On This Date in Sports August 16, 1970: Up on the Scoreboard
In collaboration with the Sportsecyclopedia.com
The first year Milwaukee Brewers were having trouble drawing fans, so one enterprising supporter named Milt Mason decided to climb the scoreboard to attract attention to the team. Mason decked out in lederhosen and stayed on top of the scoreboard until the team drew more than 40,000. Mason climbed down the scoreboard as fans cheered as the Brewers won 4-3. His stay lasted 40 days until bat day at County Stadium drew 44,387 against the Cleveland Indians.
The Milwaukee Brewers' poor attendance in their first season was due in part to the strange circumstances that led to their existence. Milwaukee had been the home of the Braves from 1953-1965. After the team left for Atlanta, the city tried to lure another team to play at County Stadium, which had tremendous fan support during the Braves hay day. After the Braves left, one of the team’s stockholders named Bud Selig formed a group designed to bring back a team to Milwaukee. After failing to land one of four expansion teams in 1969, Selig attempted to buy the Chicago White Sox. Over two years in 1968 and 1969, the White Sox played a handful of games in Milwaukee and drew better crowds than they had at Comiskey Park. However, American League owners vetoed Selig’s bid to move the White Sox, not wanting to lose its presence in the Windy City.
Advertisement
Meanwhile, the Seattle Pilots who entered the American League in 1969 found themselves in dire straits financially. The expansion team played in Sick’s Stadium, which was ill-suited for a Major League team, and the team found itself in bankruptcy. If baseball in Seattle were going to work, it would need a new stadium, but it would take several years to build one, and owner Dewey Soriano could not hold out that long. After being spurned on buying the White Sox, Bud Selig agreed to purchase the Pilots and move them to Milwaukee. However, Selig found resistance as Washington’s Senators Warren Magnuson and Scoop Jackson put pressure on the American League to find local buyers.
When the team reported to spring training, it was unsure where they would play. Still known as the Seattle Pilots, the franchise's future hung in the balance throughout March. Owners had approved a move to Milwaukee, but the City of Seattle had gotten an injunction to block the move. As the season approached, Dewey Soriano declared bankruptcy stating he did not have any money to pay the team. As the matter was fought in court, the team’s equipment truck was parked in Utah, awaiting instructions on where to go; Seattle or Milwaukee. General Manager Marvin Milkes testified if the team missed payroll, all players would become free agents leaving Seattle without a team anyway. This testimony allowed the Pilots to declare bankruptcy, clearing the way for the move just days before the season began.
Without any time to market and sell tickets in the off-season, the Milwaukee Brewers, named after the previous teams in the city dating back to the 19th Century and in the minor leagues, faced the daunting task of filling the ballpark. The Brewers did get 36,107 fans for their season opener, a 12-0 loss to the California Angels on April 7th. The rest of the season struggled to get over 10,000 into County Stadium.