Is the Brewers ‘Beast Mode’ Dead?

This question works on a few levels, but there is only one that I am concerned with.

I for one, do not care if after making a big play we throw up the beast paws.  Not important to old Lou.

I for one, do not really care if we continue to talk about the ‘Beast Mode’.  It is kind of played out (especially out here in Seattle, where Seahawks RB Marshawn Lynch’s nickname is “Beast Mode”).  Therefore, I am going to say it about 50 times in this article.  Get it out of my system.

I for one, DO care about the mentality of the team.

"Baseball is 50% talent, 50% heart.                                             –Coach Van Buren   Damn Yankees"

The reason that I loved “Beast Mode” in 2011, was because it wasn’t just about putting on a good show.  It was more about having fun with your friends.

It started with Prince Fielder…and maybe that is where it ended. 

Prince Fielder leaving the Brewers was not a surprise, if anything it was an inevitability.  **We here at RtB would like to think that we prepared all of you for a post-Prince world**  And when he left, I knew that we would miss many things.  His power, durability, stamina in hot dog eating contests.  I did not, however, think that he would take the teams spirit with him to Detroit.

As this fun little inside joke picked up steam, it gave the entire team something to rally behind.  This was more than just a gimmick, it was a battle cry.  Thanks to Prince Fielder’s kids, the Milwaukee Brewers were able to dig deep within themselves and crave being able to flash those paws into the dugout.

Ballplayers are unique and mythical creatures.  Sometimes it is hard for us to realize that they are real, honest to Tebow, people.  Everyone in a dugout is not going to get along, or enjoy silly little hand gestures, but this worked for the Brewers.  It worked for us, as fans.  It was really fun to do.  If you think, for one second, that I was not throwing up “Beast Mode” in public places…you are mistaken (my personal favorite was when I did it at the post office, true story).

It was about heart.  It was about playing a game with your pals.  Beast Mode was more than just a marketing campaign.  In many ways, this silly gesture, will be the thing I remember most about the 2011 season.  I had really hoped it would be back, but so far….

If you have watched the first 22 games of the season, you have seen the same thing I have seen.  Nyjer Morgan, resident spark plug and crazy person, is riding the pine with a sub .190 batting average.  First pitch swinging is running rampant through this lineup, the bullpen is about as emotional as an Atheist Holiday family get together, and runners in scoring position…that’s about as Beast Mode as my dog Walter. 

The truth is, I believe this team has heart…just no killer instinct, or real emotion.  You know what you get when you have heart and no emotion, Ben Affleck.  The 2012 Brewers, through 22 games, are the Ben Affleck of the MLB.  Ben Affleck is NOT Beast Mode.

Heart/Beast Mode, is not something you can manufacture, and I know that.  Either you have it, or you don’t.  Right now, the Brewers don’t have Beast Mode…but they sure do play with heart from time to time.  Sunday was an amazing example.  The Cardinals always seem to bring out the best and worst in this team.

I am not ready to declare Beast Mode dead, but it is certainly deep, deep in hibernation.  There are not many ways to wake it up at this point.  Someone either needs to carry the team on his back and give the others some-one to rally around, instead of some-thing.  Or, I have found that trades can really shake up a club house.  Sometimes for good, other times for evil.

So, while Beast Mode may seem like 2-Pac…it could be back…recording albums…showing up at Coachella any time now.  I just hope that this team does not dig itself too deep of a hole.  Beast Mode’s natural enemy is anything that involves climbing upward…and cupcakes.  That’s a fat joke….

In closing, the talent is there, they just have to believe in each other.  Once they find something to rally behind, they could do some serious damage.  Until they find it, we are gonna have to settle for watching DareDevil…starring Ben Affleck.