Zito got to see how the players interacted with each other and everyone else. He said the group was irreverent and had fun, but the players also displayed grace and dignity. Anything you wanted to know about baseball, they\u2019d take the time to teach you.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the midst of what an outsider may think is a roadhouse brawl or a frat-house party was a team,\u201d Zito said, repeating the last three words for emphasis. \u201cWas a team.\u201d<\/p>\n
Zito got to see how the Brewers handled pressure. In 1982, they took the St. Louis Cardinals to Game 7 of the World Series, the Fall Classic.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn a similar fashion to our group, not a lot of tension or stress during the high-stress moments,\u201d Zito said. \u201cEverybody was pretty cool.\u201d<\/p>\n
Zito got to learn attention to detail and the pro sports standard. Keep everything clean, tidy and shiny. Keep everything stocked, from the Gatorade on down. Make everything as first class as you can. Oh, the players are playing through rain? Their uniforms are caked in mud? Then fire up the laundry machines during the game and crank out fresh uniforms.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think they\u2019re little things, and they\u2019re not,\u201d Zito said.<\/p>\n
Do whatever it takes. Plan for every eventuality, and when things don\u2019t go according to plan, adapt.<\/p>\n
\u201cOK, maybe two NHL all-stars go out of your lineup the first week of the season,\u201d said Zito, referring to lower-body injuries to forwards Aleksander Barkov<\/a> and Matthew Tkachuk<\/a> this season. \u201cOne hundred percent that experience with Milwaukee, it helped not only me. It helped everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n The Brewers invited Zito to throw out the first pitch at American Family Field on Aug. 7, 2023, after the Panthers made the Stanley Cup Final. They had come close to a title much like the Brewers had in 1982.<\/p>\n Then Zito returned with the Cup on Aug. 14, 2024, a champion.<\/p>\n