Brewers 1982

Covering the Milwaukee Brewers throughout the 1982 season, in real-time, as it would have happpened.

News

Brewers – White Sox Rained Out

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CHICAGO — The finale of a two-game series with the White Sox has been called in the fourth inning due to rain. Oh, they certainly tried to get this game in.

The first delay was in the first with Cecil Cooper at the plate, and it lasted 68 minutes. There was one delay in each of the four innings. The “game” lasted four hours and 20 minutes, though three hours and one minute of that was due to delays.

Three Stooges
The Three Stooges were the main attraction at Comiskey Park.

The White Sox did all they could to keep their fans entertained. But after the second delay, they had run out of highlight and blooper films. For the third delay, they showed clips of their minor league teams. For the fourth, they resorted to showing Three Stooges reruns.

They really had no business even trying to play this game. The outfield was completely underwater, and Brewers bullpen coach Larry Haney said that the water was over his shoe tops when walking in from the bullpen.

The problem, though, was that the Brewers won’t be playing the White Sox again this season in Chicago. A date has not been rescheduled, but it’s possible that if the game has playoff implications it will be played after the regular season ends.

The Brewers may not have appreciated the long night, but they were trailing 2-1 when it was called. Better yet, the Royals beat the Red Sox tonight, so the Brewers “pulled into” a tie for the AL East lead.

As such, there was no grumbling in the Brewers clubhouse after the game. Even manager Harvey Kuenn, who has an 8:27 AM tee time at the Greater Milwaukee Open Pro-Am, took it in stride. “I’ll just sleep before… and after.”

The Brewers take on the Twins tomorrow in Milwaukee.

Trades Fall Apart for Brewers

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BALTIMORE — Though they were involved in two trade discussions, the 1982 trade deadline has passed, and general manager Harry Dalton and the Brewers were unable to swing a deal to help improve the team’s rotation or bullpen. There were, however, a couple of deals that were discussed but not consummated. See for yourself, but probably best that these deals weren’t made.

Deal #1: Ted Simmons to Yankees for Bucky Dent
That’s right, Bucky “Bleeping” Dent. The same Bucky Dent who, despite barely hitting his weight and being a part-timer, leads the American League All-Star voting at shortstop. How uncomfortable would it be if the Brewers were to acquire Dent and he is selected to start the All-Star Game ahead of his superstar teammate Robin Yount, the player who rightfully deserves the selection?

Of course, we’ll never know. Not only because the deal wasn’t made, but because Dent never would have stayed in Milwaukee. The discussion was to acquire Dent, waive him to the Padres and receive outfielder/third baseman Joe Lefebvre in return.

Seems like a lot of effort to acquire a utility player who is hitting .176 with a .255 slugging percentage. I understand dealing Simmons, but at least get value in return. And I don’t understand where Lefebvre would have fit on this team. He would have been the fourth third baseman, and he isn’t better than Moore or Brouhard in right. At best, he’d take Marshall Edwards‘ spot. But he’s not really a guy you’d consider a defensive replacement. Good thing this deal wasn’t made.

Deal #2: Mike Caldwell to Texas for Doc Medich
Another head scratcher. At 4-5 with a 5.79 ERA, Medich isn’t an improvement over Caldwell. It’s not even an exchange of like-valued players who may benefit from a change of scenery. Medich is a veteran pitcher hanging on with one foot out the door as he prepares to enter medicine full-time (hence the “Doc” nickname). This would be a downgrade.

I’m hoping that there were other players being discussed in these deals. It also could be they were offers from the Yankees and Rangers that were immediately shot down. Either way, Harry Dalton didn’t pull the trigger, and that’s a good thing.

Still, no improvements were made to the pitching staff. Deals can still be made through waivers, but can this team compete with the roster as it currently stands?

Caldwell, Cooper React

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SEATTLE — The Brewers don’t play until 9:30 Milwaukee time, but there has already been a day’s worth of news about the team. Buck Rodgers was fired, and he went down swinging. Without naming names, Rodgers referred to a couple of “cancers” on the team.

Mike Caldwell
Is Mike Caldwell a team cancer?

So what to the players think about the change in leadership?

Mike Caldwell, who many believe is one of the “cancers” that Rodgers referred to, thinks that his former manager didn’t give the pitchers equal billing on the team: “He’s the one who said we didn’t have a team leader. He mentioned several players who could be leaders. None of them were pitchers. I think there are some pretty good pitchers around here who have the guts and integrity, who are the types who could be leaders.”

Cecil Cooper: “I think we needed a change. Not necessarily the manager, but something had to be done. We’re not a .500 team. Harvey told us if something is bothering us to come in and we’d talk about it. That might have been harder with Buck. Guys didn’t feel relaxed with him.”

Just two days ago, Jim Gantner seemed to know what was coming. Always willing to speak his mind, he had this to say: “You can’t fire 25 players. Sometimes the manager’s at the wrong place at the wrong time. That’s really too bad. We’re going to have to do something to shake up this club. I’m not saying fire the manager, but something has to be done to shake up the club. Make some changes somehow. That’s not my decision, though, that’s the front office.”

Little did Gantner know, that decision was in the process of being made.

Buck Rodgers Sounds Off

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SEATTLE — Contacted for his comments on being fired as manager of the Milwaukee Brewers today, Buck Rodgers tried to be diplomatic.

On whether he feels like he failed: “Sure, there’s a little sense of failure. I thought this club could win. I’ve never failed in my life. I don’t like to fail. But that’s all part of the game, you know that. It wasn’t exactly unexpected. I’ve had my mind made up for the last two weeks it might happen.”

Buck Rodgers
Fired earlier today, Buck Rodgers went down swinging.

Then Rodgers decided that if he were going to go down, he’d take someone with him. He went down swinging.

“I think there are a couple of cancers on the club,” he said, not mentioning their names. “I think you’ve got 18 or 19 players who want to win. You’ve got three or four who will go any way the wind blows. I’m not going to name the cancers, and I’m not going to name the ones who blow with the wind.”

If you’re going to go down swinging, you might as well throw the full punch. We’re left guessing about the two players he’s speaking of, but those following the team tend to believe they are Mike Caldwell and Ted Simmons.

Caldwell was often a critic of the way Rodgers handled pitchers. In fact, as recently as May 23, he made this comment to the press following a loss to the Mariners: “I don’t know. I’m just a player. I’m just trying to do my job. I don’t know if I’m getting a chance to do it.”

The Brewers also tried unsuccessfully to trade Caldwell during the winter. Knowing that the team didn’t want him likely didn’t make relationships with management or his performance on the field any easier. Caldwell is sporting a disappointing 2-4 record and 4.70 ERA.

While Ted Simmons didn’t provide the juicy quotes like Caldwell, he and Rodgers did not see eye-to-eye. Rodgers, a former catcher who prided himself on his defensive ability, was thought to prefer Ned Yost and Charlie Moore as defensive backstops. Simmons has yet to live up to the hype as an offensive producer either, and Rodgers may even prefer Don Money or Roy Howell as the DH.

In other words, Simmons was forced upon him, and Rodgers wanted him off of the team. Some believed that if Simmons stayed with the team all season, Rodgers would quit.

If Rodgers wasn’t referring to one or both of Caldwell and Simmons, he may also have been talking about Roy Howell. Howell has received very little playing time and has been a thorn in the side of the team since spring training. Unable to trade him, Howell has sulked and thrown tantrums while producing very little.

Not Howell? It could also be Gorman Thomas, Rollie Fingers or Pete Vuckovich. But at this point, we’re reaching. And to be honest, it’s why making the comment without naming names is a cowardice act. We’re left guessing who it is he was talking about and now we’re dragging potentially innocent names through the mud.

Harvey Kuenn Named Interim Manager

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SEATTLE — In a position that may last only a matter of weeks, hitting coach Harvey Kuenn has been named interim manager of the Milwaukee Brewers.

Why “interim?” Only the Brewers know the true answer to that question. But here are a few possibilities:

Harvey Kuenn
As "interim" manager, Harvey Kuenn could retain his position for a matter of weeks or the entire season.

1) The Brewers have someone else in mind as the new full-time manager, but a contract has not yet been signed. Buck Rodgers reached the end of his rope (even beyond, if you listen to most Brewers fans), but the formalities are not yet in place to announce the replacement. Given that Kuenn is going to serve dual roles as the hitting coach and manager may be a clue that he is simply keeping someone else’s seat warm. But Kuenn has been a coach with the Brewers since 1971, so he knows the players. He’s at least a good stop-gap solution.

But as we discussed earlier today, who that full-time solution might be is a mystery. Unless the report that Sal Bando isn’t ready to manage is false (which is entirely possible), the other candidates aren’t all that clear.

2) Kuenn’s health concerns prevent the Brewers from committing to him for more than the short term. In fact, the Brewers have said as much. Harvey had his leg amputated prior to the 1980 season, but that is only one in a long line of serious health problems that have nagged him. Only 51, he’s also undergone stomach and heart bypass surgeries.

The Brewers probably don’t want to put the pressure of managing this team for the long haul on Kuenn. Or they want to at least see how he handles it. But quite frankly, it’s likely that his health will not allow him to manage the Brewers for the entirety of the 1982 season.

3) It’s all a formality. This is really nothing new. Often when managers are fired and a replacement is promoted from within, they are given an interim tag. This way, the team gets to observe him on the job before making a long-term commitment after the season is over. If the team succeeds, he stays. If they don’t, they find a “real” manager.

So, who is Harvey Kuenn? He’s a career .303 hitter with the Tigers, Giants and Indians, playing from 1952-66. He led the league in hits four times, was the 1959 batting champion with a .353 average and won the Rookie of the Year Award in 1953. With 2,092 career hits, he’s a borderline Hall of Fame candidate, kept out only by a career that declined too soon.

Kuenn, known as “Arch” or “Archie” by many close to him, is likely to have a contrasting managing style to Rodgers, which was bound to be appealing to the Brewers’ brass. He’s close to the players and a good communicator, though that can always change when put into a position of power.

Actually, let’s let him explain how he expects the atmosphere to change: “I like the club to have a good time, be loose, have a laugh,” he said. “But I can be tough if I have to. They all know that.”

How will Kuenn right the ship? “I arrived at getting more harmony on the ballclub,” he explained. “Getting everybody to pull together and pull as one person.”

Sounds good, but often easier said than done. Particularly with this moody bunch.

BREAKING: Buck Rodgers Fired

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SEATTLE — Yesterday, Harry Dalton told us that the job of a general manager is to remain patient. Apparently, his patience has run out.

For the past couple of weeks, it became increasingly clear that Buck Rodgers‘ days as the Milwaukee Brewers’ manager were numbered. Today, the announcement made it official: Buck Rodgers has been relieved of his duties.

Buck Rodgers
Buck Rodgers has filled out his last lineup card as manager of the Brewers

“I think Buck’s a good baseball man,” Dalton said today. “The chemistry went sour. We hadn’t been getting what we had the right to expect with the talent we have available. I recognize everything that happened wasn’t Buck’s fault. I wanted to give Buck every opportunity to right the ship.”

And that opportunity ran out. Brewers fans would argue that Rodgers was given far too much time to “right the ship.” You can’t right a ship that’s sinking, and water’s been flooding a gaping hole in the SS BrewCrew for quite some time.

It’s interesting this announcement was made today, given the Brewers beat the Mariners 2-1 yesterday. But the rumor is that the decision to make the move had already been made prior to yesterday’s game, which would make sense considering the collapse that led to three blown leads in that game. Dalton knew that change was coming when he spoke of patience. Rodgers was a dead man walking and he was made aware of the change this morning.

In something of a surprising move, the Brewers have replaced Rodgers with longtime coach Harvey Kuenn… at least for now. “We have appointed Harvey Kuenn as interim manager,” said Dalton. “That can mean anytime from two to three weeks to the end of the 1982 season. We have been looking for someone to take over on a permanent basis.”

So who will be that permanent solution? Good question. It won’t be former team captain Sal Bando, long rumored to be waiting for the opening. He isn’t interested in committing to managing.

The interesting twist in all of this is that the man the Brewers really want, former manager George Bamberger, is no longer available. Bambi stepped down due to health concerns and Rodgers took over. Had the Brewers not made the playoffs last season, they were primed to invite Bamberger back. Instead. they did take that next step and felt obligated to bring Rodgers back. Meanwhile, Bamberger took a job to manage the Mets.

A couple of possibilities are on Bambi’s staff. Jim Frey, the former manager of the Royals and current coach on the Mets, could be an option. Frank Howard, a former Brewers coach who was fired after managing the Padres last season, is also a coach on the Mets’ staff who could be on the Brewers’ radar.