From this point forward, I will get a post up on a daily basis. I have had a long stretch of no posts for a variety of different reasons, but that streak ends today. I will post a tidbit of information/thoughts/analysis/stories/etc each day I am able to (which should be most days). They may not be page long, in depth posts, but they will be something.

• We'll start things off with a mention of my MLB 2K8 review for MLB.com. It can be accessed HERE. Mine is the review of the Nintendo Wii version. I submitted it before the season started, which is why it sounds as though I think the season has not started yet. I enjoy the game a lot, and would recommend at least a rental to any baseball fan who owns a Wii.
• I watched the game last night until the very end and was pleasantly surprised by how good the game looked in HD. The previous HD games this season have looked good too, but the screen pixelated every couple seconds and the games were unwatchable, so I would watch on standard TV instead. Last night, it did not pixelate at all, so I was able to watch the game in brilliant HD from start to finish.
• How great was it to see the bats firing on all cylinders? I felt like every batter was going to get a hit when they came to the plate last night... which is a huge change from what I have felt for the past couple weeks. I hope it is not a "one and down" kind of thing and that the bats show up again for tonight's game on ESPN.

See... that was easy... five minutes... a few items... and now we can all go on with our days!

Well folks, it has been a few days, but I am back (at least for now) with a few items regarding the past week. It has been a very busy week at work, over my lunch hour, and after work, so the time to write a post has been very limited... hopefully that will change a little so I can get back to some consistency here on My Brewers.

• Johnny Depp is in town filming a movie and the town has gone nuts. The paper decided to print retro looking copies, the downtown area is a mess to get through, and you can hear girls screaming from miles away. It is a pretty cool thing for a small town like Oshkosh and it appears as though everything is going very well. Depp seems like a decent guy and has actually spent a lot of time along the ropes greeting people who have come out to watch the filming. I walked past the set a couple times this week, but have not seen him or any of the filming. It sounds like they are in town through the weekend, so maybe I will still see something over the next couple days.
• I was walking past the set because I was out on a walk as a part of my company's Biggest Loser competition. I organized the competition to begin on April 1 and end on June 30. It includes 26 total competitors and has been a huge success to this point. In two weeks, the company has lost a little 150 pounds. I personally have gone from a pudgy 213.6 to a svelte 205.0. This helps to explain my being so busy during my lunches and after work because I have spent a large amount of time walking, using the elliptical machine in my basement, and trying to figure out what the heck I can eat nowadays. My goal is to get down to between 175 and 180 pounds and look like Gabe Kapler rather than Prince Fielder. I will occasionally mention my progress in case anyone cares.
  
• As far as the Brewers there are several things to discuss, with the first being the number of people I have heard in panic mode after only 15 games. I do not think these people realize just how long the season is. First off, the Brewers are now 9-6, which is over .500. Secondly, would these same fans assume the season was down the tubes if the Packers won their first game but were trailing at halftime of their second, because that it pretty much where the Brewers are in their season. Third. the Brewers have gotten off to a 9-6 start with little contribution from their offensive stars (Weeks, Hardy, Fielder, Braun, Hall). Just imagine once one or more of these guys gets going! I will not get too worked up until about 150 games into the season, and neither should you or anyone else.
• I have a feeling Prince is going to be the first to take off. Getting that first home run off of his back yesterday was huge. I think he was pressing to get that done and now that it has happened they will start flying on a regular basis. As a matter of fact, I heard on the radio this morning that it took almost as long for his first home run last season, and we all know how well the rest of the season went.
• How long until everyone gets off of Eric Gagne's back for blowing two saves? 10 saves? 20 saves? Never? I saw get off his back now. If he blows another save or two, then get on him again, but no one is perfect.... although he has looked pretty close to it during his last couple outings.
• With Bucks season over, fans in the Fox Valley will now see all of the games presented on WMLW in Milwaukee. It was a painful first couple of weeks, but now we can all breathe easier knowing the Crew will not have any competition for airtime.
• Does it make sense to go with Craig Counsell's hot bat over J.J. and Billy's slumping bats? I think it may be, and I can not believe I am saying that. Go with Billy and J.J., then Billy and Craig, and then Craig and J.J, for a bit. Maybe not on an every three game rotating basis, but at least every once in awhile until the two regulars can snap out of their respective funks.
• As far as the new blogging format and the fact that it is free... I do not know if I am sold yet. The more the merrier sometimes isn't the case, especially when the more well written blogs (I'm not claiming that I fall into that category) are lost in the shuffle because any random person can do it. Paying for the right to write meant that mainly serious writers wrote the blogs, and that wasn't a bad thing quality wise. There are benefits and shortcomings to this new format and policies.... time will tell if the benefits end up outweighing the shortcomings.
  

According to Tom Haudricourt over at JSOnline.com, the Brewers have signed Jeff Weaver to an "incentive laden deal". Jeff Weaver? The guy with a 7-13 record and a 6.20 ERA with the Mariners last season? After a season at 8-14 with a 5.76 ERA between Los Angeles and St.Louis? I guess I will have to trust Doug Melvin on this one, but Jeff Weaver? Was Ronald McDonald not available? Very, very interesting.

I flipped over to the Cubs-Phillies game on TBS and found that Geoff Jenkins was Philadelphia's lead off hitter today. I thought he may have just come in as a pinch hitter to replace the guy that actually lead off, but I checked the box score and found that he started there. Has he ever hit lead off in his career?

By the way... does TBS know how bad their game sounds? I hear more from the stands and dugout than I do from the announcers. Is it just me, or has everyone experienced this today?

• Wintry weather gone... nice weather on the way (and my sump pump has not run in hours).
• I just checked the scheduled and the Milwaukee Bucks only have two games left on FSN Wisconsin, with one tomorrow on a Brewers' day off and the other Wednesday when the Brewers play St. Louis. I can deal with one more night of Bucks over Brewers. I realized how fortunate I am to have the ability to see 145+ games, so I will deal with one more missed game.
• Ned Yost. Well, Gabe Kapler sure looked good yesterday, and it sounds like Ned may pull the trigger on flipping Braun and Fielder in the lineup. A step in the right direction... until Gabe Gross is back starting today.
• Coverage of the Red Sox-Yankees, coverage of Tiger Woods, new Brewers fans, and Favre talk will never stop... I guess I can try to tune these things out!

Also, I am not ready to make a public apology for my continued criticism and doubts of Ben Sheets. He is off to a great start... but pitch all season and into October and then I may ease up on my opinion. I hope he keeps it up, but can not help being pessimistic... sorry, Ben!

• The wintry weather we are getting here in Wisconsin... after a ton of rain which has caused my sump pump to run every 45 seconds. How about 65 and sunny?
• The Milwaukee Bucks being on instead of the Brewers (at least up here in the Fox Valley). Granted, the Bucks have saved me from seeing Eric Gagne blow his second save, and the Mets beat the Crew last night, but I would have rather seen those two games than any NBA game.
• Ned Yost. Where do I start? Gabe Gross over Gabe Kapler... keeping Hardy stuck in front of the pitcher, preventing him from seeing many good pitches... leaving the lineup with a struggling Fielder hitting third and a struggling Braun fourth, rather than flipping them back to last season. Yost was too quick to pull the trigger last year and is too slow on that trigger this year.
• Coverage of the Yankees-Red Sox series. Few outside of the upper east coast care about the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry, yet it is jammed down our throat every time the match up happens.
  
• Coverage of Tiger Woods While always amazing to see, Tiger is struggling, many others are having great rounds, but we are stuck with a 2:1 "Tiger to the rest of the field" ratio of highlights on ESPN.
• New Brewers fans. Defined as those who ragged on the Brewers (and me for sticking with them) for years, because of their less than desirable play, but are now "die-hards" with a more competitive team on the field. I can already feel them jumping off the bandwagon after a three game losing streak. To quote Mel Gibson in Ransom, "Give me back my team!"
  
• The non stop, "Will Brett come back?" conversations. At work, on the radio, at the grocery store... c'mon people! Maybe he will, but he probably won't, so how about we move on instead of staying in a state of denial?
  

1. There is no question Dave Bush pitched his way out of the rotation. If Ned and Doug do anything but move him to the bullpen or attempt to get him through waivers and to Nashville, they will be making a mistake. Villanueva and Parra have erned their spots and should not be "punished" because they have options.
2. The wrong Gabe is playing center field. Kapler, not Gross, should maintain a hold on that position until Tony Gwynn is healthy, or Mike Cameron comes off of suspension. I have never understood Ned's decision to usually play players based on matchup and not based on who is hot.
3. Although I am getting less patient with each appearance, I still think Eric Gagne deserves a chance to right the ship. It will not take much for me to change that opinion and believe the reigns should be given to David Riske instead.
4. Jason Kendall will prove to be the best acquisition by the Brewers during the last offseason, but more for his catching than his hitting. He is off to a tremendous start at the plate, but behind it he is leading the pitching staff to a handful of outstanding starts. If he can get the bullpen under control, the Brewers' pitching staff will be in tremendous shape as the year progresses and we will have him to thank.
   
5. The Milwaukee Bucks need to go away. I will complain every season when I am unable to watch Brewers games because they have been preempted by a terrible Bucks team. Rather than see the Brewers play the Mets tomorrow night, I will be stuck with Bucks-Celtics. What a waste!
6. People who say it stinks that Johan Santana is in the National League because the Brewers will play him more need to realize they will play him about the same as previous seasons. The Brewers play the Mets six times. The Brewers play the Twins six times. We should just be fortunate he did not go to another NL Central team.
   

I flipped on Jim Rome on the way home for lunch today and, what did I hear? I heard that Ned Yost was up next to be interviewed. I thought, "Boy, is this going to be great! America will finally hear the cranky, usually arrogant, over defensive tone our manager usually gives media during interviews." After a commercial break, Rome started the interview by already awarding us tonight's game and claiming the Brewers have won six of their first seven. Thanks, Jim! He then asked Ned the usual questions you would expect from a national radio show. The unusual thing about the interview was how well Ned handled himself. At no time during the five plus minute segment did his usual tone creep in. It was almost like Mark Attanasio or Doug Melvin put him on sedatives! Overall it was a really good interview and Ned gave a shout out to just about every player on the team. He may have slipped by revealing that, when Gallardo returns, there will be three young pitchers in the rotation, with Villanueva and Parra rounding out the trifecta. Does this mean it was already decided that Dave Bush will be the odd man out? It sure sounded like it.

I spent the weekend with the Brewers and was away from a computer (for the most part) until today. I figured that, rather than posting something about each game, I would just make some bullet pointed observations from the weekend that was. I will be back in the saddle for daily posts all week and over the weekend.

• What a great problem the Brewers have with Gabe Kapler and Tony Gwynn each getting off to such great starts. When Gwynn is healthy, the problem will be between those two, but then Mike Cameron will return and it will be a problem between three... and don't foget about Gabe Gross.
  
• How about the other problem of having one too many starters when Yovani Gallardo returns in a week or so? After one start apiece, it appears as though Dave Bush may be the odd man out. Hopefully Bushy recovers from his rough outing and makes Ned's decision more difficult on Wednesday night.
• What did i say about Jason Kendall and his eye surgery? Looks like he's seeing the ball much better this season than any of the last couple. his mid .400 average will not continue, but it is a good sign that he will be better offensively than expected.
• Is it just me, or are the Brewers running a lot more than last year? I love having a running game, and with their combined speed and pop, it will be a huge factor in winning the division.
• Not to jinx anything, but Ben "Soft" Sheets has been anything but soft. His stuff has been just plain nasty. According to ESPN.com's "Best Games", he owns two of the top five, and according to their "Cy Predictor" he is ranked third.
• Miller Park trails only Wrigley Field and Nationals Park in attendance percentage (attendance divided by capacity) and is sixth in average attendance. What a great start in those categories, too!
• As far as Opening Day, it was my last attended in person. I can drink with the best of 'em, but at least I am not as obnoxious as the vast majority of the people in attendance Friday. I am there for the baseball, they are there for the drinking... it is just not a good mix for me. Sunday's game was so much more relaxing and fun without the added stress of feeling like I was going to either get puked non, or get hit in the head with a thrown bottle.
• One cool thing from Friday's opener was getting my picture taken with Mark Attanaaio and Gorman Thomas (see below). Milwaukee is very lucky to have Mark owning the team. He was a classy guy in person and has run the team with that class and passion in mind. Gorman was equally as nice. It is great to have a legend like that still hanging around with the club at the ballpark. Guys like that make it easy to cheer for the Brewers.

Yesterday's Game - The Brewers lost their first game yesterday after a very rocky outing from Dave Bush. Games like yesterday's make me hope Yovani Gallardo is able to get back in the rotation quickly. I did not expect the Brewers to sweep the series. I did not even expect them to win two of the three games. So a loss is not that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things. One of the Brewers' weak points last season, and possibly the main reason they missed the playoffs, was their abysmal record on the road. Overall, they had a .395 winning percentage on the road, whereas this year it is already .666! Since I was was only able to hear a portion of the game, I do not have much more to add, other than how much I loved hearing Rickie Weeks barrel over Geovany Soto to score and allow Tony Gwynn to get home, too. I love the hard nosed attitude it seems this team has!

(Picture from JSOnline.com)

Today's Game - We are heading down to Miller Park for today's Home Opener against the San Francisco Giants. It is always an electric atmosphere from start to finish on Opening Day. For many, it is great to finally see their team at home. For others, it is a reason to get hammered and be obnoxious. Call me prude, but I fall into the first category. I just want to see baseball live and in person because I love the game and I love the Brewers. I actually get annoyed by the drunkards pretty quickly, so hopefully there are not any sitting around me today. Carlos Villanueva gets the start against an awful Giants squad. Hopefully they grab the opener and cruise to a sweep, or take at least two of the three games.

Sunday's Game - I will also be at the game on Sunday, which looks to be a great pitchers duel between Ben Sheets and Barry Zito. Fortunately, Zito has looked terrible all spring and during his first start and Sheets has looked pretty good. If that trend continues, it may not be much of a pitching dual at all. Also on Sunday, the Brewers will be giving away a Prince Fielder Bobblehead doll. It looks pretty cheesy, with Prince wearing a crown, but I never pass up the opportunity to get a free bobblehead.

See you at the games!!

What a sweet win against "Sweet Lou" yesterday! From Rickie's homer to kick off the festivities, to Kendall's 3-4, 2 RBI performance against his old mates, to Suppan's dominance over 6+ innings, it all sounded good from the comfort of my desk at work. I think my favorite part of the radio broadcast when Bob Uecker noticed how the Cubs fans at Wrigley were not chanting anything when Fukudome came to the plate, other than his first AB. What have you done for me lately, Kosuke? Since I did not have the game on TV, can anyone let me know if Ted Lilly had another glove spiking breakdown like last season during the NLDS? That was awesome!

The way David Riske has pitched that last two games, I think the calls for him to be the new closer will get louder and louder. I am not one of those people just yet. I think Gagne should be given more of a chance to prove himself. I do not think that the leash should be too long, but it should be long enough to allow for him to blow a save here and there as long as it does not happen every time he gets the ball. He got off to a bad start, but let's see what happens before rushing to judgment. After all, we are paying him $10 million. Until he completely loses it, which I hope does not happen, Riske will provide a great setup option for Ned... along with a calming presence in case Gagne gets in a major jam.

With it being election season, here's a song for Hillary "3 AM" Clinton.... "It's 3 AM, I must be lonely....":

In an article on ESPN.com, it has been revealed that former Cub and current Met, Moises Alou believes he would not have been able to catch the ball that Steve Bartman interfered with in the 2003 NLCS. Cubs fans all around the world have blamed Bartman for almost five years now. They claim that he was the reason for their gigantic collapse against the Marlins. Ever since that game, I have remained adamant that Bartman had little or nothing to do with the overall collapse and was merely a scapegoat (no pun intended). It is great to hear that the guy he interfered with agrees with this assessment. Hopefully this will help make Bartman's life easier than has been since the event. If the Cubs and their fans are smart, they will do the right thing and invite him back with an apology and a huge ceremony. Imagine how much the Karma Gods would like that move. He could be the poster child for the 2008 Cubs. If it happens, the Brewers might as well stop playing because the Cubs would be in line to win the division, league, and championship. Fortunately for the Brewers and their fans, the Cubs and their fans would never do this and the streak will hit 100 years. Karma is a powerful thing!

Now that MLBlogs has decided to offer blogs for free, the floodgates have opened, and the riffraff has started to appear throughout the MLBlogosphere. Case in point, a new blog called "Ruth Was Juiced". The blog was created by a guy named Nick (even his name sounds sleazy). He is probably as slow as a snail, and as funny as a heart attack. And now he thinks he can come here and hang with MLBlogs big dogs? Sorry, Nick, I think you should be one and done and find a site that matches you a little better.... like HERE or HERE.

I kid!

In all seriousness, a big welcome to my buddy, Nick, as he embarks on his own MLBlogging career. He has posted comments here on My Brewers numerous times and has referred friends who are now also commenting. It will be a good read and will be a site that I refer to on a regular basis (as long as Nick updates on a regular basis). Good luck, Nick, you will need it!