By Jim Owczarski Sports Editor Published Apr 24, 2012 at 9:00 PM

Even if you live it, sometimes you can't believe it.

This goes for all things good, bad, and ... interesting.

Mat Gamel's vicious meeting with Houston Astros catcher Jason Castro Tuesday night has been one of the most watched highlights of this young baseball season already, and that won't stop any time soon.

It's just too awesome.

Fortunately for Brewers fans, Mat's wife Julianne tweeted late last night that her hubby was OK.

Her tweet dampened any concern there might have been when manager Ron Roenicke decided to give Gamel the night off.

So while the constant replays in the Brewers clubhouse caught Gamel's rapt attention and some good-natured hoots from his teammates, Roenicke's reaction was understandably different.

 "Yeah, I watched it this morning," he said with some resignation.

When asked if it looked worse on replay than in person, he groaned.

"It was bad both times."

As long as it's not us delivering - or receiving - said blow, it only gets better if you watch it again. And again. And again.

Like this one.

 

And for all those - including Houston manager Brad Mills - who thought the play was unnecessary, or perhaps a little dirty, I don't think so. In that moment, Gamel made what he thought was the best decision to try and score. That was that.

It wasn't this.

Jim Owczarski is an award-winning sports journalist and comes to Milwaukee by way of the Chicago Sun-Times Media Network.

A three-year Wisconsin resident who has considered Milwaukee a second home for the better part of seven years, he brings to the market experience covering nearly all major and college sports.

To this point in his career, he has been awarded six national Associated Press Sports Editors awards for investigative reporting, feature writing, breaking news and projects. He is also a four-time nominee for the prestigious Peter J. Lisagor Awards for Exemplary Journalism, presented by the Chicago Headline Club, and is a two-time winner for Best Sports Story. He has also won numerous other Illinois Press Association, Illinois Associated Press and Northern Illinois Newspaper Association awards.

Jim's career started in earnest as a North Central College (Naperville, Ill.) senior in 2002 when he received a Richter Fellowship to cover the Chicago White Sox in spring training. He was hired by the Naperville Sun in 2003 and moved on to the Aurora Beacon News in 2007 before joining OnMilwaukee.com.

In that time, he has covered the events, news and personalities that make up the PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, Major League Baseball, the National Football League, the National Hockey League, NCAA football, baseball and men's and women's basketball as well as boxing, mixed martial arts and various U.S. Olympic teams.

Golf aficionados who venture into Illinois have also read Jim in GOLF Chicago Magazine as well as the Chicago District Golfer and Illinois Golfer magazines.