Oh, the places your mind wanders while eating the Miller Park Pork Parfait.
Like wondering how many bottles of Pepcid are in the medicine closet at home. Or how long until the Parfait joins the Sausage Race. Or if you’ll ever wake up from the night’s pork-induced slumber.
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| The magnificently massive Miller Park Pork Parfait. |
It’s a journey toward blissful indigestion and equally blissful ignorance. Because while your attention is focused on this tasty mountain of mashed potatoes, pockets of pig and splashes of spicy barbecue sauce, it’s hard to watch what’s happening on the field.
Up until Wednesday, that was a welcome distraction. The Brewers had lost seven of eight games, and their only win was a miracle comeback from a 7-0 deficit. Moreover, they left no stone unturned while crafting the slide, struggling in just about every phase possible. Starting pitchers got pounded like so many tent stakes. And when the starters pitched well, the offense disappeared. Or the bullpen blew leads. Or the defense rested.
Just like that, what had been a three-game lead in the NL Central turned into third place behind the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates! Also known as American’s feel-good team. Because if you felt bad about your squad, you could always think about the Pirates and feel good again.
And lest you think Brewers fans were the only ones struggling to keep their composure…
“It’s been a battle,” admitted the normally mild-mannered, even-keeled Ron Roenicke. He was speaking after Tuesday night’s defeat, and after calling a rare postgame team meeting, just the second in his Brewers tenure. “I mean, there’s a lot of guys that are frustrated. There’s a lot of staff members that are frustrated with what’s going on and we need to stop it.”
But baseball is nothing if not a test of patience and faith. And Casey McGehee’s exams were clearly designed by some masochistic MIT professor. The onetime 100-RBI man had struggled so much, you wondered if he was shaving his head just to keep his hair from falling out. He’d not only been benched, but a growing segment of the fan base wanted him demoted to Triple-A.
Then, like a bolt from above, came this.
Yes, it was just one little pinch-hit game-winning three-run homer. Yes, there’s no guarantee it will lead to more than one win for the Brewers or more hits for McGehee. But it sure felt like a special moment in what most expect to be a special season. It sure sounded like a special moment for McGehee in his postgame interview. And sometimes, moments like that are seeds of better things. Maybe it will be for the Brewers and McGehee.
At the very least, we’re betting McGehee slept better than he has for weeks.
Unless, of course, he’s been self-medicating with those Pork Parfaits.
Can’t get enough of the Pork Parfait? Milwaukee Magazine dining critic Ann Christenson has more in her latest Dish on Dining entry.
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