Sitting at a Bucks game a friend of mine asked me, "didn't Rob Dibble end up with the Brewers?" Dibble was well known to baseball fans as one of the so-called Nasty Boys of the Cincinnati Reds bullpen when they won the World Series in 1990. Trying to recall his time in Milwaukee, I did a verbal double take. "Yeah, back in the mid-'90s, right? Well, wait, no, he didn't. Wait, yes he did."
Rob Dibble belongs to a select group of star athletes who spent part of their careers in Wisconsin, yet most local fans forgot that they played here. For whatever reason, whether it was their poor performance, their short time here, or the mediocre team for which they played, these prominent athletes are rarely associated with their years in Wisconsin. What follows is a list, in no particular order, of the ten biggest stars whose tenure in Wisconsin flies under the radar screen of most sports fans.
Jim McMahon, quarterback, Packers, 1995-'96
There are two good reasons for Wisconsin sports fans to hate Jim McMahon. Reason number one: McMahon was the brash, arrogant quarterback who led the hated Bears to a Super Bowl victory, and beat up on the Packers almost every time they faced each other. Reason number two: McMahon tarnished the Packers' post-Super Bowl trip to the White House by wearing a Bears jersey under his sports coat. I realize a lot of Wisconsin fans remember this incident. But still, it's hard to believe this villain actually suited up for the good guys.
Dave Parker, DH, Brewers, 1990
Parker looms large in the minds of baseball fans -- as a Pittsburgh Pirate. In his prime with the Pirates, Parker was a new breed of ballplayer in that he was a big slugger who was athletic enough to excel in the field as well. It was with the Pirates that Parker won the 1978 National League MVP, and became baseball's highest paid player about the same time. Parker and teammate Willie Stargell led the Pirates to the 1979 World Championship (cue Sister d disco hit "We Are Family"). Parker played well in his one season with the Brewers (21 homers, 92 RBIs), but this is an afterthought to most baseball fans.
Moses Malone, center, Bucks, 1991-'93
Malone was one of the most dominant centers in NBA history. A three-time league MVP, Malone led the Philadelphia 76ers to the 1983 NBA Championship. Malone actually put up good numbers his first year in Milwaukee, but the season is mostly remembered as the Bucks' first losing one in 13 years. The contrast between Malone's greatness in his prime and the injury-induced mediocrity in his second year with the Bucks is enormous. Malone himself could be forgiven for not remembering his Milwaukee years.
Joe Torre, catcher/first basemen, Braves, 1960-'65
Yeah I know Joe Torre, the typical fan might say. Four-time World Series winning manager of the Yankees, a probable Hall of Famer, right? But few recall that Torre was a three-time All-Star in his years with the Braves -- mostly because Torre played during the years that crowds and victories had declined from that of the Brave's glory days in the 1950s. Just as Torre was hitting his prime, the Braves scooted south.
Rob Dibble, pitcher, Brewers, 1995
Things Rob Dibble is associated with: being one of the Nasty Boys; playing for the 1990 World Champion Cincinnati Reds; fighting with Reds manager Lou Pinella in the clubhouse; and hosting a national radio show for ESPN. Things Rob Dibble is not associated with: posting an ERA of 8.25 in 15 games with the Brewers.
Dave Cowens, center, Bucks, 1982-'83
Cowens's 10-year career with the Boston Celtics, in which he was a six-time All Star and one-time league MVP, will go down in the annals of NBA history. His one non-descript season with the Bucks will not. Coach Don Nelson talked this Hall of Famer into suiting up for the Bucks two years after he had initially retired. Cowens averaged 8.1 points in 40 games playing for the Bucks.
Willie Randolph, second baseman, Brewers, 1991
Willie Randolph came to prominence with the New York Yankees club that won two World Series in the late 1970s. Milwaukee fans always greeted that team with lusty boos and insults that even followed them out to the team bus after the game. Randolph must have overcome any lingering animosity from that abuse -- he hit a career-high .327 in one season with the Brew Crew.
Alex English, guard, Bucks 1976-'78
English was the NBA's most prolific scorer of the 1980s, and is the seventh-leading scorer in league history. In 10 full seasons with the Denver Nuggets, English played in eight straight All-Star games. English played his first two years with the Bucks, but had trouble breaking into the rotation on a team that included Brian Winters, Junior Bridgeman, Quinn Buckner and Marques Johnson. Its likely sports fans are more familiar with the clunker of a movie English starred in, the 1986 flick "Amazing Grace and Chuck," than his time with the Bucks.
Steve McMichael, defensive tackle, Packers, 1994
Quick, name two Packers from the 1994 team that later participated in the "sport" of wrestling. The answers: McMichael and Reggie White. The two faced each other in something called the World Championship Wrestling Slamboree. Known as Mongo, McMichael made five trips the Pro Bowl playing for the Bears. He was part of the Monsters of the Midway unit on the 1985 Bears team that was considered one of the greatest defenses in NFL history.
Dante Bichette, outfielder, Brewers 1991-'92
The baseball player most likely to be mistaken for actor Ray Liotta, Bichette is the poster child for offensive-inflating effect of playing in Coors Field. Bichette averaged 28 home runs and 118 RBIs per year in seven seasons with the Colorado Rockies. In 1995 he finished second in voting for the National League MVP -- a far cry from his two forgettable seasons with the Brewers. Bichette hit 15 home runs in 1991 and only five in 1992.
Honorable Mentions:
Bucks: Danny Manning.
Brewers: Mike Boddicker, Jim Sundberg, Rick Dempsey, Julio Franco, Jeffrey Leonard, Jerry Reuss.
Packers: Kurt Warner, Mark Brunell, Aaron Brooks, Eric Metcalf, Andre Rison, Bobby Douglass, Keith Jackson.
