Maryvale, Ariz. -- Brewers Director of Clubhouse Operations Tony Migliaccio has been around the organization for a long time -- 26 years, counting his stint as a bat boy in high school. Through the years, Migliaccio seen the team change and evolve, both on the field and behind the scenes. Players take better care of themselves, but with that, comes increased demands on the Brewers' support staff.
We caught up with Migliaccio at the Brewers Spring Training facility in Phoenix to chat about what it's like, behind the scenes and in between the lines, and as Bob Uecker's sidekick in those Usinger's ads, in this latest edition of Milwaukee Talks.
OMC: Tell us a little about what you do. As Brewers fans, we've all heard your name over the years, but the details of your jobs are a little bit of a mystery.
TM: As clubhouse manager and equipment manager, I'm a little bit of a jack of all trades. On the equipment side, I order all the bats, balls, uniforms -- everything from head to toe that the player wears -- caps, gloves, batting gloves, underwear, jocks and t-shirts. In terms of bats, some things are more detailed and personal. Players have different lengths, weights, models, etc. In gloves, players have their own contracts with the glove companies and use different webbing or thickness in the padding. It's a lot of detail. I work within a budget and try to manage it the best I can.
We have players going up and down all the time. To outfit one player in uniforms is probably about $1,500. There's a home jersey, which we need two. There's a road jersey, also two. There's also a blue alternate jersey and batting practice tops. It's a big expense to keep them going.
OMC: How long have you been with the Brewers?
TM: This will be my 18th season as equipment and clubhouse manager, but it's my 26th overall with the team. I started as a bat boy in high school when I was 15. I did that for four years and worked my way up to the assistant. The equipment manager at the time, Bob Sullivan, passed away at the end of the '85 season. It's not the way you want to get a job, but I was finishing my last year of school, and they hired me at 22. For eight years, I was the youngest guy to have done this. Now I'm catching up to everybody.
OMC: In 18 years, you've seen this organization change from top to bottom. But what's the clubhouse like now compared to in the mid '80s?
TM: The other half of my job is clubhouse manager. One of the biggest things is how we feed the players. In the '80s, after the game, they came up and had a couple of beers, had some snacks and went home. Then there was pizza. Then there were burgers. It's evolved now into a whole meal. Players expect a full spread, though some can't eat that late, as it's often 11 p.m. after a game. But some do. After a day game, we'll have dinner waiting around 6 p.m.
OMC: Are players more health-conscious now, or do they still eat doughnuts for breakfast?
TM: We still have some throwbacks who will kill six doughnuts in the morning. But the guys are very conscious of health. Some guys come in at 9 a.m. and have eggs and bacon, if they'd like. People up at Fridays Front Row have been great and do our breakfasts for us. Some guys just eat cereal. It varies, but you have to have all that available for the players.
OMC: There are probably a lot of stories you can't tell us, but we know that team chemistry was a problem last year. Now Ned Yost has come in and promised changes. What do you see that has changed?
TM: Ned has a great outlook on things. He's been in baseball a long time and watched the Braves for 12 years. They've had success, and he's had success in the minor leagues and as a player. Give Ned a scenario, and he'll find the positive. That's been a nice change here. He's looked at the past, and not to throw out everything we've done as an organization, but we need to take it to the next level and start building. You walk into the Braves clubhouse, and you can hear a pin drop. This is the players' place to come, to have their peace before a game. You don't want radios blaring. Ned wants to create an atmosphere that prepares the players for a game.
Ned is very energetic. He beats me to the ballpark. First thing he asked me when we got to Spring Training was, "What time do you get here?" And I told him not to worry about it. Here's your key and your alarm code. I'll be here at 6:15 every morning. But he's here at 5:30. He's very organized.
OMC: You've heard about David Wells' tell-all autobiography, and certainly you're privy to a lot of inside information. How do you feel about players going out there and telling inside stories?
TM: What good comes from that? Any office has its scuttlebutt. There are things going on. Why go there? I've seen a lot of things here, but that's life, that's baseball. When you walk inside that clubhouse, it's a whole different world. I could sit here and tell things that players have asked for or wanted to do, and you'd just shake your head. Players are buffered from society, I think, because of the lifestyle they're in. Everyone's geared them to do things a certain way so that when they walk between those white lines they can do the best they can. And that's my job. I'm around here to support that player and put a glove on his hand.
OMC: What do you do with broken bats?
TM: We bring them in and I give them to the Community Affairs department. They give them to charities or to the Brewers Clubhouse Store in Brookfield Square.
OMC: Tell me about those Usinger's ads with Bob Uecker. Not every clubhouse manager in baseball is out there doing radio spots.
TM: Bob and I are very good friends and have known each other for a very long time. Usinger's has done Bob's fishing tournament, so Uecke's done some of their spots. As a joke, Uecke told me he'd get me on the radio. I said, yeah right. But a week or two went by and Usinger's faxed me over a script. So we did it. They write my lines so they're very simple and I can't screw it up. It's fun. Bob did a deal with Centurytel, so we did a few for them, too.
OMC: Do you get a change to watch any baseball?
TM: Yeah, I do. Sunday was the first game I went down into the dugout and watched two innings.
OMC: Did you grow up as a Brewers fan?
TM: I grew up in Milwaukee as a Brewer fan, watching George Scott play first base with old "Black Magic" on his hand.
OMC: Do you ever have to step back and think about the fact that you're working in professional baseball?
TM: It's a great job, and I love it. I've been very lucky and very fortunate to have been here this long.
Andy is the president, publisher and founder of OnMilwaukee. He returned to Milwaukee in 1996 after living on the East Coast for nine years, where he wrote for The Dallas Morning News Washington Bureau and worked in the White House Office of Communications. He was also Associate Editor of The GW Hatchet, his college newspaper at The George Washington University.
Before launching OnMilwaukee.com in 1998 at age 23, he worked in public relations for two Milwaukee firms, most of the time daydreaming about starting his own publication.
Hobbies include running when he finds the time, fixing the rust on his '75 MGB, mowing the lawn at his cottage in the Northwoods, and making an annual pilgrimage to Phoenix for Brewers Spring Training.
