Last night's game got me thinking: It must be a wonderful, but a little scary, to become an icon.
On the one hand, you get respect and adoration. On the other, people tend to focus on what you were instead of what you are.
With the dedication Tuesday of the Bronze Fonz, the Happy Days crew came out to the ballpark for the game.
Almost everyone was there - Garry Marshall, Mr. and Mrs. C, Joanie, Ralph Malph, Laverne, Shirley...and of course Potsie, who sang the National Anthem. Henry Winkler was the star of the show, and proved completely lovable with some great comments about how proud he is to be honored by Milwaukee.
It was nostalgic and neat. But it also made me think: These folks must have done a lot in the last 25 years, but all we care about is the past. Which made me a little sad for all involved.
The point is, everybody loves an icon, and expects them never to make a mistake or change. But of course, they do.
Just ask Ben Sheets, who is 1-5 since the All Star game. The playbill for this homestand has Sheets' 2000 Olympics win on the cover, and talks about how unstoppable he was eight years ago.
But the buzz at the ballpark last night was: What have you done for us lately, Sheets?
According to jsonline.com, in 18 first-half starts, Sheets earned a 2.85 ERA. Since the break, his seven starts have added up to a 4.00 ERA.
Sure, Sheets himself says it's not that bad. And maybe he's right.
But for years now he's been honored as Milwaukee's ace, and I imagine that's just like any other iconic label -- great to have; hard to live up to every single day.
Let's hope happy days are here again soon for Sheets. We need 'em.
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