“Can you see the batters box chalk lines? I am having a hell of a time.” Photo: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

**Disclaimer: All names, quotes, and most facts in this article are fictitious.  This is for entertainment purposes only.  If you take this too seriously, you will not like the article**

This weekend, the umpires were on full display in the Brewers series against the San Diego Padres.  Refusing to review a close home run call, ejecting a manager for questioning a check swing, and finishing with one bad call to end a game, series, and rally.  Each call coming on separate days, adds up to one impressive weekend for the Umpire Nation. 

In order to get to the bottom of why one series was so full of blown and missed calls, I reached out to some very respected people in the community.

We are a month into the season and no one has blown a no-hitter, misjudged a foul ball, or called a guy out because he just doesn’t like him.  So far this season, the umpires have taken a back seat to the players and games themselves.  That is not what we have worked so hard for over the past 15 years, we want to decide games…players be damned.  It all comes down to lack of attention.  No one is buying our medical records to check for HGH.  Our wives and girlfriends aren’t making sex tapes.  It makes us all look bad.  So sometimes you need a few brave souls to step up and say “We are going to mess up this series”.  Bless that brave crew in San Diego this week, they are angels.  - Dale Winston, head of Umpires for local Little League…League

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly where these things begin, but I think it is safe to say that someone was not hugged enough as a kid.  Or maybe he was from San Diego and wanted to wake up in the morning and see the headline ‘Local Kid Does Good’.  But the most likely reason, they wanted to see how many times they could toss Ron Roenicke in one series.  Sadly for them, the record remains a tie.    - My neighbor Rich, while mowing his lawn

Why have instant replay for home run calls, if no one intends on using it.  That’s like my doctor giving me Viagra…just another useless pill.    - My Grandma

Can a player be out if he never leaves the batters box?   - My wife (this is an actual quote, and she is a real person…so is my Grandma)

While you can argue that all 3 calls in questions were simply a matter of perspective, you can also argue that the moon landing was an intricate plot devised by the US Government to trick the Russians into believing that we beat them to the moon.  Let’s take a quick look at each particular instance and what may have happened…

Monday Night:

Situation - Carlos Gomez launches a hanging curveball down the left field line hitting the yellow stripe painted on the Western Metal Supply Co. building.  Initially called a foul ball.  Play was never reviewed.

What Might Have Happened - The home plate and 3rd base umpire were texting each other about how excited they were for “Pain and Gain” to come out.  When they both looked up, the ball had changed trajectory (from hitting the building) and landed in the upper loge on the left field side.  Based on the moment they did their job, there was no question that this was a foul ball.  The problem is that everyone else saw the ball hit the yellow line. 

What Really Happened - Home plate Ump has a key chain that says “Replay is for suckers, you’re the man in charge.”  End of story.

Tuesday Night:

Situation - Chase Headley was at bat and took a half-swing at a ball in the dirt.  It appeared as if he went around, but both the home plate Ump and the 3rd base Ump felt differently.  Ron Roenicke began to question the call from the top step of the dugout and was immediately tossed from the game.  Headley eventually grounded out and Ron Roenicke went into the club house, smoked a cigar and watched re-runs of M*A*S*H.

What Might Have Happened - A tear in the space-time continuum, caused by solar flares, created a momentary lapse in vision from the 3rd base umpire.  When questioned by Ron Roenicke, he remembered that Roenicke stole his girlfriend when they were in Jr. High, so he tossed him from the game. 

What Really Happened - The Umps blew the call, knew it, didn’t care.  Took a blood oath before the game that they would not take any lip from the calmest skipper in baseball, so they tossed him.

Wednesday Night:

Situation - Runner on 2nd base, 2 outs, Martin Maldonado at the plate as the go-ahead run.  Maldonado slaps a little dribbler in front of the plate that bounces back at him, clipping his shoulder as he attempts to flee the batters box.  Without a moment’s hesitation, home plate Ump calls him out and ends the game.  

What Might Have Happened - The home plate Umpire was scheduled to have an eye exam on Thursday for some depth perception issues and possibly some color blindness.  So the white ball blended in to the bluish grey uniform Maldonado was wearing , along with the batters box lines which could not be discerned from the dirt of the ball field.  Rather than admitting his possible Mr. Magoo-like affliction, he went with his gut.

What Really Happened - “We called a pretty clean game tonight…that can not stand.  YOU’RE OUT!!!!”

Attention, fame, fortune…a ref seeks all of these things.  But in today’s society it is much easier to get negative attention than positive.  No one remembers the Ump who calls a season error free, they remember guys like Jim Joyce…who blew a perfect game in 2010.  The Umpire crew from the Brewers v. Padres series were simply trying to get their piece of the pie…so that they could move on up, to that deluxe apartment in the sky. 

And yes, I did end this article with the theme song from The Jeffersons.  It seemed appropriate.

Some Brewers fans are calling for the removal of Weeks after one significantly bad season. Forget about 2012. Erase Weeks’ pathetic excuse of a season where he posted a .230 batting average and struck out a whopping 169 times and take this into consideration. Weeks was coming off a gruesome ankle injury in 2011 that clearly bothered him during the first half of the season. As a result, he got into some bad habits and slightly (but enough to do some damage) altered his swing. This new swing contributed to his worst season in his major league career.

Rickie Weeks is primed for a bounce back season. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

But as his ankle improved so did his play. After hitting .183 in the seasons first three months, Weeks finished strong, batting .270 the rest of the way. This is the Weeks we can expect in 2013. If his ankle holds up and if the rest of his body doesn’t let him down, he’ll hit around .270 with 25 home runs and 80 RBIs.

Even Ron Roenicke believes that Weeks will bounce back nicely.

I think Rickie will be back to being Rickie. I truly think the ankle injury messed up Rickie for not just the end of that season but the first half of the season last year. It’s a tough injury to come back from when you depend a lot on your stride and how you land. There’s a lot of things there that led me to believe that was the reason.

However, Roenicke must find a different spot for him in the lineup than leadoff. Weeks is by no means a true leadoff hitter; in fact, he’s probably one of the worst. His strikeout numbers are too high and his on-base percentage, which ranked 41st in the National League last season, is too low to be taken seriously as the first man up. With his power and ability to drive the ball, batting him fifth would be ideal, at least until Corey Hart recovers from knee surgery. Leave the leadoff position to Norichika Aoki and stick Weeks in between Aramis Ramirez and Jonathon Lucroy, and watch him flourish.

I can understand the notion that Weeks is overpaid (he will make $10 million in 2013), but suggesting that he should be replaced by Gennett is ridiculous. I mean, you must be joking, right? Weeks’ combination of power and speed is rare, especially when talking about a second baseman. Organizations don’t just throw away that skill set after one lousy season.

Lasy year was a bump in Weeks’ career but he should in no way be judged on that alone. If he turns in another insufficent season to forget, then we can talk. But that won’t happen. Weeks is primed to return to the All-Star game.

Mark my words.

Do you believe Rickie Weeks will bounce back in 2013? Leave comments and questions below! Follow Justin and @ReviewngTheBrew on Twitter. Be sure to like us on Facebook, too.

I have reviewed the acquisiton of Badenhop and I have graded the signing of Gorzelanny. There’s only one more Brewers signing that must be judged; Michael Gonzalez.

September 4, 2012; Washington, D.C., USA; Washington Nationals pitcher Michael Gonzalez (51) pitches in the ninth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Nationals Park. The Nationals defeated the Cubs 11 – 5. Mandatory Credit: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports

Let me start off by saying I absolutely love left-handed specialists, which is exactly what Gonzalez is. Having a left-handed specialist as part of the bullpen arsenal is virgin territory for Milwaukee. You can include Mitch Stetter in that category but I refuse to. Although he was lethal against lefties at times, Stetter battled injuries during his time in Milwaukeee and was never as effective as bullpen gurus expected him to be. With that being said, Gonzalez will be much appreciated in Milwaukee.

Gonzalez, 34, left our nation’s capitol and became the final addition to Milwaukee’s revamped bullpen when he signed a one-year deal worth $2.25 million. Gonzalez will join Gorzelanny as the team’s only left-handed relievers. He owns a career ERA of 2.94 in nine big league seasons that launched in Pittsburgh in 2003. For the Nationals, Gonzalez posted a 3.03 ERA but was most noticeably suffocating against lefties (.179/.257/.269), as a lefty specialist should be.

He mainly focuses on a four-seam fastball and a slow-moving slider, but also mixes in a change-up and a sinker. He managed only 39 strikeouts last season but he’s mainly known as a contact pitcher rather than a blow-it-by-you flamethrower like Aroldis Chapman. So settle down Brewers fans; there are other ways to get batters out.

Gonzalez will only be used against left-handers when Ron Roenicke decides to play the matchup card. Now, I know what most Brewers fans are thinking. Why did the Brewers throw $2.25 million down the drain by signing a guy who can only get left-handers out? Well, for one thing, Milwaukee pursued Mike Adams and Sean Burnett in free agency but quickly found out the two relievers were above their pay scale. Second, by signing Gonzalez, they have a perennial lefty in the bullpen which is a signifcant advantage, especially late in the game. This was money well spent.

Gonzalez will have uber-amounts of success in Milwaukee and soon we will all forget about the Bullpen Crisis of 2012.

Grade: B+

What are your thoughts on Michael Gonzalez? Leave comments and questions below! Follow Justin and @ReviewngTheBrew on Twitter. Be sure to like us on Facebook, too.

Dec 4, 2012; Nashville, TN, USA; Milwaukee Brewers manager Ron Roenicke answers questions from the media during the Major League Baseball winter meetings at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel. Mandatory credit: Don McPeak-USA TODAY Sports

I’m not advocating for Roenicke’s ejections to rise in 2013, I’m simply stating that he must use the words he learned in the school yard more often when dealing with umpires. That was the one good quality Yost had. He wasted no time telling off an ump and I loved it.

A manager’s attitude affects a player’s mindset. If Ryan Braun sees Roenicke get all hot and heated, don’t you think he’ll start to play with a little more passion? It’s not rocket science. If a manager seems emotionally invested, the players will feed off of that.

So please, Ron, start showing some fire; get out there and defend your men.

But 2013 feels a little different, at least in terms of what really matters to me. Which is, of course, Brewer baseball.

I can’t quite put my finger on it, but there’s something that feels markedly different about this team. Maybe it’s a special brand of excitement that only comes with naivety, or maybe it’s a full-blown optimism in the face what is obviously a rebuilding year – but I refuse to lower my expectations for this Milwaukee club.

With that being said, we are planning a series of Brew Year’s Resolutions to try to keep the team, the fan base, and this very site focused on what’s really important going into 2013.

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Tthe pitcher underwent an MRI scan to determine the seriousness of the injury, and according to Yahoo! Sports and several sources close to the Milwaukee Brewers, manager Ron Roenicke had cleared him to pitch in his scheduled start October 2nd against the San Diego Padres. That has since changed, and Peralta has been shut down.

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Two months ago, it was very hard to find people who would outwardly defend the second-year skipper, and very easy to find people calling for his job. Of course back then, the team was double-digits behind .500 and just trying to keep above elimination from the playoffs.

Now, a very different tune is being sung as the Brew Crew continues its month-long rally and finds itself only three games behind the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Wild Card Race and in line for a most improbable return to the post-season.

I’m not here to suggest that Ron Roenicke is the sole impetus behind this amazing run the Brewers have had – I just want to ask the question: where does Ron Roenicke stand now?

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John Axford hasn’t been spared from this, either. After April of 2011, this guy was one of the premier closers in the game. He broke Francisco Cordero’s previous Brewers save record of 44 by notching 46 saves, which was tied for the National League lead with Craig Kimbrel of the Braves. Axford also boasted a stellar 1.95 ERA in 2011. He even appeared on the Cy Young Award and MVP ballots, placing ninth and 17th, respectively.

But it’s been a completely different season for Axford this year. Every so often, you’ll see a closer with a high ERA, but sometimes it’s deceptive because he has a better ERA in save situations. But that isn’t the case with Axford; his 5.08 ERA tells you every bit how bad he’s been in the closer’s role, as do his league-leading eight blown saves.

From what I’ve seen- and I’m sure other would agree- it’s Axford’s confidence that’s making him falter. In 2011, he looked like he was in complete control on the mound. This year, his body language looks different, and he almost looks scared to throw certain pitches. That certain pitch is probably the curveball, which he seems to have lost all control of this year. In 2011, he’s devastating 12-6 curve, paired with the high-90’s fastball and slider, was what made him such a dominant closer. The curve just hasn’t been there for him this year, and he was probably struggling to adjust.Until recently, that is. Axford converted saves in the last two games of the Cubs series. He looked like he was in 2011-form in the last game, as he struck out the side. The one thing I noticed was he didn’t rely on the curve; he got by using the fastball-slider combination. That tells me he’s finally adjusted to closing without the curveball.And Axford knows that now. Apparently, Axford personally asked Ron Roenicke for the closer’s role back. He said he wanted to restore order in the bullpen, and took blame for the inconsistency of the bullpen the past few months by not being able to lock down the important closer’s role.Axford’s problem all year, starting with that blown save in Kansas City, was confidence. But, it had to have taken confidence to personally ask the manager for the role that he’d been struggling in back, which says his confidence is starting to return. Now Axford needs to continue bringing that confidence back to the mound in the ninth inning, and he could be back into 2011 form before we know it.

I know, the chances of me cashing in on that multi-million dollar jackpot is the roughly akin to every member of the Brewers 40-man roster independently being struck by lightening on the same day. But I couldn’t resist – there’s always that tiny sliver of hope that I’ll be the one to win it all.

I feel the same way about the Brewers every game, regardless of the team’s standings or previous performance.

What can I say? I’m a sucker for playing the odds.

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