I have always been an advocate of Interleague Play and was excited for this weekend's first round of such games for the 2008 season. Of course the rivalry games are something for fans to look forward to every year - the Subway Series, the Freeway Series, the 'El' Series, the Battle of Ohio, the Battle of the Bay, etc. But the best series every year are the ones that don't happen more than once every 4 or 5 years - Brewers/Red Sox, Rays/Cardinals, Twins/Rockies - they give fans and players a chance to see new ballparks and unfamiliar teams up close. Interleague Play is more for the fans than anything and are a great way to promote baseball and to sell tickets to people who may not ordinarily attend a lot of ballgames. These series are also a challenge for the players, as they have to adjust to a different style of play and face pitchers/hitters they haven't seen in person. It also is a chance for "bragging rights" for either league, and so far this year the NL has come on strong, as opposed to their embarrassing showings in the All-Star Game/IL Play in the past decade. Even though the Brewers got swept this weekend by Boston to fall into last in the NL Central (and SERIOUS managerial and rotation issues have emerged from the start of the roadtrip), it was pretty awesome to watch them duke it out at historic Fenway Park, and I can't wait to catch the Twins and Blue Jays when they're in Milwaukee.
STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 05.19:
Brewers 20-24, -7.0 (3 @ Pirates, 4 @ Nationals)
Reds 21-23, -6.0 (3 @ Dodgers, 4 @ Padres)
Twins 21-22, -2.0 (4 v. Rangers, 3 @ Tigers)
RACE FOR 2008 "MOST GAMES ATTENDED" TITLE:
Erik - 7
Peter - 14
touch with baseball when his childhood heroes Robin Yount, Paul Molitor, and Jim Gantner retired but the Great Home Run Chase of 1998 reignited his passion. As a student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Erik became involved with the campus chapter of Habitat for Humanity. With this group Erik traveled to Portland, OR and Baltimore, MD to work on construction projects and help the group raise $25,000 to partially sponsor a house in Milwaukee. Also at UWM, Erik met Peter Nagel. The two attended their first Brewers game together during Opening Weekend 2003. Despite their failure to ignite the coals at their first tailgate, the two had a blast and were soon making weekly trips to the ballpark. Erik has gone on to several colleges and changed careers several times, and has moved all the way out to New Hampshire, but has always stayed true to his baseball roots by holding part-time stadium usher jobs. To this day he looks back fondly on his incredible cross-country journey.
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