CULTURE
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P S O R I S E E E U T WCONTIN HEIR R
OF SUCCESS BY KYLE LOBNER
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omewhere beyond all of this winter’s distractions, the Milwaukee Brewers are experiencing something of a golden era. They’ve made as many postseason appearances (four) and won as many division championships (two) in the past four seasons as they did in the nearly five decades that came before. Their recent successes include two of the five winningest seasons in franchise history. Their roster boasts both a former National League Most Valuable Player and the reigning Cy Young Award winner.
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Instead of celebrating this team, however, fans have largely been left to wonder when they might see them again. After a brief flurry of transaction activity in November, MLB owners locked out the players when their collective bargaining agreement expired in December and the work stoppage wiped out all of the game’s normal winter and spring milestones: The Winter Meetings, Brewers on Deck, pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training, the first Cactus League games and, eventually, Opening Day. The work stoppage cast a cold shadow over the sport’s proverbial “hot stove” season. Photo by razihusin/Getty Images. Background photo by justin kendra/Getty Images.