Gopher Topher
44: Play Ball!
At long last, it is baseball season again. Time for another run at the playoffs by my home team, the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brew Crew has been absent from the postseason for 25 years, but there is finally reason to believe that they can make it back. Last season we came dangerously close to winning the division and fell to the Cubs at the last moment. This year will be different.
Growing up, I went to Brewer games a lot. Tickets were given away like they were nobody's business, because the team really wasn't that great. The franchise went over a decade without a winning season, attendance was abysmal, and many think the team only survived because the current Commissioner of Baseball, Bud Selig, had owned the team and then handed it over to his daughter. I didn't even really care about them that much. Baseball was a boring spectator sport for me and the team sucked.
But that's all over now. Whispers of talent in the farm system began blowing through the streets of downtown Milwaukee a couple of years ago. A fantastic new stadium was built with the construction of Miller Park, suggesting the team would be able to stay in the city. Attendance crept back up. Now, we have a lot of young talent, including the youngest player to ever hit 50 home runs in a season (Prince Fielder), the 2007 NL Rookie of the Year (Ryan Braun), and a ridiculous retention rate from last year's roster. Attendance records were blown away, and now people throughout the Milwaukee area and even greater Wisconsin are getting dusting off their old gear from the days of Harvey's Wallbangers when the Brewers made their one and only appearance in the World Series (1982).
So here we are, a new season with fresh optimism. Go Brew Crew!
P.S. The retro Brewers logo, seen here on my cap, is one of the coolest designs in sports history. A long time ago, a contest was held for fans to create the team logo and this won it. It's not just a baseball glove, but also an 'm' and a 'b'. While the new logo, found on the backdrop and my t-shirt, is just fine, the old one continues to be the defining symbol of the franchise.
Photo Notes: I was not expecting to do a black & white photo for this image, nor did I plan to use this shot, which was initially pretty terrible. But when the two were combined and given a little cropping and polishing, it came out beautifully. My alternate for the day showcases the team colors.
44: Play Ball!
At long last, it is baseball season again. Time for another run at the playoffs by my home team, the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brew Crew has been absent from the postseason for 25 years, but there is finally reason to believe that they can make it back. Last season we came dangerously close to winning the division and fell to the Cubs at the last moment. This year will be different.
Growing up, I went to Brewer games a lot. Tickets were given away like they were nobody's business, because the team really wasn't that great. The franchise went over a decade without a winning season, attendance was abysmal, and many think the team only survived because the current Commissioner of Baseball, Bud Selig, had owned the team and then handed it over to his daughter. I didn't even really care about them that much. Baseball was a boring spectator sport for me and the team sucked.
But that's all over now. Whispers of talent in the farm system began blowing through the streets of downtown Milwaukee a couple of years ago. A fantastic new stadium was built with the construction of Miller Park, suggesting the team would be able to stay in the city. Attendance crept back up. Now, we have a lot of young talent, including the youngest player to ever hit 50 home runs in a season (Prince Fielder), the 2007 NL Rookie of the Year (Ryan Braun), and a ridiculous retention rate from last year's roster. Attendance records were blown away, and now people throughout the Milwaukee area and even greater Wisconsin are getting dusting off their old gear from the days of Harvey's Wallbangers when the Brewers made their one and only appearance in the World Series (1982).
So here we are, a new season with fresh optimism. Go Brew Crew!
P.S. The retro Brewers logo, seen here on my cap, is one of the coolest designs in sports history. A long time ago, a contest was held for fans to create the team logo and this won it. It's not just a baseball glove, but also an 'm' and a 'b'. While the new logo, found on the backdrop and my t-shirt, is just fine, the old one continues to be the defining symbol of the franchise.
Photo Notes: I was not expecting to do a black & white photo for this image, nor did I plan to use this shot, which was initially pretty terrible. But when the two were combined and given a little cropping and polishing, it came out beautifully. My alternate for the day showcases the team colors.