Attention, Brewers fans. I've got some bad news. Well, it might not be bad, per se, but it may ruffle feathers, raise hackles, impugn a sense of civic pride and prompt a few angry Talkbacks. It's just something I've got to get off my chest, OK?

Here goes ...

As you probably are aware, the Cubs beat the Brewers, 9-5, Monday afternoon at Wrigley Field. That is a fact. In my opinion, the Cubs also bested Milwaukee off the field. The vibe at the Cubs home opener was festive. The bars outside the ballpark were serving customers at 5 a.m. (the first pitch came at 1:20 p.m.). Beverages were consumed. Many, many beverages.

A friend asked me about the game, which I covered for Fox Sports Wisconsin, and before I could answer the friend said, "I bet it was insane." My answer: Not as bad as you think.

Many of the customers looked comfortably buzzed. A fair number of them probably went a few steps beyond comfortable. But, the atmosphere was that of a friendly backyard barbecue with a baseball game as a backdrop. Sure, there was a fight in the center field bleachers. It looked like a doozy, too. But, I walked around the stadium and found people in good spirits and -- contrary to a popular stereotype about Cubs fans -- acting responsibly. A week earlier in Milwaukee, opening day was a different story.

Over the past several years, too many fans at the Brewers' home opener have come to embrace the worst elements of New Year's Eve, St. Patrick's Day and Halloween. It's spring break on steroids, a party-till-you-puke ritual that puts the baseball game on the back burner.

At Wrigley Field, the pre-game ceremonies -- foul line introductions, a moment of silence for the tragedy in Poland and the national anthem -- constituted the first high point of the day. The stands were full and people paid attention.

In Milwaukee, these things are sparsely attended because people prefer to hang in the parking lots with their beer and bean bags until the last minute. (Not that there is anything wrong with that ...)

A mid-game lap around Miller Park felt like a trip through the Elbo Room in Fort Lauderdale in March 1986. Remember the famous "Two-fisted Slobber" from the old County Stadium scoreboard video? This was his family reunion.

Many Brewers players told me that their wives don't like to attend that game and bringing children is practically out of the question.

One of my media friends summed it up best. "Opening day in Milwaukee," he said, "is gross. It really has become gross."

I'm not saying that Chicago fans are a paragon of politeness. I've seen plenty of them act up at Miller Park over the years. They can be obnoxious, annoying and boorish.

But, the notion that Milwaukee fans are somehow superior and that opening day in Milwaukee is civil and the one 90 miles south is a war zone is inaccurate.

Put it this way -- as I walked past thousands of faces on Monday at Wrigley, I got the impression that at least a few folks knew the score and the inning. In Milwaukee, I wondered if people even knew that a game was being played.

Eighty games a year, I'll take Miller Park over Wrigley Field. It's modern, it has a roof, spacious concourses and bathrooms, it has a freaking video board for replays and a legible scoreboard. It's a more manageable facility.

On opening day, however, Wrigley Field was the better atmosphere.

That's what I think, anyway. Feel free to flame away.