Man was I pumped for CC Sabathia's first start as a Brewer, just like every good Milwaukeean. 27,000 tickets were sold for future dates that day, 9000 of them for that very game - 3x the normal rate.
It was the first Brewers game of the year I made plans to watch begriming to end (in glorious HD big screen natch!) and CC didn't disappoint. Oh, he wasn't as sharp as he usually is, sporting 2 ER in 6 innings pitched, with 5 BB (a season high) and 5 K's, but it was enough to earn him a win.
The next day the Cubs played catch-up and traded with the A's for hard throwing right hander Rich Harden. .
On the surface the A's got hosed, giving up the guy for what looks like diddly squat. I tend to agree it seems lopsided, but then again I don't entirely trust Billy Beane. I'm not a fan of "Moneyball" and I don't worship Beane as my statistical god, but the guy doesn't get rid of a pitcher unless the hurler is about to fall apart.
To drive home the point Socialist derisively called Harden "Mark Prior Jr". The guy is fragile, recording a mere 73 innings in the last two years COMBINED and never more than 189 in a year. The DL is his second home, and here's hoping he spends a lot time housebound while with Chicago.
Meanwhile, word today that Brewers rightfielder Corey Hart has been named to the final All-Star slot in New York! I've like the guy since I first saw him play and I'm happy for him and for the Brewers.
In the tradition of yin and yang, sad news out of Seattle. Former Brewers star turned Mariners scapegoat Ritchie Sexson was released today.
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Sexson remains one of my favorite players and I hate to see this happen to him. Yeah, he was hitting an anemic .218 with only 11 homers and 30 RBI, but believe me, the Mariners had worse guys on the field. Vidro anyone???
It was only a few years ago this two time All Star was mashing 45 homers for the Brew Crew (twice), doubling to keep a 10 win streak alive, and playing every inning of every game for an entire season, the first such feat since Ripken in '86.
And in case anyone forgets, the trade that sent him to Arizona bought this team the much needed time to develop its core of minor league talent - the same guys that now play in Miller Park.
December 1, 2003: Traded by the Milwaukee Brewers with a player to be named later and Shane Nance to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Junior Spivey, Craig Counsell, Lyle Overbay, Chad Moeller, Chris Capuano, and Jorge de la Rosa. The Milwaukee Brewers sent Noochie Varner (minors) (December 15, 2003) to the Arizona Diamondbacks to complete the trade.
In a lot of ways, the playoff contenders of '07-'08 wouldn't be possible without Ritchie.
I wish him well, and I hope he gets picked up by another team.
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On an unrelated and largely sacrilegious note: I enjoy the heck out of listening to Vin Scully as I watch a Dodgers game. But does anyone else question why he has a constant and repetitive desire to tell us a players measurements? ("Here's Doe, standing in at 6'2" and a lanky but finely muscled 180#") It's just a wee bit . . ah, never mind.
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