BASEBALL

People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring. ~Rogers Hornsby

Well, JABers, we’ve reached the orgasmic climax of another spring training. We’ve waited 182 days (183 by Opening Day) since the Crew walked into the sunset of 2008, and in the immortal words of Salamon Torres: “You can wait no more”. There were a lot of questions going into spring training (see KP’s February defeat of Tom Oates) and the fact that only 1 issue has been settled (Bill Hall should be at 3rd on April 7) is no reason to fret. Article after article discussed the pitching staff, Rickie Weeks, new coaches, the bullpen, etc. Yes, Brewers Spring Training 2009 was as entertaining as an episode of Two And a Half Men, but did any writer honestly think we would know if Ken Macha was the right man for the job after one month against Quadruple-A teams in Arizona?

Whatever. We survived a month of mindless puff from Brewers.com to arrive at the origins of a special season. Last season was a fairytale in the most badass way. I’m somewhat removed, living in Narnia and all, but I sense that we’re all coming into 2009 with the right expectations.
If we were to ask the following individuals to reflect on the upcoming season, I’m sure it would look something like this…

The mind of Ken Macha: “We’re definitely a work in progress. Every game is going to be a battle. It’s odd, but Doug Melvin doesn’t make lineup cards or pitching changes like Mr. Beane. That’s probably a regular season thing, uh?"

Bill Hall: “We’re definitely going to make some noise in the division. Playoffs are the goal, but we’re focused on each game…each game I start.”

Jason Kendall: “This is the best I will feel for the next 6 months.”

Jeff Suppan: “It’s Holy Week!!”

Superfan Khomas Tloiber: “I understand that this team isn’t as solid as last year’s club. It’s going to be an uphill climb with that pitching rotation. We’re not going to get nearly as many Jim Rome shoutouts. Wanna go to the Buffet?”

Mike Cameron: “New York? One phone call. I could have been in NEW YORK?!”

Chuckie Oliver: “Experience was the big acquisition this offseason. I rarely celebrate or worry about spring training stats, but the offensive stats posted have been impressive. Noteworthy contributors include Corey Hart, Rickie Weeks and Prince Fielder’s HR total. The pitching staff is of some concern, but it mirrors staffs of yesteryear and pre-Sabathia…just with more experience. (Remember when Claudio Vargas had 11 wins?) It’ll be interesting to see Billy Castro’s affect on Dave Bush’s consistency problems and Looper’s transition. I see Seth McClung having a say in the success of the Brewers this year either as a starter for a significant amount of time, or in a temporary role as closer.”

In conclusion: The Brewers will find some way to captivate us all season. They NEED to take advantage of early series against the Reds and Pirates to stay in the division race early. They lack an Ace to take them to 90 wins, but 85 victories is in reach. Playoffs are a stretch, but solid baseball is more than possible.

See ya out at the yard.