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MILWAUKEE -- As a fairly new Minnesota resident, I must admit -- some things will never change when it comes to the teams I root for.
Growing up in southwestern Wisconsin, it was instilled in me from an early age to cheer for the Packers, Bucks, Badgers and Brewers. A huge shoutout goes to my dad for getting me into sports so early.
Over the years, I have been fortunate enough to experience plenty of success with those teams. There was the Packers' 2011 Super Bowl championship, multiple playoff runs with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback (sorry, Vikings fans), and, of course, the Bucks' 2021 NBA championship.
That Bucks title still ranks among the best nights of my life. I was right outside the arena with more than 100,000 fans at a watch party, experiencing a level of excitement that I had never seen in Milwaukee before.
Winning a championship for the first time in 50 years brought the city and state together in a way that was difficult to describe.
And this year, the vibes around the Brewers feel very similar.
It seems like every summer, my dad and I have the same conversation: Will the Brewers fizzle out or suffer a big injury right before the playoffs, or will they finally roll into October playing their best baseball?
Every year, it seems like there is always something that happens to derail the Crew's momentum.
But this year has simply felt different.
I have attended plenty of Brewers games with friends and family over the years, but being inside American Family Field for Game 1 of this year's National League Division Series against the San Diego Padres was different than anything I had experienced at the stadium before.
I was lucky enough to join a college buddy, Cullen, and his dad for the game, and from the moment we stepped off the shuttle, the atmosphere was unlike anything I had experienced at a Brewers game.
It was an energy you simply had to be there to feel.
Then came the game.
The Brewers sent NL Cy Young candidate Jacob Misiorowski to the mound, and the place was buzzing well before the first pitch.
The San Diego Padres, fresh off a Wild Card Series victory over the Brewers' rival Chicago Cubs, came in with a plan. San Diego repeatedly fouled off Misiorowski's pitches, driving up his pitch count and getting him past 50 pitches after just two innings.
The Padres also managed to put two runs on the board, and for much of the night, it looked like that 2-0 advantage might hold.
Then Jackson Chourio stepped to the plate in the third inning.
Chourio launched a two-run homer to left-center field to tie the game -- a homer that sailed right over my head as I watched the Brewers bullpen erupt -- and the roof nearly came off American Family Field.
In the seventh inning, William Contreras sent a home run off Padres star closer Mason Miller into the stands, giving Milwaukee a 3-2 lead.
That lead held.
The Brewers had their first win of the series.
Milwaukee then won Game 2 on a walk-off from none other than Chourio before dropping Game 3 in San Diego.
Then came Game 4 on Wednesday night.
The Brewers came through again, punching their ticket to the National League Championship Series and moving one step closer to the World Series -- a place Milwaukee has not been since 1982.
For someone who grew up just across the border in Wisconsin, watching this Brewers run has been a pretty special experience.
And while I may now call Minnesota home, that Wisconsin sports loyalty is not going anywhere.
So, if you see a guy walking around the Marshall area wearing Brewers gear -- especially on a day the Crew is playing -- chances are pretty good that it is me.
Feel free to stop me, say hi and ask how the Brewers are doing.
I would love to talk baseball, sports or anything else and, more importantly, get to know more of the people who call the Marshall area home.