Opening day is a time for renewal. It is a time of fresh starts, high hopes, cockeyed optimism and excitement.

All those elements will be evident this afternoon at Miller Park, just as they were 30 years ago at County Stadium when the Brewers' franchise opened a new season and a new era.

On April 7, 1978, the Brewers opened their ninth season with a game against American League East rival Baltimore. After a one-day weather delay, a crowd of 38,777 gathered to watch the explosive, new-look Brewers -- sporting pinstripe uniforms and a "ball and glove" logo -- earn a resounding 11-3 victory.

Brewers starting pitcher and Wisconsin native Jerry Augustine pitched 8 1/3 innings to record the victory and Eduardo Rodriguez got the final two outs in the ninth.

"I think the one thing about being an opening day pitcher that is always kind of neat is that (being chosen) shows a sign of respect for what you've done for the ballclub and your value to the ballclub, and I respected that very highly," said Augustine, who finished 1978 with a 13-12 record and a 4.54 earned run average, in a recent interview.

"This was a young team that was coming of age and we had some really good young players so it was just an honor to be a part of that club. But to be named the starting pitcher that day, it just gives you that opportunity to get us started in the right direction. I think every pitcher loves that opportunity to be noted as the person who starts a team in the right direction."

Augustine received the opening day assignment from new Brewers manager George Bamberger, a 54-year-old Bronx native who left his job as the Orioles' pitching coach to take over the dugout in Milwaukee.

Though he had an amazing run of success in Baltimore, Bamberger never regretted his decision. He was honored as the Manager of the Year in 1978.

When speaking about Bamberger's strengths as a manager Augustine said the first-year Brewers' skipper "had a real knack of getting along with players.

"He'd try to take the game of baseball on a Major League level and put it in the easiest terms as he could for the players and was a good guy to play for," Augustine said.

 Page 1 of 3 

Next >>

1 comment about this article. Post a comment / write a review.

Recent Talkbacks ...