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The Seattle Pilots didn't bring much with them when they relocated to Milwaukee in 1970, but they did bring Gorman Thomas, the franchise's first first-round pick in 1969. He got his first call-up in 1973, but it wasn't until 1978 that his numbers started to reflect his desire.

Known for his gruff appearance, dirty uniform and wall-denting play in the outfield, Thomas bashed 32 homers in 1978 to begin a run of 175 homers over five seasons. The last of those, 1982, Thomas hit 39 homers to tie Reggie Jackson for the league lead as the Brewers took the Cardinals to seven games in the World Series.

But that would be the last hurrah for "Bambies Bombers," who dealt Thomas early the next season with him batting just .183 with five homers. The Brewers switchboard lit up with irate callers. ''This will be significantly and emotionally felt by everyone in this town,'' said Milwaukee catcher Ted Simmons. ''A lot of people here have grown up with Gorman Thomas.''

Except for one big season with Seattle in 1985, Thomas never did come close to recapturing the magic. But Brewers fans missed him all the same, and he missed Milwaukee dearly. He returned for a farewell cup of coffee in 1986, batting .179 in 44 games before calling it a career.

"In my mind, [Milwaukee] is the greatest place to play baseball," he said in his stint in Seattle. "I've been all around the world . . . Puerto Rico . . . the Dominican Republic, but there will never, ever be another place like that. And I'm not saying anything bad about Seattle or Cleveland. Maybe Milwaukee isn't the cultural center of the world, but they've got everything you want."

Rick Manning, the outfielder Milwaukee received from Cleveland, never hit better than .254 in parts of five seasons. He may be best known to Brewers fans for "ending" Paul Molitor's 39-game hitting streak in 1987 by driving in the winning run in extra innings with Molitor on deck.

Stormin' Gorman: Playing in Seattle has its Moments, but Milwaukee is his Kind of Town The Los Angeles Times -- April 14, 1986 By Gene Wojciechowski Thomas has thick black hair that looks as if it has been combed with a rake. His mustache droops, adding menace to the scowl. Razor blades crash and burn on his stubble. This is a face that adheres to the W.C. Fields philosophy that you should start every day off with a smile and get it over with. How silly his Brewer cap, with its cute little glove-and-ball emblem, sometimes looked atop his head. Another emblem, perhaps a beer bottle, might have been more appropriate. Still, it is a good face, full of character, dignity and pride. It laughed and took on boyish proportions the day the Brewers won the American League pennant in 1982. There, in the middle of the Milwaukee clubhouse, Thomas searched frantically for a bottle of champagne to spray at anything that moved. But there was none left. So he grabbed a plastic bottle of mustard and happily sprayed French's into the air. The face has cried, too. Nine months after the Brewers had won the pennant, after Thomas had driven in 112 runs, he returned home one day to find a message from Milwaukee General Manager Harry Dalton. "Hell, I probably just got traded to Cleveland," he kidded as his wife gave him Dalton's phone number. The conversation will forever remain in his memory. "[Dalton] said, 'We've decided to make a player move and you've just been traded to Cleveland.' " Thomas didn't know what to do. This was not happening, he thought. This could not be true. "I guess I went into a state of shock," he says. "I was just crushed. Completely devastated. Almost despondent. Not that I went to Cleveland, but that I went anywhere. It really hurt me. It took me a looooong time before I could get over it. I don't mean hours, days, weeks and months. And to be perfectly honest with you, I don't think I ever have, or ever will get over it. "I didn't think I was over and above ever being traded, I just thought that I never would."

Mattoman, Manitowoc This trade, in my mind, brought about the end of the good run Milwaukee had during the late 70s and early 80s. As a player, Thomas embodied the persona of the city of Milwaukee. He was a blue collar rogue with a beer gut who hit homers and crashed into walls to make a catch. Many people will tell you they remember where they were when Kennedy was shot. I remember where I was when I heard Gorman Thomas was traded.

Molitor was the third overall pick in 1977. Bill Hickey/AllSport

What a sterling example set by the future commissioner with his future Hall of Famer. Perhaps when Bud Selig pens his autobiography he'll do a chapter on Paul Molitor titled "How to hamstring, lowball and alienate the face of your franchise ... not to mention most of your small-market fan base."

What would possess an owner to play such ruthless hardball with a player who had helped shape the whole scope of his franchise? Molitor was coming off his 15th season in Milwaukee, having been fourth in the league with a .320 average, when Selig offered him a slight ... cut in his $3.2 million salary. The Brewers also maintained they wouldn't offer Molitor arbitration, an act that would have bought them another month in negotiating, but at the last minute, Selig did. Molitor turned it down and called the Blue Jays to accept their three-year, $13 million offer.

And just like that, he was gone, off to Toronto where he would win the World Series the very next year. And when his deal ran out there ... he blew off Selig again, opting to play the final three years of his career in his native Minneapolis.

"I get the impression there are some people there who don't understand how I could turn down the opportunity to return to Milwaukee," Molitor said when he signed with the Twins before the 1996 season. "Maybe the majority of it might have been increased bitterness that existed from when I left the first time."

Molitor said there were three things that ran him out of Milwaukee: The Brewers' offer, their seemingly indifferent attitude and the constant speculation that the team would move.

Nice job, Bud.

Brewers' Reaction a Stunning 'Act' Capital Times -- December 8, 1992 By Mike Lucas After giving Paul Molitor the cold shoulder for the last two months or so - by devaluing his contributions to the ballclub - Milwaukee Brewers' president Bud Selig and general manager Sal Bando acted ''stunned'' when Molitor went to bat for himself and connected on a three-year deal with the Toronto Blue Jays. He was the face of the organization. AllSport/AllSport   Maybe they were stunned because they didn't think Molitor would react emotionally to their lowballing negotiation approach. Maybe they were stunned because they didn't think Molitor would rank business over sentiment in his decision-making. Maybe they were stunned because they figured Molitor would not command strong marquee value in today's marketplace. Maybe they were stunned because they figured Molitor would ultimately get cold feet. Maybe the quote marks should be around acted, not stunned. How else can can explain management's reaction? Selig: ''It's very sensitive and in some ways disappointing.'' Bando: ''I had no idea this was going to happen.'' These guys have spent too much time alone, or together.

Brian Bashynski, Milwaukee Brewers fans have not had much to be excited about since 1982. Sal Bando as GM was a huge reason. A small-market team can not afford to make too many mistakes with free agents and contracts. After screwing the franchise for years to come with signings such as Franklin Stubbs, Greg Brock and Teddy Higuera's extension, Bando became too cheap to resign the greatest Brewer who ever played: Paul Molitor. They called him "the Ignitor" and he always gave his all. He's a certain first ballot Hall of Famer who should have retired in a Milwaukee uniform suchas Hank Aaron and Robin Yount. I became a fan again after they fired Sal Bando.

Richard Antaramian, Kenosha, Wis. Why did Molly leave the Brew Crew? The Brewers finished 2 games back of eventual champ Toronto that year, a year in which they owned the Jays. You had to like their chances if Molly came back the following year. I couldn't even look at my Paul Molitor cards (I was in 4th grade at the time) until a few years after.

Everybody knows about the iffy nature of baseball's amateur draft, and a lot of teams can be raked over the coals for the blunders in 1971. Consider that the first five picks were:

OK, we'll take him ... The Phillies took Schmidt and his 548 homers in the second round. AllSport/AllSport

1. Danny Goodwin, who went to college and became the first No. 1 pick in draft history not to sign ... until 1975, when he became the first player ever to be taken No. 1 twice, this time by the Angels.
2. Jay Franklin, who pitched three games for the Padres.
3. Tom Bianco, who played 18 games for the Brewers.
4. Condredge Holloway, who never played a big-league game for the Expos or anybody ... he played QB at Tennessee and in the CFL.
5. Roy Branch, who was drafted by the Royals and pitched in two games eight years later for Seattle.

Three of the next five picks also never played a game in the bigs.

Of course, names that surfaced later in the draft included Jim Rice, Frank Tanana, George Brett, Ron Guidry, Mike Schmidt and Keith Hernandez.

Following is an interesting scenario sent in by a reader:

Alan Michaels from Milwaukee: The fairly new organization of the Milwaukee Brewers were meeting to discuss the upcoming June draft. The career scout, Gordon Goldsberry, highly recommended a shortstop out of Cincinnati. However, the brain trust of the Brewers, Frank "Trader" Lane was high on a player by the name of Tom Bianco. But Goldsberry was insistent on the shortstop. So, Lane put it up for a vote among the people meeting that day. The vote came out 5-4 in favor of Bianco.

The shortstop they neglected to draft? Someone by the name of Michael Jack Schmidt. The Brewers could have conceivably had an infield of Cecil Cooper and Hall of Famers Paul Molitor, Robin Yount and Schmidt. Oh, but for the cruel twist of fate!

Hey, Alan, let's go one better and ditch Cooper for Hernandez, who didn't go until the 42nd round.

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