In a matter of a few short seasons, I've gone from a girl that only mildly cared about sports in general to a diehard Milwaukee Brewers fan that only mildly cares about sports other than baseball.

I've always liked the Brewers because my family has always liked the Brewers. I recently saw a photo of myself when I was about 3 years old. I was wearing nothing but my older brother's Brewers shirt playing in my front yard. I remember having a teeny Brewers hat as a kid and have vivid memories of running up and down the ramps at County Stadium. My parents were always big baseball fans and I'm quite thankful that they've passed that on to me. In the more recent past, I've dug up some mementos of theirs from the 80s, the Brewers heyday. I have my dad's beer stein commemorating the 1982 World Series, a pennant from the ALCS that year and just today I walked in to my room to find an obviously used bleacher cushion emblazoned with the image of Barrel Man. My grandmother gave me her Brewers collectible glasses, bearing the likenesses of Robin Yount, Cecil Cooper and Gorman Thomas, among others. I park my car (appropriately named Bonnie. Diehards understand why) underneath a pennant my dad tacked to the rafters in the garage. You know, just in case I forget which side my car goes on. My mom recently gave me an ornament she'd painted the first year she and my dad were married. That ornament? A porcelain Brewers hat.

There's one item I found amongst the rest, however, that has convinced me it's my destiny to always love the Milwaukee Brewers: a calendar from 1983, the year I was born. In this calendar are pictures of various players. Robin Yount, who's always been my favorite, is pictured in July, the month I was born. And Yount wore number 19, the day I was born. It's kismet.

You'd never know it, though. As a kid, my family took me to a fair amount of games. I remember tailgating in the parking lots at County Stadium and always going with huge groups of people. I remember being there in 1992 when Yount got his 3000^th hit and the crowd just standing and cheering for what seemed like forever. I remember going on a class fieldtrip in 7^th grade and sitting in the bleachers, yelling at Greg Vaughn that he had a nice butt. I remember thinking I was going to miss the old stadium when they broke ground on Miller Park, even though I hadn't been to a game in years.

What I wish I could pinpoint, however, is when I decided I was too cool for baseball. It had to have happened sometime between 1996 and 2001. I distinctly remember yelling at Vaughn and I distinctly remember going to my first game the year Miller Park opened, but why I didn't care all those years in between, when I care so much now, is a mystery to me. And it's not like 5 years without baseball is a long time in the grand scheme of things, but looking back as the fan I am today, I can't believe I could go that long without attending a single game.

What I can pinpoint is the day I fell madly in love with the game of baseball, Brewers baseball in particular. April 9, 2004. How can a girl not fall in love on Opening Day? You will never experience the feeling you get on Opening Day any other day of the season. Even post season baseball doesn't have the same feel. There's something about the brisk air of spring inviting you in to the world of excitement and thrills and emotions that is baseball. Even though it was a last-minute decision to go to that game, I felt as if I'd been waiting for years for that day to come. It felt like the first time I'd ever been to a game, like I had no idea what to expect, my stomach full of butterflies, like I was the one walking out onto that field in front of 40,000 people. Even though I'd been to many Brewers games up to that point in my life, that game in particular made me realize what it meant to be a fan and I've never looked back.

Don't ask me to recount details of that game. I couldn't tell you who was in the starting lineup, who pitched, who had hits and scored runs--I can recall no stats whatsoever. I was so overwhelmed with just being there, caught up in the buzz of the crowd, that I barely paid attention. I cheered when they cheered and booed when they booed. I remember walking around Miller Park that day just soaking it all in. This was a day I would never want to forget. I may not be able to recount the actual game, but I remember the sights and sounds and smells. I remember that feeling in my stomach and I still get it every season when Opening Day rolls around. Ever since that day, Miller Park has branded itself in my adult memory, much in the same way that County Stadium did when I was a kid. When the baseball season starts, I need to be at the ballpark as often as I possibly can. No matter what, I can't quell those feelings I get when I step through those turnstiles and why would I want to? I have yet to find something that can give me as much happiness that baseball can. It sounds a little sad, but it's absolutely true. Baseball and the Brewers are my passion, one that's found its way to me slowly but surely over the years. It's something that I couldn't imagine life without. I mean, why else would I suffer through these long Wisconsin winters if there wasn't some sort of light at the end of the tunnel?

Completely unrelated, I'm guessing the majority of the commenters I've had recently failed to read the part of that post that said "I guess being a fan means different things to different people." Still, I don't like ballhawks and it's pretty clear that they don't like me. Let's just leave it at that, as we all have to live with each other since we're all baseball fans.

It's been awhile. I know. Bear with me.

I've decided to forego talking about the World Series because I've been reading The Yankee Years and my disdain for that team is doing nothing but growing. Needless to say, I was disappointed in the outcome.

I've also decided to save my thoughts on the JJ Hardy-Carlos Gomez trade for another entry, as I'm getting kind of sick of people asking me about it and have far too much to say. Let's leave it at this for now: excellent move for the Brewers. Mike Cameron, I'll miss you.

Instead of all that, I've decided to let you all in on my votes for the This Year in Baseball Awards. I've literally been on that website for at least the last hour mulling over the choices. And instead of just voting for all the Brewers nominees and whomever else I liked the most throughtout the season, as I have in the past, I think I've actually made some very well thought out decisions this year.

Hitter

My team did have 2 nominees this year in Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun. Looking at everyone's numbers, Braun probably could've been bumped off the list, but needless to say, I was happy to see his name.

Naturally, I voted for Fielder. True, his average was kept just shy of .300, but he had held it quite near that mark the majority of the season. Ending at .299 was probably a bit of a disappointment, but his other numbers made up for it. Fielder led the league for RBIs, tied at 141 with Ryan Howard, went 2nd to Albert Pujols with 46 HRs, led in OPS with 1.014 and capped out with 103 runs.

If it weren't for Prince, I was leaning towards Minnesota's Joe Mauer and his league-leading .365 AVG and 28 HRs or the Marlins' Hanley Ramirez's .342 AVG coupled with 106 RBIs and 27 stolen bases.

Starter

Of course, with the Brewers' abysmal starting rotation, there were none of my own boys to choose from, so I went with Zach Greinke of the Kansas City Royals. I'm sure he'll walk away with this honor given his 16-8 record and 2.16 ERA, which led all other pitchers in the category. Not to mention he struck out 242 batters.

I picked Greinke over St. Louis starter Adam Wainwright, whom I do think is a strong contender for Cy Young this year with his 19-8 record (the Brewers spoiled his 20th win. Ha!) and 212 Ks. I also was considering Detroit's Justin Verlander because of his 19-win season and 269 Ks, leading in that category.

Rookie of the Year

Picking a single winner is going to be tough. As far as batting goes, it's a tough call. But so is pitching.

You must know that I voted for Casey McGehee, not only because of his strong offensive numbers, but because I was able to watch him on the field all season, too. Sure he led the rooks in RBIs with 66 and was 2nd in just about every other major batting category (.301 AVG, .859 OPS, 58 R and 16 HRs), but he battled his way to an everyday spot starting for the Brewers at third base and did a pretty damn good job at it, too.

If it weren't for Casey's name on the list, I more than likely would've voted for Chris Coghlan of the Florida Marlins. Coghlan led with a .321 AVG and 84 R, while knocking in 47 runs, stealing 8 bases and hitting 9 out of ballparks across the country.

As far as pitching, I just find it really hard to compare to everyday players at any other position. Tommy Hanson of the Braves went 11-4 with a 2.89 ERA, struck out 116 batters and had a WHIP of 1.18. Oakland's Andrew Bailey went 26/30 in save opportunities while striking out 91 batters, keeping his ERA well under 2.0 and had a mere .88 WHIP. (But I still finding batting stats way more impressive. Sorry.)

Manager

Although the winner will most likely be the Yankees' Joe Girardi, who led his team to the best record in the MLB at 103-59, my vote goes to Jim Tracy. Tracy took over the sagging Colorado Rockies partway through the season and led them to a NL Wildcard victory with a 92-70 record.

Closer

Milwaukee's own Trevor Hoffman was 37/41 with a 1.83 ERA, 48 Ks and a WHIP of .91.  Not the greatest, but he gets my vote because, well, he's Trevor Hoffman. Jonathan Broxton of the LA Dodgers had a crazy-high 114 Ks and the Yankees' Mariano Rivera did only blow 2 saves. He also had the lowest ERA with 1.76. But, as I've previously stated, I don't like the Yankees. Therefore, I vote for NO YANKEES!

Set-Up

Who to choose? The Giants' Jeremy Affeldt had the lowest ERA (1.73) and tied Matt Guerrier of the Minnesota Twins with 33 holds. Oakland's Michael Wuertz led in strikeouts with 102 and with .95, had the lowest WHIP.

Even though there was a Brewer on this list, I just can't vote for Todd Coffey with guys like Wuertz and Affeldt sharing the nomination. My vote foes to Jeremy Affeldt.

Defense

I can't quite get a grip on what's better: putouts or assists? Fielding percentage is one thing, but what should I be more impressed with--the number of outs you make, or the number of outs you help make? My vote is for the Angels' Torii Hunter. He only made 1 error, giving him a fielding percentage of .997, while also having 286 putouts. Troy Tulowitzki of the Rockies was also pretty impressive with .986 fielding percetage and 433 assists. But I based my decision solely on fielding percentage and went with Hunter.

Performance

Yovani Gallardo offered a stellar game vs. Pittsburgh in late April, taking the win entirely into his own hands. Gallardo went 8 innings, struck out 11 with no ERs and smacked a solo homerun, accounting for the only run the Brewers would need to secure a victory. But I didn't vote for Yo.

White Sox starter Mark Buhrle gets a lot of praise for his perfect game against the Rays, but with only 6 strikeouts, I think a lot of the credit should really go to his teammates. So I didn't vote for him, either.

Troy Tulowitzki impressed me the most hitting for the cycle, going 5-5 with 7 RBIs and scoring 2 runs. Why was this feat more impressive than the rest? Welllllllll, it was against the Cubs!

Play

I watched evey play, waiting for the best reaction. I needed to be impressed. Making a leaping catch at the wall to rob someone of a homerun? Big deal.

The winner? The flip from Angels' Maicer Izturis to Erick Aybar. Izturis flipped the ball from his glove directly to the waiting bare hand of the human projectile that was Aybar in time to throw Kurt Suzuki out at first. I watched that clip twice just to be sure I was actually impressed. I was.

Moment

Hands down, the Angels' tribute to fallen pitcher Nick Adenhart after winning the AL West. No other moment put a bigger smile on my face.

Oddity

This is the one that I vote on purely because of what makes me laugh the hardest.

I still get a kick out of Milton Bradley's stupidity, but the absolute take-down of Racing President Teddy Roosevelt had tears in my eyes. That Peirogi was brutal!

Executive

Tag-teaming with my vote for Jim Tracy, I picked Rockies' GM Dan O'Dowd for being the man with the plan. Who knows where Colorado would've finished in '09 if O'Dowd hadn't had a hand in firing Clint Hurdle, but kudos for making the move. It certainly paid off.

Unsung Star

With numbers all over the place, it was hard to decide on this one. I went with Jayson Werth of the Phillies. His .268 AVG, 36 HRs and 99 RBIs helped get his team to the post season yet again. But with names like Chase Utley and Ryan Howard, then adding Cliff Lee and Pedro Martinez, a name like Werth gets lost in the mix. (Although, after this post season, it probably won't be lost for long.) Ben Zobrist of Tampa Bay was a very, very, very close second.

Post Season Moment

After Dexter Fowler leapfrogged Chase Utley in the 8th inning of Game 4 of the NLDS between the Rockies and Phillies, Colorado stirred up an eventual 4-2 lead going into the 9th. But, Ryan Howard smacked a 2-run double off of Rockies closer Huston Street to tie the game, giving the Phils enough momentum to eventually take the series. Since I'm a bit of a sucker for the Phillies (only after the Brewers, of course!), I chose that moment of Game 4 over Fowler's gymnastics.

So there you have it. My picks. It'll be interesting to see how many of my choices are actually winners. I'm guessing probably not many, but that's alright. I have my reasons for voting the way I do and I'm quite impressed with myself for not just outright voting for the Brewers and Phillies like I've done in years past.

So that's all I have in me after not posting for I don't even know how long. But I promise I'll keep it up a bit more, especially with all the free angents that will be floating around soon. And with the Brewers mounting need to pick up some key players. There will be much to write about soon enough.

I've been going back and forth on topics for a few entries lately, for fear of upsetting some people on mlblogs and elsewhere, but then I came across this article about that damn little girl that sued the Phillies for Ryan Howard's 200th homerun ball and it really got me thinking.

Of course, this girl managed to get the ball by pure chance. At 12 years old, she could very well be a ballhawk, but I didn't necessarily get that impression. She seemed to have just been in the right place at the right time. Sorry, girl, but you and your family were completely in the wrong to sue the Phillies organization for that ball. If you wanted to keep the ball, you should've kept the ball when the original deal was struck, whether or not you knew the monetary value of said ball. Apparently, it was only after her mother heard what had happened and heard the significance of the ball her daughter had unwittingly traded back to Howard that the lawyer was hired and the suit was filed. I'm sure it's an amazing feeling to get a game-hit homerun ball. I've never gotten one, so I wouldn't know. However, if it were me, knowing the importance of that ball, I'd give it back to Howard for whatever was offered. And quite honestly, baseballs like that one aren't really worth all that much when you consider the kind of career Ryan Howard is likely to have. He's going to hit far more valuable balls than that one in the years to come. It was greedy of that young girl and her family to sue for the ownership of that ball. Whatever sentimental value she may have of having caught it is nothing compared to the sentiment Ryan Howard has of achieving that personal career milestone.

That being said, I've been toying with writing about my disdain for ballhawks. Adult ballhawks, in particular. Having read that article, it got me thinking about it even more than I already have and I decided to just write it, no matter how many people may be offended.

Ballhawks are people that go to as many games in a season as possible, their favorite team's, games of teams with ballparks in close proximity, games in cities in which they happen to be on vacation--whatever the circumstance, if there's a baseball game going on, chances are, the ballhawks are there. These people, often times grown men from what I can discern from the many blogs they write on this fine website, enter the parks hours early to attend batting practice to catch fly balls in the stands. Basically, what this amounts to is running up and down rows of seats and loading up their backpacks with as many balls as they possibly can. They often change apparel and hats to accomodate for both teams so players think they're actual fans of the team, thus getting balls tossed up to them during warm-ups and bullpen sessions. Sometimes they'll steal balls out of the bullpen by lowering their gloves on a rope and pulling the balls back up. Then, during the game, no matter where their actual tickets are located, these ballhawks will saunter all over the outfield seats, depending on which field a batter favors, to attempt to catch homerun balls. In some cases, they linger in aisles or at tops of stairs in order to get a leg up on the people that actually paid for those seats just to load up their bags with more baseballs.

Here are my many problems with people like them.

How many baseballs does one actually need? There are actually tallying systems out there that these people use to assign points to each ball caught. Seriously? Get a life. Some of these guys have thousands. For what reason, other than unimpressive bragging rights? There are young kids that eagerly bring their gloves to games, hoping for any chance that a foul ball or homerun might be hit their way and then these douchers come barreling out of the concourse, 2 levels down and 46 sections away from where their actual seats are, only to take that chance away. Oh sure, sometimes they give balls away to these little kids, but apparently they bring decoys and switch out "important" game-used balls so as not to lose points in their precious ballhawking league.

Do they have any sort of team loyalty or is it more important to decieve the guys warming up for the opposing team just to get a couple extra balls in that backpack? I mean, I know people that like more than one team. I like teams other than the Brewers, but I don't own any Phillies tshirts or Twins hats. And I certainly wouldn't be caught wearing anything other than Brewers attire while attending a Brewers game. If I were watching, say, the Pirates warming up and I saw Garrett Jones and Andrew McCutchen tossing a ball around and I thought it would be cool if they threw it up my way when they were done, I'd just yell their names. I wouldn't pretend to be a Pirates fan for 2 minutes so they'd pay more attention to me. That's just dumb.

And do these people have jobs??? That's my biggest qualm with ballhawks. Where the eff do they find the time to go to all these games? And not only that, but go early enough to catch batting practice? And not only go early enough to catch batting practice, but go to so many games on the road? We know they're not selling these balls they catch, so where does all this money come from? Going to baseball games isn't all that cheap, especially when you consider the amount of travelling they do and the sheer amount of apparel they have to buy for every team they see.

And what about families? If I personally knew a ballhawk, I would probably feel the need to hold an intervention. Baseball takes up a lot of any true fans time, sure, but a ballhawk? Man alive, that's a lot of time to be spending at the ballpark! If my boyfriend or cousin or friend came home with a single ball, I'd be impressed, no doubt. If my boyfriend or cousin or friend came home with a backpack full of balls after every game, I'd say, "Dude, take it easy. You've got a problem."

What bothers me the most is that it seems most of these people have this feeling of righteousness, like catching an inordinate amount of baseballs by way of deception, stealing (because, face it, that's what the 'glove trick' really is) or diving in front of deserving young children is some sort of god-given talent. Anyone can do what they do, but it's almost as if they choose not to realize that. I could get up and run halfway down my section for a chance to catch a ball, but I don't because the ball doesn't mean anything to me. I'd rather scream Ryan Braun's name from the bleachers until I'm hoarse and finally have him half-heartedly wave at me than catch a foul ball.

But then again, I guess being a fan means different things to different people.

(Sorry about your ball, Ryan Howard.) 

ZOMG what an amazing weekend!!! (Zomg was our phrase of the weekend. The 'Z' apparently means nothing, thus we found it to be hilarious and used it every chance we got.)

First off, the ladies and I (Mol, Nik and Jacks) left from East Troy around 7am. We stopped off at the coffee shop in the square to get ourselves perked up and headed south. Theeeeeen a little bit to the east. The navigator told me to stay on the freeway for like 90 miles. She failed to tell me the freeway split in the midst of tons of contruction, thus we ended up about 2 hours out of our way. Ooops. We re-routed and got back on track.

Our first stop was this place.

If you've never heard of Triple-D on the Food Network, you're missing out. (We love Guy Fieri, remember?) This place looked amazing and since it was en route to St. Louie, we stopped off in the glorified trailor park that is Springfield, IL. Charlie Parker's Diner is about the only thing this city had going for it. We came for this.

The Shoe. Okay, the smaller version of the Shoe, the Pony. Toast topped with a burger and fries and smothered in homemade cheese sauce. It was yummy.

After lunch, I had to stop at the local CVS to pick up some makeup, as I had left mine back in Milwaukee. It sucked. And the teenage kid working there yelled at me when my card didn't read. Yelled. Not kidding. Get me the eff out of Springfield now!

We got back on the freeway and headed towards the border. After sitting in one lane of construction traffic for about 45 minutes, we were finally on the homestretch and there was Archie!!

And then as we got closer, Busch Stadium just kind of sneaks up on you.

So we checked in to our really pretty hotel with our really pretty view...

...and clearly, got ready for the game. (There were lots more Braun shots like this. Just wait!!)

We took some good luck Sausage shots...

...then headed towards Busch.

Okay, let me just say, I loved this stadium. I love that it's in the middle of downtown St. Louis. And it's just so pretty. And there was amazing food (Hello? Cheesesteaks!!) and great drinks and even better bartenders. I just loved it.

So anyway, we were sitting in the bleachers just left of centerfield and I got a phonecall from my dad telling me that were basically the center of attention on the FSN broadcast back in Milwaukee. Awesome!!! It wasn't until we walked back to our seats that our drunk butts even noticed the cameraman DIRECTLY BEHIND US!

Of course, we wanted to make our presence even more known, so we were being loud and obnoxious and cheering and making an outright spectacle of ourselves. But there were 7 of us, what do you expect? (Nik's little brother and a couple of his friends came too.) Apparently, in St. Louis, the fans have very calm demeanors and don't do those sorts of things. Who knew? Needless to say, we were getting a lot of dirty looks, people were yelling at us, blah blah blah. WE WERE ON TV!!!

Check it out!

And obviously, our favorite cameraman had some of his buddies find us from the front, too.

My dad took the pics for us and immediately posted them to facebook to make people jealous. He's so nice.

I mean, that dude loved us. We were on again in the 7th!

Well, the Brewers went on to surprisingly win that first game 12-6. I'm gonna go ahead and say it was because of amazing bullpen work on their behalf but also because of the fact that Yadier Molina couldn't keep the ball in front of him and there were 5 wild pitches that I'm pretty sure all eventually led to runs. Haha!

We spent a LOT of time out at the bars celebrating that night. So much that we laid low at Saturday's game. Except not really. Because we all needed drinks to treat our hangovers and we were surrounded by a lot more Brewers fans, thus needing to make our presence known throughout Busch Stadium. As if being decked out in Packers gear wasn't enough...

And Nik made sure to find out favorite cameraman to tell him we were one section over for Saturday's game. Just in case he was wondering.

And it paid off! We were the opening shot for the game!

And then they found us again when they announced the Tavern of the Game. I love FSN!!!

And then proceeded to zoom in on Nik and I.

You have to trust that when it's all in motion, our faces don't look so weird...

So, the 2 games we went to were awesome. We survived being 7 of only very few Brewers/Packers fans in attendance and we all had a really good time.

After game 2, we crashed hard back at the hotel and then all got ready to go to dinner. It was suggested that I Tweet Seth McClung asking what Ryan Braun was up to. Because, why wouldn't Seth McClung know? Sooooo I did. And he Tweeted me back!

Not exactly the info we were hoping for, but still, pretty cool. I kinda wanted to respond telling him that we chatted the night before when he was hanging out in the bullpen, but he has no clue who I am so why bother? (I also asked Chris Smith how his lip was. Don't worry, folks. It's fine. Thumbs up and everything.)

Sunday came and it was time to go see Archie and then hit the road. I won't bore you with too many pics, but we did get some really good ones, so I'll leave you with those. I hope you enjoyed vicariously experiencing my mini-vacay!!!

(Cinco had to check out BP. He's such a fan.)

And before I forget, hooray for Trevor Hoffman coming back in 2010!!! I look forward to 600 in a brewers uni!

The season may be over here in Milwaukee, but Miller Park has seen it's second consecutive year of 3 million plus fans. For me, the home season started with a win and ended with a bang, all in all bringing my record this year to 12-10. (Clearly, the Boys prefer my presence more often than not.)

Some of the best moments from Miller Park this season? Well, why don't we take a look back...

April 10 vs. Chicago Cubs

Opening Day was finally upon us. Ryan Braun belted a 2-run homer to take a 3-2 lead. Reminiscent of the final, Wildcard clinching game to end last year, no? It would be the only game of the series that the Brewers would win, but the weekend was pretty damn fun. I'm already looking forward to Opening Day 2010.

April 27 vs. Pittsburgh Pirates

As if free Club Level seats weren't enough, the Brewers were in the midst of that crazy winning streak against the Pirates. Not only was this game a come from behind win, but it was a one-inning undoing of Matt Capps for the Crew to secure a 5-run lead. It was also Trevor Hoffman's first appearance at home and even though it wasn't a save situation, it was the first of many times I'd hear Hell's Bells. Amazing.

May 8 vs. Chicago Cubs

It was Danny Gokey day in Milwaukee and I was just as pumped to see him sing the National Anthem as I was to attend the 4th of many matchups against the Cubs. The Brewers won, Aramis Ramirez separated his shoulder and it was way back when when JJ Hardy still contributed to the team. His homerun put the Brewers on top and then Hell's Bells came out and saved it.

June 24 vs. Minnesota Twins

This was probably the hottest night ever at Miller Park, but I stuck it out, even though the Brewers were down late in the game. I honestly don't remember the details, but what I do remember is missing an entire play that put Jason Kendall at 3rd base, and then a throwing error scored him to tie it up? Honestly, that may not even have been the case. Either way, Milwaukee came out on top and it was a pretty exciting game. Just really hot.

July 25 vs. Atlanta Braves

The Hottie worlds collided that night at Miller Park. Ryan Braun and Ryan Church faced off and although neither did anything particularly spectacular, both were equally hot and I was in heaven. And the Brewers won 4-0.

August 30 vs. Pittsburgh Pirates

The winning streak was broken up already and the week prior, the Pirates swept the Brewers. But the Brewers returned the favor this weekend at Miller Park. Jeff Suppan had just come off the DL and was making his second start, just in time to finish out the sweep on his own bobblehead day. It also helped that it was a Leff's sponsored tailgate party and so the game would've been a blast anyway.

September 23 vs. Chicago Cubs

Already having dropped the first 2 games of the series, and on the verge of being knocked out of playoff contention, Milwaukee managed to pull off a win in the final showdown with the Cubs. It was the last time Mol, Nik and I would all be together at Miller Park and also was the last time we'd hear Hell's Bells played. (Tear.)

September 26 vs. Philadelphia Phillies

There are many reasons this final game is so memorable. Let me start from the beginning. Nik and I were enjoying some drinks in the parking lot when we see 4 golf carts go by with what appears to be a large amount of Brewers. Indeed, it was nearly the entire bullpen! As part of Fan Appreciation weekend, they were driving around giving out tshirts and other things to the tailgaters. We missed out on the giveaways, so we headed in to Miller Park for the final time this season.

Since we were sitting in the seats from my 9-pack, I didn't even need to look for the location. We got to our section and a guy was sitting in my seat. I politely asked him to move, he asked was I sure he was in my seat, I said yes and he moved. We watched nearly the entire game from these seats. About 7 innings later, my dad texted me, pointing out we were 1 section over. Oops. But, as Nik, Mol and I always say, if you're cute and act like you know what you're doing, you can get away with pretty much everything. This guy just got up, like he was wrong. We all had a good laugh about it.

Also, it's the last time that I'll eat Cactus League nachos this year. That in itself is so sad, as I will be craving them again until next April.

Basically since we left the house, Nik and I had been talking about how Ryan Braun needed to hit a big homerun that night, as it had been over 2 weeks since his last one and since it was our last homegame, we really wanted to see it. After the Crew tied the game at 5 apiece and Trevor Hoffman held the Phils scoreless in the top of the 9th, I kid you not, this is the exact text conversation I had with my friend Mark G.

Mark: Let's go T. Hoff!

Michelle: Hells yeah. Need my last game to be a win!

Michelle: Counsell singles. RB walkoff for the win. Calling it now.

(Counsell singled.)

Mark: That'll work!

Mark: One down.

Michelle: My plan is working!

(RB walkoff homerun.)

Michelle: Woohoo!!!

Michelle: Called it. My texts are proof!

Mark: U did indeed! That was fun!

And it sure as hell was fun. Excellent last game, if I do say so myself.

I'm so greatful that I had such a blast at Miller Park this season. The Brewers may not have done as well as we fans would've liked, but you know, that's just how the game goes. Baseball is full of ups and downs and, unfortunately for Milwaukee, there were just more downs this season. I still have a great time watching my Boys, no matter what. What can I say? I'm a lifer!

And to prove my loyalty, I'm closing out the regular season at Busch Stadium where the Brewers will take on the NL Central Champion Cardinals. We were all hoping these games would mean something when we planned the trip, but I'm just happy to get to see all the Boys one last time before next season.

This week is a busy one for me, so this will probably be my only post until I get back from St. Louis. But there will be lots to talk about, I'm sure.

Go Brewers!

When I found out Narveson would be starting one my final games at Miller Park this season, let alone against the Cubs, I had to just grin and bear it. The Brewers season was over, afterall, but I don't ever like to go into a game with the anticipation of a loss. Even though Narveson won his previous start, Milwaukee had very little to show for so far in the series, amassing a measly 4 runs in 2 games, while giving up 17 to Chicago.

As it turned out, I had absolutely no reason to be worried.

After Nik, Mol and I settled in to our seats, we looked around at the poor showing for a marquee game. Attendance was just over 31,000 for the night and we girls pretty much just got to chatting about anything other than the game.

All of the sudden, it's the top of the 3rd and my most hated Cub, Reed Johnson, leads off the inning with a double. As I groaned the obligatory, "I hate Reed Johnson," I glanced at the scoreboard to see that his hit was the first allowed in the game and Narveson had already recored 3 strikeouts. And then Johnson was unable to score. Darn!

The Brewers walked away with a 3-2 win last night, all 3 runs coming via the longball. Prince Fielder smacked a 2-run dinger, his 42nd of the year, in the 4th and also coasted above Poo Holes in the RBI column once more, now with 131, while Jody Gerut added that 3rd insurance run in the 6th.

The obvious hero of the game was Chris Narveson, though, striking out 10 over 5 2/3 innings, only allowing 4 hits. The only mistake he made was a first-pitch fastball to Cubs starter Jeff Samardzija to start off the 6th. That mistake didn't end up costing the game, but it was Samardzija's first major league hit, so I'm sure he felt pretty good about it. After that, Narveson padded the already impressive strikeout total by fanning Tyler Colvin and Derrek Lee before being pulled after throwing only 70 pitches.

Todd Coffey made his amusing sprint to the mound in record time to then finish out the 6th and the only other Chicago run allowed came from a small string of hits put together while Police Academy's Tackleberry look-a-like David Weathers was on the hill in the 7th. No biggie though, as Felipe Lopez, second baseman extraordinaire, was able to pull off a very close play at first, then had an amazing line-drive catch to end the inning. If it wasn't a WebGem, it certainly deserved to be. Claudio Vargas pitched a scoreless 8th, proving me wrong in my wavering trust in his abilities, then before we knew it, it was Trevor Time. Hoffman recorded his 35th save of the season and added to his All-Time lead, now standing at 589.

Chris Narveson looks to get at least one more start this season, but with Monday's scheduled off-day, it could turn into 2. I'm pretty much sold on him to get as many in as the powers that be deem worthy. I know last night could be a fluke, but it could also be a window into what this guy's capable of. I'd like to think of it as the latter. Narveson deserves to be seen and deserves to be put into consideration to stay with the team for 2010. I realize the Brewers have other, far more pressing pitching issues to take care of in the off-season, but throw Narveson in the mix. I'm pretty much all over that guy.

So tonight the Phillies look to close in on the post-season, sending J.A. Happ (10-4, 2.77 ERA) to the mound to face Jeff Suppan (7-10, 4.76 ERA).

The Phillies lead the NL East by 6.5 games over Atlanta, whose elimination number is 5. It's a possibility during this 4-game series that Philadelphia, unless Milwaukee can hold them off, could be celebrating once again at Miller Park. Last season, of course, we all remember Philly winning the Division Series and the champagne being uncorked in the visitor's clubhouse. The Brewers need to embrace the spoiler role and do everything they can to not let that happen again this year.

Go Brewers!

These are just a few topics from the weekend that I've got an opinion on. Feel free to "tawk amongst yourselves." Or, you know, leave your own opinion on the matter.

Brewers win 5 in a row!

The Crew has won 8 of their last 10, including sweeps of both the Diamondbacks and Astros, as well as a series split with the Cubs. The playoffs seem to be all but drifting away, yet the Brewers aren't content, and I'm glad to see they're still taking the field with their chins up. All it will take to officially be knocked out of the NL Central is a Cardinals win, but if Milwaukee can manage to keep winning (I can dream, can't I?), the Wildcard isn't entirely out of the question.

The Cubs are in town for their final showdown with the Brewers starting tonight, with Braden Looper (13-6, 4.89 ERA) going for his 14th win. Looper notched lucky #13, a career high, last Wednesday at Wrigley Field. Chicago has replaced scheduled starter Rich Harden with Tom Gorzelanny (5-2, 5.29 ERA). Harden was done after only 3 innings last week facing Milwaukee and this will be the first time the Brewers lineup has seen Gorzelanny since being traden from Pittsburgh.

Keep up the momentum, Boys, and kill those Cubs!

Corey Patterson doesn't stike out. For once.

That's right, Patterson swung at a pitch and it actually went into play. And then he was picked off. Super. Who is this guy and why is he here again? It seems like he's trying just as hard as former Brewer Brad Nelson. I'm over him.

Milton Bradley suspended for remainder of season.

The same Milton Bradley who's done nothing but cause trouble for every team he's ever been with has been formally sent home for the final 2 weeks. The powers that be in Chicago had enough after Bradley reportedly said some nasty things about, not only Cubs fans, but the entire Cubs organization. I can't say I blame them for sending him packing. Is is just me, or does the guy ever realize there's an actual game going on? He was picked up for 3 years over the winter and stands to make $30 million. Astounding. Good luck with that, Cubs. Not only does Bradley hate playing for your team, but he pretty much flat-out sucked this season. It's gonna be hard to unload that guy. Although, I can't imagine why. He seems like a real sweetheart...

Gallardo shut-down for '09.

Yovani Gallardo made his 30th and final start for the Brewers yesterday, to a pretty sad weekend crowd of just over 30,000. (My guess is no one wanted that Doug Melvin Bobblehead.) I guess I just don't understand a world full of pitch counts and innings limitations. If it were up to me, I'd let Gallardo finish out the season. Especially after what he was able to do yesterday to round out the sweep of the Astros.

Yo went 5 scoreless innings, with 7 Ks, 3 hits and 3 walks, all with only 77 pitches. Those 7 strikeouts put him over the 200 mark, making him only the 4th pitcher in club history to hit at least 200 in a season. Rounding out 2009, Gallardo was 13-12 with a 3.73 ERA and struck out 204 over 185 2/3 innings.

I say, with Manny Parra still up in the air, Gallardo should have one more start this season. But I suppose I get that he missed nearly all of last season and the club doesn't want to push him, especially since he's the future ace of the Brewers. Okay, fine. Shut him down. But I'm not gonna be happy about it.

Cecil Cooper dismissed.

Really, Astros? Your team is out of contention. They have no chance left this season. Sure, Coop let them slide to 9 under .500 in the last 2 weeks, losing 7 in a row. Sure, they just got swept by a team that's only 4 games ahead of them. But you know, there's only 2 weeks left to play. Other than spoilers, what role do the Astros have? None. Let him keep his job until the end, at least. Who or what could that possibly hurt? It's a hard decision for any ballclub to make to fire a manager, coach, whoever. It would be different if Houston was in the forefront leading up to those 7 losses, but they really weren't. What's done is done, but it's a tough break for Cooper. I hope he finds a team for next season. I really like that guy.

Melvin questions roster expansions.

As he does just about every year, Brewers GM Doug Melvin had some things to say about the MLBs rules regarding September call ups. I never really thought much about it, but I have to say, I reluctantly agree with Dougie. (Only reluctantly because he's not been on my good side this season.)

Go right ahead and let rosters expand from 25 to 40. Let the teams call up as many or as few guys as they deem necessary. I believe September is a good time to let the minor leaguers get a taste of the Bigs and I think it's a good time to throw some extra arms in the bullpen and put some extra bats and gloves on the bench. I think, however, there does need to be some regulation on a game-to-game basis.

Melvin proposes that, after September 1st, teams must submit a limited roster prior to the start of each game, thus evening the playing field. I like the proposed limit of 30 players per team. It still makes each manager strategize before and during a game, yet limits the scenarios of countering pitchers and hitters, which could seemingly go on forever this time of the season.

I think 30 is a good number, allowing a team to put extra players in both the bullpen and on the bench for any number of situations throughout a game. Limiting who a manager can use per game keeps the game interesting, yet fair.

So keep on pushing, Melvin. I'm all for it.

Prince sets some new records.

Prince Fielder tied Cecil Cooper's single-season RBI record at 126 and went 5 games without another one. Fielder finally broke the Brewers record on Saturday, with Cooper in attendance, as he did it against the Astros at Miller Park. Not only did it take him 5 games, but it took him 3 tries that game just to knock in that one run. He finally did it though, and the hometown crowd couldn't have been happier.

Prince also broke a 9-year old club record for walks in a season held by Jeromy Burnitz. Yesterday, Fielder walked for the 100th time. He also hit his 40th homerun during yesterday's 6-0 shut-out, making him just the 2nd player in Brewers history to have two 40 homerun seasons. I'm gonna say that he's got more than 5 but less than 10 more in him in the remaining 13 games. I doubt he'll hit 50 again this season, but he's gonna have a big finish. And I think he's gonna be ahead of Poo Holes in RBIs at season's end.

The creepiest mustache ever.

I am a fan of high socks. I am a fan of stirrups. I am not a fan of people that look like child molesters.

There have been some amazing mustaches in baseball over the years. This is not one of them.

And that's only the beginning. And only slightly less creepy than what Cardnials SS Brendan Ryan currently has growing on his upper lip.

The full-on thing not only ages Ryan by about 20 years, but it makes me want to grab all small children in his vicinity and run the other way. Creep-o.

Okay, that's all. Just wanted to get some of that stuff out. This week is gonna be crazy for me, what with it being the final homestand for the Brewers, and all. I only have 2 games lined up for the week, but they're doozies.

Wednesday will mark the last time my ladies and I will all be at Miller Park together this season. It's only a little sad though, since we'll all be in St. Louis next weekend to give our Boys a proper send-off. On the bright side, every time the Brewers play the Cubs and the 3 of us are all there, the Crew has come out on top. So that's promising!

Saturday, Nik and I will use up the last of my 9-pack tickets and will officially say farewell to Miller Park until April 5th, 2010 when the season begins anew. I must say, 2009 has been a little bittersweet but I most definitely look forward to the next 2 weeks and everything they have to offer.

Go Brewers!

The Brewers season has been marred by injuries, poor starts, fatigued bullpen arms and too-high expectations. There have been some bright spots, however. Prince Fielder has tied the club record for single-season RBIs, Ryan Braun has become the second fastest player to reach 100 homeruns, new addition Trevor Hoffman is padding his all-time saves lead and Alcides Escobar is finally getting his time in the Major League spotlight. Despite the standings, the list could go on and on.

In addition to all that, Casey McGehee, added to the 25-man roster back in April as a bench player, has gotten his first full season with a Major League ballclub and has proven himself as a valuable asset. More than that, McGehee has become a legitimate contender for NL Rookie of the Year. I think it's unlikely that he'll win the honor, but let me plead the case on why I think he should.

Top 10 NL Rookies

Everth Cabrera, SS, San Diego Padres

Chris Coghlan, OF, Florida Marlins

Chris Dickerson, OF, Cincinnati Reds

Dexter Fowler, OF Colorado Rockies

Travis Ishikawa, 1B, San Francisco Giants

Garrett Jones, OF, Pittsburgh Pirates

Andrew McCutchen, OF, Pittsburgh Pirates

Casey McGehee, IF, Milwaukee Brewers

Gerardo Parra, OF, Arizona Diamondbacks

Colby Rasmus, OF, St. Louis Cardinals

Those 10 guys represent the top hitting performers of all NL rookies this season. I'm going to break down the top categories by where Casey ranks and who's got the highest ranking, for a quick comparison.

G: 101, 6th (132, Rasmus)

AB: 303, 7th (436, Coghlan)

H: 92, 6th (132, Coghlan)

AVG: .304, 1st

RBI: 58, 1st

R: 51, 7th (72, Coghlan)

HR: 15, T - 2nd (19, Jones)

TB: 155, 6th (192, Coghlan) 

SLG: .512, 2nd (.586, Jones)

OBP: .368, 3rd (.376, Coghlan)

Out of the top 10, it's obvious there are 2 names that are standing out way above the rest. But that's not to say McGehee hasn't proven himself worthy. What it's really going to come down to is the voting. Garrett Jones has playing time in the majors over the last 4 seasons and the Pirates have pretty much accepted this season as a failure. That's not to say what Jones has been able to do, despite Pittsburgh admitting 2009 was a terrible year, isn't impressive. (And he's def making the revamped Top 10 Hotties list. But that's to be continued on a later date.) Chris Coghlan is absolutely a top contender for the award, and rightfully so. The kid has pushed his way to the top 5 in all batting categories and it's going to be hard to see how he couldn't win it. Another guy worth mentioning is another Pirates outfielder, Andrew McCutchen. His arrival to the big leagues was much-anticipated and it's clear why. Despite not leading any categories, his name shows up pretty consistently in the top 5, as well. And his defensive skills are pretty on-point.

My plea for Casey McGehee is the fact that he started off the year basically as a bench player, working in a 3-man platoon at the Brewers' hot corner with Craig Counsell and Bill Hall. Fortunately for McGehee, a rather unfortunate season-ending injury of everyday 2nd baseman Rickie Weeks afforded McGehee consistent playing time, splitting duties at 3rd with Hall and 2nd with Counsell. He was good at 2nd, but it became clear 3rd base was a more comfortable fit. Still, Hall was on the team and as a tenured player, albeit a mediocre one, he garnered more starts. When McGehee did step in, he proved his worth and Hall was forced to sit more and more, eventually being traded to the Mariners, which gave McGehee the starting nod at 3rd nearly every game. Not only has Casey's bat been hot, but his defensive skills should definitely warrant a second look when it comes time to cast the votes. Sure, he's got a few errors, but nobody's perfect. Quite honestly, and I've said it before, I know it's unlikely that Casey McGehee will win Rookie of the Year. But seriously, I feel like this guy plays with more heart and tenacity than I've seen in a while. Even if he doesn't get it, he's definitely more than deserving of it.

So that's it. My 2 cents on the matter.

Let's talk a little bit about this Brewers-Cubs series though. Just a little.

I will take a split. A split is better than a loss. Especially when the Brewers scored 16 runs in the last 2 wins, and will ride those wins back home to Miller Park.

Alcides Escobar was supremely awesome last night, going 4-5 with 3 RBIs and turned 2 doubles plays, 1 of which was just beautiful to watch. Especially after that whack DP the Cubs supposedly turned in the top half of the inning. (Andres Blanco stepped off 2nd before the ball was anywhere near his glove. Neither here nor there. The Crew still won.) It took last night's game for me to actually sit back and come to terms with the fact that JJ Hardy is replaceable and Escobar will be the way to go come 2010.

Today, the Brewers had an early 1-0 lead taken away, but Jody Gerut's grandslam (yes, I said Jody Gerut) put them back on top, giving Dave Bush and the Crew a much-needed win.

Tomorrow the Crew comes home to face the Astros over the weekend and then the Cubs come to Miller Park for one last showdown before the Phillies wrap up the final homestand of the season. It's kind of sad to think I only have 2 more trips to the hometown ballpark before season's end (of course, there's the trip to Busch Stadium after that), but in a way, once the year is over, it means the powers that be in Milwaukee can start thinking ahead towards next season. And, of course, it means I can focus all my sports energy on football.

Manny Parra will be replaced by Chris Narveson(1-0, 4.67 ERA) again tomorrow night. Narveson takes the mound against the Astros' Bud Norris (5-3, 5.44 ERA).

Go Brewers!

On this day, exactly one year ago, a joyous union took place between a girl with an obsession and an outlet with which that obsession could only grow deeper.

Happy Birthday, Girl's View!!!

From that first post celebrating Ned Yost's firing, to documenting the first Brewers postseason of my lifetime, to the Official Top 10 Baseball Hotties -- it's really been a good year with this little blog of mine. I know that I've fell off as of late, but I've got plenty rolling around in my little head that just hasn't had time to make it to the site quite yet. Be patient, loyal reader(s)! There will be lots to keep up with all in due time!

The Brewers play the dreaded Cubs tonight. In fact, the first pitch is due any minute now. Yovani Gallardo and the Crew look to redeem the 2-0 shutout from last night and also look to close in on the .500 mark before the end of the season.

Best of luck tonight, and the rest of the season, Boys! If it weren't for you guys, I wouldn't be writing this.

Go Brewers!