Are the first-place Brewers for real? How much longer will the first-place Brewers remain in first place? Which trades should Milwaukee make? Which trades will the team make?
In episode 34 of OnMilwaukee's Postgame Tailgate podcast, powered by "The Drew Olson Show" on The Big 920, sports editor Jimmy Carlton and pop culture editor Matt Mueller are joined by none other than Drew Olson, a longtime Brewers beat writer and local radio show host, to talk all things Milwaukee baseball.
The guys discuss why the Brewers are in first place and what was the biggest surprise of the first half (2:50); the importance of the young team being so low-pressure loose and having such good chemistry (4:25); the situations and strategies in Milwaukee versus in Chicago (8:10); how David Stearns' club is ahead of its rebuilding schedule and what to do with all the prospects (9:15); Sonny Gray and other trade possibilities (10:45).
Later, they remember the exciting 2011 playoff race, then debate whether the Brewers should make a blockbuster move and go for it this season (16:00); they predict what Milwaukee will end up doing before the trade deadline (22:45), including smaller moves the team could make and how Craig Counsell has handled oft-injured star Ryan Braun (26:05); Drew reveals his plan to potentially drive fans crazy by playing "Go Cubs Go" or "Come See What's Brewing" on the radio, depending on the standings (29:00).
Finally, a Brewers Triple-A update (31:20), an examination of the sudden trend toward power, both pitching and hitting, and how it impacts Milwaukee (33:00), and the highlights of last weekend's 1982 AL Championship team reunion ceremony (37:35).
Listen below and subscribe to OnMilwaukee's Postgame Tailgate feed on the Apple podcast mobile app, Soundcloud, Stitcher or TuneIn so you never miss an episode. And make sure to follow The Postgame Tailgate on Twitter, as well as Jimmy, Matt and OnMilwaukee.
Tell us what you think, leave a rating/review on iTunes and enjoy!
Born in Milwaukee but a product of Shorewood High School (go ‘Hounds!) and Northwestern University (go ‘Cats!), Jimmy never knew the schoolboy bliss of cheering for a winning football, basketball or baseball team. So he ditched being a fan in order to cover sports professionally - occasionally objectively, always passionately. He's lived in Chicago, New York and Dallas, but now resides again in his beloved Brew City and is an ardent attacker of the notorious Milwaukee Inferiority Complex.
After interning at print publications like Birds and Blooms (official motto: "America's #1 backyard birding and gardening magazine!"), Sports Illustrated (unofficial motto: "Subscribe and save up to 90% off the cover price!") and The Dallas Morning News (a newspaper!), Jimmy worked for web outlets like CBSSports.com, where he was a Packers beat reporter, and FOX Sports Wisconsin, where he managed digital content. He's a proponent and frequent user of em dashes, parenthetical asides, descriptive appositives and, really, anything that makes his sentences longer and more needlessly complex.
Jimmy appreciates references to late '90s Brewers and Bucks players and is the curator of the unofficial John Jaha Hall of Fame. He also enjoys running, biking and soccer, but isn't too annoying about them. He writes about sports - both mainstream and unconventional - and non-sports, including history, music, food, art and even golf (just kidding!), and welcomes reader suggestions for off-the-beaten-path story ideas.
