Who starts Opening Day on mound for Brewers?

On the day Opening Day tickets were made available for those who won the ticket lottery (this writer was one of them!) it's time to seriously start getting ready for the big day, which is just 34 days away.

Manager Ron Roenicke has already been asked as to who will get the ball for the Brewers on that day and, as per usual, he is not making it public his throughts on who he will tap to start things off for the 2014 season against the Braves at Miller Park.

What he has mentioned is some clue that he has looked at the schedule and noted the Brewers will be part of three home openers in the first week of the season. First, in Milwaukee, on the actual Opening Day. Second, in Boston, when the Red Sox get their World Series rings on the first weekend of the season, and third, in Philadelphia the following Monday against the Phillies. 

That could play a part in things, as Roenicke is on record as saying that Friday "ring day" with the Red Sox at Fenway "is a big game." 

History tells us he is not one to skip guys in the rotation, even with off days between the Brewers Wednesday finale with the Braves and Friday's tilt in Fenway. 

It has to be between three guys for the Opening Day nod and it would set up the rest of the first 10 days of the season. Yovani Gallardo has started the last four openers, but he is coming off what many consider to be a rough year. It wasn't a bad year for him (minus the DUI which put a black eye on his season), but he didn't take the step forward many expected he would. 

Kyle Lohse pushed through a rough open of the season to be the best Brewers pitcher for all of 2013. He was the legit ace of the staff last year once he got dialed in. Many expect him to do the same this season.

Matt Garza was the big free-agent acquisition and was right in line with Lohse while a member of the Cubs last season. After he got traded to the Rangers and suffered an injury he was never the same the rest of the season. He could be a 1a to Lohse's ace-caliber stuff this season.

So who does Roenicke go with? It has to be Lohse for me and here's why. If Roenicke does not skip the guys at the back end of the rotation with the Thursday off day that first week of the season, the No. 1 will pitch the Sunday game in Boston with his No. 2 start of the season. The No. 2 guy would then pitch the opener in Philly the next day and the No. 3 would get an extra day off and start Game 2 of the series against the Phillies. With that in mind, I go Lohse, Garza, Gallardo out of the box. It lines the ducks up when you need them most and puts Gallardo in the best position to succeed.

That does leave out the Friday Opener in Boston. Does Roenicke trust Wily Peralta or Marco Estrada to start that game? The Sox will be throwing their No. 4 that day, too, so it won't be that big of a deal. 

What is a big deal is the start of the Brewers season. After these three Opening Days, the Brewers then play 21 of 24 games against teams from the NL Central. they can ill afford to get off to starts like they have seemingly every year Roenicke has been the manager.

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?

Does Roenicke enter season on Brewers hot seat?

A lot of talk has been made this offseason that Brewers manager Ron Roenicke could be on the hot seat if things go tough for the fourth-year skipper this sesason. Some people were calling for it last year, but General Manager Doug Melvin made it clear he was on Roenicke's side after dealing with a myriad of injuries (and a certain star player's suspension) that Running Ron was not going anywhere.

I get the feeling the same can be said of this season for a few reasons. First, the NL Central was the first division in Major League Baseball history to have three teams qualify for the playoffs last season. That means it is going to be tough to break through just them to reach the playoffs.Yes, the Brewers should contend for one of the NL Wild Card spots, but there are a lot of gambles being taken on young guys in the starting rotation and in the bullpen that are not completely Roenicke's responsibility.

Second, Roenicke is one of only five managers in Brewers history to have a winning percentage over .500 of the 18 men that have taken the helm of the team. He also is the manager with the winningest record in franchise history, back in 2011 with 96 wins. He is fourth on the Brewers all-time winning percantage list with a 253-233 record (.521) and is already fifth in terms of total wins in franchise history and will move into fourth on the list past Del Crandall within the first two months of this season.

I know there is a lot of 'What have you done for me lately?' in pro sports, but you can't make changes just to make one. Roenicke has shown the ability to work with players. In 2012, the team seemed down and out in July and was able to work with the young players and make a run at the NL Wild Card before falling just short in September. Last season, the team got off to a 6-22 May, only to push back and finish just eight games under .500 with a team missing half of the team that started on Opening Day missing considerable time. He made the most with what he had.

Finally, the idea that a manager fits a team just as a team is built around a manager's philosophy is true. Roenicke is a perfect fit for the personality of this team, namely Ryan Braun. Unlike managers of past years (see Ken Macha) Braun and Roenicke seem to be on the same page. That might not seem like much to the regular person, but I always look at what Phil Jackson was able to do with Michael Jordan and then later Shaq and Kobe to get his 10 NBA rings. Clearly, the Brewers aren't quite on that level, but it is important. 

Consistency can go a long way for a team. No pro sports franchise wants to be compared to the Cleveland Browns, changing coaches every year and then scrambling when your first choice turns you down. With the pieces Roenicke has in the field and on the mound over the next couple of years he should be able to challenge Phil Garner for the all-time wins in franchise history. Baseball people in this city will back him, everyone else needs to follow suit.

'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!

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' Roenicke has strong case for NL manager of year

While the talk around the Brewers circulating on this off day is who deserves the MVP more Ryan Braun or Prince Fielder (on both Brewers.com and SI.com), there's another award a member of the Brewers should be in discussions for. That man is Ron Roenicke, who has a great case for National League Manager of the Year in this, is rookie campaign as skipper of a Major League team.
Most coaches and managers are only as good as the talent they have on the field, but there have been certain defining moments that have put the talent on the Brewers roster in great position to win like they have in the last month. Here are the top moves made by "Running Ron" and his staff in order as they've occured this season.

1. The first order of business for Roenicke was changing the attitude a bit in the clubhouse, making sure the players that had to like him (read Braun and Fielder) like him. That made sure everyone else followed suit. It is something that has shown up throughout the season and may be the biggest reason things have gone as smoothly. He's let the guys be themselves. It may have had something to do with the prior manager being very "old fashioned" with certain things. Roenicke has let the personalities of this team (see Tony Plush) come out.

2. The move to go with Marco Estrada might go down as the best move Roenicke and the Brewers braintrust made all season. There were a couple choices the team could have made and Estrada made the Brewers look like geniuses. His starts in April for Zack Greinke surprised a lot of people and kept the seat warm until the 2009 AL Cy Young winner was right to return off the DL. He didn't pitch awful, but wasn't great in working out of the bullpen so when Chris Narveson had to miss a couple starts, Estrada again filled in nicely.

3. His belief in Yuniesky Betancourt at short stop may have been by default, but after the All-Star Break Yuni made that loyalty pay off by being named the "Brewers Player of the Month" for July. Roenicke has sat Yuni for a couple days a couple of times, and been public in saying he's giving other guys a shot at the position, but it all seems to have been done to serve as motivation for a man we in the 223 call "Yu Bet."

4. Casey McGehee's struggles this season may have been the surprise of the season. This is another time where Roenicke stuck with his player while questions were abound as to how long it would last. Roenicke has given Casey days off, as well, but gone to him in big spots and McGehee has delivered with pinch-hit homers and clutch hits. It couldn't have been easy with Taylor Greene tearing it up in Triple-A Nashville and Mat Gamel even getting some looks when he was up during Interleague Play, but McGehee has made the loyalty pay off, as well. Casey's batting average is on the rise (over *edit .240 as of Sunday).

5. The way Roenicke got Francisco Rodriguez to settle into his eighth inning role with this team might be the move that pushed the Brewers to the brink. It hasn't been discussed much, but the years the two spent together with the Angels had to have played a role in discussions upon K-Rod's arrival that helped him settle into the role. Having John Axford in the midst of a team-record saves-converted streak hasn't hurt either.

6. When Rickie Weeks went down with a severely sprained left ankle July 27, no one would have been surprised if the team scuffled a bit and stayed even with the pack in the NL Central. Instead, this team has reeled off 27 wins in 32 games, holds the biggest division lead in franchise history and is the only team in franchise history to sit 27 games over .500 at any point in a season.

When it comes down to it, Roenicke has pushed nearly all the right buttons this season. You'd have to figure his closest competition for the award is Kirk Gibson of the Arizona Diamondbacks. He has that team on the verge of unseating the Defending World Series champion Giants. The main talk around it is that since Gibson played, he's got the in on the award. I'd hope the BBWAA voters take note of Roenicke and what he's done with a team that was hovering around 5-10 games over .500 before taking off in late July to get where they are now. Where are they? Breathing down the necks of the "Big Bad" Philadelphia Phillies for the best record in the National League.

Will Brewrs sucumb to the SI cover jinx?

All of the talk this week surrounding YOUR Milwaukee Brewers is about whether or not they will fall victim to the Sports Illustrated cover jinx. Players have been asked (to which my fellow Twitter follower Nyjer Morgan "pleads the fifth.)
Ryan Braun spoke with Tom Haudricourt for a brief in the Journal-Sentinel and said, "I think it's great," said Braun. "It's great for the Milwaukee Brewers organization, it's great for the city of Milwaukee. For all three of us, we're proud to have the opportunity to represent this organization, the city of Milwaukee and the state of Wisconsin."
That's both sides from the players, who will never say the curse exists. The "Taking the Fifth" is about the closest you'll get to it. My take on it is, there might not be a jinx, but after the run they made, there is bound to be some market correction in the next couple of weeks that could make the gap between them and the Cardinals closer.
The start of that correction is already underway with the split in Pittsburgh in the four-games three days at PNC.
The next 16 games have some tests in them with the likes of the Cardinals in three-game sets both at Miller Park and Busch Stadium, plus the Phillies for four and the Rockies for two (all six of which at home). The fact that 12 of the 18 games will be at Miller Park, the other three of which include the Cubs this weekend, should help the Brewers keep from letting things get out of control, but I am thinking it might not be as successful of a run as they've had at home to this point. Although, every time I seem to think that, they seem to run off 8-1 homestands.
The other thing going in their favor is the move by Ron Roenicke (who is making a strong case for Manager of the Year, which I will make in a future post), choosing to skip Chris Narveson the next time through the pitching rotation with two off days (today and Monday) and go with just the Big Four in what has to be a move to push forward with the Magic Number at 22 entering Thursday night with hope of catching the Phillies for the best record in the National League.
So where will this market correction come in? Those nine games against the Cards in St. Loius and the Phillies and Rockies at Miller Park will test this team. You'd have to hope the offense can pull out of this current slumber, Tuesday's 11-run outburst not included. That could be the telling week in whether this team can catch Philadelphia for the top-spot in the NL. 
That Phillies series will be the biggest regular season series this team will have played and all eyes will be on Miller Park. We'll have to see how the team handles those four games and the top-tier pitching they will see in the playoffs.
One would think Roenicke and pitching coach Rick Kranitz have already worked a couple weeks ahead to plan out the pitching staff for the Phillies series and skipping Narveson and utilizing him out of the pen helps maximize victories. With it a ways out, we'll have to wait and see.
Of course, the biggest question mark in this whole thing is the return of Rickie Weeks. One would expect him to return at or shortly after Sept. 1 from his sprained ankle. If he's able to come back in the No. 5 spot in the order and produce like he was prior to getting injured, what I just said will be nonsense. If he slumps, things might get a little tough heading into the final two weeks of the regular season.

No matter how it turns out, the last time they were on the cover, April 27, 1987 "Team Streak" fell flat and missed the playoffs. Well, this team WILL NOT be missing the playoffs, but I wouldn't be surprised with a little market correction bringing this team back to earth a little bit.


As you may have noticed there's no Nussie Hunter in today's section. I'm toying with the idea of doing away with the feature and focusing on just sports. What do you think?

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!

Saturday will be a telling day in Roenicke era for Brewers

It might be hard to fathom, at first, but Saturday night's tilt with the Reds for Ron Roenicke and the Brewers will be very telling how how much the skipper, just one game into his tenure and his managerial career, has rubbed off on his team.
You would normally see the team take on some of its manager's qualities through the course of the season, but with the way Thursday's game unfolded, Saturday should have some signs all over it to show us how much the players are buying into Roenicke's formula as manager.
The game was going according to plan until the bottom of the ninth inning derailed everything and swung against the Brewers in Roenicke's debut. I know baseball players are programmed to forget what happened the day, but in the first game, with a new manager, with (maybe unfairly) high expectations surrounding the team, players have to know the skipper has their back.
As I wrote yesterday, Thursday was just one game of 162. From the players perspective, yes they had the spring to get used to their new manager, but at the same time still weren't in games that mattered. The off day today had to be spent at least having the conversation with Axford telling him he's still the guy. And telling Casey McGehee that he made the play he though was right.
For McGehee, Roenicke already showed him he had his back by coming out to argue the call. Something that makes him stick out even more after just one game as the manager. He was out arguing two calls Thursday. Something that maybe the previous manager of the team does not do. He showed he stood behind his players until the end.
Some will say he wasn't so stern after the game. Well, to that I say the game was over and in the game of baseball, it was already lost. Yes, it was a heartbreaker, but it was nothing to jump off a bridge over. As the guy leading the team, his demeanor, even at the Major League level, could be picked up by the players. If he's not too down by it all, they won't be down that much on the game and can move forward with the season.
The one thing about Roenicke that has stood out the most has been his transparency and honesty when asked about certain situations. He doesn't waste the media's time and was hardly putting on a sherade after the game Thursday after the loss. He truly was ready to move on. He will go back to Axford in the ninth inning. He did not dance around the fact that the baseline rule he went out to argue was too close to make a call. The umpire made a call and stuck with it. There was nothing more Roenicke could do.
The sun will come up Saturday morning, and the Brewers will play Saturday night. After being proven right with a couple moves that saw Carlos Gomez hitting second in the batting order and Wil Nieves catching on Opening Day, Roenicke can only hope to have that same magic for Game 2 of the season. This time, let's hope it lasts for nine full innings, not just 8 and a half.

It's late on a Friday night and the Nussie Hunter can only think about what the weekend holds. There are two great events going on, besides the Brewers games, in the Final Four and Wrestlemania. The WWE is known for having some of the hottest women in the world working for them. The Bella Twins are no exceptions. Just look at them. There's not only one, but two of them. Yes, I follow them on Twitter and they're funny, too. You can see more of them (and the rest of the amazing WWE Divas) on WWE.com, here.

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.

Can Carlos Gomez keep this up into season for Brewers?

Just a couple of weeks ago in this space I talked about areas that were weaknesses for this Brewers team and one of the glaring ones was Carlos Gomez. The center fielder lost his starting job last year because of his performance in the batter's box, but with the trade of Lorenzo Cain to Kansas City, Gomez has earned another chance. As I said last night in this space, I don't get too worked up over spring training, but can get encouraged by what I see.
History will show that Casey McGehee was a long shot to make the 2009 roster as a non-roster invitee to camp, but hit his way onto the team that spring and became the starter at third base within a couple months. The rest is history.
Go-Go has an equal task of proving he is the right man to start in center field for the Brewers. Neither myself or the team have much concern about his ability to play in the field. He came into camp knowing he had to work on his approach at the plate and to this point, he has.
In playing in 10 games, in which he has 33 ABs, he has 12 hits, good enough for a .364 average. (Full spring stats are here) Again, I'm not getting too excited over this, but it shows his work with hitting coach Dale Svuem have helped him considerably. It is a small sample, but he has yet to take a walk and the one area he has to improve most is in his on-base percentage.  He has a career .296 OBP so it's an area he has to work on. Roenicke has said not to expect big changes from him, but if there is a move in a positive direction, it could be sign of things to come if he continues to work on it.
He told Tom Haudricourt of the Journal-Sentinel he has been working on keeping his head straight when he swings. What you watch for is how that will continue if he hits a cold spell during the season and has to hit himself out of it. That's when he would have to push the most to get out of it. If he can stay true to what he has been working on and work himself out of those ups and downs during the season, he would be better for it and would become the player the team wants him to be.
If he doesn't, well the search would be on and he'd be one of the guys to get moved into a platoon in center field. At this point, it's worth another shot for Gomez and if he can hit .270 and have a .330 OBP the Brewers and fans would be thrilled. It's not an unreasonable leap to doubt that he can do it, but in four seasons in the Majors, he hasn't shown that he can just yet.

Switching gears to a little pop culture now. The Fighter was one of the best movies I've seen in a couple years. I was just happy it was a sports movie too. There is talk today Mark Wahlberg is working the idea around Hollywood about "The Fighter 2" continuing the story of Micky Ward onto his three epic battles with Artoro Gatti. He wouldn't break them up into separate movies, but do just one more movie with all three fights in there. After watching the video below, I'd say it has the makings to be something special, at least in the fight scenes.


Onto the Nussie Hunter portion of today's broadcast. I'm sure if you've paid any attention to the rags you've heard of Justene Jaro. Well, here sister Dawn is equally as amazing. Take a look at the sample below, then follow it up with a few better looks at DJ Mick.

Race to fill Brewers fifth starter post is clear as mud

Sorry for being away over the last week or so. I don't get too worked up over Spring Training over positive things or negative showings, especially with guys that have been in the league for a bit. I suggest you do the same.
With the word last week that Zack Greinke was going to miss his first three starts of the regular season with that cracked rib, speculation then turned to who will man the No. 5 starter role with everyone else sliding up in the rotation for the first two weeks of the season? Today, that question got answered... Sort of.
We know the first of those three starts will not go to Mark Rogers. The reason? His injury set him behind most of the other pitchers who are starters and he is only able to go one inning while everyone else in the running is up to a full five innings at this point.
So who's left? Glad you asked. There are a couple familiar names and one we'll all have to learn. The man that now seems to be the front runner to be picked by Ron Roenicke is Wily Peralta, as Brewers.com's Adam McCalvy reports. Peralta's Spring stats are nothing to get real excited about, but he's a right-hander and has pitched the most innings and could be the most ready when the season starts in 15 days.
The candidate known by the team and fans is Marco Rivera. Of course, it's hard to forget his "questionable" injury he suffered last season before the Brewers tried sending him back down to Nashville. His stats last year weren't much to desire, but he was serviceable and did deliver some solid innings. In relief, he wasn't that great there.
Fellow rookie Eulogio De La Cruz is the third arm in the mix and he is probably on the outside right now because, as his stats show, he is not Major League material just yet.
These guys will not be asked to go nine innings. The bullpen will be on call after the third inning when the winner of this battle starts a game, so no need to put too much into how good these guys will do going deep into a game. Plus, guys like Manny Parra and Kameron Loe add long-relief options in the pen that could bridge the gap to the back end of the pen to close those games.
That said, to me, it seems it's between Peralta and Rivera at the moment to earn the job. Of course one may get the first one and the other may be the second and will be sent back down to Nashville following their game. That will bring a fresh arm back to the bullpen. I'm not decided on either guy and will have to take another week to let this thing sort itself out.


It's tourney time and while I have only completed one bracket, but have a few more I need to finish. Yes, it's a fun time of year when the girl who knows nothing about sports, but likes the Bullfrogs to beat the Blue Demons because she likes frogs and wins $300 in your pool.
Heard about the Wall Street Journal's blind NCAA tourney pick 'em. It's pretty cool. Be sure to check it out, here.
Got any pools you want me in? Shoot me a link on my FB or Twitter.

Irina Shayk may have landed the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, but it's very clear who the stunner of the publication is this year. The Nussie Hunter showed you to her a week before the issue was released and can't get enough of her. Her name is Kate Upton. And she's a bikini model that has been busy of late. Be sure so check her out on Guyism.com, with a sample below. Going to use a sturdy limb to predict she's got a shot at the cover next year!

Roenicke makes Brewers starting rotation official

Brewers manager Ron Roenicke made the least shocking of official news today, naming Yovani Gallardo as the Opening Day starter on March 31 against the Reds. It was a move that made the most sense after Zack Greinke went down with cracked ribs and will miss 2-4 more weeks of the spring and also what would have been his first three starts of the regular season.
As Adam McCalvy quoted Roenicke on Brewers.com, the team didn't lose ITS ace, it lost one of its aces and Gallardo is worthy and willing to step in. Things could also work out where Gallardo also starts Opening Day at Miller Park on April 4. But, at the moment that is looking like that start will go to Chris Narveson, who was tabbed to be the No. 5 starter before the injury.
As I wrote back in January on Examiner.com, splitting up the lefties would help keep the opposition off balance and would also split up Greinke and Gallardo. The move to have Gallardo start Opening Day at Miller Park would set that up down the road when Greinke returns and also break up Randy Wolf and Narveson.
As Roenicke told Tom Haudricourt this morning, the Brewers are not too concerned about splitting Wolf and Narveson up as many would think because "they are not the same prototype pitcher." That makes sense. Either way, the team will have to decide on who fills in as the No. 5 starter then on April 5 or 6 against the Braves with a rotation of Gallardo, Shaun Marcum, Wolf, Narveson.
There is a chance Gallardo will start April 4 at Miller Park on regular rest, but judging by what Roenicke told reporters he thinks Narveson is up for the home opener, it would seem unlikely he would budge from that stance unless something changes and Narveson isn't ready. The guy won 12 games last year and this would be a be shot of confidence for him to pitch on a big stage.
Right now that is looking like it is a battle between Mark Rogers, Willy Peralta and Amaury Rivas. All have question marks, but would just be spot starters.
There are some already hoping Rogers pitches well and then forces the Brewers hand to keep him in the rotation. The truth on that matter is, as was noted this morning by fellow Brewers blogger Big Rygg at Brewers Nation, Rogers has Minor League options and would no doubt be sent down in favor of releasing Manny Parra or Narveson regardless of how well he pitches.
SHADOW OF DOUBT
Of course, with all of this shuffling going on and things not setting up exactly how Brewers fans and everyone around MLB pictured the start of the season, comparisons are already being drawn to the 2010 Seattle Mariners, who traded for Cliff Lee before last season began.
Lee suffered an injury in March and missed time at the start of the regular season, too. That makes Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal put some of the pieces together and say the Brewers could be set up for a failure. Rosenthal touches all the bases in his story though and says there is a big difference in the Brewers in that they kept their offense in tact while making big pitching acquisitions. The Mariners certainly did not and could not hit at all last year. Obviously the Brewers are not perfect, but I'm feeling pretty good about the starting rotation once Greinke returns, and the offense. If the bottom of the order can pull their weight and the bullpen can hold up their end of the donkey, that would just leave the defense as an are that needs to perform. All three are concerns from Rosenthal and rightly so. It's one of those things we'll have to watch develop over the course of the season.

Moving on to some viral goodness today. Not sure if you've seen Blake Griffin in a video as Mars Blackmon. Yes, this Mars. (Yes, I love these and just wanted a reason to post it.)

This video for Griffin is him toting USC tight end Jordan Cameron who is in the NFL Draft. It's actually pretty funny and was put together by the people at SI.com. It must not make anyone worried like a non hoops player playing ball like it does for us Brewers fans as Cameron dunks ball after ball. I guess he's not playing against anyone, so it's OK.



Ash Wednesday was yesterday. It is the start of Lent and a very big religious time of year. That in itself isn't very funny. But when my man Pee Wee Herman comes by the Conan Show, hilarity ensues. His entrance is great on its own. Haha.


Now to the Nussie Hunter portion of today's broadcast. I was looking for another newcomer and came across Australian Siobhan Perekh on Gunaxin. She was a 2005 FHM model search and even became a playable character in a video game. Let it be known, though, she wasn't wearing this in the game. Check out more photos here.

Loving Ron Roenicke's take on his first year as manager

It's 50 degrees outside (well, I'll round up from 44 degrees, Haha.) and we were just days away from Brewers pitchers and catchers officially reporting to Maryvale Baseball Park for Spring Training. That's enough evidence for me to see spring on the horizon. The first official workout for the pitching staff will be Thursday and that will be the first official time Ron Roenicke will take on manger duties for the Crew.
Getting to know a little about him over the winter and actually meeting him at Brewers On Deck a couple weeks back, he should fit in quite well with the team. He said some pretty powerful things and while he has never managed at the MLB level before, he seems to always say the right things.
As was evident in a Saturday story by Tom Haudricourt in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel story that was a pretty telling Q & A. It touched on a number of points to kind of wet the whistle of us fans giong into Spring Training.
I like that he has a pretty good feeling with the staff. I would guess baseball is one of the few sports that, even after a manager or coach change, has a number of hold over coaches. That may be one of the biggest keys into making a smooth transition going into the season. Guys like Ed Sedar and Dale Sveum know this team quite well and should have him up to speed in no time once everyone gets to camp.
He was asked about the defense of the team. Like him, I don't feel real bad about the defense. Of course, they could always get better in the field, but it's not an awful weakness. He did hit on a pretty good point, that with better pitching, less balls will get sent their way which should lessen the effect of defense on them and give them a better chance to succeed.
I also liked his comments on injuries to the pitching staff. I, like him, think the team could survive for a short time if one, and maybe even two guys go down with injuries. But only for a short time with Manny Parra and Mark Rogers available to start if needed. If things go for more than a couple weeks, then it could get dicey and Roenicke agrees. Like he said, any team that thinks it can win with the seventh or eighth guy in their system starting for an extended time, they have some screws loose.
The last question Tom asked was on the expectations of this team. Ron hit on this at the On Deck event a couple weeks back when he was on stage, and he echoed it again in the interview. Of course, with the new pitching arrivals, expectations have shot up, but he welcomes them and he has high expectations, too.
To that end, I saw a story on OnMilwaukee.com last week that said a Packers Super Bowl win put the expectations of the Brewers at ridiculous levels for fans around here. I can agree with that. People now are thinking the Crew must win the NL Pennant, which I would love to see, but have to see how things pan out first. Baseball is a weird game and sometimes odd things happen to pitchers and hitters. Obviously the pieces are in place and, on paper, this team can go far, but it has to perform on the field and not on paper.

Going to quickly jump into some pop culture talk now. The Grammys were last night and were pretty good. My fave performance, of the night was, of course, Eminem with Dr. Dre and Skylar Grey doing "I Need a Doctor." To me, this is pretty deep stuff. Enjoy it...


On to the Nussie Hunter portion of the broadcast today. The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover model will be unveiled tonight on David Letterman. The secret is guarded with secrecy and I'd expect Bar Rafaeli and Brooklyn Decker to be front runners for the spot. I also think Chrissy Teigen has a good shot. You can follow her on Twitter, here. And check her out in last year's Swimsuit Issue. Here's a sample below.

Welcome to Milwaukee Ron Roenicke!

The love affair with the guy Doug Melvin and Co. have named Ron Roenicke as the new manager of the Brewers has been in full effect the last couple of days. I'll say it just shows how much of a great pickup this is for the team and the city of Milwaukee. I'm not sure how much I can put into our TV play-by-play announcer, Brian Anderson, speaking his praises (Like he did here), but when Mike Scioscia, Angels Manager (Audio is here), uses the word "Incredible" about six times at least to talk about his now former bench coach, it runs a little louder.
Of course, there's the manager himself. Just as BA said, Roenicke is a great interview. It was actually rather refreshing listening to his presser where he was introduced and then he was on Homer on ESPN Radio in Milwaukee. (Take a listen). To follow it up Doug Melvin was on the D-List with Drew Olsen and Dan Needles this afternoon to talk about the hire (Audio is here). (Tom H.'s J-S story is here.)
Now that you have all of that, here's my take, I LOVE THIS DECISION! I know I wrote on this page on how I like the Bobby Valentine possibility, but sometimes changing your mind is a good thing. The more I found out about Roenicke (We'll be calling him Ro-Ro in the 223 next season!), the more I started to fall in line with the idea. Just think about the guys that have come from under Scioscia's wing to manage their own teams and what they have done. Bud Black and Joe Maddon have done nothing but win at their jobs and Roenicke was next in line to get his own gig. It has been compared to the Bill Walsh NFL coaching tree in the fact that is the best coach with the best assistants that have learned what to do. They all went on to be successful with coaching gigs in the past and this one is looking to be the same way. The key, of course, is if the pitching can turn around from as bad as it's been the last two seasons here, which has nothing to do with the guy that had the post before "Ro-Ro."
The biggest thing I liked in listening to him talk is that he doesn't spit out the cliches over and over. He knows the game and shows it when he talks. I love it.


The Bears are back in action this week after a bye week and travel to Toronto take on the Wisconsin alum Lee Evans (above) and the Bills. All of the pundits are thinking this could be the game where the Bills get their first win of the season. That makes me a little nervous. The ringing words that have come out of Halas Hall over the last two week is Mike Martz saying he is going to use Matt Forte and Chester Taylor more. I like hearing that and think it might be what the offense needs. Whether that's done in running the ball or with short screens, is something that will be shown this week. Martz also said he plans to have them both on the field at the same time. that might be something that could put teams in a pickle when it comes to which one to key off of and could help Jay Cutler out in finding a rhythm and getting the other guys open because they will be paying attention to the back. The defense used the bye to get healthy and I'm thinking them getting Lance Briggs back this week should help shore things up in what resulted in losses the previous two games. I'm saying it will. He's the type of player that makes everyone around him better when he's on the field, including Brian Urlacher. The two seem to pick each other up and that should help the unit get back to their old form.
Prediction: Bears 24, Bills 17

Time for my NFL Picks. Last week was not a good week for me, to say the least, going just 6-5 to push my record for the year to 64-53. Here we go. Winners, as always, are in bold.
Bucs at Falcons
Bears at Bills
Patriots at Browns
Jets at Lions
Cardinals at Vikings
Saints at Panthers
Dolphins at Ravens
Chargers at Texans
Giants at Seahawks
Chiefs at Raiders
Colts at Eagles
Cowboys at Packers
Steelers (21) at Bengals (17)

Alright, time to get into the Nussie Hunter segment of the broadcast. I came across a former Miss Universe on Guyism and I couldn't find someone to unseat her from a spot and mention in today's post. I'm saying pink is a good color on her, no? There's 46 more photos, here!