Opening Day, 1950

Today, the Milwaukee Brewers will welcome the San Francisco Giants to Miller Park to kick off the 2016 season. Opening Day games are always fun affairs, with the promise of a new season laid out before us, and everyone involved can get into the pageantry. This was true going back to the Borchert Field days. This photo shows the festivities at the Orchard on Tuesday, April 18, 1950.

There's a whole lot to love here. We can see the Brewers and Minneapolis Millers on the baselines. Some of the Brewers are wearing their navy wool jackets, and the Millers' jackets aren't half-bad either. Notice the two different styles of "2" across the backs of the jerseys; I presume that's a batboy at the front of the line, possibly wearing last year's uniform. His counterpart across the plate is wearing a Brewer road uniform.

Note also the pitcher warming up near the top of the frame. The Orchard was so small that the baselines were about the only space available for a bullpen.

The Journal used a cropped version of this photo taken around the same time in their game coverage:

The Brewers' opening day had everything from sunshine to rain Tuesday afternoon—everything but victory. The (picture shows) Mayor Zeidler at the microphone welcoming the baseball team and promising it the city's support, with Chris Seraphim at the right awaiting his turn to speak as county commander of the American Legion

As you can tell from the headlines, the Brewers were unsuccessful that day, losing to Minneapolis 8-5 in a rain-shortened, six-inning contest.

But neither the ninety-minute rain delay, nor cutting the game short, nor the loss itself could dampen the spirits of the Milwaukee faithful. After all, the beauty of baseball is its long season, and there's always another game tomorrow.

1936 American Association Schedule

This league schedule table was published in the Sporting News in early 1936.

It shows all the matchups for the Association. As the notation indicates, the Association was experimenting that year with holding their Season Opener on a Sunday.

If you're looking for just the highlights, here it is:

This is what fans in '36 had to look forward to, eighty years ago.

President For a Day

This dapper fellow is Chauncey Yockey. A lawyer by trade, he came to Milwaukee after graduating from law school at Notre Dame. Yockey threw himself into the civic life of his adopted hometown, serving terms on the Milwaukee Common Council and Wisconsin State Assembly. He became known as one of the city's great boosters, being appointed the "official greeter" of Wisconsin by Governor Philip La Follette and of Milwaukee by Mayor Daniel Hoan. And in 1933, he led a group of investors to buy the Milwaukee Brewers.

MILWAUKEE SPORTSMEN TAKE OVER CONTROL OF BREWERS

A group of base-ball backers in Milwaukee, Wis. to-day took over the control of the Milwaukee Brewers (American Association) with Chauncey Yockey (above) named as president of the club. Although the control of the team will be in Milwaukee, St. Louis Browns will keep a small share of stock and have exchange privilages (sic) as in the past. Al Sothoron, present coach of the St. Louis Browns will be the manager of the newly organized team, and a general shake-up of the old Brewers is planned.

ACME NEWS PHOTOS                    DEC 13, 1933

Yockey was perhaps most notable for his work with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, where he had been serving as the Exalted Ruler of the Elks Lodge #46 in Milwaukee since 1917. It was at the Lodge where Yockey met fellow Elk and Brewers owner Otto Borchert, who was to become one of his closest friends.

Yockey's civic boosterism went hand-in-hand with its sporting life, and beginning in 1926 his Lodge hosted an annual banquet honoring the Brews on the night before the home opener. This tradition would continue until the end of the Milwaukee Braves era.

Milwaukee's hard-hitting Brewers (of 1931) were honored at a banquet at the Elks' club Tuesday night upon their arrival home for their debut Wednesday afternoon. The above photo shows four of the main speakers of the evening. They are, left to right, Mayor Daniel W. Hoan, Lou Nahin, club president; Manager Marty Berghammer and Chauncey Yockey, exalted ruler of the Elks.

The tradition barely had a chance to begin before being struck by tragedy. Otto Borchert collapsed and died just before completing a ten-minute speech at the second annual banquet. Yockey and his Elks took charge of the funeral arrangements, hosting his services at their clubhouse.

Some of (Otto Borchert's "staunchest friends" outside his funeral at the Elks' clubhouse: from left to right: Chauncey Yockey, exalted ruler of the Elks; Oscar Greenwald, R. J. Conway of the Minneapolis club; President Tom Hickey of the American association; E. J. Archambault and President Joe Carr of Columbus.

So Yockey's local connections were well-established when it was announced on December 12, 1933 that his group had a deal to purchase the Brews from the estate of Phil Ball of St. Louis.

The Brews had been in a bit of a funk in recent seasons (including a seventh-place 67-87 finish in 1933), which the fans laid squarely at the feet of their distant owner. Ball also owned the St. Louis Browns, making the Brews their farm club. Fans of the previously-independent club chafed under four years of what was called "chain baseball." They wanted local owners, members of the community who would put the Brewers' fortunes first and not use them as a feeder for a major league roster. Yockey seemed poised to deliver.

In retrospect, it's a bit disingenuous for the ACME wire service to have described Yockey's group as "Milwaukee sportsmen". In truth, almost all of the money was coming from Chicago-based interests. Chief among these was William J. Sinek, vice president of the Chicago City Ice & Fuel Company and, like Yockey, exalted ruler of his local Elks lodge.

Yockey's group came in swinging, firing long time president Louis Nahin, who had been with the club in various capacities for twenty-three years. Yockey also axed third-year manager Frank O'Rourke, installing himself as the prexy and Browns coach Allan Sothoron as the new skipper. Those were intended to be the first of many changes for the Brewers' new owners, but the group immediately began to unravel.

Just days after issuing his triumphant press release, Yockey admitted that his group didn't actually have the money to purchase the Brewers, that he had been placed in his position as president by the Ball estate, and that he hoped to have sufficient funds to complete the sale "by the summer". Brewer fans braced for yet another year of "chain baseball." Meanwhile, Nahin quietly continued to run the Brewers even without a conract.

Yockey did have some good ideas for reviving the struggling club, including the creation of "a knothole gang among youngsters, who (would) be admitted at least once a week to games at Borchert field". He was never given an opportunity to put them into practice; on January 4th, 1934 it was reported that Yockey was let go from his position, and Louis Nahin was officially hired back as the club's business manager. When Milwaukee lawyer Henry Bendiger finally purchased the team in April, Nahin's position was once again made permanent.

Yockey had around twenty-two days "in control" of the Brewers before his bid fell apart, closing a brief but strange chapter in the ownership story of our Brewers. I wonder what "the official greeter of Milwaukee" could have made of it had he partnered with Bendiger or another local investor.

Brewer Sportraits No. 6: Bill Nagel

Today we feature another in the line of "Brewer Sportraits" cartoons from Milwaukee Sentinel artist Lou Grant.

Today, the subject is Brewer third baseman Bill Nagel.

We've previously looked at Nagel's career in Milwaukee. He was brought to the Cream City after the 1943 season by president Bill Veeck, one of Sport Shirt Bill's last deals before enlisting in the Marine Corps. The slugging third-sacker was valuable enough to attract major-league attention before he even spent a single season at the Orchard; he was sold to the Chicago White Sox in August of 1944, but remained in a Brewer uniform long enough to help the club win its second consecutive pennant.

A 3:30 start? "Never Mind Fans, It Won't Happen"

In 1912, the Brewers announced that they were considering pushing back the start time of games from 3:00pm to 3:30. Fans reacted with a decided lack of enthusiasm, and the plan was scrapped, but not before the Milwaukee Journal published this humorous look at the proposal:

Vergil Jester Passes Away at 88

(Photo courtesy Paul Tenpenny)

Sad news out of Colorado, where former Brewers right-handed pitcher Virgil Jester has passed away at the age of 88.

Jester came to Milwaukee in 1951 and instantly made himself an invaluable part of the Brews' battery, winning 13 games in relief. He came back again for 1952, and was called up to the Boston Braves during that season. Jester came back to Milwaukee in 1953, this time with the relocating big league club.

The Denver Post published this obituary:

Virgil Jester made it from North to big leagues

By Irv Moss
The Denver Post
POSTED: 02/16/2016 08:08:22 PM

The Virgil Jester chapter in Denver's baseball history has closed.

Randy Jester, Virgil's son, announced Tuesday that his dad died of pneumonia early Monday morning in a care center. Virgil Jester, 88, came out of Denver North High School and became a fixture in Denver baseball. Randy Jester said there will be no services.

During his career, Virgil Jester played three seasons with the Denver Bears and played in the major leagues with the Braves, first in Boston and then Milwaukee. He started as an infielder but was quickly moved to the pitching mound because his fastball reached speeds into the 90 mph range.

Jester signed a contract with the Boston Braves in 1947 for $2,500. As he looked back on his career a few years ago, he said he was born 55 years too soon, missing the big salaries that came to major-league baseball.

Jester pitched in the old Denver Post tournament at Merchants Park on South Broadway. He once pitched against Hall of Famer Satchel Paige.

Jester compiled a major-league record of 3-5 in 21 games with a 3.84 ERA.

Jester retired from baseball after the 1959 season. He was back with the Bears for his final year.

"That was the end of it," Jester said of his baseball career. "I got tired of it. I enjoyed baseball for a while, but it was time to get out of it and go on with my life."

The Denver-based Examiner.com reported his passing this way:

Virgil Jester, last winning pitcher for Boston Braves dies at 88

By Nick Diunte
Baseball History Examiner
February 18, 2016
7:39 AM MST

Virgil Jester, one of Denver's prodigal baseball figures has passed away. The former pitcher for the Boston and Milwaukee Braves died due to complications from pneumonia on February 15, 2016 according to a report from the Denver Post. He was 88.

Jester was a standout athlete at Denver's North High School, where he played both infield and pitched. So renowned for his accomplishments on field, Jester was selected for the 1944 Esquire All-American Boys Baseball Game at the Polo Grounds in New York City. Jester was the starting pitcher for the West Squad that was managed by Mel Ott. Other notables who played in that game were Hall of Famer Richie Ashburn, as well as future major leaguers Erv Palica and Billy Pierce.

After attending Colorado State Teacher's College, Jester was signed by the Braves in 1947 for the princely sum of $2,500. In a 2012 interview with the Denver Post, Jester wished his bonus arrived a half-century later.

"If you look at the salaries today, I was born 55 years too soon," Jester said.

The Braves initially placed Jester not as a pitcher, but as an infielder, an experiment that was quickly abandoned after he hit .169 during his first season with Class C Leavenworth. It was a move that paid dividends for both the Braves and Jester, as he posted winning records each of the next five seasons in the minor leagues, including a 10-5 record at Triple A Milwaukee in 1952 that led to his arrival in the big leagues.

"I won 10 straight games real quick, after that they called me up," he said during a 2008 interview from his home in Colorado.

Jester pitched his way to a 3-5 record in 19 games for the Braves for 1952, with his third victory coming against the Brooklyn Dodgers on September 27, 1952. It was the final victory of the season for the Braves, as their last game of the 1952 campaign ended in a 12-inning tie against the Dodgers. Unbeknownst to him, it was also the final victory for the Boston baseball franchise, as owner Lou Perini moved the team to Milwaukee the following year.

"I pitched in the last game and beat the Brooklyn Dodgers in the last game of 1952," he said. "None of the ballplayers knew anything [about the move]."

Jester accompanied the team to Milwaukee and made the 1953 club out of spring training. He pitched sparingly in relief during April and was sent down to the minor leagues when rosters were trimmed at the end of the month. His demotion signaled the end of his career as a major leaguer.

He left the Braves organization after an arm injury in 1954 and remained out of baseball until 1959 when he was called by an old friend to help bolster the Denver Bears pitching staff. He gladly accepted.

"I left after the 1954 season and I never did ever hear from the Braves," he said. "After that I rejoined the Denver Braves in 1959. I just kept myself in good shape working out with them in Bears Stadium. … They were having trouble with their young pitchers they were expecting a lot of. Bob Howsam called me in and asked me if I wanted to join the ballclub and I told them, 'Sure!' That's how I got back with the 1959 club."

Jester kept himself involved in athletics working as a college football and basketball referee, as well as a baseball umpire for over 25 years. He attributed his success as an umpire to his former teammate and long-time major league manager Gene Mauch.

"I played with Gene Mauch and he was one of the men that I really followed because he knew the rule book inside out," he said. "I think he was the only manager / ballplayer that I ever knew that knew more about the rule book than the umpires did. I felt like that was the best thing to learn what to do was to sit down with the rule book and read it. I umpired with a lot of men that knew the rule book real well, but they didn't have the guts to really apply it on the field."

The Examiner article features two of our photos of Jester; the first is the shot of him wearing the Brewers team jacket, used in the article itself.

The second comes from the accompanying photo gallery, a Milwaukee Journal photo showing Jester celebrating with teammates Dick Hoover and Al Unser after defeating the Montreal Royals in the 1951 Little World Series.

I'm glad that we were able to help in some small way, that our research gave the Examiner something to build on. All I've wanted from this site is to help keep alive a small slice of Milwaukee's baseball history, which is ever more important as we lose the last of the men who contributed to that history.

Rest in peace, Virgil Jester.

"Three 'Original' Brewers Remain", 1915

The Milwaukee Sentinel ran this photo on March 26, 1915, featuring three Brewers with the longest tenure.

The "original Brewers" are presented here. Tom Dougherty, veteran pitcher; Harry Clark, third basemanm and Newt Randall, king of the right garden. These three old timers, who have seen the club rise from a second division bunch to a two time flag winner, know every blade of grass in Athletic park. Not once have they failed to deliver, and even Tom, who has been twirling a long time now, is still able to make his old soupbone shoot them over at all angles.

"Original" would imply that the three had been with the Brewers since the club's first season in 1902. But that was not the case for these three men.

Harry "Pep" Clark and Tom Dougherty had both come to the Brews in 1904. Newt Randall was a relative newcomer, purchased from the National League Boston Doves before the 1908 season. All three would become Brewer legends and fan-favorites. Clark added "manager" to his job description in 1913, and the Brews famously went on to win their first pennant that season, and a second in 1914, making him a popular fixture in Milwaukee.

These "original Brewers" would be broken up just months after this photo was published. Randall and Dougherty were sold, along with Joe Burg and "Jap" Barbeau, to the Pacific Coast League's Oakland Oaks in November of 1915. The four veterans were moved as part of a massive rebuilding by owner Al Timme, who warned that nobody on the roster was safe.

Dougherty never made an appearance for Oakland, but Randall had a cup of coffee with them. He saw action in five games, managing just one hit in eleven at-bats. For both men, leaving the Brewers also meant the end of their playing careers. Pep Clark hung on to his managerial job for one more season before he too was replaced, although he did come back for a second turn with the Brews as player/manager in 1922 and 1923.

"Brewers On Tap" podcast

Podcasts are one of the ways I keep in touch with my Brewers across all the miles, and this off-season I've been listening to "On Tap", the Crew's official podcast.

And while I'm listening to the latest news about the Brewers, I have this cover image on my screen.

This is just another example of why mascot logos rock. They're adaptable to all situations. This isn't the best application of the Barrelman logo, obscured as it is by the muddy shades-of-blue color scheme, but it still carries a great deal of the original's whimsy and charm.

You can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes.

"Flying Milwaukee's Flag", Part Ia: Our Civil War Banner?

In a previous post, we discussed the history of Milwaukee's flag from 1897 to today, including one small detail on the current flag, introduced in 1954:

In the lower-left quadrant of the gear is a small flag, usually identified as a "Civil War Banner" or "Civil War-Era".

It has also been suggested that this isn't from the Civil War at all, but is instead a service flag.

The service flag was created by an Army captain during World War I as a way for families and organizations to honor their members serving in the military overseas. It features blue stars on a white flag bordered in red, each star signifying a servicemember. If one of those servicemembers was to be killed, then a smaller gold star was superimposed over the blue, with the smaller blue forming an outline around it.

These flags became widespread during World War II, and quickly became iconic. The blue star was a symbol of hope, the gold sacrifice. This is clear in the propaganda posters of the time:

You can see a service flag in this cartoon by Milwaukee Sentinel artist Lou Grant. On the back wall of our fictional Brewers tavern, a service flag remembering Brewer owner-turned-Private First Class Bill Veeck.

So, could this have been a service flag? It certainly seems possible, but I'm leaning against it. The war was still fresh in the public's mind in 1954, and adding one to Milwaukee's Frankenflag would have been an excellent way to recognize the city's war contributions. On the other hand, the design isn't quite right. Service flags were white with red border all around, whereas this is clearly a red/white/red horizontal tricolor. Seems unlikely to get the design wrong specifically because the war was so relatively recent.

I'm not ruling out the possibility, though. More research is needed on this particular chapter in the city's history.

Something New for Your Walls - MoonlightWraps!

I recently discovered a shop on Etsy that will interest everyone who loves baseball's design history. MoonlightWraps offers "vintage memorabilia handcrafted into Gallery Wraps", or printed canvasses stretched around wooden frames.

MoonlightWraps currently offers nearly a hundred vintage images re-created as wall hangings. Although those run the gamut from WPA posters to an apple crate label, the vast majority are sports-related and the vast majority of those are baseball score card covers, including two from our Brews.

The first is this beauty from 1944, featuring team mascot Owgust going up to snag a line drive. We took an in-depth look at this program back in October of 2012, and the cover remains one of my favorites.

This graphic was also used on the Brewers' pocket schedules that season.

MoonlightWraps is also selling a 10x14 wrap reproducing the cover of the Brewers' 1950 score card, with Owgust donning the Tools of Ignorance.

This version of Owgust was also re-used by the team, appearing on pocket schedules the following season.

These wraps are charming, and I'm going to order a set.

If we can demonstrate a market, perhaps MoonlightWraps will expand their Brewers offerings. The 1942, 1943, and 1947 score cards would be excellent choices for the next installment in this series, as would the 1943 or 1952 pocket schedules. Even the December 1944 issue of Brewer News might make a nice holiday-themed collectible.

Baseball has such a rich æsthetic legacy, it's always good to see it being valued and commemorated.

Best of luck to MoonlightWraps; I hope this line is very successful.