Milwaukee Brewers…A Loyal Fanbase Despite the Lack of Success
In 1969 Major League Baseball was forced to expand their number of teams when the Athletics left their home town of Kansas City for Oakland, California. As a result, not only was Kansas City granted an expansion team, but so was Seattle. The Seattle Pilots only lasted one season however, declaring bankruptcy the next year. Bud Selig acquired the team and moved them to their new home, Milwaukee and so the story of the Milwaukee Brewers was begun.
The move to Milwaukee was postponed through most of the off-season because of legal battles trying to keep the team in Seattle. Finally, a judge ordered that the team could leave because of their financial troubles, and just a week before the season opened the Milwaukee Brewers brought Major League Baseball back to the area for the first time since the Braves left for Atlanta in 1965.
Because of the delays, the Brewers were forced to begin their first year in their old Pilots uniforms with new logos sewn on over the old and very visible Pilots logos. With all of the drama and excitement, the season was doomed before it ever started and they only managed to win one more game that year than in the previous giving them a 65-97 record.
The team struggled throughout the next years, gaining their first winning season in 1978. Since then, they have managed twelve more winning seasons although they only have one American League Pennant to date and have not yet been to the World Series.
In their early years, the team had trouble drawing large crowds. During the 1970 season one fan, Milt Mason decided to sit on top of the scoreboard until the team drew a crowd of 40,000 fans. After forty days, the crowd grew to more than 44,000 fans and Milt came down from the scoreboard.
In 1973, after Milt Mason died, the official mascot, Bernie the Brewer was unveiled in honor of Mr. Mason. For a few years in the 70's, Bernie was joined by a female mascot Bonnie but she only lasted until 1979. Bernie was discontinued in 1983 but has come back since, appearing in full body costume. Bonnie also appears at "Retro Fridays" at Miller Field, cavorting with Bernie and re-enacting her old antics.
Miller Field was opened in 2001 to replace the old Milwaukee County Stadium. With a cost of 400 million dollars, the stadium seats 41,900 fans. It has the only fan shaped retractable roof in the in North America, which can open and close in ten minutes and is covered in glass panes to let the natural grass grow. There have been problems with the roof, beginning during construction when a crane collapsed killing three construction workers and ending with the parts that move the roof having to be replaced after multiple failures.
The Milwaukee Brewers are one of the least successful teams in the league, yet one of the most loved. After all of the fighting to get them to the area, the fans have supported them throughout their stay in Milwaukee. The team is great to watch and fans of all ages love them.
