Frosty Microbrews: Clubhouse fare changes with the times

On Friday, July 22, some unlikely items made their way into the Timber Rattlers' clubhouse: Pizza boxes.

The team pizza party was a celebration for July 20's big game offensively, as Wisconsin collected 20 hits in a single contest for the first time since 2012. In recent years, a new emphasis on nutrition for minor leaguers in the Milwaukee Brewers organization has ensured that pizza doesn't enter the clubhouse very often.

Each game day, both home and away, the Timber Rattlers receive catered pre-game and post-game meals in the clubhouse. The meals are designed to be low in fat and high in protein, ideal for young athletes working to remain healthy and active. Both meals are provided free of charge by the Brewers to help ensure their top prospects have the nutrition they need to succeed.

"It's an investment into their nutrition. And it makes a difference. It's a huge deal and a great benefit for the players and the organization," Timber Rattlers manager Matt Erickson said.

Emphasis on nutrition for minor leaguers is a relatively new phenomenon. Erickson said the food situation in the clubhouse is "completely different" from when he played in the Midwest League less than two decades ago.

"I played in Kane County in 1998 and our pregame and postgame spread consisted of fruit, peanut butter and jelly, and the Powerbar had just come out at that time," Erickson said. "Our dues were $2-3 per day, and there wasn't much variety. Now, the Brewers have made a huge investment into all of their affiliates, and part of that consists of feeding the players at the low-A level a full course meal before the game and after the game at home and on the road. It's catered in every night, professionally done, and some really good food options."

"It's definitely not pizza, I can tell you that," Timber Rattlers infielder Jake Gatewood said. "It's more healthy stuff. The spreads that Ben, our trainer, puts out are usually pretty healthy. It's definitely not pizza, for sure."

At home, the 2013 addition of a club level and banquet facility to Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium provides an opportunity to produce these meals in-house, a partnership that works well for all involved.

"We are very fortunate here that all of our pregame and postgame meals come in-house from our kitchen upstairs," Timber Rattlers clubhouse manager Sam Rosenzweig said. "So it's a really great partnership that we have. It's convenient for me as a clubhouse manager to just be able to go upstairs to get the food. It's been really great so far this year, a lot of good meals come out of the kitchen and the guys really enjoy it."

Not your typical ballpark fare

While the fans outside the clubhouse may be enjoying a bratwurst, nachos or pizza during the game, the Timber Rattlers and Brewers are working to ensure players have healthier options in the clubhouse.

"It's not your typical ballpark fare. We have stir fries, we've had salmon, we've had beef pot roast, so it's definitely not your hot dog, hamburger, slice of pizza meals," Rosenzweig said.

Timber Rattlers executive chef Tim Hansen equated the pre and post-game meals to "a mini-banquet every day" produced in his kitchen. Pre-game spreads may feature lighter, quicker meals like grilled chicken sandwiches or turkey burgers and are always accompanied by a fruit or vegetable tray. Some of the most popular postgame meals feature pot roast, stir fries, turkey enchiladas and jambalaya.

"Turkey enchiladas are one of the most popular ones. I use corn tortillas for those, and they kill that," Hansen said. "Jambalaya is really popular. We use real andouille sausage and shrimp, and they like it a lot."

"We keep them away from the concession food, or try to. They are grown men and they make their own decisions," Hansen said.

To encourage players to make healthy decisions, Hansen puts a heavy emphasis on making healthy options attractive.

"The Brewers' nutritionist spoke about presentation being important," Hansen said. "They want the meal to be appealing so they eat it here and don't stop for fast food on the way home." 

Feedback encouraged

On any given day there may be as many as 35-40 players, coaches, roving instructors and others partaking in pre and post-game meals in the clubhouse. It's impossible to perfectly accommodate each and every one of their dietary preferences all the time, but Rosenzweig said the team does make an effort to adjust the menu to players' tastes.

"Our communication is pretty open," Rosenzweig said. "Guys will say after a certain thing if they didn't like it or if something wasn't to their liking. It's tough to please all the guys all the time, but if the group consensus as a whole is thumbs down, we try to stay away from that."

Additionally, positive feedback is also appreciated and helps everyone involved provide the best possible meals going forward.

"Grilled turkey burgers get a big thumbs up from a lot of the guys," Rosenzweig said. "There are things we've found that they like that are also good for them and help them get ready to be at the top of their game. So we try to give them the best option possible that they also enjoy."

Providing these meals, making them appealing and accommodating the team's preferences creates additional expenses for the Brewers and extra work for many involved, but Erickson said he feels like it's worth it.

"To me it makes sense because that's the product," Erickson said. "That's what you need to be healthy and to fuel their bodies in what they have to go through on a daily basis, to not break down and to try to stay as healthy as possible. I think it's a great decision and investment that the Brewers have made, and it also limits the pizzas and the burgers and the late night junk food that is usually their option after ballgames."

Rehab rewards

Meanwhile, one longstanding tradition of minor league clubhouses still holds true: When major league players visit on rehab assignments, they typically purchase a postgame spread for the team. During his stint with the Timber Rattlers on the most recent homestand, Brewers outfielder Domingo Santana provided a meal for his temporary teammates.

"Domingo Santana was in town, so he got Olive Garden," Rosenzweig said. "He bought the spread, so it's kind of nice once in a while when those guys come in. It's a little bit of a treat for the guys, too, to get something different than what we typically get. Maybe not the most healthy option, but it's something fun and exciting."