Chin Up, Brewers Fans

Imagine you have a powerful hankerin’ for a piece of chocolate cake. You walk into your favorite bakery and there it is. Dark chocolate with fudge icing. It’s five bucks. You reach for your wallet only to find that you have just four dollars. Now you notice the sign that says the bakery only takes cash. No problem. You find the nearest ATM. But it’s closed. Now you start to get a little bit antsy. It’s a six block walk to another ATM. It’s working, but it won’t let you have any money. You check your balance. Damn! Your landlord cashed your check a few days earlier than usual. But wait. You had that $25 birthday check from your aunt that you forgot about. You rush back to your apartment. Now, where the heck did you stash that? Now you’re in a panic. You tear through your place. Sofa cushions fly. Drawers are poured out onto the floor. Books are shaken. Waste baskets are overturned.

And then it’s no longer about the cake. Baked goods are only an analogy for all the other near misses in your life. If only you had scored a couple points better on the LSAT. If only you had bought that cryptocurrency stock when all your friends were telling you about it.

If you’re a fan of the Milwaukee Brewers you might relate to this feeling. Clinching the Central Division title has been sitting out there, tantalizingly close for a couple weeks now and yet it just seems to be getting further away. The Crew has dropped five straight and four of those have been to the dreaded St. Louis Cardinals. Moreover, they haven’t looked sharp in any aspect of the game. Starting pitching has been inconsistent, the bullpen has been bad, the hitting machine has been switched to off and even fielding and base running look less than stellar.

But I’m here to make you feel better. We’ll get our nice piece of chocolate cake — and probably some George Webb burgers to boot. Here are three reasons.

First, it’s easy. All that needs to happen is that the Brewers win three or the Cardinals lose three or any combination thereof, and it’s all over. Put on the plastic glasses. Pop the champaign.

Second. this is the same team that got us to this point. It would be different if they were riddled with injuries, but they’re not. Devin Williams pulled up lame the other day, but he’s not on the IL and he should be fine for the playoffs. Actually, for a team that has struggled with injuries all season, they’re about as healthy as they’ve been since opening day.

Third, be grateful for this slump. I’m serious. Every team, no matter how good, goes through slumps. I was actually worried that these guys hadn’t had one since May. They were due. Better to work through it now than in October.

It’s an interesting thing about slumps in baseball, especially where hitting is concerned. Every player steps to the plate alone. It’s more like golf or tennis than any team sport. And yet entire teams stop hitting all at once. Weird.

In any event, there ya go. Three unassailable reasons that the Crew will be just fine. So take that fatalistic attitude and get it up, get it up, get it outa here.

Welcome to the 219th straight day of posts here at YSDA. Thanks for reading!