The 25 (soon to be 26) year-old simply gets better every year. How good can he get?
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Card of the Day: 1982 Donruss Roy Howell
Howell has yet to play anything like the player the Brewers thought they were getting. And his refusal to be a backup isn’t helping.
Opening Day Snowed Out
MILWAUKEE — Normally, we’d be previewing the opening Brewers series at home with the Indians. Well, if you’ve looked around outside, you know that a baseball game in Milwaukee today is impossible.
Since there’s a built in day off tomorrow, the game has been tentatively delayed a day. But the odds can’t be good for any baseball in this city for a few more days.
You bought Opening Day tickets? You’re probably gonna have to wait. The next series is in Toronto. The series after that is in Cleveland. Unless a miracle shines on this city in the next 24 hours, the Brewers won’t have their home opener until April 16 against the Rangers.
If it feels like the baseball gods are picking on us and our Brewers, think again. Opening Day American League games at Detroit and Chicago scheduled for today have also been postponed. You’d think that maybe MLB schedule makers could have made an attempt to have the first series or two in domes and warm cities whenever possible. Right?
So stay tuned. Baseball will come. We will wait.
Brewers Given 6-1 Odds to Make World Series
According to a story from the AP (and reported by The Milwaukee Journal), the Brewers get 6-1 odds to win the American League pennant and advance to the World Series this season, according to Harrah’s Reno-Tahoe Race Book. [Read more…] about Brewers Given 6-1 Odds to Make World Series
Moore Drops Trade Request
Sun City, Ariz. — Charlie Moore‘s happy, and that’s a ray of sunshine on the Brewers’ spring. Moore previously demanded a trade to a team willing to make him a starting catcher, but dropped that request according to a report from Tom Flaherty of The Milwaukee Journal.
So why did Moore change his tune? He and general manager Harry Dalton met Sunday in an effort to clear the air. Dalton assured Moore that he would be given a shot at an outfield spot, most likely right field. [Read more…] about Moore Drops Trade Request
Charlie Moore Demands a Trade
If you were hoping the Brewers would ride the wave of a playoff run in 1981 into a harmonious season without controversy in 1982, you’re about to be disappointed.
Charlie Moore has demanded to be traded.
Moore, unhappy that Ted Simmons has cut into his playing time, wants to go to a team that will allow him to be a regular. General manager Harry Dalton has said that he will try to accommodate Moore.
“We’ll talk around,” said Dalton, “but at this point there is not a great amount of interest. The trade market usually dies every year around this time.”
It’s too bad, really. We all love Charlie. He’s been a Brewer since he was drafted in the fifth round in 1971. He made his debut two years later. He’s been around ever since as a catcher, outfielder, designated hitter, even a second baseman. He wasn’t a regular, but a key part of the team.
But in 1979 and 1980, Charlie Moore played really well. He played 111 games in each season, hitting .300 in 1979 and .291 in 1980. It appeared he was the catcher of the present and the future.
Then, the Brewers turned the trade of all trades. They acquired Rollie Fingers, Pete Vuckovich and Ted Simmons from the Cardinals.
Last season, during that confusing yet exciting campaign, Simmons took over as the starter. Moore, meanwhile, hit .301 as the back-up and occasional DH and outfielder.
It was only natural that Moore would want to be a larger part of this team. And it probably didn’t help that Simmons, a one time offensive force, hit only .216 in his Milwaukee debut.
It was a bit confusing to Brewers fans, too. We know the history of Ted Simmons. We know that he’s on a Hall of Fame pace. But he didn’t hit anything like Charlie Moore, a fan favorite, did a year ago. Yet Simmons gets the playing time, and all signs from manager Buck Rodgers indicate the depth chart won’t be changing anytime soon.
So now we’re in a pickle. Moore wants to be traded to a team that will allow him to play every day — or close to every day. The Brewers have to decide if they’re better off with Simmons, who may be declining at the age of 31, or Moore, who seems to be entering his prime at the age of 28.
It’s a difficult call. Simmons is a veteran presence who brings a leadership element to this team, and he is the better catcher. And who knows? Maybe the shortened 1981 season was a fluke. Moore is now emerging as a very good offensive catcher, though not a great defender.
Ideally, the Brewers would have perhaps the game’s greatest catching tandem if Moore stuck around. But that may not be possible. Do we stick with Simmons and trade Moore? Do we switch back to Moore and trade Simmons? Or do we stick with them both, even if it means upsetting one of them?
There are some other possibilities floating around, but I won’t get into those yet. What do you think?
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