I’m biased…

…when it comes to the Brewers…and certain players, managers, coaches, and teams. Since many of you might read this blog on a regular basis (thank you, by the way), I want to stress where I think my biases are…especially now that I know which players are on my fantasy team for this year (oh, if you were thinking that this was a post on the upcoming 2007 Brewers’ season, I refer you to Vic Feuerherd’s column of today…ignore the fact that it was published on April Fools’ Day…oh, and as a sidenote, I have a bias with Vic for personal reasons, which I won’t go into here, so you can decide for yourself if his comments are worthwhile). I think I am biased towards: 1. Johnny Estrada–I loved this guy (and his .300+ BA against both righties and lefties) even before I won him for my fantasy team yesterday (last year’s champ could have kept him for 2 units…but passed! And this guy is a Brewers’ fan!! I mean, how could anyone, let along a Brewers’ fan, keep Robinson Cano for 5 units over Johnny Estrada for 2?? (And I like Cano, by the way)). 2. Prince Fielder–how can you not love the big, loveable guy? I think many of us, myself included, thought he’d turn out to be the prototypical large first baseman–lots of homers, lots of K’s, no glove–but Prince has said time and time again, that he wants to be a complete player, including hit for average…and even steal bases! Plus, everything I’ve read indicates that he’s a stand-up man, too, a great husband and father…how can you not love this guy?? 3. Tony Graffanino–I’ll admit, I was a little miffed at Graffy when the whole contract negotiation process was going on…but, after it was all finalized, Graffy told the media that all that was behind him and that he was just there to contribute and win…a good synopsis of Graffanino was posted on JSOnline. 4. Corey Hart–even though I nominated Hart too early yesterday and he went to somebody with more money left than I could spare, it is hard not to like the youngster that seems to have the potential for both power and average. 5. Pitching coach Mike Maddux–Maddux literally saved the careers of Doug Davis, Derrick Turnbow, and Dave Bush…I pray every night that he loves Wisconsin and doesn’t mind the winters. 6. Scott Rolen, Edwin Encarnacion, Mark DeRosa, Anibel Sanchez and John Maine–the first two return as my 3B combo from last year on my fantasy team, so I’ll probably over pontificate on their accomplishments against the Crew and other teams; yes, I drafted a Cub this year, too, and Sanchez impressed me late last year…and John Maine looks like a 20-game winner, too…at least right now. Sorry, I cannot not get rid of these. Oh, and I like Lou Pinella, too. So, if you read me gushing over these guys here, I admit these are my favs…at least for right now. Things I’ll admit I’m biased against: 1. Cubs’ fans–I used to be one, many moons ago, when (1) the Brewers were in the AL and the Cubbies were the closest NL team to Wisconsin, and (2) when the team sucked and it was easy to empathize with their fans. Heck, the Cubbies were even my grandma’s favorite team after the Braves bolted to Atlanta. But seeing their fans in Miller Park, many (but not all) getting cocky and obnoxious pushed me the other way…so despite liking Sweet Lou, DeRosa, Lee, Ramirez, and Prior, I hope the Brewers get to face the Cubbies for a tie-breaker game to win the division…and the Crew wins it. But, if not, I’ll probably root for the Cubs over, say, the Cardinals. 2. The Cardinals–my wife’s family is from Missouri, and her grandpa was once offered a contract to play for the Redbirds, but that 1982 heartbreak 25 years ago sticks with me. Oh, and the Cardinals won it last year, too. 3. The Astros–I hate their ballpark, their uniforms, and just about every Astro that I’ve ever had on my fantasy team has gone on to lay an egg. Oh, and Roger Clemens, even though not an Astro right now, is still the biggest jerk in baseball. 4. Bud Selig–where do I start? He skimped on the Brewers’ farm system, moved the Crew to the NL…and even caved in and let a frikkin’ tie take place in the All-Star game here. Well, now you know. Ya might want to take my thoughts on these subjects with a grain of salt. David Hannes Copyright 2007