Brewers Rally Around the Community

The Milwaukee Brewers might not have the best record in the Bigs, but in one respect they still outshine many other professional sports franchises.

The Brew Crew’s dedication to the community is one of the best in all of sports, and does more to endear this franchise to its city and state as much as any box score.

We don’t talk about it much, but each season there are dozens of stories of Brewers players and personnel reaching out to fans in the Milwaukee area to make a difference. Here’s just a few of them.

Axford Loses His Locks For a Cause

There was a lot of speculation as to why Brewers reliever John Axford continued to let his hair out.

Some fans even accused the lengthy locks of being part of the reason the right-hander was struggling. On Monday, the hair that helped make the hurler famous was gone, and John Axford was sporting a new, shorter ‘do.

After the game he explained that he had been growing his hair out for the charity Locks of Love, which takes donations of hair at least 10 inches in length to make hairpieces for children suffering from medical related hair loss. Axford quietly waited until his hair was the required length, and chopped it off for the cause.

Ax’s unruly hair may have caused fans some dismay, but there’s no doubt his head and his heart was in the right place.

Nyjer Morgan Gives Kids a Helping Hand

The PLAY (Promoting a Lifetime of Activity in Youth) campaign is a national initiative run by several off-shoots of MLB Charities intended to get kids dedicated to a healthy lifestyle. On Tuesday, before the Brewers took on the Reds at Miller Park, outfielder Nyjer Morgan did his part for the cause.

Nyjer, or Tony Plush if you prefer, might not be the first name you expect to hear in a situation like this. But Morgan has been very active in the community – both in social media and charitable works – since making Milwaukee his home. On Tuesday, he spent the morning with over 100 children from around Wisconsin, teaching them about baseball and living a healthy lifestyle.

It’s hard to tell who got a bigger kick out of it, the kids or Plush.

"Going out there and being a big kid myself and playing with the kids out here at Miller Park, it’s a dream come true…–Nyjer Morgan, via Brewers.com"

Uecker and Block Realize Boy’s Dream

The Make-a-Wish foundation is well known around the world for helping to give children suffering with terminal and debilitating diseases a chance to make their dreams come true.

With their help, and the help of the guys in the Brewers broadcast booth, eight year-old Eddie Kimminau from Big Bend, Wisconsin fufilled his chance to be a part of a Milwaukee Brewers game.

Eddie has been suffering from Morquio syndrome, a progressive disease that stunts growth and cause complications in bones. Eddie has had a rough eight years, including a handful of surgeries – you just wouldn’t know it by interacting with him. He threw the first pitch out at a Brewers game last week, and then went into the broadcast booth with legend Bob Uecker and Joe Block for some in-game banter.

The pair brought Eddie into the discussion, and never once made mention of his medical issues. He was treated as a colleague, a testament to the high level of professionalism and compassion from the pair of Brewers radio men.

Read more about Eddie and how you can help here.

Big Events in Brewers Community Foundation Week

Every year, the Brewers Community Foundation takes one week out of the year to highlight the work

done in the community, and give fans a chance to donate and have fun with a slew of events at Miller Park. This year, the week kicks off August 16th at Miller Park.

There are tons of raffles for game-used items, autographed memorbilia, and even a chance to sit in Mark Attanasio’s seats for a game. Check out how you can get involved here.

While the Brewers certainly impact people with their play on the field, it’s their actions in the community that really bind the players and the city of Milwaukee together. Consider taking some time to help them with their cause in whatever way you can.