Baseball as I know it was born in 1981, when I was seven years old. From our Uncle Hugh’s Waterford living room I watched Rollie Fingers strikeout Detroit’s Lou Whiteaker, and receive catcher Ted Simmons in his arms as the crowd roared in Milwaukee’s County Stadium. Even though the 1982 Brewers made it all the way to the World Series the next season, the afternoon autumn sunshine delirium of that moment sticks with me through today, as our 2026 Milwaukee Brewers look to capture their first ever World Series championship.
Many Milwaukeeans can lay claim to seeing the Brewers in both World Series’ and I was fortunate to converse with two of them. Both had incredible stories about experiencing two fall classic games, albeit with a brief forty-four year gap between them. One of these dedicated fans got into Milwaukee baseball through his mother and the other caught Brewer fever all on her own.
Celebrate this year’s winners of the Betty Awards!
Adam W. Lasker
Attended 1982 ALCS Game 5 and World Series Game 4, both at Milwaukee County Stadium AND Game 2 of the 2026 World Series at American Family Field
Tell us about your experiences going to Brewer games back in 1982.
My Mom took me to the 1982 Game 5, the American League Championship Series [which the Brewers won to clinch their first trip to the World Series]. We were 12 rows behind the Brewer dugout. When they won, the field was just full of people…I was a little kid, she didn’t want me going out there in the madness. She let me climb on top of the dugout for the whole celebration. I was a 6 year old kid jumping up and down on the roof of the dugout. Best sports memory of my life.
My Dad took me to Game 4 of the 1982 World Series. We were just at Game 2 of the 2026 World Series. It was also a come from behind victory. Not only did my dad and I set two world series games, we saw two wins, both were extremely fun games to watch. Just a great experience between father and son.
Who was one of your favorite players back in the day?
I was a catcher in little league and high school. B.J. Surhoff was someone I looked up to. At a game, I was sitting right by Surhoff’s sister. I asked her: “So with your brother, when he hit his major league home run, what did he say it was like?” She told me he said “It was better than sex.”
For our 15th wedding anniversary, which is the ivory anniversary, my wife got me the ivory home jersey with Chourio’s name on it. I hyped him as a rookie and here we are today, I’ll take all the credit. I am also so in love with Contreras, he’s shooting hard to become the MVP of this World Series.
Some folks say that in Game 1 of NLDS at American Family Field, “The Hand of Ueck” knocked down the high ball hit by Ty France, swatting it safely into the glove of Jackson Chourio. Got any Uecker memories?
My mom died in May, she was such a huge Uecker fan and huge baseball fan. So I told my kids, when Uecker knocked the ball down, my mom did too. She’s up there totally partying with Uecker right now. She would turn off the sound on the TV and turn on the radio. If the Brewers were playing a game, Uecker was on, whether it was my Mom or Dad watching. Uecker was like an extended family member. It’s about never giving up; what the Brewers taught me is that character counts.
Joanna Adamicki
Attended 1982 World Series Game at Milwaukee County Stadium AND Game 1 of the 2026 World Series at American Family Field
How did you become such a big Brewer fan?
My Dad wasn’t really a fan, honestly I don’t know what got me into it. I remember saving all of my babysitting money that summer just to go to games. I was at County Stadium at least once a week. My Dad would take us to the airport when the team came home, getting all the autographs, building up to that 1982 World Series game.
Did you have a favorite player when you were a young?
Rollie Fingers for sure, we always sat in the bleachers because it was closest to the bullpens. I actually squeezed into my Rollie Fingers tee shirt from 1982 today for work! Rollie withstood the pressure, the handlebar mustache was cool. I remember going to a game, the giveaway was a cardboard mustache and the whole [Milwaukee County] Stadium was wearing them. I had a photo Rollie signed: “To Joanna, best wishes, Rollie.”
What will you remember 44 years from now, about the 2026 World Series game you went to with your husband?
Seeing everybody come together and be excited about something collectively. So many different people from all walks of life. The world might be chaotic right now, but baseball is a lot of fun together. As I watch this, I keep thinking about my dad and the time we spent watching baseball. My dad was a veteran and the Brewers honored him a couple years ago. That was an amazing experience.
What I love about this 2026 team: they all contribute. The Brewers in 2026 have handled it, just unprecedented for these times, no matter if they’re down 4-0 or what. Frelick, that home run [to tie Game 2 of the World Series], you could just see it on his face: ‘I hit a home run at the World Series!’
People will be talking about this team for generations.
