Three weeks ago, I quoted Green Day with a headline “Wake me up when September ends.” Only that I knew I didn’t want to sleep in September because of baseball pennant races, Cheese Days and football season.
And I’m glad I didn’t sleep through it, because September was awesome.
1. Cheese Days
How could you not love Cheese Days? The weather was almost “too” nice, the snacks and drinks and music were plentiful, and the smiles circled the square. My stepson loved his first Cheese Days experience, and my infant was all smiles all the time – except for when she was sleeping.
My older daughter was in the parade while we had a shady spot under a tree. I milked a cow for the first time since the 1994 Cheese Days royalty milking contest and made sure that Pecatonica Beer Co.’s Muskelager was my “Must-have-lager” when the sun went down.
Somehow there are people that hate crowds and big parties and dread Cheese Days. I say let’s make it a weeklong celebration every year. Then again, I would spend two weeks attending Mardi Gras in New Orleans and Oktoberfest in Munich every year if given the opportunity. I like fun, happy parties that celebrate one’s historical culture and history.
2. Brewers, Indians postseason bound
While I’m sure everyone is sick of hearing me talk about my split love affair with the two Bob Uecker-announced franchises (well, one was a set of movies), I can’t help myself.
Cleveland shored things up weeks ago and has been able to spend September resting and giving many players — especially that bullpen — a chance to succeed in low-risk situations. They will likely go into the postseason with the fewest wins in baseball, but that doesn’t matter once the October lights go on. That pitching staff is incredible, with four starters finishing with over 200 strikeouts each (a new MLB record), and enough offense to win anywhere, anytime.
Milwaukee is in the middle of a tighter race. As of this writing they trimmed the Cubs’ division lead to just a half-game and clinched its first postseason berth since 2011 with a 2-1 victory over St. Louis Wednesday.
This Brewers team has a suspect starting rotation despite what “the numbers” show. But that bullpen is the stuff of dreams, and the offense has been getting it done thanks to should-be NL MVP Christian Yelich — who has been everything as advertised and more since being traded here last winter.
The real fun begins early this week with the Wild Card games and then the division series.
3. Tiger is officially back
Sunday Red has always been one of my favorite things about sports in the world, and when Tiger Woods made some noise earlier this year at the PGA Championship I brought it up.
But here we are, with Tiger winning his 80th tournament and nearly taking home the prize as best golfer for the year after last weekend’s Tour Championship.
Can Tiger win another major? It seems more possible now than six weeks ago, and more possible now than six years ago. Here’s to hoping his hero arc follows that of Christian Bale’s Batman, where the people who once loved him, only to hate him, return to loving him for being a hero and the best in the business.
4. Football being football
The Badgers lost a heartbreaker to BYU, then played an exceptional second half at Kinnick Stadium to beat Iowa. RB Jonathan Taylor is taking a little bit to get going, but is still one of the favorites to win the Heisman, and QB Alex Hornibrook is proving to be more John Stocco thank Joel Stave. That is to say, he’s progressing beyond being an overrated quarterback that doubles as the perfect scapegoat for a beleaguered offense. Stocco = bad as a young QB, good as a veteran QB. Stave = bad as a young QB, worse as a veteran.
Change my mind in an email, please.
The Packers (still not my team), feared losing Aaron Rodgers in the first half of the season opener, only for the living legend to return and break the hearts of millions of Bears fans once again. The Cardiac Pack 2.0 since has blown a lead and tied Minnesota and were made to look like fools against Washington.
The sad thing in all of this? Besides Rodgers’ health and prime years being wasted with subpar talent around him and even more subpar coaching, Clay Matthews, a shell of his former self defensively, has been targeted by NFL refs for tackling quarterbacks to the point that fans everywhere forgot about the whole kneeling issue to make funny memes and vines about NFL officiating and football.
You remember the NFL’s motto, right? If it’s not broken, fix it?
The NFL wants to protect its biggest financial asset (franchise QBs), and it’s doing so at the expense of the integrity of the game. And in this case, you can’t spell integrity without G-R-I-T, which is what football players are supposed to show on the gridiron.
5. Hockey preseason
Oh, I know. We just started football, and baseball is still here. Why is there a reference to hockey?
Because the preseason started, and because the Penguins (my team) are still a contender to hoist the Stanley Cup. After back-to-back wins in 2016 and 2017, oh yes, I am screaming “Drop the puck!” at the TV.
— Adam Krebs is a reporter for the Times and is thinking of writing a book on his fantasy baseball genius. He’s currently in the championship and can be reached at akrebs@themonroetimes.net.
