Baseball Interview

I'm just going to shamelessly plug an interview I did recently, with the Brewers #1 draft pick Dylan Covey. Head on over to the SB Nation Brewers fan blog, Brew Crew Ball, to check it out.

RIP Nick Adenhart

How do you write about someone you never even knew, but whose death has had such an effect on a world in which you take part? I will not try to use fancy words to describe the loss of this amazing young man. I don't think I'm qualified to. I will, however, let Angels fans themselves speak about their feelings.

If you are not sure what has happened, click here or here.

Thanks to KLSnow, my dear friend who runs Brew Crew Ball, for linking to this amazing post at Halos Heaven. I'm not a crier, and I was in tears after reading this post.

The problem of drunk driving is one that needs to be addressed. I agree that we spend too much time focusing on steroids and not on the most abused drug out there.

I really appreciated this post as well. When I was in high school, a close friend of mine was killed walking home on the sidewalk by a person who was on several drugs at the time. It was very hard for me, once I had moved to the anger stage, to not want to chase down this person and tell him exactly what I thought about him. It's hard to understand at first, but the grief that this young man has caused - and in this case, it's a national situation, not just from a small suburb - is going to have to live with him as long as he does. One of the reasons that I don't support the death penalty is that I believe perps should be forced to live with their actions and not be given an easy way out.

Please join me in helping to stop those you know and even those you don't from getting behind the wheel drunk or "buzzed."

• Drunk driving statistics
  
• American Council on Alcoholism
  
• Stop impaired driving
  
• MADD
  
• Recording Artists, Actors, and Athletes Against Drunk Driving (RADD)
  
• Students Against Drunk Driving (SADD)
  

And, please, take care of yourself. Remember that when you drive, you are driving not only for those in your car, but for those you care about... and the others on the road, and the people who care about them as well.

So the Brewers lost

Ryan Braun is staying classy, as are all of the Brewers. Most athletes like that nowadays seem to be an exception, which I think is so sad.

We had a great year - heck, we made the playoffs! In the end, the Phillies were just a better team. If they hadn't won the first two games, I'm sure we'd still be in it right now. Congrats to them and I hope they do some good out there.

Over at Brew Crew Ball, we're already starting to get excited about next year - I guess that's the great thing about sports, there's always another season. More talk about Sabathia is starting to happen - Will we keep him? Should we ditch injury-ridden Sheets and pick up Sabathia, or should we rest our laurels on Sheets and Gallardo again? Personally - and I love Ben, don't get me wrong - I think it's time to pick up CC if he's willing to stick around. Look at how much he's done for our team! I honestly don't think we'd have made it as far as we did without him. He is so classy and such a great example for the rest of our young team. Unfortunately, I don't have the money to donate so we can keep Ben & CC. We'll see what Mark Attanasio decides to do.

I'll definitely be following Brewers news in the off-season and I hope you will too.

On a fun non-baseball note: I have the first cold of the season... and I hate it. Being allergic to pretty much all cold medicine (aside from cough drops) is just making my life a living hell :(

Well, shucks...

Oh Brewers... Poor CC. I wish that they would've taken him out earlier. I love the guy, but clearly he wasn't playing well - leaving him in didn't help us at all or his self-esteem any. I felt like Sveum forgot Yost was gone... Hopefully it's not the last we see of him and we can end on a good note.

So Saturday we should win - I won't say we will again in case it's me that's cursing them. Ueck is throwing out the first pitch, which might help give the guys some motivation?

True to the "you are what you eat" theory, Fielder says he's garbage (of course I'm kidding, I love the fluffy guy). I honestly hope that he doesn't believe that because it's not going to help him - or the team - mentally at all.

For more on the subject, you can visit KLSnow's Frosty Mug at Brew Crew Ball. I stole his links, but it's okay since I cited it. :) Oh the joys of college history papers...

Ohhhh and you know how Ryan Braun was blogging about the post-season run? I missed the one after the first game, but here's the latest installment (don't mind my advertisements). He says that there hasn't been a drop in confidence, but, as much as I love him (yes, I love everybody), I highly doubt that's the case. I even have a drop in confidence and I don't play for them! Although, if Bush can't pitch well Saturday night, I might just sneak out of work and into the bullpen... I can make it to home plate at least.

Goosebumps?

For some reason, all this post-season stuff I'm reading keeps giving me goosebumps. Could it be because Theron, his dad, and my stepdad are obsessed with the Brewers? That I've had to hear countless stories and opinions about how the Brewers have blown past chances? Or that I'm interested in a potential MVP and a potential Cy Young award recipient?

Whatever the case may be, Milwaukee is ablaze with Brewer fever. A rally was held yesterday at Summerfest grounds and over 14,000 people attended. I am so glad that I couldn't go - yikes! I think this is the best part of the article:

As Braun took the microphone, fans chanted, “MVP, MVP.”

They got even louder when Sabathia said he would start Game 2 on Thursday.

Brewers closer Salomon Torres continued working the crowd into a frenzy when he took his turn at the microphone.

“What’s up, Milwaukee?” he yelled. “I said, what’s up Milwaukee? Twenty-six years you’ve been waiting. Twenty-six years! You can wait no more!”

After thanking Brewers fans for their support, Torres acknowledged that the road to the playoffs wasn’t a smooth one.

“I know it’s been a very, very hard season for all of us,” he said. “At times, a lot of people thought, ‘We’re not going to make it.’ ”

Torres paused. The crowd rumbled.

“But we’re here!” he yelled. The crowd erupted.

AND in case you've been hiding underneath a rock, Gallardo is starting game one of the series against the Phillies. With him pitching, here's the confirmed lineup:

1. Mike Cameron CF
2. Bill Hall 3B
3. Ryan Braun LF
4. Prince Fielder 1B
5. J.J. Hardy SS
6. Corey Hart RF
7. Rickie Weeks 2B
8. Jason Kendall C
9. Yovani Gallardo RHP

It's pretty much business as usual, just with more at stake.

Imagine how crazy this could all get if we beat the Phillies... or if we don't. Either way, it'll be a circus, but the fans here crave vindication - we need this. All we've heard about the past few years is how good the team is gonna be and how far they'll get. I can honestly say though that, although I hoped that we'd get to this point, I wasn't sure we could do it until we got Sabathia. And even then, I knew it'd be close. But for me, faith in the team was renewed when Ryan Braun stepped up to the plate Thursday night with the bases loaded. Right then I knew he'd hit a grand slam and win us the game. With the loss on Saturday, my hopes dipped a bit, but I knew we could blow the opposition away on Sunday with CC on the mound.

And now, with Yoga taking the mound in game one, I'm confident that we can win it. The confidence grows with CC pitching game two.

The future brings with not only hope, but the true test of the Milwaukee Brewers - can they follow through with their plans? Do they have the determination? I'd like to think so.

Sleep well Milwaukee - dream about the glory that tomorrow brings.

BREWERS IN THE PLAYOFFS!!!?!?!?!!

That's right baby!

Ryan Braun hit a 2-run HR in the bottom of the eighth to put the Brewers ahead of the Cubs 3-1.

The Brewers play on Wednesday against the Phillies and will probably start Yovani Gallardo.

More to come later.

For now, PARTY!

My Whole Week Has Been Full O' Suckitude

Like, seriously.

I had a dentist appointment at the Marquette Dental School and it sucked. The lady basically called me a big fat cow. :( I'm in the middle of writing a complaint letter. She didn't take me seriously at all and it was upsetting and demeaning. I didn't expect the red carpet to be rolled out, but at least some sort of respect.

I was supposed to go to the fair on Friday with Theron and his mama. Not only did we not go, but the water heater in his house sprung a leak and his mama is sick!

Oh, and then today was the Brewers block party. We got there at about 1030 and spent roughly two hours in Braun's line (no, we didn't try for anyone else's autograph) and didn't get to see him at all! We were only maybe 10 minutes away. If they'd just stayed an extra fifteen minutes, everything would've been fine. But no, not only did they not show up until 1130 (which I guess is normal), but they barely stayed long enough to get anything done.

Theron snuck around and got me some pictures while I was waiting in line. Enjoy.

An awesome picture of me and my sunglasses. Theron's hot torso is reflected.

Bernie Brewer and fans.

Riske, Torres, and Counsell on stage during the Q&A session.

Braun signing OTHER PEOPLE'S STUFF!!!1!

Party time!

The Brewers finally got over their suck spell with the Cubs to win a game last night against the Braves. The Braves are much easier to beat I'm sure, but it also helped that the team got an early lead and was actually able to hold on to it. But that isn't why it's party time...

For those of you unfamiliar with the Brewers Block Party, they happen on three days every summer, with two locations in Milwaukee parks each time. The first 300 people get free sodas and hot dogs, so that's pretty cool. I have never been, but the final one of the summer is this Saturday, the 9th from 11-130pm. It makes me sad that I can't be at both parks at the same time, or at least around the same time, because - as any normal reader should know - I have a huge obsession with Ryan Braun. BUT, I also would love to meet C.C. and Prince, because I think they're both super awesome. Here are the locations and the players for this Saturday:

ELM GROVE (13600 Juneau Boulevard)
Seth McClung
Ray Durham
Jeff Suppan
Prince Fielder
Rickie Weeks
Mike Maddux
CC Sabathia

WHITEFISH BAY (Silver Spring Drive)
Craug Counsell
Ryan Braun
Corey Hart
Salomon Torres
David Riske
Ted Simmons
Eric Gagne

Obviously, I'll be going to Whitefish Bay. It'll be pretty neat to meet Hart and definitely Braun. But it won't be fun to be all sunburned and/or peeling when I meet him. I'm sure that won't win me a phone number. :)

I went to the Fox River Valley American Legion Baseball League Class A Tournament yesterday. The first game between Horicon and Bruce was pretty intense during the last little bit, but Horicon managed to pull off the win (5-3). I didn't get to finish watching the second game, but Viroqua beat Clintonville 6-4.

I managed to get sunburned even with sunscreen on. I will admit that I didn't spray my legs until they had started to burn and, for some strange reason, I didn't spray my chest at all. Really the only spots that hurt (without being hit or rubbed of course) are the tops of my feet (stupid flip flops), my knees (shorts didn't help), and my chest. I got this awesome Aloe Vera lotion though, so it should be a little better pretty soon.

The Brewers Tie First Place

But, sadly, I was at work and didn't get to watch the game. From what I've read, it was amazing though.

Ryan Braun homered and drove in four runs, Bill Hall hit a tie-breaking RBI single in the eighth inning and the Brewers grabbed a share of the NL Central lead with a 6-4 victory over the Astros on Saturday night.

Milwaukee has won nine of 10 to move into a tie with the Cubs, who lost to the Marlins.

"It really is pretty incredible to make up five games this quickly," Braun said, alluding to the five-game lead the Cubs had over the Brewers at the All-Star break, just nine games ago.

Eric Gagne (4-2) pitched a perfect eighth to get the win, and Salomon Torres got three outs for his 20th save in 24 chances.

The Brewers tied it with two runs in the seventh and went in front in the eighth. Corey Hart hit Doug Brocail's first pitch of the eighth for a double, and Hall followed with a bloop single . Hall went to second on a balk by Brocail (4-5) and later scored on a ground-out by Jason Kendall to make it 6-4.

Braun tied it 4-4 with a line-drive two-run homer in the seventh.

Braun has had some awesome games since the All Star Break, most notably last night's and Thursday's. With these two games, he ends his no-homer streak. Maybe it has something to do with the Brewers signing younger brother Steve?

On Thursday night, he bumped his BA up to .300. It dipped below briefly with the loss against the Astros Friday night, but with the great plays he made last night, it's right back up there. He has driven in just 78 runs this year in comparison to his 97 last year, granted that was for the whole time he played (just 12 more games, but 37 more AB). He has had 27 HR and 58 runs this year, compared to his 34 HR and 98 runs last year. The only stat that is higher so far this year than last is his IBB - four this year compared to one last year. Apparently more pitchers are afraid of Brauny - or they wanted to get Prince up to make an easier out/DP/etc.

Today, another game against Houston before facing the Cubs at Miller Park for a four day battle for first place.

Ryan Braun - The Saga Continues

So I was pretty disappointed in Brauny during the Home Run Derby, where he definitely paled in comparison to Josh Hamilton. Even Braun's performance during the All-Star Game that he worked so hard to get into was lackluster. Granted, I was paying a little more attention to Theron, since it was his birthday, but still. I've been mad at him for a while now.

He missed a fan chat that he was scheduled for on the Brewers website. In looking just now - mostly out of boredom - to see if he had ever rescheduled it, I come to find that he did and it had already taken place quite a while ago. I would've thought that the Brewers would've emailed everyone on their mailing list about that, since they were so keen on doing so the first time around, but either I missed it or they didn't really care too much about many people showing up.

Anyways, I thought that I'd post the link up here in case anyone else wants to know what music he listens to, what other sports he likes/has played, or other bubble gum questions. Although, I must say, as a former West Coastian/North Westerner myself, I really miss In-N-Out burgers... Mmmm...

Big Changes in Milwaukee

Yes, C.C. Sabathia won his first game as a Milwaukee Brewer last night. After he got warmed up, he pitched a great game, not to mention he's not too bad with a bat. And now, we have two lovable snuggly bear types - C.C. and Fielder. I read up a little more about his past and was amazed to know that he was drafted right outta high school. I can't imagine being a seventeen year old and being asked to go pro in my favorite game. Then again, I didn't play baseball or softball in high school, and I don't think I can really go pro in video games and expect steady work. If anyone is interested, you can come on over to Brew Crew Ball and talk about this recent trade and other rumors.

In other big Milwaukee news, the Public Museum now has a Woolly Mammoth. The even cooler thing is that it was excavated from cornfields in Southeastern Wisconsin, and shows signs of tool marks which indicate that there were humans about 14,000 years ago in Wisconsin. The only bones missing are a rib and a few in the tail and feet. The real bones are too fragile to be just out in the open, so there's a fiberglass copy up in the public viewing area. I'm excited to go again soon and see it.

And this frustrates me a bit. This guy is building a Statue of Liberty. It wouldn't bug me or even be a blip on my radar if it weren't for the fact that it's STYROFOAM. Yes, that famous material that we're not allowed to really put in the microwave because of the damage it does to the Ozone Layer when it's heated. He better be spraying it with some sort of sealant before he sticks it outside by the St. Louis Arch. It's supposed to be up in that area around August, but the man wants to bring it back to his hometown in Lake County, Indiana, when it's done being on display.

Well, It Finally Happened

Barack Obama finally clinched the nomination. I heard mid-Brewers game last night, but was so busy cheering on my boys that I didn't switch the channel to watch the speech. Hillary isn't conceding yet though. I think she's trying to hold out for the super delegates to see who really has the nomination. Or perhaps she's waiting to be asked to be Obama's VP. In either case, I think she needs to give up, because it's not gonna happen. I don't think they get along enough to run together, even if it would help them clinch the White House. In any case, thus starts the long five month trek to the White House, and the ugly battles between Obama and McCain.

The Brewers have finally gotten three games ahead of .500. Randy Johnson has a great arm that didn't let up until the sixth inning, where Braun hit a two run homer to get the Brew Crew a lead. The rest of the runs just cemented the win.

Bill Hall asked to be traded. Apparently he wants more playing time. I can understand that, but I would be happy that my team is winning. He's still getting paid the same, and honestly he's playing better because he's getting some rest. This soft platooning is paying off right now, and I'm a little upset that Hall would be so selfish as to think that he's not playing enough. He is one of my favorites, but I'm a little disenchanted with him right now.

I'm making dinner for Latonya tomorrow night. I still haven't decided what I'm gonna make, but I need to get cookie stuff today. Xavier's funeral is on Friday. I want to be there, but I hate funerals. The last one I went to was my great grandmother's when I was little. When my friend Lyndzi died in high school, it was a closed service and I wasn't allowed to go. The memorial service though was really tough to sit through. It's always sad when someone dies, but Xavier was just so young, so sweet. I can only imagine how Latonya feels... or how my own mom must've felt when I was misdiagnosed and given six months to live. As much as I want to be there for her, I also don't want to flip out, because I'm sure that wouldn't help.

This week is moving so very slowly.

The Brewers

The game last night was amazing. Theron put me in charge of taking pictures, and needless to say there are a ton compared to last time. We also sat in a better spot (you know, one where we could actually see the field?). We did more touristy things this time then we did before - pictures of the stadium, the statues, all the home boys. Although, I'm sure Theron was a little irked to see how many of those pictures were of Ryan Braun stretching...

Oh, and I guess winning helped too.

Two of the guys from Brew Crew Ball came out - Steve and Jeff, who actually runs the blog. It was fun to feel a little more connected to the guys as my baseball knowledge is getting better.

And I felt like Theron's dad and I got along without as much awkwardness as there usually seems to be when we're together. I'm sure it'll get better the more that we spend time together, and the more I know about sports. I swear, sometimes it's like their speaking a completely different language, where I only know the important phrases, like "Where is the bathroom?"

But it really was a pleasant evening, and I can't wait to do it again sometime.

Theron gave me his high school class ring yesterday. I don't know why, but for some reason it made me really happy. Even while I was scrubbing the service desk perfectly clean all morning, I was happy. It is really pretty and fits perfectly.

Oh, and a note to Phenylketuronics - the new and "improved" version of Big Red has Phenylalanine in it, so try and buy up the last real packs while you can.

Memorial Day

I missed blogging about the day that we use to help remember people who have served our country! To my defense, my parents were out of town and Theron was over all weekend, and I had to work like all day Sunday, and all night yesterday.

I just want to take the time out to say that I am so proud of the people who serve(d) our country, and I hope that each and every one of them is safe, happy, and healthy. I have two uncles who served in Iraq, and an aunt who was also in the army. I don't know words to express how very proud of them I am, and how very lucky we all are (and grateful too) that they are all safe and sound. I don't know what I would have done had any of them gotten hurt or worse.

So Theron and I went to Chocolate Fest in Burlington on Friday night.It was a lot of fun. I went to my first real concert there. If you guys haven't heard of The Bucket Boys, you should look them up. They're like a two man version of stomp, with silly banter added. They were fun, but I really liked the other group that we went to go see. Todd and Emma Greene are a father/daughter musical duo. He has his own music studio, and a band aside from the stuff that he performs with Emma. They performed with acoustic guitars and an acoustic bass. The songs they performed were really fun songs, and they always added their own spin to it. It really made me want to start working more on my music career...

Theron's dad is covering the Brewers game again tonight. He invited Theron to go, so I get to go too! I'm excited, and it'll be fun to see his dad again.

My parents' car broke down on their way back from Missouri... they're still not home yet, but I know they were taking the car to a mechanic, so hopefully everything is fine.

I hope everyone had a nice, peaceful, and fun weekend.

Ryan Braun

He's played great in the past few days, hitting four home runs in just two games. (I missed last night's game, so I'm sure he probably hit a run or two, but alas I missed it and am a little lazy today).He even woke up in time to do his stint on the radio this morning, after sleeping in for two weeks in a row. Supposedly his stats are better after being on the show, which makes me wonder how well he'll do today.

This morning, Doug Melvin announced that the club has signed Braun for an eight year deal (starting late May of this year, per his initial appearance last May) for $45 million. It's the most expensive deal in MLB history (for a player that has been in the majors for fewer than three years - thank you Theron :-P ) and that the club's had since signing Suppan for $42 million. But he's not gonna be selfish and keep all that money for himself. He's got the club donating a couple thousand out of his contract each year to charity, and he'll be helping out the Boy and Girls club as well.

Braun has talked about how much he loves Milwaukee, and sees great potential in the team.

For the year, he already has nine home runs, tying Hall for first place in the club. His batting average is .287, with a jump to something like .417 when he's made a radio appearance that day. He's got an on-base percentage of .318 and a slugging percentage of .549 and total bases at 90 for the season. For more on his stats, go here.

Go Brewers!

You Throw Like a Girl

This is more Theron's thing, but I decided maybe I might write about some fun baseball goings-ons.

Kawamoto technical high school was beat by Shunshukan high in Tokyo, Japan. Not that exciting, except if you note that Shunshukan scored SIXTY-SIX runs in just TWO innings - 26 in the first inning and the other 40 in the second. Kawamoto's coach begged for the game to be over, not only to save his players and fans from the loss of self-esteem, but to save his pitcher's arm. He could've thrown over 500 pitches before the game ended, with a huge possibility of injury. Officially, they were credited with a 9-0 win, to make Kawamoto feel more respected I suppose. I tried to find a video, but to no avail.

On Friday, April 25th, I'm going to the Brewers/Marlins game. I'm pretty excited. I've only been to a few freshman baseball games, which aren't really rule-following sadly. Hopefully, they'll win. Theron's dad does some sports coverage, so he'll be there too. Unfortunately, we won't be able to be in the press box for the game, but we'll get to be there beforehand. Plus, we're sitting out where the foul balls get hit, so there's a chance I'll get a real Major League ball! I hope I get to meet Ryan Braun :) Nah, I really hope that Theron and I have tons o' fun, which is almost guaranteed.

That said, Theron has been teaching me how to play baseball a little bit. Pretty much, we've just been playing catch. But it's helping to break in my glove, and giving me some confidence. I can kinda throw alright now, and I'm getting better at catching the ball. Hopefully, it'll improve with even more practice. At the very least, I feel good about being able to throw things better, so that's good.

I'm sure I'll post and let everyone know how it went. I have all of next weekend off work for my birthday. As much as I love everyone at Kmart, I need a comfy weekend without the stress. I'll probably post before then, but if not, definitely around there then. I hope everyone has a great week!