Cool Hand Lucroy

Essegian was on the bench as Nebraska trailed Saint Mary's by three in the dying seconds on Sunday. Tells you a little bit about where he stands when he's not on the floor even when his best skill is the thing his new team needs most at the end of a game. Not trying to be snarky there. It's just maybe a little bit of evidence for why Gard seemed to trust Essegian so little last year. I wasn't sure about it at the time, and I'm still not. But maybe he's just a more limited player than he appeared at times as a Badger frosh.

Avoided the let down. Lots to work on before a tough one on Friday.

First half tonight against Rio Grande Valley is a big part of why I am still unsure about this team. Can they defend? That's going to be a big question. They don't really make it difficult on teams on that end of the floor, which is an adjustment as a fan. Fully expect they'll come back and win, maybe by a wide margin. But they do need to find a way to create turnovers. That's long been a struggle under Gard.

I think the Badgers shooting 44% from 3 to Arizona's 17% is the story of this one, even beyond the fouls and FTs. I'm not going to get TOO excited about this one just based on it being at home and in some weird/fluky circumstances. That said, it's going to count as a high-quality Q1 win, and, as others mentioned, the ability of the team to respond after 65-65 was incredible. If these guys can have that kind of identity all year, we're going to be better than people think. I LOVE John Blackwell. I think he's going to really shine this year, and one thing I really like is that this year's team is probably going to more athletic than last year's. I know Storr was a serious athlete, but Blackwell, Tonje, and Amos bring a lot to the table on that front too. Honestly, it's harder to defend that backcourt than one that involves Chuckie, as much as I liked Chuckie. His strength was on the defensive end of the floor. Klesmit should get a lot of open looks, and if he shoots it, look out. It's really hard to win in this version of NCAA basketball without a lot of very good, very athletic guards. The Badgers being better and deeper on that front is going to help. Who knows how they do in the Big Ten (which is going to be good), but this is a great win to bank and build on.

Nice for fans in major Midwest blackout territory, though I think I'll still be blacked out from games vs. the Cubs, Cardinals, and White Sox (so, like 30 games a year). Worth it for me, though! As others have said, since we start from the lowest TV contract value (or one of), this hurts less and allows for some opportunities. Let's hope we innovate with this like we do with everything baseball-related!

Sometimes it really does feel like whoever the Brewers draw becomes the magic team in the playoffs. The Mets sure have it right now. Of course, the Brewers played better than the Phillies have these three games. Small consolation.

Judging teams by small sample, playoff success is so intrinsic to American sports, but it's a big part of why I enjoy following soccer. Generally, everyone understands that the system is unfair. And teams know they're competing for different things. Brighton is just not going to judge their year by whether or not they win the Premier League. That would be crazy. You judge your year by a) whether you finish high enough to qualify for European competition (the playoffs), b) whether you make a deep run in a domestic cup competition (sort of like winning a division title), or c) you avoid relegation. The goal, really simply, is to have more good days than bad. American sports aren't set up in that way, but baseball runs closer to that model that just about any other professional league (even the MLS!). I think that's a difficult thing for folks to accept, but it also feels true to me. The "October defines you" narrative seems like a bad story to me. Buying into it seems more logical in a sport like the NFL, which is really about the perpetual present because careers are so short, and the revenue system is more egalitarian. In baseball, buying that story just seems to undercut the nature of the sport, which is all about long-haul, large-sample, daily outcomes.

The catch Profar just made in the Dodgers-Padres series was pretty awesome. Leaps into the stands, pops back out and starts jawing with the fans, and the broadcast is showing the "Home Run" graphic while Mookie runs around the bases. Of course, Profar caught the ball. Kind of love that his first reaction isn't to show the catch to the umpire, but to give the business to the Dodgers bleacher fans.

I imagine we'll pick up a few "change of scenery" bulk guys to compete, and you know we'll be running a six-man rotation for a good chunk of the year. Let me say a word on behalf of Hall. I think he's going to be more of a candidate than people think. His injuries this year really kept him from getting in any kind of groove, but I thought I saw some flashes there, and he's a lefty. I would guess Ashby is going to be a bullpen piece, potentially a piggy-back or multi-inning guy, a la the old Hader, and I would bet the Brewers put him in that role. That means Hall's going to be given every chance in the rotation. And he's going to be in the pitching lab, and guys with his prospect pedigree usually manage to be more than just a guy. I'd be in on Joe Ross as an FA if the price is right. He's a good signing for Milwaukee. I doubt there's a huge market for a 31-year-old with his pedigree, and you'd figure he'd just as soon stick with a team like the Brewers than get only slightly more on a mediocre team. We're going to win with pitching depth. A lot of guys who keep you in games equals a lot of wins with this much offensive talent on the roster.

For what it's worth, I think Andre Jackson is going to have a breakout year. He'll defend too.

I have no idea how that call at first (Mets-Phillies Game 1, 3rd inning) stands while Marte is ruled safe in our series. That was a much closer play, and it was overturned. I don't understand MLB replay. Seems like soccer where different review crews have different standards. It just seems weird that it ends up so inconsistent, even in super important games.

Somehow, the Guardians only went 8-5 against the White Sox. But the Twins, Royals, and Tigers were all pretty flawed teams bolstered by winning like 12 games against the Sox, so yeah. I mean, we got Colorado in 2018, so definitely helped us then, but this year I think the NL is clearly the stronger league on the whole. Still, I like Vogt. I don't begrudge Cleveland any success.

I second this. I'd probably rather have Bryse at 1.5 than Milner at nearly twice that, despite Milner being lefty. I like Hoby, but he seems like "just a guy."

Lol. Yeah, forgot about them! I still think the point stands that it is REALLY HARD to win titles these days, even for the big market teams.

Good point about the '57 Braves. That was 30 years before I was born, but I think these windows are narrower than we realize. We put a lot of feeling behind "we'll never win one," but I think if we did, it would only be 20 or 30 years before we turned to "we'll never win one again." My wife is a big Twins fan. She was in middle school in '91 and elementary school in '87. Her most salient memories of the Twins are a) winning that awesome game 163 against the Tigers and b) utter Yankee heartbreak. You just really have to have the team win one in a certain age range for it to feel like it fixes anything, and even then, it fades quicker than you realize. The Cubs won about the most consequential championship anyone ever could, and it sure doesn't seem to have made the Cubs fans I know much happier (same goes for Cardinal fans, for all their success--they hate how much the Brewers have won the Central). And the Packer fans here know that 2011 feels so long ago. I don't know if this Milwaukee baseball team will win a World Series anytime soon. But it is also just way harder for a team like Milwaukee to do so now. Sport is such a massive business, and free agents are much easier to sign (both financially and culturally) in the big, coastal cities. I mean, look at the Bulls futility since Jordan's exodus, and that's a marquee NBA franchise. The Bucks winning was itself kind of a mini-miracle and happened because of a singular player and a shrewd trade for Jrue. The Brewers have broken my heart regularly, but they've also provided a TON of great memories and moments, especially recently. And Wisconsin sports really have had their share of success, despite a lot of disadvantages. If you're winning one title a decade in our market, you're doing pretty great. The whole state of Ohio has one title in the last 30 years, and that's with like 7 franchises. The Rangers won their WS last year, but how many other titles have Texas teams won since the 90s? I believe it's just the Dirk Mavericks. It's just crazy to think about how rare titles are even for the marquee teams like the Yankees and Dodgers.

Let me throw the "chemistry" bomb in here. I think the Brewers did have good clubhouse vibes, and I think that helped them a lot. Losing Adames will hurt on that front, BUT two things make me optimistic for a repeat: 1) Hoskins having a pretty bad year at the dish means he's likely to re-up. I know others will consider that too pricey at 18 mil, but between him hopefully bouncing back and seeming to be a well-liked presence, I think it will be a net positive. 2) Murphy seems like a guy who approaches managing like teaching. Sure, he wants to win, but he also knows when to challenge players and seems to me to look toward long-term player development, even sometimes in ways that may lower the team's chances in a given game. I get frustrated by these moves as much as anyone, but I think I sort of see the strategy and appreciate it. CC was the right guy for this franchise for the start of this run. Murph might be the right guy for this roster, especially when it's so young. I was worried we'd regret missing out on Vogt (and maybe we will), but you can't deny the fit in the clubhouse, and as these guys age and Murph slides out, we'll hopefully have Rickie to come in and keep up the pace. Baseball is so random and aggregated. The best Brewer team of my life, 2018, had to have so many things go right to make their run. One of the best rotations, 2022, got let down by poor hitting and some unexpected bullpen blowups and didn't even make the playoffs. But we have consistently beaten our projections, and the answer to "how did the Brewers win so many?" is, more and more, "because they're the Brewers." Let's keep that rolling.

Sticking with the Orioles, what about Devin plus for Urias, who I like quite a bit?

I think you're really onto something about scouting and development. This is part of why the Brewers regular season run is so impressive. Literally everyone (okay, maybe not Colorado) has a smart front office and good scouting. Some teams have massive checkbooks too, due to the TV contract situation that creates such baseball inequality. Honestly, MLB is lucky the Brewers are so good. They help buck the payroll-winning correlation in ways that are probably helpful. That won't last forever. As others have said, it's probably going to be involved somehow as the next CBA gets negotiated. I'm in for a Devin-centered package. I like LouisEly's proposal, though, man, both Lara and Black seems like a lot. Still. Probably worth it if we could do it.

2008 was sort of gravy for me. I wish we'd have hit in Philly. But CC was just on fumes, and Sheets was hurt, and that Phillies team was excellent. Honestly, I'd sort of feel like that this year if not for the Wild Card round element. We won our division, had an overachieving year, and playing a full, 5-game series would have been enough. Oh well. The most fun parts of this team will be back (minus Willy, and good luck to him)!

That extra inning game is definitely one I want back. But, of course, my memories of 2018 are, on balance, more fond than not. Keon Broxton catching that fly ball in Wrigley is one of the most beautiful things of all.

Yeah, it's just different modes of fandom. I LOVED following the 2016 Brewers. Knew it was a rebuild, took a lot of pure baseball joy in just watching players play and monitoring the direction of the org. 2017 was surprisingly competitive and tons of fun despite a second-to-last day of the season elimination. That's a steadier kind of hobby. You don't expect it to deliver ecstasy or pain. It's like a gorgeous walk in the fall woods outside your house. What we've got is full of thrills like Game 2 and losses like last night. It's like the Grand Canyon. The scenery! The rush! But sometimes you look down and your guts fall out. Neither is better or worse. Part of the natural cycle. But I'll sure appreciate the opportunity of being in one of these October stretches, even if it includes October failure. You gotta have some risk every now and then. Keeps things spicy. The Royals (and Tigers) definitely feel on a free-roll. I'll be pulling for KC because they've always felt like the Brewers sibling team. And I enjoyed those 2014-2015 WS teams as much as I ever have as a neutral.

Re: Devin last night, I don't blame the guy, necessarily. He had a bad night. He pitched poorly. It was at the worst possible time. But that happens even to great closers. I'm really, really bothered by the leadoff walk and the 0-2, third changeup in a row to Nimmo. The Alonso homer? Bad pitch, hit well. But if it's hit ten more feet toward center? Frelick probably catches it. The most frustrating part of last night is just that an important guy didn't have his best stuff, we didn't hit with RISP, and we got some bad breaks. Whatever "magic" exists in October, it just was only there for us in the bottom of the 7th, and that wasn't enough to win. This HURT as much as about any Brewer loss of my lifetime (I'd put it top 3 for sure), but I don't wish I could do it over like I do the Mark Kotsay game. I wish it had gone different, but there's nothing really to regret. No bad decisions or shooting ourselves in the foot. That's part of what makes it painful, but what can you do as a fan but just hope the team gives their best effort. Honestly, I'd love the 5th inning of Game 1 back more than I care about anything that happened in last night's 9th.

I can remember feeling like I feel now two other times in Brewer history. One was 2011, after Game 5 in Saint Louis. You can count Game 6 too. The other was 2018, after Games 4 and 5 in LA. I was pretty zen after Game 7 because Game 4's sleepless extra-inning loss followed by Kershaw's Game 5, afternoon dominance just drained me completely. Obviously, the stakes were lower this time, but I just really felt like I'd be able to genuinely ENJOY a postseason series if we ended up pure underdogs, with a young roster, against the Phillies. Losing that hurt. But I also realized at some point during the insomnia that I mostly wanted this series for other people. The folks on this board. Ueck. Jackson. Murph and Matt Arnold. Even the daily writing/coverage crew. I just appreciate this organization and want those folks rewarded for their work. I know, in a few days, this won't matter much. It'll be another scar in a collection of Brewers scars, but that's the great thing about sports. They let us experience deep, collective emotion in a way that's basically safe. I'll actually miss the terror of these last three days (not to mention the comfort of an MLB season), but not having it in my life until March/April will not really impact anything important. Plus, I have you all to talk hot stove with. I love this quote (I think it's from John Green) about soccer being the most important least important thing. I think that applies to all sports, or any sport anyone cares about. They matter because they mostly don't. And that trivial foundation opens up all sorts of pathways for genuine emotional power. Murph said last night that losing "feels like a tragedy." That's it, isn't it? It FEELS LIKE one, but it isn't, and it's that combination that makes the playoffs so compelling. One of these days (soon), we'll come out on the soaring side of the human drama. For now, I'm happy this place exists. Without others to experience this with (the highs of the division title, the lows of last night's 9th), there would be no point. Let the NL Central title defense begin!

Honestly, I'd rather play these three-game series on the road. Too much pressure when you're at home.

Oof. That Badger loss still rankles. We've been through the wringer fairly often this last decade. Thank goodness for Giannis. Baseball always feels like it hurts the most. Nature of the sport. I take some small solace in this: there's really no avoiding October pain. Even the teams that win the World Series often lose some soul-crushing game in the playoffs. This hurt me more than I though, I have to say. I'll get over it relatively quickly, but man. Mostly, it's about how much I liked this team. Last year and in 2021, we just couldn't hit, and it wasn't fun. These guys, though? You wanted to keep watching them. The good news is we get to. I'm going to enjoy watching the AL playoffs and rooting for KC because, after that, it's a long, long winter. Be nice to have some exciting, lower-stress baseball to still look forward to. And the Brewers are still the best-run team in the biz. Glad I get to follow it up close and personal all through the year.