A devoted Brewers fan's goodbye to Prince Fielder

I knew this day would come at some point this winter. The longer the whole process of Prince Fielder signing with another team was one I had come to grips with dating back to the 2010 season when I gave him a standing O in what I thought was his final game at Miller Park then. The news today he has signed with the Detroit Tigers for $214 million over nine years made it real. He will not be climbing out of the dugout at Miller Park this season.

Was there a Brewers player in the last seven years more exciting to watch? It would be hard to argue against a guy that averaged 40 home runs and 113 RBIs while playing no less than 157 games per season while he was the every day first baseman over the last five years. In his somewhat short time here he at or among the team leaders in single season statistical categories that include extra-base hits (tied with Robin Yount with 87 in 2007), walks (114 in 2010), home runs (his 50 in 2007 in first and 46 in 2009 is second) and RBIs (141 in 2009). For his career, his 230 home runs ranks him second all-time behind just Robin Yount's 250. Take a look at the stats on MLB.com to remember Prince in a Brewers jersey for a little bit longer.

It has been a good ride Prince. I will miss you. The Beastmode this year was the funnest thing surrounding this team in a long time and you made the Keg jump and jive. All of us in Brewer Nation will miss you. But I'm not mad at you. As someone who is searching for a new job that pays more I respect you did it your way and got what you deserved. I'll always be cheering for you, except when you play against my beloved Brewers. When you make your first trip to Miller Park, I will lead the standing ovation. You were part of the revival of baseball in this town and as a fan I thank you for that.

To remember all of your greatness, let's take a trip down memory lane and check out some of your greatest moments as a Brewer. Oh what fun it has been.

The date was June 25, 2005. It will go down as a great day in Brewers history when the Prince made his debut and hit his first of 230 home runs as a member of the Brewers. Oh, Rickie Weeks hit his first career long ball that day, too. Check the vid, here.

On September 25, 2007 Prince showed what he was capable of by becoming the first Brewer and youngest player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs in a season. I have a bobblehead commemorating that moment.


One of those 50 was a bit unorthodox as it was of the inside-the-park variety at the Metrodome against the Twins. Yes, the big guy could move it around the bases when he had to. He has two inside-the-park homers for his career. Check it out, here.

Prince has hit his share of walkoff homers. I'm pretty sure few compare to the one that led to the "bomb celebration" at home plate. I was at this game. Yes, AWESOME is about the right word. Would have been better had I won the $50 or so in the pass the cap, but I'll take the moment.


He set the Brewers RBI record on Sept. 19, 2009. It came with a sacrifice fly, but helped him on his way to 141 RBIs that season. Still impressive.


The big guy was huge on the national stage. In 2010 he won the home run derby.


Then in 2011, he had the biggest shot in the actual All-Star Game. Yes our mighty Prince was showing he was ready for the big stage.



The three home runs you hit on Sept. 27 last season against the Pirates help lock up the NL Central crown. Yeah, he had to carry the team at times. But he was good for it.


For those that said the big guy couldn't do it in the playoffs, he made a difference in Game 1 of the NLCS. Possibly his biggest postseason performance.


One final look at Prince's final at-bat as a Brewer, as seen from Section 223, Row 6, Seat 7.

Brewers' farewell to Prince become more and more evident

Just two days into the Major League Baseball General Managers meetings down at the Pfister Hotel in the heart of downtown Milwaukee and the writing seems to be on the wall on Prince Fielder's future as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers. With that, it has all the makings of being a rough offseason no matter who the team brings in to replace his production in the lineup.


Both owner Mark Attanasio and GM Doug Melvin are saying the right things, but with no offer on the table, it seems more like window dressing and the scenario we all knew would play out this offseason has begun. It has the makings of watching an ex talk to new people about moving on. Even though, you don't want them, you start comparing how great they'd be there or with you. And as Attanasio said "Milwaukee is Prince's home."

Just one month (to the day) after I sat in the 223 and watched the Cardinals celebrate their berth in the World Series (which they eventually won), it sure didn't take long for the feeling of desperation to get a little worse. As good as the season was to watch hearing all the rumors and reports out of the Pfister, we are being reminded that this is Milwaukee, home of the smallest media market in MLB and we must be out of our minds to think Prince will stay here.

Then again, that same media market is also the place that has the man many think will win the 2011 National League MVP award, Ryan Braun, under contract for $150 million through 2020 which has to say something about how great things are around here. This is the same franchise that also has Yovani Gallardo, Rickie Weeks and Corey Hart sealed up through 2015. We're not as "small market" as it seems.

It's just a tad heartbreaking with the greatness of Prince playing here for the last six years and watching him develop. As I had talked with a fellow writer who was close to the Brewers when they drafted Prince, it was a bit of a surprise move. So much of a surprise that just days prior to the draft, Brewers brass was pretty set on not taking him. Something must have changed their belief in his size and the rest, as they say, is history as he scorched many Brewers team records in his (somewhat) short stay in town. Most everyone in Wisconsin is proud of what we have here (case in point the Packers for most that reside here) and to see him leave when given the chance is what makes some upset with the system. And understandably so.


Yes, Prince deserves his big pay day. I'm not saying he doesn't deserve to go out and make the money he has earned when other players in the league are milking the market for all it's worth. As someone who has taken on the idea of changing careers and seeking jobs this year, Prince deserves every cent he can earn for what he will bring to a new team. He is a rare talent of power and average that makes him a force in any lineup.

The trick for Prince is going to be leaving his legacy in tact in Milwaukee. I'd say there is only one way he could really tarnish what he has done and the love the fans of the Brewers have for him and that would be to sign with the Cubs. There are 28 other teams he could sign with and save face and get standing ovations upon his return to Miller Park. I'm not sure that matters to him at this point, but it is an interesting thing to watch unfold.

As for the rest of the team, Prince's pay wouldn't do the team any favors. Looking at the business side of things, it would make more sense to split up the $25 million he wants per year among maybe three players and see what you can get out of them. That might even make the team a little more balanced as opposed to what it was like the last couple years at times when the bottom third of the lineup was a black hole at the plate.

End of a magical Brewers season has me feeling empty

The sun did come up today, but that didn't mean I liked what I saw or how I, one of the most die-hard Milwaukee Brewers fans I know, felt about the team's season ending in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series. It wasn't so much that my team lost, but how they lost the final two games that left me in my seat watching the Cardinals celebrate their World Series berth 10 minutes with tears in my eyes reflection on how close the team I love was to reaching the pinnacle of success.

Yes the final two games of the season, which saw the Brewers commit seven errors and that's what makes this sting that much more. This was not the Brewers team I loved for 162 games during the season and attended 29 games in section 223. This was the Brewers putting their worst foot forward with the pressure on the line. That's what the tears and the emotions were filled with, sitting next to April and R.J. after the game Sunday night.

I know as a fan you can sometimes get a little caught up in things and not see the negative in the team heading in. My experience writing sports, I feel, gives me a unique perspective, even for my favorite teams. That was the case with the Brewers and that was the case Sunday night. Yes, I knew the numbers and stats on Shaun Marcum, but with no one saying he was injured and was "right" I had some optimism. It wasn't much, but it was enough, as a fan to think there was a chance to get the series to a Game 7.

The Brewers I loved were the same ones you loved, especially after the All-Star Break when they were one of the hottest teams in baseball and ran away with the National League Central Division title with their pitching and the bats of MVP candidates Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder. That's the Brewers I was expecting would have a flash on one night to capture that magic.

It was the same magic that made celebrating in the 223 with my summer family after Game 5 of the NLDS so much fun (even though I had a massive headache from yelling so much). After that we started to believe this might be the year. We all wanted to believe didn't we?

This was the same team that went 27-5 during one stretch of the season and had a Cy Young winner in Zack Greinke and an ace in Yovanni Gallardo that mesmerized us with the pitching this team desperately needed the last two seasons (Sorry Braden Looper!). So yes, down 3-2, I definitely still believed.

Down 4-0 and Corey Hart homers to leadoff the bottom of the first, it's only one, OK. But down 5-1 and Jonathan Lucroy hits a two-run bomb with a run already in to make it 5-4, yeah, I'm believing. After that, I'm not sure I had more than a glimmer of hope left in the team, down 9-4. The hill proved too tall to climb.

We were left with giving Prince a standing ovation when he took the field and Albert Pujols calling time to have him extend his moment with the fans. Yes, I got a little choked up there. It's something I'll talk in more length about later, but it was a similar moment to the one I had last year in what I thought was his last home at-bat. It will be tough to see him go, for sure, but I will love remembering every moment I witnessed of him coming into his own.

When Mark Kotsay struck out for the final out and the Cardinals rushed the field, my stomach sank. I just wanted the ride to keep going. The ride with Prince, Braun, T. Plush, and Sully (who threw out the first pitch Sunday night). With Galer in town for the week, I was really looking forward to going to Game 1 of the World Series and remembering it for the rest of my life, regardless of the outcome. I guess it just wasn't meant to be.

As downtrodden as I am right now, in two weeks I'll be exctited when Braun wins the MVP and I'll get jacked for spring training and Opening Day. It's just going to take a little while to get over how the season ended. Don't worry, my love for the Brewers will return next season in hopes of doing it all over again.

'Other guys' play big role in Brewers 2-0 series lead

For the Brewers to be successful in the postseason, everyone knew MVP candidates Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder would have to be successful at the plate. Through two games, both have not disappointed with Bruan hitting .750 (6 for 8 with two doubles, a home run, three RBIs and four runs scored) and Fielder .375 (3 of 8 with a double, a home run, three RBIs and two runs scored). NLDS Stats

What wasn't expected was the contributions of some of the "other guys" in their lineup, namely Jerry Hairston, Jr. and Jonathan Lucroy. Hairston may have been the speculated starter entering the postseason, but when manager Ron Roenicke made the call for the veteran to get the nod over the struggling Casey McGehee, most would say they didn't expect what he's done through two games, hitting .500 with three hits, including a double, plus an RBI and a walk. Hitting in the sixth spot behind what looks to be a nearly healthy Rickie Weeks, Hairston has filled what had been a black hole for most of the season with McGehee struggling.

Many would have thought Roenicke would have tapped Minor League Player of the Year Taylor Green for the spot, but to put a rookie in that spot in the postseason would have been a huge gamble. Roenicke gave Hairston the nod and he's played well since the final weekend of the regular season. For a guy that was brought in to fill the gap while Weeks was out with injury, this has the potential to be one of the best acquisitions this team has made.

This move adds itself to the laundry list of calls made by Roenicke that have all seemed to pan out throughout the season. He's pushed all the right buttons this year and Hairston has stepped in nicely when the stage is as big as it's been all season. It's a credit to both Roenicke and Hairston to be in this spot to help this Brewers lineup. Following the cluster of Braun, Fielder and Weeks Hairston will no doubt see runners on base throughout the series and beyond and if he can continue to deliver, this lineup is that much more dangerous.

Lucroy has come up big, as well, going 3 for 8 (.375) with two RBIs and a run scored. The biggest play he's made doesn't show up in those numbers as the sacrifice squeeze Sunday night that brought Hairston in from third and earned him the nickname "Mr. Bunt." It was the play that broke open the inning that led to five Brewers runs and led to the big 9-4 victory. But, as Diamondbacks Ian Kennedy said, he's not a good hitter. Whatever. Keep thinking that buddy. You also thought you could pitch to Fielder in Game 1. How'd that work out for you?

He's also had a good showing behind the plate for the team, calling the shots for Yovani Gallardo in Game 1 and Zack Greinke in Game 2. Nothing speaks better about a catcher than a pitcher's confidence in him to block a breaking ball in the dirt with runners on base. There were many of those Sunday and all were stopped by "Luc."

The averages aren't there for Corey Hart and Nyjer Morgan to this point in the series, but both had big hits in the sixth inning. Hart's coming after the Diamondbacks intentionally walked pinch-hitter Mark Kotsay and Morgan's two-run single officially busted the game wide open. The Brewers will need both to step up, but both delivered a timely hit, which makes up for things, somewhat. We can live with that.

Going forward, yes Braun and Fielder need to continue to deliver the big hits for this team, but the role players need to continue to put them in a position where they have to get pitched to. It's as much on the big boppers as the rest of the roster. Through two games they've delivered, only time will tell if they can keep it up.



That was the perch for this writer for both Game 1 and 2 of the NLDS at Miller Park with only the best fans the Cathedral has seen. I can say this crowd seemed even livelier than 2008 for Game 3 of the NLDS against the Phillies. Beyond our 223, I couldn't have been happier with the life of the crowd throughout the game. It got a little tense for an inning and a half Sunday, but the fans didn't cash out and when the team needed some life in the bottom of the sixth, us towel-waving "idiots" were there to get loud and make it tough on the Diamondbacks. I can only hope to be back for at least one game of the NLCS and see it get even wilder as we try to have a hand in pushing this team even farther. Keep it up Milwaukee!

Previewing the Brewers vs. D-Backs NLDS

It's finally here! What us as Brewers fans figured would be on the horizon at the start of September is now upon us with the National League Divisional Series opening Saturday at Miller Park against the Arizona Diamondbacks. It's a series, to be honest that is not an easy one for the Brewers, but definitely not one that are an underdog in, either.

As the Brewers learned in 2008, having an offense may be important, but winning a playoff series comes down to pitching. Both teams have named their Game 1 starters with Yovani Gallardo (17-10, 3.52 ERA), the man who started Opening Day, going for the Brewers and Ian Kennedy, who won 21 games (with a 2.88 ERA) during the season for the Diamondbacks. That's basically both aces going for Brewers manager Ron Roenicke and D-Backs skipper Kirk Gibson.

Winning Game 1 is crucial for both teams as the winner of that game gets a great advantage in this best-of-five series. You'd have to expect both guys to go deep into the game and keep that one close with things coming down to defense and clutch hitting. That's what scares me about the Brewers. There have been times this season where they just shut down with runners in scoring position and times when their defense has been shotty, at best. But they are at home and they did win 57 games there during the regular season which makes me believe they will be ready to click on all cylinders to start the series off.

If both pitchers are on their game it may take just a couple mistakes to turn the game. That's why I think the Brewers might have the edge with their offense because they can do so much with those mistakes, blasting them over the fence at Miller Park. That isn't just going on potential. In recent weeks, especially over the last week which saw them go 5-1 to close the season at Miller Park, the Brewers have been bashing home runs.
With both teams having solid bullpens with closers on both sides having over 45 saves apiece, that's what it could come down to.

Looking beyond to Game 2, the Brewers have a decision to make with Zack Greinke, but I'd lean toward him starting in Game 3 with either Shaun Marcum or Randy Wolf getting the nod in Game 2. Arizona has named starters for Games 2 and 3 with Tim Hudson (16-12, 3.49 ERA) going in Game 2 and Joe Saunders (12-12, 3.69 ERA) getting the nod in Game 4.

As a Brewers fan, part of me thinks this series will probably go four games with the Diamondbacks taking Game 2 and the Brewers pulling it together to shut down the Diamondbacks and win their first playoff series since the 1982 American League Championship Series. If it does go to a Game 5, the Brewers would most certainly tab Gallardo to get the start at home in front of what should be a rocking Miller Park. Having home field is so important to this team, rolling him out there with the home field would be what puts the Brew Crew over the top.


In case you were wondering, yes I will be in attendance for both games from the perch in section 223, row 6. A big shout out to those who I'll be spending my weekend with including @RJO25, @jessgaler and @aehlen. For the latter two, that is their first Wilber's Way shout out. Hope to see you at the tailgate to prepare for this great weekend of games! Giddy up!



Usually I'd do my Bears and NFL weekend preview in this part, but I haven't had a Brewers post in a bit and couldn't not do one heading into the weekend. That said, I still have my NFL picks and an abbreviated Bears preview.

Cam Newton, Greg Olsen, Ron "Chico" Rivera and the Panthers come to Soldier Field this weekend in a game that, honestly has me a bit worried. The Bears have to be favorites in this one, but Newton has been a highlight film through the first three weeks of the season and could post a threat against a weak Bears secondary. I still like the Bears' front four and their ability to get after Cam in the pocket and make Newton pass the ball downfield and field them, but from what we've seen from him, he can chuck it around the field.
That turns the attention back to the Bears defense. Fortunately for Mike Martz, the Panthers defense is nowhere close to the Packers defense and should make him look a little better this week. The key is simple, PUT THE BALL IN MATT FORTE'S HANDS!
Score prediction: Bears 24, Panthers 20.

Here's the rest of the picks. Last week I had another 10-6 week to push my record for the season to 33-15. Winners, as always, are in bold.
Bills at Bengals
Panthers at Bears
Titans at Browns
Lions at Cowboys
Vikings at Chiefs
Redskins at Rams
Saints at Jaguars
49ers at Eagles
Steelers at Texans
Falcons at Seahawks
Giants at Cardinals
Broncos at Packers
Patriots at Raiders
Dolphins at Chargers
Jets at Ravens
Colts at Buccaneers

Brewers Nation: Don't panic as postseason looms

Call me the eternal optimist or a fan that thinks the last week of the Brewers season was what I called it a couple weeks back, a market correction. That's why I'm not worried about this team going forward to not only clinch the National League Central title and beyond into the NL Divisional Series.

And before you jump on me for blindly thinking like this, I'll tell you why. Of course there's Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder, a healthy Rickie Weeks getting healthy and back in his groove, but most importantly a steady pitching staff that has been the backbone of this team all year.

Yes there have been (and almost always are) ups and downs over the course of a baseball season. That has certainly been the case for the Brewers, but over the last week to 10 days, it has been a bit of feast or famine for this Brewers team as it works itself out of the funk it was in against the Cardinals and Phillies at the start of the month.

The biggest key I can take out of the funk and even the great weekend showing in Cincinnati was that while Braun and Fielder have played well, most would agree they are not on the tears we saw them on at times during the season. These things go in cycles and you'd have to think things are coming back toward at upswing at the right time. Last Tuesday night's game against the Rockies showed what both mean to this team, combining to homer for both of the team's runs that led to the dramatic walk-off victory (Did you see us in the 223?). The two of them getting hot at the right time, in the playoffs no less would make this team almost unstoppable. While that may be a bit of me wishing, I wouldn't put it out of the realm of possibility as niether have shown signs of cracking under the pressure of clinching a division title in this race.

There are no trades that could help a team looking into the playoffs into September, but that's what the return of Rickie Weeks from the disabled list feels like for this Brewers team. Sure this team went on it's great 27-5 run while he was on the DL, but the offense was not what it was with him in it as the pitching carried this team. Manager Ron Roenicke will tell you this team needs Weeks if it wants to make noise in the playoffs.

Weeks finally played his first full game since coming off the DL Monday night and said he felt pretty good about things. It's been a slow process, but you can see he's starting to get his bearings back at the plate and will serve as great protection to Braun and Fielder hitting out of the No. 5 spot in the lineup with his power and speed that could set the table for the bottom half of the order to do some damage.

Of course a team is only as good as it's starting pitcher and this season has shown what that looks like in Milwaukee for the first time in a long time. Yovani Gallardo, Zack Greinke, Shaun Marcum, Randy Wolf and even Chris Narveson were the big part of the late July-August push that put this team where it is now. While they've had a couple hiccups in recent weeks, I'd give them a couple passes as you'd expect this offense to back them with a couple runs each night, so it's not all their fault for a couple of the losses, you just want them to stay consistent and for much of the last week, the top four especially have been spot on. There really isn't much question as to whether they can keep it up because they have for the entire second half of the season.

This team has all the tools it needs to be successful this postseason. The next week will be a bit of preparation for that as I'd expect Roenicke to tweak the pitching rotation to line things up for the NLDS, but playing meaningful games up until the final day of the season will pay dividends. Should be fun to watch unfold.

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!

The unofficial official 2011 Brewers season preview

The bags are packed and the the trucks and players are headed north. Yes boys and girls, Spring Training is finally over. Doesn't it seem to drag on at times? Yes, and I'm not even a player. Maybe it was all the injuries that plagued the Brewers through the spring,but they could not get out of Maryvale fast enough and get things started and working towards Thursday's opener with the Reds.
Good news has started to come from Brewers camp just as they were preparing to leave for Cinncy. Pitcher Shaun Marcum was sharp in his final tune-up of the spring and will start Saturday. Catcher Jonathan Lucroy has been cleared to play and will spend a few more days in Arizona to get some time in before making stops at Single-A and Double-A before joining the big-league team after a week to 10 days. Both Corey Hart and Zack Greinke are also on the positive path and shouldn't miss more than a couple weeks of the regular season.
With that, the Brewers should be able to put the injuries behind them and focus on the task at hand that is the NL Central Division race.
Outside of the injuries, the key offensively will likely be to get production out of the bottom four batters in the order. It might end up being a sad state of affairs when the pitchers hit better than Yuniesky Betancourt and Carlos Gomez. Gomez has shown signs of turning things around and had a very solid spring. With his speed, he just needs to get his on-base percentage over .300 and between .310 and .330. It's not asking a lot. Of course, GM Doug Melvin went out and got himself an insurance policy when he traded for Nyjer Morgan on Saturday. If things go south for Gomez, expect a platoon in center field. But don't look for that to come right away. Gomez's play in the spring has earned him another chance to fail. They want him to show why he was included in the Johann Santana deal with the Mets and Twins and take that step and I don't blame them. The Morgan deal also gives the team a left-handed hitter, too. Which, if the change is made in center, could set the table for the batting order to get shuffled. But we'll cross that bridge when it gets here, because at the moment, that spot belongs to Rickie Weeks and rightfully so.
With the starting rotation needs addressed and seemingly one of the strengths as one of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's top-three rotations in the NL, the focus now turns to the bullpen. Yes, John Axford was great last year. As was Kameron Loe and Zach Braddock. But do it again, please. Those guys are all young and it seems Braddock has taken a step back in the spring and was not effective. Takashi Saito is a solid back-up plan to Ax, but he's 41 years old. With the starting rotation addressed, these guys can't let leads go by the wayside or there will be a drastic overhaul like there was last year two months into the season.
The main question mark on this team has to be defense. Seemingly every baseball publication has had nothing but terrible things to say about them. It may be the Achilles heel to the Brewers during the season, but the hope is the better pitching gives them fewer chances than last year's staff did, allowing the most balls to go into play in the NL. It's an easy conclusion to make if that is what you're arguing. If you have 10,000 chances to blow something, as opposed to 5,000 (just an example) there is a bigger chance for error. Quite possibly the biggest question mark of them all is Betancourt, who has had ups and downs all spring and is a downright liability in the field at times when he gets lazy with his throws. Like I wrote early in the spring, no one is asking him to be great and lead the team. They just want him to minimize the errors in the field and be patient at the plate and just be a solid player.


So what does all this mean for the Brewers? In reading around different publications, many have the Brewers winning near 85 games. That may seem low, but if you think about it, the NL Central could be one of the best divisions in baseball, which means they might take on a few more losses than if they would in another division.
With the Wainright injury, I don't see the Cardinals being at the top and the Cubs have too many questions to be right there. That makes this really a race between the Brewers and Reds. The Reds seem to have almost every question answered to start the season. Last season, the Brewers could not find a way to beat them, obviously something they need to do if they want to back up the expectations with a run at the top of the standings.
Here are my postseason picks:
NL Central: Reds
NL East: Phillies
NL West: Rockies (Write it down!)
Wild Card: Brewers with a record of 88-74
NLCS: Phillies over Brewers

AL Central: White Sox
AL East: Red Sox
AL West: Angels
Wild Card: Yankees
ALCS: Red Sox over Yankees

World Series: Phillies over Red Sox

I'll let you digest those picks and get right into the Nussie Hunter portion of today's show. This Sucker Punch movie looks like a great action movie and it stars from pretty hot chicks. One of them that might surprise you is Vanessa Hudgens. Yes, she's out of the High School Musical. As the photo below shows... Be sure to check out more at Complex Magainze.

Fielder crashes the bank for Brewers

Big news today for the Brewers, who signed Prince Fielder to the largest single season contract in team history and the largest arbitration number ever.
I wrote a story on Examiner.com on it. Check it out.
Fielder signs richest 1-year deal in team history

The Good. The Bad. The Ugly: Brewers skid hits 9 games

The Brewers losing streak reached nine games tonight as the bullpen gave up three runs in the final three innings and let the Pirates beat them for the third straight time.
It's a wonder how things can change from the last time the team was in Pittsburgh, which was after that 20-0 win.
Well, that seems forever ago as this team can't really seem to find a way to close out games. The last two days have seen late leads only to have the washed away by an imploding Trevor Hoffman and tonight Todd Coffey couldn't get Randy Wolf out of a jam.
Hoffman has been put on the shelf while he works on his mechanics, which is fine, I guess, but doesn't really solve a lot of problems because there is so much more.
The title of the blog is The Good. The Bad. The Ugly. and I'm going to start with the Ugly.
There is so much wrong with this team one can only point the finger in one direction, the manager.
Whatever buttons Ken Macha is pushing haven't been the right ones. What he's working with the pitchers on with Rick Peterson isn't working either. That's been the biggest problem. Ups and downs are expected, but consistently repeating the mistakes points the finger only at the manager.
Will the pitchers magically turn it around if a move is made, probably not, but whatever personality is with the team needs to be changed. Whether they stay in house with Willie Randolph or Dale Svuem is up in the air. I'd go with Randolph because I think he could really work well with the guys in that clubhouse. But that's just me.


If the ugly is Ken Macha and what he's doing (or not doing) with the pitching staff, namely the starters, then the Bad has to be the trickle down effect that has had on everything else.
Tonight Ryan Braun made one of the dumbest decision I have ever seen him or anyone make on the field. I know third base wasn't covered, but really? La Roche was right behind you. Stay at second and let Prince try to get something going.
The guys are pressing and when you press in the game of baseball, you don't perform. It's weird that way, but that's how it is. Ryan hasn't been awful at the plate, but tonight showed he's trying to make thing happen. Prince has just 18 RBIs right now and can't seem to get going.
Prince had a line after Friday night's loss where he said all the offense can do is hope to outscore the other team. That's basically what it's come to. With that kind of pressure the guys are almost guaranteed to not come through with enough runs to hold up and get wins on a consistent basis.
The uncharacteristic Braun baserunning blunder is just the latest in the guys trying to do too much and falling short. You're saying "It's part of losing." OK, sure. But I'm saying, this team is better than this and shouldn't be losing like this. Yes, good teams have had bad years before, but I'm not sold that the season is already done for my Milwaukee Brewers just yet. I'm hoping before everyone starts seriously clamoring to trade Prince, other moves are made before they send up the white flag of surrender.


There has been one player that has been the good in this sea of awful and his name is Casey McGehee. He had another home run tonight and two more RBIs. His numbers are off the charts this year as he's settling into the No. 5 spot in the lineup behind Prince. Which, before I get into my main point, is pressure in itself. Had he not been producing, Prince's lack of production would be on Casey for not giving the proper "protection" to the slugger.
But Casey has been producing and has he ever. Take a look at how his numbers rank among NL third baseman. He is No. 1 with 37 RBIs, tops in average (.324), second in hits (48, which is one off the lead), second in slugging percentage (.574), second in home runs (9, again, just one off the lead) and second in on-base percentage  at .393 which is just one measily point behind Chipper Jones' .394.
That's off-the charts right there folks. And those 37 RBIs has him ranked second in the entire National League to only Adam Ethier's 38 and he's on the DL. So expect Casey to take the lead sooner rather than later.
Now, if you know me, you know where Casey ranks on my personal list of fave players. But, did I see this coming? No. To be honest, I don't even bet Casey himself saw this type of production coming. He is the only guy on the team hitting the ball all over the yard. With the average up to .324, he and Braun are the two best hitters on the team. Now if only Prince can get it going. Maybe the three of them can carry the team to a few wins and maybe start saving the season.
Finally, be sure to get the vote out so Casey is on that NL All-Star team.

Now to some stuff that hopefully lifts yours (and my) spirits. Did you see this video of some guys that went to the New York Public Library and recreated the scene from Ghostbusters? They were on point with this. Take a look. Damn funny and creative.


Not sure how many follow the NBA playoffs intently, but we are in the conference finals and there was a pretty odd occurance that went down at the Celtics/Magic game the other night. Here's a ref throwing a ball at a fan, then the fan throws it back. The ref then has him removed from the game. Makes absolutely no sense. Take a look for yourself.


It was a sad day for the Nussie Hunter today. Word is out that Megan Fox, one of our faves here at The Way, will not be in Transformers 3. Here's the story, where she says the decision was hers. A bit of a sad turn of events. I know Shia is one of my mancrushes, but they had better find a love interest worthy for the new movie. You hear me Michael Bay?!
In the meantime, this looks like an opportunity to mourn while looking at Megan and her hotness.

Pieces coming together for Brewers infield

Yesterday I talked about the Brewers starting rotation. To continue amping up for Opening Day (Monday can't come fast enough!), I'm going to go into the Brewers infield today and include the catcher in that talk.
There are a couple new pieces to the puzzle this year and one that is returning from yet another injury and for once you don't hear people calling for his head.
Let's start with the new pieces. At shortstop the Brewers dealt J.J. Hardy (AJ is still crushed) to the Twins in favor of handing over the keys to Alcides Escobar. After watching him finish the season and what he did in the winter in his native Columbia (he won the winter league batting title). He's continued that in the spring by hitting .321 with a homer and nine RBI. More impressive has been his defense. Had a brief conversation with Dennis Semrau (his first shoutout on the Way!) and he called Escobar the vacuum cleaner. The guy has amazing range.
I'm not worried about him this year. He should be in contention for Rookie of the Year. If he is the Crew will be in contention.

Speaking of Rookie of the Year, Casey McGehee returns to work the hot corner this year. He emerged as the starter after the first two months of the season and finished sixth in the ROY voting. That's quite a climb for a guy that was waived by the Cubs last winter and was the 25th guy to make the Brewers bench last season. Now he's the everyday third baseman and just like last year when he had a great spring to earn a spot on the MLB roster, he has proven he's for real with another solid spring. The team is going to need him to continue to play the defense he did last year (he started a triple play last year).
For Casey, it comes down to his performance at the plate because of where he finished last season. With the likes of Ryan and Prince in the lineup, Casey had the task of batting fifth behind both of them. The good news is he shined in that role last year. The bad news is that was last year. He's given pitchers and catchers across the NL a chance to come up with a way to pitch to him. I'm confident the man we call "Tits" will figure things out and perform this year again.


For those of you hoping Rickie Weeks would not perform this spring and continue what he had started before another wrist injury last spring, sorry, that does not look like it is going to happen. Yep, Weeks is on fire in the spring. He was blasting ball all over the yard today in spring ball and has all month in Maryvale.
He's going to make the Brewers see they made the right decision to keep him around this year over Felipe Lopez. On top of his offense, his defense picked up for the brief time he was in the lineup last year and I'm fairly certain we should see more of that this year. No need to worry!

Of course a talk about the Brewers infield isn't complete without mentioning Prince Fielder. Is there any reason to believe he won't be a monster at the plate again this year? No way. This guy just delivers year after year and that is why in 2012 he will be one of the highest paid players in the game. He will be what makes this team go. Brauny might have bigger numbers, but the true guage of how this team will do is all about Prince. He's gotten so much better in the field in the last couple years and I'd expect more of that. Just like I'd expect him to be a force at the plate. It's almost expected he his 43-47 homers every season.

Behind the plate Greg Zaun is set to be the regular guy, but don't expect more than 100 games out of him this year. They've named George Kottaras the backup and he'll be just as important as Zaun throughout the year. Zaun is the more defensive of the two and I'd almost expect some sort of personal catcher situation to unfold at some point early in the season. I'm not sure what I want out of my catcher more offense or defense. One things was for sure, with Jason Kendall the Brewers weren't getting either. So this should be an upgrade.

On the bench for the Brewers infield, Craig Counsell is back and Jeff Inglett joins the fold. Both can play multiple spots (read: all but first base) and are competent at the plate. Counsell had an amazing start to the year last year and paved the way for McGehee to take over at third when Weeks went down and he had to play there for a good chunk of the season.
Inglett has not wowed at the plate, but when he's been needed he has come through. They'll need him to be ready to come off the bench to make double switches and pinch hit. Of the guys the team had in camp, I would have liked to see Mat Gamel jump in, but his shoulder gave him issues and he's missing a lot of time after surgery.

As a final sum up of the infield, I'm actually pretty confident this is going to be a great unit. They've got the tools for sure and it might be the best defensive unit in years on the infield. It's great they can hit as well as they can, too.

Alight, with that out of the way, let's get into some good stuff. You all remember Scott Podsednik, I hope? Well, his wife is amazing. She's Lisa Dergan who happens to be a Playboy Playmate and a St. Pauli girl. A reason blondes are great? Just check this pic!

Matt Ryan or Jake Delhomme: A Shootout

I'm into the NFC this week in my division by division preview of the NFL leading up to this week's opening week of the season. We land at the NFC South today.

Last year the Carolina Panthers earned the No. 1 seed before getting embarrassed by the Arizona Cardinals in the Divisional playoffs. Yeah, Jake Delhomme played the worst game of his life and the Cards went on to the Super Bowl.
This year the division has a smarter Matt Ryan in Atlanta and Drew Brees looking to destroy more teams with his arm, along with Delhomme to make this a great division to watch.

NFC South
Atlanta Falcons
The rookie of the year was an easy choice last year with the way Matt Ryan stepped in and took the Atlanta Falcons to playoffs. The guy played beyond his years. Give him a year and an offseason to study and the rest of the league should be put on notice. With Michael Turner in the backfield, not to mention the addition of some offensive weapons, namely Tony Gonzalez at tight end, and this could be an even better year for the Falcons offense.
Most important player: In a division where offenses are prolific, the defense is the key. If the offense shoots par, then guys like middle linebacker Curtis Lofton and defensive end John Abraham will be the ones coach Mike Smith turns to slam the door on some wins.

Carolina Panthers
The season ended miserably for the Panthers last season. I read the preview in SI this week and the way Delhomme handled his performance, on his birthday no less, was commendable. I give props to him for that because he could have lashed out.
The guy worked his tail off and has moved on from it and should be back. John Fox is a great coach and always makes a winner. I see this team being back in the mix this year.
Most important player: DeAngelo Williams is primed for a great year and what better way to take the pressure off Delhomme than to have him hand off to Williams. He's in a platoon with Jonathan Stewart, but Williams is the one who scores the TDs - he had 20 last year.

New Orleans Saints
Drew Brees lit the NFL on fire last season and fell just short of the yardage record in a season set by Dan Marino. That would have been great if the team could actually win games. They lost five games by a field goal or less and had a defense that couldn't catch a cold.
Well, not much has been done to address the defense so we'll see what happens there this year.
Most important player: Now is the time for Reggie Bush to come into his own. Heck, the guy has Kim Kardashian and now can take her to Miami for the Pro Bowl this year. Look for him to be a monster in the backfield this year if he stays healthy and take some of the slack from Drew.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Well, a lot has changed for the Bucs this season. Chucky is now in the ESPN Monday Night football booth and there are a ton of new faces on this team. Namely at quarterback where Byron Leftwich is primed to be the starter.
The running game is solid with Derrick Ward set to be the feature back with the Cadilliac in the garage, but I'm not so sure there is much else around him.
Most important player: The defense will have to carry the load and score some points. With some players left behind from the Gruden and even Tony Dungy days, they will have to rely on that and Ronde Barbe is the guy to lead the charge. He needs to have a huge season.

Prediction time:
Carolina Panthers 11-5 -- Another Division title for the Panthers
Atlanta Falcons 10-6 -- A great finish. We'll have to see how things fall in the rest of the league.
New Orleans Saints 8-8 -- Another .500 season where defense is again the culprit
Tampa Bay Buccanneers 2-14 -- Battling the Browns and Lions for the No. 1 pick in the draft

Here's a look back at each division we've done so far.
Sept. 1: AFC South
Sept 2: AFC West
Sept. 3: AFC East
Sept. 4: AFC North
Sept. 7: NFC South (Today)
Tuesday, Sept. 8: NFC West
Wednesday, Sept. 9: NFC East
Thursday, Sept. 10: NFC North
Friday, Sept. 11: Playoffs and Super Bowl XLIV picks



Now to other sports news... I just finished a weekend in Milwauke in which I saw three Brewers games (Shouts to those running Hotel Brandy and Hotel Jenni and Maria, not to mention El Rog for his accomodations and all those I ran into during the three-day event) Only saw one win during those three, but it was a darn good one.
It included that celebration above, which is getting some play in the national media from the Giants and Cardinals. Miller Park was still buzzing today about that and so was the news wire from the team that left town and the one that got into town.
It was the topic of the Journal-Sentinel's Tom Haudricourt's blog post today. Appears Macha didn't know what was up, but all of the players did.
The term acting professional is a bit funny used in there, as the Brewers were just having fun, as led by their true leader, Prince.
Funny thing, too, is that the Cardinals also were saying some things on the issue. But the Saturday night the supposed "God of all things baseball etiquitte" Albert Pujols pretty much walked all the way to first base after hitting a pinch-hit home run against the Pirates. Take a look, here.
My take is this, just as one of the guys I follow I Twitter said, When did baseball stop being about fun? Heck, it's a game-ending (walk-off if you must) home run. Let the guys enjoy it. It's not as bad as some of the other things I see going on (Note Pujols praising the skies above like he did today at Miller Park).

Now on to the Nussie Hunter portion of the program. I advertised the Maxim Hometown Hotties search a while back and now I'm going to get on board with the Girls of Spike search. They are going to name "The Ultimate Spike Girl" on Oct. 1 with voting going all of September. Be sure to check out their site for all 50 girls. Here's CC Fontana, who just happens to be my favorite. I think she was on some Janice Dickinson modeling show a few years back and she was hot then. Take a look now. Damn!

One upset Prince makes a 17-4 game interesting

Two men at the center of a controversy get us started on this Hump Day edition of Wilber's Way. I dunno bout you, but I was off to bed by the time the fun started in LaLa Land last night with the Brewers getting pounded by Manny and the Dodgers.
Manny had been hit in the seventh by Chris Smith (the young buck has been involved in two instances now during his brief time in the bigs) with little commotion raised.
Then Guillermo Mota makes himself known against the team he played for last year by throwing at Prince, who did not like being thrown at with two outs of a 17-4 game in the top of the ninth.
After the game, all hell broke loose. See for yourself here.

Moto got tossed immediately, but in order show the full perspective of this incident, we need to take a look back. This might just be one of the funniest baseball fights ever as Mota takes a shot at Mike Piazza who didn't like it at all.

All I can say is, I'm tuning in tonight! Might be some fun as it is the last time the two teams play this year.

Also of news today is a move by ESPN to change is social networking guidelines for thier employees. Word actually came down through one ESPN worker's Twitter. Here's the link.
My take on the matter was initially one of, WTF is the four-letter word in sports talk doing? But the more I thought about it, things in Bristol are fitting to get out of hand now that this Erin Andrews thing seems to be done by someone within the complany. Sad day, looks like I won't be hearing anything out of Molly Qerim for a bit now will I? So sad.



Speaking of Twitter. I do actually follow some Packers blogs to see what is going on in Packerland and came across something I just couldn't say no to posting. It looks like the NFL's No. 1 draft pick was enjoying his final days of summer with some quite beautiful women (that's how the top pick rolls right?!)
There's more here, as he looks like he had a damn good time. Plus started the day with one girl and dragged a different one into the woods. Haha. Oh Matthew!

Speaking of drafts, I'm finalizing my fantasy football league and have things together for my team names, but always am in the market for a witty name. If you're having problems, the fine folks over at "Kissing Suzy Kolber" have some help for you. First, these are awesome and they do it every year. And second, that might just be the best blog name I've seen.

OK. Now to the feature event of the day. I know yesterday I went with a boycott of the Megan Fox boycott and had a full blog of Nussie Hunter. Well, have to keep the spot alive today.
I watched Fast and Furious the other night and while Jordana Brewster and Michelle Rodriguez are fine in their own right, I thought Gal Gadot stole the show. Upon doing some research, I discovered she is the 2004 Miss Universe. Well, damn. She is out of this world hot, so why not run with it.

So this is what all the fuss was about?!

Who is that player above? For those of you that don't know that is Jordan Crawford and he is involved in one of the biggest sports scandals in recent memory (Brett Favre please stay away).
He is the basketball player that dunked on LeBron James back at his basketball camp a couple weeks back and all the tapes of the incident had since been confiscated by Nike and LeBron.
Well TMZ.com bought the tape and debuted it today. It's kind of grainy and reminds me of the Zapruder tape shot on the grassy knoll that fateful day in Dallas the day President Kennedy was killed.
Either way, it is good to finally see some tape. Here it is for you to judge for yourself. I want to hear what you guys think. Be sure to leave a comment or E-mail me.


OK, now that we've moved on from that incident, it's time to move on with something more in-season like baseball. Conducting my daily reading today and SI.com unveiled it's list of 100 best players in MLB today. One look at it and two Brewers are in the top 13 as both Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun check in at No. 11 and No. 13.



Also worth a mention for the Brewers is Yovanni Gallardo who makes the list at No. 97. Good recognition for the Crew as they press to make the playoffs for the second straight season.
On the list as a whole, I'd say it is pretty right on. I'd like to say I know everything about every baseball player, but I have my own sports coverage to study and aside from my guys in fantasy baseball, I can't study everyone. So, if you take a peak at the list, let me know who you think should make it. I don't really have a problem with no additional Brewers on the list. I'd imagine Trevor Hoffman is somewhere in the next 20 or 25 players.
The No. 1 player on the list is Albert Pujols and I don't think many would have a problem with him hold that spot. Heck, he's been the driving force to my fantasy team this year that is is first place.

In some other sports stories I'm following, the Erin Andrews story continues to draw headlines. The New York Post posted stills from the video in Tuesday's paper and on their site. Well, I still won't get anywhere near the video because it's just damn wrong. ESPN (while I ripped them yesterday) followed with a ban from any of their employees on their outlets.

Now these last two items aren't sports, they are something I'm high on which is the "Pussification of America." It was discussed on the Covino and Rich Show yesterday (During Pussification Tuesday) that Miley Cyrus is being sued in a class action lawsuit by some Asian woman for (get ready) $4 Billion. Whoa! Here's the picture. Not how almost everyone in the pic is squinting their eyes. This is the lamest thing I've ever heard in my life. Does anyone get a damn joke anymore? Damn people! Here's a link to U.S. News and World Report that basically laughs at this lady.



OK boys, it's Nussie Hunter time. Today is a Hometown Hotties edition. I got the new Maxim yesterday and this month they have all 100 of the semifinalists in the competition. Two of the 100 are from Wisconsin and I say we get behind them. There were 14 that made the competion on some level, but these two made it through to the final 100.
First up is Tanya from Sussex. And Megan from Verona. Be sure to check out both pages and watch their videos. Both seem like great girls. Not going to say which one I like more to poison the sample here, but take a look for yourself with a double dose today. And don't forget to vote both of them into the finals on Maxim.com.

First up is Tanya from Sussex



Megan from Verona

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.

Can the National League please win an All-Star Game?!

Who would have thought when it happened in 2002 that it would be the closest the National League would get since 1996. The tie at the Miller Park Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the last time the NL has not lost the Mid-Summer Classic in 13 years and with it being the determining factor in home field for the most important series in the sport, doesn't bode well for the Senior Circuit.
While ratings were down slightly nationwide, it was a hit in Milwaukee, ranking just second in the country to just the host city of St. Louis.

The game itself was a solid game. Kind of a lame statement I know, but it wasn't expected for an All-Star Game. I don't expect scores to be 15-14, but I do expect something like 7-6, not the final of 4-3. When it came down to it, a triple followed by a sac fly turned out to be the difference.
Plus it was kind of odd the guy that won the MVP award and earned a bat for his troubles, did so with his glove, bringing a home run back to the field.

For the Brewers at the game, I have Prince at the top of the page and one night after delivering in the Home Run Derby, he came through in as a pinch hitter with an RBI double that gave the NL the lead at the time.
Ryan Braun played right field for the first time and you say it's not a big difference, but there is a bit of a different feel over there. You get used to where the center fielder is and the atmosphere near the line. Some of what makes the move easier is familiarity with the ballpark and the center fielder.
Then the late addition to the squad, the all-time saves leader, Trevor Hoffman came on and pitched a scoreless seventh inning only to watch the guy that replaced him in San Diego, Heath Bell, gave up what turned out to be the winning run for the AL.
In all, the trio represented well for the Brewers and I hope they get things started well for the second half Thursday.



The other highlight of the night was President Obama throwing out the first pitch. (Here's a look at Barack's day in pictures) I thought it was rather comical that it was one of the items up to select on the ESPN.com game "Streak for the Cash."
First of all, Albert Pujols caught it (which made me a winner), but FOX botched shooting the thing and we had to guess and wait for a second running of the first pitch to see how it went.
Gotta love how the lefty got it there. Some would object to his White Sox jacket, but hey, he's a sports fan and he's from Chicago. I have no problem with it.

Today was the premiere of the new Harry Potter movie and I listened to the Covino and Rich show the other day and they made a big deal about Emma Watson. I'm not a big fan, but hey, to each his own. She's not related to Randy Watson, so I can't get behind her. Haha.

And finally today, ESPN started it's push for the ESPY's this weekend. I must say I'm not into them at all. I'd rather bash my head against a wall, but when I checked out si.com's Hot Clicks today, Erin Andrews got me all excited for the event. Well, excited to see her anyways.
I must missed the fact the other day, she got hit in the face with a foul ball at the Mets-Dodgers game and actually had to go to the hospital. Poor thing. Hope she's OK.



And I lied with this being the finally, as I have a double dose of eye candy today. When I heard Richard Jefferson called off his wedding two hours before the ceremony I wondered what had happened. Turns out the fool still spent his $2 million on the festivities in Atlantic City and even after knowing he wasn't going through with it, passed his AmEx Black Card to his boys for the night. PARTY! So changed my mind. What a loser! Check out Kesha Ni'Cole.



OK boys and girls, now I'm done for today. Hope you enjoy it. Again, if you have anything you think can go here in terms of viral vids and pics be sure to E-mail me at wilbersway@gmail.com. On tap for tomorrow is a look at the Brewers second half. Send your comments my way about the season.

Save me from the 'Prince HR King' cliches!!!

He did it! Milwaukee's own Prince Fielder won the 2009 State Farm Home Run Derby. I didn't get a chance to catch it live, but I did catch the highlights. Hey, my take on that is that it saved me from all off Chris Berman's lame ass "Back, Back, Backs" He threw out all night. Terrible!
I was all over Twitter and Facebook tracking the Derby throughout the night and can say I was damn happy to see the Prince had come through.
Maybe it is the small-town feel that Milwaukee has and how everyone around here seems to rightfully take ownership of the team and players. It's a great feeling to watch Prince, using one of Ryan Braun's bats bash homer after homer out of Busch Stadium.
I loved the celebration Prince and Brauny shared after he bashed the winning shot, which is why I posted the pic above. For a team that is down right now, he certainly picked things up.
The way Prince hit the longest two home runs of the night, measuring 503 and 497 feet made it clear he was the deserving choice.
One thing that did come up when I simply Googled "Prince Fielder Home Run Derby" was a PETA story promoting the fact he's a vegetarian.
I also think Tom Haudricourt's Journal-Sentinel story with Fielder wining the derby was pretty good.
Like I said, I was in La Crosse following the derby on Twitter and he became the No. 1 item in the Trending topics. It was super. Here's a look.