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Forget the skeptics. The World Series matchup between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays is must-see television, and here's why. Two writers from USA TODAY Opinion, who have been colleagues for just over a year but have only met in person once, will be rooting for opposite sides when the series begins on October 23. Blake, a recent Rays fan who lives north of Tampa, and Thuan, whose husband grew up near Milwaukee, represent the divided loyalties this series inspires.
The Brewers, who swept the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series, are making their first World Series appearance in 44 years. The Rays, meanwhile, are in the Fall Classic for the third time. Both franchises are among the last five in MLB without a championship. For their fans, this is a dream come true. But for MLB and broadcast executives, a "small market" World Series is a ratings nightmare. Ignore those concerns; this series has plenty to offer.
Earned, Not Given
Milwaukee won a franchise-record and MLB-best 103 games during the regular season, while Tampa Bay led the American League with 98 wins. Both teams defeated big-market opponents in the playoffs and proved they belong at the top. Contrary to what some in New York or Los Angeles might think, not everyone in America feels a loss when those cities' teams aren't playing every year.
Underdogs by Payroll
This is the first World Series between two low-revenue teams since 1997, when the Florida Marlins faced the Cleveland Indians. According to payroll figures from the MLB Labor Relations Department obtained by USA TODAY Sports, the Dodgers' payroll is $338 million, compared to Milwaukee's $143.5 million and Tampa Bay's $98.3 million. Yet all the Brewers and Rays do is win. Isn't that what the World Series is supposed to celebrate?
A Tradition Unlike Any Other
Baseball is a game of tradition, and one of those traditions involves northern fans traveling to Florida each spring to watch exhibition games. Since every season begins in Florida, it makes sense for it to end there occasionally, too. Embrace the quirkiness of Tropicana Field, which has been maligned for most of its 28 years and is slated for replacement. A hurricane tore open its roof two years ago, but if the Trop were a century old, fans might revere it like Fenway Park or Wrigley Field. It features cowbell-clanging fans, a baseball-colored ceiling that makes routine fly balls adventurous, catwalks that seem to swat baseballs out of the sky, and a tank full of stingrays. It's not a cookie-cutter stadium.
Old-School Baseball
If you love slugfests where every batter swings for the fences, this might not be the series for you. But if you appreciate teams that bunt, steal bases, execute hit-and-runs, and make strategic choices that have defined baseball for generations, you'll love this matchup. For a home run derby fix, look to your local slow-pitch softball league.
Icons Return
Finally, 92-year-old Bud Selig, MLB's commissioner emeritus who brought the Brewers to Milwaukee in 1970, is scheduled to throw the ceremonial first pitch at American Family Field. He'll be joined by Robin Yount, 71, the 1982 MVP and Hall of Famer who was inducted as a Brewer. Imagine how these two baseball icons feel anticipating Game 1 in Milwaukee after 44 years. Imagine how proud these teams are, defying conventional big-money spending to chase big dreams.
No matter which team wins, as Brewers and Rays fans, we've already won. So break out the brats and brews, or the sangria and Cuban sandwiches. The naysayers will be eating crow when this one is over.
Blake Fontenay is USA TODAY's commentary editor. Thuan Le Elston, a USA TODAY Opinion editor, is the author of "Rendezvous at the Altar: From Vietnam to Virginia."
Originally reported by usatoday.