Robin Yount created quite a stir Nov. 4 when he decided the time was right to return to the Brewers as bench coach for manager Ned Yost.
Of course, Yount created plenty of stir during his years as a player with the Brewers -- winning two MVP awards, eclipsing the 3,000 hits mark, making it to the Hall of Fame.
But, Yount didn't create that much stir when he first became a Brewer. The third round pick in the 1973 draft, Yount looked like a young surfer from California when he first signed with Milwaukee. He was drafted straight out of high school.
Yount was rushed to the big leagues by the still-fledgling Brewers in 1974. He played all of 64 games in the minors before coming to the majors.
"I probably needed more experience," Yount later admitted. "The best way of getting it is in the majors. That's the highest you can get and if you're going to go through it every day that's the place to learn."
Yount quickly was dubbed The Kid. He played like one at times the first couple seasons. As a rookie, he hit .250 and played decent at shortstop. An ankle injury cost him the final six weeks of the season.
In his second year, Yount committed a club record 44 errors. It would be the most dubious of many club records he would set.
This writer, then a beginning reporter, first met Yount in 1974. He was a painfully shy, sincerely modest young guy, who had problems getting through interviews. In fact, he would have preferred to have dodged them if he could have. The Kid made a lot of progress in that area over the years.
Yount also progressed over the next few seasons in the field and at the plate. But, the Brewers kept losing, finishing no higher than fifth in Yount's first four seasons.
Robin had second thoughts about baseball in 1978. Plus, he suffered an ankle injury in an off-season motorcycle accident.
"The combination made me wonder if that was really what I wanted to do," Yount later recalled. "It wasn't that exciting finishing fifth or sixth every year. That didn't do a whole lot for me."
It was rumored Yount would quit baseball and take up pro golf. "There aren't a whole lot of 5-handcappers in the PGA Tour," Yount later joked.
Robin did report late to the Brewers. It actually gave Paul Molitor a chance to come up at shortstop. The pair, along with Jim Gantner, would play together longer than any trio in baseball history.
Yount eventually did report to the Brewers, and Molitor switched positions. Together, they played key roles in dramatic improvement in 1978, as the Brewers became Bambi's Bombers under new manager George Bamberger.
By 1982, Yount had become a .300 hitter with decent power. He was a fine fielding shortstop, with great range. Of course, he won the MVP award while helping the Brewers to their only pennant.
From there, Yount's history is well known. He also became a MVP at a different position, after becoming an excellent centerfielder. At his peak, he was considered one of the most complete players in the game.
If one player had to be picked to serve as the symbol of the Milwaukee Brewers, it would be Robin Yount.
Now, as a 50-year-old man, The Kid is coming back to Milwaukee. He can draw on his experience in those early years to help other "kids" like J.J. Hardy, Rickie Weeks and Prince Fielder become major league regulars.
This feature also ran on Gregg Hoffmann's Midwest Diamond Report. The site covers the Brewers, Cubs, White Sox and Twins and other aspects of Midwest baseball and its history.
