Today, the Milwaukee Brewers officially extended Minor League affiliate invitations to four teams. In addition to the Biloxi Shuckers staying on as the Double-A team, the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers being promoted to High-A status, and the Carolina Mudcats moving down to Low-A standing, the Brewers will also be welcoming the Nashville Sounds back as the organization’s Triple-A club.
Though the return of the Sounds is certainly a nice development, there’s also a bit of bad news associated with this otherwise encouraging announcement. We sincerely hope this doesn’t harsh your mellow, but we’re sad to report that the Rocky Mountain Vibes are no longer a Minor League affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers.
In late 2018, the Colorado Springs-based franchise was announced as Milwaukee’s Rookie-level affiliate. The Rocky Mountain Vibes—which beat out fan submission finalists Happy Campers, Lamb Chops, Punchy Pikas, Throttle Jockeys, and Rocky Mountain Oysters in a “Name The Team” contest—also unveiled a stoner marshmallow mascot named “Toasty Vibes” at that time. In 2019, the team’s first and only season to this point, the Vibes went 32-43, good for third place out of eight Pioneer League squads.
With no Minor League season in 2020 and owners taking whatever measures necessary to cut costs on account of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Vibes have now lost their affiliation with the Brewers. Now a member of the (technically) independent Major League Baseball Partnership League, the Vibes are planning to compete against the other seven Pioneer League teams in a 92-game season in 2021.
If you’re confused, let us put it this way: The Rocky Mountain Vibes still exist, but they’re no longer a Minor League Baseball team, and they have absolutely nothing to do with the Milwaukee Brewers anymore. What a supreme buzzkill, right? Though fans no longer have a connection to this Rookie ball team and its crunchy S’mores mascot, we’ll always have that 2019 season and we’ll always have Toasty’s “Good Vibe Of The Day.” And if you ask us, that’s pretty sweet.
