TOWER GROVE — During their four-game sweep of the Cardinals back in July, the Milwaukee Brewers’ brand of celebration caught eyes on the other side of the field and in the stands. After the final out of the game, the Brewers would whip out the tails of their jerseys emphatically and then go about the customary glove slaps, hand shakes, hugs and fist pounds.

The untucking of the jerseys has become a bit of a Brewer signature.

(It even, come to find out, is a movement, complete with theme song.)

And while it’s garnered different reactions around baseball — “It’s not something the Cardinals would do, I don’t think,” said one Cardinals pitcher — the practice may have more profound roots than its celebratory cousins, be it the elbow bash, the bob and weave or the Lambeau Leap.

More than a fashion flair of victory, it’s a show of respect to a player’s father.

Asked about it yesterday, Milwaukee general manager Doug Melvin said it hasn’t been that big of deal up in Wisconsin, and he thinks it started with his outfielders.

“Some teams have their outfielders meet in center field and jump up after games,” Melvin said. “Our outfielders started untucking their jerseys and it went from there. I think it’s a sign that a hard day’s work is over. I’m going to go home tonight and I’ll pull my shirttails out. That’s what you do after a hard day and these guys play hard.”

Melvin is bang-on with his interpretation of the inspiration.

Here is an explanation from a Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel mailbag:

Q: Keith of Chicago - Love how the team is coming together. But what the heck is with the jerseys at the end of games? Where did that come from?

A: Brewers Mailbag - Mike Cameron got it going because he has done it for years as a tribute to his dad, who would come home from work and untuck his shirt and relax. Sort of a group way of saying the day is done and it went well.

There, there’s some reason for the flourish. Suddenly the celebration has context, a history … an ode, somewhat like pointing to the sky.

And we’ve all seen celebrations like this untucking Brewers that evolve into superstition. The Lambeau Leap for the Green Bay Packers has become a blend of both. The Oakland A’s launched a revolution of limb-slapping with their bad-boy elbow bash after home runs. Back a few years, the Houston Astros defied a little baseball tradition by having their relievers walk out the bullpen — in the middle of the game, right before the opposing team batted. Russ Springer explained that it was a superstition developed when one day the bullpen decided to stay in the dugout until the lineup scored runs. The offense did, and off the relievers went to their seats.

But the offense didn’t stop scoring, and the Astros won.

So, the bullpen sat the next day in the dugout.

And the next. And the next.

For the rest of the season, as the Astros charged toward the NLCS, Houston’s relievers did not leave the dugout each day until the team had scored a run.

It’s only a matter of time before this untucking catches on. Fans doing it in the stands will be first. And is there anything wrong with that? Chad Johnson can have props waiting for him in the end zone and that’s great theater. Sluggers strike poses as their home runs clear the wall, others point to the sky in praise and still more have elaborate hand shakes and patty-cakes to celebrate. The Rams had their bob-and-weave choreography after the Greatest Show’s TDs. Wasn’t it the Detroit Tigers who had their mosh-pit moments as players jumped and body-checked each other after wins?

Guess a little Ickey Woods never hurt anyone. Maybe the Cardinals should adopt a touch of flair. Maybe they already have. Just think, after a win Yadier Molina unclips his kneepads, shakes free of his chest protector and leaves them stacked neatly at home plate.

Job done. Day done. Well done. Call it the Yadi Shuffle.

-30-