Those untucking Milwaukee Brewers
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.
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Derrick Goold said he was going to Mizzou for capital-J journalism, but after growing up in the Time Zone Baseball Forgot he was really drawn to MU sitting between two major-league cities. Goold joined the Post-Dispatch in 2001 after working for The Times-Picayune and Rocky Mountain News, covering sports from LSU to NHL and every level of baseball in between. 
I certainly can empathize with this practice. I’ve been to Milwaukee and the first thing I feel like doing is untucking my shirt after consuming large quantities of brats, cheese, and beer.
Good afternoon, DG….
There was a lot of frustration when the Cards failed to make a move at the trade deadline. I still think that MO did the right thing by making the key peices in the farm system untouchable. I don’t see how the Brewers can be competitive in 2009. CC has raised his stock to even a higher level with his preformance since the trade. I bet he gets Johan Santana type money , and even though Ben Sheets has struggled he will still demand a lot of money. The Brewers traded not only one of the best corner outfield prospects in their system, but in all of baseball for a few months of Sabathia.
This is off subject, maybe, but, If you are a team outside of the NL Centeral who would you fear more as an opponent in the NL Division Series. You have the Cubs with Zambrano and Harden going 1 and 2, or Sabathia and Sheets? I’ll say the Cubs just because if you need to win three games and you have Zambrano and Harden pitching at home, who both have flourished at Wrigley. Plus, Dempster who has been great this year going in game three of a five game series. Which duo is better, CC and Sheets or Zambrano and Harden? Nice Post, DG.
His dad “came home from work” and untucked his shirt. I bet Cameron’s Dad didn’t untuck his shirt at the office. And, that would have been after a hard day at work I suppose, at least eight hours. These guys play a three hour ball game, and they can’t wait to get undressed until they hit the locker room. I’m at a loss to see how this honors anyone, whereas it’s obviously disrespetful to the opposing team. It’s not surprising given that the Brewers are quite an unprofessional bunch of goons, and there’s a lot more to their bad attitude than untucking shirts. How about they make the playoffs just once before they start flaunting their success? I’m surprised D.G. is acting as a Brewers apologist. These guys are thugs, and I hope the Cardinals take them down a couple of notches.
Yeah I’m along with some of the posts down here. IT’s a sign of disrespect. They are acting very unsportsmanlike. I too agree that the only way to make them stop is not to bate them as fans but hopefully watch the Cardinals sweep this series. It sends a clear message, maybe Pujols will unload a few home runs like he did in the top of the 9th against the Astros in the play offs in return for their unsportsmanlike behavior. Must win series right here.
For the Molina-led post game celebration, where would he place his cup?
emc,
You bring up an interesting discussion. What two-headed monster is the most daunting for a team possibly headed to October. Some candidates:
Sabathia-Sheets
Zambrano-Harden
Hamels-Myers (?!?)
Wainwright-Carpenter (if healthy, right?)
Santana-???
While the NL Central has the best tandems mentioned there, I’d toss another duo into the mix, one with a familiar name: Webb-Haren.
dg
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I think that if you look outside the Centeral Division, then Webb-Haren are the most fearsome duo in all of baseball. I know that the Mulder for Haren swap has been one sided. But in 2005 the deal made a lot of sense. Haren was a good pitching prospect, but ,honestly, I did not think that he would become a perenial Cy Young canidate. In 2005 Mulder was a pitcher just hitting his prime, for a team that at the time had a window that was closing. I don’t understand why the Cards front office gets blame for something they could not see happening. How was Walt supposed to know that Mulder would ruin his shoulder? This is baseball, this deal did not work out. Its not the fault of Walt or anybody in the front office that Mulder got hurt and might not pitch in the Major Leagues again….
Best Pitching Duo’s in the NL:
1. Haren-Webb
2. Zambrano-Harden
3. Sabathia-Sheets.
I hate to rat on a teammate, but Goold was cheering for the Brewers in the Busch Press Box tonight… I had to push him down in his seat — he jumped up and started waving his hands after Braun crushed the 3-run bomb. It’s unbelievable.
-B
I meant to say, 2-run bomb by Braun.
-B
Bernie,
I actually was jumping up to untuck my shirt, pal. I had just finished one heckuva story and thought I had earned the right to fling loose the shirt tails in celebration.
Don’t think I haven’t noticed you and Strauss bash elbows before, and watch out for those Burwell chest-bumps. He’s pounding away on his laptop right now so you know ones coming …
dg
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