It's been 26 years, but the names are solid in our memories. Yount, Cooper, Molitor, Fingers, Sutton, Simmons, Ogilvie, Vukovich, Stormin' Gorman Thomas. Maybe the best team to never win a World Series. Harvey's Wallbangers, Milwaukee's own Murderers Row, four hall of famers, all stars up and down the lineup.....No Championship. This has been undoubtedly considered the golden age of Milwaukee Brewer baseball. I'm told the town was electric that summer. (I went to a couple games that year, but I was 7 at the time so my memories are fuzzy at best.) I've seen the films of fans storming the field, Charlie Moore throwing out Reggie Jackson at third, Yount riding his Harley around the warning track at County Stadium.

   You know what? This history is fantastic. We have this, it's part of Milwaukee forever. But for some reason, right now, it doesn't feel real. This is more legend now than anything tangible. 26 years is a long time and we don't even have a World Championship trophy to look at even to confirm it happened. We have a National League pennant, but nobody really remembers second place (except those who finish second!).

   Maybe we don't have to dredge these memories up so much anymore. Nostalgia is good, but holds no promise for the future. Fielder, Braun, Hardy, Sheets, Gallardo, Hall, Gagne, Hart, Parra. Already all stars, Rookie of the Year, maybe this years MVP. Who knows? Maybe even a couple HOFers. There is no longer any need to look to the past. Finally, the future is here. I'm now old enough to appreciate what we have here. We've all been fans of this team through many lean years and now we get to feast. There's no more time for second place. Get out there and cheer hard for these Brewers. Loose your voice. Stay until the end of the game. Tailgate after the game too. Hate the Cubs. Chase away the ghosts from 1982. Enjoy.

   It's a great time to be a Brewer fan!

Ryan Kastner