Sporting thoughts for a soggy Thursday afternoon as I watch the Phils hosting the Rockies in a day playoff tussle in the City O' Bro Love.     Takes me back to a year ago when partner John Jagler and I tasted our first crab fries at Bank One Park as the Brewers were dropping the NLDS opener.    

       Good times, even if the fries were sorely over-rated and Milwaukee lost.    Still one of the best sporting moments of my life, spent with a longtime radio bud who'd become my AM partner via a shotgun marriage.

        About this past season: the Brewers are making solid moves, keeping the Melvin/Macha brain trust and inking closer Trevor Hoffman.   It's the other end of the pitching staff that needs help, and Melvin again showed his smarts by removing Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun from trade consideration before the first logs hit the hot stove.     As Melvin told us today on "Wisconsin's Morning News", it may make fantasy baseball sense to dump either or both for quality starters, but Major League Baseball isn't a parlor game.

        I'm all for keeping the manager--if nothing else, for selfish reasons: his Tuesday appearances on "Brewers 360" provided refreshing bursts of candor.     No, he's not a quipster, but he established early on that no question was out of bounds.     When Braun popped off early in the campaign about the need to make a trade,  Macha learned about it on the air during his weekly appearance and didn't duck the questions.   Longtime listeners know it wasn't that way under the previous regime, one in which a "you-never-played-the-game" attitude prevailed during almost every Tuesday radio chat.

        I don't get to watch every inning of every game, but there were few if any occasions where I felt Macha lost us a contest.     He used his bullpen--a lot--but had to, as his rotation crumbled amid injury and a lack of depth.     My one beef is is pig-headed reliance on the long ball, to the exclusion of anything resembling an aggressive attack on the bases.     Steals, as well as the hit-and-run, need to be part of the repertoire, especially on a club like this that has some gaping holes in the lineup.     Milwaukee got little if anything offensively from J-J Hardy, Jason Kendall or Corey Hart who hasn't been the same player since his 2008 All-Star appearance.    Kendall isn't here for his bat, so anything you get at the dish from him is a bonus.    Hardy's flame-out was unexpected, and fatal.  

       The loss of Rickey Weeks made a bad situation worse--four players, half the lineup, under-producing.      It wasn't until after the break that Melvin was able to find someone to lead off and play second on an everyday basis, but by then, it was too late.    Mike Cameron's end-of-season numbers are impressive, but he still strikes out WAY too much.       What you're left with is a line-up that resembles the one in St. Louis: two big boppers surrounded by...some guys.     A grid with more power can be more home-run reliant.    One that's offensively challenged like Milwaukee's needs to be more creative offensively.    Enter the concept of smaller ball.    Stat freaks will point to Milwaukee's impressive offensive stats, but remember: it's not how often you score, but when.    How many times did Yovanni Gallardo die for a lack of run support?      If memory serves, he was the starter four times when the Brewers got shut out.    Four times.     That's more than bad luck.    That's waiting for long balls that never came.     This, from a team that finished near the bottom in stolen bases.

        As disappointed as I was with the regular season, I'm excited about the Hot Stove months.    I expect Melvin to peddle Hardy and Mat Gamel in a quest for starting arms, and wouldn't be surprised if he pulls a few more triggers, too.     Owner Mark Attanasio may meddle, but he also likes to win.    And, he knows he needs to keep Miller Park packed to maintain a consistent revenue stream.    That means he needs off-season buzz to generate winter season ticket sales, and to keep those big-ticket suites full.   

       Plus, I'm guessing he wants another try at a playoff-clinching celebration, considering how goofy he looked last fall in those zany goggles.