MILWAUKEE -- David Stearns was alone, surrounded by unpacked suitcases and moving boxes in his half-empty apartment on Prospect Avenue, a street on Milwaukee's east side populated by high-rise apartments with panoramic views of Lake Michigan. Stearns had little time to take in the scenery. It was Tuesday, Oct. 6, his second official day as general manager of the Milwaukee Brewers.
On that day, the Houston Astros were on Stearns' mind -- and his television. He had spent the past three years helping guide Houston through a rebuild as the team's assistant GM, and Stearns' former team was in the American League Wild Card Game.