Good Eats

The players on the field aren’t the only ones getting national attention. Miller Park’s concessions were ranked No. 1 in the majors by Sports Illustrated last year.

When hot dogs go for $1, the Brewers sell three to four times more hot dogs than usual. "It puts our concessions folks to the test," says Schlesinger.

For value and convenience (not to mention a great seat location), groups attending Brewers games have embraced the Dew Deck, Toyota Tundra Territory, Gehl Club and the newly renamed AirTran Airways Landing Zone. For $42 to $105 per person, fans enjoy an extensive buffet. "People in Wisconsin love the all-inclusive packages because they love the bargain of unlimited food and no hassles about having to pay for it," Schlesinger says.

Finding Fame

Who doesn’t dream of big-league fame? The Brewers can help you have your moment of glory — unless you are hoping to dress up as one of the World Famous Klement’s Racing Sausages.

• To get your name in lights, you’ll have to pay $250 for a full-scoreboard display or $100 for a single-line message. All proceeds support the programs of Brewers Charities. Contact Meredith Malone at (414) 902-4501.

• Oh, say can you sing? If you want to perform the national anthem, you must submit an a capella audition CD of your best Star-Spangled Banner. You’ve got time to rehearse — CDs must be sent between Nov. 1 and Feb. 14; direct them to Aleta Mercer, One Brewers Way, Milwaukee WI 53214.

• Sorry, only Brewers employees can run in the sixth-inning Sausage Race. You’ll have to settle for rigging up your own costume to take part in the Brewers Charities 5K Sausage Run/Walk, set for July 25. It begins — where else? — at the Sausage Haus in the east parking lot. The course even includes the warning track inside Miller Park. For an entry form, call (414) 902-4501.

Pump up the volume

It opens with a gong, ominously clanging a warning. AC/DC’s "Hells Bells" has been Trevor Hoffman’s entrance music for 10 seasons, and now it’s coming with him to Milwaukee.

"We’ll use it unless he asks to have it changed," says Aleta Mercer, the Brewers’ senior director of entertainment and broadcasting.

A big-leaguer is no different from a jogger with an iPod when it comes to music and motivation. "They want to be pumped up when they’re at bat," Mercer says.

For fans, the music helps form a connection to each player.

"When ‘International Harvester’ comes up, everyone knows Corey Hart is at bat and he loves that song," Mercer says. "It gets you fired up for what’s about to happen. From anywhere in the ballpark, when I hear a song I know who’s at bat."

The musical requests can be as diverse as the 25-man roster. One player might request a different song for each at-bat, while another may say he doesn’t care at all what is used.

Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Struggling players have been known to have the traveling secretary or a member of the trainer’s staff phone the scoreboard operator in midgame to ask for new music. "They’ll say, ‘I had a bad at-bat, change that song, I don’t want to hear it anymore,’" Mercer says.

We’ve come a long way from perky tunes on a pipe organ.

There also are promotions that combine a Brewers ticket with admission to a UW-Milwaukee or Wisconsin Timber Rattlers baseball game, Summerfest, the Wisconsin State Fair or the Harley-Davidson Museum. Topping the list of giveaways are the six dates on which bobblehead dolls will be handed out to all fans. The Milwaukee Brewers lead all of professional sports in the number of bobbleheads distributed — more than 250,000 this season. "It’s fun, whether you’re a kid or an adult, to come to a ball game and get something that you’re going to keep," Schlesinger says.

First up this year will be Ryan Braun Bobblehead Day on May 3. The doll memorializes Braun’s fist-pumping run around the bases after he hit the game-winning home run on the final day of the regular season. Other bobblehead dates: May 31 (Trevor Hoffman), June 28 (Jason Kendall), July 26 (Racing Bratwurst), Aug. 30 (Jeff Suppan) and Sept. 20 (General Manager Doug Melvin).

On scattered dates throughout the year, fans can receive oil change discount coupons, collectible pins, baseball cards, baseball caps, T-shirts and other goodies.

Hot Seats

Got Brewers Fever? We’re here to celebrate it, not cure it.

If you want autographs or just to get close enough to a player to snap a picture, get in position at Miller Park near the dugout during the first 35 to 40 minutes after the gates open. At Friday games, a group of players and coaches is available for autographs on the field level concourse. Or, line up early for player appearances at retail stores or a team-sponsored block party.

These days, you’ve got to plan ahead to even get through the turnstiles on a weekend. Your definition of "the best seats in the house" will depend on whether you’re there for the view, the partying or to entertain your kids. The Miller Beer Pen seats (Sections 101-104) and the outdoor tables at Friday’s Front Row offer great sight lines and the chance to catch a home run ball. The standing-room-only ticketholders, "Uecker seat" customers and other fans like to wander Miller Park’s concourses (particularly in the outfield) for the views and the socializing. Rather sit in luxury? Oversized reclining seats make the Toyota Tundra Territory a comfy option. No-alcohol sections (217, 308, 309 and 417) are popular with families, as are Sections 421-423 (near Bernie’s Clubhouse playground and the reduced-priced concession stand for children only); also visit the Associated Bank Kids Zone in the right field corner of the field level, where you can keep an eye on the kids and the ball game at the same time.

On a Roll

They’re playoff-tested, and back to meet the challenge of a new season. No, not Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks and J.J. Hardy. We’re talking about those World Famous Klement’s Racing Sausages.

Italian and Chorizo were the winners in the two playoff games held at Miller Park last October, possibly giving them an edge going into 2009. Hot Dog was the overall winner in ’08 with 23 victories, followed by Polish at 18.

"Chorizo is aerodynamically challenged, with the big sombrero, so he doesn’t win as often," says Brewers executive Rick Schlesinger. "But he’s making some progress."

Schlesinger reports that the sausages have been in training, turning down dozens of appearances so they can keep their focus on racing for the Milwaukee fans. Requestscome from all over the country and even internationally. "If we granted every request for them to go on tour, they’d be busy 365 days a year," he adds.

Cyber Fans

By the fans, for the fans. That’s the driving philosophy of the Web sites and blogs that focus on the Brewers. In fact, when broadcaster Jim Powell wanted to say thanks and farewell before he left for Atlanta, he did so on fan sites (www.brewerfan.net and www.sportsbubbler.com). Of course, you’ll want to bookmark brewers.com as well as jsonline.com’s Brewers blog. Check in regularly www.mlb.com/mlb/presspass to get the official pregame notes the moment they are released from the team. Elsewhere at mlb.com, you can order audio and video alerts and even live pitch-by-pitch datacasts. If stats are your thing, try www.brewcrewball.com. For links to some three dozen Brewer-related blogs, head over to www.rightfieldbleachers.com. The best-named blog? How about untuckem.blogspot.com, named for the players’ newfound tradition of pulling out their shirt tails after a victory. m