Bryce Harper makes MLB Debut

This past weekend, baseball's "chosen one" Bryce Harper made his much-anticipated major league debut in LA against the Dodgers.  The Nationals got swept out of town and the 19-year old phenom went 2-6 with a double, 2 walks, an RBI, and a fantastic catch in center field (which is not his natural position, by the way).  Aside from his stupid faux-hawk and excessive amount of eye-black, this kid just looks like he belongs, and whether or not he remains on the team the entire year, he should be a fixture in the Nats lineup for at least 6 years.  Here's an idea of his talent: he was booed in his first professional at-bat, usually an honor bestowed upon future hall-of-fame veterans.  It was never a matter of "if" with Harper, but "when," and there has been much debate as to when he should be called up - later in the season to keep him under team control for a 7th season, or early in the year to sell tickets and help what was already a good ballclub.  He wasn't exactly tearing it up at Syracuse at the time of his callup, but with Ryan Zimmerman going on the DL and Mark DeRosa not performing, the Nats were looking for a spark in their lineup, and they thought Harper could help sooner rather than later. 

Washington has been a trendy preseason pick to win a playoff spot.  As of Monday, they lead the NL in ERA and are tied for the division lead with the Braves.  Aside from maybe the Royals, this team I feel has the largest upside in terms of a core of young talent, but something that the Nationals have that KC will never have is money.  They have the wealthiest owner in baseball and have the power to lock up guys like Jordan Zimmermann, Steven Strasburg, Danny Espinosa, Michael Morse, Gio Gonzalez, Ryan Zimmerman, Drew Storen, and Harper to long term deals, - and some they already have - but at the same time, they also have the resources to spend a lot of money on free agents like Jayson Werth and Adam LaRoche.  Look for this team to be major players at the deadline this year a la Pittsburgh last year to add some veteran pieces to the puzzle for a playoff push.

I wrote a post two years ago entitled "Nationals on the verge of Greatness," and then last year about how the Nats were over .500 all the way into July.  I liked the Nats in 2010, in 2011, and I still like them as a playoff contender for 2012 and beyond.  The potential has been building a little slower than I have thought, and was certainly delayed by Strasburg's Tommy John surgery, but this is the season the Nationals put it all together and win a playoff spot.  In the last three years, this team has witnessed the debuts of arguably the most heralded pitcher and position players in baseball since Dice-K and Ken Griffey Jr, and they have another stud pitcher that is on few people's radar in Jordan Zimmermann that has Cy Young potential.  I think the callup of Bryce Harper signifies much more than the start of a career; it signals that this organization believes that this is the year, and it represents the beginning of a great era of baseball in DC.

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 04.30:
Brewers 10-12, -4.0 (3 @ Padres, 3 @ Giants)
Reds 11-11, -3.0 (3 v. Cubs, 3 @ Pirates)
Twins 6-15, -5.5 (3 @ Angels, 3 @ Mariners)

2012 GAMES ATTENDED:
Erik - 2
Peter - 6

Ballpark Chasers

I've been a part of this group on Facebook called "Ballpark Chasers" for some time now, and it's been a great resource for me.  I've found out a lot about various ballparks I didn't know, and it is really great to share stories and ideas with people who share the same passion as me of trying to see a ballgame in as many stadiums as possible.  I recently also came across this article on ESPN that chronicles a few extreme ballpark enthusiasts.  I doubt that I will ever be in the same class as any of these people, but it's something to aspire to.  Not mentioned in the article is this guy Chuck Booth, who blogs on ballparkchasers.com and holds the world record for fastest to see a ballgame in all 30 stadiums.  He did it in 24 days in 2009 and this year is doing the same trip x6 laps.  Another similar story came out in Milwaukee this past weekend about a 25-year old Brewer fan who has battled leukemia and a brain stem transplant, and the team is sending him to all 162 Brewer games this season, home and away. 

On the surface I might be jealous of all of these people who seemingly get to live the dream without monetary or time restriction, but deep down I am just proud that I can call myself a part of this special fraternity.  As of June 29th of this year in Miami, I can once again say that I belong to that elite group of fans who have attended a ballgame in all 30 MLB stadiums.  Some people might say that ballpark chasers are just wasting time and money, or that they don't have a life.  But who are we to judge what people do in their free time, as long as it's legal?  Erik and I have created so many great ballpark memories over the years, and for me it doesn't get much better than sharing a baseball game with friends.  We can only hope to continue visiting ballparks as our ballpark brethren, and I continue to feel grateful and lucky that I get to live such a dream with each passing year.

Speaking of which, these articles recently made Erik and I aware that neither of us had any idea how many ballparks we've actually been to.  We tallied our results from memory and E came up with 91 parks, and myself 99, including 77 together.  I'm so excited that my next ballpark will be my 100th!  I have several ideas of which park will put me at the century mark, but it will most certainly be in June sometime before we visit Marlins Park.


STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 04.23:
Brewers 7-9 (3 v. Astros, 3 @ Cardinals)
Reds 7-9 (3 v. Giants, 3 v. Astros)
Twins 5-11 (3 v. Red Sox, 3 v. Royals)

2012 GAMES ATTENDED:
Erik - 2
Peter - 5

Name the Lakeshore Chinooks Mascot

(Photo courtesy of Chinooks website, taken at team's launch party)

One of my submissions - Sammy Sturgeon - was selected as a finalist for the new Lakeshore Chinooks' mascot!  So everybody please go to www.lakeshorechinooks.com and cast your vote for "Sammy" on the homepage!  Contest ends in May.  Hopefully I will win some free seats!

For those who don't know, the Chinooks are the latest team to join the 16-team Northwoods League of the summer collegiate circuit, and are based out of Mequon, Wisconsin, about 15 miles north of Milwaukee.  The team's majority owner is Jim Kacmarcik, the president of Kapco Metal Stamping, hence the new stadium's name of Kapco Park on the Concordia University campus.  The team is also co-owned by Brewers legend and Kapco spokesman Robin Yount, Brewers hall-of-fame announcer Bob Uecker, and Milwaukee Bucks GM John Hammond.  With this combination of local ownership and a brand new ballpark right on Lake Michigan not more than a half-hour from downtown Milwaukee, this team should most certainly draw near the top of the league's attendance for years to come.

Even though I live in Madison now, I'm very excited to get out and see the new park, and for the Milwaukee metro area to finally have the opportunity to experience collegiate summer baseball.  I think this new team is coming in at a great time, now being able to piggyback the success the Brewers have had at the gates in recent years, not to mention a probable partnership between the two teams.

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 04.17:
Brewers 4-6 (3 v. Dodgers, 3 v. Rockies)
Reds 4-6 (3 @ Cardinals, 3 @ Cubs)
Twins 3-7 (4 @ Yankees, 3 @ Rays)

2012 GAMES ATTENDED:
Erik - 2
Peter - 2

Opening Weekend 2012

 
All photos of Snappers Home Opener and Brewers Home Opener available on Flickr.

The best day of the year has once again come and gone - Opening Day! The Minor League and Major League seasons kicked off in the US on Thursday, and Erik and I took in home openers for both. The 2012 season has some added excitement this year, as the Brewers look to defend their 2011 NL Central title while coming off of their best regular season in franchise history, winning 96 games and advancing to the NLCS for the first time in 29 years. This season is also exciting on the Tour front, as we celebrate our 5th Anniversary season.

An update on this year's trip to South Florida: tickets are purchased and flights are booked! We are flying into Fort Lauderdale on June 28th and leaving on July 1st, taking in a couple games in Miami's Little Havana and one at Roger Dean Stadium, home of the Jupiter Hammerheads. We also still plan on taking in a 5th Anniversary ballgame at The Cell, but are waiting for ticket prices to come down when the White Sox start backsliding, which should be soon.

This year I attended my 5th consecutive Miller Park home opener, and my 4th consecutive minor league opener. This year's Midwest League venue was the "lovely" Pohlman Field of Beloit. I was all set to hit up another Kernels opener and obtain the Mike Trout bobblehead giveaway (don't worry - I still got it on eBay), but my prayers were finally answered and I got a job back in Wisconsin! So the Snappers and Mallards are once again my homebase Midwest League and Northwoods League teams. An April game in Beloit was exactly how I remembered it - cold, empty, and a loss. I think most of my disdain for Beloit comes from the fact that it's always 38º and a Snappers loss whenever I go. That's not to say that Pohlman Field isn't still a dump, because it is. Rumors are yet again afloat about a new downtown Beloit or Janesville park for the team. Nothing at the current stadium has changed, aside from the Leinie's Lodge now being sponsored by Suds O'Hanahan, whatever that is. Same food, similar promotions, even the same 1995 mascot costume for Snappy. I often complain about this park, but there's also a part of me that finds something about it endearing. I always enjoy coming back because of the very simple laid back experience, the affordability, and the good product the Twins organization always puts out on the field. It's just baseball and cheap concessions, and the Snappers don't try to fluff it up and pretend they're something they're not. I also told a local news station as much, as Erik and I were interviewed upon entering the park and obtaining our complimentary magnet schedules. The Snappers lost 5-2 on this day, mostly behind a 4-spot put up by the visiting Peoria Chiefs in the 3rd. Both teams tagged a lot of balls, but they died in the crisp cold wind. The Twins' top prospect Miguel Sano made his A-ball debut at 3B, after hitting .292 with 20 HRs in rookie ball last year. He took the collar, striking out twice. The Snappers made a game of it in the 9th, but there was no way we were going to stay for extra racks in the frigid weather anyways.

The following day brought the Brewers' season debut at Miller Park on Friday, which meant another Lenten tailgate crafted by the Nagel Family, featuring spicy shrimp and cheese pizza. Thankfully, Catholics don't seem to have a big hang-up about drinking on Good Friday. I'm anxious to see all of the changes at Miller Park this year, but from now where we were sitting in the 2nd deck I didn't notice much except for the new 2011 NL Central Champions banner. Aside from quadrupling the team's payroll in 8 years, owner Mark Attanasio has also put money into making Miller Park a more enjoyable fan experience. One of my biggest complaints about Miller Park over the years - the food variety - has been addressed by adding over 30 new foods and several new vendors over the past two seasons, including many Food Network entrees and adult helmet-sized nachos. For any new or veteran visitors to Miller Park, the outdoor patio food stand on the ground level, 1st base side, is absolutely incredible food. One thing I didn't get to see yet was the new team store which is supposed to resemble Bernie Brewer's chalet from old County Stadium, but I'm sure I will be hitting it up eventually to find me a $3 Casey McGehee t-shirt in the sale bin. 

My family, Lauren, and I had our usual 10-pack seats about midway up on the Loge Level, 3rd base side, and witnessed the Brewers Opening Day pregame rituals of player introductions, the Racing Sausages' First Brat Relay, and the National Anthem performed by the owner's dad. Yovani Gallardo took the ball for his 3rd consecutive Opening Day start, and also lost his 3rd consecutive in a decisive fashion, as he gave up 4 homeruns in only 3 2/3 innings. The Cardinals certainly seem like their offense will be able to sustain the loss of Albert Pujols, if their veterans can stay healthy and David "The Big Chill" Freese can keep up his torrid pace. The Brewers have also certainly held their own offensively without the departed Prince Fielder, scoring 21 runs in 4 games on the young season, including 3 homeruns by Corey Hart who played a grand total of 3 major league Spring games.  Despite the 11-5 beating, this would prove to be one of the more memorable Opening Days because of what transpired after the game.  On our way out to the parking lot for the customary post-game re-tailgate, fans were confronted with billowing black smoke from the north.  At first glance I thought nothing of it and assumed it was just a cloud of grill smoke, but after I got a good whiff I noticed it was burning plastic.  Apparently, the recycling center for the nearby Miller Brewing plant caught fire and ironically engulfed the area in noxious smoke.  Only a few minutes went by before it became hard to breathe, and we unfortunately had to cut the day short.  However, it would take a lot more than a home team loss and a burning building to put a damper on Opening Day for me.

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 04.09:
Brewers 2-2 (4 @ Cubs, 3 @ Braves)
Reds 2-2 (3 v. Cardinals, 4 @ Nationals)
Twins 0-4 (3 v. Angels, 3 v. Rangers)

2012 GAMES ATTENDED:
Erik - 1
Peter - 2

Tour 2012

Now that I've finally finished studying for my first ARE, I can bring everybody up to speed on what our plans are on the 2012 ballpark scene. First, the traditional update. Not much new for me since the summer. I started taking my licensing exams, as I just mentioned, and Lauren and I are still in the process of wedding planning. We're pretty close to setting a date, and in the meantime my job search in Wisconsin remains fruitless. Even though Iowa is not where I want to be longterm, I'm fortunate to have a job and a wonderful fiance, or it would make the winters unbearable. Erik continued his job at Potbelly's in Madison throughout the summer while also taking up a few small political gigs, one in Ohio. For the last few months, he has been heading up efforts to recall Wisconsin governor Scott Walker in attempt #2 to defeat him, and hopefully this means he is done making sandwiches for good. I find myself personally invested in Erik's recall efforts, not only because I'm hoping a new governor would mean the state economy would improve enough so I could find a job, but also because Erik's busy schedule greatly affects our ball trip plans for this year.

Having said that, things are uncertain for this year. I'd like be able to tell you that we're going to Marlins Park in the spring, but work obligations have forced Erik to cancel a trip each of the last two years, so I can't say that with any confidence. What I can say is that by March 19th when all the recall signatures are done being verified, we should know whether or not this is happening. Ideally, we'd be going to Miami sometime between April and June, depending on when the recall election is scheduled. I really have zero interest in going to southern Florida during hurricane season, so the sooner the better. I'm really excited about this trip for many reasons. With each passing year, as Erik and I grow older, we understand that obligations to ball will gradually have to become less and less a priority. With Erik going to law school in the fall, and me getting married in November, Miami could really be our last hurrah. I do sincerely hope we can go on a weekend roadtrip every year, but I think we both know that from here on out, nothing is set in stone. On a more basic level, of course I'm excited for this trip just to see the park and to watch the exciting new team the Marlins have put together solely on speculative ballpark revenue. The park looks absolutely hideous in almost every way, and I'm very anxious to get there and make fun of it, particularly after Mike Stanton goes yard and the monstrous home-run animated statue is unveiled. Every rendering and picture of the park I see convinces me more and more that Jeffrey Loria and David Samson are on crack. Seriously, a giant fish tank behind home plate? I give them credit for doing something unique, but that'll never last. A month into the season, either all the fish will be dead, or some pitcher will become distracted by it and heave a fastball into the crowd. I'm not even going to get into the new uniforms.

If - and again, this is a big 'if' - things work out well with Erik's schedule, we've also talked about making it down to a White Sox game this year. The stadium is not one of my favorites, and I hate Chicago, so why are we going? Sunday, June 24th marks the 5th anniversary of the start of the main tour, which we also happened to start at US Cellular Field on a Sunday afternoon. The White Sox just so happen to be playing the Brewers on that day this year, so really it couldn't fall into place any better. We'd really like to get down there and celebrate this milestone if we can, and maybe stop off for some Lou Malnati's pie and sneak into the IIT architecture building just for old time's sake. I can't believe it's been 5 years already! I've definitely been looking forward to writing a 5-year update on my stadium rankings for quite some time.

There are a couple of other local ballparks that we definitely want to see this year while Erik is still in Wisconsin. The Milwaukee area is finally getting a Northwoods League team this year, although not in nearby Waukesha as was long speculated. Kapco Metal Stamping, Brewer HOF-ers Robin Yount and Bob Uecker, and Concordia University have teamed up to present the Lakeshore Chinooks of Mequon, about a half-hour north of downtown Milwaukee. This team is forcing my Waterloo Bucks to change divisions, so it better be worth it. Another place I'd like to visit this summer is Simmons Field in Kenosha. Ever since our discovery of the Sheboygan A's and the Wisconsin State amateur league, I've wanted to see this park, because until then I had no idea it still existed. It has hosted the AAGPBL Comets and the Midwest League's Kenosha Twins as tenants, among others in its 92-year history. This historic field is falling into severe disrepair and even has a section quarantined off, but the Kings of the Wisconsin State League still play there. It's probably a piece of junk at this point, but it wouldn't feel right to have lived this close to a piece of history for so much of my life and never make a trip down there.

Another baseball season is right around the corner. Pitchers & Catchers report in 12 days!

Ryan Braun named MVP, tests positive for banned substance

It's been quite the emotional rollercoaster for the Milwaukee Brewers over the past couple of months. There was the thrill of winning their first division title in 30 years, followed by the agonizing collapse at the hands of the eventual World Series champion and division-rival St. Louis Cardinals. About a month later, Brewer fans everywhere rejoiced as All-Star slugger Ryan Braun beat out Matt Kemp for the National League MVP award, swiping 20 of 32 first-place votes. But the announcement of the regular season awards also marked the start of the offseason, and fans got daily reminders that Prince Fielder had not only most likely played his last game in Milwaukee, but even worse he had a good chance of becoming a Cub. And before we even had time to celebrate the departure of Albert Pujols, an even bigger bombshell dropped – Ryan Braun had tested positive for an illegal substance.

This news left people even more stunned than the Pujols deal, and shocked not only Brewer fans but the entire baseball world. Suddenly, one of the pillars of the game today, and one of the shining examples of how well the drug policy was working with today's modern sluggers, had cheated the system and taken us all back to a topic we thought was long past in the rear-view mirror – performance enhancing drugs. This was supposed to be over. We were supposed to be talking about exciting things like the new CBA and divisional realignement, the Athletics' ballpark saga, expanding instant replay and the playoffs – fun things. Things to foster progress in the game. But then suddenly, a giant step backwards. A week ago all that was on the minds of the common Brewer fan was who was going to play short. The signings of Alex Gonzalez, Aramis Ramirez, and K-Rod, while a week ago would have meant World Series or bust, now almost feel insignificant. What's the point without Braun? The face of this franchise has turned his back on his team and his city and has left the entire 2012 season in limbo before spring camp has even started.

I'm still kind in disbelief over the whole thing. I almost feel like somebody told me that Santa Claus isn't real. Braun is a hero and role model in Milwaukee, to myself included, and I just feel like he let down an entire city by cheating. He was the first Brewer MVP since arguably the greatest Brewer of all time, Robin Yount. Braun had a chance to be even better than Yount, but that is now forever tainted because his career will always have that shadow lurking in the court of public opinion. It really hurts when somebody you put so much faith in is not the person you thought they were. Ryan's brutal honesty and impeccable character have temporarily earned my trust; I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt until all the facts are out and the appeal is over. But if he is found guilty, it will undoubtedly take some time before I can root for him with the same passion I had before.

Earlier I posed the question, what's the point without Braun? To use an analogy familiar to Wisconsinites, it's the same thing many Packer fans were asking when Brett Favre left in 2008. I certainly did. The only reason I watched the Packers for many years was to see Favre play. He was a hero and could do no wrong, and I loved how he played the game and admired him as a person. Then all of a sudden, for various reasons he became kind of an outcast, and that magical way people felt about him seemed to wane. Ryan Braun is almost the exact same situation. I'm not too old or too proud to admit that I have sports heroes, and Favre and Braun are definitely two of them. Hero or no hero, just as the Packers did, the show must go on. It's not fair to hold it against the entire team just because one player is out. And who knows, maybe the Brewers will find their “Aaron Rodgers” this year while Braun is out? I thought I would never forgive Favre for leaving the Packers the way he did. But even the next season, as he looked like an idiot donning Viking purple, I always put aside my feelings for 3 hours to watch him play and found myself instinctively rooting for him. I still loved to watch him play, and I always will. Even though Ryan Braun has a lot of explaining to do and has disappointed and hurt an entire state's worth of fans, I hope that each time he's between the chalk lines, I'll be able to put all the anger aside to watch him play for my hometown team. The Brewers have always felt like a part of my family, and what do family members do? They forgive each other, and they support each other unconditionally, for better or for worse. I will always be privileged to say to my grandchildren someday that I got to see the best hitter of his generation play his entire career as a Brewer, and no drug test or sports writer can ever tell me otherwise.

Cardinals Win World Series, LaRussa Promptly Retires

All photos of NLDS Game 1 and NLCS Game 6 available on Flickr.

Congratulations to the St. Louis Cardinals for winning their 11th World Series title in franchise history, 2nd only to the juggernaut that is the New York Yankees. As much as I dislike the Cardinals, they truly did deserve to win with how well they played in the last 2 months. The team's stars rarely hustle and the lineup is filled with whiners and jerks, but they also just flat out know how to play baseball and do a lot of little things right. The Cards' dangerous lineup featured all 1-8 regulars hitting near or above .300, and since the trade deadline they had also featured one of the best bullpens in the majors. In fact, against the Brewers in the NLCS, they became the first team in NL history to record more outs with the bullpen than with the starting rotation in a 7-game series. I would think that after Adam Wainwright went down in February and with all the blown saves in April-May, that most people including myself wrote this team off pretty quickly. But they persevered and continually defied the odds to write one of the greatest championship stories in the history of baseball.

The author of this book was skipper Tony LaRussa, who after a wild weekend of celebrating in St. Louis, announced his retirement after 33 years as a manager. LaRussa won 3 titles (2 with the Cardinals and one in 1989 with the A's) and leaves the game 3rd all time in managerial wins behind only Connie Mack and John McGraw. I have personally witnessed the past 14 years of LaRussa's career, since the Brewers joined the NL Central in 1998. I have come to loathe his managerial style and his attitude towards the game. He changed pitchers and lineups way too much and played way too many mind games to make the game bearable. He's also a whiner and doesn't hold a lot of accountability. But you can't argue with results - the guy just knew how to win. He put together one of his best managerial efforts in his last season, long after everybody wrote this team off. Some of his best seasons were 85, 87 win campaigns where he took a bunch of scrapheap players and ragtag arms and won despite all the odds. He always got the most out of his players and has always received nothing but high praise from players past and present who have said they would die on the field for Tony. A lot of credit generally falls to his longtime pitching coach Dave Duncan, and rightfully so, but LaRussa was certainly the star of the bench this season. Despite what I think of him, he will go down as one of the greatest in-game strategists and most cerebral managers of all time, and is certainly a lock for the Hall of Fame. The biggest compliment I can pay LaRussa is that by virtue of his retirement alone, the Brewers stand a chance at repeating as division champs in 2012.

Speaking of the Brewers, congratulations to my hometown team on a historic year! The Cardinals disposed of them in a 6-game NLCS on their way to the championship, but the Brewers fought hard all the way despite all five of their starters being absolutely gassed from the long season. Now that I've had time to digest the season and to calm down from the agony of defeat, I really couldn't be prouder of this team. They achieved a career high in wins (96) and their best ever home record as a franchise, and they made the entire season exciting to watch. Prince is probably gone in 2012, but they still have a lot of players under contract - including all five starters - and I think they have at least one more year to make a run at this thing, this time with even more playoff experience under their belts. One thing is for certain - 2011 MVP candidate Ryan Braun is locked up until 2020, which will always give me a reason to go to the ballpark, no matter how grim the team may look.

FINAL 2011 STANDINGS:
Brewers 96-66, +6.0, NL Central Champions, lost in NLCS
Reds 79-83, -17.0, 3rd in NL Central
Twins 63-99, -32.0, last in AL Central

FINAL 2011 GAMES TOTAL:
Erik - 17
Peter - 40

Brewers Clinch First Division Title since 1982

Congratulations to my hometown team, the Milwaukee Brewers, for winning their first division title in 29 years!!! The Brewers clinched in dramatic fashion on Friday night in front of a home crowd of over 44,000. It was all set up by a catastrophic loss by the Cardinals to the Mets on Thursday night, which lowered the magic number to 2 and presented the opportunity for the Brewers to clinch on Friday night with a win and another Cardinals loss. Tied at 1 in the 8th, Corey Hart ripped a double and Nyjer Morgan walked to start the rally. And then one of the most memorable moments in franchise history, delivered by who else but Ryan Braun - a 3-run bomb off the scoreboard in center. K-Rod struck out 2 batters in the 8th and John Axford easily attained his 45th save in the 9th to secure the victory. Following the game, not a single person or player left the stadium, and the Cubs-Cards game was broadcast live on the jumbotron. Everyone rooted for the Cubs for perhaps the first time in their lives as they beat the Cardinals 5-1 and the champagne began to flow immediately following the final out.

It was eerily similar to the playoff run of 2008, when with the score also tied 1-1 in the 8th, Braun stepped up to the plate and drilled a 3-run homerun to give the Brewers the lead, and immediately afterwards everyone stuck around to watch the Mets lose, thus securing the Brewers' wild card berth. Both the 2008 and 2011 games also featured gutsy performances by the starting pitchers - a complete game on 3 days' rest by CC Sabathia in '08, and an 11-K gem by Yovani Gallardo this year. Hopefully this year, the team has better results in the playoffs than the '08 team, and hopefully they don't have to face the Phillies in the first round. As it stands now, the Brewers are one game ahead of the Diamondbacks for the #2 seed, which would afford them the luxury of having home field in the first round. This is crucial not only because of the Brewers' amazing home record, but because then I could actually see them play since the first game would fall on a Saturday. There are 3 days left and a lot can happen yet with the wild cards and the potential matchups, but I'll make my playoff predictions as best I can right now. One thing is for certain - the Brewers are the NL Central Division Champions!!!

PICKS AS OF 09.26
#1 Philadelphia v. #4 St. Louis* - Phillies in 5
#2 Milwaukee v. #3 Arizona - Brewers in 4

NLCS Philadelphia v. Milwaukee - Phillies in 6

AL Play-in Game - Tampa Bay over Boston
#1 New York v. #3 Detroit - Tigers in 5
#2 Texas v. #4 Tampa Bay** - Rays in 5

ALCS Detroit v. Tampa Bay - Rays in 6

World Series Philadelphia v. Tampa Bay - Phillies in 5

*Atlanta currently leading NL Wild Card by 1 game
**Boston currently leading AL Wild Card by 1 game

PRESEASON PICKS:
#1 Philadelphia
#2 San Francisco
#3 Cincinnati
#4 Milwaukee
Phillies over Giants in NLCS

#1 Boston
#2 Minnesota
#3 Oakland
#4 New York
Red Sox over Yankees in ALCS

Phillies over Red Sox in World Series, 6 games

STANDINGS & UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 09.26:
Brewers 94-65, +6.0, clinched NL Central (3 v. Pirates, NLDS starts Saturday)
Reds 77-82, -17.0, eliminated (3 @ Mets)
Twins 61-98, -31.0, eliminated (3 v. Royals)

2011 GAMES ATTENDED:
Erik - 16
Peter - 39

Wild Card Races Heating Up

Ten days ago, everything was pretty much locked up. The Phillies and Red Sox were cruising to their preseason anointing of meeting in the World Series. The Braves bullpen was absolutely unhittable. The Giants' lack of hitting finally caught up with them as they plummeted in the NL West. Now with 10 days to go in the regular season, the AL and NL Wild Cards are not so sure anymore. The Red Sox running John Lackey and Tim Wakefield out there every 5 days finally slowed the team down, and as of this post they hold a mere 1.5 game lead for the wild card spot, after losing the first game of a doubleheader to the lowly Orioles. The Sox have lost 10 of their last 14 games, including 3 out of 4 at home to the team chasing them, the Rays. Tampa Bay has managed to overcome dumping the top 4 salaries of their 2010 ALCS team and has ridden the back of a once again young, stellar rotation into a dead heat for the final playoff spot. Their road goes through the Yankees for 6 games whereas Boston only has to face the O's 6 times, so it should be interesting.

In the other league, the Braves have pretty much been in cruise control in the NL Wild Card spot since about June, largely behind their superb rotation and back end of the bullpen. But now, Jurrjens and Hanson are on the DL, Derek Lowe and Tim Hudson have been awful, and the 7-8-9 combo of O'Flaherty-Venters-Kimbrel may have finally reached their innings limit. These young arms seem to be out of gas and have blown quite a few games in the past few weeks, although Craig Kimbrel did recently break the single-season save record by a rookie. Their season officially took a turn for the worst when they were swept by the Cardinals, and now have seen their wild card lead dwindle to 3.5. And right on the Cards' heels are the Giants, who all of a sudden learned how to hit and have won 8 in a row. With the Brewers and D-Backs faltering a little in the past week, it's all starting to come together for an exciting September.

I personally think that the Rays and Cards can both catch their respective wild card leaders. The Rays are the hottest team in baseball right now and they have the best starting staff in the AL. I actually hope that both the Rays and Cards make it. I'd love for the Brewers to get another crack at St. Louis after they beat them 5 of the last 6 meetings, if for no other reason than to hit Pujols with a couple pitches square in the back. Then after the Brewers sweep them, Albert can go home and do what he does best - not hustle and stare at homeruns, which in this case would be hit by the Crew. And as for the Rays, I mean come on who doesn't root for the Rays? Joe Maddon is awesome and the team is still as fun as ever (seen above wearing letterman sweaters on the train to New York). I think this season's postseason chase is a great example of why expanding to 2 wild card teams per league would be a terrible idea. If there was a 10-team playoff, we'd already know who was in like 2 weeks ago and there would be no thrilling September baseball.

I'll post my postseason predictions next week, along with hopefully a proclamation of the Brewers winning the NL Central! And PS - congratulations to Mariano Rivera for breaking the all-time saves record with his 602nd today at Yankee Stadium.

STANDINGS & UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 09.19:
Brewers 90-63, +6.5, magic number 4 (3 @ Cubs, 3 v. Marlins)
Reds 74-79, -16.0, eliminated (3 v. Astros, 3 @ Pirates)
Twins 59-93, -29.5, eliminated (1 @ Yankees, 3 v. Mariners, 4 @ Indians)

2011 GAMES ATTENDED:
Erik - 15
Peter - 39

Top Logos, Ballparks, and Promotions

I thought a nice way to wind down the regular season on the blog would be to share some articles that have come out in recent weeks: the 25 Coolest minor league ballparks and the 50 Best MLB logos of all time. Compiling various rankings and statistics is always a great way to look back on each baseball season with fond memories.

The website Complex ranks Coca-Cola Field as the #1 minor league park in America for 2011, and the coolest thing about these rankings, is just that - these are the "coolest" or most unique parks, not necessarily the best. So for instance, on most rankings you would never see a ballpark surrounded by unsightly factories on a list of "Top 25" ballparks, but the West Virginia Power and Bridgeport Bluefish come in at #8 and #22 on this list, respectively. I've been to 7 parks on this list, and I hope to someday make it to the other 18. I was glad to see Modern Woodmen and Richmond County Bank come in at 2 and 3 on this list, those are two of my favorites; I think the Staten Island Yankees' park is definitely very underrated and has one of the best views in the minors. I myself officially made it to 10 new ballparks this year: Maryvale Baseball Park, Goodyear Ballpark, Camelback Ranch, Tempe Diablo Stadium, Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, Scottsdale Stadium, Parkview Field, Fifth Third Ballpark (MI), Prince George's Stadium, Copeland Park, and the newly renovated Warner Park. In terms of "coolness," Copeland Park and Warner Park should definitely be on this list.

The "Top 50 Logos" compilation is more of an all-time list, not just this year. Some notable ones are the old Seattle Pilots logo, the Mr. Met alternates, the 1960s Astrodome logo, the Swingin' Friar, the Boston Brave, the timeless Yankees 'NY', and of course the Brewers ball-and-glove logo. I was made aware of this list because the original Brewers "Barrel Man" logo came in at #2, as it should be (Philadelphia A's elephant is #1). There are so many logos these days that are just letters, and there are so many minor league teams that are just "____ Cats/Dogs/Birds." This list is a very refreshing reminder of when creativity in branding actually meant something. My personal favorites have got to be the Brewers ball-in-glove and the old Expos logo. It took me until like 2007 to realize that those logos actually had hidden letters in them.

There have also been numerous articles about the top minor league promotions of the year, which are always fun to read, but 2-for-1 Kraft Singles Tuesdays will always be #1 in my mind. It's just nice to know that once a week I can always get a free ticket almost anywhere in America, just so long as I keep some cheese in my fridge.

STANDINGS & UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 09.13:
Brewers 86-62, +6.5, magic number 9 (2 v. Rockies, 3 @ Reds)
Reds 71-76, -14.5, -12.5 WC, elimination number 1 (4 v. Cubs, 3 v. Brewers)
Twins 59-87, -25.5, eliminated (2 @ Royals, 3 v. Indians)

2011 GAMES ATTENDED:
Erik - 15
Peter - 39

Brewers Going Beast Mode

In case any baseball fan has been living under a rock for the past month, the Brewers have managed to explode from the pack and take a commanding 10 1/2 game lead in the NL Central. They've been the best team in the majors by far since July 26th, and they've done it with starting pitching, a strong back end of the bullpen, timely hitting, improved defense, a little luck, and a lot of swagger. The Crew has won a ridiculous 27 out of their last 32 games, which includes 5 consecutive weekend sweeps and a 21-4 mark against their division during that span. The Brewers are on pace for the best August in team history, and one of the top ten of all time, at 21-5 currently with 2 games remaining in the month. Overall, they are a ridiculous 50-16 at home. Ryan Braun leads the league in runs and is 2nd in hitting, Prince Fielder leads the league in RBI and is tied for 3rd in homeruns, John Axford is 2nd in the majors in saves, and 4 of the team's 5 starters are in double-digit wins with an ERA under 4.00. And in the center of it all, Nyjer "Tony Plush" Morgan has been the team's major catalyst and resident goofball.

I could go on and on. The point is, no matter how you slice it, the Brewers are just flat out playing good baseball, and it shouldn't be forgotten that this team did all of this winning with the best 2nd baseman in the NL - Rickie Weeks - on the DL. Their magic number is currently at 18 and hopefully they can ride out this wave a little bit longer, at least until they play the Cardinals and Phillies next week. It's pretty unlikely that they will keep up this torrid pace for the last month of the season, but even with a .500 month and splitting the remaining 6 with the Cards, they should be able to clinch their first division title in almost 30 years. Getting the September call-ups, Weeks, and Carlos Gomez on the roster will only strengthen the Crew for the October push. Perhaps most importantly, I feel that this team can go much further than the '08 playoff bunch because they have so much more confidence and chemistry. This is most outwardly visible in the loose fashion in which they play, i.e. the "Beast Mode" celebration they do that is reminiscent of the "claw" and "antlers" that the Rangers did last season. You can just tell how much fun they're having on the field, and that makes them really fun to watch. A great attitude coupled with a lot of talent is proving to be a deadly combination.

I've got my playoff tickets ready, keep it up Brew Crew!

STANDINGS & UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 08.29:
Brewers 81-54, +10.5 (3 v. Cardinals, 3 @ Astros, 3 @ Cardinals, 4 v. Phillies)
Reds 67-66, -13.0 (4 v. Phillies, 3 @ Cardinals, 3 @ Cubs, 3 @ Rockies)
Twins 56-77, -17.0 (3 @ White Sox, 3 @ Angels, 4 v. White Sox, 3 @ Tigers)

2011 GAMES ATTENDED:
Erik - 13
Peter - 36

Copeland Park

All photos of La Crosse and Copeland Park available on Flickr.

This past weekend, I had to drive home to Milwaukee to pick up Lauren at the airport on Saturday. Given that my office has half-days on Fridays and I had nothing to do in the evening, this was all the perfect recipe to find a new ballpark to go to. My first inclination was to visit Peoria, the only Midwest League ballpark in the Western Division I haven't seen yet, but alas they were on the road. After running through a few other options, I finally settled on Copeland Park in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Erik had visited the stadium about 5 years prior and highly recommended it, and it only added about 2 hours to my total drive to Milwaukee. It was well worth the extra driving before I even got to the ballpark. The highways through northeast Iowa and southeast Minnesota, particularly Allamakee County, were absolutely beautiful. Who knew that Iowa had hills and forests? I always thought that was a myth.

I rolled into town about 4:30 and checked into a hotel just north of the ballpark. My room had a nice view of the Mississippi River and I killed some time watching the Little League World Series regionals before heading out at 6. Copeland Park is also right on the river. And I mean literally on the river- many foul balls hit to the left side landed in the water. Since it is so close to the river, parking is kind of a squeeze. Your options are either a small gravel lot across the street, or to park on the street between the park and the river and risk your car almost certainly getting hit with a foul ball. I felt Yeller already had enough dents and the lot was half-empty when I arrived, so I parked there. After purchasing my standard GA seat and collecting my giveaway can coozie, I quickly found out that the stadium had been open since 5:30 for the final Fish Fry Friday of the season. The crowd was already electric as I waited in the huge line to indulge in this Wisconsin tradition, and for $6.50 it was a pretty outstanding meal. As a matter a fact, it was a pretty outstanding evening - for $15.50, I got a ticket, a program, the fish fry, and a large souvenir soda, not to mention the free parking. I came to La Crosse with only $22 in my pocket and I left with change, even after going to the bar after the game. After finishing my dinner, I walked around a bit and got a feel for the stadium. I enjoyed all of the subtle references to the team name "Loggers," such as all the trees that remained on site rather than being torn down. The one thing I didn't like about the park was that beer was unnecessarily difficult to find and the prices were not posted at either stand.

As I made my way to my seat in left field, I began to notice that there were many similarities between Copeland Park and pre-renovation Warner Park. The setup is much different as you enter, but the ballpark has standalone bleachers in left just like the old Duck Pond, and has an all-you-can-eat pavilion that looks just like the Duck Blind. There are also some suites in right field which are comparable to the left field party deck in Madison, aside from the log cabin motif. Once the game was underway, the similarities between the two parks went even further. A lot of the between-innings games were exactly the same - mascot races a child, dizzy bat race, child hits ball off a tee and runs for a homerun, and so on. The PA guy even sounds just like Aaron Sims. Most of all, this was the only Northwoods League park I've been to that is even remotely close to rivaling the energy and atmosphere of Warner Park. The Loggers would draw a sellout crowd of nearly 4000 on this night and welcomed their 100,000th fan of the season to "The Lumber Yard," and once again finished 2nd to only Madison in collegiate summer league attendance. It was also the final home game of the season, and this only added to the excitement.

The Loggers did not disappoint in front of the large home crowd, as they slipped past the Bucks 3-2 in 10 innings to temporarily keep their playoff hopes alive (they have since been eliminated). Starting pitcher Brando Tessar gave a gutsy performance, scattering 9 hits and 2 walks over 8 innings. The Bucks has several threats, including loading the bases with 1 out in the 2nd, but did not break through until a clutch RBI double down the right field line by Jordan Adams in the 8th, who was in turn knocked in by Sean Borman shortly thereafter to take the 2-1 lead. La Crosse tied it right back up in the 8th on a sac fly by Tyler Smith, and then won it in extra racks on another Smith sac fly. Louie Lechich was the spark plug for the Loggers all night, going 3-4 with a run and a steal, and a few nice defensive plays in center field as well.

After the game, I headed downtown for a couple pints at this place called Bodega Brewpub before turning in for the night. It was advertised as a brewpub online, but it really didn't brew any of its own beer. It did have over 400 beers on the menu though, so it was awesome. La Crosse is a beautiful city with a fun ballpark, but for heaven's sake stay away from the La Crosse Lager, it tastes like bleach.

park rankings and statistics:
aesthetics - 4
views from park - 6 (nice view behind the stadium)
view to field - 5 (my seat was kind of far away)
surrounding area - 4 (downtown a couple miles away)
food variety - 7
nachos - 2 (of the "bag o' chips/cup o' cheese" variety)
beer - 5 (Leinie's, Pabst, Miller)
vendor price - 9
ticket price - 8 ($5 GA)
atmosphere - 8
walk to park - 6 (short but nice)
parking proximity - 10 (adjacent lot/street for free)
concourses - 3
team shop - 4 (inside covered dining area)

best food - fish fry
most unique stadium feature - log cabin suites in right
best jumbotron feature - n/a
best between-inning feature - Arcade Pumping toilet seat toss

field dimensions - 325/365/315
starters - Scott Benson (WAT) v. Brando Tessar (LAX)
opponent - Waterloo Bucks
time of game - 2:50
attendance - 3896
score - 3-2 W
Brewers score that day - 7-2 W

STANDINGS & UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 08.15:
Brewers 71-51, +6.0 (4 v. Dodgers, 3 @ Mets, 4 @ Pirates, 3 v. Cubs)
Reds 59-62, -11.5 (3 @ Nationals, 3 @ Pirates, 3 @ Marlins, 3 v. Nationals)
Twins 53-67, -10.5 (3 @ Tigers, 4 v. Yankees, 4 v. Orioles, 3 v. Tigers)

2011 GAMES ATTENDED:
Erik - 12
Peter - 35

Prince George's Stadium

All photos of Prince George's Stadium available on Flickr.

It's pretty much impossible for me to go on a summer vacation and not somehow fit a ballgame into it. I was in the DC area this past weekend with my fiance Lauren visiting friends and attending a wedding, and of course I immediately checked the local ball schedules after we booked our flights. The closest game I could attend in a stadium I hadn't yet been to was in Bowie, Maryland. Lauren stayed behind playing with her friend Claire and her baby, while Phil and I drove about a half-hour from Silver Spring southeast to Prince George's Stadium, where we met up with my friend Emilie from grad school for a little Sunday Night minor league ball.

Bowie is about 20 miles east of downtown DC, just beyond the Beltway and the end of the orange line, and is host to the Baysox, the AA-affiliate of the Orioles. As we read in the gameday program, all of the Orioles' affiliates are within about 4 hours of Baltimore, with only AAA-Norfolk actually playing outside of Maryland. It must be nice to be able to cut down on the moving and traveling if you're an O's prospect; however, Bowie seems to be just a huge suburb and nothing to write home about. The stadium is located off of a major highway and shares a parking lot with a restaurant and a Home Depot, which is a large indicator of just how rapidly the city has grown. For once, this was actually a stadium I was glad was not in an urban setting, because ballparks in outlying areas are generally cheaper, safer, and easier to get to. It was far enough outside of the Beltway that we didn't have to contend with the frustrating DC traffic, the free parking lot was a welcomed rarity in the metro area, and Prince George County does not exactly have a stellar reputation, so the lot also made me feel safe walking back to our car at night.

While most suburban ballparks boast ample parking and accessibility, they generally lack in aesthetics and context. Approaching the monumental front gate from the lot, I remarked to Phil how it actually reminded me of another O's affiliate park we'd been to in Aberdeen. I'm not sure if that's a coincidence or not. The inside was in a lot better shape than I thought it would be and gave the illusion of being "nestled" into a site because of the many trees beyond the outfield wall. It had the press box on concourse level behind homeplate like in Appleton, but unlike in Appleton there are actually suites, which look almost like motel rooms since they for some reason had curtains. The seating bowl is very tall and separated into an upper and lower section with an intermediate walkway halfway down. There is a a huge wall a few feet beyond the outfield wall laden with advertising that had to be at least 25 feet tall, which further contributed to that "nestled" feeling. There were only about two main concession stands, both of which featured the same items, but the food and beer they did have was very original and it was very hard to find even just your standard hot dog and light beer. The most unique part of the park was a children's carousel and an orange-and-white-striped, mini-golf-sized lighthouse in the right field corner. We got seats in the 2nd row right behind the 3rd base dugout and got to watch the carousel spin the whole game. Overall the setup was fairly memorable for a ballpark of that size.

Another unique thing about the ballpark is that it is pretty close to Fort Meade, so a bunch of guys from the military were there to present the colors and sing the National Anthem, which was pretty cool. It was also supposed to be "Happy Un-Birthday Night" at the ballpark but I never heard anything mentioned over the PA system about it, so that was kind of disappointing, but overall it was still a nice night for a ballgame after the rain subsided. The Baysox moved within a half game of first place in the Western Division with a win over the Fisher Cats, 5-3. I spent a fair amount of the game chatting with Phil and Emilie, whom I haven't seen in 4 years - much to the dismay of the sweaty old guy sitting in front of me that kept giving me the stink eye - so there were a few subtle aspects to the game that I missed. For instance, I see from the box score now that 2B Greg Miclat had 4 steals for the home team, giving him 46 on the season and putting him only a few away from breaking the all-time team record. Also, I knew that the starting pitcher Mike Ballard had a great game but had no idea that he racked up 10 strikeouts, en route to his 7th win of the season. Most of the offense came from 1B Joe Mahoney, who had a 2-run double in the 5th and also a sac fly. Steven Lerud also rang one off the right-field foul pole in the 6th for his 5th dinger of the year. One thing that didn't go unnoticed by me personally was the quality of the men in blue; it was such a relief to see good umpiring after what I've been subjected to in the Northwoods League for the past 2 months. The best part of the game was that former Phillie backstop Sal Fasano is the manager of the Fisher Cats and was also coaching 3rd right in front of us. His mustache is as glorious as ever, but he is not nearly as agile as he was in his playing days.

It was about an hour drive to Claire's house in Fairfax after the game, and what a wonderful way to cap off my vacation weekend back in my former city of residence. Random August stadium trip #2 is this coming Friday in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

park rankings and statistics:
aesthetics - 6 (outside blah, inside not bad)
views from park - 4 (trees)
view to field - 10 (not much protective netting)
surrounding area - 2 (DC about 20 miles away)
food variety - 7 (bonus points for unique items)
nachos - 4
beer - 5 (about 10-12 kinds but expensive)
vendor price - 5
ticket price - 4 ($14 behind dugout)
atmosphere - 3
walk to park - 2
parking proximity - 10 (adjacent lot for free)
concourses - 4
team shop - 5

best food - giant hot dog w/ sauce + grilled onions
most unique stadium feature - carousel
best jumbotron feature - turtle shell shuffle
best between-inning feature - tee-ball homerun derby

field dimensions - 309/405/309
starters - Deck McGuire (NH) v. Mike Ballard (BOW)
opponent - New Hampshire Fisher Cats
time of game - 2:40 (0:29 delay)
attendance - 2156
score - 5-3 W
Brewers score that day - 7-3 W

STANDINGS & UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 08.08:
Brewers 65-50, +3.0 (3 @ Cardinals, 3 v. Pirates)
Reds 55-59, -9.5 (4 v. Rockies, 3 v. Padres)
Twins 51-65, -10.5 (3 v. Red Sox, 3 @ Indians)

2011 GAMES ATTENDED:
Erik - 11
Peter - 33

New Marlins Park 75% Complete

The Marlins have officially released a construction camera of their new ballpark through their website. Along with that, I also found a photo gallery of construction ranging from November 2010 through late July of this year, courtesy of Fox Sports Florida (see above). This yet-unnamed, 37000-seat ballpark is slated to open on the site of the former Orange Bowl in Little Havana for Opening Day 2012, and features a SAFECO Field-style retractable roof which acts as a canopy resting on two large piers off the back of the stadium when open.

Whereas in Seattle the roof covers a train shed when open, in Miami there is a plaza below. Other than this plaza, nothing about this park seems particularly impressive to me. I definitely appreciate the design straying from the retro style, as well as the small capacity, but from what I've seen so far from photos and renderings this ballpark is going to be pretty awful. It's hard to get a grasp on how a stadium will "feel" from aerial photos, particularly a domed stadium, but all that white metal aesthetic makes the stadium look monotonous, almost like a UFO. On the inside, the outfield configuration seems very arbitrarily angular, including a jumbotron that is for some reason rhombus-shaped. There is also a weird unidentifiable concrete oval in left-center field that Erik and I are hoping will be a marlin tank. I'll be keeping an eye on the construction over the remaining 8 months, but so far it looks atrocious and I am very disappointed.

That's not to say that we're not going to the inaugural season next year, because you know we are! Can't wait to take the bus from downtown into the hood to go to a ballgame here; I am most interested to see how the neighborhood around the ballpark takes shape in the coming years. We're hopefully going in April or May to beat hurricane season, but we have to be flexible since I'm now also planning a wedding.

STANDINGS & UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 08.02:
Brewers 61-49, +3.5 (3 v. Cardinals, 3 @ Astros)
Reds 53-56, -7.5 (3 @ Astros, 3 @ Cubs)
Twins 50-58, -7.0 (3 @ Angels, 3 v. White Sox)

2011 GAMES ATTENDED:
Erik - 11
Peter - 32

Alomar, Blyleven, Gillick elected to Hall

Roberto Alomar, Bert Blyleven, and Pat Gillick were enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday in Cooperstown, NY. Alomar became the first player to go in as a Blue Jay and only the 3rd Puerto Rican (Clemente, Cepeda), and he is arguably the greatest defensive 2nd baseman of all time. He was also an great switch-hitting talent, amassing over 2,700 hits during his 17-year career. Blyleven finally got the call on his 14th year on the ballot and perhaps was only handicapped by his reputation during his playing days as a selfish whiner. He finished his career just 13 wins shy of 300 and 5th all-time in strikeouts with 3,701, and certainly by the numbers did not deserve to have waited this long to get into Cooperstown. Pat Gillick was a 3x World Series Champion as a general manager and was the engineer of the Toronto Blue Jays over the course of 3 decades. He retired in 2008 following his World Series Championship with the Phillies. Every single team he was a part of made the playoffs at least twice, and neither the Blue Jays, Orioles, nor Mariners have made the playoffs since his departure. Besides capturing back-to-back titles with the Jays in 1992-93 (teams that featured fellow inductee Alomar), Gillick is perhaps most known for heading the team with the highest single-season win total of all time, the 2001 Mariners (116-46).

With the advent of the MLB Network and MLB.tv, I've been able to watch parts of the induction ceremonies over the past few years, and it looks like an amazing experience. The groves of people that came in from Canada, Holland, Minnesota, and Puerto Rico to pay tribute to these three baseball greats was simply incredible. I know that being the baseball fans that we are, that Erik and I eventually have to make the trek out to rural New York to attend an Induction Sunday. But when do we go? Here are some of the players coming up for election in the next 5 years:

2012 - Bernie Williams
2013 - Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Craig Biggio, Curt Schilling, Sammy Sosa, Mike Piazza, David Wells, Kenny Lofton, Jose Mesa
2014 - Moises Alou, Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, Mike Mussina, Jeff Kent, Frank Thomas
2015 - Carlos Delgado, Nomar Garciaparra, Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson, John Smoltz, Gary Sheffield
2016 - Ken Griffey Jr, Trevor Hoffman, Andy Pettitte, Billy Wagner

I mean, look at some of these classes, 2013 is a beast! I feel really honored that I got to see all 9 of those guys play in their final season during our '07 tour. I think holding out for Glavine and Maddux going in together would be my top choice right now but you can't go wrong with any of these years. It would be interesting to see if they intentionally don't vote in Glavine and Maddux on the first ballot so that they can go in with Smoltz in '15. The only bad part about this imminent trip to Cooperstown is that the Oneonta Tigers moved, so we'll have to drive 90 minutes to Binghamton to actually watch ball. Oh well.

STANDINGS & UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 07.25:
Brewers 54-49, -- (3 v. Cubs, 3 v. Astros)
Reds 50-51, -3.0 (4 v. Mets, 3 v. Giants)
Twins 47-54, -7.0 (4 @ Rangers, 3 @ Athletics)

2011 GAMES ATTENDED:
Erik - 10
Peter - 30

Brewers Trade for K-Rod

Sabathia. Greinke. Rodriguez. In the latest in a string of bold trades, GM Doug Melvin pulled the trigger on a deal that sent two minor leaguers to be named later for Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez along with his remaining salary, shortly after the All-Star Game on Tuesday. In his career, Frankie is 32-27 with a 2.54 ERA and 291 saves. Despite supposedly being in decline, he has already logged 23 saves and is currently 2nd in the league in strikeouts per 9 innings.

The main thing to take out of this trade is that the Brewers front office is again going all-in as they did in 2008, when they acquired CC Sabathia at the trade deadline en route to their first playoff appearance in 26 years. This trade proves that the Brewers are willing to do what it takes because they believe they have a shot this year to not only make the playoffs, but to win the division and make it out of the first round. A lot of teams would have been scared off by K-Rod's $17.5 million option that vests if he finishes 55 games this year, but the Brewers are going with the "win now" mentality. With weaker teams in St. Louis and Cincinnati (thus far) and atrocious teams in Chicago and Houston, the Brewers currently tied for first, and Prince Fielder likely gone after the season, the division is prime for the taking and the time is now.

A lot is being made of this vesting option of K-Rod's, and how it will affect current closer John Axford who is having a phenomenal season. I am concerned a little bit on how it will affect Ax mentally, if he will put too much pressure on himself to be "the guy," but I think Roenicke's relationship with his players - including being a coach for Anaheim for 7 years while they had K-Rod - will help that transition. Axford knows deep down that this team just got a whole lot better and he has to play the role he's asked to to help the team win. The Twins did the same thing last year when Jon Rauch was having a great first full season as a closer, and they brought in Brian Fuentes and Matt Capps as insurance. In this scenario Rauch went back to his old role as set-up guy and the Twins ended up winning the AL Central. As for the Brewers, only time will tell how the 9th inning will be split, but one thing is for certain - the Brewers are not dumb enough and do not have the money to allow K-Rod to finish another 21 games this season to kick in his option for 2012. Besides the Brewers' payroll restrictions, K-Rod just isn't worth that much money anymore. Even though Melvin and Roenicke have been quoted as saying that Ax and K-Rod will split closing duty, I think that was just the PC thing to say. I think you'll still see Ax still get the majority of the save chances, but the idea is that if you have an opportunity to pick up the all-time single season saves leader for practically nothing, you do it. Prior to this trade, the Brewers' 8th inning options were a former starter, a guy with sleep disorder, a guy already nearing 50 appearances, and two 40-ish relievers with recent injuries. Things just got a whole lot more stable in the back end of the Brewers' bullpen. Assuming Greinke and Marcum can get back to their June form (and that the Pirates remember that they're the Pirates), I don't see any reason why this team will not run away with the NL Central.

STANDINGS & UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 07.13:
Brewers 49-43, -- (4 @ Rockies, 4 @ Diamondbacks, 3 @ Giants)
Reds 45-47, -4.0 (3 v. Cardinals, 3 @ Pirates, 3 v. Braves)
Twins 41-48, -6.5 (4 v. Royals, 4 v. Indians, 4 v. Tigers)

2011 GAMES ATTENDED:
Erik - 10
Peter - 28

Remember this date: Nationals and Pirates both above .500

Following tonight's 3-2 win over the lowly Cubs, the Nationals have improved above .500 once again on the season. Perhaps even more remarkably, the Pirates moved into sole possession of 2nd place in the NL Central with a win over the even-more-lowly Astros and it's the latest in the season they've been above .500 since 1992, when they had some guy named Barry Bonds and won 96 games. I'm pretty upset with how terrible the Reds and Brewers are playing and how feeble the NL Central is in general this year, but you can't help but feel good for a team that has been downright embarrassing for nearly 2 decades. The same goes for the Nationals, who were salvaged from the scrap heap in Montreal in 2005, only to be brought to the junkyard of RFK Stadium until obtaining a pristine new ballpark in 2008. The Pirates also have a gem of a stadium in PNC Park, and both of these teams can be proud that they are playing well enough to warrant people filling the seats there.

All 30 teams should go into Spring Training with a goal of reaching the playoffs, but .500 for both of these teams would truly be an amazing accomplishment considering where they have come from. I wrote a post last year about how the Nationals, through high draft picks and keen free agent signings, are on the brink of being contenders in the NL East, and I still firmly believe that despite Ted Lerner throwing away $126 million on a 31-year old outfielder whose best years are behind him. They have a solid rotation that is only going to get better when Steven Strasburg returns from Tommy John rehab. They also have a young bullpen with power arms and 18-year-old phenom Bryce Harper was recently promoted to AA and went 2-3 with an RBI in his debut. Michael Morse is deserving to win the All-Star Final Vote and Danny Espinosa is probably the leader in the clubhouse for NL Rookie of the Year thus far. The Nationals were my NL sleeper pick this year and are showing signs of what they're capable of.

On the other hand, I don't think anyone could have predicted what the Pirates are doing right now. I mean come on, their major offseason acquisitions were Matt Diaz, Lyle Overbay, and Kevin Correia - I laughed at the time. But these veterans have been the nucleus of a team of budding stars including Andrew McCutcheon, Neil Walker, Pedro Alvarez, and Jose Tabata. It seems like they get new contributors every week too - Chase d'Arnaud and Alex Presley were called up last week to fill in for injuries, and Brandon Wood is getting key hits after being released by the Angels. Most importantly, the two things that the Pirates have lacked for 20 years are coming together this season - management and starting rotation. From Clint Hurdle to the front office this team is making good moves for now and for the future, and the pitching is keeping them in games. If they can figure out a way to beat the Brewers and can lock up even one or two of their stars in a team-friendly deal a la Ryan Braun or Evan Longoria, this team will contend for the division next season. Keep an eye on the A's next year, too; the Royals are still a couple years off, they have a gifted lineup but need a legitimate staff ace.

PS - not really related to ball, but I got engaged on Sunday! She's been very supportive of my baseball fetish and I'm very excited to take a few ball trips with her as well as E.

STANDINGS & UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 07.05:
Brewers 45-42, -2.0 (3 v. Diamondbacks, 4 v. Reds)
Reds 43-44, -4.0 (3 @ Cardinals, 4 @ Brewers)
Twins 38-46, -7.0 (3 v. Rays, 4 @ White Sox)

2011 GAMES ATTENDED:
Erik - 10
Peter - 27