\u201cTogether, we will cut taxes. We will lower health care costs,\u201d said Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, the Democratic candidate for governor, on the campaign trail in La Crosse.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to end the 400-year property tax increase \u2014 day one, we\u2019re going to end it,\u201d said U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, the Republican candidate for governor, on the campaign trail in Grand Chute.<\/p>\n
For as long as anyone can remember, at the end of every October going into November, one thing has been front and center in every corner of Wisconsin.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight now, here in Milwaukee, it is currently 68 degrees,\u201d said Julia Fello, a reporter with 620 WTMJ<\/a> radio.<\/p>\n In 2026, though, make that two things.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that it\u2019s all important,\u201d said Bryce Toburen, a Milwaukee Brewers fan.<\/p>\n Toburen said he has a dual civic duty: vote and support the Brewers. Most years, the World Series is played days before the election. Toburen voted early in 2026, the day before Game 1 of the biggest baseball showdown in Milwaukee history.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the government and the team are for the people, and when they have interactions and hear from us, that\u2019s when they can do their best work so that we can support them in their endeavors so that they can also support us again,\u201d Toburen said.<\/p>\n \u201cMostly sunny, a high of 72. for Game 1 of the World Series,\u201d Fello forecast on the air on Oct. 23.\u201dGame 2 of the World Series \u2014 Saturday, mostly sunny and mild, a height of 67.\u201d.<\/p>\n Greg Matzek, a sports reporter at 620 WTMJ, spoke to the dual demands on the attention of Wisconsinites.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you told Brewers fans or people in the state of Wisconsin there\u2019s an election around the corner, they\u2019d be like, \u2018Oh yeah, that\u2019s right, I forgot about that,\u2019 because the Brewers are making a run toward the World Series and a world\u2019s title,\u201d Matzek said.\u201dThat\u2019s the single most important thing happening in this state right now \u2014 is Brewers baseball.\u201d<\/p>\n All over Wisconsin, but especially in Milwaukee, a look around town showed something different was in the air.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not embarrassed to admit I bawled, I cried like a baby \u2014 I was so excited,\u201d said one caller to the radio station.<\/p>\n \u201cDoesn\u2019t matter how young or old you are, you can scream Brewers to the top of your lungs,\u201d said another caller.<\/p>\n It\u2019s championship buzz<\/a>, and it spread with anticipation and excitement throughout Wisconsin and beyond.<\/p>\n What an incredible day. I mean, I just can\u2019t even talk right now, I\u2019m just so excited,\u201d a third caller said.<\/p>\n \u201cI still have goosebumps from last night, from all the talking and going on,\u201d said a fourth.<\/p>\n The last time the Brewers played in the World Series was in 1982<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cImagine being a parent and your son says his dream is to play in the World Series,\u201d said John Mercure, a host with 620 WTMJ.<\/p>\n \u201cHere & Now\u201d visited the WTMJ radio studios for the station\u2019s Wisconsin\u2019s Afternoon News<\/a> broadcast, which sits a throw away from one of four oversized baseballs that any fan with a pen and a message could autograph to their Brewers with a personal touch.<\/p>\n \u201cHave fun at the game. We\u2019re jealous. We wish we were going to the game,\u201d Mercure said.<\/p>\n Brewers baseball was the talk of town on sports and news talk radio.<\/p>\n \u201cI named my cat Brew. My wedding ring\u2019s a Brewer ring. \u201cI mean, this one, this one is in the family. This one\u2019s for Uecker\u201d a caller shared.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m just sad that my dad\u2019s not here. He passed away about a year-and-a-half ago. I wish he was here to see it. But hey, he\u2019ll be watching up there with Uecker,\u201d another caller shared.<\/p>\n \u201cThe fans last night at AmFam Field \u2014 I got to tell you, we\u2019re nuts. We were so loud and crazy down there. We were just like one big family watching that screen, getting crazy for the Brewers,\u201d shared yet another.<\/p>\n Matzek recounted the familial nature of America\u2019s pastime.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a different romance to baseball, however. You listen to it going to bed at night. Bob Uecker was part of your soundtrack to summer. It brought families together. Makes you think about playing catch with your parents in the yard. Makes you think about playing baseball, getting dirty as a kid. And who were you? Who was your player? What jersey number did you want? There\u2019s something about baseball that brings families together, that brings neighborhoods together, communities together and a whole state together, unlike any sport that exists,\u201d he said.\u201dThis team is a statewide team. You will come from all parts of the state down to Milwaukee or up to Milwaukee or over to Milwaukee, because you know there\u2019s going to be a game. There will be baseball every day it\u2019s on the schedule.\u201d<\/p>\n Matzek also pointed to the scene at the team\u2019s ballpark, American Family Field.<\/p>\n \u201cWithout a roof, you may not get \u2014 in April \u2014 that family or that corporate outing from a business or company, or family living in Eau Claire to come down and watch a game. Don\u2019t know what the weather\u2019s going to be like. You\u2019ve got a roof. You know there\u2019s going to be baseball played in Milwaukee,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Matzek also pointed to the politics behind the ballpark.<\/p>\n \u201cThe new stadium went back and forth in the Legislature,\u201d he said.\u201dThey didn\u2019t want to tell the taxpaying public that we\u2019re going to have to raise your taxes to get this done. Nobody wanted to hear taxes going up. But it cemented the Brewers\u2019 long-term stability and viability in the state of Wisconsin. And without the stadium, you don\u2019t have Mark Attanasio, who bought the Brewers from the Selig family. That has been the thing \u2014 those two things combined \u2014 that have kept the Brewers not only relevant, but here in the state. You lose a team twice, good luck getting another franchise back.\u201d<\/p>\n At a pre-game pep rally on the eve of Game 1, from the Milwaukee City Hall<\/a>, Mayor Cavalier Johnson proudly lowered a huge Brewers banner to celebrate a perfect end to a dream season.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re going to win it! Brewers, Brewers, Brewers, Brewers \u2014 let\u2019s all say hello to the famous racing sausages!\u201d Johnson said. \u201cPlease give a round of applause for the mustachioed beer man himself, Bernie Brewer!\u201d<\/p>\n The mayor emphasized the importance of the moment to the city.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is more than just baseball,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n For places like Kelly\u2019s Bleachers<\/a>, Dugout 54<\/a>, 4th Base<\/a> and other businesses, doing business doesn\u2019t get much better than when a city hosts a World Series<\/p>\n \u201cThis is the moment you dream of,\u201d said C.J. Papara, owner of 4th Base. \u201cThis is just as big a moment for us.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s especially the case for 4th Base, a sports bar and restaurant located less than a mile from the ballpark in West Milwaukee.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of people will make the walk from here over to the stadium,\u201d he added. \u201cPeople are going to remember the spot that they were, where they were, what they did beforehand, the things they ate, the things they bought.\u201d<\/p>\n Papara shared that the restaurant goes back nearly half a century.<\/p>\n \u201cMy dad started this place back in 1977,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n A picture of Papara\u2019s dad wearing a football helmet sits on the wall \u2014 and another on the ceiling \u2014 along with a lot more sports memorabilia from the past and present.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve been in this building since 1983. And I think it\u2019s \u2014- regardless of how many people necessarily know about it \u2014 it\u2019s another little piece of Milwaukee history, because next year, we\u2019re going to celebrate 50 years,\u201d he said.\u201dI think it is a real and true sports bar. If you looked around, you got the images of everything that\u2019s on the wall.\u201d<\/p>\n Papara pointed out the memorabilia.<\/p>\n Just looking at this one wall, you could break down, you know, 20 pieces of sports history,\u201d he said. There\u2019s an Albert Pujols signed jersey. Then like, West Allis \u2014 there\u2019s a Bonnie Blair signed poster. \u2026 Then there\u2019s Brett Favre. \u2026 There\u2019s Bo Jackson behind you in a Raider jersey, and then there\u2019s stuff still from the old Braves,\u201d Papara shared. \u201cYou can find something almost from anybody and any team, and any sports helmet and anything.\u201d<\/p>\n When the Major League Baseball playoffs are on the TV \u2014 or live at American Family Field \u2014 baseball takes center stage.<\/p>\n \u201cThis time of year, everybody\u2019s coming for the Brewer stuff, coming for the Brewers fandom,\u201d said Papara. \u201cOn the ceiling out in the bar, there\u2019s a Robin Yount jersey,\u201d he said. What\u2019s his favorite piece of Brewers memorabilia?<\/p>\n \u201cIn the hallway here, there is the County Stadium seats. There\u2019s four of those in the hallway that have been there as long as I can remember,\u201d he said.\u201dI still remember some of those moments, like watching a game with my dad at County Stadium.\u201d<\/p>\n Papara offered a variety of commemorative t-shirts to customers looking to take a piece of their World Series experience with them..<\/p>\n \u201cSo it says on the front of it, it says \u2018World Series Edition,\u2019 up by our logo. On the back of it it has all the Bob Uecker quotes, yeah,\u201d Papara said to a customer displaying one shirt..<\/p>\n \u201cAh, I need one of those,\u201d the customer replied.<\/p>\n For every home game, tourism experts estimated the World Series pumped in an additional $15 million dollars into businesses like 4th Base that are in and around Milwaukee. Papara cashed in by expanding the restaurant into the parking lot, keeping his grill open a bit later. . He expected himself and his staff to knock it out of the park.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of, like, nervous energy, where you prepare, you order things, you get ready, you buy things,\u201d Papara said. But at the end of the day \u2014 like me myself, I\u2019ve never seen a World Series so I don\u2019t actually know what I\u2019m preparing for. I\u2019m preparing for, essentially, maybe another Opening Day, but it\u2019s got to probably be bigger than Opening Day. So you just prepare, and you overprepare, and over worry about everything.\u201d<\/p>\n Keeping with tradition, he planned to add one more piece of history to the walls of 4th Base.<\/p>\n \u201cAn important part of any sports history is always the next-day newspaper,\u201d Papara said. \u201cI know people don\u2019t read the newspaper the same way they did years ago, but there\u2019d be many times as a kid something would happen in sports or something happened in the world, and I would go out and make sure that I bought the next-day newspaper. Not so much that I read it at that moment, but I was like, in case there was a time when I wanted to, I wanted to have that piece of history.\u201d<\/p>\n Back at the 620 WTMJ studios, Matzek pondered the legacy of the 2026 Brewers in the long story of baseball in Milwaukee.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I hope people understand 40 years from now watching this is that they also understand what kind of impact this team has not only made on a city but on an entire state, right,\u201d he said \u201cEverything falls back on the \u201957 Braves, they won a world\u2019s title and then left for Atlanta. The \u201982 Brewers \u2014 we had a parade down Wisconsin Avenue, and they lost the World Series. That\u2019s the kind of impact that sports and specifically the Brewers can have on a state.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cTogether, we will cut taxes. We will lower health care costs,\u201d said Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":951708,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[558],"tags":[64,63,591,85],"class_list":["post-951707","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-mlb","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/951707","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=951707"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/951707\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/951708"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=951707"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=951707"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=951707"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}