Bud Selig was right in choosing not to say how the 1982 Milwaukee Brewers would stack up against the 2026 National League Champion Brewers ("This is legendary: Selig overjoyed at Brewers’ return to World Series," Oct. 21).
While both teams have enriched us with exciting memories, in my mind, there is a stark difference between the two because baseball has changed in the last 40 years. Back in 1982, baseball was still the all-American pastime, a nuts-and bolts-type game I associated with a carefree summer afternoon.
As a 20-year-old Marquette University student when the Brew Crew made it to the World Series in 1982, I was in the stands at County Stadium with my parents the afternoon the team returned home from St. Louis for a free program following a parade in downtown Milwaukee. The closeness between those Brewers – colorful, blue-collar types that fit in perfectly with our town, and we fans – was palatable.
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And then there was Rockin’ Robin Yount, who got on his motorcycle – an act that was not scripted by any public relations person – and rode around the stadium and into our hearts forever. His generation of players were willing to let their hair down and have fun with the fans. Yount knew what we wanted and gave it to us.
Fast-forward to 2026: The times may have changed, but I’m grateful to the extraordinary players of today led by the equally-extraordinary Pat Murphy because it’s been my wish all these years for the Brewers to take our city back to the World Series before I go on Medicare. And now it’s finally happened! My wish has come true!
More memories are just around the corner! Go Brewers! Go Milwaukee!
Matthew A. Perta, West Allis