Brewers vs Dodgers 5/13 - 5/15 : Series Wrap-Up

Series 14 - Los Angeles Dodgers vs Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park in Milwaukee, WI

After coming off of a huge series win against the division leading Cardinals (who are now in 2nd place to those wretched FIB Cubs) the Brewers will face the Los Angeles Dodgers for they only time at Miller Park this year. The Dodgers were coming into Milwaukee having lost their last 5 games in a row, and you just knew that the struggling Brewers wouldn't be able to keep that streak going. The Brewers have to take advantage of these early home games because at this stage in the year, they are few and far between. It may be just me, but it seems like they are playing an awful lot of games on the road, and I'm starting to tire of these 10-day 9 game road trips, especially when they are starting to struggle on the road again. Because of my job (that cruel bastard), I would have to watch these three weekday games from the confines of my lonely cubicle. At least I get rowdy and everyone in the office looks at me when the Brewers hit a home run. It's easy to elicit stares when you hoot, holler, and woo-hoo! for seemingly no reason. I like being the office oddball. It's just about the only thing I like about it. Screw my job; on with the wrap-up.

Game 1 (Tuesday) - Carlos Villanueva (2-4, 6.00 ERA) vs Brad Penny (5-4, 5.09 ERA)

Today was another chance for Carlos Villanueva to go out there and quiet the critics that have been calling for his head after starting out the 2008 season on a sour note. Villanueva showed flashes of brilliance on the mound last season, but so far had been unimpressive. Today, he looked like he was back in form. He went 6 solid innings, giving up 3 runs (2 earned) and 8 hits. The bullpen held the Dodgers to just those 3 runs throughout the rest of the game. But the big story was Ryan Braun continuing to swing a red hot bat. He went 2-4 with a triple and a double, and his 2 RBI's in the 5th inning put the Brewers ahead for good. His batting average is now up to .294 and he's played better than average defense so far in left field. I know it's early, but this recent surge for Braun should earn him his first trip to the All Star Game at Yankee Stadium in New York City this summer. Gagne came in (much to the disappointment of the home crowd) for the save in the 9th inning, but he quieted the skeptics by earning his 10th save of the season. He had to work around a hit and a walk to do it, and just once, I would love to see Gagne throw a clean inning and record a save. Oh well, no sense clinging onto the negative aspects because the Brewers won. Sweet. Final score Brewers 5, Dodgers 3.

Brewers record : 20 -19

Game 2 (Wednesday) - Manny Parra (1-2, 5.03 ERA) vs Derek Lowe (2-3, 4.62 ERA)

Manny Parra pitched really good today, and he deserved his 2nd victory of the season. Unfortunately, Guillermo Mota couldn't allow him to chalk another one up in the W column. Manny did all that he could to help the Brewers win, and even came through with a 2 RBI single in the 2nd inning to put the Brewers on the board. He pitched into the 7th inning, and only gave up 1 earned run (thanks to Fielder's error) and struck out 4. Once again, a good start was wasted by shoddy defense and the bullpen's lack of ability to close a game. It looks like it doesn't really matter who we run out there in the 9th inning - someone will find a way to blow it. If it's not Gagne, then someone else can get in there and destroy any hopes we have of going to playoffs. I hate losing. I think that anyone who competes would tell you the same thing. Losing sucks balls. There's nothing more disappointing than losing and watching the other team celebrate their victory. And when you basically hand them the victory by playing ineffectively, it hurts so much more because you knew that you lost it for yourself. Baseball is a silly game in the fact that it can be won with one swing of the bat, and then it's over. There's no shot at redemption and there are no do-overs. Thankfully there's 162 games, and until the end of the season, there's almost always a tomorrow. But seeing as how the Brewers have been playing lately (with the exception of the series against St. Louis), tomorrow is just another chance for the Bad News Brewers to screw it up. And we're right back down to .500. C'mon guys! We're better than a .500 team! Final score Dodgers 6, Brewers 4.

Brewers record : 20 - 20

Game 3 (Thursday) - Ben Sheets (4-1, 3.25 ERA) vs Chad Billingsly (3-5, 4.34 ERA)

Call this start by Ben Sheets your prototypical Jekyll and Hyde performance. In the first 6 innings, he allowed only 3 hits and no runs. In the 7th inning, he turned into a monster and served up 6 runs on 6 hits including 3 home runs. It went from being another spectacle by our ace to a downright ghastly afternoon. And at home no less. The Brewers offense was stagnant again, but Ryan Braun continued to be a stud, showing of his excitment of his 8-year $45 million dollar contract with a solo home run to left, his 10th of the year. That's right, the Brewers finally did something right by locking up Braun for 8 years (including 2 free agency years) so it's now safe to assume that Braun is the face of this franchise. I need to go out and buy me a 2nd Ryan Braun jersey cause 1 just isn't enough. I should buy 1 in every style (home blue, home white, road gray, retro, batting practice) so that I can wear 1 for every day of the week. I know that the week has 7 days, so I'll just work on a 5-jersey rotation. Once he makes the All Star Team, I can buy an All Star Ryan Braun jersey so that only leaves me 1 short for the week. That leaves me 1 day where I can wear another deserving player's jersey, which at this point is limited to Corey Hart and Prince Fielder. Im glad that at least one player is doing well right now, because it allows me to sing praise for that one player instead of bitching about players that suck right now. And you really don't want to hear me bitch about 22 players. At least I don't bash Yost like a pinata like every other fan in Brewers Nation. That's one thing that I will be trying my darndest to stay away from in this blog. I figure that you hear about that shit every time you open the newspaper, listen to the radio, and turn on the TV, so why in the hell would you want to hear it from me too? Final score Dodgers 7, Brewers 2.

Brewers record : 20 - 21

I thought that we had the series locked up after strong starts by Villanueva and Parra until the bullpen fell apart again. But then I felt a sigh of relief because we had Sheets on the mound. Victory, as it appeared, should have been ours. But just like the Labyrinth, things aren't always what they appear to be. And also like Labyrinth, the Brewers gave away their little brother Toby to David Bowie, the Goblin King (with the tight pants) and it's just not fair. I'm sick and tired of being a loser. If the Brewers lose, I feel like I lose too, so lately I'm just pissed off because they keep finding ways to give the games away. The Sheets blow-up was unavoidable - sometimes pitchers (even one of Sheets' calibur) have a rough inning. You just hope that it doesn't affect the outcome of the game and the series by a whole lot. Naturally, it almost always does, and it meant the difference between winning and losing the series. We fall a game below .500 and head out on a rough 9-game, 10-day road trip to Boston, the dreaded city of Pittsburgh (Brewers have a 20-42 record at PNC Park) and the new Nationals Ballpark in Washington D.C. This upcoming road trip could make our break our season, even though it is still only May. I sure hope that it doesn't come down to that, but I have a feeling like this will be one of the turning points (be it good or bad) of the 2008 season. God help us.

Next up - Milwaukee Brewers @ Boston Red Sox May 16 (Friday) - May 18 (Sunday) at Fenway Park in Boston, MA

- pookon -

http://www.pookon.com/

Brewers vs Cardinals 5/9 - 5/12 : Series Wrap-Up

Series 13 - Milwaukee Brewers vs St. Louis Cardinals at Miller Park in Milwaukee, WI

The Cardinals are so far the surprise team in the NL Central. Nobody picked them to finish better than 3rd or 4th in the division because their pitching was suspect. They are no where near the pitching stability that they were a few years ago (2006)when they won the World Series. The 2006 rotation consisted of Chris Carpenter (DL), Mulder (DL), Suppan (Brewers), Marquis (Cubs) and Weaver (Brewers AAA team Nashville Sounds). Compare that to 2008 rotation of Wainwright, Lohse, Looper, Wellemeyer and Pineiro. Most of them are converted relievers because of the injuries to Carpenter and Mulder. They do rank 11th in the majors with a team ERA of 3.82 (compared to the Brewers team ERA of 4.56, good for 24th). Not too bad for a couple of replacement players. The Cardinals currently occupy the top spot in the NL Central, but the Chicago Cubs are lurking right behind them. With any luck, the Brewers could make up some ground with a good series, and concentrate on getting above .500 before we worry about our standing in the division. Seeing the way the Cardinals had been playing in 2008, it was shaping up to be a good 4 game series.

Game 1 (Friday) - Manny Parra (1-2, 5.79 ERA) vs Todd Wellemeyer (3-1, 3.56 ERA)

I only remember a few things from this game, but I do have a very good reason for that. May 6th was my 27th Birthday, and my older brother James bought possibly the best birthday gift I could ever receive - tickets to the Brewers game sitting at Friday's Front Row Sports Grill. The table was right above the Brewers bullpen, and offered a unique and exciting viewpoint for the game. We also got food vouchers in the amount of $37 per person, which I used mostly on alcohol, and after many fine Leinenkugals 4 Seasons and Long Island Ice Teas, I only remember two things about the game. 1 - Trenni Kusnierek is super hot in real life (vs TV life). I mean smoking hot. Grrrrrrrr. If she were a president she would be Baberaham Lincoln. In Latin she would be called "babia majora". She's magically babelicious. That definitely made my night. I even hooted and hollered at her, and she actually looked at me. Get out of here, right? Yeah, zeroed in on me like a tractor beam. But then she sent me this John Deer letter saying a bunch of things like i wasn't paying attention to her, I don;t know, I wasn't really listening, but I know that I wasted my opportunity with this fine female. Oh well. The other part that I remember was the 9th inning. Corey Hart and Bill Hall swing at the first pitch and were out. We're down by a run and Isringhausen throws 2 pitches and gets 2 outs. My birthday was starting to suck. Then JJ Hardy singles, Kapler singles, and Kendall draws a walk. Then comes Rickie Weeks, who knocks a pitch into left field, scoring Hardy and Kapler. BREWERS WIN! And just like that, the day went from being disappointing to absolutely amazing. Funny how things can turn around so quickly. The Brewers snapped their 6 game losing streak and I had a great evening with my brother James, his fiance Janelle, my best friends Aaron and "Mad Man" Dave, and my Uncle Gary. The icing on the cake is that I later found out that I was on TV, and my friends, cousins, and family members called me to tell me the good news. We went out and uh, partied after the game (heh heh heh) and all is well that ends well. This was perhaps one of the greatest days of my life, and although I know I say that a lot (look for a future blog entry with that title) this time I really mean it. Final score Brewers 4, Cardinals 3.

Brewers record : 17 - 18

Game 2 (Staurday) - Ben Sheets (4-0, 2.53 ERA) vs Joel Pineiro (2-2, 4.05 ERA)

This game was broadcast on the Fox network as part of the Saturday baseball series. It wasn't broadcast nationally, but it was within a good enough area to expose the Brewers to people who otherwise haven't been able to watch them on TV. I had to work at my stupid job during this game, so I had the "privilege" of once again following this game on ESPN's gamecast. I previously mentioned how important it was for the Brewers to win every start that Ben Sheets makes, especially now that Yovanni Gallardo is lost for the season. Sheets pitched well, going 7 innings and giving up 3 earned runs. The Brewers offense continues to struggle, but Prince Fielder hit a home run in the 8th to tie the game at 3. Yost brought in struggling closer Eric Gagne to pitch the 9th, which is what you are supposed to do in a tie game at home in the 9th. You would hope that the closer can keep runs off of the board and give the offense the chance to walk off a win in the bottom of the 9th. You can hope that, but with Eric Gagne on the mound, hope is all but lost at this point. Gagne gave up 2 runs in the 9th, but since the game was tied, it does not technically count as a blown save. He did however get saddled with the loss, and more importantly, his reputation as a lights out closer and his career save percentage are as tainted as Roger Clemens' and Barry Bonds' careers. I wanted to like Gagne, especially cause he has sweet hair and goggles and because he is from our neighbor to the North (Canada). But I just can't like a guy who goes out there and blows the game 50% of the time that he is on the mound. No team can compete at a high level and win championships if they cannot finish the game. I will still refrain from booing him at the games, but I will sure as hell be nervous every time he's on the mound. After the game, Gagne told Yost that he needs a mental break and should be relieved of the closing duties for the time being. Knowing Ned, Gagne will be back on the mound in a tight situation before the week is out. Color me disappointed. Cardinals 5, Brewers 3.

Brewers record: 17 - 19

Game 3 (Sunday) - Jeff Suppan (2-2, 4.63 ERA) vs Braden Looper (5-2, 4.21 ERA)

I have the non quotation marked privilege of working nearly every single Sunday game, including today's. Today was special because it is Mother's day, and some players would be using a pink bat to bash the breast cancer out of the baseball. Bill Hall was excited to once again swing the pink lumber, seeing as how he hit a game winning home run in 2006 and a useless solo shot in a blowout loss to the Mets in 2007. I was one of many hoping for him to hit his 3rd Mother's Day home run, but for him, today's game would look like the rest of his season - 0-3 (although he did walk and score a run). It was ok though, because a new Mother's Day hero emerged in his first time out swinging the pink bat - the Hebrew Hammer himself, Ryan Braun. Braun hit 2 booming solo home runs in the 3rd and 5th innings. Those home runs ended up being the winning runs in a close game that saw two pitchers combine to earn the save. Suppan reverted back to his old form, going 7 innings and only giving up 1 run. Gagne rode the bench (with despite the criticism, is one hell of a way to earn $10 million dollars. That's a lot of dollars!) and Torres and Shouse each worked the 9th and Shouse picked up the save. I have a terrible memory, but it seems like these Mother's Day games stick with me. Bill Hall's walk off home run in 2006 was magical, and I always tear up when I watch the highlight on TV. Ryan Braun's two homer game well stick with me for awhile as well, but I also will remember today because I once again disappointed my Mother by not getting her a present (not even a card or flowers!) She gave me that, "I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed" look and threatened to disown me. That didn't really happen, but I had to add it because I like to lie and exaggerate the truth beyond belief. Get excited, get hyped, because Braun is swinging the bat well and the pitchers are going into the 7th inning. We could be turning the corner here. Brewers 5, Cardinals 3.

Brewers record : 18 - 19

Game 4 (Monday) - Dave Bush (1-4, 6.06 ERA) vs Adam Wainwright (3-2, 2.95 ERA)

If you would have told me before this game that Dave Bush was going to out pitch the Cardinals' default ace Wainwright, I would have told you that you're crazy. You didn't need to do anything more than look at he stats to make a claim based on previous performance, but maybe this is a sign that Bush has turned a corner and is reverting back to his 2006 form. Wainwright gave up 8 runs in 6 innings pitched, and Bush only gave up 1 in 6 innings. Bush's comeback performance was overshadowed by non other than the Hebrew Hammer Ryan Braun. For the 2nd consecutive day, Braun smashed 2 home runs, but once again they were both solo shots. It's nice to see Braun hitting for average and socking dingers, but it upsetting to see that the guys before him (mostly Weeks and Cameron) aren't able to get on base when he's doing it Peter. I try not to dwell on the negative following a Brewers win, but unfortunately, the bullpen faltered in this game but the offense scored enough runs to win the game. Gagne came in the 7th and pitched 2 innings, giving up 1 run, 2 hits, and 2 walks, and still boasts a gangly 1.88 WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched). Mitch Stetter showed his youth and inexperience by walking 4 batters in 2/3 of an inning, and even walked in a run before being pulled for Mota, who recorded his 1st save on the season when he struck out Rick Ankeil on a full count to end the game. This one could have gotten out of hand, but the Brewers came away with the victory and the series win. Final score Brewers 8, Cardinals 3.

Brewers record : 19 - 19

The Brewers are finally back up at .500 following the 6 game road losing streak at Houston and Florida. The best part about it is that they did it at home against the 1st place Cardinals. I know that I can write whatever I want down here because you never got past the part where I posted the pictures of Trenni Kusnierek. Oh Trenni Kusnierek! So hot! Want to touch the hiney!Aroooooo! That Trenni Kusnierek is one hot piece of ace, I know from experience dude. If you know what I mean. Well, not me personally but a guy I know. Him and her *got it on*. Wooo-eee! No, No, they didn't. But you could imagine what it'd be like if they, eh, eh... good, great, grand, wonderful. Sadly, no milk will ever be our milk. Eh he heh heh heh...awkward... Well, enough with the silliness, because I know that I've already taken up enough of your time tonight. Thank you for reading, smell ya' later Aligator..

Next up - Milwaukee Brewers vs Los Angeles Dodgers May 13 (Tuesday) - May 15 (Thursday) at Miller Park in Milwaukee, WI

- pookon -

http://www.pookon.com/

Brewers @ Marlins 5/6 - 5/8 : Series Wrap-Up

Series 12 - Milwaukee Brewers vs Florida Marlins at Dolphin Stadium in Miami, FL

I've previously mentioned how ridiculous the fan base is at Dolphin stadium (where they draw an average of 12,000 fans a game) and how the team trades away it's best players whenever they are up for salary arbitration and start to cost the team money. The current payroll for the Florida Marlins is a paltry $22 million dollars (which seems like a lot of money to the common folk) but compared to the Brewers $81 million and the New York Yankees $209 million, it looks like nothing at all. But still this team is comprised of young players giving their all in hopes to score a large paycheck someday, and they are still young enough to remember the fundamentals and pure joy of the game. I don't know if the Brewers just don't have it, but they just look like they are lacking on a lot of different levels. It could just be a little bit of a slump, which is what I hope it is. We have been told for years to wait for all of these young players to come up tot he big leagues and then we'd be set. That time has come, so not it is time for us to start winning. And not just winning games, winning championships. I'm sick and tired of losing, so winning better start now. It looks like I picked the wrong series to start complaining about winning right now.

Game 1 (Tuesday) - Jeff Suppan (1-2, 5.22 ERA) vs Scott Olsen (4-1, 2.22 ERA)

I've previously mentioned several time that I have to watch the majority of the games from my computer on one for he gamecast/stattracker programs online while I am at work. Tom Haudricourt and Anthony Witrado of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel provide play by play updates on the Jsonline Brewers Blog, but it just isn't the same as watching the game. For this game, I didn't care that I wasn't able to watch it. The headline for the post-game wrap-up on the Brewers website says it best - Brewers offense stymied. There's no better way to put that. Kudos to you, Adam McCalvy (Brewers.com beat writer). For the second time this season, the Brewers couldn't get anything going against Scott Olsen as they managed just 2 hits against him for the entire game. Suppan gave up 3 runs in 5 innings, and the bullpen (as it has been all year so far with one notable exception - cough, Gagne, cough) was phenomenal, giving up only 1 hit and no walks while striking out 4 in the final 4 frames. The Brewers finally did manage to rally against Olsen, when Weeks drew a walk to lead off the 9th. Braun and Cameron got out, but Fielder singled and Dillon walked, bring Bill Hall "Wins Games" to the plate with the bases loaded with 2 outs and the Brewers down by 3. Well, that was the 2006 Bill Hall, and this year's version is a bit different. Bill Hall "Kills Rallies" flew out to right field against closer Kevin Gregg (who is on my fantasy team) and the Brewers got shut out and the losing streak climbed to 4 games. The Brewers have just fallen to a .500 record for the year. Final score Marlins 3, Brewers 0.

Brewers record : 16 - 16

Game 2 (Wednesday) - Dave Bush (0-4, 6.98 ERA) vs Burke Badenhop (1-2, 6.31 ERA)

We lost to Burke Badenhop. Are you serious? That name sounds made up. We just can't buy a win right now. You'd think that with Mark "Moneybags" Attanasio as our owner, he could pony up the dough and buy us just one win to pull us out of this slump. I like Dave Bush. I've been a fan of his since he first came over in the Lyle Overbay trade. Sure, at times he's had some trouble and is prone to blowing up and giving up a big inning, but he mostly stays on the attack and has a good strikeout to walk ratio. That was 2006 and 2007. In 2008, there's a different kind of Dave Bush out there pitching. He's the one who only made the starting rotation because Yovanni Gallardo was on the DL. He's the one who got sent down to AAA when Gallardo rejoined the starting rotation. And he's also the one that only got to come back to join the starting rotation when Gallardo tore his ACL and is out for the season. This Dave Bush is struggling, and it is quite evident in his performance today. 6 innings, 5 hits, 6 ER, 2 walks, 2 home runs and 2 big innings (allowing 3 runs in the 3rd and 3 in more the 6th). Combined with the Brewers lack of offense (Rickie Weeks' 2 run blast to left field) and you have yet another loss. Things are really looking bleak right now, and we're just a few more losses from a season ender. I know it's still early, but falling behind the 1st place Cardinals any more than 5 games will be difficult to make up. Bush needs to start pitching better and the offense needs to contribute if the Brewers want to watch October baseball from somewhere else other than their TV sets. Final score Marlins 6, Brewers 2.

Brewers record : 16 - 17

Game 3 (Thursday) - Carlos Villanueva (1-4, 6.46 ERA) vs Mark Hendrickson (5-1, 3.56 ERA)

The Brewers were in danger of getting swept for the 2nd consecutive series, but apparently that wasn't alarming enough for the players and coaches to perform at their highest level. I'm really not one to complain about Ned Yost and his managerial skills (or lack thereof, depending on who you talk to) but this particular move irked me. His team had just lost 5 in a row, and pitching and offense we to blame for those losses. Villanueva would have to go out and pitch well for them to win, because with the exception of Gagne, everyone in the bullpen currently has an ERA hovering between 3 and 4. Yost cannot control how effectively his starter pitches, but he does make the line up every day. For a team that is struggling to score runs, I don't see how a lineup like this can be effective :

2B Rickie Weeks - .188, 5 HR, 13 RBI
CF Mike Cameron - .211, 3 HR, 8 RBI
1B Joe Dillon - .267, 0 HR, 5 RBI
LF Ryan Braun - .257, 5 HR, 23 RBI
SS JJ Hardy - .241, 1 HR, 9 RBI
3B Bill Hall - .213, 7 HR, 19 RBI
RF Gabe Kapler - .279, 4 HR, 13 RBI
C Mike Rivera - .316, 1 HR, 4 RBI
P Carlos Villanueva - .154, 0 HR, 0 RBI

Your best (debatable) offensive player Prince Fielder (.248, 4HR, 21 RBI), your best overall hitter average wise Corey Hart (.299, 1 HR, 16 RBI) and best on base guy Jase Kendall (.369 OBP) are riding the bench in a must win situation. How can you expect to win this game? Sure, players do need a day of rest, but there is a scheduled off day on May 19th! And they just had an off day on May 5th. Don't give that "rest your starters" crap Ned, I think that is absolute bullcrap. There was no reason why Fielder or Hart should be sitting during an important game like this. I can understand Kendall because Rivera needs some playing time too, seeing as how Kendall is expected to start upwards of 130 games this year. But c'mon, if you run garbage/replacement players out there, then don't be surprised that your team just lost it's 6th game in a row. The decision to make Villanueva a full time starter (versus reliever/long man/spot starter) this year is now looking like a bad choice, seeing as how Villanueva is only pitching an average of 5.1 innings per game and has an ERA of 6.46. In retrospect, there really weren't any more choices, seeing as how they were going to release Vargas and Capuano got injured. If Gallardo was healthy, then you could have possibly used Villanueva in the bullpen, but that ship has sailed since we all know Gallardo is out for the season. We have no choice but to stick with Villanueva for this year, and I honestly think that he can pull it back together and pitch effectively. After all, stats don't lie and last year he posted an 8-4 record with a 3.94 ERA with 114.1 innings pitched. That's pretty damn good for a starter/reliever, if you ask me. He just has to do what all young pitchers have to do when they have average/above average stuff - make adjustments to hitters when they make adjustments to you. He still has time to salvage this season and contribute to the 2008 season, he just needs to start doing it now. So I bet you noticed that I haven't said much about this game, and that's because there's nothing to say. The Brewers had 9 hits, but only scored 2 runs. Villanueva pitched 5 innings, giving up 10 hits and 7 earned runs. Offense sucked blah blah blah pitching sucked blah blah blah. Same old story, different day. It's completely unnecessary to say that the Brewers lost, but I'll do it because it stings. Sick burn! Marlins 7, Brewers 2.

Brewers record : 16 - 18

Sometimes I'm thankful that I'm am unable to watch all of the games on TV, especially these past 6 when they have been playing like crap. If I would have been at home (say if I worked a 9-5 job) I would have been watching these games, and since I am a true fan, I never turn off a game, even if they are losing by a lot (like the 19-5 loss to the Cubs). Sometimes when they are ahead of behind by a lot, it gives the commentators (especially Uecker) time to tell some interesting and off the wall stories. For me, it's always worth it to watch the games and be able to watch the players so that I can assess their performance beyond what the stats and wrap-ups tell me. Then I provide my insight on this blog, and then nobody reads it. I know because I get my daily stats courtesy of Google Analytics. So I'm wasting what little energy I have left in my fingers when I type this - read people, and comment back with your thoughts? Why are people totality avoiding me? I don't suck as much as the Brewers starting rotation! (Cheap shot.) Oh well. I guess we'll take solace in the fact that the Brewers are returning home to Tap the Keg, and seeing as how it is spring madness (1/2 price seats $26 or less and $1 hot dogs and sodas) expect Friday - Sunday to be sold out. It seems to me like the Brewers have been playing an unusual amount of games on the road (21 on the road vs 16 home) and they were playing quite well until the recent 6 game road losing streak (9-12 road vs 9-7 home). Here's hoping that a good night's sleep and a bit of good old fashioned home cooking does this team well and we can rattle off a few wins and get this ship headed in the right direction.

Next up - Milwaukee Brewers vs St. Louis Cardinals May 9 (Friday) - May 11 (Sunday) at Miller Park in Milwaukee, WI

- pookon -

http://www.pookon.com/

I'm Pushing 30...

...but I still know how to party!!! Yesterday was my 27th birthday, and my new overused joke is starting to get as old as me. When people ask me how old I am, I tell them I'm pushing 30. It's not that funny, I know. My last overused joke was a whole lot funnier. When people used to ask me what I was going to school for, I'd reply, "About 7 years!!" That one used to bring the house down. I maintain the fact that I still know how to party, but the truth is that I get partied out way faster and take twice as long to recover from it. Case in point - my family and friends too me out to a bar called RC's so I could go for the cheap Milwaukee beer cycle - Schlitz, Blatz, Hamm's and Pabst Blue Ribbon. And they're all just $2 each. What a great world we live in. I had enough beers at that bar, but decided to go out to Houligan's to drink from a boot. A big glass boot. There were 5 of us there, and we did 3 boots. Each boot holds about 2 liters of beer, and at 3 total boots, that's a lot of beer folks! I also did a couple of shots along the way between Houligan's and Vittuchi's, so by the time we got to this Mexican food joint Jalisco's, I was pretty Recked. Heh heh heh. The next morning, I was puking my guts out and stayed in bed until 2:30 pm. Even though I can still drink and party with the kids, I recover from it like a 27 year old. It took me nearly half the day (until around 5 pm) until I started feeling normal again. That's one of the roughest things about getting old. The worst part about it is that I don't usually have that day after to recover, and end up going in to work reeking of booze and looking like shit. Small price to pay for a sweet night on the town. I just have to learn that I am grown up now and have a professional job (and the khaki's and name badge to go with it) and that I can no longer call in sick whenever I want or show up but not do any work. It's rough, but I'm not a kid anymore. I'll always be a big kid and goof around and have fun and shit, but I just have to budget my goofing around time versus my super serious time. I think I can manage, but something inside me tells me that I'm going to screw this one up eventually because I refuse to grow up. So I'm going to keep on partying (it was my birthday, for crying out loud) until I can't party any more. I'm hardcore like that, and I refuse to be old and dumb. It may cost me a couple of years off of my life in the end, but who wants to be old when it sucks to do stuff? I'd rather live it up right now while I'll still mobile. Being old sucks, so I'm gonna rock while I'm still relatively young.

- pookon -

http://www.pookon.com/

Brewers @ Astros 5/2 - 5/4 : Series Wrap-Up

Series 11 - Milwaukee Brewers vs Hoston Astros at Minute Maid Park in Houston, TX

The Astros have always been a very good offense team, but as for pitching - not so good. Sure, they were good a few years ago (2004-2006) when they had Roy Oswalt, Andy Pettite and Roger "The Cradle Robber"...I mean "The Rocket" Clemens, but then again, with those pitchers, who wouldn't be? A lot has changed, and can you honestly tell me that you know who Brandon Backe, Shawn Chacon, Chris Sampson and Wandy Rodriguez are? Neither can the Astros fans, but those men make up the starting rotation behind Roy Oswalt. With the addition of Tejada (joining Lee, Berkman, and Pence) the Astros are going to score a lot of runs, but their starting 5 and the bullpen is suspect. You've got to bear down on them with good pitching, and it should be enough to win the game. This series was going to be a good chance for Carlos Villanueva (game 1) and Manny Parra (game 2) to step up and pitch effectively, deep into the game, and pick up the slack for their good friend Yovanni Gallardo. Carlos and Manny had spent time with Yovanni in the minors, and they are the second wave of core players that form a close knit bond (behind the first wave of Fielder, Weeks, Hardy, etc.). I knew that they'd be emotional going into the game with the loss of Gallardo for the season, and they both have a chance to turn that emotion into results on the field. I knew it was gonna be a tough test for these pitchers at this odd park (with the short porch in left and the ridiculous deep abyss in center field) but they needed to prove themselves here if we have any hope of salvaging this season.

Game 1 (Friday) - Carlos Villanueva (1-3, 5.56 ERA) vs Roy Oswalt (3-3, 5.57 ERA)

The Brewers found themselves at a disadvantage right from the get go as they squared off against the only real pitcher on the staff in Roy Oswalt. Braun hit a 2 run home run in the 1st inning, and the Brewers added 2 more in the 5th to make it 4-0. Villanueva was pitching really well, and you could tell that he was on a mission. Then it just turned into mission impossible and blew up like that red and blue piece of chewing gum. Villanueva hit a wall in the 5th and 6th inning, giving up 6 earned runs off of 4 home runs and was eventually saddled with the loss. I don't know what it is about these pitchers when they get into the 5th/6th (the 3rd time through the lineup) when they just implode. That was the best thing about Gallardo - he had poise and confidence beyond his years and aside from one poor start (against the Rockies last August) he would never blow up and give up a ton of runs. These other kids need to figure it out and pitch effectively later into games or else our bullpen is going to get overworked again and we can kiss the playoffs goodbye. Sure, the offense put up 4 runs (which is mediocre) but 4 runs just isn't enough to beat a high powered offensive team like Houston. Besides, who cares how runs you score if you let the other team score more than you? Then your offense becomes negligible because your pitching staff can't shut the other team down. It was a disappointing day for the Brewers and for Carlos Villanueva, both of whom need to get their shit in gear so that we don't see more games like. When you score 4 runs against the ace of a staff, you better be sure that you end up winning that game. I'm disappointed with this one. Astros 6, Brewers 4.

Brewers record : 16 - 13

Game 2 (Saturday) - Manny Parra (1-2, 5.86 ERA) vs Brandon Backe (2-3, 4.42 ERA)

Manny Parra had a very nice minor league career before joining the Brewers in late 2007. In 6 seasons, he won 34 and lost 16, struck our 528 as opposed to giving up 147 walks and had a 3.07 ERA. He even threw a perfect game (allowing no hits, no walks, no errors, thus not allowing any one to reach base and retiring all 27 batters faced) in his second start at AAA Nashville on June 25, 2007. He was named Brewers minor league pitcher of the year, and was called up to help an ailing staff that was struggling after Sheets went down with his finger injury. Parra would have been a big part of the September playoff run, but he broke his thumb (on his pitching hand) on a bunt attempt on August 30 and didn't pitch again in 2007. He was destined for the starting rotation in 2008, but was helped out by Chris Capuano's injury (which is still very unfortunate, because I was one of many who tabbed him for a great bounce back year) and the release of Claudio Vargas. So far in 2008, he has yet to hit his stride. With the loss today, he falls to 1-2 on the year with a 5.86 ERA and an ugly 1.99 WHIP (walks and hits per inning), which is highest on the team. Like his pal Carlos, he was cruising along until the 5th inning, when he allowed 5 runs. Once again, I wasn't able to watch this game, as I was at my Mom's Caberet performance at a local church, but I was getting text updates on my phone. Every time that my pocket vibrated during that 5 run 6th, a groan could be heard coming from the back of the cafeteria, and I wasn't criticizing the performance on stage (which was excellent, by the way. Go Mom!) The Brewers offense once again failed to score with men on base and have just been struggling mightily to come up with clutch hits and knock in runs. Now that you've seen the stats and heard the news, it's no surprise that the Brewers lost this game. Another wasted opportunity for Manny to prove his worth to this team. He's not in danger of losing his job, simply because there's no other pitchers to take his spot in the rotation, but he just needs to start pitching better. Final score Astros 6, Brewers 2.

Brewers record : 16 - 14

Game 3 (Sunday) - Ben Sheets (4-0, 2.29 ERA) vs Chris Sampson (1-3, 7.96 ERA)

This one hurt real bad. Now that Gallardo is out for the season, we need to take advantage of every single start that Sheets makes. Given his recent track record, it's only a matter of time before he ends up on the disabled list, so we need to win each and every time he goes out to pitch. This was also the final game of a 3 game series, and the Brewers lost the first two, so it was important to not get swept. Obviously, to some people (cough, choke, Gagne, cough) it's not that important. Sheets pitched decently, going 6 innings and giving up 4 runs, but the offense bailed him out by scoring 6 runs. The bullpen held the lead going into the 9th inning, and Gagne came on for his 10th save attempt. You know by now that his 10th save attempt quickly turned into his 5th blown save on the year. The Brewers eventually lost the game in the 12th inning on a Hunter Pence home run, which sucked really bad. What made it worse was the fact that the only games that I get to watch live are Sunday games, so for me it is really important to see a good game when I actually have the time to watch one. I'm such a die hard fan that I felt like the Brewers really let me down on this one. I kind of took this one personally, and I hate to admit it, but I knew that Gagne was going to blow this one from the moment he stepped out on the mound. Why? Because we haven't had anything good happen to us since Gallardo's injury. When it rains, it pours. Some may say that releasing Turnbow was a good thing, but I still think it is a rarity to find a pitcher of his caliber, so his ineffectiveness and eventual release has and will hurt this staff. Oh well, he's gone, now we have to worry about the people who are still here. It's going to be a real long season if the bats don't start getting hot and the pitchers don't start executing. Let's hope that it doesn't happen. Final score Astros 6, Brewers 4.

Brewers record : 16 - 15

This was a real let down. Thankfully I'm so dog gone busy these days that I don't have time to watch the Brewers on TV or in person, or else Id be really mad watching them play like a bunch of 2nd rate little leaguers. I should know, I was one of them. The 1 year that I played little league, I played on a team called the Dons for my church of St. Catherines. The other team, the "A" squad, was called the Cavs (short for Cavaliers, I think). My brother James, Reck athlete of the century (you'd understand if you met my family) played for them, as if every other good athlete at my school/church. The rejects (it's a harsh word but fitting I guess - would you prefer Goonies?) I mean Goonies played for the Dons (which is short for Donatellos, I think). Sure, we loved the game and we played hard and tried our best, but we just weren't as talented as every other team in the league. The best thing about the Brewers, is even though they might play like little leaguers right now, they have more talent and potential then we could ever imagine. They're 1 big hit or one good start out of breaking out of this start, and I work in call center answering stupid questions from stupid people. Even though they are scrutinized under a microscope right now and constantly berated for every single pklay they make on talk radio, in the newpaper, and on Internet message boards, I'd trade every thing I own to be in their position right now. They get to baseball for a living. How sweet is that?

Next up - Brewers @ Marlins May 6 (Tuesday) - May 8 (Thursday) at Dolphins Stadium in Miami, FL

- pookon -

http://www.pookon.com/

Brewers @ Cubs 4/29 - 5/1 : Series Wrap-Up

Series 10 - Milwaukee Brewers vs Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL

For some reason unknown to me, the Commissioner of MLB (Milwaukee native and former Brewers owner) Allan H. "Bud" Selig allowed the schedulers to have 6 total games played at Wrigley in April in the cold while comfy climate controlled Miller Park sits vacant. When I saw the schedule, I was bitching about it (friendly confines my ass!) but now I love it. Since this series is over, I'm not spilling the beans by telling you that the Brewers are 4-2 against the Cubs at Wrigley this year, winning both of the series. This second one was a whole lot more dramatic, but then again, what Brewers/Cubs game isn't? Both teams could be sucking big time, but they play like the greatest teams in baseball history when they play each other. There's something about the rivalry that brings out the best in these players, but good or bad, at least we're always in for some thrilling games. These 3 would be no exception to the rule.

Game 1 (Tuesday 29) - Ben Sheets (4-0, 1.64 ERA) vs Jason Marquis (1-1, 4.45 ERA)

Ben Sheets was making his first start since returning from his triceps injury and his stint on the nonofficial DL. While he wasn't placed on the 15 day DL, he sat in the dugout during his injury and took up a roster spot, making the Brewers the only team in the league carrying 14 pitchers. It was purposely done so that Sheets could come back when he was ready, not when a calendar said he could return. Today was 10 days since he last pitched, so not putting him on the 15 Day DL seems to have worked out for this team. Today was also important because Mike Cameron would be playing in his first game of the season after sitting out the first 25 because he tested positive for a banned stimulant. I'm not going to get on him for that; call me gullible, but i believe Mike when he says that he didn't purposefully take the banned stimulant. Major Leaguers have a very strict list of things they can or cannot ingest, and it gets pretty specific. For instance, because of the ingredients in certain things, they are allowed to drink Red Bull energy drinks but not another brand such as Mountain Dew's Amp or Monster Energy Drink. It sounds crazy, but it also doesn't allow for players to illegally have an advantage over other players, even if that advantage is just minuscule. Oh well, that's in the past, and Mike Cameron is back, and judging by his performance today, he was eager to get back on the field. We all knew he'd play spectacular defense, but today his bat was on display for all Brewers fans to see. Cameron went crazy on Chicago, going 3-5 (1 double) with 1 walk, 2 RBI's, and 2 runs scored. The rest of the Brewers offense follwed suit, combining for 17 hits and scoring 10 runs. Lou Pinella (manager of the Cubs) played Jason Marquis (right handed pitcher) tonight, skipping Rich Hill (left handed pitcher) because the Brewers hitters are all righties (with the exception of Fielder). Smooth move sweet Lou, that one really worked out well for you. I guess you forgot that good hitters don't care what side the pitcher throws from, they're just going to go out there and hit. As I previously mentioned, they did hit the mess out of the ball tonight. Sheets was wildly uncharacteristic (think Turnbow starting a game a pitching for 5 innings) as he gave up 3 ER on 7 WALKS (yikes!) and threw 108 pitches in 5 innings. But he pitched just good enough to secure the victory and the offense and bullpen overcame a 7th inning rally by the Cubs. Gagne came in for the 9th and recorded his 8th save. Final score Brewers 10, Cubs 7.

Brewers record : 15 - 11

Game 2 (Wednesday 30) - Jeff Suppan (1-1, 5.19 ERA) vs Ryan Dempster (4-0, 3.16 ERA)

I'm not going to spend a lot of time dwelling on this game. It's too upsetting to bring it back into my memory. Why? Because the Cubs mollywhooped the Brewers to the tune of a 19-5 beatdown. Jeff Suppan just couldn't get it together, as he went 3.2 innings giving up 11 hits, 11 runs (8 earned), and saw his ERA jump nearly 2 full points. The relievers didn't fare so well either (it would have been nice to have Dave Bush in the bullpen, but he was sent down to AAA to make room for Gallardo) with Seth McClung the default long man. McClung was ok eating some innings, going 3 strong and only giving 1 run while striking out 5 and walking 4. Not perfect, but ok. Turnbow, on the other hand, had a complete meltdown. He was asked to pitch an inning (the 8th and final inning so that everyone could go home and forget about this loss) and completely blew it. He threw 43 pitches, gave up 4 hits, 4 walks, 6 earned runs in 2/3 of an inning. Stetter had to come in and bail him out once again, and Wrigley is officially the only place where Turnbow gets cheered instead of booed. Turnbow has been abysmal this season, with his ERA now standing at an ugly 15.63. Needless to say, Turnbow was designated from assignment and now his career sits in limbo as he waits to see if someone else picks him up. If not, he will go down to AAA and work it out. I'd be fine if he was gone forever, but I'll kind of miss the wild and crazy guy. Oh well, if you don't produce, then you can't play. Plain and simple. There's no time left for losers if we want to be the champions. There's still one more game left in the series, and although today was horrible, there's always tomorrow and we could still get out of Chicago with the W in the series. Final score Cubs 19, Brewers 5.

Brewers record : 15 - 12

Game 3 (Thursday May 1) - Yovanni Gallardo (0-0, 1.80 ERA) vs Carlos Zambrano (4-1, 2.11 ERA)

By now, all of you know that Yovanni Gallardo tore his ACL and will be out for the remainder of the season. Since we had already been struggling, this news comes as a huge blow and the Brewers 2008 season is starting to a complete tailspin. It's up to the offense to carry the mediocre pitching that we have remaining, and it's up to Ben Sheets to stay healthy if we don't want to take a complete nosedive. Gallardo had pitched 4 innings of 1 run ball when he jumped over Reed Johnson at first base and landed awkwardly on his right knee. It looked bad, real bad, but he got up and continued pitching for another inning. Some people thought that he seriously dodged a bullet, but most people could see by the way he landed that an injury had to occur. The 2nd party was right - our future ace and #2 pitcher would not be able to help us any more in the 2008 season. During the game, the players didn't know this (it was not revealed until an MRI was done the next day) so they kept on chugging along and came back from a 3-1 deficit against Kerry Wood in the 9th for a 4-3 victory. The expense that it came at is way too great, as we will without a doubt now finish out of first place because Gallardo is truly one of a kind. Braun came through huge today, going 3 for 5 with 3 RBIs (including a solo home run) and is showing continued signs of getting back on track. Gagne came in for the 9th and recorded hsi 9th save of the season. Today was a really good win - on the road, against an NL Central opponent, against Zambrano, and a 9th inning comeback rally. I love to hear those Cubs fans at Wrigley boo their own players. What a bunch of losers. Brewers 4, Cubs 3.

Brewers record : 16 - 12

That was a huge series win, and the Brewers are now 4-2 against the Cubs at Wrigley Field for the year. The loss of Yovanni Gallardo has the ability to destroy this young team (much like the loss of Sheets did last year) but if some of the younger players step up, we could still win without him. Sheets needs to stay healthy, and we need to win whenever he starts. Manny Parra and Carlos Villanueva have the stuff to be good #3 and #4 pitchers, they just need to trust themselves, execute pitches, and work deeper into games. Losing Gallardo is huge, but not season ending. They have way too much talent on this team to collapse like that, and I'm sick and tired of people on message boards and calling into radio stations throwing in the towel and calling it a season. There's still 5 months left people! That's a whole lot of games. If it gets to mid season and we suck balls, then maybe it's time to go apeshit and panic. Not yet. Hey, relax guy.

Next up - Brewers @ Astros May 2 (Friday) - May 4 (Sunday) at Minute Maid Park in Houston, TX

- pookon -

http://www.pookon.com/

I Hate the Cubs

My Mom always told me to not use the word hate when describing my distaste towards others because hate is such a strong word. Mom, you're always right, except in this case. I HATE THE CUBS. I really really hate them. Some of their fans can be ok, and the few times that I have gone down to Wrigley Field, I have been treated alright by the fans (aside from some good natured razzing.) Since Milwaukee is so close to Chicago, I have some friends who are Cubs fans (like my good friend Keith) so I know that we can coexist. I don't hate individual people (although I could see myself punching Carlos Zambrano in the face if I ever met him), I hate everything about the Cubs. I hate their city, hate the fans, hate the stadium, hate the players, hate the rivalry, hate their attitude. There's something about the Cubs that gets under my skin and makes my blood boil. I get so worked up whenever the Brewers play the Cubs and go crazy before, during and after the game. If the Brewers are winning, I'm beside myself and overcome with joy because I love to see a victory come at the expense of the Northsiders. If the Brewers are losing, I'm angry and livid because I know that the Cubs fans will be talking shit because they think they're better than us. And if the Cubs win? I boycot everything sports related, from the Internet, to ESPN's Baseball Tonight and SportsCenter, as well as National publications. Why? Because they kiss the Cubs asses. People call them lovable losers because they haven't won a championship in 100 years (because every team just has a bad century), but I just call them losers. The organization has no class and does whatever it can at the expense of everyone involved to win. And when they don't, they blame it on a goat or on some dude named Bartman. When all you do is point fingers to show where the blame lies, you might as well turn that finger back on your self. It's your fault your team sucks. Deal with it.

I know that I'm not the only one who hates the Cubs. Take a moment go to on the Brewers Blog on the Jsonline website (http://blogs.jsonline.com/brewers/) and you'll find a lot of other people fed up with the Cubs organization. And according to the image on the right, even Jesus hates the Cubs. When the savior of the human race and the only Son of God hates something, you know that they have to suck. I've never know Jesus to be a liar, and I'm 99% sure he wasn't. If he was, then he would have been in direct violation of his Dad's commandments. I'm pretty sure everyone here knows what happens when you disobey Daddy - you get the belt. Nobody wants that, and even though Jesus had superpowers, I'm sure that even he could feel that leather striking him on his backside. You saw him crying in Jesus Christ Superstar when Pontius Pilate had him whipped 39 times. Jesus not only feels his pain, he feels your pain too. Jesus is The Man, and if he hates the Cubs, who am I to disagree with Jesus?

I'm feeling higher than the kids in my neighborhood right now after a come from behind Brewers victory on Thursday May 1, which I will discuss later in my Brewers @ Cubs Series Wrap-Up (shameless plug, coming soon on Pookon's Ill Blog). I'm pretty sure I used 1 of my Genie wishes, and probably 1 of my on a shooting star wishes today to ensure this victory and a series win over the Cubs at Wrigley. I wish that I could have been at the game today to watch the disappointment set in and watch the fans boo their own players. They deserve it, after throwing garbage and dumping beers on our right fielder Ryan Braun. How did he respond? You'd think by doing something classless like giving the finger or shouting back, but oh no, he's a classy guy because he is a Milwaukee Brewer. He responded by hitting a game winning 2-RBI double in the top half of the next inning. Sweet move Brauny. That one stung those fans and made them realize how worthless they are. Nobody messes with my team.

I'm sure there's some redeeming quality that the Cubs possess, but I'm too blinded by my hate to see it. You can blame me entirely for not being open minded about this aspect, but to be quite honest with you, I have no problem continuing my hatred for the Cubs. Just seeing that C logo pisses me off, especially last year when Cubs fans came to Miller Park when the Cubs were NOT playing the Brewers for the sole purpose of cheering AGAINST the Brewers. I'm sorry, but that is complete and utter bullshit. Granted, the Brewers and Cubs were in a neck and neck race for 1st place going into the end of the season, and I was definitely cheering against the Cubs, but i wouldn't go down to Wrigley wearing Brewers gear and do it. That's asinine. I just couldn't believe that I was seeing that. What a bunch of assholes. It's reasons like that why I hate the Cubs and all of the baggage that comes with them. There's plenty more, but those are a just a few examples proving my point.

It's going to be a long season battling and trading 1st place with the Cubs, but I have no doubt in my mind that the good guys will win this one and make 2008 the happy ending dream come true the Brewers have been waiting for since 1982. The Brewers are just too good of a team and the players are so genuine and deserving of great success for it not to happen. If it doesn't, I will view it as a great injustice and go on a hunger strike or something. Screw the Cubs, peace - I'm outta here.

- pookon -

http://www.pookon.com/

Get me Outta Here

I'm a little bitch cause I whine and complain about shit but don't do anything about it. This is a picture of me at work whining about my job and how much I dislike it. Without getting into too many details, I don't really like the customers that frequent our company's resources. Randall in the movie Clerks said it best, "This job would be great if it wasn't for the fucking customers." Amen brother. I can mostly deal with people. Even stupid people. It is true that there are no stupid questions, only stupid people, so I understand that I have to answer the same questions every single day. Since I'm quite used to that, it's time for me to stop bitching about that shit. If stupid people didn't have questions, then I wouldn't have a job because my job entails answering questions. I've come to peace with that nonsense. Now that I've resolved that issue, I still need something to bitch about. Thankfully I have my hours. I work from 1:30 - 10:00 pm 5 days a week (including alternate Saturdays.) Bascially, this means that I cannot work the majority of the Brewers home games, but I also am unable to watch the majority of the away games. This really sucks, because I have been able to do that since 2002 when I started working at Miller Park. Since there are no opportunities for advancement at my current job (although I just speculate on that, I never actually checked it out) I have to deal with it or find a new job.

I hate starting a new job. I hate dressing up nice, acting professional, pretending to care about work, making new friends, learning a new system, and all of the bullshit that comes with starting a new job. I've had lots of jobs in my life, but the ones that I liked I stayed at for a long time. I have been working at Miller Park since 2002. I worked at UWM from September 2002 - May 2007. I worked at AMC/General Cinema Mayfair Mall for 3 years. I don't really like change. I've settled into this job, and although there are plenty of negatives, I just really don't like change that much that negatives can't force me to do something about it. Well, besides bitching of course. So I'll just sit here in my cubicle and type up some rant on my blog. At least I have the time to do that. If I wasn't granted access to the Internet, then I'd surely be up out of this bitch. Sooner or later I'll have to do something about it, because I need more dollars if I'm ever going to move out of my Mom's house. (Note to readers - I do not live in my Mom's house, and haven't since 2002. I just did that for dramatic effect, which I have now ruined thanks to my explanation.) But I really do need more dollars because I need a car and need to buy things for my future girlfriend (cause ugly people need money for girls to like them.) This job just isn't paying me enough, but to be quite honest, I do not do enough work for them to necesitate giving me more money. So I guess once again I have come to the conclusion that I just shut up and stop bitching. Sounds easy enough, no? But I won't do it because I just don't really like change.

- pookon -

http://www.pookon.com/

Brewers vs Marlins 4/25 - 4/27 : Series Wrap-Up

Series 9 - Brewers vs Marlins at Miller Park in Milwaukee, WI

The funny thing about the early part of the season is that there are so many surprises. Many people had picked the Mets to win the NL East (solely based on the addition of Johan Santana) with the Braves and Phillies fighting for second place / the NL Wildcard. Nobody expected the Florida Marlins to be leading the division at 22 games into the season. The Marlins have been pitching well and hitting well, so naturally they have been winning games. By now we're all familiar with the way the Marlins organization goes about it's business - put together a winning team, win a championship, then sell off the team for prospects. It worked for them in 1997 and 2003, and recently they traded away Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera for six prospects. How can you possibly be a fan of the Marlins when they trade away their best players as soon as they start to cost money through salary arbitration? It's no wonder that they only draw an average of 16,000 fans at Dolphin Stadium (a football venue that seats 76,500, although they limit the seating capacity to 38,560 for baseball games). The place is so big that it looks like nobody goes to see the Marlins play whenever I watch the Brewers play against them in Miami. Given the way that the owners run the team, I completely understand. But enough of that for now (we'll save the talk for when the Brewers play in Miami from May 6-8) because they are playing at Miller Park, where the crowds get all rowdy in the parking lot and bring the noise inside the closed roof in the final weekend of April.

Game 1 (Friday 25th) - Yovanni Gallardo (0-0, 0.64 ERA) vs Scott Olsen (3-0, 2.06 ERA)

I'll start out by addressing three things. 1 - with Sheets still ailing because of the triceps injury, Gallardo is now the ace of this staff. He would need to pitch like an ace to hold the Brewers together until Sheets returns. 2 - I would be able to watch the majority of this game because I was getting off of work at 7:30 pm (instead of the usual 10:00 pm). And 3 - I put $5 on the Brewers to win this game, which by most standards is not a lot for wagering. But I think like Mr Wendel, and $5 may mean a snack to you but it means a big deal to me. I really couldn't afford to lose that money. I bet you can see where this one is going. 1 - Gallardo did pitch very well (7 innings, 6 hits, 0 earned runs!, 5 strikeouts) and on any other day would have qualified for the win, but...the Brewers offense couldn't put any runs across the plate. Which leads me to my next point, 2 - I got home around the 5th inning and got to watch the remainder of the game but I guess it didn't matter. The Brewers scored 0 runs off of 6 hits. That's right - they got shut out. Which leads me right into my third point, 3 - I lost that $5 and I hold the Brewers accountable for paying it back someday. The game was semi exciting, as it saw both teams deadlocked at 0-0 at the end of regulation, and once again, the Brewers were going into extra innings. Guillermo Mota came in on the 10th and basically gift wrapped this one for the Mets by allowing them to score 3 runs off of 2 hits and 3 costly walks. I don't really blame Mota (although he does get partial credit, as well as a big L on his stat sheet) because the offense just really sucked it up. Mark Attanasio - if you're reading this, even though I knew it was a gamble, I want my $5 back. Final score Marlins 3, Brewers 0.

Brewers record : 13 - 10

Game 2 (Saturday 26th) - Carlos Villanueva (1-2, 4.66 ERA) vs Mark Hendrickson (4-1, 3.68 ERA)

Today was a big day. Perhaps the biggest day on the Milwaukee CHBPL calendar - Brodey's Brewer Funday Extravaganza, or BBFE. This was the 8th incarnation of our annual beer pong/get drunk and go to the Brewers game event, aptly titled "The Ocho", a reference to the ESPN channel that features obscure sports, such as dodgeball, in the movie of the same name staring Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller. Now I love the Brewers (some would say that I love them more than life itself) but there was no way in hell I would be able to pay attention to the game today. We started playing the beer pong tournament at Live (a local bar) around 11:30 am, and the tournament lasted until 3:30 pm. During that time, I played over 6 games of pong, did 3 shots, and drank a few side beers. I was good to go, and we still hadn't reached the parking lot for pre-game tailgaiting. Once there, I drank a few more beers, ate some food, and hang out with some new and old friends. Inside the stadium, I bought another beer then met my friend Keith at Friday's for a long island ice tea. So what's the point of all this? I just wanted to prove that I drank too much and that I wasn't able to follow the game at all. I don't remember anything about the game. I remember all of the other events, but as soon as I stared down onto the field from high up above in Bernie's Terrace, I couldn't focus or pay attention. I meant to tape the game so that I could actually watch the game, but I forgot. I remember by the time I walked into the stadium (and I was there almost on time), we we already down 1-0, so I was worried we were in for a disappointing loss (like yesterday). I read later that night that the Brewers responded well, scoring 3 runs total in the 2nd and 3rd innings, and it was quickly 3-1 Brewers. The Marlins tied it up at 3 in the 8th, but Fielder hit a solo home run to dead center (I do remember that) in the bottom of the inning and Gagne worked the 9th for his 7th save. I did go sleep, excuse me, pass out that night with the happy feeling that the Brewers had won and another successful BBFE had occurred. All of the happy feelings left me however when I bowed down to the porcelain god and said my prayers from 4:00 am until 5:00 am. That's right ladies and gents - I blew big chunks. Small price to pay for an evening of fun with 50 of your closest friends. Man I love BBFE. Final score Brewers 4, Marlins 3.

Brewers record : 14 - 10

Game 3 (Sunday 27th) - Manny Parra (1-1, 4.94 ERA) vs Ricky Nolasco (1-2, 5.13 ERA)

I was once again in attendance for this game, as I was scheduled to work in the club level as I do for every Sunday home game. I love working at Miller Park on Sundays because business is usally slow (despite large crowds, an enigma) and I get to watch the majority of the game. It's nice when the Brewers actually play well, because if they're sucking it up, then I would be upset that I'm watching a crap-load of a game. Everything was going alright, and besides the Brewers offense once again taking the day off, the pitching was going above and beyond to keep the Brewers in the game. 1 person who felt like screwing everything up was our resident Wild Thing Derrick Turnbow. With the Marlins holding a 2-1 lead in the 7th, Turnbow was summond to hold the lead. He must not have gotten the message correctly. He did everything in his power to blow the game, including walking 2 and giving a hit to load the bases with no outs. Thankfully, Yost pulled him (how quickly the boos can turn to cheers) and Mitch Stetter, the young lefty, came in a pulled one of the most dazzling escape acts I've seen. He struck out 2 batters and got the last to foul out, ending the inning. Bill Hall came in when Stetter did as part of a double switch, and Hall made his presence known in the bottom of the inning by hitting a solo home run that tied the game at 2. It stayed that way until the 10th (another extra innings game) when WES FREAKING HELMS hit a homerun off of Seth McClung to give the Marlins the lead. That pissed me off so much because Helms sucks. That was garbage, and I still think that McClung should not be on this team. In a related note, Dave Bush was sent down to AAA to clear a roster spot for Mike Cameron, and I think that is also garbage. Bush should be kept in the bullpen and we should get rid of the trash in the bullpen (Turnbow and McClung) because as evidenced in this game, both of them suck balls. Big balls. Something should be done soon with either of them (in all fairness, McClung hasn't been that bad) because we can't keep worthless pitchers on the roster if we expect to win this year. Final score Marlins 3, Brewers 2.

Brewers record : 14 - 11

The Brewers ended this 7 game homestand with a dissapointing 3-4 record. Although the sample size is rather small because they are not playing a lot of home games, they still are not dominating people at home like last year. They currently sport a 7-6 home record, but once again (the theme for the month of April) it is still early and there is no cause for panic. Let's face it - the Brewers kind of suck right now. Look at the final scores from these past few games. The pitchers have been doing a decent job keeping the team in the game by giving up 5 or less runs for the majority of the season. When that happens, it is up to the offense to score more than the opposition for the win. We're not winning because we're not scoring runs. It's as simple as that. We should be lucky to be 14-11 right now, considering how bad the offense is playing. I'm not going to rattle of stats such as hitting with runners in scoring position or the individual batting averages of every player. I'll just say that everyone is to blame because there is not one player who is playing well - everyone is just average or worse. There's no way that they keep hitting this bad all year, and I hope they break out of it against this series in Chicago, where they cannot afford to lose to a NL Central opponent that is ahead of them in the standings. I sure hope they sweep the Cubs as well (or at least take the series) because a victory tastes so much sweeter when it's at the expense of those FIB Cubs.

Next up - Brewers @ Cubs April 29 (Tuesday) - May 1 (Thursday) at Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL

- pookon -

http://www.pookon.com/

Brewers vs Phillies 4/23 - 4/24 : Series Wrap-Up

Series 8 - Brewers vs Phillies, Miller Park in Milwaukee, WI

The Philladelphia Pillies made an amazing run at the end of last year and ended up winning the NL East division title. They did get swept by the Rockies in the 1st round of the playoffs, but who wouldn't have been. Colorado put together one hell of a September (and October) last year. The Phillies are mostly the same team they were last year (which is a pretty damn good team) but they would be featuring 1 addition that had Milwaukee fans standing and giving a rousing ovation - outfielder Geoff Jenkins. The Brewers declined their team option of $9 million dollars so that they could move Ryan Braun to left and play Corey Hart everyday in right. That officially ended Jenkins' 10 year playing time with the Brewers and his 13 year tenure. Needless to say, he got a warm response from the crowd who appreciated his efforts. Jenkins always gave 100%, and was one of the most underrated outfielders in the majors during that time period. In my opinion, he should have won a Gold Glove, and it's a little surprising that he was never even a runner up. We would have loved to keep him on the team, but with the lineup we have now, there was just no room for him any more on the roster. We wish him well, and the hometown fans really congratulated him for his efforts. Classy move by these fans for a classy player. It's just too bad that Jenkins had to play for 10 years on a Brewers team that really wasn't that good. I hope he plays well in Philly, because the fans are notorious for being overly critical, and lash out with boos that could drown out any other noise. These are the fans that booed Santa Claus and pelted him with snowballs in 1968 during an Eagles halftime show. Jenkins has been known to fall into mini slumps, and I hope they don't get too down on him. But it's good to recognize Jenkins coming back to Milwaukee, but now let's get back to the series wrap-up.

Game 1 (Wednesday 4/23) - Dave Bush (0-3, 6.75 ERA) vs Cole Hammels (2-3, 2.75 ERA)

This was supposed to be Ben Sheet's start, but since he exited the game against Cincinnati with a sore triceps, the Brewers elected to have him skip this start. Dave Bush, who had been displaced from the rotation by the return of Yovanni Gallardo, had 1 more chance to plead his case to stay on the Major League roster with an effective performance today. He would have his hands full with the Phillies roster that features 2 recent MVPs (Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins, injured, who would not be playing in this series) and 1 future MVP (Chase Utley). To make matters worse, we would be playing against Cole Hammels, one of the toughest young lefties in the league. It was important for Bush to pitch well and the offense to overcome their recent struggles. Well, Bush pitched good enough (4 ER in 6 innings pitched, all coming on home runs though) and the offense turned into the Prince Fielder show as he went 2-4 with 2 home runs and 4 RBI's. So much for all of that lack of power cause he's a vegetarian talk. With Gagne sidelined after multiple days of pitching, Derick Turnbow had to come in for the save, and despite everyone in the stadium being on the edge of their chair watching the game from between their fingers, Turnbow executed the save. Final score Brewers 5, Phillies 4.

Brewers record : 13 - 8

Game 2 (Thursday 4/24) - Jeff Suppan (1-0, 3.48 ERA) vs Jamie Moyer (1-1, 4.05 ERA)

The Brewers wasted a 7 inning, 5 hit, 1 run performance by the reliable Jeff Suppan by making too many mistakes on the basepaths and stranding too many people on base. Phillies starter Jamie Moyer throws a Reagan era fastball (in the mid-80's) which must have kept the Brewers hitters off balance for some reason. They managed 9 hits and took 4 walks, but could only score 1 run, which is rarely enough to ensure a victory. The Brewers players looked silly as they got picked off twice by Moyer (Weeks and Hall both stealing second) and Corey Hart got caught by the left fielder Pat Burrell trying to stretch a double into a triple. It;s nice to see the Brewers being aggressive on the basepaths, but when you're struggling to score runs, it's not a good idea to make outs on the bases. The normally steady David Riske has been struggling as of late, and in this game he gave up the game winning double to Pat Burrell on an 0-2 count after allowing Dobbs and Utley to reach base with 2 outs. Riske placed the blame on himself for losing this game, but despite his recent woes (his ERA is now at 7.36) this loss was a team loss. Well, the whole team minus Jeff Suppan. He deserves more than the 1 win (which he got in his first start in Chicago) that is currently on his record for the season. This game was then mostly forgettable, and the Brewers ended up splitting the series with the Phillies. Final score Phillies 3, Brewers 1.

Brewers record : 13 - 9

Hey, it could've been better, but you know, it also could've been worse. That's the only beauty of a tie. Granted, you did not win, but hey, at least you didn't lose. I personally don't like 2 game series because they normally end up being split because teams are usually so even matched that you need more than 2 games to decided a clear cut winner. The better team (for the majority of the time) should always come out ahead in a 3 game series. There are always some exceptions (such as a bad team getting hot and a good team struggling to swing the bats) but you almost can pick the winner of a series ahead of time. No one really thinks or expects that the Baltimore Orioles will sweep the Boston Red Sox. When it does happen, it's a shock and a rarity, and is also usually the top story on ESPN's Sportscenter. But enough about that, let's get back to the real story. The Brewers missed a chance to take 2 games against a good team in the Phillies, and they should have won the second game. When you get 7 really strong innings from your starter, it's up to the bats to get going and your bullpen to hold the lead. The offense and bullpen just didn't do that today. We missed an opportunity to get another W in the win column and risk falling further and further behind the NL Central leading Cubs. Thankfully it is still early in the season and we have plenty of chances to catch up. On the negative side, we also have plenty of chances to screw up this season. Let's hope that we take the first opportunity and bring it together and kick some Cubbie ass. Lord knows that's what everyone in Wisconsin wants them to do.

Next up - Brewers vs Marlins April 25 (Friday) - 27 (Sunday) at Miller Park in Milwaukee, WI

- pookon -

www.pookon.com

Brewers vs Cardinals 4/21 - 4/22 : Series Wrap-Up

Series 7 - Brewers vs Cardinals, Miller Park in Milwaukee, WI

The Cardinals came to Miller Park for a short 2 game series, and it was the second time within a week that these two teams would be squaring off. The biggest difference was that the games were now being played in our back yard at The Keg (Miller Park) where the Brewers have historically played well. Currently, the Cardinals are still leading the NL Central and although it is still early in the season (a common retread around here) it is important for the Brewers to win against NL Central opponents and the division leader so they can stay near the top of the division. I'll keep saying it - a win now counts the same in the standings column as a win in September.

Game 1 (Monday) - Carlos Villanueva (1-2, 5.09) vs Adam Wainright (2-1, 2.73)

This game was a pitching rematch of the game on April 16th, and unfortunately the results remained the same. Villanueva has yet to find his groove, although he looks like he is pitching better in every outing. I wish I could say that his job is secure once Sheets returns to action, but I can't guarantee that. The Brewers are carrying 14 pitchers to avoid placing Sheets on the DL, but once Cameron is activated (April 29) it looks like a pitcher will be sent down to AAA. Bush has the proven track record (and innings pitched), while Parra and Villanueva are struggling to pitch past the 5 inning and both also have high ERAs. Both of these guys are essentially pitching for their jobs. Villanueva made the decision difficult by pitching 7 strong innings giving up 3 hits and 2 runs, but he did walk 4 batters. The defense was a little suspect behind him, and the normally sure handed Corey Hart made 1 error and a costly defensive miscue that allowed those 2 earned runs in the 3rd inning. Turnbow came in with the score tied at 3 in the 9th and gave up a run that cost the Brewers the victory. His appearance in this game was debated heavily by second guessers, but Gagne had pitched in the last few games and was in desperate need of a day off. Who else was Ned supposed to go with? I know Turnbow has struggled this year, but last year he was mostly phenomenal as a setup man. If he's in your bullpen, you're going to have to use him in pressure situations eventually, so I support Ned on this call, even if Turnbow did lose the game. It hurts a bit, but when you play sloppy defense and score 3 runs, you can't expect to win. Final score Cardinals 4, Brewers 3.

Brewers record : 11 - 8

Game 2 (Tuesday) - Manny Parra (1-1, 5.40) vs Kyle Lohse (2-0, 2.54)

I mentioned in the paragraph above that Villanueva would be pitching for his job, well the same goes for Manny Parra. Both pitchers are young enough to benefit from getting work in at AAA and try to extend their outings (Parra has been unable to pitch past the 5th inning) without it hurting the parent club. Sheets is in line to make his start on April 29th, so a pitching change is about to happen. Cameron is also coming back from his suspension, and since the Brewers are currently carrying 14 pitchers, 1 of those pitchers will be sent down to make room for Cameron. A second pitcher could go as well if they were considering having an extra bench player (an infielder, like Joe Dillion) therefor putting their number of pitchers at 12. So who goes? I might save that for a future blog entry, but Bush and Turnbow (two marked pitchers) have been pitching better lately whereas Parra is still struggling. It wouldn't surprise me if he got sent down to AAA to iron out the bumps in his game. This game was a bit of a wild one, as both starters went 5 innings or less. Parra threw 106 pitches in 5 innings, and the bullpen was taxed as the game lasted 12 innings. The bullpen pretty much emptied out as Stetter, Riske, Shouse, Torres, Gagne, Mota and McClung all made appearances. Gagne did blow his 4th save of the year, but could have gotten out of it if Rickie Weeks could learn how to throw at Prince Fielder's chest instead of his shoes. A good 1st baseman picks the throw clean, but Prince is still young and working on his defense. Anyway, the game went into extras and the Brewers ended up winning it in the 12th when Gross walked, stole second, scored on Kapler's base hit, then kept on running all the way to Tampa Bay. That's right, after the game, it was announced that Gross had been traded to the Tampa Bay Rays for a case of Genuine Draft and a box of Hot Pockets. I think we got the better end of the deal, but we lose a little bit because we can no longer call for a Gross Sac when he's batting with a runner on 3rd and less than 2 outs. I guess I won't look like a perverse weirdo anymore, because I won't be standing in the bleachers yelling, "I wanna see a Gross sac!" Most people out there don't get it and mothers just cover their children's ears. I wish him well, but the truth was that we had 5 outfielders who are better than him. There was a lot of offense in the game tonight, but the final score was Brewers 9, Cardinals 8.

Brewers record : 12 - 8

Same team, but a little different results. Not too much different, because instead of losing the series, they ended up splitting this short 2 game set. The Brewers improved to 12-8 on the year, and have been above .500 since the season started. They still are in second place in the division, and we'd like to see them occupy that top spot, but the truth is that they are not all clicking on the same cylinders right now. You couldn't honestly tell me that the Brewers are playing 100% to their abilities right now and playing flawless baseball because it's a lie. I'll go into more details in my blog entry titled Brewers Report : Don't Panic, so I'll spare you for now. It's too soon to get worried, and we should be excited that we are 12-8 despite some major and minor flaws in our game. Things are looking up, and hopefully some of the guys on this team could find their swing. They probably didn't realize that they were supposed to be looking for it, hence the delay in the searching. But if all goes well (and it will) we'll all be excited as hell come October.

Next up - Brewers vs Phillies April 23 (Wednesday) - April 24 (Thursday) at Miller Park in Milwaukee, WI

- pookon -

http://www.pookon.com/

It's not easy being Green

Normally I really don't care too much about the Earth. I do my part, just like everyone else, but I don't really go above and beyond to make sure that out planet still exists when our children's children are here. I recycle glass and plastic, paper and cardboard, and use public transportation (because I don't have a car and it's my only way to get around town.) I figure that those things are good enough for me to to claim that I am helping out in the cause to save our planet. There are some things that I could be doing, like campaigning for our government to make large scale changes, or picketing business that dispose of materials in a manor that hurts our environment, or going out and planting trees and ensuring that nature is protected. There are already people doing that, and I'm sure that they could use more on their side. I could write my congressman and express my concern. I could encourage others who do not recycle to think about the harm they are doing by wasting materials. I could do so much more, but I am not a very proactive person. I care enough to do a little, but don't care enough to make a difference. I simply do not put it at a high enough priority to devote enough time to this cause. I've got so much else going on in my life, but then again, who doesn't? We find time for the things that are important, so I guess this isn't important to me.

But it should be. I have no doubt that the Earth will be the same as it is today during my tenure on this planet. I'll only be here for another 60 years tops, which isn't enough time (although it could be, we never know) for a complete meltdown of all natural resources. I believe that when I die, the grass will still be green, the sky and water will still be blue, and the Earth will still look fantastic from space. I don't have kids, so it's hard for me to make changes now so that they will benefit from our efforts instead of paying dearly for our mistakes. I'm sure that your whole outlook on life changes once you have children because you end up being responsible for another person and make decisions based upon their best interest. I used to say who cares, I won't be here to deal with it should the Earth get all messed up. But I should care.

I recently had the opportunity to spend a few days at the Atlantic Ocean near Melbourne, Fl. Those few days were absolutely wonderful. It kind of got me thinking - what if I was unable to go outside and enjoy beautiful weather? What if we are unable to swim or play in the water because it was toxic? What if we couldn't leave our houses because we couldn't breathe the air? I also visited the NASA Space Center in Cape Canaveral, and thought about how lucky and fortunate that we are to have a planet to live on. All of the other planets in our solar system do not have the capability of supporting human life. Where do we go if we screw up our planet? Nowhere, because there is nowhere to go. If we kill our planet, we die right alongside it. I sat in my Dad's backyard underneath a palm tree and enjoyed every single second of hit. I closed my eyes, felt the sun on my face, listened as the slight breeze blew through the yard, and laid down on the moist grass. Some day, someone may not be able to do that. That's frightening to think that someone cannot share in that same simple joy that I felt just a few days ago.

I guess I will keep an open mind in the future about changing my habits and promoting new ones to others, looking for the things that I can do to make the future a brighter place for all of Earth's inhabitants, not just the humans. We all share this one planet, and we all gotta try not to mess it up. I do what I can do for now, and remain open about future possibilities. I go to sleep every night with the comfort of knowing that I'm at least doing something, but is it enough? I don't think it will ever be enough. For everyone who gives 100%, there's a person out there who gives 0%. It seems like everyone would be canceled out, but if everyone does nothing, then we're screwed. Personally, I'd love to break even most of the time and win every so often so that we win in the long run. We can only hope. Some may say that I care and post this only because it is Earth Day, and you're kind of right. It gave me the idea, but it's a start and all it takes is a good idea and a good imagination to get things rolling in the right direction. Here's hoping that I follow up on this idea.

So go outside and enjoy the world. Do a little bit to help keep it Green and fantastic. Sit around for a little and listen to nature. Carpool or take the bus instead of driving. Reduce, reuse, recycle. Care about what your actions are doing to the planets. Think before you drink. I feel better off for writing this, even though I feel like it is falling on deaf ears. I know that no one reads this, but if 1 person does and stops to think about their impact on the environment, then I have done my job. It's really not easy being green, but I'll sure as hell try.

- pookon -

www.pookon.com