Milwaukee's Own Brew Crew Fans

Scott Boras and Prince Fielder | Boras and Historical Contracts

2012-01-04T16:26:00.003-06:00

Prince Fielder's agent Scott Boras isn't worried about his client’s job status. The Brewers first basemen was expected to move quickly during this free agency period, but as of now the few offers that have been made haven't gone through.

It's all about the negotiating style he has for his clients. A master negotiator, Boras, uses his silent but stern attitude when dealing with club owners. Stories of his tactics have gone around the league many times over, making him one of the most feared (and successful,) agents in the business. He has made it an art form to keep teams on their heels, forcing them to drive up the price without any counter offers. This practice worked with the Astros in 2004 when they wanted to re-sign Carlos Beltran. Boras’ continued silence after three offers made the Houston staff extremely anxious. They would eventually (without any word from the agent,) raise their offer to well over $100 million. That was an increase of more than $30 million over their initial offer. Let's look at some of the more famed contracts that Mr. Boras has lassoed:

1980s

Bill Caudill - $1.5 million
Ben McDonald – $1.01 million

1990s

Greg Maddux - $57.5 million
Matt White – 10.2 million
Kevin Brown - $105 million
Bernie Williams – $87.5 million

2000s

Alex Rodriguez - $252 million
Barry Bonds - $90 million
J.D. Drew - $55 million
Adrián Beltré - $64 million
Jason Varitek - $40 million
Carlos Beltrán - $119 million
Johnny Damon - $52 million

Which Brewers Free Agents Will Move On to Other Teams

2011-10-31T14:37:00.005-06:00

It pretty much goes without saying that the first Milwaukee Brewers free agent to leave for big money will be Prince Fielder. He said throughout the playoffs that he will see what happens for the Brewers before making his decision. The Brewers lost to the Cardinals, so it looks like he would be moving on. The Brewers can't pay him what he deserves, and 2012 will not be a victory tour for the Brewers.

Which Brewers Free Agents Will Jump Ship

Yuniesky Betancourt will probably test the waters, and some fans would have no problem with that. His "swing at the first pitch" style really bothered Miller Park fans. Personally, I would love to see Hairston Jr. to stay. He showed poise during the playoffs, and they need someone to take care of McGehee's spot. Sorry Casey, but I think that the Brewers need to send you down.

As for Rodriguez and Saito, it would be nice to keep at least one of the two. Salary issues will come into play at some point. Still, the Brewers looked good, and that might attract some free agents their way. It's a long way to March 2012. We'll see what develops during the winter meetings.

Milwaukee Brewers Tickets Not So Easy For Cubs Fans to Nab

2011-08-29T10:45:00.003-06:00

I think that we can safely say that the term Wrigley Field North can be put out to pasture for 2011. The Cubs fans that travelled to Miller Park this weekend drove home disappointed every day. With every score, Brewers fans most certainly drowned out the cheers from Cubbies backers. It was almost a non issue.

Brewers Tickets Bought by Cubs Fans

I understand the concept. Cubs fans that live north of Chicago could just as easily come to Miller Park. The drive is no issue for these commuters. They won't feel lonely at the ballpark. Brewers tickets were easy to come by. That wasn't the case this past weekend. The games were sold out for months. I wonder if Brewers fans have decided to back their team by snapping up those tickets, just to keep the "Flatlanders" out.

Big Brewers Versus Cardinals Series Starts Tuesday

The Brewers host the Cardinals for three days, starting this Tuesday. If the Brew Crew sweeps, you could almost guarantee the NL Central will go their way. On the other hand, things have gone south very quickly for teams that rest on their laurels. One would think that Roenicke won't let those boys get complacent.

Brewers on the Cover of Sports Illustrated

2011-08-26T11:37:00.002-06:00

What is every athletes dream? To make on the Sports Illustrated Cover or the Wheaties box. Ryan Braun won't admit that it was ever his goal to have been featured on the infamous sports magazine's front page, but he is happy for the national coverage.

So are his two colleges who also grace the cover, Prince Fielder and Nyjer Morgan. Titled “Living The High Life” the connected article focuses on Morgan's alias “T-Plush” and the teams character filled roster.

Second Sports Illustrated Cover for Ryan Braun

Although Braun was pictured on the cover in 2008 along with five other players this is the first time in nearly 25 years that the Brewers have been exclusively on the front. Rob Deer's lone appearance in 1987 was the last time a solo member of the team smiled for SI cameras. This will be the 6 time that SI have a Brewer on the feature article. Robin Yount was shown twice in October of 1982, before him Rollie Fingers in 1981, and in 1979 manager George Bamberger.

As for the purported Sports Illustrated cover jinx Braun seemed more eager to talk about the Madden video game jinx, Morgan pleaded the fifth, and Fielder claimed that he had never heard of it.

Mark Rogers sent to AAA Nashville

2011-03-17T14:00:00.004-06:00

Mark Rogers was sent to AAA Nashville, as Ron Roenicke thinks he won't be prepared for the starting roll in time for the first week of baseball. What he made clear is that Rogers' progress is a bit slower than all the others that are vying for the final roster spot in the pitching rotation. Roenicke was specific when he said that Rodgers is pretty much a one inning guy right now.

Mark Rogers Nagged by Shoulder Problems

Since being drafted six years ago, Rogers has struggled through shoulder issues. His progress has been very slow. Yes, he gave up a ding-dong on March 14, lasting only one inning. That outing had nothing to do with this decision.

Rickie Weeks Contract Extension is About More Than Last Season's Output

2011-02-21T14:45:00.007-06:00

I'm not going to cringe every time Rickie Weeks has an at bat in 2011. In fact, I'm expecting him to perform better than last season, when he ended with a .269 batting average. Save for last year, the guy didn't break the 100 games played per season mark in his entire pro career. If it weren't for Fielder's situation coming in 2012, Weeks would have been offered a completely different contract extension.

We have two players that have to prove their worth when you compare their individual numbers to last year. Carlos Gomez is another player who played in 97 games last season, batting .247 for the year. He struck out 72 times in 2010 and that's the same number of strikeouts he had in 2009, but he played 40 more games that year. The concussion he received in early August may have played a role in his performance. Non the less, we need more from Gomez in 2011.

Prince Fielder Agrees to One Year Deal with Milwaukee

2011-01-21T11:16:00.003-06:00

Prince Fielder will be making 15.5 million in 2011. This deal cuts salary arbitration off at the pass. It is also the highest price paid for a player eligible for arbitration. Fielder will most certainly hit the road after the 2011 season. He will have to get his $484,375 per home run from someone else in 2012. By the way, his 2010 batting average the worst of his career. Will he be able to turn it up this season?

Brewers Pitching Situation Improves Once More

2010-12-28T15:23:00.004-06:00

You know the drill. If your bullpen can hold a lead, or limit the bleeding in close games, you should improve your chances of making the playoffs. Statistics have proven this to be the case. Once the Brewers' managers and staff come back to Milwaukee after this holiday break, they should be signing Takashi Saito. Saito is ready to agree to a one year deal.

Of the nine pitchers all looking to fill one more spot on the roster, there is only one lefty, Mitch Stetter. Sean Green has a contract working in his favor. The battle for a spot in the Milwaukee Brewers' bullpen will commence in spring.

Zack Greinke Comes to Milwaukee

2010-12-21T13:13:00.004-06:00

I like the trade deal for Zack Greinke. Most Milwaukee fans do too. Milwaukee Brewers ticket sales spiked as soon as the deal was done. That's got to mean something. The same thing happened after they went to the playoffs in 2009.

Not to pass up on the revenue, the Brewers have added a Greinke bobble head to this upcoming season. Set all that stuff aside. Greinke has to produce. The Brewers gave up Lorenzo Cain, Escobar, and two prospects. Greinke stays out of the white hot New York Yankees spotlight for another year.

Ryan Braun Needs To Stay In Milwaukee

2010-11-12T14:48:00.002-06:00

Peter Gammons must be smoking something. Ryan Braun must stay in Milwaukee. To lose Prince Fielder and Braun would be a huge blow to the offense. Rickie Weeks is also a short timer. No need to panic, it's just Gammons doing some spitballing.

Milwaukee Brewers Hunt for Manager Continues

2010-10-26T13:31:00.007-06:00

Doug Melvin is working on a second round of interviews with potential Milwaukee Brewers managers. Pat Listach is out. Bob Melvin and Joey Cora are still in. If there are any others in the running, we may not know it until someone sees them pull up to the Miller Park offices. Melvin is keeping this close to the vest so far.

Pat Listach felt that his interview went very well, but something told Melvin to keep looking. His two hour meeting on October 20 covered topics down to the granular level. Listach may find work for another team. As of today, Ron Roenicke is still in the running, but we don't think he is Melvin's first pick.

Brewers Make the First Move to Keep Fans Happy | Ticket Prices Frozen

2010-10-13T08:54:00.003-06:00

It makes sense to freeze the current Brewers ticket prices. The team is in no position to ask for more from the fans. The payroll lands somewhere in the middle of all MLB teams, and we're still struggling through a crappy economy. The per game average for attendance has dropped a bit, and that is also a concern. Prices will once again range from $8 to $50, depending on location.

Getting the team back to the playoffs will certainly raise attendance. It did in 2008, and there was spillover into 2009. As we get further from that playoff appearance, the fans tend to look to other forms of entertainment.

Ken Macha Gone and the Search Begins

2010-10-06T09:15:00.002-06:00

Ken Macha was a "numbers" guy. He lived and died by the numbers, averages, stats. If that is true, then he knew he was on his way out as the Brewers manager. Heck, they helped him pack. Who will manage this team without pitching?

Can an Umpire Throw a Fan Out of a Baseball Game?

2010-09-08T08:44:00.006-06:00

Can an umpire throw a fan out of a major league baseball game? Yes he can. Last night, after tossing two coaches and one player, Bob Davidson tossed a fan out of Miller Park. Davidson had heard enough of one fan's taunts at the Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina, so he gave him the hook. I guess the fan didn't know the taunting rules: Be clean. "Big Dummy" is one of my favorites, and it has never resulted in my being tossed.

As for the call during the double play, I have to agree with the call from the second base umpire Tim Timmons. Councell didn't even try to reach for the base pad. I have seen plenty of players slide that wide of the baseline, but they reach for the pad.

Dave Bush Blames Everyone for Poor Performance in 2010

2010-08-25T11:19:00.004-06:00

After yesterday's loss to the Dodgers, Dave Bush said one thing that really bothered me. He included everyone on the mound when it came to consistency. "It's not just me" he said. As true as that statement is, I would rather see a player look inward and stay there. Don't even bring up the other player's woes. Concentrate on your game, and your game alone.

Bush gave up a monster shot in the second, three hits to Rod Barajas that included another home run, and the Brewers go down once again. Rickie Weeks tied the game in the fifth, but the Dodgers just had to keep working over Bush, and it went their way.

Where is the silver lining in all of this? Carlos Gomez' return to the club is most certainly a good thing. He was not missed however, as Lorenzo Cain proved his worth. Cain Stays, Gomez moves to right field. Let the competition begin! I have just a few Miller Park tickets left for this season, and I'm going to enjoy every game.

Milwaukee Brewers Fail to Sign Dylan Covey as Health Issue Arises

2010-08-17T09:40:00.003-06:00

Some Brewers fans were surprised to read that Dylan Covey passed up a 2+ million dollar contract. Covey opted for the college route, after learning that he has type 1 diabetes. It's not an easy thing to learn how to handle a health issue, and work your way up through baseball's minor league system.

The Brewers will get a compensation pick, unprotected of course. As the Brewers moved on to their 13th round pick Mike White, we are left to wonder if that unprotected compensation pick will work out in the long run.

Brewers VS Cubs Was Just The Remedy

2010-08-03T07:20:00.004-06:00

When was the last time that the Brewers VS Cubs game was that fun to watch? When was the last time that both Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder were five for five in the same game? Milwaukee hit a season-high of 26 hits last night. Heck, I stopped watching when the score was 10-1. I had no idea that Milwaukee would go on to score eight more. You just know that Gallardo was looking to redeem himself after the horrid performance he had prior to this start.

The only low light was seeing Carlos Gomez get smacked in the head. He complained of dizziness after a CT scan came up clean. No doubt that he was going to feel the effects of that 91 m.p.h. pitch. Schlitter was not going after Gomez, and it wasn't as if he was crowding the plate. It happens. Knowing this Brew Crew, we might see another low scoring affair tonight, because this team is streaky.

Yovani Gallardo Meltdown at Miller Park

2010-07-28T11:45:00.003-06:00

Yovani Gallardo wouldn't look up. He was obviously having issues with getting his pitches off the middle of the plate. He couldn't work the edges to save his life. The only highlight was the home run he hit in the second inning. I hoped to see him crack a smile as he rounded the bases, but no go.

Narveson goes to the mound today for this Brewers VS Reds match up at Miller Park. Chris Narveson is 8-6 currently, with an ERA of 5.93. Travis Wood has pitched a grand total of 32.2 innings for the Reds. Sometimes the new guy can fool the batters.

Last night's loss was the first at Miller Park in quite a while. The Brewers had won their last seven home games before going down in flames last night. The Brewers are currently 48-54, and the glimmer of playoff hopes still shines. The Brew Crew needs to shake off the loss, and move on.

Milwaukee Brewers Give Up Ten Runs in First Inning

2010-07-21T09:01:00.004-06:00

It was a record last night. Not a good record, mind you. The Brewers gave up 10 runs to the Pittsburgh Pirates last night. They chipped away at that immense lead, but feel short by two. My favorite part of last night, was when you could clearly see Ryan Braun swearing his way around the bases after he hit a home run to left center.

My worst part of last night was seeing Prince Fielder come to the plate to start the top of the ninth. You just knew that it was over. Randy Wolf will take the mound tonight. Wolf is 7-8, with a 4.56 ERA. He goes up against Zach Duke, a pitcher currently 3-9. We have two more chances to beat down the Pirates. Then it's home to Miller Park.

Yovani Gallardo Hits Third Home Run of the Season | Astros VS Brewers Game Three Tonight

2010-06-30T09:23:00.005-06:00

Yovani Gallardo hit home run number three of the season last night. He gave up four runs to the lowly Astros, but no matter, The Brewers pulled it out. Game three is tonight.
Let's go back to Monday Night. I would have thought that a comfortable three run lead was all that the Brewers needed in order to win game one. By the top of the eighth, I was ready to vomit. Brewers go down in flames in game one.
Okay, now I have that sour taste in my mouth, as game two began last night. The Crew goes up by five, and I'm not falling for it again. Sure enough, the Astros score three in the top of the fifth. Both teams score a run in the sixth, and I'm starting to feel pretty good when Axford takes the mound in the ninth. Astros score one, Axford gives up a double, walks a man, and I'm tempted to tourn off the radio. A ground out ends the game. Axford has eight saves on the season.

Milwaukee Brewers and Jeff Suppan Part Company | Brewers VS Rangers at Miller Park

2010-06-12T06:01:00.008-06:00

Brewers Release Jeff Suppan

The Milwaukee Brewers released Jeff Suppan on June 7, and Miller Park fans have no problem with that. Suppan, the former Cardinal pitcher nabbed a $42 million dollar contract when he came to Milwaukee and he will be heading back to St. Louis of all places. As of this morning, there was no signed contract, but he did hop on a jet to Arizona.

The Cards want to check him out physically, and then see what they can work out deal-wise. Dave Duncan sees something in Jeff Suppan that the Brewers did not. As this game is certainly mental as well as physical, Jeff might find his old team to be the tonic. Brewers fans just don't care.

Brewers VS Rangers at Miller Park

As we watched the Brewers VS Rangers at Miller Park, we were pleased to see Chris Narveson pitch to the seventh inning, give up only two runs, and improve his record to 5-3. The air was thick but that didn't keep the Brewers batters from hitting the long ball. Ryan Braun, Corey Hart, Prince Fielder, and Casey McGehee all hit homers in the 6-2 victory. This makes four of the past five games wins for Milwaukee.

Tonight, Manny Parra takes to the mound. For the Rangers, Scott Feldman will be the starting pitcher. The Brewers have their work cut out for them, but if they keep this pace, it might once again be enjoyable to watch the Brew Crew.

Brewers VS Twins Extra Innings Affair

2010-05-25T13:11:00.006-06:00

We almost stayed for the entire Brewers VS Twins game last Saturday at Minnesota. The new Target Field is pretty nice. The site lines are solid, and the food was the same. We sat in the upper deck, left field side. The sun was baking us to a crisp, and I was slamming the $4 waters all afternoon. We languished in the hot sun, as the brewers did, until the ninth inning.

The first warm up pitch Ron Mahay tossed went over the head of the catcher, and I got that "we can do this" feeling. Sure enough, our Milwaukee Brewers put up five runs and take the lead going into the bottom of the ninth. Sadly, the Twins tied up the game just that quickly, and we suffered through two more innings, before heading past the gates in search of dinner and shade.

The Twins loaded the bases a second time, and a sacrifice fly by Jason Kubel was all they needed to drown the hopes of the many Brewers fans that drove across the border in hopes of snatching a win from these first place American League upstarts. Earlier in the game, Corey Hart hit a home run and later made a spectacular catch of a Delmon Young line drive to keep the game alive. Manny Parra missed his Sunday start due to the extra inning affair, forcing Ken Macha to start Marco Estrada on Sunday. Trevor Hoffman fans got to see him pitch a scoreless inning, setting up John Axford for the ninth on Sunday. Brewers won 4-3 on Sunday, and took the day off before heading home to Miller Park in Milwaukee to face Houston.

Milwaukee Brewers May Update

2010-05-14T13:58:00.006-06:00

Our Milwaukee Brewers have the worst home record in baseball right now. At 4-11, we're scratching our heads. What will it take to fire up our Brewers at Miller Park?

As the Phillies come to town for a three game home stand, we see that the Brew Crew got swept by Atlanta. The last thing our team needs is a "desperate for a win" feeling. Randy Wolf has to snap this ugly losing streak.

Wolf goes up against Jamie Moyer tonight, and right now it looks like a Narveson VS Blanton match up tomorrow afternoon. The final game should be Doug Davis facing Cole Hamels. Davis is riding a 9.0 ERA right now. Joe Blanton is 1-1 with an ERA over six. We will keep our thoughts positive when it comes to Trevor Hoffman. If he comes in to close, we just cross our fingers and close our eyes.

Meanwhile, back in Kansas City, the face of Neddy Yost poppe up. Trey Hillman said "see ya" as he got the boot. Macha says he's happy for old Ned. Uecker is healing up nicely, and we await his return. Get your butts down to Miller Park this weekend. The weather is supposed to be nice, and this crappy home record is due to change for the better.

Dismal Brewers VS Cubs Series Angers Brewers Bats | Bring On Pittsburgh

2010-04-27T13:30:00.005-06:00

What's worse than seeing 15,000 Cubs fans at Miller Park? Watching them go home night after night with a victory to gloat over. The Brewers fell flat at home.

Jeff Suppan now heads to the bullpen, and that's probably a good idea. When you have an ERA of 8.68, you have to be pulled from the mound. Is it that bad? 16 hits spread out over nine innings tells me yes, it's that bad. The fast ball he throws is easily ten miles per hour too slow. The demotion was a good move.

What's the bright spot? Crushing the Pirates with 17 runs did the trick for now. Ken Macha will have to find a way to get his pitching staff back on track. This terrible pitching can't continue.

Brewers VS Cubs at Miller Park | Hoping the Brew Crew Scores 20 Runs Again Tonight

2010-04-23T14:30:00.007-06:00

Yes, it's Brewers VS Cubs tonight. The Cubs come to down, and stay all weekend. Chicago fans will once again invade our home turf. After losing four games, the Cubs started to panic. After blowing leads, the Brewers lost their share as well. The elixir for Milwaukee was the hapless Pittsburgh Pirates.

Milwaukee roughed up Pittsburgh in game one, game two, and then the final blow for the Pirates was the 20-0 beat down in game three. Ryan Braun would be my series MVP, if I had the power to make that so. Against Pittsburgh, Braun was 7-11, hit two homers, and drove in eight. This was similar to his efforts at Chicago, as he was 9-14 with seven RBI's in that series.

Randy Wolf Miller Park Victory

2010-04-07T11:38:00.004-06:00

Randy Wolf had trouble with left handed batters last night at Miller Park. Six lefties had hits last night. Wolf's solid 2.96 ERA when pitching against Rockies batters will surely rise after this outing. No matter, McGehee crushed a three run homer in the first, and the Brewers battled their way to a Miller Park victory. The Brewers have nothing but respect for this 2010 Rockies team.

Milwaukee gets a day off this Thursday, and then the Cardinals come to town. From there, the team heads to Chicago for the Cub's home opener. That three game series is broken up with a day off on April 13. Scanning the Milwaukee Brewers 2010 Schedule, I see no other series that is broken up by a day off.

Milwaukee Brewers and Jim Edmonds for 2010

2010-03-26T15:24:00.003-06:00

Four-time All Star Jim Edmonds was added to the Brewers active roster today. Back in January, he was brought on at the minor league level, and now he's back in the big leagues. His prime years were arguably 1997 to 2005, but this 40 year old center fielder may fit in just fine here in Milwaukee. After all, the guy just drove in five runs on Tuesday!

Word is that the veterans who do stay in Milwaukee like the feel of the clubhouse. Is it management, or is it the exciting young players that they get to play with? It's probably both. Edmonds is certainly not too old to play baseball, as he turns 40 this summer. Besides, he's just a back up center fielder. Carlos Gomez is our main man in that position. Who is getting the boot? Scott Schoeneweis, the veteran pitcher didn't make the cut.

Milwaukee Brewers and Mat Gamel Lose Big Time

2010-03-19T12:24:00.005-06:00

Mat Gamel is out for at least 45 days after tearing up his shoulder. He's been out of commission since the second week of March, and that puts his return around ten days into April. There will be no competing for third base.

It was a bad day all around for Milwaukee. Brewers batters struck out 16 times, and Manny Parra gave up five runs. Brewers lose to the Rangers 6-4. A bright spot in this story is Yovani Gallardo's pitching.

Yovani played four great innings back on March 16th. She struck out five in that game. This year, Gallardo wants to be the opening day starter. He was under too much pressure last season, and this year he wants the nod.

Milwaukee Brewers Opening Day At Miller Park | Will Good Things Come Their Way in 2010?

2010-03-10T14:51:00.004-06:00

We're just over three weeks from the Milwaukee Brewers opening day at Miller Park. As the Brewers finished just two games under .500 last year, what are the expectations of fans and coaches? The offense was good enough, but the pitching was not even close to passable.First, Milwaukee picked up Randy Wolf. We have him for the next three years, so he better come through. Wolf was solid for the Dodgers, and his win record for last season does not match up with his ERA and WHIP. Doug Davis is back, and we need him. He won nine games as a Diamondback last year. His ERA is a bit high, but if you add him to the mix of Gallardo, and Wolf, it's an improvement.

Second, we need Rickie Weeks to stay healthy. How do you measure the impact Weeks would have had in 2009 seeing that he went out so early in the season. He was hot when he went down, but he could have gone south like Corey Hart. We don't know how the season would have gone, and we can only look forward. Hart is most likely going to get his batting back in order, and with Weeks doing well, we should be ok.

Third, Ken Macha had a tough time with his rotation. He's a winning coach, and the 2009 Brewers outcome was atypical of what he's used to seeing. The A's were winners, and Ken had something to do with that. Ken has a bit more to work with when it comes to pitchers, a positive outlook with Weeks and Hart, and good management style. I don't see the Brewers playing any worse than last season, and look for them to finish about eight games above .500.

Milwaukee Brewers Pitchers and Catchers report to Spring Training on Friday

2010-02-17T14:13:00.005-06:00

The snow is still atop the Miller Park roof, but Milwaukee Brewers pitchers and catchers report to spring training in three days. The first home game at Maryvale Baseball Park is set for March 6th. They face the San Francisco Giants that day. Maryvale is just west of Phoenix, and a great winter destination.

On a side note, Corey Hart will earn $4.8 million in 2010. Salary arbitration dictated that the Brewers pay him the $4.8 million, $650,000 more than they wanted to fork over. Now Hart can begin to win back the fans in Milwaukee. Brewers fans forgave him for the surgery, and the extended slump, and he hopes that they look past the salary issues.

In a total of 115 games played, he ended up with a .260 batting average, with 12 home runs, over 419 at bats. He was shopped around this winter, but it looks like he's a lock for the Brew Crew in 2010.

Miller Park Tickets hit the 1 Million Mark in Sales

2010-02-10T14:11:00.004-06:00

Congratulations to the Milwaukee Brewers. Miller Park tickets sold to date have hit the 1 million mark. This season the million ticket mark was hit almost as quickly as the post playoff season of 2008. Single game tickets have yet to go on sale. Filling the seats will help fill the bank account. See you at the games in 2010 Brewers fans.

2010 Milwaukee Brewers Playoff Hopes Rely on Weeks and Gomez

2010-02-03T08:37:00.010-06:00

The Milwaukee Brewers slugger Prince Fielder is locked in for another two seasons. Why are fans worried about his departure from the Brewers organization already? It’s the fear of the big market money that could easily draw Fielder away. Let’s be honest, Milwaukee does not have Yankees money. In the meantime, Fielder is saying all the right things. He claims that he’s happy in Milwaukee, and he wants to win here at Miller Park.
The desire to “win this season” is words that Prince uses quite often. How does the Brewers organization make that happen? It’s all about the pitching.

The subject of the Brewers pitching situation has been covered in depth. So far, the Brewers have added Doug Davis to the lineup. Will he help to bring down the dismal 5.37 ERA? It can’t get any worse. Randy Wolf and Doug Davis are both lefties who combined for over 45 starts last season. Add Manny Parra to the “lefties” club and it raises my hopes for a lower overall ERA.

The Miller Park fans then look at what we gave up in offense. Mike Cameron and J.J. Hardy were both destined to be traded away, or let go. Carlos Gomez will replace Cameron, and the fact that he will be playing every day should improve his output. Giving up two solid positional players in order to gain on the pitching side is supposedly offset by Rickie Weeks. Weeks had a hot bat before the injury. The 2010 Milwaukee Brewers playoff hopes will be dashed if that hot bat goes cold this season.

Todd Coffey Milwaukee Brewers Pitcher Contract Talks

2010-01-21T14:54:00.004-06:00

Looks like Milwaukee Brewers' Todd Coffey is trying to get the most bang for his buck on his contract with the Milwaukee Brewers. Coffey is looking for almost twice as much as the Brewers are willing to shell out on this deal. In the 2009 season, he was the most improved pitcher on the Brewers roster and he's looking to cash in on last years performance.

Brewers Finalizing Deals, Welcoming New Pitcher

2010-01-20T17:01:00.005-06:00

The New Year is upon us and fans are starting to itch for the baseball season to start. The Milwaukee Brewers lineup is expanding every day and fans have some great players to look forward to seeing out at Miller Park this year.

The Brewers have solidified deals with both Rickie Weeks and Carlos Gomez and finalized one year contracts with each to evade salary arbitration. Second baseman Weeks will be running the team $2.75 million for the 2010 season. Prior to his season-ending tendon tear in May of 2009, he hit .272 with nine homeruns and 24 RBIs in just 37 games. Centerfielder Gomez came to Milwaukee from the trade for JJ Hardy with the Minnesota Twins. His deal for 2010 will be for $1.1 million.

Milwaukee also welcomes new teammate and left handed pitcher Doug Davis. The supposed terms of his one year deal are a $4.25 million salary and a 2011 mutual option. The Brewers bullpen has really shaped up during the offseason and Davis will be joining other pitching veteran Randy Wolf.

Brewers Pitcher Ben Sheets looks to the Cubs for a contract

2010-01-13T15:22:00.003-06:00

Word on the street is that Milwaukee Brewers' pitcher Ben Sheets contacted the Chicago Cubs. He's looking for a big time contract that would take care of him for a couple of years. It's doubtful that it will happen seeing that there are some solid MLB pitchers still out in the open market. Sheets being prone to injury could easily scare off any team. He may want to look for a contract that is heavy on incentives, and lighter on guarantees. It's time for this old Brewers pitcher to show his worth.

Milwaukee Brewers 2010 Roster News

2009-12-10T15:47:00.002-06:00

The Milwaukee Brewers are keeping busy in their winter meetings and looking for new recruits to pump up our pitching every day. There have been some new signings and possible trades recently. The largest yet is the three-year, $27 million deal with Randy Wolf. Wolf has an impressive resume, pitching for both the Phillies and the Dodgers and playing for the National All-Star Team in 2003. Randy Wolf will surely help sell the Milwaukee Brewers tickets.

A deal that is still on the table is with a past player, Claudio Vargas. The Brewers are looking to sign this now free-agent on to a one year deal. Vargas has been a great asset to the team thus far, previously a starting pitcher in 2007. He posted a 1.78 ERA in his brief 28 appearances at the end of the summer after being acquired from the Dodgers in July.

Brewer's Ryan Braun wins Silver Slugger for Second Straight Year

2009-12-02T15:28:00.002-06:00

For the second year in a row, the Milwaukee Brewer’s outfielder Ryan Braun won a Silver Slugger award making him the first Brewer since Paul Molitor to win consecutively. Braun, Molitor, and Cecil Cooper are the only player’s in Brewer’s history to win this award. Each year, the Silver Slugger Award is given each year to the best offensive player in each position as picked by the league’s managers and coaches. The award will be given in a ceremony in 2010 by a rep from Louisville Slugger. The actual Silver Slugger trophy is 3 feet tall and features the names of the winner and the other winners in his respective league

Braun had an impressive 2008 season with 203 hits, a .320 batting average, 32 home runs and 114 RBIS. These stats made Braun only the 8^thplayer in league history with at least 100 runs, 100 RBIs, 200 hits, 30 homers, 20 stolen bases and a .300 average all in the same season.

Brewers Management Meets with Lackey's Agent

2009-11-19T11:19:00.002-06:00

Brewers management met with the agent of the hottest pitcher in the free agent market, right handed John Lackey. Brewers General Manager Doug Melvin has said he would like to add two starting pitchers this offseason. Since Lackey is a Class A pitcher, acquiring him would mean the Brewers would lose a pick in next year’s draft. However, since the Brewers own the 14th selection, they would still get a first round pick. Securing Lackey would mean the Brewers would have to give up their second round pick.

Brewers Trade JJ Hardy for Carlos Gomez

2009-11-06T16:17:00.008-06:00

The Milwaukee Brewers have traded fan favorite J.J. Hardy to the Minnesota Twins for Outfielder Carlos Gomez. I like it, folks.

The Brewers have now made room for Alcides Escobar to become their starter at shortstop. I think it was just a matter of time and there is no better time than the present. Escobar is going to be a stud and he needed to be the 2010 starter. He didn't need Hardy breathing down his neck.

It's no secret the Brewers were shopping Hardy. I think, though, a number of fans were expecting starting pitching in return. The Brewers tried to get pitching, but no team was willing to give up a decent starter in this "pitching starved market".

The Crew did the next best thing and secured a young, quality centerfielder in Carlos Gomez. It's true that Gomez underperfomed at the plate in Minnesota, but his fielding was very strong. He committed only one error in 80+ games. I know that Mike Cameron did a terrific job in centerfield and was a great leader for the Brewers, but Milwaukee was going to have a very difficult time signing Cameron to a deal that it could truly afford.

Sensing that it was going to be difficult to both sign Cameron and Starting pitching, the Brewer Brass made a bold move and signed a young, athletic and cheap centerfielder and saved money that they can now spend on some starting pitching.

There is no question the the Brewers have taken a significant chance on Gomez. He has not been able to prove that he can consistantly hit major league hitting. This is troubling, but it doesn't mean he can't. If you want an example of a young, speedy, athletic and hitting challenged centerfielder, look no further than the Houston Astro's Michael Bourn.

Bourn was your typical "punch and Judy" hitter that couldn't effectively use his speed on the base paths because he couldn't get on first base. That was....Until last season. The Astros coaching staff worked hard with Bourn and he had a solid year, hitting .285, collecting 173 hits and stealing 61 bags.

I'm not saying Carlos Gomez is going to put up the numbers Bourn did in '09, but I do think that he can improve significantly.

This move gives the Milwaukee Brewers roster a lot of flexiblity. Money can now be spent on their very much challenged starting pitching staff.

What do you think, folks?
I

Milwaukee Brewers Erik Bedard in the Spotlight

2009-11-05T14:30:00.003-06:00

As the Milwaukee Brewers look to improve their pitching rotation that finished last in the National League in ERA this past season, several free agents could be of interest to their staff. The first is former two-time all-star Mark Mulder. While Mulder hasn’t pitched in the major leagues since 2008 or pitched a full season since 2005, he would be a fairly inexpensive acquisition for the Brewers. If he stays healthy, this could be a big steal for the Brewers. Another plus is that the new pitching coach, Rick Peterson, coached Mulder on the Oakland Athletics when he had his greatest success. Mulder was on of the Oakland A’s “Big Three” and recipient of the Cy Young award. Peterson also helped Mulder earlier this season to prepare for scouts which proves they already have a close relationship.

Another pitcher of interest for the Brewers is Erik Bedard. A powerful left handing starter, Bedard was traded in 2008 to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for five players. Bedard was believed to be one of the league’s best pitchers, but he barely made half of his starts over the next two seasons. Despite this fact, he posted “ace” quality numbers. He’s a great pitcher when healthy, but the issue is making sure he stays healthy.

Milwaukee Brewers Schedule for April

2009-10-29T12:21:00.005-06:00

It’s never too early to look ahead to the Brewers Schedule for April 2010. Get your tickets while you still have first dibs! The Brewers’ first two series are against two premiere National League teams who made it to the playoffs. The Brewers will play their home opener on Monday, April 5th against the Colorado Rockies. This series against the Rockies will last until April 7th. This past season, the Rockies entered in the playoffs as the National League wild card and were swept by the Phillies. Then on April 9th-April 11th, the Brewers will host this season’s division clinching St. Louis Cardinals. Incidentally, the St. Louis Cardinals recently hired Mark McGwire as their hitting coach. Remember him from the late 90s? Hopefully with the new pitching staff, the Brewers can make pull together a tighter pitching staff for the 2010 season.

Milwaukee Brewers Pitchers Have a New Coach for 2010

2009-10-22T14:48:00.003-06:00

After finishing last in the league with a 5.37 ERA, the Milwaukee Brewers have hired a new pitching coach. Rick Peterson has signed a two year contract with the Brewers as the new pitching coach. Peterson has spent 11 seasons in Major League baseball with both Oakland and the New York Mets. In addition, Peterson has previously worked with Brewers’ manager Ken Macha and bench coach Willie Randolph.

The Brewers have also asked bullpen coach Stan Kyles to return and are currently working out a deal with interim coach Chris Bosio. Hopefully these changes will help the Brewers return to the playoffs next season. I can’t wait another 26 years.

Milwaukee Brewers Roster for 2010 Includes Trevor Hoffman

2009-10-13T14:32:00.006-06:00

The Milwaukee Brewers roster has a closer for 2010, and his name is Trevor Hoffman. Hoffman agreed to stay a Brewer for another year. Miller Park baseball fans will hear Hell’s Bells once more.

Opening day 2010 is just six months away. The Milwaukee Brewers will face Colorodo on April 5. Speaking of, the Rockies just lost the National League division series to Philadelphia. The Phillies will face the Dodgers for the NLCS crown.

Milwaukee Brewers Update for 2009

2009-10-01T08:55:00.006-06:00

There is always next year for Milwaukee Brewers fans and still a few Milwaukee Brewers tickets to be scanned at Miller Park. Unfortunately, this season the Brewers weren’t lucky enough to make it to the playoffs like last year. If you take out the so-so pitching staff, it seems that they had all of their cards in place and fans behind them until the last half of the season. The month of September seemed to be an increasing downfall for the team with only 13 wins of their 27 games played. All things were beautiful until after the All Star break. Last night the Brewers took on the Colorado Rockies again after a 7-5 loss the night prior to that.

One thing Brewers fans have to keep their spirits up as the season comes to an end is the many accomplishments of Prince Fielder. Specifically he was just noted as the only Iron Man left, meaning he is the only major league player to have started all 153 games this season so far. It’s hard to imagine the strength, determination and drive it takes to deal with the aches and pains accumulated throughout a season and never ask for, or need a day off.
Brewer’s first baseman Prince Fielder also should be noted for his great stats and ranking this season. His batting average thus far is .297/.406 OBP which ranks him at 6th in the National League. He also managed to rank 3rd in the National League for scoring 43 home runs. With the Milwaukee Brewers facing two more games against the Rockies it is then the final three games against the Cardinals this weekend, we hope for the best and support the team, and hope for playoff time next season.

Sink Or Swim For the Brewers

2009-08-11T09:31:00.002-06:00

It's put up or shut up time for the Milwaukee Brewers. It's August 11th and the Crew is presently 6 1/2 games behind the front running St. Louis Cardinals. The Brewers next 19 games are against teams that are at or well below .500. If the Brew is to get back into the playoff picture and are to be taken seriously they must go at least 13-6.

What do you think, folks?

Brewer Stuggle Mightily Against Nationals

2009-07-29T09:30:00.003-06:00

The Milwaukee Brewers are playing their worst baseball of the '09 season. So bad in fact that the lowly Washington Nationals (30-68 before coming to town) are bashing their brains in, scoring 22 runs in the first two games of a critical four game series.

It's been extremely difficult to watch. So difficult in fact that I couldn't bring myself to go out to Miller Park last night...even though it was my birthday and it was a beautiful night for baseball.

The Brewers are now 4-8 since the All-Star Break and 7-16 their last 23 games. They are hitting below .190 with runners in scoring position during this stretch and my calculator starts smoking when I try to figure out what their starters ERA is.

I sure hope the Brewers Brass doesn't give up too much for any one player in the hope of turning things around. This team has a lot of holes, folks.

Don't get me wrong. There is still a lot of baseball left, 62 games, but I can't say I feel too good about their chances.

I guess we'll have to see what Doug Melvin and company can put together this week.

Good Luck!!

Critical Time For Brewers

2009-07-20T13:13:00.003-06:00

The Milwaukee Brewers first 14 games after the All-Star Break are against teams with records below .500. After splitting four games in Cincinnati, it's hyper critical that the Brewers get some wins against the Pirates, Braves and Nationals. In my opinion, the Crew must go at least 6-4 their next 10 games against these three teams. It would be awesome if they could go 7-3.

The Crew has owned the Pirates the last couple of years and it's imperative that they step on their throats tonight. You know the Pirates have an axe to grind with the Brew after losing 17 in a row to Milwaukee. Let's hope the Brewers can get it rolling in Pittsburgh.

After the Pittsburgh series, The Brewers are back in Milwaukee and face the Atlanta Braves for three games and the Washington Nationals for four. If the Brewers are going to be taken seriously, they have to get Series wins against both opponents. I think it would do wonders for their confidence if they can rattle off three straight winning series'.

What do you say, folks? Can the Crew get it rolling?

Key Milwaukee Brewers Series Against St. Louis

2009-07-08T10:26:00.007-06:00

Yovani Gallardo had one bad inning, and that was all it took for St. Louis to win the first game of this crucial series. It looked like Adam Wainwright was not suffering from his previous outing. In the prior game, he threw over 120 pitches. Wainwright had his wicked curve ball dialed in perfectly last night. Brewers batters could not lay off that pitch.

With the bases loaded in the second inning, Mike Cameron was hit by the ball as Kendall's lofty chopper drifted towards the St. Louis shortstop. That play could have scored a run for Milwaukee, but it was not to be.

The Milwaukee Brewers didn't get any help from the umpire in last night's contest. Dale Sveum and Willie Randolph were both ejected by the third inning. Bill Hohn called Gallardo's check swing a strike, and Pujol's check swing a ball. When looking at the reply, the only difference between swings was that Gallardo had a slower recoil when compared to Pujols. Miller Park fans were justifiably angry with Hohn.

Game two will feature Jeff Suppan for Milwaukee and Wellenmeyer for St. Louis. Suppan needs a to turn his performance around in short order. He has not had a win since June 12th, and continues to struggle on the mound.

Brewers Win Wild one in 11th Inning; Sweep Indians

2009-06-18T13:37:00.005-06:00

Wow! What a series, folks! The Brewers pulled off a three game sweep in Cleveland last night with an exciting 9-8 victory over the Indians. The Crew got the bats going in a big way at Progressive Field. The Brewers scored 30 runs during this three game series, the most by the Brew all year.

Many Brewers contributed, but it was JJ Hardy, Corey Hart, Craig Counsell, Ryan Braun and Big Prince Fielder that provided much of the punch on Lake Erie.

The Brew is now eight games over .500 after limping out of Milwaukee at only five games over with a tough loss to the White Sox last Sunday.

It's off to Detroit to take on the Tigers this weekend and then home next Tuesday to face the Minnesota Twins.

Let's hope the Crew can keep the bats popping.

Go Brewers!

Brewers Look To Find Winning Ways Against Reds

2009-05-29T07:49:00.004-06:00

The Milwaukee Brewers are 27-20. Not too shabby. I was hoping the Crew would be at least five games over .500 by June 1st. The Brewers have won games in a number of ways this season. They've won with good starting pitching, good relief, good defense and with home runs.

That being said, the home run ball has been absent as of late. This power outage has coincided with two straight losing series and loses in five of the last six games. Let's hope the Reds' pitching can get the Brewers bats cooking again.

Go Crew!!

Brewers Beat Astros 4-2; Win 7th Straight

2009-05-20T12:02:00.005-06:00

There is another team in the Majors besides the New York Yankees that has won seven straight games.....Your Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers continued their winning ways last night with a 4-2 victory in Houston over the Astros. The Crew continued to get solid starting pitching with Dave Bush who pitched six innings and gave the Brew another quality start. Villanueva and Coffey each pitched a scoreless inning and Trevor Hoffman shut the door on the 'Stros retiring the side in order in the 9th inning.

The Brewers continue to play terrific baseball, folks. They have now won 21 out of their last 26 games, the best in the Majors. The Crew is getting great contribution from many on the roster, not just a few. Timely hitting, great patience at the plate, solid starting pitching and terrific bullpen production have all had a major impact in the Brewers success. Brewers tickets continue to sell in numbers never seen before. It's great to see the fans supporting this team.

The loss of Rickie Weeks is a tough one. I love Rickie and so do his teamates. He is a true professional in every sense of the word. I wish Rickie a complete, speedy recovery.

The loss of Rickie will be tough to overcome for this team, but I think the Crew still has a good chance of continuing its winning ways.

This is a well coached team. I really like what Macha and his staff are doing on a daily bases. They keep this team well grounded and focused. Slow and steady.... It's all about the big picture, no knee jerk decisions.

Way to go Crew!! Great work! We're all behind you guys.

Brewers Bomb Reds 15-3; Improve to 16-12

2009-05-07T09:20:00.003-06:00

Wow! The Milwaukee Brewers are playing some great baseball. The Brewers continued their winning ways with an impressive offensive explosion. Ryan Braun homered and drove in six runs and Craig Counsell collected four hits. JJ Hardy stayed hot on this four day road trip with another round tripper.

The Brewers scored five runs in the 1st inning against Bronson Arroyo, JJ Hardy providing the punch with a three run homer to rightfield.

The Brewers scored four more runs in the 2nd inning with Ryan Braun's grandslam. That was it for Arroyo. He exited the game down 9-0.

The Crew held on to their big lead and added to it in the 9th inning. Prince Fielder belted a two-run shot to rightfield off the Reds' shortstop, Paul Janish. Dusty Baker didn't want to use any more pitchers from his bullpen, so he made his shortstop take one for the team.

Manny Parra pitched six innings and got his first win of the year.

The Crew finishes up a two game series tonight in Cincinnati and returns tomorrow to start a three game series with the Cubs.

Let's keep it going Crew. Great work!!

Yovani Gallardo Does It All, as Brewers Sweep Pirates

2009-04-30T08:12:00.006-06:00

Yovani Gallardo struck out 11 batters yesterday afternoon at Miller Park. That's a personal best for Gallardo. Yovani pitched a complete game last Friday, and continues to keep opposing batters from scoring. He's given up only two runs in the past three games. In yesterday's game against the Pirates, Gallardo struck out the first nine batters to come to the plate.

What brought the Miller Park crowd to their feet was Gallardo's solo home run in the seventh inning yesterday afternoon. It was the only run scored by Milwaukee, but that was enough to defeat the Pirates. Ian Snell pitched a great game, but Gallardo gave up only two hits the entire day, and got the win. This was Milwaukee's 15th straight win against the Pirates. The last time Pittsburgh defeated Milwaukee was in late May of last year.

Tonight, Suppan will face Scherzer of the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Diamondbacks have struggled on the road, and Milwaukee needs to take advantage of that fact. Milwaukee has clawed their way back to a winning record, and is currently 3.5 games behind the Cardinals.

Brewers Pitchers Walk Nine; Slip to 4-9

2009-04-22T10:09:00.005-06:00

Ryan Braun had a career night against the defending champion Phillies. Braun went 5 for 5, knocked out two homers and did what he could to keep the Brew in the game. Unfortunately for Braun and his teamates, it wasn't enough. Manny Parra layed another egg on the mound and he and members of the bullpen surrendered 9 walks.

Ken Macha is sick and tired of all of the pitching staffs bases on balls. The Brewers lead the majors in walks allowed and these free passes are making it very difficult for them to stay in games.

Let's see if Brandon Looper and company can get things under control and get the Crew a most needed victory tonight.

Brewers Beat Cubs in Opener With 9th Inning Heroics!

2009-04-11T12:50:00.004-06:00

The Milwaukee Brewers won their 2009 opener in dramatic fashion, beating their arch rival Cubs 4-3 yesterday. Rickie Weeks tied the game in the botton of the ninth inning with a ringing double to leftfield and then scored the winning run with a headfirst slide at home plate.

The Brewers collected only four hits in the game, but some how came away with a very big win. It sure felt like the Crew was about to take one on the chin, especially since they hadn't had a hit since the fourth inning. Maybe winning in such a dramatic fashion will get the offense going.

Let's hope the Crew get their bats going today and are able to beat up on Carlos Zambrano.

Go Brew!!

2009-04-11T12:50:00.001-06:00

Brewers Opening Day Fastly Approaching

2009-03-26T10:42:00.004-06:00

We'll folks, Opening Day is almost here! Can't you smell the wonderful aroma of the Brats, Italians and Polishes sizzling on the kettle grills at Miller Park? I can and I can't wait for 4/10.

The Brewers and Cubs on Friday. Are you kidding me? I guess that is quite the Good Friday!

What do folks think of the Brewers prospects this season?

Brewers Offer Bradon Looper One Year Deal

2009-02-12T16:22:00.004-06:00

The Milwaukee Brewers tickets will sell briskly as management is trying to add some much needed depth to their starting pitching staff in '09 by offering Bradon Looper a one-year deal. If Looper passes his physical, the Brewers have possibly added 150+ innings to their young, thin staff.

Looper is 34 and has only been a starting pitcher for only 1 1/2 seasons. He has spent most of his career in the bullpen as a closer, middle reliever and set up guy. Looper still has a live arm and pitched 199 inning in '08 with the St. Louis Cardinals.

I like the move. The Crew desperately needed to add a reliable arm to their starting rotation. It will be interesting to see which five starters break camp as part of the rotation. Whichever combination comes out of Maryvale, you know that the Brewers are going to need a sixth option. With injuries to the starting staff being such a regular occurence in Major League Baseball, a team needs at least six pitchers that can step in and start.

What do you think, Brewers Fans?

Brewers and Fielder Close In On Two-Year Deal

2009-01-23T13:11:00.003-06:00

Pending any problems with his physical, it looks like the Crew and Fielder have settled on a two-year deal worth $18 million. I think this is a good deal for both parties and gives the Brewers much needed flexibility.

What puzzles me, though, is why did Fielder turn down the 5-year $60 million extension that the Brewers offered him last year? How much more money is Prince going to make over the next five years? Is is really worth the risk? If Fielder would have taken last year's offer, he would have been 28-years old at the end of the deal and been in line to make $15 - $20 million ++ a year in his prime money making years. Personally, I think this is a mistake that Prince might very well regret. "Thank Scott Boras, Prince, but done blame him. At the end of the day, it was still your decision".

What do you think, Brewer fans?

Milwaukee Brewers Sign Hoffman and Hardy

2009-01-14T10:07:00.003-06:00

The Milwaukee Brewers added some relief depth to their bullpen by signing Trevor Hoffman. Hoffman is MLB's all-time save leader. Although 41, Hoffman can still pitch and should give the Brewers some flexibilty toward the end of their bullpen. Who knows? He might pitch the 7th, 8th or could possibly close out some games. His great experience could very well rub off on a number of younger guys on the staff.

The Crew made a smart move in avoiding arbitration and signing JJ Hardy to a one-year deal. Hardy gets a $2 million bump from last year, up from $2.65 million. I think that's a solid deal for the Brew. Hardy is a solid shortstop and gives his ballclub some much needed pop. It's a good thing for the Brew to keep a good, young player happy and this signing gives the Brewers more flexibility.

I guess we'll see what else the Brewer brass has on their radar in the next couple of weeks.

What do you think, Brewer fans?

2008 Good Year for Brewers; Will 2009?

2008-12-31T12:50:00.003-06:00

The Milwaukee Brewers and their fans had a lot to be thankful for in 2008. The Brewers made the Post Season for the first time since 1982. The Crew competed hard and management went out and spent some money to give the Brew the chance to make the playoffs.

What moves will Doug Melvin and company make prior to the '09 season? There are still a number of decent free agents out there. Any shot of Ben Sheets signing with the Brew?

Keep the faith, Brewer fans! Think possitively!!

Have a Happy New Year.

Go Crew!!

Sabathia Signs With Yankees; Yanks and Brewers Talk Trade

2008-12-15T12:14:00.005-06:00

Well the winner of the C.C. Sabathia sweepstakes is.....The New York Yankees! The Bronx Bombers gave Sabathia a huge $161 Million contract over seven years, with a three year out-clause. Wow! The Brewers couldn't touch that offer, but they deserve credit for getting in the C.C. auction. They certainly gave it the old college try.

Late last week the Yankees and Brewers were tossing around a trade that would send Mike Cameron to New York and Melky Cabrera to Milwaukee. If this deal goes down, the Crew would probably end up saving about $8 million in salary for '09 (Cameron is due $10 million and Cabrera's salary is $400 K, but is due to have a salary bump after signing). The deal currently has hit a snag, with the Yankees asking the Brewers to pick up some of Cameron's salary.

Cameron did a terrific job for the Brewers. He played a tremendous centerfield, banged out 25 homeruns and was a great influence on the younger players. The Brew would certainly miss Cam, but Cabrera would give the Brewers another lefthanded option at the plate and his lower salary is tempting. The salary flexibility could give the Brewers a shot at some needed pitching.

What do you think, folks?

Winter Meetings Start Today; Milwaukee Brewers Sign Coffey after Julio

2008-12-08T13:50:00.005-06:00

As the snow begins to fly on Monday afternoon in Milwaukee, the MLB Winter Meetings have officially begun in sunny Phoenix, Arizona. The Brewers have avoided arbitration with Todd Coffey and signed him to a one year $800,000 ++ contract. Coffee pitched well for the Crew in September and gives the Brewers another reliable, strong arm in the bullpen. I say another arm, since the Brewers already signed Jorge Julio last week to a non-guraranteed one-year contract worth $950,000 plus additional performance based bonuses worth up to another $950,000. Julio has to make the Opening Day roster to claim his 950 K.

The biggest free-agent out there is none other than C.C. Sabathia. Rumor has it that the Brewers might be offering Sabathia a six-year deal with a possible opt-out clause after the second or third season. Doug Melvin is to meet with representatives for Sabathia later today.
Wow! If the Brewers had/have any chance of signing C.C., one would think that the Crew would have to come up with a deal that gives Sabathia as much flexibility as possible... Especially if C.C. leaves $$$ on the table from other suitors.

Let's hope we get some great, surprising news out of the desert, folks!!

Go Brew Crew!!

Brewers Offer Arbitration to Sabathia, Sheets and Shouse

2008-12-01T16:48:00.003-06:00

Now it's all up to the market, folks? The Milwaukee Brewers made the deadline this afternoon and offered arbitration to C.C. Sabathia, Ben Sheets and Brian Shouse. The Brewers will have to play the waiting game and see what other clubs have to offer.

The next couple of weeks could get real interesting. Sabathia will probably end up on one of the coasts. It would be awesome to see him come back, but I just don't think the Crew can afford the $$$$$$$$. I think the Brew has a chance to sign Sheets. Shouse has pitched real well for the Brewers the last couple of seasons.........I think he's probably gone.

What do you think?

Ben Sheets

2008-11-21T15:10:00.002-06:00

How come nobody is talking about signing Sheets? The Crew needs to lock my man up to a multi-year deal. I don't know for sure, but I heard a few years ago a high quality local band here in Milwaukee wrote a song called 'Ben Sheets'. Did any band ever write a song called 'Suppan'? I don't think so!

Brewers Hire Willie Randolph as Bench Coach; Torres Retires

2008-11-13T10:32:00.004-06:00

New Brewers manager Ken Macha has hired Willie Randolph as the new bench coach. I absolutely love the move. Randolph knows what a winning team looks like and has a ton of playoff experience. He should be a great fit working with the likes of Rickie Weeks and other young players. I think he will really help our younger guys with their inconsistencies and bad habits.

On another note, Salomon Torres has announced his retirement. Torres did a nice job for the Crew last year. He filled in nicely in middle relief and then became a decent closer for the Brew. It will be interesting to see how the Brewers fill this void. Good luck Salomon.

Brewers Name Ken Macha New Manager; Retain Dale Sveum

2008-11-03T12:02:00.003-06:00

The Milwaukee Brewers have named Ken Macha the newBrewer manager. Macha had good success with a young, developing team in Oakland from '02 - '06. Oakland's lack of funds really handcuffed Macha's ability to get the Athletics to the next level. I think an $80 - 90 million payroll in Milwaukee will give Macha a real chance to take a young, talented squad to the playoffs.

I like that the Brewers have decided to retain the services of Dale Sveum. It didn't look like Sveum was going to stick around after the Crew named Macha as the new team manager. Sveum gets to try his luck as batting coach. He certainly can't do any worse than Skaalen did. Maybe Dale can get these "free swingers" to be more patient and get their strikeout numbers down. The players like Sveum and I'm happy he's coming back.

The Brewers also announced today that they are going to excercise Mike Cameron's option for 2009 for $10 million. We'll have to see how that works out. The Brewers don't have many options in centerfield and Cameron was very solid defensively. Cameron also showed good power with 25 homers despite not playing in April. Hopefully, Sveum can get Cam to strikeout less than 142 times and get his average up to .260.

It will be quite interesting to see the next number of moves the Brewers make.... or don't make.

What do you think Brewer Fans?

Zduriencik Gets Mariners Job

2008-10-23T14:37:00.003-06:00

Congratulations are in order for Jack Zduriencik. Zduriencik was just named the new general manager for the Seattle Mariners. Jack sure deserves the chance to run a major league ballclub. Good luck, Jack. The Brewers and I are going to miss you. The Crew sure has some big shoes to fill, folks.

Brewers Sign Melvin Through 2012; Decide to Replace Svuem as Mangager

2008-10-18T08:57:00.008-06:00

The Brewers have extended Doug Melvin's contract through 2012. I think it's a great move, folks! In my opinion, Melvin is one of the top three general managers in baseball. He has an uncanny eye for talent and he isn't afraid to make moves. Mark Attanasio and company were quick and smart to shore up this talent, especially since it looks like they are about to lose the talented Jack Zduriencik. Zduriencik is being considered for the Seattle Mariners general manager position. Jack is a superstar and will be sorrily missed when he gets scooped up.

Melvin and company have decided to go another direction on the managerial front. Dale Sveum is going to re replaced. I like Sveum, but I agree with the Brewers decision to sign a more seasoned manager. I would like to see Sveum retained as a bench and/or base coach. As Melvin has stated, Dale is a solid baseball guy that the players like and respect. I think that Sveum will make a solid manager in the next few years.

I know there is a lot of speculation out there as far as who the Brewers are going to go after and try to sign. Let me just throw one name out there that I have not seen nor heard in the mix as of yet (I wouldn't be surprised is he's on Melvin's short list).........LARRY BOWA!!

Larry Bowa is a no nonsense, hard nosed baseball kind of guy. I think that is the exact kind of mangaer this young and talented team needs.

What do you folks think? Who would you like as the next Brewer manager?

AdioYost!! - Brewers Fire Manager

2008-09-15T13:13:00.003-06:00

Well, Well, Well........Bye, bye Ned Yost. After seeing the Crew go 3 - 11 in September and experiencing another classic September "Tank Job", Brewer management has cried Uncle and canned the worst manager in baseball.

I guess the four game sweep in Philadelphia at the hands of the surging Phillies was the last straw.

It's about time, folks!! I've never liked Yost and I think he should have been fired last year.

You've got to love the Brewers' brass for having the stones to fire their manager on 9/15.

Let's go to Chicago re-charged and give it to the Cubs!

Young Almost Perfect Against Brewers; Brewers Drop to 2-5 on Homestand

2008-09-08T08:59:00.003-06:00

Chris Young was nearly perfect against the Milwaukee Brewers Sunday throwing 7 2/3 perfect innings and beat the Crew 10 - 1. It was Young's 1st shutout of the year.

The Brewers continued to struggle mightily at the plate, managing only two hits. On this current homestand the Brewers have scored only 16 runs in seven games. That's not going to get things done, folks!

The Brewers are now 2-5 on this current 10 game homestand and have really missed a golden opportunity to make up ground on the Chicago Cubs who have dropped six of their last seven games.

The Crew are still four games back of the Cubs for the divison lead and are four games ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies in the wildcard battle.

When are the Brewers going to break out of their offesive funk? What are they waiting for? Is this the classic Milwaukee Brewer September fade? Are they waiting for the league to hand them a playoff spot. I don't know and I hope not.

It's time for this team to start picking it up. When is Prince Fielder going to get his act together? He has been awful!! He's one of our team leaders, right?

The Cincinnati Reds are in town for a three game series starting tonight. The Brewers better find a way to win at least two of three. Get it done, Crew!!

What do you think?

Brewers Split in St. Louis; Keep 3 1/2 Game Lead Over Cards

2008-08-28T13:11:00.004-06:00

The Milwaukee Brewers got what they expected in St. Louis splitting the two-game series. The Crew took one on the chin last night losing to the Cards 5-3. The Brew were up 3-1 in the 8th inning thanks to a solid pitching performance from Manny Parra and some timely hitting.

Unfortunately, the lead was quickly forfeited by Riske and Shouse in bottom of the 8th inning. Riske and Shouse coughed up four runs and gave the red birds a 5-3 advantage. That's where things ended up, folks.

The sting of last night's loss shouldn't last too long since the Crew pounded the Cards 12-0 on Tuesday night.

The Brewers maintain a 3 1/2 game lead in the wild card race. It sure would have been nice to see the Crew sweep the Cards and put themselves in a commanding 5 1/2 lead but, what are ya going to do?

With last night's loss, The Crew is now 6 games behind the Chicago Cubs. Six games is certainly not an insurmountable lead, but the Brew does not have much more room for error if they hope to catch the Cubs.

Let's hope Milwaukee wins two out of three in Pittsburgh. I guess you can't ask for much more than that.

Alright, folks. Watch the Crew get the job done against the Buco's and get out to Miller Park over the Labor Day holiday to watch your Brewers take on the New York Mets.

Brewers Continue Winning Ways; Beat San Diego 7-1

2008-08-14T07:34:00.004-06:00

The Milwaukee Brewers have been taking care of business as of late. After getting their hats handed to them by the Chicago Cubs in Late July, The Brewers have gone 10-2. Last night the Crew got it done with a convincing 7-1 victory over the San Diego Padres.

CC Sabathia pitched 7 innings and allowed the Padres only one run. CC is now 7-0 as a Brewer and has been nothing less than stellar. He's been dealing, folks!!

The Brewers starting pitching has been terrific. Prince Fielder has found his homerun stroke and crushed his 28th round tripper last night.

Let's hope the Brewers can continue their winning ways and sweep the Padres today before heading to LA. Ben Sheets takes the hill.

Boy, I hope Ryan Braun isn't out too much longer. The Crew can ill afford to lose this stud for much longer. Gabe Kapler has filled in nicely for Ryan, but the Crew is an entirely different team with Braun in the lineup.

Go Brewers!!

Chicago Cubs Pound Brewers 11-4; Sweep 4 Game Series

2008-07-31T16:37:00.004-06:00

Wow!! What a difference a week makes. The Crew went out to San Francisco and St. Louis and played inspired, good fundemental baseball. In fact, they played so well that they won all seven road games. 7-0 on a road trip!! The last game puntuated by a Ryan Braun game winning homerun to sweep the Cardinals.

That was last week. The Brewers came home and lost two out of three to the below average Astros. If that wasn't bad enough, their arch rivals (Chicago Cubs) came to Miller Park and pounded the tar out of them.......winning all four games and get the sweep!

Bottom line......The Cubs man handled the Brew. They outscored the Crew 31-11. They crushed the Brewers in every meaningful offensive statistic. The Cubs got great pitching and played good defense. The Brewers struggled mightingly with the bats and were atrocious with runners in scoring position. Their pitching got lit up and ran the bases like little leaguers.

Now what? Hopefully the Brewers can take something positive out of this lashing at the hands of the Cubs. Maybe a lot of humble pie will get this young team more focused.

Let's get to Atlanta and beat up on the decimated Braves.

Keep your head up, Brewer fans. There is two months left of baseball and the Brewers still have a great chance to make the playoffs.

Stay positive!!

Go Crew!!

Milwaukee Brewers Sweep Pirates; Sign Sabathia

2008-07-07T14:13:00.004-06:00

Wow!! The Brewers got the bats going yesterday, hammering the Pirates 11-6. The win gave the Crew a three game sweep over the Bucs and JJ Hardy provided the punch with two homeruns. Hardy has been "White Hot"! JJ's hit six homers the last 6 games and is hitting well over .400 his last 17 games.

The Brewers are now 10 games over .500 and are within 3 1/2 games of the 1st place Cubs.

The Crew seemed to have improved their chances of winning the NL Central and/or making the playoffs with the acqusition of pitcher C.C. Sabathia in a trade with the Cleveland Indians.

Sabathia was the American League's Cy Young winner in '07 and should propel the Brewers starting rotation to one of the best in the majors.

Enjoy this, Brewer fans. To finally have an organization that builds a solid club with youth through its farm system, signs some solid veterans and then trades some minor league talent for a proven soon to be free agent pitcher is something that we have been waiting to see for, what seems, an eternity. The Brewers really have a solid shot at the post season.

Go Crew!!

Running out of time to Vote for the Brew Crew

2008-07-02T08:47:00.006-06:00

Warning. Chick writer which means little depth and lots of "cute player" talk. The MLB All Star game is just a couple weeks away with the teams to be announced on July 6. The voting ends tonight. You can vote for the Brewers online. Outfielder Ryan Braun needs our help as he is currently running just short of the votes needed to beat Chicago Cubs' Kosuke Fukudome. If Braun gets in, it will mark the first time a Milwaukee Brewers outfielder plays in the All Star game since Ben Ogilvie did in 1980. Pretty cool stuff. Though speaking of cool, Braun did pick a poor time to slow down on his hitting going 8-36 on this road trip. Must be the nerves of the national spotlight getting to him. The Crew heads back home on the 4th of July for a long home stand which usually proves positive for the team. Currently, the Brewers sit 4 and a half back from the Cubs and two and a half behind the St. Louis Cardinals. Not bad. Maybe we can make up a little ground before the break. It feels like last year all over again. With the Cubs and Brewers closing the regular season at Miller Park, the potential for some very exciting baseball is high.

Ben sheets Pitches Complete Game Gem; Brewer Beat Braves 4-1

2008-06-24T09:10:00.004-06:00

Ben Sheets tossed a 4-hit complete game, giving the Milwaukee Brewers a big road victory last night against the hot hitting Atlanta Braves. Sheets pitched magnificently, mixing electric fastballs, painting the corners and showcased his best curveballs of the year.

Sheets is now 9-1 and has raddled off five straight wins in as many chances. If there was any time the Brewers needed their ace to perform at a high level, it has been the last month. Big Ben has been brilliant!!

The Brewers are now 42-34 and have won 22 out of their last 32 contests. It's awesome to see the Crew crush homeruns, play effective small ball, get solid starting pitching, defend well and close games out. Thank goodness for Salomon Torres!

Keep it going Crew! Let's at least split these next eight road games and then get home to some good home cooking. Get out to Miller Park over the 4th of July holiday and root on the Brewers, folks!

Go Crew!!

Brewers Beat Bluejays 5-4; Win Three Straight

2008-06-19T11:14:00.004-06:00

After dropping the first two games of a 9-game roadtrip to the Minnesota Twins, the Milwaukee Brewers have rattled off three straight wins. The last two wins have come against the Toronto Bluejays and the Crew goes for the sweep this afternoon.

The Brewers did it with the "Long Ball" on Tuesday Night (Ryan Braun hammered two homers) and got the win last night playing "Small Ball". The Crew got solid starting pitching from Manny Parra and Ben Sheets and decent relief.

Let's hope the Brewers can get the three game sweep against Toronto today.

Go Brew!!

Corey Hart Homers Twice in Win; Ben Sheets tries to Get Brewers Even on Trip

2008-06-12T11:18:00.005-06:00

Corey Hart homered twice last night in Houston, leading the Milwaukee Brewers to a much needed 10-6 win against the Astros. Hart has been the one Brewer that has shown solid consistency all year. He's hitting over .300 with nine homeruns and has produced whereever Ned Yost puts him in the lineup. If I was part of the Crew's management, I'd be pushing for a"big time" multi-year deal with Corey's agent. Hart is for real!!

Ben Sheets takes the slab this afternoon and will do his damndest to get his ball club back to Milwaukee with a 3-3 roadtrip. With the way things went in Colorado and getting swept the previous trip to Houston, the Brewers would be fired up to get a win today.

The Crew has a nine game homestand that starts tomorrow against the Minnesota Twins and ends next weekend against the Balitimore Orioles on Sunday, 6/22. The Brew will be without the services of Rickie Weeks who went on the disabled list this past Monday. Hopefully the Brewers can get to 6-3 or better on this 9 game stint.

Let's get it rolling, fellas!!

Milwaukee Brewers Sweep Diamondbacks After Sweeping Astros

2008-06-05T08:50:00.003-06:00

Tell me the Brewers didn't need some good old fashioned home cooking. Well, the Crew helped themselves to three and four helpings of their favorite family recipes and promptly went 8-1 on this latest homestand.

The Milwaukee Brewers got great starting pitching, timely and abundant hitting and great relief from the bullpen. They finally put it all together and have a lot to feel good about as they get ready to head to Denver and Houston for a six game roadtrip against the Rockies and Astros.

Let's hope the Brewers can stay hot and get things started on the road. This team has too much talent to perform so poorly away from Miller Park. The Doorman, me and five other Brewer degenerates are heading to Denver today to help the Crew get some much needed road wins.

Let's Go Brew Crew!!

Milwaukee Brewers Take Opener Against Astros; Improve to 3-1 On Homestand

2008-05-31T10:21:00.003-06:00

The Milwaukee Brewers won the first game of an important three game series against the Astros last night, 5-1.

Mike Cameron, Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder all homered. Manny Parra gave the Crew 6 strong Innings and Carlos Villanueva pitched two quality innings, with Guillermo Mota closing out the 9th inning.

The Brewers took two out of three against the Atlanta Braves Tuesday - Thursday and started things off on the right foot with a solid win against the Astros.

Let's hope the Brewers' bats get hot and put a bunch of runs on the board the rest of the this critical homestand.

Go Brewers!!

Milwaukee Brewers Try to Even Series Against Nationals

2008-05-26T08:01:00.007-06:00

Ben Sheets takes the ball today in DC and will try to get the Brewers a much needed victory. A win would get the Crew to 4-6 on this long ten day road trip.

The Brewers started this three city road trip in rough fashion, getting swept in three games in Boston.

The Crew turned things around and won two out of three games in Pittsburgh.

Now they're in our nation's capitol and will head for home tonight, hopefully with a 2-2 split.

It sure would be nice to see the Brewers put eveything together. A good performance from the starting pitcher; timely hitting; solid defense and reliable relief from the bullpen. This just hasn't been happening for the Crew this year.

Let's see if the Brewers can get one today and then see if they can get things rolling at home where they sure could use some much needed home cooking at Miller Park.

Let's Go Brewers!!

Milwaukee Brewers Trying To Get Things Started In Pittsburgh

2008-05-20T13:43:00.007-06:00

I can't believe I'm writing this, but the Milwaukee Brewers are going to try to win their first road game in ten tries tonight. And they play in Pittsburgh. You know.....PNC Park. It's that house of horrors where the Brew has only managed 11 victories in 33 tries.

The Brewers have been swept (0-9!!) in all of their last three road series'. Most recently in Boston. What a flippin' nightmare!!

The Milwaukee Brewers now stand at 20-24 and are currently 7 1/2 games behind the first place Chicago Cubs.

There are seven games left on this crucial roadtrip. Anything worse than 3-4 will bury this young team. Going a step further.............. Ned Yost will no longer be the manager on the next Brewer roadtrip. Or should I say, Yost needs to be fired if the Crew comes back 2-5 or worse.

I could go on and on as to why this team is 20-24, but I just don't have the energy. I'll have plenty of time and space to offer my two cents as to why this team is so woefully underachieving and who(m) is to blame.

For now......... Get a win tonight, Crew!! Time to kick those pierogies in the rubber parts!

What do you say, folks?

Brewers can't dodge the Dodgers

2008-05-15T15:59:00.006-06:00

Heads up to those regular readers of this blog. I write as an invited guest of the original Brewers Fan. I got nothing on this guy. I mean, he's got the shiny Brewers jacket. I can't compete. Not with my Kohls-issued #7 shirt.

Why would super hotty JJ Hardy swing on 3-1 in the bottom of the 8th when the Milwaukee Brewers are down 6-0? That is the question of the afternoon. The Brewers were successful holding the Dodgers at bay until the ugly 7th inning. Before we got back to our seats with a couple ice cold ones, the Dodgers put 6 runs on the board. What?

Ben Sheets was pitching today for the Crew at Miller Park. He clearly fell apart as we quenched our thirst. Sheets allowed six runs off nine hits. I am a chick and I know that is never good. The Brewers Olympic pitcher ended his first 4-0 start of his career today.

On a positive note, the Milwaukee Brewers today announced a signed deal with Ryan Braun locking him up for the next eight years. He has been hot lately; knocking another one out of the park in today's game. Speaking of hot; he is giving JJ a run for his money.

Milwaukee Brewers Take Two of Three Against Cardinals; Play Game four of Series Today

2008-05-12T10:55:00.005-06:00

It certainly wasn't for the faint of heart, but the Milwaukee Brewers took two of three games against their central division rivals St. Louis Cardinals this past weekend.

Rickie Weeks provided some magic with a two-out game winning single in the bottom of the ninth inning on Friday and Ryan Braun clobbered two homeruns on Sunday. The Brewers needed these two games about as bad as team can in early May.

Saturday was a bit of a heartbreaker. Ben Sheets pitched a solid seven innings and gave the Brewers a chance to win. Unfourtunately, Jason Kendall missed a sign to execute a suicide squeeze play in the eigth inning and killed a Brewer rally. Eric Gagne threw some gasoline on the fire and surrendered two runs in the top half of the ninth giving the Cardinals a 5-3 win.

Now it's Monday and the Brewers could go a long way in helping themselves and fans forget about their most previous, horrible road trip with a win today against the Cardinals. Taking three of four from the Cards would be huge.

What Say You?

Milwaukee Brewers Get Swept Out of Miami; Go 2-7 On Trip

2008-05-09T13:41:00.005-06:00

Right now the Milwaukee Brewers are not a good baseball team. You can talk about all their potential and what great young players they have, etc., etc., ya da ya da........ The bottom line is that right now this team is dreadfully under performing.

16-18. The worst offensive numbers across the board in the National League. A scary, ever increasing starter e.r.a. Most recently, four runs scored in the last three games. Not pretty, folks! This team is in an old fashioned "funk". I'll tell ya what's real scary...... The St. Louis Cardinals come to Miller Park today for a four game series.

In fairness to the Crew, The Brewers have played 21 of their first 34 games on the road and against good teams.

I'm just hoping the Crew can turn things around this homestand. Let's start it out with a win tonight.

What Say You?

Brewers Get Swept Out of Houston After Winning Two In Chicago

2008-05-05T13:18:00.004-06:00

Wow! What a difference a series can make. After the Brewers stole game three of a three game series in Chicago this past Thursday (Taking the Series 2-1), The Crew folded in Houston on Sunday losing to the Astros 8-6 in 12 innings. The Brewers ended up getting swept, 3-0.

The Brewers are now 16-15 and limp into Miami to face the Marlins for another three game series.

It's been a real tough week for the Crew, folks..... It started out decent when the Brewers took two out of three in Chicago. The joy of winning the series did not last long, however. On Friday the Brewers announced that Yovani Gallardo tore his ACL and will most likely be without his services for the rest of the year.

The Brewers lost the first two games in Houston on Friday and Saturday and looked to get out of town with one win before heading to Florida. Things were looking pretty good Sunday afternoon after the 4th inning. The Brewers were up 6-2 and had Ben Sheets on the mound.
Sheets started the 7th inning and left the game down 6-4. Shouse and Mota did their jobs in the 7th and 8th. Then Eric Gagne took over and tried to close things down in the 9th.
Let's just say things didn't go very well.

Eric Gagne walked three and gave up two runs, sending the Brewers into extra innings for the ninth time this season. It was Gagne's fifth blown save this year. It was all heartbreak in exta frames, folks. The Crew lost 8-6 in 12.

Bright spots: Mike Cameron joined the Brewers after serving his 25 game suspension and immediately made a positive impact. Cameron socked three homeruns, looked good at the plate, played a solid centerfield and will give the Brewers good veteran leadership.

Ben Sheets seems to have put his sore triceps behind him and has pitched well enough to have six wins. He has four.

Dark Clouds: Losing Gallardo for the year is a major, major blow. Yovani is a super solid number two and will be sorely missed. Frankly, I have a hard time seeing the Brewers taking the division without Yovani. I hope they prove me wrong.

The Brewers offense has been offensive! The Crew isn't in the top ten in any offensive category. Pathetic!! Except for Hart, Kendall, Kapler, Cameron and Counsell, the Brewers offensive players have been horrible.

Sunday's game was a perfect example of what has been going on all year. The Crew takes the lead early and then doesn't score another run. The Brew was up 6-2 after four innings and then had only two hits for the next 8 innings. Not being able to tack on add-on runs has been a major trend. This is a big time problem, people!

If the Brewers hope to have any chance in the NL Central, they are going to have to more consistantly score runs. Five to Six runs per game is going to have to be common place for Crew to have a good chance to win.

Let's get it going in Florida, Crew!! Don't sell your Brewers tickets and try to stay positive.

What Say You?

Milwaukee Brewers Bats Go Silent Once Again; Blanked By Marlins in 10 Innings

2008-04-26T10:35:00.003-06:00

Where is this big, explosive offense that was so often talked about and predicted during Spring Training? Right now the big Brewer bats are M.I.A., to say the least!

One run in its last 19 innings is what the Crew has put across the plate. Its offense is currently anemic! A team .245 average with only 69 walks and 164 strikeouts? A .313 OBP? Pathetic!!

Obviously the team is struggling and pressing offesively. What troubles me even more than this is the fact that Yost refuses to try to manufacture runs with small ball. If your team is struggling to score runs and it's the 7th inning or later and the game is tied or a one run ball game, why wouldn't you move the runner over to second base to get into scoring position? It's mind boggling to me! Bunt, Ned!! Can someone please explain to me why the Brewers aren't moving runners over late in games while they continue to struggle offesively?

From the 6th inning on last night, the Marlins tried to bunt four out the last five innings. The Brewers didn't attempt a sacrifice once last night. In fact, The Brewers have only attempted one bunt in the last 19 innings. Am I missing something here?

I would imagine the Brewers will break out of their huge offesive drought soon. At least I hope so. But in the interim, let's hope Yost finds the baseball intelligence that he so desperately lacks and starts moving runners over.

Get out to Miller Park today and/or tomorrow and try to get the Crews bats going. Let 'em here you, people.

What say you?

Brewers Pulls Out Big Win Late In St. Louis; Fielder Goes Yard

2008-04-17T15:00:00.006-06:00

What a huge come from behind road victory for the Milwaukee Brewers in St. Louis today!! The game just went final with the Crew winning 5-3. Prince Fielder delivered the go ahead runs in the top of the 1oth inning with his first homerun of the year.

My previous post about this game was certainly "doom and gloom", folks. For that I apologize. I guess it just goes to show that if the Brewers are within three runs late in the game, they certainly have the firepower to get back into the game quickly.

What a big win!! Now the Brew salvages one of three games against the cards and heads to Cincinnati 3-3 on this challenging nine game road trip. 3-3 is soooooooo much nicer than 2-4.

Great job, Crew!!

Milwaukee Brewers Struggle Against Cardinals Again; Risk Getting Swept

2008-04-17T12:58:00.003-06:00

At the time of this post, the Milwaukee Brewers are down 3-0 in the bottom of the 6th inning in St. Louis. The Crew's punchless offense is proving no match for the Cardinals. The cards came into today's game 11-4 with the major league's best starting pitching statistics.

I know it's early folks and the Brewers entered today 8-6. But, I'll tell ya what, the lack of hitting from Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder is starting to create a little concern for yours truly. Again, it's only game 15. I do like this Brewer squad and I think they will be ok. That being said, I am concerned about the fact that they can't seem to beat the Cardinals. What's up with that? Why can't they fare any better against Tony Larussa and company?

Before this long, challenging nine game road trip I would have accepted a 4-5 record. It's starting to look like 3-7 might be the best fans can hope for.

Hopefully, the Crew can get the bats going and finish this road trip on a possitive note.

The Brewers are back at Miller Park Monday and promptly face these same Cardinals that are presently making the Crew look pretty bad. Get out to the park folks and help turn things around for the Brew.

What say You?

Milwaukee Brewers Sweep Giants, Improve to 5-1; Sheets Throws Shutout

2008-04-07T13:49:00.005-06:00

The Milwaukee Brewers have got off to a hot start and are now 5-1! Ben Sheets got the Crew to 5-1, pitching his second career shutout. Benny tossed a 5 hitter, with no walks and 8 strikeouts. Sheets threw the ball very well and had good velocity and movement. His curveball was top notch.

Gabe Kapler and Ryan Braun led the way offesively with both jacking no doubter homeruns to leftfield.

The Brewers swept the punchless Giants outscoring them 25-8.

The Crew is getting contributions from many, not just a few. Billy Hall cracked two homeruns in the Brew's opener on Friday; Kapler homered in both Saturday and Sundays contests; Corey Hart is hitting, stealing and running the bases well; Rickie Weeks is scoring a lot of runs; Jason Kendall is hitting well and calling good games and the pitching staff is performing quite well.

The Brewers get a well deserved day off today, 4/7 and open a three game series with the Reds on Tuesday. Check out the latest Brewers news here. It's usually pretty up to date.

What say You?

Milwaukee Brewers Win Opener in Chicago 4-3; Suppan to Pitch Wednesday

2008-04-02T11:13:00.004-06:00

The Milwaukee Brewers started the season off on the right foot with a gutty 4-3 victory over the Cubs in 10 innings in Chicago for the '08 opener on Monday.

Ben Sheets pitched an impressive six innings despite having to wait out a couple of rain delays. His two hit, seven strikeout outing was exactly what the Brew needed to get the season started. Both Torres and Mota pitched strongly in late inning relief.

Both teams were held scoreless through eight innings, in a well played pitching duel. Both Carlos Zambrano and Sheets held their respective opponents at bay.

Tony Gwynn Jr. had two hits, a sacrafice, a steal and played a very good centerfield. The Brewers manufactured three runs in the top of the ninth inning and handed Greg Gagne a 3-0 lead.

Gagne almost came unglued and promply gave up the three run cusion, puntuated by a three run Fukadome homerun. Ned Yost decided to let Gagne work his way out the ninth and fortunately for the Crew, Gagne got the Brew to the 10th inning.

Again, the Brewers did a great job of manufacturing another run to take the lead 4-3. David Riske came in in the bottom of the 10th and impressively shut the door on the Cubs, collecting his first save as a Brewer.

It was a hard fought game that the Brewers deserved to win.

Jeff Suppan pitches Wednesday afternoon in game two of a three game series.

Opening day for the Brewers is this Friday, 4/4. Get out to Miller Park and cheer on the Crew!!

What Say You?

Gwynn to Center and Villanueva and Parra Start Season On Staff

2008-03-21T09:31:00.008-06:00

In my humble opinion, the Milwaukee Brewers should begin the season starting Tony Gwynn Jr. in centerfield and should also break camp with Manny Parra and Carlos Villanueva on their pitching staff.

Gwynn has had a great camp hitting over .375, has run the bases well and is playing solid defensively. Tony is a great bunter and deserves the shot to hold down centerfield until Mike Cameron finshes serving his suspension.

Prior to yesterday's poor performance, Parra has pitched very well. If Capuano gets bad news from his recent MRI and can't start the season with the club and with Randy Choate's broken hand taking him out the picture, it looks like the Crew is going to need another lefty on its staff.

Villanueva has been very effective this spring and is ready to fill a starting rotation spot and/or log significant innings in the pen.

These three youngsters should be in brewtown for the Milwaukee Brewer's Opener on 4/4.

What Say You?

Brewers Opening Day 101

2008-03-19T13:09:00.008-06:00

Let me first say, I write as a guest to this wonderful Milwaukee Brewers blog. A female guest writer. One who may have a little different perspective as we all prepare for the Crew's home opener at Miller Park.

There have many a Spring day in Milwaukee when I make the formal switch from Green Bay Packers gear to Milwaukee Brewers old-school ball-in-glove gear and head out for a solid day of baseball, beer and brats only to do too much, too fast. With age, comes experience. Pace yourself Brewers fans.

The Brewers take on the Giants at 1:05 Friday, April 4th. That allows for some nice morning beverages and a easy lunchtime transition to ball park beer drinking. A Brewers win would be icing on the cake to a day which formally marks the beginning of Spring in Milwaukee. The Brewers have won four Opening Day games in a row. Let's have 2008, make it five in a row! I would suspect with the crazy demand for Brewers tickets these days, the home field advantage will be obvious.

Take me out to the ballgame...

(ps. check out the tush on #7)

Ned Yost Ponders Milwaukee Brewers Lineup

2008-03-11T08:50:00.005-06:00

Coming into Spring Training the Brewer faithful have been contemplating what the opening day batting order will look like. It has been common knowlege that Rickie Weeks will lead off and the pitcher and Jason Kendall will occupy the 8th and 9th spots. Yesterday, in a little bit of a surprise move, announced that Prince Fielder will bat third and Ryan Braun will bat cleanup.

Last year Yost experimented with this switch. I remember the conversations and animated exchanges I had with a number of my friends. Personally, I didn't really like the move. Braun's numbers batting third were filthy. His numbers were very average at the cleanup spot.
I can appreciate Yost's argument about protecting Prince and not letting opposing pitchers pitch around him. But.........why not have confidence in Hart, Hardy or Hall batting fifth and see if one of these guys can get the job done. It's like Yost is already conceding that no one other than Braun can protect Fielder. Isn't this kind of a self-defeating prophecy?

I'm not trying to be negative here. I like the Crew and I thing we have a great deal of good options. Where does Hardy bat ? I'd love to see him bat 2nd.

Check out this site for various Milwakee Brewers news.

What say you??

Exciting Times At Spring Training For Milwaukee Brewers

2008-03-06T10:43:00.007-06:00

The Milwaukee Brewers have the looks of a team that has a lot of young talent and depth. Take a look at their position players..... Prince Fielder, Weeks, Hardy, Hall, Braun, Hart make up the their young nucleus and Cameron and Kendall bring solid, veteran play up the middle. The Crew also has a mix of youth and experienced players on the bench with Gwynn, Kapler, Gross, Counsell and Dillon.

The Brewers' pitching staff really has depth. So much so in fact that Ned Yost has some tough decisions to make. Not a bad position to be in, folks. Sheets, Suppan, Capuano, Gallardo, Villanueva, Parra, Bush and Vargas are battling for the five starting rotation spots. Eight possible candidates. Not many teams have the Brewer's mix of youth and veterans and shear number of pitchers competing for these spots.

What is Yost going to do? I'd love to see Sheets, Suppan, Gallardo, Capuano and Manny Parra break camp as the starters with Villanueva the first option to step in if anyone gets hurt or falters. Bush and Vargas should start the year in the pen. Who knows..... Melvin and company might consider moving one of these pitchers for a position player or prospect.

I've never been this excited about the Brewers chances this early in Spring Training. Normally there are more questions as to who is going to fill what position. Barring any major injury(ies), this team should compete at a high level out of the gate and should be right there vying for the top spot in the NL Central.

Get ready for Brewers opening day, folks!! From what I hear, opening day tickets are tough to come by. I stumbled upon this site if you're looking for Milwaukee Brewers Tickets.

Go Brew!!

What say You?

Brewers and Hardy avoid Arbitration; Pitchers and Catchers Report to Arizona

2008-02-19T14:52:00.015-06:00

It came down to the wire, but Brewers General Manager Doug Melvin and the Milwaukee Brewers kept their arbitrationless record perfect and signed JJ Hardy to a one year $2.65 million contract. Kudos to the Brew. Now everyone comes to camp signed and focused on winning the division instead of their unsigned contract.

As I've stated in previous posts, I love the looks of this team and feel great about the moves the Crew has made.

I know the Crew got a little bit of uneasy news regarding Yovani Gallardo's slight knee tear, but it looks like things should be rolling for the youngster by the opener. Hopefully the doc can do his magic when Yovani gets scoped. Let's just hope things go as predicted and that they're no surprises concerning Gallardo nor any other player.

The time has come for pitchers and catchers to start working out the kinks and get things started for the Brew. I'm sure the "Doorman" can't wait to get to spring training and leave this freezer we've been living in for the last four months. Spring training starts in two weeks, my friends. Get out to Maryvale with your Brewers tickets in hand and have a couple of brews with the "Doorman". He's much more laid back during spring training!!

Go Crew! What Say You?

Opening Day Around the Corner For the Milwaukee Brewers

2008-02-13T11:24:00.004-06:00

As the Pitchers and Catchers for the '08 Milwaukee Brewers report to Spring Training in Arizona in three days, Opening Day looms closer Crew fans! I don't know about you folks, but I'm getting restless and starting to get the FEVER!!

I can't wait to see what the Brew looks like come early April. All I know is that I plan on being at Miller Park on 4/4 to see the Crew battle the San Francisco Giants.

What Say You Brewer Faithful?

One Year Deal For Bush

2008-02-06T13:53:00.001-06:00

The Brewers avoided arbitration again and inked Dave Bush to a one year deal. I like it. I think as a Brewers pitcher Bush has done a real nice job for the Brew. Sure, his ERA was over five last year.... But he led the team in quality starts and strikouts. Bush gives the Brewers versatility because he can spot start, log innings in the pen and has a terrific work ethic.

Bush keeps himself in great shape. Who knows? Maybe his durability and great training regimate will inspire Ben Sheets to work harder at his conditioning. One can only dream.

Good move, Crew! Now the Brew has another reliable arm at its disposal and gives it more options and flexibility in its ability to possibly make a trade.

I can't wait for the season to begin, folks.

What say You?

Hey Cirillo

2008-02-04T17:55:00.001-06:00

Jeff Cirillo was unsuccessful in his attempt to procure a non-roster invitation to spring training with the Brew Crew this year. Does this mean the end of the road with the Milwaukee Brewers for the 38 year young Cirillo? Crap, I hope not. Say it ain't so!