My son and I had tuned into the Wisconsin-Illinois Big 10 football game Saturday and I was surprised it was snowing pretty heavily at Camp Randall while at our home in Argyle, we had sunshine and mild winds.
In fact, both Monroe and Madison were being hit by snow and sleet while along the Green and Lafayette county line, there were blue skies.
That’s weather in Wisconsin; you can be wearing a parka, shorts, tennis shoes and sunglasses and they all work.
Watching the Badgers game — which Wisconsin won handily — helped me ease into the sting of Saturday night’s National League Championship Series final in which the Dodgers beat the Brewers, 5-1. It was a seven-game series and the Brewers showed they not only belonged in the playoffs, but were true contenders this season. The Brewers had their chances and needed just a bit more offensive firepower throughout the NLCS.
On Monday I hashed over the final game and series with Adam Krebs in the newsroom. I respect Adam’s opinion on sports. He has the pulse of what’s happening locally, but really understands the nuances of baseball, whether in the preps or the pros. Adam’s take on the game was some of what I had heard friends talking about on Facebook on Sunday. Many people would have liked to have seen Josh Hader pitch one more inning in game seven. Though certainly, the Brewers still needed to score runs. In the scope of a season, series or a game, it’s a small decision, but it’s something fans, in hindsight, were able to agree upon.
Brewers coach Craig Counsell was taking a beating on social media after the game. I made one Facebook post regarding the game on Sunday morning. It essentially said that the Brewers had a better season than expected, earning the championship of their division was outstanding and this was the best season the Brewers have had since 1982.
There’s no salary cap in Major League Baseball. The Boston Red Sox enter the World Series with a $226 million payroll. The Los Angeles Dodgers have a payroll of $199 million. The Brewers have a payroll of $108 million — the 22nd highest out of 30 teams. The Red Sox and Dodgers are first and third, respectively, on the list of the highest team payrolls this year.
When it comes to players, you don’t always get what you pay for due to injuries or even perhaps due to a lack of desire once someone signs that “big deal.” This happens in every sport. In baseball, unlimited money to go toward building a championship roster does make a difference when it comes to creating World Series-contending teams. For years, the Brewers have been praised for their draft choices, rookie free agent signings and their farm clubs. Milwaukee has in some respects built its team the old-fashioned way; by coaching up prospects.
I think we’ll look back on the Milwaukee 2018 season and remember the great start the Brewers had, their strong run to the Division title over the Chicago Cubs, their playoff series win over the Colorado Rockies in the National League Division Series and their seven-game strong performance in the NLCS. This team didn’t fold and fought for everything. It’s a young team. It’s a team that many people speculate has a positive future. The fluid nature of MLB rosters and how things change from one year to the next should remind us to enjoy the outcome of this season before moving on to 2019. If you’re a Brewers fan, buy some memorabilia that celebrates the team’s division championship. These things have been rare for our beloved Brewers.
Now that baseball season is over, it feels like fall has arrived. According to the Wisconsin Fall Color Report as of Monday, Green and Lafayette counties are both at 100 percent for color. Days of sunshine this week will include explosions of oranges, reds and yellows in the foliage on our hillsides. Nature’s fireworks will pass quickly — they always do — so enjoy them while you can. I understand fall is a busy time and there’s not always the ability to stop and celebrate the moment. This is sort of like finding a way in the grief of the Brewer’s loss of the NLCS to put their whole season in perspective.
Many nights throughout my working life, I’ve wrapped up a shift and stepped outside to look at a dark night sky. I’ve taken the time to look at the stars and think about where I am in life, what I’m doing and be thankful to God for all that I have. I have remembered the positives. I’ve thought about how blessed I’ve been to be born in the United States, to have lived a relatively healthy life, to be in the palm of God’s hand, to have family and friends and to recognize there are blessings in any given moment.
It is like finding that sliver of sunshine between the blizzards. We can’t avoid the bad times, but we can recognize the good and hopefully live a life where the creature comforts of warmth, love and nourishment make us happy.
— Matt Johnson is publisher of the Monroe Times. His column is published Wednesdays.
