Thanks for an Awesome 2010

The year is coming to an end, so I just wanted to spend a few minutes saying thanks for all the support in the past year. It’s been a rocky 12 months or so, dealing with our old home of MVN shutting down, keeping things warm on Blogspot while waiting for a new home, and finally getting set up here at Bloguin in late January. Some of you stuck with us through thick and thin, and others just found us in the past year, and I wanted to thank you all for taking a couple minutes out of every day to stop by.

I wouldn’t keep doing this blog if I thought people didn’t enjoy reading it, so the interaction I have with everyone here and on Twitter make this all worthwhile. I can already say there’s some exciting stuff happening in the next year, including a template upgrade for the blog, a new commenting system on the way, and my scribblings appearing in some other mediums. To celebrate the past year, though, I thought it’d be fun to look back at some of the most popular posts of every month. At the very least, it should be good for a few laughs.

January
Happy Birthday, Ueck – Bob turned 75 on January 26, and we celebrated with some of our favorite Uecker quotes. The Saito quote seems especially funny now.
An Official Goodbye to Ben Sheets – After missing all of 2009, Sheets signed with the A’s in January 2009, officially ending his time as a Brewer.
Putting Edmonds’ Age in Perspective – Edmonds was one of the oldest outfielders to ever play for the team, and I wasn’t a fan of the signing at the start.
PECOTA Hates the Brewers – PECOTA’s original projections for the Brewers had the team finishing at 75-87. We thought that was crazy low. They finished 77-85.
Hart Getting Bad Advice – I thought Corey Hart was crazy for refusing to negotiate a contract to avoid arbitration. Hart wound up winning his case. Proof you never know what will happen in arby.

February
Peterson on Lucky Batter 39 – Rick Peterson had a theory that if you could limit your opponent to 38 batters or less in a game, you’ll win that game 70% of the time.
Top 10 Brewers to Keep an Eye on in Maryvale – David Hannes had a list of 10 Brewers that could make an impact, and most did — for better or worse.
Brewers Announce New Alternate Jersey – Finally, the Brewers have a uniform with the city’s name on the front.
Nothing Says Valentine’s Like Sausage – For the low price of $300, you could get the Racing Sausages to wish your sweetheart a happy Valentine’s Day.
Brewers Quietly Stocking Nashville With New Pitchers – David noticed just how solid the pitching depth at AAA was compared to the year before.

March
Uecker’s WWE Hall of Fame Speech – Ueck was inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame for his work at WrestleMania III and IV.
Brewers Should Avoid Long-Term Gallardo Extension – I didn’t think it was a good idea to risk a long-term deal on Yo. A year later, I look like an idiot.
Carlos Gomez: Real-Life Willie Mays Hayes – Ken Macha wanted Gomez to hit the ball on the ground more. This, of course, made me think of Major League.
Ryan Braun’s New Commercial – Actually posted a couple days shy of March, but I can’t pass up the opportunity to show off Braun’s mad acting skills.
Is Edmonds Now Guaranteed a Spot? – Nearing the end of Spring Training, I still wasn’t too keen on the idea of Edmonds getting a lot of playing time.

April
Happy 40th Birthday, Brewers – I kicked off the season with a quick summary of every season leading up to the team’s 40th.
Great Moments in Overreaction – Gallardo had a rough outing in his first start following his new contract extension, and the reaction was kind of funny.
Notes About Hoffman’s Blown Saves – Pitch-by-pitch breakdown of Hoffman’s blown saves in April. Started wondering why he wasn’t throwing the changeup.
Game 8: Macha’d – Macha left LaTroy Hawkins in for 39 pitches during a meltdown in Chicago. Hawkins was never the same after this game.
Suppan Will Be Fifth Starter – In the words of Brian Wilson, I wanted to rage.

May
Making Room for Capuano – Chris Capuano’s “out” clause was coming up, and I tried to think of ways the Brewers could fit him onto the roster.
Window to Fire Macha Quickly Closing – By May, it was pretty clear that Macha wouldn’t be getting fired midseason.
Game 30: Gerut Deserves a Bigger Role – After Jody Gerut hit for the cycle, I thought he deserved a few more starting opportunities. He wound up getting hurt and getting into Macha’s doghouse.
Game 47: The Stupid Tendencies of Managers – Ken Macha and Brad Mills show why most baseball managers are slaves to conventional wisdom in an extra-innning “who can manage the worst” contest.
Another Faulty Argument from the J-S – One of the most frustrating things pushed by the beat writers at the Journal-Sentinel this year was the idea that the offense was inconsistent — after all, take out all those games in which they scored a ton of runs, and they didn’t score many runs! I thought this was dumb, and noted that you could do the same for the pitching staff — take out all those games where the pitching gave up a ton of runs, and suddenly they’re one of the best in the league. Both are dumb.

June
Brewers Face Important 20 Game Stretch – The last 20 games before the All-Star Break were make-it-or-break-it for the Brewers. Well, they broke it.
What’s Witrado’s Problem with Manny Parra? – Even when Parra did something good, Tony couldn’t muster up anything good to say.
Closing the Book on Suppan – June 7, 2010. Suppan Release Day.
Casey McGehee’s Slump: Regression or Fatigue? – McGehee hit a wall in June, and at the time of the posting, had played in 63 of the team’s 66 games.
Prince Fielder: Pressing, or Unlucky? – A lot was made of Fielder’s struggles with RISP in 2010. Was he pressing in RBI spots, or was he just getting unlucky with his BABIP?

July
Five Guys Who Could Replace Prince – By July, it looked like Fielder was a goner, either at the deadline or over the winter. I provided 5 in-house replacements if a trade were to happen.
Chuck Norris Wears Rickie Weeks Pajamas – Weeks got hit in the head, stayed in the game, and scored the game-winning run in the 9th inning.
Brewers Start Stooping Down to Braves’, Bucs’ Level – Frustrations about getting hit by so many pitches boiled over for the Brewers, and it nearly cost the Brewers a game against the Pirates.
Could Jeffress End the Year in Milwaukee? – Jeffress was added to the 40-man roster in July, and I didn’t have a problem with the idea of him getting a September call-up.
Selling Doesn’t Mean Punting 2011 – Back in July, there was some worry that trading Fielder and/or Hart would mean the Brewers would be packing it in for next season, too.

August
Five Things the Brewers Tought Us – Getting shut down by Barry Enright doesn’t mean you can’t learn anything about the team in the process.
HBP Situation is Getting Ridiculous – Brewers batters were constantly hit with pitches without the pitcher getting thrown out. LaTroy Hawkins grazes a jersey and is instantly ejected.
Macha and Intentional Walks – One of my biggest pet peeves of the Macha era — intentionally walking a batter after already getting two outs in the inning and retiring the other team’s best hitter.
A Look at the Edmonds-Dickerson Deal – A short while after the trade was made, Edmonds had barely played for Cincinnati, while Dickerson was playing well for the Brewers.
No, Carlos Gomez Isn’t Crazy – Gomez caused a stir when he claimed he was the best centerfielder on the team. I liked that he still had some confidence in himself.

September
Finding Time for Gamel – Mat Gamel was one of the first September call-ups announced. I created a pie chart in an effort to determine how he’d spend most of the month.
Prince-less Does Not Mean Punchless – Fielder’s consecutive games played streak was snapped in Houston, but the offensive struggles in one game isn’t a sign they’ll always struggle without him.
You’re Not Fooling Me Again, Carlos Gomez – Gomez went on another short hot streak in September, but I refused to get sucked into his web of deception.
Why Ryan Braun is Maddening in Left Field – Braun’s amazing catch to rob a home run in San Francisco is proof that he can be a solid defender…when he actually tries to be one.
Brewers Still Drawing Well (Or, Why We’re Awesome Fans) – Despite poor play, fans kept showing up to Miller Park. They outdrew several playoff contenders, including eventual AL champion Texas and NL Central champion Cincinnati.

October
The Manager Search is On – Macha wasn’t retained, and the search for a new manager began. I envisioned what a cragslist ad by Doug Melvin might look like.
We’re Brewers Bloggers, and We’re Awesome – I teamed up with 11 other Brewers blogs to hand out awards for the Brewers’ 2010 season, and our results made a hell of a lot more sense than the Milwaukee BBWAA’s.
Looking at the Positives of 2010 – This past season might have sucked, but there were some bright spots.
Mark Rogers, Innings Limits, and the Rotation – I like Mark Rogers, but still am uneasy about his ability to stay healthy in the rotation.
Bad Brewers eBay Items – These were actual things people tried to sell on eBay. I’m sure that Eric Arnett rookie card will be worth the cardboard it’s printed on soon enough.

November
Rosenthal Rumors – Fielder, Weeks…Lawrie? – We first heard rumors about Lawrie getting traded, but they were about talks with the Padres. None of the guys I mentioned would probably be better than getting Shaun Marcum.
Milwaukee Not a Match for Greinke – I thought the idea of getting Zack Greinke was insane, and that the Brewers didn’t have the pieces to get a deal done. Again, I’m an idiot.
Oakland a Possible Trade Partner? – Before the deals for Greinke and Marcum, I thought the A’s might be willing to part with some young pitching.
Melvin’s Black Friday Deals – And you thought retailers were the only ones trying to get you to buy on Black Friday.
Witrado: Keeping Prince Would be “Dumb” – Tony assumes that if Prince Fielder isn’t traded this offseason, it’s because Doug Melvin lacks intelligence.

December
14 Reasons to Like the Marcum Deal – Some weren’t comfortable with the Lawrie-for-Marcum swap, but I found plenty of reason to like it.
Reports Say Brewers, Rays Talking Garza – One of the biggest Brewers-related Winter Meetings rumors had the team talking to Tampa about Matt Garza.
Airing Some Brewers Grievances – It was Festivus, and I still had a lot of problems with people.
Shedding Some Light on Betancourt’s Defense – People aren’t exaggerating when they call Yuniesky Betancourt one of the worst players in baseball.
Where Do Brewers Rank with Greinke? – There are a lot of good rotations in the National League, but where do the Brewers rank among the best now that they have Zack Greinke?

That’s a lot of content over the past year, and I’m starting to realize this blog would be better if I had some help. If you’d like to contribute guest posts or join the blog as a regular writer, feel free to contact me.

With that, have a great New Year’s Eve, and Happy New Year. It looks like 2011 will be a blast.