I don't post often (because I don't know much), but I thought it would be fun to share my quick-hit thoughts on this year's Brewer team vs. last year's team.

Prince Fielder
Last Year: Man, I hope we can sign this guy up long-term.
This Year: It will be fun to watch this guy play until he leaves for big bucks.

Ryan Braun
Last Year: It will be fun to watch this guy play until he leaves for big bucks.
This Year: I'm so glad we signed this guy long-term.

Corey Hart
Last Year: Maybe we should lock this guy up for years to come.
This Year: Maybe we should lock this guy up in the clubhouse until he agrees to take a freaking pitch every now and then.

Yovani Gallardo
Last Year: I hope this guy has what it takes to become an ace this year.
This Year: I hope this guy has what it takes to become an ace this year.

JJ Hardy
Last Year: His hot start last year was a fluke; he's not that good.
This Year: His cold start last year was a fluke; he's pretty freaking good.

Closer
Last Year: Gagne may be in the steep downward arc of his career, but maybe he can put up some pretty solid numbers.
This Year: Hoffman may be in the steep downward arc of his career, but maybe he can put up some pretty solid numbers.

Rickie Weeks
Last Year: This might be his breakout year.
This Year: Well, we could definitely do worse.

Dave Bush
Last Year: He had terrible luck last year; he'll be alright this year.
This Year: He had incredible luck last year; he won't be as good this year.

Ned Yost
Last Year: Should be history
This Year: Is history

Cubs
Last Year: Suck
This Year: Suck

So what do we make of this guy?

Just months ago, a number of folks on this fine site were in support of locking him up long term a la Ryan Braun. Then we made him an all-star.

No fewer than 120,000 three-pitch strikeouts later, he seems pretty washed up.

So what's the consensus? Does he suck? Or did he just have a bad second half? Will he be a long-term Brewer or play his way out of Milwaukee. Thank you for indulging my ignorance.

In 2007, the Brewers got off to a hot start behind incredible starts from a number of players. The standard line was (at least in many media and fan circles) "Wait 'til XX gets going!" For example, once Billy Hall or Capuano or Weeks got going, the popular logic was that the Brewers would really take off. Of couse, the flip side of that was that numerous Brewer players fell back to Earth (Hardy, Vargas, Turnbow, Wise, etc) and the Crew fell out of first place.

This year, it seems like a completely different scenario. Even when the team is playing mediocre, it's still good enough that one hot player can carry it. Except for that stretch in May when everybody was aweful, at least one player has been able to produce enough to put up Ws. Kendall's first two weeks started it. Braun's had a couple hot streaks. Hardy's in the midst of one. Prince has had some short hot streaks. This has been true, even with the pitching. Sheets has been lights out for stretches, Suppan, Parra, Bush, and McClung have all gone on a tear as well.

The current hot streak where half the team is on a roll will surely end. But it's nice to know that one guy stepping up for a week or two can help keep the Brewers in contention even when a number of guys are struggling.  

Hello, my name is Steve (Hi, Steve!), and there's something I need to get off my chest. You see, I used to be a Cubs fan.

It started in 1993. I was nine years old, and I had just been exposed to baseball for the first time. I loved it. Loved to play it. Loved to watch it. I'd watch every game I could find on TV. The Brewers were not on TV, but I had WGN. So I saw a lot of Cubs games. Harry Caray. The Ivy. Mark Grace quickly became my favorite player. And the Cubs, not the Brewers, became my favorite team.

Fast forward to 2003. The Cubs made a deep run in the playoffs, and I loved every minute of it. Well, until the Bartman game. I was devestated when that magical run came to an end. But this was also the beginning of my conversion. What if? What if the Cubs won the pennant...and then the World Series? Would there be anything left to cheer for? I couldn't help but to wonder if the only reason the so-called long-suffering Cubs fans and I rooted for the North Siders because they were crap, not in spite of it.

In 2004, I caught a couple of Cubs-Brewers games at Miller. I was embarrassed to be counted among the ranks of the Cubs fans. They were rude and obnoxious, deriding Milwaukee and Wisconsin. The Brewers fans talked trash, of course, but they were less crude and more clever. Again in '05 I caught a Cubs-Brewers game and again the Cubs fans were obnoxious. Sitting in the right field bleachers, many of them got arrested anyway. This would be the last game at Miller Park I'd ever wear a Cubs hat to.

In 2006 I graduated college and moved to Chicago. This was the straw that broke the camel's back. Everyone told me you have to live a summer in the city to understand what baseball means there. I learned quickly: Baseball in Chicago is about sealing business deals, sending text messages all game, and blowing off work (at your dad's law firm of course--you don't need to get a job on merit!) with your fellow 25-year-old frat boys.

Yes, my friends, in 2006, I came home. Threw away the Cubs hat and put on a Brewer hat. It felt so right. It felt so clean. I didn't have to feel guilty or dirty any longer. I didn't have to feel ashamed. 

Furthermore, I moved my family back to Wisconsin the first chance I got--October 2007. I hate that city more than anywhere I've ever been. Maybe the universe was trying to tell us something with the Chicago Fire.

One final observation: I've only ever once gotten close to landing a home run ball. But if I ever do snag one, I will never, ever throw it back. Dumbest tradition in sports.

I don't ask for your understanding. There is no way I can un-do being a Cubs fan. I only ask for your forgiveness, with this solemn vow: Even if the Brewers never win another game, I'd rather kick myself in the face every day for the rest of my life than cheer for the Cubs.

In conclusion, F the Cubs, F Illinois, fly the flag, Roll out the barrel, and go Crew!

-Steve

Greetings!

A couple weeks ago I appealed to you all for your recommendations of visiting your fine city and ballpark. Unfortunately, my trip got cancelled at the last minute so I didn’t get to tour either. I do want to thank you for the hospitality and tips provided. And I won’t leave you empty handed. If you’re interested, here is a Father’s Day piece I wrote a few years ago on what baseball means to me. (If this is spam, I apologize-please delete if it’s unwanted.)

A Tribute to Fathers

In early April, my fiancee and I took a break from our studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to visit my family back in Greenville for a weekend.

During our time off, I persuaded my parents to join us in watching one of my favorite movies, Field of Dreams, which I watch at the beginning of each baseball season.

Halfway through the movie, I realized my parents probably had no idea why I wanted to watch this movie with them. With a less-than-spectacular performance by Kevin Costner and a plot that frequently bordered on ridiculous, their confusion was probably justified. However corny they may have found the movie to be, I wanted them, especially my dad, to see its incredible ending.

If you’ve seen Field of Dreams, you probably remember the final scene where Ray Kinsella (played by Costner) gets the opportunity to play catch with the ghost of his father. This simple game of catch washes away years of bitterness, heartache and estrangement between father and son.

The final scene always makes me contemplate the bond that a game of catch creates between fathers and their sons and takes me back 12 years to the summer of 1993. Easily the worst player on my Little League team, I wanted nothing more than to learn how to throw, catch and hit a baseball. My dad recognized this and, despite having little baseball knowledge, spent countless hours practicing with me in the backyard.

Our time practicing developed my skills, allowing me to play on several traveling teams over the next few years. Though I never made it to the majors, my dad’s efforts made it possible for me to make friends and memories on the baseball field—friends and memories that I hold dear to this day.

However, of all the games, practices and road trips, the memories I cherish most are of playing catch with my dad in the backyard.

Fathers everywhere thanklessly give their time, energy and love, glorying in their children’s every triumph and suffering in their every disappointment. Dads find meaningful ways to bond with their children. In my case, it was baseball. For others, it’s Boy Scouts, music, traveling or countless other shared activities.

Still, our society is reluctant to acknowledge fathers’ contributions to their children’s lives. Apparently, great fathers don’t translate into great news stories. The few fathers who do make headlines tend to be the abusive or delinquent ones.

Even our popular culture gives little credit to fathers. Television ads market products capable of dealing with hapless fathers’ inability to manage their own lives, much less their families’.

Sitcom dads like Homer Simpson merely reinforce this stereotype. And while everybody may love Raymond, his character has served to portray fathers as incompetent.

There are many examples of the bumbling dad stereotype. Few intentionally demean fathers, but the real-world impact is that dads simply aren’t recognized anymore.

However, even in a society that tells us fathers are no longer essential to healthy families, all is not lost. There’s no better day than Father’s Day to begin appreciating all that dads do to enrich our lives.

Such appreciated need not come in the form of a mass-produced card. It might not even come with words. True appreciation might be as simple as a day at the beach or an afternoon of fishing together. Or sharing a game of catch.

True appreciation is whatever leads you to realize that your personal field of dreams just might be your own backyard.

Love, appreciation, and recognition of fathers’ love and sacrifice can come in any number of ways. I’ll be getting married in a year. Somewhere down the line, my fiancee and I plan to have a family of our own. And when that day comes, my greatest aspiration is to be half the dad my father is.

Thanks, Dad. And to all fathers, have a happy Father’s Day.

Happy Father's Day all. If anybody's interested I'm attaching a piece I wrote for Father's Day 2005 about what baseball means to me. If it's unwanted spam, please forgive me, but I hope you'll like it.

A Tribute to Fathers

In early April, my fiancee and I took a break from our studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to visit my family back in Greenville for a weekend.

During our time off, I persuaded my parents to join us in watching one of my favorite movies, Field of Dreams, which I watch at the beginning of each baseball season.

Halfway through the movie, I realized my parents probably had no idea why I wanted to watch this movie with them. With a less-than-spectacular performance by Kevin Costner and a plot that frequently bordered on ridiculous, their confusion was probably justified. However corny they may have found the movie to be, I wanted them, especially my dad, to see its incredible ending.

If you've seen Field of Dreams, you probably remember the final scene where Ray Kinsella (played by Costner) gets the opportunity to play catch with the ghost of his father. This simple game of catch washes away years of bitterness, heartache and estrangement between father and son.

The final scene always makes me contemplate the bond that a game of catch creates between fathers and their sons and takes me back 12 years to the summer of 1993. Easily the worst player on my Little League team, I wanted nothing more than to learn how to throw, catch and hit a baseball. My dad recognized this and, despite having little baseball knowledge, spent countless hours practicing with me in the backyard.

Our time practicing developed my skills, allowing me to play on several traveling teams over the next few years. Though I never made it to the majors, my dad's efforts made it possible for me to make friends and memories on the baseball field--friends and memories that I hold dear to this day.

However, of all the games, practices and road trips, the memories I cherish most are of playing catch with my dad in the backyard.

Fathers everywhere thanklessly give their time, energy and love, glorying in their children's every triumph and suffering in their every disappointment. Dads find meaningful ways to bond with their children. In my case, it was baseball. For others, it's Boy Scouts, music, traveling or countless other shared activities.

Still, our society is reluctant to acknowledge fathers' contributions to their children's lives. Apparently, great fathers don't translate into great news stories. The few fathers who do make headlines tend to be the abusive or delinquent ones.

Even our popular culture gives little credit to fathers. Television ads market products capable of dealing with hapless fathers' inability to manage their own lives, much less their families'.

Sitcom dads like Homer Simpson merely reinforce this stereotype. And while everybody may love Raymond, his character has served to portray fathers as incompetent.

There are many examples of the bumbling dad stereotype. Few intentionally demean fathers, but the real-world impact is that dads simply aren't recognized anymore.

However, even in a society that tells us fathers are no longer essential to healthy families, all is not lost. There's no better day than Father's Day to begin appreciating all that dads do to enrich our lives.

Such appreciated need not come in the form of a mass-produced card. It might not even come with words. True appreciation might be as simple as a day at the beach or an afternoon of fishing together. Or sharing a game of catch.
True appreciation is whatever leads you to realize that your personal field of dreams just might be your own backyard.

Love, appreciation, and recognition of fathers' love and sacrifice can come in any number of ways. I'll be getting married in a year. Somewhere down the line, my fiancee and I plan to have a family of our own. And when that day comes, my greatest aspiration is to be half the dad my father is.

Thanks, Dad. And to all fathers, have a happy Father's Day.

Greetings!

I'm a Wisconsinite who's coming to Cincinnati on business next week, and I'm hoping to catch a game (or three) at the Great American Ballpark. I was wondering if any of you fine folks might be willing to give me some recommendations on a visit to your fine ballpark. (Don't worry, I'll be rooting for the Reds.)

First, will it be a problem to get tickets on game day with Griffey's milestone homer approaching?

Second, where can I catch a good pregame meal?

Third, I'm writing ballpark reviews for my blog nohuddleoffense.blogspot.com . What are some of the fine elements your ballpark features that I don't want to miss?

For more on what I'm looking for, feel free to look here: Ballpark Tour