I’ve spent the past few months in Boston. It’s pretty much a long, irrelevant story, so I’ll spare you the details. But you should know a little about my return – or at least how and why I decided to come back home to Milwaukee.
I was at the TD Garden – otherwise known simply as “the Gahden” by Bostonians. Unlike those Boston boys though, I was there to see the Bucks. Save from the game or two I’d caught on my free trial of NBA TV, it would be my first time seeing the team in action in the 2010-’11 season. And, although it was only the fifth game of the regular season, I had been going through Bucks withdrawals – big time.
See, I’m a huge Bucks fan. I actually worked for the organization as an emcee for the past three seasons. Before that, I was a season ticket holder. And before that, I was at every game I could possibly scrounge up tickets for. This goes all the way back to the mid-eighties when I went to watch the guys play at the old Mecca Arena. For me, part of the beauty of the fall season has always been NBA tipoff. Now, here I was in Boston, probably supposed to be enjoying all that beautiful fall foliage New England is known for, and all I could think about was the Milwaukee Bucks.
When I got to the Garden, I grabbed a beer (Bud Light, unfortunately – although I did find a Leinie’s at halftime) and found my seat. I was a Milwaukee fan in Boston, and I knew my role. I was not obnoxious, but I was no shy supporter. I stood, I cheered, I yelled a little here and there, and I clapped. Oh boy did I clap. There were times I found myself looking around for other Bucks fans, only to realize that what I had thought was the applause of a fellow fan was actually the echo of my own two hands. I clapped my way through regulation and all the way through overtime and, in the end, I earned the respect of the seaweed of green that surrounded me.
I was offered high fives and fist bumps by the Celtic-clad fans. And I received semi-sincere condolences after the Bucks’ loss. It had been a good night – but not great. Then I realized that even a Bucks win would have only made it very good – still not great. I missed my fellow Milwaukeeans. And I knew I had to get back to them.
Decision made…I was moving back to MKE.
So get ready, Milwaukee! I’m coming home and I’m ready to make up for some lost time. I’ll be on the lookout for Milwaukee’s best sports fans. I want to see how you spend game day – rituals, rowdiness, and all. Then I’ll spread the word. This blog will be a place for Milwaukee sports fans to connect with other Milwaukee sports fans – and a place to showcase what makes Milwaukee FAN-tastic! Slap on the face paint and put on your cheeseheads, folks…It’s game time!
