A statue of Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig was unveiled outside of Miller Park on Tuesday, honoring the former Brewers owner for his contributions to professional baseball in Milwaukee.
Selig brought the Brewers to Milwaukee in 1970 after the Braves left, and was the man primarily responsible for securing the construction of Miller Park in 2001. The state of the art stadium, along with the league's revenue sharing program (which Selig also pioneered), are two of the primary reasons baseball thrives in one of Major League Baseball's smallest markets.
Selig's statue stands tall alongside similar monuments of baseball legend (and former Milwaukee Brave) Henry "Hank" Aaron, and Milwaukee Brewers icon Robin Yount.
So who's missing from this impressive statuary?
After the Selig ceremony, many sportswriters and fans were calling for a Bob Uecker statue. Mr. Baseball is certainly a deserving candidate, but I'm wondering where's the love for Paul Molitor?
Molitor was drafted by Milwaukee in 1977. During his 15-year tenure with the Brewers, Molitor was a five-time All-Star (1980, 1985, 1988, 1991, 1992), a two-time Silver Slugger (1987, 1988), and won the Hutch Award in 1987.
As a member of the Brewers, Molitor compiled the fifth-longest hitting streak in Major League History (39 games), and was a key contributor on the famous 1982 Brewers team that made it to the World Series, falling in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals.
For his career, Molitor is one of four players in baseball history with at least 3,000 hits, a .300 lifetime batting average, and 500 stolen bases.
The Brewers retired his No. 4 jersey in 1999 and in 2004, despite his later stints with the Blue Jays and Twins, Molitor kept his word and joined Robin Yount as the second Milwaukee Brewer in the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.
As a long-time fan, when I think of Milwaukee Brewers greats, I think of Robin Yount and Paul Molitor. I think a lot of fans do.
So where's the love, Milwaukee? Please clear a spot for Paul Molitor next to Hammerin' Hank, The Kid, and the Commish. I think Molly deserves one.
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