During his stellar 20-year career in Milwaukee, Robin Yount received many accolades.  He won a Gold Glove at shortstop in 1982, the same year he won his first of two Most Valuable Player awards.  He received MVP votes in seven different seasons and won the Silver Slugger award three times.  He was the highest paid player in baseball in 1990.  Finally, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999.

One more thing: he was named an All-Star three times.  At first glance, there isn't much wrong with that All-Star total.  After all, it's tough to be named to multiple All-Star teams, so three is a worthy accomplishment.  

However, among Hall of Fame batters who debuted after the All-Star Game started in 1933, Yount's three appearances beat out only Monte Irvin, an ex-Negro Leaguer who debuted with the Giants at the age of 30.  In "All Star Percentage" (all star selections divided by seasons played), Yount's 15% is the lowest among players with at least ten major league seasons.  If you include players who debuted before 1933, only one player with the opportunity to make ten All-Star teams stands out as worse than Yount by AS%: Lloyd "Little Poison" Waner, who made one All-Star team in twelve years and was inducted into the Hall of Fame mostly for playing alongside his brother Paul.

Obviously, that's not a perfect measure, but the point stands: Robin Yount set the modern bar for minimal All-Star credentials by a Hall of Famer.  In a way, that makes sense.  It definitely feeds into his blue-collar reputation of just going to work and steadily producing day in and day out for years.  That said, it's probably worth taking a deeper look at his career to see whether he deserved more.

Yount's three All-Star selections came in 1980, 1982, and 1983.  In 1980, he was named as a reserve.  In 1982 and 1983, he was the starter.  Looking at his career from his debut in 1974 to 1983, it's understandable why it took six years for him to be named to the All-Star team and why he then made the team in three out of four years.  Once you get past 1983, though, things get murkier.

In 1984, he was hitting just under .300 at the break but a shoulder injury limited him to DH duties for a few weeks prior to the game.  Cal Ripken and Alan Trammell made the team that year, though an injured Trammel was replaced by Alfredo Griffin, who may have had the single worst season by an All-Star in history (his 1984 WAR: -2.3).  In 1985, Yount transitioned to the outfield and struggled at the plate, scuttling his chances.

In 1986, his .330 average at the break was accompanied by just 3 HR and 20 RBI, hardly all-star numbers.  In 1987, he was hitting .301 with 11 HR and 45 RBI at the break, but All-Star reserves Harold Baines (more of a DH), Dwight Evans, and Kirby Puckett hit .301/12/49, .316/18/69, and .337/14/55, respectively.   In 1988, only two reserve outfielders were selected, and Yount's .300 average couldn't compare with Mike Greenwell and Puckett's .340s.

Yount's last, best chance for another All-Star nod came in 1989.  He entered the break once again hitting .300 with 10 home runs.  Greenwell got the nod again, despite almost identical numbers.  Devon White hit .259 in the first half but his Gold Glove defense and 25 steals made up for that average.  Jose Canseco was voted in as a starter despite not playing a game in the first half and was replaced by Ruben Sierra, who hit .330 and 14 HR by the break. Just before the game Yount became the fifth youngest player ever to reach 2500 hits, which coupled with his season numbers would have made him a worthy selection.  He went on to become the second AL player (Hank Greenberg, 1935) to be named MVP without being named an All-Star.

After 1989, Yount's numbers began to slide and it was clear his All-Star days had passed.  Ultimately, it was the move to center field that hurt Yount's All-Star chances.  Instead of competing against Cal Ripken and Alan Trammell, he had to outhit Rickey Henderson, Kirby Puckett, Dwight Evans, Dave Winfield, and others for a spot on a series of infield-heavy teams.  Even if he had been named an All-Star twice more, his All-Star Percentage would still have been lower than the next Hall of Famer on the list, Willie McCovey (27%, 6 of 22).

Robin Yount's career drives home an obvious point: the Hall of Fame and the All-Star game reward different attributes, longevity and single-season brilliance (and/or excellent get-out-the-vote campaigns).  Generally, those dovetail, but as Robin Yount showed, it is possible to be both a great player for a long time and under the All-Star radar.  Ultimately, players are judged for their careers, and there's no better monument to a career than being inducted in the Hall of Fame.  Marty Marion, Walker Cooper, and Frank McCormick may have racked up All-Star appearances, but their names have faded over time.  Robin Yount will be enshrined forever.

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Earlier this week, veteran second baseman Ronnie Belliard retired after 13 seasons in the major leagues.  In 1484 major league games, he rapped out 1377 hits and drove in 601 runs while hitting .273.  He made one All-Star appearance (he struck out) and led all American League second basemen in games played, both feats performed in 2004.  At the end of his career he bounced around the league, playing for four teams in his final six major league seasons and retiring as a member of a fifth team's AAA club.  Before he became an itinerant infielder, however, he was a member of the Milwaukee Brewers.

The Brewers selected Belliard out of Miami Central High School with their eighth-round pick in the 1994 draft.  He was joined in the Brewers draft class by Antone Williamson, Steve Woodard, and Matt Erickson (57th round).  At the time Ronnie was drafted, his cousin, Rafael, was thirteen seasons into a career as a light-hitting middle infielder for the Pirates and Braves.

After finishing 1994 as a member of the Rookie-level Arizona Brewers, Ronnie moved up to Class A Beloit in 1995 and made himself a prospect by hitting .297 with 13 home runs as a 20-year-old second baseman.  In 1996, Belliard was bumped up to AA El Paso, where he hit just three home runs.  He did, however, steal 26 bases and walked more than he struck out, while impressing in the field.  Asked in a phone interview about his game, he said, "Some people say my best (attribute) is my offense.  Some say it's my defense.  I'd have to say it's both right now."  The Brewers rewarded him by adding him to the 40-man roster after the season.

An ill-timed hamstring injury cost him a shot at filling in on an injury-ravaged major league club in April 1997.  When he recovered, he struggled playing for AAA Tucson, hitting just .217 and committing 10 errors by late June.  He rebounded to finish the year with a .282 batting average with good plate discipline.  After the Brewers moved their AAA affiliate to Louisville in 1998, Belliard broke out by hitting .321/.408/.503 with 14 home runs and 33 stolen bases.  He committed just 14 errors in 130 games.  The performance was good enough to warrant a late-season callup and 8 games with the Brewers.  Baseball America took notice, too, naming him the #49 prospect in the game before 1999.

Despite being blocked by Fernando Vina and Mark Loretta at the beginning of the 1999 season, another rash of injuries opened the door for Belliard in early May.  Having hit just .241 for Louisville, expectations may have been low for the rookie, but he excelled, hitting .295 with 8 homers and 29 doubles.  In 2000, his rate stats fell, but he appeared in 152 games and led the league in putouts as a second baseman.  In 2001, his batting average stayed steady at an uninspiring .264 but his power improved, as he hit 11 home runs and knocked out 30 doubles in just 101 games before a right ankle sprain effectively ended his season in August.  He remains the only Brewers second baseman to hit 30 doubles in back-to-back seasons.  In fact, he's the only Brewers second baseman to do that twice in his career.

His erratic ways at bat and in the field led the team to sign veteran second sacker Eric Young as a free agent before the 2002 campaign.  That resulted in a three-way competition at third base between Belliard, Mark Loretta, and Tyler Houston.  Belliard responded by hitting an abysmal .211/.257/.287 for a team that lost 106 games, and the Brewers were ready to say goodbye.

Belliard signed a one-year contract with the Rockies for 2003 and bounced back with a solid season.  That in turn earned him a deal with the Cleveland Indians, where he made the All-Star team after hitting over .300 for the first half of the season.  Like the Indians as a whole, he faded down the stretch, but that season kicked off a six-year streak of batting averages over .272 with at least ten home runs as he transitioned from starting second baseman to utility player while bouncing around the majors.  In 2009, his last big-league hurrah came in the form of a .351 average in 24 games down the stretch for the Dodgers, who went on to the NLCS.  After hitting just .216 in 82 games for the 2010 Dodgers, he was released.  He failed to make the Yankees roster this spring and ultimately signed with Phillies to play for AAA Lehigh Valley.  He was hitting .251 with 3 home runs and had committed 13 errors in 49 games at third base before calling it quits.

One constant question mark for Belliard was conditioning.  While originally listed at 5'8" and an adolescent 180 pounds, his stocky profile didn't fit the middle infielder stereotype.  Near the end of his career, the Dodgers had a inserted a clause in his contract that guaranteed him money only if he weighed less than 210 pounds.  With consistent play, conditioning issues and questionable personal style can be overlooked by fans, but Belliard's erratic play dismissed that possibility.  Ultimately, he was never able to live up to his good rookie season in Milwaukee, and he wore out his welcome in multiple cities after departing the Brewers.  In another universe, Belliard might have put it all together, kept in shape, and made more than one All-Star appearance, but in this one, he calls it quits with nearly 1500 games played, eight figures in the bank, and a destiny to have his playing career remembered only for its appearance in the all-time register of baseball players.

In fourteen innings tonight, six Brewers pitchers combined to issue a grand total of zero walks.  While that fell eight innings short of the major league record for a walk-less game, set by the Montreal Expos in 1989, it is the longest such game since the Brewers moved to the National League.  It was the thirteenth walk-less game in franchise history to last ten or more innings:

The 2005 game against Washington was won on a walk-off balk by Mike Stanton.  The 2007 game in Florida was the first suspended game to be played to completion the next day rather than called tied.

That Florida game saw eight Brewers take the mound, the most of any games on the list.  Tonight's six pitchers is the second-most of any game on the list.  The 17 inning game atop the list involved just three pitchers: Mike Caldwell (11 IP), Bill Castro (5.2 IP), and Bob Galasso, who picked up the win by retiring the only batter he faced.

In sports, the adage "defense wins championships" is often cited. However, in the National Basketball Association teams need offense to win. The Milwaukee Bucks have found that out the hard way, struggling their way to a 23-36 record while shooting a league-worst 42.3% from the field. Fortunately, their season-long search for answers may have just come to an end.

At a press conference prior to a welcoming party for new New York Knicks acquisitions Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups, NBA commissioner David Stern admitted the NBA has replaced the rims the Bucks have shot at with rims 16 inches in diameter all season long. A regulation NBA rim is 18 inches in diameter.

"It all started as a joke on my good friend [Bucks owner and U.S. Senator] Herb Kohl," said Stern. "I know he always enjoys a laugh and we thought it couldn't hurt the chances of keeping his friends in Congress out of our CBA negotiations." The NBA's collective bargaining agreement with its players expires June 30. Stern added that he was pleased by the cooperation and silence of Bucks' opponents and fans during the nightly halftime switch of rims.

Center Andrew Bogut used social media website Twitter to state he was glad to have an excuse other than a lingering elbow injury for his shooting slump. On the same website, point guard Brandon Jennings echoed that sentiment about his own offensive struggles.

Bucks forward Drew Gooden, sidelined much of the year with a foot injury, said he knew something was wrong early in the season. "When my inside shots wouldn't fall early on, I decided to try taking more jump shots. I figured the rim was too small and used that to imagine I was Luke Skywalker trying to blow up the Death Star," said Gooden. "I think that's what coach meant about playing with more intensity," he added.

Not all players were so sanguine about the joke. Luke Ridnour, former Bucks guard now with the Minnesota Timberwolves, said, "That [sucks]. I'm glad I'm not there anymore. I guess it all evens out, though. I remember looking up once or twice last year and the rim seemed huge." Ridnour shot a career high 47.8% for Milwaukee last season.

Bucks general manager John Hammond and head coach Scott Skiles could not be reached for comment.

When asked if the Bucks would shoot at regulation rims now that the practical joke had been revealed, Stern said, "My experience running the league has convinced me Senator Kohl does not follow league news on a daily basis." He added he planned to let the Senator in on the joke over dinner after the season. He closed the press conference enthusiastically answering questions about the developing New York Knicks-Miami Heat rivalry and his plan to offer teams with multiple All-Stars additional financial assistance in any new collective bargaining agreement.

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Last Post: #2


It is easy to assume that single-digit numbers are handed out the most in a given team's history.  In Brewers history, however, that proves not to be the case.  Last week, I wrote about the eleven Brewers to wear #2.  That isn't very many compared to double-digits numbers that have seen up to 25 occupants.  Numbers 5 and 6 also have been assigned to fewer players (ten each).  However, #8 bucks the trend and has been assigned to eighteen different players in team history.

In 1961, the Yankees signed first baseman Mike Hegan as an amateur free agent.  He had cups of coffee in 1964 and 1966 before struggling in a longer look during the 1967 season.  Before 1969, he was sold to the expansion Seattle Pilots.  He played well in Seattle, being named to the All Star squad before missing the better part of six weeks with a hamstring injury.  He started at first base on Opening Day 1970 and ultimately hit .244 with 11 home runs but 116 strikeouts that season.  After hitting just .221 through mid-June, he was sold to Oakland.  He would ultimately rejoin the Crew in 1974, wearing #6 and #4 over four more years in Milwaukee.

In the early days of the MLB amateur draft, players who had previously been drafted but not signed were eligible for a so-called "secondary" draft.  In 1971, the Brewers selected Michigan State outfielder Rob Ellis, who hit .431 with 14 home runs that college season, with the third overall pick in the June secondary draft.  The Brewers signed him to a major league deal, like other contemporary teams did with high draftees, and ten days later, he made his major league debut.  Ultimately, he appeared in 36 major league games, hitting just .198 with 24 strikeouts and zero home runs before being sent to the minors.  He made a couple brief appearances in 1974 and 1975 before his major league career ended.  After Ellis was sent down in May 1975, he was replaced in #8 by light-hitting Jack Lind, who went 1 for 20 over the final two months of the season.

In 1970, 20-year-old Jack Heidemann started at short for the Cleveland Indians.  Unfortunately, he never could get his bat going and he quickly fell to "quad-A" utility player status.  He bounced from Cleveland to Oakland, back to Cleveland, and on to St. Louis and New York before winding up in Milwaukee.  By the time he joined the Crew in 1976, he had started to put up solid offensive numbers in AAA.  However, his bat didn't translate to the majors and his big league career was over after he posted a .218/.256/.265 line in 74 games for Milwaukee.

Only fourteen more to go after the jump!

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Last Post: #61

There have been fewer Brewers players to wear #2 than you might expect.  When Joe Inglett made his first appearance in the 2010 season, he became just the twelfth Brewer ever to do so in a regular season game.

The first Brewer to wear #2 was Ted Savage, born Ephesian Savage on February 21, 1937, in Venice, Illinois.  Over a nine-year career as a major league outfielder, he amassed 321 hits and 34 home runs in 642 games.  He managed to play for eight teams in his career, moving from place to place while not living up to the promise of his rookie season.  At least not until 1970.  After being purchased by the Reds just two days before the season opener, Savage played wel in Milwaukee, socking twelve home runs and stealing ten bases while putting up a respectable .279/.402/.482 batting line as the team's fourth outfielder.  The good times were not destined to last and he was shipped to Kansas City after an ice-cold start to the 1971 season.

The number did not stay empty for long, as three weeks later Bob Heise was acquired in a trade with San Francisco.  Heise, who found regular playing time, if not success, with the Giants after three cups of coffee with the Mets, spent three years as a utility infielder for the Brew Crew.  Demonstrating why he never quite earned a starting job, he hit just .251/.282/.289 in just under 600 PA during his three seasons in Milwaukee.  In his 499-game career, he hit a grand total of one home run, off the Padres' Danny Coombs.

Follow the jump for the other nine players!

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Last Post: #7

In the forty-one seasons the team has spent in Milwaukee, only one Brewers player has taken the field wearing #61.  There haven't been many #61s in baseball history, no matter the team, and the number is far more famous as Roger Maris' 1961 home run total than it is on any player's uniform.

That's not to say players haven't been assigned #61 in the past.  In fact, just about any number between 60 and 80 can be found on the back of a long shot or non-roster invitee in March.  Last spring, the Brewers gave minor league veteran Adam Heether the number in his first major league spring training.  Heether, like every other Brewers hopeful who has worn #61 in the Arizona sun, didn't make it into a regular season game with #61 on his back.  In Heether's case, he was claimed by Oakland off waivers about two months into the season.

Heether's departure opened the door for another Brewers farmhand to take on #61.  On September 7, it happened when RHP Brandon Kintzler was called up from AAA Nashville.  Three days later, Kintzler took the mound for the first time and another number made its debut in Brewers history.  Over the final three weeks of the season, Kintzler appeared in seven games, striking out 9 batters in 7 1/3 innings while allowing 6 runs.

Kintzler's road to Milwaukee was circuitous.  After graduating high school, he pitched for Pasadena City College in 2003, leading the team in wins (5) and strikeouts (72).  He was drafted in the 40th round of the 2003 draft by the New York Yankees but did not sign.  In 2004, he pitched for the NJCAA National Champion Dixie State (Utah) Red Storm.  He started twelve games that season, going 9-1 with a 2.30 ERA and 69 strikeouts in 74 1/3 innings.  His teammate, Joe Wice, actually outpitched him slightly and was drafted by the Blue Jays en route to spending four seasons on the bottom rungs of their farm system.  Following the 2004 campaign, Kintzler was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 40th round.  I think he may be the only player drafted in the 40th round in back-to-back seasons.

Unfortunately, elbow and shoulder problems marred his time with the Padres and he was released before undergoing labrum surgery.  After recovering, he joined the Winnipeg Goldeyes (who may never have an endearing logo) for 2007 and 2008.  Before the 2009 season, he requested a trade to the St. Paul Saints of the American Association.  The Saints are known as a gateway back into "organized" baseball, having previously hosted players like Leon Durham, Kevin Millar, and Dwight Smith.  In all, nearly 100 Saints players have signed contracts with major league organizations.

As an aside, one of my favorite indy ball signings involved a Saints player signing with the Brewers.  In late August 2008, the Brewers signed Saints star Brent Krause, who played in all of three games for Huntsville before being released after the season.  The whole process made me wonder if there wasn't an outfielder in northern Alabama that could have filled in for a couple games.  Krause played for the Saints again in 2009 and 2010.

During the 2009 season, Kintzler pitched his way into the American Association All-Star game with a 8-3, 2.79 record to go with 46 strikeouts in 80 2/3 innings.  The Brewers assigned him to AA Huntsville where he appeared in nine games over the final six weeks of the season.  In 2010, he came on like Gang Busters to open the season and earned a promotion to AAA Nashville, where he continued to pitch well.  His excellent season culminated in his (and his number's) Brewers debut.

Kintzler remains on the 40-man roster and is no doubt preparing to join his teammates at Maryvale Baseball Park shortly.  With the Brewers having made a number of bullpen acquisitions as part of the team's "win now" mode, his chances to make the team out of the gate are pretty slim.  Nevertheless, he should be one of a few pitchers in the Nashville bullpen with a few games of major league experience.  It remains to be seen if he will hold on to #61 should he once again get the call to the majors.

Last Post: #44

Russ Snyder, veteran outfielder, kicks off this week's list by donning #7 during the 1970 season.  Snyder debuted with the Kansas City Athletics but was traded to the Orioles after two seasons.  He stayed with Baltimore for seven seasons, winning one World Series, but was traded shortly before the team made its run of three straight pennants.  After a short stint in Chicago and a year and a half in Cleveland, Snyder finished his career by hitting .232/.270/.315 in 124 at bats for the inaugural Brewers.

In 1971, #7 was assigned to first baseman Frank Tepedino.  Selected in the third round of the first amateur draft by the Baltimore Orioles, Tepedino was selected seventeen months later in the 1966 Rule 5 draft by the New York Yankees.  After four years in their farm system with brief callups to the majors, Tepedino was acquired by the Brewers in exchange for outfielder Danny Walton.  Tepedino showed why he couldn't stick with the Bronx Bombers, hitting a paltry .198 with just two home runs in 106 at bats.  Despite all that, the Yankees bought him back in 1972 and he later spent a couple seasons playing for Atlanta.

The next season, #7 was an involuntarily popular number shared between two players.  The first to wear it in 1972 was infielder Ron Clark.  Clark actually was a member of the 1969 Seattle Pilots, but was traded to Oakland in January 1970.  At the time of that trade, he was a career .187/.245/.244 hitter over 505 plate appearances.  Two years later, he was traded from Oakland to Milwaukee, where he went 10 for 54 with two home runs (40% of his career total) in just 22 games.  That power surge didn't help him stick with the team, as he was traded in mid-July for his #7 replacement, fellow futility infielder Syd O'Brien.  O'Brien spent just four seasons in the majors, splitting his career between four different teams.  In 31 games down the stretch in 1972, he hit .207 with 1 home run.  He finished his major league career with a .230/.273/.347 line and exactly 100 RBI.

Follow the jump for players you may actually know!

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Last Post: #54

The Brewers have retired four uniform numbers.  The first retired number profiled in this series was #34, belonging to Rollie Fingers.  Today, we look at another retired number, that of home run king Hank Aaron.  Aaron joined the Brewers for their sixth season in Milwaukee, meaning there wasn't much time for other players to put a claim in on #44.  Still, two other Brewers, including one very well known one, also wore the digits.

The first Brewer to wear #44 was Hank Allen, a utility player who spent parts of seven seasons in the majors.  Overshadowed by All-Star brother Richie, Hank appeared at least once at every position except shortstop and pitcher.  After being signed by the Phillies along with his brother, Hank bounced around the minors for six years before surfacing in the majors with the new Washington Senators.  In five seasons as a utility player with the team, he appeared in 324 games, hitting .251 with six home runs and 15 steals.  During the 1970 season, he was traded to Milwaukee with second baseman Ron Theobald in exchange for outfielder Wayne Comer.  Allen appeared in 28 games for the Brewers while playing five positions and hitting .230.  He was traded to Atlanta after the season but did not play in a game for the Braves.  He later resurfaced with the White Sox, joining his brother for the 1972 and 1973 seasons.

The Seattle Pilots franchise's first ever selection in the June amateur draft was a shortstop by the name of Gorman Thomas.  During his time in the minors, Stormin' Gorman moved to the outfield and displayed his trademark power, belting 31 home runs in one Midwest League season.  He made his major league debut in right field on Opening Day 1973, wearing #44, but struggled to start the season.  Thomas was sent down in June after hitting .213 with just one home run in 127 at bats.  He got a September call-up but went just 2 for 28 to close out the season.  He spent most of 1974 in the minors, but hit well in another September call-up.  Of course, when the reigning career home run leader comes to town, you give up your uniform number for him, and Thomas did just that, switching first to #3 and later to #20.  After a couple more rocky seasons in 1975 and 1976, Thomas rejoined the Brewers in 1978, hitting with a vengeance.  Over the next five seasons, he led the league in home runs twice, belting 175 round-trippers and making one all-star appearance.  He was traded to Cleveland in mid-1983 but was brought back at the end of the 1986 campaign.

In 1975, Hank Aaron came back to Milwaukee.  Fans in the Cream City watched Aaron play the County Stadium outfield for twelve seasons before the team departed for Atlanta.  In those twelve seasons, he was named to eleven All-Star teams, was awarded three Gold Gloves, won one MVP award, led the league in a bevy of categories, including batting average and home runs twice and RBI three times.  He hit 398 home runs as a Milwaukee Brave, stole 149 bases, and hit a sizzling .320.  He also led the team to two World Series and hit three home runs in the city's only World Series victory.  For nine more seasons, he starred for the Atlanta Braves and in 1974 broke Babe Ruth's career home run record.  After the 1974 season, however, the Braves traded him back to Milwaukee in exchange for outfielder Dave May and minor league pitcher Roger Alexander.  Hammerin' Hank still had some power, belting 22 home runs over his final two seasons in Milwaukee.  He retired following the 1976 season with a .305 batting average, 3771 hits, 2297 RBI (still the record), 6856 total bases (also the record), 240 stolen bases, 19 more walks than strikeouts, and of course, 755 career home runs.  He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1982, with 97.8% of the vote (406 of 415 ballots).  He currently works as a senior vice president of the Atlanta Braves and a director and vice president of TBS.

Last Post: #9

After the twenty-one occupants of #9 last week, it is time for a return to a less-used number.  In the forty-one seasons of Milwaukee Brewers history, only four players have worn #54 in parts of just eight seasons.  Additionally, a couple of the #54s are actually better known for wearing a different number.  With so few players, there is no need for a jump.

The first Brewer to wear #54 was a destined-to-be-controversial rookie named Gary Sheffield in 1988.  Nephew of Dwight Gooden and sixth overall pick in the 1986 draft, Sheffield made his debut on September 3, 1988 at the age of 19.  He started the 24 remaining games of the season at shortstop and hit .238 with 4 home runs in 80 at bats.  Sheffield switched to #1 for the 1989 season and to #11 for 1990-1991.  He was traded to San Diego after many criticisms of Milwaukee and the Brewers and went on to a lengthy and successful major league career.

One of the players brought to Milwaukee in the Sheffield trade was shortstop prospect Jose Valentin.  After progressing through the Padres' farm system, Valentin spent most of 1992 at the Brewers' AAA affiliate in Denver.  He was called up in mid-September 1992 and appeared in four games during the rest of that season. In 1993, he again spent most of the season in AAA.  He earned another September callup and hit .245 in 53 at bats in 19 games.  He switched to #2 for 1994 and spent six seasons wearing that number before being traded to Chicago in 2000.  He also spent time with the Dodgers and Mets before calling it quits in 2008.

In November 1998, the Brewers signed minor league journeyman Hector Ramirez to one-year deal.  He spent nearly a decade in the Mets farm system before passing through the Yankees, Orioles and Marlins organizations.  After all that time, he finally made his major league debut with the Brewers on August 28, 1999.  He threw 21 innings in 15 appearances over the final month of the season, finishing 1-2 with five holds, three blown saves, 11 walks and 9 strikeouts.  In 2000, he was recalled for two weeks in May and gave up ten runs over six relief appearances.  That unsuccessful stint resulted in his release and was the end of his major league career.

Prior to the 2008 season, the Brewers focused on upgrading the team's bullpen.  Roughly one-third of the team's payroll was spent on newly acquired relievers.  The splashiest move was the free agent signing of veteran righthander David Riske.  Riske was signed to a 3-year, $13 million deal after five solid seasons.  Unfortunately, injuries marred each of his seasons in Milwaukee.  In 2008, he made 45 appearances while struggling with his command and a balky elbow.  That elbow cost him all but one game in the 2009 season and the first two months of 2010.  Once he finally returned, Riske made 23 appearances without particularly successful results, leading to his release in August.

Going into the 2011 season, the number has been assigned to minor league catcher Martin Maldonado.  Obviously, he has the inside track on becoming the fifth #54 in Brewers history.  His big-league prospects are cloudy at present, however, so the next occupant of #54 is still a mystery.

EDIT: A day or two after this was posted, Brewers.com updated the team's 40-man roster to show #54 had been re-assigned to RHP Sean Green.

Last Post: #0/00

After last week's sojourn into the territory of little-used number zero, this week we return to the land of popular numbers.  Number nine, to be exact.  As you might expect from a single-digit number, it has been popular throughout team history. A whopping twenty-one Brewers players have worn #9 on their backs on the old ballfield.  With that in mind, you may want to read this post in stages.

Follow the jump for the lengthy list!

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Last Post: #58

There have been three Brewers who have worn the lowest of uniform numbers.  In a sport that originally assigned uniform numbers based on batting order, there wasn't much room for zero.  It is a number that has rarely been worn on any team.  That holds true today, as not a single player wears zero.   This lack of zeros is not limited to baseball; zeros are also rare in football and basketball.

There are actually two separate zeros available on uniforms: 0 and 00.  Given the rarity of players willing to wear zero, it is unlikely a team would ever have a #0 and #00, but I have to assume it would be allowed.  In the team's four decades in Milwaukee, the Brewers have seen one player wear single zero and two wear double zero.

The first zero in Brewers history was found on the back of left fielder Jeffrey Leonard.  By the time he reached Milwaukee, Leonard had spent over a decade in the majors with the Dodgers, Astros, and Giants.  In 1987, he made his first All-Star team and followed that successful season with an excellent NLCS.  He went 10 for 24 with four home runs while getting under the skin of the Cardinals and their fans before the Giants fell in the seventh game of the series.  Despite the Giants' loss, Leonard was named NLCS MVP.  Leonard brought his "one flap down" home run trot and #00 to Milwaukee following a June 1988 trade for nfielder Ernie Riles.  Leonard didn't find much success in Milwaukee, hitting just .235 with eight home runs in 94 games down the stretch.  He signed with the Mariners as a free agent following the season and bounced back to make the All-Star squad in 1989.  He was released by the Mariners after the 1990 season, ending his career.

Before the 1990 season, the Dodgers traded backup first baseman/outfielder Franklin Stubbs to Houston in exchange for pitcher Terry Wells.  Wells made five starts for the Dodgers before departing the majors for good.  Stubbs, meanwhile, rewarded Houston with a career year, hitting .261 with 23 home runs.  During his six years in Los Angeles, Stubbs had hit just .227/.294/.401.  Stubbs was able to parlay his good season for the Astros into a then-princely three-year, $6 million deal from the Brewers.  Unsurprisingly, he returned to his Dodgers form, hitting .213 with eleven home runs in 1991.  Perhaps hoping to change his luck, Stubbs switched to #0 before the 1992 season.  The remedy was ineffective and his contract was bought out after he put up a .229/.297/.368 line with nine home runs.  He resurfaced with the Tigers in 1995, but did not return to the majors after that season.

In 1992, the Colorado Rockies selected prospect Curt Leskanic in the expansion draft.  Leskanic started a few games for the Rockies in 1993 and 1994 with limited success before being moved to the bullpen in 1995.  He led the league with 76 appearances in 1995, over half the 144-game schedule, with a fine 3.40 ERA and ten saves.  He wasn't quite able to recapture that success in Colorado over the next four years.  That didn't stop the Brewers from acquiring the righthander before the 2000 season in exchange for lefty Mike Myers.  Despite a penchant for walks, Leskanic did well wearing #00 in 2000, putting up a 2.56 ERA in 73 appearances and recording 12 saves after closer Bob Wickman was traded in July.  He recorded seventeen saves the following season before losing all of 2002 to injury.  He returned in 2003 with a new number (#33) and had good results before being traded to Kansas City (where he had even better results).  Leskanic struggled with the Royals in 2004 before being released and joining the Red Sox for their World Series run.  That was his final season in the majors.  He currently works as a scout and presumably still avoids his cousin's concerts.

Last Post: #13

The traditional history of baseball uniform numbers links each player to his spot in the batting order.  It follow then, that higher uniform numbers are, in general, a recent phenomenon.  This trend was seen in an earlier post about the Brewers history of #57 and it holds true for today's number as well.  For the first twenty-eight years of Brewers history, no player wore #58.  However, it has become rather popular among itinerant pitchers over the past few years.

Follow the jump to read about the six Brewers who have worn #58.

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Last Post: #40

Understandably, Brewers fans are still agog following the sudden acquisition of 2009 Cy Young Award winner Zack Greinke last weekend.  Since just about everyone else is talking about Greinke this week, I figure it's as good a time as any to look at the history of his new uniform number.  If you follow sportswriter Jordan Schelling's Twitter feed, you may have seen that Greinke is just the eleventh Brewers player to wear lucky #13, along with a picture of his new jersey.

In a sport so steeped in superstition as baseball, it is not surprising #13 has not been worn much leaguewide.  Only one player has had his #13 retired (Dave Concepcion), one currently wears it for the Yankees, and perhaps the most famous #13 in baseball history belongs to Ralph Branca.  Branca, of course, is known for giving up The Shot Heard 'round The World, thereby perpetuating the superstition.  With that pedigree, it is perhaps to be expected it took nearly a decade for a Brewers player to wear #13.

Read about the Brewers' #13s after the jump!

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Last Post: #36

Intro

[EDIT: D'oh, obviously I remembered to go back and write everything but an introduction.  How embarrassing.  Sixteen Brewers players have worn #40 in team history and you can read about them by following the jump.]

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Last Post: #55

Until July 16, 2010, the number 36 had not been worn by a Brewers player in a regular season game in over a dozen years.  Despite being worn in more than one season by just two players, the number has a relatively short list of alumni.  Only eleven Brewers have played wearing #36 and four would probably be a very good score on a quiz to name them.

Follow the jump for the eleven #36s!

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In case you missed it, last Saturday night the Bucks beat a very shorthanded Magic team by a score of 96 to 85.  Midway through the fourth quarter, the Magic utilized a strategy known informally as Hack-a-Shaq after Shaquille O'Neal.  In this game, the victim was Andrew Bogut, who ultimately led the Bucks with sixteen free throw attempts.  Unfortunately, he missed eleven of his charity tosses.  The rest of the Bucks were off as well, missing a further nine attempts combined.  All told, the Bucks went 23 for 43 from the free throw line in the game.

Since I happen to have a bunch of data about free throws lying around, I thought it would be fun to look at other recent games in which a team missed twenty or more free throws.  If you follow Brew Hoop on Twitter, you may have noticed a note after Saturday's game about the Bucks being only the fourteenth team since the NBA lockout to miss twenty free throws in a game.  As the original author of said note, I will fess up to miscounting: teams are 11-3 when missing twenty free throws.  Regardless, fourteen sounds like a nice number to review.

• December 4, 2010 - Milwaukee (23/43 on free throws) defeats Orlando 96-85
  Primary culprits: Andrew Bogut (5/16), Brandon Jennings (6/10), John Salmons (2/6)
  
• January 29, 2010 - Cleveland (23/44) defeats Indiana 94-73
  Primary culprits: LeBron James (10/17), Shaquille O'Neal (6/12)
  
  The Pacers attempted just five free throws in this contest.
  
• January 23, 2010 - Cleveland (20/40) defeats Oklahoma City 100-99
  Primary culprits: Shaquille O'Neal (6/15), LeBron James (13/19)
  
  This may have been the start of the worst week of team free throw shooting in NBA history.
  
• November 2, 2007 - Charlotte (22/43) defeats Milwaukee 102-99
  Primary culprits: Emeka Okafor (3/13), Jason Richardson (2/6)
  
  The Bobcats may have been suffering Opening Night jitters.  True fact: Jake Voskuhl managed to grab a rebound in his two seconds on the court.
  
• March 23, 2007 - Utah (17/37) loses to LA Clippers 104-72
  Primary culprit: Paul Millsap (5/14)
  
• January 2, 2006 - New York (32/54) defeats Phoenix 140-133 in triple-overtime
  Primary culprit: Eddy Curry (8/14)
  
  The Knicks didn't struggle shooting so much as they had a bunch of shots to miss.  The Suns played nine players, four of whom fouled out.  Phoenix had a shot to win at the end of the second overtime, but Irishman Pat Burke, the sixth option on the floor, missed the potential game-winner.
  
• December 11, 2005 - Detroit (25/45) defeats LA Clippers 109-101
  Primary culprit: Ben Wallace (7/22)
  
  At tip-off, the two teams had a combined 28-7 record.  Wallace shot his career average from the line this year: 41.6%.
  
• January 26, 2005 - Miami (29/49) defeats Toronto 111-96
  Primary culprit: Shaquille O'Neal (7/20)
  
• November 19, 2004 - Miami (22/44) defeats Utah 107-105 in overtime
  Primary culprits: Shaquille O'Neal (2/10), Dwyane Wade (15/21)
  
  Did you know?  This is not the last time Shaq will grace this list.
  
• March 15, 2004 - LA Lakers (28/48) defeats Orlando 113-110 in overtime
  Primary culprits: Shaquille O'Neal (9/18), Karl Malone (3/8)
  
• December 1, 2001 - Golden State (16/38) loses to Dallas 111-82
  Primary culprits: Adonal Foyle (1/8), Chris Mills (3/7)
  
  The Warriors shot under 40%, turned the ball over 20 times, and lost by nearly 30 at home.  Other than that, it was a good night.
  
• February 25, 2001 -  LA Lakers (29/53) defeats Orlando 106-100
  Primary culprits: Shaquille O'Neal (9/21), Robert Horry (2/8)
  
  My reaction to this box score: who is Mike Penberthy?
  
• November 13, 2000 - LA Clippers (13/33) loses to Dallas 90-76
  Primary culprits: Everyone not named Brian Skinner (2/2)
  
  The Clippers' 39.4% from the line is the worst shooting percentage by a team with 30 attempts since 1986-1987.
  
• November 19, 1999 -  LA Lakers (43/64) defeats Chicago 103-95
  Primary culprits: Shaquille O'Neal (19/31)
  
  That is a ton of free throws, but nowhere near a record (note: the real record was set in 1949).  Still, looking at the box score, the Bulls were well-positioned to play Hack-a-Shaq.  I'll admit to not following the NBA closely back then, but who are those guys?
  

Last Post: #47

For thirty seasons, no member of the Milwaukee Brewers wore today's number in the regular season.  Once the number was finally assigned, no fewer than four Brewers wore it in a seven-year span.  It is not the highest number ever worn by a Brewers player and it was not the highest number ever worn at the time it finally made its debut.  Undoubtedly the fact #55 is a relatively high number for baseball is why it took so long for someone to wear it in a game.  Regardless of the story behind why it was assigned, the Brewers' #55 first arrived in 2000.

Read about the four #55s after the jump!

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Last post: #26

If you look at each post so far in this series, you shouldn't have a problem finding the best player to wear each number for the Brewers.  For example, Rollie Fingers, Jim Gantner, and Ben Oglivie have seen their numbers profiled.  Even the rarely-used #57 has a clear favorite (Mitch Stetter), if only because of a lack of competition.

Seventeen players have worn #47 for the Brewers but none have starred.  If pressed to name one as the best, I would have to select the lefthanded reliever who was on the team for three seasons.  Then again, there were other players who wore the number longer, including the pitcher who, until recently, held the team record for fewest innings per wild pitch.  Either way, I think you get the idea: this isn't a number with a particularly successful past.

Follow the jump for the former #47s!

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Last post: #34

This series started with an often-worn number and has since seen rarely-worn, retired, and seemingly "average" digits.  Today's entry in numerical history sets a series record for most total players and, not coincidentally, most unremarkable or forgotten players.  That's not to say #26 has not graced the backs of some memorable Brewers, but rather to say there's a good reason this number has been worn multiple times in the same season at least five times.

Now that over a dozen major league careers have been belittled in one small paragraph, it's time to follow the jump and follow #26 through Brewers history.

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The number #34 took a strange path through Brewers history.  It was assigned to pitchers and position players.  It was bounced from player to player, year to year, as a litany of forgettable names passed through town.  It was claimed by a Hall of Fame closer in the denouement of his career and it was passed on to players who, at one point, may have visited the Hall of Fame.  In time, the Brewers retired #34, one of only four numbers to be so honored.

But before we get to the retirement, we should take a look at the other players to don the #34 jersey.  You will find them after the jump.

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In the recap thread after the opening game of the season, MadTown Hoops wondered what the collective career won/loss total is for the fifteen Bucks making up this year's squad.  I was curious, so I looked it up and posted a response.  Naturally, that just made me more curious, so I went ahead and looked up the opening day collective won/loss record for each team in the league.

Some caveats:

• I only looked at opening day rosters, so the Rockets don't get credit for Erick Dampier, the Spurs get Bobby Simmons instead of Chris Quinn, and so on.  I used Basketball-Reference.com for transactions, though I appealed to other sources to resolve some questionable dates/transactions.
• I estimated players who were traded mid-season.  I assumed the player was not active for any team on the day of the trade.  I assumed each player joined his new team the day after the trade.  I treated waiver claims the same way.
  
• For 10-day contracts and other in-season free agent signings, I considered the player active immediately.
• Being only partly crazy, I did not delve into the dates of D-League assignments.  This has the unfortunate effect of skewing some players' records, especially on good teams.  Likewise, time spent in Europe was not considered, even if a team had rights to a player.

Each of these erodes accuracy.  Therefore I'm not going to argue my list is 100% correct.  However, since it's just for fun, that's okay.  I don't think a few wins or losses either way is going to make a big difference.

With that out of the way, here is the list:

You really get a sense of how veteran-laden the Miami Heat are, with nearly 1000 more games of experience than the runner-up Mavericks.  Conversely, Memphis, Minnesota, Sacramento, and Washington have the least collective experience.  I thought it was interesting the whole league is slightly above .500, but it makes sense.  Many of the teams on the bottom are there by virtue of being bad for a while with the same players.  The reverse effect can be seen at the top of the table.

Among individual players, the top percentage belongs to Darnell Jackson, who, by virtue of his time in Cleveland, checks in with a remarkable .783 (130-36).  This is an excellent example of the impact of not filtering out D-League time.  Among players with 500 or more games (just over six full seasons), the Spurs' trio of Tony Parker (515-223, .698), Manu Ginobili (457-199, .697), and Tim Duncan (719-315, .695) top the list.  The bottom belongs to Jamal Crawford (284-535, .347), Eddy Curry (261-477, .354), and Chris Wilcox (238-416, .364).

In terms of raw totals, Shaquille O'Neal has the most wins with 798, followed by Kobe Bryant (735) and Derek Fisher (733).  Juwan Howard, one of two still-active Washington Bullets, has the most losses with 684.  Theo Ratliff (649), Joe Smith (622), and Marcus Camby (605) round out the 600+ club.  Jason Kidd (1278) has the most total games and is joined in the 1200+ club by Howard (1262), Ratliff (1202), and Kurt Thomas (1202).

The 435 players on opening day rosters have a simple average of 391 team games each, or 4.77 seasons.  As noted, Miami is the most experienced team, with an average of 648 games per player.  The Lakers are second with 629.  Memphis at 211 and Minnesota at 219 are on the low end.

I don't think any of this really means anything, especially with the caveats I laid out above.  Still, it's always fun to have a little bit of trivia to bring up during a boring game.

Last Post: #57

Brewers uniform numbers can be divided into two classes: those worn by the 1982 club and those not worn that season.  Come to think of it, much of Brewers history can be divided that way.  The 1982 Brewers are by far the most remembered and most adulated squad fielded in the team's history.  I suspect many numbers worn by the 1982 club are still identified by a segment of Brewers fans with players on that team, regardless of subsequent history.

As luck would have it, this week's number, #24, was worn by an integral member of the only Brewers pennant-winner.  However, he is one of twelve players to wear that uniform and nine Brewers have worn #24 since he left the club.

Follow the jump for the #24 dozen!

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Last Post: #17

From a common number, to an effectively retired number, to an uncommon number.  This week's number has been worn by six players in Brewers history.

Between 1970 and 1984, no Brewers player wore a number higher than #52.  After 1984, a couple rookies debuted with numbers in the fifties, but it was not until the 1990s that numbers in the fifties were regularly issued.  It took until 1997 for #57 to make a first appearance in a regular season game and it took another decade for a player to wear it for more than one season.

Follow the jump for the exclusive #57 club!

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Last Post: #41

Brewers players have worn sixty-nine distinct uniform numbers in the team's forty-one seasons in Milwaukee.  Here is a quick trivia question for you: which uniform number has gone the longest without being worn by a Brewers player?  Take a minute to think about it.

If you looked at the title of this post and figured #17, you are incorrect.  Among the retired numbers, Hank Aaron's #44 was last worn in 1976 and Rollie Fingers' #34 was last worn in 1991.  Among available numbers, #17 is in second place, behind #35.  Of course, there is a reason no player has worn #35 since 1990: longtime coach (and former pitcher) Bill Castro.

Number seventeen hasn't been off-limits because of a long-time coach, though the last player to wear it did spend some time as a coach.  No, #17 is the team's sole number retired in deed, if not in name.  Many, if not most, Brewers fans will name only one player if asked who wore #17, but he was not the only one.

Follow the jump for the full list!

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