{image1} New owner Mark Attanasio put his mark on the Brewers' home opener Monday, involving his family and friends in the annual tradition.

Joe Attanasio, Mark's father, sang the national anthem. Some joked that nepotism had not left with the Selig family, but for Attanasio it was just a chance to make a dream come true for a man he loves.

"He's always been supportive of me," Attanasio said in a press conference before Monday's game. "We have a very close family. If singing the national anthem is a dream come true for him, I'm more than happy to help."

Fireworks went off in center field during Joe's rendition. The rockets red glare might have been timed to cover his difficulty in hitting a few high notes, but overall he did the family proud.

Attanasio and several family, friends and fellow investors sat in the box seats to the left of the dugout rather than in a luxury box.

"I like to be close to the action. I also like being out with the fans," said Attanasio. He also said he plans to drop in on tailgate parties and sit in other parts of Miller Park as the season continues.

Selig bashers might not accept this, but Bud Selig used to frequently do those same things in the earlier years of his tenure with the Brewers. Of course, a big difference is Selig also lived right here in Milwaukee, while Attanasio lives in Los Angeles.

In some ways, it sounds like a clash of cultures, but Attanasio said it's working well, especially now that investors from Milwaukee have met with the Los Angeles people.

"We had a long meeting Sunday," said Attanasio, who was at Wrigley Field over the weekend for the Brewers and Cubs games. "I think everybody is on the same page. We want to do whatever we can to field a competitive team.

"The Milwaukee people let us know the importance of Ben Sheets to the team. The L.A. people learned about arbitration and other baseball things."

Look for more of the "L.A. comes to Brew City" influence. Attanasio actually has more of The Bronx, where he originally is from, in him than Malibu. But, look for him to modernize and improve some of the Brewers' marketing and overall entertainment value.

Attanasio also knows enough to stay out of the baseball operations and leave that up to GM Doug Melvin, manager Ned Yost and the best baseball staff the franchise has had since the days of Harry Dalton.

Player of the Week

Russell Branyan gets it this week for his two homers on Opening Day in Miller Park. His first one, measured at 465 feet, fell just short of his stadium record of 480 feet.

If you go back to last week, give the honor to Junior Spivey, who hit .385 in the first week and had some key hits in an extra-inning win over the Cubs on Opening Day in Wrigley Field.

Opening Week Notes

Attanasio said he is trying to relax more during games. "The way I've been hanging on every pitch every half inning, I may not make it through the season at this pace," he joked ... Monday also was a big day for West Salem native Damian Miller. "I have a lot of family and friends here," said the new Brewers' catcher. "To go out there as the starting catcher for the team I've followed all my life is very exciting." ... Ben Sheets said ongoing discussions about a contract extension don't distract him. "I have a job to do," Sheets said. "I'm too stupid to get involved in that," he added, making one of his "goofy" faces. "That's why I have an agent." Sheets said he does expect to get an agreement, but added, "There's no rush." Attanasio said signing Sheets to a long-term deal is a priority for him and his fellow investors ... Jeff Cirillo got the biggest ovation of all the Brewers during player introductions Monday. Cirillo, who played for the Brewers the first time during the Phil Garner era, is the all-time franchise batting leader with a .307 average going into this year. Look for Cirillo and Branyan to share time at third, with Wes Helms relegated to a reserve role until the Brewers can unload him in some type of trade ... You could see pockets of Brewers' fans among the sellout crowds at Wrigley Field last weekend. The Interstate 94 rivalry comes to Miller Park May 3-5. Cubs fans have already gobbled up thousands of tickets.

Hot Tix

The Admirals and Wave are about to start playoff action. The Ads will play a still-to-be-determined opponent at the Bradley Center in the first two games next Wednesday at 7 p.m. and April 23 at 7:30 p.m. The American Hockey League playoff series is a best-of-seven contest.

Before starting the playoffs, the Admirals will host Utah in the last regular season game at the B.C. (hopefully only for this season, not forever) at 7 p.m. Friday. The Ads' long-term ownership situation is still to be determined.

The Admirals end the regular season with games Saturday at Cincinnati and on Sunday at San Antonio.

In soccer, the Wave is at St. Louis Saturday and hosts Cleveland at 1 p.m. Sunday at the U.S. Cellular Arena. The last regular season games are next weekend. The first round of the MISL playoffs will start the weekend of April 29-May 1.

Milwaukee will host the first game of the MISL championship series, whether the Wave is in it or not, on May 14. Look for more on both the hockey and soccer playoffs in next week's Sports Buzz.

The Bucks, who are not going to the NBA playoffs, travel to Detroit Friday and host Orlando at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the B.C.

The Brewers host the Cardinals at 7:05 p.m. Friday and 1:05 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. All games are at Miller Park.