Is Braun becoming this team's "leader"?

[adambr2]

Braun once again pretty vocal, I think he did a pretty good job summing up what a lot of fans feel:

"I almost felt like this series, we didn't expect to win," Braun said after the 11-7 defeat that dropped the Brewers into sole possession of last place in the NL Central with five consecutive losses. "We were competing; I know everybody tried hard. But it's not about trying hard. You've got to expect to win. I almost feel like we never really expected to win any of these games. I just kind of had that feeling.

"It's just a feeling. Every time we were winning, I just didn't feel we expected to win. It was like we were just content to be there and compete. I don't think we necessarily expected to win.

"Obviously, they're a great team. It's a good gauge of where we're at when we can go out and compete with those guys. For us, as a team, our goal can't be to compete. Our goal has to be to win.

"Obviously, to come in here and win the series would have been extremely difficult but it's a real disappointment to come in here and get swept.

"A team like (Boston), they come out every day and expect to win. You can just sense it. I feel like we're there at times but we need to come with that approach every . No matter who we're playing against, no matter who's throwing against us, and expect to win. Part of that comes with success, comes with beating good teams and good pitchers. We're too talented to approach the game any other way.

"We've got to figure it out and figure it out in a hurry. We're better than that. We're certainly talented enough to win games. But a lot of it, our approach mentally, sometimes has to improve.

"We've got to go to Pittsburgh and try to find a way to win the series and go to Washington and find a way to win that series. We can't play like this for very long, as deep and talented as our division is. We're six weeks into it now.

"By no means is it time to panic. We just have to find a way to start playing better consistently in all facets of the game."

[Team Canada]

Probably not, he's just the only one who's any good.

[thablingster]

One of the things I like about Braun is he's willing to speak his mind win or lose and tell it pretty much like it is. No sugar coating, no doom and gloom, just the facts.

 

I still think most people will look to Prince to be the leader, but if Braun keeps performing as he can do that may change soon enough. The organization obviously feels he can be a centerpiece and leader as they made it a priority to lock him up early.

[gbpacker40]

Last year I thought it was clearly Prince, but he (Prince) seems really dis-interested to me this year. I don't know if its lack of motivation or what. Braun IMO is the best player this team has had since Molitor and Yount. He is someone who does not back down from anyone at the plate and his confidence exudes him. If what he is saying is true then that is 110% on the manager. (Not to turn this into a Yost bashing thread) Its the players job to execute and the managers to gameplan and motivate. Maybe thats just my opinion but thats how I see it.

[kramnoj]

I heart Braun. I'm glad that he's going to be with this team for 7 more years, and hope he stays to be a franchise player. Those are just about the perfect things to say.

[CarRamrod01]

Last year I thought it was clearly Prince, but he (Prince) seems really dis-interested to me this year. I don't know if its lack of motivation or what.

I have a deep fear that this might be Prince's own little "Operation Shutdown" in retaliation for the whole "I should be getting paid more" situation from earlier this year.

 

[BrewCrewForever]

After those comments, the way he has played and the comments he made a week or so ago when he actually cursed in an interview he seems to be the leader to me. I love Ryan Braun.

[MickeyDavis]

While Braun is brutally honest, our manager continues his Ostrich impersonation.

[southpaw121505]

I echo the Braun love going around this thread. Not only is he our only guy producing it seems like it bothers him more than anyone else that we're playing like a AA team

[BrewCrewForever]

I echo the Braun love going around this thread. Not only is he our only guy producing it seems like it bothers him more than anyone else that we're playing like a AA team

I like the fact to that it bothers him because he wants to win so bad. And he sees they need to start winning and he's going out there and doing something about it.

 

[dlk9s]

Last year I thought it was clearly Prince, but he (Prince) seems really dis-interested to me this year. I don't know if its lack of motivation or what.

I have a deep fear that this might be Prince's own little "Operation Shutdown" in retaliation for the whole "I should be getting paid more" situation from earlier this year.

 

That's just silly.

Prince plays hard. He just isn't doing very well at the plate (although he's improving) and his fielding ability continues to augment the irony of his name. Besides, it wouldn't make sense to not try because of money issues, since a poor year will hurt his chances at getting a massive contract.

I do appreciate Braun's comments. I agree with thablingster in that Braun is pretty much just stating the facts. He doesn't sugar coat, but nor does he toss blame around. He says it like it is, but is still a good teammate.

 

[JohnBriggs12]

Hooray for Ryan Braun. Having the most talented player on the team call out the attitude that is prevailing is terrific. Of course he said nothing that any of us that watched this series didn't see. But we've had the benefit of seeing this same issue in virtually every Brewer team in a quarter of a century, save one or two years.

 

Not only did Ryan Braun commit to the team and to us fans, he is taking ownership of the clubhouse and in the long run, that is very meaningful.

[brewmann04]

It a breath of fresh air hearing a player speak his mind and calling out the players and his teamates for not have winning Attitude.

[craigharmann]

I have respect for a guy who is out there busting his butt, playing hard, and trying to win, and who wonders why the rest of his team doesn't seem to be doing the same. Thankfully, he IS the leader of this team, and if the manager isn't going to do it, Ryan Braun will. I love Ryan Braun.

[And That]

I think I might buy a Braun jersey because of this.

[Team Canada]

It a breath of fresh air hearing a player speak his mind and calling out the players and his teamates for not have winning Attitude.

Let me channel FJM here and say that I don't think they're losing because they don't have a "winning attitude". I think the culprit would be bad defense, bad pitching, and nonexistent hitting (outside of Braun).

[BrewCrewBaseball]

Braun will be the face of this team now. We all know, or atleast feel that Prince seems to have a jelous side in him. I agree with one of the posters above, he seems out of it this season. Not sure what is running through his head. All I know is a nice winning streak will get this team back into it. Anyways, Braun deserves some props for taking the blame for the team. Someone needs to step up and jump on Yost next.

[brettac1]

Wait... taking walks/OBP counts as a "facet", right?

[bretsky07]

I echo the Braun love going around this thread. Not only is he our only guy producing it seems like it bothers him more than anyone else that we're playing like a AA team

Have you seen how AA Huntsville is doing this year? I wish we were playing half as well as they were.

[Brewer Fever]

Wait... taking walks/OBP counts as a "facet", right?

 

Are you implying that he thinks only his teammates need to improve? Besides, would you have rather he take walks over the 7 bombs he's hit in the last week?

[Glennron]

Wait... taking walks/OBP counts as a "facet", right?

Are you implying that he thinks only his teammates need to improve? Besides, would you have rather he take walks over the 7 bombs he's hit in the last week?

No, but I'd rather he swing at fewer pitches outside of the strike zone, I don't think that's being too needy.

[Brewer Fever]

No, but I'd rather he swing at fewer pitches outside of the strike zone, I don't think that's being too needy.

I could be wrong but I'd venture to say that he has been doing at better job at that lately.

 

Also, why are you answering for brettac1? Are you posting under two names?

 

 

(pared back nested quote --1992)

[brettac1]

Yes. I guess I was implying that.

 

I just in general don't see the big deal about the guy spewing cliches with reckless abandon.

[hawing]

Maybe if Ryan called a players-only meeting.

[Brewer Fever]

You may not like what he had to say, but to make the leap that he thinks has nothing to improve on is sort of odd.