William Contreras’s recent essay on The Players’ Tribune, titled “No One Better Than Us,” gives fans a rare inside look at the identity, mindset, and journey of the 2025 Milwaukee Brewers. Rather than simply statistics or bullet points, Contreras delivers a personal and philosophical message: unity, accountability, and belief. His tone is understated but firm–“I’m a man of few words,” he writes–yet those few words carry conviction.
Contreras opens by acknowledging what this season means: 97 wins, historic accomplishments, and elevated expectations. But he frames those not as accolades to sit on, but as foundations upon which the team must build. His piece is neither celebratory nor apologetic; it’s a clarion call to stay grounded and stay together. As Contreras puts it, “unidad” is more than a word: it’s the glue that turned a cast of individuals into a cohesive unit.
From Atlanta to Milwaukee
One of the more compelling elements of Contreras’s essay is his recounting of the trade that sent him from the Braves to Milwaukee. “Three years ago, my agent calls and tells me, ‘Atlanta traded you.’ I told him: ‘Trade me back.’” That reaction–they’re human, vulnerable–even in moments that become defining for a baseball life. He admits he barely knew what the move meant at the time, especially from the comfort zone of Atlanta.
Yet, with time, Milwaukee grew on him. He describes organizational culture, fan passion, and the city’s identity in glowing terms. “But then I get here, and I get to know things. … It’s an amazing place. The organization, the fans, it’s such a great baseball city. Funny how it changes. Now if I think about that trade, I got lucky.” He acknowledges the disorientation of uprooting and adjusting to a different environment, especially as a Venezuelan kid, but also the joy in discovering a place where he could belong and contribute.
Lessons from Loss, and the Demand for Accountability
Contreras doesn’t shy away from the scars. He revisits a painful memory: the 2023 postseason, when the Brewers were eliminated early. He reflects on walking off the field in tears, feeling the weight of responsibility, and the sense that some teammates moved on too quickly. “I’m feeling so responsible. But then I’m seeing guys … they almost look happy.” That dissonance, he implies, reveals what was missing in the culture then.
He emphasizes that to win, you need more than talent. You need a unified mindset. He contrasts teams filled with diverging motivations to those where “everyone … it’s all the same answer.” For him, that shared purpose is nonnegotiable: alignment. He argues that greatness comes not from flashes of brilliance in isolation, but from an entire roster pulling in the same direction.
The Role of Bob Uecker, Tradition & Symbolism
A striking portion of Contreras’s narrative is the attention paid to Bob Uecker–the Brewers’ longtime beloved figure. Uecker’s role, beyond comedy and broadcasting, becomes spiritual and motivational in Contreras’s retelling. “What a legend. Someone who defined this organization and this city. And a real supporter of us as players.
“You know how some people, they just have a way of talking to you, where it can be only for a short time but you feel like their closest friend in that moment? That was Bob. He’d always come down to the locker room, chat with guys, and he’d look at them and say, “No one better than you. Keep doing what you’re doing. No one better than you.”
He connects Uecker’s passing and the urgency to win for him, noting that Uecker never got a World Series ring despite 54 years in the Brewers organization. That emotional undercurrent–that this season could be a tribute to his legacy–adds resonance to what might otherwise be seen as just another high-performing team.
Defying Narrative, Embracing the “Round Ball”
Contreras addresses skeptics: the slow start, the low expectations, the notion that the Brewers were underdogs. “No one was picking us … Yet we did what we did. … Most times, it (bounces) in favor of the big cities.” He invokes a soccer adage: “The ball is round.” Things can’t always be predicted. Sometimes momentum, belief, chaos, grit, and randomness combine to upset the usual order.
What makes this approach compelling is that he doesn’t pretend it’s all fairy dust. He acknowledges luck, variance, and the systemic advantages of big-market teams, but argues that the Brewers have created conditions under which the “bounce” is more likely to land their way. This is gutsy humility: not overpromising, but betting on bought-in belief and execution.
“This team, it’s so special. And for the first time since I won a ring, I’m really feeling that feeling again. I’m really looking around our locker room, our ballpark, and it’s that same unidad. … Now, I hope I spend my whole career here–and I hope to be on the first World Series winner in Brewers history.
“It’ll happen, I bet.”
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