The finale today was ugly, but all in all it was a good series for the Brewers as they opened the homestand by taking two of three from Atlanta. Milwaukee will now go head's up with one of the three teams it is chasing in the NL Central, the Houston Astros. The good news is that Roy Oswalt will not appear in the three game series.
I like the steps being taken by MLB to speed up games a bit. Last evening Mark Wegner ordered Braves' catcher Brian McCann back into the batter's box after McCann had stepped out for awhile to complain about Wegner's strike zone. When McCann continued to linger outside the box, Wegner gave Jeff Suppan the green light to pitch anyway and Soup picked up a quick free strike. Umpires have been instructed to keep batters in the batter's box and make pitchers throw every 12 seconds in order to improve the pace of the game. Players on most teams have gotten into the unfortunate habit of stepping out after every pitch and readjusting every piece of equipment they can find before they step back up to the plate. The Brewers are just as guilty of that kind of stuff as anybody, and it has produced a steady stream of three- and four- hour games this season. Breaking players of those habits will not happen overnight but at least MLB is trying.
It was nice to see Wendy Selig-Prieb at the ballpark this week. I know her name, and the Selig name in general, can create an instant debate in Wisconsin, but in the big picture I don't think you have to look at anything except the magnificence of Miller Park when you judge her tenure at the helm of the Brewers. The more we visit the other new stadiums in baseball the more I like Miller Park. The roof is divine, the food is perhaps the best in the Majors, and the recent improvements have given the stadium more and more charm and personality. Wendy was the person who made it all happen, but many fans fail to give her credit because the Brewers didn't win enough when she was in charge. I won't bother to try to convince any non-believers that those were different financial times in MLB but the fact is that they were. Regardless, she and her family got something done here that they have been unable to do in Miami, Minneapolis, Washington, Cincinnati, St. Louis, New York, or practically anywhere else: She got a baseball stadium with a retractable roof built, preserving the tradition of baseball in her hometown for decades to come. For that I will always salute her.
On a related subject, I got a great email ripping me into small pieces for saying something nice about Commissioner Bud Selig on the air one day. I will publish that email and my response in the near future. That will only prompt more "fan" mail, but hey, that's the fun of a good debate, right?
The roof was open for a few innings today for the first time this season before the threat of rain made the Brewers close the lid. Sunday should be a gorgeous afternoon with temps in the 80's and a wide open Miller Park resplendent in sunshine for the first time.