BURLINGTON, Wis. — Two longtime Brewers fans in Burlington are looking back on the team's history they lived decades ago, as they hope for a history-making moment yet to come.
Mary LaBadie reached out to TMJ4 to share her collection of World Series memories from 1982, telling us, "It truly is priceless!"
Watch this video to see inside the collection:
So TMJ4'S Lauren Sklba headed out to see it, meeting with Mary and her husband, Willie, to hear more about what the Brewers mean to them.
Inside a massive, tagboard scrapbook are newspaper clipping after newspaper clipping of Brewers World Series memories, which the couple said "brings back a lot of memories. A lot of great memories."
Mary and Willie were in their 20s the last time the Brewers were in the World Series.
"We were just happily dating then," Mary said.
For the couple, this year's World Series is a chance to look back at history, both for the team and for themselves.
The couple, though living in Burlington even then, remembers the energy of visiting Milwaukee consistently during that run.
"I think we went to all the Brewers championship series games. Didn't we, Willie?" Mary said.
They have memories of "walking across the bridge, walking down Wisconsin Avenue, with all the other crazy people," and visiting Harvey Kuenn's bar.
"I was the customer. That's the back of my head," Mary said, pointing to a newspaper photo taken inside Cesar's Inn. "So I had to buy the paper. I kept looking in the paper for it."
Mary's collection of newspaper articles spans coverage from Milwaukee, Racine, and even St. Louis.
"Just an exciting time in our lives. We watched every single game. We watched every single play," Mary said.
Willie even got to a game himself.
"Game 4. It was a Saturday afternoon. It was beautiful, and we were getting beat," Willie said.
But the Brewers came back to win it 7-5.
"The crowd was really into it too. I remember that," Willie said.
This round, things will look a little different for them.
"I think we're just going to stay home in front of the TV and absorb everything that's going on," Mary said.
But their legacy of dedication continues.
"Our daughters have become us, where they chase the players —they do this. They are huge, tried-and-true Brewers fans," Mary said.
Both daughters snagged tickets to Game 2, plan to tailgate together ahead of the first pitch, and bring along some of their parents' 1982 memorabilia.
"The pins — I think they're going to take to the games with them," Mary said.
For Mary and Willie, family fandom is also about tradition.
"We're from Wisconsin, and when you say Wisconsin, you gotta stick with your team," Mary said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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