As a proud Dad, I of course have to point you to our daughter Liz’s essay about Westley and The Princess Bride.
I would say that at least fifteen times this week, someone has asked me the question in the headline: Is this finally the year that the Milwaukee Brewers break through?
You know the history: The Brewers are the oldest team — well, they’re tied with the San Diego Padres for this distinction — to have never won a World Series. I suppose you could argue that the Padres stand alone because, even though both teams were founded in 1969, the Brewers spent their first year in Seattle as the Pilots.
But I don’t think we need to argue. The Brewers and Padres have lived parallel lives of disappointment and frustration. They have each appeared in the World Series — the Padres twice — only to fall short. They each have a singular star — Robin Yount for the Brewers; Tony Gwynn for the Padres — who shines so brightly but never won it all. They have appeared in two of the last four National League Championship Series only to get wiped out.
They each featured, at one point, Rob Deer, Matt Stairs, Ollie Brown, Sixto Lezcano and, of course, Kurt Bevacqua.
And it looks like they’ll both be in the playoffs this year.
But I want to focus on the Brewers because they very well could finish with the best record in baseball for the second straight year, and yet there’s a widespread feeling that this season will end like every other Brew Crew season — with an early playoff exit and a Wisconsin shrug that says, “It’s never going to happen, is it?”
I don’t do predictions … or anyway, I don’t do them well.
But this Brewers team does feel different to me.
Well, in many ways, they seem exactly the same. They are so solid. Brice Turang is the ultimate Brewer, right? He’s hitting .265 with 19 homers and 19 steals. He will probably score 100 runs, and he might drive in 100 runs. He continues to play his otherworldly defense at second base. None of it stops you in your tracks, but then at the end of the year he’s had another six- or seven-WAR season.
Ditto Jackson Chourio — he’s hitting .286 with 23 homers, 17 stolen bases, he would have scored 100 runs if not for the injury that kept him out, he plays good outfield defense, you barely notice, and, voila, it’s a five WAR season.
It’s like that across the board. The Brewers are always better than you think they are because their pitchers and players excel at doing the small and barely noticeable things that win ballgames. This is how the Brewers won the division in 2025 … and 2024 … and 2023 … and 2021 … and 2018.
But all those seasons ended in postseason disappointment.
So what’s the difference.
You know what’s the difference.
The Miz.
