Blue and red. Colors for the American Civil War? Yes, but also for my civil war. That’s right, I’m a Cardinals and a Brewers fan. Now, before you strike me down as a hypocrite or bandwagon fan, let me explain how this happened.
Ever since I can remember, I’ve been a Cardinals fan. My dad grew up in Collinsville, which, for those of you who don’t know, is about 20 minutes outside of St. Louis.
This, of course, made him a die-hard Cardinals fan growing up. Since I was born in Arizona and there was no major league baseball team in the area at the time, I inherited my dad’s love for the Cardinals.
Because of this, I was just as thrilled as everyone else in St. Louis after the Cardinals’ thrilling playoff run to a World Series title. However, this does not explain why I’m a Brewers fan as well.
This one is actually much more obvious. After living in Arizona until I was 4, we moved to Milwaukee and I began going to Brewers games.
Inevitably, I gained a feeling of affection for the terrible team that Milwaukee was and, in some ways, still is. As most people can attest, you can’t help but to cheer for your hometown team. Otherwise, you feel like you might be betraying them, in a sense.
Because of being a Cardinal fan, I was just as thrilled as any other St. Louis resident when the Cardinals completed their playoff run with a World Series title. To remind me of my roots, my mom even sent me a baby picture of myself completely adorned in Cardinals attire, complete with a full body suit, baseball cap and wristbands.
But for some reason, these teams seem to constantly coincide for me. This year is the 25th anniversary of the last and only time that the Brewers were in the World Series.
It’s a big deal in Milwaukee because, as might be expected, the players that were a part of that team have been immortalized in people’s minds. As a result, seeing them honored is a really cool thing for the city. As most of you reading this know, the Cardinals come into the story because they were the ones that prevented the Brewers from coming away with a World Series title.
About five years ago, Ozzie Smith was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. This was an extremely proud day for Cardinals fans everywhere. I was even fortunate enough to be able to attend the induction ceremony in Cooperstown, N.Y., home of the Hall of Fame.
In addition to Ozzie, Milwaukee radio legend Bob Uecker was being inducted as well.
Now it was a joyous day for both fanbases. Each team was having a legend presented with baseball immortality on the same day.
All this brings me to the civil war that I have raging inside of me right now. For those living under a rock somewhere far away from the St. Louis media, the Cardinals and Brewers are engaged in a divisional race with a third team that is unmentionable in either city.
As of production time, the Cardinals are one game back, and the Brewers are even with the team that shall not be named. It is a race that seems as if it will come down to the last day and will send two teams home crying and the third on a path that could lead to glory and excitement for its city in the years to come.
As October nears, the race will get more intense as every game now means the possibility of not getting to play in the playoffs and have a shot at the World Series.
Even though I’m torn between these two teams, I can agree with myself on one thing. That third team, the one that both cities despise, has to be kept out of the playoffs, and I intend to do as much cheering as possible for both teams to eliminate the unmentionable team from contention.
So I encourage you to join me and watch one of the best races in recent years between my two favorite teams and a team that no one wants to see win.
