‘Life is precious’: Brewers superfan shares World Series moment with son after life-changing experiences
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) — For Rick Gordon, a lifelong Milwaukee Brewers fan, attending a World Series game is a dream 44 years in the making. Now, he gets to experience it alongside his son, Cooper, after two life-changing experiences reshaped how he views life.
Gordon has been a Brewers fan since childhood.
“I was a fanatic in 1982. I was 11 years old throughout the whole season. I was hoping my 12th birthday was when they were going to bring a championship to Milwaukee,” Gordon said.
His passion for the team even influenced his son's name.
“I was such a fanatic that I named my only child, my son, Cooper, after Cecil Cooper,” Gordon said.
Gordon now lives in Colombia and flew to Milwaukee to keep a promise to his son. Cooper had asked his father to take him to a World Series game in both cities if the Brewers made it.
“My son asked me, if we go to the World Series, would you take me to a game in both cities? There was no way I wasn’t going to do that,” Gordon said.
The trip carries a deeper meaning for the family. Gordon said a colon cancer scare changed his perspective on life.
“I had a cancer scare, colon cancer, that I only discovered because of my friend getting diagnosed with cancer,” Gordon said.
Within a year and a half of that experience, his son survived a head-on collision after a 17-year-old driver crossed the center line and hit him.
“My son had a head-on accident where a 17-year-old girl crossed the center line and hit him. He survived and is in a good place today. Immediately after that experience, within a year and a half of each other, I learned that life is precious, and I'm living life to the fullest,” Gordon said.
Now, Gordon is making memories with his son, bringing custom signs to the ballpark to celebrate the long-awaited experience.
“My son's going to have the other sign that says he is the Cooper,” Gordon said.
A Brewers victory would make the moment even more memorable.
“If we walk out of with a victory, it's just going to put an exclamation point on this entire experience,” Gordon said.
The World Series trip will continue in Tampa for Game 3, which falls on Gordon’s 56th birthday, adding another milestone to a journey decades in the making.