Buck Rodgers

Rickey Ties Record, Gorman Steals the Show

August 26

Brewers 10, A’s 3
Brewers now 74-51 (1st by 5.5 games)
Box Score | Season Schedule

MILWAUKEE — Rickey Henderson got all of the attention, but Gorman Thomas stole the show.

Henderson led off the game with a single to center and promptly stole second base to tie him with Lou Brock for the single season record at 118. Considering the A’s have 34 games remaining, it’s safe to say that record will be broken. Shortly.

Will the Brewers try to prevent Henderson from breaking the record? Tigers manager Sparky Anderson walked batters in front of Henderson to clog the bases, an interesting strategy.

“If he’s gonna steal,” manager Harvey Kuenn told the Milwaukee Sentinel, “he’s gonna have to go out and earn it. Our goal is to keep him off base four times. The same goal we have for all the hitters.”

Other than the one at bat in the first, the Brewers were successful at keeping Henderson off the bases and the A’s off the scoreboard. Oakland, meanwhile, was not so successful holding down the Brewers offense. In particular, Gorman Thomas.

Gorman hit a three-run homer in the third inning and a two-run shot with two outs in the seventh to give him a major league leading 34 on the season. Thomas also singled and drove in six, putting him one RBI shy of the club record set by Ted Kubiak.

Unlike the A’s and Henderson, of course, the Brewers aren’t a one trick pony. All-Star shortstop Robin Yount went 3-for-4 with two doubles and a triple while starting pitcher Mike Caldwell tossed yet another gem.

Caldwell allowed three runs on seven hits in his team-high ninth complete game of the season to improve to 12-11. He’s won five of his last seven decisions and seven of his last 11. During his last 52 innings, Caldwell has allowed only 13 runs for a 2.25 ERA.

Is this the same Mike Caldwell who pitched under former manager Buck Rodgers? Caldwell was nearly shipped out of town for later acquisition Doc Medich, who has been far from dependable for the Brewers. Rodgers hinted at naming Caldwell a cancer on the team, and his days as a Brewer seemed to be numbered.

But now? Now he’s pitching like an All-Star.

“He’s pitched great the last two months,” Kuenn said. “If we would have scored some runs in a couple of his losses, he could be 16-7.”

Often overlooked as a factor in the ascension of Harvey’s Wallbangers is the performance of Caldwell. The offense has been great, but other than ace Pete Vuckovich the Brewers needed another reliable arm in the rotation. Caldwell has been it, and then some.

The second place Boston Red Sox split a double header with the Angels, so they fell to 5 1/2 games back of the Brewers.

Game Notes: Ted Simmons had two hits to extend his hitting streak to 10 games. … The Brewers will likely call up an outfielder from Vancouver, either Kevin Bass or Mark Brouhard, in the next two days.

Pitching Falters Late, Ladd Holds On

August 20

Brewers 6, Mariners 5
Brewers now 70-50 (1st by 5.0 games)
Box Score | Season Schedule

1982 Topps Rollie Fingers In Action — The Brewers are struggling without Rollie Fingers, who is not In Action.

SEATTLE — The Brewers have blown a couple of leads of late as they struggle to figure out how to cope without All-Star closer Rollie Fingers. Today, it nearly happened again.

The last time these two teams met in Seattle, the Brewers were reeling. Milwaukee had fallen to seven games out of first place and manager Buck Rodgers was replaced with Harvey Kuenn. So much has changed since then.

Of course, one of those changes is the health of Fingers. Starting pitcher Mike Caldwell and the Brewers were cruising through seven innings. The Brew Crew led 6-2 through seven and a half innings, and Caldwell had allowed only five hits. Then he ran out of gas.

The Mariners scored one in the eighth when Julio Cruz doubled, stole third and scored on a Dave Elder sacrifice fly. No big deal, the Mariners just did a good job of manufacturing a run.

Then Caldwell took the hill for the ninth. Richie Zisk doubled to center. Al Cowens doubled to right, scoring Zisk. Gary Gray singled to left, and suddenly it was 6-4 Brewers with no one out and the tie run on first base.

Without Rollie Fingers available, the Brewers turned to rookie Pete Ladd. Luckily for the Brewers, Big Foot did just fine. He struck out Dave Revering looking, and Rick Sweet then hit a sacrifice fly to make it a 6-5 game. With the tie run still on first, Manny Castillo flied to left and the Brewers breathed a sigh of relief.

Offensively, “Harvey’s Wallbangers” decided to go with a game of small ball. They collected 11 hits, but not one was for extra bases. The Brewers stole two bases and bunted twice, including a Paul Molitor safety squeeze to score a run in the sixth. Most importantly, hitting was timely as the Crew scored four of their six runs with two outs.

It was pleasant to see the offense score without the long ball, and the Brewers gained a game on the Red Sox, who fell 4-3 to the A’s. But the blinking question mark right now is over the bullpen. If Rollie Fingers is out for a significant amount of time, or can’t come back at 100%, can this team survive down the stretch?

So far, so good. But having won only two of their last six games, wins aren’t nearly as automatic under Kuenn as they once were.

Game Notes: Jamie Easterly, scheduled to throw a simulated game tomorrow, will not according to Kuenn.

Simmons Leads Brewers to Win

July 16

Brewers 5, White Sox 3
Brewers now 51-35 (1st)
Box Score | Season Schedule

MILWAUKEE — Down 3-2 in the eighth inning with one out and the bases loaded, Ted Simmons strolled to the plate. Until recently, this was a sight Brewers fans dreaded. Simmons was the human rally killer, known most for grounding into poorly timed double plays.

Today, Simmons lined a double that was just fair down the left field line, scoring two to give the Brewers a 4-3 lead. This is the Ted Simmons that should be feared by the opposition.

It wasn’t long ago that Ted Simmons was an over-the-hill catcher on his way off of the Brewers’ team. He was one of three catchers on the roster, didn’t see eye-to-eye with former manager Buck Rodgers, and grossly underperformed when compared to his reputation as an offensive-minded catcher.

Truth is, since coming to the Brewers prior to the 1981 season, Simmons had only been “offensive” in the least flattering way. He hit a meager .216 last season and was hitting .218 on June 12 when he decided to stop talking to the press.

“He talks to me every day,” Harvey Kuenn joked. “I don’t think it makes any difference whatsoever. Maybe he’s just superstitious.”

Since making his silence pact, Simmons’ bat has done the talking for him. Since May 19, he’s hit .305 with 12 homers and 34 RBI. During his past 17 games, Simmons is hitting .380 with six homers and 20 RBI.

Whether it is the source of his success or not, keeping silent isn’t the only change he’s made. He also has taken a new approach at the plate, taking a pronounced crouch that Cecil Cooper can appreciate.

“It looks to me that since he’s started crouching he gets a better look at the strike zone,” Cooper told the Milwaukee Sentinel. “Before he would chase the high fastball or chase the bad breaking ball down low. Now, he’s not doing that.”

Whatever Simmons is doing, keep doing it. Keep crouching. Keep silent. Keep knocking in runs.

Today’s win marked six straight for the Brewers, who maintained a half game lead over the Red Sox in the AL East. Boston beat the Royals 7-3.

Game Notes: Pete Ladd arrived from the minors to replace the injured Jamie Easterly. The 26-year-old reliever is known most for his freakish size. Nicknamed “Big Foot,” the imposing Ladd is 6’3″ and 238 pounds, wears a 7 7/8 sized hat and a size 15 shoe. Ladd was 10-2 with a 2.89 ERA and eight saves in the minors, allowing 43 hits and striking out 63 in 56 innings of relief.

Brewers Sweep into First at Break

July 11

Brewers 8, Royals 5
Brewers now 48-35 (1st)
Box Score | Season Schedule

1982 Topps Paul Molitor — Paul Molitor goes into the break with 10 home runs, already a career high.

MILWAUKEE — Prior to their game with the Mariners in Seattle on June 2, the Milwaukee Brewers were scuffling in fifth place with a 23-24 record, seven games back in the AL East. That was the day that Buck Rodgers was fired and Harvey Kuenn took over on an “interim” basis.

Today, the Brewers wrapped up the first half of the season with a sweep of the Kansas City Royals, a team that was in first place in the AL West before the series began. In 36 games after Kuenn took over, the Brewers go into the All-Star break as the AL East leaders, up by percentage points over the Boston Red Sox after they fell to the Twins today.

How did the Brewers do it? Much in the way they won today’s game: The long ball. Today, “Harvey’s Wallbangers” launched four more home runs, one each by Paul Molitor (10), Charlie Moore (4), Ted Simmons (14) and Gorman Thomas (22). Molitor has already eclipsed his career high of nine, done twice before.

Before Rodgers was let go, the Brewers had hit 58 home runs in 47 games for 1.2 per game. Since Kuenn took the helm, they’e hit 67 in 36 games, or 1.9 per game. That’s downright silly. The 1982 Milwaukee Brewers, on pace to hit 244 home runs, are now being mentioned in the same breath as the 1961 New York Yankees, who set the team record with 241.

It hasn’t just been the home runs, though they’ve helped. The Brewers have also gotten much more consistent pitching, both from the bullpen and the starting rotation. The team that was a game under .500 36 games ago has been 25-11 ever since.

Is it all the manager? Maybe not. But the roster has remained the same. Kuenn’s approach has a relaxing influence on the team. They play looser and have more fun. Do they have more fun because they’re winning or the other way around? Who knows. But it’s working.

Game Notes: Rod Carew announced he would miss the All-Star Game due to tendinitis in his right hand. Cecil Cooper is a back-up, but Carew’s starting replacement has not been named. … The Brewers had 10 hits, the 13th time in the past 16 games that they’ve reached double digits.

Letters (6/25/1982 Milwaukee Sentinel)

June 25

The following is extracted from the “Letters” in the Milwaukee Sentinel sports section from June 25, 1982. Enjoy!

Caldwell, Simmons are Needed

To The Sentinel:

Replying to what’s-his-name from Sheboygan regarding Mike Caldwell‘s spurious remark about Buck Rodgers, allow me to point out that you are subject to the same sin when you say “get rid of him.”

1982 Fleer Ted Simmons — Brewers fans are full of opinions when it comes to Ted Simmons.

It’s true that the “10 game” remark was not sporting — but then baseball pitchers like you and I often say things in a flash of temper that we really don’t mean. For every effect, there must be a cause and after 10 years of nagging and mishandling, any man of guts will strike out.

A lot of the same sentiment was in the minds of other Brewers, too, only it didn’t get printed. We need Caldwell. At his mediocre best, he’s better than most and when he’s hot, nobody is going to hit him (least of all, YOU).

While I’m at it, let’s consider the other man, that fellow behind the plate, Simmons. This is just conjecture, of course, but I venture to say that here is a case of professional jealousy. How could Buck Rodgers tell a man who is 20 times as good at catching than Buck ever was how to do his job. He couldn’t and he knew it, so he belittled Simmons — every chance he got.

Fill Buck’s glass with a bit more of his Chivas Regal (25 bucks a bottle). That’s what it’s all about for Buck anyway. All BUCKS.

Meanwhile, Harvey Kuenn will go on to be one of the best managers in baseball because of the men who surround him and because of the mutual respect they have for one another.

Thank you,

“CALDWELL AND SIMMONS FAN”
Milwaukee

He says end fan balloting

To The Sentinel:

I know it’s been said over and over, but it’s time to do away with the fan balloting for the All-Star game.

When Robin Yount is second to anybody, (especially Bucky Dent), and Cecil Cooper continues to be ignored as the American League’s best first baseman something must be done.

With Reggie Jackson and Dave Winfield running one and two in the outfield there’s little wonder the AL loses every year. They are just not fielding their best team.

In a recent trip to County Stadium, I felt obligated to stuff the ballot box by voting for every Brewer except Ted Simmons even though Toby Harrah and Willie Wilson deserved my vote.

This brings me to another point. Ted Simmons is presently second in the fan balloting. He isn’t even the second best catcher on the Brewers, let alone the American League. He must be getting a lot of votes from National League cities.

BRAD McNULTY
Peshtigo, Wis.

Brewers need pitching

To The Sentinel:

I’ve been a Brewer fan since the ballclub came from Seattle. I’ve taken their side on all arguments. But the way they are handling the Ted Simmons problem has finally gone too far.

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out the club needs pitching. The Brewers have two pitchers on their farm club that could help right now. It became apparent after the Baltimore game that Ted’s skills have taken a bad turn. There is no excuse for not knowing how many outs there were in a game. If they can’t trade him, at least send him to a farm club where he can play everyday. There he can get the help he needs. If Simmons was any kind of a team man, or just a man, he should ask for this move.

KEN LALK
Menomonee Falls

Steinbrenner Protests Brewers Win

June 22

Brewers 3, Yankees 2
Brewers now 37-29 (2nd)
Box Score | Season Schedule

Pete Vuckovich — Vuckovich has been the game's most successful pitcher since the start of the 1981 season.

MILWAUKEE — Following today’s game, Yankees owner George Steinbrenner was fuming. He was so steamed that he is protesting the results and sent a videotape of two plays to league president Lee McPhail.

In other words, the Yankees lost and George needed someone to blame. The plays in question were of little consequence. Had they gone another way, there is little guarantee the Yankees could have found a way to score.

The truth is that had the Yankees taken advantage of a first inning opportunity, George would be happy. After nine pitches and no outs, New York had loaded the bases on Brewers starter Pete Vuckovich, who had thrown only two strikes. Somehow, some way, Vuke escaped that inning by only allowing a single run. It would be important in what would become a low scoring game.

Cecil Cooper quickly made the Yankees pay for failing to score more runs when he hit a booming two-run home run to right in the bottom of the first. The Yankees would tie it up on a Roy Smalley solo homer in the top of the second, but Marshall Edwards would give the Crew the lead for good in the bottom of the inning with a run-scoring, infield single.

That’s right. Each team scored at least one run in each of the first two innings, but that was it. Of course, that doesn’t mean the following innings lacked controversy.

Willie Randolph led off the top of the third with a bunt in front of the plate. Vuckovich made an athletic play to get to the ball and throw a bullet to first. Randolph was called out, and he showed his disapproval. George, too, griped about the call.

Ken Griffey would follow with a walk, but the Yankees would fail to get a hit that inning. So there is little reason to believe that a close call at first would have changed the game in the third.

In the eighth, Yankees left fielder Dave Collins popped up a foul behind the plate. Ted Simmons went back to the screen and made the catch. Steinbrenner claimed Simmons trapped the ball against the screen. This dispute borders on ridiculous. Had Simmons actually trapped the ball, Collins still needed to reach base. Vuke had retired the Yankees in order in the eighth, so this was far from a game-changing call.

What isn’t in dispute? Rollie Fingers‘ dominance. After Jerry Mumphrey singled to lead off the top of the ninth, Fingers was summoned from the bullpen. Eight pitches and two strikeouts later, the inning and game were over.

Covering his last two outings, Rollie has thrown 18 pitches, 17 for strikes. He’s retired all six batters he’s faced and five were via the strikeout.

The Brewers keep winning, and they’re having fun. “We were a squabbling, bickering bunch of guys for a while,” first baseman Cecil Cooper said of the days under former manager Buck Rodgers. “I think [Kuenn] deserves a lot of credit just for creating that type of atmosphere. It’s fun. I think that’s the way it should be. Come out and have fun.”

It’s this type of atmosphere that is lacking in New York. It’s why the Yankees are losing, and it’s why George Steinbrenner needs someone to blame.

Game Notes: It was the Brewers’ seventh straight win, remaining four games back of the Red Sox … At 23-6, Pete Vuckovich has won more games than any pitcher in baseball since the start of the 1981 season. He’s won eight straight, tying Mike Caldwell for the club record … Rollie Fingers recorded his 16th save … Yankees shortstop Bucky Dent announced after the game that if he is selected to start the All-Star Game that he would decline. Robin Yount is currently second in the balloting.