How Brewer Fanatic and the Community Re-Ignited My Love for Baseball

[Michael Trzinski]

When I was 10 years old, the Seattle Pilots became the Milwaukee Brewers. I spent many a night tucked into bed with my little transistor radio slid beneath the pillow with the volume turned way down low so my parents wouldn’t know that I was awake at 11pm on a school night listening to a game out in California.

Image courtesy of Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com

I played little league and senior league until I was about 16, but then girls and parties became more important. Looking back, I wished I had played in high school, but no such thing happened. I was one of the biggest sports fans that I knew; one friend called me ‘Stats’ because I was always throwing numbers out to a group of friends that really didn’t care about baseball, football, and basketball like I did. I was a sports nut.

Then I got married and had a kid, and I didn’t have as much time for sports as I did in the past. Although, I do remember watching every game of the 1982 World Series and was crushed like all the other Milwaukee fans when our team lost in seven games to the hated St. Louis Cardinals.

Years went by, but as I got older, my intense love for the games started waning a bit, just like a gibbous moon. In my 50s, I started to get a little more involved in politics, but I wanted to keep sports and politics separate. But then things started getting crazy a few years back.

I felt like I couldn’t just watch the games without being preached to by one side or the other. Then I just quit watching.

Just over a year ago, I started writing for Brewer Fanatic. I was in awe of the contributors that knew so much more about the game than I did. Even though I digested nearly every Bill James tome ever written, analytics really passed me by in the last 10-20 years. Hey, I know all about wins, saves, and RBIs!

My expertise is in baseball history. I love doing research and finding out things that even I didn’t know. And then to write an article that gives readers a different perspective? How cool is that?

Last November, Brock asked me if I wanted to head up the Milwaukee Brewers Players Project. Are you kidding me, dude? I’m in! Since then, I think I have written about 75 player bios. I hope you read them and find out a little more about your favorite Brewer or more about a player you don’t know much about. And we are always looking for our readers/fans to write a bio or two. It is fun to research and not really that hard to do. Check out some of the bios and just use one as a template. A few paragraphs later, and you’re all done!

But I digress. Anyway, after meeting Brock and a couple others at a Brewer game last summer, that helped fire me up even more. I wrote most of the NL Central preview pieces this spring, and did some Opening Day historical stuff, which I thought was pretty cool, too. I always like to work on that history. And like Rodney Dangerfield once said, ‘I’m so old that when I went to school, there was no history!’

Opening Day was earlier this week, and since it was nice out in central Wisconsin, I sat on my porch swing outside on a sunny, 59 degree day and listened to Lane Grindle and Jeff Levering on Sirius satellite.

I missed the first inning but listened to the rest of the game while enjoying a few adult beverages. And you know what? It felt GREAT to be following the Brewers once more. I cussed our bad luck when Judge’s grounder to third hit the bag and flew past Vinny Capra, leading the way for the Yankees winning margin. I cringed when ‘Chewy’ whiffed for the fifth time, earning the infamous ‘platinum sombrero.’ But, tomorrow is a new day and our superstar will make up for his bad day.

In summary, I want to thank everybody at Brewer Fanatic who has encouraged me and given me direction, especially in trying to figure out those new-fangled analytics. Special thanks to Brock, Brandon, and Matt, along with everyone else who makes Brewer Fanatic so great. And thanks also to all our readers, who are arguably some of the most knowledgeable baseball fans around.

By the way, what even is a wOBA?? Play ball!

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[keephopealive]

Quote

I do remember watching every game of the 1982 World Series and was crushed like all the other Milwaukee fans when our team lost in seven games to the hated St. Louis Cardinals.

Bob Mcclure instead of Moose Haas is etched forever in my mind. 

[Austin Tatious]

Great article, Michael. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Quote

Although, I do remember watching every game of the 1982 World Series and was crushed like all the other Milwaukee fans when our team lost in seven games to the hated St. Louis Cardinals.

I was a four-year old lad sitting in front of my parents television in a subtle crisis mode. I loved the Brewers but I loved Ozzie Smith and Willie McGee! 😅 I can still remember making a precocious philosophical agreement with myself: I'd root for the Brewers but keep my Cardinals pin atop the TV to honor my appreciation of these baseball greats. Needless to say, I was heartbroken and I in ensuing seasons developed a very healthy disdain and dislike of 'The Classies'. 

[Michael Trzinski]

8 hours ago, Austin Tatious said:

Great article, Michael. 

Thank you!

[Michael Trzinski]

On 3/29/2025 at 8:37 AM, keephopealive said:

Bob Mcclure instead of Moose Haas is etched forever in my mind. 

Yeah, the bottom of the sixth in Game 7 was kind of a killer. 

[David Crawford]

Thanks Michael, appreciate and enjoy your work.  I hope to follow in similar footsteps someday (writing) when I retire and unlock more free time.  Meanwhile, I will see you all at Miller Park today.  Not our traditional opening day starter unfortunately, but a reset for this young and exciting team.  I will be in Section 109 wearing a yellow suit with some tributes to Ueck on it.  Cheers and go Crew!