Sean Franken

It’s time for an investigation. It’s time for answers. For years, the world has wondered. It’s been debated at family gatherings. It’s caused family members to take sides. I’m here to provide answers to this question that’s been plaguing society. How do you spell Ernest Riles’ first name? Let’s refresh the memory of those who don’t remember or perhaps may not have been alive. That’s what I do. If I don’t keep the memory of obscure former Brewers alive, who the hell will? Ernest Riles made his Major League debut for the Brewers in 1985 and had a solid rookie campaign, hitting .286 in 116 games for the Crew. He finished third in the American League Rookie of the Year voting, behind Ozzie Guillen & Brewers teammate Teddy Higuera. In 1988, Riles was traded to the San Francisco Giants for Jeffrey Leonard. He did appear in the 1989 World Series for the Giants. He went on to play for the A’s, Astros, and Red Sox before his career ended in 1993. So what is the mystery surrounding Riles, you ask? Admit it; you’re all asking at this point. Well, here it is: For years, I’ve been wondering (along with the rest of the world) how exactly Ernest Riles spells his first name. Like Daniel Kaffee said in “A Few Good Men,” “I want the truth!” On the other hand, will I be able to handle the truth, as Col. Nathan Jessup said? Will any of us? In going through old baseball cards, Riles has his first name displayed in a few different ways. Ernest, Earnest, Ernie, and Earnie. Topps, Fleer, and Donruss were all guilty. The name was not spelled consistently. I set out to find the truth. Was I scared? Yes. This search was going to likely take me to the deepest places of the dark web. I knew I had to do it, though. I’m no hero. I just wanted to get to the bottom of this. I looked at samples of Riles’ autograph. This proved to be a dead end. The signature was as sloppy as mine. Sadly I was unable to secure the services of the “Pawn Stars” autograph expert. Next, I decided to look at one of the most trustworthy sources on the internet, Wikipedia. There, his name is listed as Ernest. I then went to Baseball Reference. It was the same thing there, Ernie, no “a.” I was getting close to solving the mystery. There was one sure way to do so, contact Riles himself. Then I thought, what if I called or emailed him to ask him how he spelled his first name? He’d likely dismiss me. Plus, I had no phone number or email address, making it tough to reach out. In the end, I decided to go with the highly trustworthy Wikipedia and Baseball Reference. It is indeed Ernest or Ernie. We can all rest easy. A seemingly unanswerable question had been answered. I’ll leave you with this. In a no way substantiated, ridiculous, likely made-up fact, WWF/WWE stars the Undertaker & Paul Bearer were huge Brewers fans, so much so that they gave the urn they carried around a name. You know, that urn that gave the Undertaker his powers? What was the name, you ask? Urnest Riles. View full article

I’m currently doing an investigative deep dive for a future piece here on Brewer Fanatic. I was hoping to have it finished up but need a bit more time. In the meantime, let’s once again take a ride in the Delorean. This time we’re going back to Mother’s Day 1984. Mother’s Day 1984 was on Sunday, May 13. The Brewers took on the Twins at County Stadium. The top ding on the Billboard Charts was “Hello” by Lionel Richie. The top movie was “Breakin”. Yes a film about breakdancing was number one. The 80s were weird. The top TV show was “Dallas”, My favorite show, “The A-Team” wasn’t far behind. The Brewers were going through a transition in 1984. Their lineup was a shell of the famed Harvey’s Wallbangers and they finished the year a dismal 67-94. They lost Paul Molitor to injury early in the season. Bright spots were few and far between. One of those bright spots happened to occur on Mother’s Day. Randy Ready was in the lead off spot that day. He did his best Paul Molitor impression, igniting the Crew with a lead off home run in the bottom of the first. The Brewers had an early 1-0 lead. Another unsung Brewer, Mark Brouhard provided the rest of the offense. He went 2-3 with a home run, double and three runs batted in. Ready and Brouhard provided all of the offense in the Brewers’ 4-1 victory. On the pitching side, Jaime Cocanower did his job, out dueling Frank Viola, allowing one run in five and two thirds innings. Who needed Molitor, Yount, Cooper and Vuckovich, when you had Ready, Brouhard and Cocanower? In an otherwise terrible season, these unsung heroes sent the fans home happy on Mother’s Day. View full article

I’m going a bit off-topic this week. No John Jaha, no Seinfeld references, no tomfoolery (An underutilized word by the way). I’d like to bring attention to an organization that is near and dear to my heart, The Miracle League. I remember vividly when I was first signed up to play organized baseball as a kid. I remember my uncle taking me shopping for my first baseball glove. I also remember getting a pair of flip-up sunglasses, just like the Major Leaguers wore. I was ready to play ball. Every kid deserves the chance to play baseball, and the Miracle League allows that to happen. The Miracle League offers kids with disabilities the chance to play baseball. They get to pitch; they get to bat; they get to play in the field. There’s an Opening Day. A PA announcer introduces each player as they come to bat. There’s walk-up music. There are informs of Major League teams. They play the National Anthem and concession stands. Miracle League gives these kids an authentic baseball experience. The league is filled with amazing volunteers, from league organizers to coaches, to buddies. The buddies pair with a player and assist and encourage them while batting, running the bases, and playing the field. The players and the buddies are truly the heart and soul of Miracle League. I first became aware of the league while watching my cousin play in it. Something about watching it really affected me. I wanted to be a part of this organization that gave these awesome kids the chance to play baseball. I started volunteering with Miracle League Green Bay as a coach back in 2017. My wife volunteers with me. Every summer, for an hour a week, I’m in awe seeing the joy on the kids’ faces when they get a hit and score a run as the entire park cheers them on. The smiles are infectious. No matter what is happening in life, that hour each week is pure happiness. Not just for the players but the other volunteers and me. Every kid I’ve coached has had an impact on me. I would encourage you to check and see if there is a Miracle League in your town. If so, catch a game, or better yet, volunteer. You won’t be disappointed. In closing, I wanted to say thank you, Miracle League. Thank you for allowing me to coach these amazing kids. It truly has changed my life. When I started volunteering, I worked in banking for the better part of seventeen years. My experience in Miracle League made me realize I wanted to do something more in my career. I took a job at a Non Profit and am now the Director of the Employment & Training Program for adults with disabilities. We provide workplace training skills and assist in job development. It’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Most importantly, thank you for providing these kids the opportunity to play baseball. Thank you for providing joy and happiness in these kids’ lives. In a world where they may have been told that their opportunities are limited, you help show them that their opportunities are LIMITLESS. View full article

It’s a question that the universe has pondered, but this piece isn’t about Billy Jo Robidoux per se. Instead, it involves reminiscing about a simpler time. Once again, let’s take a spin in the DeLorean. It’s the mid-eighties in Any Town USA. A young Brewer fan heads to the local drug store. He makes sure he has enough money from lawn mowing and his paper route, the paper route where he has to get up way too early on a Sunday morning and haul heavy ad-filled papers around the neighborhood in a wagon. The young lad picks up the latest copy of Pro Wrestling Illustrated, a pack of Sweet Tarts, a box of Nerds, and what he truly came there for, some packs of baseball cards. The anticipation builds as he heads home, He can’t wait to open the packs to see what cards he will get. Will he get his favorites, Robin Yount, Paul Molitor, or Teddy Higuera? He opens the packs, shoves the gum in his mouth, and sees a Brewer. It’s Billy Jo Robidoux. The boy doesn’t know much about Robidoux, other than the fact his name is kind of funny. He studies the stats on the back of the card. He sees a very good minor-league career and thinks maybe, just maybe, this guy could be the next Robin Yount. Back then a young boy with no cable TV was exposed to baseball by listening to Bob Uecker on the radio, watching the NBC Saturday game of the week, and reading stats in the Sunday paper, the same Sunday paper he whined about delivering. There was no internet, no up-to-the-second analysis, and no regional sports networks. Another major exposure was through collecting baseball cards. The legendary players of the time were mythical because they weren’t on TV all the time. That’s how a young boy became enamored with Rickey Henderson, through packs of Fleer, Topps, and Donruss. He studied the stats and developed his favorite players. He saw a Donruss “Rated Rookie” and assumed every one of them would be a star (Most weren’t). He thought Billy Jo Robidoux might be the next big thing. The young boy is now an adult. He got back into collecting cards over the last couple of years, the same cards he collected as a kid, 1980s Topps, Fleer & Donruss. It’s a nice little piece of nostalgia. Now if he gets a Billy Jo Robidoux, he smiles, not because the card is worth anything. It’s not. He smiles because it brings him back to a simpler time. (For those of you getting back into collecting, I’d encourage you to subscribe to The Wax Pack Dad on YouTube. He’s a buddy of mine and each week he rips open a pack of cards from the 80s and gives them away to his subscribers. It’s pretty cool. Check it out.) View full article

April 15, 1987. That was the day that Juan Nieves threw the first no-hitter in Milwaukee Brewers history. The Brewers beat the Orioles 7-0. Let’s revisit that magical night through the top 40 songs during that week. It was a cold and windy night in Baltimore. The sky was a MIDNIGHT BLUE. The Brewers were riding an eight-game win streak to start the season. TONIGHT TONIGHT TONIGHT, Juan Nieves was on the mound to face the Orioles. The game started off as a pitcher’s duel, with both Nieves and Baltimore starter Mike Flanagan throwing three scoreless innings to start the game. Both had a NOTHING’S GONNA STOP US NOW mentality. The Crew got on the board first with a Dale Sveum home run in the fourth inning. It was a SIGN O’ THE TIMES as Sveum would come up huge a few days later on Easter Sunday to resurrect the Brewers’ win streak. The fifth and sixth innings rolled by. The Crew maintained a one-run lead and Nieves had allowed no hits. Of course, one doesn’t mention a no-hitter while it’s in progress. One dances around the topic more awkwardly than they’d dance with THE LADY IN RED. The Crew added two runs in the seventh inning and three more runs in the eighth frame and whether we wanted to talk about it or not, Nieves was RIGHT ON TRACK for a no-hitter. Brewers fans watching at home shouted LET’S GO! It was now THE FINAL COUNTDOWN. Nieves was able to do the unthinkable as he closed out the ninth and pitched the first no-hitter in Brewers history. The game ended on a great defensive play by Robin Yount. DON’T DREAM IT’S OVER! In fact, all night the Crew’s defense said LEAN ON ME to Nieves as great plays were also made by Sveum and Tom Paciorek. Let us not forget Bill Schroeder who caught the historic no-hitter. There’s no doubt he and Nieves enjoyed THE FINER THINGS following the game. This wasn’t a case of WITH OR WITHOUT YOU. It was a true team effort. One that will never be forgotten. View full article

The 2022 Major League Baseball season is upon us. Fans are sure to have opinions after two or three games. There will be overreactions of both the good and bad nature. It is, after all, the first week of the season, and every team is in contention. That said, let’s take the Delorean back to April of 1994. How would I react to a new era of Brewers baseball? Let’s set the stage. I was a freshman in college. The biggest things on my mind were "Busch Light or Stroh’s?" What team would I choose for a season of Tecmo Super Bowl? Would Saved by the Bell: The College Years be renewed for a second season? Some of the top songs in early April of 1994 were Gin & Juice and Whatta Man (contrary to popular belief, this was not written about John Jaha). The top movie was Major League 2. It certainly did not live up to the original, but it did contain one of the greatest movie villains of all time in Jack Parkman. The 1994 MLB season was underway. Brewers fans were gutted when Paul Molitor left after the 1992 season. The great Robin Yount retired after the 1993 season. Fan-favorite Jim Gantner was also gone. It indeed was a new era for Brewers baseball. I did not go into the 1994 season expecting much from the Crew. I was more concerned about my late-night weekend Taco Bell orders. But then something happened. The Brewers opened the season, putting up 11 runs in a win against the A’s. They followed that up with a 12 run performance in game two. They then beat the Angels 5-1 to start the season 3-0, scoring 28 runs in those games. No Molitor? No Yount? No problem. The Brewers offense was dominant. Was it possible that names like John Jaha, Turner Ward, Dave Nilsson, and Jody Reed would turn into a murderer's row? Sure, the pitching was suspect, but that didn’t matter. The offense dominated the first three games. The problem is, it was just three games. The offense slowed down, and in May, the Crew lost 14 games in a row. They finished the strike-shortened season 53-62, hardly the dominant team that showed up for the first three games. So what’s the lesson in this? It’s early on. The baseball season is a grind. There will be ups and downs, strikes, and gutters. Let’s not overreact to the good or the bad. Did I think that Turner Ward would make me forget about Molitor & Yount? I don’t think I did, but who knows? My memory of my college years is hazy. Enjoy the season! View full article

Those of you that follow me on Twitter know that I like to get weird. At times I’ll get weird on here. This is one of those times. Let’s analyze the Brewers career of Christian Yelich in terms of Seinfeld seasons, shall we? Now I will present this, for the sake of this piece, the Seinfeld season rankings are my personal rankings. I’ve seen each episode multiple times. Feel free to debate in the comments. Let’s go over his career with the Crew from worst to first. 2020 This was an odd season for all of Major League Baseball. It was short, and it was the first season played during COVID. Yelich was coming off an injury and was not himself throughout the season. Perhaps it was physical. Perhaps it was mental or perhaps... like Kramer in the Season 1 episode, “Male Unbonding” he couldn’t stop dreaming of opening a pizza place where you make your own pizza pie. In terms of Seinfeld, this is Season 1 all the way. It was a shortened season, and it was the worst season. There were five episodes, and the show wasn’t even close to reaching its potential. Both Yelich 2020 and Seinfeld Season 1 were nothing to write home about. So let’s move on. 2021 Yelich continued his struggles in 2021. He still wasn’t the Yelich that Brewers fans came to know and love in 2018 and 2019. I’m not going to try and analyze why he struggled. He ended the season hitting .248 with nine home runs and 51 RBI. He had an OPS of .736. In terms of Seinfeld seasons, this would be Season 2. The show was not yet the show fans would come to know and love. Yelich did show glimpses during this season, just as Seinfeld Season 2 showed glimpses. “The Chinese Restaurant” was a standout in an otherwise non-eventful season. To Yelich’s credit, he never was called Cartwright by a PA announcer. Additionally, as far as I know, he never got a busboy fired like George did in “The Busboy” 2018 The Brewers' career of Christian Yelich started out with a bang. It really is hard to believe, knowing what we know now, that there were those who questioned the Crew giving up Lewis Brinson. Yelich hit .326 with an OPS of 1.000. He had 36 HRs and 110 RBI. The Crew came just short of reaching the World Series. Yelich’s season was brilliant, just like Seinfeld Season 5. Season 5 of Seinfeld gave us MVP episodes such as “The Puffy Shirt”, “The Non-Fat Yogurt” and “The Stall." Yelich oozed coolness like Tony did in “The Stall”. George would’ve idolized Yelich much like he idolized Tony. But Yelich was no mimbo. Season 5 was where Seinfeld hit its stride. It was solid from start to finish, much like Yelich was in his MVP season. As a side note: Season 5 of Seinfeld began as John Jaha was finishing his first full season with the Brewers. 2019 It was hard to imagine that Yelich could top his brilliance of the 2018 season, but he did. In 2019, he hit .329 with 44 homers and 97 RBI. He had an OPS of 1.100 and should have won the MVP. Even though he didn’t, I’d argue that this was his best season with the Crew, just as I’d argue that Season 7 was the best season of Seinfeld. Season 7 was Larry David’s last at the helm. It contained the George and Susan wedding storyline. Coincidentally, just as this season did not end well for Susan, the 2019 season did not end well for Yelich. During the season though, Yeli was an artist at the plate, much like “The Soup Nazi” was an artist at making soup. He disposed of baseballs like Jerry disposed of his short-lived friendship with “The Pool Guy”. He continued to steal the hearts of Brewers fans like Jerry stealing a marble rye from an old lady. So where will Yelich’s 2022 season end up in Seinfeld lore? Time will tell. But you can be sure that Christian Yelich, much like Little Jerry Seinfeld, doesn’t take a dive for anyone. If I had to guess, I’d say Yelich gets hot and yada yada yada, the Brewers win the World Series. What do you think? How will Yelich do, what are your favorite Seinfeld episodes or seasons, and what do you think of the Baseball Season/Seinfeld Season comps? Leave your COMMENTS below. View full article

The MLB offseason was certainly an interesting one. I’m sure many of us had the same thoughts, “Will there be a season?” “If there is a season, how many games will be played?” As a Brewers fan, one of my big concerns was if the lockout would rob me of listening to a true National Treasure, Bob Uecker. Luckily, all was resolved and Brewer fans will have another season of Mr. Baseball on the radio. My first Brewers memories are from the early 80s. Living in Green Bay, in a time before Regional Sports Networks, there weren’t many Brewers games on TV so I relied on the radio for my Brewers fix. Bob Uecker was the voice of my childhood. From Harvey’s Wallbangers to Jaime Cocanower starts, from a 13-0 start to a season (Including a Juan Nieves no-hitter, caught by Bill Schroeder) to Paul Molitor’s 39-game hit streak, "Ueck" was there to narrate it all. As I grew older, Ueck was always there, every summer, like clockwork. He was there for Robin’s 3000th, the John Jaha home runs, through the lean years of the late 90s and early 2000’s. He’s been there through the Crew’s resurgence and multiple playoff appearances. As a child, then as a teen, and now as an adult, Bob Uecker has been there every summer. Here’s the thing though, nothing lasts forever. The reality is, we don’t know how much longer Uecker will be calling baseball games. That’s why last season, I made an effort to listen to more Brewers games via radio. This year I’ll be doing the same. Baseball, more than any other sport, is conducive to the radio. There are few things better than relaxing outside on a summer evening, burgers on the grill, a cold beverage in hand, and listening to baseball on the radio. We’re able to picture the action as it's narrated to us. There is is no question that the Brewers TV crew is a talented bunch. Brian Anderson is a National broadcasting star. Rock and Sophia are great, but Mr. Baseball won’t be around forever. As Brewers fans, let’s soak up every second. Turn on the radio instead of the TV. I can hear it now... "it’s the bottom of the 9th at Am Fam Field. There’s a man on and the Crew is down by one run. Christian Yelich gets a hold of one…then that familiar call, “Get up, get up, get outta here, GONE!” Do you have any Bob Uecker stories to share? Have you ever had the opportunity to meet him? What are your favorite lines from "Ueck"? Please share in the COMMENTS below. View full article