6926 From September 19th, 2007 I've been a sports fan for 22+ years now, and it's always been baseball at the forefront. Sure, I enjoy soccer, football, hockey, but baseball always has meant more to me. I love the game itself, the numbers and stats, the stadiums, the trades, the history, all of it. Being a baseball fan was a foregone conclusion with me since both my parents love the sport as well. But I was born into an interesting sports situation; my mom is a Chicago Cubs fan and my dad is a Milwaukee Brewers fan. Both of them like both teams, but they also both have a bias towards their team. When I grew up, I was with my mom much more since my dad works nights, so I always had a stronger bond with the Cubs. Plus, I liked the colors. Hey, isn't that how it works when you're six and seven? This twin-team affiliation has stuck with me all my life, even in my high school and college years, and it's always been an easy thing to handle. It started with each team being in separate leagues, so there wasn't an issue there. Even after both teams occupied the NL Central, I never had to worry about competition between the clubs because usually both teams were bad, and one of them was usually terrible, at least. Until this year. For the first time in my life, I'm following two competitive teams. Both my teams, both perennial losers, are now in the thick of a pennant race... against each other. At this point, to root for one is to root against another? It's kind of like having parents fighting and trying to pick a side; there's no good answer and no answer you can feel good about. Yet I've found myself this year rooting for one team...the Milwaukee Brewers. And by rooting for the Brewers, that includes rooting against the Cubs, a team I've followed and loved my entire life, and it hasn't been easy. I'm delighting in Carlos Zambrano blowing a game against Cincinnati, Brandon Webb shutting the Cubs lineup down and Ryan Dempster pitching the same way he always does; craptastically. As a die-hard baseball fan, this has actually been an emotionally difficult season for me. Instead of enjoying the dual success (or at least partial success) of my teams, I've found myself at a loss for a comfortable rooting place. I root for Milwaukee, but know that my heart isn't completely into it since their successes equate to Chicago's failure. The one thing I can completely celebrate? St. Louis losing, since I hate the Cardinals as both a Cub and Brewer fan. I like Albert Pujols, but the team itself along with their manager and center fielder are plenty to despise. Just now I opened up MLB.com's Gameday 2007 web software of which game? Milwaukee vs. Houston. (Ooh, Braun's up with two on and nobody out to start the game.) If I were home right now and had the TV on, I'd be putting on the Brewers game even if the Cubs were playing on WGN-TV. I've got a Brewers throwback jersey as well as hockey jersey in my closet; the only Cubs shirt I've gotten in a year or two now was my Ryne Sandberg jersey t-shirt after the Cubs/Mets game at Wrigley (Which I seem to have misplaced at the moment, too). I keep asking myself one question: Why have I sided with the Brewers so strongly this year? Why are they my team right now? I don't believe it's a single thing, but rather a combination of factors: 1. My Wife - I know one of the biggest factors in my rooting interests has been my wife. She was somewhat of a baseball fan before we started dating, but once she was around me a bit, she didn't have much of a choice. However, she's always been a Brewers fan and still holds basically no allegiance towards the Cubs past me. Plus, this is the first summer I haven't been at home since I was working up until my wedding. I was always home with my parents and ended up watching the Cubs with greater frequency (We always have MLB Extra Innings at home). Now I'm in La Crosse without access to the Cubs save for the WGN games, which hold no appeal to Emily unlike the Brewers' broadcasts. She holds almost no interest in what happens with the Cubs, and thus my interest has waned as well. 2. My Friends - With this, I primarily mean my good friend John and his brother James, both of which are huge Brewers fans. John's my usual sports discussion parter, so our talks generally revolve around the Brewers and their season. Plus, his love for the Brewers has helped to bring mine out more but in turn suppress my inner Cubbie. 3. The Teams Themselves - If you asked me to pick my favorite player from each team, it wouldn't be an easy choice, but for different reasons. With the Cubs, my favorite player is probably Matt Murton, then probably Derrek Lee. But that's about it. I like Carlos Zambrano well enough, Aramis Ramirez is alright, but overall, the players on the Cubs don't do much for me. However, the Brewers roster is filled with awesome players who I feel like I can get behind. I love J.J. Hardy more for his glove and arm than his somewhat fluky offensive breakout. Prince Fielder is a class act with a huge bat and underrated skills otherwise. Geoff Jenkins is a life-long Brewer and stuck it out through some rough times last year. Corey Hart's emerging as a dependable part of the team and a great everyday player. Craig Counsell and, before he got hurt, Tony Graffanino are guys you love to see on a team; ones that can play anywhere you need them and will at least give you a solid backbone in the field. Ryan Braun is an emerging star, though he needs to learn how to field the damn ball. Damian Miller is a sturdy veteran presence in the locker room and on the field. Ben Sheets is just awesome (if he could only stay healthy). Yovani Gallardo is a player you can easily get excited about. Overall, they just have so many lovable and supportable players and it makes it that much more fun to follow and root for them. The only thing I hold against the guys on the Brewers is poor performance (Which isn't all that fair). It's too bad I can't say the same about the Cubs. (Continued in next post) true 2007-12-07T19:30:31Z 21707 1 2007-12-07T19:30:31Z