Where Have You Gone '82 Brewers?

by Tom Haudricourt

Book Overview

The 1982 Milwaukee Brewers, affectionately dubbed Harvey s Wallbangers after legendary manager Harvey Kuenn, carved a permanent niche in the hearts of Milwaukee Brewers fans with their captivating... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0975876996
• ISBN13: 9780975876992
• Release Date: August 2007
• Publisher: Kci Sports Publishing
• Length: 173 Pages
• Weight: 0.96 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 9.2" x 6.5"

Customer Reviews

Great Memories of My Time in Milwaukee

Thank you to Tom Haudricourt and his team for putting together this fine book for the Brewers' 25th Anniversary. I live in CA now, but back in '82 I was 11 and hailed from West Allis, WI. I remember being glued to the radio listening as Bob Uecker made the call during the last moments of the ALCS. Great stories, great stats. A good read.

Recollections of a Mighty Great Team

There are certainly faults with "Where have You Gone '82 Brewers" but, if you were a fan of Harvey's Wallbangers, this book is just what you would want it to be. All of the 1982 Brewers of any particular note (29+ individuals) are interviewed in this collection focussing on what it meant to be a Milwaukee Brewer in 1982. I'd explain just why we are talking 1982 but then, if you don't know what happened to the Milwaukee Brewers in 1982, you likely wouldn't be interested in this book. Brewer's fans, on the other hand, know all about the World Series year and the come from behind victories that ran out in Game 7. They also know about this unique collection of baseball players who made the game look as fun as it ever got. I left Milwaukee in 1981 in the midst of the Strike. Only "the job I always wanted" was able to pry me away from Milwaukee County Stadium before the eventual World Series that we knew this Brewers Team was destined for. I paid plenty to get the daily Milwaukee "Journal" out here in North Dakota. My phone bills sky-rocketted while I called friends back home to turn up their radio so I could hear the last inning of a close game. The loyalty and adoration that these guys received from their fans was enormous. "Where have You Gone '82 Brewers" lets us know that the players understood that. It is clear that they knew that they were on a special team. A Team that all claim was a unique experience in their Baseball career; no matter how long or short it was. They all talk about the special cameraderie that existed with that Brewers team and their fans. The problem with "Where have you gone '82 Brewers" is the author's apparent need to restate the events of that year; having to win 1 out of 4 in Baltimore and loosing the first three, loosing the first two games of a best of five series and having to come back, having a lead late in the 7th Game, etc. These items seem to need an explanation in each interview. It reads as though these were a collection of newspaper articles published seperately from each other. Yet these events would be hard not to acknowledge in most of the interviews. There was an agonizing admission by Brewer's 7th Game pitcher Pete Vuckovich that he had been haunted for years by his failure to win that game. Despite a pitching shoulder that was already immobilized by a torn rotator cuff (another oft-repeated item), Vuckovich made it throught the end of the season by guts and brains alone. Yet he was ashamed to face his teammates over this "failure" of his. There are many other revelations in this book that will also interest the rabid fans (like myself) by letting us know what path their lives took after 1982. A lot stayed in Baseball but it is still interesting to hear their journeys. (A few years ago I discovered, at a Diamondbacks game in Phoenix, that Robin Yount was their First base coach. I was disappointed to discover that his coach's jersey was not available at the souvenir shop. "But he's

Simply a great book!

Great for Brewers fans and all baseball fans alike, this book captures the essence of the blue collar Milwaukee Brewers of 1982. What a great way to honor one of baseball's hardest working teams. It is great to see where these guys are now and to read some of their stories from their great run to the AL pennant. Simply terrific!