2009 Just Another Typical Year for Brewers Fans

We’ll be good next year.  I just know it.

How many times have you convinced yourselves of that since 1993, Brewers fans?  If you’re like me, you are sick of saying that every August or September.  Another sub-par record by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2009, and hope for a successful franchise is dwindling inside of me. 

Last year was a dream come true for fans when Ryan Braun and company made the playoffs.  Milwaukee had never seen so much excitement over a sports team since the Milwaukee Bucks were one game away from the National Basketball Association Finals in 2001.

But this season is different.  CC Sabathia accepted about $60 million more than the Brewers could offer to head east and play in New York in the offseason and Ben Sheets is gone, yet the Brewers are still paying for his surgeries.  With the Brewers fading out of contention once again this year, I’m starting to feel tired of repeatedly telling myself, “We’ll be good next year.”

One Year Isn’t Going to Cut It

Milwaukee has given its support.  There is no doubt about that.  Seven or eight years ago, the second level of Miller Park would be all dark green seats with no fans sitting in them.  It was embarrassing to watch on television.  Now, I can’t even buy upper deck tickets for a Sunday game two months in advance. 

Milwaukee fans have endeared a lot of heartache over the years and deserve a winning team.  I’m told the city of Milwaukee was a big party in 1982 when the Brewers reached the World Series for the first time.  I look at old newspaper headlines and I can only imagine what that atmosphere would be like.  I was born in 1987 and have seen the Crew do very few productive things in my 22 years as a fan.

Die hard Crew fans that have been attending games and watching on television since the 1960s deserve to see a playoff run in September and October again.  The city will eventually turn their back on the franchise though, because one short playoff stint isn’t going to cut it anymore.

If You Pay, You Win

Lets face it.  The smallest market in baseball will never be able to compete financially or in popularity with the likes of the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs.  So teams like the Brewers and San Diego Padres use the draft to better themselves.  But have you taken a good look at the records of teams like the Padres, Brewers and Kansas City Royals? 

Each one of these teams loads up on draft picks for 10 years in the hope they will be good for a two or three-year period until the players demand too much money to hold on to.  The Detroit Tigers were the same way until they bumped up their payroll and became competitive again.  In 2003, the Tigers finished 43-119, the worst record in American League history.  But in 2004 and 2005, the franchise was rebuilt with veteran talent, not just draft picks.

By acquiring dynamic players like Magglio Ordonez, Pudge Rodriguez and Placido Polanco, the Tigers reached the World Series in 2006.  Detroit currently leads the American League Central division and will continue to be competitive for years to come with a 2009 payroll of over $119 million, which is good enough for fifth in Major League Baseball.  The Brewers on the other hand, are currently sporting a payroll of roughly $80 million, which is good enough for 16th in the league, with a record of below .500.

Milwaukee must follow the footsteps of the Tigers if they want to succeed.  If you pay big bucks, you win. 

The Future Is Now

Milwaukee fans are tired of waiting around.  The Brewers’ die hard fans have been waiting since Prince Fielder and Rickie Weeks first came up to the majors not too many years ago to start consistently winning year in and year out.  Braun, Fielder and Corey Hart are all in their prime right now, but they can’t do it alone.

Labeling 23-year-old Yovanni Gallardo the ace of the Milwaukee pitching staff shows how thin the Brewers’ rotation and bullpen really is.  It’s time to throw the big bucks or one of their young infielders at teams to get Roy Halladay, Felix Hernandez or Zach Greinke in Milwaukee’s rotation.  Fielder and company aren’t going to be in Milwaukee forever, so it’s time management gives them some pitching and a chance to win ball games.

I’m officially done saying, “We’ll be good next year.”  I want to start saying Milwaukee will be good this year.