The Official 'There's Always Next Year Thread' - 2008

[BrewCrewForever]

Braun, Fielder, Hart, Hardy, Weeks, Gallardo, Villanueva. If that doesn't get you excited for next season I don't know what can.

[Patrick425]

Braun, Fielder, Hart, Hardy, Weeks, Gallardo, Villanueva.

Yeah sure. Having Braun the whole year will be nice. Having Gallardo and Villanueva (although still not completely sold on Villy) as SP to start the year will be good. However, I hope that the thought is not just that everyone has another year of experience under their belts and so all the Brewers need to do is add a few middle relievers and "role" players and everything will be great.

 

I doubt that the Cubs, Astros, and Cards are going to sit on their collective butts this off-season. They will improve too. Heck, the Cubs may go after A-Rod. If there was ever a time for the front office to go "over-budget" it's now. Who knows how long this window of opportunity will last. When the Brewers added Jeffery Hammonds it was wrong for so many reasons, not to mention the fact that it was like trying to put a hood ornament on a AMC Pacer.

 

Now is the time to make BIG moves in the off season.

[brewmann04]

hopefully the young player who were in their First Pennant race will be more hungery and Battle tested Next year .

[biedergb]

Should we merge this with the Official countdown to 2008 thread?

 

Anyway, we have a lot to look forward to next year. The offseason will be interesting...

1. How the bullpen is rebuilt

2. Who will be the 3rd OF

3. Will we get another catcher

 

But most importantly... how will Fielder, Braun, Weeks, Hart respond to this season's disappointment? Will they meet this year's numbers (or in Weeks' case his Aug/Sept numbers)? Will they suffer a letdown? Or will this season fuel them to reach the next level?

[colbyjack]

There's plenty of reason to be excited for next year, and the next few years after that as well. This team wasn't built for 2007, and I predicted before the season that they wouldn't even make the playoffs. Expectations quickly changed after their fast start, so I'm just as disappointed as the next guy, but I do take some (not much right now) solace in knowing that bigger and better things are yet to come (although it is still so incredibly frustrating knowing just how close they were...meaningful September baseball is a nice thing to have!).

 

That aside, and I don't mean to steer this thread in a different direciton, but moving forward I really really really hope the team ditches every and anything that has to do with the 1982 Brewers. No bobbleheads, no retro Fridays, etc. Have a few turn back the clock nights, maybe adopt the ball and glove logo permanently somehow, but quit looking back at the one successful year the Brewers had, a year that they lost the World Series. It's time for this team to create its own identity, so 25 years from now we can say, "hey, do you remember that team from 2008-2012?"

 

As several people have brought up in this thread, there are quite a few names to look forward to with great excitement that it seems counterproductive to keep looking back at the days of Yount, Molitor & Coop. Sure, keep selling the merch as the team clearly makes a killing off of it, but what difference does it make if the team on the field wears the old look during Friday home games?

[TooLiveBrew]

I agree with the sentiment, but disagree with the notion they should stop wearing the jerseys. Those weren't just the jerseys for one season, they are an icon in Milwaukee sports history, and to intentionally snub that is foolish imo. I agree with building this team's identity, but there is nothing inherently wrong with wearing the sweet old pinstripes.

 

It reminds me (in a great way) of my childhood, and the little history (good & bad) that this franchise has. To shun history just for the sake of posterity seems unnecessary to me. The jerseys can be worn without a 1982 patch, and I'd imagine that's what will continue to happen. I just wish they'd use the powder blues on the road every once in a while, too! I love the uniforms because they look awesome, not because they make me pine for days of yore.

[brewmann04]

I have to say This is a big offseason for the Brewers FO.

We have had record Attendance but a very dissapointing result.

They need to take the next step and improve this team Bullpen and Replace Jenkins.

They also have to look at the Bullpen to tighten up those late Inning holes.

The brewers need to realease Jenkins and look to trade Mench .

Remember the Cubs are the Front Runner to get A Rod and that make winning this division hardr next year

[TooLiveBrew]

No, the Yankees are the front-runner to land A-Rod. But your general point I agree with wholeheartedly - the Cub$ can buy talent, whereas we have to mine it. Homegrown (main) players on the Cubs: Zambrano, Hill, Theriot, Marmol, Soto, Pie (perhaps not as much this year as next). The bulk of the rest of their core is purchased players. We simply don't have that luxury.

[brewmann04]

Melvin has to produce a Quality offseason and hopefully Mark A will let him spen a bit more to get us back in comtention for next season

[logan82]

The problem with getting free agents on the outside is that they are going to be more more than a one year thing. If we are going to go out and get somebody who will make a big impact next year, we are probably going to have to sacrafice at least one, and probably more, of our younger players 2-3 years from now.