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Owner's bold move paid off for Brewers
Postseason matchups
NLDS
ALDS
Little did Attanasio imagine that the move would jolt baseball's conservative sensibilities and trigger speculation that he might lose his highly-regarded general manager, Doug Melvin.
Attanasio only imagined the potential outcome — the outcome that sent Milwaukee into a frenzy on Sunday, when the Brewers won the National League wild card and reached the postseason for the first time in 26 years.
The Brew Crew needed help from the pathetic Mets, the inspired Marlins, Big CC (Sabathia) and little CC (Craig Counsell). They also needed a series of dramatic home runs — Prince Fielder on Tuesday, Ryan Braun on Thursday, Rickie Weeks on Friday and Braun again on Sunday. But here they are, preparing to face the Phillies in the Division Series — a testament, in part, to the outside-the-box thinking encouraged by their owner.
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CC Sabathia is the first major-league pitcher to make three consecutive starts on three days rest since Esteban Loiaza did it for the White Sox in September 2003. Sabathia has thrown 253 innings this season, the highest regular-season total in the majors since Livan Hernandez worked 255 for the Expos in 2004. Yet, the Brewers' ace continues to extend himself, even though he is on the verge of a potential $150 million free-agent contract, even though he only joined the Brewers in early July. "Everyone who really knows me knows how I am and how competitive I am, knows that I wouldn't really do anything to jeopardize my career or put myself at risk," Sabathia told me in a video interview Saturday. "I want to win. If you can't understand that, I don't know what else to tell you." Sabathia, 28, is not the first star player to sacrifice for his teammates. But he spent his first 7 ½ seasons with the Indians and other than the last three months, has no shared history with the Brewers' players. He's a rental acting as if he has a long-term commitment. Why? "It's the chemistry," Sabathia said. "It's kind of like the clubhouse we had in Cleveland. Everyone gets along. There are no egos. "We've got superstars — Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder. We've got veteran guys like Mike Cameron and Jason Kendall. It's a great mix." And Sabathia fits right in. "To see what kind of man he is, it's pretty cool," Fielder said. "It feels like he's a position player. Position players want to stay in the game. They don't care how they feel. That's how he is. If he's sore, it doesn't matter." — Ken Rosenthal |
Melvin didn't follow a traditional course for a mid-revenue team when he traded four prospects for Sabathia, a potential free agent, in early July, or when he signed closer Eric Gagne for $10 million last offseason. But those were baseball moves, one that worked, one that didn't. Firing Yost crossed a line that Melvin probably did not know even existed — until Attanasio drew it in the management sand.
The GM might never be comfortable with what happened; he had hired Yost in October 2002, two years before Attanasio bought the club. Some in baseball were so disturbed by the timing, they're rooting against the Brewers. The shock therapy, though, achieved its desired effect: The Brewers went 7-5 under Sveum, winning six of their final seven games after starting 3-11 in September under Yost.
Their season is made. Their season is saved. Their season could end no other way, for Sabathia and Ben Sheets are certain to depart and the team might not be as competitive again anytime soon. Could the Brewers have accomplished the same thing if Yost had remained manager? It sure didn't look like that way after they were swept four straight in Philadelphia.
The players, while careful not to criticize Yost, praise Sveum for his decisiveness and his direct, honest approach. Fielder says Sveum told the players right away that he didn't care if they made errors or swung at pitches in the dirt. Those words, at least to Fielder, were liberating. From that point on, Fielder says, all he had to do was worry about playing hard.
The Brewers were tight in their final days under Yost, almost paralyzed. They remain a significantly flawed team. Their closer, Salomon Torres, suddenly looks as if he belongs in the Mets' bullpen.
Their offense is feeble except when their hitters are making like Roy Hobbs. Still, don't be surprised if the Brewers give the Phillies a scare, or even pull off an upset.
Sabathia can start Game 2 on three days rest — what, you think the Brewers are going to ease up on him now? — then come back on normal rest for Game 5, if necessary. Yovani Gallardo, who pitched four impressive innings on Thursday after missing nearly five months with a knee injury, could be the Brewers' not-so-secret secret weapon. Melvin often compares Gallardo, 22, to the Yankees' Mike Mussina. After catching him once, the veteran Jason Kendall predicted that Gallardo will one day win a Cy Young.
Then again, the Brewers should be nearing their point of expiration, particularly with the way they're riding Sabathia. At some point in the near future — almost certainly before the World Series — the giddiness will end and normal business will resume.
Sveum is a good bet to return.
"He is putting his own stamp on the team without going overboard," one veteran says. "Not once have I thought, 'This is his first time as a (major-league) manager.'"
Melvin, meanwhile, has one year left on his contract. Attanasio speaks highly of him, but they probably will need to have a long talk before they discuss an extension.
A major retooling awaits. Melvin will need to trade shortstop J.J. Hardy and maybe even Fielder for pitching this offseason. Losing Melvin, even a year from now, would be a major blow. Attanasio needs to recognize that, needs to understand that one charmed decision does not make him a genius, not in a sport that humbles even the smartest of men.
If not for the Mets, which will award GM Omar Minaya a reported four-year contract extension at the risk of their fans burning down the new Citi Field, the Brewers never would have had their opening for the wild card.
One round of shock therapy is enough.
May the Brewers live happily ever after.
Member Comments
Brewers will leave Philly with a 2-0 lead. They are now the cinderella team in baseball. CC is pitching well and willing to go on 3 days rest because he can and wants to. He likes playing in Milwaukee and feels the love from Brewer fans and the player. Jump on the train before it leaves the station.
hckydad10/1/2008 6:21:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
I dont think the Brewers will need to trade anyone to get more pitching. I think they're smart enough to do whatever it takes to keep Sabathia who not only likes it here but is totally committed to winning. This guy is a beast! Yet he seems to have no ego issues and fits in with the team really great.The Brewers will be able to afford him by saving $10 million on Gagne leaving and $8.5 million++ on Sheets taking his frequent injuries elsewhere. Also, Yovani Gallardo, who was out all year with an ACL,has been excellent in his short career and should make a great #2 starter behind CC.
ortelius79/30/2008 16:38:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
this is the most ridiculous thing i heard, the firing of Yost had nothing to do with them making the playoffs. anybody ever thought about the fact that the Mets just flopped and Sweet Lou did them a favor by juggling people around and resting players.......GO CUBS GO!
Poloprince9/30/2008 15:29:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
CC and Texira are going to be offered huge money from the Yanks. Lets see if they are brave enough to play in New York.
kickservewide9/30/2008 12:32:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
Give the Brewers credit for going all out to make the playoffs this year. I hope they enjoy it too, because they won't be back next year. CC is going to the Yankees. Ben Sheets might do likewise. <br /><br />I hope Brewers fans realize that CC was a bargain. You guys should have given up a lot more than just Matt LaPorta. If the Indians hadn't freaked out and made the deal right away, I promise Milwaukee would have sweetened their offer with Escobar and/or Gamel.
ispeakforme9/30/2008 11:05:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
I was at the rally yesterday at the Summerfest grounds. I have a funny feeling after being there. I think The Brewers will re-sign C.C.
MuskyHunter25429/30/2008 10:59:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
Good job Brewers. Why is it that all of a sudden I feel like having a beer? Strange...<br /><br />The firing may have worked, but I see too many managers/coaches in all sports get the ax too quickly. I'm surprised the Padres didn't fire Bud Black the way things are nowadays.
KingDan9/30/2008 10:31:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
Swilcott-> you are right, the Brewers did have a 5 1/2 game lead in the Wild Card at the start of September, but it was over the Phillies, not the Mets (I think the Phillies were two back of the Mets; not sure). <br /><br />The fact of the matter is that both the Brewers and the Mets choked, but the Crew came through when they had to, and won games they were not winning with Yost as the manager. Personally I do not think it was his fault that they did not get any timely hits or and the bullpen is a mess, but for some reason they pulled these games out with Sveum.<br /><br />The Brewers payroll was half of the Met's before adding CC mid-year, and way less than the Cubs, Dodgers, Red Sox, etc. Even if I were not a Brewers fan, I would think that it is nice to see some new teams in the playoffs, rather than watching some rich guy's fantasy team.
mdg359/30/2008 10:26:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
i dont think it worked. You fired your manager a week or two before the playoffs. Everyone had a tough stretch but if ya start sabathia every other game anybody could be manager. Good luck in playoffs when his arm falls off from pitching 3 times in 9 days.
ad4mvp119/30/2008 7:49:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
they did win 5 in a row after the slow start. and it worked, didn't it? why do so many people have a problem with the brewers? it's not like they're the yankees. it's a small market team that beat the odds. you should all be pleased that the rays, twins (maybe), and brewers are in, instead of just the usual teams.<br /><br />unless you think it would be sweet to see the dodgers,yankees, cubs, red sox, white sox etc....ALL the big market teams in every year.<br /><br />you all probably rooted against rocky for f***'s sake.
minnesota_joe9/30/2008 5:17:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
I agree, the B's got in by going just above .500 after Yost's ridiculous firing, not because Yost got fired. They might've gone 11-2 w/ him, but we'll never know now. It also helped to have timely hitting, something no manager has control over. I suppose if M. Ramirez can be hyped for the NL MVP, then what-his-name can be similarily nominated for NL Manager of the Year, for the flaming-hot 8-5 finish the B's ended up w/. =p
wipedandready9/30/2008 3:05:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
The Brewers would've won the NLC if they'd bothered to spend 5 million on a half-decent closer, and not twice that on a burned-out, steroid-taking one. They may as well have inked Rollie Fingers to a come-back contract. =p
wipedandready9/30/2008 3:01:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
Good God, Mr. Smarty is flaming it up here too... Go Brewers! Would be awesome to see a White Sox v. Brewers World Series.
thebigPerky9/29/2008 23:49:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
GO CREW!!! YES!!! It's the playoffs. Anything can happen..pitch CCs arm off!!! He's gone anyway. THE GUY WANTS TO PITCH!! You couldn't have pulled him off that mound with a crane yesterday. GO CREW!!!
9/29/2008 15:43:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
"Brewers owner Mark Attanasio was taken aback by the criticism."<br />What a B.U.T.T. head!<br />Shows you what little people like Attanasio know about Baseball. This isn't football or basketball. The baseball season is 162 games and at some point the players need to take responsibility. I am not a fan of Yost and felt he should have been gone but at the end of the season.<br />All this is going to do is cause a lot of moronic billionaires to start firing managers if a team goes into a slump or has a loosing streak during the 162 game season.<br />Just because you are a billionaire does not mean you have automatic insight in baseball as Ted Turner learned when he decided he could manage the Braves after he bought them.<br />And I am starting to lose respect for Rosenthal. As if there are any truths in what Sveum or anybody tells him. Golly Gee!
maynard839/29/2008 13:47:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
What a "beat" writer, firing Yost had nothing to do with the Brewers winning. It had everything to do with acquiring the twinkie eating Sabathia. <br /><br />Without C.C. not only is Yost "toast", but so are the Brew Crew!
Liquid_Peace9/29/2008 13:21:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
Re: "Mets choking worse than Brewers". Typical NY-centric viewpoint. The Brewers had the 5 1/2 game lead in wild card coming into Sept and I believe had a better record than the Mets. It was the Crew's to lose, not the Mets.
swilcott9/29/2008 10:45:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
Didn't you pick the Braves to win the world series..? Shows how much you really know about baseball. If the Brewers are hot they may be the only NL team that can beat the cubs and the Phillies have as many, if not more flaws than the Brewers...except for Lidge...but we all know what happens to him in the playoffs
reddesign9/29/2008 10:18:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
good luck to the brew crew. they made a good deal to have cc as a rental from my indians. if the indians were healthy all year, the probably would have won many games and had the best record in baseball (they did last year). besides the cubs, the indians are in dire need to win the big show. go indians, and i will root for the rays and cubs this post season.
kildawg9/29/2008 10:06:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
It is a wonderful thing to see the Brew Crew in the playoffs. For those that don't know... We have grown to losing seasons. One after another. Go small market underdogs!! It is just great to see them in. No complaints even if they do lose everyone!
FreeFire9/29/2008 10:00:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
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