Some things to read while chanting.
You know it's a slow news day when the top story is food-related: The Brewers announced the finalists in their "Create a Concession" contest, and you can follow this link to vote for one of the following:
- A chicken parmesan sandwich.
- Racing Sausage kabobs.
- Poutine with cheese curds.
- Tilapia fish tacos.
I have an embarrassing admission to make here: Many of you have heard me talk at length about my mac and cheese recipes (available here), and know that I was planning on entering the contest. I was planning on submitting "Mac and cheese three ways" (using these three recipes), but I spent too much time tinkering and missed the entry deadline.
Anyway, I'm sure the winner will be a welcome addition to the Miller Park menu, but after reading this Lookout Landing post I'm also convinced Safeco Field will still have better food.
2011 will almost certainly be Prince Fielder's final season in Milwaukee, and hopefully it'll be a big one: Vaughn's Valley has Fielder #5 on their list of players most critical to 2011 success.
I mentioned yesterday that it was Bob Uecker's 76th birthday. Jaymes Langrehr of The Brewers Bar had my favorite Happy Birthday post, with a list of his favorite Uecker moments from 2010.
We're coming up on season preview season: Fox Sports Houston has the first one. Hopefully it won't be the best one.
Speaking of season previews, now seems like as good a time as any to announce this: Along with several other notable writers from around the web, I'm contributing to this year's Maple Street Press Brewer Annual, which you can pre-order here. Brian Carriveau (who writes about the Brewers at Pocket Doppler and about the Packers at Cheesehead TV) is editing the publication, and I'm really excited to see how it turns out.
In the minors: Keith Law's organizational rankings are out, but they're Insider-only. Craig Calcaterra mentioned that the Brewers are last, though, and that's probably what we should have expected.
Around baseball:
Diamondbacks: Avoided arbitration with catcher Miguel Montero ($3.2 million).
Padres: Signed pitcher Greg Burke to a minor league deal.
Rockies: Signed infielder Alfredo Amezaga to a minor league deal.
Twins: Claimed pitcher Dusty Hughes off waivers from the Royals and designated pitcher Rob Delaney for assignment.
Yankees: Signed pitcher Bartolo Colon to a minor league deal.
Today in former Brewers:
- Paul Molitor was in Beloit this week for their annual offseason event, and Jim Franz of the Beloit Daily News has some comments on the end of his time in Milwaukee.
- MLB Trade Trees is a great site for flow charts showing how major league teams have turned one player into many more over the years. Former Brewer Mike Cameron (and new Brewer Jeremy Reed) appear on Mark Langston and Ken Griffey Jr's Mariners tree.
- As part of this week's Three Strikes, Jayson Stark noted that Jeff Suppan was one of just nine pitchers to allow both righties and lefties to hit over .300 in 2010.
When the Brewers and Padres play this season (May 9-11 and 18-19), it might be hard to tell the two teams apart. The Padres unveiled new road uniforms this week and, as The Sacrifice Bunt notes, they look pretty familiar.
On this day in 1999, the Brewers signed pitcher Jim Abbott to a one year deal. Abbott, who pitched in ten major league seasons despite being born without a right hand, had a pretty forgettable run as a Brewer: He posted a 6.91 ERA in 20 games in his final season.
With help from the B-Ref Play Index, happy birthday today to:
- 2003 Brewer Jason Conti, who turns 36.
- 1998 Brewer Greg Martinez, who turns 39.
- 1986-91 Brewer manager Tom Trebelhorn, who turns 63.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going back to cataloging local wildlife.
Drink up.