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Wednesday, April 4

New park brings new life to Milwaukee

By Sean McAdam
Special to ESPN.com

The formula, the business plan if you will, is there to be copied. The Milwaukee Brewers can look to the Cleveland Indians for inspiration and find plenty of common ground.

In 1994, the Indians, based in a small-to-medium media market on one of the Great Lakes, opened a new ballpark and saw a city and a franchise become invigorated.

Center stage

Pat Hentgen
When the St. Louis Cardinals passed on Pat Hentgen's option last winter, it sent off some alarms. Why would a team which came within a few games of winning the National League pennant and in need of pitching -- remember, the Cards later dealt for Dustin Hermanson and were unsure of the status of both Matt Morris and Rick Ankiel -- walk away from a 14-game winner despite a fairly reasonable option ($6 million for 2001).
Whatever the answer, the Baltimore Orioles, themsevles desperate for someone -- anyone! -- to take their budgeted free-agent money, swooped in and got Hentgen for two years and $9.6 million, with a good chunk of the salary deferred.
One start may not be much of a scientific sample, but based on his Opening Day outing against Boston, in which Hentgen matched Pedro Martinez nearly pitch-for-pitch, the O's might have a terrific bargain on their hands.
Hentgen limited the Sox to one run over 8 2/3 innings and looked far more like the 1996 AL Cy Young Award winner than the pitcher who had been a thoroughly mediocre 28-25 over the last three years.
Hentgen, whose rough spring (0-3, 6.00) was reason for concern, displayed a bulldog tenacity on the mound, ignoring the uphill challenge of facing Martinez and replacing Mike Mussina as the O's top starter.
"There's no back down in Pat Hentgen," said manager Mike Hargrove. "To do what he did, ignore all that, shows what a menally tough individual he is. You can't call him a warrior because nobody dies in baseball. But he sure relishes competition. He's a player."
It's the Orioles hope that, in addition to providing the team with 200-plus innings, Hentgen's grit may rub off on the rest of the Baltimore rotation, particularly Sidney Ponson, who has great stuff but hasn't always shown the toughness the O's would like to see.
"He's a pure competitor," observed teammate Brady Anderson. "He just goes right after every hitter."

The Indians timed the arrival of a number of young players with the opening of Jacobs Field, tied up many of their best young players for cost certainty and stability and became one of the game's dominant teams.

Seven years later, the Brewers are trying to apply some of the same thinking. A new management team -- GM Dean Taylor and manager Davey Lopes -- is in place, a new ballpark has opened and for the first time since the '80s, there's hope in Milwaukee.

Already, the Brewers have sold about 1.8 million tickets and expect to pass the 2.5 million mark in attendance, which would be a franchise record.

The team has a formidable middle-of-the-lineup trio in Geoff Jenkins, Richie Sexson and Jeromy Burnitz, and it's probably just coincidence that two of those three (Sexson and Burnitz) came from the Indians organization.

Each is under contract at least through the 2003 season, ensuring that this group will be together for a while. After a decade of a revolving-door approach to the roster, the Brewers would like to get back to a time when the team was identifiable in the community and the players could be linked to the franchise.

Miller Park should help in that regard. It features all the amenities, in stark contrast to County Stadium, a relic from a different era that featured clubhouses right out of the movie "Hoosiers."

As for how the park plays, the new home should help the Jenkins-Sexson-Burnitz trio.

"We've got some of the best power hitters in the game on this team," said third baseman Tyler Houston, who will platoon with graybeard Tony Fernandez, "and I think they're going to like hitting here."

The new ballpark will be a big drawing card for fans and a free agent recruiting tool, but ultimately, the players will have to produce.

"I'm excited about the guys on this team," said first-year starter Ben Sheets, who hopes to make the transition from Olympic hero to successful major leaguer. "We've got some guys who are going to draw attention."

Taylor has put an emphasis on rebuilding the staff since taking over the Brewers. He obtained three starters in deals -- Paul Rigdon came over in the swap that brought Sexson and Jimmy Haynes and Jamey Wright were part of a complicated four-team swap in which the Brewers gave up Jeff Cirillo.

Haynes gave the Brewers just under 200 innings last year, but lacked consistency (5.33 ERA). The hope is that at 28, he's ready to give them more. Wright, too, showed promise (4.10 ERA in 25 starts), but has to show better command (he walked 88 in 164 2/3 innings last year).

Jeffrey Hammonds, signed as a free agent, gives additional speed and power to the lineup -- providing he can stay in the lineup.

In a division with St. Louis and a rebounding Houston, the Brewers face something of a glass ceiling in the NL Central and their improvement may not be easily measured in the standings. Cleveland's ascension in the AL Central came at a time when the White Sox were regressing and three small-market teams (Kansas City, Detroit and Minnesota) were treading water.

But there's little doubt that they'll do far better than the back-to-back fifth-place finishes of the last two seasons.

Fun with numbers
Depending on your means of calculation or your accounting firm, the Boston Red Sox began the 2001 season with either the highest or second-highest payroll among baseball's 30 teams with a payroll of approximately $111.5 million.

A look at how that breaks down.

2.65 -- amount in millions paid to the starting infield (Shea Hillenbrand, Craig Grebeck, Chris Stynes, Brian Daubach) on Opening Day.

22.6 -- amount in millions paid to position players unable to crack starting lineup (Jose Offerman, Mike Lansing, Scott Hatteberg, Darren Lewis, Dante Bichette) on Opening Day.

21.7 -- amount in millions paid to players on the disabled list (John Valentin, Bryce Florie, Juan Pena, David Cone, Bret Saberhagen, Nomar Garciaparra and Hipolito Pichardo) on Opening Day.

Positions of instability
If you're looking for long-term job security, here are three places not to seek employment.

Right fielder for the Boston Red Sox: The Sox had their "streak" interrupted a bit this April when Trot Nixon was the Opening Day starting right fielder for the second time in three years. Had Manny Ramirez been healthy, he would have given the Sox 14 different right fielders in the last 14 seasons. The others: Nixon (2001, 1999), Darren Lewis (2000), Darren Bragg (1998), Rudy Pemberton (1997), Troy O'Leary (1996), Mark Whiten (1995), Billy Hatcher (1994), Andre Dawson (1993), Phil Plantier (1992), Tom Brunansky (1991), Kevin Romine (1990), Dwight Evans (1989) and Mike Greenwell (1988).

Catcher for the Kansas City Royals: The Royals have used seven catchers over the last seven Opening Days: Brian Johnson (2001), Chad Krueter (2000), Mike Sweeney (1999), Tim Spehr (1998), Mike Macfarlane (1997) and Brent Mayne (1996).

Right fielder for the Arizona Diamondbacks: Four player in four years of existence: Danny Bautista (2001), Travis Lee (2000), Bernard Gilkey (1999) and Karim Garcia (1998).

Left fielder for the Philadelphia Phillies: The Phils have tried 16 different left fielders since 1983. This year's model was Pat Burrell. The rest: Gary Matthews (1983), Glenn Wilson (1984), Jeff Stone (1985), Gary Redus (1986), Mike Easler (1987), Phil Bradley (1988), Chris James (1989), John Kruk (1990), Dale Murphy (1991), Wes Chamberlain (1992), Milt Thompson (1993), Pete Incaviglia (1994), Gregg Jefferies (1995, 1997-1998), Darren Daulton (1996), and Ron Gant (1999-2000).

From the scout's seat
Here's a view of the five best outfield arms in the game, with comments from a longtime major league advance scout.

1. Vladimir Guerrero: "Best arm in the business, but accuracy and consistency are a question at times."

2. Larry Walker: "Superior accuracy to go with a gold glove. Maybe the best outfielder of the last decade in terms of the overall package."

3. Ichiro Suzuki: "Above-average arm with great accuracy -- plus he gets rid of the ball quickly. People will be shocked by what he can do, especially for his body-type."

4. Andruw Jones: "Always puts himself in a good position to throw."

5. Raul Mondesi: "Accuracy can be a question, but no one runs on him because he's got a chance to throw you out by 20 feet."

The List

Three teams which could disappoint:
1. New York Mets
The Mets didn't replace Mike Hampton in their rotation and they didn't do anything to upgrade their offense, especially in the outfield.
2. Texas Rangers
Expectations are high, with the addition of A-Rod and all the money laid out for veteran free agents (Ken Caminiti, Andres Galarraga, etc). But the Rangers did little to improve their pitching -- starting or relief, and some worry that their age may make them prone to breakdowns.
3. Boston Red Sox
Baseball's most dysfunctional family is at it again -- spring training brought fines, suspensions, wholesale lineup changes and lots of injuries. If they stay healthy and harmonious, there's a lot of talent here. But a lot of ifs, too.
Three teams which could surprise:
1. Minnesota Twins
They still lack more than a couple of tough outs in the lineup, but the starting staff is strong and the young position players have grown into their jobs.
2. Florida Marlins
Like the Twins, the Marlins have plenty of talented arms. Thanks to the return of Charles Johnson, they also have someone to guide their development.
3. Milwaukee Brewers
New ballpark, new Brewers. The 3-4-5 combination of Geoff Jenkins, Richie Sexson and Jeromy Burnitz gives them thump. A rotation which includes Jeff D'Amico and Olympic hero Ben Sheets is improving.

Looking ahead
This weekend will feature the official opening of two new ballparks -- Miller Park in Milwaukee and PNC Park in Pittsburgh. Both look to be fine additions to the ever-growing list of new baseball playgrounds which began a decade ago with the opening of Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

Miller Park bears more than a slight resemblance to Bank One Ballpark. Both have retractable roofs and both feature window-pane backdrops in left- and right-center. One problem to date: the grass surface, which thanks to construction delays and a long, cold winter in Wisconsin, was only installed a few weeks ago.

Visiting players this weekend, taking part in trial-run exhibition games, complained about the outfield in particular, where the sod hasn't taken and some seams still exist. The grounds crew, however, will have had five days to get the grass in better playing condition before the Brewers officially open by hosting the Reds.

PNC Park, meanwhile, appears to be another jewel. The sight of the downtown skyline across the river and the sight of the Roberto Clemente Bridge makes for the perfect backdrop.

After Forbes Field and Three Rivers Stadium, it appears as though the third time is the charm for the Bucs. PNC's smallish-seating capacity -- it has the second-fewest seats, behind Fenway Park -- will make for a great viewing experience.

Thankfully, the Pirates have eschewed some of the bells and whistles that other new stadia seem compelled to introduce. Enough with the swimming pools and rock formations, already.

UP and down
Up: Robin Ventura.

After compiling an MVP-like season in his first year with the Mets, Ventura slumped badly (.232) last year, raising concerns that at 33, he was fading quickly.

But Ventura rebounded with a strong spring and then belted two homers on Opening Day to help the Mets beat the Braves.

"I had a good spring and I feel great about getting off to a good start," said Ventura.

The Mets will need Ventura to provide some sock to a lineup which won't get a lot of power from its outfield. Instead, the Mets will have to rely on non-traditional power sources (second base, catcher) for their run production.

Down: Dante Bichette.

For an five-year period from 1995-99, no one in baseball collected more hits than Bichette, who twice either led or tied for the National League lead in hits.

Beginning in 1993, he enjoyed eight seasons with 89 RBI or more, including a 141-RBI season in 1996 and he hit no fewer than 20 homers in each of those eight seasons.

Bichette came to camp expecting to be the Red Sox' everyday DH, but manager Jimy Williams detected Bichette's bat speed to have slowed, and, seeking a way to find more playing time for backup catcher Scott Hatteberg (.357 in Grapefruit League play), decided to make Hatteberg the team's primary DH, with Bichette limited to games in which the Sox faced a lefty starter. Last year, that numbered just 42 games.

Bichette was crushed by the news and unhappy that it seemed to come out of nowhere. His agent Ron Shapiro has asked for a trade, but the Sox may find it tough to move a $6.5 million salary for a 37-year-old player.

Question of the week
Has the appeal of new ballparks in Baltimore and Cleveland started to wane?

Evidently.

The Indians were advertising the fact that tickets were available for games in the first week of the season, ending a streak of consecutive sellouts that dated back to the Opening of Jacobs Field. Missing out on the postseason for the first time since 1995 has apparently not sat well with suddenly spoiled Indians fans.

Meanwhile in Baltimore, there were plenty of empty seats in the upper deck for the opener with Boston Monday, which is particularly troublesome given that the day featured decent spring weather and a chance to watch Pedro Martinez.

The O's have taken to a marketing campaign this spring to sell partial season-ticket packages and get people interested in a team that hasn't had a winning season in the last three years.

The lesson here: the Pirates and Brewers, among others, should learn that the novelty of a new ballpark doesn't last forever. Ultimately, fans demand a competitive product on their new fields of dreams.

Opinion
It's hard to take issue with the new unbalanced schedule, which will place an emphasis on intra-division games and highlight great rivalries like the Giants-Dodgers, Yankees-Red Sox and Cardinals-Cubs, as well as helping to spotlight developing ones (White Sox-Indians, A's-Mariners, etc).

But one strange quirk in the new schedule needs some re-working -- the one-game series.

This week, the Braves traveled to Cincinnati, where they played on Opening Day -- then left town. Same deal with the Brewers, who traveled all the way to Los Angeles, and left following one meeting with the Dodgers.

Can someone explain the logic (or appeal) beyond this handiwork?

Pity the poor Brewers, who left their spring home in Arizona last week, returned home for two weekend exhibition games to open Miller Park, headed to Chavez Ravine for their one night stand with the Dodgers on Monday, then traveled to Houston to play the Astros (Tuesday-Thursday), then will head back to Milwaukee for their home opener on Friday.

There's got to be a better way. The one-game series in San Juan between the Blue Jays and Rangers is perfectly understandable, given the special nature of Sunday's opener. But here's hoping that the other one-game series are retired for good.

Sean McAdam of the Providence Journal writes a major-league notebook each week during the baseball season for ESPN.com.

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