Episode 1. (A Hastily Arranged News Conference)

January 2, 1968

The Milwaukee Zephyrs have announced that D.C. Goodman will become their next general manager. Goodman, 31, is a native of Petaluma, California and has spent the past six years working for the New York Titans organization. The Titans are 557–416 since their inception as an expansion club in 1962 and have won two Sunset Series championships in 1964 and 1967.

Meanwhile, the Zephyrs has been flagging in recent years. Founded in 1931, the Zephyrs have won the league pennant four times in franchise history (1937, 1951, 1952, 1958) and claimed their lone Sunset Series title in 1952. The club agreed to switch to the Nationwide League (NL) from the Associated League (AL) in 1962, but have not seen an improvement in the standings.

Results of the Zephyrs since 1950. Xs indicate playoff appearances & titles respectively.

After a string of bottom table finishes, the club dispatched longtime team president & general manager Tony “Buckets” Anderson, who agreed to retire at the age of 71. Going with youth might seem like a strange move, but there is faith in the organization that Goodman is the right guy for the right job and that’s the job of rebuilding their franchise into something people will want to watch night in and night out.

Crawl before you can run

After letting defending NL Player of the Year Daniel Giordano leave in free agency to Toronto this offseason (1 year/$17.5 million with a player option for a 2nd year) the franchise faithful are even more restless that it’ll be another season of disappointment in Zephyrland.

Giordano’s Toronto Blue Collars player card.

It made sense not to bring him back though. He’s 32 and his POY was the best season of his career, but not really warranting the kind of money he was asking for, to play on a team that isn’t likely to be a playoff contender.

Current look at the Zephyrs roster post-1968 winter meetings.

So what’s next? We’ll see. This first season will be an exercise in checking the cupboards to see what we have. There is a decent foundation in place, so there’s a shot this team with some moves could potentially contend sooner rather than later, but only if certain players are able to excel and not regress.

Also some cost saving measures, as there are some expiring contracts on the Zephyrs that could stand to be jettisoned for prospects or something else. If the boys go on a run, that could be fun. But we’re not expecting any miracles.

It’ll should be fun.