Summerstuff

In the past week I have...

Attended a Madison Mallards baseball game:

A bunch of coworkers got tickets and tailgated before the game.  I hadn't seen a minor league baseball game since the Kenosha Twins existed, and the players used to board with our neighbors over the back fence during the summer, and my older sisters used to scheme ways to get their attention ... anyway.  I hadn't seen a minor league game in a long time, and this was fun.  And a lot goofier than I remembered.  See guy with cape and keytar above.  He played a song between innings: winner had to identify song and artist.  Also, at Mallards games, anyone who catches a foul ball can turn it in for a free wiener at the concession stand.  The Twins definitely didn't do that.


Gone to my first Capitol Farmer's Market of the summer:

Believe it or not, it was my first Saturday morning at home since the outdoor markets began on April 17th.  The weather couldn't have been better for my first outing of the season.  My haul included fresh raspberries and spicy cheese bread, and I got there early enough to walk around without being slowed to a crawl by the crowds.


Taken part in a surprise birthday party:

I suppose that isn't a summer-specific activity, but it's always fun to get together for a celebration with friends.  Bonus points if the night includes karaoke at a bar, where friend Mark sings a Smiths song while the birthday girl does an interpretive dance behind him.


Driven down to Chicago for a free night of music in Millennium Park:

The Cultural Center hosts a series called Downtown Sound, featuring different bands each Monday.  Last night's show in the Pritzker Pavilion featured Huntsville and On Fillmore with Nels Cline.  Though some of Huntsville's material isn't exactly my thing, I found most of the performances fascinating.  It's interesting to watch Nels and Glenn and Darin work with the sheer variety of implements they bring to the stage in this incarnation.  Garden weasel wheels playing crotales, battery-powered tripod massagers on a drum head, chirping stuffed birds played through guitar pickups, and something that was possibly bamboo on a rope, twirled in the air like a foxtail.  Nels and Glenn joined Huntsville for the last 45 minutes of their set, and you know when there are two drum kits being employed, I'm happy.

Milwaukee week

Between Easter Sunday and five minutes ago when I sat down to type, all of my time at home has been spent asleep, getting ready for work, or getting ready for bed. The rest of the time? Work, and Milwaukee.

Here's a photo of my dining room table at the moment - after four days of serving as a place to toss random crap as I'm coming or going. (There would be a Brewers mini helmet there too, but due to nacho cheese sauce remnants I was actually forced to wash it. Therefore, it's in the sink.)


Monday: Work, then Brewers game with Rob, Tamala, and their adorable and energetic girls. First (third) pitch by Jeff Tweedy, sausage races, an interminable top of the 3rd inning, two Brewers home runs despite the loss (see third inning). A mini-helmet full of cheese fries. Seats 8 rows behind home plate. Leave after seventh inning stretch due to long week ahead (and possible lameness.) Drive home. Night one of very little sleep.


Tuesday: Work, then back to Milwaukee for Wilco's first of two shows at the Pabst. Party at Nate and Noel's sweet apartment. A Hawk and a Hacksaw. Slew of friends in from Chicago. Wilco. Two new songs, Wisconsin-centric banter. Great performance of Theologians. Friendly show neighbors. PBR tall boys. Way too late of a night afterward. Drive home. Fill up gas tank. Night two of very little sleep.

Wednesday: Work, then back to Milwaukee for Wilco's second of two shows at the Pabst. Witness part of photo shoot for possible album art featuring fans in line, fans in Nudie suits, and a mysterious birthday cake. Dinner at Safe House. Tamala finds a 6th row ticket on the street and turns it in. Lobby socializing. Wilco. Awesome version of Shouldn't Be Ashamed. General Nels Cline appreciation night. Glenn tries something different in lieu of the Todd Trainor tribute, holding up some huge unidentifiable prop instead. Jeff's Brewers hat is back for the encores. Rocking finale. More lobby socializing. Drive home. Night three of very little sleep.


Thursday: Work. Actually go home, as opposed to Milwaukee. Contemplate how lovely it is outside, but today's ten-minute outdoor walk after lunch at work will have to suffice, because no longer able to move.

All in all? Fantastic. Can we do it again next week?

Saturday

Another good day for baseball in Wisconsin. Very good.

Game 3 of the NLDS was Tamala's first Brewers game of the season, and the first game ever in Miller Park for my mom and me. We felt slightly guilty about this, given the level of excitement over this series among fans. But through the generosity of a family friend, we found ourselves sitting at a patio table overlooking left field on Saturday evening - food vouchers and postseason towels in hand. Before finding our seats, we took a walk around the park. It was interesting to compare Miller Park with County Stadium. Everything at Miller Park feels much slicker. There's an espresso cart. Espresso cart! Why, back in my day...

This was the first time I'd attended a playoff game for any sport, fairly surprising given my alternating years of obsessive baseball, hockey, and basketball fandom. I don't plan to let it be my last. The energy in Miller Park was great on Saturday. Every strike thrown by Milwaukee was cheered loudly. Nearly every pitch sent the towels twirling; twirling speed and fervor was governed by the count. The game was one of the best I could have hoped for - the Brewers never trailed, but the lead was never secure enough to allow for complacency. There were disappointments and scares, but never calamity. And when the final strike was thrown, the stadium erupted. All the way to the car, everyone was cheering and yelling and high-fiving each other. Never before have I been fived so many times. My favorite drunken cheer overheard outside: "Two! More! Games! It's not! That! Much!" No matter what happens on Sunday, at least we took Game 3.

Not only did the Brewers win, but my pick of the Italian Sausage won the Sausage race in the 6th inning. Yes, it was a good night.

A good day for baseball in Wisconsin

Today the Brewers managed something they haven't done since I was two years old. They made the playoffs.

Granted, there was a time when I thought they might win the division. And then there was awhile when I thought they had the wild card spot comfortably in hand. But all in all, to end a season with a day of baseball like today is not a bad thing. Days like today remind me of why, when I manage to pay attention, I do love this game.

I'm not the world's biggest Brewers fan, but I grew up on Brewers games. I've never attended a game at Miller Park, but as a child I saw many at County Stadium. My dad must be pretty happy right now. The picture above is him on the field at County Stadium ten years ago, on a day when his friend threw the first pitch. This might eclipse that experience for him. (Actually, if I know my dad, he's already predicting a loss in the first round.)

Admittedly, I don't remember much from the 1982 World Series run. My parents do have a yellowing pennant hanging down the basement with names that are still familiar to me. Paul Molitor. Cecil Cooper. Robin Yount. Here's hoping they get to add another one with some new names. CC Sabathia, Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun? Stay tuned.