Mark Attanasio on World Series title: 'wanted to win this for everyone'
· Yahoo Sports
ST. PETERSBURG, FL. – The timing was just too good.
Asked by a reporter if he could describe what he was feeling in the midst of the Milwaukee Brewers' raucous clubhouse celebration at Tropicana Field following the team's 4-1 Game 5 victory that earned the franchise its first World Series crown, team principal owner Mark Attanasio couldn't help but point out the song that was blasting through the speakers only feet away.
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"I'm floating right now," he said, sporting the standard issue sprayware of goggles, t-shirt, shorts and flip-flops. "This is a lot to take in. World Series Game 5, you win, you're on a podium, there's like 30,000 people in the stands screaming and cheering and there's another 30,000-40,000 people at a watch party and there's probably over a million people in Wisconsin who care about this and were watching.
"So, it's all sinking in. They talk about world champs, you hear the Queen song ("We Are The Champions"), and we are. You can dream about it, you can think about it and nothing compares.
"Nothing compares to the experience."
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Only hours earlier Attanasio was making the pre-game rounds like usual on the field in front of the Brewers dugout.
He was outwardly calm, but like anyone who'd watched the Brewers drop that 4-3, 12-inning heartbreaker in Game 4 a night earlier, there was undoubtedly an underlying sense of nervousness that perhaps the Rays had suddenly gained momentum.
And they had ace Drew Rasmussen on the mound, albeit on short rest.
As it turned out, there would be nothing to worry about.
Jacob Misiorowski successfully battled iffy mound conditions for all of his 5 ⅔-inning start before departing with cramping in his right calf, the offense generated a 2-0 lead by the fifth inning and doubled it an inning later and old trusted hands Abner Uribe and Trevor Megill handled things the rest of the way to lock it down.
Party on.
"This was the first game after the first inning that I stood for the entire game," Attanasio said. "Then we got a run and I stood... Joe Torre came in at one point. Robin Yount was in one spot, Ryan Braun is by us and we all kept our spots. I kept my spot for eight innings.
"Too much adrenaline. I never stood for a game like that for eight innings."
For the second time this postseason Attanasio found himself on stage in the outfield, accepting this time the Commissioner's Trophy – the crown jewel, the massive and intricate piece of hardware that had eluded the franchise for all 57 years of its existence until finally coming to fruition after his Brewers steamrolled through the playoffs with an 11-2 overall record.
"It all happens so fast," Attanasio said. "Kevin Burkhart's up there and rolling and basically everybody wants to hear from Pat Murphy and the players so I got my thoughts in about our fan base, which was extraordinary. Everybody can see that. There was a visual of that. And obviously we wouldn't be here without Commissioner [Bud] Selig.
"I thought about saying something about Uecker magic. Pat [Murphy] and I didn't rehearse anything and I thought he might say something, and he did."
In addition to the ballpark being overrun by Milwaukee fans, the field was overrun with team employees and family members in the aftermath after Attanasio had arranged for five chartered planes and hotel rooms to ensure everyone who'd had a hand in the success was able to share in the joy.
"I always like being a part of a team, and this was an incredible team of people in the organization," Attanasio said. "We had five plane loads of them brought down here to experience this together because they were all part of it, and then several other people like family members and so on who were supportive in the same way (wife) Debbie and (sons) Dan and Mike are supportive.
"But to have a shared experience like that and to do something together...we talk a lot about, 'We built this. We didn't buy it.' To build something together is extremely gratifying. And for the entire community to stop everything that's going on, really for the month of October, to witness it and be part of it...it's extremely gratifying."
It was a whirlwind coming down the stretch for everyone involved with the franchise, as Milwaukee won a fourth consecutive National League Central Division title en route to a team-record 103 wins followed by a four-game victory over the San Diego Padres in the NL Division Series, a four-game sweep of the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL Championship Series and finally the World Series, all since Sept. 15.
"I woke up two mornings ago and I thought I was in Milwaukee," Attanasio said. "I was trying to remember this morning if we lost or if we won. Obviously, we know we didn't win so I guess I put it out of my mind. Robin Yount told me yesterday he had so much adrenaline that he felt he could have gone out there and played.
"And I can just say when we won, he grabbed me and hit me so hard in the chest – I haven't gotten thumped like that in, like, 20 years. And it was great. It was great to share a game with him and Ryan."
"It's forever," he said. "I always thought it would be enough to just get to the World Series. But of course when you get there you want to win. When people start talking about history and you could be the first team – one media person said do you measure from 1957 with the Braves or 1982 with the Brewers? – they can't take this away.
"They can't take it away from you. I remember many years ago my son Mike played club basketball with Mark Spitz's son Justin and Mark Spitz said to me, 'Just remember: Nobody remembers who came in second.'
"I really wanted to win this for everyone."
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Mark Attanasio on World Series title: 'wanted to win this for everyone'
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