Six months ago, while the Brewers looked like they were going to run away with the National League Central, Brett Favre stole the thunder with the latest installment of his will-he-or-won't-he saga.
As Favre and the Packers continue their unexpected run towards a possible Super Bowl berth, the Brewers -- at least for a few hours -- returned the favor.
There was a sense of optimism in the air in the Metavante Club at Miller Park as the Brewers staged their annual Winter Warm-up. For one night, the disappointment of last season's playoffs near-miss and the questions regarding steroid allegations, a questionable reconstruction of the bullpen and the repositioning of Ryan Braun and Bill Hall were put aside as fans posed for pictures with players, coaches and front office staff.
There was a high demand to see Braun, the National League Rookie of the Year, who seemed to show little concern or disappointment about his move to left field; a change made necessary by the signing of free agent centerfielder Mike Cameron.
"I'm excited about it," Braun said. "Last year, one of our weaknesses as a team was defensively, and for me, I think we've addressed it and we should be better off. It's exciting to have a guy like Mike Cameron come in and help us."
Braun practically carried the Brewers on his back offensively last season. He hit .324 with 34 home runs and 97 RBI. His weakness, though, was with the glove. Braun was charged with 26 errors in 112 games. Down the stretch, as the team fought for a playoff spot, Yost often pulled his rookie slugger in favor of a defensive replacement.
He hasn't had much time to start working on his new position since he got the news. In fact, he joked with reporters that the outfield glove isn't broken in yet. But the simple advice, at least for now, is to throw the ball to shortstop J.J. Hardy when in doubt.
"I think I'm a pretty intelligent player and I think I'll be able to figure it out once I get out there," Braun said.
Hardy, meanwhile, was ready to get back to work. His 2007 season included his first selection to the National League All Star Team. Despite missing the playoffs, he was happy to make it through the whole season without injury after missing a majority of 2006 with an injured ankle.
"I didn't do anything to hurt the team," Hardy joked. "I didn't do as well the last couple months as I did the first couple months."
Nonetheless, he's ready to get to spring training.
"It seems like we get a closer every other week. People are excited about it and I'm excited about it. We're deep in starting pitching and our bullpen seems to be really good. If anything, we don't have to face those guys anymore and that's a good thing. I didn't enjoy facing those guys."
A number of construction projects are currently underway on features the team hopes will add to the fan experience at the 7-year-old ballpark.
The field level concourse is being renovated to add a pair of new features. The Associated Bank Kids Zone will provide a place for parents to let their young ones run around. The 8,000-sq. ft. area will include a batting cage, pitching cage, a replica of Bernie Brewer's slide and a Racing Sausages game. Kids can also get their pictures taken with miniature models of Brewers.
The main addition is a new retail store. The Brewers Team Store will be a 3,100-sq. ft. facility that will help handle the growth in merchandise sales experience last season. The store will specialize in authenticated items and game-used products. The existing fan store is open all year long, but the new location will only be open during home games.
On the club level, the team has reached an agreement with Metavante Corporation that will change the name of the .300 Club to The Metavante Club. The membership-only bar and restaurant seats up to 300 people and is adjacent to the Gehl Club.
Roster moves: The Brewers cleared the way for Mike Cameron to join the 40-man roster by designating outfielder Drew Anderson for assignment. Anderson spent most of last season with Triple-A Nashville, where he batted .273 with four home runs and 36 RBI in 108 games. Cameron signed a free-agent contract last week and passed a physical yesterday.
Promotion for Ash, Zduriencik: The team promoted two key front office personnel. Assistant General Manager Gord Ash and Director of Amateur Scouting Jack Zduriencik were both named vice presidents by GM Doug Melvin. Zduriencik had been mentioned for the vacant general manager position in Pittsburgh earlier in the off-season and is credited with drafting the nucleus of young talent that led the 2007 Brewers to the franchise's first winning season since 1992. He was named Major League Executive of the Year by Baseball America magazine last December.
