JR Radcliffe

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The newest hero of Milwaukee Brewers fans everywhere is a 29-year-old DeForest man named Jay Ryan.

Ryan — with some help from a 25-by-15-foot "L" flag that he brought to Tuesday's game — made quite a splash after the Brewers finished off an 11-1 win over the Chicago Cubs on a night when the nature of the teams' rivalry was top of mind.

"I had it made overseas, as cheap as I could, about a month ago and wanted to come out to the first game (of the series), but we couldn't make it," Ryan said. "As soon as I heard the Cole Hamels (comments), I had to go to the game. 'If you're going to say that, I'm going to go.'"

Ryan, who said he bought the flag online for roughly $140 ("about as much as a Cole Hamels baseball"), was referring to comments Hamels made after the Brewers' walk-off win Monday, when he somewhat questioned the nature of the rivalry between the two organizations on account of heavy Cubs-fan presence at Miller Park.

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The L — reminiscent of a similar flag that flies at Wrigley Field on days the Cubs lose a game — was a perfect touch for a surging Brewers team that won the first two games of a crucial three-game series with the National League Central-leading Cubs.

Given the clear at security

Ryan, who attended the game with his wife, brought the flag tightly fit into his daughter's Little Mermaid backpack. Security searched the bag but didn't view the item as a problem.

"We got there in like the third or fourth inning, a little late, so there was no line and it didn't really create an issue," Ryan said. "They thought it was a 'W' flag and I promised them it was an 'L' flag. They were going to unravel it (at security) and I said, 'Please God, don't, because it's such a pain in the butt to make sure it's all set and ready to go.' The cop put it in the metal detector and reached a hand in the backpack and said I was ready to go."

Ryan initially contemplated a 50-foot flag, but he was worried it wouldn't fit in the backpack. He anchored the bottom of the flag with small weights to ensure it rolled out properly, and he began fastening it with zip ties to the front of the loge-level facing as the game moved toward the late innings, especially as Cubs fans in the front row began to filter out.

"I tried to call Brewers tickets and public relations to see if they'd let me, when the game's over, immediately go by that batter's eye in dead center field, but it didn't really get anywhere."

So, the loge it was. He bought tickets to section 235 and recruited others nearby to help with the rollout.

Agreeable Brewers fans lend a hand

Three 2018 Oconomowoc High School graduates, Tanner Killmon, Tate Sehrbrock and Jack Binder, were also seated in 235 when Ryan brought them in.

"We were sitting in section 235, row 5, but moved down to the first row later in the game," Sehrbrock said. "We noticed he had the flag in the eighth inning when he zip-tied it to the rails. ... It was an amazing experience. A lot of people were cheering, and the Brewers bullpen players acknowledged us once we dropped it.

"They were all grinning and some raised a hand in celebration. Ryan Braun and the other outfielders all looked over, as well."

The flag isn't a completely novel sight at a Brewers game, but the sheer size of this flag was what created such a stir. The trio agreed to help the fan make the flag unveiling properly momentous, with Killmon moving halfway across the stadium to film the flag's unfurling.

Brennen Elgas, a 19-year-old from Janesville, was also among the fans in 235 recruited to help with the presentation.

"They wanted to get on ESPN, but it was an awesome thing to be a part of," Elgas said. "The only thing they were worried about was the rocks (tied to the bottom corners) holding down the flag."

Ryan figured there would be some exposure after the fact.

"I knew it would be a big deal locally," Ryan said. "I didn't necessarily think I would get calls from Vegas and who knows where else?"

Yes, he's going back Wednesday night

Ryan and his flag were heading back to Miller Park for Wednesday's series finale. Though he expressed disappointment that he couldn't make the Labor Day game, the "rivalry" discussion certainly added to the moment.

"I only would have regretted it if it would have started something in the stands," he said. "We have a 3-year-old daughter and didn't bring her for that reason. But the Cubs fans that stayed (in the loge bleachers) were all positive. They gave me high-fives. We had zero issues."

He said there are enough Cubs fans in his neighborhood that he can repurpose the flag on his house.

"I'm not looking to get anything out of this; it was just for fun."