The Clarion

Issue date: 9/9/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: MCT CAMPUS Milwaukee Brewers CC Sabathia points to his infielders as they turn a double play in the eighth inning against the Washington Nationals on Friday, August 8, 2008, at Miller Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Media Credit: MCT CAMPUS Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Ben Sheets pitches in the first inning against the Washington Nationals on Aug. 9 at Miller Park.

As a Milwuakee Brewers fans, we've learned how to take the good with the bad. For as long as I can remember and up until recently, the Brewers have been withering away in the depths of baseball's murky cellar-dweller clubs. You can blame it on then-owner Bud Selig's refusal to invest in talent, or the lack of free agents willing to come to a small market team in the Midwest, or you can just call it bad luck. Whatever it's been, it hasn't been good. In fact, it's been quite painful.

Fast forward to the present. The team is stocked full of potential and players who are ready to win, now. The newfound energy that surrounds the team can be attributed to owner Mark Attanasio's willingness to shell out big dollars to big time players. In the four years since acquiring the team from the Selig family for a reported $220 million, Attanasio has more than tripled the payroll from a mere $28 million per year to right around $90 million as of this year. Obviously viewing his acquisition of the team as an investment, the business mogul from California has proven that he has the money to attract the big name players the Milwuakee so desperately needs. He put an exclamation on that statement with the mid-season acquisition of the Brewer's new ace CC Sabathia in a blockbuster deal that shook the baseball world.

For any team to have success in the majors, quality pitching both in the starting lineup and in the bullpen is mandatory. Since 2001 Ben Sheets has been "the man" in the rotation. But perhaps we as fans have become so disillusioned to have the presence of a top tier pitcher on our roster that we've overlooked his inadequacies. Granted no one's perfect, but when you look at the numbers, it becomes clear we've been getting ripped off by Sheets.

In the final year of his contract Sheets is making a team high $12.1 million this year, followed closely by Sabathia at $11 million, and the $10 million head case Eric Gagne, who just might be the most overpaid player in baseball history. But rather than rant on Gag-me, I'll focus on our top two "aces". While his first four seasons with the club were rather impressive, Sheets has proven that he cannot withstand the duration of a full MLB season. Over the past three seasons Sheets has missed over 150 games, nearly a complete season, with a vast array of rather peculiar injuries. An ear infection, torn shoulder muscle, sprained groin, tendonitis, and a blister on the tip of his finger are all on his list of "injuries", not to mention a vast array of other minor injuries.

Perhaps the most disheartening aspect of his inability to go the distance is the fact that he just isn't there for his team in the most important part of the season, the second half. Last year, when the team was attempting to make a stretch run at the division title, Sheets was little help. He made just six second half starts, going 2-1 with a 5.68 ERA. Overall, he made 17 starts--the same number he made in 2006. I'm sorry, but 17 starts from a team's ace just aren't going to cut it. Even this year, while he has managed to remain relatively healthy for the most part and accumulate a seemingly respectable 12-7 record, Sheets has been anything but an ace on the mound. Since acquiring Sabathia in early July, the counterpart to what was supposed to be a deadly one-two punch for opponents has gone just 2-5, largely putting the load of the Brewers rotation firmly onto CC's shoulders.

Sabathia, on the other hand, has showed us that there are in fact dominant pitchers in the league who are capable of going the distance. In his eight years in the majors the man has pitched at least 30 games in a season all but once, with 28 starts in 2006 due to a brief stint on the DL. More importantly for Brewer fans, Sabathia has been nearly unstoppable in his 12 appearances for the Crew, going 9-0 in his twelve starts with the team this season.

In no way are the Brewers going to be able to afford both pitchers, and they'll be lucky enough just to be able to keep one of them. But management's job is to assess the risk-reward factor of players, especially pitchers. Hopefully our new ace has shown the brass that our old ace is anything but that, and that to pursue Sheets would not be beneficial for anyone in the league.

In the mean time, I'll keep my fingers crossed and hope that owner Mark Attanasio is cashing in some stocks to make a run at CC. Of course a deep post-season run would heavily influence the giant to stay in Milwuakee, but a boat load of cash certainly wouldn't hurt things either. If that does happen, Attanasio can rest assured knowing that his investment is of the long term variety and almost certain to pay dividends not only for himself, but all fans of the Brew Crew.

Agree, disagree, or think that I just don't have a clue? I'm interested in hearing your feedback. Feel free to respond and if you're witty enough, you just might be able to see your take in print. Send letters to clarionsports@matcmadison.edu.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools