In about 48 hours, I'll be sitting on the berm at Maryvale Baseball Park in Phoenix. It's quite literally among my favorite places in the world to be, but it's easy to space out and let a long weekend's worth of Brewers baseball fly by before you realize it's gone.
That's why each year -- and this is my 14th consecutive visit -- I make a checklist of things on and off the field to keep an eye on. Let me know via Talkback or Twitter what you're looking for and I'll report back if I can.
Injury bug: Brewers fans are trying to avoid freaking out about all the core-related injuries this spring and simply remember that it's still so very early. These can be lingering problems, but we're being told they will all heal. Even if guys like Mat Gamel, Corey Hart, Zack Greinke Jonathan Lucroy, etc., are being held out of games, they'll still likely be in uniform, working out. I'll be watching them like a hawk to see if they wince when they jog, or if management is right and we should just relax and let everything work itself out.
"YuniE-6" Betancourt: I've been warned by a Royals fan friend that Yuniesky Betancourt is literally the worst player in baseball. I'll be paying special attention to the pitches he takes and how he performs in the field. Admittedly, I'm not exactly coming at this with an open mind. I'll be looking closely at whoever is replacing him later in games.
Greinke's attitude: I know that Greinke has a serious case of Social Anxiety Disorder, but I also know he's medicated for his condition. His interviews with Milwaukee media really rubbed me the wrong way. However, like everyone, I agreed that as long as he's lights-out on the mound, who cares about his personality? Of course, now Greinke is nursing a broken rib because of an injury he sustained playing basketball. Not only is this injury inexcusable, I find it telling how club officials refused to criticize him. But what's done is done; I'll be watching Greinke (assuming he's out there) to see how he interacts with teammates, coaches and fans. Apparently, he's a really nice and funny guy. In the up-close and personal spring training stage, I'll try to see if they're right.
Fired-up fans: Back in the day, the Brewers were among the worst-drawing team in the entire Cactus League. Games at Maryvale, unless they were against the Cubs, were so sparsely attended that you could pretty much sit anywhere you want. Over the last years, that's definitely been changing. Unofficially, I've see many more Milwaukee fans in and outside the ballpark, and the trend is heading in the right direction. With the potential for this 2011 squad higher than ever, I'll be interested to see how expectation translates into ticket sales and crowd enthusiasm.
Tweet it up: It's just a few more days until the first-ever OnMilwaukee.com Brewers fan spring training happy hour at Dos Gringos. That's a mouthful, but it's gonna be a fun party this Saturday. If you're in Arizona this weekend, please join us. Many more details here.
Andy is the president, publisher and founder of OnMilwaukee. He returned to Milwaukee in 1996 after living on the East Coast for nine years, where he wrote for The Dallas Morning News Washington Bureau and worked in the White House Office of Communications. He was also Associate Editor of The GW Hatchet, his college newspaper at The George Washington University.
Before launching OnMilwaukee.com in 1998 at age 23, he worked in public relations for two Milwaukee firms, most of the time daydreaming about starting his own publication.
Hobbies include running when he finds the time, fixing the rust on his '75 MGB, mowing the lawn at his cottage in the Northwoods, and making an annual pilgrimage to Phoenix for Brewers Spring Training.
