Milwaukee Brewers News Clips Thursday, November 5, 2015
MLB.com Lucroy receives Bob Feller Act of Valor Award Brewers’ Rivera voted into AFL All Stars Game
Fox Sports Wisconsin Want Bob Uecker to wake you up every morning? The Brewers have you covered
Sports Illustrated Brewers giving away talking Bob Uecker alarm clocks next season
Sporting News Senators’ report blasts ‘paid patriotism’ at sporting events
NBC Sports The Milwaukee Brewers were paid by the military for “God Bless America” performances
http://m.brewers.mlb.com/news/article/156529808/jonathan-lucroy-honored-for-helping-veterans Lucroy receives Bob Feller Act of Valor Award
By Andrew Simon / MLB.com | November 5, 2015
WASHINGTON -- In September 2011, something changed Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy's perspective. That's when John Coker Jr., Lucroy's former roommate and teammate at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, was seriously wounded in an ambush while serving in Afghanistan with the Oklahoma National Guard.
Coker survived, but the incident and its aftermath gave Lucroy a new appreciation for the sacrifices that service members and their families make. He soon began finding ways to give back to them, and four years later, Lucroy was honored for those contributions as he received the 2015 Bob Feller Act of Valor Award in a ceremony on Wednesday night at the U.S. Navy Memorial.
"It took something personal to happen for me to realize that, 'Hey, I think I want to do something with this and help out,'" Lucroy said. "I'm on this platform as a baseball player and able to give back and help and do things for people to distract them from their problems, so why not try to focus it toward veterans?"
This was the third year of the award, which Peter Fertig started to honor the legacy of Feller, the late Indians pitcher who took almost four full seasons out of the prime of his Hall of Fame career to serve in World War II. Feller, who enlisted in the Navy almost immediately after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, saw combat in both the North Atlantic and the Pacific, earning six campaign ribbons and eight battle stars.
Each year, an active Major Leaguer and a Hall of Famer are chosen out of a list of nominees for possessing "the values, integrity and dedication to serving our country that Bob Feller himself displayed." An award also is given to a Navy Chief Petty Officer, the rank Feller achieved during his time in the service.
Honored along with Lucroy on Wednesday were Royals Hall of Famer George Brett and Chief Petty Officer Genell Cody. Brett, currently a vice president of baseball operations with the Royals, was unable to attend in the wake of the team's World Series championship. Tommy Lasorda, last year's Hall of Fame honoree, accepted on his behalf. Other past recipients have included Yogi Berra, Nick Swisher and Justin Verlander.
This year the Bob Feller Act of Valor Award also founded the Jerry Coleman Award, handing out the first one to U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sergeant Rene Segura. The new award was named after the late Major League player, manager and legendary Padres broadcaster, who postponed his own baseball career to fly combat missions as a Marine Corps pilot in both World War II and the Korean War.
Also new this year were a pair of Peer-to-Peer Mentoring Awards, earned by groups of junior sailors at sea on the USS Carl Vinson and on shore with HOPPER Information Services, who have done work with their respective chapters of the Coalition of Sailors Against Destructive Decisions.
For Lucroy, a 2014 National League All-Star, his friend's experience lit a fire. Since then, Lucroy's efforts have included providing scholarship funds to military families, visiting VA hospitals and working with a camp that helps children who have lost a loved one in a military conflict. He supports Fisher House Wisconsin, which provides a free place to stay for people from out of town who have a family member being treated at a VA hospital. Lucroy also frequently hosts veterans at Brewers games, bringing them out on the field for batting practice.
"The biggest thing you can give, for anybody, is your life," Lucroy said. "Whenever men and women sign that paper [to enlist], that's what they're saying, that they're willing to give their lives so we can live this life that we have.
"For me to play a game for a living is a huge honor, and not a lot of people think of it that way, but men and women have died for that freedom, for us to be able to do this. So I try to honor them as best I can and give back where I can ... as much as I can, and help people feel better."
On Saturday, Lucroy will be right back in Washington, volunteering for the second time to travel on an Honor Flight, which takes World War II and Korean War veterans to the nation's capital to visit the monuments and memorials.
"Jonathan's a great young man that cares deeply about our country," said Fertig, who was a friend of Feller's. "He is an unbelievable athlete, which is great. He's an unbelievable baseball player, which is wonderful. But like Justin and Nick, he sees the big picture, cares deeply about the people that serve. I can't say enough about him."
Brett, who racked up more than 3,000 hits over his 21 seasons with Kansas City, has for years visited service members at bases and VA hospitals throughout the area, as well as meeting with active-duty military members and participating in ceremonies welcoming home deployed troops.
“Wow, what an honor," Brett said in a statement. "I am constantly amazed at the work service men and women do for our country. To be recognized in the name of Bob Feller and to have the honor in getting to know some outstanding members of the Navy is truly special."
http://m.brewers.mlb.com/news/article/156490316/jeimer-candelario-yadiel-rivera-are-fall-stars Brewers’ Rivera voted into AFL All Stars Game Fans select Cubs No. 20 prospect and Brewers No. 18 prospect to join rosters
By Tom Singer / MLB.com | November 4, 2015
Infielders Jeimer Candelario of the Cubs and the Brewers' Yadiel Rivera earned inclusion in Saturday's Fall Stars Game in fans' Final Two Vote for the Arizona Fall League's showcase midseason event.
Candelario, of the Mesa Solar Sox, carried 27.8 percent of the votes to land the final berth on the East Division squad, while the Surprise Saguaros' Rivera led West Division candidates with 19.1 percent -- a mere 2.1 percent ahead of Jacob Scavuzzo of Glendale and the Dodgers.
A couple of other additions to the West roster were also announced on Wednesday, as replacements for original selections now ruled out.
In a switch of first basemen, Phillies No. 16 prospect Andrew Knapp replaces A.J. Reed, and Reds No. 11 prospect Phillip Ervin takes Michael Reed's spot.
This first-ever Fall Stars Final 2 Fan Vote, presented by Bowman Baseball Cards, left it up to fans to choose the 26th men for each Fall-Star team.
Candelario, a 21-year-old switch-hitting New York City native and the Cubs No. 20 prospect, is batting .341 with 11 RBIs in 11 games as Mesa's third baseman, and nine of his 15 hits have been for extra bases, six doubles and three homers.
Rivera, the Brewers' No. 18 prospect, has an OPS of 1.094 in his first 11 games, and has reached base in nearly half of his plate appearances (.489 on-base percentage).
The 10th annual Fall-Stars Game, with first pitch at 8 p.m. ET streaming on MLB.com and live on MLB Network, will feature an assortment of talent on the cusp of the Majors.
The rosters include seven prospects among MLBPipeline.com's Top 100, a total of 37 players ranked among their team's Top 30, and eight first-round Draft selections.
EAST DIVISION
Pitchers Corey Black, Cubs Ray Black, Giants Nick Burdi, Twins Abel De Los Santos, Nationals Kyle Freeland, Rockies Perci Garner, Indians Chad Girodo, Blue Jays Greg Mahle, Angels Sean Manaea, A's Adam Miller, D-backs Adam Ravenelle, Tigers
Catchers Willson Contreras, Cubs Oscar Hernandez, D-backs Infielders Christian Arroyo, Giants JaCoby Jones, Tigers Renato Nunez, A's Chad Pinder, A's Daniel Robertson, Rays Dominic Smith, Mets Sam Travis, Red Sox
Outfielders Jake Bauers, Rays Austin Dean, Marlins Clint Frazier, Indians Ramiel Tapia, Rockies Adam Brett Walker II, Twins
WEST DIVISION
Pitchers Jacob Barnes, Brewers Ralston Cash, Dodgers Donnie Hart, Orioles Chaz Hebert, Yankees Robinson Leyer, White Sox Damien Magnifico, Brewers Edubray Ramos, Phillies Alex Reyes, Cardinals David Rollins, Mariners Lucas Sims, Braves Eric Yardley, Padres
Catchers Reese McGuire, Pirates Gary Sanchez, Yankees
Infielders Alex Blandino, Reds J.D. Davis, Astros Andrew Knapp, Phillies D.J. Peterson, Mariners Jurickson Profar, Rangers A.J. Reed*, Astros Ramon Torres, Royals Patrick Wisdom, Cardinals
Outfielders Adam Engel, White Sox Phillip Ervin, Reds Derek Fisher, Astros Austin Meadows, Pirates Michael Reed*, Brewers Mike Yastrzemski, Orioles
*A.J. Reed and Michael Reed were replaced on the Fall Stars West Division roster. http://www.foxsports.com/wisconsin/story/milwaukee-brewers-bob-uecker-alarm-clock-110415 Want Bob Uecker to wake you up every morning? The Brewers have you covered The Milwaukee Brewers are announcing their slate of 2016 giveaway items, and the standout item is a Bob Uecker alarm clock based on his famous home run call.
By Fox Sports Wisconsin November 4, 2015
Hearing that alarm clock rudely wake you up in the morning will never be more enjoyable thanks to a Milwaukee Brewers giveaway this upcoming season.
This week the Brewers have been announcing some of their promotional items to be given away at games during the 2016 season. Up until Wednesday, they were all bobbleheads. And then came the item that will definitely ensure a sellout.
The team announced that for its July 10 game, it's all-fan giveaway will be a Bob Uecker talking alarm clock. The Brewers' longtime radio play-by-play man says "Get up, get up, get outta . . . bed" for the alarm -- a takeoff on his famous home run call.
We have one fear: People will keep hitting the snooze alarm so often to hear the alarm again and again that they'll be late for work.
This is one giveaway that might be just a bit outside the box . . . and we're loving it.
http://www.si.com/extra-mustard/2015/11/05/milwaukee-brewers-bob-uecker-alarm-clock-giveaway Brewers giving away talking Bob Uecker alarm clocks next season
By Extra Mustard, Sports Illustrated November 5, 2015
The number of fan giveaways handed out each season are immense, and while there are occasionally fun bobbleheads, gnomes or other tchotchkes, they are generally fairly uninteresting. The Brewers, however, have stumbled upon giveaway greatness.
Next season, on July 10, Milwaukee will be handing out Bob Uecker talking alarm clocks to fans featuring a play on the beloved broadcaster and Major League star’s signature home run call, waking fans up to “Get up, get up, get out of...bed!”
The team has also revealed give away’s for a throwback 1980’s bobblehead, as well as a barking BobbleHank for the team’s adorable adopted pet dog, but those still pale in comparison to the joy that will be waking up every morning by getting yelled at by an American treasure like Bob Uecker.
http://www.sportingnews.com/sport-news/4660199-new-report-blasts-paid-patriotism-at-us-sporting-events Senators’ report blasts ‘paid patriotism’ at sporting events
By Marc Lancaster, Sporting News November 4, 2015
During the seventh-inning stretch of each Sunday home game in 2014, Brewers fans rose to their feet to sing "God Bless America" as the Wisconsin Army National Guard's logo flashed across the Miller Park video board.
A patriotic gesture by the Brewers? Sure — but also a sound financial decision. The National Guard paid the team $49,000 to sponsor those performances.
That was one example outlined in a 150-page report released Wednesday by U.S. Sens. John McCain and Jeff Flake, both Republicans from Arizona. They detailed numerous instances of "paid patriotism" in the $10.4 million the U.S. Department of Defense spent on sports marketing and advertising between fiscal years 2012 and 2015.
"While many professional sporting teams do include patriotic events as a pure display of national pride, this report highlights far too many instances when that is simply not the case," according to their report.
The report was commissioned in the wake of revelations this spring that the Jets and other NFL teams received millions from the Defense Department to stage salutes to the troops and reunions of deployed service members and their families.
According to the report, the NFL has told teams to stop accepting payment for patriotic salutes.
Though it acknowledges legitimate use of funding by the Defense Department for the purchase of in-stadium advertising, among other items, the report blasts the department for using taxpayer money for military recognition during NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL and MLS games. Among the expenditures highlighted in the report:
— The New Jersey Army National Guard paid $20,000 to the Jets to recognize one or two soldiers as "hometown heroes" on the video board at each 2012 home game. A post on Flake's website in May called the expenditures an "egregious and unnecessary waste of taxpayer dollars."
— The Air Force paid the Mets $10,000 in 2014 for an on-field swearing-in ceremony.
— The Air Force paid the Mavericks $5,000 to have staffers throw out USAF T-shirts at four home games and hold two on-court enlistment ceremonies.
Contracts reviewed in the report also noted numerous instances of the Army National Guard, the Air Force or other agencies paying to hold ceremonial puck drops, salute-to-the-military nights, color-guard ceremonies and other events without specifying the amount.
The Defense Department has said that any such high-visibility events can be justified as having recruiting benefits. The senators disagree, writing:
"Americans deserve the ability to assume that tributes for our men and women in military uniform are genuine displays of national pride, which many are, rather than taxpayer-funded DOD marketing gimmicks."
The report mentioned these NFL teams as having received money for "marketing gimmicks": The Bengals, Browns, Cowboys, Colts, Chiefs, Dolphins, Steelers and Rams.
The New York Times reported Wednesday that the NFL will audit all contracts between its 32 teams and various military branches. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell wrote in a letter to McCain and Flake that any improper payments to any of the teams would be refunded. The letter, written Monday, was included in the senators' report. "We strongly oppose the use of recruitment funds for anything other than their proper purpose,” Goodell wrote. “If we find that inappropriate payments were made, they will be refunded in full.”
The Cardinals have held similar tributes but were not mentioned in the senators' report. McCain is a U.S. Naval Academy graduate who spent more than five years as a prisoner of war after his jet was shot down in North Vietnam. Like Flake, he is a noted fiscal conservative. In 2013, Flake referred to himself as "the biggest cheapskate in the Senate."
http://mlb.nbcsports.com/2015/11/04/the-milwaukee-brewers-were-paid-by-the-military-for-god-bless-america- performances/ The Milwaukee Brewers were paid by the military for “God Bless America” performances
By Craig Calcaterra, NBC Sports November 4, 2015
Back in May, NJ.com reported that the Department of Defense actually used tax dollars to pay for patriotic displays at sporting events. This controversy has come to be referred to as a “pay-for-patriotism” scandal and has called into question the various military-related salutes, promotions and events we see at college and professional sporting events. Are they genuinely heartfelt gestures or manipulative and paid-for recruitment ads? Some are one, some are the other, some are both, it seems.
Today Sentators John McCain and Jeff Flake of Arizona released a report on the matter called “Tackling Paid Patriotism.” Aside from having a spiffy as heck cover, it details how much the military paid teams and leagues for these events, broken down on a team-by-team basis. Go check it out here. Baseball is covered on pages 33-45.
The baseball highlights: The Braves received the most DOD money, at $450,000, which is VASTLY more than any other baseball team received and they put on many, many more military-themed events than the other clubs. The next highest was the Red Sox at $100,000, the Brewers at $80,000, the Rangers at $75,000 and the Mets at $51,000. The Phillies, Diamondbacks, Astros, Pirates and Indians all received less than $50,000. No other MLB teams were identified. Most of the money to the clubs were for tributes, parades, promotions, appreciation days and tickets for the military. The Wisconsin Air National Guard, however, actually sponsored each Sunday performance of “God Bless America” during Brewers home games in 2014. The military also rented a private suite at Miller Park. The Texas Air National Guard sponsored a performance of the National Anthem at a Rangers game; Despite the initial reports on this, including our own, not all of this stuff was stealth advertising. A lot of it was paying for tickets and meal vouchers for armed forces personnel, presumably as perks. Other things that were advertising were often labeled as such, including those “God Bless America” performances at Miller Park.
What to make of all of this? On the one hand, the aggregate money paid by the Department of Defense to professional sports teams was rounding error. Less than rounding error for the DOD, actually: $6.8 million since 2012. As someone I follow on Twitter who knows his way around Congressional work noted, it’s likely that this very report cost close to that. I mean, look again at that front page picture! That’s quality! We’re not talking about much money, especially for an advertising campaign.
On the other hand, this kind of advertising is still rather galling and manipulative, as fans are clearly led to believe that these salutes to the troops, “Hometown Hero” tributes and even renditions of “God Bless America” are public services by the team or, at the very least, spontaneous tributes. Which they’re clearly not. That’s especially true if it’s discovered — as I suspect it will be — that these efforts weren’t even effective as recruitment tools and, rather, did nothing more than cheapen genuine patriotism in a rather expensive way.
There is a huge amount of grandstanding going on here by Congress — these efforts aren’t illegal or fraudulent, even if they’re misguided and cynical — but I think it’s worth shining a light on the way in which the government has used sports to manipulate public sentiment about the military and patriotism in the past 15 years or so, and how sports have gladly accepted money to allow them to do it.