On Oct. 15, 1982 - five months after graduating from Marquette and two days after I turned 22 years old - I was sitting in the auxiliary press box at Milwaukee County Stadium as part of the Associated Press' World Series coverage team.
It was heady stuff for an AP intern who dreamed of being a sportswriter. Getting to cover Games 3, 4 and 5 of the series between the Brewers and Cardinals will be a fond memory I'll carry with me as long as my brain is capable of remembering anything.
Forty-four years later, the Brewers have punched their ticket back to the World Series. In the process, they've fired up my Way-Back Machine.
Obviously, much has changed. The Brewers were in the American League back in 1982, but they now represent the NL. County Stadium is long gone, having been replaced by the retractable-domed American Family Field. Though they have a knack for hitting timely home runs, they play a far different brand of baseball than "Harvey's Wallbangers" did back in '82. And, of course, it's been eons since I've stepped foot in a press box.
But I'll bet the scene for Game 1 next week will be familiar to those who were there 44 years ago: pure excitement.
The Brewers got back to the World Series by not just defeating the The Unbeatable Super-Team (aka the Los Angeles Dodgers), but by sweeping the two-time defending champs right out of the NL Championship Series. Milwaukee trailed in each of the four games, and then rallied to win them all. It was inspiring, thrilling, brilliant baseball.
Whereas the 1982 Brew Crew was known for the powerful bats of Robin Yount, Paul Molitor, Gorman Thomas, Cecil Cooper and Ben Oglivie, these Brewers tend to make opponents bleed to death with 1,000 paper cuts - singles, doubles, stolen bases, bunts ... anything to constantly put pressure on opposing pitchers and fielders.
One of their best stories is their first baseman, Jake Bauers, who was ready to quit baseball after several failed attempts to make it. He decided to give it one last shot a couple of years ago when his wife got pregnant, because his family needed the health insurance. Bauers had two epic plate appearances against the Dodgers - first ending a 12-pitch at-bat by drawing a walk off of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, leading to the Brewers' go-ahead rally in Game 2; then ending an 11-pitch at-bat with a two-run homer off of Blake Snell to give Milwaukee the lead for good in Game 3.
The Brewers also received numerous other stellar performances, most notably from their intense catcher, William Contreras, and their unflappable bullpen corps, led by lefty Aaron Ashby.
Their most famous player - 105-mph fastballer Jacob "The Miz" Misiorowski - didn't pitch particularly well in the opener. Not a problem. They still beat Dodgers ace Tarik Skubal to set the tone for the entire series.
Milwaukee wrapped up the series in Game 4 despite falling behind 4-0 early. They got a 2-run double from - who else? - Bauers in the 4th, and they tied it up the next inning when Bauers drew a bases-loaded walk. Fittingly, two players who had combined for 15 home runs during the season - Garrett Mitchell and David Hamilton - each went deep for the go-ahead and insurance runs. And then Ashby and his fellow relievers did their thing to end L.A.'s season.
Although the sports punditry heavily favored the Dodgers, the result was not a fluke. The Brewers won 103 games during the season - their second straight year as the majors' winningest team - and they simply looked like the better ballclub all throughout the series.
In the Fall Classic, the Brewers will face either the Cleveland Guardians or the Tampa Bay Rays. That's notable because, like the Brewers, those are relatively low-spending organizations that rely upon smart management and player development.
That those three small-market teams were still standing while the free-spending Dodgers were sent packing has no doubt made many MLB owners unhappy. They were hoping to continue selling the false narrative that there can be no competitive balance in the game without a salary cap to constrain teams like the Dodgers. Oops.
Now there's a greater chance than ever that the multibillionaire owners will lock out the multimillionaire players - who refuse to protect the owners from themselves - and put next season in jeopardy.
But that's another concern for another time. For now, I'm too wrapped up in enjoying the Brewers' return to prominence, and in reflecting on where I was 44 years ago.
AP had only three sportswriters at the 1982 ALCS between the Brewers and the then-California Angels. My assignment was to cover the Angels' clubhouse. Given that the team included some of the biggest names of the day - Reggie Jackson, Fred Lynn, Rod Carew, Bobby Grich, Don Baylor, Bob Boone, manager Gene Mauch - it was a pretty amazing place for a young sportswriter-wannabe to find himself.
The Brewers lost the first two games in Anaheim but then rallied to win three straight at County Stadium. Mauch had a reputation of being a great manager, but one who "couldn't win the big one," and I was standing a few feet away from him as he fought back tears after yet another devastating disappointment.
Not sure why, but one of my enduring memories was of the food that was served to the media before the ALCS games in the "Rathskeller" beneath County Stadium. The Brewers had chefs whipping up beef tenderloin and other delicacies, and I was loving it. After the Brewers beat the Angels, I thought, "Wow, if they gave us that food in the ALCS, what kind of incredible grub are they gonna serve us in the World Series?!?!"
Well, I found out soon enough: Boxed Lunches.
Turns out there was far too much of a media crush for the big event, and cold-cut sandwiches were what we got. Kinda silly that I remember that so clearly. A man's heart really does run through his stomach.
Our AP crew was bigger for the World Series, and I was the low man in the pecking order. For each of Games 3, 4 and 5, I was assigned to do an article on a player. There was no spare laptop computer for me to use, so I had to dictate my articles via telephone to a copy editor in New York.
The Brewers lost Game 3 but won the next two to take a 3-2 series lead before flying back to St. Louis. Unfortunately for the Brew Crew and their fans, the Cardinals won the final two games. Despite the outcome, the city still threw a huge parade for the Brewers - that's how beloved that team was.
A week or so later, one of AP's reporters in the Madison bureau accepted a transfer to Chicago. That created an opening for me to go from Milwaukee intern to full-time Madison reporter. I like to think my work during the ALCS and World Series, which was praised by AP's sports editor at the time, helped pave the way for that key event in my journalism career.
I loved watching the Brewers when I was at Marquette. Tailgating at County Stadium was a blast. My first date with Robbie was at a Brewers game, and that turned out pretty well, too.
There's no cheering in the press box, but I'm not in the press box anymore. So damn right I'll be rooting for the Brewers to win their first championship. And I'll be pretty surprised if they don't get it done.
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