If I was to form my own gang of Little Rascals, I would most certainly include guys like Rickie and Scooter in my gang. By name alone they just sound like they would fit in with Alfalfa, Spanky and Buckwheat. We could tell ghost stories in my "No Girls Allowed" clubhouse and eat so much junk food that we would all go home with tummy aches. This is my perfect world scenario. Too bad for all those involved, we don't live in a perfect world. In the 2014 Milwaukee Brewers World there was a transition at 2nd base from the past (Rickie Weeks, drafted in 2003 and was the primary 2nd baseman from 2005 - 2013) to the future (Scooter Gennett, drafted in 2009 and made quite an impression in 2013 and 2014 and is poised to take over full time in 2015). This transition happened right in front of our eyes, and while everyone was jumping for joy, I hung my head in sadness. Look, I have nothing against Scooter Gennett; I think he's going to be a fine 2nd baseman for the next 5 or so years. But I don't love him like I loved Rickie. The first jersey that I bout since I started being a hardcore fan (late 90's) was a #23 batting practice Weeks. I've worn it out and the colors are fading, but it still represents a time when I loved the players more than I loved the team. Times have changed and players do come and go, but my favorite 2 Brewers players of all time will not. You're still my boy Rickie and Bill Hall still wins games.
There was nothing I would change about 2nd base for the 2014 Brewers. This was one of 3-4 positions that I wouldn't blame for what happened last year. This platoon worked out incredibly well as Scooter started primarily against righties (his career splits against lefties is pretty terrible, but to be fair he hasn't gotten a whole lot of opportunities) and Weeks suited up against lefties. Scooter's numbers were pretty damn good, but he's going to need to drive in around 70 runs per year if he wants to be the every day starter. Weeks had a resurgence both in his batting average and in his ability to stay healthy. The made for a great 1-2 punch. Kind of like fruit and tropical. I'm good with a glass of either in my left or right hand. At the end of the day with either one of them, I will go home with my thirst quenched.
There's a lot of hate for Rickie Weeks and so much of it is unwarranted. Did he ever live up to being a 2nd overall draft pick? Probably not. Did he make too much money for the amount of games that he was able to play and the numbers that he put up? Probably. Was he a good clubhouse player who led by example? From what I know, yes. Did he work hard and try to be the best he could every day? Absolutely. Was he sexier without his shirt on? Definitely. Wait... what? No! I meant no! Look, I love me some Rickie Weeks but I am all about the ladies. I fooled myself with that one. Damn it. I always get the gay questions wrong. Maybe it's time to change teams...
Baseball is a game of change, especially for small market teams. They have to draft and develop because they can't be major players in the free agent market. So if a player comes along that can do the same thing as the guy who is making 5x to 10x more money than they are, then it may be time to let the higher priced guy go. That's how it was with Rickie this year. I don't think there were any hard feelings from the front office. I think they all loved Rickie too. But the reality of it was that Scooter was the future 2nd baseman and that there was no longer a place on this team for Weeks. We saw this in 2014 as he started to take a "Captain-May-I" giant step backwards to make way for the future. It happens and even though I'm not quite over it, I have no choice but to accept it. That's the way the game is played. It makes it so much easier once you stop trying to figure it out. Just let go and stop trying to figure it out. Just go with the flow man. Everything will be ok.
Check out my 4th video, which recaps 2nd Base for the 2014 Milwaukee Brewers, recorded in my bathtub on a Sunday morning. Don't worry pal - I'm wearing a swim suit. There's no need to make this any weirder than it already is:
It's pretty evident that I have problems. Just look at me. I'm a mess. Hanging out in my bathtub, drinking a beer and filming the whole thing. But I don't do this for my own personal gain. Oh no no my friends - I do this for you. So enjoy this bountiful harvest that I have provided for you. There's plenty to go around and there's always more where this came from. And I just made it really really weird. Moving on...
Scooter Gennett #2 - .286 batting AVG, .326 OBP, 8 HRs, 38 RBIs, the "unofficial" every day 2nd Baseman and someone that Scooters like me and that orange bastard on the Muppets can look up to and someday band together to form a League of Scooters.
.289 batting avg, .320 OBP, 9 HRs, 54 RBIs, 110 starts the "official" every day 2nd Baseman but NOT a member of the League of Scooters. He declined our invitation. Thanks a million Ryan. We could have had something magical.
Rickie Weeks #23 - .261 batting AVG, .320 OBP, 7 HRs, 29 RBIs, a positive member of the team who will be a team player, act like a veteran and will end his career with the Brewers on a down note, a tragic story of what could have been if an athlete lived up to his potential. But nevertheless, Rickie will always be my boy. What kind of man would I be if I left his side in his greatest moment of need?
.274 batting avg, .357 OBP, 8 HRs, 29 RBIs, 49 starts and sailed off into free agency with a slow and uneventful exit. Kind of like some old bastard who dies quietly in their sleep as opposed to a young man who bravely faced, but ultimately succumbed to his terminal cancer. And me, as his domestic partner, was not even allowed in the hospital room to be with him because of the god damn inequalities that fail to recognize our union.
I didn't want it to end like this. Even though Weeks had some pretty respectable stats to close out his time in a Brewers uniform, I feel like he didn't get to go out on his terms. But he didn't call out the team in the media. He didn't take to social media to complain about playing time. He didn't become a distraction or add to the problem. He took it like a pro and I respect him for that. It was the best way to handle a bad situation. We got to see what a full year of Scooter looks like and I do have to say that I was pleased with the results. He doesn't have the home run power that Rickie has, but it looks like he's going to be solid. That's all you really need from 2nd base when the rest of the positions are above average on offense (which is debatable). I just need a guy who can play every day and not screw up. Scooter seems to be that guy. Time will tell on this one, but the Brewers seem to be moving from the Weeks era to the Scooter era.
I know that it doesn't seem like it, but this was a hard article to write. I had to put personal feelings aside and be realistic. If I were running the Brewers, I would have done the exact same thing. It makes perfect sense if you're thinking with everything other than your heart. When it comes to the business of the game, you have to leave your heart out of it. That's one of the hardest things to do as a sports fan. I get way too emotionally invested in the team and these players that I left them affect me in ways that should never be allowed. But that's why I am a fan. I ride the highs and the lows and I let this game affect me. Every now and then it helps to take a step back and remind myself to look at things with my brain and not with my heart. My brain tells me that Scooter is better than Rickie. But my heart doesn't agree. And that is why it hurts so much. And it will continue to hurt for a long time. That is what I have to deal with for being a fan of Rickie Weeks and the Milwaukee Brewers.
- pookon -
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