How much effect can home field advantage have in baseball? Judging by this past weekend, it means quite a bit for the Milwaukee Brewers.
"These guys feel comfortable here," said manager Davey Lopes after his team rebounded from a 0-4 start and swept the opening series at Miller Park. The Brewers became the first team since the Atlanta Braves in 1997 to open a new ballpark with a sweep.
"They'll get even more comfortable with it as the season goes on, but they already feel good here. They feel confident here. This was a very exciting weekend. I think we're going to see a lot of excitement around Miller ballpark for the next several seasons."
Lopes and several players said the first class digs of the clubhouse and other amenities create a winning atmosphere, and most importantly the big crowds of partisan fans make them feel at home.
"The fans were great here," said Richie Sexson, the hero of the opener when he homered in the eighth inning. "Knowing you're going to be playing in front of big crowds most nights, with the fans rooting for you, is a big factor. I saw this every day in Cleveland. This weekend reminded me of that."
Jeromy Burnitz said the Brewers fed on the crowds and atmosphere in their sweep of the Reds. "For the first time since I've been here, we're playing before 40,000 every game," he said. "You could see them standing for big at-bats and big pitches."
With the hoopla over the opening of Miller Park history, but the Brewers know they now have to concentrate on playing solid baseball.
"We continue to make mistakes," coach Jerry Royster said after Sexson's homer gave the Brewers a 5-4 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Friday night. "The difference today was Chris Truby wasn't around to hit a two-run home run."
Truby, Richard Hidalgo and several other Astros made the Brewers pay for their mistakes in a three-game sweep in Houston's Enron Field during the week. The Brewers didn't pitch the Astros very smart, and didn't take a very smart approach at the plate - with 13 strikeouts in one game in Houston and 11 in one at L.A. The Brewers will get a chance for revenge because the Astros come to town for three games, starting Tuesday.
"We have to put all the other things behind us now and start playing good baseball night after night," Burnitz said.
-- Sexson said the opener would always remain one of his greatest moments. Sexson was elated with the home run, and meeting President George W. Bush. "It's something I'll carry with me forever," he said of the homer. "It will be one of the high points of my career."
Bush came into the Brewers' clubhouse to directly talk to Sexson about a shock pen the Brewers' star likes to use to surprise people. "He said, 'Richie, I know about your shock pen. Don't use it on me'," Sexson said. With all the security around Bush, Sexson wasn't about to shock anybody.
--We got to see Miller Park in three different lights over the weekend. On Friday night, the buzz was electric. And, after some leaks earlier in the week, nobody knew it was raining out until the crews did the ceremonial roof opening after the game. The seals held.
On Saturday, the roof was still closed primarily because wind gusts up to 50 miles per hour pummeled the stadium. A temporary tarp was blown off the roof in the right field corner before the game, and the pounding of the wind on the roof panels could be heard, but the structure held up.
Then, on Sunday, baseball purists got their day in the sun, as the roof was opened to show a perfect sky. Some expressed concern about late afternoon shadows from the roof structure, but leftfielder Geoff Jenkins said, "At first, it required a little adjustment, but overall it was great. Even when the roof is closed, you don't feel like you're in a warehouse like you do in some of the stadiums that have roofs."
-- If you want more coverage of the balls and strikes of the games, see The Brew Crew Review at thebrewcrewreview.com.
Bucks Buzz
Coach George Karl would undoubtedly have loved to clinch the NBA Central Division title at Seattle. Karl left that franchise under bad circumstances and still rips Sonics' GM Wally Walker at times. In fact, he's been fined by the NBA for comments about Seattle.
But, the Bucks couldn't stay with the Sonics. In fact, the last two games of the Western trip, which had started so well, turned out to be poor performances. The L.A. Clippers also beat the Bucks.
The Bucks' inside defense was weak in those games. That also could be a concern in the playoffs.
So, now it comes down to three games at home. For those fans that have waited a decade for the Bucks to win any championship, it seems fitting to have them wrap up a title at home anyway. The first of the three games is Tuesday night against the Bucks' I-94 rivals, the Chicago Bulls.
Next week, look for a playoff preview analysis as the lead note in this column.
Wave Buzz
The Wave won its first NPSL playoff game, 22-7, over Kansas City Sunday, as Joe Reiniger and Sipho Sibiya scored three goals each. Reiniger, a veteran of playoff soccer, was picked the Alpha Graphics Player of the Game. The next playoff game was scheduled for Wednesday night in KC.
Admirals Buzz
The Admirals clinched a IHL playoff spot for the 13th straight season with a 5-4 win over the Aeros in Houston. Mike Mowers scored two goals and goalie Chris Mason made two big saves during a shootout. Playoff tickets will go on sale Tuesday. Call the Admirals' office. The playoffs will start against a team still to be determined during the week of April 17.
Gregg Hoffmann covers Milwaukee pro sports for the Associated Press, USA Today, Baseball Weekly and the Wisconsin Gannett newspapers and publishes The Brew Crew Review at thebrewcrewreview.com. He also is the author of "Down in the Valley: The History of Milwaukee County Stadium."
