This Means So Much

[craigharmann]

I know I posted it in last night's IGT that I wouldn't start another thread about the meaning of all of this, but listening to Jen, Gabe and Chewy on ESPN Milwaukee this morning and hearing people calling in, I had to.

 

My dad and I didn't have a whole lot in common. We weren't always close. He wanted me to help him with projects and his way of having me help was hold things. That's how his dad taught him, but I wanted to actually participate. But there was one thing we had and could talk about. Baseball. He took me to so many games. We listened to the radio and heard the games. So many great memories surrounded by baseball. Cancer took him in 2017.. I'm missing him a lot this morning. 

[PlayerHader]

Watched game 4 with my dad and mom and siblings and some nieces and nephews. Kind of wish I had done the same last night, but I was with my son for both, so that is great. He was excited, but it can't mean the same to him as it does to me, and that logic extends to my father. I'm so happy for him and all my aunts and uncles who have been fans forever.

Go Brewers.

[jjgott]

Thanks so much for starting this thread. 

My entire family is from Milwaukee.  My parents left after college to take a job in Connecticut, where I was born in '87.  I grew up following Wisconsin sports because of my dad.  Because my parents were both teachers, I'd get to spend parts of summers in Milwaukee.  It felt like how it must feel for kids born to immigrant parents to return to their homelands.  It felt incredible to be around people who rooted for the same teams you did.  Who knew the names and stats of the same players you did.

I can't tell you how lonely it was being a Brewers fan in CT in the 90s.  Sure, we'd get up to Boston for a game when the Brewers were in the AL, but it's not like the Brewers were on Sunday Night Baseball or featured on Baseball Tonight.  I feel like the only time I'd hear about the Brewers on TV was when they'd trade guys like Greg Vaughn or maybe see someone like Jeff Cirillo or Dave Nilsson in the ASG.  I remember how excited I was my senior year of HS/freshman year of college that the Brewers finally finished 81-81.    

As I went off to college, the Brewers were the thing that kept my Dad and I close.  We were able to meet up in AZ during Spring Training a couple of times and actually ran into Mark A. down there the year he bought the team.  I remember us thanking him for buying the team and how important it would be for us fans to find a way to finally break through and get to the playoffs.  

In college I found Brewerfan.net and remember being a part of the live chats in '08 watching a horribly pixelated version of MLB.tv with some of the posters on here.  I couldn't believe my eyes when CC and everyone celebrated on the mound, hearing Rock scream "Yes!" over and over again.  Even though we were pretty handily beat, '08 validated my "choice" of fandom and allowed me to finally feel like a normal baseball fan.

Like @craigharmann, my dad and I don't have a lot in common either but we've always had the Brewers.  I spent the bottom of the ninth on FaceTime with my dad.  When the grounder went to Turang, I had to hold my reaction because his feed was behind mine by about a pitch and a half.  We both just let out the same loud "Yes!" Rock did in '08. In some ways, this is the culmination of the bond my dad and I have shared these past 39 years.  While I hope we have more memories of watching baseball together, I'm happy we can both now die in peace a la Bill Simmons.

So happy for the Brewers, for the city of Milwaukee, for the fans on here where I've become more of a lurker than a poster.  We are WORLD CHAMPS!!!