The Brewers Are Back To Being The Brewers

Had a chance to catch the Milwaukee Brewers last weekend.

Last year at this time, the Brewers had the best record in baseball. And then this happened.

This year, they actually appear to be doing it in reverse, starting out like a complete bag of crap. Only they don't appear to be getting any better.

The thing with the Brewers is that they're not a bad team. They're a very young team with a lot of talent. They have a big-time, legitimate power hitter in Prince Fielder (who wears a three-sizes-too-big uniform that don't make him look any skinnier). They have the reigning Rookie of the Year (whom they just signed to a steal of a contract). They appear to have let Geoff Jenkins go at just the right time. And, I say this with no irony, but they have one of the best pitchers (when he pitches a full year) in Ben Sheets.

All that being said, there a lot of negatives. They have surrounded Sheets with a rouge's gallery of washout pitchers. Most of their infield is terrible, particularly Rickie Weeks, who might pan out to be a career .230 hitter. (At least long-time Brewer Rob Deer had the courtesy to hit 30 homers a year while batting .230 (or less).) And sinking 12% of your payroll in the best closer (circa 2003) may not have been such a great move.

And, speaking of payroll, they may want to sink some of that into a better manager. Ned Yost did a decent job last year, but I think he might have been buoyed by the fact that his team seemingly hit home runs at will. I think now that they've lost that ability that we're getting to see Yost for the manager he is. They had a good manager in Phil Garner, but most of the teams he was saddled with were just shit. Hiring guys like Yost or whoever is next on the Brewers coaching staff might be a bad idea. Even Cecil Cooper, Garner's replacement in Houston AND a Milwaukee fan favorite, would be a better manager than Yost.

But, the season is barely a quarter over. Maybe the Brewers will pull a turnaround. Hell, the Cubs are leading the division, and the only reason they're there is because no one else is. Maybe the Brewers can finish up strong when the Cubs stage their yearly collapse.

But I'm not holding my breath.