Oh Well... Get Em Next Year

Hola Amigos -

Well my Brew Crew has fallen 4-2 in the NLCS to the St. Louis Cardinals (aka the Darth Vader of the National League). Great season for the Brewers needed a bit more pitching and a few more timely hits down the stretch. I can now turn my attention to some Steelhead and Salmon fishing. Maybe a fall Musky. Once again I will be living at the corner of faith and hope. Never gets old.

Tight lines,
Trout Buddha

Yes!!!!!!!

Faith shall be rewarded....


On to the post-season!

Magic Numbers, Fall Skies, and Musky Dreams

Hola Amigos -

The autumnal equinox is upon us and my favorite baseball team sits with a magic number of 2! The Brew Crew is dangerously close to winning the the NL Central, securing close to 95 wins, and making the playoffs. A wonderful summer of excitement for a rapid fan like myself. I have waxed philosophical on these pages many times about the link between my baseball love and fly fishing. Both require enormous faith and hope. Both have a beautiful symmetry, require patience, and (in my mind) teach wonderful life lessons. Win or lose. Catch or get skunked. Use all your outs my friends and keep your fingers crossed for the Crew.

I dream of the following: spend an autumn day casting big flies for Musky and hustle home just in time to see the Brewers in the Fall Classic! Now that would be a dream come true! Win or lose.

Fear the Beer!
Watch your back cast and remember; it ain't over till its over!
Trout Buddha

Baseball, Faith, Hope, and Fly Fishing

Well the Trout Buddha spent part of a sunny afternoon (left work early) in the house watching my Milwaukee Brewers blow a four run, two out, bottom of the ninth lead as part of a 12 inning loss to the arch rival Cubbies. There was only one thing to do - go fish. My emotional investment in this Brewers season is beginning to take a toll. Oh well, nine games to go, 1.5 back in the wild card race, 4-14 in the month of September, a fired manager, injured starting pitcher, and no real reason to be optimistic; yet my hope is fully alive.

Who knows more about hope than fishermen? When a character in a John Galligan fly fishing mystery was asked if he prayed his response was "No, I fish." That sums it up for me. Every trip to the stream is an exercise in optimism. Hope for a rising trout. Hope for a hard fighting smallie. Hope for a chance to stand in a river, throw some line, and keep my optimism alive.

Rooting for a baseball team requires faith and patience. Fly angling restores my faith, builds my patience, provides hope, and is an exercise in optimism. Pray? No, I fish - and root for the Brewers. I see the crew doing good things over the weekend and the Mets hitting the gag reflex down the stretch (their bullpen is even worse than Milwaukee's). Here is to hoping that come next week at the start of a six game home stand there is something to play for.

Doesn't matter, there is always fly fishing - and next year.

Trout Buddha

PS - I took two nice rainbows and a small colorful brown today - what the heck I can't wait for tomorrows game.

Helping His Profile?

I read today on the Ben Smith Blog (by way of MidCurrent) that Barack Obama wants to learn to fly fish - win or lose in November. Well the Senator from Illinois already had my vote - but this might seal the deal (then again Cheney is a fly angler so...). Seems Senator Obama was so impressed with the landscape of Montana that he wants to take up fly fishing in order to spend more time in the the Big Sky state. As a guy who fishes in Wisconsin I'm not sure we need another guy from Illinois with a rod in his hand ... what the heck pay for your out of state license and be sure to pick up your trash - we will welcome you.