Bernie Brewer
Bernie Brewer is the official mascot for the Milwaukee Brewers baseball team.
In late June 1970, when the Brewers were still a new team and having difficulty drawing spectators to their games at Milwaukee County Stadium, Milt Mason, a 69-year-old fan decided to sit atop the scoreboard until the team could draw a home crowd of 40,000. He was there for about 40 days. To the delight of a Bat Day crowd of 44,387 on August 16, Mason descended from his trailer following the Brewers 4-3 win over the Indians. He slid down a rope from his perch sustaining burns to his hands and legs. After a long illness, Mason died on June 12, 1973 but not before being recognized as the original Bernie Brewer.
The Bernie Brewer character became the team's mascot in 1973, as a tribute to Mason, appearing as a cheerful man with a big mustache. In the early 1980s, a beer-barreled chalet was built for him inside the stadium where he led the crowd in cheering. Following each home run and every victory by the Brewers, he slid down and plunged himself into a huge beer mug in celebration. He was joined by a companion Bonnie Brewer, who playfully swatted at the backside of the opposing team's third base coach with a broom as the field crew swept the base paths.
