By Jimmy Carlton Sportswriter Published Jul 22, 2016 at 8:35 PM

As if Miller Park – or Wrigley Field North, as it's known to invading Cubs fans that annex Milwaukee's stadium for three series a season – didn't have enough of a laughable reputation with Chicagoans, the Brewers made the (supposed) visitors even more comfortable on Friday.

On the first night of a 10-game homestand, the Brewers – who hadn't played in front of their beer-brat crowd at Miller Park since before the All-Star break on July 10 – welcomed back their team and the always-sizable swarm of loyal Cubs supporters (also known as Kenosha residents) with a warm wisp of Windy City nostalgia.

Longtime Bears cornerback Charles "Peanut" Tillman, who'd retired earlier in the day, threw out the ceremonial first pitch Friday evening. At Miller Park. Which is in Milwaukee. Which is in Wisconsin.

WTF?

That's right, a Bears player threw out the first pitch at a professional sporting event in Packers country. Tillman's toss earned loud cheers from his irrepressible Chicago admirers and no-doubt incredulous head-shaking from mortified Milwaukee fans already suffering through the openly acknowledged, full-scale rebuild of their organization, which is actively shopping its most popular player.

And the Brewers didn't even try and hide the ignominy! C'mon Craig!

Vince Lombardi must be turning over in his grave. George Halas must be cackling.

Tillman, the fumble-forcing two-time Pro Bowler and 2013 Walter Payton Man of the Year, played 13 seasons in the NFL and was a widely respected veteran, arguably even among Cheeseheads. So, sure, maybe it was a classy move by the Brew Crew, but some reasonably wondered if Chicago would ever, ever conceive of doing likewise for its rival.

I mean, did the Brewers have to pander to a bunch of Old Style-swilling Cubs fans that were already going to take over Miller Park and spend their precious big-city dollars not appreciating our delicious Leinenkugels anyway?

Seriously, no one else was available? Seth McClung was busy? Both the Moutons declined? What's sanitation engineer Joe Winkelsas doing these days? Have they run out of old ladies?

Heck, they could have thrown one of Craig Counsell's Little League-playing kids out there and both Cubs and Brewers fans would've loved it.

Ugh.

Well, whatever, the Bears still suck and Packers training camp begins next week.

Here's what some people (try and guess the Chicago ones!) had to say about this whole weird thing on Twitter:

Let us know which former Brewers player – or, really, anyone – you would have preferred to see throw out the first pitch Friday night.

Jimmy Carlton Sportswriter

Born in Milwaukee but a product of Shorewood High School (go ‘Hounds!) and Northwestern University (go ‘Cats!), Jimmy never knew the schoolboy bliss of cheering for a winning football, basketball or baseball team. So he ditched being a fan in order to cover sports professionally - occasionally objectively, always passionately. He's lived in Chicago, New York and Dallas, but now resides again in his beloved Brew City and is an ardent attacker of the notorious Milwaukee Inferiority Complex.

After interning at print publications like Birds and Blooms (official motto: "America's #1 backyard birding and gardening magazine!"), Sports Illustrated (unofficial motto: "Subscribe and save up to 90% off the cover price!") and The Dallas Morning News (a newspaper!), Jimmy worked for web outlets like CBSSports.com, where he was a Packers beat reporter, and FOX Sports Wisconsin, where he managed digital content. He's a proponent and frequent user of em dashes, parenthetical asides, descriptive appositives and, really, anything that makes his sentences longer and more needlessly complex.

Jimmy appreciates references to late '90s Brewers and Bucks players and is the curator of the unofficial John Jaha Hall of Fame. He also enjoys running, biking and soccer, but isn't too annoying about them. He writes about sports - both mainstream and unconventional - and non-sports, including history, music, food, art and even golf (just kidding!), and welcomes reader suggestions for off-the-beaten-path story ideas.