I need your help in dealing with the emotional roller coaster

[AJAY]

I don't even know where to begin this thread . . .

This whole situation with the Brewers is just way too confusing. I have NO idea what to think anymore. My brain can't process all the mixed messages very well.

On one hand, this team completely stinks right now and the experience of it feels like a last place team. I know we had the good start, but it feels like that was a million years ago. We have been getting our butts kicked regularly by bad teams. It really feels like we are a last place team right now. I get so mad when I think about how this team could potentially finish under .500 again. I get so mad when I think of what a big lead in the standings we had and how we were 14 games over .500 at one time. Everything disgusts me right now. I want Ned Yost fired right now.

On the other hand, our win-loss record says we are pretty much average. So it obviously means we are NOT a last place team even though it feels like it. We haven't been around .500 very often and I suppose this is a sign of progress . . . right? Does this mean things are headed in the right direction? Should we be optimistic?

BUT WAIT A MINUTE . . . I suddenly remember that the N.L. Central is a horrible division and a .500 record is probably like being 7 games under .500 in a real division. Suddenly my mood turns sour and I get frustrated with this franchise.

HOWEVER, the standings show that we are only 1.5 games behind a playoff spot and this is the closest we have been in 14 years. So am I supposed to get excited and think about the playoffs for the first time in 25 years? I sometimes find myself envisioning post-season baseball in Milwaukee and I get really excited.

BUT ON THE FLIP SIDE . . . I also despise the idea of going to the playoffs with an 82-80 or 83-79 record. It just doesn't seem real or satisfying to me. I want this to feel sort of legit and not have that little voice in my head always telling me that the Brewers were in a terrible division and were mediocre (much like I feel about the Cardinals of last season). It would always bother me. I guess I don't mind being 1.5 games back, but I would rather be 10 games above 500 so that the experience would feel like a real playoff race and not a dog and pony show.

Anyway, the bottom line is that this all too confusing and mentally draining. One minute I envision a World Series championship parade on Wisconsin Avenue, and the next minute I see a terrible team, a disgruntled fan base, and a manager getting thrown out in shame after we fail to have a winning record for the 14th straight year.

This whole playoff run thing was supposed to be fun and I waited forever for it. But now that it's here, it feels miserable.

Ugh . . I am just way too confused right now.

HELP ME !!!!

[thablingster]

AJAY said:

---

Anyway, the bottom line is that this all too confusing and mentally draining. One minute I envision a World Series championship parade on Wisconsin Avenue, and the next minute I see a terrible team, a disgruntled fan base, and a manager getting thrown out in shame after we fail to have a winning record for the 14th straight year.

 

I am right there with you on that one.

 

I was actually discussing something similar to this with my friend during last night's Claudio Vargas debacle. I think we hammered out the fact that people's (and our own) expectations of the team and of the players are what makes this season ultimately frustrating. (and even other teams and other players, for that matter--see calling the Giants the 1996 All Star Team and saying how they are washed up, etc.)

 

When we were counting on the likes of Junior Spivey, Keith Ginter, Marquis Grissom, Matt Kinney, and Wes Obermueller, even when those teams started out well no one was surprised when they came back to earth.

 

The frustrating part about the season's fall back to earth is all of the people we've expected to be large parts of our resurgence are here. There isn't any more "wait 2 years until we have Prince, Rickie and JJ" or "wait until we have Gallardo and Braun," those guys are already here, so thus the expectations have gone through the roof. Is that fair to the young guys? Probably not, but it is what it is.

 

I think tempering our expectations of the team is pretty much the only way to calm the rollercoaster, but I can't help you in how to do that because I'm just about as frustrated with this season as you are.

[SeriesFinale]

I won't disagree that this has been an emotional roller coaster...absolutely brutal and at times I've even briefly missed the times were there were no expectations and you could enjoy the on-field play at face value.

 

I think the main perspective we need is that this is really only year one of what we can reasonably hope to be a number of years of contending--the future is bright, even if things don't turn out this year like the heady days of early May got us thinking that they could. I'm not sure anyone expected much this year beyond what we've gotten in a roundabout way--a team that will contend in September.

[adambr2]

In 2005, we thought we could have a team that could crack .500 in 2005, (success), contend for the playoffs in 2006, (failed, but devastated by injuries in '06), and contend for a World Series in 2007 (appears miserably fail right now).

 

There may have been some that saw us more of division winners in 2007 and World Series contenders in 2008, but I don't think anyone was really projecting worse.

 

These were projections and a general consensus from most of us here.

 

So, in my opinion, we are behind what the general belief was where we were going to be in our development. We don't appear to have budged an inch since 2005, having a great deal more talent than 2007, but still hanging around .500 in an awful division. There doesn't appear to be a great deal of progression going on even with the talent that has come up, and that is what very much bothers me and makes me think that an overhaul of the managerial and coaching positions might be in our best interest, and I believe can be done without suggesting that our manager as well as pithing and hitting coaches are incompetent. I just think we need a new direction. We aren't moving forward at this point.

 

We are a worse team than we are in 2005, in my opinion, and will finish with a worse record. And please don't tell me that that makes me a bad fan, it's my opinion and I don't see a high degree of likelihood that we're going to close out the rest of the season with better than a 81-81 record. Why are we worse than in 2005? We have absolute crap to compete with in our division this year --- no, the Cubs are not legitimate contenders. Despite a decent amount of luck with injuries this season and a great deal more talent, we're somehow unable to take advatange.

 

Yost, Maddux, Skaalean, will all find work elsewhere, and I wish them the best. I just don't believe they are going to take us to the next level regardless of the talent level.

[Nearsighted Views]

I take solice in the fact that it HAS been an emotional roller coaster. The NFL preseason "snuck up" on me this year for the first time in ages. I was so consumed by the "pennant race" that I didn't start counting the days this year.

 

I feel like a guy in a circle room looking for the corner though. "There's alot of baseball left. There's alot of baseball left." (Said while sitting with my arms wrapped around my legs, rocking.)

 

I also hate the fact that because it's a terrible division that we have a chance. I guess that after 25 years, beggars shouldn't be choosers but for whatever reason, I want to know that the reason they would win a division is because they WON it. Not taking it by default.

 

But I guess it's pretty cool that I'll be seeing some meaningful baseball in September for the first time in what seems like forever and I'm thankful for that. "Happiness is being content with what you have. Not what you want"

 

I still think they're going to go on a tear and make all of us look like whiny babies! At least, that's what I'm hoping to be called at the end of the year. Come on, Crew! Make me look stupid! please?

[bklynbrewcrew]

This has to be the most dissatisfying pennant race ever. Face it we are only in a race because the division is terrible. This team has just gotten progresively worse as the season has gone on. I am sorry but I just dont get any enjoyment out of this team anymore. I sit there watching games waiting for the other shoe to drop all game long. I expect us to lose and have absolutely no confidence that this team will or can be turned around. They look lifeless and Yost has to take the fall for this. 5 years is long enough for his teams to show improvement. The sad thing is that this team actually has talent. That is why watching this collapse is so frustrating.

[lukevan]

This stretch has been frustrating, but I don't let myself get worked up about it. The 24-10 start built up immediate (and perhaps unfair) expectations for this team. Those 34 games represent just over 1/5 of the season, which is not near enough to feel like we should've been able to "coast" to a division title. Nor was it enough to proclaim the Brewers world series contenders. Remember how good our starting pitching was early in the year? Seems like a distant memory now.

 

There's no sense getting angry "at" someone for the losing. Each game I try to think about what's left on the schedule. Today I'll look at the simple fact that we're 1.5 games back with 33 games to go. Any kind of turnaround (say 18-15?) could still win the division. There's still plenty to root for, I say don't let our past disappointments ruin what we still have left to go.

[SeriesFinale]

There may have been some that saw us more of division winners in 2007 and World Series contenders in 2008, but I don't think anyone was really projecting worse.

There were plenty of people projecting worse. At any rate, division contenders and playoff powerhouses in 08 with a Series in 09 seemed right by me. These guys are young.

 

[hawing]

AJAY, thank you for starting this thread. It's a comfort to realize that I'm not the only one whose mood (baseball mood, at least) swings with the Brewers' up-and-down performance this season.

 

I personally try to take a hopeful approach to a lot of things in life, the Brewers included. Ideally, the hot start this season wouldn't have led me to early dreams of a postseason 4-5 months in advance, but I let that happen. It's been difficult not to, in part because of the near-constant stream of 1982 and 1957 anniversary reminders (which I get even at work, thanks to the museum exhibit run by my employer). Those thoughts some of us entertained last off-season about "every 25 years" got more plausible in the first half of this season than I frankly would have imagined. And even last weekend, amid the poor play, receiving the Postseason invoice in the mail was pretty darn exciting.

 

July and August, as we know, have often been as nightmarish as the preceding months were dreamy. For me, the thought of the cubs (a word I still refuse to capitalize) advancing this year instead of the Brewers is pretty nearly the worst-case baseball scenario. That specifically makes the Brewers' stumbles harder for me to accept. At least as disappointing, to me, is the way the bf.net community has responded to the slide. As a group, we seem to have deteriorated into two camps, those who feel like there's still hope and those who don't; and the two are like oil and water nowadays. I keep reading, but I do post less because I don't want to be jumped on for wanting to keep hope alive.

 

Like AJAY, I've been struggling with "what to think anymore." It does feel like a roller coaster and it can be emotionally draining. So far, my approach has been to try to tune out the big picture (standings, cubs, Madison sports coverage turning to 24-7 football, etc.). I've enjoyed following the Brewers since 1982, a span which included more crappy play (and players) than we've seen this season. Win or lose, a Brewers game is still one of my favorite activities, and I'll aim to keep that in mind with each game we attend in September.

 

I would dearly love for the Brewers to 'turn it on' again, preferably sooner than later, but postseason prospects are simply not the only reason I follow the team or go to games. If they do turn it on (and geez, at the rate everyone else has been going, you'd think it wouldn't necessarily have to be full tilt!), and practically backed into the postseason...I too would prefer a more decisive division title, but I'll have no problem looking back at the 2006 Cardinals for inspiration.

 

My approach may not work for anyone but me, but there you go.

[Ennder]

In 2005, we thought we could have a team that could crack .500 in 2005, (success), contend for the playoffs in 2006, (failed, but devastated by injuries in '06), and contend for a World Series in 2007 (appears miserably fail right now).

 

Woah there, very few people thought this was anywhere near true. We had a mediocre team that lucked into a .500 record in 2005, we had a growing team that many hoped would have a chance at .500 in 2006 and this year I personally predicted 82 wins out the team. If you honestly at any point were thinking world series in 2007 you were simply deluding yourself.

[rluzinski]

In 2005, we thought we could have a team that could crack .500 in 2005, (success), contend for the playoffs in 2006, (failed, but devastated by injuries in '06), and contend for a World Series in 2007 (appears miserably fail right now).

 

I have no idea who "we" is because I sure didn't. If that's really what people's expectations were, I can see being miserably disappointed.

 

I told a friend years ago (2004, I think) that I thought 2007 would be the year that the team could start contending. Before the season started, I (along with many other people here) thought that around 85 wins was a fair guess. If the Brewers hadn't started off insanely hot, we wouldn't even be having this discussion. If Crew had been a bit below .500 for most of the year, only to have a nice spurt that put them 1 game over and "only" 1.5 games out of first, we'd all be jumping for joy right now. Unfortunately, they started 24-10 and it caused fans to over estimate the talent of their team and seriously modify their expectations.

 

I just did a mental reset of the season to help deal with the roller coaster. The Brewers' record in April is irrelevant, right now. All that matters is how many games back the Brewers are and the talent they currently have. If they really are an 85 win team, they still have a reasonable shot at making the playoffs. I'll just take it one game at a time.

[DuWayne Steurer]

The team is set up reasonably well for a good 4-5 year run of success. I know this season is hard on us Brewers fans, because not only have we not been in a race, we haven't been over .500 for 15 years. This is uncharted territory for us. I'm as frustrated as anyone, but if the Brewers crap out this year, realize it's not the end of what is sure to be a good run.

 

My only fear is that a losing record could possibly cause a lot of bandwagoners and casual fans to slow down on ticket sales next year. The attendance this year has been simply awesome. The casual fans and the bandwagoners that the hardcore fans detest so much are the ones that make up the bulk of the attendance that allows management to keep payroll at a reasonable level, which in turn makes it more feasible to field a playoff caliber team and try to keep it together for more than just a year or 2 at a time.

[splitterpfj]

I predicted 85 wins, which may still be accurate, but I sure didn't expect them to get there the way they have. This has been tough to watch, so I've basically removed myself emotionally. I'm being very analytical with it at this point, basically evaluating the team's future rather than focusing on what the day's win or loss means in the current standings. I'm finding pleasure in Weeks' recent hot streak, same with Gross, I like Braun, Fielder, Hardy, etc for the next few seasons - if I focus on that side, I can stay positive through this.

 

They could still get hot and win the division, and heck, 85 wins might even get that done, I'm just not locked into that chase right now because it would totally destroy my mood.

 

Life's too short for that.

[TooLiveBrew]

The Brewers' record in April is irrelevant, right now. All that matters is how many games back the Brewers are and the talent they currently have.

The crazy part, though, as you pointed out, is that it's not irrelevant at all. Good grief, just think of where we'd be without it! I love your point about the "mental reset", too. That's the approach I try to take. I look at the division defecit, and the fact that we have a chance to regain up to three whole games this coming week. In addition, we have a much-needed off day tomorrow, and the impending return of Benny.

All this, and we only trail by a game and a half. As far as the notion that we want to be a 'legit' playoff team - any team that makes the playoffs is a legit playoff team, just as the Cards proved. Sure, it'd be nice to get in on the strength of a record that would've won any division, but to me there's just no point in nit-picking like that.

 

[Ennder]

You can play the what if game all day long but in the end what matters is the overall record. What if we hadn't gone 10-20 after the hot streak, those games were a long time ago as well but you can't just forget about them. Teams have a lot of ups and downs, especially .500 teams and in the end the only thing that matters is your overall record and how you are set up for next year.

[danzig6767]

All i know is for myself,watching this team play feels like all the prior futile years except a hot start prevented me from not caring if we win or lose by late July.I don't even get nervous anymore during games,i've watched the sinking ship from this franchise for years and this years team feels very similar.

 

That's the biggest bummer from yet another Brewers meltdown,the games don't have that exciting feel to them anymore for me.I loved that i had a reason to get all stressed while watching games and that they finally stung when we lost.Seeing us gag away another lead today didn't faze me at all,i expected it to happen and of course it did.I wish the loss bothered me and that i was angry,instead i found myself barely even caring.

[Ennder]

I agree danzig, I assume we are going to lose now. Even when its 4-0, 5-0 I assume something is going to happen that will make us lose. The team just doesn't seem to have that winning spark to them and I say that as a pure stats guy. I think Yost is going to have to take the fall for this unless things turn around in a hurry and I don't have much confidence that they will. I predicted 82 wins to start the year and at this point I think I'll end up disappointed.

[jlau20]

I agree with you guys also...early this year, and even the last few years, when we got up 5-0, 4-0 it was almost a guaranteed win in my mind. Now we (supposedly) have a more talented team, yet a five run lead still feels like it could be a ball game.

 

It's almost like a four or five run Brewer lead is only the equivalent of any other team being up one or two runs.

[Mr QL]

I wouldn't say it's been a rollercoaster. Long dark tunnel since the hot start.

[bklynbrewcrew]

Dont roller coasters have ups and downs. Seems like we have an endless amounts of downers.

[Kaukauna]

Looking ahead to next year:

 

Just how much better is this team going to get than what they are right now? It's hard to ask for more from Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder offensively, and you can try to assume increases in production from Weeks, Hardy and Hart, but are those increases significant enough to vault this team forward? I suppose you can hope Hall will revert to the form of 2005 and 2006, or that Johnny Estrada will learn how to walk.

 

After so much optimism with the pitching staff, I find it hard to believe that the Brewers can make sweeping improvements next year. The free agent market is weak in that department, the team is already committed to the mediocrity of Jeff Suppan, and the "average pitcher" label is not likely to escape Capuano, Vargas or Bush. Ben Sheets will probably be subtracted from the picture after next year, and I'm sure we all hope for blossoming performances by Villanueva, Parra and Gallardo. But that brings the team back to square one, hoping for "the kids" to emerge in time to make the team a contender. Does that happen in time for next year? The year after?

 

The Cubs will not be much worse next year, so I wonder what changes will be made to give this team an inside track to playoff tickets. It appears the 83-85 wins projection, which was a fair one before the season, has become the optimistic angle, even though it still might be enough for the postseason. Is this team ever going to project better than that?

[Ennder]

I wouldn't say it's been a rollercoaster. Long dark tunnel since the hot start.

 

We did get back up to 14 games over .500 late in June. We had a great 34 games, a miserable 30 games, a great 30ish games and a misearble 35ish games. Thats about as up and down as it gets. The real key to the season is the last 30ish games going to be an up or a down? If its an up we make the playoffs, if its a down the team is a complete failure, if its just .500 then I don't know what to think.

[rluzinski]

I wouldn't say it's been a rollercoaster. Long dark tunnel since the hot start.

 

They won 12 of 14 after the no hitter and were 13 games over as recently as July 19th. Since then, the bottom has fallen out.

[Fike85]

Any kind of turnaround (say 18-15?) could still win the division.

 

And that's what has kept me interested. The 2003 Brewers were 47-74 on 8/15 and went on a 15-3 tear, which included a 10-game win streak. If a team that was 30 games under .500 could put together a run, why can't a 65-65 team do the same?

[AJAY]

I have been giving this more thought . . .

 

The problem I am having is that every time we lose a series, it really feels like we have just been eliminated and the whole season is over and wasted. I go through this whole routine in my mind where the Brewers have already lost their playoff chance, clinched a losing record, lost a bunch of angry fans, and it now becomes 26 years since we made the playoffs.

 

Each game is supposed to be 1 out 162, but why does every tough loss feel like elimination? It's weird how the mind works.

 

I know we are still close to first place and still could finish with a respectable record, but it's just so hard to see sometimes.