The news releases from the Brewers are pouring out fast and furiously today. In the last two hours, I learned the Brewers fired pitching coach Bill Castro, shipped shortstop J.J. Hardy to the minors and designated infielder Bill Hall for assignment.
All these are great moves; ones that probably should've happened two months ago.
The obvious one was Hall. The Brewers now have 10 days to trade or release him, but given his lofty salary and his lousy performance, who would want him? Mind you, the Crew are on the hook for his contract, and if he's signed this year, they pay the difference between the prorated league minimum and what he signed for. Oy.
Castro, it seems, was the perfect bullpen coach but a crappy pitching coach (it wasn't him on the mound giving up the runs, but you can't fire the entire rotation). And Hardy -- well, I still have faith In J.J., but I understand why they must shake things up.
I've seen Alcides Escobar in Spring Training the last two years, and he looked like the real deal even in March. But I also heard the accolades about Ron Belliard when the team traded away Fernando Vina. I'm not ready to give up on Hardy, but you've got to give Doug Melvin credit for making one last push for the playoffs.
The Brewers aren't out of it yet, but they will be very soon if they continue this downward slide, getting bested by the worst teams in baseball. I doubt Melvin is just trying to protect his job, either: he's certainly earned the right to field one or two underperforming team during his time as GM.
Brewers fans just got very spoiled very quickly, didn't we? We think it's our right to watch contending baseball, because we're the butts in the seats that are paying for a winning roster.
But it doesn't always pan out, and Melvin is about the most unreactionary GM out there. He simply won't trade away his best young talent for a Roy Halladay who guarantees nothing in 2009.
This isn't a rebuilding year, and the Brewers aren't "sellers." But with expensive dead weight like Hall off the field, at least fans know that despite a way-too-long leash, management won't accept or reward mediocrity forever.
Andy is the president, publisher and founder of OnMilwaukee. He returned to Milwaukee in 1996 after living on the East Coast for nine years, where he wrote for The Dallas Morning News Washington Bureau and worked in the White House Office of Communications. He was also Associate Editor of The GW Hatchet, his college newspaper at The George Washington University.
Before launching OnMilwaukee.com in 1998 at age 23, he worked in public relations for two Milwaukee firms, most of the time daydreaming about starting his own publication.
Hobbies include running when he finds the time, fixing the rust on his '75 MGB, mowing the lawn at his cottage in the Northwoods, and making an annual pilgrimage to Phoenix for Brewers Spring Training.
