There are very few activities I enjoy in life more than going to a Brewers game. I'm blessed with great seats at all times, either through the OnMilwaukee.com season tickets or press box access, and other than watching the Crew at my beloved old County Stadium, I could hardly ask for a better experience at Miller Park.
But lately I've been wondering if I actually enjoy watching the Brewers on TV or listening to them on the radio more than I do seeing them in person.
This is crazy talk, I know. For some reason, though, I've had a really hard time lately concentrating on the action when I'm at Miller Park, and maybe it's because I'm so distracted.
When sitting in our real seats, it's always with one of my friends who I don't see nearly enough of, and we spend the whole game catching up, talking smack and debating the finer points of .OPS and slugging percentages. Next thing I know, it's the seventh inning stretch and I can't remember who scored what or when.
Up in the press box, it's quiet and air conditioned and full of baseball experts -- but it's also so removed from the action to the point that it's like watching the game on TV, but without all the cheering, close-ups and commentary, not to mention the luxury of lounging around in my underwear.
At home or in the car, however, I can either make the Brewers game my absolute focal point (other than driving), or it can become background noise that I can tune in and out at will. When it's my official activity of the night, I see replays, hear insightful analysis, all while filtering out all the hoopla of a live sporting event. I'm actually shaking my head as I write this, but sometimes it's a good thing.
I guess what I'm saying is that going to a Brewers game in person, for me, is all about the experience and less about the sport. (The obvious exceptions were last year's playoff games; I had razor-sharp attention throughout and sat in a cat-like state of readiness from the first pitch to the final out.)
Strangely, I don't feel this way about football or basketball -- both sports of which my fandom pales in comparison to baseball. Watching a Packers game at Lambeau makes so much more sense, as you can see plays develop and every player move in harmony -- especially if you're sitting in the end zone. As for basketball, watching it on TV (and heaven forbid, listening to it on the radio) is just boring.
So, no, I'm not going to stop going to as many Brewers games as my schedule will allow, and I will enjoy each and every inning. But when it's time to focus, to analyze every pitch and every swing, I might catch that game in 52 inches of glorious HD. For many reasons, it's not better than being there in person. But for a few key ones, there's no place like home.
Andy is the president, publisher and founder of OnMilwaukee. He returned to Milwaukee in 1996 after living on the East Coast for nine years, where he wrote for The Dallas Morning News Washington Bureau and worked in the White House Office of Communications. He was also Associate Editor of The GW Hatchet, his college newspaper at The George Washington University.
Before launching OnMilwaukee.com in 1998 at age 23, he worked in public relations for two Milwaukee firms, most of the time daydreaming about starting his own publication.
Hobbies include running when he finds the time, fixing the rust on his '75 MGB, mowing the lawn at his cottage in the Northwoods, and making an annual pilgrimage to Phoenix for Brewers Spring Training.