My fantasy team this year:

I had an ESPN draft the other night with nine other guys. Here's my team and their projected 2009 statistics (the Downtown NooJ):

Starting Pitchers:
Cole Hamels (Phillies): 15-11, 182 K, 3.24 ERA
Yovani Gallardo (Brewers): 15-9, 187 K, 3.40 ERA
Scott Kazmir (Rays): 12-8, 182 K, 3.48 ERA
Matt Cain (Giants): 11-11, 177 K, 3.65 ERA

Bench Pitchers:
Manny Parra (Brewers): 12-11, 162 K, 4.25 ERA
Wandy Rodriguez (Astros): 11-11, 169 K, 4.14 ERA

Relief Pitchers (closers):
Brian Fuentes (Angels): 4-3, 32 Saves (should be more with the Angels), 73 K, 3.14 ERA
Chad Qualls (Diamondbacks): 4-3, 32 Saves, 55 K, 3.52 ERA

Starting Lineup:
C- Brian McCann (Braves): .299 avg., 63 runs, 22 HR, 89 RBI, 3 SB
1B- Albert Pujols (Cards): .346 avg., 107 runs, 40 HR, 124 RBI, 6 SB
2B- Brandon Phillips (Reds): .272 avg., 87 runs, 24 HR, 84 RBI, 27 SB
3B- Garrett Atkins (Rockies): .292 avg., 86 runs, 21 HR, 100 RBI, 2 SB
SS- Derek Jeter (Yankees): .303 avg., 96 runs, 12 HR, 74 RBI, 15 SB
OF:
Manny Ramirez (Dodgers): .317 avg., 93 runs, 32 HR, 108 RBI, 2 SB
Corey Hart (Brewers): .274 avg., 75 runs, 20 HR, 83 RBI, 21 SB
Ryan Ludwick (Cards): .279 avg., 87 runs, 29 HR, 92 RBI, 3 SB

DH- Jim Thome (White Sox): .257 avg., 92 runs, 35 HR, 94 RBI, 1 SB

Bench:
3B- Chone Figgins (Angels): .283 avg., 90 runs, 4 HR, 48 RBI, 44 SB
3B, 2B, OF- Mark DeRosa (Indians): .288 avg., 90 runs, 17 HR, 81 RBI, 4 SB
OF- Justin Upton (Diamondbacks): .267 avg., 82 runs, 26 HR, 62 RBI, 7 SB
C- Bengie Molina (Giants): .273 avg., 42 runs, 14 HR, 75 RBI, 0 SB

Should be a good year for my fantasy team!

Bench Players/Relief Pitching: A Big Question Heading into the Season

Some players are out of options, some players have options but are performing better in Spring Training than the players out of options. So, what are the Brewers going to do?

Here's what the Brewers' official website has as the 25-man roster:

Starting pitchers: Jeff Suppan, Yovani Gallardo, Manny Parra, Braden Looper, and Dave Bush

Relief pitching: (Trevor Hoffman will start the season on the DL), Todd Coffey, Mark DeFelice, Jorge Julio, Seth McClung, David Riske, Carlos Villanueva, and Mitch Stetter. Once Hoffman comes back, either Julio or DeFelice will head to Triple-A Nashville. Hoffman should not be on the DL for long.

Infield: Craig Counsell, Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks, Bill Hall, Mike Lamb, and J.J. Hardy.

Catchers: Jason Kendall and Mike Rivera.

Outfield: Ryan Braun, Mike Cameron, Corey Hart, Tony Gwynn Jr., and Brad Nelson.

The debate on who to keep and who to send down: Casey McGehee, Gwynn Jr., Nelson, Lamb, and Chris Duffy.

McGehee has been dominate in Spring Training but Lamb is out of options. McGehee is still young and would benefit starting in Nashville. He has hit .373 in 47 at-bats, five homeruns, and 13-RBI. Lamb is a solid veteran player and the Brewers are getting him for cheap: 400,000 of his three million dollar contract. The Twins released him and have to pay the rest of that contract. The thing is, McGehee is a great fielder and is versatile in the field. His natural position is third base, but he can also play first, second, outfield, and catcher. The Brewers already have Counsell who also excels in different positions so they can get by without McGehee. If Lamb cannot produce than the Brewers can release him and bring up McGehee.

Gwynn Jr. and Nelson will most likely make the team because they are out of options. They both have a lot of talent. Nelson has hit the ball really well in Spring Training. Gwynn hasn't but has been limited by an injury for most of the preseason. Duffy has been one of the best hitters but can go to the minors because he still has options. I don't think the Brewers want to give up on Gwynn or Nelson, nor do I.

Side note: Villanueva will fill in to be the closer for Hoffman. The Crew cut ties with Trot Nixon as well.

Who will be the unsung heroes for the Crew this year?

Brewers need a few players to really step up their games and play to their potential. Here's my picks for the players that will be the unsung heroes and the players that need to step up their game for the Crew to make it to their second straight postseason:

Players that need to step up:

1. Rickie Weeks. He will more than likely be the lead-off hitter. He has tremendous potential but is inconsistent. He'll be a free agent and needs to have a breakout season. As the lead-off role, he needs to get his average up. He does a great job of getting on base (.342 OBP last season), but needs to produce more hits (.234 BA last year).

2. Bill Hall. He strikes out way too much. Like Weeks, he could be a great player. He has proven to be a great player (i.e. 2005 he hit .290 avg., 2006 he hit for a .270 average, 35 homeruns, 85 RBI & four triples) but he has fallen off the past two seasons (2007 he hit .254, 14 HR, 63 RBI and in 2008: .225, 15 HR, 55 RBI). He was moving around to different positions the past few seasons and that could have had effects on his batting. I think he will have a much better season this year with staying put at third base. Not that Spring Training is any measure of how a player will do during a season, but Hall has batted very well in the spring and is currently hitting .333. He needs to keep his K's down and start stroking the long ball more often.

3. The entire team needs to start hitting better with men on base. They have an incredible lineup but need to start hitting for clutch especially with the losses of CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets. They need to bail out their pitching.

4. Jeff Suppan. He is not a strikeout threat. When he was with the Cards, he was a ground ball pitcher. Now he gives up a ton of homeruns. He needs to keep the ball down and get more ground outs. He will most likely be the ace on the staff and needs to act like an ace (even though clearly Yovani Gallardo and Manny Parra are the best pitchers on the team). For the Brew Crew to be successful, he needs to have close to 15 wins on the season and be around a low four-point ERA.

Unsung Heroes this year:

1. J.J. Hardy. Should be in the number two hole and I think he will have a breakout season. He has already shown that he is a great hitter and is a strong defender. He is one of the most underrated shortstops in the game. He has put up a monster Spring Training and I think it will continue into the season. He has hit .423 so far in the preseason.

2. Craig Counsell. He will be the top player off the bench because of his versatility in the field. He will get the most playing time and is a great option off the bench. He also adds the veteran leadership and scored the winning run of the World Series back when Arizona won it. He has been there which is a much needed player with a young team. He will keep them grounded.

3. Seth McClung. I believe he will be the setup man for the Crew. Trevor Hoffman will be out for at least the first week of the season and McClung will take his duties. I really like McClung and think he will flourish in these roles. He is hard throwing and can dominate in just one inning of work for that role. He will be very valuable to the team. If Brewers wouldn't have had so many blown games last year they would have overtaken the Cubs easily for first in the division. The duo of McClung/Hoffman will help the Crew get to the postseason.

USA Needs to Start Caring About International Competitions

Baseball was born in the United States. Yet, America cannot find the muscle to win world competitions. Is it lack of talent? Is it the lack of team cohesion? Or is it that the players just don’t care?

So, what’s the solution?

Recall the miracle on ice. USA defeated the unbeatable Red Machine from the USSR. The USA consisted of a passionate coach and college-age players. They wanted it.

Think American hotdog competitive eater Joey Chestnut. He beat the unstoppable Takeru Kobayashi. It deemed similar to the iceberg that took down the unsinkable Titanic. It was thought to be impossible.

America has the talent in every area, but it is the want in the athlete. They have to want to win.

USA basketball finally pulled a championship out in the past Olympics. Why? Because the players finally started giving a damn. They had the best players from the NBA. They had a college coach who cared if they won. So why should baseball be any different?

World baseball competitions have been friendly to very few. Japan, Cuba, and South Korea are always the best. The world event simply does not matter. Japan won back-to-back World Baseball Classics. They are the only team who has won the Classic. In 2006, USA did not place. In 2009, USA took fourth. Simply pathetic with the amount of talent on their team.

In 2000, minor league players in American went to the Olympics. Tommy Lasorda was named the manager of team USA. He managed them all the way to the title game. He put Milwaukee Brewers prospect (at the time) Ben Sheets on the mound against Cuba for the world title. Cuba was heavily favored in the championship vs. team USA. Sheets game out and pitched a gem. He pitched a three-hit complete game shutout to take the gold. Like USA and Duke Basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski, Lasorda cared about winning. After the win, Lasorda celebrated and said, “This is bigger than the World Series.”

Players need to put international competitions up on a pedestal like Lasorda did. They highly regard winning the World Series as they should. But, what is better than knowing you are the best in the world?

In 1980, the USA team went up against a hockey giant in the USSR. They won with college players. The US of A baseball team won gold in the Olympics with minor leaguers. Professional egos clash when they are together. Team USA looked like they got along pretty well during this year's WBC. But, they flat-out don't care if they win. It is more important that they remain healthy for their team. Minor leaguers not only want to get their name out there but they want to show their respective teams how much they deserve a shot to go pro. They are more about the team at their ages and for the most part do not have an ego because they are rookies.

America has so many of the world’s best baseball players. They have so much minor league talent. The minor leaguers have a lot to offer. Yet, a majority of fans will only watch the big name players. So, here’s the deal; put big names with small names. Mix and match. The eagerness of the minor leaguers may send them to a championship. It has worked for team USA in both hockey and baseball, but they go back to they system of putting the professional's out there. They need more team cohesion and that will be provided with less ego's and more love for the game.

America is the land of opportunity. It is time for the USA to give themselves an opportunity. The economy is hurting and people are looking for any sense of national pride. Ballplayers need to start caring about the name USA on the front of their uniforms and not the name on the back. American's created this game. They marketed this game. They need to start working harder to show why America is the best place to play baseball.

Can the Hawkeyes make a run in the Big Ten Tourney?

There are doubters, disbelievers, and then there are a few who trust in Todd Lickliter's Iowa Hawkeyes. Either way, the UI student body will be watching when the Hawkeyes take on the Michigan Wolverines in the Big Ten Tournament today at 1:30 p.m.

They may be 15-16 overall with a 5-13 Big Ten Conference record and the 10th seed, but that won't keep the Hawkeyes from believing they can make a run. After all they have come down to the wire with every Big Ten team they have faced.

“I have season tickets and despite their record, I have been really impressed with the way Iowa has played this year,” UI senior Sarah Nordquist said. “I loved watching them play and think they have shown a lot of heart this year.”

The Big Ten has been filled with parody this season, so why not make the tournament up for grabs? Forget the records, forget the seedings, whoever wins the Big Ten Tournament gets an automatic invite to the NCAA Tournament.

All 11 seeds will be fighting for their post-season lives. Teams like Iowa can be very dangerous, because they have nothing to lose. Their season is supposed to end after a first-round exit in the Big Ten Tournament right? Well it is all up to the Hawkeyes to determine their fate and for guys like senior Cyrus Tate, it is their last chance for the post-season.

UI students believe that Michigan State is the class of the Big Ten but they believe it is anybodies tournament to win this year.


So why can't Iowa win it? Look at their last six games (after Jake Kelly took over for injured point guard Jeff Peterson). They came down to the wire with all six teams. They have also won all three of the overtime games they have played. Two of the overtime games they shot 100 percent from the field.

Their last six games:

vs. Purdue, Lost 49-45
vs. Michigan, won in overtime, 70-60
@ Michigan State, lost 62-54
@ Northwestern, lost 55-49
vs. Ohio State, lost 60-58 (Jermain Davis' three-point attempt rimmed out as time expired)
vs. Penn State, won 75-67 in double overtime

“They are too inexperienced and streaky to win a game,” UI senior Matt Rome said. “I like what Jake Kelly has done in the last six games, taking over for Jeff Peterson. They have been in a lot of ball games but just can’t seem to get over the hump.”

The Hawkeyes have one added advantage; Jake Kelly, who has been one of the hottest players in the Big Ten since taking over at point guard, is from Indiana and has played many times inside the Conseco Fieldhouse. He undoubtedly will have his fans there and could have a huge Big Ten Tournament.

It could be quite interesting if the Hawkeyes, way below .500 in the Big Ten, make it to the NCAA Tournament. It would be a fitting end to the Big Ten parody of 2008-09 season.

“The Hawkeyes may not have won many Big Ten games this season, but they are a lot of fun to watch,” UI junior Scott Crowley said. “I would give us a shot to win the Big Ten Tournament this season. I really think everyone except Indiana has a shot at winning the tournament this year.”

They set their sights on Michigan, who they have already beat this season. Michigan has come on of late and is setting their sights on the NCAA Tournament. The NCAA selection committee will not look favorably on a team that lost to the Hawkeyes twice and had a first-round exit in the Big Ten Tournament. It has all the makings and drama of a first-round NCAA March Madness game and will be an interesting battle to say the least.

“We beat Michigan in overtime a few games ago,” UI junior Kevin Judge said. “I don’t see us beating them again because Michigan has hopes of making it to the (NCAA) tourney and needs to win at least one or two games to raise them above the bubble teams. I think it will be a close game but we’ll come up on the short end.”

I think we have a good chance of doing some damage or at least mixing things up a bit," UI sophomore Ryan Rockaforte said. "If we can keep things close with Michigan, we should be in good shape. We have been coming on strong the past few weeks, so hopefully it will keep going."


Bubba story: Sarah Nordquist, Scott Crowley, Dan Lewis, Matt Rome, Ryan Rockaforte, Kevin Judge, Rich Zawistowski.

Reasons why I dislike Chicago fans:

Growing up I had two favorite NFL teams, the Packers and the Bears. I liked the Packers a lot more (my great-grandfather was one of the founders of the Packers) but I liked the Bears because mainly I was a little kid and really liked the animal. That changed the day I went to Soldier Field to see the Packers play the Bears. My dad, brother, uncles, and cousins were all walking in the game when a kid my age (about five or six) yelled, "Go Packers, we're gonna beat the Bears!". A huge portly Bears fan ran up to the kid and spit in his face. Needless to say he was immediately arrested. I was terrified the rest of the day in Chicago. Go figure that I now hate the Bears...

Why can't Chicago fans accept two teams?

This ties into both Iowa and Illinois people. Hawkeye fans hate the Cyclones. Cyclone fans hate the Hawkeyes. Cub fans hate the White Sox. White Sox fans hate the Cubs. Marquette fans like Wisconsin, Wisconsin in return likes Marquette- which is how it should be. My cousin, Mark, from Milwaukee once asked me, "why do Iowa and Iowa State fans hate each other? They both represent the state." I started thinking about it and can't answer that question. Obviously you are going to have more ties with one school than the other and you will cheer for that team when they play each other. But, how Iowa and Iowa State do, in a way, reflects the state of Iowa either way. So, why have such a bitter rivalry? I cheer for the three other big-four schools in Iowa- ISU, Drake and UNI and want them all to do well. The state of Iowa has no professional teams and rarely gets press especially with sports, so why would we want one of the big-four schools to do bad? Someone has to represent the state. I gave the Iowa example because I really don't know a whole lot on the White Sox/ Cubs rivalry, but I do know it is bitter. But, they aren't even in the same league, so who says you can't cheer for both teams except when they play each other?

Let's go back to da' Bears. Chicago fans can be very obnoxious.

Last season, the NFL Network hosted the Green Bay-Dallas game. It was a huge game with both teams running away with their respective divisions. I went to enjoy a fun night of drinking with my friends and watching my favorite team on the big screen. Except the whole bar was full of jerks. I had my Packers hat on and drunken Bears fans kept coming up to me and giving me crap about how much they hated the Packers. Every time Dallas made a good play, the bar erupted with clapping and screaming. The Packers were going to easily win the division (which they did and Bears were in third place) and they ruined the night. Bears fans kept making fun of the Packers that they just lost to the Cowboys and giving me crap (which I responded; guy, your in third place and the season is coming to an end, give it up). They were screaming nonsense the entire night and it was over the top and completely annoying.

Chicago fans are loyal but bad winners and even worse losers.

If my team (the Brewers, Packers, Bucks, Hawkeyes, Badgers, Marquette) doesn't make the postseason, I normally cheer for whoever is in their conference. When Kerry Wood and Mark Prior were in their primes, I enjoyed watching the Cubs. I am from Des Moines where the Triple A Iowa Cubs are located. I had nothing against the Cubs at that point. When they made the playoffs I rooted hard for them because they are in the Central Division with the Brew Crew. When I came to the University of Iowa, that changed my mind in ever cheering for any Chicago teams again. Last year was a case in point; Cubs ran away with the division. Brewers picked up the Wild Card birth. Cubs fans that knew I am such a big Brewers fan text me to tell me how much the Brewers would stink it up in the postseason. Experts all year had picked the Cubs to win the World Series which I made fun of all year. Cubs aren't that good of a team. I lost all respect for ESPN's John Kruk who continually pegged the Cubs to win the WS and one of his only reasons for it was because it was the 100th year since the Cubs had won a WS. I had said all year that the Cubs won't survive out of the first round and even if they make it to the WS, they will get crushed by an AL team. Cubs fans were grinning like idiots all year and trash talking me. I am not a trash talker but if someone is going to be a jerk about something I am not afraid to argue with them. There is no sense in arguing because you aren't going to change how they feel. I got a bunch of texts from friends saying how the Brewers lost the first round and they'll never be in it again. Then the Cubs got swept by the Dodgers and every Cubs fan in the world was silent and depressed. That was a glorious day! I text my friends back and had a few things to say to them. Cubs were swept two seasons in a row while the Crew lost to the eventual World Series Champions, Phillies, 3-1. Oh and the Cubs had home field advantage. So many Cubs fans I talked to said that they were done cheering for the Cubs, they're never going to win it. The Brewers had just lost at that point and it may be a while before they get back in the playoffs but I was just thrilled that we made it there. The fact that people were saying they were giving up on the Cubs was incredibly fair-weathered. I even told them there's next year, which most likely Cubs should win the division again this year. Just incredibly fair-weathered.

The Steve Bartman fiasco.

Cubs fans blamed not making it to the World Series because a guy caught a foul ball that Moises Alou may have been able to catch. That is when my hate for the Cubs was at an all-time high. Put yourself in Bartman's shoes- a ball is coming towards you- you reach out for it and grab it. It is just reflex to do that. They pinned that entire series on Bartman even though the Cubs made some errors and just couldn't get it done. He had to change his identity from that point on. I have never felt so bad for anybody in my entire life. Simply pathetic!

Everyone's a Chicago fan in the state of Iowa.

Okay well there is good reason for that. There's the Iowa Cubs and Chicago is relatively close. But, I can't stand seeing and hearing so much about the Cubs. Aren't there any White Sox fans out there? Because if there are, I don't see them. I have met more Brewers fans than White Sox at the UI. The main reason that there are so many Cubs fans here is because of WGN. But, I have to say I am a fan of WGN because I get to see at least a few Brewers games a year. I can't escape the Cubs either, even when I walk into the mall looking for Brewers stuff, all I see is mounds of Cubs merchandise in the baseball section with three crappy Brewers shirts (for good reason, I may be there only buyer in Iowa City or Des Moines). Why can't we be a little more diverse and cheer for teams like the Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Royals, Minnesota Twins, White Sox etc. All of these cities are pretty close to the state of Iowa... But, I guess people just don't like to go against the curve with baseball. I see plenty of Packers, Vikings, and Chiefs fans around Iowa.

I don't hate Chicago people. In fact, I really like them. I have family from there, my brother lived there for awhile and overall I think they are good people. My girlfriend of three years is a huge Cubs fan and I have tried to like them because of her and she has also taken a liking to the Brewers (even went to the home opener last year with me). But, it's hard when they are in a pennant race together. I ran the past Chicago Marathon and the people there were so nice and really rooted me on the whole way. I think it is great the amount of people that go cheer on runners every year. I don't by any means think that Chicago fans are bad fans. They are extremely loyal- I should know they have Wrigley North in Miller Park. They still love the Cubs even after 100 years of losing. But, I think they are very arrogant and can trash talk a little bit too much. This is just a generalization. I have talked with other sports fans and all of them agreed with the stuff I said. Don't take it personally, it is just a generalization and not true with everyone.

Who should be on the Crew's 25-man roster?

Here's my 25-man roster for the Brewers this season if I were manager Ken Macha: (without injuries)

Rotation:
1. Yovani Gallardo
2. Braden Looper
3. Manny Parra
4. Dave Bush
5. Jeff Suppan

Relief:
Long Relievers:
-Carlos Villanueva (6)
-Chris Capuano (once he comes back from injury) (6)- he doesn't count right now until he is completely healthy.

Middle Relief:
-David Riske (7)
-Mitch Stetter (8)
-Todd Coffey (9)- I would send Coffey down to the minors when Cappy sees some time with Nashville and is proven to be ready for the Crew.
-Jorge Julio (10)

Setup role:
-Seth McClung (throws the heat and could flourish in this role) (11)
If someone in rotation is hurt, I would put Jorge Julio as the setup man. If that happens I would start looking to trade someone and get a better setup reliever though.

-I am not a fan of having a set- setup man. I could see the Brewers naming their setup man but with the team they have, substituting different pitchers for different situations.

Closer:
-Trevor Hoffman (12)

Lineup:
1. Rickie Weeks 2B (13)
2. J.J. Hardy SS (14)
3. Ryan Braun LF (15)
4. Prince Fielder 1B (16)
5. Corey Hart LF (17)
6. Mike Cameron CF (18)
7. Billy Hall 3B (19)
8. Jason Kendall C (20)
9. Pitcher

Bench:

-Craig Counsell- Infield-(21) will see the most time off the bench because he is such a role player.

-Tony Gwynn Jr.*- Outfield- (22) Brewers need to keep him, I don't care if he has a slight injury right now or not. Otherwise he is out of options and we have to trade him or put him through the wire. He will be our starting center fielder next year.

-I would love to see Mat Gamel*- 3B, but his defense still needs a lot of improvement. One more year starting in the minors and he will be a tremendous player. So no Gamel yet.

-Mike Lamb- 3B (23)

-Alcides Escobar*- SS- like Gamel, I would love to see Escobar on the bench but he needs to play every day. I believe he will be starting in 2010. 2010 will be an exciting year because the infield will more than likely have a different look to it. Gamel will be at third, Escobar at shortstop, Hardy will move to 2B, and Prince will remain at 1B. Weeks will head to the OF, taking over for Cameron, since Gwynn Jr. will likely be headed somewhere else.

-Mike Rivera- C- (24)- great backup catcher.

-Last spot is a tough one to call. It is between Brad Nelson, Chris Duffy, and Trot Nixon. They all have serious consideration from the Brewers. My decision would be to take Duffy and see how Nelson fairs with Nashville. Nelson's having a good Spring Training right now but so is Duffy. I'll take Duffy for the experience. Nixon is a solid defender but I have to have a bench that can stroke the ball and Nixon isn't even cutting it in Spring Training.

-So Duffy- OF (25)

Photo: Courtesy of JSOnline.com

Injury News- Good and Bad News

Catcher's Mike Rivera and Angel Salome will be out for a few days. Rivera suffered a right hamstring strain during base-running drills and Salome is out with a back strain and is day-to-day. Rivera will be out for a few days, possibly a week.

Bad News: Tony Gwynn Jr. has been injured for most of Spring Training with an injured shoulder. He received a cortisone shot in the shoulder and assistant manager Gord Ash said that he will likely see time in a few days. But, the bad news is that off-season acquisitions, Trot Nixon and Chris Duffy are playing well and will more than likely make the team. Brad Nelson is playing really well and I could see him making the team this year. Gwynn Jr. is out of options and will have to be traded or put on waivers if he doesn't make the team. He is a tremendous player but has had some injury problems. If I were the Brewers I would put him on the team and move Nixon or Duffy down to Nashville. I really like him and I know in a year or two he is a likely starter that would be a dangerous leadoff man.

The Good News: Looks like Eric Gagne won't be dressing up as a Brewer this season. He may have surgery on his shoulder or get a corisone shot and go through rehab. Either way, it is unlikely for Gagne to make the team!! Thank the dear Lord. Watching him pitch is painful and I don't think he went more than one or two innings last season without at least giving up a hit, and most of the time some runs.

Crew blows past Cleveland

Here in Cleveland? I didn't know they still had a team? Yeah we have uniforms and everything, it's really great.- Major League

Brewers plowed the Indians, 17-7, on Friday afternoon. They were able to get to Cliff Lee early for two runs, on their way to 17 runs on 18 hits. Mat Gamel was the only Brewer to hit a homerun, a three run shot in the ninth inning off of former Brewer Tomo Ohka. Lorenzo Cain, Brad Nelson, and Gamel each had three ribbies for the Crew. Dave Bush picked up the win. Recap

Put anotha shrimp on the barbie!! Crew drubs WBC Australia

Things aren't looking too well for Australia in the World Baseball Classic after the Brewers crushed them 10-5. J.J. Hardy hit a homerun and Casey McGehee hit a grand slam, both coming in the fourth inning. Seth McClung started and pitched three innings, giving up two runs and had three k's. Tim Dillard relieved him and picked up the win. Nick Green earned the save in two scoreless innings.

Gallardo Already in Strong Form

Yovani Gallardo pitched three innings on Tuesday, giving up one hit, and had five strikeouts. Every baseball fan in the world is going to know who Gallardo is after this season. Manager Ken Macha needs to scratch his idea of having Gallardo go number two in the rotation until the All-Star break and just give him the ace tag. He's the kind of guy that will be fine under pressure and to be honest, after opening day, what does it matter if he is the number one pitcher or not besides that he may pitch more games? I just want him to get the Crew off to a good start. Plus the guy is a great hitting pitcher.

Looper may open season on DL

Braden Looper, recently required via free agency, may miss a few games of the regular season with a rib cage injury. Looper said he feels good but the Brewers are playing conservative and being careful with the injury. More than likely he wouldn't miss more than one or two starts. Seth McClung would fill in for Looper if he does in fact have to go on the DL. McClung is a great option to come in and pitch. More on this story.

Crew drops one to the Padres

Brewers lost 4-3 to the San Diego Padres. Corey Hart remained on fire going 3-3 at the plate with his second homerun of Spring Training. He upped his average to .700. Jeff Suppan pitched three innings, giving up a homerun and (shocker) and three runs. Todd Coffey relieved Suppan and gave up a run to take the loss. Brewers fell to 2-3-1. Recap

Crew Beats Angels on Saturday, Lose to San Fran on Sunday

The Brewers beat the LA Angels 5-3 on Saturday. Richie Gardner received the win. J.J. Hardy, Ryan Braun, and Prince Fielder each had two hits to lead Milwaukee. Recap

On Sunday the Giants defeated the Brewers, 5-2. Dave Bush pitched two scoreless innings in the start but Joe Bateman had a blown save, giving up three runs and took the loss. Hardy had two RBI for the Crew. The Brewers record falls to 2-2-1 during Spring Training.