I'd like to continue that on the blog. But instead of posting the entire day, I'll pick out one event and elaborate on it a bit. If you want to see the entire day, go to Baseball Library.com's complete entry for September HERE.
Today's focus is 1980.
Insisting his decision is not health-related, George Bamberger announces that he will step down as the Brewers manager following tomorrow's game against Texas. He will be replaced by Buck Rodgers.
The hiring of George Bamberger, the longtime pitching coach of the Baltimore Orioles, on January 20, 1978 was the first step for the Brewers to finally becoming a winning team.
There was the stockpiling of talent, with Robin Yount, Paul Molitor, Sixto Lezcano, & Gorman Thomas. However, there always seemed to be a need for a steady hand at the helm.
Bambi's Bombers clobbered their way to a winning record in 1978 with 173 homers. But, there were also outstanding pitching performances that season. Mike Caldwell, who signed my Brewer/Pepsi Fan Club hat that may still be somewhere in my parents' basement, won 22 games that year is one that stand out above the rest.
In 1979, Thomas won the AL Home Run title with 45 and the Brewers continued to build.
But, on March 6 1980, Bamberger suffered a mild heart attack. He would need quintuple coronary bypass surgery. Rodgers took over until Bambi returned on June 6. The Crew, the second place team in the AL East, beat the Tigers 8-4 that night and pulled to within 3-1/2 games of the Yankees. But, they couldn't get over the hump against the Yankees.
By the time Bamberger resigned, the Brewers were in fifth place 13-1/2 games out with a record of 73-66.
But, the foundation had been laid and when General Manager Harry Dalton went out and made the trade with the Cardinals during the 1980-81 off season to bring Rollie Fingers, Ted Simmons, and Pete Vuckovich, the Brewers were off and running for a divisional pennant in 1981 and an AL pennant in 1982.
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