All hail the Prince? Or will he renounce his throne in Miller Park & be replaced by a potential higher power? After all, 'Reyes' is Spanish for 'kings.' (image via AP)

This is a bittersweet topic for me. As I was preparing to write, I battled between (admittedly melodramatic) smiles and tears. Prince Fielder has provided Brewers fans with so many memories and traditions – thinking of the potential of future seasons without him causes a pang of emptiness.

However, the almighty dollar will be the deciding factor for Fielder. Milwaukee may not be able to afford as much as some others teams- but don’t call up the movers just yet! The Brewers Nation are collectively crossing their fingers and hoping he’ll be back to aid the team in making another run at the World Series.

Fielder is well-known around the league for his skill at the plate, and fans never got tired of seeing this pose. He has shown off his hitting power by winning the Home-Run Derby in ’09 and consistently ranking among the league leaders in home runs. But real fans of the Brew Crew see that he brings even more than that to the field.

Ryan Braun is one player that will be affected by Fielder’s decision (besides not being able to do that cool handshake  that I adore) if he leaves. The threat of Fielder warming up on deck made pitchers throw at Braun, rather than walk him. Walking Braun with Fielder on deck meant to many a bullpen that more runs would be undoubtedly scored. Braun had a career high in walks last season (58), but if Fielder leaves, statistics indicate that this number will rise due to teams looking to avoid the dynamic duo. More walks will take away from Braun’s hit opportunities – so he will have to make them count.

Another great thing about Fielder is that he’s durable. He only played under 157 games once (2005), and only then because he was just called up to the majors. He takes care of himself and is able to play through injuries – while avoiding major ones (knock on wood). Some of the best players in the league have missed games for various reasons, but Fielder just keeps on going.

Players with Fielder’s immense talent and durability are hard to find – however, the Brewers are looking.

» Continue reading “Fine, I’ll Talk About Fielder”

Was this season the end of the Fielder/Braun era for the Brewers? (via Flickr user Mike Morbeck)

The Milwaukee Brewers’ season is over. With a frustratingly tragic 12-6 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, the Cards clinched the series and NL pennant.

I could analyze all of the disappointing errors we made in the postseason (and there were a lot). I could discuss manager Ron Roenicke’s controversial decisions (Shaun Marcum as starting pitcher in Game 6? Really?). I could challenge Brewers sluggers like Prince Fielder regarding their lackluster performance against the Cards bullpen (holy strikeouts, Batman). I could list one by one every single thing the Cardinals had in their arsenal that the Brew Crew just could not beat (admittedly their bullpen was much deeper than ours).

But I am a fan, and that means I need to invoke the royal “we” for losses as well as for wins. Any fingers that are pointed at the Brewers right now should be pointed at me as well. I stand by my team. I am part of the “we” when the Brewers win, and I am part of the “we” when the Brewers lose – which, having never won a World Series, sadly happens year after year (although some years in more heartbreaking ways than others). This postseason is no different, even if tonight’s loss stings a bit more than usual. We made mistakes. We blew opportunities, we potentially made poor choices, and we let our morale sink as we fell behind run by run.

Yet, there is so much good to being a Brewers fan. There were plenty of wins that had me cheering and literally jumping for joy, shouting “WE DID IT!” On game days or after clenching important wins, I would often wear navy, gold, and white with pride- earning nods and beers from fellow members of the Brewers Nation. Feeling like a part of a ballclub so legendary who achieved so much was a gift in and of itself- especially during the postseason. So before I even consider dissecting our postseason play to highlight just where things started to go wrong, I would like to thank the Milwaukee Brewers for the things that did go right – and for letting me be a part of it all.

» Continue reading “Fan Season Is Never Really Over: Thank You, Milwaukee Brewers”

Ryan Braun believes home is where the heart -and wins- are. (photo via Flickr user eytonz)

“All we have to do is find a way to have a two game winning streak at home, which we’ve done plenty of times,” Ryan Braun said in a postgame interview following the Brewers 7-1 loss to the Cardinals last night, putting the Cards ahead in the NLCS series at 3-2. Strong words coming after a game filled with player errors and blown chances to capitalize at bat with players in scoring position.

Yet players, staff, and fans alike (including me) have unwavering faith that, even after a game marred with error against a rival team filled with talent, winning two games at Miller Park is not as daunting of a challenge as it may seem. ”I have a lot of confidence in our guys, they’re confident at home, we can win two ballgames at home,” manager Ron Roenicke said.

Yes, it’s a known fact that every team in baseball, or any sport for that matter, generally plays best on their home turf. However, Miller Park seems to have provided a special setting for the Brewers, in both regular and postseason games. During the regular season, the Brew Crew won 57 games at home, which was the best home record in MLB for the season. In the postseason, the Brewers have been 4-1 at home and 1-4 on the road. Now that it’s come down to all or nothing for the Brewers, the Crew is going to have to clean up their game from costly errors, focus on getting past the Cards’ bullpen, boost team morale, and pep up their early innings play.

Miller Park is the perfect environment for them to do just that – both the facts and the fans are solid evidence that not only will the Brewers have a Game 7 in the NLCS, but they will also soon have a Game 1- of the World Series.

» Continue reading “Brewers Believe in Miller Park Magic”

Redemption comes from unexpected places. For example, Brewers pitcher & tonight's hero, Randy Wolf. (photo from Flickr user Steve Paluch)

Tonight, the Brewers ended a postseason road game losing streak with their 4-2 win over the Cardinals – the Brew Crew’s first road postseason win since 1982.

“Overall, we played a really good game,” Roenicke said in a postgame interview. Talk about an understatement.

Even the  rally squirrel didn’t show his face at Busch Stadium. Any doubts regarding the Brewers’ ability to handle Pujols and the Cards were dismissed inning after inning by the Brew Crew.

With a slow start that was almost reminiscent of the previous game, the Brewers quickly managed to bail themselves out from a sloppy mistake, get on the board by scoring hard-earned runs, and impress both offensively and defensively to secure the win  - as well as guaranteeing them a chance to return to Miller Park for Game 6.

What made tonight so different than the last two games? It seemed as if the Brewers had more going against them than for them- an away game that was after two losses hardly seems like a morale booster. Any team, no matter how talented, may have low morale, and would have allowed the self-doubt be evident in their game. But even anyone who has seen only a few regular season games this year knows that the Brewers are not just any team.

Yet, wanting to win is not enough. So what was it that allowed the Brewers to hold off the Cards from scoring for the last five innings of the game as well as surpass a 2-0 lead by two runs after not scoring in the first three innings?

The better question is: Who made a difference tonight? Several key players brought elements to the game that together created a winning combination, literally.

» Continue reading “Brewing Elements Of A Win”

All the drama and all the excitement of the National League Division Series came down to game five. After the Brewers took the first two games of the series, they packed up and headed out west to Arizona, when the Diamondbacks slugged their way to a pair of high-scoring wins at Chase Field. The best of five series was tied at 2-2, and the teams headed back to Miller Park in  Milwaukee, where the Brew Crew, fueled by their sell-out crowd, had the advantage.

In the bottom of the first, fan favorite Ryan Braun hit a big single to get the Brewers on base, but mighty Prince Fielder struck out and left him stranded. Fielder and fans hoped for better luck at his next at bat, as with a loss, the game could have have been Fielder’s last in a Brewers uniform. But now was not the time to get sentimental.

In the second inning, “Tatman” Ryan Roberts reached first on a hit. Then, with two outs, Yovani Gallardo walked Gerardo Parra. However, Gallardo threw his way out of the jam when Dbacks pitcher Ian Kennedy came up to bat next in the lineup, and went down on a lineout to left.

The DBacks struck first on two outs in the top of the third inning, with their 10th home run of the series, launched outta there by All Star Justin Upton. It marked the first time the Dbacks held the lead at Miller Park in the series.

The Dbacks tightened their grip on the lead and managed to keep the Brew Crew quiet for one inning thereafter.

Then the clock struck bottom of four. Kennedy turned into a pumpkin. Well, sort of. The roar of the crowd picked up when Nyjer Morgan rocketed a deep double back by the wall with no outs. Morgan advanced to third as Kennedy threw a wild pitch with Braun at bat. And then Kennedy issued a base on balls to Braun. The tension was off the hook. Were the Dbacks unraveling?

But still no runs had scored. Fielder came up to bat, but flew out to the outfield. Then Weeks was hit by Kennedy’s pitch (again, this also happened in game 1), and the bases were loaded. Kennedy fell behind in the count to Jerry Hairston Jr., three balls and only one strike on a bat-breaking foul.

Then Morgan tagged up and scored easy off of Hairston’s sac fly near the first baseline. The game was tied 1-1 on the way in to the fifth inning.

» Continue reading ““Brewing Winners” NLDS Game 5 Goes To The Brewers”

The nightmare did not end for the DBacks. Photo courtesy of flickr user Hsin Ho

The Arizona Diamondbacks and the Milwaukee Brewers met again this evening at 5:07pm (Eastern Time) for the second game at Miller Park in their best-of-five series. The two teams’ right-handed pitchers were closely matched by stats for this bout, and the Dbacks came back from their loss looking to fight for their postseason lives. But in the end, it was the Brewers who bested them again. By approximately one mile.

Zack Greinke, who wears lucky number 13, was on the mound for the Brewers. In the resgular season, Greinke tossed 28 games with a WHIP (Walks + Hits / Innings Pitched) of 1.2 and an ERA (Earned Run Average) of 3.83.

Daniel Hudson started for Arizona. Hudson is a right handed pitcher, who started 33 games in the regular season with a WHIP of 1.2 and an ERA of 3.49.

Arizona started off eager with a man on base in the top of the first inning, but could not put the ingredients together to cook up a run.

Hudson’s first toss allowed Corey Hart to easily get a hit and reach first base. Then slugger Ryan Braun launched a loud tater, his first-ever in the postseason, that soared straight out to center field to put the Crew up 2-0.

In the top of the second, first baseman Paul Goldschmidt sent a high souvenir in the stands to answer back, which narrowed lessened to Crew’s lead to 2-1. Next up, Ryan Roberts hit the ball deep to right field for a double, but it came down to pitcher Hudson to put two sticks together. Hudson was effortlessly thrown out at first for the final out of the inning, and the Diamondbacks failed to ignite.

In the bottom of the third inning, after Braun reached base on a double, Prince Fielder stepped to the plate and took some initiative, in the form of an RBI single, to quickly douse Arizona’s attempt to catch up. Subsequently, Rickie Weeks hit a deep triple to centerfield that brought Fielder back home and brought the score to a more comfortable 4-1.

The DBacks woke up. Over the next two innings, Chris Young launched a solo shot, and in the top of the 5th, Justin Upton hit a dinger that brought Aaron Hill to score, and suddenly, for the first time in the series, the score was tied 4-4, and Arizona looked like they had a chance.

» Continue reading “DBacks Fail To Sink Fangs Into Crew: NLDS Game 2″

Bernie Brewer takes a ride on the slide! Photo courtesy of flickr user Barrel Man Sammy

The Brewers and the Diamondbacks started off their best-of-five National League Division Series at Miller Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at 2:07pm Eastern Time this afternoon. The teams’ two aces, Ian Kennedy and Yovani Gallardo, met up for the match.

Kennedy was coming off a six game streak and had only earned one loss since the All-Star Break. On the other hand, the Brewers had the obvious home field advantage, as their record for the regular season was 57-24 at Miller Park for 2011.

The Dbacks hurried to get a man on base in the top of the first, and with Justin Upton at bat, Arizona had a chance to score. However, when Upton singled, Willie Bloomquist darted towards home but was thrown out at home for the final out of the inning. That was the closest the DBacks got to touching home until the top of the eighth inning.

Subsequently, the Brewers had an opportunity to score early with two men on base and only one out in the bottom of the second. Yuniesky Betancourt showed up to bat, but flew out to right field.

Aaron Hill drew a walk in the top of the fourth, and Upton stepped up to the plate, with his mother cheering for him in the crowd. But Upton went down looking on the breaking pitch, and Hill was stranded on base by the end of the inning.

After three and a half quick scoreless innings for both teams, the pitcher’s duel eventually unraveled.

Leave it to big man on campus Prince Fielder to tug an offspeed pitch the other way, right in the gap past Ryan Roberts, Arizona’s third baseman. Fielder reached second base and Ryan Braun advanced to third with nobody out.

Then Ricky Weeks was hit by Kennedy’s first toss to him, and suddenly the bases were loaded, no outs. Jerry Hairston, Jr stepped into the box sent a sac fly to center field, Braun tagged up and scored for the first run of the night. Roberts made a phenomenal fielding choice when he threw Weeks out at second base for the second out to avoid setting two Brewers runners into scoring position.

In the bottom of the 5th, Kennedy started to unwind. He nailed Nyjer Morgan, and sent him walking to first. Things heated up when Braun broke his bat when he drilled Kennedy’s offering to left field. Braun trotted to first as Fielder took the plate with two outs and two on, but Fielder flew out to left field, and left the two men stranded.

In the bottom of the sixth, Betancourt launched one right to the centerfield wall for a triple, and with two outs, Jonathan Lucroy stepped into the box and dropped the ball into shallow left field for Betancourt to score the Brewers second run of the game, to bring the numbers to 2-0.

» Continue reading “The Prince And The Paupers: NLDS Game 1 Recap”

Pence hugs his teammates goodbye in the fifth inning of Friday night's game. AP Photo via blog.chron.com

Hunter Pence packed up in the middle of the Houston Astros game at Miller Park on Friday night. Houston’s All-Star hugged his teammates in their visiting dugout before he left the game in the fifth inning. He was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. It was a rough night for the ‘Stros; after the team lost their biggest bat, they fell to the Brewers, with a 4-0 loss.

Was the team affected by the sudden removal of their teammate? Definitely. The morale of the team surely took a tough blow. Houston’s center fielder Michael Bourn said:

“My concentration is always on the game, but today that was kind of hard. You just look and you’re like, ‘Man, this man just got traded in the middle of the game.’ You can’t do anything else about that, it’s just part of the game.”

Not to assume that the Astros would have won the game if only their shining star stayed in a lineup a little longer, but it always seems rough to jerk a guy from a game and send him packing- literally.

Need anyone remind you,  Hunter Pence is a guy. With all this talk about “dealing” various “prospects” and “players,” it is easy to get confused. It is easy to forget that these are people we are talking about, not just names and statistics in our fantasy leagues. People we are “trading.” These are guys with buddies, with friends, not just “teammates.” A traveling brotherhood of men who share plane rides, and hotel rooms, and breakfasts, and victories, and failures. How often during a trade do we think about the ramifications of moving a man halfway across the country at the drop of a baseball cap?

» Continue reading “Leaving On A Jet Plane …In The Middle Of The Game”

 If you ever caught a game at Miller Park in Milwaukee, I am sure you saw them: the famous Racing Sausages. They are (from left to right) Frankie Furter the hot dog, Brett Wurst the bratwurst, Guido the Italian sausage, Cinco the chorizo, and Stosh the Polish sausage. The gang stars in a lively race at every Brewers home game. Check out the complete infographic (behind the cut) for the full scoop on the sausages and some tasty trivia. » Continue reading “Miller Park Sausage Race: An Infographic”