Few things raise the hackles of Brewers fans more than the annual infestation of Cubs fans at Miller Park.

You've heard all the complaints:

Cubs fans rumble up I-94 at unsafe speeds, clogging up the toll-free roads and changing lanes without signaling. Once they park their sporty sedans and luxury SUVs among Brewers fans more humble vehicles, they play loud, crappy music on boom boxes and drink Bud Light at makeshift tailgate parties.

They wear floppy hats and Kerry Wood and Mark Prior jerseys. Once inside the stadium, they shell out ridiculous amounts of money to purchase enough beer to transform themselves from annoying to insufferable in less than three innings flat. By the end of the night, they're stumbling around the concourses like extras from the movie "Dazed and Confused."

Yes, the mere thought of Cubs fans enjoying themselves and cheering on their teams at Miller Park is enough to make most Brewers fans nauseous.

So, what is the deal with Twins fans?

The interleague series between the Twins and Brewers last weekend drew overflow crowds to Miller Park and a large number of the fans were wearing Twins paraphernalia and cheering for the visitors.

At times, it was difficult to tell which team was playing the home game. There were Twins fans seated in the front row, in the cheap seats and in the club-level areas and they seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely.

But, there didn't seem to be much seething from Brewers fans. There were no cries to "Take Back Miller Park" from the invaders from the west. (Those calls are generally a waste of time, since players and team execs don't care who fans cheer for once they buy tickets). We haven't heard of any effort - organized or otherwise - to block Twins fans from buying tickets to the park next season.

That begs a question: Why are Cubs fans treated with contempt, while Twins fans seem to be welcomed with reasonably open arms?

A few reasons come to mind:

Geography: Twins fans are far enough away from Milwaukee that they aren't a nuisance. Chicago people always seem to be snapping up condos in Milwaukee, taking up valuable space at Summerfest and downtown bars and generally jamming up I-43 on their way to vacation spots Up North.

Turnabout: Brewers fans do their best to invade the Metrodome every year. The recent upturn in the Twins' fortunes, coupled with the Brewers' struggles in the mid-to-late 1990s, may have depleted the ranks of Cheeseheads abroad, but that could change this summer.

It may even get back to the levels seen in the late 1970s through the mid-1980s. "Those games were always a blast," said Jim Gantner, who played in many of those games as Milwaukee's second baseman. "We'd go in there and the place would be almost full and it would be mostly people cheering for the Brewers. It was a great atmosphere.

"We had some great games against them, too. They were one of those teams that always played you tough. Those games were a lot of fun."

Familiarity: The Twins are a scrappy small-market team that has found success in recent years by cultivating home-grown talent in the farm system and playing scrappy, hard-nosed baseball. It's a model that the Brewers have tried to copy.

The football factor: Because many Brewers fans also cheer for the Packers and Badgers, who have run roughshod over Minnesota in recent battles for the Paul Bunyan Axe, there is a good chance that many Wisconsinites save a lot of their hatred for the Vikings.

Unlike the Twins, the Purple People Eaters always seem to do a good job of providing villains. Packers fans through the years have hated players like Fran Tarkenton, Sammy White, Matt Blair, John Randle, Chris Hovan and, of course, Randy Moss. Brewers fans, on the other hand, had at least a little affection for guys like Kirby Puckett, Kent Hrbek and Greg Gagne. It's hard not to like Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau and Johan Santana.

A common bond: Brewers fans aren't alone in their hatred of Chicago. The Brewers' disdain for the Cubs is matched by the Twins' hatred of the White Sox. (Sports fans in both cities despise the Bears, which is another shared interest).

For many Midwestern fans, a dream World Series would feature the Brewers against the Twins, with the Cubs and White Sox losing the LCS round. If that happens, fans might have an issue with Minnesotans coming to Miller Park. Short of that, though, it isn't going to get a lot of attention.

It's only three games per season. The Twins fans are generally nice. And, they aren't from Chicago.