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Even though it may have been cruel tease, the warm weather this past weekend -- and the patches of grass now poking through the snow -- prompted many Milwaukeeans to look forward to softball, baseball and kickball leagues.

Roughly two months from now, hundreds of teams will begin play in recreation programs operated by the city surrounding suburbs, churches, social clubs and professional organizations. For generations, Milwaukee-area taverns have played a major role in sponsoring these teams.

That's why you'll see guys with T-shirts from bars like Asche's, Saz's, Club 400, Colonel Hart's, Leff's, Lynch's, Liquid Johnny's, Rascal's, Club Paragon, Amann's, Mavericks, Buck Bradley's, Magoo's, Judge's and Rosie's.  

In exchange for entry fees, T-shirts and some equipment, players pledge to spend part of the post-game period at the sponsoring establishment, where they are expected to toast victory, drown sorrow and munch on pizza, chicken wings and whatever snack food is available.

"It's kind of a good-faith type deal," said Brian Milewski, who has served as a player and manager for several teams in the area. "The bar puts up the money for the team and then you go there and support the bar."

At a time when the economy is sick, the recent outbreak of spring fever prompted a question: Will area bars continue to sponsor teams?

"We're going to do it, but we'll definitely be a little more cautious about it," said Chris Leffler, who owns Leff's Lucky Town, 7208 W. State St. in Wauwatosa.

"When you run the numbers at the end of the year, you see what you spend on sponsoring teams you say 'Whoa.' It's really a risk-reward thing. It's a gamble. But, you have to do it to get the teams in there."

In order to sponsor a team in a "power" softball league, Milwaukee businesses pay an entry fee of $220. It costs $270 for entities located outside the city.

"It always helps if you have guys on the team who like going to the (sponsor's) place," said Ron Vogedes, who plays on a Leff's team and has a fixture on the local and national softball scene for 20 years.

"There are some places that throw money out and they might not get the return. Guys might not like going there if it's not convenient or if they don't like the bartenders or other customers at a place on certain nights.

"Most of the time, teams are pretty good about supporting their sponsor. Our guys are really loyal. They go to Leff's during the winter."

In recent years, Vogedes played on a traveling tournament team that was sponsored by a restoration / reconstruction company. That company decided to end its sponsorship after last season, but Vogedes said "it might have been tough this year because of the economy."

Vogedes also knows that sponsors can end up paying more than they expect.

"I got on a team about 10 years ago and they were sponsored by a bar on the East Side," he said. "The team was really bad, but they wanted to look good. The guy at the bar told them 'Go get some uniforms,' and they went out and got pants and hats and jackets. It ended up costing about $5,000 and all the guy wanted them to do was buy T-shirts.

"A lot of bars buy T-shirts in bulk and they have them lying around, so it's not a big deal for them to pay an entry fee and give out a few shirts."

Patti Haas, the general manager at O'Brien's, 4928 W. Vliet St., expects to see a lot of softball and kickball players wearing matching shirts to the bar this spring.

"We are sponsoring the same number of teams this year, if not more," Haas said. "We'll have 20 teams, at least. It's not a huge expense for us, but it's a necessary expense. It's a way to get people into the bar. Once they're in, hopefully they're spending money."

Like Leff's, O'Brien's keeps an eye on customer loyalty. "We will sponsor new teams, but a lot of times we'll give them half of the money at the beginning of the season and if we see them regularly after games, we'll give them the other half," she said.

"If we don't know the people, we'll do that. A lot of our teams are our best customers. Just having people wear your T-shirt around is free advertising."

Said Milewski: "If I was to open a bar, the first thing I would do is sponsor a bunch of teams because it's a way to get your name out there. People see the shirts. They see the bar's name in the standings or in the paper. It's just a good way to let people know that you're out there."