A Last Hurrah in Milwaukee

These last few weeks have been really difficult and emotional for me since we decided to move our family to Minnesota.  We aren't officially moving until August 23rd, but due to some pre-planned vacations, this past weekend was essentially our last full weekend living in Milwaukee.  We threw a going-away party on Saturday, and it really hit me the next day that it might realistically be the last time I see many of my Wisconsin friends for a long time.  I've also been trying to get to as many of my favorite haunts as possible before we move - festivals, parks, frozen custard, Lake Michigan, breweries, and most importantly, as many Brewers games as I can.  Erik coincidentally was in town this past weekend as well, and we attended our first Brewers home game together in over 6 years on Friday.  Colin Rea threw up all over himself and we were losing 3-0 before we even sat down (Rea has since been optioned down to AAA), but we had a blast, and it was fun showing him around the park once more.  It was hard to believe all that had changed since 2017 as we were walking around.  Unless the Brewers make it to the World Series at some point during my lifetime, this was probably the last game at AmFam Field Erik and I will ever spend together, and that fact made the game kind of heavy for me.  I was trying as much as I could to be in the moment and savor every minute with my friend that I don't get to see that much, and take in every little sight and sound, but it was hard not to think about the brevity of it.

I'm also going to the ballpark with my brother and parents this week, and Megan and I have tickets for one last hurrah the night before we move (which happens to be against the Twins).  We'll for sure be back to many more Brewers games in the course of our lives - in fact we have tickets for a game in September we're coming back for - and I sure as hell would rather drive 7 hours down here for Opening Day than sit outside in Minneapolis, but it's just not quite the same when you don't live in the city of your home team anymore.  There's something special about being proud of a team and the city they represent and sharing that passion and the daily trials and tribulations with other locals.  Even though I will bleed blue and gold forever, it won't ever be the same as this fleeting time when we live so close to the ballpark.  I'll miss driving by the ballpark and seeing the clouds of grill smoke, I'll miss being able to literally walk to the park for lunch, and I'll miss seeing Brewers logos and gear all around our neighborhood.  I'll miss being able to go to a game on a whim whenever I want (within reason - damn kids).  But I am also looking forward to our new chapter in Minnesota and following a new team along with the Brewers.  Ironically, with the move across state lines, we'll also be moving out of the Milwaukee media territory, which means I will finally be able to actually watch Brewers games on MLB.TV with no blackout restrictions.

I mentioned earlier we have some pre-planned vacations before we move, and one of those is my yearly baseball trip with my daughter Molly.  So I'll have one more super sentimental post in a couple of weeks, and then I will be coming to to you live from Cold Spring, Minnesota!

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 8/7/23

Brewers 60-53, +1.5; 3 v. Rockies, 3 @ White Sox, 3 @ Dodgers, 3 @ Rangers

Twins 59-54, +4.5; 4 @ Tigers, 3 @ Phillies, 2 v. Tigers, 3 v. Pirates

2023 GAMES ATTENDED:

Erik - 3

Peter - 14