Journal Times
MILWAUKEE -- Unruly behavior by about a hundred spectators threatened to ruin the day for more than 42,000 baseball fans at Milwaukee County Stadium Monday. It also could have cost the Brewers their first home game of the season.
Souvenir baseballs, given to each fan as they entered the ballpark, were thrown onto the field just before the start of Monday's home opener and in the first and second innings of the Brewers' game with the Texas Rangers. That prompted the Rangers to twice leave the field out of concern for player safety.
The baseball-throwing slowed when fans were warned via the scoreboard that such behavior could cause the Brewers to forfeit the game, but it did not cease until Brewers manager Phil Garner and umpire Jim McKean took to the field and used the public-address system to ask the fans not to throw the baseballs.
"We have a beautiful day," Garner said. "We want to play baseball. We urge you, for the safety of the players, the umpires and your fellow fans: do not throw any more baseballs on the field."
Garner was happy the game was allowed to resume, especially after the Brewers beat the Rangers 5-3 before a paid attendance of 42,893.
The game was delayed twice for a total of 30 minutes while the players and umpires waited for the baseball-throwing to stop.
Reaction by a majority of fans to the actions of a few was negative. After the players left the field, as the baseball-throwing continued, fans began booing and pointing out offenders to stadium security personnel and Milwaukee County Sheriff's Department officers.
"Ridiculous," said Jim Taylor of Brookfield.
"It was pretty embarrassing," said Jamie Baade of Wauwatosa. "We don't even deserve this team if they (fans) are going to act like that. The Brewers are nice enough to give people baseballs, but why should they bother if people are just going to abuse it?"
The baseballs are being given away at the first home game of 20 of the 28 teams through a promotion with a national hardware-store chain. Eight teams decided not to participate in the baseball-giveaway promotion, said Phyllis Merhige, the American League's vice president of media affairs and administration. The same type of incident occurred at several other ballparks on opening day, Merhige said.
Baade said that the people throwing baseballs weren't there for the game.
"You have to wonder, how many people (throwing baseballs) are really baseball fans, and how many come out here and just get drunk for the sake of getting drunk?" Baade said.
Among the 112 citations issued by the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Department, 14 were for throwing baseballs on the field. They will be fined $105 each.
Before the game was over, Bud Selig, the Brewers' president and acting commissioner of Major League Baseball, issued a directive to all teams that had yet to have their home opener. He instructed the teams to issue the baseballs to fans as they left the stadium, rather than before the game.
"You're talking about a few people who are spoiling it for all the people," Selig said. "It's sad. But it's happened in every other ballpark. All of us are sorry about what happened here, but all's well that ends well. Now, what we have to do is make sure it doesn't happen again."
What should have been a fun experience turned into a bad scene, Garner said.
"Certainly, there was some very poor judgment on the part of a few fans," he said. "Thank God it wasn't bat giveaway day."
The Brewers have not forfeited a game in their 28-year history. The Los Angeles Dodgers were the last team to lose by forfeit. Umpires halted the Dodgers' Aug. 10, 1995, home game, stating that fans created "sufficient danger" by littering the field with more than 200 souvenir baseballs. The Dodgers' forfeit gave the St. Louis Cardinals a 2-1 victory.
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