It doesn't always seem that way, but planning player-themed giveaway days is a difficult job. It doesn't take much to turn a cool idea into a bad one: One 0-for-40 streak, for example, turned Craig Counsell's upcoming bobblehead from a nice tribute to a beloved Brewer into a monument to a guy who should be out of baseball.
Another example of an idea with good intentions but poor timing came on this day in 2000. The Saturday night game against the Rockies was Bob Wickman All Star Poster Night, planned to honor one of the Brewers' best closers of all time following his first-ever trip to the Midsummer Classic. There was a problem, though: Wickman was traded to the Indians one day before the promotion.
Making matters worse, the Brewers got bombed by the Rockies 10-2 in the game, and didn't score their two runs until the bottom of the ninth when they were already down 10-0. Paul Rigdon, one of the players who came over from Cleveland in the Wickman deal, allowed four runs on seven hits over five innings in his Milwaukee debut. He would go on to post a 5.19 ERA over 27 appearances in two seasons as a Brewer, and I don't think anyone ever made a poster for him.
With help from the B-Ref Play Index, happy birthday today to:
- 2004-06 Brewer Mike Adams, who turns 33.
- 1996-97 Brewer Todd Dunn, who turns 41.
- 1980 Brewer Dave LaPoint, who turns 52.