Milwaukee Brewers 2011 - 25 in 25 - Corey Hart (7 of 25)

Corey Hart burst upon the music scene in 1984 at the age of 22 and took the world by storm with his hit single "Sunglasses at Night." The odd thing was that the song was more popular in the US and climbed higher in the charts there than it did in his native land of Canada. Normally Canadians take care of their own and have a great sense of National pride whenever one of their sons makes it to the big time. Canada has to be proud of something after all, because without Corey Hart, Celine Dion, Rick Moranis and John Candy, Canada is only known as America's hat. Canada is often the subject of folly from Americans who joke about their use of the word eh and their inability to say about (pronounced aboot if you are Canadian.) I for one spent one of the greatest weekends of my life in Windsor, Ontario in my first visit to our neighbors to the North, and I have nothing against Canada. Corey Hart on the other hand owes his post "Sunglasses at Night" career to his homeland because after that iconic hit 80's song he never found that level of success again except in Canada. If you asked me to name another one of his songs I couldn't do it, despite living 1/3 of my life in that decade and being a huge fan of the 1980's. Hell, my two favorite movies are Back to the Future (featuring Canadian Michael J. Fox) and Ghostbusters (featuring Canadian Dan Aykroyd). Let's just say that if I spent more time in the 20tens and now the 20teens worrying about real life things like advancing in my career, getting in shape, falling in love and having babies versus all the time I spend being nostalgic about the 80's, I'd really be living the dream right now. But I sure love me some 80's music. Say what you want, but that's the stuff that really gets me going. And Corey Hart has a part of that I think.

Wait... this isn't about 80's pop star Corey Hart? This is supposed to be about the baseball player Corey Hart who wears his sunglasses in the day time? Ah man. I don't want to talk about Milwaukee Brewers right fielder Corey Hart anymore. At the bottom of the article (and on the right) I have labels than you can click on. Go ahead and click Corey Hart and you will see how much of my life I have wasted writing articles about Corey Hart. For those of you who need The Count from Sesame Street to help you out, let me bring him in for a second to figure this out. 1 article, 2 articles, 3 articles, 4 articles, 5 articles, 6 articles, 7 articles, 8 articles. 8 Corey Hart articles! Ah ha ha ha ha ha! I love counting. So Scott, are we going to meet next Saturday for lunch at Noodles and Company? Sure Count, I'll be there at 1. 1! 1 is a good number! It is the easiest number to count to! So I will see you there at 1, I'm counting on it. Ah ha ha ha ha!

That Count sure is quite a character. But he also points out that I too am quite a character. Who writes 8 articles about a person that they supposedly hate? Maybe I'm just jealous that he has a lot of money and I don't. Maybe I'm pissed off because he proved me wrong last year by having a career season. And maybe I'm just secretly in love with him and I channel my feelings into anger and aggression just like you did in grade school when you were mean to the girl that you had a huge crush on. It's probably all of the above, so he were go with another Corey Hart article.

Prior to the 2010 season Hart won his arbitration case following a piss poor season and was given a $4.8 million dollar salary in 2010. And he earned every cent of that $4.8 million. And a lot of fans jumped right back on his bandwagon as he settled into the #2 spot in the lineup and made the NL All-Star team despite not being in the lineup on Opening Day. The reason why that is a big deal is because the All-Star ballots are based on Opening Day lineups and the listed Brewers outfielders for the fans to vote for were Ryan Braun, Carlos Gomez and Jim Edmonds. So Hart made the All-Star team not by the fans vote, but by the voting of his fellow players in Major League Baseball who recognized the fantastic year he was having prior to the All-Star Game. When Hart made the All-Star Team in 2008 as the 25th man as voted upon by the fans, he slipped considerably in the 2nd half of that season, which led to my disdain for Hart as he was completely unreliable as the Brewers made their most important playoff push in 26 years. So I was worried that 2010 would mirror 2008 and once again Corey Hart would let me down and be subject to name calling once again. But in 2010 Corey Hart was no bitch, and he finished the year just as strong as he started it.

I've really exhausted all that I can say about Corey Hart, which is too bad considering that he's going to be around here for a while. In August of this past season, he signed a contract extension that will pay him $8.83 million per year over the next 3 years. Is he worth $8 million a year? That's debatable, but that's the going rate for a corner outfielder who puts up those kind of numbers. Hell, the Washington Nationals gave free agent rightfielder Jayson Werth a 7 year $126 million contract ($18 million a year), and one could argue that Hart puts up very similar numbers. Werth has been more consistent over the past 3 years, but if they end up having the same years (as each other and as they each did in 2010) then Corey Hart's contract will look like a real bargain. I would love nothing more than to see the Corey Hart of 2010 versus the Corey Hart of 2009 playing right field for the Brewers in 2011, but how will that all play out? And what do other people think about Hart? To answer those questions I turned to my good friend and co-worker Mike Wilhelm. He sits in the cube next to me, and when we aren't getting yelled at for talking too much, we are discussing sports. And no player in Wisconsin sports had us debating more than Corey Hart did last year.



Yeah I kind of screwed that one up. Apparently I'm so polarized by Corey Hart even after I've exhausted everything to say that I just keep on talking. I didn't really give Mike a chance to offer much of an opinion, but if you want to have an opinion get your own damn blog my friend! This is my shit! I own this motherfucker! And I guess I'm also not ready to let my love/hate for Corey Hart go, and it really could go any way in 2011. If he has a fantastic season I'll write about how much I hate that I love him, and if he has a terrible season I will write about how much I love to hate him. But for the overall success of this team I do wish that he plays well. Unless I want a player to be cut (like Jeff Suppan) I never wish for one of my players to play poorly. I want nothing more than to see the team win, and it will be easier if Corey Hart puts up numbers like this:

.278 AVG, 26 HRs, 91 RBIs, 21 stolen bases and the subject of many over the cubicle walls debate between Mike and I.

I really hope that Carlos Gomez will produce this year so that he can bat in the #2 spot that Hart occupied most of last year so that Hart can drop down to #6. The top 5 spots in the Brewers lineup ranks in the top 5 in all of baseball but the bottom 4 can sometimes make or break the offensive game on that day. So if Hart can drop down into the lower half and provide some much needed power, speed and RBIs it will help everyone else down there. One player that would definitely benefit from batting with Hart on base would be Brewers catcher Jonathon Lucroy (who will probably bat in the #7 or #8 spot). He was "thrown into the wolves" last year when Zaun went down with a season ending injury. Having to learn the pitching staff and to call games at the major league level while also trying to work on his offense might have been a little daunting for Lucroy, and I for one think he did a hell of a job. He broke his pinky finger on his right hand in the first week of Spring Training and he may start the season on the Disabled List. Although he then wouldn't technically be on the 25 man roster on Opening Day, he's going to be a huge part of the team in 2011 so I'm going to do an article about him anyway. But that my friends, is a topic that will be covered tomorrow. Roll out the Barrel! We'll have a Barrel of Fun!

- pookon -

www.pookon.com
email: pookondotcom@gmail.com

25 Brewers in 25 Days - Corey Hart.

Corey Hart is a Bitch. No Love in February for Corey Hart. Today is Judgment Day for Corey Hart. Hart Attack: Meet the $4.8 Million Dollar Man. The Brewers need Hart to win in 2010. Miles and miles of Hart... Eric Gagne called, he wants his goggles back. What more can I say about Corey Hart that I haven't already said? At this point, not too much. I'm not going to rehash the stats from the last few years and all of the shit I said about it. Feel free to click any of the links above if you need that information. In short, Corey Hart needs to rebound from last year like I need to stop hitting the bottle whenever I get depressed. The Brewers are counting on Corey Hart to regain his form because they need his power bat in the lineup. After losing JJ Hardy and Mike Cameron (two guys who each are capable of hitting over 20 homeruns) and replacing them with Alcides Escobar and Carlos Gomez (two guys who will be lucky to each hit 5 homeruns) the Brewers need to get that power from somewhere else. A healthy Rickie Weeks should help that, and Corey Hart should also be able to fulfill that role. With the top 5 spots in the lineup seemingly set, Corey could provide some much needed pop to the bottom of the order.

His offensive woes have been covered in grand detail by me in the past, but I don't know if I ever said much about his defense. Like Ryan Braun, Hart is an infielder turned outfielder. I don't know how many people know that because he's always been an outfielder at the big league level. But since he hasn't been manning that spot for his entire life, he's still a work in progress. We've watched him make spectacular plays and also some pretty boneheaded ones. But this season I feel like he will put it all together and along with Braun and Gomez, form a damn good defensive outfield. Within the last few years he was clocked as the fastest guy on the team, which certainly will help him get to more fly balls.

His speed also comes in handy on the base paths, and on several occasions he has been called the smartest baserunner on the team. Recently at the Brewers On-Deck event in January of this year, during a Q & A session with the coaches, I asked 3rd base coach Brad Fischer who is the best baserunner. His answer was Corey Hart and he brought up his ability to go from 1st to 3rd and that he rarely runs into outs on the bases. I remember also hearing that under Ned Yost, Corey always had the green light to steal a base. Because he chose the right times and studied the moves of pitchers and catchers, he ended up producing runs and put a lot of added pressure on the pitcher. As you know from watching Manny Parra, pitching can be a real mental game. Once you get inside the pitcher's head, you can really open up the game and score some runs. When Corey Hart gets on base, he's always a threat to steal, which can be a big distraction to the pitcher and catcher. It's little things like that that make Corey Hart a valuable member of this team.

But even though I've said nice things about him in the past and on this page today, I still don't have the Hart to call him my friend. You'd think that I would love Corey Hart because I tend to hang out with tall goofy looking guys. Some of my best friends fit that profile. Aaron Spiering. Brodey Callies. Joey Kanz. Matt Salmon. Abraham Lincoln. I give Joey Kanz the most crap about it because of the way he reacts to my constant playful verbal assaults on his goofiness. Like when I go away on vacation, I promise to bring him back a t-shirt as a souvenir. I then ask him, what size do you wear? Extra goofy? Aaron can handle when I give him shit because he can dish it back to me faster than I can come up with another clever line. Brodey is so self deprecating he'll probably make fun of himself before you get the chance to make fun of him. And Salmon just gets made fun of by everyone, so he has mental toughness and just lets it all slide off his shoulders.

All of my tall goofy friends have found a way of handling the comments from those around them, but so far all Corey does is complain about the fans who pay his salary and make up excuses. He needs to come up with some kind of defense mechanism to prevent him from lashing out inappropriately. Hey Corey - if you need some advice from my friends let me know. I know that you read my blog so you have a way to get in touch with me. Corey, we talk shit about you because we care. Has anyone ever noticed that the people who give you the most shit are the people who really love you the most? That's because most of the time they aren't serious about it and they know you well enough to understand that you can handle it. And Corey, I only say that crap because I do care and I want you to do well. I can always use another tall goofy looking friend.

My man Toby told me to lay off Corey Hart and to stop giving him a hard time. And I will… for now. Corey Hart gets a clean slate heading into the 2010 season because it sounds like he has put his problems (contract dispute, daddy issues and poor eyesight) behind him. He also reportedly showed up to Phoenix 20 pounds lighter and with more muscle. I’m all for people staying in shape, especially athletes when their jobs and performance depend on them being in peak physical condition. But if his Spring Training stats (.208 avg, 2 HRs, 3 RBIs) are any indication, we’re in for a rough year. But I’m a huge proponent against using Spring Training stats for any kind of prediction, lest we forget how JJ Hardy, Chris Duffy and Brad Nelson performed in Spring Training last year. They were the 3 hottest hitters down in the valley of the sun, but none of them are currently with the team, and in the regular season Brad Nelson went 0 for 27 before they cut him. So although Spring Training stats don’t mean jack shit, I’d still rather see Corey Hart play well because it can only benefit the team if he does.

Corey Hart has been a hot topic of debate this entire winter. My friend Mike at work and I were discussing his offseason antics nearly every day, and here are his predictions for Hart’s 2010 stat line:

.285 batting average, 26HRs, 83 RBIs and 23 stolen bases.

Although I’d love to see that happen, mine is nowhere near as generous for a guy coming off a couple of poor seasons. Maybe it’s just because I got burned by Hart in the past and now I’m scarred for life, but these are my stat predictions for Hart in 2010:

.267 avg, 16 HRs, 66 RBIs, 18 stolen bases and even more goofy looking now that he’s wearing goggles. I have a feeling that like Carlos Gomez, Corey Hart may also lose playing time to Jim Edmonds and Jody Gerut if he doesn’t improve from last year. But since he is at the core a very good baseball player, he will get every opportunity to succeed.

So for the time being, the name calling will cease. Corey Hart can sleep easy at night knowing that I am no longer poking fun at him. But if Corey slips up, then it’s on like Donkey Kong. Corey Hart better now give me a reason to start talking shit about him. And speaking of talking, I really can’t say much about the next featured player Catcher Greg Zaun. And that’s because (like Gomez) he is a newcomer to the Brewers who spent most of his career in the American League. All I know about him (before doing research) is that he is similar to (last year’s catcher) Jason Kendall, only older, less expensive and with a little more pop in his bat. Zaun has only caught more than 100 games in a season 4 times in his 15 year career (as opposed to Kendall catching like 140 + every year), so now more than ever the backup catcher spot will be very important. There’s no fewer than 4 guys competing for that spot in Spring Training. But that my friends, is a topic that will be covered tomorrow. Brewers! Brewers! Keep Turnin' Up the Heat!

- pookon -

www.pookon.com

email: pookondotcom@gmail.com

Eric Gagne called, he wants his goggles back...

I know that I promised that I'd lay off of Corey Hart for a little bit, but this was so ridiculous that I couldn't hold back my tongue (or fingers if I want to be literal). There has been nothing but excuses for Corey hart's performance in the past few years. He played well in the minors and in his first few years with the Brewers, but when things started going bad all the sudden some shit comes up to explain the reason behind his performance. The Journal Sentinel posted an article that attributed Hart's weak mentality to Daddy Issues. Apparently Corey Hart's Dad John started pushing his son ever since he was 3 years old to be the best at sports. So much to the point that Corey was afraid to let his Dad down and he played for his Dad, not for himself. He was always afraid of letting his Dad down and it even got to the point where Corey made his Mom drive a separate car to his games so that if he had a bad game, he could go home with Mom instead of Dad. His Dad forged his birth certificate when he was 3 years old so that he could join the 5-year old + baseball team. And his Dad criticized him every step of the way. His Dad never made it big in baseball so he wanted his son to do it.

"He was trying to toughen me up," said Corey. "I think he felt I'd go out and try to prove him wrong. As a young kid, it would wear you out. If I got in trouble, he would spank me hard. He would embarrass me in front of other people. Even in high school, if I did something wrong, he would pull me behind the dugout and yell at me. He was trying to push me to be better but you don't realize that at the time." I will say that this is fucked up. My parents pushed music on me hardcore because they were so into it. I was singing in choir since I've been able to talk, and I was always playing some kind of instrument. I never liked to play the trumpet, but my parents made me do it. And I never practiced and got better at it because I had no desire to do it. But have you ever heard me use this as an excuse? No. Because I'm not a whiny little bitch. I quit music for a couple of years, but I eventually found my way back into it. My parents didn't go to the extremes that John Hart did, so I'll give him a little bit on that. But grow the fuck up already. You're living your life, not your Dad's.

Our parents do have influence over who we are and who we become, but eventually you have to shake that off and be your own person. My parents are deeply religious and raised me in in the Catholic church. Do I believe in God? Yeah. Do I live my life according to the bible? Nope. Do I live in fear of going to Hell if I don't follow the commandments. Nope. Do I go to church every Sunday? Nope. Once I got to a certain age (like 18 when I moved out of the house) I made up my own mind and did what was right for me. For Corey Hart to blame his Dad for his mental instability is ludicrous. When the fans boo at me, it's like 40,000 John Harts in the stands judging me. Watching me, criticizing. Waiting to reprimand me and spank me for failing to advance the runner to 3rd on a groundout. I lost a ball in the sun, committed an error and we lost the game because of me. Thankfully Mom has the getaway car running so we can scoot out of here before Dad finds me. And spanks me. You're 28 fucking years old. Get over that shit already. Grow up and be a man.

And then this shit comes out the other day that Corey Hart needs to wear glasses because he is nearsighted. He admitted that last year he wasn't seeing the ball well and that things were a bit fuzzy. And that he probably fudged his vision test during his physical last year because he didn't want to admit he wasn't seeing clearly. Bob Uecker made a comment on this during the broadcast of the game today, and of course he had a humorous take on the subject. His line was something like this, "The ball was looking a little fuzzy to me too. Although you know I was looking at a tennis ball." Uecker can make any subject funny, and although I laughed at his joke, this really is no joking matter. Baseball depends so much on you being able to see a ball and decide in tenths of a second whether or not you should swing, then make the proper adjustments to make contact with it. Sure, you need athletic skills and timing in order to play, but some of the best hitters (like Ted Williams and Barry Bonds) relied on their insane vision to only swing at pitches that they knew they could hit, resulting in unprecedented batting averages. So you would think that a baseball player would want to see the ball correctly, right?!?!

So Corey Hart is now going to wear goggles, Eric Gagne-style. He says that it would be unacceptable to wear contacts. You got something against contacts punk? Then you got something against me. He probably already has a problem against me for calling him a bitch, so I guess this is just one more thing. But how come as soon as people start really getting on his back for being a shitty baseball player does it come out that he needs glasses? Because he has to make excuses. And before people get all uppity and tell me to lay off Hart, I would like to say that it's not just him. Everyone makes excuses. There's always someone to blame other than yourself. But when your job depends on something as crucial as you being able to see something, don't you think you should be able to see it well? Don't ya? The second that his eyes started to go, he should have done it then. But no. Now he can blame his Dad and his eyes for swinging at a pitch in the dirt low and outside.

God I hate that this fires me up so much that I have to come on here and go off about it. I tried so hard not to, but I had to work it out of my system before I had a total meltdown. So once again, I'm willing to give Corey Hart a pass on his Daddy issues and poor vision, just as long as he stops making excuses and starts playing up to his potential. If the goggles correct his vision and suddenly everything clicks, maybe I'll believe that it was his eyes that were giving him problems. But if it isn't, then I will most certainly rain down a chorus of boos on him from the right field bleachers. I will find out what his Dad looks like and get a mask that resembles him and then wear clothes just like him. I will dress up like John Hart and heckle the shit out of Corey Hart. I will berate him for the entire game and make him run off crying to his Mommy. Corey Hart has gone too far, and if I hear one more pathetic excuse as to why he has no plate discipline, I will burn my Corey Hart jersey. Just go out there and play and stop being such a bitch.

I feel the need to once again say that I want nothing more than to see Corey Hart perform well, because he is such an integral part to this offense. But I'm tired of all the bullshit that comes with him. Maybe I'm just jaded because I saw my first Brewers postseason game in 2008 and I am getting nervous that it'll be 26 years before I see another one. They have the pieces to make a return to October just as long as the offense picks up where it left off last year and the pitching staff is average. And players like Corey Hart, Rickie Weeks and Manny Parra live up to their potential. So in case you think that I pick on Hart too much, rest assured that I will stop now. I know I've said that before, but Corey just keeps fueling my fire with all of this garbage. So I'm making a New Year's resolution to only say positive things about Corey Hart from now on. And we'll just go ahead and saw how long that charade will last. But first Hart needs to actually do something positive. But my Mom always said that if you can't say anything nice, then don't say anything at all. If I listen to my Mom, then it might be a while before I say anything.

But maybe I am just as bad as John Hart by the way that I've just been unloading on Corey for his failures. Perhaps I can lighten up a bit. I should be more supportive of him instead of calling him names. But that's a whole 'nother can of worms, and since I'm not going out fishing today, there's no way that I can manage to open that one up right now. You can't open a can of worms then not use them. They'll go bad and you have no choice but to bury them in the ground. Screw that. I want to use my worms to catch big ass trouts. And hold them in front of my sister and chase her around because she is terrified of worms. Because that is what worms are for. Catching fish and scarring sisters. But why am I talking about worms and not Corey Hart? I don't know. I'm going to go get another beer while I ponder that question. But I certainly will not blame my Dad or my blurry vision for making me fail as a writer.

- pookon -

www.pookon.com
email: pookondotcom@gmail.com

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 -

www.pookon.com
email: pookon.com@gmail.com

Hart Attack : Meet the $4.8 Million Dolar Man

Somewhere Corey Hart is leaping for joy. Somehow Hart and his agent were able to convince the panel of judges that he was worth $4.8 million dollars for next season. I am demanding a transcript from that hearing because I need to know what were the deciding factors that bumped his pay raise from the $4.15 million the Brewers were offering versus the $4.8 million he was demanding. I've already laid out all of the numbers in a previous post and stated my claims, but there has to be some kind of information that I overlooked that shows why he derserved such a big raise in salary. My theory is that they looked at comparable players of his service time and stats and made the ruling based on that. I don't have any of that at my disposal, but I'm guessing that information will surely be presented by Tom Haudricourt or Adam McCalvy later on today. I don't have the time to write up an article right now about how angry I am about this, but be sure that I will rant like a pissed off teenager as soon as I get home from work this afternoon. The only thing I have to say right now (because I don't want to get too upset before work because work makes me mad enough) is that he better keep his God damn mouth shut this year and not complain about shit. He's making damn near $5 million dollars and he sure as hell better play like he is. I don't want to see him striking out on 3 straight pitches, playing shoddy defense and carrying a batting average of .260. I'm definitly ready to eat my words as soon as the real Corey Hart shows up to the 2010 season. I've said all along that I am a fan of his and want him to do well, but now he has run out of excuses. Prince Fielder was upset about his contract situation in the 2008 season, but he went out and played hard anyway. This resulted in a two year $18 million dollar contract, and with his finances secure, Fielder went out and had one of the greatest offensive seasons in Brewers history. Now there is no way I can compare Hart to Fielder because they are different players, but I'm hoping that Hart can also put the past behind him and play with the satisfaction that his family is taken care of and all he has to do is worry about baseball.

Stay tuned to The Journal Sentinel Brewers Blog and Tom Haudricourt's Twitter page for updates throughout the day. And make sure you check back here for my response later this evening. I don't know if it will be as angry as the Corey Hart is a Bitch article (cause I probably won't be as drunk when I write this one) because I have to admit defeat. I still believe that I am right, but in this case my opinion doesn't matter. I'm going to have to go ahead and live with the fact that Corey Hart found a way to dupe the arbitration panel into believing that he was as good as he thinks he is. And more power to him I guess. If he's able to spin his terrible performance in the last year and a half into a positive, then he should be able to do an 180 on the field as well, right? He sure as shit better do it, or else this blog will be filled with Corey Hart stories for the entire summer as I constantly rain down the criticism on him for the remainder of the season. Time to go cool down and let this news sink in. More to come later. I guess I just have to live in a world where we celebrate failure and mediocrity with praise and pay increases. God help us all.

- pookon -

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email: pookondotcom@gmail.com

Today is Judgment day for Corey Hart

Sometime later today, Corey Hart himself will walk into the belly of the beast and attend his arbitration hearing. I can't believe that he wants to be there while the team rips him apart, but to each their own. At the very least, he will get a $900,000 raise and know every single tiny area that he needs to improve on to have a better year. And at the best he makes like $1.55 million more than last year and gets to do a little dance and shove it in Gord Ash's face that his value is as high as he thought it was. Either way he'll probably be grinning like an idiot. I just hope that I am right so that I can remove the bag from his head on my calendar so that for the remaining 17 days in February, he has to stare into my eyes and face the fact that I was right. I still have a very strong feeling that the arbitration panel will side with the Brewers, mostly because comparable players on the free agent market are making far less than $4.8 million on a 1 year deal. That shouldn't really factor into their decision, because they really are supposed to be comparing him against other players with similar experience and playing time, but you know that thought is gonna creep up in there. Whether or not he wins or loses his arbitration hearing, I will still cheer for him to do well, but I would rather do so with the satisfaction of knowing that I was right. Call it selfishness or a man's refusal to admit their mistakes, but everyone always thinks they are right and do not like to admit when they are not. I'm stubborn enough to stick to my guns, and shall Corey Hart prevail, I will probably still say that he isn't deserving and that he is overpaid. But I guess that we have to wait until tomorrow (Friday) to hear the arbitration panel's final decision.

Word may leak out today (Thursday) so stay tuned to the following sources for all of your Brewers updates : The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Brewers Blog - Tom Haudricourt does an excellent job of getting you all the Brewers news in a timely matter. Once he knows it, you'll know it. I also suggest that you check out his Twitter page, since he usually post a short blurb on there before he takes the time to type out an article. That is the quickest way to stay up to the minute on all things Brewers. While I'm on the subject of Twitter, make sure you also check out Adam McCalvy's Twitter page. He's the "official" beat writer of the Milwaukee Brewers, as he posts the majority of the articles on Brewers.com. Once he says it, it is no longer speculation, it is indeed fact. Those are a few ways to keep on top of this whole situation, and I'll be back on here some time tomorrow night to once again run my mouth and offer my opinion.

So even though this case has cast a shadow on an otherwise great offseason, at least we're talking Brewers baseball. And in the cold and snow filled Wisconsin winter, there's no better thing to talk about. Not even the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, the Sports Illustrated football flip phone or the History of the Stanley Cup : 100 Years of Glory could get me this excited for March (and more importantly April) to hurry up and get here already so I can have 8 baseball filled months of happiness. It's unfortunate that Doug Melvin has to go to his 1st arbitration hearing as GM of the Brewers and that Corey Hart and his agent couldn't settle, but that's the business of baseball. And let's just hope and pray that the outcome doesn't affect his play on the field, because like I've pointed out in the past, some of our success this year does hinge on #1 playing like he is the one who is #1 on the field and #1 in our Harts.

- pookon -

www.pookon.com
email: pookondotcom@gmail.com

No Love in February for Corey Hart

Days after I wrote the Corey Hart is a Bitch entry, I attended the Brewers On-Deck event at the Midwest Airlines Center in downtown Milwaukee on January 31st. And do you know who I saw when I first entered the convention floor? None other than Corey Hart; my arch nemesis. There was an area set up where players posed for pictures with the fans, and Corey was standing there looking all tall and goofy. I waited in the line for a few minutes, then stepped up and got this picture taken with him. Little did he know that days before I had called him a bitch and blasted his antics all over the internet, and the article has been seen by hundreds. He also didn’t know that as I stood next to him, I made this angry face. My cousin Kevin was next in line for a picture, by he declined to pose next to him. When the worker asked him to step up (trying to keep the line moving as fast as possible) he said, “Nah, I’d rather not” then walked away. Corey didn’t hear this, but I did. And I loved it. While I was in line, I tried to work up the courage to small talk with Corey, something along the lines of, “Hey Corey (shakes his hand) it’s so nice to meet you. Thanks for coming out today, and best of luck this season.” Corey then would say some kind of half-assed awkward thank you, then I would pat him on the back, lean in close and whisper, “Oh yeah, and you’re a bitch.” Then I would walk away with my head held high. I didn’t do what I had promised to do, mostly because I am a Brewers fan above all other things. As much as Corey Hart is upsetting me at this moment, he still is a player on my team and I need him to do well in order for the Brewers to have a shot this year.

I think there’s been a little confusion over my purpose of that article. I know it is titled Corey Hart is a Bitch and I said in all caps FUCK COREY HART, but in reality there’s probably no one in this city who wants Corey Hart to rebound and have a career year more than I do. Our pitching is going to be average at best, so in order to return to the playoffs we need the offense to knock the cover off of the ball like gangbusters and consistently put up 5+ runs a night. Our top 5 lineup rivals any team in baseball in my opinion, with Rickie Weeks leading off, Corey Hart batting 2nd, Ryan Braun hitting 3rd, Prince Fielder cleaning up and Casey McGehee batting 5th. 6-9 are a little suspect, with youngsters like Carlos Gomez and Alcides Escobar, old guys like Greg Zaun and the pitcher’s spot filling out the bottom of the order. Corey Hart is crucial to this lineup, and ideally I’d bat him 2nd if I was Ken Macha in order to give him the biggest shot at success. Corey Hart is not a .260 hitter, there is no way he should ever hit less than 20 home runs and have fewer than 75 RBIs. He’s too good to suck. He just needs to swing at the right pitches, use his speed as a weapon and keep his own style of hitting. I know he was criticized by the coaches for not taking a lot of walks (36 in 2007 and 27 in 2008) so in 2009 he tried to be more patient at the plate (from the suggestion of the coaches) and it forked (43 walks in a shortened season). While his walk totals went up, everything else decreased because he was watching too many pitches and swinging at the bad ones. His strike out totals increased because the opposing pitchers made adjustments knowing that he was trying to be more patient at the plate. If only Corey would have also made the adjustments mid-season, maybe I wouldn’t be calling him a bitch this year. Corey has publicly voiced his opinions over his displeasure with the coaching staff altering his approach, and although I don’t usually agree with players doing that, in the end the players are the ones standing up at the plate with the bat in their hands. And they are the ones that have to control their ability to get on base and be productive. So if something doesn’t work and doesn’t feel right for Corey, he needs to go ahead and do what does feel right. And I’m all for that. Look at Ryan Braun. He doesn't take a lot of walks (57 in 2009), but last year he had an on base percentage of .386 thanks to 203 hits on the year with a .320 batting average. Compare that to Prince Fielder, who had more walks (a franchise high 110 in 2009) with a .299 average and 177 hits, resulting in a monstrous .412 on base percentage. As you can see, there are other ways than patience at the plate to be productive and help out your team. Corey Hart had 109 hits with a .339 on base percentage. Pales in comparison to the big bioys on the team, don't it? That's why the 2007 version of Corey Hart showing up in 2009 would be an amazing boost for the Brewers, and behind Rickie Weeks (who I believe is the key and the catalyst to the Brewers offense) is the second most important piece of the offense puzzle.

So why did I say Corey Hart is a Bitch? I don’t know, probably because I was hammered drunk the night I wrote that article. I was puking for 3 hours the next morning, and even threw up at the bus stop outside of Bayshore Mall. Yikes. And although the truth often does come out when you are wasted, I really do like Corey Hart. When I get drunk I like to fight people, but I don’t fight with my fists, I fight with my words. And that night I went on a giant rant that is my sometimes outlandish variation on Corey Hart’s situation. I’m not going to apologize for writing the article, because it is the way that I feel about the situation. But I don’t want people coming out and blasting me for not being a Brewers fan just because I am upset with a player’s performance. If you know me, I’m the biggest fan, and I have the hardware (2 Brewers tattoos and over 30 jerseys) to prove it. Add that to the fact that I watch/listen to every game and I have worked over 50 games a year at Miller Park for the last 9 years, so I know what I’m talking about. I don’t think I should have to boast about my devotion to the team in order to prove my point, but it does help if I throw it out there. Let’s just say that if you plan to discuss/debate Brewers with me, you better do your homework and be prepared to talk for hours at a time.

But I have a feeling that February will not be Corey Hart’s month. After getting lambasted on opinionated fan’s blogs (like this one), publicly criticized on sports talk radio and bashed by the fans, he has to go up against the arbitration panel later this month. And I have the feeling that given his performance over the past 2 seasons, the arbitration panel will side with the team and not with Corey Hart. I hope that he sends his agent and doesn’t show up in person, because that would be one of the hardest things to sit through. Basically the team presents a presentation on why you suck and why you don’t deserve a hefty raise, then they present evidence to support their claims. It’s not quite as serious as appearing in court on a murder charge, but it is awfully similar. The team is trying to make you look bad in every way, shape and form in order to prove their point, and you to sit there and hear what they really think about you. That’s got to be really damaging to your self-esteem. I know that I would not be able to handle that kind of raw criticism. Then after they blast you for however long it takes, you have to present information on why they are wrong and talk yourself up to prove you deserve more money than they are offering. I’m sure that everyone has been in a situation when they have had to defend themselves against critics, and it’s not that easy to do, nor is it enjoyable. Do too much and it sounds like you are bragging and you have a giant ego. Do too little and it sounds like you are unsure of yourself and lack confidence in your abilities. I do like Corey Hart’s attitude going into this though, because he has publicly stated that whatever the team says it’s their opinion, and that he won’t let it bother him because it really is just a business. And the team has to sometimes separate business and personal feelings. For a smaller market team like the Brewers, a million dollars is a lot of money. They have to do the best with the limited resources they have in order to be competitive. And he knows that no matter whose side the arbitration panel chooses, he will still receive more money than he did last year. That is a positive outlook on the situation because no matter what, he will come out ahead. And Corey has also stated in the past that he is out to prove the doubters wrong. And I’m all for that. Whatever it is that gives him the competitive drive to be better and try harder, I say go for it. I have no problem capitulating to Corey when he gives me a big fat “I told you so” middle finger at the end of the year when his stats prove that he was indeed worth $4.8 million dollars. Because the better that he does, the better the team does. And in the end, it’s not the performance of an individual player that matters (just look at Fielder’s MVP worthy year that went for naught as we missed the playoffs), it is how the team as a whole finishes.

Even though I will still cheer for him to have a better season than last year, I still have a feeling that February just isn’t going to be Corey’s month. I have a Brewers calendar at my desk at work, and ironically February features Corey Hart. And while I am venting about Corey Hart and going off on wild rants, I have to look him in the eyes for the 8 hours a day I sit at my desk. So that is why I put a paper bag over his head. It does 2 things for me – makes it so I don’t have to look at him and so that he can hide his shame behind that bag. It’s kind of humorous if you ask me, and I wonder if any of my co-workers will feel the same way. Most of the people at work (with the exception of a select few like Mike Wilhelm) just kind of agree with me because I am seen as the Brewers expert in the office. That or they just agree with me because they don’t care and don’t feel like hearing me go off all day whenever something (cough… Jeff Suppan…cough) bugs me. That’s why I listen to Steve “Sparky” Fifer on AM1250 WSSP. If there is anyone who is more critical and passionate about the Brewers (and so badly wants them to succeed and win a World Series) more than I do, it’s him. So don’t misconstrue these rants as hatred, it’s frustration more than anything else. I was 1 year old in 1982, floating as high as the clouds in 2008 and don’t want to be dead the next time the Brewers reach the postseason. I take this shit a little too seriously, and get so emotionally involved with the Brewers that sometimes something like Corey Hart’s situation pushes me over the edge and cause me to erupt. And whether or not you agree with me, at least you should be able to laugh at the picture of Corey Hart with a bag over his head. That shit is classic. As classic as the whoopee cushion or Uncle Mike’s knee slappers.

- pookon -

http://www.pookon.com/

email: pookondotcom@gmail.com

Corey Hart is a Bitch

Let me start out by saying that I've always liked Corey Hart. Alcohol has made me forget a lot of things, but I'm 99% sure that I'm right on this one. Corey Hart's first at bat with the Milwaukee Brewers happened late in the 2004 season. He came in as pinch hitter, and hit a foul ball that clanked off of the .300 Club (now the Metavante Club) in the 3rd deck. It was just barely foul, and would have been a booming home run if he could have kept it fair. He ended up striking out, but got a standing ovation from the crowd in his only at bat of that year. At that point, the fans were so excited about these youngsters who were on the verge of taking over this team. In 2005 he only played in 21 games and hit .193. In 2006 he was splitting time in right field with Geoff Jenkins, and he only played in 87 games but hit .283 with 9 HRs and 33 RBI. 2007 was his breakout season, and as the everyday right fielder he played in 140 games and hit .295 with 24 HRs, 81 RBIs and 24 stolen bases. He also played some good defense and had only 3 errors. He was also clocked as the fastest Brewers player in Spring Training, and I wore my sunglasses at night, screamed out "I Hart you Corey" from the right field bleachers and I often would say that Corey Hart ran like a gazelle. That is a compliment, as gazelles are some of the most graceful and fastest creatures on the planet. In 2008, he had a terrific first half on the season, and he was a candidate for the 2008 All-Star Game Final Vote, which he would end up winning. I was extremely supportive of him, and even installed a widget on this blog so that people could come here to cast their vote. I remember yelling out, "#1 on the field, #1 in your Harts!!" at the game, which became one of my signature cheers. I own a Corey Hart jersey, and counted myself as one of his biggest supporters. Then why would I say that he is a bitch? If you remember the 2nd half of the 2008 season onward, then you need not ask. But read on anyway.

Corey Hart completely fell apart after the All-Star break. I don't have the split stats to back it up, but in 2008 in 157 games he finished with a line of .268, 21 HRs, 91 RBIs and 23 stolen bases. You're probably saying that's not that bad, right? Consider that he had 109 strike outs and an on base percentage of .300, and you start to scrap the surface of how bad he really was. Anyone who watched the Brewers in 2008 saw that Corey Hart put up one of the biggest piece of shit half seasons the MLB has ever seen. I remember in the final game of the 2008 season, when the Brewers were at home against the Cubs and needed a win to advance to the playoffs. It was in the 7th inning, Ray Durham led off with a double, then Ryan Braun grounded out to 3rd, with Durham advancing to 3rd on the play. Prince Fielder was intentionally walked, then JJ Hardy walked on 4 straight pitches. Corey Hart stepped up to the plate in a career defining at bat; one that would cement his place in Brewers lore as they were trailing 1-0 at the time. Remember that Sean Marshall of the Cubs just threw 8 straight balls (4 intentional to Prince Fielder and 4 non intentional to JJ Hardy)? COREY HART SWUNG AT AND MISSED 3 STRAIGHT SLIDERS LOW AND AWAY AND STRUCK OUT SWINGING WITH THE BASES LOADED IN ONE OF THE WORST AT BATS I HAVE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE. I have never been more upset in my entire life at someone who wasn't a murderer or a child rapist. I don't like to boo my own players, but on that day I booed the shit out of Corey Hart as he walked back to the dugout. If it wasn't for Craig "Clutch" Counsell (C3) who drew a walk tying the game at 1, Corey Hart may have been blamed for the loss. As everyone knows, with the game tied at 1-1, Ryan Braun hit a home run in the 8th inning that still gives me chills, and thanks to CC Sabathia's complete game, the Brewers won the Wild Card and made the playoffs for the first time in 26 years. The rest is history.

But why is Corey Hart a bitch you ask? Aside from his poor play in the 2nd half of 2008, his 2009 season was far worse. He played in only 115 games and had a batting average of .260, with 12 home runs and 48 RBIs. Naysayers will point out that he missed nearly 1 1/2 months due to emergency appendectomy surgery in August, which came at a time when he was just heating up at the plate. That's no excuse, as he already was having a dismal season where he couldn't do anything right. He ended up finishing the 2009 season with an on base percentage of .335, which was better than last year, but not nearly good enough for someone of his speed and baserunning skills. So all of that is in the past, but when thing has to be mentioned before I go into my rant about how I no longer "Hart" Corey. If you don't understand the arbitration process, let me breka it down for you right quick. A team owns the rights to a player for something like 6 years once they get to the majors, and for the first 2 or 3 years they are in the majors, the team controls their salary and they most likely make the major league minimum. After that, the player is allowed to file for an amount they feel that they are worth, and the team counters with the amount that they think that player is worth. In an ideal situation, both sides meet at the midpoint of the 2 figures, and that results in the players salary for that year. If they cannot compromise, it goes before an arbitration panel of 3 judges who decide on one or the other, and that is the amount that that player makes in a year. I know this is boring an technical stuff, but so is a lot of things in baseball. In 2008 Corey Hart filed for a salary of $3.8 million in his 1st year of arbitration, while the Brewers offered $2.7 million. On the night before going before the panel of arbitration judges, they settled on salary of $3.25 million. Corey Hart goes on to have a disappointing 2009 season, as I have previously pointed out.

Fast forward to 2010. Thank you for bearing with me, as I found it necessary to present the evidence before I make my claim that Corey Hart is a bitch. I already presented Hart's 2009 statistics (.260, 12 HR, 48 RBI, .335 OBP), and for the 2010 season he filed for a salary of $4.8 million, a RAISE of $1 million from the previous year in which he sucked balls at the plate and missed time due to injury. Think about it for a second. If you missed time at work, sucked at your job then asked your boss for A MILLION DOLLAR RAISE at your job, how do you think your boss would react?!? They would probably show you the door and hire someone who was younger, cheaper and could do a more efficient job than you could. Corey Hart is a mother fucker for thinking that he deserves more money after a season in which he let down over 3 million fans who came to see him play at Miller Park. Some people might blame the system and the fact that MLB does not have a salary cap, which leads to some players making ridiculous amounts of money. I blame the players, because they are simply abusing and taking advantage of the system in place that governs the salaries of the players. But then I must also blame the system too. I don't want to go into that today, but without a salary cap, teams like the Milwaukee Brewers will never be able to win a World Series if teams like the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies can spend as much money as the want to buy a championship. So where was I? Oh yeah, Corey Hart is a bitch if he thinks that he is worth $4.8 million dollars. If you ask me, I don't think that he is worth $4.80. I'd rather have Frank "The Tank" Cattalonatto in right field, if nothing more than to hear The Outfield's "Your Love" every time that he steps up to the plate. I used to "Hart" Corey, but now I find myself feeling deep hate and disdain for him. I can't believe that he is asking for more money after the horrendous season that he had. Doug Melvin has a clean track record of settling with players on a salary for the upcoming season, and has yet to go before the arbitration panel. Corey Hart may change that in 2010, because he's being a stubborn bitch who thinks that he is better than he actually is. I know that he has a family small children, and is trying to make enough for his future, but what can you buy for $4.8 million that you can't buy for $4.15 million (which is the amount that the Brewers have offered him for 2010)? I only make $28,000 a year, which seems like a lot to you kids (Brian, Stacy and Kevin) but it is pocket change compared to Hart's $4+ million he will make this year. And to be quite honest with you, he doesn't deserve that. Not at all. Given his decline in the last few years, I wish we could give him less money, but unfortunately the arbitration process doesn't work that way. So he will end up making a ton of money, and unless he hopefully rebounds in 2010, he will enrage the fans once again. Corey Hart is no stranger to enraging the fans. In September of 2008 the Brewers had just completed a 3-7 homestand and were slipping from the Wildcard lead. Corey Hart's poor play in the second half helped contribute to this, and the fans would often boo him when he showed a complete lack of discipline at the plate. The Brewers were going on the road to play Philadelphia and he had this to say about the people who pay his salary. "Actually, it felt more like a home game than playing in Miller Park," said Hart, who has no home runs and two RBI this month. "We didn't hear the boos that we sometimes hear at home. That's the way it goes. Everybody's expecting (the team) to win. I guess they have a reason to be frustrated because we haven't been winning. "It's not a lack of hustle or effort. A guy makes an error, a guy strikes out and you hear your home town booing you. It makes you ready to get out of there and go somewhere else for awhile. I think we're all looser here." So Hart would rather be somewhere else than Miller Park. So go there. What's stopping you ya bum? He's been the fodder of trade rumors for some time now, and the only reason that we haven't traded him is that there is no viable younger and less expensive talent in the minors to replace him. Or at least none of those outfielders are major league ready yet. But as soon as they are I want Corey Hart out of town and headed to the next place that wants to deal with his shit.

Wow. Can't believe that I ranted that long on Corey Hart. That just goes to show you how passionate I am about my team. I know I wanted to say it for a long time, but FUCK COREY HART. There. It has been said now. I haven't been this upset since 4th and 26. And there's not many times that I hate a player on my team as much as I hate a player on the Chicago Cubs. Corey might as well put on the traitor jersey and play on the North side, and catch fly balls up against the gay shrubbery on the brick walls. Fuck Corey Hart and fuck him for thinking that he is worth a God Damn cent. He is being a bitch right now and I will no longer support him unless he proves that he has learned plate discipline and takes a fucking walk when the pitcher pitches him low and outside. I've backed Corey Hart since Day 1, and will continue to do so if he proves to me that he was who I thought he was. And if he isn't, then I will stop at nothing to get someone to play right field who can live up to the hype. It's starting to look like Doug Melvin will have to go to his 1st arbitration hearing as GM of the Brewers because Corey Hart fails to realize how much of a bitch he really is. His unwillingness to see how much he sucked and compromise at a fair salary of $4.4 million is upsetting. I'm tired of his bitchy antics and will focus my attention elsewhere. Even though it is the offseason, I got Brewers on the brain. Not a day goes by that I'm not thinking about my team, and if you ever want to have an educational discussion about the Boys in Blue, let me know. But just makes sure that you bring the knowledge if you want to discuss the Crew, because I've had enough of the uninformed fuckers who call into AM 1250 WSSP. No one (besides Tim and Sparky) have any idea what they are talking about. You know how to reach me; rant over. Let's go Brewers, and keep on Turnin' Up the Heat!

- pookon -

http://www.pookon.com/
email: pookondotcom@gmail.com