The Office is by far my favorite TV show of all time. It's that witty sitcom that has way to many situations that you recognize in your own life and brings in characters that are easily relatable. You can find yourself getting lost in the Dunder Mifflin world and almost feeling a part of it. Among the many quotes that this series seems to endlessly churn out, a particular and surprisingly deep one comes to mind. It comes in the finale where we have the wonderful reunion of the former employees at their old office celebrating the success of the documentary they starred in. Andrew Bernard (Nard Dawg, easily one of the most frustrating characters) had quite the fall from grace in the last few seasons. His family, career, and relationship all were ruined by egotistical behavior. He is basically at rock bottom when he comes back for this discussion panel and surprisingly finds he has a number of fans for his role in the documentary. Later in the night, while he and his former colleagues reminisce in their old work space, he utters a sentimental thought on his past years saying, "I wish there was a way to know you're in the good old days before you've left them." And while Andy will have to move on with the memories of what once was, we as Wisconsin sports fans could be in the same position. We too are in the midst of a truly ridiculously successful time for local sports teams, and if we get too fixated on all our shortcomings, you won't even realize how truly blessed we are right now.
Brewers: My entire life growing up the Brewers were a relatively bad to middle of the road team. From 1983-2007, they did not make the playoffs, with 6 winning seasons and 2 square at .500 in that time frame. Before that, we were only a threat in 1982, when Harvey's Wallbangers dropped to the team I loathe the most, the St. Louis Cardinals, 4 games to 3. Those teams in between were filled with mostly forgettable rosters and a few shining gems like Ben Sheets, Geoff Jenkins, and Jeff Cirillo. It wasn't until a gutsy 2008 mid-season trade for ace CC Sabathia catapulted us into the playoffs (where we lost early to the Phillies). Even when our big minor league prospects like Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun, and Rickie Weeks reached the big leagues, they were only able to make it to October again in 2011, when one of our patron saints tickled a single up the middle to advance us to the NLCS. Now we have the almost two-time reigning MVP in Christian Yelich and solid role players in Lorenzo Cain, Ryan Braun, Brandon Woodruff, and future stud Keston Hiura. We've made the playoffs two years in a row, with 2018 getting us a game from the World Series. We have Wisconsin legend Craig Counsell at the helm and despite some shuffling around, I see no reason that with our manager and the leading players we have that we shouldn't contend again. The Brewers are getting accustomed to winning, and it's looking good on us. While I know every year there are so many factors that go into a successful baseball team, there is no reason to not view the new year with optimism and be excited while grilling out some brats at the tailgate.
Bucks: The fact that people in Wisconsin are actually paying attention to the Bucks is enough of an indication of how far we've come. In the early 70s and 80s the Bucks had some phenomenal teams that were able to win one title and make it very far a number of years. Flash forward to when I was growing up in the early 2000s and people just didn't watch the Bucks. It wasn't normal to turn on FSN to watch the Bucks for most people in the state. After the trio of Glenn Robinson, Ray Allen, and Sam Cassell fell to Allen Iverson in the Conference Finals in 2001, the Bucks never had a meaningful playoff appearance until 2019. The mid-2000s and 2010s were filled with forgettable years led by players like Michael Redd (bucket), Andrew Bogut (surprisingly dynamic player early in career), and Brandon Jennings (Patron saint of Confidence), along with other names that will forever live in the currently strong Bucks fan base's memory. I remember when we traded for Monta Ellis and the pairing of he and Jennings were supposed to lead the Bucks past the first round. Looking back, this is one of the more ridiculous things I ever believed. Fast forward to 2013 when the Bucks took Giannis Antetokounmpo who looked like he could blossom into a solid NBA player. And despite going 15-67 the next year, here we are in 2020 looking to have the best record for the second year in a row. Giannis transformed into a certified Freak and one of the best humans ever as Milwaukee would collectively give anything for our hero. He keeps putting in the work and getting better, unlike any other player that has been through Milwaukee before. I remember a few weeks ago, watching the Spurs game with one of my roommates. We were getting frustrated with how the Bucks were playing only for them to eventually lose. At first, we were grumpy, but then we realized that this loss was the Bucks 6th on the year. They had 32 wins. It was ridiculous for us to be this used to winning and feel so confident in our team only to get upset at our 6th loss almost halfway through the year. Having a coach like Bud, a leader like Giannis, and a supporting cast like we do would have blown Bucks fans minds 20 years ago. Yet here we are.
Packers: Yeah, I know what you're thinking: the Packers haven't been that bad throughout the 2000s and even got us a Super Bowl and you would be correct. But after the finasco (if you know you know) that was Mike McCarthy's swan song, the Packers looked like a team that would regress for a few years before reestablishing themselves. Then something shocking happened. Matt LaFleur was hired, hoping to revamp the previously dead offense. Brian Gutekunst made shocking decisions, deciding to spend big money in getting Za'Darius and Preston Smith, who helped lead the defense in getting the job done most of the time. Aaron Rodgers, Davante Adams, Aaron Jones, and company kept the offense afloat and we found ourselves at the end of the year with a 13-3 record. A closer-than-needed victory over the Seahawks, and the Pack found themselves one game away from the Super Bowl before dropping to a dominant 49ers team. Still, this Packers team surpassed all expectations and should expect to contend again next year.
In Summary: In life, there will be positive fans and negative fans. Some people find it easier to see all the faults in these teams which have won a collective one title in the past 40 years. However you cheer, I beg you to please not let these years go by you. We are in a Golden Age of Wisconsin Sports. Wisconsin has never seen a collection of players like Yelich, Antetokounmpo, and Rodgers all at the same time, not to mention that all our coaches are quite good at their jobs, too. So take a step back and enjoy the moments for what they are, because sports life moves pretty fast, and if you don't stop and look around once in a while, you just might miss it.
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