SPORTS
Brew crew down, out
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Also by Michael Poppy:
- Stocco awaits Packers' call (May 8, 2007)
- UW has room for progress (May 10, 2007)
- UW not ready for baseball (May 3, 2007)
Related Stories:
- Brewin' up Some Excitement (March 24, 2004)
- Rockies owe Brew Crew their thanks (October 19, 2007)
- Brewers' season baffles fan base (September 5, 2007)
- Still anyone's year (April 7, 2004)
- Struggles for Packers (November 11, 2005)
by Michael Poppy
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
The 2006 season was supposed to be the much-anticipated step forward for the Milwaukee Brewers. Instead it was a step backwards.
Sunday's game at St. Louis will mark the end of the season for the Brew Crew, and for the 24th straight year it will be one in which the team misses the playoffs. It will also be the 14th straight year in which the club hasn't put together a winning season.
For years, the Brewers' front office has sung the rebuilding tune to fans. But with Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks and J.J. Hardy all in the Opening Day starting line-up, this was supposed to be the year Milwaukee's rebuilding project showed some development inside of Miller Park.
It's not like the '06 campaign started off on a bad note, either. Even though the Brewers were more up-and-down than a fishing bobber the first half of the season, they still remained in the wild-card race, even with the Cardinals flying above the N.L. Central Division and the Reds' hot start.
But the most frustrating part about the Crew's plunge this year is that there is no precise explanation.
Injuries certainly were a major factor with the slew of injured players (Ben Sheets, Tomo Ohka, J.J. Hardy, Corey Koskie, Rickie Weeks and Matt Wise, just to name a few) all missing an extensive duration, but general manager Doug Melvin did nothing to help the cause.
While the midseason rumor mill was spinning past Alfonso Soriano, the Brewers decided to put their top player — left fielder Carlos Lee — on the market, and rightfully so. Lee's contract was set to expire in the off-season and extension talks stalled to such a degree that Lee and his agent wouldn't even give the Brewers a counter-offer, just saying the organization's deal was too far off and nothing else.
But it wasn't trading Lee that was Melvin's problem; it was what he got in return.
How such a heralded general manager can honestly think trading an all-star for one decent player, a closer who lost his job, and a backup in Kevin Mench, Francisco Cordero and Laynce Nix is beyond me.
That's not it, though. Melvin also threw in the Brewers' top-prospect, outfielder Nelson Cruz. Yes, Cruz is a bit overrated and Corey Hart was always ahead of him on the depth chart, but he still had the reputation of a top-prospect — someone you don't just give away.
The fact of the matter is Melvin was simply too afraid to pull the trigger on a deal that would've returned prospects. Had he done so, he would've had to say the Brewers were still in the process of rebuilding. Instead, he traded for what he thought were major league-ready players, citing his knowledge about Mench, Cordero and Nix when he was with the Texas Rangers' organization.
Mench and Cordero weren't bad this year, but they didn't give the Brewers the second-half chug they needed, especially considering Melvin could've gotten so much more for Lee, or had just taken the chance of losing him to free agency.
Melvin's foul ball with the Lee trade was just one of many factors this year. Other than that, he's put the Brewers in a pretty good spot to improve during his four years in Milwaukee, but he will certainly have some big decisions to make in the off-season, one being the status of manager Ned Yost.
Yost has done all he can with the Brewers, but at some point he has to be held accountable — like Mike Sherman with the Packers last season. He's not the worst manager, but he's not the best, either. At some point — preferably this off-season — you just have to wonder how far he can really take them.
Then there's Geoff Jenkins, who everyone wanted to be the face of the Brewers' franchise — probably just because he looks like Brett Favre. While he has always put up solid season numbers, Jenkins is one of the streakiest players in the Major Leagues. This year, however, he failed to put up any significant numbers and was benched in August. Although Jenkins still believes he's capable of contributing, he hasn't been for the past couple years and won't be able to in the future. With a contract of nearly $8 million per year, the Brewers should've traded Jenkins to the Yankees while they could have — that is, before Steinbrenner and Co. somehow bought Bobby Abreu and Corey Lidle from the Phillies, a team still very much in the wild-card race.
At least most of the roster has some bright young stars stored up for next season. Mike Rivera impressed at catcher, Fielder would've been Rookie of the Year at first if it wasn't for a nearly all-rookie Marlins team, Weeks and Hardy will return from injuries at second and short stop, Billy Hall can play anywhere on the field and Hart will be on board for his first full season.
But as for pitching, the Brewers wouldn't have a problem if it wasn't for the horrendous bullpen. I don't understand how Derrick Turnbow can go from an all-star to an atrocious pitcher in just two weeks. Can somebody say Derrick Turn-blow?
Just based off of last year, it seems as though it will be even longer before the Brewers make the playoffs, or even have another winning season. At least they have a better outlook than the Packers at this point.
Michael is a junior majoring in journalism. Bitter Brewer fans can reach him ampoppy@badgerherald.com.
