Milwaukee Brewers

By now most Brewer fans are well aware of the words exchanged between Ryan Braun and GM Doug Melvin. I can guarantee that also, by now, Melvin and Braun have had a private meeting at Miller Park to hash out any misconceptions about what was said.

The Brewers will take the field tonight as if nothing happened, and any player interviewed about the topic will surely reply with, "it's not a big deal" or "it is what it is." Basically, the same tired cliches sports fans always have to put up with.

The Brewers are sinking. But there's good news: It's only just before the All-Star Break, which means there's still plenty of time to get some sort of deal done, and with left fielder Ryan Braun starting to speak up about wanting General Manager Doug Melvin to make some moves, there could be some unrest in the locker room if something isn't done.

As I sat at my computer anxiously awaiting Charlie Manuel's decisions on this year's National League pitching staff, I wondered whether or not the Phillies' skipper thought Josh Johnson would make the team. 

Would Javier Vazquez sneak in?  Who would he choose as the last relief pitcher?  One wonder that I did not think I had to consider was whether or not Yovani Gallardo, Milwaukee's ace, would be on this year's team. 

If you were to say that Yovani Gallardo is one of the best young pitchers in baseball, no one should give you a funny look or call you crazy.  If he had been healthy last season, maybe the baseball world would regard him among the elite already, but two separate knee injuries limited him to just four starts, certainly slowing his progress.

In 2009, however, he is making his case, posting the following line:

Filed:July 3, 2009

Koyie Hill awaits the throw home, before tagging out Jeff Suppan at the plate. (Cubbie Nation)

Click here for the photo gallery from Friday's game

With All-Star fan balloting wrapping up tomorrow, I figured it was time to take a look at which Brewers should be making the trip to St. Louis for the mid-summer classic.

By my estimation, the Brewers will have four players in this year's game.

Rickie Weeks very likely would have made the team if injury hadn't cut his season short on May 17.

Mike Cameron also would have been a strong candidate if he would have maintained the numbers he put up in April. Cameron will have to hold out hope for a Gold Glove at the end of the season instead.

I hate the Quad-A stereotype, particularly with hitters.

If you didn't know that before, you should check out my Quad-A/GPP article from last year. It's one of my best.

A consequence of my hating the stereotype is my loving the players who are labeled with it. You can't help but root for them.

They've been unjustly declared unfit to the majors, and you hope someday they come up and stick it to whoever doubted them.

Trevor Hoffman has received immense praise for his work this year, and rightfully so. He has 16 saves in 17 chances this year with a 1.31 ERA, and he is very likely to make a return trip to the All-Star game next month.

But Hoffman would attribute much of his success to four players that usually go largely unnoticed to most fans. Without the great play of Seth McClung, Todd Coffey, Mitch Stetter, and Mark DeFelice, the Brewers' season would have a much different feel than it currently does.

After a memorable 2008 season that saw the Milwaukee Brewers make the Playoffs for the first time since 1982, expectations for the 2009 season were mixed.

Many people thought the Brewers wouldn't have enough pitching to make a return trip, while others thought their bats would carry them to the promised land for a second straight year.

The Brewers are about to begin a nine-game home stand that will see them try and regain first place after being overtaken by the St. Louis Cardinals.