Milwaukee Brewers @ Bare Baseball - Baseball MLB Blog

Little Tony a chip off the old block

2006-07-21T11:53:00.000-07:00

07/19/2006
SAN FRANCISCO -- He'll always be "Little Tony" to me, running around with my son Raphi at the old Days Inn, just miles from what was then the Padres' Spring Training complex in Yuma, Ariz., back in the 1980s.
They were about 5 years old back then, if that. Big Tony was a young Major Leaguer still developing into one of his era's greatest hitters, a sure Hall of Famer next year in the Class of 2007 when he gets his first shot at it. I was the beat writer for the long gone San Diego Tribune, covering the team.
My wife's name is Alicia, his wife's name is Alisia. They have a daughter, Anisha, who is quite a singer. We have a daughter, Joanna, who is a budding documentary film producer. Raphi graduated from The American University this past May. Little Tony was brought up by the Milwaukee Brewers to the Major Leagues this past Saturday.
"It all hasn't kind of settled in yet," Little Tony said on Wednesday after he smacked his first Major League hit. "It's not real. I'm kind of standing here in disbelief a little bit."
I personally saw the elder Tony pound out about 2,000 of his 3,141 hits, as well as all 33 he had in the postseason. Now I've seen Little Tony get his first big-league hit, a first-pitch, pinch-hit double coming Wednesday off Giants rookie Brian Wilson with two out in the ninth inning at AT&T Park in a 7-6 Brewers loss.
We have come full circle.
"I'm so happy," said Alisia Gwynn, acting every bit the proud momma outside the Brewers clubhouse. "It's so weird. His dad got his first hit, too, on this day. It's amazing, it's just crazy."
His dad wasn't there on Wednesday, but his shadow certainly was. Twenty-four years ago, on July 19, 1982, Big Tony collected his first Major League hit, also a double at what was then San Diego Stadium off Sid Monge, a left-hander then pitching for the Phillies who later would be traded to the Padres.
Big Tony was 22 that day. Little Tony is 22 now. They are both left-handed hitters. Both balls were stung to right field.
May the comparisons only continue to keep rolling as the years start to quickly slip past.
"Tony called me afterwards and said, 'I had a feeling he was going to get it on this day because that's when I got my first hit,'" Alisia said. "He was in a meeting down in San Diego and said he heard about it on the radio."
Alisia, of course, was also in the stands the day her young husband got his first hit: Section 31, Row 4, Seat 9, up on the plaza level on the first-base side. "I still have the ticket stub," she said. "I was eight months pregnant with Little Tony in my stomach."
Little Tony, of course, has heard the story. He has either heard or been part of them all. He was there with his dad at Yankee Stadium in the days before the first game of the 1998 World Series, walking Monument Park at Yankee Stadium during the workout day, sitting next to his father's cubicle in the clubhouse the day Big Tony hit his only World Series home run, off the right-field façade of the hallowed old ballpark.
The day Tony retired in October 2001, the Padres honored him at what is now called Qualcomm Stadium, sending out the greats at each position during his 20 seasons, all played in San Diego. It was Little Tony, who was sent out to center field, a fitting touch. Big Tony moved on to coach the baseball team at his alma mater, San Diego State, a job he still relishes. Little Tony would play for his dad there before the Brewers snatched him in the second round of the 2003 First-Year Player Draft, one pick before the Padres intended to take him.
And now he's off on his own, trying to separate himself from the old man.
"The guys were giving me a hard time after the hit," Little Tony said. "They told me I only need 3,140 to catch him."
The line drew a few laughs. When I told him that those were the kind of things he'd had have to put up with his entire career, he added: "Pretty much, you know. But that's not a bad thing to have to put up with."
Like father, like son. At that age, there was no nicer kid than the elder Tony. He came to the park every day with such ebullience and glee that it was contagious. That love of the game seemed to last every day he played even after he came to understand that baseball is a grueling business.
Likewise, little Tony, sporting a fuzzy goatee on his chin, is soaking it all in. Three at-bats so far in his brief big-league stint, .333. Good start. His dad hit .338 in his career and won eight National League batting titles. Something to shoot far.
In the end, it was time for big hugs all around, but I've always been that kind of person. I wear my emotions on my sleeve, so to speak. Little Tony, little Raphi. In my mind's eye they are still running around the old Days Inn, perpetually 5 years old.

Source: http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/

Early power not enough against Giants

2006-07-21T11:52:00.000-07:00

07/19/2006
SAN FRANCISCO -- Derrick Turnbow can't catch a break. Doug Davis knows the feeling.
Turnbow, the Brewers' All-Star closer, suffered his fourth straight blown save and cost the lefty Davis a win for the second straight start, as the Brewers dropped a 7-6 heartbreaker to the Giants on Wednesday at AT&T Park.
For the first time in his Cinderella-type year and a half as the Brewers closer, Turnbow (4-6) didn't want to talk about it.
"I'll talk to you guys tomorrow," Turnbow told a gaggle of reporters. "I have to get myself under control."
Turnbow was reminded that Thursday is an off-day, and it was suggested that Wednesday's loss was as much about poor luck as poor pitching. Turnbow repeated his refusal.
"I can't," he said. "I have to get control."
So do the Brewers, who have lost nine of their last 11 games and have dropped consecutive series at Arizona and San Francisco to start the second half. Carlos Lee, Bill Hall and Gabe Gross all homered in the first three innings for an early 6-2 lead against Matt Morris and the Giants, but Milwaukee's offense shut down, and the lead slowly slipped away.
Davis got the start and worked 6 1/3 innings for the Brewers, and scheduled Saturday starter Dave Bush made a surprise relief appearance in the seventh and eighth, while the Giants cut the deficit to 6-5 entering the bottom of the ninth.
With one out and the bases loaded, Ray Durham hit a two-run single that glanced off Turnbow's glove and past second baseman Rickie Weeks. Had Durham's line drive not glanced off Turnbow's glove, Weeks believes he would have been able to initiate a game-ending double play.
"Easy," Weeks said. "It's just their luck right there. We know [Durham] has speed, but it's unfortunate that the ball hit [Turnbow's] glove and had enough to get to the outfield. ... The first reaction for a pitcher is to go after the ball."
Brian Wilson (1-2) worked the ninth for San Francisco and got his first Major League win. He worked around a two-out double by pinch-hitter Tony Gwynn Jr., the rookie's first Major League hit and the only hit by a Brewer over the final six innings.
Durham finished with four RBIs and Turnbow has not converted a save since June 29.
"Nothing's going right for him," Brewers manager Ned Yost said.
Turnbow was sharp in a non-save outing at Arizona on Sunday, but he was unable to convert his three previous save chances. The ninth inning on Wednesday started with a pinch-hit single by Barry Bonds. Turnbow then struck out Omar Vizquel before Steve Finley bounced a double through the middle of the infield that somehow eluded both Weeks and shortstop Hall.
With runners at second and third base, Turnbow intentionally walked Moises Alou to face Durham.
"There's nothing I can do about it or say about it," said Davis of Turnbow, who happened to suffer his last blown save in Davis' last start. "Even if I could say something, I can speak for everyone in saying that we still have confidence in what he's doing. He's throwing more strikes now, his curveball is getting in there for strikes.
"He's still a competitor. I know the results aren't there, but he's looking better. It was freaky out there today."
Bush echoed those words.
"It would be different if he was getting hit around all over the place," Bush said. "A soft single, a ground-ball double, then a ball off the glove. Those are the games that you can't even worry about. You go through stretches where things aren't going your way, and that was a good example of it."
The Brewers struck early against Morris, a longtime St. Louis Cardinal who entered the game 11-4 against Milwaukee in 19 career appearances. Geoff Jenkins, who scored a pair of runs for Milwaukee, knocked a two-out single before Lee launched his team-best 27th home run this season.
Hall homered leading off the second inning, and Gross hit a three-run shot in the third for a 6-1 Brewers lead. But that was it for the Brewers, who were limited to Gwynn's double and a hit batsman over the final six innings. Morris worked seven innings, allowing six earned runs on seven hits.
The Giants cut the lead to 6-4 against Davis on Durham's two-run homer in the fifth inning, and they trimmed it further on a solo homer by Eliezer Alfonzo off Bush in the eighth. Bush, pitching because right-handed reliever Jose Capellan developed a sore shoulder after his outing on Sunday in Arizona, started last Sunday in Arizona and is scheduled to start again on Saturday at Cincinnati on an extra day's rest.
"We like curveballs over sliders against those guys," Yost said. "We figured we'd let Bush throw a 25-pitch outing to substitute for a side day."
Capellan "should be fine" for the start of a series in Cincinnati on Friday, according to Yost. Bush knew on Tuesday night that he would likely be called into duty.

Source: http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/

Thirty years ago, homer king hit his last

2006-07-21T11:51:00.000-07:00

07/19/2006
MILWAUKEE -- At the time, it was just another day, just another home run.
Thirty years ago, July 20, 1976, the greatest home run hitter of them all, Hank Aaron, hit his last.
It was a significant moment in baseball history, but no one knew at the time. Ask a baseball fan old enough to recall where he or she was when Aaron hit No. 715 in 1974, eclipsing Babe Ruth for the all-time home run record, and the answer probably comes quickly.
But this is a story of a moment that didn't start out significantly at all. Its key characters remember so little about the actual home run it's almost as if it never happened. In fact, it took several months for anyone to realize that home run No. 755 might be notable.
It's notable now. As Giants outfielder Barry Bonds slugs his way closer and closer to Aaron's mark, Aaron's final home run is back in the spotlight 30 years after he hit it.
"Records are made to be broken," Aaron told MLB.com at the 2004 All-Star Game, when all living members of the 500-homer club gathered. "You know, I broke Babe Ruth's record. Barry can break mine. Somebody else could probably come along and break his.
"I'm not hung up on records. My career is over with, done with. I'm not going to hit any more home runs."
Repeated attempts to contact Aaron to comment on the 30th anniversary of his historic homer were unsuccessful.
No. 755
None of the 10,134 fans in attendance for a midsummer game between the last-place Brewers and last-place California Angels knew on that July day in 1976 that the home run would be Aaron's last. How could they? With 76 games remaining on the schedule, it seemed impossible that the last long ball by Aaron would land only few rows past the left-field wall at Milwaukee's County Stadium.
The journey of home run No. 755 began in the way most of the 754 prior ones had.
Angels' relief pitcher Dick Drago, working in his fourth inning of relief, was starting to wear down in the seventh. After George Scott hit a two-run home run, Aaron stepped to the plate. Drago got Aaron out on a fastball in their previous at-bat, but this time, he started with a slider.
It hung. Aaron turned on it.
755. The last.
The Brewers went on to win the game, 6-2, and moved to within 18 1/2 games of the first-place Yankees in the American League East. By all standards, it was an insignificant contest and just another game in the last season of a titan of the sport, save for that one moment.
Return to Milwaukee
Flashback almost two years. The 40-year-old Aaron had just finished his ninth season in Atlanta, home of the Braves since they left Milwaukee in 1966. Aaron saw his home run production get cut in half from 40 to 20 in 1974. He wanted a change of scenery.
That's when a close friend of Aaron's and one of the owners of the Brewers at the time, Bud Selig, saw an opportunity to bring Aaron back to the place his Major League career started.
During the 1974 World Series, Selig flew down to Atlanta to make sure Aaron wanted to return to the city he spent his first 12 seasons.
"It was a long process," said Selig, now the Commissioner of Major League Baseball. "I talked with Bill Bartholomay, who was the Chairman of Braves, and I knew Hank wanted out of Atlanta. I was mostly anxious because the Brewers needed a shot in the arm."
Selig talked with Bartholomay several more times, eventually meeting him halfway between Chicago and Milwaukee to hammer out a trade. On Nov. 2, 1974, Aaron was traded from Atlanta to Milwaukee for outfielder Dave May -- an All-Star in 1973 -- and a player to be named later.
"It was a stunning deal," Selig said. "It was exciting. It was great. For Hank it was a great sense coming home. He was happy and he had really fond memories in Milwaukee. He loved Atlanta, but for him it was like coming home."
For 19-year-old Brewers shortstop Robin Yount, the deal was stunning as well. Two years prior, Yount was in a high school science classroom. Now, he would be in the same lineup as a future Hall of Famer.
"When I first heard we were getting Henry Aaron, I mean, Hank was going to be on our team," Yount said. "I thought, 'Wow, I get to play with the home run king!' I thought this was going to be pretty cool, and it was."
The anticipation for Aaron's return to Milwaukee built for months, climaxing in an electric Opening Day to start the 1975 season.
Selig and Aaron, sitting in the dugout like two friends about to embark on a long journey, could only think of one thing to say as a crowd of 48,160 filed into the stadium.
"He just looked at me and I looked at him and he just said, 'Wow,' and I said the same thing," Selig remembered. "It was an emotional day."
As Aaron took to the field, the sounds of "Hello, Dolly" rang in the air, only the words had been changed to "Hello, Hank." It was all part of "Welcome Home, Henry" day, in which Milwaukee defeated Cleveland, 6-2, in Aaron's return.
The return of Aaron was the prescription the ailing Brewers needed in attendance, as they set a record with over 1.2 million fans that season. On the field, though, it was clear Aaron's best days were behind him. The 41-year-old slugger managed to hit only .234, with 20 home runs and 60 RBIs in his first season back. In 1976, his statistics didn't get any better, with Aaron hitting .229.
Lasting legacy
His numbers pale in comparison with the influence Aaron wielded over the Brewers' young core of Yount, Don Money, Jim Gantner and especially outfielder Gorman Thomas.
Thomas, a young but brash player who would later become one of the most beloved Brewers of all time, said it was easy to see the influence Aaron had on his career.
"He's the classiest guy I think I ever met in baseball," said Thomas, who still lives in Milwaukee and serves as a sort of club ambassador. "He would tell me how a guy would pitch me, or little tells that the pitcher was doing that would indicate what he would throw. Off the field he's quiet, always caries himself with class. This man is nothing but class."
Although Aaron was generally a quiet leader in his final two seasons in Milwaukee, his sense of humor didn't get lost on the young team, or a man never shy in telling a story like Thomas.
"I actually played a couple of games with him in the outfield," Thomas said. "He called timeout and he said 'Gorman, you got line-to-line out here today, both gaps. It's all your responsibility.' I thought it was funny as hell."
Yount said it was refreshing to see Aaron carry himself the way he did, which then rubbed off on the young shortstop.
"I learned so much about how to be a person and how to deal with everything," Yount said. "He made you feel like baseball wasn't all that big a deal. It's what we do. It was really neat to see the greatest player of our time act like that. That's what I appreciated the most about him."
Six years after Aaron retired, Yount and Thomas were two of the major reasons why the Brewers advanced all the way to the 1982 World Series, the lone Series appearance in franchise history. Both credited Aaron's influence as a reason why they were so successful on and off the field.
A legend hangs 'em up
With Aaron's skills in obvious decline, he decided to retire after the 1976 season and on Oct. 3, Aaron suited up for the final time. His last-at bat came in the sixth inning, and somehow Aaron legged out an infield single. On the play, he also drove in his 2,297th and final run, another all-time record.
Brewers manager Alex Grammas then sent in the rookie infielder Gantner to pinch-run. Aaron took the first steps toward retirement to a standing ovation. He walked off the field as the last Negro Leagues player to also play in the Major Leagues.
"It's an amazing arc," said Raymond Doswell, curator of the Negro League Baseball Hall of Fame. "His experience encompasses the hopes of so many other black baseball players. It's just an amazing story to a lot of people if you think.
"At that period you're starting to see this arc of black baseball players being involved in baseball. After that, the numbers start to slowly go down. It marked the end of an era in baseball history that was really important."
Years after Aaron's retirement, Drago realized he had the dubious distinction of being the man who gave up Aaron's last home run.
"It came up somewhere in some trivia thing or something I read," Drago said. "After that I kind of used it as trivia and nobody knew the answer [even though] I was asking the question."
If Bonds passes Aaron's mark, someone else will be a trivia answer.

Source: http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/

Sheets strong in outing at Omaha

2006-07-21T11:47:00.000-07:00

07/20/2006
SAN FRANCISCO -- The Brewers are among a number of teams considering making Toronto an offer for embattled third baseman Shea Hillenbrand, but it might be a long shot.
The Brewers are thin at third in the wake of injuries to shortstop J.J. Hardy, who is having season-ending ankle surgery on Thursday, and third baseman Corey Koskie, who is back in Milwaukee and sidelined indefinitely with post-concussion syndrome. But one of Hillenbrand's problems with the Blue Jays was his playing time, and the Brewers may not be able to promise him anything.
"I've got people studying it," said Brewers general manager Doug Melvin, who planned to meet with assistant GM Gord Ash later Thursday in Charleston, S.C., to see one of Milwaukee's Class A affiliates. "We're trying to figure out if Koskie's status has changed any."
That's the complicated part. Koskie, acquired from the Blue Jays in January, was having a fine season for Milwaukee before he suffered a minor concussion playing defense on July 5. The team figured he would miss a few days, but symptoms persisted to the point that the team sent Koskie back to Milwaukee to "rest his brain" as manager Ned Yost put it -- no television, no video games, no reading. He could return in a few days -- or a few weeks.
"You can get somebody like [Hillenbrand], but if Koskie comes back, you've got a problem on your hands," Melvin said.
Koskie and Hillenbrand both play third base and first base, and Jeff Cirillo plays first, second and third (he could play shortstop, but only in a pinch). Melvin worries that having all three on the roster would create a numbers problem.
"You can't only look at what it does for you today," Melvin said. "You have to look at what it does for you tomorrow. Will the player be happy? If Koskie is out until September, then, yeah, we would do that. But we don't know."
The Blue Jays designated Hillenbrand for assignment Wednesday night after he refused to sit in the dugout with his teammates after he was chastised during a team meeting. He reportedly was upset because he wasn't in the starting lineup for the second consecutive game and nobody in Toronto's front office congratulated him on adopting a child last weekend. Toronto has 10 days to trade Hillenbrand or release him, and with other teams like the Angels and Padres showing interest, a trade is likely.
Does Melvin worry about character issues?
"I've heard good things about Hillenbrand," Melvin said. "This sounds like a personal problem with the manager."
Hillenbrand is hitting .301 with 12 homers and 39 RBIs. He had cooled in June and July, batting .246 with five home runs and 14 RBIs. There is also a debate within Brewers circles about Hillenbrand's propensity to hit into double plays.
The Padres released 39-year-old veteran third baseman Vinny Castilla on Wednesday, but he "doesn't do anything for us," Melvin said.
The Brewers have lost nine of their last 11 games, including an especially tough one on Thursday, when they blew a 6-1 lead and lost in the bottom of the ninth on closer Derrick Turnbow's fourth straight blown save.
"We just have to get consistent overall," Melvin said. "There's nothing hurting us more on our club than the overall consistency."

Source: http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/

Mailbag: Who to watch this spring

2006-03-06T09:52:00.000-08:00

02/20/2006
I'm going out to Arizona for a week and plan to go to a few Spring Training games. Who are some of the "dark horse" players who could earn a roster spot?-- Erik M., Racine, Wis.
Zach Sorensen's name keeps coming up as a favorite of some Brewers scouts. Sorensen can play three infield and three outfield positions, and he also has going for him the fact that he was a Doug Melvin waiver claim. Melvin is on an incredible streak of finding gems on the wire after the success of Derrick Turnbow and Scott Podsednik. It also may be too early to count out Nelson Cruz, who has a chance to open some eyes with a strong Spring Training.
In terms of pitchers, Mike Adams reported to camp on a mission, admitting he let up a bit after being handed the closer job last spring. He will push hard to prove he deserves a second chance. Right-hander Dennis Sarfate is also a player to watch; even if he does not make the roster, he could get a look for the bullpen and is considered very close to being ready to pitch in the Major Leagues.
Look for more dark horses to emerge this week. Right now, the pitchers are throwing only at about 80 percent, and the hitters do not formally report until this weekend. Everyone will start to ramp it up as time goes by.
Could you compare prospects Corey Hart and Cruz? In my opinion, Cruz has a lot better arm and is more valuable in the outfield. What are your thoughts?-- Josh Z., West Salem, Wis.
Cruz does have a better arm, but Hart is more advanced and may still have work to do in the Minor Leagues. He was the organization's Minor League player of the year last season, but he split the season between Double-A Huntsville and Triple-A Nashville. Hart put together a solid Triple-A season, and barring injury, he will make the Brewers' Opening Day roster.
Are the Brewers going to address the catcher position? It seems to be the weak link right now.-- Rich, Oshkosh, Wis.
As I've written previously, the numbers do not bear out that Brewers catchers are a weak link. Damian Miller and Chad Moeller combined to rank 13th of 30 Major League teams in catchers' OPS (.710 -- or .001 lower than the Yankees). Yes, Miller was disappointed with his performance with runners in scoring position, and Moeller is not happy with his poor batting average, but the team believes very strongly their familiarity with Ben Sheets & Co. is a huge plus that is not easily translated into numbers.
Bottom line: Melvin and manager Ned Yost have talked about the catching tandem since they arrived in Phoenix, and the Brewers are more than happy with their duo.
I am disturbed at the recent news that the Brewers won't be adding anyone to their Walk of Fame this year. I understand their reasoning and concern that at some point they may run out of players, but, for instance, George Bamberger is absent and he was the first winning manager in Brewers history and, along with Harry Dalton, helped craft a Brewers team that became formidable American League opponents for the next years to come.-- Ryan K., Watertown, Wis.
The Brewers changed the voting system this year, and no one appeared on the required 75 percent of ballots to join the 12 former players and club officials already in the Walk of Fame. I think that's a shame because there are plenty of qualified candidates.
Bamberger most certainly was on my ballot. Before Bamberger was hired for the 1978 season the fledgling Brewers had never done better than 76 wins; they won 93 that first year and 95 in 1979 before Bamberger decided to retire after heart surgery limited his 1980 season. He returned for a couple of forgettable seasons from 1985-1986.
Bamberger is the third-winningest manager in club history, but his legacy with the team goes beyond that. His players, including Gorman Thomas and Larry Hisle, have told me that Bamberger's style had a lot to do with those "Bambi's Bombers" teams being so loose and so good. He passed away last April, and it would have been nice to see him honored at Miller Park this summer. I will vote for him again next year.
Mike Caldwell also should not have to wait, in my opinion. He posted club records for a starting pitcher with 22 wins and a 2.36 ERA in 1978, and he ranks second on the club's all-time wins and winning percentage lists.
Do you think the Brewers will sign Sammy Sosa to take over Russ Branyan's power pinch-hitting role?-- Jon D., Luxemburg, Wis.
No way. When the Brewers look at free agents, they almost always are looking for players who fit into a plan for this season and beyond, and Sosa certainly does not fit that mold. Also, why would Sosa be inclined to sign with the Brewers to sit on the bench? It appears that he simply will retire if he does not find a job offering everyday duties.
The Brewers might not have a true slugger off the bench, but Bill Hall and Gabe Gross have some pop, and Corey Koskie will get a break now and then and represents another option.
Though all are important, which would you consider the most important thing for the Brewers to seriously contend this year: Ben Sheets to stay healthy, Geoff Jenkins and Carlos Lee to hit well at the same time, Chris Capuano repeating 2005 or the bullpen getting to Turnbow?-- Nate S., Mequon, Wis.
To me, Sheets' health is the key to taking the next step. He is entering the prime of his career and is due to break his streak of 10-12 win seasons.
Do you think the Brewers' objections to Sheets involvement in the World Baseball Classic affected his not being selected, or was there simply not enough room for him behind the rest of Team USA's great staff?-- Nile S., Milwaukee
Sheets says he pulled out on his own because he did not want to take up a spot unless he was 100 percent sure of his health. At this point, he could not make that guarantee.
I want to find out what happened to Chris Saenz? I watched the one game on MLB.com that he pitched in 2004 against St. Louis (six innings, two hits, no runs) and haven't seen his name since. Is he still in the Brewers' system?-- Cuthbert T., Sacramento, Calif.
Saenz missed 2005 after undergoing Tommy John surgery and was non-tendered, but he re-signed a Minor League contract for 2006. Those guys have already started trickling into the Minor League complex here at Maryvale Baseball Park.
If I'm not mistaken, Doug Davis is a free agent after the 2006 season. Are the Brewers negotiating an extension?-- Steve T., Milwaukee
Davis' contract is up after this season, but he actually has one more year of salary arbitration eligibility before being eligible for free agency. Melvin said the Brewers have not yet had any discussions about an extension.
Any word on how the Brewers' fantasy football league went?-- David J., University Hts., Ohio
Turnbow loaded up on wide receivers instead of running backs and was the 2005 champion. He bought a huge trophy that has been sitting in front of Jenkins' locker, and Jenkins, the '04 champion who has not reported to camp yet, likely will not be happy with Turnbow's hot-dogging.

Source: http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/

Notes: Capuano to add cutter to arsenal

2006-03-06T09:51:00.000-08:00

02/21/2006
PHOENIX -- After a breakthrough, 18-win season, Chris Capuano does not have to worry about winning a roster spot. He has time to tinker.
So within the next two weeks, after he builds back his arm strength and gets his legs under him, Capuano plans to join what seems like a hoard of Brewers pitchers working on a cut fastball.
"I won't want to work on a new pitch before I feel good with my other pitches," he said following Day 3 of mandatory workouts for Brewers pitchers and catchers. "I expect in the next two weeks to start playing around with it."
Why has the "cutter" become such a popular pitch in Milwaukee?
"Mostly because guys have had success with it," Capuano said. "[Pitching coach Mike] Maddux used to have success with it. Doug Davis has had a lot of success with it. Tomo [Ohka] throws it. We've all seen that it can be an effective pitch for a lot of guys."
It's also a relatively easy pitch to learn, Capuano said. When thrown well by a left-handed pitcher, a cut fastball has late action inside on right-handed hitters and away from lefties.
Davis has enjoyed great success with a "back-door" cutter, a pitch that starts off the plate away from right-handed hitters and then breaks back over the corner.
"It's not a whole lot different from throwing a regular fastball," Capuano said. "It's not like a split-fingered [fastball] or something else that is typically rough on the arm. ... I just want to mess around with it and see if it helps."
Capuano was 18-12 last season with a 3.99 ERA. The last Brewer to win at least 18 times was Teddy Higuera in 1987.
Moving forward: Pitching prospect Manny Parra is ramping up his rehabilitation and hopes to resume throwing early next week.
Parra, one of the team's top left-handed prospects, has not thrown a baseball since the second week in January but is scheduled to see Dr. William Raasch on Saturday. Parra hopes Raasch gives the go-ahead to resume workouts.
"It's kind of hard right now because we're out there doing [fielding] drills and I'm the only one not throwing," Parra said. "But at the same time, I have to remember that this way is probably smarter."
He can't throw. He can't lift weights. He couldn't even join roommate and fellow pitching prospect Mike Jones for a round of golf Tuesday.
Parra was limited to 16 starts at Double-A Huntsville last season and underwent arthroscopic shoulder surgery last August. He had been throwing successfully before the Major League Baseball Players Association Rookie Career Development Program in mid-January. But after resuming workouts, Parra felt some discomfort in his shoulder and was shut down.
"We're just letting things calm down," he said. "When I get back throwing, my goal is to be totally healthy for a whole season -- no setbacks."
Time off: Brewers bullpen coach Bill Castro will travel on April 2 to Kissimmee, Fla., along with other members of the Dominican Republic's entry into the World Baseball Classic.
Castro has been asked to serve as the team's pitching coach under manager Manny Acta and is anxious to assemble a staff. The Dominican squad plays first-round games in Orlando and enters the tournament as one of the favorites.
Castro also said that Brewers left-hander Jorge De La Rosa will be on Team Mexico's final roster when it is announced. De La Rosa is on Mexico's provisional roster, but the nation has yet to announce its final 30-man squad.
Higuera is expected to serve as a coach for Mexico.
Plugging away: There were no major developments during the Brewers' workout on Tuesday, and that was just fine with manager Ned Yost. He calls the first week, "boring, fundamental work."
In past seasons, Brewers hitters who reported early would take batting practice off Brewers pitchers, who were told to throw at about 80 percent of full strength. This year, that will not happen until the second week of camp.
"Hitters don't like it," Yost said. "They'd rather get their feet underneath them and work into [hitting] off of coaches."
Hit him up: Yost will answer questions in an online chat at MilwaukeeBrewers.com on Thursday afternoon at 3 p.m. CT. Fans must be registered ahead of time to participate.
Is he next? Teammates have already told newcomer Zach Sorensen about the Brewers' success with waiver claims.
The team plucked Sorensen away from the Angels on Nov. 18, and he will compete for a job as a backup infielder and outfielder. Last year the Brewers found waiver-wire success with closer Derrick Turnbow, who also came from the Angels, and before that it was center fielder Scott Podsednik, who came from the Mariners.
"If they picked you it means they want you around," Sorensen said. "I look at it as a good thing."

Source: http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/

Krynzel eager to redeem himself

2006-03-06T09:50:00.000-08:00

02/21/2006
PHOENIX -- One of the Brewers' top outfield prospects made a huge mistake last winter. He fessed up to the Brewers, and now he's ready to fess up to his fans.
"I thought I was doing what was right," said 24-year-old Dave Krynzel. "I look back now, I was wrong.
"I've apologized, and that's going to go as far as I can throw a rock. Right now, that's not very far."
That's because Krynzel, a former first-round draft pick and one of the organization's fastest baserunners, underwent surgery in January to repair a broken collarbone. He was injured in a motorcycle accident in November but sought private medical care. Two months later, when the bone failed to heal itself, Krynzel was forced to seek help.
It was a major setback for a player already coming off one of his poorest professional seasons, and Krynzel knows it.
"It was a hobby of mine, a passion," he said. "I love speed, the adrenaline rush, the excitement of it. That's me all the way.
"I was being ignorant, not realizing what I had. [Baseball] is much more than some other little passion I've got. This is my life. I live for this."
Brewers assistant general manager Gord Ash, the team's point man on injuries, said he and GM Doug Melvin planned to sit down with Krynzel to lay out the team's expectations.
For now, he still has a locker in the Major League clubhouse at Maryvale Baseball Park, but after undergoing his regular preseason physical on Saturday, Krynzel has moved his rehabilitation to the Minor League complex.
He has been working with new Brewers Minor League physical therapist Kenny Patterson on range of motion exercises, and assuming things go well, Krynzel is on track to resume baseball activities by the second week in March.
"Timing is everything, and this was a pivotal year because we were on the lookout for exactly what he is: a guy that can play center field, who can run a little bit," Ash said. "Now he's not in that mix because he's not in the first part of camp. The other guys will get a jump on him.
"Can he overcome it? Yes. I've seen players in the past who have fallen out of favor and have come back to be a great success."
According to Ash, had Krynzel reported the injury right away and received proper medical care, he would have been healthy by now and in the running for a spot on the Brewers' bench. Now, Krynzel is ticketed for a return to Triple-A.
"I'm lucky that Milwaukee still wants me," Krynzel said. "I have a very, very, great, big opportunity in front of me. I am the first to say that I am going to work my [tail] off to make the most of it."
Krynzel told his story this week for the first time.
After four or five years riding motorcycles, he considers himself an intermediate rider. But this year, Krynzel made a decision to stop riding on the streets of Las Vegas, where he makes his offseason home, ironically because he felt they were unsafe.
One night in November he paid $20 to enter a winding, paved track usually used for go-karts. Riding a 125cc sports bike, Krynzel started the first few laps slowly, but he began accelerating as he became more comfortable.
"I started learning the mechanics of it a little bit," he said. "I was really whipping around corners, passing people. It was such a rush, but at the same time, it was so dangerous. I liked that, at the time."
Coming out of one of those turns, he crashed. Krynzel said he does not remember any of the details of the actual tumble -- only the tremendous impact as he hit the asphalt.
"I've been hit in the head by baseballs and I've hit [outfield] walls as hard as possible," he said. "That was nothing like this."
Krynzel believes the leather jacket, helmet and pads he was wearing saved his life. He struggled to his feet and was helped off the course but refused offers for an ambulance. His girlfriend drove Krynzel to the hospital.
That's when he made the pivotal decision to seek his own care. Krynzel said an orthopedic surgeon advised him that the broken right clavicle would heal itself given time. But it did not, and as a required Brewers physical approached in January, it became clear to Krynzel he would have to alert club officials.
Tests revealed that the injury was not healing because tissue was pinned between the broken bone. He flew to Milwaukee for surgery, during which Dr. William Raasch essentially re-broke the bone and set it in place with a metal plate. Rehabilitation was expected to take eight weeks.
"I'm very lucky," Krynzel said. "It was definitely a wakeup call. If that's what it took for me to change, so be it. No one ever slapped me in the face and said, 'This is the way it's got to be.'"
Because Krynzel is not on a guaranteed Major League contract, he did not technically break the rules by riding a mini-bike, according to Ash. The team has not taken any disciplinary action.
Krynzel's troubles did not begin on that speed bike. The last player cut out of camp after a strong 2005 Spring Training, Krynzel made a brief appearance with the Brewers in June, but otherwise he slumped through a personally disappointing season.
The Triple-A Nashville team won the Pacific Coast League Championship, but Krynzel batted .256, including .247 as the leadoff hitter, and he struck out 138 times. Considered an excellent defensive player, he also committed 10 errors.
"I'm sure he didn't like his performance offensively, and defensively he was not the same player as he was in the past," said Triple-A manager Frank Kremblas, who has coached Krynzel at the Double-A and Triple-A levels since 2002. "He lost confidence at times."
"There were flashes of Dave being Dave," teammate Brad Nelson said. "He would really get it going for a few days or weeks, but he couldn't keep it going."
In July, Krynzel left the team without permission for several days, but Ash said the reasons were confidential. He did not appear in a game with the Sounds from July 15-23.
"He does have a lot going on in his head, but that's why we have people like Tim Hewes," Ash said, referring to the director of the team's employee assistance program. "They can help resolve some of that. [A player] has to compartmentalize when he is on the field.
"There is a long list of players who have significant talent but do not make it to the Major Leagues because of other issues," Ash continued. "Hopefully, Dave is not one of those guys. It is far too early to say that he is."
Said Kremblas: "The first step in improvement [is] standing up like a man and dealing with it. I think that's what Dave is doing."
Brewers manager Ned Yost's own son, Josh, suffered a broken collarbone last week while riding a skateboard at a park in Phoenix. Yost said Krynzel will get a chance to redeem himself.
"David's hurt right now. He can't mix in to what we're going to do, so he'll rehab as hard as he has been working to get himself back," Yost said. "There is no more to it than that. Accidents happen. Things happen.
"And I can see from his end of it that you don't want to tell anyone about it. It's a scary thing, and you think that you can get it healed before anyone knows about it. He felt that way, and he made a mistake."
Krynzel knows he will have to hit and run his way out of the doghouse.
"That's all that's left for me to do," he said. "If you guys want to see a turnaround, it's going to be this year. I can't say what I'm going to hit [or] how many bases I'm going to steal, but you'll see a big difference."
He also plans to sell his bikes.
"It's not worth it," Krynzel said. "I've reprioritized my life, with baseball being No. 1. Finally."

Source: http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/

Brewers counting on Turnbow

2006-03-06T09:49:00.000-08:00

02/22/2006
PHOENIX -- Bushy-haired Brewers closer Derrick Turnbow did a national television interview Tuesday that had one of his teammates rolling.
"I was cracking up the whole time," said Brewers newcomer Jason Kershner. "He actually said, 'Preesh.'"
That's Turnbowese for, "I appreciate your kind sentiments." There's also the rapid-fire "Whaddup-whaddup," Turnbow's favorite greeting and the basis of his clubhouse champion fantasy football team's name. And while most people might simply say, "Yes," Turnbow goes with, "Believe it."
It sometimes gets confusing because the Tennessean tends to slur his words more than the two-fisted slobber on the old scoreboard at County Stadium. When that happens, fellow reliever Matt Wise steps in as translator.
"He's one of my best friends and it's cool to know that he's not going to change," said Wise, who first met Turnbow when they were teammates with the Angels and does a spot-on impression. "He's going to be the same guy."
The Brewers hope so.
They plucked Turnbow off waivers from the Angels and he shocked himself and everyone else by emerging as the closer and saving 39 games, tying the club record. He won his last seven decisions and his 1.74 ERA was fourth-best of regular Major League relievers behind Mariano Rivera, Billy Wagner and Huston Street.
Turnbow was named the Brewers' pitcher of the year, tied Carlos Lee for top newcomer honors and won a legion of fans in Milwaukee.
Did he ever see it coming?
"Not a chance," Turnbow said this week at Maryvale Baseball Park. "I was just hoping to be in the big leagues. I never expected to be anywhere close to where I'm at. I just have to keep working hard and just keep it going as long as possible."
Turnbow extended a hot streak for Brewers general manager Doug Melvin and assistant GM Gord Ash. Scott Podsednik, selected off waivers from the Mariners, was the first, followed by Brady Clark (Mets) and Turnbow. All have blossomed into big-league regulars.
That doesn't mean Melvin could have envisioned Turnbow's dramatic step forward.
"We took some chances [at the 2004 Winter Meetings] trading Danny Kolb and Luis Vizcaino, both our closer and setup guy, and a great story came out of it with Derrick Turnbow," Melvin said. "We can't sit here and say we knew that was going to happen."
Turnbow reported to Spring Training last year as a relative unknown. The Brewers knew he could throw hard, but finally harnessed his command under the tutelage of Brewers pitching coach Mike Maddux and bullpen coach Bill Castro.
He eliminated jerky hand movement in his delivery and found a consistent release point. He learned a slide step. As the year progressed, he developed a devastating slider.
By mid-April, Brewers manager Ned Yost had lost some confidence in right-hander Mike Adams, who was supposed to be the closer. He needed a new closer, and turned to Turnbow on April 24 at San Francisco.
"I was in a daze, but at the same time I knew what the situation was," Turnbow says now. "It was the first time that I had felt pressure like that. I'm not going to lie. But like every first, you just have to get through it and try to learn something from it.
"It's something where either a guy can deal with it or he can't deal with it. Fortunately, I can deal with it pretty well."
At the time, Turnbow had 11 Minor League saves but none in 44 career relief appearances since 2000. He took quickly to the new role, saving 39 of 43 opportunities for the Brewers.
"He's a special guy," Castro said. "He got the chance and went ahead and took advantage of it. It's unbelievable what he's done."
"I seriously think he should have gotten some consideration for the Cy Young [Award]," said Wise. "Maybe I'm biased because I'm a teammate and he's a good friend of mine, but he was dominating."
Turnbow's goal this spring is to "continue doing what I'm doing." But there were a few changes; he was married on Nov. 7 in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and he did not start a throwing program until the first week in December. He is tinkering this spring with a move from the first base side of the pitching rubber to the third base side, looking for more plate coverage with his slider.
For the first time in his career, he heads into the season entrenched as a closer. Wise and the newly re-acquired Kolb (who shares the franchise saves record with Turnbow) likely will set up Turnbow, leaving three or four open spots in what should be another solid Brewers bullpen.
"It makes you a little more relaxed because you know your role, but at the same time it adds a little more pressure," Turnbow said. "There is pressure to repeat, no question about it."

Source: http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/

Notes: Trio works with infield coaches

2006-03-06T09:48:00.000-08:00

02/22/2006
PHOENIX -- A multi-positional group of players that includes Corey Hart, Brad Nelson and Vinny Rottino has been logging overtime at Maryvale Baseball Park.
The trio has been working late with new infield coaches Robin Yount and Dale Sveum; Hart and Nelson at first base and Rottino at third.
"It's coming back," said Hart, who was originally drafted as a first baseman but later was moved to third base and then the outfield. "It takes a little while to get the feel for the bounces again. But I'm definitely on the way."
His versatility should help him out this season. Hart has an inside track for a bench spot for the Brewers and could see action at five different positions.
Nelson was also drafted as a first baseman before moving to the outfield, but is expected to replace Prince Fielder as the first baseman at Triple-A Nashville. Rottino, a Wisconsin native, is in camp as a catcher but could play all over the diamond at Nashville or Double-A Huntsville this season.
Hart was a high school shortstop, so he has an idea defensively. He has been especially excited to work with Yount, the former Brewers shortstop and center fielder who re-joined the Brewers this season as bench coach.
"Anything he says is good advice," Hart said.
Yount was hired as the Brewers' bench coach over the winter and Sveum as third base coach, but both former Brewers are serving as co-infield instructors.
Staying put: For now, Bill Hall is taking only his infielder's glove out to the practice fields. Eventually he will take balls in center field, and like Hart expects to see action at a number of different positions this season.
"Right now, I want him to get accustomed to working with Robin and Dale," manager Ned Yost said. "This is kind of a period where I want Robin and Dale to really observe and see what they've got."
Yost says he has not yet worked out how Hall and Corey Koskie will split time at third base, but Koskie is projected by most observers as the starter.
Progress: Ben Sheets is on the same throwing program as the rest of the pitchers in camp, and has not experienced any setbacks in his rehabilitation from a torn muscle behind his right shoulder.
Sheets threw a five-minute side session and 10 minutes of batting practice on Wednesday and is "right on schedule," Yost said.
The Brewers' ace finished 2005 on the disabled list because of a torn latissimus dorsi muscle.
Bobblehead alert: The team released its promotion schedule on Wednesday in advance of this weekend, when single-game tickets go on sale for all 81 home games.
The list includes six games at which all fans will receive a bobblehead or wooden "nesting" doll. Closer Derrick Turnbow -- complete with his trademark wild hair -- will be featured as the first bobblehead doll, and Damian Miller, Cecil Cooper and Yount will also be featured.
On July 30, the Brewers will give away a unique nesting doll featuring the young infielders Hall, Fielder, J.J. Hardy and Rickie Weeks.
Tickets for Brewers home games can be purchased starting this Saturday at 9 a.m. CT online at MilwaukeeBrewers.com, at the Miller Park Box Office, and by calling the Brewers at (414) 902-4000 or 1-800-933-7890. Tickets are also available and at all Tickets.com outlets.
Air time: The club also announced that 125 games will be broadcast on Fox Sports Net North during the regular season. Thirteen Sunday home games will also air on the Spanish-language Telemundo.
"With ratings up 43 percent last year, it is clear that there is an even greater appetite for Milwaukee Brewers baseball on television," FSN North vice president and general manager Mike Dimond said in a statement.
The Brewers radio network will broadcast all 162 regular-season games, plus 12 Spring Training games.
Cactus League games not carried on WTMJ (excluding split-squad action against the A's on March 3 and the Giants on March 19) will be available to fans via an online webcast. Fans must purchase a 2006 Gameday Audio subscription for access to Daron Sutton's webcast call.

Source: http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/

Notes: Prospect Jones turning heads

2006-03-06T09:46:00.000-08:00

02/23/2006
PHOENIX -- Former first-round draft pick Mike Jones impressed Brewers manager Ned Yost on Thursday, but he knows he has a long road ahead.
Jones, a right-hander who has not pitched in a Minor League game since June 2004 because of a shoulder injury, threw 35 pitches in batting practice to a group that included outfielder Gabe Gross.
Jones was all smiles immediately following the workout, but he later expressed a more reserved outlook toward his rehabilitation.
"I still didn't feel quite like I remember," said Jones, who underwent surgery in October 2004 and again in April 2005, but is still just 22 years old. "Going through this whole process, I just get tired of feeling [bad]. I want to feel good. I want to feel like I could pitch here. I want to just let it go."
Yost was more impressed.
"Today was the first day I saw loose life out of his arm," said Yost, who stood near home plate for Jones' session. "It was impressive to see. I was really glad to see that life was still there."
Jones said that he is on track to start the season at Class A Brevard County in the Florida State League, where large rosters will allow the team to keep him on a strict pitch count in 2006.
He has thrown at least four batting practice sessions already this spring, and his medical outlook so far is good. The Brewers already have Jones on an every-five-days schedule, with a short bullpen session in between.
"This year is just to get healthy," Jones said. "I've missed a year and a half, and I need a full season of pitching and staying off the DL before I start worrying about anything else."
In 59 Minor League games, including 57 starts, Jones is 19-14 with a 3.03 ERA. He has 243 strikeouts versus 132 walks and has surrendered just eight home runs in 293 2/3 innings.
"I'm going to get there -- it just gets old," Jones said. "Everybody's watching me, keeping an eye on me. I just want to get healthy."
Nothing for granted: Reliever Matt Wise knows that he has a good thing going. He has posted a 3.85 ERA in 79 games over the last two seasons with the Brewers, and over the winter, he was rewarded with a two-year, $1.7 million contract.
Wise led Brewers pitchers with a .160 opponents' batting average last season, but he missed much of last August and September with shoulder fatigue.
Wise underwent more physical therapy and increased his weight regimen over the winter, and he did not begin a throwing program until Jan. 1. He attended the team's pre-Spring Training minicamp and worked out with strength and conditioning coordinator Dan Wright.
"The goal was to build more strength in my shoulder," Wise said.
After missing all of 2003 following Tommy John surgery, Wise did not exactly find teams lining up to sign him.
"The Brewers were the only legitimate offer I had, so I was ecstatic to come here," Wise said.
Follow the rules: Count his teammates among those who can't wait for Derrick Turnbow bobblehead day at Miller Park on May 13.
Turnbow's likeness will come complete with his trademark bushy hair, which begged a question: What on Earth would Turnbow do if he played for the New York Yankees?
The Yankees forbid long hair and apparently a lot of other things, evidenced by a rulebook that looks like the baseball version of War and Peace. Yost got his hands on a copy and compared it to the two pages of rules distributed to Milwaukee players when they arrived in camp.
"But I've got different things that I don't allow my teams to do that they do, I'm sure," Yost said.
One of Yost's biggest pet peeves is pregame music in the clubhouse, and he also does not allow anything on the stereo system postgame that contains profanities. Otherwise, the Brewers' rules are straightforward.
Rule No. 1: Be on time. Others set standards for things like dress code, card playing and curfews.
"It's common sense," Yost said. "Set some structure and discipline with common sense rules that treat men like men, and let's go. This ain't kindergarten."
Rewarded: Shortstop J.J. Hardy agreed to terms on a 2006 contract this week that included a nice little bonus. According to a source, he signed for $355,000, a $38,000 bump from last season and $26,000 more than this year's Major League minimum.
"I was surprised when I first heard what they offered," Hardy said. "I was really happy. They don't have to do that."
Brewers general manager Doug Melvin and assistant GM Gord Ash have traditionally rewarded players not yet eligible for salary arbitration for good seasons. Three such players remain unsigned for 2006: pitchers Mike Adams and Chris Capuano and infielder Bill Hall.
The team is considering a multi-year offer for Hall, who will be eligible for arbitration after the upcoming season.
Already? Brewers Spring Training games will begin next Thursday, March 2, with split-squad matchups against the Giants and at the Angels. Ticket sales are up at Maryvale Baseball Park, but seats remain for all games there this spring.

Source: http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/

Yost outlines goals, areas to improve

2006-03-06T09:45:00.000-08:00

02/23/2006
Ned Yost: Hello Milwaukee fans. I would like to thank you for taking time to submit your questions. Let's get started.
Base_Ball: Ned, all of Wisconsin is excited and can't wait for 2006 Brewers baseball. Is the team as anxious and excited as the fans?
Yost: Yes. The excitement level is pretty high inside the clubhouse. I think everyone got a taste of success last season and is really looking forward to a lot more of it this year.
Base_Ball_3: Ned, rumor has it that you are a fan of "The West Wing." Are you in the camp that thinks the show has tanked, or that it saved its best for the last season?
Yost: I'm really a fan of the earlier stuff.
Base_Ball_3: It seems almost unavoidable that your name will be linked to the manager position in Atlanta, should Bobby Cox retire. Does it concern you that this could become an unnecessary topic of conversation during the season?
Yost: No, it doesn't really concern me. My heart is in Milwaukee and that's all that really concerns me.
Base_Ball_3: Is there any chance Ben Sheets will be on a pitch count during the first month of the season?
Yost: It's early in the spring, but Benny is right on schedule. He looks and feels good and I don't anticipate him being on any type of pitch count once the season starts.
Base_Ball: Ned, are the coaches and players' true expectation to make the playoffs this year?
Yost: Last season, after finishing 81-81, we looked back and saw a lot of areas that we can improve in. We can foresee a healthy Ben Sheets and by playing better defense we think we can pick up two more wins a month, which would put us in that 90-95 win range. I think everyone in that clubhouse -- barring some major injuries -- feels that mark is an attainable goal and should put us in the thick of a playoff race.
Kory_Klug: Which new player will have the greatest impact this season?
Yost: That's a good question. I've thought about that a lot this spring. What I've come up with is -- it won't be a player, it's a coach. The addition of Robin Yount is going to pay great dividends for our team.
Base_Ball_2: How do you feel about your role as one of the saviors of this franchise?
Yost: I don't really feel I've played a major role in saving this franchise. I believe Doug Melvin has taken this organization and turned it completely around by his leadership and direction.
Base_Ball: Ned, you've been around a championship team as a player. Does this team have the preseason swagger and emotion to mentally compete for the playoffs?
Yost: I don't know about swagger, but they've got a confidence about their abilities, a desire to learn with tremendous work ethic -- those are all ingredients for success.
Kory_Klug: What effect, if any, do you think the World Baseball Classic will have on the Major League Baseball season?
Yost: Barring any major injury to a star player, I doubt that it will have any effect on the Major League season. It should be exciting to watch. Our players that will be participating in the Classic are looking forward to representing their countries.
Base_Ball: Ned, what is the best thing about Spring Training at Maryvale Baseball Park?
Yost: First of all, the weather in Arizona is always great. I think the stadium here in Maryvale is as nice as any in Arizona. At Maryvale, we have eight fields that we can work on and we are able to get a great amount of work done in a short period of time. Plus, it's fan friendly.
crazyforcappy: Do you think the Central Division is going to be tough this year?
Yost: The Central Division is tough every year. The division is loaded with great pitching. St. Louis, Chicago and Houston are always tough. Pittsburgh and Cincinnati have really improved teams this season.
berniebrewer4life: How important is it to you and the players that a home game vs. the Cubs actually have more Brewers fans than Cubs fans? Also, what is your opinion of the Take Back Miller Park idea?
Yost: The last couple of seasons it actually feels that you're playing in the opposition's home park. We don't want Miller Park to be Wrigley Field North. It's important for the club to seize every opportunity when we're playing at home.
Base_Ball_2: Are you looking forward to donning the retro uniforms on Sundays?
Yost: I think all of our players know about the success that the franchise had in the early '80s wearing that uniform and they're excited about wearing them this year.
signloretta: Hits and runs aside, how often do you call for a steal vs. the runner going on his own? Are there any runners that have earned the right to go whenever they see fit?
Yost: Most of the time we put on the green light, which enables the runner to steal if he gets a jump. There are times when we put the "must steal" signal on, but more times than not -- depending on the situation -- we run the green light. Last year, Billy Hall, Rickie Weeks and, believe it or not, Carlos Lee had permanent green lights.
berniebrewer4life: After watching his second-half coming out party, is it unreal to expect a .300 season from J.J. Hardy this year?
Yost: J.J. has worked very hard this winter. He's got a full season under his belt, is completely healthy from the surgery (in 2004) and is swinging the bat really well so far this spring. I look for him to have a really good season offensively in 2006.
Base_Ball_4: What are some of the team's main goals heading into Spring Training?
Yost: We need to really improve on our team defense. We need to improve on our small ball capabilities -- bunting, moving runners over and driving runners in. And we need to improve our pitchers' offensive production.
Base_Ball_2: How is your son's career coming along? Future Brewer?
Yost: He played in Helena last season and really enjoyed it. He's here in Maryvale right now for Spring Training. He's working hard and hoping to make the West Virginia squad this season.
bman112789: Mr. Yost, I would first like to say that I think that you are doing a wonderful job as manager. What is the status of Geoff Jenkins coming off his surgery?
Yost: Geoff didn't have surgery in the offseason. He just needed an extended period of time after the season to heal. He plays so hard that he's always nursing some sort of bump or bruise. He came into camp in great shape and is feeling good.
mikeykliff: What are the odds that we could see Ryan Braun play for the Brewers this season?
Yost: Ryan was the No. 1 pick for the Brewers in last year's draft. We think he is most definitely going to be a big leaguer one day, but he still needs more time to refine his game.
Base_Ball: Ned, when I was a player in high school and legion baseball, I wanted to play in front of big crowds. As a Major Leaguer, do big crowds at Miller Park make a significant impact on the Brewer players?
Yost: Most of the time, players are so focused when they're playing the game, they don't see the crowds, but certainly feel the electricity that's generated from the stands. That always gives a big boost to a player.
Base_Ball_2: What home series are you most looking forward to?
Yost: I would have to say that the Opening Series against the Pirates considering that it is the first season that the club has opened in Milwaukee since Miller Park was built. Also, I look forward to the Cubs series.
Base_Ball_2: Ned, have you ever walked out to the parking lot before a game? I will grill you the best brat ever made.
Yost: I've thought about it a couple of times, but I've never done it. Perhaps this year could be the year.
Base_Ball_4: Do you think that lefty Zach Jackson could see some time in the Majors this season?
Yost: Zach has been very impressive so far in Spring Training. It's hard to say, but he very well could see some time with us this season. The competition for the bullpen this season is stiff -- which is a good problem to have. We anticipate him starting the season in the Minor Leagues.
Brian_Kendl: What do you normally do in Milwaukee on an off day?
Yost: Normally, I lay pretty low. I don't do much of anything.
madisonian: Great to have you back for another season. I'm concerned that Corey Hart will become the next Wes Helms: good enough to play but can't break into the starting eight. What's his ceiling? What in his game needs to improve before he can be a regular star?
Yost: Corey's always been a kid who has success everywhere he's played. In his defense, the Brewers have moved him around defensively quite a bit in the last few years. He's a kid that has a lot of power and can swing the bat for average. He is probably our best baserunner on the team. We think that in time, Corey's got a chance to be a pretty decent Major League player.
Base_Ball_2: How expendable is Bill Hall this season now that we have Corey Koskie?
Yost: Billy is not expendable. He's every bit as valuable as he ever was. He provides our team with great depth with his ability to play multiple positions. Every Major League team would die to have a player of Bill Hall's caliber on the roster.
Tim_Hanson: What's your approach to this season after last year's breakthrough?
Yost: Our approach this season is to focus on playing more fundamental baseball. We need to improve our small ball capabilities, to refine our defensive abilities and continue to play hard together as a group with one goal in mind.
sanpatso: Thanks, Ned, for a good season last year. I want to know your early impression of Dave Bush and where you think he fits in the team's plans?
Yost: We've been impressed with Dave. We like his make-up and his work ethic has been unbelievable so far. Coming from an American League team, where they don't do any hitting or bunting, he has been in the cage countless hours working on his offensive game. We like what we've seen so far of his stuff. He has a live arm with a good breaking ball. It's too early to tell what his role will be.
bman112789: What kind of impact have you noticed already from Robin Yount?
Yost: Robin's had a huge impact. He brings the credibility of a Hall of Famer to the ballpark everyday. He knows the game as well as anyone I've ever been around. He has a passion for working with our young infielders. He is the last one off the field everyday. Robin just has that knack of communicating -- the players listen and have learned a great deal so far.
Yost: I want to thank you all for your time and your questions. You can be assured that the Brewers are training hard and are looking forward to seeing you all in 2006 at Miller Park.

Source: http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/

Brewers ink three players

2006-03-06T09:44:00.000-08:00

02/24/2006
PHOENIX -- The Brewers did some last-minute roster maintenance on Friday, a day before the team's first full-squad workout.
In a spate of moves:
• Veteran infielder Brian Dallimore, who signed a Minor League contract with the Brewers over the winter, announced his retirement.
• The team signed former first-round draft pick Jason Romano, a speedy outfielder who could add depth at Triple-A Nashville.
• Left-hander Chris Capuano and right-hander Mike Adams, players already under the Brewers' control, agreed to terms on 2006 contracts.
Dallimore, 32, played 27 games with the Giants over the past two seasons and likely would have headed to Nashville. He batted better than .300 in four of his last five Minor League seasons but made only brief appearances in the Major Leagues.
"We got a letter from him today saying he got a business opportunity that he couldn't pass up," Brewers manager Doug Melvin said. "He saw that it was going to be difficult to make our club, and I think he just tired of being a Triple-A player."
Dallimore is good friends with former Brewers first baseman and former Arizona farmhand Lyle Overbay, who helped convince Dallimore to take a chance with the Brewers.
But Overbay was traded to Toronto during the Winter Meetings, and in a separate trade several weeks later the Brewers acquired third baseman Corey Koskie, further hurting Dallimore's chances to win a roster spot.
"He's a smart guy," Melvin said. "It's not entirely surprising."
Romano, 26, was a first-round draft pick of the Rangers in 1997, when Melvin was that team's GM. He has played 129 Major League games over four seasons with the Rangers, Rockies, Devil Rays and Reds, and batted .267 in 30 games with Cincinnati last season.
Melvin called Romano a great athlete with speed who plays center field but can also play second base. Melvin said Romano's presence will "challenge" another former first-round pick, Dave Krynzel, who suffered a broken collarbone in an offseason motorcycle accident but did not immediately alert the organization. Krynzel later required surgery and is not expected to resume baseball activities until mid-March.
Capuano, 27, is coming off a career year in which he posted career-bests in wins (18), ERA (3.99), starts (35), innings (219) and strikeouts (176). His 18 wins were fourth in the National League and his 176 strikeouts ranked fourth among NL left-handed pitchers. Capuano also led the Majors with 12 pickoffs.
Adams, also 27, began the 2005 season with Milwaukee but was demoted to Triple-A Nashville in May.
Infielder Bill Hall remains the only member of Milwaukee's 40-man roster not under contract for 2006. Hall is entering his final season before salary arbitration, and the Brewers have talked with his representatives about a multi-year deal.
"We're getting to the point where we have to make a decision one way or another," said Melvin, who hopes to have the matter resolved before the Brewers begin Cactus League play next week.

Source: http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/

Notes: Hendrickson tunes up mechanics

2006-03-06T09:41:00.000-08:00

02/24/2006
PHOENIX -- Two years ago, he was a top 10 Brewers prospect. Last year, he was a disappointment. Now Ben Hendrickson is just trying to be himself again.
The 25-year-old right-hander is coming off a season in which he went 6-12 with a 4.97 ERA for Triple-A Nashville. Hendrickson ranked third in the Pacific Coast League with 27 starts, but struggled with mechanics from the first day of Spring Training.
"There were three different ways they were having me throw," Hendrickson said. "By the end of last spring I didn't know what was right and what was wrong."
Hendrickson said his mechanics were not all that good in 2004, either, despite some stellar results. He was releasing his fastball from one point and his trademark curveball much higher, near his right ear.
But that season he went 11-3 with a league-best 2.02 ERA for the Brewers' former Triple-A International League affiliate in Indianapolis. He was named the Brewers' Minor League Pitcher of the Year and International League Most Valuable Player, but fatigued in a late-season promotion to Milwaukee, going 1-8 in the Majors with a 6.22 ERA in 10 games.
Could those struggles have contributed to Hendrickson's subpar 2005?
"How could it hurt him?" Brewers manager Ned Yost said. "We knew Ben would probably get knocked around a little bit, but that he would be strong enough that he would be able to handle it."
Hendrickson hopes to get back on track this spring. He threw a bullpen session and live batting practice on Wednesday and was again at Maryvale Baseball Park on Friday.
"I've got my arm angle back to normal now," he said. "All of my 'pens have been really good. It's back to the way I know I can throw."
The plus is that Hendrickson remained healthy throughout his personally disappointing 2005 season. His curveball is considered one of the organization's best.
Three to go: Reigning Brewers Minor League Player of the Year Nelson Cruz arrived in camp Friday morning, leaving three players yet to show: outfielder Carlos Lee and non-roster infielders Hernan Iribarren and Brian Dallimore. Yost said he expects all three to be in attendance on Saturday. After a series of clubhouse meetings and the traditional pep talks from Yost, general manager Doug Melvin and owner Mark Attanasio, the team will participate in its first full-squad workout.
Cover boys: Infielders Prince Fielder, Bill Hall, J.J. Hardy and Rickie Weeks appear on the cover of the snazzy new Brewers media guide, which arrived Friday and was distributed in the clubhouse.
Hall and Hardy are pictured in the Brewers navy alternate jerseys, while Fielder and Weeks are wearing the "new" retro uniforms for Sunday home games this season. The guide, which underwent a major re-design for 2006 and is full-color throughout for the first time, will be available for $12.
"There are big expectations put on all of us, but it's not going to change the way we play," said Hall.
"It makes us feel important," Hardy joked.
Major players: The Brewers continued to tap into the Latin American market, signing 17-year-old Dominican pitcher Wily Peralta for a $450,000 bonus, Baseball America first reported.
Last fall, the Brewers signed another right-hander, Rolando Pascual, for $710,000. Pascual was considered the top Dominican pitching prospect.
"We've signed a lot of pitchers," Melvin said. "The one thing we've talked about is we haven't signed a lot of position players out of the Latin market."
Melvin said a number of other teams liked Peralta as a position player. But, like many Latin players and young players in general, he struggled to hit breaking balls and took his plus arm to the mound.
"He has some work to do with his offspeed pitches, and he's different from Pascual because he's not as big, but we saw him up to 96 [mph] with his fastball," Brewers Latin America scouting director Fernando Arango told BA.
Peralta, Pascual and a number of other Latin American players reported to Maryvale Baseball Park earlier this week and, one-by-one, introduced themselves to Melvin during the Brewers' workout.
Multitasking: Robin Yount's primary duties this season will be as bench coach and co-infielder instructor with fellow newcomer Dale Sveum, but on Friday he worked on defensive drills with Brewers outfielders.
"Robin's real smart and he wants to know what we're doing in all phases of our game," Yost said.
Yount won the American League MVP Award both as a shortstop and a center fielder during his 20-year Brewers career.
Last call: Minor League camp formally opens on Saturday. Among the attendees will be Yost's son, Ned IV, who signed with the Brewers last year. ... Fans who purchase single-game tickets at the Miller Park box office will have the option to buy "4-Packs," which include tickets to either a Cubs or Cardinals game. The team made 500 additional packages available for Saturday's first day of sales. ... With Attanasio in town beginning Friday, talks may resume on a contract extension for Yost. The Brewers exercised their 2006 option on the skipper last August, but he is not signed past this year.

Source: http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/

Adams working his way up from Minors

2006-03-06T09:40:00.000-08:00

02/24/2006
PHOENIX -- If he could do it all over again, Mike Adams would keep his mouth shut.
But he can't go back, and now the lanky Milwaukee Brewers right-hander will have to pitch his way back to Milwaukee. Adams is competing for a spot in the Brewers bullpen, but barring injuries to others will start the year at Triple-A Nashville, according to a club source.
"I kind of said some things that were pretty uncharacteristic," Adams said this week. "You can't take back anything you said, but I was out of line. I didn't see the true picture of everything."
Some background:
When the Brewers traded All-Star Dan Kolb to the Braves and Luis Vizcaino to the White Sox at the 2004 Winter Meetings in Anaheim, they essentially handed the closer's job to Adams, then a 26-year-old coming off a surprisingly solid rookie season with the team.
Adams had a poor Spring Training -- he was not alone in that regard among Brewers relievers. When he struggled to command his fastball as March turned into April, he quickly fell out of favor with manager Ned Yost.
Derrick Turnbow assumed the closer's role in late April and Adams appeared in only five games in May. On May 27, the Brewers demoted Adams to Triple-A Nashville to make room for Ben Sheets, who was coming back from an inner-ear ailment. At the time, Adams was 0-1 with a 2.70 ERA, only one save and 10 walks in 13 1/3 innings.
Caught completely off guard, Adams wasn't happy.
He blamed his early struggles on slight shoulder soreness, which he claimed began after Brewers coaches suggested a mechanical adjustment to his delivery.
"I don't think I'm a Triple-A pitcher, to be honest with you," Adams said at the time. "I think I deserve to be in the big leagues. I guess it's business.
"It's kind of rough to be in the big leagues [doing] what you think is getting the job done and get sent down to Triple-A. It's discouraging. I'm not gonna lie about it. It's discouraging. I just hope I can look past it. I hope I can get over the disappointment and go down there and throw the ball."
Looking back now, Adams wishes he had kept those sentiments private.
"There were a lot of emotions going at once," he said this week at Maryvale Baseball Park, where he has kept a bit of a low profile during the first week of camp. "The emotions were speaking there. But I said what I said, and I can't take it back."
Adams said he has not yet mended fences with pitching coach Mike Maddux. Bullpen coach Bill Castro said he was not even aware that Adams had popped off after being demoted last season.
"I wasn't trying to blame anybody. It just kind of came out that way," Adams said. "It really came down to my performance. I never got off to a good start last year."
Exactly the opposite was true in 2004, when Adams won the Brewers' "Newcomer Award" after posting a 3.40 ERA in 46 games. He began his Major League career by pitching 13 consecutive scoreless innings, and Yost raved about the way Adams defied his thin frame by pounding the strike zone.
"I've seen broomsticks with that build," Yost quipped.
It was the zenith of a fast rise through the Brewers' system. Adams went undrafted out of tiny Texas A&M University-Kingsville in 2001 but signed with the Brewers and advanced all the way to Double-A Huntsville by the end of his second professional season.
Given all of that quick success, 2005 was a major letdown. Nashville won the Pacific Coast League title, but Adams missed five weeks in midsummer with a left oblique strain and never got back into a groove. He went 3-4 with a 5.75 ERA in 26 games for the Sounds.
"Overall, it was a real disappointing year," Adams said. "Things didn't go the way I planned on them going, and it's always disappointing when that happens.
"It was the first year I didn't have success, so it was a big learning year for me. I had to learn how to deal with failure."
Looking back, has he figured out what went during his time with the Brewers?
"I knew I had a job, and I think I let up a little bit," Adams admitted. "This year, I'm back to where I have no guarantees. I have to win a job. I have a lot of work to do, and I think there might be even more pressure now than there was last year. The difference is that I know how to handle it."
Instead of trying to be a prototypical closer, something Adams said he struggled with last Spring, he will get back to his strengths.
"I would much rather be a groundball guy in the big leagues than a strikeout guy in the Minor Leagues," he said.
"I'm trying to slow everything down to get back to where I was two years ago. There are a few mechanical things, but I think it's more mental. A lot of things got into my head last year and that was the biggest thing that hurt me. I think I came out and I was trying to do too much. I set my standards too high and I was trying to become a success too fast, instead of taking it step-by-step like I did my first year. I was trying to go straight to the top."
Turnbow is now entrenched as the Brewers closer, and the team re-signed Kolb to pitch setup alongside Matt Wise. Assuming the Brewers break camp with an 11-man pitching staff, including five starters and one long reliever, that leaves two open bullpen spots.
Left-handers Jorge De La Rosa and Dana Eveland and right-handers Jose Capellan, Justin Lehr, Kane Davis and Chris Demaria -- among others -- are all on the 40-man roster and competing with Adams.
"When the team is getting better, it's tougher for a guy to make a team," Castro said. "And it's tougher for us coaches to make decisions. In the past, it was easy. You were just hoping to have enough guys good enough."

Source: http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/

Notes: Fans set single-day ticket record

2006-03-06T09:38:00.000-08:00

02/25/2006
PHOENIX -- Thousands of Brewers fans braved the elements and helped set a single-day ticket sales record Saturday.
The Brewers sold a franchise-best 94,000 tickets in the first eight hours of single-game sales, beating last year's record by 4,000. Thousands of fans braved the cold elements at Miller Park to buy in person, and thousands more purchased via the Internet, telephone or at Tickets.com outlets.
"That's why I was so interested in this job," said Brewers manager Ned Yost, who was rewarded Saturday morning with a contract extension. "That's the reason right there."
Fans began lining up at the box office at 5:30 p.m. CT on Friday, and by 9 a.m. Saturday the line snaked nearly halfway around the ballpark. The Brewers had encouraged local fans all week to "Take Back Miller Park" from Cubs and Cardinals fans, who traditionally invade the ballpark in large numbers.
The total announced Saturday night does not include 22,000 tickets that were sold in new "4-Pack" packages over the last nine days.
Two games were near sellouts by 5 p.m. CT: Opening Day against the Pirates and July 8 against the Cubs. Some standing room and obstructed view seats remained available, and tickets to those games can also be secured by fans purchasing nine-, 20- and full-season ticket packages.
Tickets remain on sale via MilwaukeeBrewers.com, at the Miller Park box office, by phone at (414)902-4000) and at all tickets.com outlets. Normal box office hours are 9 a.m.-7 p.m. CT Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday.
State of the Crew: Last year, a film crew captured Yost's preseason pep talk to players and a portion was worked into the pregame entertainment at Miller Park. This year the team went back behind closed doors, and Yost delivered a message of increased expectations and opportunities.
"For the first time, they actually can come into camp and live the dream of playing into October," Yost said, paraphrasing his off-the-cuff speech. "There are a lot of things that have to go right, but for the first time we can dream about that in a realistic sense."
Yost has set a lofty goal of improving by two games per month, which would give the Brewers a 93-win season.
"This year, I think there is more of a determination and a setting of the bar," Brewers owner Mark Attanasio said. "[Yost] clearly set a bar for the players. I have only been here one day, but I sense a different atmosphere this year."
"The Horse" rides in: Carlos Lee reported to Maryvale Baseball Park on Saturday in time for the team's first full-squad workout. Lee is entering a contract year after setting career bests with 32 home runs and 114 RBIs in 2005.
"He came into camp in great shape," Yost said. "He really looks good."
Afterward, Lee iced a sore groin but called it minor and attributed it to eight hours on airplanes Friday, traveling from his ranch in Aguadulce, Panama.
He will get on another plane after the team's March 1 workout for a trip to Viera, Fla., where Team Panama will prepare for the upcoming World Baseball Classic. Lee said he expects to play full games during the Classic.
The Brewers acquired Lee from the Chicago White Sox during the 2004 Winter Meetings and this winter exercised his $8.5 million option for 2006. He is eligible for free agency after the season.
"I don't worry about that," Lee said. "I like it here, and if it works out that I stay here, I would be happy."
Last call: Attanasio said that a contract extension for closer Derrick Turnbow is "on the radar." Turnbow already signed for 2006 and reportedly will earn $488,000, but by extending him now the Brewers could gain some cost-certainty and avoid at least one season of salary arbitration with the big right-hander. ... With all of the position players on hand, Yost scheduled the first live batting practice of the spring. As usual, the pitchers are ahead of hitters at this stage. "Everything looks so fast," said Brad Nelson, who has a headstart because he stood in earlier this month during right-hander Mike Jones' throwing sessions. ... Left-hander Doug Davis has received some treatment for a sore back in recent days, but threw successful bullpen and mound sessions Saturday.

Source: http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/

Brewers extend Yost's contract

2006-03-06T09:37:00.000-08:00

02/25/2006
PHOENIX -- The Brewers rewarded manager Ned Yost on Saturday with a contract extension that could keep him in Milwaukee through 2009.
Yost, 51, a former Brewers backup catcher who is entering his fourth season as manager and the final season of his current contract, got a two-year deal through 2008. The team holds an option for 2009.
"Everybody is very, very excited for Ned," said outfielder Geoff Jenkins, who has played for five different Brewers managers. "Nobody deserves it more than him. Nobody works harder and wants more for this organization than Ned."
The Brewers originally hired Yost on Oct. 29, 2002, after general manager Doug Melvin and assistant general manager Gord Ash took over in a major organizational shake-up. They inherited a franchise coming off its worst season, a 106-loss debacle that featured a managerial firing, clubhouse infighting and fan disgust.
The Brewers went 68-94 in Yost's first season and 67-94 in his second, but improved to 81-81 in 2005, snapping a 12-year losing streak. Attendance has risen in each season and will improve again in 2006 if Saturday's record-setting sales are any indication.
"The first time, I just signed whatever they threw at me," said Yost, who handled his own negotiations. "I just wanted an opportunity to prove myself. I had a pretty good idea that I felt like I could do it, but I wanted to prove it to myself and to everybody else."
The Brewers picked up Yost's 2006 option in August, and talks on an extension began in December, when Yost was in Milwaukee to unveil the team's retro Sunday uniforms. Melvin, who got a three-year extension during the offseason, made a first offer in early February and the deal was finalized Saturday morning, when Yost agreed to the 2009 club option.
Players were informed a few hours later, just before Yost delivered his annual address in the first full-squad meeting.
"We still have a young team, but it's really good for them to hear at the beginning of the year that the baseball management is set," said Brewers owner Mark Attanasio, who flew in Saturday and also addressed the team. "If you look at well-run companies on Wall Street, they don't have a lot of changes. And if you look at well-run baseball teams like the Atlanta Braves, they don't either."
Before Attanasio purchased the team in 2004, Melvin did a study of teams that have succeeded despite having limited budgets. Most, like the Minnesota Twins and Oakland A's, have enjoyed relative stability.
"When you're a team like ours that has to build, the one thing you need is stability," Melvin said. "You need that with your front office, your manager, your scouts for good things to happen."
Yost insisted that he "never entertained for a second" the idea of asking for an "out" clause in his deal. He cut his coaching teeth in the Atlanta Braves system under manager Bobby Cox, and some have speculated that Yost may be enticed back should Cox, 64, retire.
"When I said three years ago that I wanted to be the Brewers manager, I wasn't lying," Yost said. "I love Milwaukee, I love these kids, I love this team, I love Miller Park. I would never do that."
Yost played his first four Major League seasons with the Brewers from 1980-1983 and was part of the 1982 club that won the American League pennant. He hit only one of that team's 216 home runs, but it was a three-run, ninth-inning shot over Fenway Park's Green Monster that beat the Red Sox on Sept. 29, 1982, and gave Milwaukee a four-game lead over Baltimore with five games to play. The Brewers won the AL East on the last day of the regular season.
Milwaukee GM Harry Dalton traded Yost to Texas before the 1984 season, and Yost played with Montreal in 1985 before finishing his career in the Braves Minor League system. Yost was hired to manage the Braves' Class A Sumter affiliate in 1988, the year after he retired from playing, and later spent 12 season as the Braves' bullpen and third base coach.
Along the way, he learned about focus and determination from legendary NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt, a hunting buddy. Yost worked on Earnhardt's pit crew during the 1994 Major League Baseball strike and wears No. 3 in honor of Earnhardt, who died in a racetrack crash five years ago.
"He's a great communicator and motivator," current Brewers backup catcher Chad Moeller said of Yost. "You know he's got your back. You know if he has something to do with you, it's going to be done in an office instead of in public. He's not there to embarrass you. He's got your back, and for that reason, you've got his."
Yost and his wife, Deborah, have three sons and a daughter. Yost's oldest son, Ned IV, is entering his second season in the Brewers Minor League system.

Source: http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/

Brewers extend manager Ned Yost's contract through 2008

2006-03-06T09:36:00.000-08:00

02/25/2006
PHOENIX, Ariz. -- The Milwaukee Brewers have extended Manager Ned Yost's contract by two years. Yost's contract now continues through 2008 with a club option for 2009, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager, Doug Melvin.
Yost, 51, completed his third season as the Brewers manager in 2005 and led the Brewers to a .500 season snapping their losing streak at 12 seasons. The Brewers 81-81 finish last season marked a 14-game improvement over the 2004 season. Yost has led the club to double-digit improvements in two of his three seasons with the Brewers.
Following the season, Yost ranked fifth in the Manager of the Year voting behind Atlanta's Bobby Cox, St. Louis' Tony LaRussa, Washington's Frank Robinson and Houston's Phil Garner as voted on by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
"I strongly believe Ned is the right person to lead the Milwaukee Brewers on the field," said Melvin. "His work ethic, leadership skills and passion for the Brewers fans coupled with his commitment to make the entire organization successful confirmed to us that this was the right thing to do as we move forward in our pursuit of playing in the post-season."
On August 31, 2005, Yost recorded his 200th win with a 6-5 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates at Miller Park. With the win, he became the fifth Brewers skipper to notch 200-or-more wins.
After 15 seasons in the Atlanta Braves organization as a Major League coach and minor league manager, Yost made his big league managerial debut with Milwaukee in 2003.

Source: http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/

Notes: O'Brien visiting Brewers camp

2006-03-06T09:35:00.000-08:00

02/26/2006
PHOENIX -- Former Reds general manager Dan O'Brien is taking part in a series of meetings with Brewers scouts this week while he considers joining Milwaukee's front office as a consultant.
The Reds let O'Brien go after two seasons as GM on Jan. 23, days after a new ownership group assumed control of the team. O'Brien was Brewers general manager Doug Melvin's top assistant for five of Melvin's seven seasons as GM of the Rangers.
"We're just visiting with him for a couple days, but we haven't finalized anything yet," said Melvin, who watched Saturday's first full-squad workout at Maryvale Baseball Park with O'Brien. "Maybe it won't work out, but right now we think it will."
After he was let go by Texas, Melvin picked up a similar job with the Red Sox before the Brewers hired him in September 2002.
"It's good to stay in the game," Melvin said. "And from our perspective, it's good to have another outside opinion on players."
If he does join the team, the Brewers will have four former Major League general managers in high-ranking positions: Melvin, O'Brien, assistant GM Gord Ash (Blue Jays) and pro scout Lee Thomas (Phillies).
"[O'Brien] would not be a threat to Gord's job, and Gord knows that. He would not be a threat to anyone's job," Melvin said. "He's just a guy with a wealth of information."
O'Brien's role is still being discussed, Melvin said, but he would work out of his home and focus on professional scouting. Before joining Melvin in Texas in 1997, O'Brien was the scouting and player development director of the Astros.
Behind the scenes: Melvin and director of professional scouting Dick Groch led the afternoon meeting of Brewers scouts. Among other topics, they planned to go over 25-man roster projections for the rest of the league.
Lining them up: Manager Ned Yost said Brewers ace Ben Sheets is "right where he needs to be," in terms of preparing for a franchise-record fifth consecutive Opening Day start.
Sheets will make his first Cactus League start on March 4 against the A's. That puts him on an every-five-day schedule culminating April 3 against the Pirates at Miller Park.
Brewers pitchers will not throw any live batting practice on Monday to be ready for an intrasquad game on Tuesday afternoon. Yost said 26 different pitchers would throw one inning or 20 pitches apiece. That group will not include left-hander Manny Parra, who is rehabbing a shoulder injury and was relocated to Minor League camp, or right-hander Mike Adams, who has been experiencing back spasms and sat out his third consecutive workout on Sunday.
Yost said starting position players would play the first five innings of the game. Some players from the invitation-only Minor League mini-camp that opened Saturday also will take part.
Let's talk: Brewers closer Derrick Turnbow said his representatives from the Beverly Hills Sports Council have begun preliminary discussions with Melvin regarding a possible contract extension.
Turnbow, who is already signed for 2006 and would be eligible for salary arbitration if he pitches the entire season, said the first meeting between his agents and the Brewers included talk about a two-year extension through 2008. Such a deal would effectively buy out his first two arbitration years.
"They're in the early stages," Turnbow said. "We'll see. I'd love to be here, so I hope it happens."
Last call: Hall of Fame broadcaster Bob Uecker stopped by Maryvale Baseball Park this weekend to say hello to players, coaches and staff. Uecker is entering his 36th season of Brewers radio broadcasts and his 11th teamed with Jim Powell on the Brewers Radio Network. Uecker and Powell will call 12 Cactus League games this spring, beginning with Sheets' March 4 start against the A's at 2 p.m. CT. ... New bench coach Robin Yount introduced some new wrinkles to the Brewers bunt defense scheme on Sunday during the team's second full-squad workout. ... Braves manager Bobby Cox called Yost on Sunday morning and had great things to say about right-hander Wes Obermueller, who was traded from Milwaukee to Atlanta during the Winter Meetings. "Bobby asked, 'Can he be a one-inning guy?'" Yost said. "Maybe he can. He just needs a little confidence. A change of scenery can be good for guys. I would love nothing more than for 'Obie' to be successful, because he's such a good kid. I really hope that happens."

Source: http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/

Brewers preparing a lefty specialist

2006-03-06T09:34:00.000-08:00

02/26/2006
PHOENIX -- The Brewers are grooming Mitch Stetter to be a left-handed specialist, something the team has gone without in recent seasons.
"My stuff is best that way," said Stetter, a tall, lanky 25 year old. "I'm not a typical lefty, where I have a good changeup. I'm more of a cutter-slider type of guy."
He relies partly on deception and describes himself as "all arms and legs." Stetter split the 2005 season between Double-A Huntsville and Triple-A Nashville, and his 59 appearances led all Brewers Minor Leaguers.
Stetter then reported to the Arizona Fall League, but he began feeling some elbow soreness and was shut down. He knew he was in trouble when left-handed hitters started teeing off.
"I'm supposed to get those guys out," Stetter said. "I went back and noticed my velocity was down on all of my pitches."
Now, he is back on a normal schedule. Stetter is a non-roster invitee in camp and is probably headed back to Nashville for the season.
"I'm a non-roster invitee, and I'm just going to go throw," he said. "Of course you want to make the team, but it's kind of a long shot."
The Brewers selected Stetter in the 16th round of the 2003 First-Year Player Draft out of Indiana State University.
On the move: Outfielder Jason Romano, who signed a Minor League contract with the Brewers on Friday, is expected to report to Minor League camp on Monday. Romano is a former first-round draft pick of the Texas Rangers and could add depth at Triple-A Nashville.
On the pine: Highly-regarded left-hander Manny Parra, sidelined with a sore shoulder, has moved over to the Minor League complex at Maryvale Baseball Park.
"He saw the doctor yesterday and there is no concern," assistant general manager Gord Ash said. "But he can't participate in the [Major League] program right now, and with the crowded conditions there is no sense in him being here."
Names in the game: Former Gold Glove outfielder Gary Pettis has quickly become one the organization's most popular coaches and is heading into his second season as Nashville's hitting coach. Corey Hart is particularly fond of Pettis and said the former Angels, Tigers, Rangers and Padres outfielder has a knack for simplifying hitting. Pettis also served as manager of the Peoria Javelinas in last year's AFL.
They're No. 1: The team already has right-hander Mike Jones on an every-five-day schedule as he works back from a shoulder injury. The team's first-round pick in the 2001 First-Year Player Draft, Jones missed half of 2004 and all of 2005, but he has been throwing bullpen sessions this spring without incident. He expects to be assigned to Class A Brevard County and will remain on a strict pitch count this season.
Class of '05: Brewers left-hander Dana Eveland said his younger brother, Kyle, a 43rd-round pick last year, has enrolled at College of the Canyons, a junior college in California, and may sign as a "draft and follow" player this summer.
What they're saying: "We'd been looking forward to seeing [Brian] Dallimore for three years, and we finally get him and he quits." -- Brewers manager Ned Yost, on the versatile infielder. Yost said Brewers pitching coach Mike Maddux had recommended for several years that the Brewers look to sign Dallimore, and the team did just that this winter, but Dallimore opted to retire last week rather than report to camp as a non-roster invitee.

Source: http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/

Notes: Kolb ready for game action

2006-03-06T09:33:00.000-08:00

02/27/2006
PHOENIX -- Count Dan Kolb among the Brewers excited to play something that resembles a real baseball game.
Kolb, the former All-Star closer, who returned to Milwaukee in the Brewers' second Winter Meetings trade with the Braves in as many years, is scheduled to be among the 24 Brewers scheduled to throw one inning or 20 pitches -- whichever comes first -- in an intrasquad game on Tuesday at Maryvale Baseball Park.
Until now, every time Kolb and other Brewers pitchers have thrown against hitters, they did so from behind a protective screen. Kolb cursed himself out repeatedly during his most recent mound session for instinctively ducking behind that screen after each pitch.
"I kept doing it, repeatedly, and it was making everything cut," Kolb said. "I got irritated about that."
Other than that, Kolb is pleased with his spring progress. He is coming off a frustrating year in Atlanta in which he posted a 5.93 ERA and was left off the Braves' postseason roster.
"The fastball is sinking, looking pretty good," Kolb said. "I'm just trying to get through the early Spring Training days, waiting for the games to start and the season to start, so you're facing hitters one-on-one and they don't know what's coming."
Kolb saved 60 games for the Brewers from 2003-04, pitching to a 2.55 ERA in 101 games. His 39 saves in 2004 earned him a trip to the All-Star Game and set a franchise record, which current closer Derrick Turnbow tied in 2005.
After reacquiring Kolb in December, the Brewers non-tendered him and worked out a new deal at a reduced price. He will earn $2 million with a chance for more via incentives for games finished, and he is expected to open the season as Turnbow's set-up man.
He also will reunite with pitching coach Mike Maddux and bullpen coach Bill Castro, who helped Kolb emerge after several injury-shortened seasons with the Rangers.
"He's still throwing with the same velocity he was before," Castro said. "He was doing that last year, too, but his command wasn't there. I think he'll be a lot more comfortable here around all of us. Everything could fall into place."
Manager Ned Yost is also banking on a Kolb comeback.
"Same old Danny for me," Yost said. "[On Saturday] he had a burrowing sinker with teeth against the right-handed hitters. I go, 'Good God, how do you hit that thing?' ... His stuff looks good. Mike knows his mechanical buttons to push to keep him straight."
Helling to sit: Right-hander Rick Helling is one of three pitchers expected to be held out of Tuesday's intrasquad game.
Helling is suffering a stiff shoulder and will sit out as a precaution. Mike Adams also will sit because of recent back spasms, as will Mike Jones, who is following a careful rehabilitation from a shoulder injury.
Yost said Helling remains on track to make his first Cactus League start on Friday.
"[There is] no pain," Yost said. "We're going to back him off. It's absolutely nothing major. He feels like he can't get it absolutely loose."
Helling is competing with right-hander Dave Bush and left-hander Dana Eveland for the No. 5 starter spot. He went 3-1 with a 2.39 ERA in 15 games for the Brewers last season and opened eyes with a 2.18 ERA in seven late-season starts.
Let it go: After working at about 80 percent effort during their controlled bullpen and batting practice sessions, Brewers pitchers will get to ramp it up a bit during Tuesday's intrasquad affair. Ben Sheets and Doug Davis are the scheduled "starters."
"We're going to compete," Maddux said. "Will guys air it out? They'll probably throw harder than they did in BP, but it's for a much shorter time. I'm just looking for execution."
According to The Weather Channel, there is a 30 percent chance of rain in Phoenix for Tuesday afternoon. It has not rained at Sky Harbor Airport, which is the "official" station for Phoenix, since Oct. 18, 2005.
Decision coming? The Brewers play split-squad games against the Giants on the first two days of Cactus League games, and Yost may have a decision to make.
According to Major League rules, teams can employ the designated hitter rule for games in National League Spring Training ballparks if the opposing team agrees. There has been speculation that the Giants may make such a request to allow rehabbing slugger Barry Bonds to get some at-bats without having to play the field.
But Brewers coaches and officials are anxious for pitchers to get as many plate appearances as possible during spring games. The team has put extra emphasis on bunting, and the DH rule would eliminate those real-time opportunities.
On Monday, Yost said he would decline such a request from the Giants for the March 2 game at Maryvale Baseball Park, but he may agree for the March 3 game at Scottsdale Stadium.
"We wouldn't do it here," said Yost. "But we're going to think about doing it there. I have such respect for [Giants manager] Felipe [Alou] that I will definitely think about it. ... Until it comes up, I'm not going to worry about it."
No word: There was no official announcement Monday from the team regarding former Reds general manager Dan O'Brien, who participated in a second day of meetings with Brewers scouts. Brewers GM Doug Melvin is talking with O'Brien, his former assistant in Texas, about joining the Brewers as a consultant.

Source: http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/

Mailbag: Any extension for Maddux?

2006-03-06T09:32:00.000-08:00

02/27/2006
Now that the Brewers have locked up manager Ned Yost for a while, what are the chances that some of the key assistants -- I'm thinking of Mike Maddux here -- will get contract extensions as well? If I recall correctly, Maddux has one year left on his current deal, and he's been an important piece of the Brewers' recent success.-- Andy S., Minneapolis
Owner Mark Attanasio hinted at this possibility the other day, but he said those decisions are squarely in the hands of Yost and general manager Doug Melvin. Maddux, the team's pitching coach, is an enormous part of the Brewers' recent successes with "castoffs" like Doug Davis, Dan Kolb, Derrick Turnbow and others.
The Orioles' Leo Mazzone might get more national publicity, but inside Major League clubhouses, Maddux is one of the most highly-respected pitching gurus in the game. It might be wise for Yost to think about locking up his pitching coach for a few more seasons.
Are the Brewers going to carry 11 or 12 pitchers? Who is in and who is out?-- Dylan P., Shiloh, Ohio
The team is leaning toward breaking camp with an 11-man pitching staff.
I would say starters Ben Sheets, Chris Capuano, Tomo Ohka and Davis are safe, and Yost has said he is looking at Dave Bush, Dana Eveland and Rick Helling for the final spot in the rotation. Any of those latter three also could end up in the bullpen alongside relative locks Turnbow, Matt Wise and Kolb (assuming he shakes off his poor season in Atlanta, which he seems to have done if early Spring Training sessions are any indication).
That leaves a handful of arms fighting for one or two spots. Candidates include Jose Capellan, Jorge De La Rosa, Kane Davis and Justin Lehr, who might be frontrunners because of their experience last season with the Brewers, but there are plenty of other pitchers in camp, and it seems like every year there is at least one surprise. The Brewers have not even played a game yet, and pitchers are still being asked to throw at about 80 percent to work on command, so it is way too early to start penciling in those roster spots. Injuries also can play a role as Spring Training plays out.
As part of the Lyle Overbay deal, the Brewers got Zach Jackson, a tall lefty pitcher. What do you think his chances are of making the Opening Day roster or by playing in the Majors by the year's end?-- Chris C., Cranberry Township, Pa.
Again, it's early, but Jackson has looked very good so far. He has a high leg kick and an extremely funky delivery, and outfielder/first baseman Brad Nelson is among the left-handed hitters who have said he is extremely tough. Also, Jackson apparently is a very capable hitter, and he is the last pitcher on the field each day because he spends so much time in the batting cage.
Jackson, himself, said he expected to go to Triple-A Nashville as a starter, which makes sense because of the number of more experienced arms looking to make the Major League rotation. But when the Brewers acquired him at the Winter Meetings, Yost said the team's scouts expected him to be Major League-ready by midseason.
Going back to the Overbay trade, what are the potentials of Gabe Gross, Bush and Jackson, numbers-wise? Do the Brewers expect Gross to have numbers like these: .280, 15 home runs, 60 RBIs? Do they expect Bush to have a 4.00 ERA and lots of starts?-- Ryan S., Houston
Melvin and Yost do not think in those terms, trying to project statistics. With all three of those players, their statistical output is going to depend on what role they play this season. If Gross is a backup outfielder and Carlos Lee, Brady Clark and Geoff Jenkins stay healthy again all year, and Corey Hart emerges, who knows what sort of opportunity Gross will get to put up numbers? Same idea with Bush, who projects as a guy with around a 4.00 ERA who can eat up some innings but may move to long relief instead if that is where Yost thinks he can best contribute.
Question about the contract Rickie Weeks signed after he was drafted: I know he signed a Major League contract and was added to the 40-man roster. Is he eligible for free agency after six years from signing the contract, or is it based on years actually in the Majors?-- Edd H., Layton, Utah
Eligibility for salary arbitration and free agency is based on Major League service time, not just the time spent on a 40-man roster, and according to the Brewers' media guide, Weeks has 131 days of service time. A full year of service time is 172 days, so the Brewers do not have to worry about Weeks for a few years.
Do you think the Brewers will consider putting Weeks in as leadoff man? Yes, Weeks hasn't played the season as an everyday starter, but don't you think that 15 steals and two times caught is good enough? Brady Clark's 10 steals and 13 times caught isn't very respectable, no matter what the batting average says. To have a good leadoff hitter, you need mobility, and Clark doesn't have it. I'm not saying that Clark shouldn't start, but he shouldn't start at leadoff.-- Joseph M., Milwaukee
Others would argue that to be a good leadoff hitter you need to get on base, and Clark had a .372 on-base percentage last season while Weeks had a .333 mark. Yes, Brewers first base coach Dave Nelson would like Clark to show a little more "larceny" on the base paths, but overall I think the team was very happy with him last season.
Hitting coach Butch Wynegar has said he is a big fan of Clark batting second in the lineup, so perhaps there will be a discussion, but I think it is safe right now to pencil in Clark as the leadoff man.
I notice more and more in recent articles about player contracts, etc., people are asking owner Mark Attanasio's opinion as well as Melvin's and assistant general manager Gord Ash's. I don't recall the press asking Mrs. Selig-Prieb for her views about player contracts when she was in charge. Where's the difference? The "caretaker" role she was playing for Commissioner Selig versus Attanasio as lead owner?--Mitch L., Madison
Interesting question. The biggest difference may be their management and public relations styles. Attanasio is very visible on matters of baseball operations decisions, while the previous regime much preferred to operate behind the scenes and left all of the baseball to the general manager and his staff. From an operational standpoint, I do not think there is a huge difference. Selig-Prieb was counseled on all major decisions, as is Attanasio.
Being a huge Brewers fan and season-ticket holder, I am wondering how much time we are going to give Ben Hendrickson to develop. In talking with some Brewers coaches, they say he really only has two pitches -- a fastball in the upper 80s and a curveball that struggles to find location. Do you really think he will someday get the call for good? Or, is he a lost cause?-- Steven Lendosky, Fennimore, Wis.
I don't think you can call a player a lost cause after one tough stint in the Majors followed by a disappointing year at Triple-A. Hendrickson said his mechanics have been off for more than a year, but he has worked with Maddux and Triple-A pitching coach Stan Kyles this spring and now says he is feeling better than ever.
You are right to say that Hendrickson's success hinges on location. If he can spot his fastball, his curveball becomes one of the best pitches of any Brewers prospect. This is a big year for Hendrickson because the Brewers have continued to add depth, but by no means has he fallen completely off the radar.
Is there any way the average fan can get a message to Mr. Attanasio? It is very refreshing to have an owner in Milwaukee who rewards excellence, success and loyalty. We're on board with Yost, Melvin, Ash and Co., and we're thankful that ownership feels the same way. It's a great time to be a Brewers fan. Any ideas for getting the "thumbs up" message to Mr. Attanasio?-- Tim B., Madison, Wis.
The best bet to reach anyone else associated with the club is to send an e-mail to fanfeedback@brewers.mlb.com. Those messages are monitored from Miller Park and forwarded to their intended recipient.
Or, fans can simply send a letter to the team's Spring Training complex. The address for Maryvale Baseball Park is: 3600 N. 51st Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85031.

Source: http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/

Notes: Turnbow tries other side

2006-03-06T09:31:00.000-08:00

02/28/2006
PHOENIX -- Derrick Turnbow was not exactly thrilled with his first game action of the year.
The Brewers' closer surrendered three runs in his inning of work during an 11 1/2-inning intrasquad scrimmage at Maryvale Baseball Park on Tuesday, including a laser beam, two-run home run to second baseman Rickie Weeks.
It was Turnbow's first opportunity to pitch in a game situation from the third-base side of the rubber. Last year, while tying the franchise record with 39 saves, he worked from the first-base side.
"I was throwing from the third-base side for the first time in five or six years, so I just wasn't comfortable with it today," Turnbow said. "I didn't throw that good. I'm just not comfortable throwing to righties now."
After a J.J. Hardy double sparked the rally, Tony Gwynn, Jr. hit an RBI single to right field. He then scored when Weeks turned on an inside fastball and deposited it onto the left-field berm.
Manager Ned Yost said he was pleased with Tuesday's performance, including Turnbow's. Pitching coach Mike Maddux suggested the change, and Turnbow said he would give it a few more tries.
"Mainly, for me, it's for the slider, to cover more of the plate and [get] a little more deception to it," Turnbow said. "I guess there is a drawback. It's tougher to throw a fastball down and away. ... Any time you pitch bad, it's not good. I was just up today, and [Weeks] made me pay for it, like you're supposed to."
A number of position players from Minor League camp played the later innings, including Yost's son, Ned IV, a first baseman, who homered off non-roster pitcher Wilfredo Rodriguez.
No-gos: Reliever Matt Wise threw an early mound session instead of participating in Tuesday's intrasquad game.
"Matt has been really working on trying to control the running game a little more and slide-stepping," Yost said. "He wanted to have an extended bullpen session, so we allowed him to do that."
Yost said pitchers Rick Helling (shoulder stiffness) and Mike Adams (back spasms) had improved in recent days, but neither pitched on Tuesday.
Third baseman Ryan Braun, the team's first-round draft pick in 2005, did not participate because of a "minor, minor hamstring strain," according to Yost.
Line them up: Yost is mulling a number of different lineup options, including one that drops Brady Clark to the No. 2 hole and bumps second-year second baseman Weeks into the leadoff spot.
"I'm covering every scenario in my mind," Yost said. "What is going to make us better?"
The move might make sense, Yost said, with Weeks "being a little faster and Brady being a little more fundamental."
Weeks hit .294 in 51 at-bats as the Brewers' leadoff hitter when Clark was sidelined with bruised ribs. But he hit .216 overall in 74 at-bats when leading off an inning. All 599 of Clark's at-bats came in the No. 1 spot, and he hit .326 in 273 at-bats leading off an inning.
"It's just a thought, that's all," Yost said of his possible flip-flop.
Yost also said there was nothing to the fact that Carlos Lee batted fifth in Tuesday's intrasquad game. Lee almost certainly will hit fourth, and Yost said he is leaning toward batting Prince Fielder and Geoff Jenkins in the Nos. 3 and 5 spots.
New front office face: The Brewers announced Tuesday that former Reds general manager Dan O'Brien had joined the club as a "consultant and special advisor" to GM Doug Melvin.
"I'm excited about the opportunity to be involved," O'Brien said. "Obviously they are an organization on the rise. ... I think the entire industry appreciates what has been accomplished here over the past few years to position them to potentially be a contending team."
The Reds let O'Brien go last month after a new ownership group assumed control of the team. He served as Melvin's top assistant for five of Melvin's seven years as GM in Texas, where O'Brien also worked closely with special assistant to the GM Reid Nichols.
O'Brien said his role will involve special assignments, beginning with a "basic review of the Minor League system." He will remain based in Cincinnati for now, but he plans to spend most of the summer visiting Brewers affiliates.
"I anticipate traveling quite a bit to go around the system and get familiar with the coaching staffs and the players," O'Brien said. "I'm looking forward to that. I love that, and that's obviously where my roots are."
Before joining Melvin in Texas, O'Brien worked in the Astros' scouting and player development departments from 1982-96.
Last call: The Brewers will begin Cactus League play with split-squad games versus the Giants and at the Angels on Thursday afternoon. The Angels game is a charity exhibition that was added late to the schedule, and the Brewers plan to send a group of Minor League players. Class A Brevard County manager Ramon Aviles will lead that squad against Angels right-hander Bartolo Colon. ... Chris Capuano, Tomo Ohka and Dana Eveland are among the pitchers scheduled to face the Giants at Maryvale Baseball Park in the regularly-scheduled game. ... Yost said he does not expect right-hander Mike Jones to pitch in any Cactus League games. Jones is on a strict rehabilitation schedule after missing the last year and a half with shoulder problems.

Source: http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/

Young Brew infield crew coming of age

2006-03-06T09:30:00.000-08:00

02/28/2006
PHOENIX -- Just how young is the Brewers' young infield? Two of the starters were in diapers the last time the team played a postseason game. A third was two years shy of being born.
But first baseman Prince Fielder, shortstop J.J. Hardy and second baseman Rickie Weeks are mature beyond their birthdates, those close to the club insist. That might be especially true of Fielder, whose on-field triumphs have contrasted starkly with his off-field trials.
"Everything is in perspective," said the burly, tattooed slugger, who will not turn 22 until May 9. "Baseball is what you do, but your family is a little more important. If you remember that, you'll be OK."
He still regrets not being there on Aug. 17, 2004, when his then-girlfriend, Chanel, went into labor with the couple's first child, a son later named Jaden. Prince, Milwaukee's first-round draft pick in 2002, was stuck on 17 home runs at Double-A Huntsville.
He decided to skip the birth of his own son and played on.
"I felt like if I didn't have at least 20 [homers], I would be letting down the Brewers," Fielder said. "I ended up getting to 23, but I realized it wasn't worth it. I felt like a [jerk]. I never want to do that again."
The couple was married in the summer of 2005, and now Chanel is pregnant again, this time with a son to be named Haven. Fielder said doctors plan to induce labor on March 28 -- less than a week before Opening Day -- and this time, he plans to be there.
"I feel like this time I need to be there," he said. "I wasn't personally happy with my decision [the last time]. It was selfish."
Fielder has grown up a lot since then, partly because of some off-field heartache linked to a well-publicized estrangement from his father, former Major League All-Star Cecil Fielder.
After years of tagging along with his big-league dad, hitting upper-deck home runs at Tiger Stadium as a teenager and celebrating together when Cecil helped negotiate Prince's first contract with the Brewers, the relationship fizzled amid Cecil Fielder's reported legal troubles.
Prince did not talk to his dad when the Brewers called him up to the Majors for the first time last June, or when Prince hit the first of what likely will be many tape-measure home runs. Now they talk "only when I need to," Prince says. He declined to say when that last happened.
"I'm doing what I can do to put that negative stuff behind," Fielder said. "I'm trying to stay positive."
There is plenty to be positive about at Maryvale Baseball Park this spring, where Fielder, Hardy and Weeks are preparing to anchor the infield for a team saddled with high expectations.
"I feel like if we don't make the playoffs it's going to be a disappointment," said Hardy, 23. "I think that's kind of the atmosphere and I think everyone here feels like this is going to be a good year."
Of the trio, only Hardy spent all of last season in the Majors. Weeks, who like Fielder is a former first-round draft pick and like Hardy is now 23, took over at second base after the Brewers traded Junior Spivey to Washington on June 10. Fielder spent most of his 68 days with the Brewers as a pinch-hitter.
They are not the only youngsters expected to contribute in 2006. Bill Hall, 26, will share time at third base with veteran newcomer Corey Koskie in addition to spelling Hardy and Weeks. Corey Hart, who turns 24 next month, could play as many as five different positions including first base, where he would back up Fielder.
Is there a risk in putting so much stock in so many young players?
"There is a risk, but there is a huge reward, too," said Brewers principal owner Mark Attanasio, himself a second-year "player." "I think we have a lot of upside with these guys, and I think it's worth the risk because even if it doesn't play out this year, it will play out next year."
The first flash of that upside came last June 25, when Weeks and Fielder each hit their first Major League home runs in a come-from-behind win over Johan Santana and the Minnesota Twins at Miller Park.
"You come through the Minor Leagues with some and play AAU ball together before that, then you come up and hit home runs on the same day?" said Fielder, who grew up near Weeks in central Florida. "Couldn't write a better story."
Weeks suffered an injury to a ligament at the base of his left thumb that limited his offensive contributions and prevented any extra work in the batting cage for the final three months of the season. He had offseason surgery and is not 100 percent, and is focused on cutting down on his team-high 21 errors.
Hardy is considered more advanced defensively and worked himself out of a dreadful early-season slump. After batting .187 before the All-Star break and dodging several near-demotions to the Minor Leagues, he hit .308 after the break and solidified his spot as the team's shortstop of the future.
"I think we all agree that they're all going to be offensive forces," hitting coach Butch Wynegar said. "You just see too many good things in those swings. The big thing now is the mental side, how to make those little adjustments and trust in those adjustments. I think all three of those guys will play older than they are, because they're that mature."
Do they feel the pressure?
"I try to look at the pressure as people wanting me to do well," Fielder said. "If they don't have high expectations for you, something is wrong. You want them to be excited and I want to do well, for them and for me.
"Last year was so much fun. To be able to play a whole year, from the beginning, that's going to be even better."

Source: http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/

Notes: Webcasts a sign of spring

2006-03-06T09:28:00.000-08:00

03/01/2006
PHOENIX -- For the second straight Spring Training, every day with a Brewers game will also feature a Brewers broadcast.
In addition to the 12 weekend broadcasts on the Brewers Radio Network and four televised games on FSN North, television play-by-play man Daron Sutton will host interactive webcasts of weekday day games at MilwaukeeBrewers.com.
"I can't even start to tell you how excited I am to get going," said Sutton, who will team with television partner Bill Schroeder for the majority of the webcasts. "All winter long, everywhere I went, people wanted to talk about the Brewers and for good reason. The webcasting allows all of us to get a head start on what should be an amazing season."
Beginning with Thursday's Cactus League kickoff against San Francisco, the webcasts will begin 15 minutes before the first pitch with a pregame show featuring in-depth pitching previews. Sutton also plans to take fan e-mail submissions during each game.
Brewers assistant general manager Gord Ash will serve as Sutton's analyst for the March 16 game at Scottsdale Stadium against the Giants, and other scheduled in-game guests include general manager Doug Melvin, principal owner Mark Attanasio, scouting director Jack Zduriencik and farm director Reid Nichols.
After each game, Sutton will update his MLB.com blog, The Dog Ate Daron's Homework.
Sutton and Schroeder arrived in Phoenix on Tuesday. They will team up for 125 regular-season telecasts on FSN North.
To access the Spring Training webcasts plus all 162 regular season games, fans must have a 2006 MLB.com audio subscription. For details about available subscription products, visit MLB.com.
Bring on the Giants: Chris Capuano's bid to follow up his outstanding, 18-win season begins Thursday with a Cactus League start against Noah Lowry and the Giants.
Capuano is scheduled to pitch just one inning, followed for one inning apiece by Tomo Ohka, Dana Eveland, Jose Capellan, Matt Wise, Dan Kolb, Jorge De La Rosa and Jason Kershner. Lowry, Brad Hennessey, Jack Taschner (a Wisconsin native) and Tim Worrell are among the scheduled pitchers for San Francisco.
After tuning up with a scoreless inning in Tuesday's intrasquad game, Capuano admitted that Thursday will be a bit different.
"I try not to let too much adrenaline take over because I don't want to go out there and overthrow," Capuano said. "I look at it more like a practice. That's exactly what it is."
Off the field: Melvin expects to sign infielder Bill Hall to a one-year contract before Thursday's game but said the door is still open to a multiyear extension.
Hall, the lone member of Milwaukee's 40-man roster not under contract for 2006, won't be eligible for salary arbitration until after this season, but the Brewers expressed some interest in avoiding that process by signing him through 2007 or 2008.
"There is still a possibility, but right now [Hall's representatives] told us they wanted to focus on a one-year deal," Melvin said. "I think they wanted to sit down with Billy first to talk about it."
Melvin said Hall's representatives would visit Maryvale Baseball Park next week.
The Brewers GM also expects in "the next three or four days" to have another conversation with a representative for closer Derrick Turnbow, who is already signed for 2006 but, like Hall, is entering his final pre-arbitration season. Turnbow said the team has approached him about a multiyear deal through 2008.
The Classic begins: Brewers left fielder Carlos Lee participated in about half of Wednesday's light workout before leaving on a flight to Viera, Fla., where he will train with Team Panama for the upcoming World Baseball Classic.
Two other Brewers are expected to play in Thursday's game before joining their respective teams. De La Rosa will travel to Tucson and is expected to be named to Mexico's 30-man Classic roster, and Corey Koskie will travel to Dunedin, Fla., to join Team Canada. Dunedin, ironically, is the Spring Training home of the Toronto Blue Jays, who traded Koskie to the Brewers in January.
Brewers bullpen coach Bill Castro will travel to Kissimmee, Fla., to serve as pitching coach for the Dominican Republic.
Digging for home: The Triple-A Nashville Sounds have targeted April 2008 for the opening of a new riverfront ballpark.
The team on Wednesday named construction managers for the project, which will culminate with a new stadium on the west bank of the Cumberland River. In their first season as the Brewers' top Minor League affiliate, the Sounds won the 2005 Pacific Coast League championship.
Last call: Yost said that Charlie Greene, the Brewers' roving Minor League catching instructor, is expected to manage the Brewers rookie Arizona League affiliate this season. Greene is in camp working with the Brewers' young catchers. ... Rick Helling threw a side session Wednesday and is on track to make his Cactus League debut on Friday, Yost said. Helling was held out of Tuesday's intrasquad game with minor shoulder stiffness. ... Brad Nelson, Nelson Cruz, Hernan Iribarren, Lou Palmisano and Mike Rivera are among the players scheduled to travel to Tempe on Thursday for a charity game against Bartolo Colon and the Angels. The rest of the Brewers roster will consist of players from Minor League camp including Yost's son, Ned IV.

Source: http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/

Attanasio has high expectations for 2006

2006-03-06T09:27:00.000-08:00

03/01/2006
Mark Attanasio: Hi, everyone. It's great to see the guys getting ready again down in Arizona. I'm looking forward to spending the next hour with you so let's have some fun.
David_Johnson: Mr. Attanasio, first of all, thank you for all you've done for the beloved Brewers. What are your expectations for the ballclub this year?
Attanasio: I, along with all of our fans, have high expectations for this year. Importantly, I think Ned Yost, Doug Melvin and the players share those expectations. It should be a fun year.
bob100117: How comfortable are you with an starting infield, which would include Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks, and J.J. Hardy?
Attanasio: Very comfortable, and that's a good thing since that's three-fourths of the starting infield.
stefan_frank: Have you ever participated in a tailgate at Miller Park? I can say on behalf of all the fans, you're welcome at any of our grills.
Attanasio: Hi, Stefan. I joined some of the tailgates before the last game of the season last year. It was great fun but I'm trying to keep the weight off I lost in the offseason.
pgerbs: Were you surprised by the number of Opening Day tickets that were sold?
Attanasio: I wasn't surprised at all. Ticket sales have been strong. We're expecting to hit one million tickets sold tomorrow, which would be the second earliest in team history. I think we are all very excited for the start of the season.
Base_Ball_4: Mark, do you have any input on the makeup of the team, or do you leave it all to Doug Melvin?
Attanasio: I have final approval on all our major moves. I pretty much leave it to Doug and his staff.
jamie_siegel: What was it that prompted you to actually purchase a Major League Baseball team? What gave you the idea?
Attanasio: I have been a baseball fan since I was 7 and it has always been a dream of mine to own a Major League Baseball team. Now I'm living that dream!
Base_Ball_4: How important is Ned Yost to the franchise?
Attanasio: We think Ned is real important to the franchise as reflected in the contract extension we just gave him. He has done an excellent job leading a young and improving team.
Base_Ball_4: Mark, will the new LED boards be installed in Miller Park this season?
Attanasio: We expect they will be ready for Opening Day.
Base_Ball: Do you and Ned Yost look for a 90-win season in 2006 and the playoffs?
Attanasio: If we add two more wins a month vs. last year we'll have a 90-win season. Think about that.
jscharp: As owner, do you have any say in the lineup that is on the field, or is that 100 percent up to Ned Yost?
Attanasio: Ned takes input from Doug Melvin and his coaches, but makes the final decision. I hear other owners provide that type of input; I have resisted the urge so far.
kyle_scidmore: Could you give us an update on the progress of Ben Sheets?
Attanasio: Ben is throwing well in Spring Training and is eager to start the season.
cubcubcub: Do you really think it's a good idea to try to shut out Cubs fans from buying tickets?
Attanasio: We're not trying to shut Cubs fans out. We're encouraging Brewers fans to come in. I enjoy the rivalry.
jmanz2: Who was you favorite Yankees player growing up? Did you see Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris?
Attanasio: Mickey Mantle was always my favorite and I have a painting of him in my office (next to my Robin Yount and Paul Molitor bobblehead dolls).
jscharp: How many games a year do you attend?
Attanasio: Last year I saw 40 games, half at home and half on the road as it turned out. All told, I visited 11 ballparks last year. I'd estimate I saw another 110 on TV or listened to Bob Uecker on radio.
Robin_19: How close are you to hiring or naming a team president?
Attanasio: Right now I think we have the business side covered with Rick Schlesinger and Bob Quinn in leadership positions. They have done an excellent job.
bob100117: What is the likelihood that Carlos Lee will be re-signed?
Attanasio: Someone has to ask the tough question! I spent 30 minutes talking to Doug early this morning about the makeup of our team over the next couple of years. At this point we are just formulating our views. Whether to re-sign Carlos is one of many decisions we'll have to make over the next few months. I am delighted to hear that Carlos enjoys playing for our team. He has obviously been an important part of our improvement and will be one of the keys to our success this year.
Base_Ball: Will Prince Fielder win the job at first base or is he competing for it right now in Spring Training?
Attanasio: Prince Fielder will be the team's starting first baseman Opening Day. We couldn't have traded Lyle Overbay without the high level of confidence the organization has in Prince.
srvintune21: Mark, is the new addition to right field something that fans can purchase individual or group tickets for?
Attanasio: I have good and bad news. All of the tickets for the right field addition are sold out. We are committed to doing everything we can to make Miller Park as good of an experience as possible for our fans.
Jim_Haas: Do you believe that the Brewers ownership will remain for many years in the Attanasio family?
Attanasio: Absolutely. We also have a stable, passionate ownership group that I also expect will stay together.
superbish: How is the atmosphere in camp this year compared to last spring?
Attanasio: More serious and focused. That's a good thing.
fgdfs: How is your son's rock band coming along?
Attanasio: Great, thanks. They're playing this weekend in Los Angeles at a club called the Knitting Factory and are tentatively scheduled to perform at Summerfest on July 8. That should be an afternoon performance because we're playing a team called the Chicago Cubs that night at home.
Base_Ball: Are you in any fantasy baseball leagues?
Attanasio: I'm in the ultimate fantasy league!
mbha: You have stated that you wanted to create an atmosphere where players will want to come to Milwaukee to play. Besides fielding a winning team, what else do you see as a way to meet this objective?
Attanasio: One of the ways is to create a stable organization with clear directives and goals. Signing Doug Melvin and Ned Yost to long-term contracts was an important way to meet this objective.
jamiesan: Are there any tickets left for Opening Day? Standing room only? Obstructed view? If there are, how can we go about getting them?
Attanasio: You can still get good Opening Day tickets by buying them as part of a 9- or 20-game ticket package. Otherwise, I am afraid it is standing room only.
outcst92: Are you comfortable with fans approaching you at games?
Attanasio: I enjoy talking to fans and still think of myself as a fan first.
Justin_Hephner: Have you seen any of Prince's new tattoos?
Attanasio: I haven't seen Prince's tats but I couldn't miss Turnbow's hair, which by the way, I really like.
Terry_R: Did you have a hand in bringing in Robin Yount? Were you part of the convincing process?
Attanasio: Ned Yost took the laboring oar in bringing Robin back to the Brewers and we are all delighted he's back.
Brad_Hotchkiss: What has been your best memory of this past year?
Attanasio: It's a toss up between hearing my Dad singing the national anthem on Opening Day, meeting Joe Torre during batting practice when the Yankees were in town, and getting a standing ovation from the fans on the last home game of the season for my birthday.
Base_Ball_2: Do you know how many tickets are left for the Twins series at Miller Park?
Attanasio: With the exception of Opening Day and July 8, there is still pretty good availability for the other 79 games.
brodeur: My name is Brian McNamara and I am 13 years old. I have wanted to be a general manager of a pro baseball team for as long as I can remember. Do you have any suggestions as to how I could get to that point or what I could do now?
Attanasio: Hi Brian. The best way is to focus on your schoolwork. Does your principal know where you are right now? A number of young general managers have advanced (graduate) degrees.
Robin_19: Have you ever read "Veeck -- As In Wreck?" Do you see yourself ever trying to do crazy things like Bill Veeck tried?
Attanasio: I have read it. We're going to try instead to look at successful things other teams are doing and to listen to our fans and what they want.
Justin_Hephner: Are you going to be at the Brewers On-Deck event?
Attanasio: Yes, can't wait.
metallicaman100: What is you favorite food to eat at Miller Park?
Attanasio: Brats, along with everyone else. Going to have to cut back on them this year, though.
bugleguy: I've been a Brewers fan for a long time. Never has the excitement reached this peak at the start of Spring Training. I think I speak for all Brewers fans in thanking you for your commitment to the Milwaukee Brewers.
Attanasio: I want to thank you and all our fans. I have had several comments like this during this chat and appreciate the huge amount of support I, and the team, get from the community. Now it is time for us to work hard and deliver on the high expectations for the Milwaukee Brewers this year.
Attanasio: I am sorry that we are out of time and wish that I could have answered all 400 questions that came in. Look forward to seeing you at the ball park either at Spring Training or next month at Miller Park. Opening Day is just around the corner!

Source: http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/