Predicting the 2014 Milwaukee Brewers

Every team in Major League Baseball has hope this time of year as Spring Training breaks and Opening Day is just around the corner. For Milwaukee's Brewers those hopes are tied to three main things. Those three things are simple. Firsts, it's the performance of Ryan Braun. Second, the overall health of the team, and finally the depth of their starting rotation. If things come out right in all three of those areas, the Brewers could be in the hunt for one of the two National League Wild Card spots and finish the season with 85 wins.

Let's first look at Ryan Braun. Back in January, I wrote that the Brewers needed Braun to be what the back of his baseball card says he is. Looking at the team that has come north from Maryvale Baseball Park, this couldn't be more true. If you read some of the projections in the fantasy baseball circles many are calling for Braun to be a shell of the player he was before last season when he missed 101 games between injury and suspension. I can't see that happening and his spring numbers show that. He hit a home run off the second pitch he saw this spring. he is motivated and primed to carry the team again. 

The key to him being able to do that is the second part of what will make the team successful: health. Last year from Braun, to Aramis Ramirez, Corey Hart, Rickie Weeks and Carlos Gomez the Brewers had key parts missing lots of time and it showed with what the team did on the field. This season, Hart is gone and Weeks is in a platoon, so they are not as big of a part of this team. The others, however, are back in town and need to have solid years if the Brewers want to be impact players in the National League Central. Ramirez has looked like his old self in spring and has gotten over his knee injury from a year ago. Just like last year, though, it could come out of nowhere. For Gomez, he plays with such wreckless abandon, an injury is not out of the question every time he make a catch at the wall or a diving play in center field. 

Onto the starting pitching, where on paper, it would appear the Brewers have assembled one of their best staffs in recent memory outside of the 2011 team that won the NL Central. Yovani Gallardo will start Opening Day with Kyle Lohse and Matt Garza to follow, then Wily Peralta and Marco Estrada will round out the starting five. Lohse and Garza have shown flashes that they could be aces over the course of the last season while the youngsters in Peralta and Estrada will need to find consistency this season to cement their spots on the Brewers rotation. 

Some publications have had the Brewers finishing fourth in the division again and I could see that if things hold pat from last season when the the Cardinals, Reds and Pirates all made the postseason. Milwaukee does have the potential to push through and mix things up a bit. The first six weeks of the season could be telling with a hearty helping of intra-division games on the slate that could set things up for who will be in it in June and July. Last season, the Brewers stumbled in May going 6-22. To end the season eight games under .500, the team cannot afford to have that big of a set back if playoffs are going to be a possibility. 

PREDICTION

With the pieces the Brewers have this season and the chip on Braun's shoulder, this team can compete for a Wild Card spot and be 85-77 this season. Braun will have 35 homers and be in the MVP discussion. 

Top five Brewers storylines entering spring training

As the calendar turns to February today, it's serious time to start thinking about Spring Training. The Brewers don't report until February 15, but things are already building as to five key storylines to follow when the Brew Crew gets into Marvale Baseball Park outside Phoenix.

Topping the list of what to watch for is Ryan Braun. Simply, how will he respond to his lowest year as a pro and probably person? On top of the suspension that forced him to miss the final 65 games of the 2013 season, Braun battled injuries and missed almost 40 more games. As I wrote last month, it will be interesting to see how Braun responds to being back this season. Any offense the team missed last season can be addressed with a healthy Braun in the middle of the lineup. Things are going to get dicey on the road this season when opposing fans let Braun hear it.

Are the Brewers asking Braun to deliver MVP caliber numbers? Simply, no. They are just looking for production in line with the back of his baseball card. That would be in the area of about a .312 batting average with 36 home runs and 112 RBI.

Braun won't need to do too much if the first base position, No. 2 on my list of Brewers storylines to watch, delivers more than it did in 2013. First, the Mark Reynolds signing, then the return of Lyle Overbay, have shown that the organization realizes it's a need, but doesn't mean it will be a shining star this season. 

The team was banking on Corey Hart sticking around, and his absence will create a mix and match solution for the short term 

The third story to watch is the Rickie Weeks riddle. What will the Brewers do with him in spring training. These things have a way of working themselves out, but the Brewers have basically hinted they plan to trade Weeks and start with the season with Scooter Gennett at second base. An $11 million guy in a platoon seems a bit much for the Brewers to handle and they would probably like to pawn off some of that salary, but would need to open up the spot fo Gennett, if he delivers in Spring Training, too. 

Pitching seems to always be a need no matter the team and the signing of Matt Garza makes it less of one for the Brewers. The bullpen, however, does have plenty of unanswered questions. Most of those revolve around roles for those who will spend their time in front of Friday's Front Row Sports Grill at Miller Park. Jim Henderson is slated to start the season as closer, but the signing of Garza has bumped Tyler Thornburg to the bullpen as a possible set up man, along with the newly acquired Will Smith from the Royals in the Nori Aoki trade. Brandon Kintzler's name has been mentioned as a setup man, as he came through in that role at the end of last season. Rob Wooten saw time and shined last year, as well, so he should be back. Beyond those names, things are open for discussion. Do the Brewers take a look at Francisco Rodriguez once again (He is available)? Does a non-roster invitee like Zach Duke make the team?

How that plays out will likely decide the No. 5 storyline of the spring. What does the future hold for manager Ron Roenicke in Milwaukee? As I wrote this week, whispers are circling that if things don't end well this season for the Crew, Running Ron, the Brewers could part ways with him. Now I don't see that happening, barring a complete collapse, but that won't stop people from talking. Roenicke has shown at times he thinks way outside the box with his stealing of bases and bunt calls from guys who should not give up an at-bat, but those are marginal things. As a whole, he has not lost the clubhouse at all in his time here. The last two seasons, the team could have cashed out on the season and they came back to finish strong. That's a sign of something that should mean he sticks around for at least another year.

A couple others worth mentioning that just missed the list...

How do Jean Segura and Carlos Gomez follow up their breakout 2013 seasons?

Can Aramis Ramirez avoid a major injury this season and be a factor at the plate?

Will Jim Henderson, who had not closed Major League games before, be able to back up his 2013?

Can Kris Davis make it as an every day left fielder?

How will Ryan Braun fare in right field?

Who will hit leadoff?

Brewers unveil Corey Hart bobblehead

Did somebody say bobblehead? Oh baby! This year of the bobblehead thing has got me even more excited about the upcoming season. Just think, every two weeks Sunday Funday at the ballpark will include a bobblehead giveaway at Miller Park!

Today the Brewers released the Corey Hart bobblehead. It's a little different than the one released a few years ago. This one, the Brewers say, is to honor the 100-year anniversary of the Minor League Brewers first American Association championship, and will be given out May 5.

Early reviews of the bobble are that it looks nothing like Corey. Well, this isn't the first time and it probably won't be the last a bobblehead looked nothing like the person it was representing. Some have noted the tattoos are missing. Well, they're kind of ugly anyhow. Plus, this bobble looks healthy and Corey will not be active when this day comes after his knee surgery last week. That said, it's a different idea to have a player in this uniform. How many times could they have a player that's been with the team longer than anyone in the current uniform and still have people interested in it? I get it. It should be fun.

Bobblehead days have always been a great way to have a draw for the team. When the Brewers announced they were going to have 10 bobblehead giveaways I figured they would have some weekday giveaways to help draw attendance. I know they lost millions last year with payroll and regardless of when these days were scheduled it would draw gate revenue. Sunday is not a hard day to draw until September so a weekday would make sense.

Here is the full schedule of bobbles from Brewers.com and below are the first two released bobbleheads. Pretty sweet!


The Nori Aoki bobblehead giveaway is set for April 7 (yes the first weekend of the season) when the Diamondbacks are in town. This is a great likeness to Nori and maybe one of the closest ones to a player in along time.


The George Scott bobble will be given away April 21 in a game against the Cubs. I love the gold gloves and his gold chain. Totally late 70s and early 80s.

Move to first base great for Hart, Brewers

For a team well out of playoff contention, there has been a lot of off-the-field Brewers news this week. The latest being Randy Wolf's dismissal this morning, but that wasn't the biggest news to hit Brewers Nation, at least to this citizen. That news came in the form of Corey Hart advising his agent to inform the Brewers he was up to a permanent move to first base to help with contract negotiations.

As Adam McCalvy wrote on Brewers.com Tuesday night, the move for Hart is both for him on the field and for his family, who like it in town. As for Hart at first base, manager Ron Roenicke has already gone on record saying he wants Hart to stay at first beyond this season. With his contract running through the 2013 season, an extension could be in the talks and that is what Hart is hoping for.

The question then becomes would an extension make sense for the Brewers? Beyond being Ryan Braun's best friend on the team (that may play a part, as keeping the cornerstone of the franchise happy is important), Hart has excelled moving back to the position he was drafted at out of high school in 2000. He has played 71 games at first base this season and 51 in right field, but the numbers aren't much different beyond that. Moving positions hasn't hurt his batting average (he's actually hitting 10 points higher when he plays first), in fact since settling in it has gone up as he's hitting .297 since the All-Star Break and he has taken the time to focus on the defense which has shown as he has been stellar in that regard.

The move to first would also free up a regular spot for Norchika Aoki to start in right field and open the door for Carlos Gomez to cement his spot as the every day starter in center, or at least keep a platoon roll going. Despite Mat Gamel doing everything right up until he got injured in that freak accident in San Diego, Hart has played well enough to bump him from the spot at first meaning Gamel is left in a utility infielder role. With the injuries piling up early in the season, it wouldn't be a bad idea to have a backup plan on standby.

Maybe the biggest question of the whole discussion would be whether Hart deserves Andre Ethier money. According to Baseball Reference, Ethier is signed through 2017 after signing a 6-year $95.95 million deal with a $17.5 million vesting option for 2018. The numbers are similar for both in terms of first basemen. Now, Hart is not in line to get Prince Fielder numbers, but it wouldn't be out of the question to see Hart get a similar deal to Ethier. What Hart is behind in 10 points in batting average, he makes up for in RBIs and home runs when comparing the two. As a guy hitting in the No. 5 spot in the Brewers lineup, those are numbers you'd like him to continue to hold where he has over the last couple years. Whether or not the Brewers could afford that price is another thing. With Braun's salary continuing to rise and Yovani Gallardo's climbing salary as part of his extension might make it tough.

If anyone is going to stand on top of a mountain and welcome Hart to Milwaukee for the long term it is going to be me. At the end of the day, it comes down to how much Mark Attanasio wants to open up the check book and pay the home grown core General Manager Doug Melvin has built with this team.

Brewers can turn corner on this roadtrip

About the time the Brewers started the season 0-4 many of the naysayers or "nonbelievers" out there figured they could cash out on the season after just five days.
Well, the Reds did win the NL Central last season and are a damn good team, so those of us that know baseball and know you can't get too up or down hung around for a full week of baseball and now have a 5-5 team on our hands with things looking to get better on this nine-game road trip to the East coast.
The Brewers showed what they were made of coming back to Miller Park and going 5-2 against the Braves and Cubs. Now it's time for the Pirates and Nationals before heading to Philly to trade body blows with the Phillies.
What the Brewers showed during the homestand was what most people that know the team figured they'd show. Yovanni Gallardo was great in getting the first win of the season and so-so Sunday as Casey McGehee belted a home run in the eighth to down the Cubs. Shaun Marcum showed improvement and should keep getting better when the rain ends and he takes the hill Wednesday in Pittsburgh. And let's not forget Chris Narveson who could show he belongs with the Zack Greinke's, Gallardo's and Marcum's with his not allowing a run in 13 innings thus far without allowing a run. And that's just the starting pitching.
Prince finally hit a homer, Ryan Braun is hitting the long ball and in bunches and for the first time I can remember both seem to be absolutely hot at the plate right now. With both of them grooving together, the Brewers are almost untouchable. Yes, they need guys on in front of them and with Rickie Weeks off to the start he is off to and either Nyjer Morgan or Carlos Gomez doing just enough in the No. 2 slot, runners were finally on when they went yard over the weekend against the Cubs and it paid off.
During the homestand, the Brewers played the type of baseball most of us expected them to play. Well, everyone but Randy Wolf, but let's not get too greedy here, people. And to think they will be getting Jonathan Lucroy back tomorrow night and Manny Parra and LaTroy Hawkins should be joining the team in the coming days in the bullpen. Then, attention can turn to the "Big Two" on the DL in Corey Hart and Zack Greinke who are both at least two weeks away from returning to the big league club.
Until then, getting to maybe a couple games above .500 would be where to expect this team to be and put themselves in a spot to rattle off some wins and make the move they have to in order to challenge the Reds for the division. At least, that's what I see them being capable of.
For those that had written them off after four games, fans like that aren't really fans at all. They look for a reason and an excuse to jump ship and just seem way too negative. Will the Brewers lose four games in a row again this season? Probably. But they'll also win four games in a row a couple times, too, so you're not supposed to get too high or low.
This team now is pretty good and when the pieces all return, will be one of the top teams in the NL both offensively and with pitching.


I didn't have a chance to catch Monday Night Raw last night, but Twitter caught fire last night when Adam "Edge" Copeland announced his retirement due to the pain he's been struggling with in his neck. He leaves as the World Heavyweight Champion and the WWE Superstar who has held the most titles in the history of the company.
Those are the on-paper accolades, but the man was more than just titles. As he mentions in the video, he was part of some great moments. If you know me, you know I am pretty partial to John Cena, but real recognizes real and it was great to watch John and Edge go at it week after week a few years back. The two played great off one another and brought out the best in each other in the ring and on the mic. It was so fun to watch.
The defining moment for Edge, though, is his ability in the ladder match. No one man redefined one match in the last 10 years. He was just so creative in how to use the ladder.
It is sad to see him leave the sport (yes sport), but it's good to know his name lives on and legacy will be felt for a long time.

Now to the Nussie Hunter portion of the broadcast. If you haven't seen the trailer for the new Fast and Furious movie, "Fast Five", you're missing out. It is the first movie I'm looking forward to this spring and summer and looks to be great. Of course it's great to see the boys kick ass and drive great cars, but Jordana Brewster steals the show. She will be on the cover of the May issue of Maxim, which should be great. Be sure to check out the full gallery, here. Below is a sample. You're welcome!

Greinke injury adds salt on Brewers injury news

I was actually planning on writing something today on how injuries have been the only news coming out of Brewers Spring Training in Maryvale when I was in my car and heard Zack Greinke would miss 2-4 more weeks with a fractured rib.
That news, first broke by the Journal-Sentinel's Tom Haudricourt, adds a bit of insult to injury, literally. I know it's still early and the odds all five starters would make it through the entire season without a minor DL stint from any of them would not happen, but to start the season with all this drama, puts the team behind the eight ball so to speak.
Maybe it's the fact Greinke was hurt playing in a pickup basketball game and it has me a bit miffed about the whole ordeal. There's nothing wrong with a guy playing other sports and basketball is a good one to work on endurance. But how he described his games and someone telling him he was going to get hurt, is not a good sign.
As Jaymes Langrehr wrote over on his The Brewers Bar blog, this isn't something to get too worked up over. I see what he's saying. He's not missing the season or an extended period of time. That could be true if this doesn't linger around. The team and the training staff knew of the injury and let him play with it. His control in his two spring starts were far from Greinke's norm. We at least have that in hindsight. But he cannot rush back and has to heed the advice from the doctors at all turns to tread lightly. For the first time in his career he is playing on a team with extremely high expectations. He has made it clear he is a firey competitor and wants to be a part of things. But those expectations are nothing without him. At least, they're not as high without him. He is the Ace of Spades so to speak and will lead the staff when he gets healthy.
As I said, I was planning on writing an injury post today before this news came out and the biggest news after Greinke is Corey Hart. He can't even turn when fielding balls in the outfield, so it's time to keep him shut down for a while. I'm not worried about him so much as Greinke. Yes, he needs at bats, but he doesn't need extended time to build himself up to get his timing down at the plate. He can get 10 at-bats in a day on the Minor League side of the Spring Training complex in Maryvale and be fine. He is still on track to start Opening Day in Cincy.
With Mark Rogers, one of the likely candidates to make fill-in appearances in Greinke's absence at the start of the season also shut down with an injury, the pieces are already falling out of place for the Brewers. At this point they are nothing too serious and can be overcome before the season starts, it's just hard to build back up and get ready once the season starts. Games are every day and this team will be in a race throughout the season, unable to afford throwing a few games by the wayside while multiple stars are healing. That's how seasons get lost.
Am I worried yet? No. I am concerned. News other than that of injuries is welcome. There is some I'm seeing, but the biggest has been the injuries. Hopefully things will start to work themselves out over the next three and a half weeks.

Going to shift some gears here. Remember a couple weeks back when The Rock made his return to a WWE ring? Well, it was Stone Cold's turn this week. The Rattlesnake makes his entrance around 8:30 if you don't want to watch this whole thing.


Now onto our Nussie Hunter portion of tonight's broadcast. Aubrey O'Day premiered her new reality show on the WE Network Monday night. She wasn't the main attraction, however. That honor went to the Krupa sisters. I'm sure you've heard of Joanna. She was a Juggy dancer on the Man Show back in the day and has made a couple appearances in Playboy. Her sister is equally as exquisite. As you can see below, they stole the show. There's more where that came from, here.

The day is finally here... OPENING DAY!

 The day has finally arrived! Yes, Opening Day is here! It has to be one of, if not the one day I look forward to the most of any of the 365 each year. I've gone in person to the last three and it's more than just baseball why I love this day.
It is the official start of spring to me and most of us here in Wisconsin. That's the first reason. I know the first day of spring was March 21, but without baseball and the boys of summer playing at 1 Miller Park Way, it's not official.
The second reason is baseball. I'm a sports nerd - you are reading my sports blog, after all - so when my hometown team arrives and starts the season, I'm going to get jacked.
Third, the people. Have you seen Fever Pitch where Ben Wrightman has a whole other family every summer? That's what is is like for me. I have an extension of friends that I've met going to games and see them throughout the summer. We talk baseball, life, and anything worth talking about over drinks and a brat. Yes baseball delivers conversation. That's why it is so great. It has built-in time to build up for a moment when a player could deliver the big home run or strikeout.


Now that I've told you why I love Opening Day itself, let's talk about the game I'm going to see tomorrow afternoon (And here's my proof!). Yovanni Gallardo has been handed the ball and will make is first MLB Opening Day start. Ken Macha kept it under wrap for a bit, but it was made official last week. He has shown he is the ace of the staff and deserved the nod.
There is another question mark not yet defined and that is the starting right fielder. Corey Hart's struggles in spring have been chronicled. So much so that in Friday night's exhibition game at Miller Park those in attendance who think they know what the team should do rained the boo birds down on the Beermakers' 6-foot-6 right fielder. What did he do to show the pundits? He went 4 for 6 and raised his batting average 49 points. I'd say that's hearing the whispers and showing them what's up.
There are some other big questions surrounding the team. Namely the pitching pieces added this winter making the team better and getting them back into the playoffs. Here's the story in today's Journal-Sentinel that breaks them all down.

While we're answering questions about the season, I need to go on record and make my season predictions for the team I invest most of my summer emotions into.
I've been doing some thinking about this, about how many wins I'm expecting out of this team. I love the addition of Rick Peterson to the coaching staff. He's going to help the pitchers exponentially.
I like Randy Wolf and Doug Davis to the pitching staff and the depth Manny Parra and Chris Narveson.
Moving J.J. Hardy allowed for Alcides Escobar to take over at shortstop and should add speed to the lineup and keep the same defense J.J. had.
Even the catchers on this year's team are an upgrade offensively. Gregg Zaun and George Katteras have played great this spring. I don't put all my eggs in the spring stats basket, but it shows potential and I like it.
With that said, the Cardinals are the team to beat again this year. And with everything I've read, I'm on board with that notion. I'm in disagreement about the rest of the Central. I'm thinking the Brewers have a shot to get the No. 2 spot in the standings.
Does that put them in the Wild Card hunt? I'm not sure. I really like what the Braves have. I'm thinking the West is down in the NL this year meaning the Central and the East should provide the Wild Card.
I'm not counting the Brewers out of the race, but I'm thinking it's going to be hard for them to get more than 85 wins this season with the youth in the batting order in Carlos Gomez and Escobar. Also, I'm expecting some hiccups from Casey McGehee this year. Not a lot, but some should be coming. He hit under .200 all spring. So maybe it's coming.
My prediction is 82-80 and falling just short of the playoffs. If Jim Edmonds is called upon to play right field and can turn on some of his Angels or Cardinals magic, that could get pushed.

While I'm on Opening Day talk, let's talk about a new opening that has just come up. It's with Kim Kardashian. Just found out she's newly single and is strutting her stuff. Take a look a the gallery here with some amazing photos of her in a bikini. Here's a great sample! Now it's time to rest for baseball!

The Jay Cutler era has officially begun!

Oh yes, my friends, as I mentioned way back on Thursday, the Bears opened training camp this weekend in Bourbonnais. Paying attention to Chicago Tribune beat writer David Haugh's Twitter page showed the little city similar in size to Platteville, ballooned and Bears fans showed up in record numbers.
And hey, with the team boasting a Pro Bowl quarterback for the first time since some guy named Erik Kramer was under center, gives us fans a reason to have high expectations.
Practices Friday, Saturday and Sunday (the 11,000 in attendance got to see the Bears unveil their Wildcat formation) were great, but Monday may have been the best practice, yet.
One of the Chicagobears.com stories with Jeff Joniak and Tom Thayer talked how Jay and tight end Greg Olson (who reminds me a lot of He-man) have developed a chemistry. Well, it took all of four practices for the aforementioned University of Miami alum to supplant Desmond Clark as the starting tight end, accorind to David Haugh's newest story from camp.
I'm all for this. It could be good for the team and could finally turn Olson into something resembling Jeremy Shockey and Bubba Franks. (I said something resembling, not the second coming.) And if it means finding Jay a go-to receiver, this could be just the start of something.

Time for my quick take on Bill Hall's return of Triple-A Nashville. It's plain and simple really. Corey Hart leaves a void in right field and I don't feel comfortable with the likes of Frank Catalanatto or Jody Gerut. So why not give Billy a shot here. I mean, what do we have to lose tat his point?
Like I told my boy R.J. on Facebook during or usual in-game convos, if things go sour, I'd rather boo Bill than anyone else. Haha. I mean, we seem to have this relationship where he understands where it's coming from. Frank and Jody haven't been around enough to quite get the idea of the booing.



All right, now to some fun stuff. Found this photo essay on the evolution of Hulk Hogan today on SI.com's Hot Clicks and because I'm a huge fan of WWE and especially the Hulkster. It needed to get posted here. Plus, I'll be honest, that picture is just hilarious if you look at it right. I'm sick and twisted, sorry. But yes, funny. You know it!

Also, big sports talk was this little thing about Tiger Woods passing gas. I did not catch any of the Buick Open on TV, but when it gets mentioned during my weekly meeting at work, it must be huge. So, here you go. Did he or didn't he just pass gas. You decide!


EMBED-Tiger Woods Farts - Watch more free videos

Alrighty then. Now that it football season is upon us, today's Nussie Hunter has to get some football feel to it. So why not mention former Baltimore Ravens cheerleader and one of my personal favorites, Stacy Kiebler. I mean, with legs like those, I must say, it's become one of my "things." Hope you enjoy!



A heads up: Be sure to catch the T.O. Show tonight. As usual, I'm getting ready for much laughter. Terrell brings it. So excited. Plus, Jeremy Piven is hosting WWE Raw this week. Could be a disaster, but we'll see.

Macha-raina time in the second half of the season for the Crew

It's time for the second half of the Major League season is upon us and it gets started tonight when the Brewers take on the Reds to start a four-game series.
Things didn't got well for the Brewers to end the first half of the season and there needs to be some things that go in the Crew's favor if the second half is to result in another playoff berth.
News didn't start well when Dave Bush did not give a solid outing in his second Minor League start in Huntsville. He was scheduled to come back and start Monday's game in Pittsburgh for the Brewers, but we'll have to wait for word now. New word from Ken Macha is that "Mean" Mike Burns will make that start.
It is becoming more and more clear that Doug Melvin needs to make some sort of move to settle that starting rotatation. The talk that Doug Davis is going to come back to Milwaukee and help bring this team together, is crazy. I don't see that move helping this team at all.
I'd like to see something along the lines of a middle of the road guy to settle the rotation and maybe I'm crazy in thinking Boston would want too much for lefty Clay Bucholtz.
Aside from moves, it is clear starting pitching needs to come around for this team to have a shot at the Cardinals and the top of the NL Central. Manny Parra showed what he was capable of in his first start back from the minors last week. I was very impressed with that and think we need something along those lines from here on out.
In other spots, guys like J.J. Hardy and Corey Hart need to come up and live up to their billing of career stats. In listening to what Mach and Melvin have said recently, I'd say that's what they are waiting for. They do that and be consistent the rest of the way and avoid the slumber Hart, especially, hit the last two Septembers.
The final thing that needs to come around is bench play. In the National League the bench is rather important for pinch hitters and guys like Jody Gerut and Bill Hall have not carried their end of the bargain to say the least. Both need to go away and if Bush is able to come back and contribute, I don't see a move for a bat on the bench to be a bad idea.
Tom Haudricourt is the authority on the matter. Be sure to take a look at his story in today's JS.

In other Brewers notes, I was reading one of the blogs I found on Twitter, Miller Park Drunk. Don't let the name fool you, it is pretty funny. Today's blog, was a rather good one and and made a note of an interview Ryan Braun did with a new social networking site, Likeme.Net.



Not sure why I care where Ryan thinks is cool, but hey. Some places get off on that.

Was listening to the Scott Ferrall show in Howard 101 last night and they were talking about the T.O. Show that is coming up on VH1. That is the picture below. That's the nice one of the bunch. The one Scotty and the gang had a problem with was this one. Umm, you decide for yourself.



OK, time to shove off for the Brewers game tonight. An early start, means more pressure on me. Before I leave, I didn't forget about today's Nussie Hunter. This one is for you Chris. It's Chanel from Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory. Rob was pushing her Facebook page today on his FB. Be sure to take a look.



OK, that's all out of me today. If you have any pics, stories or vids you think are funny or are good sports talk, be sure to E-mail me at wilbersway@gmail.com.