run homer and at the end of the game there would have been silent disappointment.

[TooLiveBrew]

Well it wasn't on the field, but Ryan Braun did take some time on his blog to thank the fans:

 

 

"I also can't thank the fans enough for coming out and supporting us all year long. They played such a huge role in what happened this year and it was really cool to share the season with everybody. Hopefully we will have more to cheer about next year."

[FVBrewerFan]

What is the protocol? I doubt it's "tradition" for a team that just got ousted from the playoffs to come out of the dugout and wave to the fans. Just doesn't sound natural for some reason. Milwaukee is different than most other cities, I get that. I guess I just see a press conference thanking the fans as being more practical than random players coming out and tipping their hats.

[RobDeer 45]

I don't think they owe anyone anything after the game. I'm sorry and I understand that it might have been dissapointing but you have to understand how they are feeling at that point. They are upset and prob just want to get home and be alone. Many of them have said thanks during interviews or whatever. They are obviously thankful. That's just my opinion.

[Invader3K]

I agree. Frankly, I think coming out after getting beat and people were already starting to file out of the stadium would have been pretty awkward. A lot of the guys were probably bummed about losing. If they didn't feel like coming out for some basically empty gesture while the Phillies were celebrating, I don't blame them.

[pretendastronaut]

I stuck around until the Event Services people started telling us they had received word that the players decided not to come out. I was fine with it, I can understand it, and I certainly didn't feel it was owed to us. Yes it would have been nice for a chance for both sides to sort of say thanks, but in my mind, they did a heck of a job celebrating the Wild Card with the fans, far more than I would imagine most other teams do. This is a club/organization that has treated the fans very well, and it's often taken advantage of I think.

 

There were several people standing around me who I thought weren't great fans, and just wanted autographs or whatever. They were saying a lot of really rude things about the players and the fans and such, and there was a lot of, "hurry up and get out here and sign my ball already" comments.