Sean Franken

For those that may not know, May is Mental Health Awareness Month. I want to go off-topic and share my mental health journey with you. Perhaps you’ve noticed that since last season I’ve been MIA on Brewer Fanatic; the reason is that I’ve been battling depression. Image courtesy of © Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports I’m not even sure how long I’ve been depressed. I’m beginning to realize that it’s probably been a long time and that I’ve hidden it or bottled it up, it’s gotten worse. Those close to me probably don’t even realize I have mental health issues. I’ve become good at hiding it. I use humor. I use a Brewers Twitter account where I rarely take things seriously. Over the past several months, however, I’ve made the choice to take my mental health seriously. Its not a good feeling when you look in the mirror and don’t like what you see. Too often over the past couple years I’ve realized that I don’t love myself. Truth be told, I think it’s gone on way longer than that. I think, for the better part of my adult life, I haven’t loved myself. Again, I’ve done a good job of hiding this throughout my life. I’ve done a good job of being the person people expected me to be at any given time. It was the times where I was alone with my thoughts that these feelings came out. “I’m not capable of being loved.” “I’m not good enough.” “I’m a failure.” Those things may not have been reality, but they were MY reality. Reality is that in 2018, I married the love of my life, my rock, my soulmate. MY reality has me asking her at times how she could love someone like me, and telling her that she could’ve done better than someone like me. Reality is that in 2018 I found my dream job. I am now the Director of a work program that helps adults with disabilities reach their goal of employment out in the community. My staff and I make a difference every day. MY reality is that I’m a failure and am letting down my staff and our program members constantly. Of course, for years, I thought, “This can’t be happening to me. I’m not the type to be depressed.” The thing is, that is what was happening to me. There is no type. My wife, who has been amazing through all of this, pushed me to get help, to talk to someone. I resisted at first, then I met with one of those employee counseling services. The bad days continued. Then, earlier this year, thanks to my wife’s support, I started seeing a professional therapist on a regular basis. It was something that was very much out of my comfort zone. Sometimes you need to get out of your comfort zone, which I was definitely not used to doing. The therapy has helped. Since I’ve been going, the good days have outnumbered the bad. There are still days I don’t want to be around people, so if I say no to something, please don’t be offended. I just need time to myself. If I’m out or at a gathering and appear to be antisocial, please don’t take offense. It’s just me wanting to be alone. When I’m in that zone, it’s something I can’t help. I’m sharing my story, because perhaps there is someone out there who could benefit from hearing it--someone who, like me, thought this couldn’t happen to them. Making your mental health a priority is important. It’s ok not to be ok. It’s ok to ask for help. I still have days of feeling like I’m not good enough, but they’re becoming less and less frequent. The good days are winning. I know I’m blessed with an amazing wife, family and friends, and I love you all. Now I need to work on loving myself. I’m getting there. One day at a time. View full article

Hello there. It’s been a while. I’m back with another trip back in time, so let’s hop into the DeLorean and go back to Spring Training circa 1989/1990, and one child’s encounter with Teddy Higuera. Image courtesy of © Tom Lynn, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel via Imagn Content Services, LLC Technically, this story is not mine to tell, but I have been given permission by the person that lived it to share it. Parts of the story may or may not be embellished for dramatic effect. I’ll let you, the reader, be the judge. It was a beautiful spring Arizona afternoon. The sun was shining. The snakes were hissing. Warmups were underway for a spring training game. The pop of a ball hitting a catcher’s mitt was in the air. You know the sound. You can hear it now. It’s making you smile. A mother and father made the trek to Arizona from Wisconsin with their four daughters. They were there to catch a glimpse of their beloved Brew Crew. The father spied Teddy Higuera, the Brewers’ star pitcher. He nudged one of his daughters, who at the time was eight years old. ”Look, there’s Teddy Higuera," he sai,. ”Who?” his daughter asked, more interested in playing with her Teddy Ruxpin bear. ”I wonder if he’d come over here?” asked Dad, to no response. “Teddy, Hey, Teddy!” he yelled. ”Dad! What are you doing?” the daughter shrieked. The man had caught the attention of Higuera. He turned and started to walk toward the family. To his daughter, it may as well have been Godzilla stomping buildings and people on the streets of Tokyo. She wanted nothing to do with it. ”Dad, he heard you. He’s coming over here. Can we go? Can we just go back to the car? Please can we just go?”, she said, tears filling her eyes. Higuera greeted the family and couldn’t have been nicer. “Nice bear,” he said to the girl. Then: “Do you want a ball?” Higuera proceeded to sign baseballs for the girl and her family. He then offered to have his picture taken with the kids. The girl was still distraught. Standing next to Higuera, she had that look most kids have when they get their picture taken with someone in a creepy Easter Bunny costume (which is pretty much every Easter Bunny costume). But this wasn’t the Easter Bunny. This was Teddy Freakin’ Higuera. He put his arm around the girl and a calm came over her. The frown on her face turned upside down. “Mr Higuera, my bear is named Teddy, too,” she said. Higuera patted the child on the head and said, “I like that.” The girl walked away with a baseball and a picture, but more importantly, she walked away with a smile and a memory that would last a lifetime. Fast forward to November 17, 2018. She once again had a smile and a memory that would last a lifetime, As a matter of fact, so did I. That’s the day we were married. View full article

Thirty five years ago this month, Paul Molitor’s magical 39-game hitting streak came to an end. There has been a lot of reminiscing about the streak but no one has compared it to The Undertaker’s legendary Wrestlemania winning streak. Until now. The Undertaker’s 21-match winning streak at Wrestlemania is one of the greatest streaks in professional sports history. For those of you unfamiliar with Wrestlemania, it’s professional wrestling’s Super Bowl, World Series, and Spelling Bee championship all rolled into one. How did this legendary streak measure up to Paul Molitor ’s hitting streak? To compare the two we must first compare the individuals involved. On the surface you’d think there would be few similarities between Molitor and The Undertaker, but if you’d do some digging, some deep deep digging, you’d find, as I did, that similarities exist. Both men are legends in their respective sports and are in the Hall of Fame. Both men are champions, with Molitor winning the World Series as a member of the Blue Jays and the Undertaker winning multiple WWE championships. Paul Molitor was nicknamed “The Ignitor”. The Undertaker was once ignited on fire by his brother, Kane. Paul Molitor took batting practice in a batting cage. The Undertaker once threw Mick Foley off the top of a steel cage. As you can see these two men are not too different. Now let’s take a closer look at their streaks: The Underaker’s streak took place over the course of many years, as Wrestlemania is an annual event. Paul Molitor had to suit up day after day with little rest to accomplish his streak. Point: Molitor The majority of the Undertaker’s opponents during his streak were high quality, with many being Hall of Famers. He had to face the likes of Jake “The Snake” Roberts, Ric Flair, Randy Orton, Edge and Triple H and Shawn Michaels two times each. Paul Molitor had to face pitchers such as Juan Guzman, Jack Lazorko, Mike Morgan, Bobby Witt, Bobby Thigpen, and Brett Saberhagen . There were some solid pitchers in the mix but as far as quality of openers it’s Point: Undertaker. Let’s now examine how each streak came to an end. The Undertaker eventually lost at Wrestlemania to Brock Lesnar, who is indeed a beast. He’s a former NCAA Wrestling Champion, former UFC Champion and multi time WWE champion. Molitor’s hit streak was ended by Cleveland pitcher John Farrell , who was a rookie and ended his MLB career with 36 wins over eight seasons. Point: Lesnar After my solid in-depth analysis, it would appear that The Undertaker had the more impressive streak over all. Here’s the thing though, none of Paul Molitor’s hits were pre determined, all of the Undertaker’s matches were. So the winner of the streak vs streak challenge is “The Ignitor” Paul Molitor. Please, no-one tell The Undertaker. View full article

The Major League Baseball trade deadline is almost upon us. Let’s hop in the DeLorean and revisit one of the most controversial trades in Brewers history as told through the eyes of eight-year-old me. The year 1983 was turning out to be a solid year for eight-year-old Sean. I fell in love with a new show called The A-Team, saw Return of the Jedi and won a spelling bee in second grade. (The prize was a Pac Man mug.) Then came 6/6/83. The morning of 6/7/83 started normally for me. I got up and played a game of Pitfall on the Atari 2600 and then watched Press Your Luck. I grabbed myself a bowl of Smurf Berry Crunch and a glass of orange juice (pulp-free, of course) and started reading the sports section of the local paper. That’s when I saw it. The Brewers had traded Gorman Thomas to Cleveland the day before. How could the team do this to me? I spit my OJ out of my Pac Man mug. After Paul Molitor, Robin Yount, Ben Oglivie and Ted Simmons, Stormin Gorman was my guy. I didn’t know much about the inner workings of baseball as a kid but I knew he had a cool name, looked like a bad ass and hit home runs. That was good enough for me. The trade left me confused, angry and sad. I hadn’t had a feeling of sadness this deep since Han Solo was frozen in carbonite at the end of Empire Strikes Back. It took some time but I pulled myself together. Sure the Brewers had betrayed me, a loyal fan, but if they traded Gorman Thomas they had to have gotten a decent player in return. Rick Manning was one of the players the Crew received in return. “Who the heck is Rick Manning?”, I remember thinking to myself. “Rick Manning sounds like a guy who would get a game-winning hit while Paul Molitor was on deck, thus ruining a long hit streak Molitor was in the middle of,” I remember thinking. Like any eight-year old kid I bounced back. I played little league and listened to Rick Springfield, Eventually my focus shifted to the Packers and my guy John Jefferson. I was confident he would be in the Green and Gold for many years to come. Fast forward to 1986, as I reading the sports section over a bowl of Mr T Cereal, a smile came over my face. The Brewers had signed Gorman Thomas following his release from the Mariners. He was reunited with the Brewers and ended his career with them, just as Han Solo had been reunited with Luke, Leia and Chewbacca. Sometimes happy endings just take awhile. Oh and as for my guy John Jefferson, he was traded by the Packers in 1985. I’m still waiting for that happy ending. View full article

The 2022 MLB All Star game had several players mic’d including Yankee teammates and battery mates Nestor Cortes and Jose Trevino. That got me thinking. What if Juan Nieves and Bill Schroeder were mic’d up during Nieves’ no-hitter back in 1987? Pre-Game BS: “Juan, I get the sense something magical is going to happen tonight, something so big that if I ever become an announcer, I’ll talk about it all the time.” JN: “Bill you say that before every game. Can you go over the scouting report for their lead off guy, Ken Gerhart?” BS: “Yeah the scouting report is that he’s no Rickey Henderson.” 2nd Inning BS: “Just wanted to come talk and get our signs straight.” JN: “What was that song you were singing on the way out here?” BS: “It’s that new duet from Aretha Franklin and George Michael. I think it’s called “I Knew You Were Waiting” I can’t get it out of my head. JN: “Haven’t heard that one. Michael’s a flash in the pan. That other guy from Wham! Is going to be a superstar.” 3rd Inning BS: “Can you believe that play from Paciorek? I’m telling you, something magical is happening tonight.” JN: “Hell of a play. Honestly before that play I didn’t even know that dude’s name.” 5th Inning BS: “Sometimes, when I’m alone with my thoughts, I find myself really missing Paul Householder.” JN: “I find myself thinking of ALF. Ever watch that show? Funny stuff.” 7th Inning BS: “Something magical is happening. I can’t mention the thing that’s happening right now, because I don’t want to jinx it. If I ever become an announcer, I can mention the thing that I can’t mention now all of the time.” JN: “I still can’t believe Hulk Hogan body slammed Andre the Giant at Wrestlemania 3.” 9th Inning JN: “Hell of a play by Yount! I can’t believe it!” BS: “Neither can I! I told you something magical would happen. I just caught the first and only no-hitter in Brewers history! I couldn’t have done it without you Juan!” View full article

On July 9, 1992, the landscape of the Brewers changed, the landscape of Major League Baseball changed. It could even be said that the landscape of the world changed. On July 9, 1992, John Emil Jaha made his Major League debut for the Milwaukee Brewers. Let’s set the stage as I often like to do. In 1992 what was John Jaha doing to occupy his free time? What were the top songs, movies and TV shows of that year? When it came to the music of 1992, John Jaha was likely getting his groove on to “Jump” by Kris Kross. There are unsubstantiated rumors that “I’m Too Sexy” by Right Said Fred was written with Jaha in mind. I suspect that Jaha was a closet fan of Mr. Big, likely getting himself hyped up for games by singing “To Be With You”. It is not known if John Jaha was a movie buff, but if he was, there were plenty of good movies to choose from in 1992. He probably enjoyed such classics as “Wayne’s World”, “Basic Instinct”, “White Men Can’t Jump” and “Reservoir Dogs” After seeing “A Few Good Men” he likely polished his Jack Nicholson impression in front of the mirror, right before busting out some Mr. Big. We do know, thanks to the back of his 1994 Studio Baseball Card that Jaha’s favorite TV show was Cheers. We don’t know if he preferred Diane over Rebecca or Coach over Woody. Another thing we can reasonably assume is that John Jaha wasn’t complaining about gas prices in 1992 as gas came in at $1.13 per gallon. Shifting back to the baseball side of things (this is after all a baseball site), Jaha’s MLB debut came against the Kansas City Royals and was pretty uneventful as he ended up going 0-3. His first hit came in the following game as he went 3-4 at the plate against the Royals. His first home run came on July 28, 1992 off of Cleveland pitcher Rod Nichols. Jaha began his career in a transition period for the Brewers as team legends Paul Molitor and Robin Yount were on their way out. He proved to be a solid contributor for the Crew in a career that was limited by a player’s strike and injuries. Jaha hit 105 home runs in seven seasons with the Crew including 34 in 1996 while hitting .300 and driving in 118. Jaha’s legions of fans felt he was deserving of an All-Star appearance that year but it was not to be. After an injury plagued season, Jaha signed with the A’s in 1999. He was not expected to make the team but he would not be denied. He went on to make an All Star appearance and was named the American League’s Comeback Player of the Year. These days Jaha runs a Baseball Academy in Oregon. From what I can tell he pretty much stays out of the public eye. I’d like to think on weekends he busts out a little “Take On Me” as part of his A-ha cover band, JA-ha. Jaha took his rightful place in the Brewers Wall of Honor in 2014, so whether it’s 30 years, 40 years or 50 years there will be a plaque outside of Am Fam Field for all of you Jaha-Maniacs to flock to. When you’re there, admiring the almighty Jaha, do yourselves a favor and bust out some Mr Big. Why? Because that’s what John Jaha would do. (I think.) View full article

Bonnie Tyler said it best. “Where have all the good men gone and where are all the Gods? Where’s the streetwise Hercules to fight the rising odds?” The 1990 Brewers were holding out for a hero. Luckily for them, they found one in Ron Robinson. It was July 4, 1990. The Brewers were taking on the defending World Series Champions, Oakland A’s. The Crew were sputtering along at 33-42, while the A’s were on their way back to the World Series. On America’s birthday, Rickey Henderson, Jose Canseco, and Mark McGwire made their way to County Stadium ready to provide the fireworks. The A’s ace, Dave Stewart was on the mound. Things looked bleak for the Crew. Enter: Ron Robinson. Robinson had spent his entire career with the Reds before coming to the Brewers in 1990. He entered this game with a 3-3 record, never having won more than 10 games in a season. Facing the talented A’s lineup seemed like an insurmountable task for a man who had toiled in mediocrity. But on this day Robinson was ready, “Issue the orders sir, and I will storm hell!” , he said to Tom Treblehorn . Ok perhaps that’s not quite how it went as that’s a quote from soldier Anthony Wayne to George Washington during the Revolutionary War. It adds something to the story though, doesn’t it? On this glorious day, Robinson proved to be the hero that Milwaukee, and quite frankly, America deserved. He shut down Henderson, McGwire and Canseco as they went a combined 1-8 against him. Robinson was the hard nosed local sheriff and the A’s lineup was the local toughs having their illegal fireworks confiscated. He out dueled Stewart, allowing just one run while pitching a complete game. This game propelled Robinson to a 12-5 record in 1990. He also had a 2.91 ERA for the Brewers along with two shutouts and seven complete games, a number unheard of in this day and age. You see kids, a long time ago, starting pitchers used to pitch entire nine inning games. Sadly, Robinson faded into obscurity the remainder of his career. But for this one game and for this one season he truly was the streetwise Hercules that fought the rising odds. “Here’s to you, Mr Robinson. Milwaukee loves you more than you will know. Woah woah woah.” View full article

You read that right. Let me be perfectly clear, I’m not here to bring you down. It’s quite the opposite, actually. I’m here to tell you it may not be so bad. The Brewers are on a streak of sustained success unlike any other time in my life. They nearly reached the World Series in 2018 and have made the playoffs every year since. Can they get to a World Series? Can they win it? Will it happen in our lifetime? I’m here to say even if it doesn’t happen, things are going to be okay. It’s time for me to tell you a little story, one that involves another sports team in the State of WI. Perhaps you’ve heard of them, the Green Bay Packers. My Packers fandom started in the 1980s and to be polite during the majority of that decade they were not very good. In 1986, the Packers, an NFL team, had a starting backfield that included Randy Wright and Paul Ott Carruth. I just assumed they’d never make it back to a Super Bowl in my lifetime, much less win one. And then they did. I was in college when the Packers did what, at one time, I thought to be unthinkable. They beat the Patriots to win the Super Bowl. It was a great day. I ate Gilbert Brown burgers and drank beer with my buddies. We went out to a local tavern (RIP Ella’s In Point) to celebrate. Then something strange happened: my life didn’t really change. I went to class the next day (Ok, maybe not the next day. I may have had a slight headache). Life went on. Back to the Brewers. Of course, we, as fans, want them to eventually win the World Series. My first memories were the teams from the early 80s and I almost got that World Series victory out of the way early. Alas, it didn’t happen, but life went on. I thought the 1987 team would go 162-0 and Bill Schroeder would catch ten no-hitters on the way to a World Series victory. Alas, it didn’t happen, but life went on. All of the competitive Brewers teams have come up short and guess what? Life went on. Fans cheer for teams in good times and bad. Sports make a great distraction from what’s going on in every day life, especially baseball, as during the summer months it’s always there. Fans want their teams to win a championship. In my personal experience, having a team win a championship was exciting but it didn’t change my life. More often than not, our teams don’t end up winning the big one and life goes on. There’s always next season and hope springs eternal. While sports are great, it’s just a game. I don’t take the outcome of a game too seriously. Do I want the Brewers to win a World Series? Of course, but whether they do or they don’t, life goes on. If the Brewers never win the World Series, take the advice of the great Bob Marley, whose words ring through Am Fam field after a Brewers loss: “Don’t worry ‘bout a thing. Cause every little thing gonna be alright.” View full article