It’s tough to believe it has been almost 25 years since a member of the Milwaukee Brewers was featured exclusively on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Actually, no it’s not. The Brewers have not been very good in recent history. Since 1987, they have had only five winning seasons. They made the playoffs once during that span — in 2008 — and won only one game. Simply put, there hasn’t been much to talk about in Milwaukee since the 1980s.
Fortunately for the Brew Crew, the present looks bright. Milwaukee currently holds a 10-game lead over the Cardinals in the NL Central, so they are headed for the postseason. They have a solid lineup with plenty of power led by Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder. More importantly, they have the spark plug every team needs in the eccentric Nyjer Morgan. The Brewers have done enough to land themselves on the cover of the August 29th issue of SI.
With his hilarious interviews and over-the-top blowups, Morgan is the oil that keeps the Brew Crew engine from ceasing. The SI article is mostly about Morgan with quotes including this one from general manager Doug Melvin: “He’s brought silliness back to baseball.” Author Lee Jenkins added that the Brewers have customized hand shakes with their security guards and that their antics “irritate some traditionalists.”
If my memory serves me correctly, the last team to “irritate traditionalists” went on to break an 86-year curse. Just saying.
