Today it is 25 Days until April 1st, which is Opening Day for the Milwaukee Brewers. So you know what this is all about. It's no secret that I'm a big Brewers fan. My love for this team can be measured by my body mass and I am pound for pound one of the bigger Brewers fans out there. That's saying a lot in the state of Wisconsin where there are a lot of fat...er... festively plump people. We sure love our festivals here, especially the ones that involve eating (which is every festival). But why did I feel the need to point out that I'm a big Brewers fan? I did it because for some reason I don't feel like writing this article this year. Every Spring over the past few years in the 25 days leading up to Opening Day, I write a series of articles that preview the upcoming season. It's supposed to get me all fired up for the regular season and to generate excitement for the few (but loyal) "fans" I have on this blog.
While I have had a lot of fun with this in the past (if you don't remember them or don't believe me, check out The Archives on the right from March of 2010, 2011 and 2012 for proof) I just don't feel like writing about the Milwaukee Brewers anymore. I'm too busy with too many other projects at the moment (pookon.com, The Daily Burner, and a couple of new features on this blog like The Drive to Stay Alive and Drunken Movie Reviews) to devote any of my time to the Brewers. Sorry pal, but my priorities have kind of changed over the past 2 years as I've been attempting to put my life back together.
But I still will be doing 25 Brewers in 25 Days... kind of. My favorite thing about this article is that it gives me a chance to test my Brewers knowledge. I watch, listen to and read about the Brewers more than I should. As you know I have worked at Miller Park since 2002 and attend almost every home game as an employee or as a fan. And then I watch almost every road game as a structure my entire summer around the Brewers schedule. If I had to put a number on it, I would say that I watch or listen to 140 of the 162 games in a season. I try not to miss one but I always miss a week's worth when I'm at Afterglow (where raging, swimming and hanging out with my family is more important) and a handful of random days where I'm not near a TV or Radio. On those days though I do follow along with the MLB Gameday on my phone, so I wouldn't be surprised if my number of games followed was closer to 150. But what does this all me? I know my shit, and I'll gladly debate anyone who wants to test me on it.
And now let's get down and dirty (you know that you like it that way you freak) and stop pulling those punches like a little bitch. My favorite part about doing these articles is to make some overall predictions of what I think will happen in the 2013 Milwaukee Brewers season. When the season is over I can look back at this and see how close I came to calling this season.
- The Brewers will finish will a record of 86-76 which will be good enough for 2nd in the division (with Cincinnati 1st, St. Louis 3rd, Pittsburgh 4th and Chicago 5th) but not good enough to make the Playoffs. They will compete for the 2nd Wild Card all the way until the end but end up missing it by 2 games.
- The Brewers will send 3 players to the All-Star Game at Citi Field in New York City - Ryan Braun, Jonathon Lucroy and Yovani Gallardo.
- Brewers fever will continue to sweep over the state of Wisconsin and we will draw over 3 million fans again, which is amazing considering our market size
- I bought 2 tickets in a 20-game pack, so the Sombrero will once again dominate TV broadcasts as we continue to start the Revolution in the Left Field Bleachers.
I wish I could say that the Brewers were going to make the playoffs this year. Las Vegas has their over/under record at 80.5, which indicates that most people expect them to finish right around .500. While I do have more optimism than most people and a hell of a lot more faith in the starting rotation and the rebuilt bullpen, I still can't see them winning more than 86 games. I will be in Las Vegas at the end of March for my friend TJ's Wedding and I will be putting $50 on the over for their record as well as $20 on them to win the NL Pennant and $20 for them to win the World Series. I do expect to win the over .500 bet but most people would say that I'm wasting $40 on the other 2 bets. They're probably right, but how much would I regret it if they actually won the NL Pennant and World Series and I didn't profit off of it? Sure I'd lose my fucking mind if they actually won a World Series but then I could throw a wild ass raging party to celebrate it. It would be nuts. The potential of being able to have that party is worth my $40.
I will cover this in the next few weeks but pay attention to that word potential. Three of the 5 pitchers battling for the starting rotation (Mike Fiers, Mark Rogers and Wily Peralta) all have tremendous upsides and if they pitch well we will finish in the upper 80's. The bullpen will be solid with the additions of Michael Gonzalez, Tom Gorzelanny and Burke Badenhop, but it all rests on the shoulders of John Axford pitching like it was 2011 instead of 2012. The NL's best offense that led the league in home runs, RBIs, runs scored and stolen bases is for the most part returning intact. The offense will be great, the bullpen will be good and the defense should be average. That leaves the starting rotation. And therein lies the question. Or many questions. Ones that will be asked for the entirety of the 2013 season.
So that's it for now folks. I wasn't very drunk while writing this so it didn't have my usual panache for the ridiculous. I'll have to work on that for next time. If you would like to contribute to the "Buy Scott a Bottle of Rum so He Comes Up With Random Ass Shit" Fund please donate that money in any way you see fit. You pony up the dough and I'll come through with the nonsense. Have I ever failed to deliver before? Nope. I always finish her off. Just like Marco Estrada always does to his wife. Oh, and did I mention that I'm often R-Rated? Well now you know. I write just like I talk and I talk like a vulgar idiot. Deal with it. The 2013 Milwaukee Brewers season is going to be a fun ride. Even though I won't have as much coverage as I have had in the past, I will always promise to entertain. Notice that I didn't say try. Do. Or do not. There is no try. That little green bastard Yoda is a God damned genius.
- pookon -
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