This is what I have been waiting my whole life for!

[aracko]

This is it. I was excited about the season before the all star break and the way the Crew was playing. Now, I am even more excited. I have been waiting to see the Brewers play baseball like every game counts my whole life. Every game now has the most importance. As a baseball fan I simply cannot imagine baseball getting any better than this.

 

I really dont think we should be so gloomy. We are in the midst of a pennant race and have a team that is not firing on all cylinders but we all can imagine what they are capable of if they were. This is an opportinity for our young guys like Weeks, Prince, Hart, JJ, Braun, Gabe Gross, Billy Hall to step up in the pressure cooker and show us that what they are made of. Its a chance for Jenkins to carry this team in the 2nd half like he has so many times before, but this time he will get notice. We get a late season addition of Ben Sheets. Thats going to be huge team pickme up. I heard his 2nd BP session went well. These are the situations where Soup excells. He can hold the opposition under 4 runs, he is going to be a gigantic plus the rest of the way. Capuano is much better than he has shown. Hopefully he can find his groove. The BP has 3 great guys at the end who I would trust more than any three in baseball. I have seen Turnbow when he is on, and he is unhittable. Cordero has an extra gear when things get tough and he can earn his money now for his contract year. Linebrink is also going to be trying to pitch his way into the closer role for next year.

 

All I am saying is that the many of you that are getting fed up with the Brewers right now, thats your right, but your going to miss out on exactly what we have been waiting for. A Battle with the 2 Superpowers in the South and the young secret in the north. This is going to be something that was worth waiting for.

 

Sorry for the rantish thing. http://static.yuku.com//domainskins/bypass/img/smileys/smokin.gif

[dadofandrew]

Red Sox fans are the same way, all afraid the Yankees will get hot and overtake them, they don't even enjoy the 5 game lead.

 

Mark A said the same thing the other night as your title...it's the way things are when your chasing a division, nobody runs away with it by 20 games, especially when the nucleus is very young. The fair weather fans remind me of the Cardinals' "fans" who booed during their last series with the Crew last year...I did not hear any boos in October.

[Pedro]

I certainly don't consider myself a fair weather fan, I've followed the Brewers since I was five years old in 1970 and have had season tickets since 1996. And, yes, I've waited for the playoffs for 25 years.

 

But, for me personally, this brand of baseball is not what I've waited for. Limping along at three games above .500, bad defense, bad starting pitching, and mediocre offense is not my idea of a good time. It's just bad baseball. A close pennant race is one thing; slouching towards Gomorrah (I'm assuming Gomorrah means "NL Central") is quite another.

 

Yes, I know the Cardinals won the World Series in this fashion last season. If the Brewers can accomplish the same feat, well, then, good for us. But I don't think that is going to happen. And it doesn't change the fact that we spent a good portion of the summer playing bad ball, and I really want to watch them play good baseball over an entire season. That's what I'm waiting for.

 

Am I missing out on the excitement of a pennant race? Apparently. I wish I enjoyed it for what it was. But to me, what it is, is simply low-quality baseball. I believe I'd be happier if we were 14 games above .500 and six games out of first-place, improving, and playing solid baseball.

 

My .02

[rluzinski]

I am excited that they are still in it but there's something to be said about the enjoyment from watching the actual games as well. I don't expect a win every game but I want to be entertained the majority of games. I haven't been entertained much lately.

 

That said, I'll be watching and hoping, like everyone else. Sheets coming back will certainly help, no question. I still think this is an above average team.

[TooLiveBrew]

Soon, Sheets - please, Sheets, make it soon!

[brewcrewnation]

Even if Ben was here, it wouldn't change a thing. This team has giving up, there dead, stick A fork in them.

[SeriesFinale]

We are in the midst of a pennant race and have a team that is not firing on all cylinders but we all can imagine what they are capable of if they were.

 

 

I wish they could give me the capacity to imagine--they have been really bad by any rate lately. But this does provide perspective.

 

If they don't take the division this year (and really, talent-wise there's absolutely no reason they shouldn't), I hope they at least make a go of it. There's still a month and half of ball yet and I will be truly disheartened for the future if they completely fold it up.

[brewcrewnation]

The thing i don't get where is that team we saw get off to a great start, the way there playing has nothing to do with Ben getting hurt.

[aracko]

I think it has alot to do with Pressure.

 

Brass balls are not a birth right, they have to be earned or taught.

 

Personally - I think the Brewers are playing like a scared team right now and folding under the pressure of the Cubs and Cardinals. You really have to admire what those teams have done, especially the Cards. They never waivered. They never gave up. They fought, scratched, poked, and kicked their way back to within striking distance. That is going to make it all the sweeter when we destroy their hopes in the last week of the season.

 

Someone on this coaching staff needs to start showing tapes of Rocky or something and make these kids feel as though they belong. Because to me, that might be the problem right now, they feel like they dont belong in a race. For you poker players out there, the Brewers are playing right now, that 14 game lead was like a huge chip lead, and the brewers are playing like a poker player on tilt. Veteran teams know how to avoid this, and this is again a learned behaviour.

 

LETS GO CREW.

[Fatter than Joey]

But, for me personally, this brand of baseball is not what I've waited for. Limping along at three games above .500, bad defense, bad starting pitching, and mediocre offense is not my idea of a good time. It's just bad baseball.

 

I couldn't agree more. I don't need to see .680 pct baseball to be entertained -- but the games the last 2 weeks have been especially brutal. The Brewers should be pretty embarrassed by the product they are rolling out on the field these last 3-4 series.

[kmcasper23]

They are making mistakes that you don't even see in Little League. Giving up two runs on a routing double play ball. Giving up two homers to Yadier Molina. Getting two hit by Adam Wainright. Giving up 28 runs in three games to the Cardinals while only scoring 7. Losing 4 straight at home! Every hitter trying to hit a home run in every at bat. This is terrible baseball!

[davego]

Great point about being happy with the play on the field. If the 'Crew was playing well but 5 games out, could enjoy that. This is...man. They are being run down by teams that, I though, were inferior to Milwaukee. Guess not. Play well and lose, no worries. This play crappy stuff...

 

It's the end of the world an all western civilization...

[IslandsAC]

A pennant race is exciting. Several teams limping through a pennant race until one of them stumbles onto first place is not quite as exciting, but I agree with your sentiment. Hopefully the Brewers can once again start playing like the team thats been sitting at the top of the NL Central for most of the year. They'll get hot again. The Cubs will get hot again. then I'll be excited.

[aracko]

Very cool playing in a game that means so much and winning it.

 

Taking note of the guys who really are stepping up. Tonight it was Gabe Gross, Ricky Weeks, Claudio Vargas, Brian Shouse, Geoff Jenkins, my opinion is those are the guys who brought their game to another level tonight.

 

Shouses strikeout on Hamilton was just huge. Proved he could handle the pressure cooker. It almost made me wish I was 38 short and bald. Jenkins homer in the 6th just proved to me that he should be in the lineup every day during this race. Its about time for him to heat up and earn that last contract with the Brewers. A huge next ((39?) games followed by a big role in our World Series run will more or less guarantee that he finishes his career with the Milwaukee Brewers. He has ALOT riding on this and Jenkins has had big seasons before he got new contracts.

 

I think Hardy is dead on again, he was hitting the ball real well today and yesterdays performance should have really built some confidence. That was a heck of a play he had in the first and thats not a play that a guy lacking confidence can make. He is ready to heat up again.

 

2 hits and no strikeouts for Bill Hall. Thats a great sign. If he just concentrates on hitting the ball instead of crushing the ball, I think the homeruns will follow. He plays CF, any homeruns are pretty much a luxury. I really think if he just concentrates on playing fundamental baseball, the #s will follow. Often times it just takes 1 little tweak in your stance to make you concentrate on the fundamentals of your swing again.

 

I still say that Vargas has been our MVP - of the pitching staff. You cant take away the fact that this year he just appears to be a winner. If its that he has good luck, well Id take good luck 7 days over talent and bad luck 7 days a week. He deserves some props. He should always be pulled after 5 - 6 innings, and I dont understand why Yost let him hit *turned out well) in the bottom of the 5th, but I can imagine any team in the majors would take Vargas in a heartbeat.

 

Seeing Weeks on first base really made me remember how important it is to have a guy who can steal bases at the top of the order. In the crunchtime, to have a guy like Weeks on 2nd base with 1 out and Prince coming up to bat....thats going to get us a few leads.......pitchers always seem to have better luck when they get that 1 run lead in the 1st. I really hope Weeks can build off this and get on base and use the great wheels that he has.

 

 

Now THIS was exciting!