Welcome back Jonathan Lucroy! The Brewers catcher broke his pinkie finger way back in February and made his season debut tonight in Pittsburgh. In a scoreless tie in the top of the 6th inning, Lucroy led off with a double and scored he game’s first run on a Carlos Gomez sacrifice fly. Two batters later, Prince Fielder hit a 3-run homer, and the scoreless duel between Shawn Marcum and the Pirates Kevin Correia was over with.

So was the game. That’s because Marcum, working with Lucroy fir the first time ever was brilliant. This was the Marcum the Brewers traded for. He threw 7 scoreless tonight giving up four hits and a walk while striking out four. He retired the first 12 hitters he faced and was in trouble only in the 5th and 7th innings, getting out of both jams unscathed.

After the Brewers scored two more runs in the top of the 8th to put the game out of reach, Marcum’s night was over. Three other relievers came in to finish the shutout, as the Brewers won for the 6th time in 7 games, winning for the first time in four tries on the road.

In golf, they say you can’t win the tournament on Thursday, but you sure as hell can lose it. Same is true with baseball. You can’t win a division in April, but you can certainly go along way towards losing one.

For the first time this season the Brewers are over .500 at 6-5. Considering eight days ago they were 0-4, they’ve come along way in a short time. With Lucroy back, Marcum throwing well, and Corey Hart and Zach Greinke both on the mend, things are looking a whole lot better for Ron Roenicke’s squad.

When you start the season 0-4, you take things one thing at a time. I know that’s cliché, but you really do want to win four games in one, and that’s not possible. You have to win, and then win again, and keep it up until you right the ship. Today, Casey McGehee righted the ship, and got the Brewers back to .500 with one swing of the bat. A 2-run shot off the Cubs Kerry Wood in the bottom of the 8th gave Milwaukee a 6-5 win, and made that opening day loss that started a four game losing skid, a little more of a distant memory.

With Yovani Gallardo getting the start against the Cubs Casey Coleman, one figured the Brewers would be in line to get a win, but it didn’t come easy. Coming off a 2-hit shutout over the Braves on Tuesday, Gallardo struggled through 5 innings today, giving up 4 runs on 7 hits and 4 walks. But the offense picked him up.

Down 2-0 in the bottom of the first, Prince Fielder battled against Coleman before connecting on the 8th pitch of the at-bat for his 2nd home run of the season, a 2-run shot that tied the game up at 2-2.

But the Cubs would add single runs in both the 2nd and 3rd innings to once again take a 2-run lead. And once again, one swing of the bat erased all the Cubs work. Ryan Braun hit his 4th HR in 10 games, another 2-run shot, and once again the game was knotted, this time 4-4.

It stayed that way until the 7th when the Cubs got to the Brewers bullpen. Marlon Byrd led off the frame with a double off of Sean Green After Aramis Ramirez flew out, Mitch Stetter came in and walked Carlos Pena. That was all for Mitch. Kameron Loe came in and uncorked a wild pitch prior to walking Geovany Soto. A Tyler Colvin ground out plated the go ahead run for the Cubbies.

That set the stage for the 8th inning, when Chicago brought in Kerry Wood. After getting ahead of Yuniesky Bettancourt 0-2, Wood proceeded to walk Bettancourt, which is saying something since Yuniesky walks about as much as the people of Los Angeles.. Bettancourt walked 23 times in 2010 in 579 plate appearances. But he worked his 2nd of 2011—yes, he already has two!!—off of Wood. Two outs later, the struggling McGehee came to the plate, and this time Casey at the Bat ended happily.

The 3rd 2-run homer of the game for the Brewers proved to be the difference maker as closer John Axford worked a scoreless ninth inning sending Milwaukee to their 5th win in 6 games. Yes, that Opening Day loss seems like a long ways away… like way back in March.

As former Reds great Barry Larkin said tonight in regards to the Brewers 3rd straight win, a 4-2 victory over the Braves, “It’s about pitching and it’s about offense.” Yes, I think we call that winning baseball.

The Brewers Shawn Marcum provided another strong start today for Milwaukee allowing just two runs in 6 innings, and for the 2nd straight day, the bullpen made it hold up by throwing three scoreless frames, ending with John Axford’s 2nd save in as many nights.

The offense Mr. Larkin was referring to once again was provided by Ryan Braun, who hit his 3rd homer of the young season with one on and one out in the home half of the first inning, giving the Brewers an early 2-0 lead. Atlanta came right back and tied it at 2-all when Martin Prado singled home two runs in the top of the 2nd inning.

Then it was Nyjer Morgan’s time. The speedster acquired toward the end of Spring Training once again provided a spark by doubling with one out in the 2nd, swiping 3rd, and scoring on a ground ball by knocking the ball away from Braves catcher Brian McCann. From that point on, Marcum settled into a groove, giving up just two singles in his final four innings of work. Marcum did not pitch well in his Brewers debut last Saturday in Cincinnati, struggling with his control. He walked 5 hitters and allowed 4 runs in less than five innings in taking the loss. Today, he was much better. After Morgan’s run gave the Brewers the lead again, Marcum made it stand up.

Ron Roenicke’s club has responded well after dropping their first four games of the season, by getting good pitching and just enough offense. Why, I think that’s a pretty good winning formula, don’t you Mr. Larkin?

It’s been a long time. I mean a long time. I think Sleepy Floyd was playing in fact, since the Golden State Warriors beat the Lakers. And tonight, they didn’t beat the Lakers. They beat the you-know-what out of them. This after losing 12 straight to the two-time defending champs.

And early on, it looked like number 13 would be a foregone conclusion. The Lakers scored the games first 10 points, and led 23-14 at the end of the first quarter. With both teams playing the back-end of a back-to-back, the Lakers decided to rest their regulars. The Warriors decided to take the lead. A 10-run of their own made it 24-23 Golden State, and seemed to awaken the slumbering team and crowd.

The Warriors went into the break with a halftime lead of 43-38 before playing as good of a quarter of basketball against the Lakers since the days of TMC. A 29-17 3rd quarter highlighted by Dorell Wright’s team record-breaking 184th 3-pointer of the season gave the Warriors a 72-55 lead heading into the final quarter.

The lead grew to as many as 19, with Kobe Bryant sitting on the bench for much of the quarter. By the time he checked back in with 6:13 left in the game, he was not only playing the Warriors, but the clock as well. He hit a 3, scored again and drew the foul, made a couple more free throws, and took it to the hole for two more as the lead dwindled down to eight with two minutes to play.

But the lead was too much to overcome this time, and the streak was over as Golden State, behind 22 points, and 17 boards from David Lee beat the Lakers 95-87. The Warriors won their 3rd straight game against playoff teams in winning their 35th of the season, nine more than they had all of last year.

None of them sweeter than tonight’s.

A night after the Brewers got their first win of the season, they made it two in a row, with another 1-run win over the Atlanta Braves, 5-4. And just like last night’s win, this one was a nail-biter to the final out.

Marco Estrada got the start for the Brew Crew filling in for an injured Zach Greinke and did just well enough to garner the first win of his major league career. Called up earlier in the day from the minors, Estrada gave up a run in the first with an assist from Carlos Gomez who threw out Chipper Jones at home to end the inning, and a 3-run home run to Jason Heyward in the 6th. But that was enough to keep the Brewers up a run, and the bullpen did the rest…finally.

The Brewers took advantage of the Braves young starter, Mike Minor, who started the game by walking the first three Brewers. Up to the plate came a very hungry Prince Fielder. That’s about as scary scenario as any pitcher can imagine, let alone a kid with less than 50 innings under his belt. Prince delivered. A 2-run single to left gave the Brewers the lead, and got the monkey off Prince’s back.

In the fourth, the Brewers added to the lead, and the big fella was involved again, this time chugging all the way around from first on a ringing double to left by Yuniesky Betancourt.

Next frame, and Prince caught his breath in time to deliver hi 3rd knock of the game. An RBI single to center scored Rickie Weeks to make it 4-1, Brewers. Prince touched home a little bit later on, coming home on a pinch-hit single by Mark Kotsay, to round out the Brewers scoring for the night. It would be just enough.

After Heyward’s bomb cut the lead to a run, the Brewers pen made it stand up. Zack Braddock worked a perfect top of the 7th, and Kameron Loe did the same in the 8th. That got us to the ninth, and John Axford, who hadn’t thrown since that opening day meltdown. After a leadoff walk to Heyward, Axford got the next three without incident for his first save of the season.

First win for Estrada, first ribbies of the season for Prince, first save for Axford. A night of firsts equals a 2nd straight win for Milwaukee.

Yovani Gallardo spun a 2-hitter and scored the games only run as the Milwaukee Brewers finally got their first win of the season, beating the Atlanta Braves, 1-0 at Miller Park.

Gallardo was in complete control the entire night, as he faced jut one over the minimum in tossing the complete game gem. In the first inning, Nate McLouth hit a one out single, but was erased on a Chipper Jones double play.

In the 4th inning, Martin Prado led off with a walk, but he too was erased when McLouth grounded one to Prince Fielder who started the 3-6-3 double play. In the 8th, Dan Uggla led off with the Braves first hit since McLouth’s in the first, but he promptly went back to the bench when Gallardo’ batterymate, George Kottaras fired a bullet to 2nd to nail Uggla trying to steal. Uggla actually beat the throw, but slid past the bag, and was tagged out by Rickie Weeks.

Gallardo also helped himself out with the bat. One of the better hitting pitchers in the game, Yovani singled with one out in the 3rd, and scored from 2nd with two outs on Ryan Braun’s single to left.

The 3rd shutout of Gallardo’s career was not only the first win of the season for the Brewers, but the first win for Ron Roenicke as a manager in the bigs.

Milwaukee is now 1-4 through five games and will look to make it two in a row tomorrow when Sergio Mitre gets the start. Acquired at the end of Spring Training from the Yankees for outfielder Chris Dickerson, Mitre is filling in for the Brewers other ace, Zach Greinke, still out with a fractured rib. Opposing Mitre for the Brave will be rookie left-hander Mike Minor, also called up as a spot starter for the injured Jair Jurrjens.

Ready or not, Opening Day is here. For the Brewers, they could probably wait another week or two to get all their guys healthy, but the clock has ticked down to zero and it’s time to Play Ball.

Things got off to a difficult start for the Brew Crew early in camp. Within days of each other, All-Star outfielder Corey Hart strained his left oblique, and then catcher Jonathan LuCroy broke his right pinkie, followed by newly acquired ace Zach Greinke fracturing a rib. All of them are still basically in the early stages of their own Spring Trainings.

The hope is that Hart and LuCroy will both be back within a couple of weeks, maybe, if all goes well, even sooner. Greinke could be out a little longer, but a late April early May return is certainly possible. In the meantime, others will need to step up.

Shawn Marcum, who also had a fight with the injury bug, seems ready to go, and will start the 2nd game of the season. He probably will be on a limited pitch count, but a solid 5-6 innings would be a very good sign.

Yovani Gallardo gets the ball on Opening Day after a brilliant Spring Training which saw him sport a 1.96 era with 23 K’s in just over 18 innings pitched. He has the makings of a Cy Young season in his right arm. His talent, confidence and humility are a lethal combination.

Randy Wolf didn’t have much of a spring, but the veteran knows the difference between March and April baseball, and will certainly dial it up a notch now that we’re playing for real.

The bullpen is loaded, led by John Axford, who came out of nowhere to win the closer’s job last year, and shows no signs of giving up that position anytime soon. He has the perfect mindset for a closer; short term memory mixed with a great sense of humor. Never too high, and never too low. Takashi Saito and Zach Braddock will serve as setup men, with help from Sean Green, Kameron Loe and both Manny Parra and LaTroy Hawkins once they get fully healthy as well.

As far as the offense goes, not many teams could handle having their All-Star outfielder and promising young catcher both shelved at the same time, but this lineup is loaded. Prince Fielder is in a contract year, and never takes a play off. Watch out for a huge year from the huge man. Rickie Weeks finally was healthy for a full season in 2010 and you saw what that meant. 29 Hr’s, 112 runs scored. Nuff said.

Casey McGehee proved his rookie year was a fluke. He was actually better than what he showed in 2009. another 20+ HR, 100+ RBI season is in the mix for him.

Ryan Braun is quietly one of the game’s best. He’s still only 27 years old. His best days are ahead of him. That’s pretty scary.

Whomever mans center, whether it’s Carlos Gomez or Nyjer Morgan, one thing is for certain—they’ll be running—a lot.

New manager Ron Roenicke has to like his chances in the NL Central. As long as his players are on the field, and not in the training room.

He’s simply known as “The Greatest.” And with that, one knows right away who the center of attention is. Muhammad Ali was always the center of attention, even in defeat. And today, while visiting the Milwaukee Brewers in Phoenix, AZ, despite being crippled by the disabling effects of Parkinson’s Disease, Ali is still at the center of attention.

“His presence is just something that’s difficult to articulate, “ said Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun. “It was unbelievable. One of the greatest athletes and most iconic figures of our generation.”

Ali was always bigger than life, and to this day, that remains true. His impact on boxing made him one of the greatest ever. His impact on the world is why he’s still revered wherever he goes.

“You realize how fortunate we are to be in the position we’re in and what an impact we can have we can have on other people’s lives,” said the All-Star Braun. “Muhammad is a classic example of that. He’s been nothing but an incredible humanitarian and everything we aspire to be as athletes.”

And that’s just what Ali’s goal is when he visits with these players as he did on Wednesday with the Brewers, and Tuesday with the White Sox. His message, as part of the group Athletes for Hope is to get the players more involved in the community. Brewers closer John Axford got the message.

“It was a fantastic conversation today. Athletes being able to pull together and come together as one for the community and that’s something we have a responsibility for.”

40 years ago this week, Ali lost to Joe Frazier at Madison Square Garden. Boxing was in the beginning stages of the Golden Age of Heavyweights with Ali, Frazier, and George Foreman headlining a decade of fights that took the sport to heights it has, and may never see again. Yet 30 years after he last entered the squared circle, Ali continues to deliver blows to athletes who weren’t even born the last time he fought.

His wife, Lonnie Ali, says the champ gets a kick out of being around “the kids.” “It makes Muhammad feel so wonderful. This is like a generation or two away from him and these guys just give him so much respect and love. Just to be around male athletes who understand what it takes to achieve a goal and perfection and be at the top of the game.”

And while Ali knows maybe better than anyone who has ever lived what it is like to be at the top of the game, he used the game itself to achieve things one would have never dreamed of.

That’s the message Ali is trying to convey. Use the game, not just for fame and fortune, but for things that are bigger than yourself. Because in the long run, how many home runs you hit, or how many games you win doesn’t mean a thing. But how many lives you influence, now there’s a stat you don’t see on the back of a baseball card.

And that’s too bad.

He’s the biggest guy on the field. Most definitely the loudest. And without a doubt, the one having the most fun. And why not. It’s a good time to be Prince Fielder. His Brewers are stacked offensively starting with Rickie Weeks at the top, Ryan Braun, Corey Hart and Prince in the middle, with a nice helping of Casey McGehee thrown in the mix. And now, they’ve added pitching to the mix.

“ With Zach and Shawn coming in, and we already had Yo (Yovani Gallardo) and Wolfie (Randy Wolf) and even Narvy (Chris Narveson), ya know it feels really good to know that you have five solid guys, “ Prince told ProTVSports. “On paper we look really good, but until you get out there and start playing and proving it doesn’t mean anything. But as far as talent goes, I think we have a good shot.”

And that’s because not only is the talent level high, but so is the attitude thus far in camp.

“I think there’s a little more confidence as a team because we have so much talent this year and a lot of players who have accomplished a lot of things, Fielder said. “ Not just up-and-comers but guys who have had success for a while.”

Prince continued saying he didn’t think there would be many who made a name for themselves this year, because they’ve already done that. “Casey had the 100 RBI’s. Rickie had the great year, Braunie is Braunie. I mean everybody has proven what they can do. I think that’s why there is so much confidence about this year because everybody has been playing long enough to where they know there ability and nothing is gonna be a surprise.”

It’s hard to believe but Prince is still only 26 years old despite being the owner of 192 career home runs in his 5 full years in the Bigs, and I mean five full years. Prince isn’t one to take off a day, having only missed 13 games since 2006 but he plays hard and says the goal is to just keep getting better.

“I just want to be the best I can be. You’re never perfect so that means you got to keep working at it.”

The Brewers first baseman hit 32 HR’s last year but drove in only 83 runs, 58 fewer than the year prior. A lot of that had to do with teams trying to see if Corey Hart and/or Casey McGehee were legitimate threats hitting behind Prince, which resulted in Prince leading the NL in walks with 114. Now that both of those players have answered any questions regarding their legitimacy, Prince is ready to do anything it takes to get this team back into the postseason. Even if that means running more under the tutelage of his new manager, Ron Roenicke.

“I don’t know if I’m gonna steal bases, but definitely going first to third. I think it’s gonna be lots of fun.”

You know what else is fun? Winning. Could be a very fun year in Milwaukee.

Today pitchers and catchers report in Phoenix, AZ for the Milwaukee Brewers. As good as that sounds, the news was even better yesterday, when the team and Rickie Weeks agreed on a 4-year extension through 2014 with an option for 2015 worth in excess of 50 million dollars.

The team may be losing Prince Fielder at the end of this season if they can’t agree to a new deal with the slugging first baseman, but they will have one of the games most productive 2nd baseman’s in Weeks for the next several years. Weeks is coming off a career year, one that was highlighted by the fact that he was healthy and played in 160 games. Now, with the contract behind him, he’s ready to play.

“I guess there was a sense of urgency on both sides to try and get something done, hopefully. We got it done. I really didn’t want it to linger on into the season and worry about this or worry about that. I just want to go out there and try to play ball and just worry about that. I got it done, so now I can go out and help my teammates win games,” Weeks said.

Winning games should be easier to do for Weeks and his mates thanks to the additions of Zach Greinke and Shawn Marcum, as well as manager Ron Roenicke. Weeks thinks Roenicke’s style will benefit him and the team. “We want to stay aggressive. I think we want to revert back to the playoff season and years before that. We really put teams on the alert running bases. That doesn’t necessarily mean stealing bases. You need the mindset to go out there and run the bases and play hard.”

That hard work paid off handsomely for Weeks in 2010, when he hit 29 home runs, scored 112 runs and had an OPS of .830. The former #2 overall pick always had the tools, and last year he put them all to use. Now, he’s hoping that his hard work will pay off into October. “We signed Ryan Braun, Yovanni Gallardo, Corey Hart and guys to multi-year extensions which shows they are trying to win and win right now.”

Now you can add Rickie to that list of young stars in the Brewers arsenal. Rickie didn’t like to focus on the past when things weren’t too good in the rear view mirror, and he hasn’t changed coming off that bust-out 2010 season. When asked if he could stay healthy and how he felt right now he replied, curtly. “I feel great. That’s all I can say.”

That’s because, nothing more needs to be said