THE SECOND INNING*

-By Curt Hogg- 

Humbly, it all began.  In front of 37,273 sanguine fans on April 6, 1970 at County Stadium, sporting makeshift jerseys created hastily in under a week from those of the old Seattle Pilots, the Milwaukee Brewers were thrashed at the hands of the California Angels, 12-0. Approximately forty years and four Playoff appearances later, that same franchise that unpretentiously lost to the Angels one April afternoon in 1970 was popping champagne, claiming Tony Plush to be a folk legend, and advancing to its first National League Championship Series. And all the way, the team was backed firmly by the city it called home.

This is where the author, wrapped in sheer pride and basking in reminiscence, brags about the world championships, and the pennants, and the MLB records set, and all the years of winning teams, and how being a fan of the team has always been a breeze.

But this is where an author from Milwaukee, utterly thankful to the baseball gods for giving his Brewers one deep Playoff run in his lifetime, goes on about 1982 and 2011, with minor references to Robin, CC, 1987, 2008, and the “new stadium” thrown in somewhere. This is where we ignore the 12 consecutive losing seasons, the 106-loss embarrassment that was 2002,  the lack of a World Series title, the league-worst earned run averages, the horror that was the 1990s, and the ways in which Stormin’ Gorman and Mollie and Sheffield and Prince departed from BrewTown. Wait, did I mention the 12 consecutive losing seasons yet?

The things is, we can’t just forget and ignore any of this. How much appreciation can be drawn from a fan that has only ever seen a winning ballclub? Heading out to County Stadium or, more recently, Miller Park on an unpleasant summer night and cringing helplessly as the Brewers suffered another beating  just to, somewhat masochistically, repeat this action time and time again is what has made Milwaukee a baseball city. They say distance makes the heart grow fonder–but in Milwaukee’s case, losing has made the heart grow incredibly fonder.

Where the love saga really began, however, was with the  Braves, Milwaukee’s lost treasure of the 50’s and early 60’s. They remain the one Milwaukee team to bring a World Series title home. Led by legends Warren Spahn, Hank Aaron, and Eddie Mathews, the Braves led the National League in attendance six times in their 13-year tenure in the Midwest. And when America’s small-town team defeated the mighty Yankees in seven games in the 1957 World Series, the city erupted into a frenzy. That would be just the beginning.

From the days of seat cushion giveaways all the way through the days of Randy Wolf  and John Axford bobblehead doll giveaways, Milwaukee has faithfully been behind their Brewers. For the team with the smallest television market in the league to attract over three million fans three of the last four seasons and to rank in the top half in attendance each of the last five seasons shows true dedication on part of the fans. This is a town that threw a celebration at a sold-out County Stadium after losing the World Series–and it made the actual World Series parade  in St. Louis look like Brown Deer’s homecoming parade. Robin Yount’s rebellious ride around in warning track in his Harley epitomized the city and its fans; blue collar, loud, and in love with baseball.

Milwaukee’s brightest moment in the 1982 postseason sun was a special one. Close your eyes at an empty County Stadium, and you can still hear the echoes from Cecil Cooper’s ALCS-winning hit. The place nearly collapsed under the weight of all that joy. Ten days later, the city almost collapsed under the weight of that World Series despair, until along came Robin and his Harley and lifted the spirits.

Former Brewers hold special places of endearment in Milwaukee’s heart. When Cooper was managing the division rival Houston Astros in 2009, he received such a loud standing ovation from Brewers fans that his name could not be heard over the PA during lineup introductions. Geoff Jenkins had to step out of the batter’s box and tip his cap to fans during the Phillies’08 NLDS matchup against Milwaukee. Miller Park’s roof is nearly blown off anytime Robin Yount steps foot in the building. Even in the 2011 NLDS against Arizona were fans signaling an ‘O’ when former Brewer Lyle Overbay came to bat.

To say Milwaukee embraced Nyjer Morgan, Tony Plush, and “Beast Mode” in 2011 would be an understatement. The city went all-out, full-throttle, pedal to the metal, and was completely in love with anything involving any of the three. From chucking up the T’s to going Beast Mode, the city

was enamored with these in 2011. Morgan’s spunk and eccentricity won him over with the fan base and vaulted his t-shirt to the top of Brewers Fan Shop sales.

Fast forward through the Brewers history and there are those moments that have forever captivated Brewers fans. Robin Yount’s 3000th hit undoubtedly holds a special place in every Brewer fan’s heart. Close your eyes once again and you can hear legendary Bob Uecker’s nerving, spine-tingling call. Brewers baseball entered the morbid doldrums until one large man named Carsten Charles Sabathia gave Milwaukee the taste of champagne popping again.

If not for the indubitable suffering evoked and etched into the hearts of the faithful, Milwaukee baseball would not be the same. Robin, Rollie, Paulie, Coop, Jenkins, Prince, and Braunie have created the mold for modern-day Brewers baseball. Miller Park may not  be blanketed by World Series pennants on the façade, but there is no tangible way to adequately represent all the passion poured into Brewers baseball.

Forget Twilight. This is truly a love saga, and I hope it never ends.

**Milwaukee and Baseball: A Love Saga is the “second inning” of a set of nine posts on An Infectious and Unconditional Love for The Game. You can read the “first inning” here.