2011, a season I will never forget

[kalle8]

I just want to share with you some feeling I have for this ongoing 2012 season, moderators feel free to move this topic, and to correct my English which isn’t by any measure perfect.

 

2011, a season I will never forget

 

The offseason was great: Doug Melvin picked two great starters in Greinke and Marcum, the Prince stayed put and so did all the other pieces, me and “the Zebra” were full of hopes for the season that was about to begin.

 

The Zebra was a baseball rookie, he began to follow the Brewers after being stabbed in the back by the relegation of U.C. Sampdoria, one of the two soccer teams of my city, Genova.

 

During long sundays on my green sofa, he started to understand the essence of baseball, which is very difficult for any Italian grew up with bread and soccer, and, as always happens with this wonderful game, once you start to understand it, you’re in, there’s nothing you can do about it, it gets under your skin.

 

Of course he owned me one, he was in this cult for me, I wouldn’t let him choose another team: he became a Brewers fan in a natural way.

The day he asked for my mlbtv password I knew he was skrewed, just like me. (of course I didn’t give him the password because it is strictly personal, I gave him the link to purchase his own pass).

 

We were together to watch opening day in the Queen City, and it wasn’t the prologue of a great season: Ramon Hernandez blew on Axford save, and if anyone would have said to us that was the last we would have seen until the playoffs we would have called an ambulance to bring that crazy man away.

 

In the first month or two we just keep the pace of the division, we were focused more on the Reds that on the Cardinals without Wainwright, knowing that the Pirates woulddisappear sooner or later.

 

Zebrone is “all in” he calls me to talk baseball, he hates Loe because he think he doesn’t perform and most of all because he looks like me (true, but without snakes) he loves Yuni…

 

I know he’s not yet ready for bullpen misuse, OPS, OBP, range, WAR but during the season I understand that his knowing of the game gets better and better and little by little our conversation jumped to another level.

 

I started to talk to him of the story of the baseball in Milwaukee, the Braves, the failure of the Pilots and the rebirth of the Brewers, I tell him about the 82 team, Yount motorcycle entrance from the County stadium (Yes, the one in Major Leagues movie!) bullpen, we even watched together the Harvey Wallbangers DVD, Nieves no-hitter, and he was locked in, one of us.

 

It happens also that the Zebra in the last five years as made several trip to the “disabled list” in and out from the hospital where he had a cancer chirugically removed a couple of times, with all the chemotherapy and stuff you all may know, in a way or the other, well.

 

For this fact, it happens more than not that he doesn’t go to work, he can watch all the games, that usually start at 2 a.m. in Italy, in a sense I envy him.

 

His poor wife Mary, who, you can understand, sleeps with an eye open, is woke up every night by the Zebra, screaming for a Braun HR or for a Yuni-to-Rickie-to-Prince double play.

 

Every morning he calls me at 11 a.m. “Did you watch it?”.

If I say “yes” we comment the game, if I say “no” he always, always says a phrase, a word, a single sound that spoilers me so I tell him “tell me how was the game, I don’t have the time to watch it today…”

 

Then in August I went to China (yes, China!) and I impose radio silence, “I don’t want to know a thing, when I come back I will watch every game!”

 

After 20 days it is clear I ain’t gonna make it, I write him a text message “Brewers?”

 

After less the a second he gets back to me “it was twenty days I waited for this message, the guys are kicking everybody else’s ass!”

 

In a few messages he delivered the magic to me, and I thought “how in the world something happened 3 billion miles away that you didn’t even witnessed makes you so happy, c’mon man, you’re 37!” I was in a bus that drove me from Guillin to Yungshuo and I was the happiest man of the world.

 

From that day on he acted like a personal MLB AT BAT app, there was one time in which I doubted him and the whole story, the brewers were playing in Pittsburgh and I got a dozen sms for brewers hits in an hour. when I read “narveson doubles” I thought for a while “this is a joke” No it wasn’t, you all know.

 

When I got back to Italy the Brewers are leading the division, it’s all true, we are postseason bound again after 2008!

 

The first night I woke up at 4 a.m. due to the jet leg and I wrote him, “tomorrow Rosanna goes to her parents, come because I’m gonna watch ALL the games”. His answer was “ok”.

 

In 4 days we watched all the games (like 18 hours a day on a sofa when everybody else was at the beach…) we laughed at Narveson double at PNC park.

 

In September he was sick again, but he only changed the scenery, with the Ipad he was teasing the other patients instead of his wife and daughter. He was the veteran leader of oncology he could do whatever he liked, he lived the night and slept the day, just like a modern James Dean!

 

He took thousands of pills, intravenous, drainage tubes, pipes all over him, but the only things I heard him lament on was the mlbtv connection!

 

The end of september came with two news, one fabulous: the brewers won the division and were about to go vs the Dbacks for the NLDS, the other was dreadful: the doctors told Zebra’s wife to prepare herself, her family and us friends, for the worst, the cancer had taken the liver, it was a question of time.

 

We watched most of the playoffs together, we were hugging and screaming in front of the TV when T-Plush send us to the NLCS, we were together after game 6 against the Cards, the last game of the season, the last game with him.

 

“Wasn’t it a great ride?” he told me.

 

“sure it was mate!”

 

The Zebra died the 2nd of march of 2012, today it’s opening day for me and the Brewers, we play the damned Cards again, in that Miller Park I will visit this summer with my soon-to-be wife.

 

I hope this season will be for the Milwaukee Brewers even better that the last one, that 2011 season I will never forget.

 

Happy Opening Day Guys!

 

In memory of Andrea Gagino 1972 - 2012

 

I miss you

[chuckiehacks]

Best. Post. Ever.

[PrinceFielderx1]

Thank you very much for posting this Kalle8. It was a wonderful read. I really enjoyed it.

[jimmyjeromehardy7]

What Chuckiehacks said.

Had to close my office door to finish reading.

[bylo tesi me]

Kalle8, you just made my wife cry. Thank you so much for sharing your story. It's posts like this that remind me why I like this forum.

[MVP2110]

That is an awesome story man. Best post I've ever read here.

[Invader3K]

Have to admit I teared up just a little bit at the end. How wonderful that you were able to share so many great times with your friend before he passed on.

[Oxy]

Wow. That is the best sports message board post I have ever read. Thank you for sharing.

 

Go Brewers.

[bjkrautk]

Not tearing up; it must just be really humid in my office all of a sudden.

 

 

(Thank you for sharing, and Go Brewers!)

[xisxisxis]

Kalle8, you just made my wife cry.

 

Heck he made ME cry. Wonderful story. now i just have to convince the others on the subway that my allergies are kicking up....

[razzzorsharp]

That right there is what sports are all about. Good stuff.

[Nottso]

A very touching story, and very well written. You've done well by your friend and his memory.

 

"Let's go Crew! Win this one for the Zebra!"

[thebruce44]

I had to skip the end here at work. My dad just started chemo today and I didn't want to start bawling in front of my co workers. Really good read and inspiring stuff at the start. Makes me want to go spend even more time with my dad.

[PrinceFielderx1]

I had to skip the end here at work. My dad just started chemo today and I didn't want to start bawling in front of my co workers. Really good read and inspiring stuff at the start. Makes me want to go spend even more time with my dad.

 

I'm sorry that your Dad has to go through that thebruce44. I hope he gets better.

[MVP2110]

I had to skip the end here at work. My dad just started chemo today and I didn't want to start bawling in front of my co workers. Really good read and inspiring stuff at the start. Makes me want to go spend even more time with my dad.

 

Sorry to hear that man. Good Luck to you and your dad. Couldn't even imagine what thats like

[SoCal Brew Crew Fan]

Just awesome. Let's win it for the Zebra!!! Thebruce's Dad too. I hope it turns out well.

 

Adding this to the list of reasons I love Italy!

[thebruce44]

Thanks guys. Go Brewers!

[Playing Catch]

Thanks for your posts, guys. I lost my father-in-law to cancer during that Cardinals playoff series. I wish you the best.

[CheezWizHed]

Thanks for sharing Kalle8. Really a touching story.

[TooLiveBrew]

Kalle8, you just made my wife cry.

 

Heck he made ME cry. Wonderful story.

Yep, same here, what an incredible story... thank you for sharing Kalle.

 

In memory of Andrea Gagino 1972 - 2012 -- rest in peace

[hawing]

Oh, my goodness. Kalle and I are friends on Facebook and last fall he posted several wonderful photos of him, his fiancee and the Zebra mugging for the camera (mostly in 'beast mode') during the postseason. Of course, I had no idea Andrea was ill.

 

I'm so sorry for your loss, Kalle. Your post is terrific and a great kickoff to the 2012 season.

[kalle8]

thanks guys for the support and a special hug to thebruce44

 

last things i gave to the zebra were a beast mode shirt sent me by insomniakross (milwaukeeshirtguys) and a brewer ball and glove pin sent me by hawing.

 

brewerfans were already supporting even without knowing!

[WV Brew]

Kalle8,

 

As a cancer survivor myself who has also lost a brother to cancer, I know how difficult it is to be the one watching on the sidelines. Infinitely worse than when it happens to you. I follow European football a little bit and I couldn't have told you before where Sampdoria was but now I will be a Sampdoria follower too. Thank you for sharing this.

[pretendastronaut]

Really moving post Kalle8. I'm sorry for your friend, and I'm glad you got to share such a magical time together. I hope your trip this summer to Miller Park is fantastic.

[Principessa21]

Best. Post. Ever.