Reconciling your Brewers/Packers sports viewing dilemma this fall
Decisions are like nature's choices.
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We Wisconsinites stand only a handful of months removed from that cold and dark post-Super Bowl, pre-Spring Training period during which the Bucks were the only semblance of professional athletics on display in our state. And the Bucks only, like, half counted then anyway. But now—with the Brewers balls deep in a pennant race and the Pack back with its sights set on a second straight Lombardi Trophy—that lonesome, largely sports-free stint couldn’t seem further behind us.
In all honesty, as the Brewers are usually vying for third place at this point in the season, the next couple of months have the potential to be uncharacteristically busy for any avid fan of Wisconsin sports. And that’s not even including Badgers football! (File this issue under “great problem to have.”) This temporary period of overlap could present quite the conundrum beginning this week and continuing—we hope—through the last World Series pitch at the end of October.
Hoping this tremendous trouble remains for most of autumn, The A.V. Club took the liberty of looking ahead to help you set your situational sports schedule.
Thursday, Sept. 8
Minutes after the host Brewers throw out the first pitch of a four-game set with the NL-leading Philadelphia Phillies, the Packers will begin their title defense and simultaneously kick off the NFL season against the Saints just a little more than 100 miles away. After a seven-month layover from the team’s last meaningful game, the Packers are, rightfully, going to take the lion’s share of the attention from the Crew’s 145th game. Plus, after what looks like it will be an intense final series with the Cardinals Sept. 5-7, fans will probably need a breather from baseball for a night.
Sunday, Sept. 18
Again, the Brewers and Packers have a nearly identical timeslot, with the former wrapping up a series in Cincinnati and the latter visiting Cam Newton’s Carolina Panthers in Charlotte, North Carolina. If all is right in the world (and there’s no guarantee of that, as proven by the aforementioned rookie quarterback already being handed the keys to a franchise in shambles) the Brewers will have the division wrapped up by this point, giving the Packers undeniable priority. If the Central remains up for grabs, we think Green Bay still takes precedence, but when Rodgers eclipses the 400-yard mark early in the third quarter, don’t feel bad about switching to the Brewers for an inning or two if it’s a close one in Cincy.
Sunday, Sept. 25
Unless you’re way fucking jazzed about getting your mitts on a Randy Wolf bobblehead when the Brewers take on the Marlins at Miller Park, stay home and catch most of baseball game before switching over to the Packers-Bears game at 3:15 p.m. If you get any guff for abandoning a potentially close/clinching Brewers broadcast, compromise by offering to turn back to the game when the Brewers and Marlins remain part of arguably the greatest sports rivalry for 90 years running. Yeah.
Sunday, Oct. 2
In Week No. 4, the Pack looks to plant Kyle Orton’s neckbeard deep into the Lambeau Field tundra and move on to smacking the Christ out of Tim Tebow when the Broncos come to town. Meanwhile, the Brewers could be in the midst of a division series (scheduled to take place Sept. 30-Oct. 7) if … when … if—OH GOD, THE STRESS!!!—the club makes the playoffs. As entertaining as the prospect of seeing Green Bay attack the rebuilt Broncos seems, if there’s any overlap with a Brewers NLDS game, Milwaukee and its would-be third playoff berth in 30 seasons should become the focal point of your Sunday sports day.
Sunday, Oct. 9
Two factors could spare you from the fifth consecutive week of making the difficult choice between remaining part of the Brew Crew or backing the Pack. Either the Brewers won’t see NLCS action (scheduled Oct. 8-17), or Green Bay’s 7:20 p.m. start time will eliminate any overlap when Milwaukee plays an early playoff contest. Hopefully it’s the latter, and Wisconsin can exponentially increase its collective GDP (Genuine Draft puking), gross cheese consumption, and aggregate high-five total over the course of a day in which the Brewers beat a worthy NL foe like the Phillies or Cubs (←lolz), and the Packers take their second straight in the Georgia Dome. But if any overlap occurs, switch at commercials, while giving the Brewers the obvious advantage.
Sunday, Oct. 16
The previous week’s philosophy continues through the Oct. 16, as the Packers host the Rams at noon, and any such Brewers game would almost assuredly happen later in the evening, if at all. If the Crew is active, it’ll be at the ass end of a close NLCS matchup, so try to catch every pitch and record any coinciding football games to watch later. It’ll be like living in the ’90s again—except the Brewers will be good this time around.
Sunday, Oct. 23
As tempting as catching the season’s first Packers-Vikings battle may be, this day could very well mark a Brewers World Series game (Oct. 19-27). As fun as it’d be to root against Donovan McNabb in his new uniform, it’ll be 100 times more fulfilling to cheer for our own out-of-shape leader as Prince and co. try to capture the first World Series in franchise history.
Sunday, Oct. 30
It would be fitting if Green Bay’s bye week—and what may be the first week sans the baseball/football dilemma—occurred just a few days after a potential Milwaukee title came to be; that would leave enough time to appropriately celebrate a Brewers World Series win and to regroup for (at least) nine more weeks of Packers football. If only we could be so fortunate.
