Very Refreshing

Tonight is a great night for Major League Baseball and ESPN. For once, the “look at me” network is returning to its roots and showing an important pennant race matchup between the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs. It is so great to see these two teams showcased on Wednesday Night Baseball instead of the usual Red Sox, Yankees, Mets and Dodgers fare. I chose to watch this tonight because it’s a nice change to see two teams I don’t see much of during the season battle for a division lead head-to-head. It’s also nice to watch and get to know these players because I think both teams will make the playoffs this year. It would be great for the sport if they did. It would mean having new blood in the playoffs. A lot has been said about each team in recent weeks as the small market Brewers have opened the wallet and are spending money to try to reach the playoffs for the first time since 1982. In getting guys like C.C. Sabathia and Ray Durham, the Brewers are stating that they are serious contenders. Of course, the Cubs in first place with Lou Piniella as manager is always a story as it’s now been 62 years since their last World Series appearance. It’s a four game series and the Cubs have dominated it so far. But more importantly, this series represents a contrast in styles. The Cubs have built their team with payroll while the Brewers have developed some of the finest young players in the game, proving that there is more than one way to win. I hope true fans of the game have watched and are watching this series because it showcases the turnaround of two perennial losing franchises and whenever that happens it can only make the sport more exciting. It’s interesting to watch some new contenders enter the pennant race mix. I, for one, am pulling for the Brewers to make the playoffs and do some damage because of all the young, exciting talent they have. It is a true team built from within and if they are able to win a World Series with this young team I bet they will be the new darlings of professional sports. We’ll see.