25 Brewers in 25 Days : Alcides Escobar

I may not be the first one to anoint rookie shortstop Alcides Escobar with a clever nickname, but I have been calling him by this name for years and it's time to make it public. I call him "The Wonderkid." Yes I know that Robin Yount's nickname was "The Kid" and I shouldn't be treading on his territory, but watch Escobar for a few minutes and just try and not be amazed at all the wonderful things this kid can do. At 23 years of age, he is still incredibly young by baseball standards. But there is no doubt in anyone's mind that he is ready for the big leagues. He's so ready that the Brewers traded away incumbent shortstop and fan favorite JJ Hardy to the Minnesota Twins so that Escobar could play everyday. JJ was one of the core players that were promised to be the future so many years ago. And although that group gave us our first winning season since 1992 and first playoff appearance since 1982, JJ's time in Milwaukee had come to an end. I know that JJ will bounce back with a good year up in Minnesota, but Escobar is just too good to keep him in the minors for another year playing "meaningless" ball.

Brewers fans haven't been promised a player like this since Prince Fielder, and even the casual fan knew his name as the Brewers top prospect. The kid is a defensive wiz, and his range and speed are simply unbelievable. I can go on and on about how amazing he his, but you'll probably never believe me until you see him in person. I bought into the hype because I'm kind of a sucker, but when I saw Escobar make tons of slick plays down in Spring Traing in 2009, I personally offered to help JJ Hardy go house hunting and to pack his bags. When Hardy struggled through all of 2009, the Brewers had no choice but to promote Escobar to the big leagues. In 38 games he hit .304 with 1 HR and 11 RBIs. I know that stat wise that doesn't look too impressive, but Escobar wasn't brought up for his bat. He was brought up for his defense and to get on base and score runs. Anything that he adds offensivly will be a huge bonus. I would like to get some video on here to visually show you his defensive skills, but until you see him on ESPN's Top 10 plays on a nightly basis (and you will) you will just have to believe me for now. In a Spring Training game last year, a ball was hit up the middle to the right side of second base. I already conceded that it was a base hit for the opposing batter. But then out of nowhere Escobar somehow appeared out of nowhere, dove to stop the ball, and delivered a cannon shot to beat the runner by a half step. I swear to God I almost had to change my shorts with how exciting that play was. If I had to guess my reaction to seeing that play in person, I'm pretty sure that the words, "Holy Shit!" and "Did you just see that?" were in there.

But words just don't do it justice. You have to see Escobar to believe what this kid is capable of. The best thing about him is that we are only counting on him to do one thing - play defense. Anything else that he does will be a bonus. His glove has been Major League ready for a few years, but the question with Escobar is if his bat would join his glove. In essence, he is almost the exact opposite of Rickie Weeks. But shortstop and center field is where you need solid defense, and Escobar will do that at the shortstop position every single night. His offense still needs a lot of work, which is something that he will have to do at the Major League level and he will struggle at times. You don't have to look much further than the fact that he has a career on base percentage of .333, which is not very good for someone with his speed. This kid is lightning quick, and if he can get on base he will steal more than I did while working at UWM. Unfortunately for Escobar his offense has always been a big IF.

But he did show some promise in the final few months of 2009, and in the Venezuelan Winter league, he led all players with a .393 batting average with a .440 on base percentage. Granted those are just winter league statistics, but that has to get you excited. Pair those numbers with a ridiculously good glove and you're looking at a kid who will win Rookie of the Year, be a perennial All-Star and be the first Brewers Gold Glove winner since Robin Yount in 1982. I mean it. JJ Hardy was very popular among the ladies, and even though Escobar is not nearly as pretty as JJ is, I know that he will win over fans of all ages, races and sexual orientations by pure skills alone. I remember at some point last year after JJ was sent down to the minors and Alcides was brought up, I could be heard yelling, "JJ WHO?" from the left field Loge Level. And although I always liked JJ and appreciated what he brought to this team, anyone who has seen Esocar play knows that he is better than JJ Hardy. Plain and simple. JJ was the past and Escobar is the future.

The first new Brewers jersey that I bought in 2010 was Alcides Escobar. I know for some people it might be a stretch to throw down for a jersey of a rookie that has yet to have success in the big leagues. But I'm confident that Escobar is here to stay and that he will live up to the hype that has seen him consistently be named the top prospect in Milwaukee's minor league system in the last few years. I've already predicted that Alcides Escobar will win the NL Rookie of the Year in 2010. I was one one of the people who was going apeshit last August and September when Escobar wasn't playing every day despite being the best option at shortstop. Brewers manager Ken Macha has shown a certain favoritism towards starting veteran players, but that turned out to be a clever ploy (I'm guessing this one was handed down by Doug Melvin) because Escobar came up something like 1 inning short of retaining rookie status going into 2010. This means that he will be eligible to win Rookie of the Year should he play well enough to deserve it. And I'm guessing that he does. I'd like to think that I am fairly accurate with my statistical predictions, but I am going to purposefully overshoot on Escobar in 2010 because I so want him to win Rookie of the Year with these numbers:

.310 batting average, 75 runs scored, 25 stolen bases and highlight reel defense. The second that he turns a slick "how did he do that?" play that he is well known for, the crowd and voting public will rally in his favor.

That's just about all that I can say about Alcides Escobar. Some things are better seen than read about. I hope if you are reading this you will get to see him either in person or on on TV so that you can get on board this train with me. Because it's gonna be some kind of wild ride with this Wonderkid, and hopefully some of the flash and pizazz that he displays will give us some more National love. 2010 has a ton of promise for several Brewers players, and the pendulum can swing violently one way or the other depending on the performance of guys like Escobar who are only counted on to do the bare minimum. Escbar has the force and momentum to push us over the edge if he plays anything like he did at the end of last year.

Well I'm up against the deadline right now, and I have to get some sleep so that I can function tomorrow. I'm only 3 players in and I'm already complaining. Man, entries #22-25 are gonna be rough, especially as I get closer to Opening Day. But one player who didn't have it so rough last year was 3rd baseman Casey McGehee. After spending years in the minor leagues being blocked at 3rd base in the big leagues by Aramis Ramirez, he was put on waivers by the Chicago Cubs and claimed by the Brewers prior to the 2009 season. After finally getting a chance to play on an everyday basis, Casey McGehee shined in 2009. 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

25 Brewers in 25 Days : Rickie Weeks

The leadoff man is incredibly important because he has the ability to set the pace for the entire game. 2nd baseman Rickie Weeks has been and will be the Brewers leadoff hitter if only by default (until Carlos Gomez or Alcides Escobar can prove they can get on base on a consistent basis). I would rather see him batting 5th or 6th because of his power and ability to drive in runs, but having him bat leadoff means so much more to the team than being a table setter. Because if he is batting leadoff that means that he is in the lineup, and having a healthy Weeks in the lineup dramatically changes the entire offense. Almost everyone will point a finger at the pitching staff for the team's failure in 2009, but for me the season started to spiral out of control on May 17, when Weeks suffered what would be a season ending wrist injury. The offense failed to click for a couple of weeks until Casey McGehee stepped in and stabilized it. By that time it was too late because the pitching staff fell apart and the offense couldn't overcome how terrible the pitching was. The one word that people always use when describing Rickie Weeks is potential. That's because he has plenty of it, but he has yet to get to the level that everyone believes he is capable of reaching. But time is running out for the oft-injured Weeks, and 2010 is once again a make or break year for him

Rickie Weeks was an amazing offense player in college at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. His numbers in his senior year were off the charts. In 50 games he had a .500 batting average (seriously! I know math is tough but that's 1 hit every 2 at bats!) with 16 HRs, 67 RBIs and 27 stolen bases. He won the Golden Spikes award (given to the best amateur baseball player each year) that year as well as multiple other awards. The Brewers drafted him with the 2nd overall pick in the 2003 draft. Since arriving for good in the Major Leagues in 2005, he has had numerous injuries including torn tendons in both wrists, one that ended his season in 2006 and the already mentioned one that ended his 2009 season. The story on Weeks for his professional career was that he was a good offensive player, but his defense was for lack of a better word, abysmal. It sometimes looked like he had hands made of stone and that he was moving at the speed of light, and he sometimes would move too quickly and flub even the simplest of plays. But even though he has been a lightning rod for criticism, Rickie Weeks knows his flaws and he is one of the hardest working players I've ever seen.

I've been working at Miller Park since 2002, and we are required to be there when the gates open. I am an order taker on the Club Level. I can't take orders unless there are people in the seats, and anyone who is familiar with Brewers games know that tailgating is huge and that most people don't even settle into their seats until the National Anthem. And even then the stadium is only half full. In fact, for a sold out game all the seats aren't even occupied until at least the 3rd inning. The point is, without having customers to serve, I watch batting practice every single day. And I get to witness first hand the Coaches working with Rickie to slow down his approach defensively. When Willie Randolph was signed as the Bench Coach prior to the 2009 season I rejoiced, for I knew that he would be working one-on-one with Rickie and be able to turn him around. When I was down in Arizona for Spring Training that year, I went to Maryvale ballpark for pre-game workouts and saw the hands on approach that Willie used with Rickie. And I got incredibly excited for what Rickie could do in 2009.

The first Brewers jersey that I ever bought was Jeff Cirillo in the late 90's. The second was a personalized retro Iceman jersey. And the third was Rickie Weeks. My friends thought I was crazy. I have been Rickie Weeks' biggest supporter since he first got called up to the bigs in 2005. Which is why it has personally affected me to see him struggle so mightily and constantly be injured. Everyone from the National media to people calling into Sports Radio 1250's Brewers post-game show bashed him on a nightly basis, and I defended him to the bitter end. Rickie Weeks is a hustle kind of player that never gives up. He runs hard to first on every hit, be it a groundout or a single to center. His attitude and willingness to play hard every single minute on the field is inspiring. You can just see that he loves the game of baseball and will do whatever is necessary to better himself. When he finally started living up to that potential in 2009 (37 games, .272 avg, .340 obp, 9 HRs, 24 RBIs, 28 runs scored) I wore my Rickie Weeks jersey with pride with a big "I told you so" grin on my face. In the years past I was mocked for wearing it, but I did it anyway because I believed in him. I was loyal to a fault. People would say, "Iceman - Rickie Weeks? Really?" I am a Rickie Weeks fan. It was almost to the point where I was like a parent standing by my kid's side and cheering the loudest for him even when he screwed up. Then he would hit a homerun and I would yell out, "that's my boy!" Which is why it killed me so much when Weeks tore the tendon in his wrist when he got off to the best start of his career. I still believe that Weeks would have made the All-Star team, and I would have been so damn proud to wear that All-Star jersey.

But Rickie Weeks never made it further than May 17 in 2009. I previously talked about the importance of a leadoff hitter, so I feel that I should mention that Weeks isn't a prototypical one, so he has had to learn to be one at the Major League level. In fact, the majority of the learning that he has done has been at that level and under the watchful and ever criticizing eye of the public. It is my belief that Rickie Weeks will pick up where he left off last year and finally have that breakout year. Because if he doesn't, then unfortunately it may be time to find someone who can. Brett Lawrie (ranked in the top 100 of baseball's top prospects) was the Brewers #1 pick in 2008 and he is rising fast through the system. It's not too hard to believe that Lawrie could be starting in 2011, and by 2012 he should certainly be on the team. But Weeks won't have to worry about that if he puts up numbers like the ones I am predicting in 2010:

.280 batting avg, .345 on base percentage, 18 HRs, 61 RBIs, 101 runs scored, 29 stolen bases. He will also make the NL All-Star team. And because everyone is suspect of his defense, I am predicting that he has fewer than 13 errors.

Rickie Weeks is one of the two key pieces in the 2010 Brewers puzzle (with the other being Corey Hart) because he is the catalyst that ignites their explosive offense. Once again, pitching will dictate most everything, but I believe that if Weeks does well, the team overall will do well. And I sure hope that I am finally right because I'm tired of so many years of being wrong. I am going to keep on hyping Weeks and supporting him because after doing it for 5 years, what's one more? One can't be wrong for 6 years, can they?

Next I will be looking at the player who will be anchoring the middle infield defense along with Rickie Weeks - "The Wonderkid", shortstop Alcides Escobar. This highly touted defensive wizard has been talked about for years, and Milwaukee finally gets to see him for a full year after his anticipated debut last fall. But he's so good that the Brewers parted ways with fan favorite and core member of the Brewers youth movement JJ Hardy. 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

25 Brewers in 25 Days : Prince Fielder

25 in 25 begins with pound for pound, the most important player on the roster - 1st baseman Prince Fielder. In 2009 Prince had the best season by a player in the Milwaukee Brewers 40-year history. He had a .299 average (which could have topped .300 had Tony LaRussa allowed his pitchers to pitch to him instead of intentionally walking him in his final at bat of the season), .412 on base percentage, 46 HRs, 141 RBIs and 110 walks. Monstrous numbers. He shattered Cecil Cooper's club record of 126 RBIs and topped Jeromy Burnitz's record of 99 walks in a season. He somehow finished an appalling 4th place in the NL MVP race. I'll admit Hanley Ramirez (2nd) and Ryan Howard (3rd) had damn fine years, and Albert Pujols (1st) was the best player in all of baseball, but it blows my mind that Prince didn't get more votes. The only excuses I can think of is that he plays in one of the smallest markets and his team didn't make the playoffs. None of those reasons are supposed to factor into MVP voting, but take away Prince from this lineup and it is drastically different. The only player that means that much to their team is Albert Pujols, which is why I have no problem with him winning for the 2nd consecutive year. He put up the numbers to deserve it. But enough about that slugger, I'm here to talk about the Prince.

When Prince first came up in 2005 you could tell that this kid was special. His arrival ended Lyle Overbay's time in Milwaukee, and as a member of Bill and Darron's Buckethead Brigade I was one of the many who would miss the "Ooooooooooooo" chants. But watching the power of the Prince changed those "Ooooooooooo's" into "wooooooooooooooah's!" This guy could just flat out hit. When he connected with a ball, there was never a doubt that it was a homerun. He has had so many majestic Miller Highlife Moon Shots that I'm sure there are indentations in the scoreboard. I know I once saw him take out a couple of lights on the display in deep center, and they remained broken until the end of that season. I can go on for hours about the Prince Fielder highlights that I have seen in person, but there are too many to cover here. But I would like to point out a few.

I have seen not just one but both of Prince Fielder's in the park homeruns in person. One was at Miller Park and the other was in the Metrodome. Not too bad for a guy who is "officially" listed at 270 pounds. Watching Prince chug around the bases like a runaway locomotive is a sight that I will never forget. The first one (at the Metrodome) had me jumping up and down screaming, "no fucking way that just happened!" But it did happen. It would be one of a million highlights in his young career. I was at Miller Park on September 25, 2007 when Prince hit homerun #50 and became the youngest player in MLB history to hit 50 homeruns in a season. And at a Brewers vs. Indians game in Goodyear, Arizona, last year when I was down there for Spring Training, I got his autograph on a ball that I couldn't keep. I got tons of autographs that weekend, but the one that mattered most was getting Craig Counsell for my brother James, who was about to move to South Carolina. He's our favorite player (half serious, half inside joke) and at that game he signed my ball. Then Prince Fielder walked up, and I only had that Counsell-signed ball on me. So I had Prince sign it, because how are you not going to get Prince Fielder's autograph? But as promised, I gave it to my brother, and it became the best autograph I ever got. Those are just a few personal memories of Prince, and I'm sure you have plenty of your own.

If you haven't noticed, I'm a little sentimental on the big fella. After the Brewers won the NL Wild Card in 2008 I was hanging out at this bar Karma and Prince, CC Sabathia, Mike Cameron and Bill Hall were there partying it up. I stood next to him and realized that I am his white body double. I probably weigh a couple more pounds, but we were the same reasonable height and build. It was then that this man became my long lost brother from another mother. The reason I'm so hung up on him is because it's almost inevitable that this will be Prince's last season in Milwaukee. He is a free agent after the 2011 season and will be entering his final year of arbitration. He is making somewhere around $10 million this season, and there is no reason to doubt that he will make over $15 million next year if he has a similar year at the plate. Unless we can sign him to a long term deal (which is a hotly debated topic here in Milwaukee, one that I will most certainly address in the near future but not today, as it is a rather lengthy debate) we have to trade him in the offseason to maximize the return of players that we need (young pitching). So enjoy every day that we have Prince Fielder, because there will come a day when the only time you'll be seeing him is in a different uniform.

But let's not dwell on that. But we kind of have to because Prince Fielder is the Milwaukee Brewers offense. BOOM! Take him out of the lineup and the entire dynamic changes. One of the reasons why Ryan Braun is so good is because he has Prince Fielder behind him in the lineup. The leadoff and #2 hitter will see their stats inflated (most notable the runs scored) because Prince is going to hit well over 100 RBIs. He's too good not to. Which makes the #5 hitter so valuable, because as you saw last year, Prince is starting to rack up a good amount of intentional walks. So the guys batting behind him are huge. Prince was also the only player in all of baseball to play all 162 games last year, so he's in there every single day making a difference. He has also worked on his defense, and trains rigorously to maintain his body weight so as not to hamper his abilities. And from what I hear, he is also the leader on and off the field. On the field he leads by example and in the clubhouse he gets everyone ramped up for games while at the same time keeping them loose with humor and jokes. He is a player that is invaluable to the team that he plays for, which is why he is coveted so much.

The Brewers had a top 5 offense in the National League last year, which they certainly needed to overcome the worst pitching staff in the National League. Prince Fielder was a huge part of that offense, and even though the pitching staff has improved with the additions of Doug Davis and Randy Wolf, the Brewers will once again need to lean on their offense to win games. I'm not saying that Prince Fielder will have to carry to offense because he certainly has enough weapons around him, but if need be he will be able to do so. The Prince is mighty enough to put the team on his back and carry them for a little while, but I'd rather see everyone else step up so that Prince can calmly sit back and do his job, which is to drive in runs.

Prince Fielder is not the most important piece of the puzzle for success in 2010, but he's right up there. I'm going to go ahead and give my prediction for his 2010 season:

.305 batting average, .405 OBP, 42 HRs, 136 RBIs, 105 walks. He will once again make the NL All-Star team and will finish in the top 3 of the NL MVP voting.

I could probably go on some more about Prince, but chances are you've already stopped reading by now. I'll try to keep these to a minimum but sometimes I have too much to say and just can't stop typing. Even if it means I'm still working on this at 1:30 in the morning when I have to wake up at 7:30 AM. But that just goes to show how dedicated I am to the Brewers and my promise to do 25 in 25. In summation Prince Fielder is amazing. In every way, shape and form. I probably could have said that instead of all the garbage I put on this page. I'll keep that in mind for next time.

And speaking of next, tomorrow's entry will be 2nd baseman Rickie Weeks, who once again is entering a make it or break it year. 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

25 Brewers in 25 Days : 2010 Season Countdown

One night I had a drunken epiphany - to do a profile of every player on the 25 man Milwaukee Brewers roster in the 25 days leading up to Opening Day. Sounds pretty easy, right? Well maybe for the person who has a lot of time on their hands. I already work a full time job, and by this point working on Pookon.com, Pookon's Ill Blog and the Back Alley Burners is like having a second job. I bet I spend at least 15-20 hours a week on the Pookon Empire, but not all of it shows because the majority of it is behind the scenes fixing, templating, and archiving things. So that's why it surprises me that I'm actually going through with this idea. I've only once had an idea this big that I followed through with, and that was the magical Summer of 2008 when I did a wrap-up of every series that the Brewers played that year. We all know how the season ended (with the first playoff appearance in 26 years) but during the year I was stuck working 2nd shift at a call center. I only got to work weekend games, and for the night games I was only able to follow the games online with MLB Gameday online. In the rest of the downtime at work (because I was only busy when someone called the help line) I would write about the Brewers on this blog. You can check out those posts in the "From the Archives" panel on the right.

Back then I actually had time to do things like this because I was bored at work. Now that I actually work at work between the hours of 9-5 and miscellaneous things like watching every Bucks game occupies the time I would normally spend updating. I'm also trying to have more of a social life because I can't spend my entire life sitting in front of a computer screen. And I have also started working out after work, which results in me being quite tired by the time I actually get home. I know that it's not a good excuse, but to me it helps explain the magnitude of this undertaking that I am beginning tonight. To be quite honest, with the exception of schoolwork, I have never had such strict deadlines in place in which to complete a project. To stay true to my promise, I need to have a new post every day until April 5th. It's going to be wicked.

To those of you who do not know, each Major League team has an active roster of 25 players, 9 of which start on a given day. The other 16 players are the remaining starters, the bullpen and the bench players. For the Brewers, 21 of the 25 spots on the 2010 Opening Day Roster are already "set". I use quotations because there is always a possibility (and knock on wood that it doesn't happen) of someone getting injured like Chris Capuano a few years ago or traded during Spring Training. Those last few spots up for grabs for this team are all back-up spots. I won't name all of the players here (because what would the purpose of doing 25 in 25 if I introduce them right now and talk about them) but I will point out a few positions to keep your eye on during Spring Training. There are no less than 4 players battling for the back-up catcher position, which should be the most exciting thing to watch. More so than in previous years because new catcher Greg Zaun is only expected to catch around 100 of the 162 games (compared to to Jason Kendall's 150ish) so the back-up will have to play more often and contribute. There is an open spot for a back-up infielder and a back-up outfielder, which could provide some great competition in camp. The final open spot is for a pitcher which will round out the bullpen. At the start of camp, there was like 57 players, although a good amount of them are minor league players who are there mainly for the experience of practicing and playing with and against major league talent. I'll save spots 22-25 for the last few days before the Brewers open the season, because there's a pretty good chance that they won't even be decided until then.

I'll try to keep these brief and devoid of tiresome statistics, but you know how passionate I am about the Brewers and how I can often go on for hours (see my posts about Corey Hart). But I hope that this will provide you with this fan's perspective on the 2010 Brewers so that you either have a better understanding about the team or you can use it to assist in your opinions. And if you totally disagree with me, feel free to comment below. I'm always open to debate, and talking Brewers is my absolute favorite thing to do. So comment below or bring it up the next time that you see me.

As well as doing 25 Brewers in 25 Days, I will also be drinking 25 beers in 25 days. As a little added bonus to me, I have labeled 25 cans of PBR with the names of whom I think will be on the Brewers 2010 Opening Day roster. While working on the article for that player, I will be drinking the PBR with their name on it. It's just a little incentive to keep me working on this thing, much like that Advent countdown to Christmas calendar that has chocolate behind the doors. But since I am a chocoholic but for beer, PBR will fuel my fire as we get ready for 2010. The dwindling pyramid will be a physical reminder that the season is just days away and that I am an alcoholic.

In closing, I hope that both you and I make it out alive. This is going to be quite a process, so bear with me as the 2010 season looms over the horizon. It's going to be exciting. After finishing 2009 with a 80-82 record despite having the worst team ERA in the NL, changes have been made to the pitching staff to improve it, while the offense returns mostly intact from last year. So now I will make some predictions for the 2010 season:

• The Brewers will finish in 2nd place (behind the St. Louis Cardinals) in the NL Central with a 88-74 record and win the NL Wild Card, returning to the playoffs once again.
• The Cubs will finish 3rd, Reds 4th, Astros 5th and Pirates 6th.
• The Brewers will once again draw over 3 million fans.
• Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun, Yovanni Gallardo and Rickie Weeks will make the NL All-Star Team.
• Alcides Escobar wins NL Rookie of the Year
  

I'm going to make predictions for the individual players on the days when I highlight them, so I will leave you with that information for now. And I have to go and say nice things about the Bucks now, because they are trying so hard to distract me from baseball season. Damn you Bucks! Why did you have to pick 2010 to once again be relevant? Now I'm going to have to start writing about you too!

- 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

Pookcast: Episode 9 - Fat Teen Wolf

Part 1 of this episode sees me stammering over the events of today's WSoBP VI Satellite tournament up in Green Bay. It was about 7:30 pm at night, and I was already wasted. I went outside by my car to record this, and it was cold and snowy outside. I didn't care, so I just rambled on about about a range of topics from beer pong to the Brewers. It was my return to the Pookcast for the first time in over 6 weeks. It seems like on that night I finally had something to talk about.

Part 1

I was about to sign off and end this episode, because for I ran out of stuff to talk about. But then the booze grabbed a hold of me and a rant came spewing out. There's a million things that I could talk about, but for some reason that night I went off about wanting to be cast in Teen Wolf 3 : Fat Teen Wolf. There's not much more that I could add that I didn't already say in the video, so watch it and be amazed or stunned by my ramblings.

Part 2

I will continue to plead with you to help me in getting Teen Wolf 3: Fat Teen Wolf made. If we all call the heads of the movie studios and write letters, there's no way that they can avoid this forever. In the age of unnecessary sequels and remakes, someone has to put up some cash to make a 3rd Teen Wolf movie starring me. I can't promise to deliver the greatest movie known to man, but I can certainly promise that it will be as good if not better than half of the shit that comes out in the theaters these days. I know that we can do it, we just all have to work together for the greater good.

- pookon -

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

For me, it's always Fat Tuesday

Cause that's what kind of happens when you are fat. And no, I am not the dude wearing purple in this picture. It was one of the first pictures (besides woman flashing their titties) that I found when I did a Google Image search for Fat Tuesday. I see no reason to celebrate excess and why we get so excited about it. America is too fat to have holidays that celebrate eating and partying. But Mardis Gras has been celebrated for hundreds of years, so it's ok then, right? Wrong. We already have Thanksgiving (which probably came first and is more American) so why do we need this French shit still? Cause we love to eat and we love to party. USA! USA! USA!

I've reached critical mass. Literally. I can still walk around without needing a rascal and I don't need to be hoisted out of bed by a crane. And when I go to the beach they don't yell out "thar she blows!" and start hurling harpoons at me. But I'm pretty damn close. The problem is that I eat too much and don't exercise. I've always been a big person (as opposed to the "little people" celebrities in Hollywood always thank when accepting awards) but lately I'm spiraling out of control. I feel like I have an eating disorder because I keep on eating all the time when I'm not hungry. I've tried going on Hunger Strikes before, but those usually don't go well because whenever they end, I binge on all sorts of horrible stuff. And erase any progress I've made. I really don't even like comparing it to an eating disorder because I feel like I could just stop at anytime. I'm not addicted to food right? But then why can't I stop eating crap even though I know that it is bad for me?

Sometimes I do feel helpless, especially when I stand in front of the fridge at 3am when I should be sleeping. I know it's a terrible idea to eat, but I do it anyway. My weight is of big concern to me. It always has been. You probably never really hear me talk about it though because I don't mention it. It's not like I can hide being fat because even when you wear track pants and size 3XL shirts, you can still see that a person is large. In order to deal with it I developed a sense of humor early in life. I learned that people only really like the fat guy is if he is funny. I have a long list of comedians to thank for that including John Candy, Chris Farley and more recently Jonah Hill (whom I often get compared to). It's easy to hide your self-loathing and depression behind a fake smile and a joke. If people think that you are joking then they don't feel sorry for you and try to reach out and help. Kermit said that it's not easy being green, and I say it's not easy being fat. But the difference between me and Kermit (besides the fact that he needs a hand up his ass to be able to talk) is that he can't change being green, but I can change being fat.

I'm always going to be a bigger person no matter what I do. This is in no disrespect to my family, but we're built bigger than the average person. We even have a playful nickname to go along with our heavyness. We call it the "Kurutz Curse". And we try to do whatever we can to avoid being another victim. But thanks to Nana Meals (which I hate to knock because we can no longer have them) and my inactive lifestyle, I have become the very thing that I have tried to avoid. And although sometimes I feel like there's no point to improve my life because I don't plan on living past 50, I still have time to change. I'm only 28, which seems awfully close to 30. But 30 is the new 25. That means I've still got plenty of time to turn this robust ship around.

But I don't have too much time left. I believe that my weight is the source of a lot of my issues having to do with confidence and self esteem. And I have to get over that if I plan on living life. Take for instance the fact that I've never had a girlfriend. Kinda sad for a 28 year old to admit that, right? I've had plenty of girls that I've hung out with and loved, but although we hung out exclusively for months or a year at times, we never really took it to the next level cause I was always scared. And not scared of ghosts or anything, but scared of being loved I guess. I never understood (and to this day I still don't understand) why people like me. It's kind of hard for me to grasp the concept of it when I don't really like myself. So then it's easy for me to rationalize that I can't enter a romantic relationship with that doubt in mind.

This kind of thing didn't used to bother me cause I stay busy enough with family and friends (plus hobbies like this blog and pookon.com) that I'm used to doing things. And those times when I'm alone (like right now) I'm working on stuff like this that keeps my mind off of it. But it's times like when I hang out with people my age that makes me realize that perhaps I am missing out on a part of life that most people get to experience - dating, falling in love and getting married. I think about this often because I am 28 years old, and most of my friends are either married or engaged. Being the weird single guy in the group of couples is extremely awkward, which is why I usually just hang out by myself and eat and drink. And I think about things like this without taking action.

Which leads us to today. Today (as I've mentioned) is Fat Tuesday, the day before the Christian Season of Lent begins. I was raised Catholic/Christian, and although I don't go to church nearly as often as my Mom wished that I did, my upbringing in the Faith has shaped who I am as a person, and I will always be thankful for that. In Lent, it is customary to give up something and make a sacrifice for the weeks leading up to Easter. When I was a kid I used to give up candy or soda, but I don't remember ever doing it for the duration of Lent. I wanted to give up drinking this year (because I probably do it too much) but I decided against it because it's something that I really like to do. My Mom would certainly say then that that is definitely the reason why I should give it up. I am in no way addicted to alcohol (but they do say the first sign is not admitting it or some shit like that but I know I could go without drinking as I have done in the past) but it is a part of who I am. But what I will do is to make a conscious effort to limit when and how much I drink. Like for instance - don't get wasted on a Wednesday night when I have to be in at work at 9am the next morning. But enough about alcohol, because that is a whole 'nother story.

Coming up with a New Year's Resolution (which always gets broken) and a Lenten Promise (which doesn't last for the entire season) are the 2 times a year when I at least make an effort to change. The only problem is that it usually doesn't get past the inception stage. No action is taken upon this, and frankly I'm getting tired of my shit. I hate being who I am (besides my sense of humor and a few other personality traits I've developed over the years) and I feel like I could change that If I could figure out a way to change that. My biggest problem is motivation, and often I feel like I am all alone with this problem. That's probably because I never tell anyone about this shit. I have countless journals full of feelings and the greatest blog entry I've never posted with a list of 50 things that are true about me to prove it. That shit cuts just a little too deep for me to share with you because it is the God honest truth. No bullshit. But that's beside the point. Man I need to stop whining like I need to finish this entry. I just lack to motivation to do anything about it.

I am a member of a gym (Anytime Fitness) but I rarely go because I am embarrassed to be the fat guy at the gym. It sounds stupid because you would think that although it is hideous to watch me sweating all over the place and bouncin' around, I'm at least trying not to be fat, right? I should get some credit for the effort, right? It's then that I realize that this is all in my head and I have more issues than tissues. So if I have the time to sit around and bitch about my sorry excuse for a life, then I should have the time to do something about it. Instead of giving up something for Lent I instead will make a promise to myself to go to the gym to work out at least 3 times a week starting tonight. The hardest part is just getting there, because once I'm inside I actually enjoy working out and the satisfaction I get from it. But it's so incredibly hard to drag my fat ass off of the couch to go there. But once again, at least I am trying something.

So now this the part when I reflect over the past hour that I have spent thinking about this. And surprisingly I wasn't drunk when I wrote this debacle on here, which is a departure from the usual. I guess that it means that it is something that I really care about and want to make a conscious effort to work on, but I'm going to have to say that I need your help. Mom always said don't use the word hate because it is such a strong word but I hate asking for help. I like to think that I am independent enough to do this kind of thing on my own but obviously not, because I have gotten progressively worse the last few years. I originally came up with this title last year around Mardi Gras because it seemed like a funny way to bring up a serious topic. And it took me a whole year to actually write these thoughts down.

Looking back on it (although right now I refuse to read what I have written) this entry isn't very funny. In fact it is pretty damn serious. That sucks. I'm not known for being serious. And if you are the select few to read this don't worry about the 1st things that come to mind like suicidal thoughts and depression and stuff like that. But trust me, it's not that serious. I can't see me getting to that extreme. Which is why I struggled about writing this down, and why I am struggling with actually posting this then sending you the link. I don't think that it's that big of an issue but I'll let you be the judge of that I guess. I don't really know where to go from here. So I guess I'll just let you process this information and we'll go from there.

I guess the reason I am doing this is that I don't want to die and I just want to be happy like everyone else. But I know that everyone is not happy. I guess I just want to be able to look at myself in the mirror every day and not be repulsed by what I see, inside and out. And unless I do something about it I'm just going to pass through life unfilled, no matter how it looks like from the outside. But I bet some of you already saw this thing coming. You don't have to have a crystal ball to tell you all or most of the things that I just said. I'm going to go ahead and stop typing before I burden you with all of the other crap that I feel is bothering me. Nobody wants to open up that Pantera's Box. Cause all you'd get is the Cowboys from Hell. It's always good to end on a joke... Helps to alleviate some of the seriousness that went on here. But should I really be doing that?


- 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 -

www.pookon.com
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