Tonight, the New Orleans Saints will play in their first Super Bowl in franchise history. In terms of on-field performance, they’ve overcome 40 years of futility, disappointment, and general embarrassment. You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone rooting against them tonight.
Seeing how ecstatic this has made Saints fans got me wondering…what would it be like if the Brewers were to make the World Series?
Granted, it wouldn’t be the club’s first trip, but it’s been 28 years since their last appearance. Many current Brewer fans — myself included — weren’t alive in 1982 when the Brewers were one win away from being world champions. We got a taste of how baseball-crazy the town can get when the club made the playoffs in 2008, but much like when the Saints lost in the NFC Championship game a few years ago, it only caused more heartache when they were bounced before reaching the promised land.
But just imagine what a return to the World Series would mean for Milwaukee and the Brewers
– The series could simultaneously serve as a celebration of Bob Uecker’s career behind the mic. No one has shown as much devotion to the club as Ueck, and you can tell no one has enjoyed this recent resurgance more than him. What would be better than Ueck leading the victory parade and hosting the celebration?
– This group of players would be remembered for ages, and not just stars like Ryan Braun. I know people who remember the likes of Jim Gantner just as fondly as they remember Robin Yount and Paul Molitor. Imagine Brewer fans talking fondly about Craig Counsell 20 years from now.
– How much do you want to bet that 25 years from now, the Brewers would be wearing the 2010 uniforms for “Retro Fridays”?
– We saw a bit of this in 2008, but if the Brewers were to make a deep run into the playoffs, it would at least delay Packer and Badger football hysteria across the state. Considering it looks like the Packers themselves could be headed for big things, it would be quite an accomplishment for the Brewers to hold the state’s attention through October.
– From a national perspective, the Brewers would be media darlings. Everyone loves a good underdog story — that’s why so many people latched onto the Rays when they made their World Series run. This effect would be amplified if the Brewers were to face off against, say, the New York Yankees.
– Money is everything in baseball, and the revenue earned from a deep postseason run could keep the team competitive for years. Sure, a payroll in the top half of the league is likely out of reach no matter how successful they are, but the extra money could be used for extensions to budding stars like Yovani Gallardo.
Does a Brewers postseason berth seem likely, let alone a World Series appearance? No, not after what we saw last season. Then again, the Saints went 8-8 and 7-9 the past two years, and no one saw their 13-0 start coming.
Just something to think about now that we’re less than two weeks away from pitchers and catchers reporting.
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