History helped shape Brewers, Miller Park contract. (Milwaukee Brewers' stadium)

The partnership between Milwaukee and Miller Brewing Co. spans 141 years, going back to the day in 1855 when Frederic Miller set up his first copper kettle along what is State Street today.

So on Feb. 29, when the Milwaukee Brewers first called on Miller to talk about naming rights for a new baseball stadium, a sense of history guided the discussions.

"There always was a corporate sense that this was a special situation because of our historical ties to the city," said Miller spokesman Mike Brophy. "The goal was to do our best to keep baseball in Milwaukee."

Whether Miller will realize that goal remains to be seen, though the likelihood was enhanced considerably by its having agreed to contribute $41.2 million to the team over the next 23 years. For that, the Brewers agreed to call its new stadium Miller Park and gave the brewing company exclusive rights to beer signage in and around the ballpark.

Whether the agreement reached March 21 by Miller and the Brewers was the largest …