Bye Bye, Brady

Well yesterday was a very sad day for me. In an effort to clear out the outfield, Doug Melvin and Company sent Brady Clark to the Dodgers in exchange for Elmer Dessens. I realize that something needed to be done in the outfield, but I would have thought Kevin Mench would have been more expendable than my Brady.

My Brady. That's what I've always called Brady Clark ever since I started watching the Brewers three years ago. I don't know why, I just always have. He was my very first favorite Brewer, and I've always been his biggest cheerleader.

Brady is such a hard worker, and a total class act. He was an undrafted free agent who worked his way up to the big leagues. He was usually the first person to arrive at the ballpark in the morning, and the last to leave at night. He was always working to improve his game, and make himself a better player.

I had the opportunity to meet Brady last summer, and he was just as nice as I'd hoped he would be. He was very friendly, and even took the time to pose for a photo with me.

I know we needed to clear out our outfield, but I think Doug dropped the ball on this one. Brady wasn't the outfielder who threatened to "pitch a fit" if he didn't get playing time, or who said he "needed to go" if he had to platoon. No, Brady just went to the park and did his job. Just like he always does.

Brady, you will be missed, at least by me.

Best Baseball Movies Ever

This week's USA Weekend Magazine featured an article on the best baseball movies ever as a precursor to Opening Day. Three of the four panelists featured picked "Bull Durham" as the top film, with the other vote going to "Major League." As we all know, Bob Uecker was the best part of "Major League," but I have to go with "Bull Durham" as the best.

Robert Redford and Keving Costner split the vote for best leading man, two votes for Redford in "The Natural," one vote for Costner in "Bull Durham," and one for "Field of Dreams."

Here's the link to the article if you'd like to read it yourself. http://www.usaweekend.com/07_issues/070325/070325baseball_movies.html Send me an email and tell me what your favorite baseball movie is. One week till Opening Day! Go Brewers!

Fantasy Baseball

Well winter is winding down (I hope!), and everyday brings us closer to Opening Day, not only in MLB, but also in Fantasy Baseball. Yesterday was draft day in my league, and while I didn't get the All-Star team I was shooting for, I think I made out pretty well. Ours was an automated draft, and I was the 6th pick. So here's the lineup for my 2007 Brew Crew.

C- Joe Mauer, Johnny Estrada
1B - Kevin Youkilis, Scott Hatteberg
2B - Dan Uggla, Josh Barfield
3B - David Wright, Tony Graffanino
SS - David Eckstein, JJ Hardy
OF/DH - Magglio Ordonez, Geoff Jenkins, Moises Alou, Pat Burrell, Garrett Anderson, Jay Payton
SP - Jeff Suppan, Ben Sheets, Chris Capuano, Dave Bush, Francisco Liriano
RP - Francisco Cordero, Mariano Rivera

As I was 6th in draft, the best players like Albert Pujols were gone, but all in all, I think I have a pretty strong fantasy team. Another owner already tried to trade me for Uggla, but with 105 runs scored last year, I wasn't giving him up! Can anyone make any suggestions to strengthen my team?

26 days till Opening Day!

Happy Birthday to Me!

As I'm sure all of you know, Bill Hall signed a four-year, $24 million contract today, with an option for a fifth year. That makes me very happy, as Bill Hall is one of my favorite players. In fact, the Brewers have given me great gifts lately. I got Jeff Suppan for Christmas, and now Bill Hall for my birthday. Ok my birthday isn't for another 10 days, but still. Should I send Doug Melvin a thank you card? 2007 is shaping up to look like a pretty good year. (knock on wood!) Only 55 days till Opening Day!

The Countdown Begins

Welcome back Brewer fans! I know it's been a while, but I've had a rough winter. That coupled with the fact that other than signing Jeff Suppan, (what a great Christas gift that was!), there hasn't been much to write about.

But with the Winter Warmup last week, the countdown to Opening Day is officially on. Pitchers and catchers report to training camp in just a few short weeks, and April 2 can't come soon enough for me.

The Winter Warmup was the official introduction of Jeff Suppan and new announcer, Brian Anderson. Daron Sutton did get on my nerves a bit with the whole refusal to believe in the jinx thing, but he was a great announcer most of the time, and Mr. Anderson has some large shoes to fill. He seemed a little nervous after he took control of the Warmup broadcast, but that's to be expected, and I'm sure he loosen up with time. Just out of curiosity, what will become of the Buckethead Brigade?

Jeff Suppan, on the other hand, was as cool as a cucumber in his first official introduction to Milwaukee. I also thought it was extremely classy of him to show up in a suit and tie while the other guys' attire was substantially more casual. He presented himself very well, and seemed genuinely excited about being in Milwaukee. An indication that Suppan definitely wants to be here is a complete no-trade clause in his contract for the first two years, and he has veto power after that. That's definitely a good sign.

Suppan joins Ben Sheets, Chris Capuano, Dave Bush and Claudio Vargus in a starting rotation that, dare I say it, looks to be one of the best in the National League. We have five solid, dependable starters, along with Carlos Villanueva waiting in the wings. I know it's been said before, but 2007 could be the year. Fingers crossed!

That's it for now. I mainly just wanted to let my four or five faithful readers know I'm still kicking. 76 days till Opening Day! Until next time, go Brewers!