The career of Moose Haas

[RyDogg66]

Moose was one of my favorite players when I was a lad. I took a look at his baseball-reference.com page. And I see that after the Brewers traded him to Oakland that he had two short years with Oakland he he was done. Just wondering if anyone who is a bit older who remembers those days, remembers how or why his career ended at 31.

 

Thanks.

[TheRealMattKain]

Baseball Library claims it was arm troubles. No details though:

 

http://www.baseballlibrar....php?name=Moose_Haas_1956

[RyDogg66]

I figured it was. Elbow? Shoulder?

[splitterpfj]

Yes, it was arm problems for Moose. I believe he had a shoulder injury, I recall him starting off like a world-beater with Oakland, something like 6-1 out of the gate, but then he started missing time.

 

Of the players the Brewers got for Moose, only Charlie O'Brien saw significant time in Milwaukee. Steve Kiefer was a classic AAAA type, Pete Kendrick was the young arm Harry Dalton wanted most....but injuries hit him almost immediately.

 

Moose had a shoulder injury early in his career with Milwaukee, in 1978. He set a team record by striking out 14 Yankees in April of that year, but made only two more starts before hitting the DL, I believe that was a rotator cuff injury.

[RU Rah Rah]

I know a little about the beginning of Moose's career. I'm from suburban Baltimore, and I went to a high school in the same conference as Moose's (Franklin High School). As it happened, he was in the middle of his MLB career by that point --prime-time for adoration by the kids in our league. Whenever there was a pitching prospect, someone inevitably compared him to Moose. This happened to my teammate, Jeff Nelson, who in fact did go on and have a decent MLB run.

[Mass Haas]

As a Brewer fan in Massachusetts, I had already glommed on to the Brewers, when, at age 15 in '78, I listened to that 14K game vs. the Yankees via transister radio in my bedroom. A Rhode Island station carried all Yankee games (and still does), and those AL East battles vs. NY and Boston were my only "real" chance to follow my adopted team live. I can remember that 14K audio very vividly, thanks for the memory, Moose. That '78 season was a blast, thanks to Moose, Mike Caldwell, and so many others...

 

...Your online namesake

[brewers4eric]

I can recall that Uecker had asked Dalton about the trade after Moose started out hot in Oakland. Dalton's comment via Uecker went something like, "Moose could go 10 - 0 and it would still be a good trade".

 

I thought that Kiefer had some potential. He made the club out of spring training one year but left the team after some health problems in his family. I believe he had a daughter that was born prematurely, but my memory is foggy on the subject.

[Gormans sideburns]

I'm pretty sure it was a bad shoulder injury. I went to Brewers Fantasy Camp in 2006 and Moose was one of the coaches. He could throw OK, but his arm motion was kind of messed up. I think I heard him talking about not being able to move his arm behind him anymore because of the injury. At the farewell banquet he and his girlfriend (or wife) were sitting at the table with me and I think he said she was a former Olympic skater. He was a great guy, quiet, but always friendly.

[recte44]

I believe he had a daughter that was born prematurely, but my memory is foggy on the subject.

 

You are thinking of Randy Ready, maybe?

[Jimbo]

I thought that Kiefer had some potential. He made the club out of spring training one year but left the team after some health problems in his family. I believe he had a daughter that was born prematurely, but my memory is foggy on the subject.

Steve Kiefer was on that magical 1982 Madison Muskies team. Despite hitting around .230 in A-ball, the Oakland brass proclaimed they were high on him. That left us scratching our heads.

 

IIRC, during spring training ('89?) he was in a bar and had his neck slashed by some drunk. Never made it back after that. He hit two grand salamis during his short time in Milwaukee. When his brother Mark was pitching for the Brewers, I was going to try to ask him how Steve was doing, but never met up with him.