Nearly one year ago to the day, the Brewers had their defining moment; the moment that turned around their season. On May 20, 2011, I saw my third game of the year in person in which the only thing I thought I would take away was getting to see Zack Greinke pitch. Greinke, as he had been throughout the early part of the season, was sub-par and gave up four runs in six innings, keeping the Crew in the game. Turns out we weren't even halfway through the game.
When ranking the top sporting events I've attended, there are three Brewer games that probably crack the top five. Just for fun, let's go through my top five while we're at it!
5. Colorado Rockies @ Milwaukee Brewers (May 20, 2011)
So let's pick up where I left off. The Brewers overcame a 4-2 deficit and would tie the game in the bottom of the eighth inning on a Casey McGehee home run (really?). Okay, so I've been to extra inning games before and heck, I've even seen my fair share of walk-off victories. But this was different. The Brewers needed a boost. They were 21-23 with lofty expectations after making big splashes during the off-season. And they were in danger of going three games under .500...twice...after going down by one in both the 13th and 14th innings. In the 13th, it was Yuniesky Betancourt (really?) who would tie the game on a home run down the left field line. Then, in the bottom of the 14th...roughly six hours after I had arrived with my good friends Dan, Chris and Kyle at the Miller Park parking lot, Prince Fielder hit a ball to right field that to my knowledge still hasn't landed. I'll revisit this game later.
Brewers 7, Rockies 6 (F/14)
4. Penn State @ Wisconsin men's basketball (Jan. 24, 2010)
My one and only college basketball game at the Kohl Center was a doozy. The Nittany Lions, who hadn't won a Big Ten game all season, were on the verge of upsetting the 19th ranked Badgers towards the end of my sophomore year winter break (Don't worry. I took an interim class.) Travon Hughes was still on the team, Jordan Taylor was emerging as a star, and Jon Leuer was out with an injury. Taylor went on an unbelievable tear, scoring 18 of his 20 points after the 2:00 mark of the second half. He forced overtime with a layup and continued his dominance in the overtime period, sealing the win for Bucky. I can honestly say I have never heard a building louder than at the end of regulation. I'm not sure if I should ever return to the Kohl Center because nothing will ever top that experience, except maybe a court storming... (FORESHADOWING!)
Badgers 79, Nittany Lions 71 (F/OT)
3. Philadelphia Phillies @ Milwaukee Brewers (August 4, 2007)
In a late summer game against the Phillies, the Brewers were in the process of faltering. They had opened up an eight and a half game lead in the division, but that lead was slowly evaporating. It was a Saturday night. Miller was packed. I was sitting with my friend Heather who graciously brought me to several Brewer games where the seats were second deck right behind home plate. Aside from what will make number one on this list, I've never seen a better atmosphere at a baseball game. Down 5-4 in the bottom of the eighth, Prince Fielder hit an absolute bomb to right field (again) with a runner on to take a 6-5 lead, and Miller Park almost collapsed. But it was nothing compared to the roar that took place in the top of the ninth when Corey Hart reached up and brought one back from the right field seats. It saved the game and got Brewer Nation all kinds of excited, hoping this was the moment the team needed to get back on track. The Brewers would not make the postseason in '07 (they suffered a heartbreaking extra inning defeat the next day), but it's still surely a game with two moments I'll never forget.
Brewers 6, Phillies 5
2b. Ohio State @ Wisconsin football (October 16, 2010)
I've been to my fair share of Badger games, but none quite of this magnitude. The number one Ohio State Buckeyes were coming into town and before the season had began, Dan, who played in the marching band, sold me the rights to his ticket. Turns out it would be one of the biggest moments in Wisconsin football history. After David Gilreath returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown, I knew I was in for a special night. The Buckeyes were never able to get over the hump and as the clock struck zero, chaos ensued. The student section flooded onto the field at Camp Randall, singing, chanting, hugging players, and celebrating a surreal moment. I almost lost my right shoe hopping over the railing, but it would have been worth it. The game may not have come down to the wire like every other game on this list, but the magnitude of the victory trumps that fact. As in three of the first four moments I've already mentioned, Kyle was also at the game. I'm thinking we should do this whole attend sporting events together thing more often...
Badgers 31, Buckeyes 18
2a. Chicago Bears @ Green Bay Packers (Jan. 2, 2010)
Negative temperatures. January. Lambeau Field. A playoff birth on the line. Playing against our heated rival. Yep. It wasn't pretty, but the Packers won, made the playoffs, and the rest is history. No words can describe this one. And yes, this means I'm giving you my top six sporting events attended, but it's my blog so tough shit!
Packers 10, Bears 3
1. Arizona Diamondbacks @ Milwaukee Brewers (Oct. 7, 2011)
I'll be damned if I ever see a better moment in person when it comes to sports. Hopefully I do, but then I'd be damned. It was game 5 of the NLDS against the D-Backs and the game was close the whole way, making for a rather tense atmosphere. The Brewers led 2-1 going into the eighth, and with K-Rod and Axford due up to pitch, it seemed all but over...but it's never that easy. K-Rod pulled his modern-day Houdini act, loading the bases before getting out of the jam. Unfortunately, Ax did not have the same luck and had to get out of a first-and-second with nobody out pickle (after the tying run had already scored). Talk about a heart-stopper. The Brewers couldn't win it in the ninth, but after a solid bounce-back inning from Axford, Milwaukee had a chance to win it again in the 10th. Carlos Gomez ripped a lead-off single, got over to second base with Nyjer Morgan at the plate, and scored on the Tony Plush single heard 'round the state of Wisconsin. To put things in perspective, it was only the sixth time in National League history that a deciding game in the playoffs was decided on a walk-off, and the first time since 2001. And I was there! Goosebumps will surface on my skin every time I watch that replay of Gomez crossing home. Oh, and did I mention that Kyle was there?
Brewers 3, D-Backs 2 (F/10)
Sorry for the diversion there, but let me return to the Rockies/Brewers classic from a year ago. It was the undeniable turning point of the Brewers season. From that point on, there was no real low point for Milwaukee, and they cruised to the Central Division title and the NLCS, where they would eventually fall to the HATED St. Louis Cardinals. As a fan, you look for moments, for games, that will get a team out of a slump; that will be the jump-start to a magical run. Many times, teams fail to capitalize on special moments, like I noted with the Phillies game in '07. Take a few weeks ago, for example. The Brewers had a similar victory to the Rockies game last season when they defeated the Cubs in 13 innings with a 13-18 record. On Sunday, the Brewers had another statement victory, winning 16-4 behind the inspiring effort of the red-hot Jonathan Lucroy (7 RBIs).
Monday night, however, the Brewers had another chance to make a statement and build off some momentum with a walk-off victory and failed, losing in 14 innings to the San Francisco Giants. It's been a season of countless starting lineups and enough ups and downs to last me an entire season, but as I stated in my last blog post, there's reason to be optimistic. Yeah, being 17-25 sucks, and I'd bet I could count on my fingers and toes the amount of teams that have made the playoffs after starting a season like that, but the Brewers are only six games behind the Cards in the division. It's May. Sure, there have been injuries, but it happens to everyone. Let's hope that the Brewers are still searching for their "defining moment" to get back on track. Monday's loss is frustrating to say the least, but tomorrow is another day, and that's what's great about baseball: you have to have a short memory and get right back on the horse the next day.
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