As the Milwaukee Brewers' swoon continues it won't be long before the finger pointing starts in earnest.
What could have gone so horribly wrong in a season that had so much promise? There will be talk about hitting and pitching and defense and first base and closers and all the rest of it.
I wonder if anybody is going to bother to look at the new right fielder, Ryan Braun, who was the face of this franchise until his fall from grace for using performance enhancing drugs and lying about it to everyone from Aaron Rodgers to investigators to the fans?
Before his banishment last season Braun had six full seasons with the Brewers. He had a .313 batting average. He averaged 107 runs batted in. He averaged 33 home runs.
Now, presumably without the performance enhancers, he is hitting barely above .270. In August, the month of the big dip, he hit .240. He’s got only 18 home runs and 77 RBI.
Now, I realize nobody is going to put all the blame on Braun for the tough spot the Brewers are in. But in the past he was the leader. He was the guy you could count on for the heroics needed to come back or to win a game in the late innings.
He played the game with flair for the dramatic and an aggressive posture that struck fear in the hearts of opponents and confidence in his fans.
That kind of magic is clearly gone. He hasn’t turned into a lousy baseball player. He is still a solid professional and his numbers are OK.
But as far as the Brewers go, he has turned into something extraordinarily ordinary.
With a history in Milwaukee stretching back decades, Dave tries to bring a unique perspective to his writing, whether it's sports, politics, theater or any other issue.
He's seen Milwaukee grow, suffer pangs of growth, strive for success and has been involved in many efforts to both shape and re-shape the city. He's a happy man, now that he's quit playing golf, and enjoys music, his children and grandchildren and the myriad of sports in this state. He loves great food and hates bullies and people who think they are smarter than everyone else.
This whole Internet thing continues to baffle him, but he's willing to play the game as long as OnMilwaukee.com keeps lending him a helping hand. He is constantly amazed that just a few dedicated people can provide so much news and information to a hungry public.
Despite some opinions to the contrary, Dave likes most stuff. But he is a skeptic who constantly wonders about the world around him. So many questions, so few answers.
