Milwaukee Brewers 2013 Woes Continue — Ryan Braun Accepts 65-Game Suspension, Out for the Year
Folks, when it rains, it pours.
While I was working on my previous update, I had written this about my favorite team, which are of course the Milwaukee Brewers. They are currently on a four-game winning streak, and I thought it worthy of celebration. So here’s what I said, moments before the news about Ryan Braun broke in Milwaukee:
The Milwaukee Brewers are on a post All-Star break roll, sweeping the Florida Marlins out of Milwaukee yesterday and winning all three low-scoring games due to excellent pitching (Friday’s starting pitcher was Kyle Lohse, Saturday’s was Yovani Gallardo, and Sunday’s was the rapidly improving Wily Peralta) by both starters and bullpen.
Let’s see how well they do against San Diego tonight, though I do think they should have an excellent chance as the Padres have won only two more games than the Brewers and are exactly the same in the loss column.
(Granted, it seems odd to quote myself.)
I wrote this prior to the knowledge that Braun had accepted a 65-game suspension and will consequently be out the rest of the 2013 season, forfeiting over $3 million of his 2013 salary. (Please see this link from Yahoo Sports for further details.) Which is why I pulled it out of the previous post, quoted it here, and now will have to discard all of that as the much bigger story is Braun’s upcoming absence for the remainder of the 2013 season.
Oh, brother.
Look. I’m someone who fully believed that Braun was innocent of using any performance-enhancing drug (or PED, for short). Mistakes can happen when it comes to drug testing; they’re rare, sure, but they still can happen, and it seemed plausible to me that a man whose physique had never changed, whose lifetime numbers (batting average, on-base-percentage, slugging percentage, etc.) had never changed, either, and who vehemently declared his innocence was worthy of defending.
It has also seemed to me, for quite some time, that Major League Baseball has a grudge against Ryan Braun. They are annoyed that he managed to win his arbitration case in 2012, and that he was never suspended at that time for PEDs. And they have continued to go after him since then, doing their best to vilify his reputation in the process.
So, what am I to think of this statement from Braun, then?
As quoted from the Yahoo Sports article by Jeff Passan:
“As I have acknowledged in the past, I am not perfect,” Braun said. “I realize now that I have made some mistakes. I am willing to accept the consequences of those actions. This situation has taken a toll on me and my entire family, and it has been a distraction to my teammates and the Brewers organization. I am very grateful for the support I have received from players, ownership and the fans in Milwaukee and around the country. Finally, I wish to apologize to anyone I may have disappointed – all of the baseball fans especially those in Milwaukee, the great Brewers organization, and my teammates. I am glad to have this matter behind me once and for all, and I cannot wait to get back to the game I love.”
This statement doesn’t really say anything, does it? Other than that Braun accepted punishment for unnamed “mistakes,” apologized for the “distraction” afterward, and wants to play baseball again, there’s nothing here for a fan of the Brewers to really hang her hat on.
This article by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel baseball beat writer Tom Haudricourt clearly states this about the Ryan Braun suspension:
Major League Baseball has suspended Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun without pay for the remainder of the 2013 season and he has accepted the penalty, meaning he was caught red-handed either buying and/or using performance-enhancing drugs.
The suspension takes place immediately, so Braun will be suspended for the final 65 games of the season, beginning with the Brewers’ game Monday night at Miller Park against San Diego. The sanction came as a result of MLB’s investigation into the infamous Biogenesis clinic, which was exposed as having sold PEDs to players after documents were released to various news agencies earlier this year.
The suspension also exposed Braun as a liar because he has stated many times that he never used PEDs and never wavered from that stance.
So it appears that Tom Haudricourt isn’t too thrilled with what happened here, either.
Again — as a writer, I am trained to spot inconsistencies. Braun’s story, as Tom H. clearly said, never wavered. Braun loudly proclaimed his innocence at every turn. Braun blamed the guy who collected the urine test for the reason it came up positive, and was able to make that stick, and doing so made it appear to me that Braun really was telling the truth. Especially as Braun hadn’t failed any other drug tests before, or since.
But there are other ways to cheat the system. Baseball itself knows that better than anyone, and fans — even good ones, like myself, who are aware of steroids and other PEDs and know something of their effects on the body — aren’t really able to fully grasp why someone like Ryan Braun, who seemingly has the world at his feet and has no reason to skirt the rules whatsoever, has now admitted to doing so.
Even if his admission has all the oomph of a non-admission, mostly because he hasn’t said exactly what he’s been accused of doing.
Baseball fans will forgive almost any player if he tells the truth about what he’s done. Andy Pettitte said he used HGH — human growth hormone — in an effort to heal from injury faster, and wasn’t suspended. Alex Rodriguez admitted to using unspecified PEDs a few years ago, and wasn’t suspended (though he may be now due to apparently using them again via Biogenesis). Fernando Vina admitted to using steroids when he was with the Brewers long after the fact — he was a broadcaster, by then — and no one has ever vilified him.
But when someone doesn’t admit it and apparently did use them — whether it’s Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire, or Rafael Palmeiro — fans get upset. And then the player in question faces consequences, including shunning, booing, boorish behavior by the fans, or worst of all, exclusion from the Baseball Hall of Fame.
My attitude regarding PED use remains much the same as it’s always been. I think if you’re trying to stay healthy to play baseball, that’s a lot different than trying to cheat the system, which is why McGwire, Sammy Sosa, and Bonds (if he really did use them) should be given a pass, as all of them had well-known health problems that steroids/PEDs may have alleviated. And if you’re willing to accept all sorts of adverse effects on your body, as seen by Lyle Alzado’s tragic death after his brilliant NFL career not so long ago, have at.
My particular problem with Braun isn’t that he used (or maybe didn’t use) PEDs. It’s that he still hasn’t come clean regarding that use.
I believe very strongly in redemption and second chances. But one of the things most people need to do before they can fully proceed with either is to be honest. With themselves. With the other important people in their lives.
So far, Ryan Braun hasn’t done this.
Like it or not, Braun is a public figure by the dint of his baseball stardom. That’s why whatever happened must be explained to those who’ve supported him from the beginning — some specific explanations, not today’s weasel-worded non-denial denial — the fans of the Milwaukee Brewers.
Until he does, he’ll probably face all sorts of unintended consequences of today’s admission. And he’ll keep on facing them until he’s finally, fully and freely explained just what happened here that’s bad enough for him to accept an unpaid suspension for the rest of the 2013 season.
An All-Around, Generalized Update
Folks, I’ve been hip-deep in editing this past week — I’ve been doing a last-ditch edit of my novel, ELFY, and have decided to re-do some chapter lengths. I also edited a short project for a friend, and have consulted on two other projects . . . and as if that’s not enough, I prepared for a concert with the Racine Concert Band that was unfortunately rained out last evening, too. (I was to play my alto saxophone.)
So I’ve had plenty going on, which is why I haven’t written a blog in over a week, why I haven’t reviewed any books, either, and quite frankly, haven’t really had much time to even turn around. (Ask my friends, as they barely see me, online or off.)
At any rate, here’s what I think about this, that, and the other, July 2013 style:
The George Zimmerman trial stirred up a lot of bad feelings. The African-American community is outraged, as is completely understandable, that Zimmerman wasn’t held accountable for his actions by the Florida court system. The Hispanic community is upset because they mostly seem to believe that Zimmerman is a poor reflection on them. And many white Americans seem to believe that Zimmerman is a martyr and should be embraced at all costs.
While I completely understand how the public at large could have conflicting feelings — and these three segments of the American “melting pot” could feel in completely different ways — the fact remains that as Zimmerman was not initially charged with anything for over a month, many bits of evidence were completely lost. The prosecution didn’t have much to work with, which may be partly why they seemed to do such a terrible job in going after Zimmerman. And the laws of Florida are such that there was absolutely no way with the evidence the prosecution had left to work with that the prosecution could have ever gotten a jury to sign off on the charge of second degree murder, either, no matter how competent the prosecution had been.
I said on my Facebook page that I thought Zimmerman would not be convicted of second degree murder or the high degree of manslaughter, which came into play only in the final days of the trial and was ill-defined to boot, not because I think Zimmerman is an innocent — he’s not — but because the prosecution hadn’t proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
Had the prosecution gone after something much more likely to have been understood by the jury, albeit with much less high of a profile than second degree murder, they would’ve charged Zimmerman with whatever Florida calls “reckless endangerment of human life” coupled with “unlawful use of a firearm.” Zimmerman most likely would’ve been acquitted of the last due to the way Florida’s laws are written, but at least the prosecution would’ve had a snowball’s chance in Hell of making the charges stick.
A sentence for something like that in Wisconsin to a first-time offender is usually anywhere between two to five years in jail coupled with the loss of the firearm in question. I think if the jury had been looking at something like that for Zimmerman rather than the lengthy stints in jail required for second degree murder or the high degree of manslaughter the Florida authorities were going after, they may have been able to consider the actual evidence in a different light.
All I know is, I’m glad there weren’t nationwide riots after the verdict was read, and that the jury’s verdict has been respected (even if not appreciated by vast segments of the population). Because truly, there are better ways to continue the conversation Trayvon Martin’s untimely death has prompted than to cause permanent damage to people and objects — like actually talking.
Edited to add:
A very interesting column by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel columnist Eugene Kane has this to say about the Zimmerman trial:
After Zimmerman’s acquittal, widespread dissatisfaction was expressed by black and white supporters alike who didn’t understand how an African-American teenager’s life could have so little value in the criminal justice system.
Without a video, the Zimmerman jury felt compelled to buy the defense portrayal of Zimmerman as someone just defending himself from attack, even though testimony showed he sought the confrontation by stalking the teenager in the dark of night. Zimmerman’s self-defense argument (not technically “stand your ground”) angered many black parents, who wondered how someone could be considered not guilty after initiating contact with a black teenager who ended up dead.
I agree wholeheartedly with Kane’s assessment, and think this is the main reason why the jury wasn’t able to do any more than acquit Zimmerman of what he’d been accused of — particularly because the evidence was definitely not there (something the prosecution must have known) for second degree murder due to the 45-day delay between the death of Martin and the arrest of Zimmerman.
(Now back to my original post.)
I’m also reading a really interesting book right now by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks called THE GREAT PARTNERSHIP: Science, Religion, and the Search for Meaning. I have found it most enlightening thus far, and may post some quotes from it soon.
So that, and watching baseball (thoughts about the 2013 Milwaukee Brewers and Ryan Braun accepting a 65-game suspension will be forthcoming, honest), and working are what I’ve mostly been doing this past week.
And because of all I’ve been doing in July, I didn’t get a chance to mention that I’d passed my third year of bloggery (is that even a word? ‘Tis now.) here at WordPress earlier this month. (Hip, hip . . . something?) But I hope things will have calmed down so much by this time next year that I will be able to write a much more proper celebratory blog — or at least an informative one — discussing what I’ve learned from blogging, my fellow authors, and you all . . . because I’m sure that post is inside me somewhere.
At any rate, thanks for continuing to read my blog despite the infrequency of my recent postings. I truly appreciate it.
Just Reviewed Lee and Miller’s “Dragon Ship” at SBR
Folks, it’s really tough for me to write a negative review, especially when I truly enjoy the writers in question. Yet when a book comes in that I find lacking, regardless of who writes it, I have to give my honest assessment.
Such is the case with my review for Sharon Lee and Steve Miller’s DRAGON SHIP over at Shiny Book Review tonight. I praised the writers, said I enjoyed the way they told the story for the most part — but I just didn’t get behind two conscious author’s decisions that the pair of authors made. And because of that, I just couldn’t like or recommend this book even though I have liked and/or appreciated what Lee and Miller have written in every other case. (Yes, even the dark fantasy duology comprised by DUIANFEY and LONGEYE. There I knew going in that there would be some aspects of the story that would disturb me due to the genre, and was not put off.)
The two plot twists that really bothered me were these — making Captain Theo Waitley irresistible to anyone of either sex (including AIs) really wasn’t necessary. And putting a male lover, a female lover, and a male AI lover on the same ship with Theo being basically oblivious to all of them, much less the trouble they could get into if they ever fully realize that Theo’s not truly in love with any of them, doesn’t seem to make a whole lot of sense.
************
Warning — major spoilers ahead. You have been warned.
Now, back to our original post.
************
The whole idea of Bechimo the ship wanting to fully unite with a human (or in this case, half-Liaden) captain, to the point that Theo ends up being nearly forced to submit to a procedure that will give Bechimo full access to her thoughts, her soul, and her very being, also is deeply disturbing. That Bechimo, the person, wants to unite with someone on a deep level is not disturbing, of course — most people of any types want this, if they’re honest. But that he’d actually want his lover the captain to submit to such an invasive procedure and not realize that it’s akin to mental and soul-rape is also incredibly disturbing.
And Bechimo the person being obviously naïve despite his many centuries of life and roaming the galaxy does not even begin to excuse this.
So, we’re left with a young woman, Theo, who’s basically married in all the ways that count to Bechimo the person at the end of DRAGON SHIP. But she still has both her male lover and her female lover serving aboard the ship. Theo’s not worried about them, or anything else, and seems to be floating in the way most newlyweds do — excepting one thing: she never, ever consented to this level of invasion in her personal life, because she couldn’t have possibly understood this is what Bechimo (the ship) meant by “needing to be served by a full Captain.”
All of that really bothers me, to the point that I could not in good conscience recommend DRAGON SHIP even though the writing is as stellar as ever.
As to the other problematic plot point, bringing a long-dead character back to life — or even attempting to do so — is really difficult for any author or authors to pull off. It can be done, sure. (Stephen R. Donaldson has done just that with his character Thomas Covenant, and of course the original Star Trek brought back Spock.) But it has to be done carefully, and with planning.
Otherwise, it just doesn’t work.
That’s why even the thought of bringing back Aelliana Caylon, by far my most favorite of all the wonderful characters Lee and Miller have ever written, bothers me so much. (Even though she’s been around as a ghost for years, and even though she obviously takes an interest in what’s going on all around her, bringing her back in a new shell — a new body — does not seem right.)
Those two conscious author’s decisions are why I don’t like DRAGON SHIP and am most unlikely to ever re-read it. And it’s why I delayed writing my review until I had a full handle on exactly why I didn’t like this book despite my admiration for the writing pair of Lee and Miller and for their creation the Liaden Universe in particular.
Hopefully, I’ve done a good job in conveying the pluses of this book (the writing, the writers, the skill they take in their craft, etc.) and the minuses — the plot and the two author’s decisions that completely perplex — in a way that show I didn’t intend to bash the writer or their creation.
I just didn’t like it, that’s all.
And before anyone else says it — yes, I realize that someday, someone’s going to dislike my books, too. (Maybe many someones, though I hope more of these “someones” will like my writing and my books than not.) I just hope that they’ll be polite about it when they criticize, as I can handle that.
Whereas outright rudeness is much tougher to swallow, which is why I tried hard to avoid that in tonight’s review.
Milwaukee Brewers’ Woes Continue: Corey Hart Lost for the Year
In 2013, the Milwaukee Brewers cannot seem to catch a break no matter how hard they try. When the starting pitching is good, the offense is bad. When the offense is good, the starting pitching is bad. And sometimes, when both the offense and starting pitching are good, the defense is so horrid that it wipes out all of the team’s gains.
This is why I was looking forward to the return of Brewers first baseman/right fielder Corey Hart so much. Hart plays good defense, hits well (and for power, too), is a two-time All-Star, and plays good, solid fundamental baseball.
Now, if you’ve read any of my previous blogs about the Milwaukee Brewers and their dreadful 2013 season, you know that one of the things that’s irked me about the 2013 Brewers is the lack of fundamental baseball instincts by most of the players on the club. When someone needs to hit to the right side to advance a runner from second to third, he invariably hits to the left side and a double play somehow ensues. When someone needs to hit a long, fly ball to drive in a run (a sacrifice fly), that’s when a little squib hit comes about that once again seems to always turn into a double play.
And, of course, this is the season where runners have been thrown out trying to take extra bases at least seven times, with the offenders being the best and healthiest players on the club to date: Carlos Gomez, Jean Segura, and Nori Aoki. (Before anyone pinches a fit, yes, I know full well that Ryan Braun is by far the best player on this team, but he is on the disabled list right now. Plus, I haven’t noticed him running into outs on the bases, though the year is young.)
At any rate, Hart hits well, plays a good and solid first base, knows his fundamentals cold, and is known as a “good team guy” for whatever that’s worth. (Some years, you don’t necessarily need a good team guy. But this year, I’d say the Brewers needs as many of them as they can find. But I digress.) So it was a big blow when, before the start of Thursday’s game, the Brewers announced that Corey Hart’s left knee — his non-surgically repaired knee — had also become injured and needed surgery, which means Hart will not play at all during 2013. The best guess as to why Hart was injured was due to the rehabilitation process he’d been enduring to get his right knee up to snuff.
Now, I’m no doctor, but I have had to rehab injuries before — most recently, I had cortisone shots given to me in both the left wrist and the right wrist in order to alleviate my carpal tunnel syndrome during consecutive weeks, to perhaps play my instruments a little better (and with less pain, to boot). While waiting for the left wrist to heal, I strained the right wrist . . . while waiting for the right wrist to heal, my left wrist had to take more weight and did more, so it hurt more, though I seem to have avoided an actual strain.
This is what probably happened to Corey Hart, too. While trying to get his right knee up to speed so he could play baseball well enough to get onto the field, he somehow strained his left knee. Because the right knee hurt so much — this is my best guess, mind — he didn’t really know that the left knee was hurting, or maybe he figured he’d strained it but there was nothing to be done.
Obviously, Hart didn’t know that he’d injured the left knee, too, during his rehab, until the team doctor recently told him. Then Hart went to consult with the team doctor for the Los Angeles Angels, who agreed with the Brewers’ team doctor’s assessment.
This was the worst thing that could happen to Hart at this stage of his career, as he was due to become a free agent at the end of this season. Now, he’ll have to prove that he’s healthy enough to play next year before anyone signs him, and he’ll most likely make a far lesser amount than he would’ve if the left knee hadn’t given out as well.
And it also hurts Brewers fans, because we have so little to cheer for in the first place that many of us, myself included, were avidly looking forward to Hart’s return.
At any rate, the important thing now for Hart is to realize that he needs to get healthy. If he has to stay out of baseball for a year in order to do it — and I don’t mean just the rest of this year, but all of next year, too — he should do it. Only when he’s fully healthy should he attempt a comeback . . . but whatever team he plays for, whether it’s the Brewers or not, I know one thing:
I’ll be rooting for him.
U.S. Supreme Court Strikes Down DOMA, California’s Prop. 8, in Historic Rulings
Today, the United States Supreme Court struck down two laws, the federal Defense of Marriage Act (or DOMA) and California’s controversial Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage in that state. With two different 5-4 rulings, the Supreme Court has affirmed that discrimination on the basis of whom people love is illegal — at least, if you are in one of the twelve states where gay marriage is legal already, the District of Columbia (where it’s also legal), or in California, where it’s soon to be legal again.
Here’s a link to a story on Yahoo regarding the overall historical impact of these two different decisions, what the groups on both sides plan to do next, and so forth and so on.
As for what I think? Well, I’m very pleased that the Supreme Court struck down DOMA and threw out California’s Prop. 8 (albeit on a technicality), because I believe everyone who’s above the age of consent and is in love with a supportive and loving partner should be allowed to marry that partner. Whether it’s a man and a woman marrying, two women, two men, or two transgendered individuals, what matters is the love — not the form of that love.
The only thing that bothers me about these particular decisions is the limitations placed upon them by the Supreme Court. In striking down DOMA, the Supremes basically said that if you legally married a same-sex partner in the various states where it either is legal now or has been legal in the past (and was legal at the time, such as in California until Proposition 8 was voted for by that state’s voters), the federal government must treat you as married. And that way, you have all the rights and privileges of a married couple — which is exactly as it should be.
However, if you’re in a state like Wisconsin, where we have a state-specific version of DOMA on the books, if you are a same-sex couple you still cannot marry under the law. You are still allowed to be legally discrimination against in taxation, adoption, and other issues, under the law. And unless and until we get a Democratic Assembly and/or a Democratic Governor, things are unlikely to change due to the bunch of radical Republicans we have right now in Wisconsin, as in addition to these radical Rs running the state into the ground, they also oppose same-sex marriage on reactionary terms — not on realistic ones.
In other words, the Rs in Wisconsin see marriage as a religious ceremony first, with statehood recognition of that ceremony coming second. (This does not really make much sense because many non-religious people or those who are religious but want to save on money go and get married before the judge in a courthouse in a non-religious ceremony. But it’s how they seem to believe.) The rights and privileges a married couple gets in Wisconsin cannot go to a same-sex couple — not even in Madison, which has had domestic partnership benefits for many years — because that’s what the radical Rs want.
I have news for these Rs. Marriage is for everyone. That’s basically what the Supreme Court said today, even though they stopped short of striking down other statehood bans like Wisconsin’s in their narrowly targeted rulings. If you are in love, and you want to get married, and if you want to raise a family, you should be allowed to get married and raise that family. Period.
This is one of the few cultural issues where the Rs have largely been out of step with the mainstream of Wisconsin and the rest of the country. For example, there are now three Republican U.S. Senators who are for gay marriage — Rob Portman of Ohio, who has a gay son, Mark Kirk of Illinois, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. There are a few others, like John McCain, who’ve said before that they have no problem with gay couples, per se, but they don’t think these couples should be allowed to marry. Then the rest of the Rs basically want to take the country back to the 1950s, if not earlier, on cultural issues — which isn’t likely to happen, fortunately for the rest of us.
In Wisconsin, I don’t know of any single one Republican Senator or Assemblyman who believes that same-sex marriage should be legal in all 50 states. (Or even just in Wisconsin.) All eighteen Senators oppose same-sex marriage; all sixty Republicans in the Assembly oppose it.
And, of course, Wisconsin’s Republican Governor Scott Walker also adamantly opposes same-sex marriage, mostly on religious grounds.
Look. For the most part, I’m for most religions, providing they help people and give meaning and value to their lives. But when a religion insists that some people are better than others — in this case, a heterosexual married couple matters more than a same-sex married couple — that’s where I start to get upset.
And when a politician can’t even be bothered to say, “Look. I haven’t really studied the issues yet, but my religion has always said that gay people are sinful. That’s why I really cannot support marriage equality,” but stands behind the religious fig-leaf as if the religion is doing his or her thinking for him, that really bothers me.
My thought right now is that this issue, along with the new legislation that Scott Walker said he’ll sign that mandates that all women get trans-vaginal ultrasounds before having a medically necessary abortion (unless you’ve been raped or a victim of incest and have gone to report the same), is the most likely one to defeat the Wisconsin Rs.
So those of us who worked so hard to recall Scott Walker (myself included) may still have hope. This is an obstinate man we’re talking about, someone who firmly believes everyone in the state is behind him despite the recall evidence to the contrary. And he’s leading a radical party that’s done a lot of things that voters disagree with, to boot — so when he’s up for re-election in 2014, if we have a Democrat with statewide recognition to run against him (please, not Tom Barrett again — I like him, but he has proven he can’t win against Walker), we should be able to get him out.
As for me, I voted against Walker, signed the recall, voted to replace him, and will vote against Walker again in 2014. (I’m on the record as saying I’d rather vote for an empty paper bag rather than Walker, as that empty paper bag will do far less harm.) But I’m a realist. I know Walker hasn’t done what he said he would do — not with regards to jobs, not with regards to honesty and transparency, not with regards to anything, except for one (he kept his promise to turn down the money for light rail, as he found it unnecessary; however, in so doing, he also eliminated at least three hundred prospective new jobs) — and I want him out of there before he manages to harm the state even further.
My advice for the Wisconsin Rs is this — get with the program regarding same-sex marriage. This issue is not going to go away any time too soon, and most younger voters disagree with you and your stated beliefs on this issue. And if you are unwilling to change with the times, and admit that all marriages should be equal under the law, you will be voted out.
Maybe not in 2014. Maybe not even in 2016.
But you will be voted out.
And I, for one, will be very happy once you are, as you’ve done more than enough damage already.
Cubs Play Brewers, AKA ‘The Battle for Last Place Starts…Now’
The Milwaukee Brewers started a three-game home series against National League Central rival the Chicago Cubs this evening, a series that will only determine one thing: which team ends up in the cellar.
You see, I’ve been calling this series “The battle for last place starts . . . now” for the past week or so, ever since the Brewers improved enough to possibly overtake the Cubs after the Brewers’ historically awful May. And that particular phrase took on additional relevance due to the fact that both teams are currently tied for last in the NL Central with a 31-43 record.
Obviously, neither team has been particularly impressive to date.
So why am I still watching a game that seems all but pointless? Simple. I’m a very big Brewers fan, and I watch them no matter what. Plus, the Brewers’ best pitcher, Kyle Lohse (2-6, 3.68), is matching up tonight against the Cubs’ Edwin Jackson (3-9, 5.49), so it really seemed like perhaps the Brewers could come up with a few runs to actually help Lohse win for a change.
However, that so far has not proven to be the case. The Brewers’ offense looks anemic without power hitters Ryan Braun and Corey Hart, and while Aramis Ramirez continues to play on a bum knee, his power numbers have obviously suffered. That Carlos Gomez is out due to a shoulder sprain incurred while making a great catch in center field on Sunday weakens the offense even further.
That’s why the Brewers have thus far only managed to score one run on a homer by relatively new Brewers first baseman Juan Francisco in the second inning.
And while the Cubs are also missing a number of their good players to injury, they’ve at least managed to score three runs due to a home run by Nate Schierholtz in the third.
And sure, there are a few innings left to go, as we’re now midway through the fifth inning with the Brewers about to come to bat. But things really do not look promising.
Anyway, the important thing to remember is that it’s just baseball. There usually are a few good things to watch — for example, Francisco just managed to score in the fifth after Rickie Weeks, of all people, doubled. (The score is now 3-2, Cubs.) — and there are always people to root for. (Personally, I’m rooting for Francisco “K-Rod” Rodriguez, who saved his 300th career game last Saturday, along with Jim Henderson and the other relievers.)
Baseball is more fun in the summer, even when your team is in last place. Which is why I plan to continue to watch my team, even as I hope that they will, somehow, improve — or at least get healthier.
Milwaukee Casino Shooting Leaves One Injured, One Arrested
Folks, it’s getting bad out there when you can’t even go to a casino anymore to try to get away from it all.
Early Sunday morning, a 27-year-old man shot his 23-year-old girlfriend after an altercation at Milwaukee’s Potawatomi Bingo Casino according to several television reports (Fox 6, CBS 58, WTMJ 4 among them). The girlfriend was shot in the leg and taken to Froedtert Hospital, while the boyfriend was arrested. Then the casino told everyone to leave. (Here’s a link to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel’s report about the casino’s Sunday morning re-opening at 9 a.m.)
After all that, the casino itself put out a statement praising its security guards, but of course the patrons who actually were there at the time had different stories. According to several televised reports, most of the security guards cowered under tables or on the floor, and did not help patrons get out safely, though a few apparently did their best. And casino workers such as blackjack dealers and cocktail waitresses apparently had no idea what to do, though one security guard apparently told at least one card dealer to “safeguard his chips” according to the various reports.
Look. I’ve been to Potawatomi Bingo Casino several times. It’s the closest place to play bingo most nights, and I’ve always viewed it as a safe and even a relaxing place to go.
However, due to these various news reports all basically saying that most of the employees didn’t have any idea how to help the casino patrons in an emergency situation, I will now think twice about going down there.
As one man said in the Journal-Sentinel article linked above, maybe it’s time for Potawatomi to install metal detectors. (Not so good for people with artificial hips, of course, but can’t that be worked around?)
And maybe — just maybe — Potawatomi should spend some of its profits on training its employees to handle any emergency situation thrown at them, so the reports of so many employees not having any idea what to do — much less most of them abrogating their responsibilities in helping the various patrons of the casino get out safely — will never happen again.
Barb Caffrey's Blog 