MILWAUKEE — In a special moment he won’t soon forget, Michael Smith took to the pitcher’s mound at American Family Field Sunday to help the Brewers kick off the game.
Smith got the opportunity to rub shoulders with the Brewers, throwing the first pitch through his work, at Waste Management in Cedarburg.
“When they asked me, I thought that the guy was just playing with me at first,” Smith said. “It was really gratifying that they would ask me to do that.”
WM, which focuses on sustainability, handles recycling and waste management for the Milwaukee Brewers.
Smith was chosen for his years of dedication to his job and community. In total, Smith has worked as a garbage collector for 26 years, 25 of them in Cedarburg.
“I consider Cedarburg as a family to me,” he said. “It’s thousands of people there and I love 'em all.”
Watch: Cedarburg garbage collector throws first pitch at Brewers game:
Smith wasn’t the only person being highlighted at Sunday’s game. On top of throwing a first pitch of her own, 7-year-old cancer survivor Taylor Daniels took on the role of junior announcer for the day.
“She did amazing, so good” her mom Cassie Daniels said, to a smiling Taylor. “I’m so proud of her.”
The young girl was selected for the honor as a part of a season-long fundraiser for childhood cancer awareness, a partnership between the Brewers and Northwestern Mutual.
The Daniels family took the opportunity Sunday to make up for lost time.
“After two and a half years of treatment, that’s been really hard, we were not together a lot,” Cassie said. “So, now these experiences, where we can just have fun and be together as a family again, living the best that we can is super important to us.”
It’s a game day experience that Smith too was thrilled to be a part of and one hopes to repeat, only next time singing the national anthem.
At the suggestion of his community members in Cedarburg, who knew he had a talent for singing, TMJ4’s Tahleel Mohieldin asked Smith during their interview if he would give a sample of his skills.
Smith sang the entire national anthem, for nearly two minutes, and did not disappoint. Showing off a skill and passion he’s been nurturing since he was 5 years old.
“If they would ask me, I would come at any time,” Smith said. “I would love to.”
In recognition of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, the Milwaukee Brewers and Brewers Community Foundation will donate $1 for every ticket sold September 6th-8th, to Alex’s Lemonade Stand to help fund treatments and cures.
This season Northwestern Mutual will also donate funds that equal five hours of research for every Run Batted In, that the Brewers hit both at home and away.
Over the weekend, fans also had the chance to donate by doing things like rounding up their purchases to the nearest dollar and purchasing tickets in the 50/50 raffle.
For each game of the series, a child affected by childhood cancer will participate in a game day experience.
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