Why I cheered Ryan Braun on Opening Day in Milwaukee

Opening Day at Miller Park has to be one of my favorite days of the year. With Ryan Braun making his return to the Brewers and Major League Baseball Monday afternoon, I expected a loud ovation for the 2011 National League MVP and got just that from the sixth largest crowd in Miller Park history. What followed, however, was the media crying foul on us fans for giving the man that will likely crush every Brewers team record once is all said and done a welcome back cheer.
The two-minute standing ovation Braun received at January's Brewers On Deck day gave every indication what was in store on Monday. I give every fan the opportunity to do what they want when they are at a game. You paid for that seat, why not?

Here's what went down:


Once that went down, every pundit chimed on on what was wrong about that scene. Deadspin has the best collection of them, here. I can't speak for everyone else, but here's why I stood up and made noise for Braun.
First and foremost, he's our guy. I said it on the Wilber's Way Twitter that night. I don't like to think we're stuck with him because the other 29 teams would probably move mountains if he was dangled as trade bait. The Brewers have locked him up until 2020 (with an option for 2021), so he will remain a Milwaukee Brewer for a very long time if the the team allows it. So long as he's not on one of those other teams, fans of those teams will continue to boo him or whatever every chance they get. They would have regardless, being the Brewers' best player. The way he produces when healthy, there's no reason to see that changing anytime soon.
Second, because he's not going anywhere, the Brewers need him to thrive in the place he plays 81 games. Why not make Miller Park his sanctuary where he knows the fans have his back? If nothing but negativity swirled around him, that would bring him and the team down and the Brewers would be forced to find somewhere that would take him. When he succeeded at a place he was wanted, the Brewers would have to look back and wonder what happened. With the fans behind him, he will want to be here, too. Being the smallest media market in the MLB can't hurt that part of it either.
Third, he's admitted his wrong. It was the worst kind of wrong an athlete can commit, but he has admitted it and that's more than most of the other guys that were involved with BioGenesis.
Sure, Braun is not on the level he once was because of the whole situation, but when he laces 'em up and takes the field in Milwaukee, fans here will continue to cheer him. I'm not going to argue morals. Braun seems to get it and wants to let his play speak for him (a 1 for 12 start isn't doing so good on that front right now) and it will the more time goes by.

2013 Brewers On Deck redeems itself to this fan

The winter after my Milwaukee Brewers won the National League Central title, I should have been ecstatic about getting back with my summer family and hitting up Brewers on Deck in 2012, but 15,000 people all seemingly not as big a fan as me totally turned me off.

The 2013 edition of Brewers On Deck may have saved the event in my eyes, however. The event still had longer lines than Six Flags with a ride that lasted just seconds watching a player sign a sheet of paper, but got me engulfed in the team I love and motivated me to write this.

After a tad of crazy bad luck both during the week and this morning, I actually went to the event by myself. Crazy, I know, but there were going to be friends there I could check in with and not be a complete loner the whole day, so it worked out OK.

Since I was shut out on the autograph front, I actually made a B-line to one of those long lines I was talking about. After two hours, I got a chance to greet and get an autograph from Carlos Gomez.





Waiting in line for the autograph actually made it easy on me to get in line for what could be the biggest surprise of the event, which is the success of these grab bags the team sells. Basically it's a bag of leftover bobbleheads from the year before. I know we all love bobbles, but I don't need another Randy Wolf, thank you. An Aramis Ramirez one, which I did not get last year, however, I will take! Make that one of the "rare" bobbles and it's an even bigger win. Add to that the 2011 commemorative DVD and a voucher for two free tickets Opening Week of the season, I'm I just found out why they are so successful. That's how you make $25 count!



After that, I pretty much lived at the Main Stage where the team had a Q & A with the newest Brewers, "Milwacky Squares," their play on Hollywood Squares, "Brewers Faceoff," a play on Family Feud and a media round table discussion with the beat reporters from the team (which in Milwaukee is about four guys). This was the one area I always thought the team did very well on throughout the years at their On Deck events. Well, that is if you don't count the inclusion with Dennis Haskins, who played Mr. Belding on Saved By the Bell eons ago.

There the storylines for Spring Training and the season were discussed. From Corey Hart's knee surgery and how Mat Gamel will fare at first base, to the revamped bullpen and the "Baby Brewers" starting rotation. I'll delve into all of them in the next couple of weeks as we get closer to pitchers and catchers reporting on February 12, but as the Journal-Sentinel's Tom Haudricourt said, "(GM) Doug Melvin and (owner) Mark Attanasio sat out here and are actually honest in saying they think those guys can get it done" in regards to the starting pitchers. I'm actually on board with the move, too, with the six guys vying for four spots heading to Maryvale ready to duke it out and earn their spot in the rotation. How that will fall, we have to see how it unfolds, but at least one is going to end up throwing out of the bullpen to start the season.

Things look promising for this team and there is flexibility if the team is in contention to make a move with a payroll under $80 million heading into the season. A good talk with my man +Brewer Nation motivated me to stay focused on this writing game and I'll try to focus on the Brewers, especially after the Super Bowl.

Be sure to click below for more of my photos from the day!

Time to hunker down on Super Bowl XLV matchups

Super Bowl media day was Tuesday and while the day itself is full of crazies, yahoos and in the case of Ines Sans, hot crazies, hot yahoos.
There is absolutely nothing anyone who follows football takes from Media Day any more, but it is the kick start to Super Bowl week. Both teams had practice today and we can start getting into the meat of breaking down the game as it nears closer.
I'm not going to get too specific just yet as I have a bit of research to do on how the Steelers will handle some things, but I do have one thing of note to talk about.
No, it's not that Clay Matthews has great hair. I actually hate long hair on guys, but something more football related.
It is actually the debate on whether Ben Roethlisberger is a good quarterback or not. I was reading some things on my friend's Facebook pages that pretty much said he was worthless. While yes, off the field, he is not the best of guys, those who are on his team turn to him for leadership and he delivers. Yes, he has a great defense around him, but you can't ignore the fact that in big games he wins. You can go all the way back to his time in college at Miami of Ohio to see him winning big games. When he got to the NFL he has done nothing but win the game. He could have faltered under the pressure, but he has shined.
Some called him a game manager. Yes, he's not real flashy. And for a 260-pound quarterback he doesn't try to be. But when he's called upon to lead a big drive, you can't ignore what he has done. Just look at the great throw to Santonio Holmes to beat the Cardinals a couple years back. You couldn't have asked for better placement of that ball and Ben put it there.
Yes, Aaron Rodgers is becoming one of the best in the league, but you cannot ignore what Ben has done on the field. He wins games. The Steelers don't win games in spite of him, they win games because of him and the defense.


I didn't get time for a Brewers On Deck post to recap my day with the Brewers (Check the photos here) but again, there was controversy. Last year it was on Corey Hart taking the Brewers to an arbitration hearing and this year it is Rickie Weeks giving the Brewers a deadline for his multi-year contract.
After reading Gord Ash's comments on Tom Haudricourt's JS Brewers blog, it is being downplayed because that is the deadline the team had anyhow, but it is a bit significant. The way things sound they are so far apart it looks rather certain a deal won't get done, as Weeks submitted a number over $7 million for his arby hearing and the Brewers had one over $4.5 million.
The only difference from last year's deal with Corey Hart is that Weeks is coming off his best year as a pro and seems to deserve the money. I remember thinking Corey was dumb for taking it to a trial, but he ended up winning and then having a career year on top of it. Weeks seems set to go down the same path with his free agency looming.
If I were the Brewers, I'd swallow a little pride and get this deal done NOW. They cannot afford to lose him to free agency having just traded the prospect at the position away to bring in pitching. Rickie needs to be in the core of this team and deserves the payday.

Now to the Nussie Hunter portion of the broadcast of today's show. AskMen.com released it's list of 99 Most Desirable women Tuesday with Blake Lively being now at the top spot. I was unsure of the decision, but after checking up on her a bit closer, it may be a good call for a up and coming star. Here's some samples on top of the one below.

Should be a great time at On Deck this weekend in Brew Town

Last year was my first year going to the Brewers On Deck event and I must say it is probably one of the best times I had being around the team. Yes, I know I've been to a ton of games and have even met some of the guys out and about in Milwaukee, but in January, when I am hankering for anything Brewers more than probably any other time of year (Especially this year with the way the Bears season ended), this surely is a great time to engulf myself in the Brewers.
Last year I met and got autographs from Casey McGehee, Randy Wolf and John Axford, pre-mustache. This year, I'm already starting to plot out my plan of attack on getting some of the stars of the team. The schedule is on Brewers.com and I've come up with this...
Rickie Weeks is signing on Stage 2 from 11:30-12:15 for $10
Shaun Marcum is on stage 4 from 2-2:45 for $10
Jonathon Lucroy is free on stage 5 from 2:30-3:15
Chris Narveson is on stage 1 from 3:30-4:15 for $10
John Axford is on Stage 5 from 3:45-4:30 for $10
Of course, all of this relies on when I get in for Bob Uecker, Robin Yount, Ryan Braun, Corey Hart and Zack Greinke in the $25 auction. If I can get in for one of those guys it would change my outlook on the others, but I have one chance to get one of those five and they only draw 250 tickets for each of those five, so pickings are quite slim. I just have to hope.


I wrote an Examiner.com piece on why you should go and you should. Check the link, here.
The Brewers have also sent out word there is an official Hashtag for the event. Be sure to use #BrewersOnDeck when mentioning the event on Twitter. Here's the widget. You can also follow the same Tweets on Brewers.com.




OK, time to get right into the Nussie Hunter portion of the show today. My boys at Guyism.com have done it again and as DC Scrap, the editor of the site says, Camilla Belle has a ridiculous stomach. Check it out below, then give a look at more here if you like.

Brewers On Deck place to be in Brew Town Sunday

Just posted on Examiner.com my story on why you should go to Brewers On Deck this weekend.
Check the link below. I'll have more in a blog post here, in a few minutes.
BREWERS ON DECK PLACE TO BE SUNDAY IN MILWAUKEE

Trevor says goodbye and On Deck is announced

The Brewers announced the attendees of the On Deck event, set for Jan. 30 at the Frontier Airlines Center in downtown Milwaukee.
I have a story on Examiner.com, that is currently featured on the front page of the Milwaukee site.
Be sure to check out who will be and who won't be there. I already have tickets and am kind of upset Prince will not be on hand, but Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum will be in the house.
Check the link, here to see the story.


I was a bit saddend to see it finally happen this week that Trevor Hoffman announced he is retiring from baseball. He was well appreciated in Milwaukee the last two years where he earned 47 of his 601 saves, including No. 600.
Be sure to check out my story here on saying farewell to a legend.

Brewers On Deck delivers for us baseball nerds

Yes folks, Wilber's Way got to meet our favorite Brewers player yesterday. The smile only came off when I came to work today. But only briefly! I'd say my first trip to Brewers fanfest was awesome.  A little bit more of a hurry up and weight style event than I'd prefer, but hey, it was good to see the guys and see over 10,683 of my friends. Haha.


But really, Casey McGhee was the final player left in the building but was still a great guy. He stayed and took pics with everyone that asked, including me. Was all smiles too, which made it better. I know some of us fans can be a bit much sometimes, but hey, the guys hung with it for the day.
Of course the day started with a visit to the Jody Gerut stage. Had to say hi to the guy I literally cursed at every time he stepped to the plate. I was nice, he may be a cool guy but he sucks at baseball. R.J., however made sure to give a line of the day candidate "I wouldn't have been in this line in July." Bahahaha!


Yes I ran into my adoptive parents because they are big-time Brewers fans. Shared some laughs and hit up the Doug Davis press conference. That is where Doug Melvin delivered two great lines.
With Davis answering a question on whether or not he felt a return trip to Milwaukee said. "I know they were looking for a lefty in 2008 and I was close." Which led Melving to jump up to the mic and say "I got one." Well, yes he did. That wasn't the quote of the presser though. Melvin was dealing nothing but praise toward Davis so one of the reporters asked, "If you are so hi on Doug, why did you trade him?" Melvin's response "I've been known to make some bad trades. Look at Johnny Estrada." Hahahahaha. The whole crowd watching got a chuckle. Good stuff Dougy!
I will also add, that since V is above (You may remember him from such blogs as Vaughan's Way! Haha), he got to meet one of his favorite people in the world in bench coach and former NY Yankee Willie Randolph. I could tell he was moved by it and that is awesome. Happy for you buddy!

The lines at this thing were a little ridiculous as I mentioned, but I did manage to get a few autographs. Randy Wolf, Casey McGehee, Jody Gerut, Josh Butler, and of course Mitch Stetter and John Axford. Had to say hit to the guys. I'm planning some framed display for Wolf, McGehee and Stetter's cards. Should be up in the next couple weeks!


There was not a line, however by where the Diamond Dancers were hanging out early in the day. So we went over and said hi and got a poster and a photo. Have to say in the massiveness of Miller Park they get drowned out, but they're pretty cool.


The Nussie Hunter would like to apologize. First, it was discovered that Miss Wisconsin, Kristina Smaby, is on the Diamond Dancers. Well, we couldn't find a photo worthy enough for this space. Apologies. So we went with a Dancing with the Stars hottie. She's actually a former Man Show Juggies dancer and has posed for Playboy a couple times. I give you Joanna Krupa!