Yovanni & Bullpen Deliver

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Milwaukee 4 - San Fransisco 2

Although Milwaukee's new ace (soon to be) has only pitched one outing since last April, Yovanni Gallardo looked excellent in last night's win. Not only did the kid throw the ball hard, he also blasted a 3-run hommer that eventually led to Milwaukee first win of the season. Both he and Mike Cameron went the distance.

Most impressive was the fact that Randy Johnson (45 years old) intentionally walked Jason Kendall in order to get to the "inexperience pitcher". Mistake. Jonnson even gave a noticeable head-knod to catcher Benji Molina notifying him of a high fastball to see if Yo would chase. Well he did...and smacked it over the leftfield wall.
-Yovanni on Randy:
"Growing up watching him pitch, he's a great pitcher," Gallardo said of Johnson. "Not many people get the opportunity to do that. Going around the bases, I was very excited."
-Randy on Yovanni
"He's arguably theire best pitcher and he's got a great future ahead of him," said Johnson. "I wanted that pitch higher. You just tip your hat to him." -jsonline.com

Both Yovanni and Randy Johnson had pretty good outings. The grizzly veteran threw 5 innings with a couple of big mistakes. One was hanging one in on Mike Cameron that led to a solo-shot homerun, Milwaukee's first of the year. The other was going high in the strike zone on Yo. Johnson was still effective, striking out 7 batters and allowing only 4 earned runs on 4 hits. He only walked two batters.

Yovanii went 6 2/3 innings giving up 6 hits, striking out 6, 2 walks, and 2 earned run. He only slipped once when he beamed Fred Lewis with a wild pitch.

The bullpen threw 7 1/3 hitless innings and sealed the deal for Gallardo. Todd Coffey (hold) looked solid as did Carlos Villanueva (save) in his first game as a closer striking out two batters. Ken Macha pointed out that if it were allowed by the rules, there would've been two saves. Crazy-ass Macha.

The offense was held to only 5 hits that was led by Ryan Braun and Billy Hall's eaching hitting a pair of doubles.

Notes:
I was only able to watch the first 5 innings before turning it in. Since I dropped Dish and signed up with Charter, I have been learning the buttons on my remote. Apparently I screwed up in trying to record the remainder of the game. So I have yet to see the last 4 innings.
My note on that is Charter has not lived up to it's advertised value.

Ken Macha has done an about-face with his base runners. He said that they would be conservative, especially while in scoring position. Well, Braunie didn't get the message and got thrown out while trying to steal third....while PRINCE FIELDER was up to bat. That didn't impress me much (like Shania Twain).

Does anybody else cringe when they see Braunie slide while stealing or getting back to first? I do. With that strained oblique injury he had only weeks ago, one can't help but look past that. After all that's what limited him last year in September and October.

BTW...have you seen Ken Macha move his feet at all? He twists the torso to talk to his players and coach, but has cemented feet. He may also have a cemented mouth, the damn thing never moves. No fascial expression. He slightly smurked when Yo hit the homer. He reminds me of the a Catholic nun-teacher. Someone who has a ruler in hand ready to smack you in you get out of line. Which is good for this young team.

The three benchmen (Duffy, Nelson, and McGehee) are all waiting for their at-bats. Patience, your time will come.

Trevor Hoffman says he's almost ready. My only quelm about that is if Villanueva has impressive outings. Why fix something that's not broken? Was that included in TH's contract? That he had to close? Or could he set-up? Yes, it's only been one game. But TH won't be back for at least a week and if Carlos is throwing well in the closing role....

Casey McGehee donned a #52 jersey throughout spring training. When asked what number he wanted to wear in the regular season, Casey didn't care. He's just happy to be there. So the club had #14 hanging in his locker on Tuesday. Kind of nice. '

Cool story on Wisconsin Timber Rattlers' hitting coach Matt Erickson, who's an Appleton native.

Jerry Augustine looked really tired on FSWisconsin last night....really tired. He was rusty, but did have some good info. I miss Jeff Cirillo.

Antigo-native Justin Berg, who donns the #64 jersey (after hwy 64 that connects Merrill to Antigo) was sent to AAA already (Des Moines). Pretty impressive for the kid. He's already pitched at Yankee stadium!

Jordan Zimmerman will start in Syracuse (AAA) for the Nationals this season. He begins play today. He is a UWSP alumni.

Not since 2003....

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Brewers 6 - Giants 11

Not since 2003 have the Milwaukee Brewers dropped their season opener. Both teams anticipated a rain-out up until an hour before the game. Thus resulting in a hurry-up effort for the two clubs to warm-up and get ready to play ball. Oh well.

Jeff Suppan (0-1) got off to a rocky start and didn't show much promise as being (on paper) Milwaukee's #1 in the rotation. He only lasted 4 innings and 64 pitches, but in that short amount of time the Giants did work on him. With only one strike out to his name, he certainly didn't bring his "A" game to the park. Giving up 6 hits and 6 earned runs this can hopefully be written off as Soup having the first-game jitters. On a bright note, the man hit a double that scored a run and only had one walk.

"It's a loss," Suppan said. "We play 161 more games."
"The reason why it is a big build-up is because you've been getting ready for it, this year, for two months. So, of course, there's excitement and anticipation, and it's definitely a big day. But I don't think how you play on opening day dictates how the season plays out." -Jsonline.com

Keep in mind Soup, look how many games Milwaukee lost year...that they should've won. Didn't that dictate the drama filled-last two weeks of the season? You win games you're supposed to. Last year the Crew swept the Giants for the season (along with the Pirates). Those are the games they are expected to win. If you can't win those, you're in trouble. Indeed, it's the first game....but the "who gives a sh*t" about the loss is for the birds.

Should we be concern? Not yet. Despite Soup's pretty piss-poor season last year, his control was not all that bad....considering the tight strike zone that the homplate umpire was calling.

Soup's counter-part wasn't much better. Tim Lincecum (1-0) lasted only 3 innings and giving up 3 earned runs and handing out 3 free passes and only 4 hits. He did however manage to strike out 5 Brewer batters. Most importantly, he got himself out of a first inning jam that could have tilted the way the game unfolded.

Offensively, there were plenty of bright spots in the Brewers lineup. Most noteably Ryan Braun and Rickie Weeks. Despite by distaste for Weeks, he certainly showed up to play yesterday, reaching first base 3 times. He went 2 for 3 with a double and an rbi.

Prince Fielder and Billy Hall also hit for extra bases.

Ryan Braun went 2-4, striking out twice

Three different Giants' hit homeruns (Rowand, Molina, Winn)

Billy Hall, to me, looked like he just received a new set of eye balls and he was getting use to them. During a couple of grounders he seemed off balanced and late. Perhaps it's just me being pissed off that he hit in to a double-play with runners at the corners early on in the game.

The offense looked pretty sharp, as did the defense. The pitching was the biggest concern, as expected. McClung hung in there for two innings and Soup certainly flashed some positive signs with his control. Dave Bush giving up a homerun in his first appearence will probably have a negative effect on his self-confidence. Every season he seems to get off to a shakey start. Nonetheless, I do believe that he is due for a break out season.

-Prince Fielder made the cover of "Bigs", video game. This is the only game I ever played when I had x-box 360. I then sold my console because I'm 30 and I have kids to raise.

-I stated up late to watch the ending of the Cubs - Astros game. The 'stros looked pretty damn good. It was nice to see Kevin Gregg lose the game for Chicago. His counterpart, Jose Valverde meanwhile pitched a scoreless 9th inning. After 10 innings, Astros won 3-2. I am still waiting for Milton Bradley to strain his thumb or pull a hamey.

-Ex Milwaukee Panter manager, Jerry Augustine joined the FSWisconsin team. That's pretty sweet considering he's a native.

-Lastly, I kept on getting faked out by the scorebox on FSWISCONSIN. It seems like the score keeper was constantly messing up the score and the count. Also, since when is FSN North now called "FS Wisconsin"? I like it.

Tidbits

Brewers begin their long journey that is the 2009 season tomorrow against the Giants.

-So there is a reason why they aren't playing today, along with all the other teams.

-Here is the predicted match-ups this week. Man this feels good to say that again.

-Vincent Rottino voluntarily dropped himself to AA ball in Huntsville in order to play everyday. This kid is a trooper and more ball players in the bigs could learn a thing or two from this student of the game.

-Closer Trevor Hoffman needs more time on the DL to rest his ailment. This sucks. Carlos Villanueva will take his place. TH hasn't pitched since March 13th. So one can expect him to have some rehab starts in Nashville. I wouldn't anticipate him appearing in Appleton, considering the temperature/climate.

-Did you know that Milwaukee has won more games than the Cubs the past 4 seasons? Well Mr. Melvin pointed that out in this story. Pretty sweet. It also mentions a number of other statistical feats.

-The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers have set their roster. This only makes me more determine to make the drive over to the Fox Valley and watch them play.
Brett Lawire, Cutter Dykstra, Evan Fredrickson, Cody Adams, Trey Watten, and Erik Komatsu are just a few of the prospects that will be donning a Maroon and White jersey this season.

-Tom Haudricourt wrote a neat story on the state of Panther Baseball at UW-Milwaukee. Wisconsin's only D-1 program in the state is making a name for itself. Despite playing on a run-down field that is in desperate need of an upgrade. Scratch that, the Panthers should be building a new stadium on near campus. Why the school hasn't committed to enhancing the program is on beyond me. By far, the playing field they play on now (Hank Aaron field) is the worst in the Horizon. Why haven't they discussed a partnership with Miller Park?

Opening Night

Thank goodness baseball has arrived. Although the Crew doesn't kick-off their season until Tuesday, the Phillies and Braves meet tonight on Sunday Night Baseball.

Nothing like watching HD on ESPN. Their channel, in my eyes, comes in the best and offers the best quality. Right behind them is WGN. However, I don't watch that station too often. But when I do watch the Cubs at times, I do notice that the colors are pretty clear.

The final roster has been turned in today and there doesn't seem to be any surprises. Gwynn is down in Nashville, Lamb is out, and Riske is in. There will be a couple of new names we'll get to know in Casey McGehee and Chris Duffy as well.

A number of preseason predictions came out the past couple of days. Most have Chicago taking the Central, with a few rebel "experts" picking the Cards. That's fine with me. Fly in under the radar. One thing is for sure, all critics believe that this will be a down year for the Central and that there aren't any teams that can compete with the Cubs. One thing I do agree on with some of the writers, is that the Reds will be quite competitive this season with Voto, Phillips, Bruce, and a decent rotation. We'll see.

Matt Vasgersian, one-time Brewer Radio commentator, feels that Milwaukee will compete for a playoff spot. It will be nice to see him on MLB network this season.

Jason Kendall wants to retire a Brewer (6 more seasons). Let him stay. He would make a great mentor for Salome when he comes up. Meanwhile Rivera is cursing his profile pic in the team-program.

Milwaukee looks to an explosive offense to offset their woefull pitching.

My feeling is that the current rotation has to survive the first half of the season in order for the Brewers to have a shot at the playoffs. Come June or July, Milwaukee should be able to pull in an ace via trade. Perhaps even sooner. The economic strain that some teams are going through will result in trade triggers being pulled faster/sooner in to the season. Melvin is patiently awaiting chatter.

Milwaukee beat the Dodgers yesterday in their Spring finale. Brad Nelson jacked a three-run homer to lift the Crew to a 7-4 win.

Mark Rogers is pitching pain-free and may start to make fans forget that he was a bust, when picked 5th overall in 2004. This is a nice piece done by his local paper in Maine. It would be nice to have both Rogers and Jeffress coming up through the system and actually cracking the rotation. Jeffress had his own problems when he tested positive for pot a couple of years back.
Melvin is thinking that Milwaukee will have a number of strong arms to chose from in the next couple of seasons. Additionally, Mike Jones (RHP) is also expected to contribute in the near future.

Rightfieldbleachers.com is throwing a bash...check it out.

Last Call for Spring Training!

Milwaukee is about to begin their season next Tuesday in San Fransisco. Can't wait.

Until then, I like to talk about things that probably don't mean much once the season gets going.

- Milwaukee won a close one last night against Arizona, 8-7.
Corey Hart continued his solid spring performance by blasting a homerun (see next story link), along with Chris Duffy. Dave Bush got roughed up.

An innocent beach bimbo (misplaced) had her life spared when a fan caught a rogue homer hit by Corey Hart in yesterday's game.

-Finally, Tony Gwynn Jr. may be on the move. Either through waivers or via trade.

-Milwaukee picked up Jason Tyner (OF) to a minor league contract today.

-Alcides Escobar is not ready for the big time yet, this according to Macha. This most certainly dooms the rumors I heard involving JJ to San Diego for Jake Peavy (4-man deal).
Macha points out his eager defense and free swinging bat as concerns. The kid will get his call if JJ goes down with an injury, I'm sure.

-SI's Jon Heyman picks the Crew to finish 2nd in the NL CENTRAL. Mentions Brad Nelson and the seasoned veteran leadership.

I hate Dish TV

So I got home from work last night and ate some dinner that my wife prepared (thankful). After that I plopped down on the floor to play with my boys and watch some Brewer baseball on FSN-Wisconsin. Well....the game wasn't on.

Upon my initial disgust, I called up DishTv and was put in contact with some foreign element who couldn't speak a lick of English. I told him my problem, but he didn't understand because he didn't know what the Brewers do or play. Understandably, it's a "small market" team.

I finally got transferred three times to the corporate executive office in Denver. The lady was helpful and allowed me to back out of my contract (3 months remaining) because I would no longer be able to watch the Brewers on FSN-Wisc. anymore, due to a programming change.

This excites me. Dish has no MLB tv, FX in hd, FSN WISC (apparently), and local hd channels (in the 54452).

So I hooked myself up with Charter. For 157.95 (tax included) I am getting:

-two hd DVR boxes

-three tv connections

-HD Package (tnt, tbs, fx, etc..)

-PHONE & INTERNET

Compare that to the 120.00 or bucks I was paying for Dish, with no phone / Internet included...

In relevant news...

Milwaukee ended up losing that game to the Padres, 6-5.

Ryan Braun left the game in the second inning with a pretty serious thumb contusion. A Brian Giles liner was lost in the low-leveled lights and it bounced off Brauns' hand. Wisconsin held their collective breath until the X-Ray report came back negative. Regardless, Ken Macha is still worried about it.

Fielder went 2-3, with a double and scored a run.

Looper got the start and gave up 7 hits, 4 runs, 2 earned, in only 4 innings of work. Hopefully he will be ready to go by next week.

Last night Corey Hart and JJ Hardy flipped spots in the batting order. I don't care for this line-up change. Hart belongs near the top. Despite my feelings, Ken Macha is thinking about this change-up while heading in to the season.

Smartly, the Brewers' Matt Lamb was cut. Macha had a sit-down with him that probably went something like Bull Durham (when Crash was cut). The Brewers rewarded Casey Mcgehee by giving him a spot. Mark DeFilice will probably make the cut too.

Matt Lamb, on being cut:

Was the move a surprise?
"Yes and no," Lamb said. "Yes, because every indication I had from the offseason leading into Spring Training was that I was going to be on the team and see playing time at third base, depending on how Billy [Hall] did.
"Then, when I got to Spring Training, I started going into games in the seventh and eighth inning. And I went almost a week without playing third. It just wasn't adding up. I wasn't totally shocked, but I never dreamed I'd get released again. I don't think I merited that. I thought I played decent enough. My batting average wasn't that great, but I certainly don't think I was over-matched." -Brewers.com

*Milwaukee will only have to eat 4k of the 3MM he's due. The lovely Twins will pick up the rest.

There will 95 Brewers games broadcasted in HD this season. Heaven. A total of 136 games will be televised.

Ex-Brewer Zach Jackson made the Cleveland roster (reliever). Good for him.

Milwaukee has already sold 1.75MM tickets. Impressive. Not to mention they are predicted to finish between 3rd and 5th place in the central....according to prediction specialists. (SI picked them second place). They are defying logic. Well said!

The Metavante Club may have to change it's name to the Fidelity Club. Who cares. Although I had always thought Metevante was well-run corporation with stability. The company went public only a year ago....