December 2008 - Posts

• Are The Milwaukee Bucks Really Ready To Rise?

  Posted Dec 21 2008, 07:59 PM by TheRealBrewersGM

  Coming into the year, the tag-line for the Milwaukee Bucks was Ready to Rise. After putting together their best performance of the year on Saturday night by destroying the L.A. Clippers, the marketing team may be on to something.

  The Bucks have won four of their last five games and should have won the fifth except for a fourth quarter meltdown against the 76ers. The average margin of victory in the four wins is 22.5 points. Simply put, the Bucks are blowing out the competition.

  Naysayers might say that the Pacers, Heat, Knicks and Clippers aren't exactly stiff competition and they would be right. However, Bucks fans realize that these are the types of games that the Bucks would have lost in years past.

  Michael Redd is healthy and it finally seems he has bought into the notion that he doesn't need to be the only option on offense. Redd is averaging 18.9 points a game, the lowest total in his career as a starter. He has bought into Scott Skiles' system and is moving the ball and making the extra pass to the open man.

  Richard Jefferson has come in to Milwaukee and done an outstanding job. He held the team together when Redd and other Bucks missed time due to injuries. He and Redd are turning into a very nice 1-2 punch.

  Luke Ridnour and Ramon Sessions are providing great play at the point guard position. I was quite skeptical about Ridnour to start the year but he seems to be flourishing with Skiles as head coach. He is leading the Bucks in assists and steals while scoring in double digits as well. Sessions constantly seems to be a spark plug off the bench and good things happen when he is in the game.

  Although the Bucks are still three games under .500, the Bucks are starting to win on the road and showing a complete game at home as well. Six of their next nine games will be played at the Bradley Center, so they have a real shot at getting to .500 or over.

  The Bucks have developed quickly under Scott Skiles and made it through a very difficult point of their schedule. The New Year should bring plenty of wins for the Bucks and hopefully a playoff appearance as well.
  Filed under: Milwaukee Bucks, Michael Redd, Ramon Sessions, Luke Ridnour, Richard Jefferson

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• Ryan Braun Will Play For Team USA in WBC

  Posted Dec 19 2008, 11:23 PM by TheRealBrewersGM

  Ryan Braun will represent Team USA in the upcoming World Baseball Classic, slated to take place in March. The WBC will serve as the second big stage for Ryan Braun to show his talents in six months. Braun was a major factor in the Brewers making the playoffs for the first time in 26 years in 2008.

  Braun, who still has less than two years of big league experience, has already cemented his place among the best players in the game. Braun already has 71 career home runs despite playing in only 264 games.

  Braun won the National League Rookie of the Year award in 2007 and followed that up by finishing third in the 2008 National League MVP voting. Despite struggling with a rib injury for the final six weeks of the season, Braun finished with 83 extra base hits, including 37 home runs.

  Braun should fit in nicely on such a grand stage like the World Baseball Classic. He loves the big, pressure-filled moments and there is currently no bigger platform for worldwide baseball right now than the WBC.
  

  Braun may not be the only Brewers player that will play in the WBC. Pitcher Yovani Gallardo has been lobbying to pitch for Team Mexico. JJ Hardy's name has also come up as a potential member of Team USA. The Brewers top draft pick in the 2008 draft, Brett Lawrie, played for Team Canada in the Olympics and is expected to play in the WBC as well.

  Ryan Braun is already hailed as a baseball hero in Milwaukee and has turned into one of the hottest young stars in the game. Success in the WBC would vault Braun into the national spotlight and make him a household name and one of the biggest stars in the game.

   

  Filed under: Milwaukee Brewers, Ryan Braun, Yovani Gallardo, JJ Hardy

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• Bucks Feel The Love in Philly and Give The 76ers an Early Christmas Gift

  Posted Dec 17 2008, 09:30 PM by TheRealBrewersGM

  The Milwaukee Bucks were well on their way to picking up a great road victory in Philadelphia on Wednesday night...until the fourth quarter rolled around. The Bucks watched their six point lead entering the final quarter disappear by shooting 2/18 and the 76ers stole the games from the Bucks, 93-88.

  Michael Redd and Andrew Bogut each scored six points and neither was anywhere to be found down the stretch. Luke Ridnour and Charlie Bell led the Bucks with 14 points a piece.

  The Bucks looked great in the first half. They continued to play solid defense, forced a lot of turnovers and made the extra pass on the offensive end. Now, they just need to continue with all the positives and finish teams when they have them down.

  I was quite impressed with the way Michael Redd made the extra pass several times. It gives me hope of Redd becoming a more complete player. I think he now understands that he has enough talent around him that he doesn't need to be the focal point of the offense. His shooting was lackluster but so was the rest of the team's.

  Andrew Bogut needs to assert himself better against teams without a dominant big man. Samuel Dalembert is a solid defender but Bogut should be teaching lessons on him all game long. Six points and eight rebounds against an undersized team like Philadelphia is just pathetic for someone with the skills set of Bogut.

  The Bucks will look to bounce back on Friday night when they face the Knicks at the Bradley Center.

  Filed under: Milwaukee Bucks, Michael Redd, Charlie Bell, Andrew Bogut, Luke Ridnour

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• No Reason to Panic Brewers Fans

  Posted Dec 12 2008, 08:15 AM by TheRealBrewersGM

  I realize that in Major League Baseball a team can go for the outhouse to the penthouse and back to the outhouse in a matter of moments. Right now, fans of the Milwaukee Brewers are acting like the outhouse is living in luxury.

  CC Sabathia was undoubtedly the biggest prize in free agency in recent memory and the Yankees did a great job at doing what it took to get him. It is quite clear that Sabathia wanted no part of playing in New York but once the Yankees threw in a seventh year and 20 million more dollars, no one could have turned that down. And if you say you would, you're a liar.

  It also appears that the Brewers are going to trade Mike Cameron to the Yankees for Melky Cabrera. Many fans view this as the team throwing in the towel for the 2009 season. I want to take this time to talk those fans down from the ledge at let you know things are going to be just fine.

  I woke up this morning and checked my calendar. It read December 12. I then when to the Brewers website and checked when Opening Day 2009 is. The Brewers start their 2009 campaign in San Francisco on April 7. That is just under four months away. Four months is literally a lifetime in Major League Baseball for a team to make improvements.

  The thing that people tend to forget is just how talented this Milwaukee Brewers team is. In 2006, with no CC Sabathia, Mike Cameron or Yovani Gallardo, the Brewers jumped out to the best record in baseball and all of the game was buzzing over the young talent in Milwaukee.

  Last season, the Brewers stayed afloat while Cameron was suspended for the first 25 games and CC didn't come to town until July. We also only got 24 innings out of Yovani for the entire year.

  The point is that the Milwaukee Brewers as they are currently structured are a very talented group of players. There will be no Ned Yost in 2009, to have a September collapse. Ken Macha made it clear at his initial press conference that if a player isn't producing, he will be spending a lot of time getting to know the Brewers' bench.

  Also, don't think for a minute that General Manager Doug Melvin isn't going to sit on his hands all winter. Reports have already come out of Melvin stating his interest in Randy Johnson, Jamie Moyer, John Smoltz and Randy Wolf. Any of those four pitchers would do wonders for the 2009 rotation. I think a motivated Randy Johnson could be the most dangerous out of the four, but Randy Wolf is the "safe" investment for multiple years.

  The core of the Brewers is young and only going to get better. Ryan Braun was dealing with nagging injuries the last six weeks of the season. Imagine the numbers he can put up in 2009, if he's healthy for the entire season. Braun is a sure-fire MVP candidate and one of the best players in all of baseball.

  Prince Fielder is now at the point in his career where he is playing for a year-to-year contract. A motivated Prince with something to prove is a very scary proposition for the rest of the National League. I don't see any reason why Prince won't smash 40 home runs in 2009.

  JJ Hardy has surprised everyone. There isn't one person I know that envisioned Hardy being the power threat he has become. 50 home runs in two years for a shortstop are outstanding and there is no reason he can't repeat the success he's had the last couple of years.

  Corey Hart is talented enough to be an All-Star as he proved last year. A horrendous second half and playoff series against the Phillies really brought down a ton of criticism on Hart. He is still a solid defender and a season of 25 homers and steals is a legitimate stat line for Hart.

  Yovani Gallardo and Manny Parra may be the two most important pieces to any success that the Brewers have in 2009. The young guns will have a ton of pressure on them by fans to "replace" Sabathia and Sheets. There is no reason for them to even try and do that. All they need to do is continue progressing into very solid top of the rotation pitchers and the numbers will take care of themselves.

  Although the talent on this team is young in terms of their ages, they all have had significant time spent in the Majors. They are now veterans and will be expected to play like it.

  They all know what it feels like to play in a pennant race and have the experience of playing the Phillies in the playoffs. An addition of one or two more veteran arms and there is no reason the Brewers can't be right in the thick of the playoff hunt again in 2009.

  Filed under: Milwaukee Brewers, Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder, Corey Hart, Yovani Gallardo, JJ Hardy, Manny Parra, Doug Melvin, Ken Macha

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• Good-bye CC and what to do next

  Posted Dec 10 2008, 11:46 AM by TheRealBrewersGM

  So the CC Sabathia sweepstakes has come to an end and the New York Yankees were the winners. Actually, CC was the winner. I'm still convinced he wasn't thrilled about pitching in New York and made sure the Yankees' organization knew that so they would sweeten the pot for him. CC got a seventh year, $20 million extra dollars and most importantly, an opt-out clause after the third year.

  CC will make $69 million the next three years and still only be 31 when he can leave New York and have a second chance at going home. At that time, Barry Zito will have two years left on his current deal with the Giants. I think CC ends up pitching in San Francisco after all to pitch close to home, just like he wanted all along.

  I'm sad to see Sabathia leave but I hold no grudges against him for signing with the Yankees. He got everything he wanted out of the Yankees and more. I thank him for the memories he provided me and countless Brewers' fans. I only hope that if the Yankees do make the playoffs that he pitches better than he did for either the Indians or Brewers. If he doesn't, he has no idea what lies in store for him with the New York media and fan base.

  It also sounds that the Brewers are on the verge of losing Ben Sheets too, possible even to the Yankees as well. The Yankees signing Sheets would be a terrible scenario for the Brewers because we would only get one first round draft pick from the Yankees. I still think the Brewers should talk to Sheets and see what his asking price would be for a two or three year deal.

  Now that CC has signed, things should start to pick up for Doug Melvin and the Brewers. Signing two starters would be great but I think they can get by with signing one quality starter for Spring Training and then maybe make a trade later in the year if they are still in contention. Here are my thoughts and ideas of what Melvin should do:

  First off, I trade Mike Cameron to the Yankees for Ian Kennedy and Melky Cabrera or whatever package might be out there for Cameron. Trading Cameron will take his $10 million salary for 2009, off the books and give Melvin a bit more flexibility to work with free agents and other trading partners.

  Next, I sign Adam Dunn and moved either Corey Hart or Ryan Braun to centerfield. I would think Dunn could be had for about $12 million a year. He will provide another left-handed bat that Melvin has been looking for. The defense will no doubt suffer without Cameron but I think our offense would prove to be one of the best in all of baseball.

  We obviously need to find a quality starter and there are still a few out there on the free agent market. I'm a fan of Brad Penny and would love to see Melvin throw a one-year contract at Penny for maybe around $6-8 million. If that fell through, Randy Johnson is out there and I have read numerous reports that the Brewers have interest in the Big Unit. Although the rotation will never look as good as it did last year with CC and Sheeter, a rotation of Gallardo, Penny, Parra, Bush and Suppan is capable of competing in the NL Central. And if need be, Mark Attanasio has shown he will spend extra cash on a pitcher to put the team over the top.

  There have also been reports of Melvin looking for a closer. Brian Fuentes, Trevor Hoffman, George Sherrill and JJ Putz have all been linked to the Brewers at one time or another. I'm not a huge fan of Fuentes or Sherrill simply because I don't like the match-up of having a left-handed closer on teams. Both Hoffman and Putz slipped up last year and saw a downturn in the number of saves each had. Hoffman might be worth a one-year gamble much like Melvin did with Eric Gagne. Thinks can't go any worse with Hoffman than they did with Gagne, right? Putz scares me a bit. I'm guessing Jack Z. would want one of our young bats and I just don't want to give up Hardy, Hart or Fielder for a closer.

  I still would like to see Seth McClung get a chance to be the closer for the Brewers next year. McClung was clutch for the team down the stretch last year. McClung went 1-1 with a 1.10 ERA in 16.1 innings, giving up only two earned runs for the Crew in September. He struck out 17 and walked only nine. Why not give McClung the first few months to see if he's capable of handling the job? If he can't, you have Jorge Julio as an option and Melvin could then make a trade for a closer if need be.

  Doug Melvin definitely has his work cut out for him now that he lost out on CC Sabathia. Luckily, he still has enough to work with that he can keep the Milwaukee Brewers at or near the top of the NL Central in 2009. Get to work, Doug!!

  Filed under: Milwaukee Brewers, Ben Sheets, CC Sabathia, Doug Melvin, Mike Cameron

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