Here we are: the morning after George Webb. It feels strange to put that in the rear view mirror, partly because it’s such an arduous climb to 12 consecutive victories for which the “reward” evaporates in a mere four hours, partly because the object in the rear view mirror has proven much closer that it appears. The Cubbies are taking it to us this series, which sucks a little of the life out of the moment.
Anyway, yesterday I scooped up my son and took to the interstate to cash in on the George Webb promise of free hamburgers. Our nearest GW…Peshtigo…a 50 minute ride; but miles and minutes were of no consequence to the foundational impact of the journey. This was a metaphorical quest.
It’s hard to put into words what this trip meant to me, and means to countless Milwaukee Brewers fans. But I’ll try…
First of all, mad props to the Peshtigo crew, who presided over the madness with a great system and great customer service. We had an absolute blast.
Thank you, George Webb Restaurants, for upholding the decades-long tradition. Born from the lips of your founder, the free burger promise is a promotion that we fans always hope stands in perpetuity, but of which we never truly know the annual renewal status until the Crew hits 8 consecutive. That’s when the quiet murmurs bubble up from the depths of our True Blue cores…the whispers, the questions: “Webb is doing the thing again, right? The free burgers at 12, right?”
In truth, none of us really knows the answer until you weigh in; and, in truth, none of us would blame you for abandoning something so preposterous and so detrimental to your business model (for 24 hours). It’s absolutely crazy by “Business 101” manual standards. Ludicrous! But you, many franchise owners completely removed from the Webb bloodline (and I would venture to say most franchise owners completely removed from the Webb bloodline), stand by it…you embrace it, because you realize that this about something bigger than the bottom line.
We did it. No matter what it looks like when the door closes behind us on this 2025 campaign, we did it. It is and it was a true snapshot of what this pastime is all about, what our team means to us and to our communities and to our identity, to our spirit, to our collective sense of pride. We did it. The littlest of the littles…we did it.
Thank you, Milwaukee Brewers, for what has already proven a summer-to-remember. Thank you for reminding us that nothing is guaranteed between the lines (or outside of them, for that matter). Thank you for this journey and for this memory made for (at least) this one father-son fanatic duo.
#ThisIsMyCrew
