'Cecil Cooper's on a tear; pounding the ball everywhere." "Cooop, Cooop, Cooooop,' went the chanting crowd in Milwaukee's County Stadium. He was traded from the Boston Red Sox in 1976, got a chance to play regularly with the Milwaukee Brewers and proceeded to become the 'Main Man of Harvey's Wallbangers,' Manager Harvey Kuenn legendary's group of heavy hitters that included Robin Yount, Gorman Thomas, Paul Molitor and Ben Oglivie. Cooper batted over .300 in eight different years, three times he collected over 200 hits, and in four different years - he drove in over 100 runs. Cooper led the league twice in two-base hits and twice in RBI's. He tore-up the American League's pitchers with his powerful, clutch hitting from 1978 to 1984. Batting in his infamous crouch, in 1979, Coop slugged 44 doubles, batted .308 and drove in 106 runs and in 1980, he batted .352, hit 25 homers with a slugging pct of .539. Cooper whacked 38 doubles in 1982, slugged 32 homers and had 121 RBI's, scored 104 runs, he fanned only 53 times in 654 at bats. He repeated his lofty, powerful hitting in 1983, which included 126 RBI's. Cooper was named in 1979 and 1980 as the 'Sporting News' All-Star fielding 1st baseman. Baseball fans enjoyed, Coop's exciting, line drive hitting, and even today years later, when crossing the border, driving past the Brat Stop going North on 94, passing the Cheese Castles, and moving near the old church steeples, and around the breweries, one can hear 'Cooop, Cooop, Cooop.' Cecil Cooper's lifetime stats: .298 batting average in over 7,300 at bats, 415 doubles, 47 triples, 241 home runs, 1012 runs, 1125 RBI's, an on base pct of .340 and a slugging percentage of .466. Thanks for the memories, "Coop" you were one of a kind. baseballhistorian.com. All Rights Reserved - "Cecil Cooper's on a tear". |