by Rich Watson
When you think of Milwaukee, you think of beer. (That and seventies retro-themed sitcoms.) Since 1840, the Midwestern city has specialized in producing suds from over seventy breweries and over a hundred brewing companies, including Miller, Pabst and Schlitz.
After the Braves headed south to Atlanta, it wasn’t long before a new baseball team took their place: the Pilots, exiled from Seattle after only one year in existence. In 1970, they were renamed the Brewers and played in the Braves’ old ballpark, Milwaukee County Stadium.
All they lacked was a mascot.
County Stadium and the Braves: Milwaukee had a Hammer
The original major league Brewers, from 1901, had moved after one year to St. Louis and became the Browns. They had thought about returning to Milwaukee and playing in County Stadium, but the Braves prevented that.
A minor league Brewers team began in 1902. County Stadium, on 201 South 46th Street, was intended for them. The Braves, though, beat them to it upon their arrival from Boston, their birthplace, in 1953. They drew 1.8 million fans that first year, a National League record at the time.
The next year saw the debut of Hank Aaron, and the fans really had something to cheer about then. In 1957, he led the Braves to their one and only World Series title in Milwaukee, not to mention his lone championship. They beat the Yankees in seven games.
After the 1965 season, new ownership, craving a larger television market, moved the Braves to Atlanta. The White Sox used County Stadium as their alternate home site for a handful of games in 1968-69. It was also the alternate home of the NFL Green Bay Packers until 1994.
One Brewer fan’s vigil
The new incarnation of the Brewers, an American League team, struggled to draw fans at first. One exception was retired aviation engineer Milt Mason. He wanted the Brewers to sell out so much, he vowed to camp atop the scoreboard in a trailer until they did. (He knew the general manager, which was probably why the Brewers let him do it.)
Mason had to settle for a crowd of forty thousand. After forty days, on August 16, 1970, Bat Day, he got it. He celebrated by sliding down a rope—and burning his hands. 44,387 patrons saw the Brewers beat the Indians… and the birth of a legend.
Bernie Brewer slides into glory
Mason died of cancer in 1973. Partly as a tribute to him, the Brewers created a mascot called Bernie Brewer, a character with a big blonde mustache who “lived” in a chalet in the bleachers.
Underneath the chalet was a giant beer barrel, tap and all, and a mug. A slide connected the two. Bernie did things like lead the crowd in rallies and other mascot stuff, but when a Brewer hit a home run… that was when he really earned his pay.
The first time Bernie slid into the beer mug was for a home run by Brewers infielder Pedro Garcia. In time, Bernie added a sidekick, Bonnie Brewer. She helped the ground crew sweep the bases and played around with the visiting third-base coach.
Bernie, for the most part, is well-behaved, though he was once accused of espionage. In 1984, the Brewers rebuilt the bleachers, but Bernie took a hiatus. Fan demand brought him back in 1993.
Aaron’s return, later years and the end of County Stadium
Aaron returned to Milwaukee in 1975, joining the Brewers in a trade with the Atlanta Braves. After breaking Babe Ruth’s career home run record the year before, he broke Ruth’s career RBI record, as a Brewer. Also in 1975, at County Stadium, he appeared in the All-Star Game for the last time. His 755th and final career home run came in Milwaukee, in 1976.
In 1982, the Brewers won their one and only pennant. They beat the Angels three games to two before losing to the Cardinals in seven games.
The baseball movie Major League filmed at County Stadium, as did the TV show Coach.
MLB’s 1995 expansion eventually led to the Brewers’ switch to the National League two years later.
The Brewers left County Stadium after the 2000 season. A new book, released last year, chronicles the ballpark’s history. A marker on the former site indicates where Aaron’s final home run landed.
Bernie and the Brewers at American Family Field
In 2001, the Brewers moved to the newer Miller Park, now called American Family Field. Bernie went with them. His chalet is now a “dugout.” The giant beer mug has been replaced with a home plate-shaped platform. The area also pays tribute to longtime Brewer announcer Bob Uecker and his home run call.
As for the original chalet? It’s on display at Milwaukee’s Lakefront Brewery. Open until nine PM, five PM on Sundays.
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Have you ever seen Bernie Brewer at County Stadium?
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