On November 26th, 2023, beloved hometown boy Craig Counsell sent Brewer fans to the emergency room when he left Milwaukee to manage the despised Chicago Cubs. As Green Bay Packers play-by-play man Wayne Larrivee would say, “There is your dagger.” Counsell, the winningest manager in Brewers history and considered a manager savant of baseball, took the money and ran like a Texas politician, ironically to Illinois. Predictably, Brewers fans erupted, no family pets were harmed, but fans went as far as vandalizing Craig Counsell Park in his hometown of Whitefish Bay.  

Sometimes not getting what you want is a brilliant stroke of luck. –Dalai Lama

While few would argue that Counsell is not an excellent manager, the stroke of luck for the Brewers just happened to be in the organization in the person of sixty-five-year-old Pat Murphy. The veteran of over thirty years of experience, including 947 wins as a college manager at Notre Dame and Arizona State, was given the reigns in Milwaukee. Murphy, who never made it to the major leagues as a player, had been the Brewer’s bench coach for the past eight years. He had exactly ninety-six games of experience as a major league manager from an interim stint with the Padres in 2015 (42-54, .438).

He led the Brewers to a first place Central Division finish and earned himself Manager of the Year. Now in season two at the helm he has the team riding a top with the best record in baseball. Counsell and his Cubs are looking up at his former team and Brewer fans are sending him thank you cards.

The man who snacks on pocket pancakes during games and routinely gets choked up during his press conferences has mastered one of the most important traits in leading people: authenticity. Murphy’s only attempts at deception are saved for his opponents during games. There is no façade surrounding Murphy, what you see is what you get. It isn’t a stretch to draw comparisons between Murphy and Lombardi, who was also able to coach his teams hard, but beneath the surface cared deeply about his players. You can envision Murphy yelling out from the dugout, “What the hell’s going on out there.”

When pitcher Aaron Civale expressed his displeasure in being moved to the bullpen, the Brewers quickly dispensed him to the White Sox for Andrew Vaughn, in what looks like the steal of the season. It is a move reminiscent of the Lombardi legend.

Murphy’s methods are clearly old school and feature a hard line on concepts like accountability, humility, discipline and work ethic. Unlike many coaches today, Murphy demands attention to detail and is not afraid to use the greatest athlete motivator ever, the bench. In the world of professional sports, it is a seldom used tool on the high-priced, ego driven stars of the game.

The national restoration of old school methods and common sense marches on.

The fabric of Murphy’s team culture is based on the “power of friendship.” As coaches we often tell our teams that you don’t have to be best friends with everyone on the team, we just all need to have a common goal. Murphy seems to have taken it one step further, convincing his players to not just pull the rope when they are at the ballpark, but to never let go of it. The team that floundered under .500 into May and couldn’t find their identity has since become a juggernaut of success.

Like Lombardi, Murphy’s hard-shell exterior harbors an astonishing emotional bond with his players. Unlike the Packer legend, Murphy expresses that connection daily. When the trade deadline came and went without much fanfare in Milwaukee, I can’t help but think Murphy had a voice in keeping the dynamics of his lockeroom as stable as possible.

Maybe if you are the best team in baseball you don’t need to make a major move.

However, when the team sent reserve catcher Eric Haase to the minors, after acquiring Danny Jansen, Murphy showed the emotional bond that motivates this team. “It’s a hard day for the Brewers in some ways because Haase, for two years, has been an incredible team member,” Murphy said. “When he plays, he helps us win. Any time we subtract a guy who’s been a leader in that clubhouse, too, it’s a really tough day.”

Building relationships with players is a proven and emphasized method in modern day coaching. In the past it either didn’t exist or ran far below the surface. Murphy appreciates and recognizes the contributions of every player in that dugout, and his players have buried their egos and fully invested themselves in the powerful team first decree.

In Wisconsin we crave genuine, loyal, blue-collar teams that understand our deep connection to our sports teams. Christian Yelich, the unassuming leader of the crew, said this in his Player’s Tribune piece, “We fully understand that this team is more than just a random group of guys to you all — that the Brewers genuinely mean something to you. We realize that when we’re playing well it actually affects your lives and results in a certain level of joy and happiness throughout the city … and, actually, all across the state.”

Christian gets us. So does Willie Adames.

Adames, who cashed in on his free agency to the tune of $182 million with San Fransico, returns to Milwaukee this weekend. He recently told The Athletic’s, Andrew Baggarly, “They have something special going on, I don’t know the motivation behind it, but I know they have good people there. They definitely have good energy going because you don’t win that many games without good energy in the clubhouse and good relationships in there.”

When I watch this Brewer’s team play, they remind me of Paul Chryst’s Badger football teams that fought like dogs, engineered upsets and always over-achieved. Or maybe the smothering playoff defense Mike Budenholzer’s Bucks played in their 2021 championship run or perhaps Brett Favre spitting up blood after diving into the end zone. While we enjoyed the ride Aaron Rodgers took us on, we truly loved the grit and faults of Brett Favre. Dru Holiday and Giannis fit our Badger-state blueprint; Damian Lillard did not.

While Brewer fever has reached 911 levels, we are reminded that they haven’t accomplished anything yet. Shame on us if we don’t cherish every jump out of your seat moment they have provided and every comeback win. Whether it is the winning streaks, Murphy’s post-games with his kids alongside him or Sophia Minnaert dodging Gatorade baths after every win, this team has provided Brewer fans with a ride unlike any before.

If it ends short of their first World Series Championship, so be it. I will appreciate the journey and what it takes to stay in the hunt year-after-year and just how difficult it is to win the last game of the season.

And be thankful I didn’t grow up to be an Angels or White Sox fan.

Dan Bauer is a free-lance writer, retired teacher & hockey coach in Wausau, WI. You can contact him at drbauer13@gmail.com.