Each Sunday evening we will review our favorite and least favorite events of the previous week, and share our perspective on how the team is doing. Please enjoy responsibly.
Cheers! (Best event/news of the week)
Bob Uecker Honored with Last Row Statue: I haven’t seen it up close yet, but the photos are relatively flattering. The coloring seems to have turned out well, and it looks as close to a real person as a bronze statue could. It’s funny they did a press conference in an empty stadium with Robin Yount, Rollie Fingers, Jim Ganter, and other current/former Brewers. The video tribute from various celebrities, some of whom actually know who Uecker is, is cute. My understanding is fans can make a charity donation in exchange for taking their picture with the statue, although I’m not clear how that will be enforced. Will there be an usher stationed up there at all times? Other than that minor detail, this is an all-around feel good story that reminds Brewers fans what a unique treat it is to have Mr. Baseball associated with our team.
Buzzkill (Worst event/news of the week)
Johnny Hellweg Tears UCL: Although Hellweg failed to impress during his eight appearances last year, he is still a top 10 prospect and there were high hopes he could be molded into a major leaguer. Now Hellweg is facing Tommy John surgery and a year-long career setback. Interestingly, the Brewers organization has a reputation for using innovative sports medicine techniques to avoid these kinds of injuries. I guess nobody’s perfect. Hellweg’s propensity to walk batters could be frustrating for fans, but you never want a guy to go through an injury like this. It’s just a damn shame.
Have One on the House (Brewers player who deserves a drink)
Scooter Gennett: The early returns on bumping Gennett into the second spot in the batting order have been promising. In his first four games in the two-hole, Gennett was 6-for-17 with 3 RBIs (he took the collar this afternoon, but did draw a walk). His slash line going into today’s game was .313 / .352 / .448. While his productivity in the first month of the season is enough to warrant respect, Gennett also deserves some sympathy for being snubbed on the All-Star ballot. According to MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy the decision on who to include in the ballot is made before the season starts. The Brewers had to guess, and they guessed wrong. Could a write-in campaign for Gennett be on the horizon?
Time to Sober Up, Pal (Brewers player who made me want to drink)
Ryan Braun: Dude, when you’re swinging your bat around, try not to deck any of your teammates, m’kay?
[mlbvideo id=”32407589″ width=”400″ height=”224″ /]I’m sure Braun has done this during every game he’s played, so maybe Segura should have been a little more attentive. But still…goddammit.
Back on the Wagon (Thoughts on the week ahead)
The first trip to St. Louis is always unnerving, but the Brewers will have to make a stand against the Cardinals sooner or later. They’ve played well enough for long enough to make fans think it isn’t a fluke. Winning a series in St. Louis would go a long way to demonstrating this team is for real. Then the calendar turns to the month of May, which was the Brewers’ undoing one year ago. Milwaukee didn’t do too badly against the Reds last year, so a four-game series split seems like a realistic goal. Here’s to hoping we’re celebrating a winning road trip this time next week!
(Image: Morry Gash/AP)
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