The Brewers were started by Frank Franchelini in 1983.
Back row: Brian Laurie, Pierre Valois, Paul Brazier, Danny Ryland, Steve Gibson, Frank Franchelini, Al Heaney, Ken Cohen. While dining on pig's knuckles and sipping a cold beer at Le Goblet in the mid 70s I glanced through the smoke-filled window of the tavern turned brasserie and in my mind I visioned a park, not any park, Jarry park, the site of the first MLB game played outside the U.S.. Little could I imagine that almost 40 years later I still have fond memories of baseball, memories of Nos Amours the Expos as well as memories of Our Love the Brewers. That summer afternoon at Le Goblet I remember rushing to consume my meal as well as that cold pint because in my jacket pocket was a ticket, not any ticket, a ticket to see the Expos. My first time to see a major league baseball game. I headed to Jarry park, handing my ticket to the attendant and then rushing to find my seat. I wish I had kept that precious ticket, that little piece of memorabilia that would haunt me forever. But in my mind I can still hear the call of "Popcorn, peanuts, get your popcorn, peanuts" and "Cold beer, biere froide" and last but not least, the greatest call of all, "PLAY BALL". But the fondest memories are watching the likes of the Kid, Gary Carter playing in right field and the following year as catcher, Ellis Valentine, Warren Cromartie, Steve Rogers, Woodie Fryman, Rodney Scott, Pepe Mangual, Andre Dawson,Tim Foli, and Bombo Rivera just to name a few, all managed by Gene Mauch. The goose bumps watching these athletes play was like Frank Sivilla would say "UNCREDIBLE". The thrills too numerous to mention. I can also remember seeing the likes of John McHale and Jim Fanning walking through the stands talking to the fans. What priceless memories. Sitting on a bench at Jarry park was amazing, you could reach out and touch any one of your many idols. But you always had to keep your eye on the hitter to make sure that line-drive wasn't headed your way. It was all worth it.
Then one day I dreamed again, a surreal dream, I dreamt of a team I could put together and play in some make-up league. The dream became a reality, the Brewers were born. Working at CN, I began talking to coworkers, the likes of Ted Golding, Rod D'Amato, Steve Gibson, Ken Cohen and others. We started to make it all happen. We began by just playing amongst other teams, pick-up teams, we were getting it all together and we started to get that fire, the fire of playing together and winning together. Then we started dreaming even bigger, to play in a league. First the uniforms, where do we get those? Then we found a place close to work that made baseball uniforms. We put our money together and got those sweaters made with the bright gold Brewers insignia on a dark blueish almost black jersey. Then we got the caps, those funky caps that even today look like a million bucks. We all chipped in for the equipment we would need and then we were ready to roll just like a rock band trying to make it big loading the bus and driving from city to city.
The name I stumbled upon on one day while drinking an Old Milwaukee beer. It was there at that moment when it flashed in my mind while starring at the can that read "Manufactured by Old Milwaukee Brewery", That's the name I decided on, our baseball team would be called the Brewers. Attempting my marketing skills for the 1st time, I decided to send a letter to Old Milwaukee Brewery located in Milwaukee Wisconsin. In the letter I mentioned how a bunch of coworkers decided to put together a baseball team and because we liked Old Milwaukee beer so much we decided to name the team the Brewers. I even sent them a picture of our Brewers jersey with a couple of cans of Old Milwaukee on the left and right sides of the jersey. I then asked in a very nonchalant way for a donation, any donation they could give to support the team. A few weeks later I got a response, a letter with the Old Milwaukee logo on the top left corner of the envelope. As I opened the letter my heart was pounding wondering what their reaction was. As I read the letter they began by mentioning how pleased they were we decided on the Brewers name for our team. They went on to mention that corporate policy did not allow them to sponsor activities such as ours. However they wished us luck and thanked us for enjoying their beer. They also sent coupons for discounts when purchasing any of the beers they manufactured. I never told the boys about that but on my next trip to Plattsburgh they sure came in handy.
The rest is history, we began to play ball. From city parks near and far and finally playing in the big stadium, Chester Field where imagine this, from its infancy of being a storage area to its demise of being a ballpark with lights. It's doesn't get better than that. Just think, one day some kid somewhere will run to his or her dad and say "Hey dad guess what I saw on the internet ? A picture of your father when he played softball in the 1980s". Yes, memories are made of this !!!
The Brewers original line-up: Brian Laurie, Pierre Valois, Paul Brazier, Dan Ryland, Steve Gibson, Frank Franchellini, Al Heaney, Ken Cohen (the 1st Jewish player to play at Tiger Stadium), Syd Leahy, Ted Golding, Rod D'amato, John Gallon, Pierre-Paul Rolland.
Some came and some left along the way but they all contributed to a little piece of history that will remain forever. And finally thanks to Ronnie Zinn for keeping it all alive..
