Milwaukee Brewers

In the first half of the season, Corey Hart could do no wrong.  He was one of the biggest surprises in the league, hitting .288 with 21 HR and 65 RBI.  Owners who took the gamble on drafting him were on cloud nine…

Unfortunately, the euphoria did not last forever.

Hart’s production in the second half was much more inline with what we would have expected.  He hit .278 with 10 HR and 37 RBI.

The dreadful 2010 Milwaukee Brewers season, one that was full of disappointment, as well as a few surprises, will be long forgotten for the Milwaukee faithful.

The off-season signings that were supposed to enhance an already prosperous group, didn't.  But with looming optimism and free-agent signings just waiting to happen, there is already great enthusiasm within this ever growing Milwaukee ball-club.

The latest edition of the Brewer Nation Podcast (recorded on October 5th despite the label in the file name) is available for downloading and listening.

Click the link to launch the file or download the file first to save a copy!

Brewer Nation Podcast - 10/5/2010

In a move that was neither surprising nor buzz-worthy, the Milwaukee Brewers and Ken Macha parted ways on Monday. After a meeting over coffee, according to the Milwaukee Brewers website, GM Doug Melvin told Macha that the club was declining his option.

Apparently, he even helped Macha pack up his stuff before he headed out of town. It's about what I expected to happen after a team goes 157-167 in two years, with consecutive third place finishes in the NL Central.

According to sources from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Ken Macha has managed his last game for the Milwaukee Brewers. His option for 2011 will not be picked up, and he'll be relieved of his duties on Monday.

Macha has managed the Brewers to back-to-back losing seasons after the team made the playoffs in 2008.

Drafted in the first round of the 2008 draft (16th overall), Brett Lawrie appears primed to be a future fixture in the Milwaukee Brewers’ batting order.  He certainly posted an eye-opening Double-A campaign:

554 At-Bats
.285 Batting Average (158 Hits)
Eight Home Runs
63 RBI
90 Runs
30 Stolen Bases
.346 On Base Percentage
.451 Slugging Percentage
.350 Batting Average on Balls in Play

Whether you believe that Prince Fielder will be with the Milwaukee Brewers when the 2011 regular season begins or not, there is one seemingly inevitable truth that is staring the collective known as Brewer Nation in the face...

Prince Fielder will not be a Milwaukee Brewer forever.

This is a certainty. There is no getting around it. There is no point in trying to figure out a way that it might not happen. It's an effort in futility.

Baseball, like all sports, is in the age of specialization.

In football, teams have a guy on the roster who is just a long-snapper and a guy who just handle kickoffs. In basketball, teams have guys on their roster who are defensive specialists or three-point specialists.

In baseball, as we all know, teams have left-handed pitchers on the roster just to pitch to one left-handed batter in the game. Well, the Houston Astros took specialization to another level on Wednesday afternoon.

Prince Fielder’s streak of 327 consecutive games played ended tonight due to reported flu-like symptoms. Given Fielder’s famed dimensions (espn.com and si.com list him as 5’11″ and 268 lbs), he’s not the first guy who’d pop into mind when hearing that a player had just ended a 327 consecutive games played streak.

Trevor Hoffman earned his 600th career save on Tuesday night, making him the first player in Major League Baseball history to accomplish that feat.  

Here's a look back at Hoffman's long road from minor league shortstop to the most prolific closer of all time.


Trevor Hoffman's 600 Saves Timeline

April 29th, 1993 - 1st Career Save - Florida Marlins def. Atlanta Braves