It's pitchers pitching, batters swinging and about 1,400 people in the stands awaiting the outcome.

It's baserunners stealing, catchers throwing and a second baseman making a tag.

It's bats cracking, foul balls flying and a windshield shattering off in the distance.

It's guys sporting muscle shirts, girls wearing short-shorts and both groups checking each other out.

And it's just part of the excitement of a Friday night Brewers home opener at Kindrick Legion Field.

Coaches and players, umpires and fans and the batboy running to the plate.

Mothers and fathers, sons and daughters and the man balancing three beers just trying to sit down.

Before even the first pitch, or before Merle DeVoe could squeeze his '89 Lincoln Towncar behind the tall centerfield wall, the fans were squawking in the stands.

The constant clamor that resonated through the game grew more and more like barnyard battery, complete with their own cowbells and calls.

"Fiiiiifty-fifty tickeeeets!" screamed a vendor.

"Heyyyy batter-batter … swinnggg … " a fan badgered, letting his voice taper off.

And when the first Helena batter stepped to the plate, Joe Olheiser cried out "C'mon 57!" before quietly sighing "I don't know your name yet."

"Lee Haydel," his wife Gretchen corrected him from the same seat she sits at every Brewers game.

When a ball gets struck straight down and the umpire calls it fair, the top dogs in the press box overhead begin to debate.

"It's a foul, it didn't leave the batters box."

"It was in front of the plate, he's out."

"It's a foul."

"He's out."

And nothing gets a rise like a home run, soaring through the sky, bringing in two for the home team.

But on the first official day of Brewers baseball in Helena, the home team couldn't keep the loud cheers coming as they slowly fell farther and farther behind.

As the sun began to set and the bright lights shined from around the stadium sending multi-headed shadows across the field, the people sitting in their seats seemed to settle slowly into solace, letting only the random sportsfan call.

Their team down by five with only two innings left, the locals began losing confidence. And as a few trudged out early to beat the after-game traffic, a single man speaks softly: "It looks like it could be a long season."

For those who have been waiting and watching to see the Boys of Summer return, they can only hope the season will be made longer by the playoffs.