As I sit and watch playoff baseball each October, the following thought inevitably crosses my mind: "Wow, these teams are so much better than the Brewers."
This year, I haven't been struck in quite the same manner. The Brewers have closed the gap on the best teams in the game, to the point where they now seem to be playing the same brand, if you will, of baseball. But while watching the Chicago White Sox, it is clear the Brewers still have a ways to go.
Not too far, though. Witness the fact that Chicago won just 83 games a year ago, then used the winter to make a series of unheralded but vital additions -- players like Tadahito Iguchi, Jermaine Dye, A.J. Pierzynski and, yes, Scott Podsednik. All have quietly helped turn the White Sox into what they appear to be today: the best team in baseball.
What does Ozzie Guillen's team do better than all the other teams? A number of things, all of which the Brewers would be wise to emulate.
Scoring in multiple innings: The White Sox aren't a Genesis team ("In the big inning ..."); instead, they score a run or two several times a game. They also score early, which often puts opposing teams on the defensive. Periodically, they'll throw up a crooked number, like the five-spot they put up in Game 2 of the ALDS against Boston that erased a 4-0 deficit or the four they scored in the seventh on Sunday night.
Adding to Leads: When the Sox grab a lead, they don't rest on their laurels. Instead, they continue to apply offensive pressure. In Game 1 of the World Series, the Sox tacked on an extra run in the eighth inning to make it 5-3. They did the same in the clincher of the ALDS against Boston, scoring a key insurance run in the top of the ninth to doom the Red Sox. After taking a 3-0 lead in the first inning of Game 3 of the ALCS, Chicago added solo runs in the third and fifth innings to put the Angels on ice.
By contrast, the Brewers too often score several runs early in a game and then go into an offensive brownout. This puts a lot of pressure on their middle relief and also lets momentum swing back to the opposition. To get cliché on you, it suggests the lack of a killer instinct.
Steady Defense: Third baseman Joe Crede made a couple nice diving plays in Game 1 against Houston, but they weren't exactly Brooks Robinson in the '70 Series-type vintage. They were, however, typical of the solid defense the White Sox play. The Brewers, on the other hand, don't make the routine plays consistently. Forget spectacular, the Crew just needs to limit the amount of four-out innings it allows the opposition. That's exactly what the White Sox do, and they do it without a highlight-reel Gold Glover like Andruw Jones or Jim Edmonds.
Strong Starting Pitching: Much was made of the White Sox and their four complete-game victories in the ALCS vs. the Angels, and rightfully so. But starters need not throw nine or even eight innings to make a difference, though it certainly helps. Still, it is important to get reliable, effective innings from your starting pitching. Mark Buehrle led the way averaging 7.1 innings/start in the regular season, followed by Jon Garland and Freddy Garcia at 6.2 and Jose Contreras at 6.1.
The Brewers compare favorably here, with Ben Sheets averaging 7 innings/start and Doug Davis and Chris Capuano coming in at 6.1. But Tomo Ohka averaged fewer than 6, which reiterates that Doug Melvin needs to find an improved fourth starter this winter, allowing Ohka (if he's back) to act as the fifth man in the rotation.
Leadership and Poise: Ever notice how Pierzynski or Paul Konerko is in the middle of every key rally for the White Sox? Both are quality leaders that keep Chicago steady when things get rocky, as Konerko did with his grand slam late in Game 2 Sunday night. And as the White Sox lead dwindled over Cleveland late in the regular season, there was no panic from the team's clubhouse. This was in large part due to veteran leadership.
Behind Ned Yost, the Brewers made strides this year -- and I'd argue Yost is actually as good of a leader as Ozzie Guillen. But the Brewers need an on-field general, too. The Packers had Brett Favre during their glory years, the Yankees have Derek Jeter, the Astros have Craig Biggio, etc. Who do the Brewers have? Sheets doesn't possess the required personality, and Carlos Lee doesn't seem like an exact fit, either. If one of the young stars can develop into a leader, so much the better.
There's a lot of work to be done at Miller Park, but the Brewers aren't that far away. They've assembled most of the pieces; now -- like the White Sox -- those pieces need to coalesce into a winning unit.
Sports shots columnist Tim Gutowski was born in a hospital in West Allis and his sporting heart never really left. He grew up in a tiny town 30 miles west of the city named Genesee and was in attendance at County Stadium the day the Brewers clinched the 1981 second-half AL East crown. I bet you can't say that.
Though Tim moved away from Wisconsin (to Iowa and eventually the suburbs of Chicago) as a 10-year-old, he eventually found his way back to Milwaukee. He remembers fondly the pre-Web days of listenting to static-filled Brewers games on AM 620 and crying after repeated Bears' victories over the Packers.
