Wow, our trip to Arizona got off to a great start last night!  Since we are staying in Scottsdale and heard that Braun was going to be at the Scottsdale Mall promoting his t-shirt line, my wife and I thought we'd go check it out.  

We were expecting a big crowd and only hoping to get a photo from afar and possibly wait in line for an autograph.  We went inside Nordstroms and saw a table with Braun's t-shirts but no sign of any players.  Thinking we probably missed them (especially since there were very few people around), we were a bit disappointed.  Not long after, in comes Braun, Hardy, Hall, Derek Lee, Grady Sizemore, and Andre Ethier, all wearing the Remetee t-shirts!  We were first in line, and they were super nice!  We told them how we were huge Brewer fans and wished them good luck this year.  Braun signed a baseball and a baseball card we had brought, and my wife had her picture taken in between Braun and Hardy.  It was great, because there were so few people there and the players were so friendly.

Just wanted to share our experience.  We are headed to the Brewers-Giants game in Scottsdale today.  

Tonight at 8:00 CST.

Most of the regulars did not travel with the team to Surprise, so it looks those with MLB Network (and possibly FSN?) can get a good look at the battle for the final position player spots on the roster.  Lamb, McGehee, Gwynn, Nelson, and Duffy are all in the lineup.

CF Tony Gwynn Jr.
LF Chris Duffy
1B Casey McGehee
3B Bill Hall
RF Brad Nelson
DH Mike Lamb
C Mike Rivera
2B Hernan Iribarren
SS Alcides Escobar
RHP Dave Bush

My wife and I are headed to Spring Training for a mini-vacation between March 28 and April 1.  We are wondering if anyone out there has a good hotel suggestion for the Phoenix area.  We went to ST a couple years ago and stayed in a budget hotel near Maryvale, but are looking to find a deal on a little bit nicer hotel this time around, even if it is in another part of the Phoenix area.  

Thanks for any suggestions you might have!  

What would be the most preferable combination of 2B, 3B, and SS starters for the 2009 Brewers, taking both offense and defense into account? I like the idea of Gamel at 3B and Escobar at 2B ... It would add another LH bat in the lineup, and Escobar's defensive skills would offset Gamel's lack of defensive skills.  I would hate to move Hardy to 3B, only to have Gamel arrive shortly thereafter.  

That's just my opinion ... Vote for your preference in the poll! 

My wife and I are traveling to San Francisco for a mini-vacation next week.  We are going to a Yankees/A's game in Oakland and a A's/Giants game in San Francisco.  We have never been to either park before, so we are looking for suggestions.  How is parking?  Any favorite concession items?  Other things to do near the parks?  Should I be scouting Lincecum for a possible trade involving Hall?

Thanks for any ideas or suggestions!

I was surprised when I heard on the radio this morning that the Rays possessed the best record in baseball with a mere 30-20 record.  After looking at the standings, the Rays and the Diamondbacks both lead the majors at 30-20.  Conversely, the worst record in baseball belongs to Seattle at 18-33.  This a mere 12.5 game difference between the best and worst in all of baseball! 

This has to be good for the game, with so many teams still thinking they have a shot at the playoffs.  Can we thank revenue sharing for this?

How much do we need to be concerned about the Brewers' defensive performance thus far?  As has been stated in another diary, Prince's defense does not seem to help the rest of the infield's performance.

Based on the small sample size of spring training games so far, Weeks has committed 4 errors, Nunez 3, Fielder and Counsell 2 errors apiece. All other defenders have 0 or 1 error.  Will this be a liability in 2008?

Personally, I believe our overall defense will be average, with Cameron, Hardy, Hall and Hart making up for deficiencies elsewhere.  Our offense will be good enough to win games with an average defense.  

Thoughts, anyone?

As we wait for some meaningful Brewer news and notes, I find myself longing for my first trip to Miller Park of 2008.  For those of us that have been to Miller Park, are there any opinions out there on the tastiest concession options?  

As for me, I vote for a loaded nachos and a cold Leinie's.  My wife likes searching for the bakery cart and the caramel apples dipped in chocolate candy!

Ken Rosenthal writes that the Crew may still be interested in signing Pedro Feliz, and that Hall may be reluctant to move to third base after the Cameron signing.  I'm not sure how much truth there is to this, but I would not like this move.

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/7664722?CMP=OTC-K9B140813162&ATT=49