26 YEARS!!! That was what the 2008 Brew Crew overcame to reach the playoffs before the short term lease project named CC tripped and fell in Philadelphia. And so now we are at 27 years since the last World Series appearance for the Milwaukee Brewers.
But let's get real. How many teams have been to a world series since 1982? Only 24 of the 30 teams in Major League Baseball have at least one appearance in the fall classic since 1982. A whopping six teams have been shut out in the last 27 years: Texas Rangers, Seattle Mariners, Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals, Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates, and the Milwaukee Brewers.
So despite "going for it" as Doug Melvin was fond of saying in '08, the Brewers are still the equivalent of the brainy kid with glasses waiting to be picked last and play catcher on the kickball team.
So now the good news: Of those last six kids to be picked for kickball, three of them are in the National League Central! And two of them, including the Brewers, are the favorites to win the division. Also, with the NY Yankees seeming to try and create their own economic stimulus package to try and buy their 5th championship and 7th appearance since 1982, the majority of the free agent talent is playing on the junior circuit.
The Brewers have lost the mighty one two combination of CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets at the top of their rotation, but let's not forget that Sabathia was in the rotation only half the year. Yovanni Gallardo impressed everyone with his comeback from a terrible ACL injury to pitch effectively in the playoffs, which is more than can be said for Ben Sheets. For the Brewers to be successful in '09, Gallardo MUST become that ace that can be counted on to win 'every time out'.
Think back to the '07 season when Ben Sheets went down after the all-star break. It was the lack of a stopper that really catapulted the Brewers into a funk they could not shake. The knowledge that every fifth day, you can COUNT on a victory with your ace on the mound takes an enormous amount of pressure off the every day players on this team. Gallardo has to become that guy.
The remainder of the rotation still has to hold their own, of course. But with the emergence of David Bush late in '08, the addition of innings eater Braden Looper, and the potential of a more experienced Manny Parra, the rotation in Milwaukee can stand up to everyone in the Central division with the exception of the Cubs.
When at the plate, it is hard to believe that Bill Hall, Rickie Weeks, and Mike Cameron can have years that are as bad or worse than '08. The offense will win a few games, and the defense will be about the same. The Brewers are who they are, and the stability in their lineup last year has given us a good picture of who they are going to be again this year. Which is why the pitching is going to be the key to the '09 season, and the main reason why the Brewers will, or will not, leave just 5 teams waiting to be picked for kickball.
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