Pete Vuckovich

Brewers a New Team under Kuenn?

A day off today? Not fair for any pundit trying to gauge this team. It is far too easy to take this down time to proclaim the Brewers a new team under interim manager Harvey Kuenn.

So I won’t do it.

Could Harvey Kuenn be a difference maker?

What do we know? We know that Buck Rodgers was a bad fit. We tried to accept him for a while. We blamed a bad attitude here, bad luck there. But Brewers fans have collectively come to the realization that the reason for their team’s under performance may have been much easier to explain than we thought.

When rumors surfaced of Rodgers’ demise weeks ago, you couldn’t find a player who had their manager’s back. And whether it was Rollie Fingers, Ted Simmons, Mike Caldwell, Pete Vuckovich, Roy Howell, Jim Gantner or the countless other malcontents, someone was always spouting off.

Players weren’t happy. They didn’t respect their manager. The inmates were running the asylum, and they were plenty crazy. Should it be any wonder that they played below expectations?

Roy Howell is a role player. He never understood his role. As a result, he was never happy when each day passed by and he wasn’t on the lineup card. Isn’t this a communication issue? Howell should never be surprised about when he will or will not be playing.

Buck Rodgers lacked confidence in his starting pitchers, often giving them the hook rather than letting them fight their way through jams. Based on complaints from Mike Caldwell, it’s also possible that he lacked respect for pitchers in general. Is it any wonder that the rotation as a whole has been shaky?

In steps Harvey Kuenn, destination unknown. He’s known as a loose leader, one who wants his players to relax and have fun. He’s a communicator. He’s everything that Buck Rodgers wasn’t.

The change, whether directly or indirectly, resulted in a win. One win in one game. But what we saw were things we had seen rarely during the past two months. A starter fought through his own jam and pitched a complete game, shutting down the opposition during the final three innings. The offense was timely, collecting 12 hits. And the defense didn’t commit an error.

Most importantly? The players are happy. For the most part, that was rarely the case under Rodgers, even after a win.

Soon after being fired, Rodgers didn’t hold back when referring to two cancers on the team. Given the time to cool off, he hasn’t backed down: “I can’t say too emphatically how good this club is, except for a couple of players. I know who they are, the players know who they are and the front office knows who they are. They may have tried to stab me in the back, but they didn’t get me fired. They’ve stabbed everyone they’ve been involved with in the past, and they’ll do the same in the future.”

We shouldn’t be surprised about reports surfacing that Mike Caldwell, during a card game on the May 30 flight after a 7-3 win over the Angels, said, “I hope we lose 10 games in a row just to get rid of that sucker.”

The Brewers are littered with strong personalities. They need someone to lead them. They don’t need someone who is paranoid, constantly worried about who is trying to stab them in the back. This happens when a leader fails to communicate or loses the respect of his team.

Does one win mean that the Brewers are World Series bound? Absolutely not. At .500 and in fifth place in the AL East, it may be too late to completely repair the damage. But there is every reason to believe that the atmosphere in the Brewers clubhouse is going to improve. The results should follow.

In other words, I just wrote an entire article doing what I said I wouldn’t in the opening paragraph. I have proclaimed the Brewers a new team after one game.

That’s what a day off will do to you.

Buck Rodgers Sounds Off

June 2 Leave a Comment

SEATTLE — Contacted for his comments on being fired as manager of the Milwaukee Brewers today, Buck Rodgers tried to be diplomatic.

On whether he feels like he failed: “Sure, there’s a little sense of failure. I thought this club could win. I’ve never failed in my life. I don’t like to fail. But that’s all part of the game, you know that. It wasn’t exactly unexpected. I’ve had my mind made up for the last two weeks it might happen.”

Then Rodgers decided that if he were going to go down, he’d take someone with him. He went down swinging.

“I think there are a couple of cancers on the club,” he said, not mentioning their names. “I think you’ve got 18 or 19 players who want to win. You’ve got three or four who will go any way the wind blows. I’m not going to name the cancers, and I’m not going to name the ones who blow with the wind.”

If you’re going to go down swinging, you might as well throw the full punch. We’re left guessing about the two players he’s speaking of, but those following the team tend to believe they are Mike Caldwell and Ted Simmons.

Caldwell was often a critic of the way Rodgers handled pitchers. In fact, as recently as May 23, he made this comment to the press following a loss to the Mariners: “I don’t know. I’m just a player. I’m just trying to do my job. I don’t know if I’m getting a chance to do it.”

The Brewers also tried unsuccessfully to trade Caldwell during the winter. Knowing that the team didn’t want him likely didn’t make relationships with management or his performance on the field any easier. Caldwell is sporting a disappointing 2-4 record and 4.70 ERA.

While Ted Simmons didn’t provide the juicy quotes like Caldwell, he and Rodgers did not see eye-to-eye. Rodgers, a former catcher who prided himself on his defensive ability, was thought to prefer Ned Yost and Charlie Moore as defensive backstops. Simmons has yet to live up to the hype as an offensive producer either, and Rodgers may even prefer Don Money or Roy Howell as the DH.

In other words, Simmons was forced upon him, and Rodgers wanted him off of the team. Some believed that if Simmons stayed with the team all season, Rodgers would quit.

If Rodgers wasn’t referring to one or both of Caldwell and Simmons, he may also have been talking about Roy Howell. Howell has received very little playing time and has been a thorn in the side of the team since spring training. Unable to trade him, Howell has sulked and thrown tantrums while producing very little.

Not Howell? It could also be Gorman Thomas, Rollie Fingers or Pete Vuckovich. But at this point, we’re reaching. And to be honest, it’s why making the comment without naming names is a cowardice act. We’re left guessing who it is he was talking about and now we’re dragging potentially innocent names through the mud.

Brewers Win, Delay Change

June 1 Leave a Comment

Brewers 2, Mariners 1
Brewers now 23-24 (5th)
Box Score | Season Schedule

Ted Simmons connected on his sixth home run of the season in the second.

SEATTLE – Maybe things are turning around? Or….

It’s tough to get your hopes up these days. It seems that every time you acknowledge a good game, a game that could be a positive turning point, the Brewers follow it up with three games across the other side of the tracks.

So what do we make of this win? Cautious optimism.

Pete Vuckovich was… encouragingly good. He allowed only a run in 7 2/3 innings on four hits and three walks, striking out six. It was his second win since his return from the mysterious and controversial ankle injury.

Rollie Fingers was… the Rollie Fingers we expect. Fingers has been good this season, but not the automatic save we were spoiled with last season. He came into a high leverage situation in the eighth with two outs, a runner on first and the first run of the inning in. Richie Zisk lifted a deep fly ball to the wall in left. On some days and in some parks, that may have been a two-run homer to give the Mariners the lead. Today, it wasn’t.

The defense was… okay. In fact, the defense almost gave this game away. We’re used to seeing numbers other than “0” in the “E” column of Brewers box scores, and the Brewers waited until the ninth inning to fulfill their erroneous duty. Al Cowens hit a grounder to short to lead off the ninth and Robin Yount promptly booted it. Fingers then threw a wild pictch to put Cowens in scoring position with no one out. Luckily, Fingers got out of it.

You can’t help but attribute a decent chunk of this win to luck. The Brewers scored just enough to beat a bad offensive team 2-1. I don’t know if this should fall in the “encouraged” or “optimistic” categories. It should probably fall in the “yeah, that’s what they’re supposed to do” category.

Maybe it’s a positive sign. Maybe they’re turning the corner. Or, they may just be delaying the inevitable. In some ways, I wish they’d just lose a game like this so that they could make some major changes, rather than barely winning and sticking with what they’ve got.

According to Harry Dalton, change isn’t imminent: “No matter how hard it is, the general manager’s job is to remain patient. I still firmly believe that this team has outstanding talent. I just don’t think we’re a very good team at this time.”

Game Notes: Robin Yount’s ninth inning error was his first in the final three innings of a game since 1980 … It was Fingers’ 11th save of the season … Vuckovich won his fifth consecutive game … Only two Mariners reached as far as third base … Ted Simmons hit a solo home run in the second, giving the Brewers eight home runs in their last three games and fifth in their last two.

Card of the Day: 1982 Fleer Pete Vuckovich

May 29 Leave a Comment

Vuke quickly established himself as the ace in his first year with the Crew in 1981. Can the 29-year-old improve in 1982?

[VIEW THE FULL 1982 BREWERS FLEER SET]

Vuke Returns, Brewers Top Angels

May 27 Leave a Comment

Brewers 4, Angels 3
Brewers now 21-21 (4th)
Box Score | Season Schedule

Pete Vuckovich made his first start since May 6.

ANAHEIM — It’s been speculated that today marks the start of a 10-game road trip that could very well determine the fates of manager Buck Rodgers and a handful of Brewers players. Coming into this game 7 1/2 games back in the AL East, this is desperation time.

Finally, the Brewers played like it, ending a four-game losing streak.

Paul Molitor led off the game with a home run over the 386-foot sign in left center off of starter Ken Forsch. Charlie Moore would drive in a run on a second inning ground out and Cecil Cooper hit a two-run homer in the third, his sixth. The offense finally showed up.

Pete Vuckovich made his first start since May 6 and pitched a solid five innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits and four walks. Jamie Easterly and Rollie Fingers combined to hold the Angels to one run the rest of the way.

Beyond the numbers, we saw heart. In the fourth, Fred Lynn hit a drive to deep right field. Charlie Moore raced back, leaped and snagged what would have been a home run for the first out of the inning. Ben Oglivie would make a similarly spectacular catch in left to rob Lynn in the sixth. Then, with two down in the ninth and the tying run at first, a ground ball was hit to Paul Molitor. Molitor threw wide to first, but Cecil Cooper stretched just far enough to both catch the ball and record the game’s final out.

Maybe it was partly luck. But bad luck has gone against this team far too often. We’ve seen the alternate ending, where Cooper stretches only to see the ball go into the outfield as the tying run scores. It was nice to be on the right side of this thing.

Of course, not everything was roses today. The Brewers committed three more errors, a recurring theme. While bad defense accounted for only one run, the glovemen continue to make life difficult for the pitchers.

But today, progress was made. Jobs appear safe for another day.

Game Notes: Roy Howell made his first start since April 25, hitting second as the Designated Hitter. He went 1-for-2 and scored a run before being pinch hit for by Don Money in the fourth … Gorman Thomas played with a stiff neck that has bothered him the past few games.

It is Time for Change at the Top

May 24 Leave a Comment

In 1981, the Brewers were a loose, professional and happy bunch. They also won, and whether the former bred the latter or vice versa, the personality of the team and the results were starkly different last season than through May 23 of this season.

Far too much is going wrong:

Two players have demanded a trade already at some point in 1982. Charlie Moore started the trend in spring training and only agreed to stay once he was assured playing time in right field. Roy Howell requested his trade during the spring as well and continues to be unhappy about his role as the third third baseman. Yet there are no takers of his paltry batting average.
Rollie Fingers, who won both the AL MVP and Cy Young awards in 1981, has been less than perfect in 1982. He has lost five times when entering tied games. He’s also shown his displeasure with the way that he has been used.
Pete Vuckovich injured his ankle either when sliding down a slick hill behind Royals Stadium in a rain storm prior to the game or when a video game fell on it. Either way, his absence caused immediate problems on the staff (Jerry Augustine started that game in Kansas City and allowed 12 earned runs in five innings) and Vuke threatened to take legal action when rumors surfaced that he was less than forthcoming about the source of his injury.
Bob McClure was hit on the elbow by a line drive and missed time as well. The Brewers’ brass made a serious miscalculation when neither pitcher was replaced on the roster and the Brewers instead went with an eight-man staff while they awaited their return.
While there are some offensive players performing well (Paul Molitor is hitting .301, Robin Yount .291 and Cecil Cooper .340), others are downright offensive. Gorman Thomas went the entire month of April without a home run and is hitting .228. Ben Oglivie is hitting .224 and catcher Ted Simmons is hitting .203 and continues to look like his best days are behind him.
The Brewers aren’t getting consistent pitching. The staff is led by Moose Haas with a 3.22 ERA, but Mike Caldwell‘s is 4.45, Bob McClure’s is 5.14 and Randy Lerch‘s is 5.36, all pitchers who have made several starts. Pete Vuckovich may have a 3.79 ERA, but he hasn’t pitched since May 6.

The biggest problem, though, is a lack of leadership. Whether Buck Rodgers is a poor leader or simply a bad fit for this team, his players do not have his back. They routinely call him out in the press and refuse to sugarcoat their feelings about the man in charge.

And that, along with the swirling rumors that former team captain Sal Bando is ready to take over, are the main reasons that it is time to make a change. Even when they win, the team isn’t happy. They aren’t loose. And they aren’t professional.

It is time that the Brewers find a leader, as Bud Lea of the Milwaukee Sentinel said, who is more of a den mother than a major league manager. They need a leader who will stroke egos and let his players play instead of micromanaging with strategies that many of his players aren’t comfortable carrying out.

The Brewers need a player’s manager, and they need him now.