The Milwaukee Bears were a Negro National League team that operated during the

1923 Events January–February * January 9 – Lithuania begins the Klaipėda Revolt to annex the Klaipėda Region (Memel Territory). * January 11 – Despite strong British protests, troops from France and Belgium occupy the Ruhr area, t ...

season. It s only season in the league representing

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...

, Wisconsin.

Founding

The team was one of two (the

Toledo Tigers The Toledo Tigers were a Negro National League team that operated during the season, its only season in the league, representing Toledo, Ohio. It played its home games at Toledo's Swayne Field, home of the minor league Mud Hens. The team was ...

being the other) created to fill one of the vacancies created in the NNL after the

Cleveland Tate Stars The Cleveland Tate Stars were a Negro league baseball team from 1919 through 1923. They played as an independent (non-affiliated) team from 1919 through 1921, and joined the Negro National League in 1922. In their only season as a full-fledged le ...

and Pittsburgh Keystones had been dropped after the previous season. It drew much of its personnel from the disbanded Keystones and from the New Orleans Crescent Stars, an independent southern team. Hall of Fame outfielder Pete Hill, 40, was asked by

Rube Foster Andrew "Rube" Foster (September 17, 1879 – December 9, 1930) was an American baseball player, manager, and executive in the Negro leagues. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1981. Foster, considered by historians to have been per ...

to manage the team, and remaining roster spots were filled from tryouts held in Chicago in April, and by castoffs from other teams.

League play and demise

With limited financing and an inexperienced ownership, the team quickly fell out of the running in the league. Primarily due to poor home attendance at Athletic Park (later known as

Borchert Field Borchert Field was a baseball park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. The home field for several professional baseball clubs from 1888 through 1952, it became obsolete after the construction of County Stadium in 1953 and was demolished la ...

), the club played most of its games on the road, and finished in last place with a 12–41 record in league play, disbanding after the season.

Players

Outfielders Pete Duncan (.321), Percy Wilson (.314), and Sandy Thompson (.310) were among the better hitters. Fulton Strong led the pitching staff with only four victories, against 14 defeats. Hill hit .296 in a part-time role as the Bears' player-manager.

MLB throwback jerseys

In 2006, the Milwaukee Brewers wore Bears throwback uniforms in games against the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

(at

Miller Park American Family Field is a retractable roof stadium used primarily for baseball. It is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, just southwest of the intersection of Interstate 94 and Brewers Boulevard. It is the home of Major League Baseball's Milwauk ...

) and Kansas City Royals (on the road) as part of a tribute to the Negro leagues. On June 23, 2007, the Brewers wore the Bears' uniform for another Negro leagues tribute game against the Royals (who wore

Kansas City Monarchs The Kansas City Monarchs were the longest-running franchise in the history of baseball's Negro leagues. Operating in Kansas City, Missouri, and owned by J. L. Wilkinson, they were charter members of the Negro National League from 1920 to 19 ...

uniforms). On July 5, 2008, the Brewers also wore the Bears' uniforms against the Pittsburgh Pirates, who wore

Pittsburgh Crawfords The Pittsburgh Crawfords, popularly known as the Craws, were a professional Negro league baseball team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team, previously known as the Crawford Colored Giants, was named after the Crawford Bath House, a recre ...

uniforms. The same happened on June 7, 2019. On May 29, 2010, the Brewers wore Bears uniforms in a game against the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

who wore

New York Cubans The New York Cubans were a Negro league baseball team that played during the 1930s and from 1939 to 1950. Despite playing in the Negro leagues, the team occasionally employed white-skinned Hispanic baseball players as well, because Hispanics in ...

uniforms. On July 9, 2011, the Brewers wore Bears uniforms against the Cincinnati Reds. The uniforms worn in the games from 2006 to 2008 were white with black pinstripes, black letters spelling Milwaukee, black socks, and a white pinstriped cap. From 2009 to 2011, the Brewers wore a different version of the Bears' uniforms, which were cream colored with blue sleeves and trim, plus blue socks and caps.

References

Bibliography

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External links

1923 Milwaukee Bears at Baseball-Reference.com
{{Negro League teams, Majorleague 1923 establishments in Wisconsin 1923 disestablishments in Wisconsin African-American history of Milwaukee Baseball in Milwaukee Negro league baseball teams Professional baseball teams in Wisconsin Defunct baseball teams in Wisconsin Baseball teams disestablished in 1923 Baseball teams established in 1923