Pfister Hotel…..Brewers Haunted Home Field Advantage?

It is said that the Pfister Hotel is one of the last “Grand Dame” hotels of its kind in this region of the country. A opulent palace of gold-leaf and legend that makes it one of the most coveted beds in Milwaukee, Wisconsin both for its charm and elegance as for it’s ghost sightings in the lobby or balcony regions..

This motel mecca is as famous for its grandeur decor and service as it is for its…former residents who sometimes still make late night visits to check up on the staff and guests. But make no mistake, even Major League Baseball and NBA guests have roamed the Pfister’s hall late into the night, sometimes getting their own chances to experience things that go “ bump in the night”.

This is the kind of “ home field advantage” you can not put a price on…..and hopefully can live through the night to spin more tales of chains, manifestations and odd happenings after the lights go out. Who you gonna call……Sam Fuld? Baseball players are some of the most superstitious people in the world with their rituals and behaviors that border on psychotic.

But mix in a little paranormal or unexplained and you got a chance for some reason psychological mischief to be played within the mind. Already there have been legions of players from National League teams who sense or even experienced their own “Pfister Phenomenon”, even checking out of the hotel and refusing to stay in the structure.

Then again, the hotel is over 100 years old, which can bring about an abundance of creaks and settling noises. Toss in the paranormal theory that the hotels recent renovation can stir up residual and intelligent entities, and you get a prime and fertile paranormal environment for the Rays visit. There is even one Los Angeles Dodger who refuses to sleep in the hotel without a bat in the bed with him.

Some Florida Marlins players have been known to ask to share room when the team makes their treks to play a Brewers series. More than one M L B player in the past has felt that these ornate and narrow halls seem to close in on you, making the hotel feel even creepy in the sunlight. I am expecting to hear a few late night ghost stories when the Rays return home from this adventure.

Maybe it is a bit of karma for the Rays to hit a traveler’s haunted oasis that could possibly produce as many sleepless nights as their own “home haunted hotel”, the Renaissance Vinoy in St. Petersburg, Florida.

All you have to do is troll the pages of the book “Haunted Baseball” to hear tales from Rays and visiting players as to the Vinoy’s past life guest visits. Who knows, maybe a few of the Vinoy spirits also took the charter flight up to Milwaukee….

Maybe a late night dinner return by a few of the Rays personnel might feats their eyes on the figure of Charles Pfister, the hotel’s founder who is said to sometimes oversee his palace from the grand staircase at night.

Another common binder that brings the aspect paranormal activities into existence is the fact the original 8-story hotel was constructed of limestone and is within blocks of a large body of water (Lake Michigan) which are both said to be conducive to bringing increased activity from visitors the “other side”. I truly envy the Rays players right now. I would give my non-throwing arm for a visit to a place like this.

Then again, maybe some of the Rays should heed the 2008 experiences of Minnesota Twins OF Carlos Gomez, who first heard voices. Then his iPod mysteriously began going nuts after he stepped out of the bathroom sending him into the hallway and down to the lobby without his shoes and pants. During the 2009 InterLeague series with the Brewers, Gomez stayed at the Pfister, but came armed with teammate SP Francisco Liriano and his trusty Bible.

What is it again they say about haunted hotels? Oh yeah, some guests check-in, but they never check-out. I would love to be a fly-on-the-wall during this series as Brewers Visitor’s Clubhouse Manager Phil Rozewicz asks if the Rays had a restful night in the Pfister. Even if something happened in the hotel, you can bet no one will want to give credence to the myths and legends.

Still, even though the team did not exist when the hotel was originally built, I wonder if Charles Pfister is a Brewers fan?