Brew Crew Cruises to First World Championship Toppling Tampa Four Games to One

The Milwaukee Brewers are World Series Champions for the first time in their 57-year history. It is Milwaukee’s second Championship. The first one occurred in 1957 when Hank Aaron’s Braves beat the New York Yankees.

So, who exactly are these World Champion Brewers? There are no big stars on this team other than their baby-faced fireballer with the unpronounceable name Jacob Misiorowski. Their best hitter and World Series MVP, W. Contreras plays for the Red Sox according to my AI helper. But what a minute, that W. Contreras is actually the Brewers’ W. Contreras’s older brother Willson. It was William Contreras who throttled the Rays with his brilliant catching and timely hitting. And then there’s Christian Yelich. He’s a star, right? Former MVP. Two-time Batting Champ. Big contract. Well not anymore. In his fourteenth season he hit only .235. But Yelich was the best teammate and consummate professional you could ever want. And let’s not forget the guy that sounds like a cereal brand, Jackson Chourio who is an emerging star and shone brightly this past fall. Not exactly household names but real pros and winners.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 15: William Contreras #24 of the Milwaukee Brewers celebrates the final out with Aaron Ashby #26 against the Los Angeles Dodgers during game four of the National League Championship Series at Dodger Stadium on October 15, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)

And so how the heck did they do it? Pitching, defense, timely hitting and most of all teamwork. As I reported above there are no super stars on this team. But everybody did their part. The Brewers won 103 regular season games; the most in MLB this year and they barreled through the playoffs like a polka band on steroids beating the Padres and chugging down the bloated Dodgers in four big gulps. The starting pitching was solidly fueled by Misiorowski and his sidekick Robert Gasser. And the bullpen was lights out, led by the unassuming Aaronn Ashby who just may never allow another run. Ever. On defense, Brewers like first baseman Jake Bauers and right fielder Sal Frelick, seemed to be diving all over the place making sparkling plays. And at the plate when Contreras wasn’t ripping a line drive rookie phenom shortstop Cooper Pratt was providing a big hit.

But none of this would have come together without the tutelage of manager Pat Murphy who has more mileage on him than an antique side-load beer truck. At age 67 Murphy has been coaching and managing in college and the big leagues since 1988 and has 335 wins as a manager for the Padres and Brewers. Murphy took over the Brewers in 2024 and has had nothing but success winning back-to-back NL Manager-of-the-Year awards in 2024 and 2025. He’s got my vote to win number three this year. His steady but firm hand on the team was crucial for their success.

Congratulations to the World Champion Milwaukee Brewers!

The only question remaining is: can the Brew Crew do it again in 2027?

From Casey to KC: Kevin Kane’s Unique Take on a Baseball Classic

Recently I had the pleasure of meeting Lawrence Hogan author of several books about Black American baseball. His book Shades of Glory is widely considered a baseball literary classic. Larry recommended a video that he produced featuring his friend and associate Kevin Kane. Mr. Kane is a writer, a musician and a playwright. The video features Mr. Kane’s reading of his poem From Casey to KC: Breaking the Line of the Mudville Nine.

We have all heard of the famous poem Casey at the Bat by Ernest Lawrence Thayer. That poem became famous after being performed by actor DeWolf Hopper and has been frequently recited by many different performers in many different venues.

As you will see from the link below Mr. Kane has an intriguingly different take on Thayer’s theme and an updated performance that matches and exceeds Hopper’s. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.

Bing Videos

From Casey to KC: Breaking the Line with the Mudville Nine was commissioned by the Cooperstown National Baseball Hall of Fame where Mr. Kane presented a program of readings with NPR essayist and sportswriter Frank DeFord. DeFord read the original Casey, and then introduced Kevin, who read his work. Since then, Kevin has done readings of this long-form story-poem at New York City’s 92nd Street Y, at the Society for American Baseball Research’s National Conference and at many libraries, historical societies and colleges in New Jersey and New York, and at the National Negro League Museum in Kansas City.

Singer-songwriter, playwright and poet Kevin Kane

Mr. Kane’s play A Love of the Game is one of many of his plays produced in New York City and regional theaters. As for his musical talents one CD reviewer suggested his writing was “brilliantly funny, yet tragic. A cross between Kris Kristofferson and John Prine. He writes country standards that will last.” His songs have been covered on solo efforts by members of Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, by many club/cabaret singers in New York City, and by a couple of singers in Houston. He’s been writing, performing, and recording for a long time – with many CDs on iTunes, Spotify and other digital outlets.

Kevin is proud to note that he has been featured on WFUV-Fordham radio, as a guest artist on their “A New York Slice—NYC Singer/Songwriters of Note.”

Kevin Kane is truly a talented guy.

Breaking

A poem by Ed Romond

A few weeks back I was fortunate to attend a wonderful event by The Carriage House Poetry Series in my town of Fanwood. The event featured readings by Edwin Romond the author of five collections of poetry. I had recently finished some research on Hank Aaron and a post that you may have read about the anniversary of his momentous achievement breaking Babe Ruth’s home run record. One of Ed’s poems was about that very event and he gave me permission to post his wonderful poem here.

Breaking In memory of Hank Aaron (1934-2021)

1953 in Washington, DC Hank Aaron could see the Capitol Dome, glistening symbol of freedom, through windows of the cafe where he and his black teammates had just finished breakfast. After the waitress took their plates to the kitchen he heard glassware breaking, smashed so no one else would use them, so no one else would eat from plates that had touched the forks that had been in the mouths of black American men.

But Hank would answer hate with excellence playing baseball with graceful greatness through the 50’s, 60’s and, on one Atlanta night in ’74, did his own breaking, smashing #715, one more homer than Babe Ruth whose record stood unshattered for five decades. And in 2002 Aaron returned to Washington, DC this time to stand in the White House, just blocks from that cafe, to receive the “Presidential Medal of Freedom” from George W. Bush and as the East Room audience stood and cheered, Hank’s face broke into a grand slam smile before sitting down to dine on the First Family china.

This poem can be found in Ed Romond’s award-winning poetry collection “Man at the Railing” published by NQY Books http://www.nyq.org

The Carriage House Poetry Series of Fanwood NJ is co-directed by poets Adele Kenny and Tom Plante. https://carriagehousepoetryseries.blogspot.com/

Adele is the poetry editor of Tiferet. Tom is the editor of Exit 13 Magazine