I am having a really tough time finding time to write anything of substance this season. Whether it is that I do not actually have the time or am just not finding the time, my posts have been few and far between. I am still the big Brewer fan I was last season. I still have strong opinions about the team. I still enjoy writing. I just can not get posts up like I could last season. I will try to improve, but I would anticipate a post or two a week from now on.

A few quick hits:

• Great to see Ryan Braun crushing again.
• Eric Gagne will ultimately choke and be a one and done in Milwaukee, A clean inning would be nice.
• Sorry to hear about Rob Edwards having a heart attack. Hopefully he recovers quickly, but I am sure Gene Mueller will do a great job in his place.
• What is this now... three games in a row where the starter gets the win? Can we make it five in a row and get Manny and Benny a win, too?
• Gotta love Brewers in HD almost all week!
• Jeff Weaver has two weeks to make the club or he will leave the organization. I can not decide which I want to have happen?
• Would bringing up Matt LaPorta for the series in Boston be dumb? Probably. But can you imagine him DH'ing and going nuts on Daisuke, Wakefield, and Buchholz?
• For anyone that cares... I am down another 1.2 pounds to get to 196.0 in our Biggest Loser competition at work. That is a 17.6 pound loss overall.... or 8.24%.
  

I was laying on the couch watching the game last night after a long week at work. It was the bottom of the eighth and I was fighting to stay awake. The next thing I knew, my phone was ringing. I had fallen asleep and was getting a call from my dad after Rickie Weeks gave the Brewers a walk off win. It is the second time this season I have fallen asleep before a come from behind win (see: Prince Fielder's two home run game against the Marlins). I was kicking myself for not staying awake, but I'll take the win.

I am heading down to the game today. My wife and I will be meeting my parents at their house and then heading down to Miller Park. After never seeing Ben Sheets live (timing and injuries), I will now see him for the second time of the young season. Last time he pitched a complete game shutout against the Giants. That game is ranked third on ESPN.com's Best National League Games. I can only hope he has a similar game today against the first place Cardinals... especially since it will be on FOX.

The Brewers and their fans must have a "catch the team in front of us" attitude. It is way too early to worry about who is in first and by how much. Just worry about who is immediately in front of you and catch them. Right now, that is Houston. They are 19-17 and 1.5 games in front of us for third place. Two Brewers wins and two Houston losses, and the Crew will be back in third place. Then they can look to whoever is in second place at the time. After we catch that team, then we can aim to take out the first place team. You can not reach the top of the ladder by skipping all of the rungs between you and the top.

Even after last night's two hit loss... their fourth in a row... and seventh in their last ten games... dropping them into fourth place... I am still attempting to stay optimistic. It is way too early not to. The Cubs were in the same position last season and they won the division... and we had a much bigger lead on them than the Cardinals have on us. If the Brewers can salvage one of the last two games in Miami, then they can come home and take it out on the Cardinals and Dodgers, and hopefully make up some ground before heading to Boston, then they are right back in the thick of things... in mid-May.

• I can not support Eric Gagne anymore. I have said "one more chance" so many times, you can start to call me the Notorious B.I.G. I think it is time to replace him before the Brewers fall further back than they already are. My vote goes to Guillermo Mota.
• Maybe Ned should pull the lineup from a hat. Have Prince lead off? You can not blame Yost for a team being in the type of slump they are in. He does not hit. I argued that he should quit tinkering with the lineup last season, so I would be a hypocrite if I suggested he start doing that now.
• I dropped another 1.6 pounds with my company's Biggest Loser competition. That brings me to 197.2 and increases my total pounds lost to 16.4, or 7.68%. At 6' 0", 197, I am roughly the size of Pedro Martinez (5'11", 195).
  

Yovani Gallardo takes the hill tomorrow and will break us out of the slump we are in. To quote Michael Scott (among others), "It's all good!"

That's all I got today, folks.

Last season the Brewers led the league in home runs. It was home runs that kept them in first or second all season long. This season, the home runs have been few and far between in comparison. If the pitchers are going to give up more home runs than the hitters are able to hit, then they will lose more often than not. This may seem like an obvious statement, but if they were able to play small ball a little better than the currently do, the other team would be able to hit a few more home runs and the Brewers would still be able to pull out a majority of the games they play.

If Rickie leads off the game with a base hit, I would rather have Ned tell Mike Cameron to lay down a bunt to push Rickie over than have him swing away and end up striking out. With his speed, he may even beat out a bunt and give the Brewers two runners. If Cameron lays down a bunt and Rickie ends up at second, then Braun or Fielder just need a base hit to start the game with 1-0 lead. Worst case scenario, the bunt is a bad one and Weeks is thrown out at second, but is replaced at first by a speedy Cameron. You may think this is a waste of a Cameron AB, and it may be, but until they get the small ball going on a regular basis, I am all for it. Other than Fielder and Braun, if the leadoff batter in an inning gets on, the next batter should bunt him over. Just my opinion... feel free to agree or disagree.  

As you may have heard... or maybe you are just hearing now by reading this... Yovani Gallardo is done for the season. He tore his ACL yesterday while trying to avoid a kamikaze Reed Johnson. That kamikaze mission pretty much sealed the division for the Cubs. It is hard to be optimistic after losing two of your top four pitchers for the season (including Capuano). It is just a matter of time before a third (Ben Sheets) joins this group and Jeff Suppan is the "Ace". Maybe Dave Bush will return and look spectacular. Maybe Jeff Weaver will return to a once promising form. Maybe Derrick Turnbow will come back in a starting role instead (note: this was a joke). Or maybe not.

To all Brewers fans, please check out THIS site and get help if you need it.

A: Getting beat by one, at home, in the ninth, when your closer blows a 3-1 lead, against arguably your biggest current division rival, causing you to lose the series, after Bob Uecker sings "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" and says Brewers instead of Cubbies, before heading to St. Louis for a tough series against the division leaders, kicking off a tough month against the best in the West and the rest of the NL Central, in front of a bunch of worthless fans who decided throwing garbage and beer at Ryan Braun was a good idea, on a beautiful spring afternoon, the day one of your biggest stars returns to the lineup, your best pitcher throws a gem, the opposing starter appears to tear every tendon in his leg but returns to the hill, your catcher withstands a collision at home plate with Prince Fielder, and your manager nearly erupts into a classic tirade with the media after the game.

Also, of note.... sayonara Derrick Turnbow. Thanks for the saves back when you were good. Too bad we did not get the roll of nickels you were worth before last season.  Now, we may have to pay someone to take you off our hands. Best of luck. Regards. Etc, etc.

After the bats went off on Tuesday, they were pretty quiet on Wednesday... at least for the Brewers. What a beat down! I was at a seminar until 8:00 and was hoping to get home and settle in for a competitive battle like the night before, but my wife told me on the phone the score was already 6-1, and I knew it was going to be a bad night. I got home just in time to see the lead climb to 12-2. I took that as a sign that last night was a great night to go to bed early. I just checked the final a few minutes ago and saw 19-5... I think I made the right decision.

At least the Brewers still have a 3-2 lead in games played at Wrigley this season... maybe 4-2 after today's matinée... or maybe 3-3 if they play like they did last night (either the Cubs or the Brewers). It will be a great matchup between Carlos Zambrano and Yovanni Gallardo. Both pitchers have looked great this season, but with both offenses dominating the headlines over the first two games, can a pitcher dominate the headlines today? I guess we'll find out by 5:00 tonight.

As a side note, I won this past week's Biggest Loser at work by dropping 4.8 pounds over the week. I am now down to 198.8 after starting at 213.6. I am well on my way to "Svelte Steve"!