A Midwesterner's Perspective
By fuzzmartin
Why would a Brewers fan find himself captivated with hatred for a team that 1) is not in the Brewers conference/division, 2) doesn't ever play the Brewers, 3) would have no bearing on the Brew Crew unless Bud's daughter somehow found a way to get them into the World Series? I asked myself this question and came up with a few reasons:
1. Money - Quite simply, we don't have any. Sure, we get some from the Yankees thanks to Bud's 'super' revenue-sharing plan, but that doesn't go towards funding a better team - that goes to make sure the Selig-Prieb's rims are shiny. I was never in favor of revenue sharing. An NFL-style salary cap, now that is more like it. Thanks to the Yankees, this will never happen. 'Big Stein' will never allow MLB to cap his precious team's potential, thus keeping the Brewers a minor-league stepping stone, for stars like Gary Sheffield, forever.
2. Prestige - Since the Brewers are not a winning team, even if an owner came in with loads of money, they wouldn't be able to bring in marquee stars. Why would a Giambi or an A-Rod ever want to live in Milwaukee? Our great new stadium? That's about all we offer - no nightlife, no other big named celebrities, no high-end growth and genetics labs. Besides, runway models don't quite rush to your doorstep when you say you play in Milwaukee.
3. History - Sure, the Crew had Hank Aaron, Robin Yount, Paul Molitor, and 1982, but that's all they've ever had. New York and those damned pinstripes have been everywhere, done everything, won everything... sure, one could call this petty jealousy - but isn't that where most hatred comes from?
Until MLB becomes a sport where you cannot buy your championships, I will continue to hate the 'Evil Empire.' Until the sport allows small-income teams to play ball with the rest of the league, I will hate Bud Selig (our once cherished hero) as well.
