There is perhaps nothing in life -- other than the love of another or a child -- that demands such a large portion of our heart than sports.
Think about it. All of your heart goes out to the person you love or to your children.
But sports teams also ask for our heart and soul. They demand our passions and support and faith, demands not unlike those of a loved one.
We may say we love a movie or liver and onions or a song. But that love is quick and relatively shallow.
When you say you love the Brewers or Packers or Bucks, you really mean you LOVE them.
I'm reminded of affairs of the heart with the news that Brewers general manager Doug Melvin and principal owner Mark Attanasio have decided not to offer the job of manager to Dale Sveum.
Professional sports is a heartless business. Heartless. It could be run by pirates, it's so heartless.
Dale Sveum did nothing wrong as manager of the Brewers. In fact, he did what he was supposed to do. He righted a reeling ship and got them into the playoffs. So what if it was by the skin of their teeth? He did everything they asked him to do.
And they fired him.
I don't know if that's the right move or the wrong move. We won't know that until some retread takes over and runs the team next year. Then, we'll know.
But one thing I do know is that the game of baseball, especially with Attanasio at the helm, is heartless. Attanasio makes his living in the cutthroat world of money management. He makes decisions quickly, decisively and with absolutely no room for emotion.
He's running his baseball team the same way.
I can't help but feel that under the previous ownership, given the same set of circumstances, Sveum would be back. Good or bad? I don't know.
But certainly different.
Think of all the coaches who have headed the Bucks over the last 20 years. They all tried hard. They all worked their butts off. And they all got shown the door fairly quickly.
Think of Ray Rhodes, the first black coach for the Packers, who got dumped just seconds after an 8-8 season.
Think of Dale Sveum.
This is a very good baseball man. All the players said they liked him, but that was probably more for public / press consumption than reality. He had been a wonderful coach. And he did everything his bosses wanted him to do.
But, he didn't have the experience that Attanasio and Melvin desire. The front office thinks this team is very, very good and needs an experienced manager to guide it to the next level.
They might be right. As a matter of fact, I think they probably are right.
But that doesn't make the business any less heartless. Not a single damn bit.
With a history in Milwaukee stretching back decades, Dave tries to bring a unique perspective to his writing, whether it's sports, politics, theater or any other issue.
He's seen Milwaukee grow, suffer pangs of growth, strive for success and has been involved in many efforts to both shape and re-shape the city. He's a happy man, now that he's quit playing golf, and enjoys music, his children and grandchildren and the myriad of sports in this state. He loves great food and hates bullies and people who think they are smarter than everyone else.
This whole Internet thing continues to baffle him, but he's willing to play the game as long as OnMilwaukee.com keeps lending him a helping hand. He is constantly amazed that just a few dedicated people can provide so much news and information to a hungry public.
Despite some opinions to the contrary, Dave likes most stuff. But he is a skeptic who constantly wonders about the world around him. So many questions, so few answers.
