hawing

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It wasn't the norm. 1980, 1981 and 1982 were the first three years Monroe had a volleyball team, and frankly we probably needed the extra session. Nowadays people might call us trailblazers, though I did not feel that way at all. It's not like we had to protest to have the right to form a team or anything,

I think you misspelled "entirely reasonable." 😉

This, this and this. At our house we regard the baseball season as practically a utility that is turned on in February and off in September or October. I'm always sad whenever the season ends, whether it's at game 162 or later. I don't know how sad I'll be this time. I'm also in the subset of fans who values a division title at least as much as (maybe more than) a successful postseason. That's six months of battling and coming out on top. I cannot accept that a season was a waste of time if it didn't end with a WS championship. I've seen too many little cool things at games and made too many baseball friends to not value the marathon that got us to the postseason sprint. Playoff games are also cool, though also a little weird since some of the local voices are shut out by then and there are other subtle differences at the ballpark.

But they were so tremendous. (She really liked using that word, to the point where my student employees at the time would jokingly use it just to irk me)

You'll need a MLB dot com account to order tickets, even for "just" any watch parties. Though if you've been watching, you must have one already, duh.

I'll do my best to weigh in, though I'm not sure how much new I'll bring to the topic. 1982 was the first season I followed from beginning to end. I'd like to think that's not just bandwagon since the Brewers struggled early that year. I was 16 and my parents were separated and my grandma died that May. My interest might have been jump started by those weird pseudo-playoffs in 1981 but I don't remember watching them. I am pretty sure part of the reason I started following baseball was to find an interest that (seemingly) no one else around me had. Prior to 1982 the Packers dominated my family's sports life. (Hilariously, and also understandably considering the times, the Badgers were not even on my radar, except for men's hockey.) I enjoyed watching and listening to the postseason games - I have super clear memories of tuning in Ueck's call of Game 5 of the WS from the Monroe High School gym during volleyball practice - but in terms of fully appreciating what the 1982 team accomplished and how near their miss was...to paraphrase Ned Yost, I had no concept. I watched TV footage of the post-series parade, when everyone said Next Year! and I specifically remember thinking, no problem, they'll win next year. 😂 I'd never even set foot in an MLB stadium until the following September, when I saw the Orioles clinch the AL East from literally the top row of the upper grandstand. I was transfixed just by being in the place where so much of last year's excitement had happened. I've probably mentioned on this forum before that ever since that day in 1983, I spent at least a few moments of every game I attended, at the former and now current ballparks, wondering what it would be like to experience postseason excitement first-hand and not just on the Madison news. As we know, it took 25 years of wondering before I finally got a first-hand taste of the postseason. 2008 was truly a "happy to be there" fortnight. Then 2011 really stung (and further cemented my hatred of STL). 2018 was super fun from opening day through NLCS 6. And now we have this previously unimaginable era where the postseason has become almost customary. Following the Brewers became a lot more fun for me once I discovered Brewerfan dot net. I was accustomed to being the odd duck at my employer for following a sports team that wasn't the Packers, so realizing that there were others who cared as much about the Brewers as I did...was pretty great. I know some of you remember that night in September 2005 when we heartily celebrated an 81st win. Our household has had a partial season ticket package (of varying sizes) since 1993, and we have sat through a LOT of middling and frankly garbage time over the years. I'm still not as deeply into stats as some of you are, but I feel like I understand "the system" well enough to know how stacked the general odds are against a team in the Brewers' financial/market position succeeding, and specifically reaching a World Series. Although I generally consider myself a hopeful (not exactly the same as optimistic) person, there have been plenty of times when I've resigned myself to not count on a Brewers World Series happening again in my lifetime. Yet here we are. It's been a few days since the clinch and it's still surreal to me. I had my "recent postseason" guard up until after Monday's (NLCS 2) game, at which point I really got to believing. I wasn't even that down when Shohei hit the home run Thursday night. I reasoned that it was still early and if we could just be patient, there could still be a special ending; and to partially quote two of my very favorite broadcasters, OH MY GOD there was. So what does this mean to me? It's immensely satisfying; enough so I have to remind myself that reaching the World Series is not the end of the work. I fervently hope the Brewers don't go splat starting this Friday night, but I don't expect them to. How about that? The other season-ticket sport for our household is Wisconsin volleyball, which won an NCAA title in 2021. At the time I told anyone who would listen (or read my social posts) that the only better sports day I could possibly have would be the Brewers winning the World Series, because the Brewers have been my ride-or-die since 1982. Now that chance is upon us. Sweet merciful crap!

The Brewers never panic like we do. (See below)

Well, obviously the pressure is a lot less now. 😄

We're eventually moving this IGT to WOAH SOLVDD, aren't we?

We were at the NCLS Game 4 watch party and I'd totally do it again. I was ready to go back Friday in case Game 5 became necessary. The carry-in policy was unchanged from games so I had bottled water with me and got an arepa for $1.00 (tax + tip). The hooting and hollering and horn honking in the lots after the game were probably less than the 1982 bedlam I've read about, but no less heartfelt. The gridlock around the team store was very real so we will be getting merch another time.

I remember meeting you in the terrace level at a game once. Maybe when you were finishing up school? But point taken.

It's an interesting conundrum, encouraging* fans to commit to a 2027 season that might not happen, or at least might not happen in full. (*I used the most neutral verb I could think of)

Yeah, I guess. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Was Garrett's catch last night enough to "even the score" with Manny M?

I'm a lifelong (60+) teetotaler - despite living all that time in Wisconsin, following the Brewers for most of my life, and being enrolled at, working for or affiliated with the UW System for almost as long. I'm delighted there's another teetotaler on the roster. We should be able to find him a better soft drink than Fanta for any subsequent celebrations. 😉🤞 ASO to Spectrum for choosing the overnight last night to do an upgrade in our area. That had us listening to Jeff Levering on the radio for the end of the game, which was much better than any of the fox dudes anyway.

If there are November games for anyone this year, it's because of a WS postponement because there weren't enough games played in Milwaukee. 😉 But otherwise, yep, everyone at this point is either good, hot, or both. Every game vs CHC multiplies our emotions (definitely mine; I guess I can't speak for all of you), so not having to see their fanbase until 2027/after the lockout always sounds good. However, their flaws are fresh in my mind and they seem more beatable.

💯

I can't believe no one picked 99 or more wins. (I read through the thread for the first time today, September 24)

Oh hey, the Dodgers lost late on Wednesday.

Let's give the group a chance. But thanks for asking!

I'm in a group chat with people who didn't understand this GIF. I hope at least a few of you do.

I promise I am not given to conspiracy theories, but I have low key fantasized about what dodgersing the Brewers might employ this year. (Of course, the Dodgers are no doubt dodgersing too.)

Bold above added by me. I'm tickled that cromulent/cromulence has made it into the lexicon. ☺️ It's barely 30 years old. Thanks to The Simpsons. Okay, back on topic, I'm still marveling at 98 wins and 40 games above .500. We are in the good days.

Add 1983-2007 me as well. The first MLB game I attended was September 25, 1983*. I was spellbound just to be in the place where so much postseason excitement had happened the year before. From that day until the end of the 2008 season I spent part of each game I attended thinking about what it would be like to see postseason excitement in person. For many of those games, it was just a split second, but the wondering was always there. These are the good days. We are in the good days. I don't want to ever get jaded about this. *We did see the Orioles celebrate their AL East title that day, so I guess that could count as postseason excitement. Not really, though. 😂