I haven’t written much (well… at all) about baseball or the Brewers this season. Lest you think that I am not paying attention to America’s Pastime, here are some random thoughts about this year’s Brewers:

Links & Coverage

This isn’t really a comment but rather a couple of excellent links I’ve recently come across. First, Brewers’ beat writer and columnist Drew Olson has a weblog at JS Online. It hasn’t been updated for a while but does have a lot of entries. I have read Drew’s columns occasionally for years but only became a fan after hearing him on the Bob And Brian Show (weekday mornings on Lazer 103). Second, BaseballBlogs.com is an excellent collection of links to baseball-related weblogs including Al’s Ramblings, a very good Brewers blog. It also linked to BrewerFan.net, a site that has quickly become part of my daily reading/posting. It is nice to know that there are lots of Brewer fans out there suffering along with me. The discussions I’ve gotten involved with over the past few days have definitely sparked some more interest in the games - and if it makes being a Brewer fan more interesting, it can’t be that bad!

There Is Hope

As depressing as the team can be sometimes, there is hope. This year’s team is infinitely better than last year’s and there are a lot of high-quality prospects only a year or two away. Granted, the Brewers’ farm system is nowhere near the cream of the MLB crop, but it is at least something to get excited about. The team has been playing fairly well and, despite a recent losing streak, is only 6 games (!) out of first place. Granted, they are in last place in the Central and a disappointing 12-21. But still. The NL Central is going to be a competitive division and I am doubtful that any team will compete for the Wild Card… stranger things have happened.

Keith O(You Make Me)Sik

Keith Osik, a 34 year old catcher making $625,000 a year, is the worst major league baseball player ever. Maybe not, but he is awfully difficult to tolerate. As of May 6th, he is hitting a dismal .183 with an OPS of .480. His defense is atrocious - although the stats don’t bear it out as much as they should, he is clearly a defensive liability. The fact that this guy has a job in the bigs is a pretty sad statement about the Brewers (and minor league catchers, I guess). I can’t wait until the Brewers sign a real catcher - no offense to Eddie Perez, but he is a quality backup and not an MLB starter.

Attendance

I’m very disappointed in the attendance at Miller Park this year. Sure, the team is nowhere near exceptional but the stadium is fantastic and this area has a lot invested in the Brewers’ franchise. According to ESPN.com’s attendance figures, the team ranks 26th in the majors averaging 15,890 per game. A better indicator of the dismal state of the franchise is that only 37.9% of Miller Park’s capacity has been filled this year; that’s 28th in the league. I hope these numbers turn around but I can’t say that I’m real confident about it.

Look for more baseball-related posts soon… I’ve got several topics of interest that I want to write about. Until then, get out to a game!