The Brewers have only played two games so far this spring, but I am really liking the lineup that Ned has sent out each game. I know the guys over at Brewer Nation talked about Ned's Nutty Lineup, which would have the pitcher hit in the eighth spot like Tony LaRussa used to do for the St. Louis Cardinals a few years back. When I first heard that on JSOnline.com, I actually gave it some thought before deciding that it was not a good idea. It will be interesting to see if Ned gives that look a try this spring, but I tend to believe it is a lineup that will not stick around for the regular season.

The current lineup looks like this:

1. Rickie Weeks
2. Mike Cameron
3. Prince Fielder
4. Ryan Braun
5. Corey Hart
6. Billy Hall
7. J.J. Hardy
8. Jason Kendall
9. Pitcher

Ned decided not to have the pitcher hit yesterday and does not have to today because of playing in an American League stadium (although he may extend this to NL opponents too, to make sure his pitchers just concentrate on pitching and do not get injured hitting). Yesterday, he went with Gabe Gross at DH and today he went with Joe Dillon. This may indicate that these guys will be the first two off of the bench during the season... or maybe I am just reading too closely into it.

Back to the lineup above, I really like the way it is spread out. Some will argue that Mike Cameron strikes out too much to bat in the two spot, but I think it is better to have your high strike out guys (Cameron and Hall) separated a little in the lineup. No other lineup would allow for this like the one Ned has gone with so far (unless Hall bats second and Cameron bats sixth). Neither would lead off, hit third, fourth, eighth, or ninth, so other than second, sixth, and seventh, there really are not any other options. I think we can all agree that the thought of one sixth and the other seventh is a scary one (after further review, since the first lineup I had after acquiring Cameron had just that).

I like Fielder hitting in front of Braun. I know the Brewers plan to run Braun more frequently and hitting behind Fielder allows for that a little more. I remember seeing Fielder interviewed last season and saying that he hates it when guys are jumping all around on first when he is trying to hit. Cameron and Weeks will still do a bit of this but, if trends from last season persist, they will not be on base as often as Braun, so now he will be able to show off his speed a bit.

I love Corey Hart in the five spot, too. Whether he was behind Fielder or Braun, he provides them a bit of a cushion, and if Billy Hall gets his act together, he will be provided a little cushion of his own. The rest of the lineup falls into place pretty naturally.

Building off of a comment I read on the Brewers Blog on JSOnline.com, imagine if Rickie Weeks picks up where he left off, Braun, Fielder, Hart, and Hardy play like they did most of last season, Billy Hall returns to his 2006 form, and the new acquisitions hit as well as their predecessors. The team would be pretty amazing  at the plate... and can only get better in the field.

I can feel the excitement building as the calendar turns to March tomorrow!

With the race for President in full gear, and debates occurring on a weekly basis (at least on the Democratic side), I thought I would also offer topics that can be debated amongst readers (assuming there still are any). What I will do is throw a topic that has two sides out there and leave the debate up to the comments section of the post. I will put my answer in the comments section, too.

Debate #1 - Can a baseball fan be a fan of the Milwaukee Brewers AND the Chicago Cubs or should they pick a side and stick to it? Bonus Debate: Is it ever OK to cheer for another team in the same league (i.e. two NBA teams, two NFL teams, two Big Ten teams, etc)?

I invite Cubs and Brewers fans.... and any other team's fan to offer their opinion on this debate.... please personalize the argument (Red Sox AND Yankees, Giants AND Dodgers, Cubs AND Cardinals, etc).

Might the picture above be a preview of what is to come for the Brewers this summer? Who knows, but both parts are in place for it to be a recurring image for Brewers fans. Yesterday, the Brewers decided to bring back Bill Schroeder's man crush, Russell Branyan. Branyan signed a minor league deal and may not even make the team, but I can just imagine the dreams Schroeder had last night... of Branyan hitting bombs to the upper, upper, upper deck of Miller Park. Apparently, Branyan was sent to the Minor League camp and is free to sign with any other Major League team if any come calling.

Branyan came along with Mike Adams, Bill Hall, Ned Yost, Gorman Thomas, and Larry Hisle back when the Brewers did their Winter Tour and stopped in Oshkosh. He was a funny guy that was well liked by all in attendance, including my co-worker, Doug, and his son, Colin.

Since Branyan is a left handed hitter, I could see him sneaking into the final roster spot as the team breaks camp in Phoenix and heads back to Milwaukee. To be honest, I would not mind having a big bopper that can come off of the bench in place of the pitcher's spot late in the game and put the Brewers on top with one swing of the bat. At this point they do not have that. He would be the Brewers' version of Cubs slugger Daryle Ward.

In the early 1990's, the Cincinnati Reds had a trio of "freaks" in their bullpen; Norm Charlton, Rob Dibble, and Randy Myers. These guys were known collectively as "The Nasty Boys".

Now, in 2008, the Brewers have a duo of "freaks" at the end of their bullpen; Derrick Turnbow and Eric Gagne. There are three possible outcomes for the duo:

1. Both are a huge success and lead the Brewers to a NL Central crown, and maybe more.
2. One is a success, the other flops.
3. Both are huge flops and lead the Brewers to a second place finish, or maybe worse.

I am obviously hoping that the two follow outcome #1 and help close out a ton of Brewers wins this season, but understand there may be just as good of a chance of the other two outcomes occurring.

Either way, the duo needs a nickname, a la "The Nasty Boys". Anyone out there have any suggestions? I will add my suggestions to the comments section with the rest of you (assuming someone actually posts a comment).

Many people will think that I am nuts, but hear me out. Yesterday, it was announced that Yovani Gallardo will have surgery on his knee to repair torn cartilage. He will miss a good portion of spring training and will likely begin the season on the DL. This is a good thing because:

1. It will restrict the number of innings he pitches over the 2008 season, which is something the Brewers sounded concerned about.
2. It will allow other pitchers more of an opportunity to prove themselves.
3. It will prevent Doug Melvin from trading Capuano/Bush/Vargas before they are able to prove themselves and possibly improve on their trade value.
4. It is not Ben Sheets... YET!

Ok, so maybe it is not a good thing... but it does provide some opportunities that the Brewers would not have had if he had been healthy. I would rather have him out there but figured I would try to put a positive spin on things... like how Mike Cameron's suspension is a good thing because it gets Tony Gwynn more playing time... or that the snow we keep getting hammered with is great because it will make Spring feel that much better.

Yesterday, it was reported that Cubs pitcher, Ryan Dempster, predicted the Cubs will win the World Series this year. He said the following:

"I think we're going to win the World Series, I really do. I wouldn't have worked as hard as I did and everybody worked as hard as they did to not believe that. It's funny when people make predictions and say things, and people say, 'How can you say that?' Enough of the curse this, the curse that, the goat this, the black cat, the 100 years, whatever it is. We're a better team than we were last year, I truly believe, and last year we made it to the playoffs and it was a battle to make it. I just feel our chances are better. It's not just going to happen, it's not a gimme. We have to work our tails off to do it. I like our team and I like where we're at. I truly believe the guys in there want it as much as anything."

Many people on the Internet think he is nuts. They think he is being cocky and talking out of his butt... especially because it is not like he is a Cy Young caliber pitcher. Well (and don't be too shocked by this), I actually like what he had to say. Don't get me wrong, I still do not like the Cubs, but I also do not think he was out of line. Not by a long shot.

There is a difference between being confident and being cocky. Dempster is confident. He believes his team has improved and thinks they have a great chance to go all the way. He even says that it will not be an easy thing to do, but he likes their chances. Would fans rather have him say, "The curse will continue." or  "We do not have a chance."? I would love to read Dave Bush or Chris Capuano saying something similar about the Brewers.

Good for Ryan Dempster (pictured above... he's on the left). I think stupid Brewer fans (see: most comments here) and stupid Cubs fans (see: some comments here) need to quite ragging on the guy for having faith in his team. What is wrong with that? Especially when it was stated as well as it was.

And, no, I do not think this because his last name (Dempster) is close to mine (Dempsey).... or because I have been called "Dempster" as a nickname in the past.

How about the Badgers game last night!

For those that are confused by the title of this post, in the computer world, Ctrl+Z is a shortcut key combination for 'undo'. Yesterday, Kevin Mench did the baseball version of Ctrl+Z by signing with the Texas Rangers, again.

I am sure we all remember Mench being traded to the Brewers as a part of the Carlos Lee deal. That night FSN did a WWE style walk in, with cameras waiting in the lot for his arrival and then following him from his car to the locker room like he was the next coming. I expected Stone Cold Steve Austin to hop out of a truck and swagger his way into the stadium, yell at everyone, knock things over, and stomp a mudhole in someone (for those that missed the entrance, it is similar to the video below... minus the yelling and mudhole stomping). Let's be honest, that entrance was the most exciting thing about Mench... it was all downhill from there.

You can not question the guy's heart and overall effort, but he did very little during his stay in Milwaukee... so little that I had actually hoped they would trade him before last season instead of releasing him before before this season. (Note: I now realize that the title of this post makes no sense because in order to undone, you had to have done something, and Mench really didn't.)

Mench returns to the place that made him "famous" with a minor league contract. I will pull for him to make the club and be productive in Texas because, unless I am missing an armed robbery or assault in there somewhere, he seems like a good guy. Besides, unless he and the Rangers make the World Series and have to play the Brewers (the stars would have to align for that matchup), there is no way he can come back to haunt his former team (unless that former team is his current team).

Some of you may have seen these before, but if not, you will get a good chuckle out of them (unless you are a Cubs fan). They are from the NLDS last season when the Cubs were in Arizona to take on the Diamondbacks. The Diamondback organization just moved way up my list of favorite Major League Baseball clubs (unless they are playing the Brewers, of course).

Clip 1:

Clip 2:

Well, folks, we are less than a week from pitchers and catchers reporting to camp in Maryvale, Arizona. We are almost there. With the season getting closer, the number of posts here on My Brewers will increase dramatically. Remember the days of one, two, and even three posts in a day? Well, those days are just around the corner again. This year, leading up to the season, I plan on posting the following:

• My 25 - the 25 players I believe Ned will take to Chicago for Opening Day
• My 9 - the 9 players that I believe will start on opening day, and their spot in the batting order.
• My Standings - the order I believe each of the divisions in baseball will finish at the end of 2008.
• My Awards - who I believe will win MVP, Cy Young, ROY, and Manager of the Year in 2008.
• My Brewer Breakdown - an analysis of what I expect out of each player on the roster.
• My MLB Breakdown - an analysis of each team in the majors, from a Brewers fan's perspective.
• My Brewers Stories - I will provide some first hand stories of my experiences with the Brewers.

Some of the features are back from last season, others are new to My Brewers and will hopefully make for interesting reads and spark debates amongst fans. I have to admit that my posts have been few and far between this winter, but as the action picks up, so too will the frequency and, more importantly, the quality.

In the meantime, here's a video of Ryan Braun and Adam Corolla on Rome is Burning last summer. I had not seen this yet:

Today, it was officially announced that Ned Yost has had his contract extended through the 2009 season. There are certain to be a number of people disappointed by this news, but I have decided that I will not be one of them. As much as I dislike many of the moves Yost makes during games, I am willing to cut him some slack and give him another chance in 2007. With Ted Simmons by his side, you would have to think that his decision making skills will improve dramatically. Besides, do you really think the Brewers will keep him if he makes the same bad decisions he made for the better part of 2007?

This extension is only meant to give him a feeling of security so he is not managing every game as if it could be his last. Has a team ever thought, "Well, he has another year left on his contract, so I guess we can not fire him?" No. They fire managers without regard for their contract, and the Brewers will do the same if Ned's 2008 does not live up to expectations.

For the sake of the Brewers (and myself), I hope he has a great season and leads the Crew into the postseason. I can not take another summer of yelling at my TV because Ned screws something up!

Last night's Super Bowl was among the best of all time. As you all know, I am a homer, so last night's game did not feel the same without the Packers, especially because of how close they came to being there. There was no way I was cheering for the Patriots so, by default, the Giants were the team I pulled for. (Side note: Isn't it weird that three weeks ago I was a Giants fan when they played the Cowboys, two weeks ago I hated the Giants when they played the Packers, last night I was a Giants fan when they played the Patriots, and now I dislike the Giants again because they are not the Packers.)

I enjoyed watching the Patriots lose more than I enjoyed watching the Giants win. They were the "bad guys" and I enjoy watching the "bad guys" lose, whether it is the Yankees, Lakers (more in the past than today), or any other team that is thought to be head and shoulders above the rest of the league. I love when David slays Goliath!

Peyton's mentally challenged brother proved me wrong, again. I kept waiting for him to blow the game and he did not. What a brother duo? When has a pair of brothers ever won their sport's championship, and the MVP of that championship, in consecutive seasons? Never. Will it ever happen again? Probably not.

But, enough of that. It was a great game, but the greatest games have yet to happen in 2008. Those games begin in late March and end in late October (early November). Hopefully many of them involve the Brewers.