By now most Brewer fans are well aware of the words exchanged between Ryan Braun and GM Doug Melvin. I can guarantee that also, by now, Melvin and Braun have had a private meeting at Miller Park to hash out any misconceptions about what was said.
The Brewers will take the field tonight as if nothing happened, and any player interviewed about the topic will surely reply with, "it's not a big deal" or "it is what it is." Basically, the same tired cliches sports fans always have to put up with.
That's why I think what Ryan Braun said was right and nobody should be faulting Braun for saying what most Brewer fans already know: our pitching is less than perfect.
If Braun is the supposed leader of the team, he should have every right to express his opinion about the state of the ball club. There is absolutely no denying that the Brewers need pitching help if they plan on making a return to the postseason, so basically all Braun did was state the obvious!
What's arguably worse about the whole situation is that Melvin's comments appear immature and don't offer much of a rebuttal. Melvin told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinal's Tom Haudricourt, "We all work every day from 9 a.m. to midnight...I'll be glad to have Ryan help if he wants to. I'll give him a badge and he can be my deputy."
Melvin also stated, "To make the statements he made and also get on his teammates like that, it was irresponsible on his part. It just ticked me off."
So basically, Melvin is mad at the LEADER of the team for telling the truth and calling out his teammates for poor performance over the past few weeks. If fans demand more honesty from their favorite players, they should be happy that Braun has stepped up and made his feelings be known.
Braun didn't only criticize pitching. He called out the offense as well, and I have a feeling that he'd be the first to tell you that he didn't perform very well against the Cubs in this last series.
This is an extremely crucial time for the Brewers. With a 3-1 series loss against Chicago this past weekend, the Brewers are a game out of first place to St. Louis, whom we start a series with tonight. After that, the Crew hosts the best team in the National League, the Los Angeles Dodgers.
You just can't sit back and continue to throw out mid-level pitchers against opposing teams like the Brewers are about to face. Fans know this, players know this, and Doug Melvin knows this.
So don't criticize Braun for being honest. Appreciate the fact that at least someone besides the local media is stepping up and calling for action.
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