Each March, before I head to Arizona for my annual work/fun spring training trip, I make myself an informal checklist. It's so easy to zone out on the berm, soaking in the sun and forgetting what's happening on the field.
This way, I go in with a few questions and come back with a few answers. With one week until I touchdown in desert paradise, this is what I'm wondering about the 2012 Brewers:
- Right field: A week ago, I would've had my eye on Corey Hart. He played like a lumbering old man in the playoffs last season, and I wanted to see if he had got his defensive skills back. But he's out for a month, and now, I'll be focused on Norichika Aoki. Is this the next Ichiro, or is he fourth outfielder material? From my favorite spot on the berm, I'll be able to get a very good look at him.
- Rickie Weeks: The super-talented second baseman was clearly rushed back into duty last year, and I want an idea if he looks healthy after that severe sprain. Is he still speedy? Is he favoring his ankle? Is he the same player before the injury?
- Mat Gamel: No one expects Gamel to fully replace Prince Fielder, but I had given up on the previously undisciplined first baseman. Let's see if his offseason workout regimen paid off and if the young power hitter can finally perform at the big-league level.
- Braun jitters: To date, Ryan Braun is off to a slow start in Phoenix, but it's very early. Can he shake off the boos and what must have been the most stressful offseason of his life? I'm guessing yes.
- Marcum's shoulder: I really like Shaun Marcum, but something clearly happened to him down the stretch last year. He has a sore right shoulder already; let's see if this is really a "minor issue," as he claims.
- McClung McComeback: Former Brewers pitcher and OnMilwaukee.cob blogger (and my friend) Seth McClung is back with a minor league contract with the team. I'm anxious to see him pitching again in a Milwaukee uniform, and I'm rooting for him to make a comeback. Eager to talk to him again in person.
- Maryvale: Yes, the Brewers are now in their final year of their contract at the Maryvale Baseball Park. I'll just say it: I like Maryvale, and I like the neighborhood around it, too. Something will clearly change after this year, so I plan on soaking up the scene, just like I did for the first time in 1998 ... and every year since.
Andy is the president, publisher and founder of OnMilwaukee. He returned to Milwaukee in 1996 after living on the East Coast for nine years, where he wrote for The Dallas Morning News Washington Bureau and worked in the White House Office of Communications. He was also Associate Editor of The GW Hatchet, his college newspaper at The George Washington University.
Before launching OnMilwaukee.com in 1998 at age 23, he worked in public relations for two Milwaukee firms, most of the time daydreaming about starting his own publication.
Hobbies include running when he finds the time, fixing the rust on his '75 MGB, mowing the lawn at his cottage in the Northwoods, and making an annual pilgrimage to Phoenix for Brewers Spring Training.
