My night at Citi Field: conversation with Melvin and Ash

[bklynbrewcrew]

I had a very interesting night to say the least at citi field this evening. I arrived at the game around 10 minutes or so before the game started and guess who was sitting right in front of me; none other than Doug Melvin and Gord Ash. I couldnt have been more thrilled and figured I should take a shot and see if I could ask them a few questions.

First of all let me say that Doug and Gord couldn't have been nicer to me. I introduced myself to both of them and told them how I was a lifelong Brewer fan from Brooklyn, NY. They both laughed and asked me how did I become a Brewers fan living in NY. After briefly giving them a synopsis of how I became a fan I asked if it would be possible to ask them a few questions between innings. They both said that would be fine and I promised not to be too annoying.

Here is a quick recap of what we discussed. I asked about Riske and Ash mentioned that he had been sore for awhile but that the training staff thought it was just scar tissue breaking up after the surgery. Unfortunately Riske has been in pain for a few days now and is going to see a dr in California to see if there is any structural damage. They hope he can come back soon but Ash didnt sound very optimistic.

I asked about Braun and both men said he is healthy and that his timing is just a little off right now. I also asked about Suppan and Melvin told me that Soup is a battler and a great veteran presence on the staff. He told me that the team signed him because of his stability and his ability to give the team 200 innings or so each year. Melvin sounded as if Suppan is nowhere near being replaced in the rotation.

I asked about the lack of rotation depth and Doug specifically mentioned that McClung is a capable starter and that they acquired Wright and Green as additional depth because its unrealistic to expect the team to only need 5 starters for the entire season. He also mentioned that the team has lots of good arms but that most of them are a few years away.

I asked about JJ Hardy and the possibility of signing him long term and Doug was extremely complimentary of Hardy calling him a great player and one of his favorites. He didn't say anything about signing him long term or not but said that JJ is a great Brewer and the team would love to keep him. Unfortunately he did also mention that in our market we can't keep everyone that we want and have to always have young cheap players ready for when we lose guys like Ben Sheets.

I actually had a nice conversation with Ash about hockey at one point and I must say he is very knowledgeable about the sport.

All in all both Doug Melvin and Gord Ash were fantastic with me and I thanked them over and over for being so nice. Unfortunately we lost a tough game tonight but Doug and Gord both made it a very memorable night for me.

P.S. Doug did say "and that" at least 5 times

[pretendastronaut]

Oh see, now I know this is a lie at the end. There's no way Melvin only said "and that" around 5 times in that much conversation.

 

Cool story bklyn!

[GormanHarvey]

Very cool indeed. Thanks for sharing

[moofnelson]

Nice article from Brewerfan's Brooklyn field office!

[pitchleague]

bah! You stole my thunder with your P.S. That's what I was going to ask you.

 

Very enjoyable read and a great experience for you. That'd be pretty cool to sit next to somebody like that the whole game.

[Invader3K]

"Soup is a battler and a great veteran presence "

 

This made me chuckle, but probably for the wrong reasons, unfortunately.

 

Cool story though. It's neat that you got to meet them.

[SeriesFinale]

Wow, you're a better man than I am...I certainly would have said something whiny and/or stupid to them at some point during the game. It's kinda funny how they kept to the party line though!

 

Glad to hear they're good guys.

[bklynbrewcrew]

I admit I had to bite my tongue a bit when Melvin called Suppan a battler. I thought that comment was right out of the Yost playbook but I guess I cant expect him to tell me how he really feels about Soup.

 

Whoever designed this stadium did a terrible job. The sightlines are terrible for a new park. Unless you are sitting in the first few rows near the left field corner you flat out cannot see balls hit anywhere near the foul poll. Ive been to the phillies stadium and the differences are night and day as to the quality of the stadiums. I had heard many mets fans complaining about the stadium sightlines on the radio but I just chalked it up to new yorkers never being satisfied. After seeing firsthand I completely agree with the assessment that they did a terrible job designing the place.

[SoCal Brew Crew Fan]

That is a way cool story...thanks for sharing.

 

DM was out at the Dodger games last year and couldn't have been nicer when I went to say hi.

[benji]

Hey! Great story. I was in new york on a business trip and went to the game. I was sitting 5 rows behind you in section 121. It was great to hear doug and gord are such great guys. I was trying to watch their reaction on certain plays and tbey didn't show much positive or negative. Although i hear you about seeing balls down the lines, i though the stadium was very nice. My friend and i got there about 1 hour early and toured the park. It was very nice like an updated version of miller park. I think both parks had the same designer. I will say this, miller park's beer and food selection were/are far superior to citi field. I sometimes forget how nice miller park really is!

[joepepsi]

That's a great story. What a thrill to sit these guys and chat about the team.

 

Whoever designed this stadium did a terrible job.

It looked very non descript on TV. I was watching for the first couple innings in the neighborhood bar so I couldn't hear Bill and Brian. It didn't even occur to me it was the new Citi Field until about the 4th inning. It looked like Any Ballpark, USA. Was home by the middle innings to watch the rest of the game. After it was over I turned to MLB Network, where they were "looking in" on the Pirates game. I was struck yet again what a beautiful ballpark they have. The difference between it and Citi was striking.

[Invader3K]

To me it almost looks like a combination of Miller Park and Wrigley, with elements of Shea thrown in. At least that was my impression from one game on TV.

[LaprilOne]

Great post, brklyn.

 

One thing I like about the Brewers organization is how approachable they are.

 

As a long time partial season ticket holder, I am amazed that I get treated so well. I have equal access to the season ticket lunches, and always seem to get a great table. My rep is a senior rep, and he treats me with respect, and always goes out of his way to help me.

 

When I had a small local business, I approached the Brewers with a proposal to do business with me. They were gracious, open minded, and did agree to a small, but important deal. Unfortunately, it was a bit too late, and I closed. However, I cannot believe a Chicago or NY franchise would even give me the time of day. I wish I could have lasted long enough to see how it worked out.

 

So, it does not surprise me that Gord and Doug gave you more than the time of day. They represent what is special around here. I hope and trust that however good the Brewers eventually get to be, they never lose that "touch."

[thebruce44]

I know a couple of people who are very good friends with the Melvins. They all have nothing but nice things to say about both of them, and I know from first hand experience they are very accessible and friendly to the public. This is in stark contrast to some of the execs and managers from the larger markets who I always hear negative stories about.

[EdgarDiazRocks]

my wife's response to this story: "Wow he must be rich to get those seats on the opening weekend."

[bklynbrewcrew]

They are corporate tickets that I requested months in advance. I always ask for the tickets for the Brewers series and yes the tickets are expensive.

[Mass Haas]

Listen to Todd Coffey discuss the ridiculous placement of the bullpen at Citi Field in this pre-game interview.

[twobrewers]

I can't believe you didn't bring up Ben Sheets!?!

 

You were driving the bandwagon about resigning Ben in the offseason. (Actually, I think you were driving the bandwagon and running over people who disagreed with you!)

 

I thought at least you would have asked if they suspected Ben was still hurt and that is why they didn't resign him...

[BrewCrewForever]

That is awesome. I'm jealous, I would love to be able to sit down and chat with Melvin and Ash. I did meet Doug once but it was brief, not a lot of time for chatter.

[pete]

Sounds like fun. As you seem to have found out, interviewing is difficult. While Suppan may be just what they say, if they regret his contract, neither is going to call him a bum or themselves stupid.

 

 

 

I'm a big JJ fan, but I don't think there is much chance of him being with the Brewers for long. He and Eski are both natural, quality shortstops. I just don't want to see him long term on the Sawx or Yanks. Given the situation, Melvin or Ash are pretty unlikely to say he's likely gone in the not too distant future.

[billyhallfan]

last year when the brewers were at wrigley in september, i had to go to the bathroom really bad, so I popped into the Starbuck's across the street and Melvin and Ash were having coffee with Jim Hendry, I really didn't say anything, but Melvin said hello, Ash was on the phone, it was pretty cool...