Milwaukee Brewers
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Milwaukee Brewers Established 1969 Based in Milwaukee since 1970 |
|||
|
|||
| Major league affiliations | |||
|
|||
| Current uniform | |||
|
|||
| Retired Numbers | 4, 19, 34, 42, 44 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | |||
|
|||
| Ballpark | |||
|
|||
| Major league titles | |||
| World Series titles (0) | None | ||
| NL Pennants (0) | None | ||
| AL Pennants (1) | 1982 | ||
| NL Central Division titles (0) | None | ||
| AL East Division titles (1) [1] | 1982 | ||
| Wild card berths (0) | None | ||
|
[1] - In 1981, a players' strike in the middle of the season forced the season to be split into two halves. The Brewers won the division in the second half, but lost the division playoff to the Yankees. |
|||
| Owner(s): Mark Attanasio | |||
| Manager: Ned Yost | |||
| General Manager: Doug Melvin | |||
The Milwaukee Brewers are a Major League Baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. They are in the Central Division of the National League. The Brewers were part of the American League from their creation as an expansion club in 1969 through the 1997 season, after which they switched to the National League.
The team has been nicknamed "The True Blue Brew Crew," "The Brew Crew" or even simply "The Crew." The 1982 club that won the American League pennant is affectionately known as "Harvey's Wallbangers," but that moniker refers to the 1982 club in particular and not Brewers in general.
Contents |
[edit] Franchise history
[edit] 1966-69:"Home of the Braves?"
In an effort to prevent the relocation of the Milwaukee Braves to a larger television market, Braves minority owner Bud Selig, a Milwaukee-area car dealer, formed an organization named "Teams Inc." devoted to local control of the club. He successfully prevented the majority owners of the Braves from moving the club in 1964 but was unable to do more than delay the inevitable. The Braves relocated to Atlanta after the 1965 season, and Teams Inc. turned its focus to returning Major League Baseball to Milwaukee.
Selig doggedly pursued this goal, attending owners meetings in the hopes of securing an expansion franchise. Selig changed the name of his group to "Milwaukee Brewers Baseball Club Inc.". The "Brewers" name, honoring Milwaukee's beer-brewing tradition, also was traditional for Milwaukee baseball teams going back into the 19th century. The city had hosted a major league team by that name in 1901, which relocated at the end of that season to became the St. Louis Browns (now the Baltimore Orioles). From 1902 through 1952, a minor league Milwaukee Brewers club in the American Association had been so successful that it lured the Braves from Boston. Selig himself had grown up watching that minor league team at Borchert Field and intended his new franchise to follow in that tradition.
To demonstrate there still was support for big-league ball in Milwaukee, Selig's group contracted with Chicago White Sox owner Arthur Allyn to host nine White Sox home games at Milwaukee County Stadium in 1968. A 1967 exhibition game between the White Sox and Minnesota Twins had attracted more than 51,000 spectators, and Selig was convinced the strong Milwaukee fan base would demonstrate the city would provide a good home for a new club.
The experiment was staggeringly successful - those nine games drew 264,297 fans. In Chicago that season, the Sox drew 539,478 fans to their remaining 58 home games. In just a handful of games, the Milwaukee crowds accounted for nearly one-third of the total attendance at White Sox games. In light of this success, Selig and Allyn agreed County Stadium would host Sox home games again the next season.
In 1969, the Sox schedule in Milwaukee was expanded to include 11 home games (one against every other franchise in the American League at the time). Although those games were attended by slightly fewer fans (198,211 fans, for an average of 18,019) they represented a greater percentage of the total White Sox attendance than the previous year - over one-third of the fans who went to Sox home games in 1969 did so at County Stadium (in the remaining 59 home dates in Chicago, the Sox drew 391,335 for an average of 6,632 per game). Selig felt this fan support lent legitimacy to his quest for a Milwaukee franchise, and he went into the 1968 owners meetings with high hopes.
Those hopes were dashed when National League franchises were awarded to San Diego (the Padres) and Montreal (the Expos), and American League franchises were awarded to Kansas City (the Royals) and Seattle (the Pilots). That last franchise, however, would figure very prominently in Selig's future.
Having failed to gain a major league franchise for Milwaukee through expansion, Selig turned his efforts to purchasing and relocating an existing club. His search began close to home, with the White Sox themselves. According to Selig, he had a handshake agreement with Allyn to purchase the Pale Hose and move them north. The American League, unwilling to surrender Chicago to the National League, vetoed the sale, and Allyn sold the franchise to his brother John.
Frustrated in these efforts, Selig shifted his focus to another American League team, the expansion Seattle Pilots.
[edit] 1969-70: Roots in Seattle
Seattle initially had a lot going for it when it joined the American League in 1969. Seattle had long been a hotbed for minor league baseball and was home to the Seattle Rainiers, one of the pillars of the Pacific Coast League. The Cleveland Indians had almost moved to Seattle in 1965. Many of the same things that attracted the Indians made Seattle a plum choice for an expansion team. Seattle was the third-biggest metropolitan area on the West Coast (behind Los Angeles and the Bay Area). The addition of a third team on the West Coast also would balance out the addition of Kansas City. Also, there was no real competition from other pro teams. While Seattle had just landed the NBA's SuperSonics, the NBA was not in the same class as baseball was in terms of popularity at the time.
The front man for the franchise was Dewey Soriano, a former Rainiers pitcher and general manager and former president of the PCL. In an ominous sign of things to come, Soriano had to ask William Daley, who had owned the Indians at the time they flirted with Seattle, to furnish much of the expansion fee. In return, Daley bought 47 percent of the stock--the largest stake in the club. He became chairman of the board while Soriano served as president.
However, a couple of factors were beyond the Pilots' control. They were originally not set to start play until 1971. But the date was moved up to 1969 under pressure from Sen. Stuart Symington of Missouri. Professional baseball had been played in Kansas City in one form or another from the 1880s until the A's left for Oakland after the 1967 season, and the prospect of having Kansas City wait three years for its return was not acceptable to Symington. Also, the Pilots had to pay the PCL $1 million to compensate for the loss of one of its most successful franchises. After King County voters approved a bond for a domed stadium (what would become the Kingdome) in 1968, the Seattle Pilots were officially born. California Angels executive Marvin Milkes was hired as general manager, and St. Louis Cardinals coach Joe Schultz became manager.
To the surprise of no one outside Seattle (Schultz and Milkes actually thought they could finish third in the newly formed AL West), the Pilots were terrible. They won their very first game, and then their home opener three days later, but only won five more times in the first month and never recovered. They finished last in the West with a record of 64-98, 33 games out of first.
However, the team's poor play was the least of its troubles. The most obvious problem was Sick's Stadium. The longtime home of the Pacific Coast League Seattle Rainiers, it had been considered one of the best ballparks in minor league baseball. By the 1960s, however, it was considered far behind the times. While a condition of MLB awarding the Pilots to Seattle was that Sick's had to be expanded to 30,000 seats by the start of the 1969 season, only 17,000 seats were ready due to numerous delays. The scoreboard wasn't even ready until the eve of opening day. While it was expanded to 25,000 by June, the added seats had obstructed views. Water pressure was almost nonexistent after the seventh inning, especially with crowds above 10,000. Attendance was so poor (678,000) that the Pilots were almost out of money by the end of the season. The team's new stadium was slated to be built at the Seattle Center, but a petition by stadium opponents ground the project to a halt.
During the offseason, Soriano crossed paths with Selig. They met in secret for over a month after the end of the season, and during Game 1 of the World Series, Soriano agreed to sell the Pilots to Selig for $10 million to $13 million (depending on the source). Selig would then move the team to Milwaukee and rename it the Brewers. However, the owners turned it down in the face of pressure from Washington's two senators, Warren Magnuson and Henry (Scoop) Jackson, as well as state attorney general Slade Gorton. MLB asked Soriano and Daley to find a local buyer. Local theater chain owner Fred Danz came forward in October 1969 with a $10 million deal, but it fizzled when the Bank of California called in a $4 million loan it had made to Soriano and Daley for startup costs. In January 1970, Westin Hotels owner Eddie Carlson put together a nonprofit group to buy the team. However, the owners rejected the idea almost out of hand since it would have devalued the other clubs' worth. A more traditional deal came one vote short of approval.
After a winter and spring full of court action, the Pilots reported for spring training under new manager Dave Bristol unsure of where they would play. The owners had given tentative approval to the Milwaukee group, but the state of Washington got an injunction on March 17 to stop the deal. Soriano immediately filed for bankruptcy - a move intended to forestall any post-sale legal action. At the bankruptcy hearing a week later, Milkes testified there wasn't enough money to pay the coaches, players and office staff. Had Milkes been more than 10 days late in paying the players, they would have all become free agents and left Seattle without a team for the 1970 season. With this in mind, Federal Bankruptcy Referee Sidney Volinn declared the Pilots bankrupt on April 1 - six days before Opening Day - clearing the way for them to move to Milwaukee. The team's equipment had been sitting in Provo, Utah with the drivers awaiting word on whether to drive toward Seattle or Milwaukee.
Much of the story of the Seattle Pilots' only year in existence is told in Jim Bouton's classic baseball book, Ball Four.
[edit] 1970-77: Early years in Milwaukee
With the season's opening day only six days away, there was not enough time to order completely new uniforms, so the club had to remove the Pilots logo from team uniforms and replace them with Brewers logos. In fact, the outline of the old Pilots logo could still be seen on the Brewers' uniforms. Selig's original intention had been to adopt navy and red as the team colors, hearkening back to the minor league club (souvenir buttons sold at White Sox games at County Stadium featured the major league club's logo in that color combination), but with no time to order new uniforms, the Brewers adopted the blue and gold of the Pilots as their own. That color combination, in various shades, is still used by the club. The short notice also forced the Brewers to assume the Pilots' old place in the AL West. While this resulted in natural rivalries with the White Sox and Twins, it also meant the Brewers faced the longest road trips in baseball.
Under the circumstances, the Brewers' 1970 season was over before it started, and they finished 65-97. They would not have a winning season until 1978.
Selig brought back former Milwaukee Braves catcher (and fan favorite) Del Crandall in 1972 to manage the club.
It was during this period that Milwaukee County Stadium gained its reputation for fun as well as baseball. Then-team vice president Dick Hackett hired Frank Charles to play the Wurlitzer organ during the games, and Hackett introduced team mascots Bernie and Bonnie Brewer.
On November 2, 1974, the Brewers orchestrated a trade that brought one of the most beloved Braves back to Milwaukee, sending outfielder Dave May and a player to be named later (minor league pitcher Roger Alexander) to Atlanta for Hank Aaron. Although not the player he was in his prime, Aaron brought prestige to the young club, and the opportunity to be a designated hitter allowed Aaron to extend his playing career two more seasons.
[edit] 1978-83: The Glory Days
The Brewers franchise reached its pinnacle in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Their first winning season took place in 1978 when the Brew Crew won 93 games and finished behind the Yankees and Red Sox. The next season, Milwaukee finished in 2nd place due to their home run power led by Cecil Cooper, Ben Oglivie (who led the league in homers in 1980 along with Reggie Jackson), and Gorman Thomas (whose 45 home runs in 1979 is still the Brewers' single season home run record).
After finishing third in 1980, the Brewers won the second half of the 1981 season (divided due to a players' strike) and played the New York Yankees in a playoff mini-series they ultimately lost. It was the first playoff appearance for the franchise. In 1982, the Brewers won the American League pennant. The team's prolific offensive production that season (they lead the league in runs and home runs) earned them the nickname Harvey's Wallbangers (a play on the drink Harvey Wallbanger and the team's manager Harvey Kuenn). In the 1982 American League Championship Series the Brewers defeated the California Angels 3 games to 2 and become the first team to win a playoff series after trailing 2 games to 0. The Brewers then played the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series. The Brewers started out strong, taking the first game of the series 10-0. Unfortunately, Hall-of-Famer Rollie Fingers had been injured prior to the postseason, and relief pitching became a problem for the Brewers. St. Louis eventually triumphed in the series, winning 4 games to 3.
During the 1980s the Brewers produced three league MVPs (Rollie Fingers in 1981 and Robin Yount in 1982 and 1989) and two Cy Young Award winners (Rollie Fingers in 1981 and Pete Vuckovich in 1982). Yount is one of only three players in the history of the game to win the MVP award at two positions (shortstop, then center field).
[edit] 1984-93: Rollercoaster
Following their two playoff years, the club quickly retreated to the bottom of the standings, never finishing higher than fifth (out of seven) in their division from 1983 to 1986. Hope was restored in 1987 when, guided by rookie manager Tom Trebelhorn, the team began the year with a 13-game winning streak. Unfortunately, they followed that hot start with a 12-game skid in May. But "Team Streak" eventually posted a strong third-place finish. Highlights of the year included Paul Molitor's 39-game hitting streak and the only no-hitter in team history, pitched by Juan Nieves on April 15.
On that day, Nieves became the first (and so far, only) Brewer and first Puerto Rican-born Major Leaguer to pitch a no-hitter, defeating the Baltimore Orioles 7-0 at Memorial Stadium. The final out came on a climactic diving catch in right-center field by Robin Yount of a line drive hit by Eddie Murray. The game also was the first time the Orioles were no-hit at Memorial Stadium.
In 1988 the team had another strong season, finishing only two games out of first (albeit with a lesser record than the previous year) in a close playoff race with four other clubs. Following this year, the team slipped, posting mediocre records from 1989 through 1991, after which Trebelhorn was fired. In 1992, reminiscent of the resurgence which greeted Trebelhorn's arrival in 1987, the Brewers rallied behind the leadership of rookie manager Phil Garner and posted their best record since their World Series year in 1982, finishing the season 92-70 and in second place, four games behind that year's eventual World Champion Toronto Blue Jays.
Hope of additional pennant races was quickly dashed, however, as the club plummeted to the bottom of the standings the following year, finishing an abysmal 26 games out of first. Since 1992, highlights were few and far between as the franchise failed to produce a winning season, having not fielded a competitive team due to a combination of bad management and financial constraints that limit the team relative to the resources available to other, larger-market clubs. With new management, structural changes in the economics of baseball, and the advent of revenue sharing, the Brewers were able to become competitive once again.
[edit] 1994-98: "We're taking this thing National"
In 1994, Major League Baseball adopted a new expanded playoff system. This change would necessitate a restructuring of each league from two divisions into three. The Brewers were transferred from the old AL East division to the newly created AL Central.
Before the 1998 regular season began, two new teams - the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Devil Rays - were added by Major League Baseball. This resulted in the American League and National League having fifteen teams. However, in order for MLB officials to continue interleague play, both leagues would need to carry an even number of teams, so the decision was made to move one club from the AL Central to the NL Central.
This realignment was widely considered to have great financial benefit to the club moving. However, to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest, Commissioner Bud Selig decided another team should have the first chance to switch leagues. The choice was offered to the Kansas City Royals, who ultimately decided to stay in the American League.[1] The choice then fell to the Brewers, who, on November 6, 1997 elected to move to the National League. Had the Brewers elected not to relocate, the Minnesota Twins would have been offered the opportunity to switch leagues. [2]
[edit] 1999-2003: Building Miller Park
Miller Park was opened in 2001, built to replace Milwaukee County Stadium. The stadium was built with $310 million of public funds, drawing some controversy, and is one of the few professional sporting stadiums with a retractable roof. Miller Park is the only sporting facility to have a fan-shaped retractable roof. Miller Park has a seating capacity of 42,200.
The park was to have opened a year earlier, but an accident during its construction, which resulted in the deaths of three workers, forced a year's delay and $50 million to $75 million in damage. On July 14, 1999, the three men lost their lives when the Lampson "Big Blue" crane, one of the largest in the world, collapsed while trying to lift a 400 ton right field roof panel. A statue commemorating the men now stands between the home plate entrance to Miller Park and Helfaer Field.
The Brewers made renovations to Miller Park before the 2006 campaign, adding both LED scoreboards in left field and on the second-tier of the stadium, as well as a picnic area in right field, shortening the distance of the right-field fence. The picnic area was an immediate hit and sold out for the season before the year began.
[edit] 2004-Present: Attanasio era
On January 16, 2004, Selig announced that his ownership group was putting the team up for sale, to the great relief of many fans who were unhappy with the team's lackluster performance and perceived poor management by his daughter, Wendy Selig-Preib, over the previous decade. In September 2004, the Brewers announced they had reached a verbal agreement with Los Angeles investment banker Mark Attanasio to purchase the team for $180 million. The sale to Attanasio was completed on January 13, 2005, at Major League Baseball's quarterly owners meeting. Since taking over the franchise, Attanasio has worked hard to build bridges with Milwaukee baseball fans, including giving away every seat to the final home game of 2005 free of charge and bringing back the classic "ball and glove" logo of the club's glory days on "Retro Sunday" home games, during which they also wear versions of the team's old pinstriped uniforms.
In 2005, under Attanasio's ownership, the team finished 81-81 to secure its first non-losing record since 1992. With a solid base of young talent assembled over the past five years, including Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks, J.J. Hardy and Corey Hart, the Brewers show renewed competitiveness. Further encouraging this sentiment, the Brewers have hired former stars Yount (bench coach)(who resigned in November of 2006) and Dale Sveum (third base coach), both very popular players for the Brewers in the '80s.
The 2006 season started well with the Brewers winning their first 5 games and ending April with a 14-11 record. On April 22 2006, the Brewers set an MLB record with five home runs in one inning, the fourth frame of an 11-0 defeat of the Cincinnati Reds (home runs hit by Bill Hall, Damian Miller, Brady Clark, J.J. Hardy and Prince Fielder). They then set a new club mark with six home runs in one game on April 29, including two by Fielder, in a 16-2 defeat of the Chicago Cubs. At the end of May the Brewers began an eight game losing streak which included an embarrassing 4 game sweep by the Pittsburgh Pirates. The club's woes continued into June as the Brewers lost 2 of 3 to the hapless Kansas City Royals and lost 3 in a row in Minnesota against the Twins. After winning 4 straight home games to climb back to a .500 record the Brewers lost their last 3 games before the All Star Break against the Chicago Cubs. The second half of the season started badly as Derek Turnbow blew three saves in the first seven games. Ben Sheets returned July 25 against Pittsburgh and pitched extraordinarily for 7 innings before the Brewers bullpen blew the game in the eighth. With doubts that all-star left fielder Carlos Lee would re-sign with the club, the Brewers traded Lee on July 28 along with minor league prospect Nelson Cruz to the Texas Rangers in exchange for outfielders Kevin Mench, Laynce Nix, reliever Francisco Cordero, and minor league pitching prospect Julian Cordero. Francisco Cordero started strong with the Brewers as he converted his first 10 save opportunities. In late August the Brewers swept the Colorado Rockies to climb back to 3 games under .500 and within striking distance of the NL Central title, but they then lost 10 games in a row. The season ended on October 1 with Carlos Villanueva pitching a fantastic game against the eventual World Series champion St Louis Cardinals.
In 2006 the Brewers play disappointed fans, players, and management. After losing starters JJ Hardy, Rickie Weeks, and Corey Koskie to injuries, the Brewers were forced to trade for veteran infielders David Bell and Tony Graffanino. They also suffered setbacks when losing starting pitchers Ben Sheets and Tomo Ohka for a substantial amount of time, forcing Triple A starters Ben Hendrickson, Dana Eveland, Carlos Villanueva, and Zach Jackson into starting roles at different points in the year. The Brewers ended the season with a 75-87 record.
At the end of the season, Attanasio stated that he and General Manager Doug Melvin would have to make some decisions about returning players for the 2007 season. With young players waiting in the minor leagues, during the off-season the key additions were starting pitcher and 2006 NLCS MVP Jeff Suppan, starter Claudio Vargas, reliever Greg Aquino, catcher Johnny Estrada, and returning Brewer Craig Counsell. The Brewers parted ways with 2006 starters Doug Davis and Tomo Ohka, as well as fan favorite Jeff Cirillo.
The buzz about the Milwaukee Brewers in '07 was already circulating around the city, as well as the country. Being known as one of the 'sleeper teams of 2007' and 'contenders in the NL' by numerous sports analysts and magazines, the city of Milwaukee was now more than just beer and Summerfest. The Milwaukee Brewers were set to have one of their best seasons in 15 years. To celebrate the 1982 successful Milwaukee Brewers team, the franchise decided to have the 2007 season be named as the "25th anniversary of '82", with more fan giveaways than any other Major League Baseball team, and more discounts and deals in Brewer history. On February 24, 2007, the Brewers hosted an "Arctic Tailgate" in which they were opening up Miller Park's parking lot to celebrate the first day of sales for single season games throughout the 2007 season. People waited outside of Miller Park for hours, even days at a time, camping in tents, sleeping in cars, just to get a share of the famous Opening Day. By 9am on Saturday, the line was winding through Miller Park as more than 4,000 people showed up to purchase tickets. At the end of the day, they posted the third-highest total of single day ticket sales with 85,000 tickets sold in one day. The buzz was back, and the "True Blue" was born again.
[edit] Logos and uniforms
[edit] Logos
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| 1970-1977 | 1978-1993 | 1994-1999 | 2000-present | 2006-present (Friday alternate) |
[edit] Uniforms
[edit] 1970-1977
The original Brewers uniforms were "hand-me-downs" from the Seattle Pilots. There was no time before the 1970 season to order new uniforms, so the team simply removed the Seattle markings and sewed "BREWERS" on the front. The uniforms had unique striping on the sleeves left over from the Pilots days. The cap was an updated version of the Milwaukee Braves cap in blue and gold.
The Brewers finally got their own flannel design in 1972. These were essentially the same as the 1970 uniforms but with blue and gold piping on the sleeves and collar.
In 1973, the Brewers entered the doubleknit era with uniforms based upon their flannels - all white with "BREWERS" on the front, blue and gold trim on the sleeves, neck, waistband and down the side of the pants. This is the uniform that Hank Aaron would wear with the club in his final seasons, and that Robin Yount would wear in his first.
During this period, the logo of the club was the Beer Barrel Man, which had been used by the American Association Milwaukee Brewers since at least the 1940s.
[edit] 1978-1993
The Brewers unveiled new uniforms for the 1978 season - pinstripes with solid blue collar and waistband. The road uniforms continued to be powder blue, but for the first time the city name "MILWAUKEE" graced the chest in an upward slant. In addition, this season saw the introduction of the logo that was to define the club - "M" and "B" in the shape of a baseball glove. The logo was designed by Tom Meindel, an Art History student at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. The home cap was solid blue, and the road cap was blue with a gold front panel. The club would wear these uniforms in their pennant-winning season of 1982.
The road uniform underwent minor changes in 1986: the road cap was eliminated, and gray replaced powder blue as the uniform color.
Further modifications were made in 1990 - button-up jerseys replaced the pullovers, and a script "Brewers" replaced the block letters.
[edit] 1994-1999
On January 15, 1994, the Brewers unveiled their first new logo and team colors since the 1978 season in a ceremony at BrewersFest (what was then the winter fan festival). Navy, green and metallic gold replaced the old royal blue and athletic gold, and Germanic lettering replaced the standard block. The caps were navy (home) and navy with green bill (road), and bore an interlocking "MB" logo. This logo was never very popular with the fans, and was frequently derided as "Motre Bame" for its resemblance to the "ND" made famous by Notre Dame in a similar color scheme.
The addition of green was most prominent in the road uniforms, which featured green piping, belt and stockings on a greenish-gray uniform.
In addition, the 1994 re-design included the first alternate jersey in the club's history: a solid navy jersey with the nickname across the chest above the club's primary logo.
1996 saw a minor alteration to the uniform letters and caps. Green was de-emphasized on the road uniform, replaced by blue trim, belt and stockings. On the cap, a single "M" (white on the home caps, gold on the road caps) replaced the "MB". The uniform trim was thickened and made more pronounced, and the lettering across the chest was made uniform in size.
For the 1997 and 1998 season, insignia commemorating the sesquicentennial of Wisconsin's statehood appeared on the sleeve.
[edit] 2000-present
In anticipation of the move to Miller Park, the Brewers unveiled completely new uniforms for the 2000 season - solid white with gold and navy trim on sleeves and side of pants, and script "Brewers" across the chest. The all-navy caps bear a script "M" underscored with a sprig of barley.
The green is gone, but brick red was added as an accent color on the primary logo. This red does not appear anywhere else on the uniform.
The city name was taken off the chest of the road uniforms, replaced by the same script "Brewers" as found on the home uniforms. The city name "Milwaukee" appears on a patch on the left sleeve.
For the 2006 season, as part of a "Retro Sundays" promotion, the Brewers unveiled a new alternate uniform for Sunday home games, with the return of the "ball and glove" logo, pinstripes, block letters and classic colors (however, the current jerseys are button-front, not pullover as they were in 1982). In 2007 "Retro Sundays" became "Retro Fridays" and a sleeve patch was added to the alternate uniforms honoring the Silver Anniversary of the 1982 pennant-winning season. It has been speculated on some fansites that the Retro Sundays and Retro Fridays promotions is the Brewers managements way of "testing the market" in anticipation to a full time switch back to the classic uniforms.
[edit] Season-by-Season Records
| Year | Team | Record | Win % | Place | Playoffs/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Seattle Pilots (AL) | 64-98 | .395 | 6th in AL West | |
| 1970 | Milwaukee Brewers (AL) | 65-97 | .401 | 4th in AL West | |
| 1971 | Milwaukee Brewers (AL) | 69-92 | .429 | 6th in AL West | |
| 1972 | Milwaukee Brewers (AL) | 65-91 | .417 | 6th in AL East | |
| 1973 | Milwaukee Brewers (AL) | 74-88 | .457 | 5th in AL East | |
| 1974 | Milwaukee Brewers (AL) | 76-86 | .469 | 5th in AL East | |
| 1975 | Milwaukee Brewers (AL) | 68-94 | .420 | 5th in AL East | |
| 1976 | Milwaukee Brewers (AL) | 66-95 | .410 | 6th in AL East | |
| 1977 | Milwaukee Brewers (AL) | 67-95 | .414 | 6th in AL East | |
| 1978 | Milwaukee Brewers (AL) | 93-69 | .574 | 3rd in AL East | |
| 1979 | Milwaukee Brewers (AL) | 95-66 | .590 | 2nd in AL East | |
| 1980 | Milwaukee Brewers (AL) | 86-76 | .531 | 3rd in AL East | |
| 1981 | Milwaukee Brewers (AL) | 62-47 | .569 | 1st in AL East | Lost Division Series to New York Yankees (2-3) |
| 1982 | Milwaukee Brewers (AL) | 95-67 | .586 | 1st in AL East | Won ALCS vs California Angels (3-2), Lost World Series to St. Louis Cardinals (3-4) |
| 1983 | Milwaukee Brewers (AL) | 87-75 | .537 | 5th in AL East | |
| 1984 | Milwaukee Brewers (AL) | 67-94 | .416 | 7th in AL East | |
| 1985 | Milwaukee Brewers (AL) | 71-90 | .441 | 6th in AL East | |
| 1986 | Milwaukee Brewers (AL) | 77-84 | .478 | 6th in AL East | |
| 1987 | Milwaukee Brewers (AL) | 91-71 | .562 | 3rd in AL East | |
| 1988 | Milwaukee Brewers (AL) | 87-75 | .537 | 3rd in AL East | |
| 1989 | Milwaukee Brewers (AL) | 81-81 | .500 | 4th in AL East | |
| 1990 | Milwaukee Brewers (AL) | 74-88 | .457 | 6th in AL East | |
| 1991 | Milwaukee Brewers (AL) | 83-79 | .512 | 4th in AL East | |
| 1992 | Milwaukee Brewers (AL) | 92-70 | .568 | 2nd in AL East | |
| 1993 | Milwaukee Brewers (AL) | 69-93 | .426 | 7th in AL East | |
| 1994 | Milwaukee Brewers (AL) | 53-62 | .461 | 5th in AL Central | The strike ended the season in August after only 115 games |
| 1995 | Milwaukee Brewers (AL) | 65-79 | .451 | 4th in AL Central | |
| 1996 | Milwaukee Brewers (AL) | 80-82 | .494 | 3rd in AL Central | |
| 1997 | Milwaukee Brewers (AL) | 79-83 | .484 | 3rd in AL Central | |
| 1998 | Milwaukee Brewers (NL) | 74-88 | .457 | 5th in NL Central | |
| 1999 | Milwaukee Brewers (NL) | 74-87 | .460 | 5th in NL Central | |
| 2000 | Milwaukee Brewers (NL) | 73-89 | .451 | 3rd in NL Central | |
| 2001 | Milwaukee Brewers (NL) | 68-94 | .420 | 4th in NL Central | |
| 2002 | Milwaukee Brewers (NL) | 56-106 | .346 | 6th in NL Central | |
| 2003 | Milwaukee Brewers (NL) | 68-94 | .420 | 6th in NL Central | |
| 2004 | Milwaukee Brewers (NL) | 67-94 | .416 | 6th in NL Central | |
| 2005 | Milwaukee Brewers (NL) | 81-81 | .500 | 3rd in NL Central | |
| 2006 | Milwaukee Brewers (NL) | 75-87 | .463 | 4th in NL Central | |
| 2007 | Milwaukee Brewers (NL) | 2-1 | .667 | 2nd in NL Central |
Totals: 2838 Wins - 3198 Losses, .470 Winning Percentage
Playoff Totals: 8 Wins - 9 Losses, .471
Playoff Series Record: 1 Win - 2 Losses, .333
[edit] Radio and television
As of 2006, the Brewers' flagship radio station was WTMJ, 620AM. Bob Uecker, a winner of the Ford C. Frick Award from the Baseball Hall of Fame, joined the Brewers in 1970, when the team moved from Seattle, and has been there ever since. Jim Powell also shares play-by-play duties; he joined the Brewers in 1996.
Most of the team's television broadcasts are aired on FSN North. Brian Anderson, who has worked on The Golf Channel, will take over as the Brewers' play-by-play announcer for the 2007 season. He replaces Daron Sutton, who joined the Arizona Diamondbacks in place of Thom Brennaman, now of the Cincinnati Reds. The color commentator is Bill Schroeder, a former MLB catcher, with six of his eight seasons for the Brewers.
In February 2007, the Brewers, FSN North, and Weigel Broadcasting came to an agreement to air fifteen games and one spring training game over-the-air on WMLW (Channel 41) in Milwaukee in the 2007 season, with FSN North producing the telecasts and Weigel selling air time for each of those games [3]. Weigel also airs a few broadcasts per year with Spanish language play-by-play on their Telemundo affiliate, WYTU (Channel 63). Before this, the last over-the-air non-Fox broadcast of a Brewers game was on WCGV in the 2004 season. Games also aired on WVTV, WISN and WTMJ in past years; WTMJ was the original TV broadcaster in 1970.
[edit] Quick facts
- Founded: 1969 (American League expansion)
- Formerly known as: Seattle Pilots (Sick's Stadium) (1969). The franchise relocated to Milwaukee and changed its name prior to the 1970 season.
- Home ballpark: Miller Park, Milwaukee (2001 ~ current; capacity 41,900), Milwaukee County Stadium (1970~2000)
- Uniform colors: Midnight Blue, Gold and White
- Uniform colors (Friday alternate): Royal Blue, Athletic Gold and White
- Logo design: The word "Brewers" in script superimposed over a baseball which itself is inside a circle with the word "MILWAUKEE" above and a pair of crossed barley stalks below
- Logo design (alternate): The letters "M" and "B" stylized into the shape of a baseball glove
- Official Team Mascot: Bernie Brewer
- Team Nickname(s): The Brew Crew
- All-Time Record(at the end of the 2006 season): 2,836 wins, 3,187 losses (.470 winning percentage)
- Spring Training Facility: Maryvale Baseball Park, Phoenix, AZ
[edit] Baseball Hall of Famers
- Robin Yount, SS-OF, 1973-93
- Henry Aaron, OF-DH, 1975-76
- Paul Molitor, 3B-DH, 1978-92
- Rollie Fingers, P, 1981-85
- Don Sutton, P, 1982-84
- Bob Uecker, Broadcaster, 1970-present (Broadcast Wing)
Yount and Molitor are the only two players to have Brewers caps on their Hall of Fame plaques.
[edit] Retired Numbers
(1999) Paul Molitor DH: 1978-92 |
(1994) Robin Yount SS-OF: 1973-93 |
(1992) Rollie Fingers P: 1981-85 |
(1997) Jackie Robinson Retired by Major League Baseball |
(1976) Hank Aaron OF: 1975-76 |
Though Aaron spent all but two years of his career with the Braves (the two years were spent with the Brewers), he played in Milwaukee from 1954-65 when the Braves franchise was based out of there. The Brewers have also retired the number 50, as a way of paying tribute to announcer Bob Uecker and his years of service to the team.
In the movie Mr. 3000 the fictional first baseman Stan Ross (played by Bernie Mac), has his number 21 retired by the Brewers.
[edit] Current roster
40-man roster
Last updated on March 27, 2007
|
Pitchers
|
Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders
|
Non-Roster Invitees
|
Coaching staff
- 3
Ned Yost (Manager) - 29 Dale Sveum (Bench Coach)
- 6 Ed Sedar (First Base Coach)
- 16 Nick Leyva (Third Base Coach)
- 32 Jim Skaalen (Hitting Coach)
- 36 Mike Maddux (Pitching Coach)
- 35
Bill Castro (Bullpen Coach)
Players in Italics not on Active Roster
[edit] Trivia
- Much of the 1989 film Major League was filmed at County Stadium, including the movie's final game (which was filmed between innings of a Brewer game). County Stadium somewhat resembled the more disheveled Cleveland Municipal Stadium, right down to the red box seats in both the lower and upper levels, though Cleveland had yellow reserves, while the reserved seats at County Stadium were green. Former Brewer Pete Vuckovich appeared in the film as Clu Haywood, slugging first baseman for the Yankees, and Brewers announcer Bob Uecker played the Indians announcer Harry Doyle. Logos for local TV stations WTMJ-TV (Channel 4) and then-TV flagship WCGV (Channel 24) on the scoreboard and in the grandstands appeared in the film unaltered, and a Channel 4 reporter appeared in the film with the station being changed in the film to be local to Cleveland. Ironically, County Stadium only stood for five seasons after Municipal Stadium's demolition.
- One of the most memorable events of the 2003 season occurred at Miller Park on July 9. During the Brewers' "Sausage Race", in which four contestants wearing sausage costumes have a foot race on the field at the bottom of the sixth inning, Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Randall Simon leaned over the dugout railing and bopped college student/sausage Mandy Block with a bat, unintentionally knocking her to the ground. Block suffered only a scraped knee. Simon was arrested, charged and fined for disorderly conduct. He also was suspended by Major League Baseball and would issue an apology to Block.
- The Brewers are featured prominently in the 2004 film Mr. 3000. Most of the baseball game scenes were actually filmed at Miller Park, including the opening scene, set nine years before the rest of the action, in 1995, when the Brewers were still playing at County Stadium.
- Daniel Okrent's book Nine Innings explores the game of baseball in the 1980s through an inning-by-inning examination of a 1982 game at Milwaukee County Stadium between the Brewers and the Baltimore Orioles.
- The Seattle Pilots, who became the Milwaukee Brewers in 1970, were one of only two teams in the 20th century to play a single year in a city before relocating. The other was the 1901 Milwaukee Brewers, who would become the St. Louis Browns (and fifty years later would move again and become the current incarnation of the Baltimore Orioles).
- In the film Reservoir Dogs, Harvey Keitel's character Mr. White is revealed as being from Milwaukee. This is originally deduced from a conversation about the Brewers that White has with an undercover officer. "So if this fruit's a Brewers fan, his ass gotta be from Wisconsin."
- During the seventh inning stretch, in addition to Take Me Out to the Ballgame, fans at Miller Park also sing the polka standard Beer Barrel Polka.
- In the early 1980s, the Brewers used the marketing slogan "Brewer Fever: catch it!". The team's fight song, Brewer Fever was released as a single.
- The Brewers are the only major league team to have played a season in four different divisions - AL West (1969-1971), AL East (1972-1993), AL Central (1994-1997), and NL Central (1998-present).
- Brewers owner Mark Attanasio and pitcher Ben Sheets are part of an ownership group that bought the Milwaukee Admirals minor league hockey club in June 2005. The Brewers subsequently became the sole uniform sponsor of the Admirals, and the Admirals wear a throwback Brewers logo patch on their sweaters[4].
[edit] Championships
| American League Champions | ||
| Preceded by: New York Yankees 1981 |
1982 | Succeeded by : Baltimore Orioles 1983 |
| American League Eastern Division Champions | ||
| Preceded by: New York Yankees 1981 |
1982 | Succeeded by : Baltimore Orioles 1983 |
[edit] Minor league affiliations
- AAA: Nashville Sounds, Pacific Coast League
- AA: Huntsville Stars, Southern League
- Advanced A: Brevard County Manatees, Florida State League
- A: West Virginia Power, South Atlantic League
- Advanced Rookie: Helena Brewers, Pioneer League
- Rookie: Arizona Brewers, Arizona League
[edit] See also
- Brewers award winners and league leaders
- Brewers statistical records and milestone achievements
- Brewers broadcasters and media
- Brewers managers and ownership
- Active MLB non-playoff appearance streaks
- Brewers-Cubs Series (I-94 Series)
- 2007 Milwaukee Brewers season
[edit] External links
- Milwaukee Brewers official web site
- Brewerfan.net
- Brewers Radio Network
- Detailed story of the Pilots and their move to Milwaukee
- The Seattle Pilots—Major League Baseball's First Venture in the Pacific Northwest
| Milwaukee Brewers Franchise | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| AAA | AA | A | Rookie |
| Nashville Sounds | Huntsville Stars |
Brevard County Manatees West Virginia Power |
Phoenix Brewers Helena Brewers VSL Brewers |
![[4]](http://www.milwaukeehockey.com/toddpics/102006/100_7712.jpg){kind=link}