Sweepytime: When mom becomes a meme

The Milwaukee Brewers probably had no idea how perfectly my friend Katie represented baseball when they flashed her smiling face on TV Sunday Afternoon.

Along with her “Sweepy Time” sign, which commemorated Milwaukee’s perfect home series against the Mets, Katie showed up three times in those happy, waning moments of the game.

She might have been any excited, somewhat prescient, fan of a team in the midst of a run so remarkable many Brewer fans believe Bob Uecker might be pulling some celestial strings up there from his best seats in the house.

Katie’s not just a random fan, though.

Along with her sisters and brother, Katie grew up at the ballpark. Her dad, Ed Holtz, was the general manager of the Appleton Foxes from 1966 to 1977. He went on to earn a World Series ring with the Atlanta Braves organization in a career that took him and his wife, Mary, to ballparks affiliated with the Chicago White Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, Cleveland Indians, Seattle Mariners, Houston Astros, and Atlanta Braves.

Ed Holtz even has a file at Cooperstown.

“I love baseball,” Katie said. “It’s in my blood.”

So, it surprised exactly no one who knew her that Katie showed up on that screen. Her phone began buzzing immediately.

My husband Vince saw the whole thing play out live, and sent me a screenshot. 

The next day, because I asked her about it, Katie stopped over to give me a little play-by-play of her day.

She had gone to the game with two of her sons, Tim and Michael, and Tim’s sons Everett and Micah.

“I knew I wanted to do something fun,” she said. “I always try to get the grandkids on the Jumbotron.”

She whipped up her “Sweepytime” sign the night before, and had to explain it to the doubters.

“Both Michael and Tim didn’t get it. I had to explain – it’s like candy time, but sweepytime, because when they won it’d be a sweep. They still didn’t get it. They just said O.K.”

With the Brewers trailing 5-0 in the fourth inning, Everett called William Contreras’ home run and the slugger came through with a solo shot that sparked a three-run rally.

“When it got to be 5-3 I was holding up my sign.” Katie said. 

She held it again when Contreras hit a two-run homer in the fifth that pulled the Brewers within one, with the Mets leading 6-5.

“Everett actually called both of those home runs,” Katie said. “It was really fun.”

With the score tied 6-6 in the bottom of the ninth inning, Isaac Collins slammed a game-winning home run.

“When Collins hit that home run we were jumping up and down,” Katie said. “I didn’t even realize I was on TV until my phone started blowing up.”

The whole experience was great fun for everyone, and the aftermath has been even better.

Michael sent Katie a screen shot of a Brewer-hosted Reddit feed in which multiple posters said they wished she were their mom.

“That’s all our moms now,” one Redditor said.

“She is mom,” said another.

“Let’s make her a meme,” said a third.

Let’s.

The Brewers wrap up their homestand this afternoon and a win would not only give them another sweep, it would mark their 12th straight victory (which would mean free George Webb burgers for all).

Go Brewers!

It’s Sweepytime.