The Brewers need Hart to win in 2010. Miles and miles of Hart...

That is the title that I stuck with because it not only describes the point that I am trying to make, but it also references one of my favorite movies of all time - The Replacements. Coach Jimmy McGinty makes this statement before halftime, and when Shane Falco sees this on TV, he decides to come back in the 2nd half and lead his team to victory. Other titles that I was toying with were "Redemption is spelled H-A-R-T", "Oh c'mon Pookon, have a Hart", "How can you mend a broken Hart?" or a million other titles that involve some sort of play on the word heart. I'm writing this to put an ending on the Corey Hart saga that has run rampant on this blog as of late. And unless he ends up doing something that really gets to the core of me and grinds my gears, the next time I will be talking about him is in my proposed "25 Brewers in 25 Days" segment that I will be writing in the days leading up to Opening Day. But for now (at the request of a few individuals) I will leave Hart alone.

Now that the salary fiasco is over, I have had some time to reflect on the situation. I don't know why I was really upset to begin with. I was probably just drunk, and when I get drunk I like to rant about whatever is bothering me. That day it must have been Corey Hart and it just kind of steamrolled from there. Who cares if he is making more money? It's not like it's my money that he's taking. Well in a way it kind of is, because I go to games and buy merchandise, but I will do that regardless of who is on the team. It's not like I'm going to stop doing those things just because Hart squandered a couple extra thousand away from the team. I'll always be a Brewers fan; I just gotta realize that this kind of thing is going to happen and that I need to deal with it.

So I'm giving Corey Hart a clean slate. He came into Spring Training 20 pounds lighter and in better shape. He realizes that he angered some fans with his on and off the field antics, so hopefully he will do his best to make amends for those. I personally do not see how he can overvalue himself based on his play the last 2 seasons, but I guess it's better for him to be positive and to believe in himself instead of thinking the opposite. And we all know how fragile Milwaukee Brewers players are mentally (Derrick Turnbow, JJ Hardy and Manny Parra to name a few) so we don't need one more headcase feeling like he was given the shaft. But does Corey Hart really think he is the shit or was he just taking advantage of a flawed system?

The arbitration process is tricky. I've tried to explain it in the past, but I'm sure that I missed some points or gotten a few things wrong. I'm not as smart or as knowledgeable as I claim to be. But through arbitration, players can never make less than what they did the previous year, so even if you have the worst season in baseball history, you will make more money next year (unless your team sends you to the minors or cuts you of course.) The arbitration panel chooses one or the other and there is no compromise, so there is no right answer. The just have to choose the one that is the least wrong. And they also take into account what happened with other players with similar major league service time who were also up for arbitration.

Corey Hart ($3.25 million) 2009 stats : 115 games, .260 AVG, .335 OBP, 12 HRs, 48 RBIs ($4.8 million in 2010)

Jeff Francoeur, Outfielder, New York Mets ($3.4 million) 2009 stats : 157 games, .280 AVG, .309 OBP, 15 HRs, 76 RBIs ($5 million in 2010)

Josh Willingham, Outfielder, Washington Nationals ($2.95 million) 2009 stats : 133 games, .260 AVG, .367 OBP, 24 HR, 61 RBIs ($4.6 million in 2010)

Jeremy Hermida, Outfielder, Florida Marlins ($2.25 million) 2009 stats : 129 games, .259 AVG, .348, 13 HRs, 47 RBIs ($3.35 million in 2010)

As you can see from the (boring and cumbersome) statistics, Corey Hart had a very comparable year to the other 3 players, and thus receives a comparable salary. So then it looks like I just have a problem with it, and by modern day baseball standards you can make $4.8 million dollars by being a mediocre baseball player. If that is the going rate for mediocrity, then I say let's roll with it. At this point there is nothing that we can do about it, so I am no longer going to linger on this topic. But Hart's performance the past 2 seasons and the fact that he received a pay increase does raise the bar for 2010. I'll take whatever he can contribute, but to be quite honest with you, I expect no less than .285 AVG, .340 OBP, 20 HRs, 75 RBIS and 20 stolen bases. Anything less than that will be a disappointment because Corey has put up numbers like that in the past and he is fully capable of doing it again.

The Corey Hart bashing was pretty fun. I will admit that. But every Spring brings about a new sense of hope and optimism. Look at the standings - right now all 30 Major League teams are tied for 1st place. And while certain teams on paper have better teams than others and no one expects the Washington Nationals or Baltimore Orioles to go to the World Series, every team has a shot right now. And for the Milwaukee Brewers to have a shot at bringing the championship home, Corey Hart needs to have a good year. Even though I've said some hateful things about him, realize that I may just be overly critical because I care that much. I live and die with every out 162 days of the year. It's a crazy emotional roller coaster that I ride in the summer, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

With Prince Fielder reaching free agency, the window is closing fast on winning just about anything in the postseason. So it's going to take a miracle season from a lot of players (the entire pitching staff, Hart, Rickie Weeks, Alcides Escobar, Carlos Gomez and the catcher's position to name a few) to get there. But that is another story for another day, one that will certainly be mentioned quite often during "25 Brewers in 25 Days."

So Corey, you're off the hook - for now. Screw this one up and we'll have to "sit down and have a Hart to Hart talk." Let's hope these expectations don't cast a shadow over him and we're left with "A total eclipse of the Hart." Regardless of the criticism he's received, "My Hart will go on." And Corey's wife will probably side with him because she's gonna "Listen to her Hart." I'm sure that his intentions are good and he's trying to provide for his family; some say he has a "Hart of Gold." But just give it to me "Straight from the Hart" Corey, because you're "Tearin' up my Hart" with your poor play. So "Don't phunk with my Hart" because so far you've been a "Hartbreaker." Do it again and I'll bury you in a "Hart-shaped box."

But even .38 Special said that "the Hart needs a second chance", so I'll give him another one. But now's it's time for him to live up to his potential and be the player that he was in 2007 and the one that was voted onto the 2008 All-Star team. We're counting on him big time in 2010, so I hope he doesn't break my "Achy Breaky Hart." Ok, so that one was especially bad. Sorry about that, but I couldn't resist throwing in a Billy Ray Cyrus reference.

- pookon -

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