Everyone in Milwaukee has Brewer fever, and the only prescription is the playoffs. We're without a doubt ready for Winter's end and Spring (and baseball's) beginning. But how does the rest of the country feel about the Milwaukee Brewers? Not too highly. ESPN (2nd place finish), Sprts Illustrated (3rd place finish) and Yahoo Sports (1st, 3rd, or 4th, depending on the analyst) all have very interesting preseason predictions, but none of them (almost) pick the Brewers to win the NL Central. It's pretty ridiculous, and although I do admit that I'm just a tad biased, the Brewers deserve more respect than that. I'll present my argument first, then go on to say why I can understand their lack of respect.
My opinion is that the Brewers have the best raw talent, in terms of hitters and pitchers, but their just that - raw. All of the "kids" (Fielder, Braun, Hart. Hardy, Weeks, Gallardo, Villanueva, Parra, Gywnn Jr.) are a year older and a year more experienced. Leading the NL Central for most of the year, failing after the All-Star Break and having a rough month of August, only to surge in September and lose the division by only 2 games straightened them. There's no way that any of them want to go on that emotional roller coaster again this year. It was extremely difficult as a fan, but I wonder what those players went through knowing that it was their actions that contributed to that slide. At least as a fan, I know that I have no direct impact on the team (although playing in front of a capacity home crowd could increase their adrenaline and thirst for victory) and I have no choice but to deal with it. I claim no fault in their losses. The veterans that the Brewers have around the "kids" are all positive influences on them - Ben Sheets, Jeff Supan, Jason Kendall, Bill Hall, Mike Cameron and Craig Counsell. The bullpen has been almost completely rebuilt with veteran arms, with Turnbow, Shouse and McClung as the only holdovers from last year. Joining the staff are Mota, Torres, Gagne and Riske. I think that Riske will stabilize that bullpen, be the unsung hero of the pitching staff, be the most underrated pitcher, and was by far, the best off season acquisition by the Brewers. If he doesn't get the credit he deserves this year, then something is terribly wrong with this town and the National/Local media. Every aspect of the team has improved and their coaching staff got stronger with the addition of Ted Simmons as bench coach. Ned Yost is another year wiser, and Dale Sveum moves back to 3rd base coach. The rest of the staff remains intact. Doug Melvin and Mark Attanasio have proven their commitment to this team, so I see no reason why they won;t contend, win the division, and make it back to the playoffs for the first time in 26 years.
Then there's everyone else's point of view. The Brewers are a young team, and young teams often have a lot of inexperience. All of their core players are less than 25, which is in fact younger than I am. When I was 25, I was still struggling to complete my college degree, and these guys are counted on to produce at the Major League level. Ned Yost is criticized with his managerial decisions, and it is often noted that the Brewers have never hired a manager with post-season experience. We all hope that Yost is the right one to take them there. Aside from the inexperience with the youth, the team is filled with a lot of IFs and question marks. The biggest IF/? is will Ben Sheets stay healthy this year and make 30 + starts? If he does, he's one of the most dominant pitchers in the league and the Ace of the staff. When he's not...we have the last 3 years of futility. Another IF/? is the additions of veterans like Cameron and Kendall, both of which had off years in 2007. Cameron was playing the majority of his games at spacious Petco Park, a place that slaughters the batting averages and home runs of a hitter. At the thriller known as Miller, his average and home runs should increase. Kendall had a down year, in every single category. If he rebounds, he could be a great asset to our team. But some people say that he's old and washed up. As long as he calls a good game and our pitchers ERA's go down, I'm fine with that. The last (and biggest) IF/? is the bullpen, led by the Canadian Eric Gagne. Gagne, as we all know, was named in the Mitchell Report and had a horrible showing with the Boston Red Sox. If he can revert back to his days with the Los Angeles Dodgers (I'd even take his 2007 days with the Texas Rangers) he'd be good enough to close games consistently. Our other new relievers are coming off of poor showings, with Mota posting a 5.76 ERA for the New York Mets (his career ERA is 3.91) and Torres posting a 5.47 ERA with the Pittsburgh Pirates (his career ERA is 4.39). Most people would also say that they are past their prime and washed up, but if they can revert to form due to a change in scenery, a new pitching coach, and a veteran catcher, we have ourselves one hell of a bullpen. There are a lot of IFs/? on our team, and time will only resolve those IFs/?, so for now they just remain unsettled.
I can see why the media doesn't pick the Brewers to win the NL Central or the NL Pennant - there's too many IFs/? and so far none of them have been resolved. It's too easy call the Chicago Cubs the favorites because they won last year and they basically have the exact same team this year. Going out on a limb and claiming the Brewers are the best team in the division doesn't sit well with the National Audience. The Cubs are loved nationally (and internationally) because they are perennial losers, and this year marks the 100th year since there last World Series championship. The Cubs winning this year would make for the perfect headlines to run on the front page of every newspaper, TV program, and Internet site come October. It's too historical. By make unsubstantiated claims (as they see it) and choosing the Brewers as #1 might cost a writer his job because that's not what the people want to see/read. I can understand, but I don't like it. So let the Brewers have no expectations, let them fly under the radar, let them play without the pressure of being the favorites - we all know what team is the best in this division.
What really drives me crazy is that the Brewers are given little to no respect at all! Sure, they fell apart a little bit in July and August, but a lot of good things happened last year that proves we are a contender. Prince Fielder was in the running for MVP and led the NL in home runs, set the Brewers franchise record for home runs in a season, and was the youngest player to hit 50 home runs in a season. Ryan Braun was the NL Rookie of the Year, setting records for all time slugging percentage for a rookie and Brewers franchise home run record, plus he only played in 4 out of 6 months in 2007. JJ Hardy had a fantastic year, earning him a spot on the all-star team. Corey Hart surprised everyone with his defensive and offense prowess. Rickie Weeks, although injured and struggling, posted fantastic OBP numbers and really took off offensively in September. The pitching staff (starters and relievers) faltered at times, which is one of the big reasons why they lost some games. They once again struggled on the road, which hurt them in the win column, but their record at home was once again phenomenal. If they improve the pitching (which they have) and win on the road (which I hope they will) they will finish above last year's record of 83-79. That record gave them their first winning season since 1992. That's 15 years people!!! Things are looking good for this team. We can see it, but it will take a serious season from the team (which needs to result in a NL Central division title and a trip to the playoffs) for the rest of the country to finally give us the respect that we deserve.
It's going to be a long road back up to the top, one that is going to be filled with way too much season-long drama for to handle. I'll be taking every game with it ups and downs, and hanging on every single pitch. But I have a feeling that 2008 is going to be the best year of my life. If everything goes according to plan, I'll be hooting and hollering through the Miller Park parking lot, grilling brats and drinking tons of celebratory Miller Lite beers. As much as I want October to be here so that I can start dancing, I would not miss the day by day action that goes on here during the regular season. It's going to be a long and trying year, so bear with me if my mood changes along with the Brewers win/loss total. But if all goes according to plan, I'll be happy a hell of a lot more times that I'll be sad. Go Brewers!!
- pookon -
www.pookon.com
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