What we learned this week: March 8, 2014

The Brewers are still looking to improve the team.

It's always important for a team to find ways to improve. The Brewers are no exception to this. They are always looking to improve the team, and as a result, various rumors come out throughout the year. Another one of these rumors came out earlier this week, with reports coming out that the Brewers are scouting Mike Carp. It would be another option for the Brewers at first base, but the Brewers have already put together quite a few options for first base. Would Mike Carp help the Brewers? Maybe, but for now, it's just another option to consider.

There's a lot to do and know as a Brewers fan.

The Brewers history is not as long as many of the other MLB teams, but there's still plenty to know about them. You could be a fan for years and still not know most of their history or traditions. Tom Haudricourt wrote a book to cover a lot of this, and morineko reviewed that book earlier in the week. Her conclusion is that it's good to read if you're a new fan that wants to learn about the team or an old fan that wants a refresher.

We won't get to watch every game this season (unless we attend every game).

The Brewers play 162 games a season, but there aren't 162 broadcasts during the regular season. FS Wisconsin broadcasts over 90% of the games, but not all of them. This year, at least 10 games will not be broadcast on TV. There's a variety of reasons for this. Some of it is about ratings, some of it is conflicts, and there are probably other reasons for why these games aren't covered. In the end, what it means is that if you want to watch every game, you may have to get a little creative (or be ready to make some trips).

Cram Session

- Unfamiliar with how the minor league call-ups and assignments work? Bluebird Banter went through the rules extensively and covered all of the details of how the system works. There's a lot to it, and even some people who have worked in it for years get it wrong.

- Mike Gonzalez got a lot of criticism last season for his performance. He was a free agent in the offseason, and it took a while for him to find a job. He finally did this week, signing a minor-league deal with Washington, where he had some good success.

- Jim Henderson has only made one spring appearance so far, and there's a reason for that. Henderson has been working on a new pitch in spring training. We don't know what the pitch is yet, but it will eventually come out.

- Aramis Ramirez has been recovering from offseason surgery, and is getting close to making his spring debut. If all is going well, he should make his debut today.

- Bob Uecker will take some time off this season, which resulted in some concern about who would cover for him. The concern was alleviated with the announcement of the announcers who would cover for him: former Brewers Craig Counsell and Darryl Hamilton.

- Rickie Weeks is fighting for a starting job this spring. So far, his stats are looking good, and there's a reason for it. He has made some adjustments to his batting stance, and the results have been good.

- The Brewers got their first taste of the new replay system on Thursday. During their game against the Rockies, Logan Schafer was called safe on the steal, and the Rockies manager challenged the call. The review confirmed the call on the field, and the whole process took no more than two minutes.

Reviewing the BCB Community Prospect Rankings

Vote for #14 (Jason Rogers)
Vote for #15 (Ariel Pena)
Vote for #16 (Tucker Neuheus/Wei Chung-Wang)

The Box Scores

3/1/2014: Brewers 6, Dodgers 5 (Game Preview/Thread)
3/1/2014: Diamondacks 2, Brewers 1 (Game Preview/Thread)
3/2/2014: Brewers 6, Rockies 5 (Game Preview/Thread)
3/3/2014: Cubs 4, Brewers 2 (Game Preview/Thread)
3/4/2014: Athletics 6, Brewers 4 (Game Preview/Thread)
3/5/2014: Brewers 7, Athletics 2 (Game Preview/Thread)
3/6/2014: Brewers 5, Rockies 3 (Game Preview/Thread)
3/7/2014: Padres 6, Brewers 2 (Game Preview/Thread)

The Collection of Mugs

3/3/2014: Busy Weekend of Baseball
3/4/2014: Trying to make the roster
3/5/2014: Going under
3/6/2014: Starting hot
3/7/2014: Catcher concentration