You never know what types of twists and turns will happen in a baseball season.
Wisconsin sports talk radio host Grant Bilse has made a convincing case that the Brewers’ season turnaround coincided with an unlikely event: Paige Spiranac bobblehead night.
Upon first glance, it would seem farfetched that the golf influencer could have such … influence … on an entirely different sport, but the team’s record actually backs up the idea that the event was an inflection point.
It was on a fateful evening, June 16, when the Brewers hosted the Pirates at American Family Field, that Spiranac threw out the ceremonial first pitch as her bobbleheads were given out to fans.
The Crew had entered the game at a mediocre 34-34, having lost six games in a row.
The Brewers defeated the Pirates 5-4 that night and wound up finishing 92-70 to win the NL Central by nine games over the Cubs, meaning that the Spiranac promotion kicked off a streak in which Milwaukee went 58-36.
Bilse, who hosts the “Wisco Sports Show” in afternoon drive syndicated statewide via The Zone in Madison, and also produces the “Bill Michaels Show” in middays, had a spidey sense a week after the Spiranac bobbleheads that the juju had changed.
On June 23, as the Brewers had ripped off a 5-2 stretch since the promotion, Bilse posted a podcast mockumentary where for 25 minutes he imitated a “30 for 30” doc chronicling “the promotion that saved a season.”
The documentary narrative began in February, with the Brewers in Arizona for Spring Training, coming off the backdrop of last season’s collapse after trading Josh Hader to the Padres and falling not just out of first place in the division but the entire postseason to boot.
General manager David Stearns stepped down, eventually to be named president of baseball operations for the Mets, to be replaced by Matt Arnold.
Going through offseason transactions and the aforementioned middling start, Bilse eventually reached “Golf Night” in mid-June, and laid down the stakes for the event in which Spiranac was the featured attraction.
“It was now becoming clear to [Brewers business executive] Rick Schlesinger and those that work with him: Paige Spiranac’s visit to American Family Field in June would be a turning moment for the franchise,” he deadpanned.
“If executed poorly, golf night could be the kind of catastrophe that ends this era of Brewers baseball, similar to a dying star collapsing unto itself. But executed well, it could be up there with moments like the 1982 [World Series runner-up] team, and, well, that’s about it.”
The bobbleheads have become relatively prized commodities.
On eBay, the Spiranac Brewers bobblehead typically retails for $70 inclusive of shipping, whereas this year’s bobblehead for star closer Devin Williams goes for about $30.
Reflecting on the spectacle with the benefit of more hindsight, Bilse is only more appreciative of Spiranac for bestowing her fortune upon Milwaukee.
“Brewers fans owe Paige Spiranac a great debt,” Bilse told The Post, part tongue-in-cheek and part with a sense of superstition that only makes sense to a particular breed of sports fan.
“When the season was bleakest in April and May, her bobblehead night became a beacon on the horizon — something fans could look forward to.
“But by the time the day arrived, Brewers fans had actually become genuinely excited to welcome Paige to Milwaukee. Golf Night 2023 almost became a second opening day … a new beginning for a season that had taken a turn for the better.”
The Brewers hope to continue their run since Spiranac’s appearance as they open their postseason on Tuesday against the Diamondbacks on ESPN2 and the ESPN app, though their quest hit a big snag Monday when manager Craig Counsell announced star pitcher Brandon Woodruff will miss the series with a shoulder injury and is in danger of missing the entire playoffs.
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