Finally, someone spoke up in a Milwaukee Brewers clubhouse that is far too reticent for public consumption, lest that kind of posture be taken for complacency.
Give Ryan Braun credit for leadership Tuesday night when he candidly told our Anthony Witrado in Miami, "It's frustrating; it's beyond frustrating. I'm (bleeping) sick of saying it's early. You can only say that for so long. You can only say, 'It's early,' you can only say, 'It's going to be all right' for so long.
"It's time for us to start swinging the bats like we're capable of."
It would've been nice to hear that from the manager, but that is not Ned Yost's style. Instead, Yost continues with the Kevin Bacon refrain from "Animal House" that "all is well," when everyone knows that all is not well.
And now, with the division-leading St. Louis Cardinals in town, it's probably getting close to what everyone also knew would be the doomsday scenario for the manager: An underachieving start combined with being sufficiently behind in the NL Central before May had a proper chance to commence.
If the Brewers don't snap out of it soon, Mark Attanasio could make the move with justifiable cause. The owner has been remarkably loyal to his holdover employees, but Attanasio is a businessman first, and a pragmatic one at that. He is banking on a 3 million house at Miller Park based on what were realistic expectations for this team.
Also, Attanasio is probably aware of a poll in this newspaper indicating 75% of the respondents believe a managerial change would benefit the Brewers. No good owner would ever use a poll to make such a decision, but it's clear that Yost is unpopular with a lot of paying customers and has been for some time.
Some of that may have been because Yost is perceived as defiantly stubborn when it comes to admitting his mistakes. Mistakes happen often in a game that teeters on a fine balance between gut instinct and calculated decision, evident by the fact that managers who push the wrong buttons 40% of the time are in the Hall of Fame, but they are forgiven less when the manager is seen as intractable.
Yet personality should not be a part of this. The guy in the other dugout tonight can be testy at times and no one really cares because Tony La Russa wins. The Cardinals got better when no one expected it of them. It only matters whether the Brewers improved in a year when they should be contending.
Except for defensively, they have not so far. Braun, Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks and the rest of the young stars must be held accountable for their performances; what Yost should be evaluated on is whether he has placed them in positions to succeed with a lineup that rarely changes.
It's not Yost's fault that Yovani Gallardo got hurt or that he wasn't given a solid preseason Plan B when Derrick Turnbow went over the edge and Eric Gagné started losing it. But it is incumbent on Yost to pull this team out of its funk.
Nostalgic fans screaming for Yost's head need to be reminded that the magic Harvey Kuenn bullet that catapulted the '82 Brewers cannot be realistically fired again. Clearly, though, if Yost cannot inspire an underachieving team to achieve again, someone else will get the chance.
Maybe this thing turns around with Yost, but it had better do so quickly for his sake. As Braun refreshingly established, the excuses have grown beyond stale.
Baltimore Orioles
Boston Red Sox
New York Yankees
Tampa Bay Rays
Toronto Blue Jays
Chicago White Sox
Cleveland Indians
Detroit Tigers
Kansas City Royals
Minnesota Twins
Houston Astros
LA Angels
Oakland Athleticss
Seattle Mariners
Texas Rangers
Atlanta Braves
Miami Marlins
New York Mets
Philadelphia Phillies
Washington Nationals
Chicago Cubs
Cincinnati Reds
Milwaukee Brewers
Pittsburgh Pirates
St. Louis Cardinals
Arizona Diamondbacks
Colorado Rockies
Los Angeles Dodgers
San Diego Padres
San Francisco Giants
Register To Reply
Originally Posted by brewersfan19
