Trevor Hoffman retires

[Invader3K]

He's decided to hang it up, and will be taking a job with the Padres.

[MadScientist]

Oh well, no sandwich pick. Interesting that he will not sign for a day to 'Retire as a Padre'.

[craigharmann]

Crud! I'm not surprised, but we still have Zach Greinke and Shawn Marcum.....so I guess the no sandwich pick is a little more palatable.

[Thurston Fluff]

Oh well, no sandwich pick. Interesting that he will not sign for a day to 'Retire as a Padre'.

 

I wonder if they didn't because of the sandwich pick. I know it doesn't directly cost them a pick to do so but it gives a competitor a pick and lowers all your picks past that by one slot.

[cadillacjosh]

Well congratulations to him on a retirement well deserved! As tough as last season was the fact the he turned it around was pretty special. The all time saves record is a Brewers' record and that's pretty fantastic. Thanks for the memories Hoffy!

[AJAY]

Wishing him the best. I hope he gets invited to throw out the first ball at the Brewers home opener this year. That would be really nice.

[badgerbomb]

Congrats to Hoffman...a great professional and IMHO one of the friendliest guys in the game...Next stop the HOF

[Hofbraunhaus]

Not too surprising. I didn't think there would be any teams willing to commit to him as their closer this year. Congrats on a great career Trevor!!!

[DocLuna7]

Just echoing the congratulations to Trevor. He seems like a class-act and has been pointed out a number of times was considered to be an outstanding teammate. I think that level of respect speaks volumes about a player.

[trwi7]

I really wanted that sammich pick.

[Thurston Fluff]

I hope he gets invited to throw out the first ball at the Brewers home opener this year. That would be really nice.

 

If he threw his change up it would delay the game by 1/2 an hour. An hour if he threw his fastball.

[pitchleague]

I'm kind of surprised that Mariano Rivera is only behind Hoffman by <50 saves. He could be the new record holder by the end of September at the earliest and, probably May/June 2012 at the latest.

 

Anyway, congrats to Trevor! I never got to a home game to see him pitch or come in to Hell's Bells. Not in San Diego or in Milwaukee. But it was nice to watch on TV--when they didn't completely cut it off to go to commercial, which was, practically, every time.

[BrewCrewForever]

Congrats to Trevor, a class act in every aspect. Really enjoyed watching him for two years in a Brewers uniform. Wish the team would have been better, but such is life.

[hawing]

But it was nice to watch on TV--when they didn't completely cut it off to go to commercial, which was, practically, every time.

For what it's worth, the Brewers Radio Network broadcasts sometimes played it as a 9th inning began. I don't know if what they were playing was the actual stadium feed, or their own copy of Hells Bells.

 

Anyway, I'll add my congratulations too. Despite the 2010 struggles, it felt like a privilege to have Trevor on our side for the last two seasons of his career.

We'd sold our September 7 tickets to one of my coworkers early in the season, well before there was any possibility of the 600th save coming that night. Bummer for us, but an unforgettable thrill for my coworker, who is planning to tell her currently-in-utero daughter that "you were there."

As it was, we managed to be present for Trevor's first and last Miller Park appearances, and a bunch in between.

 

Thank you, Trevor, and best wishes going forward.

[chuckiehacks]

Typical Hoffman fashion, not a lot of drama or hoopla, just class. Axford has some nice quotes about him in McCalvy's blog and his own twitter feed, which is worth following, even if you don't typically follow individual athletes. He's quickly rising to #1 on the list of "Brewers I'd like to have a beer with."

[CheezWizHed]

I was hoping he would leave the Brewers with a parting gift... I think just his presence in the pen was a good influence on the other BP guys. Showing them how a pro goes about his business (preparation, fitness, etc..).

 

I still remember the first game we were at when he came in. It suddenly got eerily quiet and BONG! My wife jerked her head around (doing something with the kids) and said "What's that?" I think that was the first time she ever really paid attention to the 9th inning of a baseball game...

[Mudville9]

I'm sure he probably rather hang with the Padres, but I would love to see him as a bullpen coach for the Brewers next year.

[hawing]

I still remember the first game we were at when he came in. It suddenly got eerily quiet and BONG! My wife jerked her head around (doing something with the kids) and said "What's that?" I think that was the first time she ever really paid attention to the 9th inning of a baseball game...

As I stated above, we happened to be present for Trevor's first and last Miller Park appearances as a Brewer. They were both non-save opportunities, yet Hells Bells was played at each. The first one in 2009 was because someone in the organization hadn't realized that Trevor only wanted Hells Bells played in save situations. The last in 2010, of course, was the Brewers' Miller Park farewell to Hoffman.

 

Another fond recollection: Trevor's first MP appearance in 2009 was the non-save situation. He or someone must have clued the Brewers in on the need to crank up the volume, because when we saw his first save as a Brewer later that same week, the volume of Hells Bells was much louder - to the point where the usher in our section was startled.

 

Yet another thing I enjoyed about the Hoffman-as-Brewer era was watching other fans react to the Hells Bells entrance. We were at a weekday game in May 2009 which drew a bunch of school groups. It was cool to watch a group of middle school boys rock out to an AC/DC song that was already a classic by the time they were born. Even Bernie, in his dugout, was grooving. Good times.

[SoCal Brew Crew Fan]

How about a first pitch where he trots in from the bullpen to Hell's Bells one last time...that would get the crowd fired up.

 

Wish the beginning of last year went a little better, but overall it was great having that guy in a Brewers uni the last 2 seasons. Very memorable.

[brwrsfan]

It's tough to complain or say anything even remotely negative about Trevor. Yes, he struggled last year and it really put the Brewers in a hole in April, but the way he handled it....kept his head high, helped Axford in any way he could, really showed what kind of man he is. When virtually everyone that played with him or knows him has nothing but good things to say: how great a teammate he was, how he was a leader, a classy guy, etc.

 

He'll go down as one of the all time great closers, even if Rivera passes him (which seems likely but you never know, he could lose it one year too). I think it's pretty cool that he was a Brewer, it's not like we have too many HOF players that were Brewers - even if only for a couple of years.

 

Maybe it was just me, but the true indicator of just how much people think of Trevor was just watching the crowd when he entered. Everyone in the stadium stood, sang along with Hells Bells and gave him a standing ovation - for a good 2-3 minutes...EVERY time. His presence just made you watch. I was there for his first game as a Brewer and I was there for #598 or #599, I can't remember but it was cool none the less. I hope when the Padres visit next year, or for any game really that they bring him back at some point for a first pitch.

 

Since he'll likely be a HOF (though this is no gurantee, though I think he belongs), do you think the Brewers will retire his jersey number? It was only 2 years here....I think they will though.

 

Now that he's done, I'm going to have to find a way to get an autographed picture of him being carried off the field (or something from #600) signed with a 601 inscription.

[bjkrautk]

Since he'll likely be a HOF (though this is no gurantee, though I think he belongs), do you think the Brewers will retire his jersey number? It was only 2 years here....I think they will though.

It's a bit of a cop-out, but I'd like to see the club retire # 601, in honor of Hoffman.

 

 

[dadofandrew]

I do think they'll retire his number when he makes the Hall. Fingers was in MIL how long?

[1992casey]

Fingers was in Milwaukee five years and played four seasons, missing one due to injury. Don Sutton, whose number isn't retired, was a Brewer for two years and a month.

[sbrylski]

Fingers was in Milwaukee five years and played four seasons, missing one due to injury. Don Sutton, whose number isn't retired, was a Brewer for two years and a month.

Yeah, Hoffman could get a Walk of Fame nod, but that's probably it.

[DatHoser]

Yet one more reason to have a man-crush on the guy.

 

Trevor's bullpen catcher in SD