Sweet(s) Talk. …

As the Major League Baseball regular season was winding down, a couple of things a local Detroit Tigers fan told me over the years came to mind. He’d often say, “One of our two teams will be there at the end of the season and the other won’t.” Which was in reference to the Tigers’ nearly annual presence in the playoffs during the last decade, while the Brewers often fell short of making the playoffs.

Now that the tables are completely turned, the said Tigers fan, a Kingsford resident who will remain nameless — but he is the younger brother of a deceased former Norway Community Schools director and Iron Mountain athletic director — will acknowledge his team’s demise due to rebuilding. But he refuses to give credit to the fact the Brewers have been in the playoffs for four straight years and are in a much better position as a franchise than his Tigers.

But then I remember that’s coming from the guy who said in 2014 — when the Tigers beat out the Kansas City Royals by a half-game to win the AL Central Division — that even though the Royals went on to play in the World Series and lose in seven games to the San Francisco Giants, that the Tigers had a better season because they won the division. Well, sure they did — and I am going to wake up two days from now having lost 85 pounds in my sleep the night prior. …

On the same note, I write this column after seeing the Boston Red Sox defeat their bitter rivals, the NY Yankees, in the 2021 AL Wild Card game. The Yankees went so far as to bring former shortstop Bucky Dent to Boston’s Fenway Park and buy him a ticket behind home plate for the game. For those of you who don’t know the significance of Bucky Dent and the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry, Dent hit a game-winning home run in a game 163 tie-breaker for the 1978 AL East title at Fenway. The Yankees went on to win the World Series that year over the L.A Dodgers. Looks like Bucky Dent — and the intimidation factor — didn’t save the day this time.

This reminds me of the imbecile who paid an incredible amount of money to purchase the “Steve Bartman Baseball” from the 2003 NLCS at Wrigley Field to blow it up at Harry Carey’s bar in Chicago. Blowing up that baseball is said to stop the supposed “1945 Billy Goat Curse” that many naive Cubs fans actually believe is what kept their beloved team from winning the World Series for 71 years. The point is: Chicken Little wasn’t right and the sky didn’t fall. Blowing up a baseball didn’t end a curse and Bartman didn’t foil the NLCS for the Cubs in 2003 — the Cubs blew it themselves. …

One last blurb about MLB — to say that I am excited to watch my Milwaukee Brewers in the postseason later this week is an understatement. Starting all-star pitcher Corbin Burnes, who starts NLDS Game 1 on Friday afternoon at American Family Field versus the Atlanta Braves, had a Cy Young-worthy season. Brewers skipper Craig Counsell would be a shoe-in for NL manager of the year had the SF Giants not won 107 games under manager and former Brewers and Tigers outfielder Gabe Kapler. The Brew Crew have six 2021 NL all-stars on their roster, including Arizona Diamondbacks all-star Eduardo Escobar who was acquired by Brewers GM David Stearns at the July 30 trade deadline. Burnes, all-star Brandon Woodruff and all-star Freddy Peralta — ‘The Big 3’ at the beginning of Milwaukee’s starting rotation, not to mention a lights-out bullpen anchored by all-star fireball throwing left-hander Josh Hader.

The national media is prone to highlight the large market teams and overlook the small market teams like the Brewers and Tampa Bay. That makes the excitement of the upcoming playoffs for the Brewers that much more thrilling for me, for them to fly under the radar and shock the baseball world and make it to the World Series for the first time since 1982. Let’s go Brewers!! …

Fall is here, that means it’s time to enjoy the MLB playoffs ladies and gentlemen. Also, stay safe, healthy and happy. …