Reviewing the Brew » ken macha

Are the Brewers better off without Prince?

Lou Olsen — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 05:54:41 +0000

Since July of the 2010 season, we have all been prepared to say goodbye to Prince Fielder. We knew all to well that his talent was too great for our humble city to keep for itself. It seemed like an almost certainty that he would be traded at the deadline last year, but he never was. Then most of us just presumed the Brewers would trade him to acquire pitching this past off-season, and we were half right. They went and got their pitching and kept Prince in Milwaukee. The 2011 season was going to be our “all or nothing season”, right?

Wrong. The 2012 Brewers are going to be fine, so I never really agreed with that mentality. Sure we don’t have a shortstop or bullpen, but we are certainly going to be in the NL Central race all season. Will the 2012 team win the World Series? Maybe. Also maybe not. A greater concern for me is the 2013 season…

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Brewers should look for a new hitting coach

Lou Olsen — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 03:25:35 +0000

Today was a very light news day in Milwaukee Brewers land. The only real news is that, the Brewers organization asked the Brewers coaching staff if they want to go steady. Luckily for the organization, the coaches said yes. So, it seems that we can look forward to the spring, summer, and fall formal pictures (probably wallet sized). There is just one problem…

Dale Sveum, Brewers hitting coach (at the moment), is in hot demand. In the past few days, Dale has interviewed with two of the premier teams in all of Major League Baseball, the Boston Red Sox…hmmm…and the Chicago Cubs. Sveum has a history with the Red Sox and was aided by former Brewers pitching coach, Mike Maddux, withdrawing his name from consideration in Boston. That series of events leads me to believe that Maddux will end up as the Cubs skipper and Sveum will be the boss in Beantown. Both of these assumptions effect Brewers fans. Allow me to elaborate.

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An Open Letter To Baseball

Colin Bennett — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 09:23:37 +0000

As many of you may have noticed, I have been less than regular in my duties as staff writer for Reviewing the Brew. While I have diligently watched and followed our beloved Brewers with the same vit and vigor of months past, for some reason I have shied away from reporting the things that are most important – my emotions and opinions – to you, the reader.

For the most part, it’s easy to explain away. I’ve been busy with those “real-life” responsibilities that I loathe so much; I’ve been toying with other side-projects; I get sleepy after watching night games. The truth is, I may be afraid.

It’s no question that the Brewers are playing some of the best baseball they’ve ever played. There’s little argument that Milwaukee will make the playoffs. This thought terrifies me.

I’m not sure if I can handle the Brewers actually winning. I’ve thought about it without end, and honestly, I’m certain that I cannot be held responsible for my actions should Milwaukee succeed well into the post-season. There is no way that my emotions could or would be restrained to anything that would allow me to function in normal society. Judging by the Brew Crew’s loyal fan base, it’s safe to assume I’m not alone.

With that thought in mind, I took the liberty to pen an open letter to the baseball community on behalf of the team and their fans trying to crystallize the emotions of being a Milwaukee Brewers fan this and every season. What follows is about as borderline as pertinent baseball information gets, so indulge me as a wax poetic for a while.

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Count Down to Spring Training

Lou Olsen — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 03:19:22 +0000

Pitchers and catchers across America are packing at this very moment. Literally the moment that you are reading this, the odds are pretty good that somewhere in America, a P or C is packing to head to Arizona or Florida respectively. Some are even packing up their families to make the pilgrimage out into the desert sun for a few months. I know for a fact that John Axford is leaving tomorrow morning.

The time has come for us to take a broad look at what lies before us. There are some really great things to look forward too, but their could also be some speed bumps. Here are some of my keys to 2011 World Series glory:

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Milwaukee Brewers News and Notes

Sat, 06 Nov 2010 16:01:45 +0000

I wanted to take time in my first post here at Reviewing the Brew to introduce myself and then share my thoughts on the recent hiring of Ron Roenicke and look at the impending free agency period.

First off, I’m Jesse Motiff and I’ll be the new Lead Writer for Reviewing the Brew. I’ve been writing online for about four years now and absolutely love it. It’s given me the opportunity to meet some great writers along the way as well as interview athletes in multiple sports. Baseball, in particular the Milwaukee Brewers, is my true passion in not only sports but writing as well. I look forward to sharing my thoughts on the team with all of you and working with the other talented writers on the site over time to develop the premiere destination for Brewers news and commentary.

The Brewers hired for Angels bench coach Ron Roenicke this week to replace former manager Ken Macha. Roenicke was selected over current White Sox bench coach Joey Cora, former Rangers and Mets manager Bobby Valentine, and former Mariners and Diamondbacks manager, Bob Melvin. Early on Melvin was thought to be the front-runner for the job, then Valentine was reported by many to be the next manager, but in the end, Roenicke gets his first crack at managing a big-league club.

While some view the hiring as a step backwards for the Brewers, I disagree. Roenicke comes from a great system that has produced very good managers. Mike Scioscia has consistently led the Angels to the playoffs since taking over in 2000, including winning the franchises only World Series in 2002. Joe Maddon, Scioscia’s former bench coach, has led the Tampa Bay Rays to the AL East crown two of the last three years, including the team’s only World Series appearance in 2008. Bud Black, yet another disciple of Scioscia, has managed the Padres to two winning seasons over the last four despite not having many resources at his disposal from the management.

Roenicke will bring an aggressive style to a Brewers team that seemed content to play station-to-station ball under Macha. The 2011 Brewers will steal more bases, and utilize both the hit-and-run and sacrifice plays far more than the previous two seasons. This could also be an indication that Prince Fielder is on his way out of Milwaukee. I’ll get into that more over the coming weeks.

The Brewers also declined club options on Trevor Hoffman, Doug Davis, and Gregg Zaun this past week. Hoffman lost his job as closer thanks to his inability to finish games over the first two months of the season. He bounced back with a strong final two months of the year, but John Axford had established himself as the present and future closer for the team. Davis and Zaun had their seasons torn apart by injuries, which made the team’s decision quite easy to let them go.

Now that Roenicke is in place as manager and Dale Sveum will return as hitting coach, it’s time for Doug Melvin and the rest of the front office to focus on filling out the coaching staff and addressing the needs of the ballclub: specifically adding more (quality) starting pitchers.

That will also be the focus of much of what I will write about in the coming weeks. Despite falling short of many people’s expectations in 2010, the Brewers can very easily change their fortunes around for 2011, but time is short, there’s only 100 days to go until pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training.

To read more by Jesse Motiff, click here or follow him on Twitter @jessemotiff.

Micro-Brew: Macha’s bad Coffey

Tue, 18 May 2010 15:48:08 +0000

Another day, another loss for the Brew Crew, as they wasted another wonderful (if somewhat fortunate) start from youngster Yovani Gallardo thanks to another messy bullpen performance. This time the main culprit was Todd Coffey who somehow managed to give up five earned runs in a 2-1 ball game.
It isn’t so much stunning that Coffey was capable of such a shoddy performance, as it was that Ken Macha could allow a 2-1 game to get so out of hand.
So, lets take a closer look at each of these two’s shortcomings on Monday night. (more…)

Ken Macha And Brewers Players Working As One

kenwatkins — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 01:29:45 +0000

Last year when Ken Macha came into as head coach he rubbed a few players the wrong way. Not that he meant to or it was personal between him and some of the players. Many Brewer players wanted someone else as manager and some players did not like Macha’s approach from day one. Brewer players quickly learned that Ken Macha has a way to do things and he was not backing down from his approach.

This year both players and manager are on the same page which should make year two much more positive. Ken Macha has a great baseball mind and he has certain things he wants done. In year one he got his point across which should make year two much easier for his players and himself. Macha knows he will be judged by the performance of his ball club on the field. Now that his players know how he manages year two should be much easier for him to get things done.