Yep, I'm still sick. Maybe even sicker than before. Thank goodness I got this note last night:
With the big news - and MSOBB being sick - I thought I'd try to do my part for the blog. Here goes. Another blog from Superfan #99. "Ned's Very Loyal to the Players" Yes, that's a quote from Doug Melvin. Yes, that means that Ned Yost is gone. And yes, that means that Dale Sveum is now the manager of the Brew Crew. I have to admit that I was more than ambivalent about this move. But after watching the press conference, I'm pretty excited about what I perceive to be the "code language" that they've used. Here's my guess as to what that means for the Brewers (a "top five," if you will). 1. Ricky Weeks and Billy Hall sit. Or have limited playing time. Ned was way too generous to them. It's time to stop being generous and start winning games. Ricky, you're no good. Billy, you bat under the Mendoza line against righties, and you're not that good against lefties. Deal with it. 2. Re: Weeks, Hall, et al. It's now Dale's "straight talk express." Sveum will be guy who finally says, "Ricky, when you make two errors, you sit." And not just to them - but to everyone else that needs to hear it. No more kid gloves for this team. It's time to grow up and win. 3. Suppan sits. And maybe Bush as well. That's right. The Phillies beat us with pitchers going on three days of rest. Ned was so fixated on his "brilliant" strategy that put CC and Ben up against certain teams (read: the Cubs) on certain dates, that he failed to maximize his starters. It's time to win every game. As many as we can before it's over. And unfortunately, that means people sit. (The failure to sit people -- pitchers and players alike -- is what ultimately led to Ned's walking papers.) 4. The bullpen. I have absolutely no idea what to do about that. Throw things. Yell. A lot. Plead. Give steroids back to Gagne. Or ask Gagne to donate way more than just $50K to the Boys and Girls club. Because they are way more deserving than he is for a single dollar he's collected from the Brewers. But seriously. The pen is broken. Not sure where to even start here. 5. Robin Yount. Also known as the "cherry on top." If I was a reporter at the press conference, I would have asked two things. First - to Doug Melvin: "Did you ask Dale if he could get Robin to be his bench coach before making him the offer?" And second - to Dale - "Does this mean that someone will finally tell Ricky Weeks that we're thinking of accepting a trade offer for half a bag of peanuts for his contract?" But all Weeks bile aside, bringing Robin Yount (who knows most of these players from last year) back -- who knows how to win -- who knows how to provide a steady vibe in the clubhouse -- now, that's big. As in, worth making this move big. Robin in the clubhouse? I'm all for that. Will this work? No idea. Do I like the move? More than I did before the press conference. If it means that we stop playing with kid gloves and start making plays.....well, hindsight's always 20/20, isn't it? Bottom line, Ned's very loyal for the players. Now it's time for the players to get it done. Only time will tell.
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