Bernie's Dugout: Now with Splash Zone

[sgtcluels]

That's a good question Robin, any chance we can ask the BF.net Ticket Rep (Jake?)

[berniebrewer4life]

If I already bought seats to a sold out game and don't want to sit in that area, what do I do? (Not me personally, but a general question)

Well, i would think there would be one of three options:

 

1. Walk around and basically become SRO.

2. Trade in your tickets for another game.

3. Sell your tickets and buy tickets to another game.

[CheezWizHed]

But on the family friendly thing vs. having a stein - The team is named the Brewers, the park is named Miller Park, guys are yelling "Beer Here", theres a big Miller ad in center, the mascot is a beermaker. etc. I don't see how having a stein to slide into is a big deal.

I think the image of a man diving into a huge stein of beer tends to promote over-drinking. Drunk driving, alcoholism, drunken brawls: I think that is the image they are trying to stay away from. "Drink responsibly" and a guy diving into a beer stein don't quite mesh.

 

Maybe during the cooler weather, Bernie should "splash" into confetti (ala the Harlem Globe trotters water bucket gag)

[sgtcluels]

I personally think those 3 solutions are not acceptable. Its rather reasonable to expect to not get sprayed by water unless you wanted to at the ballpark. Same reason why at places like Great America getting wet is "opt in".

[BCZF]

Ooh! That Bernie outfit should smell good after a good soak with a sweaty guy in it with 90 degree heat..

[BCZF]

And Bernie didnt really slide into a "platform" it actually had home plate painted on it, just that from just about every angle in the park, you can't see it..

[hawing]

If I already bought seats to a sold out game and don't want to sit in that area, what do I do? (Not me personally, but a general question)

Perhaps the Brewers could provide disposable ponchos (like the Maid of the Mist at Niagara Falls) to ticket holders who present a stub from the sprayable area.

 

I think the challenge (especially early on) is making ticket holders in that area aware that they might be sprayed. Fans who know to expect it could prepare or make sure they're in the concessions line when the spray comes. The fans you make unhappy are the ones you catch off guard with the spray.

[GB12]

And Bernie didnt really slide into a "platform" it actually had home plate painted on it, just that from just about every angle in the park, you can't see it..

Wow, I never knew that. I guess that makes more sense, although you don't need to slide into home if it was a HR.

[steve267268]

Let's be realistic here. People are not going to be "soaked" or "sopping wet" after this thing goes off. It sprays water into the air which will most likely fall as a slightly heavy mist. After one or two homeruns people will come to expect it, maybe even anticipate it with great excitement, who knows. Point being, you see a Brewer homerun, you cover your camera with something or put it in your pocket. Worst case scenario, you forget, or don't see the homerun, and your camera gets a little mist on it. The poncho idea is pretty good, though.

Off topic, but do they still do anything like bucket head night?

[BCZF]

And Bernie didnt really slide into a "platform" it actually had home plate painted on it, just that from just about every angle in the park, you can't see it..

Wow, I never knew that. I guess that makes more sense, although you don't need to slide into home if it was a HR.

It's probably for the best we don't dissect these things too closely..

[AdvantageSchneider]

I would imagine that if you asked someone in ticketing that you did not want to get wet and the game was sold out they would still be able to move you to like the Toyota tundra seats or maybe the HD deck or maybe the Gehl club or even those best seats in the game seats. They'd try to move you someplace where you wouldn't get wet. I'm sure they could do it. I doubt that would be a problem. The Brewers now don't seem to take too many or any false steps from a PR point of view.

[pretendastronaut]

They showed it going off during the broadcast tonight. I would expect people would get a light mist if they are sitting around it, nothing that would be troublesome in my opinion.

[hawing]

Off topic, but do they still do anything like bucket head night?

There's Bob and Brian's Donkey Deck, which apparently makes its debut on Tuesday. Unless it existed last year, in which case it must have been low-profile, because I haven't heard of it before. This at least resembles the erstwhile buckethead promotion.

 

Returning to the splash zone, the pre-game Brewers Live on Tuesday spent more time than I would have expected on the making of the splash zone. The Kalahari guy they talked to said that the visual effect of the splash could be achieved with as little as a cup of water. Unless I mis-heard or misunderstood him.

[SeriesFinale]

Um, "Donkey Deck"....?

[hawing]

I'm just the messenger.

[Invader3K]

Um, "Donkey Deck"....?

On their radio show they use "donkey" as kind of a euphemism for idiots/losers/whatever. In this case it's more tongue in cheek.

 

As far as the Bucket Brigade, Daron basically took that concept with himself to Arizona. They have something similar to that promotion now, "Sutt & Grace's Redheads".

[hawing]

I'll bump this to report the first public use of the Splash Zone - at the Memorial Day game, before the bottom of the first began.

 

A very fine spray/mist appears to go straight up. It looked more for show than actual water content. From my vantage point, it looked like the people most at risk of getting wet were those inside Bernie's Dugout. I don't know why 2-3 people besides Bernie were up there today - unless they were Kalahari people - but the observed small sample today makes me think there will not be sopping wet fans with damaged cameras or the like.

[pitchleague]

I would like a non-small sample size game to really see the effects of this thing. How about 5-6 Splash attacks in tomorrow's game? http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/tongue.gif

[SeriesFinale]

Hear, hear, pitchleague.

 

I'm a little surprised they didn't (or maybe they did?) have a misting after the win, a la the mist fountains at Comerica or AT&T Park.

[hawing]

You know, I didn't even notice whether Bernie went down the slide after Monday's game ended. The slide isn't really in the natural line of sight of the Dew Deck, and between the high fiving and then wondering where the players went, I didn't even think about the slide.

[RightFieldCoder]

I saw the mist after the game. About the 3rd inning I realized I missed the chance to see it in the first so I was looking for it at the end. It was a very fine mist. They did mention that the amount of spray will depend on weather, and it was cold yesterday. It will proably be heavier when it's 90 out.

[again, I'm not against the idea. I'm just playing devil's advocate] You can't really plan to be at the concession stand or elsewhere when it goes off. Who knows when a HR or walk-off is going to be hit? And why would I want to leave my seat with 2 outs and Hoffman on the bump? What about St. Louis fans? How can the Brewers be so disrespectful and rub it in their faces when a HR is hit? Water has no place in baseball. [/ devi'ls advocate]

B&B were doing the Donkey Deck last year as well. But they only talk about it on the B&B Show, and even then it isn't mentioned much. The fans never get into it like the Bucket Brigaders. It is more an extention of the Miller Lite Party Section they have on Fridays, an area for a bunch of pub goers to have their party at the game.

[hawing]

The Brewers are offering complimentary single-day passes to the Kalahari water park to fans with a ticket in section 236 (right under the zone - i.e. the fans who are most likely to get misted). I noticed this during Friday's game and forgot to mention it until today.

 

I suppose that could help ease any ill will over being surprised by a spray of water - though if you're someone who doesn't like to get wet, a water park pass might not be the answer. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/ohwell.gif Or if you're sardonic like I tend to be (more so away from this site), you might wonder why a water park is named for a desert to begin with.

[temke]

They have something similar to that promotion now, "Sutt & Grace's Redheads".

in honor of grace they should call it the "slump-buster" seats.

[TabbertBB]

Funny that I didn't even notice what happened after HR's.

I would think they would just shower the fans with confetti.

[CheezWizHed]

I heard there was really a hole in the roof there and it was easier to get a sponsership than fix the hole...