Heading Back to Milwaukee

The year is 2006. I'm 20 years old, home from college for the summer, and my family is embarking on a road trip to see the Twins and Brewers in Milwaukee. This was planned partially because my parents enjoy baseball and love a good family vacation, but – in retrospect – maybe more due to their noticing my increasingly rabid interest in the Minnesota Twins. (About one year earlier, I'd started blogging about the team every other day.)

Little could they have known how much this trip would fan the flames.

We grab tickets for the Friday night game. It's my first trip to Miller Park. May 19th. On this date, a rookie named Francisco Liriano is making his first start of the '06 season. 

Given my now-ardent following of the team, I'm well aware of Liriano. He emerged as a top prospect after being scooped from San Francisco in the A.J. Pierzynski deal, and he's been dealing as a reliever for the first five weeks of the season. Much like the staff's current ace Johan Santana once did, Liriano is forcing the issue with his dominant performance in the bullpen.

On this Friday evening in Milwaukee, the Twins finally let him loose as a starter. I'm sitting along the first base line with excellent seats (thanks Mom and Dad!) to take in the show. Not only does Liriano toss five innings of one-run ball, but he also hits a double at the plate – because, you know, those old National League rules. 

Liriano's win over the Brewers would set off an absolutely incredible run: he went 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA over his next 14 starts. His blazing fastball and wipeout slider blew everyone away. And the lefty's breakthrough coincided with one of the most spectacular stretches in Minnesota Twins history – a surge from 12 games out of first place in mid-July to 96 wins and a division title. 

Of course, Liriano's rookie season ended in heartbreak, as did the 2006 team's postseason flop. But I'll never forget being on hand for the game that sparked legendary runs for both. And that game isn't even my fondest Twins memory of that weekend.

On Saturday, my family spends the afternoon in Milwaukee, and later that evening we're hanging out in the hotel. The news is playing on the TV, and my ears are perked by the mention of a Minnesota sports story. State legislature has approved a bill authorizing construction of a new Twins ballpark on the old Rapid Park site in Minneapolis' warehouse district. After years and years of starts, stops, and setbacks, it's finally gonna really happen. We're getting an actual ballpark.

One week later, Governor Pawlenty would sign the official legislation before a big crowd at the Metrodome, ahead of a Twins game. (They won that game, by the way. Liriano threw five shutout innings in his second start.)

Four years later, we were taking in baseball at Target Field, one of the finest baseball stadiums in the nation and a triumph in structural engineering. In the 12 years since, that yard has developed into one of my favorite places on Earth. 

During this time I've also had the privilege of taking part in the launch and growth of Twins Daily, a website dreamed up around the passion of fans and writers who also revel in the kinds of experiences I'm discussing here. 

Which brings us to the present occasion. On Saturday afternoon, in Milwaukee, I am beyond excited to hang and celebrate with a few of the folks who built TD alongside me as we celebrate the building of something new: a neighboring fan-driven community at Brewer Fanatic, following the same model and spirit as Twins Daily.  We'll be tailgating and partying with folks from this community outside of Miller Pa––er, American Family Field and then catching a Brewers/Pirates game the best way: together with other hardcore baseball diehards.

Sites like Twins Geek, Seth Speaks, Over the Baggy, and BYTO – which all essentially merged to become Twins Daily as we currently know it – were as instrumental in growing my fandom as that unforgettable 2006 season. I sincerely hope that Brewer Fanatic can serve a similar purpose for many Wisconsin baseball fans, even though I may dislike Wisconsin as a general concept. If they like ball, they're okay with me.

Maybe my tune will change next week. Because, fittingly, as soon as the Brewers finish up with the Pirates this weekend they'll be heading to Target Field for a two-game series between two first-place teams. I'll likely be in attendance on Tuesday night. And while I might not be getting to witness the arrival party for the rookie sensation known as Francisco Liriano ... Josh Winder ain't a bad substitute. Especially when it's at the best stadium in the Midwest. (Sorry Brewer fanatics. No contest.)