Ghostbear

My Oh My, watch the slider go by. Take the first pitch down the middle, then strike out on the slider down and outside. Hmmm? I think this is the number one evil for the Brewer's hitters. The question becomes, WHY? Here's a little story from years and years ago. I was a high school baseball coach and was privileged that myself and my assistant Merlin (wrestling coach) got to go to the coaches seminars in Chicago every year. At those seminars we were blessed to meet great, great baseball players. We met Henry Aaron three times. The coaches got to ask questions. Hank was a nice, humble, intelligent guy. When he was asked how he learned how to hit, he told the story of collecting bottle caps from the soda machines where he lived when he was a kid, he said: "I got so I could hit 200 in row, throwing them up and hitting them with a broom stick that I cut off." When asked how he knew what was coming (AND HERE"S THE POINT), he said: " I read the seams." When asked how he was able to do that, he said:" I watch the ball, from the time the pitcher gets it to the time he releases it." When asked if he watched the pitcher, he said: "Doesn't matter, watch the ball, read the seams." I write this, because it is very obvious to me, the Brewers hitters spend too much time and focus on the pitcher. Last night watching Sales was a perfect example. So, my question is: Don't the Brewers have hitting coaches that teach the hitters to: 1) Relax, a relaxed muscle is much quicker than a tense one, 2) keep your bat up and back where your swing is a flat, line-drive swing, the probabilities of getting hits, when you hit a line drive is much, much greater when it's a line drive, 3) coach the hitters to ignore who the hell the pitcher is, focus on the ball from the time the pitcher gets it in his hand to the point of release. This will train your eyes so you can "READ THE SEAMS," SO YOU, AS THE HITTER, CAN TELL A SLIDER FROM A FASTBALL, AND CHANGE UP FROM A SLIDER." COME ON COACHES, GET WITH IT. TEACH THESE GUYS TO RELAX AND READ THE SEAMS. QUIT WATCHING THE PITCHER. HE'S JUST THE MESSENGER. THE BALL IS WHAT IS DELIVERED.

Yeah Yelich is still striking out and hitting under 200, worst in his career. Time for a full eye exam and a heart to heart chat with Murph. I think it has to do with him not playing out in left. But, that's another discussion. Should the Crew had won the game today? Absolutely! So, it's time to reevaluate the bull pen and admit who is worth being there and whose not. Obviously, given the new guys they're experimenting with, they know it too. Pyamps need to go. Alexander is questionable. Time to set goals for the rest of the season, thus time to bring up some guys from the minors who are doing well. Last year we were a top 5 team. This year we're a bottom 5. Thank goodness for the " Pathetic Pirates" or we'd be sucking the bottom of the lake. Thus, time for Murph, Arnold, and Weeks to sit down and look in the mirror as to who needs to play and who needs to go. Turang, Frelick, and Rhys are saving the day. Churio needs some honest, tough, coaching- maybe a few games down in Nashville will help. Ortiz doesn't belong at shortstop, can't hit, can't bunt, mediocre in the field. Durban brings energy and needs to play. As for now, Murph needs to put Yelich and Ortiz at the bottom of the lineup. Churio maybe 6 or 7. Montesario is not the answer either. Arnold needs to be looking for some serious trades. I knew we'd miss Willie, but not this much. The morale and energy of the team has definitely taken a dive from where it was. We have great young players, and we also have players who are letting the team down. I truly hope they do NOT trade Contreras. Bottom line, every player knows that if they play well, Antanasio won't keep them because he doesn't value his players at their market value, he NEEDS TO SELL THE TEAM to some owners who really want to win and who don't play games with their players, Hader, Burns, Adames are all examples of that, and all the current players see it and know it. Watching the game. Churio is frustrated. Why? Since the beginning of the year he's backed off the plate by 3 or 4 inches. He struck out again on a pitch on the outside corner?;Why? He's too far off the plate. Had he been up to the plate he would have driven the ball to right or right center. Get up to the plate. Yelich also struck out. He's only hitting 196. Why? He's off the plate. His hands are too close to his body and not up where he can come through with a line drives swing. Get up to the plate!! As an old, once upon a time baseball coach who focused on mechanics, it is very apparent that the Brewer hitters are pressing. When you watch Yelich, Churio, Ortiz, even Turang today, they're all pressing. They're focusing too much on the big picture of the past games instead of staying in the moment. When that happens, their grip on the bat is tighter, their focus too much on the pitcher's motion rather than staying focused on the ball, thus, more chasing the ball, more strike outs, more pounding the ball into the ground. The hitting coaches need to meet with them and talk to them about the following: 1-Relax and be in the moment, 2- focus on the ball Not the pitcher. From the time the pitcher gets the ball back, train your vision, thus your focus on the ball all the way beginning with the wind up, through the release point, so you can catch the spin on the ball, which will help you attack it with a level swing, 3- get your bat up, away from your body with relaxed muscles and relaxed grip, relaxed muscles are much faster than tense ones, 4- look for a pitch to drive, read the spin and movement, 5- practice smooth, level, swings that produce line drives. Then the hits will come, the runs will come, and confidence will come back. STOP PRESSING. STAY IN THE MOMENT. FOCUS ON THE BALL. RELAX. LINE DRIVE SWINGS. HIT THE DAMN BALL.

Watching the game. Churio is frustrated. Why? Since the beginning of the year he's backed off the plate by 3 or 4 inches. He struck out again on a pitch on the outside corner?;Why? He's too far off the plate. Had he been up to the plate he would have driven the ball to right or right center. Get up to the plate. Yelich also struck out. He's only hitting 196. Why? He's off the plate. His hands are too close to his body and not up where he can come through with a line drives swing. Get up to the plate!! As an old, once upon a time baseball coach who focused on mechanics, it is very apparent that the Brewer hitters are pressing. When you watch Yelich, Churio, Ortiz, even Turang today, they're all pressing. They're focusing too much on the big picture of the past games instead of staying in the moment. When that happens, their grip on the bat is tighter, their focus too much on the pitcher's motion rather than staying focused on the ball, thus, more chasing the ball, more strike outs, more pounding the ball into the ground. The hitting coaches need to meet with them and talk to them about the following: 1-Relax and be in the moment, 2- focus on the ball Not the pitcher. From the time the pitcher gets the ball back, train your vision, thus your focus on the ball all the way beginning with the wind up, through the release point, so you can catch the spin on the ball, which will help you attack it with a level swing, 3- get your bat up, away from your body with relaxed muscles and relaxed grip, relaxed muscles are much faster than tense ones, 4- look for a pitch to drive, read the spin and movement, 5- practice smooth, level, swings that produce line drives. Then the hits will come, the runs will come, and confidence will come back. STOP PRESSING. STAY IN THE MOMENT. FOCUS ON THE BALL. RELAX. LINE DRIVE SWINGS. HIT THE DAMN BALL.

As an old, once upon a time baseball coach who focused on mechanics, it is very apparent that the Brewer hitters are pressing. When you watch Yelich, Churio, Ortiz, even Turang today, they're all pressing. They're focusing too much on the big picture of the past games instead of staying in the moment. When that happens, their grip on the bat is tighter, their focus too much on the pitcher's motion rather than staying focused on the ball, thus, more chasing the ball, more strike outs, more pounding the ball into the ground. The hitting coaches need to meet with them and talk to them about the following: 1-Relax and be in the moment, 2- focus on the ball Not the pitcher. From the time the pitcher gets the ball back, train your vision, thus your focus on the ball all the way beginning with the wind up, through the release point, so you can catch the spin on the ball, which will help you attack it with a level swing, 3- get your bat up, away from your body with relaxed muscles and relaxed grip, relaxed muscles are much faster than tense ones, 4- look for a pitch to drive, read the spin and movement, 5- practice smooth, level, swings that produce line drives. Then the hits will come, the runs will come, and confidence will come back. STOP PRESSING. STAY IN THE MOMENT. FOCUS ON THE BALL. RELAX. LINE DRIVE SWINGS. HIT THE DAMN BALL.

Oh my!! What happened? Two games that starters pitched great games and the crew lost! One was a gut punch, the other one, what more do we have to see before Pyamps is gone? Game one, crew is up 4-0 going into the last of the 9th. Pyamps is brought in, not unlike the LAST 3 OR 4 TIMES they brought him in, he imploded. Then they asked Megill to hurry up and get ready to come in. Not smart. We have and had a couple of guys who've proven themselves as much more dependable than the fading Pyamps-Nick Mears, Hudson. Uribe, Alexander, Anderson, Yoho, Thomas, Koenig, and even Peguero. So, why Pyamps when in games prior Saturday's game, he was terrible. Thus, no matter how much like coach Murphy and pitching coach Hook, they made the wrong decision bringing Pyamps in and then pushing Megill to get ready quickly. Thus, the blow up happened and the "rattlers" bit them. The game today, what happened? The crew was up 2-0, Freddie Peralta had pitched a shut out through the fifth, and had 87 pitches on him when he threw a wild pitch and gave up a run. The next inning, when Freddie hit 90+ pitches, I could see, and think alot of people could see Freddie was gassed. Instead, they pushed him to 104 pitches. The result was, one out and guys on base. We all know the results after that. Yes, Freddie has pitched a great game into the 8th, but he hasn't pitched into 100 pitches this year. They should have pulled him after the 5th and brought Mears in then. So, where does the blame for these TWO GAMES the Crew Should have won but lost go? Poor coaching decisions. Common Guys!! The coaches should and I think do know by now, who in the bull pen they can really trust and who they can't. Pyamps can't be trusted and I would option him. Freddie it the best we have, but they can see when he's lost it and pushes it. When he begins to miss with the fastball and walks guys-it's a clear signal he's wearing. Of course he's going to want to keep going, what warrior doesn't. But that's the coaches job, know when your warrior is gassed and is losing it. So, that's my riff.

It is becoming very obvious the biggest issue the Brewers have is pitching and the pitchers on IR. Let's see how Cortez does tonight. If he blows it again, it's time to admit we got scammed. Let's do our best to get Woody, Meyers, and our other pitchers back off of IR.

My goodness Brewers fans. I listened to Pat Murphy prior to the game today. He's obviously worried. 47 runs in 4 games. The Yankees are a powerhouse team with a type of new bats. The MLB says they're legal. If I was Abott and Murphy, I'd be looking into getting them for the Brewers team. No doubt, our pitching is in dire straights. We need to do some very serious review of the situation, and if needed call a couple of guys up from the minors. Both Cortez and Civalia were terrible. That kid today gave it a great try, but the first inning did it. I am also very, very concerned about where the hitters are. I saw way too many guys swinging late on the fastballs and sucking for the sliders today. Did they really get ready to play the season in spring training, or did the guys who are starting now, not get enough swings before the season started? It appears Churio, Yelich, and a number of others just really aren't seeing the ball very well. This needs to be addressed soon. Don't we have some hitting cages down below in the stadium? We should, so the hitting coach(s) can go down and work with the hitters-each one should be taking 50-100 swings at least every other day. So, I am very concerned that at the end of the first 20 games, we'll be something like 5-15. Time to really dig in, and do some deep analytics and address the problems.

It's time to get very serious about Willie Adames. As an old player, coach (high school, college in the summer), I see Willie Adames as one of the top shortstops in baseball. Why? Given not only his on field performance and how he plays shortstop, also his value to the culture of the team off the field and in the locker room. It has become very, very obvious, that Brewers are one of the youngest teams in baseball. William Contreras and Willie Adames are the leaders of the team. Both are veteran players who are tough, determined, and lead the team's culture. Murph has talked about that more than once. Personally, I love Murph's method of baseball, stealing bases, bunting, players hitting for average rather than home runs, it's called knowing how to win and using the skills of his players. Think about this, Yelich is 27.9 feet per second to first base, but he is now only the 4th or 5th fastest player on the team. Willie Adames, Bryce Turang, and now Ortiz at third base, make up one of the best defensive infields in baseball. Rhys Hoskins is okay, but he needs to find his swing again after his ham string injury. Willie Adames has also lead the National Leage in terms of home runs by a short stop. Dansby Swanson's contract is 170 million over 7 years with a $7,000,000 signing bonus and other guarantees. That contract was more, I think, than Swanson is worth. Adames, this year for sure, has been much better than Swanson. Once again, Antanasio could have had Adames for a long term contract last year when Willie went to them and asked to have discussions about that. But Antanasio and his administration put him off because "he had another year left on his contract." Now that Mookie Betts is out for the year, the Dodgers will be after Adames. They realize his value. What Antanasio never, ever, considers is the importance and value of the player as a part of the team's culture, and as a leader to the team. The morale crash that happened when Stearns traded Hader was of shock value. The team's culture folded up. Trading Adames will have a similar if not greater effect. Meanwhile, Antanasio invests in soccer teams in the UK and Portugal. What? Hey Mark, why don't you invest in the Brewers. The fans and the state and the county, have made a huge investment in the stadium and thus in the team. While the Brewers are the smallest market team in baseball they have for years been one of the top attendance draws of all teams. So, Mark, the time to make a decision about Willie Adames is at a very serious juncture. Go to him, tell him how much of a value he is to the team AND YOUR organization, and that you want to keep him around. Give him a base of around 5 years at $130 million with a chance to make $30 million more a year based on his performance: 250 BA average-$1,000,000; 25 home runs-$1,000,000, Gold Glove-$1,000,000, shortstop who is among the best five in terms of lowest errors-$1,000,000, play offs-$1,000,000, world series-$1,000,000. Willie is all about leadership and performing. He is and has always been one of the first guys at the field for practice and batting practice. HE SETS STANDARDS FOR THE TEAM. Reward the guy for his dedication to the team, because really, it's also his dedication to YOUR ORGANIZATION. It will change the current view of your leadership from an owner who thinks of a player as a commodity, to an owner who values dedication and performance.

Hey!! What the hell? Why isn't the game tonight on Bally Sports? This is nonsense. Evidently, you have to subscribe, belong, to apple, MLB, or something else in order to watch the game. Is this where the Brewers are going with their television in the future? If so, let me say this to you-THIS IS A REALLY, REALLY, GREAT WAY TO PISS OFF ALL OF YOUR BREWER FANS! WHOEVER THOUGHT OF THIS SHOULD BE DEMOTED OR FIRED. THINK ABOUT THIS: EVEN THOUGH THE BREWERS ARE THE SMALLEST MARKET TEAM IN BASEBALL, DON'T REALLY OWN THEIR OWN STADIUM, BUT THE "PUBLIC" DOES (STATE AND LOCAL COMMUNITY SUBSIDIZATION), THE BREWERS ALWAYS RATE VERY HIGH IN FAN ATTENDANCE. IF THIS GAME WAS IN MILWAUKEE, I'M SURE THERE'D BE 30,000 FANS THERE. GIVEN WHAT THE FANS, THE COMMUNITY, AND THE STATE HAVE DONE AND WILL CONTINUE TO DO FOR YOU-ANTANASIO-THIS IS A FINE WAY TO THROW POOP IN THEIR FACE AND SAY THANKS SUCKERS. IF YOU OWNED THE COMPLETE TEAM MEANING THE PAYROLL AND THE STADIUM I COULD UNDERSTAND MAKING PEOPLE PAY TO WATCH GAMES-BUT YOU DON'T!!!! EXCUSE ME BUT FORCING FANS TO SUBSCRIBE TO SOMETHING AND HAVE TO PAY TO WATCH AWAY GAMES IS *********-REALLY!!! IF THIS IS WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO TO MAKE MONEY, SELL THE DAMN TEAM TO SOMEONE WHO CAN AFFORD TO DO OTHERWISE. THE CUBS BY THE WAY HAVE, FOR AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER, OFFERED FANS THE OPPORTUNITY TO WATCH GAMES FREE ON TV. GREG

Coaching: Assume Counsel leaves. Then the choice should be Atlanta Braves hitting coach Seitzer. It's obvious his methods are not only effective, but acceptable to the players. When you watch the Braves hitters, everyone of them has a squared up, hands position, feet position and head position, all in sync. This approach reminds me of the Ryan Braun approach. As far as other coaches, it is obvious that the following need to be kept: Hook, first base coach, and maybe third base coach. The following need to go: hitting coaches, bull pen coach, and up in the air, bench coach. If Counsel returns, the hitting coaches still need to go. My suggestion is that the Brewers have a pitching lab in AZ. Why not a hitting lab? They could use the input from Ryan Braun to build and develop this hitting lab, Yount might have some great input as well. Players: Players they definitely need to do what they can to keep: Burnes ( I would extend his contract with built in weight, and off season regimen, as well as achievement incentives) He obviously put on far too much weight which affected his motion in terms of turning his hips and thus getting his slider and change up to break like he wanted them to. No doubt, he's proved he's a work horse, and a gifted pitcher. However, he should be required, like all pitchers, to pitch 15-20 pitches in the bull pen prior to the game to determine which of his pitches is working for him and which are not. Experimenting what pitches work and which do not during the game is really, really, poor methodology. Woodruff. No doubt Brandon needs surgical repair, but when you check it out, it is not that serious of a repair. It just takes a while to rehab. He has time now. He's another work horse of a pitcher, and he pays attention to his pre-game, post game, and off season regimen. He's also an important piece in the club house-his dedication to the team is an inspiration. Peralta-They have him for a few more years. But he needs a little more work in terms his ability mentally to keep on focus and not fall into that urgent mode he does from time to time. Also,, he needs to focus on an off season regimen to build strength and durability. Adames: A great, great short stop, who needs help at the plate. He still has some bad habits at the plate and has tendency to swing at the slider off the plate. Santana: Even though Carlos is 37, he's still in tremendous shape, a great defensive first baseman, and a switch hitter with power. I'd see if I could sign him to a two year contract with performance incentives, like lower strike out number, and an incentive to hit .250 with 25+ home runs. I'd also have a weight incentive with an off season work out regimen to keep his strength, flexibility and durability up. Montasterio: An unlikely candidate for a 3rd baseman but he's proved himself as a very good one, and he's developed a good hitting approach, although at the end of the year, he struck out way too much because he detracted from the line drive base hit approach, to hitting for the fences which changed his level swing to more of an upper cut swing. He doesn't have to be a home run hitter simply because he's a third baseman. His goal should be to be a .300 hitter and a get on base guy. Tyrone Taylor: Tyrone has proved himself as a very good outfielder and an excellent hitter. The more he plays, the better he performs. I think he's an underestimated player. Right fielder all the way. Both Catchers: Victor and William make a great, great, catching team. Both proved as very good hitters, and William is still improving. Victor's value as a mentor is unquestioned. He's changed his hitting approach over this year, and it's proved very positive, plus he's another switch hitter. Yelich is there for a few more years. He's made significant improvement as a hitter and an outfielder. He still has a tendency to swing at the down and inside slider. The pattern the league is pitching to him is very obvious: outside, outside, outside, fastball or breaking pitch, then when they get two strikes on him, they throw him a down and inside slider. He strikes out and his frustration at that is obvious. What to do: Stand closer to the plate. Look for fastballs on the outside of the plate, even close and off the plate. Change the swing to a more flat, level, fast hands swing, that drives the line drive for extra base hits and home runs to left and center field. Once he proves he can be dangerous hitting like this, the league will have to adapt again. Rookies: The set of rookies the brewers brought forward this year are game changers. What do they all have in common: Speed, speed, speed, and excellence as defensive players. Just think if you had Mitchell, Perkins, Turang, and Wiemer all on line to hit .250 to .300. They're all burners and playing with more of an emphasis on some small ball would take advantage of their skills and abilities. What to do to get each to be a max performer: Turang: He's a great, great second baseman. Combined with Adames I don't know of a better double play combination in baseball. Turang lost confidence in his swing during the last month of the season. He was frustrated and a little depressed at that. You could see. What to do: Put him in the hitting lab under the tutelage of a Braun or a Yount. He needs to quit the big, home run swing. He has to convinced he's not a home run hitter, but I would build in incentives for him to be a .275-.300 hitter. Spread his stance, get closer to the plate, and learn to stroke the ball to all fields as well as bunt for hits at least 20% of the time or more. He needs to be put up in the line up where that approach puts pressure on the pitcher and the defense. Building his confidence and helping him with a line drive stroke swing is first. Then learning 2 different ways to bunt, particularly the slap bunt down the first and third base line are key for him. Perkins: He's up and coming. He just needs some coaching to build his confidence. He's not only a line drive, base hit guy, he's also a power hitter. He needs to focus on looking for that first pitch fastball which he can crush. Also, he needs to practice those two kinds of bunting with his speed. I like him and would build in incentives that include hitting .250 and hitting 15-20 home runs. Okay, now the guy with the greatest potential of all, Joey Wiemer: There is no doubt that he is a special athlete. Size, speed, strength, a tremendous outfielder. What's his problem? I have no idea how he got to the major leagues with his batting approach. Yet, he stilled crushed the ball a few times and showed us his power ability. I'd love to work with him in the off season in a hitting lab. 1-shorten up the spread of his feet. 2-get up to the damn plate. 3-point that front foot at the pitching mound not down toward the left side of the infield. 4-keep the bat on his shoulder until the pitcher begins his delivery. 5-when the pitcher begins his delivery, put the bat up and back with a more open top hand. 6- swing in a level swing from the position with the bat up and back. Stroke the ball to the field from which the pitch comes. 7-STOP dropping the bat and trying to crush the ball like he's playing softball or wiffle ball. Patience, patience, patience. I'd put him in the cage and get him to change his approach by hitting 100 balls a day with a focus on hitting line drives first and then stroking the line drives with power. Getting someone like Ryan Braun to to tutor him off season would pay off in big benefits. I'd build in incentives for him to make big money if he hits .250 and hits 25+ home runs. Personally, I think he could be a guy, if you can get him to change his approach to be a line drive power hitter, to hit 40 home runs as well as a number of extra base hits. He's got too much great athletic potential to waste. Now, imagine, a lineup of Turang with his goal to just get on base. Then Mitchell who can not only bunt but also hit with power up next. Next, hitting 3rd, Yelich, (DH) they'd have to pitch to him and throw him decent fastballs to hit. His extra base hits and home runs would go up. Plus what do you have up front in your line up-speed, speed, speed-also with power. Then, your clean up hitter would be Contreras, or Santana. After that, you begin with speed again, 5th-Wiemer a guy who can beat you with bunting, or hitting the ball out of the park. 6th-Perkins of Taylor-very much the same type player, fast, and with some power. 7th-Montasterio or even Donaldson if you can sign him to a one or two year contract. Monasterio once again has some speed. Contreras or Santana 8th and 9th, Perkins or Taylor. That line-up is filled with speed, speed, speed as well as power hitters. You could even have Donaldson as a number 9 hitter. He needs a little help with his batting approach, especially laying off the inside and down fastball as well as the high fastball. He can't catch up to them anymore. He has to have patience and force the pitcher to throw him fastballs and breaking pitches across the plate. He needs to focus on swinging at only pitches in the strike zone. Okay, what do you do with Rowdy Telez, I fear he may be gone. But, I'd keep him as an alternative to Santana as well as a left handed DH. I'd certainly have him on an incentive contract which includes weight control, dropping at least 15 pounds, and increasing his speed level. He's a very good defensive first baseman, but he's put on far too much weight, losing 20lbs would help him alot. He also has to make some adjustments to his approach at the plate and quit thinking he has to be home run hitter all the time. Once again, the pattern they pitch to him is alot like what they do to Yelich: outside, outside, outside, then they strike him out with the down and in slider. Due to his weight gain, he has a hard time getting around on anything down and inside. He needs to focus, once again, on keeping his hands up and back, and then developing a line drive power stroke. He also needs to get up to the plate, and hit a few of those outside fastballs out of the park, or for extra base hits (which he'll be able to do if he loses weight and increases is speed). Then, he can focus on getting the pitcher to throw pitches he can hit hard, rather than them controlling him and getting him to swing at pitches he can't hit hard. Overall: Given everything I've said above, a new approach to the offense is in order. You have a team built on speed, speed, speed. You need to focus on improving hitting approaches as stated above, but integrating bunting and stealing bases ( like the AZ snakes). You can't depend on a line up like the Braves that you don't have. You must, must, must, cut down on the double plays. You can do that by integrating and practicing during spring training the different ways to bunt, to hit and run, and to steal bases as well as develop a hitting lab with mentors like Braun, Yount, or coaches like Seitzer who know how to get players to adjust their mechanics and becoming the hitters they really want to be.

Sorry, you misunderstood. Not a PT for each player, crazy, but a separate and individualized pre-game, post-game, and off season regimen for each player according to their physical profile, gifts, and talents. This can be all be done by ONE head PT with maybe one assistant. For example, Joey Wiemer is a great center fielder. He's also a tremendous physical specimen. I believe strongly that he should be a .250-.300 hitter with around 25 to 30 home runs per year. But he has to have some new coaching-hitting coach- who dramatically changes his approach at the plate. Here's just what I see: Initial stance, front foot needs to be moved to be closer to the plate and straight at the pitcher's mound. Also, his feet need to be spread apart a little more. He also needs to calm down and focus on the ball. He does this by placing his bat on his shoulder to begin with. Then he needs to focus on the ball, not the pitcher. In other words follow the ball from the moment the pitcher gets it back from the catcher. Follow it-focus on it. When the pitcher begins his move to the plate, Wiemer needs to put his bat up and back with his top hand relaxed. Then he needs to stop-stop-stop dropping his bat down like a kid playing wiffle ball. Wiemer needs to keep his bat back, and then focus on the ball, see it-read it-stroke it. I'd put him in a batting cage and "hard" coach him until he's convinced that the Ted William's line drive swing approach, and Henry Aaron's "See it-read it-hit it," approach will really work for him. Wiemer also needs to turn his head a pinch more toward the pitcher in his initial stance. A number of Brewers need to do that, including Yelich. This means neck stretches and exercises prior to each game as part of pre-game hitting regimen. Quite frankly, I'd asked Ryan Braun to come in and do some individual hitting coach instruction with a few players, here's my list: Wiemer, Turang, Telez, Anderson, Yelich, and Adames. All of these players have developed some bad habits at the plate, and they seem to continually try to correct them through adjustments. They need somebody like Braun, who was a pure hitter, and had one of the most simple, yet effective approaches at the plate of any player in baseball. His hand, head, and eye discipline allowed him to pick up the spin on the ball, as well as be able to stroke high velocity pitches. I remember him hitting a home run in Chicago on a 101 mph pitch to win a game. He also used one of the biggest bats of any major league player. That means he had to have a work out regiment to strengthen and keep flexible his hands, wrists, and arms. I remember meeting and talking to Hank Aaron at a coaches conference in Chicago where he talked about hitting. He essentially talked about focusing on the ball, not the pitcher, so that you train your eyes to be able to read the seams of the spin. So, when he was asked how he's able to know the pitch, he said, "I read the seams." When he was a kid he would go around town and gather up coffee cans of bottle caps. He trained himself so he could hit 200 in a row with a broom stick. Try it. I did, and it is amazingly difficult, but it's an exercise that trains your eyes. Most coaches do not understand that your eyes are functioning muscle as well as all of your other muscles, and you can train them. I did it with players in high school and putting them in a batting cage up above the gym. Each kid would start at 60 to 70 mph fastballs and curve balls, and then move up to 90 MPH. It was all about focusing on the seams of the ball out of the jugs machine. You don't need a pitcher to thrown batting practice, you need to get your hitters to think that the pitcher is like a machine, and that their focus needs to be on the ball, not the pitcher. Then, turn their head so their eyes have the best focus on the ball so they can see it, read it, and hit it. Just like Hank said. Ryan Braun's approach and secret was his head and eye discipline, the turn of his head, and the eye discipline he practiced. That's why, the Brewers should ask him to come in and do some coaching with the hitters I mentioned. Here's a list of players who should be hitting .275-.320 with 10 to 20 HR every year: Turang, Frelick, Adames, Taylor, Anderson, Montaserio, Mitchell, and, of course, Wiemer. They just need some serious, one on one, touch coaching to eliminate their bad habits, and develop the line drive swing method preached by Ted Williams-it worked pretty well for him. You can pick up his book, which I made all of my high school and college kids read. Greg

Did Craig Counsell's decision throw away history? My perspective is absolutely. Corbin Burns had one of his best performances in two years, throwing a no hitter against the Yankees for 8 innings. While, I know, he had 100+ pitches through those 8 innings, he was throwing a no-hitter. My goodness, how often doe that happen? He should have been given the 9th inning to at least finish a 9 inning no-hitter. Then, since the Brewers didn't score in the 9th and nor did the Yankees, Devin Williams could have been brought in in the 10th innings. The Brewers scored in the 11th inning, and then Williams or Uribe could have been given the bottom of the 11th to finish it off. Thus, giving Corbin Burns and Devin Williams an 11 inning no hitter and making an astounding mark not only in Brewers history, but major league history. As we witnessed, both Williams and Uribe (with Sal Frelick's great catch) finished off the Yankees through 10 innings. Allowing Burns to complete 9 innings (assuming he would have continued the no hitter) would have enabled that to happen. My God, when you're looking at an 11 inning no hitter, making baseball history, let Burns do 9 and let Williams do 10 and 11. Why NOT?? You're talking about major league baseball history here. Instead, Counsell relies on his "formulae." This was not a "normal game." It was a no-hitter against the Yankees in Yankee Stadium-think about the historical significance here, and it was the Brewer's pitchers who were achieving it. So, why not let your best do their best and finish the game? It was their game to win or lose, it was their game to make history with-it sure as hell wasn't Payamps game of history, it certainly and sure as hell was not Chafin's (who shouldn't even be in the Brewer's bull pen) game to win or his history! No, and it sure as hell was not Hoby Milner's game to win in History. It was Corbin Burn's no hitter and game in history, and if anyone else, Devin William's game to win and game in history. Counsell ignored the significance of the game, he also ignored the significance of the game in history particularly for Burns and Williams. When I was watching, and he took Burns out, and then took Williams out, and particularly brought in Chafin, I had to get up and walk around because I kept saying to myself, " What the hell is Counsell doing? Doesn't he realize the moment his team, particularly his two star pitchers are in? For God sakes, let them do what they do, it's their game to win or lose." Besides that, he could have won the game with Frelick on third and Caratini on first when Monasterio was up in the 10th. BUNT THE DAMN BALL!!! THERE'S ONLY ONE OUT AND YOU CAN GET THAT LEADING RUN IN WITH A MONASTERIO BUNT. Come on man! Do you hate bunting so much that you'd rather hope for a Monasterio hit, than have him sacrifice bunt and get the run home? Maybe Monasterio would have been thrown out at first with Caratini going to second-so what! How many double plays that keep you from winning games are you going to have happen, before you wake up to how bunting is a weapon especially getting a run home to win a game? Sal Frelick is a very fast player, and Monasterio should have been given a chance to get him home with a bunt. Then Williams would have had a chance to win the game, and make history. Many people believe Counsell should be a candidate for manager of the year-his decisions the last few games indicate to me he's desperate and is managing according to hope rather than being aggressive and coaching to win. Particularly, when his decisions steal a historical no hitter from two of his best pitchers. Both Burns and Williams deserved better managing decisions. I'm sick to my stomach about this-let your great players play, don't steal history from them.

As not only look and watch the current Brewers and remember their past, we should also be conjuring up ideas about what they need to do for a successful future. Here's a couple of my ideas for thought: Injury prevention and maintaining good health, As we research the past couple of years, we know that one of the areas where the Brewers have had significant difficulties in the number of player games lost to injury. What can be done differently? The ultimate goal is to set about a strategy for each player to have a plan to be able to perform at his maximum capability and that involves staying healthy. Should we consider that each and every player is different in terms of physical and mental make up? Would it make sense for the team to have on staff Physical Therapists Phd's? Then, that person could develop strength and flexibility regimens for each player according to their physical makeups and capabilities. This would include pre-game regimen, post game regimen, and very importantly, off season routines each player follows to maintain strength and flexibility to perform at a high level. This person, the PT, would of course work as a member of the medical staff as well. And PLEASE, let us not forget the value of vision. It is well known that men at the age levels most players are, moving from younger men to a higher level of maturity, have vision changes that take place. Therefore, having on staff, or contracting with a quality level optometrist so each player could have vision testing twice during the year, beginning and middle, would be possible. I would bet right now, that at least half of the players on the Brewers team have vision changes they're not even aware of. Use of Digital visual comparison. Every player goes through different streaks of being "hot" and being in "slumps" during the year. This happens to both hitters and pitchers. It is my belief that understanding the physics and mechanics of the game for each player are very important. Therefore, why not store digital videos of each player's performance when that player is performing at a high level? Then, when a player seems to be entering into a "slump," take a video of that as well. Then take the time for a coach and the player to sit down and watch a video of each "good" and "bad" in slow motion comparison next to each other. Also, why not color differentiate each and overlay one over the other, then play in very slow motion to pick up details of how the "good" varies from the "bad." Since I am also a photographer, I've taken a series of pictures of pitchers, Burns and Hader as well as hitters, in high speed, say 10 to 11 shots a second while they're in their delivery or in their hitting approach. When you go back and replay them, it becomes very interesting as to their body mechanical approach as to both pitching and hitting. For example, I've picked up on Freddie Peralta's front foot placement differential when he's very good and when he's struggling. When he's good it's more straight at the plate, when he's bad, it's off to the right side of the plate. Using digital comparisons or high speed camera takes allows all of these details to be picked up. I might add that the days of using a coach who throws batting practice are over. Using pitching machines which can be used off the mound, instead of half-way to the plate, and the ability for the machine to vary pitches, is a much better approach for the batter to concentrate on body control, body movement, and swing flow. Once upon a time when I coached high school and college ball during the summer, we used two jugs machines in everything we did -hitting, infield practice, outfield practice, etc. It allows the coaches to concentrate on what and how the players are doing alot more. That's my take. If you want to read more about player regimens and how they work to achieve maximum performance, pick up a book by Nolan Ryan wherein he discusses all of his regimens, diet, etc. Let us remember he threw a no hitter when he was 40 and really, no one will ever match his strike out records. Fascinating stuff-really. Thanks for reading. Love your feedback. Greg-(the old coach).

No, sorry, from the old coach, you're wrong. Willie needs, really, some better coaching with his mechanics and confidence building. He's a great player, and when you put Brian Anderson at third, and Brice Turang at second, with Willie at short, you have one of the top infields in baseball, certainly the strongest arms. They're jelling. As far as Willie's hitting, please see my post on all of that. It will explain to what's going on, what Willie needs to do, and why he's a very important part of the Brewers.