Good News, Bad News, and Lots of Rain

That title pretty much sums up my day yesterday. The good news, obviously, was that Phil Garner removed his head from his behind and chose Chris Capuano to replace Tom Glavine. Glavine took his regular start yesterday, which made him unavailable to pitch on Tuesday.

During a press conference before the game against the Cubs yesterday, Chris talked about how he grew up watching Tom Glavine play for Atlanta. So even though Chris was a Red Sox fan growing up, Glavine was his favorite pitcher. Chris said he hadn't thought about his selection from that angle (replacing his childhood idol) until a reporter mentioned it during the press conference. He said the whole experience was still very surreal, and hadn't quite sunk in yet. Chris and the other Brewer All Stars, Derrick Turnbow and Carlos Lee, traveled to Pittsburgh in style, on board a private jet, courtesy of owner Mark Attanasio.

I must say that I am more and more impressed with Mr. Attanasio as time passes. First he came in and increased our payeroll, helped propel our team to its first non-losing season in years, and took a genuine interest in the Milwaukee area. He bought a share of the Milwaukee Admirals, funded an exhibit at the Art Museum, and promotes programs that work with area kids. To top it all off, he outbid Bill Hall to buy the pink bat that Bill used on Mother's Day to hit his game-winning home run. Mr. Attanasio then presented the bat to Bill's mother, Vergie. Mark is a hands on owner, and frequently attends games, both at home and on the road. He even sits out in the stands with the fans as opposed to a fancy owner's box. It seems he is genuinely committed to seeing this team improve, and contend for years to come, and I, for one, welcome his enthusiam. He also hinted during a radio interview on WTMJ that money wouldn't be an obstacle to re-signing Carlos Lee.

The bad news goes without saying: the dismal series against the Cubs this weekend. I guess I was too quick in commending Ned Yost for making pitching changes before things get out of hand. He didn't make a move when Davis walked the bases loaded. He didn't make a move when the Davis walked in a run. He didn't make a move until after Davis gave up a two-run double. Once again he waited until all the horses had escaped before trying to close the barn door.

Since there is nothing inspiring worth writing about concerning the Brewers today, I thought I would shift to something non-baseball related. (this is where the lots of rain comes in) I went to Summerfest Sunday night to see just one act, Marc Broussard. I'm sure most of you have never head of him. He's a 24-year-old singer-songwriter from Carencro, Louisiana, and has a large following within the state. I was introduced to Marc's music by a friend of mine when I went home to Louisiana for Christmas last year.

Anyway, due to the torrential downpour yesterday, Marc's show was cancelled. Apparently, he heard the large crowd that was still gathered (in vain hope that the show would go on), and came onstage with his acoustic guitar. Then he jumped down into the pit between the barrier and the front of the stage and sang to us. He sang only one song, but I thought it was extremely classy of him to acknowledge his fans. Then he went around to the side of the stage, talked to the fans, took pictures, and sang some more. This is definitely one guy to watch. For more information on this up and comer, go to www.marcbroussard.com.

Ok, enough with the non-baseball talk. I just needed to focus on something positive for a moment, because the Brewers going into the All Star break with a losing record is certainly not positive. In fact, we're sitting in exactly the same spot we were last season going into the break, two games under. One positive, however, is that we might actually see Ben Sheets and Tomo Ohka in the lineup by the end of July. Both pitchers' rehab starts went well, and for the first time, Sheets said his arm didn't hurt. Fingers crossed that we can get these guys back in the rotation sooner rather than later. Another good thing to focus on is that our second-half schedule shouldn't be nearly as grueling as the first half. Of course that could just be wishful thinking. The Brewers seem to win against great teams and lose against crap teams. This team sometimes reminds me of Forrest Gump. The Brewers are like a box of chocolates, you never what you're gonna get. Until next time, go National League!