Mehring Monday: Memory

There was a game that a group of us played a long time ago. One person would start by naming a Milwaukee Brewers player. Then, the next person would name one and so on and so on and so on. You lost by repeating a name or not being able to come up with a name.

You could also lose by picking an obvious name. This may be the only time that picking Robin Yount, Paul Molitor, Bill Caldwell, or Hank Aaron would guarantee a loss.

No. You had to go with semi-obscure names like Von Joshua, Mark Bomback, Thad Bosley, or Bill Sharp. This trip down memory lane started as I was working on the latest 50 Years in 50 Days post for Rattler Radio.  This post had to deal with the 1967 Appleton Foxes season.  One of the features in the post is a look at Midwest League alumni from that particular season.

One of the names that jumped out at me as I picked some of those players was Jerry Reuss, who played with the Cedar Rapids Cardinals in 1967.  I picked Reuss because I remember him as a very good lefty with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Los Angeles Dodgers during the 1970's and 80's. 

Reuss won 220 games and had an ERA of 3.54 in a 22 year career.  In 1980, he pitched a no-hitter, that would have been a perfect game except for a throwing error by Bill Russell.  Reuss won Game Five of the 1981 World Series for the Dodgers with a complete game 2-1 victory.  Oh, and he also outpitched Ron Guidry in that game. 

As I was looking through his baseball-reference.com page, I found that Reuss pitched for the Brewers in seven games in 1989.  I cannot recall Reuss, a two-time All-Star and runner up to Steve Carlton for the 1980 NL Cy Young Award, ever pitching for the Brewers.  The fact that he went 1-4 with an ERA over five might have had a little to do with that. But, still...Jerry Reuss!

That sent me to the 2011 Brewers Media Guide to look for other memorable major leaguers who I did not remember playing for the Crew.

Len Barker (MLB Career: 1976-1987; Brewers Career: 1987):  Len Barker pitched for the Rangers, Indians, Braves, and Brewers during his career.  He went 74-76 in his career.  Barker was an All-Star in 1981 and is best known for his perfect game against the Toronto Blue Jays in 1981.  Barker did not pitch in the big leagues during the entire 1986 season and joined the Brewers for 1987.  He pitched in Triple-A Indianapolis during that season and finished the year with the big league club.  Barker's stats with the Brewers: 2-1 with a 5.36ERA in 11 games.  The final game of his career was September 26, 1987. Barker lasted 2-2/3 innings and allowed two runs on two hits with no strikeouts and four walks.  The Brewers would win 3-2 over the Boston Red Sox, but Barker did not figure into the decision.

Rick Cerone (MLB Career: 1975-1992; Brewers Career: 1986): Rick Cerone played for Cleveland, Toronto, New York Yankees (3 times), Atlanta, Milwaukee, Boston, New York Mets, and Montreal.  He was never an All-Star, but he did finish seventh in the 1980 AL MVP voting and he was pretty darn good catcher for a very long time.  I do remember Cerone killing the Brewers with a crucial home run in the bottom of the seventh inning in Game Five of the 1981 American League East Divisional Series.  In 1986, he played 68 games, hit .259 with four homers and had a WAR of 1.1 as he Charlie Moore and Bill Schroeder split time catching for the Crew.  Unlike the other players on this list, Cerone went on to play after his season in Milwaukee.  He played another

Rob Dibble (MLB Career: 1988-1995; Brewers Career: 1995): One of the Nasty Boys played for Cincinnati, the Chicago White Sox, and the Brewers.  He was an All-Star in 1990 and 1991 and was dominant.  But, he missed all of 1994 due to injuries and the strike.  Then, he started 1995 with the White Sox.  The Brewers picked up Dibble on July 31, 1995 after the Sox released him two weeks earlier.  Dibble went 1-1 with an 8.25ERA in 15 games for Milwaukee and made his last major league pitch September 30, 1995.  In that game - a Brewers 9-1 loss to the Red Sox at Milwaukee County Stadium - Dibble got the final two outs of the top of the ninth inning.  Dibble did sign with the Cubs in December of 1995, but did not play in 1996.

Dickie Thon (MLB Career: 1979-1993; Brewers Career: 1993): Thon was a tough player.  In 1983, he was an All-Star with the Houston Astros and finished seventh in the NL MVP balloting.  In 1984, he was the victim of a severe beaning.  He came back to play baseball at the highest level and while he never reached his pre-beaning level, Thon was still a tough out.  He even had a big homer for the Astros in a Game Four win over the Mets in the 1986 NLCS.  His one season with the Brewers was 86 games with a .269 average and one home run.  Thon's final game as a Brewer was also his final major league game.  The Brewers beat Boston 6-3 in 14 innings at Fenway Park on October 3, 1993.  He was not in the starting lineup.  Thon entered the game as a defensive replacement at second base for Juan Bell after Robin Yount pinch-hit for Bell in the top of the 12^th.  Thon's last MLB at bat was in the 14^th inning.  The Brewers had just taken a 5-3 lead on a two run single by Dave Nilsson.  He stepped up with the bases loaded and no outs against John Dopson.  A wild pitch allowed John Jaha to score.  Thon would strikeout, but the Brewers would win.

Devon White: (MLB Career 1985-2001; Brewers Career: 2001): This one embarrasses me.  White played for the Angels, Blue Jays, Marlins, Diamondbacks, and Dodgers before landing with the Brewers in 2001.  I remember everything before he joined the Brewers, but I did not remember that he played 126 games for the Brewers in his final season in the big leagues.  If YouTube were around in the 1980's and 90's Devon White Spectacular Catch would have been one of the top baseball searches.  He was a three-time all-star and won seven Gold Gloves.  But, I drew a blank on that final season, with a .277 average and 14 homers.  I'm sure the 68-94 record had nothing to do with it.  White's last Brewers game was October 5, 2001, a 5-0 loss to the Diamondbacks at Miller Park.  White was the leadoff batter and centerfielder for the Brewers that day.  He had a hit and a walk.  That hit was one of just three that the Brewers collected that day off Albie Lopez, who tossed a complete game shutout.

In closing, I admit to you that I forgot that these players were Brewers, but remembered guys like Bob Sebra, Alex Madrid, and Dave Valle.

Weird, yes?