I am sitting in a Stone Creek coffee shop in Milwaukee’s Third Ward. I am nervous, I have to write my first baseball blog for the Shepherd Express. My mind is racing about what I want to say and how I want to say it; I need to introduce who I am and why people should come back to my blog weekly. I am the Baseball Buddha… I will shed more light on my moniker in future posts but I am sure that many of you will be able to figure it as you read further.
Famed broadcaster Vin Scully at Dodgers Stadium last season.
My goal with the blog is to cover baseball in the Greater Milwaukee area from a fan's perspective. I want it to be authentic and honest. I love the game of baseball: the characters that play the game, the people who work at the game and all the fans who attend the games. From tee ball to the Major Leagues there is an intangible energy and excitement, which is sometimes obvious but oftentimes subtle.
It's that intangible energy and excitement that I want to capture. I will be covering the Brewers all summer long, but I also plan to be at Milwaukee Panthers games and Lakeshore Chinooks games this summer. Baseball is America’s pastime and that will never be up for debate in this blog. To me it is the most intelligent game of the big four. This beautiful sport is played all over the country by thousands of people every day of the year and its history aligns with America. I love the MLB and am excited to cover my hometown team. My challenge is to show why the Milwaukee Brewers are only part of the equation.
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During the 2014 baseball season I quit my well-paying job, packed up my belongings and hit the road. I challenged myself to see a baseball game in all of the continental United States, go to all 30 MLB ballparks and to attend a game every day during the baseball season. I am excited to report that I accomplished those three goals and more. I went to four Opening Days (Padres, Angels, Dodgers and Giants), the MLB All-Star game, College World Series, American League World Series, Little League World Series and the MLB World Series. I rubbed elbows with baseball royalty, was written about in numerous publications, was interviewed almost daily during the summer months and spent countless evenings sleeping in my car. It was one of the greatest summers of my life.
John at (L) the San Francisco Giants Stadium and (R) the Angel Stadium of Anaheim
My trip has given me a great perspective about this game but also about the life I live and the person I have become. Baseball for me is an escape from the day-to-day stresses of life and it provides much happiness and joy. With this blog I will talk about life and baseball, from the Brewers players to the guys who work on the grounds crew. We all have a story that connects us in some way. I have seen it happen all over the United States at all the different levels.
The college baseball season is underway and MLB players are reporting to Spring Training, and I can’t wait to hear from my dad about the Brewers' chances this year. He will undoubtedly tell me how good he feels about the team and that it is their year. This is a yearly conversation, hope is abundant before the start of the season.
He will scour the sports pages and the stats, opinions will abound on the different players. “Gomez swings too hard and is trying to kill the ball all the time” will be one of our conversations, as it always is. All will be forgiven when he does things like this:
There will be numerous calls made during games to his other sons and daughters, the game always on in the background of whatever he is doing. It is this bonding that I love and remember, this is baseball, this is happiness.
If you have any questions or comments please don’t hesitate to email me at baseballbuddha@shepex.com.
