Because my boss is cool, I went to see the Brewers take on the Mets yesterday for the second time in three days. Here are some ruminations on an afternoon at the ballpark:

1) Monday's Labor Day game was packed and there was a festive vibe and an air of excitement, especially as Ben Sheets held the Mets down for the first two-thirds or so of the game. The sun was shining, most every seat in the house was filled and people were in a good mood (at least at the start). Wednesday, however, the skies were cloudy, there was a cool breeze in the air and the stadium appeared barely half full. After two losses to the NL East-leading Mets, Brewers fans wanted blood. When all they saw was their own as the Mets opened a 6-0 lead in the top of the first, boos and jeers rained down on the crew from all sides.

2) Which brings me to something I've noticed happening in Milwaukee lately. We used to pride ourselves on our tolerance and our Midwestern friendliness. That worked at baseball games, too, where you had to be someone like Rickey Henderson to earn hearty boos from the crowd. Now, all you have to do is appear on the field in an opposing team's uniform to draw that kind of negative attention and it makes me fear we've lost something we likely will never get back.

3) Earlier this season we arrived at the ballpark so swiftly and deftly from home that we had an hour to kill before game time. The result was that my toddler went ballistic as the first pitched was hurled. Literally. Like clockwork. So ironic and sad that it worried me that this normally baseball-friendly boy was entering a new phase. This week he went to two games in three days and in both cases we left at the end of nine innings. Whew.

4) One key to toddler happiness at the ballpark? Bernie's Clubhouse on the Terrace Level behind home plate. The kids love the oversized hot dog, bag of peanuts, pretzel, etc. to climb on and the tube maze. My sole complaint is that none of the televisions is close enough for parents to follow the game closely from inside. But for a couple innings that were pretty devoid of action yesterday it kept us very happy.

5) Although I like to see the stadium packed to the rafters, I also enjoy the occasional small crowd because it allows me to wander a bit and see games from sections I wouldn't otherwise get to see. For example, the view from sections 404, 405 and 406 are great. While you'd think you couldn't see anything from way out there, you get a great view down the first base line and a panoramic view of the entire field (except far right). Also, there's a big inside smoking area up in the corner there and a row of video games. Who knew?

6) You'll all hate me for this, but I continue to think that any real Brewers fan will understand that although I almost always root for the Crew, I take a break when they play the Mets, the team that has been mine for my entire life. I usually say I'm going to try to be happy no matter who wins when my teams face off, and that it's a win / win situation, but I was reminded on Monday that when the Mets are hurting, I'm frustrated. If you left Milwaukee for, say, Toronto, I bet you'd come to like the Jays, but you'd still always be a Brewers fan at heart. But while I'm happy that the Mets earned these needed wins, I'm also very happy that the Cubs helped the Crew out and continued to beg for the Heimlich.