2,000 Polish yard ornaments claimed at Miller Park

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- Last year, it was Chorizo and the year before, Bernie Brewer.  This year, Polish went missing and Brewers fans helped find the racing sausage and 2,000 of his "mini-mes" at Miller Park Monday.

It is the third year of the popular promotion.  It began in 2011 with “Where’s Bernie?” and continued last year with “Where’s Chorizo?”  In preparation for “Spring Madness” this year, it was "Where's Polish?"  He had missed the race last Wednesday during the last home game.

"When they said it was missing, I've been watching Twitter to see the updates and stuff," said Jason Pritzlaff.

Starting at 5 a.m. Monday, 2,000 Polish lawn ornaments were scattered in the grass areas surrounding Miller Park and its parking lots.  Fans ran to claim their gnome.  Some had just gotten out of bed, still in their pajamas.

"We thought we'd have some fun, come out here early.  Maybe a little too early, but that's OK," said Dennis Jenders.

By 6:30 a.m., less than an hour and a half later, all the Polish statues were claimed.  Many left empty handed, except for Ashley Smith, who was lucky to grab one at the last minute.

"My husband was watching the news early this morning, so he came and woke us up and said, 'You got to get to the ballpark!'  And we were like, 'Alright, let's move it!'  So it was fun," said Smith.

As a promotion for the "Spring Madness" games, each lawn ornament came with a pair of free tickets to a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers May 20 through May 22 at Miller Park.

"You got tickets to the Dodger game and stuff like that, so it's a nice thing," said former Brewers Pitcher Gorman Thomas.

While the tickets may be incentive enough, many fans said the real prize was the sausage itself.  With Bernie, Chorizo and now Polish, they hope the tradition continues every year.

"We were excited they were doing it again, and we get to add it to our collection," said Kayla Richardson.

"We'll be here for the next ones at 5 o'clock in the morning," said Lynn Coleman.

In case you missed a Polish lawn ornament Monday morning, you can still buy one.  The Brewers Team Store by Majestic is selling them for $49 each.

Also, the deals don't end there for fans.

The Brewers will host the Los Angeles Dodgers during Spring Madness May 20 through May 22, and Brewers fans can save 50% on all tickets $34 or less. In addition, Klement’s hot dogs and small Pepsi products are just $1 each for all three games.