Comments on: Gorman Thomas

By: toadguardian

toadguardian — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 22:43:52 +0000

Just finished your book so am going back through some of the blog.

Never has this post rung more true than in 2010. The Brewers once again have an AL-style squad. They’re 2nd in the NL in runs, HRs, and slugging percentage. Pitching? A 5.36 ERA, 14th in the N.L.

Management seems to think that Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder can outslug the mess left by retreads like Jeff Suppan and Dave Bush.

By: Brewer Bertram

Brewer Bertram — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 15:34:14 +0000

8. I met Gorman outside of Gorman's Grill at Miller Park, where he said hello, talked to me about ball for a few, and signed my hat on the bill. He reminded me of those days you spoke about with the hippie beating, long home run, Hank Williams, Jr. posturing. Three days later, my German Shepherd ate my hat. Only the bill with Gorman's signature survived.

By: JL25and3

JL25and3 — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 21:23:45 +0000

7. Gorman Thomas was actually a pretty good ball player. He was a good outfielder, hit for power, took a lot of walks, and had good speed. (He never stole many bases, but he was an A runner in Strat-O-Matic, so there you go.)

In fact, for a five year period he was a damn fine player indeed: OPS+ of 142, 138, 112, 146 and 137. Unfortunately, no one really acknowleged how good he was, because his batting average over that stretch was only .245.

My Gorman Thomas story: my mom worked for a firm that had a box 10 or so rows behind the visitors’ dugout, so I got to sit there a fair amount. (This was back when a local city-planning firm, not a huge one, could get a box in that location.) I was sitting there for a Yankees-Brewers game – thanks to the miracle of B-R and Retrosheet, I know that it was the second game of a twi-nighter on September 9, 1981, but otherwise the only thing I remember is Gorman Thomas batting against Dave LaRoche.

LaRoche had unveiled his eephus pitch, LaLob, and that’s all he threw Thomas. Gorman got more and more outraged, completely befuddled by this meatball floating over the plate, and ended up striking out on a gargantuan swing. On his way back to the dugout, well, Thomas just had to hit something. So he took off his helmet, tossed it up, and, with the same mighty swing, smashed it into little bits. I can only imagine how satisfying it must have been to him; I know the crowd went nuts.

One of my favorite moments ever.

By: 70s Baseball

70s Baseball — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 00:01:43 +0000

6. Gorman was the "good old boy's" slugger. If you would have asked somebody in 1980 who would be in the Hall of Fame out of these four players (Gorman Thomas, Cecil Cooper, Robin Yount, Paul Molitor), the answer would not have been Yount and Molitor.

By: Ian Capilouto

Ian Capilouto — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 07:45:25 +0000

5. I just now read this posting and the preceding before that. The first line had me guffawing or some such descriptive word like that with opening day in my head. I was quizzing my cousin today in the car on all the big league teams of which there were a few of the newer expansion teams he had a hard time identifying. But of all the teams I brought up, the big guys answer to my prompt of "The Milwaukee_________," he emphatically answered with the Brewers. I then thought, if there is one team out there that the average man could never hate, it has to be the Brew Crew. I mean they are the Brewers of beer. Something that most of the people I know love to drink. Fuckin' A man, great post.

By: Josh Wilker

Josh Wilker — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 20:01:21 +0000

4. 3 : Ha! You know, on an objective level, even though my favorite team is in the A.L., I actually prefer the N.L. style of baseball. But in a consideration of Gorman Thomas there is no room for objectivity.

By: Brent is a Dodger Fan

Brent is a Dodger Fan — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 19:31:31 +0000

3. I think I would enjoy this one more if I weren't such an NL-ophile, and hence, my reaction is colored as if my hometown were maligned.

By: Ennui Willie Keeler

Ennui Willie Keeler — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 18:40:23 +0000

2. I'm not sure if I mentioned that this was one of my favorite entries during the early days of this blog.

By: Josh Wilker

Josh Wilker — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 22:42:48 +0000

1. 2 comments from old CG site:

ramblin’ pete millerman said…
On certain bleak, indigo and moonless October nights,
…when heartbreak has us down; when leaves rustle lethargically, if at all; when the dispiriting transience of summer has passed by and sunk in; when sobriety, hindsight, and the realization of blown saves and lost chances has subsumed our mortal ken; when we don’t know whether to give up or give in; when we don’t have the strength to get up and take another shot…when the joke’s on us…when there’s nobody even there to bluff…

On nights like these there is no “National League Central.”

There are no “Milwaukee Brewers”, even.

There are no shattered dreams, broken into little pieces.

On nights like these there are only Seattle Pilots.

And Gorman Thomas is Don Mincher.

And that long passed sense of innocence and naivete can maybe, maybe stir again.

If you listen really carefully…

5:19 PM

Anonymous said…
Don Money!
Don Money!
Don Money!
Don Money!

6:05 PM