Results tagged ‘ Robin Yount ’
Champ visits Brewers camp
Scott Paulus/Brewers
Brewers players and coaches got a treat Wednesday morning when boxing legend Muhammad Ali visited Maryvale Baseball Park.
The visit was coordinated by the Brewers Community Foundation and Athletes for Hope, a nonprofit founded in 2007 by an elite group of philanthropic athletes who inspire other pros to find a charitable cause and support it. Ali’s wife, Lonnie, addressed the team before players and coaches posed for photos with the champ.
“His wife said this, that with the personality that he had, he’s recognized around the world maybe more than any other person,” manager Ron Roenicke said. “[Players] are all getting their photos. Hey, this guy was incredible.”
Here are some more images from team photographer Scott Paulus. Look for some video of the visit later on Brewers.com.
Thanks to Scott Paulus for the shots. That’s Ali’s wife, Lonnie, in the orange blouse, watching Ron Roenicke present Ali with a Brewers jersey. And, of course, Hall of Famer Robin Yount shaking Ali’s hand in the final photo.
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Increased role for Robin
The Brewers will see a lot of their franchise player this spring.
Hall of Famer Robin Yount lives in the Phoenix area and always drops by camp for a day or two of Spring Training, but this year he’s expected to be a regular part of the staff right up to the start of the season. General manager Doug Melvin and manager Ron Roenicke extended the invitation after Roenicke chatted with Yount at an offseason event in Los Angeles.
“It’s huge, Roenicke said. “It isn’t necessarily that he’s a Hall of Famer, it’s the quality of the person. Today’s players, they’re not in awe of guys that are in the Hall of Fame. It’s certainly important of them for the credibility, obviously, but they’re looking at the guy. Is this a guy that’s helping them?”
Yount, Roenicke says, is a guy who can help them. Yount played shortstop and center field, so he knows defense. He topped 3,000 hits, so he knows offense. And he was a bench coach in Arizona and Milwaukee, so he knows teaching.
“He wants to help these guys out, and he’s got all of these other credentials,” Roenicke said. “So it’s huge having him here in this camp.”
Other former Brewers like Gorman Thomas and Jim Gantner are also expected to make their annual visits, Roenicke said.
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Morning Brew: Rogers, Greinke, Yount
Here’s a morning brew of notes from our session with manager Ron Roenicke:
– Zack Greinke will try again today to throw his first live batting practice session at Maryvale Baseball Park. His session scheduled for Wednesday was pushed back because of some bruised ribs, which Roenicke said was suffered “off the field.” Roenicke declined to expound. “Honestly,” Roenicke said, “It’s really not a big deal.”
– The team is backing off right-hander Mark Rogers, who shut down his own throwing session on Wednesday because of tightness in the back of his surgically-repaired shoulder. Rogers will be treated something like a rehabbing player, and will move through a throwing program before returning to the mound.
– Catcher Jonathan Lucroy called Roenicke on Wednesday night after learning he’d need surgery for a broken pinkie finger on his throwing hand. Roenicke expects Lucroy only to miss a couple of days of camp before returning to catching bullpens, but it will be about four weeks before he’s able to hit.
– Righty Shaun Marcum will start one of the team’s split-squad Cactus League openers on Monday against the Giants and Cubs, Roenicke said. We’ll check with pitching coach Rick Kranitz to see which game Marcum will pitch — I’m guessing he’ll face the Giants — and who will start the other game.
– Hall of Famer Robin Yount arrived in camp this morning and was in uniform for the workout. He lives in Phoenix always stops by Maryvale Baseball Park during Spring Training. Yount offered some great advice to Roenicke for dealing with the media, but it’s not fit to print in this space.
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Hoffman humbled by well-wishes
Trevor Hoffman’s voicemail filled up fast after he logged career save No. 600 on Tuesday night. But one call Wednesday got through.
“Being able to speak to the Commissioner was big,” Hoffman said, referring to his morning chat with Major League Baseball Commissioner Allan H. “Bud” Selig. “We talked about similar feelings and emotions that he had gone through the other day with his statue.”
The Brewers dedicated a statue of Selig outside Miller Park on Aug. 24. Hoffman attended along with a who’s who of Hall of Famers, baseball executives and former Brewers.
“[We talked about] the people that rallied, and how you handle it and how you feel,” Hoffman said. “It was a neat moment to share with him. He understood that I was bombarded with a lot of texts, a lot of voicemails. It’s kind of daunting to think about the time it’s going to take to get back to people, but we’ll accomplish that.”
Hoffman also heard from two former managers, Bud Black of the Padres and Bruce Bochy of the Giants. Padres president Tom Garfinkel left a message, as did Red Sox right-hander John Lackey and other players.
And Hoffman was particularly touched by a message from Brewers legend Robin Yount.
“He took time away from his ‘redneck tailgate’ as he called it, with him and his dogs in the back of his pickup, listening to the game,” Hoffman said. “To hear from guy of his stature in his organization and his community, that’s so humbling. I appreciated that one.”
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Selig ceremony open to public
On Tuesday, Hall of Famers Hank Aaron and Robin Yount will get some company outside Miller Park.
The Brewers are set to honor former club owner and current Major League Baseball Commissioner Allan H. “Bud” Selig with a bronze statue on the home plate plaza at Miller Park, near similar monuments to Aaron and Yount. A public ceremony is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. CT on Tuesday, and it will be a star-studded affair.
There will be no charge to attend the unveiling, although fans who intend to remain for the game will need to leave the parking area and return after the lots open to the public at 4 p.m.
Dignitaries scheduled to appear include Aaron and Yount, plus fellow Hall of Famers Paul Molitor and Frank Robinson, former Brewers Pete Vuckovich, Ben Oglivie, Ted Simmons, Jim Gantner, Gorman Thomas, Sal Bando and Dan Plesac, current Brewer Trevor Hoffman, Dodgers manager Joe Torre, Brewers broadcaster Bob Uecker and a representative of nearly every Major League team.
“We are proud to honor Commissioner Selig for all of his efforts on behalf of the Milwaukee Brewers and Major League Baseball,” Brewers principal owner Mark Attanasio said. “The Brewers and Miller Park are in this city because of the Commissioner’s vision and dedicated efforts. Just as importantly, he has remained a prominent and highly philanthropic member of our community while effectively leading Major League Baseball during his tenure as baseball’s top executive.”
The statues of Aaron and Yount were unveiled on April 5, 2001, the first year of Miller Park’s existence. The first two statues were donated by Selig’s charitable foundation.
The new statue will be cast in bronze and will measure over seven feet in height, not including the base. It is being designed and produced by Brian Maughan, who, along with Douglas Kwart, also created the Yount and Aaron statues.
Selig was born and raised in Milwaukee and headed the group in 1970 that bought the Seattle Pilots out of bankruptcy court and moved the franchise to Milwaukee just before Opening Day. Under his watch, along with then-general manager Harry Dalton, Selig helped build the Brewers into an American League power by the late 1970s, a path that culminated with an AL pennant in 1982.
The Brewers won seven “Organization of the Year” Awards under Selig’s watch, and he is credited with pushing through efforts to build Miller Park during the 1990s.
By the time Miller Park opened its doors in 2001, Selig was the ninth Commissioner of Major League Baseball. He assumed the role of acting Commissioner in 1992 and took over permanent status in 1998, helping to usher in a number of landmark changes in baseball, including the implementation of the Wild Card, the three-division format and Interleague Play. He also championed a new drug-testing program, revenue sharing among the clubs as well as ventures like MLB Advanced Media, the parent company of MLB.com, plus MLB Network and the World Baseball Classic.
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Davey Nelson golf tourney set for June 7
News from the Brewers:
On Monday, June 7, Brewers Director of Alumni Relations and FOX Sports Wisconsin broadcaster Dave Nelson will host a celebrity golf tournament at the Original Championship Blackwolf Run Golf Course in Kohler, Wis., located 60 miles north of Milwaukee.The 18-Hole Davey Nelson Celebrity Golf Tournament will begin at noon CT and will be followed by a cocktail and dinner reception with both a silent and live auction. An awards ceremony will also take place later that evening. Celebrity guests scheduled to golf in the tournament include Robin Yount, Gorman Thomas and a host of others.All teams will be comprised of a five-person group and play will consist of a Scramble Format with team prizes awarded to the top finishers. Registrations are being accepted as a foursome and a celebrity golfer will be paired with each group to make up the five person team. Registration fees are $2,500 per foursome, with all proceeds benefiting Open Arms Home for Children in South Africa, and Brewers Community Foundation.A golf clinic will take place at 10 a.m. and a lunch buffet will be served prior to the start of the tournament. In addition, there will be a cocktail reception, dinner, silent and live auction and awards ceremony after. The tournament is limited to 28 foursomes. For additional information or to sign up for this memorable golfing experience, interested participants may visit brewers.com/davey.Open Arms Home for Children is a non-profit organization that provides homes to orphaned children affected by the AIDS pandemic in South Africa. Dave Nelson has served as Board Director for over four years. The Brewers Community Foundation is the official charity of the Milwaukee Brewers Baseball Club. The mission of Brewers Community Foundation is to support activities and programs targeted at youth recreation, scholarship and education throughout Milwaukee and Wisconsin.
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Selig statue to join Aaron, Yount
Hall of Famers Hank Aaron and Robin Yount will get some company this summer outside Miller Park.
The Brewers on Monday announced plans to honor former club owner and current Major League Baseball Commissioner Allan H. “Bud” Selig with a bronze statue on the home plate plaza at Miller Park, near similar monuments to Aaron and Yount.
The Selig statue will be unveiled in an afternoon ceremony on August 24.
“We are proud to honor Commissioner Selig for all of his efforts on behalf of the Milwaukee Brewers and Major League Baseball,” Brewers principal owner Mark Attanasio said. “The Brewers and Miller Park are in this city because of the Commissioner’s vision and dedicated efforts. Just as importantly, he has remained a prominent and highly philanthropic member of our community while effectively leading Major League Baseball during his tenure as baseball’s top executive.”
The statues of Aaron and Yount were unveiled on April 5, 2001, the first year of Miller Park’s existence. The first two statues were donated by Selig’s charitable foundation.
The new statue will be cast in bronze and will measure over seven feet in height not including the base. It is being designed and produced by Brian Maughan, who, along with Douglas Kwart, also created the Yount and Aaron statues.
Selig was born and raised in Milwaukee and headed the group in 1970 that bought the Seattle Pilots out of bankruptcy court and moved the fledgling franchise to Milwaukee just before Opening Day. Under his watch along with then-general manager Harry Dalton, Selig helped build the Brewers into an American League power in the late 1970s, a path that culminated with an AL pennant in 1982.
The Brewers won seven “organization of the year” awards under Selig’s watch and he is credited with pushing through efforts to build Miller Park during the 1990s. The stadium opened its doors in April 2001.
By then, Selig was the ninth Commissioner of Major League Baseball. He assumed the role of acting Commissioner in 1992 and took over permanent status in 1998, and gets credit for a number of landmark changes in baseball including the implementation of the Wild Card, the three-division format and Interleague Play. He also championed a new drug testing program, revenue sharing among the clubs as well as ventures like MLB Advanced Media, the parent company of MLB.com, plus MLB Network, and the World Baseball Classic.
The Brewers plan to announce further details about the Aug. 24 unveiling ceremony at a later date.
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Adam McCalvy
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