A changing aura around Brewers’ baseball
Posted: Thursday, June 19, 2008 10:52 AM
When traveling as a broadcaster in Major League Baseball Milwaukee has always been a stop to anticipate and enjoy. Like St. Louis, it is a city where baseball is king and the genuine niceness of Midwest folk is evidenced in a public setting like a ballpark.
They don’t boo in Milwaukee.
So imagine my shock when I read that Brewers third baseman Bill Hall is showered with boos at Miller Park this year. And that firing manager Ned Yost has become a cause for a vocal segment of Brewers’ fans.
What happened to Milwaukee?
Is it frustration? Perhaps. No playoff games for this franchise since 1982 and a winning season in 2007, barely, for the first time since 1992. The fans were teased last year and their thirst for a winner has changed the aura around Milwaukee baseball.
Credit -- if you accept that word -- Mark Attanasio for part of this vibe. He’s the owner of the Brewers who has spent for players, who has committed to the city of Milwaukee and who has announced his demand for a winning team. These are all qualities that loyal fans appreciate.
So, what has gone wrong thus far this season?
Money misspent: Veteran starting pitcher Jeff Suppan parlayed his 2006 postseason into a big-money, free-agent deal with the Brewers. That money would have been better invested in closer Francisco Cordero, whose departure caused the Brewers to turn to Eric Gagne, fresh off his featured role in the Mitchell Report. And we can see how that has worked out.
Wrong time: Milwaukee’s push coincides with the first time in a century that the Cubs seem to have their act together. Also, the NL Central has been the surprise of the game with perennial doormats Pittsburgh and Cincinnati showing signs of life.
Bad luck: The Brewers collapsed in 2007 when Ben Sheets wasn’t on the mound. That has not been an issue in 2008 as they’re 9-4 in Sheets’ starts, 28-29 in all other games. But a season-ending injury to Yovani Gallardo thinned the rotation while the meltdowns by Gagne and Derrick Turnbow damaged the bullpen.
Repairs are underway: Salomon Torres anchoring the bullpen, Russell Branyan succeeding in a platoon at third and Manny Parra plugging a hole in the rotation. But the Brewers are a surprising 10th in NL in runs scored. They have power -- witness their five homers Tuesday night but not a ton of patience. They pitch decently but can’t dominate unless Sheets is on the hill. Overall, the Brewers are playing like a good team but not excelling in any way that would cause one to think they can catch the Cubs.
FIVE MORE SWINGS -- ALL AT THE METS:
1. METS GENERAL MANAGER OMAR MINAYA INSISTS…the firing of Willie Randolph as manager was “100 percent” his decision. And Minaya has spoken about the atmosphere at Shea Stadium last Sunday -- mentioned in my previous blog with the reference to the vigorous booing of Randolph -- as a factor in his decision. He particularly noted the “look of the players’ faces in this Willie Watch.” Of course, the Mets created the “Willie Watch” with the Memorial-Day meeting and subsequent news conference announcing Randolph had been granted a stay of execution – which turned out to be only temporary. And Minaya, a good man who genuinely likes Randolph, could have stopped the “Willie Watch” by speaking one declarative sentence on Randolph’s status at any point.
2. GREAT INTERVIEW OF MINAYA…by Mike Francesa and Chris Russo on WFAN in New York. They outed Tony Bernazard as the Mets’ staff member whose backstabbing of Randolph has been known within the clubhouse from the first day of 2005. Minaya did his best to dance around the issue, but everyone around the Mets knows the truth. It must be addressed.
3. HOW DO YOU THINK LOU PINIELLA FEELS…when he sees how the Mets treated Art Howe (Randolph’s predecessor and the Mets manager from 2002-04) and Randolph? Recall that Piniella was the Mets’ choice in 2003 to become their manager, but Seattle’s compensation demands destroyed any chance of a deal. Now, Piniella is a strong bet to take the Cubs to the postseason in consecutive years and he earns almost double what the Mets were paying Randolph.
4. IT WASN’T JUST WILLIE…but pitching coach Rick Peterson and first-base coach Tom Nieto (a Randolph pick) who were fired. Peterson’s fall from grace in New York was quick. And debatable given the success he enjoyed in helping Tom Glavine reach 300 wins, resurrecting Oliver Perez as a starter and developing John Maine into a key fixture in the rotation. But one fact must change. Peterson was not responsible for the disastrous Scott Kazmir-Victor Zambrano trade. Peterson was asked if he could fix Zambrano and responded that a mechanical flaw could be fixed in “10 minutes,” the quote made famous around baseball. Peterson had no idea and obviously neither did Mets management that Zambrano had a damaged elbow. Peterson was the victim of a leak to a reputable baseball writer from a high-level Mets consultant looking to protect ownership from its role in the trade. I checked the 2008 Mets media guide and that consultant/leaker is no longer with the team.
5. THIS IS WHAT RANDOLPH HAD TO WORK WITH…in his final game with Carlos Beltran in the DH role, the Mets starting outfield was Marlon Anderson, Endy Chavez and Trot Nixon.
