Brewers expanding Retro Friday uniforms

[Discrim]

I liked the 1998 color scheme, but not for Milwaukee. Where did that tealish green come from?

heh, that wasn't tealish nothin, that was Packer green.

heh, I don't know whether I should mention this in the ST thread or here, so I'll do so here...I was readin the sports page and they had an article bout Bill Hall. From the picture, apparently the Brew wore the Cerveceros jerseys on Saturday, and the stripe on the pants looked different, too (5-stripe navy-gold-navy-gold-navy as opposed to the usual 3-stripe navy-gold-navy)

[Bucks6thMan]

I'm not surprised that they had more throwback caps - the throwbacks have been huge sellers (nationally) for a while. At one point, it was the #1 throwback cap.

Anything that puts "Milwaukee" on the chest of the road grays is okay with me. One oughtn't be ashamed of one's home town.

I don't think its that the Brewers are necessarily ashamed of Milwaukee. It's that they want to market themselves to the rest of the state as a "Wisconsin" team and recognize that they (the rest of the state) would be put off if the Brewers hyped up the fact that they're a Milwaukee team.

I just wish they'd throw in the towel on that. Most of Wisconsin shares the same idiotic anti-Milwaukee bias and hasn't given a damn about the Brewers since the late 80's. Hell, a lot of Northern Wisconsinites don't even consider Milwaukee a part of the state on the basis that it has too many Black people and the whole city doesn't shut down for deer-hunting season.

[Bucks6thMan]

I wish the Brewers would go the Padres route and emphasize the city over the nickname. While the "Brewers" name has tradition dating back to the 19th century... it also represents an era when Milwaukee was a much, MUCH different city. Personally, I don't think the brewing industry deserves to be immortalized by a baseball team in a city that it abandoned decades ago. Brewing only represents a small fraction of Milwaukee's economy nowadays and it completely contradicts the image that the city itself is trying to convey for the past few years.

Besides, what colors do you see while looking at Lake michigan on a clear summer day? The blue of the water and the golden-yellow of the sun. Say... don't the Brewers have a uniform with those colors?

[Sec19Row53]

I don't think its that the Brewers are necessarily ashamed of Milwaukee. It's that they want to market themselves to the rest of the state as a "Wisconsin" team and recognize that they (the rest of the state) would be put off if the Brewers hyped up the fact that they're a Milwaukee team.

I just wish they'd throw in the towel on that. Most of Wisconsin shares the same idiotic anti-Milwaukee bias and hasn't given a damn about the Brewers since the late 80's. Hell, a lot of Northern Wisconsinites don't even consider Milwaukee a part of the state on the basis that it has too many Black people and the whole city doesn't shut down for deer-hunting season.

Wow - any more stereotypes you want to throw in there?

I understand that there are pockets of the state that view either Milwaukee or Madison as some island unto itself (those locations are usually referred to as Madison and Milwaukee, respectively ). Any further comments on your post aren't necessary.

[Guest]

I'm as black as the ace of spades!

I wanna give it to Kyle Orton.

[DEAD!]

Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing a whole team of Beer Barrel Men, as they had in the 1940s:

A Barrel Man with a ball in glove?.... MY EYES!!!!

(hmmm.... the file pic name says 1951)

[harva4]

Whether you think MGD is good or bad doesn't really matter, that's your opinion. There are a lot of people in "there right mind" that think beers with less full body taste are also great for drinking. I do agree with you that there are plenty of "flavorful beers" out here...my point is the range of flavors is vast...or can't you understand that? Beers don't have too be like everything these days...extreme and to the max. Enjoy it for what it. And "High School" to me tastes like your comments on beers. Closed minded judgmental.

Miller Lite captured a gold medal in the 2006 Brewers Association World Beer Cup.

[Mac the Knife]

While I don't dislike the Brewers current look, they could revert to the ball n' glove full-time and I'd be all for it.

[DrBear]

I don't know ... the Brewers had "Milwaukee" on their unis in 1982 and seemed to be pretty popular in the rest of the state. I think it's more their current bad-team status that hurts them elsewhere.

That's unlike the Bucks, who almost never market outside of Milwaukee and maybe a bit in Madison. In their early years, the Bucks used to actually play regular-season games in Madison and Green Bay; that stopped many years ago, and indeed they quit playing exhibitions in Green Bay until a new arena was built. And there's some bitterness.

I really think the Bucks do one of the worst jobs of selling themselves of any team in the NBA.

And they don't even have Milwaukee on their jerseys.

[Gothamite]

Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing a whole team of Beer Barrel Men, as they had in the 1940s:

(hmmm.... the file pic name says 1951)

Yep, I scanned that graphic from the team's letterhead, a letter dated 1951.

It belongs to the original Milwaukee Brewers, who played in the American Associaton from 1902 through 1952 and were displaced by the Braves.

Well, okay, not the original, in point of fact they were the third incarnation of the Milwaukee Brewers, but they were by far the most successful club to bear the name.

That version of the BBM was used at least as early as 1942.

For anyone who's interested:

Wikipedia entry on American Association Milwaukee Brewers

Wikipedia entry on the Beer Barrel Man

[BallWonk]

Whether you think MGD is good or bad doesn't really matter, that's your opinion. There are a lot of people in "there right mind" that think beers with less full body taste are also great for drinking. I do agree with you that there are plenty of "flavorful beers" out here...my point is the range of flavors is vast...or can't you understand that? Beers don't have too be like everything these days...extreme and to the max. Enjoy it for what it. And "High School" to me tastes like your comments on beers. Closed minded judgmental.

Closed minded? Dude, you're reading way too much into my comments. I don't like the taste of MGD or Miller Lite. Apparently, you like them both very much. And that's fine. Tastes differ. Miller's signature beers do not actually taste good or bad. They have the flavors they have, and some people enjoy those flavors and others do not. I never said that all real beer has to hit you across the face with a two-by-four of maximally bitter hops, like so many American craft brews do. The point isn't the volume of flavors, it's the quality of them. MGD is just unpasteurized Miller High Life, and High Life is meant to be a Pilsner. My favorite Pilsners are all lighter, crisper, and more effervescent than any Miller beer. Beer is food. Food should taste good. Right there in Milwaukee, Lakefront Brewing makes a Pilsner, I forget the name but I think it starts with an "S", that isn't the best thing in the world but still comes closer to the clean, light flavors of real Bohemian or Bavarian Pilsner than MGD.

As to why keep the "Brewers" name, well, I like Milwaukee more than is probably reasonable for anyone who has never lived there -- a good friend is a Milwaukee city planner, and his passion for his hometown is contagious -- and I think the Brewers name represents the city well, even if downtown doesn't smell like spilled beer to nearly the extent that it did in even fifteen years ago. The name speaks to a proud civic history that the rest of the country knows about. It also harkens back to a time in baseball when teams had that kind of name. Plus it's a good match for the Packers. Occupational team names and all.

I read an article some years back in which Bud Selig said that if he were moving the Pilots to Milwaukee today, he wouldn't name them the Brewers. He offered a suggestion or two, but I can't for the life of me remember what they were. Anyone remember what Bud's alternate-history team name suggestions were?

[Gothamite]

I read an article some years back in which Bud Selig said that if he were moving the Pilots to Milwaukee today, he wouldn't name them the Brewers. He offered a suggestion or two, but I can't for the life of me remember what they were. Anyone remember what Bud's alternate-history team name suggestions were?

Wow. I've never heard that.

Seems strange to me, considering that he named them the Brewers before he ever had a team.

Wonder why he'd change his mind now? Because the American Association Brewers would have been fifty-plus years gone if he moved a team to Milwaukee today?

[Bucks6thMan]

I don't know ... the Brewers had "Milwaukee" on their unis in 1982 and seemed to be pretty popular in the rest of the state. I think it's more their current bad-team status that hurts them elsewhere.

That's unlike the Bucks, who almost never market outside of Milwaukee and maybe a bit in Madison. In their early years, the Bucks used to actually play regular-season games in Madison and Green Bay; that stopped many years ago, and indeed they quit playing exhibitions in Green Bay until a new arena was built. And there's some bitterness.

I really think the Bucks do one of the worst jobs of selling themselves of any team in the NBA.

And they don't even have Milwaukee on their jerseys.

That's funny, because I recall a football team based in Northern WI that stopped playing regular season games in Milwaukee over a decade ago and that hasn't seemed to hurt their support "downstate." Besides, the Brown County Arena hasn't aged well at all. the Bucks stopped playing there becuase they were probably afraid the damn thing would collapse on them during a game. And IIRC, UWGB was considering dropping down to Division 2 if a new arena wasn't built.

As far as the Brewers... I find it awfully hypocritical that the same fans that consider themselves the epitome of loyalty (based on their support of the Packers between the Lombardi and Holmgren regimes) would allow themselves to become alienated by the Brewers perennial-loser status.

I don't think its that the Brewers are necessarily ashamed of Milwaukee. It's that they want to market themselves to the rest of the state as a "Wisconsin" team and recognize that they (the rest of the state) would be put off if the Brewers hyped up the fact that they're a Milwaukee team.

I just wish they'd throw in the towel on that. Most of Wisconsin shares the same idiotic anti-Milwaukee bias and hasn't given a damn about the Brewers since the late 80's. Hell, a lot of Northern Wisconsinites don't even consider Milwaukee a part of the state on the basis that it has too many Black people and the whole city doesn't shut down for deer-hunting season.

Wow - any more stereotypes you want to throw in there?

I understand that there are pockets of the state that view either Milwaukee or Madison as some island unto itself (those locations are usually referred to as Madison and Milwaukee, respectively ). Any further comments on your post aren't necessary.

Funny, when Wisconsin stereotypes are played out via state quarters or postage stamps, folks up north tend to embrace them. Gee, I can't imagine why anyone in Milwaukee would think that they're not considered part of Wisconsin by the rest of the state.

[Sec19Row53]

I don't know ... the Brewers had "Milwaukee" on their unis in 1982 and seemed to be pretty popular in the rest of the state. I think it's more their current bad-team status that hurts them elsewhere.

That's unlike the Bucks, who almost never market outside of Milwaukee and maybe a bit in Madison. In their early years, the Bucks used to actually play regular-season games in Madison and Green Bay; that stopped many years ago, and indeed they quit playing exhibitions in Green Bay until a new arena was built. And there's some bitterness.

I really think the Bucks do one of the worst jobs of selling themselves of any team in the NBA.

And they don't even have Milwaukee on their jerseys.

That's funny, because I recall a football team based in Northern WI that stopped playing regular season games in Milwaukee over a decade ago and that hasn't seemed to hurt their support "downstate." Besides, the Brown County Arena hasn't aged well at all. the Bucks stopped playing there becuase they were probably afraid the damn thing would collapse on them during a game. And IIRC, UWGB was considering dropping down to Division 2 if a new arena wasn't built.

As far as the Brewers... I find it awfully hypocritical that the same fans that consider themselves the epitome of loyalty (based on their support of the Packers between the Lombardi and Holmgren regimes) would allow themselves to become alienated by the Brewers perennial-loser status.

I don't think its that the Brewers are necessarily ashamed of Milwaukee. It's that they want to market themselves to the rest of the state as a "Wisconsin" team and recognize that they (the rest of the state) would be put off if the Brewers hyped up the fact that they're a Milwaukee team.

I just wish they'd throw in the towel on that. Most of Wisconsin shares the same idiotic anti-Milwaukee bias and hasn't given a damn about the Brewers since the late 80's. Hell, a lot of Northern Wisconsinites don't even consider Milwaukee a part of the state on the basis that it has too many Black people and the whole city doesn't shut down for deer-hunting season.

Wow - any more stereotypes you want to throw in there?

I understand that there are pockets of the state that view either Milwaukee or Madison as some island unto itself (those locations are usually referred to as Madison and Milwaukee, respectively ). Any further comments on your post aren't necessary.

Funny, when Wisconsin stereotypes are played out via state quarters or postage stamps, folks up north tend to embrace them. Gee, I can't imagine why anyone in Milwaukee would think that they're not considered part of Wisconsin by the rest of the state.

Eh, I'm from southeastern Wisconsin. I can't argue that what's on the coin and stamp are what most people think of when you say Wisconsin. Do I think they're hokey and make us look like hicks? You bet I do.

I'm a Cubs fan - I've ALWAYS had an ambivalent feeling toward the Brewers. That being said, I still support them, because they're my local team. Of course, I'll be sporting my Cubs gear on 4/9 in the left field bleachers (and my Brewers cap on Opening Day in the same spot).

County Stadium was a lousy football venue. The NFL wanted the Packers out of there, as did the opponents. There's more money to gain by playing at Lambeau. I'm sorry that you don't understand that. As for downstate support, it's easy to do that when you have a second ticket base located here.

Finally, I don't think you recall correctly about UWGB dropping to D-II. The Resch Center was going to get built one way or another -- the biggest debate was where it would get built (on campus or off). If I'm wrong on that, I'd ask Dr. Bear to chime in here -- he'd have some pretty good knowledge of the situation up there.

[Bucks6thMan]

True indeed, that is what most people think about Wisconsin. But did West Virginia put a drunken toothless hilbilly on their quarter? Did Iowa put corn, corn and more corn on their quarter? No, they actually used the opportunity to try and steer people AWAY from stereotypes. As far as the stamps, Illinois put the Chicago lakefront on theirs, Michigan put the Ren Cen on theirs and even Tennessee found a way to put part of the Nashville skyline on theirs. I don't see any reason why Wisconsin didn't have the Milwaukee Art Museum, or the First Wisconsin/US Bank Center, or ANYTHING to say "Hey, Wisconsin isn't actually acre after acre of farmland and cheese factories... we have cities here too!"

(Could it be any more obvious that John Salley hasn't been to Milwaukee in over 20 years?).

Yes, County Stadium sucked... but so did the Brown County Arena. It seems to me that the Packers had the same reason for leaving Milwaukee that the Bucks did for leaving Green Bay. The only difference is that while most, if not all Packers fans in Milwaukee understood why the Packers left, Green Bay's attitude was more like "those damn city slickers think they're too good for us!"

And I believe the reason for UWGB moving to Division 2 was because the Brown County Arena alienated potental recruits and their on-campus arena didn't have a large enough capacity to sustain a Division 1 program. Again, this was awhile ago and I COULD be mistaken, but when your biggest recuiting pitch is "our campus is 70% female," that doesn't exactly speak volumes about your program.

[Gothamite]

Gentlemen, please!

Can't we get back to something less contentious, such as the merits of the various Brewers' logos?

[Sec19Row53]

Gentlemen, please!

Can't we get back to something less contentious, such as the merits of the various Brewers' logos?

Given that they're wearing the retro gear on the cover of the media guide, I agree with you that this is all part of Attanasio's plan to make sure the fans want the ball in glove logo to return. I'm thinking he'll begin the process this year, which should mean we see it full time in 2009(?).

I like the blue and yellow color scheme, as it would now be pretty unique in pro sports. I have no issues with the Barley used now, and would like to see a script Milwaukee on the roads. The Germanic style font of the late 90s was the best, as it looked like Milwaukee. I HATED the Motre Bame logo (thanks Gothamite for that name -- it will forever stick in my mind).

How's that?

[Bucks6thMan]

Gentlemen, please!

Can't we get back to something less contentious, such as the merits of the various Brewers' logos?

UGH... your DEMANDS!

I like the blue and yellow color scheme, as it would now be pretty unique in pro sports.

That's why I wish they'd keep the retros. I did some research last night and the NL West is the only division that doesn't have TWO teams that wear navy (San Diego being the only one). Add to that just under half of the league uses navy as a primary color (13 to be exact).

Also, I noticed that the Brewers tend to change their uniforms to be the exact opposite of whatever the Greater Milwaukee Convention and Visitors Bureau markets the city as. When they switched to the "Motre Bame" unis it was to emphasize "Milwaukee" over "Brewers" as if to (correctly) state that brewing no longer has a whole lot to do with Milwaukee. Meanwhile, the GMCVB was marketing Milwaukee as the "Genuine American City" that was steep in blue-collar traditions (why they chose that campaign AFTER most of the city's factories and breweries had shut down is beyond me).

Now, the GMCVB is marketing the city as a vibrant, urban place with world-class architecture while the Brewers unis scream "WE'RE SPONSORED BY MILLER!!!"

[Guest]

I like the blue and yellow color scheme, as it would now be pretty unique in pro sports. I have no issues with the Barley used now, and would like to see a script Milwaukee on the roads. The Germanic style font of the late 90s was the best, as it looked like Milwaukee. I HATED the Motre Bame logo (thanks Gothamite for that name -- it will forever stick in my mind).

Funny you mention to late 90s gear. Looking around in Wisconsin, it seems like the ball-in-glove/Milwaukee script/80s Brewers stuff is far and away the most popular. The current stuff is a distant second. The designer-hailed "Germanic" stuff of the '90s is barely even on the radar.

[Gothamite]

True enough, but I think that's just because the ball-and-glove is so popular. Two years after they move away from the current scheme, it will be off the radar as well.

Then again, the fact that the 1990s stuff isn't available anywhere for sale (shy of eBay) might have something to do with it....