Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to Cactus League play.

On this day one year ago the Arizona sun shone a little brighter, if only for a moment.

In slightly more than 24 hours the 2013 Cactus League season will get underway as the Brewers host the Oakland A's at Maryvale Baseball Park. It's the first of two meetings between the two teams this spring, and we've got your preview here.

Our daily video series continues today with a conversation on the Brewers' young shortstop.

Aramis Ramirez has developed a reputation for being something of a slow starter, but what can we actually determine from his April statistics?

The Brewers play their first game of the 2013 season today...but it's just a split-squad contest against themselves. We're talking about that and more in today's daily roundup of all things Brewers.

On this day in 1868 George Davies was born in Portage, Wisconsin. He went to college at UW-Madison and appeared in 69 games with the Western Association's Milwaukee Creams before pitching his first major league game as a member of the 1891 Brewers.

After a long hiatus, baseball season is almost back and I celebrated it by talking on the radio in Eau Claire.

Marco Estrada and Mike Fiers, scheduled to pitch Friday and Saturday, could be the #2 and 3 starters in the 2013 rotation, but both also have a lot to prove. Justin Hull and I discussed them in today's daily video feature.

Prospective new BCB author Fred Hofstetter is back with a look at one of the impressive contenders for one of the final spots in the bullpen.