Milwaukee Bears facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Milwaukee Bears |
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| Location | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | ||||
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| Year established | 1923 | ||||
| Year disbanded | 1923 | ||||
The Milwaukee Bears were a professional baseball team that played in the Negro National League. They were based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and only played for one season in 1923.
Starting the Team
The Milwaukee Bears team was formed to fill open spots in the Negro National League. Two teams, the Cleveland Tate Stars and Pittsburgh Keystones, had left the league. The Bears, along with the Toledo Tigers, were created to take their place.
Many players for the Bears came from the Pittsburgh Keystones, which had recently disbanded. Other players joined from the New Orleans Crescent Stars, another baseball team.
A famous baseball player named Pete Hill was asked to manage the team. He was 40 years old and later became a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. The rest of the team was chosen from tryouts held in Chicago. Some players who didn't make other teams also joined the Bears.
Playing in the League
The Milwaukee Bears faced challenges because they didn't have a lot of money. The team's owners were also new to running a baseball club. Because of this, the team struggled in the league.
They didn't have many fans come to their home games at Athletic Park. This park was later known as Borchert Field. Because of low attendance, the Bears played most of their games away from Milwaukee.
The team finished in last place in the league. Their record was 12 wins and 41 losses. After just one season, the Milwaukee Bears team stopped playing.
Top Players
Even though the team struggled, some players did well.
- Outfielder Pete Duncan had a batting average of .321.
- Percy Wilson, another outfielder, hit .314.
- Outfielder Sandy Thompson batted .310.
Fulton Strong was a pitcher for the team. He won four games but lost 14. Pete Hill, who was the manager, also played sometimes. He hit .296 when he played.
Throwback Jerseys
Years later, another Milwaukee baseball team honored the Bears. The Milwaukee Brewers wore special uniforms that looked like the Milwaukee Bears' old jerseys. This was done to celebrate the history of the Negro Leagues.
- In 2006, the Brewers wore Bears uniforms against the Washington Nationals and Kansas City Royals.
- On June 23, 2007, they wore them again against the Royals. The Royals wore uniforms of the Kansas City Monarchs, another famous Negro League team.
- On July 5, 2008, the Brewers wore the Bears' uniforms when they played the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates wore Pittsburgh Crawfords uniforms.
- This tribute happened again on June 7, 2019.
- On May 29, 2010, the Brewers wore Bears uniforms against the New York Mets. The Mets wore New York Cubans uniforms.
- On July 9, 2011, the Brewers also wore Bears uniforms when they played the Cincinnati Reds.
The uniforms worn from 2006 to 2008 were white with black pinstripes. They had black letters spelling "Milwaukee" and black socks. The caps were white with pinstripes.
From 2009 to 2011, the Brewers wore a different version of the Bears' uniforms. These were cream-colored with blue sleeves and blue trim. They also had blue socks and caps.
