Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Is Baseball Ready For Some Brew?

It's not too often the Milwaukee Brewers do something newsworthy so I'll take this time to give them their moment in the spotlight. I would venture to guess quite a few of my readers don't even know who the Milwaukee Brewers are so I will give you a quick synopsis.

The Brewers are a small market team that hasn't been relevant on the baseball landscape in 30 years. The last time they reached the World Series was 1982. Yesterday the Brewers traded for Mets ace reliever Francisco Rodriguez in a move many consider makes them the favorite to win the NL Central. Will the trade pay dividends?

It all depends on how Rodriguez handles the transition from the Big Apple to the Bratwurst capital of the world. The environment and culture is vastly different in Milwaukee, but I think Francisco is up to the challenge. It may actually do him some good to step out of the media pressure cooker that is New York. Last year was a nightmare season for Rodriguez as he battled inconsistency in his pitching and off the field problems with his family. The change of scenery may be just what the doctor ordered.

The Milwaukee Brewers are currently tied for first place in the NL Central so adding one of the top closers in the game is significant. The other teams in contention for the division title are also small market teams (St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati) that may not be able to afford a talented impact player down the stretch. The Brewers know this and decided to go all in. We'll see if it gets them to the final table. It's not all about Francisco, but if he does his job Milwaukee should be in the playoffs.

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