We put a lot of weight on Opening Day. Thousands play hooky from work and school to come out and not only celebrate the return of Brewers baseball, but also to do a two-step on the grave of winter.
The TV cameras are everywhere and helicopters patrol the skies. The atmosphere is festive -- more so than almost any other game of the year.
If the Brewers win, we feel like we're off to a good start and success is assured (though, by now, we surely know better). And if they lose, we figure, "hey, it's a long season."
Baseball fans are a superstitious lot, but, in the end, what does it all mean?
Very little, really. After all, with 161 games to go this season, a single win or loss at this point is irrelevant, right?
Numerically speaking, that's certainly true.
But, psychologically, we want to come in on a high note. We want to win so we can put the Braun business behind us. We want it so we can put years of frustration behind us. We want it so we can come together and celebrate a Brewers' success story.
But we also want it because we don't want the celebratory atmosphere of Opening Day to end. And because after what seemed like an interminable winter, we want to keep the post-mortem dance going as long as possible.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
