Darn right the Brewers are THE story for the next 10 days.
I didn’t grow up wanting anything. But we certainly didn’t have a lot of money for frivolous things. Yet Dad would take me to at least one Brewers game every season when I was in grade school. (Of course, he still often called them the Braves.)
Some of my best conversations with Dad were casual comments during at bats or between innings.
“He should have hustled more there, he could have been safe.”
“That was a tough catch but he made it look easy.”
“See, he struck out twice but he dialed in on that fastball and knew what to expect this time up.”
Also, “No, one box of popcorn is plenty. If you want more we can make some when we get home.”
Gene Fraley worked his tail off for his family. Always put us first. He taught me by example.
He taught me how to play catch, how to keep a proper scorecard and how to cheer for the hometown team.
And while I got frustrated at his insistence to leave those games early to beat the traffic, I cherish those memories and have shared them, in detail, with my own kids, hundreds of times.
A couple of great memories surround going to games the last year at County Stadium and the first year in Miller Park with my dad and my siblings. And yes, we made him stay until the final pitch!
He would have loved this version of the Brewers. He may have still called them the Braves and compared them to Hank Aaron and Warren Spahn, but he would have loved this group of gamers. And he would have loved Pat Murphy.
I miss him every day. And think of him during each game I watch. I used to listen to Brewers games on my transistor radio to underneath my pillow and I would hand write a short recap of the game for him that he would read when he got home from his second shift job at Milwaukee Electric Tool around 10:15 pm. He of course figured out these notes meant I was awake long past my bedtime, but he appreciated the information.
These nights, when I lay my head on my pillow, often after watching another Brewers victory, I thank God for the many blessings in my life. Among them are my parents, who taught me so much, and my wife and kids, whom my father never had the chance to meet. I’ve had the joy of teaching them some of the intricacies of the greatest game. Passing down what my father taught me.
I love baseball. And the Brewers are my team.
Dad will be watching this World Series with me and his granddaughters. Of that I have no doubt.
Is it game time yet?
Let’s go!
Previously at Dairyland Sentinel
