When I moved from Milwaukee, Wisconsin to the North East I was presented with some big questions. Not the least of which is what baseball team do I follow. The Milwaukee Brewers have been my baseball home for decades. For most of my life I lived on Brewer brats with “secret stadium sauce”. I watched Milwaukee’s mascot, Bernie Brewer, slide his way into a vat of beer with each Brewer home run. I cheered during the big sausage race during the 7th inning stretch.

In 1987 I gladly stood in line as George Webb gave away free burgers in response to a Brewers 12 game wining streak. I sat in the stands on September 26, 2000 for the last night game in County Stadium and “oohed and aahed” at the fireworks display after the 4-7 win over the Reds. Let us not talk about the 8-1 loss on the last daytime game a couple of days later. During my married years the Brewers were as big a part of our lives as anything else. It was a fandom we shared. After my divorce the Brewers were a solace when they won and a distraction when they lost.

But baseball is a game that must be seen in person. Its poetry does not translate onto the TV. The cameras tell you where to look. You are forced to focus on the pitcher then the batter, then the fielders; where ever the ball travels. Baseball is more ballet than sport. One must observe the movement of the players as a whole. How do the outfielders move in anticipation of a hit? Do the infielders adjust based on what they know about the person at the plate? The potential energy builds in intensity until the crack of the bat. In a kinetic burst all ten players on the field leap into action at once.

Football is more of a television sport so the Packers are safe with my loyalty. I need the help of the camera to keep up with football. In the stands, even if you have good seats, for most of the game the players are far away and become just a mass of helmets moving back and forth. But the Brew Crew is in danger of loosing me.

One of my favorite things to do was to spontaneously hop a bus and head out for a game. That’s a little harder to do now that the stadium is 1200 miles away. Boston is only two and a half hours away so the Red Sox may be my new team. But does that make me a turncoat? I’ll be keeping my eye on Boston this season but I’m sure my heart will still flutter a bit with each Brewer win. I guess that makes me a Brewer ex-pat that roots for the Red Sox.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Webb_Restaurants