Yesterday, the Brewers announced that the latest inductee to their Wall of Honor would be longtime TV color analyst Bill Schroeder. I was a bit surprised upon first hearing the news. Based on my understanding of Wall of Honor qualifications, Schroeder was 800+ plate appearances and/or one Hall of Fame induction short of meeting inclusion criteria. As it happens, these things are flexible:
[T]he above criteria has been updated to allow the team to honor longtime broadcasters who played for the team. Any alum who donned a Brewers uniform for any length of time and served as a primary broadcaster for at least 20 seasons with the team will be eligible for the “Wall of Honor.”
How convenient. As if baseball fans needed another reminder this week – when the latest Hall of Fame inductees were announced – that the criteria pundits and fans use to judge these kinds of recognitions are always subject to change.
Of course, the ongoing debate of whether BBWAA members should vote for the most accomplished players of the steroid era is one thing; how the Brewers decide who they want to make plaques for is a far less dramatic issue. After 20 years of service, Schroeder is second only to Bob Uecker in broadcaster longevity. Many fans probably can’t remember a time when Schroeder wasn’t in the TV booth.
If the Brewers want to put the guy who caught the first no-hitter in Brewers’ history (let’s assume there will be at least one more at some point) on the Wall of Honor, who are we to argue? Frankly, you’d have to be a real jackass – the kind who calls into sports talk radio demanding some manager or coach be fired when players fail to produce – to criticize Schroeder’s inclusion in the Wall. Sure, like all broadcasters who have to work most games during a six-month season, he’s guilty of overusing some clichés. (“He just muscled that one into the outfield.”) But if you were going to make an argument that Schroeder somehow diminishes the experience of watching Brewers baseball on TV, you’d have your work cut out for you (you miserable bastard).
Schroeder will make a fine addition to the Wall, but why stop at former players who have had 20 years of experience? A quick review of Brewers broadcasters throughout history brings to mind more than a few fond memories. At this point, Schroeder’s broadcast partner Brian Anderson has established a solid place for himself in the hearts and minds of Brewers fans on the cusp of his ninth season as the play-by-play man. Since baseball fans love round numbers, why not give BA the Wall of Honor nod if he completes a tenth? The fact he never wore a Brewers uniform would be a silly reason to disqualify him.
Speaking of broadcasters who never played for the Brewers, it’s hard to believe it’s been nearly 15 years since Matt Vasgersian called games alongside Schroeder. Although he worked a relatively modest five seasons, surely Vasgersian deserves some kind of recognition. Maybe the Brewers could amend their Wall criteria to honor broadcasters who served at least five seasons and suffered the indignity of working for the XFL.
While we’re at it, why not make room for Daron Sutton? As far as I can tell, Sutton still doesn’t have a TV or radio job since being let go by the Diamondbacks in 2012. In Sutton’s case, the Brewers would have to change their criteria to broadcasters who served at least five seasons, and who some guy has a specific memory about. That “some guy” would be me, obviously, and this is my memory.
I don’t recall the exact game or opponent (great way to start a reminiscence, right?) but this was the situation: Brewers are on defense and there’s a man at second with less than two outs. The opposing batter hits a fly ball to Geoff Jenkins in right field, and the runner tries to advance to 3B on the catch. Jenkins throws a strike to Jeff Cirillo to get the out. The ball didn’t even hit the ground. This is how I remember Sutton’s call.
Fly ball to right. Jenkins is under it. The runner tags. Here’s the throw…
Dugout’s to your left.
It probably loses something on the written page, but it made me laugh out loud at the time. As I recall, Schroeder laughed so hard he had to hit the cough button for a good 15 seconds.
After 20 seasons, surely Schroeder has earned a place on the Brewers Wall of Honor. Given that there are a lot of spots on that Wall, the Brewers might as well keep finding ways to fill them in the coming years. In terms of broadcasters, Anderson, Vasgersian, and Sutton all fit the bill. Maybe we could even find a place for Jim Paschke.
(Image: OnMilwaukee.com)
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