The ending to the 2008 season for the Milwaukee Brewers could best be summed up in the final moments of the game.

Sunday afternoon's crowd was absolutely electric.  The "thunder sticks" were booming all over the stadium, deafening fans and players alike.  Every single fan in Miller Park was trying to will their Milwaukee Brewers to a Game 5 in Philadelphia.  The fans poured their heart and soul into Sunday's contest, standing and cheering like wild in the ninth inning like it was a tie game.  

It wasn't.  It never would be in the ninth inning.

Milwaukee fell to the Philadelphia Phillies 6-2 on Sunday in embarrassing fashion.  After the final out became a reality, the Crew's season was over in the blink of an eye.  The fans stood in a stunned silence as the Phillies ran onto the field and mobbed their closer, Brad Lidge.  Some fans hung their heads in defeat, while some simply starred head with their mouths agape.  You could have heard a pin drop in Miller Park in most of the stadium.

That stunned silence was quickly replaced by a raucous standing ovation.  Fans regrouped and found their voices and began to cheer at the top of their lungs.  The thunder sticks came back out and engulfed the stadium in a cocoon of thunder claps.  There was no way to even talk to your neighbor.  It noise was that deafening once again.

The applause was not in appreciation of what the Phillies did over the past week.  Brewers fans were not being polite and acknowledging the pile of Phillies on the pitcher's mound.

No.  The standing ovations and ridiculous noise level was for the 2008 Milwaukee Brewers.  Fans were cheering in appreciation of their team that gave them so much joy throughout the past six months.  The men and women of Milwaukee showed their class by showing how much the Brewers meant to them.  The town of Milwaukee and Wisconsin as a whole welcomed the team into their homes and into their lives.  Countless fans lived and died with every game in the final three months of the season. 

The Milwaukee Brewers became a common conversation point throughout Wisconsin.  CC Sabathia and Ryan Braun became household names.  Even players like Seth McClung and Laynce Nix had become household names in a span of six months.  That's how much Milwaukee needed a winner in 2008.  Milwaukee flocked to Miller Park in droves and literally willed their team into the postseason.  The regular season was a magical ride.

The 2008 playoffs may not have ended how people would have liked, but fans should not forget to take pride in the Brewers and congratulate them for a job well done.  That's what happened at Miller Park after the game.  It took all of ten seconds for Milwaukee to get on its feet and cheer for their team after a defeat.  Their was no booing, no heckling...just appreciation.

Thank you to the players of the 2008 Milwaukee Brewers.  Thank you to Mark Attanasio and Doug Melvin for getting this team to the promised land.  Thank you to Ned Yost and Dale Sveum.  Most importantly, however, thank you to the city of Milwaukee and its people for giving this man the best six months of his life as a Brewers fan.  I knew the day would come when Milwaukee would make the postseason, but I didn't know how it would feel.

Let me tell you, friends, it was a blast.  I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

Let's do it again next season.