Move to first base great for Hart, Brewers

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cuba City is Petitgoue as much as Petitgoue is Cuba City

I don't usually let my prep sports writing cross over to my blog, but I feel the need to make a post today simply for the magnitude of the developing story in my hometown. Most people outside of high school sports in Wisconsin have never even heard of it. In just the size of 2,000 people, it's not on any map other than the Wisconsin one.

Saturday was an emotional day for the 2,000 people that lived in Cuba City, not just because of the boys' loss in the WIAA Division 4 state championship game, but because one of the men that arguably put the city on the map may be retiring after a remarkable 45-year reign. He has seen 820 victories to just 200 defeats. Countless conference championships and three state titles. He is to the town what the Packers are to Green Bay.

It doesn't take much to read body language when the team was presented with the silver trophy for losing in the state title game. Clearly it was disappointing to not come out on top (the other team played great and earned the win), but knowing the signifcance of the game beyond just winning and losing Petitgoue showed some of what was going through his mind and a decision that will be made today (Sunday) and be passed on to school administrators Monday morning at 9.

Even more proof was the emotion that came out in the postgame press conference. He didn't give away his decision after the game, but it's clear, the 71-year-old winningest coach in state history knows the decision will be tough. Hell, I got swelled up watching a man I've looked up to as far back as I can remember because of his knowledge of the game and, more recently, as a coach in my circles of covering sports in this great state. Just watch...





Growing up there (I spent 21 of my first 21 years living in Cuba City) it is the typical small town. Well, except for one difference. Every kid's Saturday mornings are pretty much reserved for basketball after they start kindergarten and everyone knows who Jerry Petitgoue is. Once you get old enough to start playing organized games (starting in about third grade) you realize why you know Coach Petitgoue (and Jeff Pustina, the girls coach). I never had the chance to play varsity high school basketball for Jerry, I had two points in my junior varsity career, but with a goal of being a sports writer since the third grade he had an influence on me.

Basketball is engrained in the DNA of the schools. That success rubs off on the other sports because of the small-town nature where kids play multiple sports, but at the end of the day hoops is king.What other high school do you know where you can purchase a reserved ticket package to the home games? It's a product of what both programs have been able to do consistently over the years.

Looking around the Kohl Center Thursday and Saturday at the great number of people who attended the games (Saturday had to have close to 1,000 fans, plus students) it wasn't just parents and people who lived in town at the game. I haven't lived there in seven years and I made the trek to Madison for the games.

Coach Petitgoue's reach goes beyond sports, especially for anyone who has ever called Cuba City home. I think back to a time just a couple years ago when I was covering a game in Darlington. It was the season finale for the conference title. The Cubans, with now UW-Milwaukee standout Evan Richard, fell and I was doing interviews with Darlington players and coaches on earning a share of the conference title. I turn around and the Cuba City team is long gone. A simple phone call to his house that night led to a 20-minute interview and conversation about the game, his team and the playoffs, starting the next week. He came on with an "Oh hey, Wilber" because he knew me, but was ultra professional with media and would talk to anyone, usually saying he just hoped the team could win the next game and finish .500 (which he knew they could).

With what he has established in Cuba City, there will surely be success there for years after he has stepped down as coach. The end of an era may be upon us and sometimes it is hard to let go of, especially when he just lead a team to the state championship game. What he has meant to the town and the state's basketball tradition cannot be quantified. There will never be another like him.