Chris Bosio will be back with the Brewers in 2010, though he probably won't spend much time at Miller Park. 

Bosio, who finished 2009 as Milwaukee's interim pitching coach and was one of three finalists for the permanent job, will instead travel ahead of the team in a newly-created advance scouting position meant to enhance the video-based system already in place. Bosio served a similar role for the Mariners late in the 2001 season. 

"We talked about a number of different things, but this was the one we talked about at the most length," Bosio said, referring to his discussions with Brewers general manager Doug Melvin. "I enjoy breaking down the game and trying to help us win." 

Friday's appointment came 10 days after the team announced Bosio would not return as pitching coach -- that job went to organizational newcomer Rick Peterson -- but would be back in a role to be determined. Bosio could have gone to the post he held at the start of 2009 as Triple-A Nashville's pitching coach, but took the scouting job instead. 

The Brewers for years have relied on a video system for their advance scouting reports on opponents. Bosio will work closely with Karl Mueller, the Brewers manager of advance scouting and baseball research, to help to fill what manager Ken Macha called "holes" in that system by seeing upcoming opponents in person. He'll talk to coaches and fellow scouts about everything from managerial tendencies to who's swinging a hot bat. 

How Bosio's reports will fit into the current system and the precise details of his travel schedule remain to be ironed-out with Melvin. 

"It's another step in my career, another role that interests me," Bosio said. "I'm thrilled that the organization was looking at me to fill it." 

Understandably, he would be been more thrilled to be retained as the pitching coach. Bosio took over that job on an interim basis on Aug. 12 when Bill Castro was dismissed. Castro had spent 17 years as Milwaukee's bullpen coach but lasted only 4 1/2 regular-season months as the pitching coach. 

The Brewers finished the year with a 4.83 ERA, next-to-last in the National League, and tied for last in the Major Leagues with a 5.37 starters' ERA. Bosio inherited a staff still riddled with injuries. 

"[Returning as the pitching coach] was my first choice, but they wanted to make a change," he said. "Change happens in baseball. That's one thing that's the same whether you're a player or a coach.

"It was a hell of an opportunity and I tried to make the most of it," he said. "I enjoyed it, being a guy from Wisconsin and a former Brewer." 

Bosio, who lives near Appleton, Wis., just north of Milwaukee, was the Brewers' second-round Draft pick in 1982 and pitched for the team in the big leagues from 1986-92.

"Now my responsibility is different, but I'm going to go work just as hard," he said. 

The Brewers Wives 2010 Pet Calendar, featuring photos of Brewers players and coaches with their own pets or pets available for adoption through the Wisconsin Humane Society, went on sale Thursday.  The calendars are available in the Brewers Team Store by Majestic at Miller Park, and the proceeds will benefit the Wisconsin Humane Society.

The calendar features the following players and coaches:
Jeff Suppan (January),
Craig Counsell (February),
Mitch Stetter (March),
Frank Catalanotto (April),
Yovani Gallardo (May),
Casey McGehee (June),
Seth McClung (July),
Trevor Hoffman (August),
Manny Parra (September),
Braden Looper (October),
Ed Sedar (November) and
strength and conditioning specialist Chris Joyner (December). 

Brewers wives host a number of events throughout the year as part of the team's community efforts.  Each summer, the wives host a tailgate party to benefit the Sojourner Family Peace Center, a shelter for battered women and children.  Several of the wives, along with their husbands, support area children with game tickets, food vouchers and donations to youth baseball groups.

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(Updated with details about special offers during the event.)

Brewers Charities is hosting "Trick or Tweet" on Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. CT at the Team Store by Majestic at Miller Park to unveil this year's Brewers Charities 2009 Holiday Cards and to kick-off Brewers Charities' presence on Twitter (@brewcharities).

This year's set of holiday cards are available for $15 for 10 cards -- two of each design -- plus 10 envelopes. They feature cards inspired by four members of the Brewers squad, Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder, Yovanni Gallardo and Rickie Weeks, as well as the Brewers Hall of Fame Broadcaster Bob Uecker.

The first 100 people to buy a set of 2009 holiday cards from the Brewers Team Store will be able to stop by the Brewers Charities Tweet table for a free gift with purchase of the 2009 holiday cards, information for fans to be able to follow Brewers Charities on Twitter and Halloween candy.

Every thirty minutes, there will be incentives offered for fans at the Brewers Team Store by Majestic with the purchase of a set of 2009 holiday cards. Here are those details:

Trick or Tweet Specials - While supplies last. One per customer.

• 11 a.m. CT-11:30 a.m. CT -- Receive an Authentic Game-Used Baseball from the 2009 Brewers season. All baseballs are authenticated by MLB. No exchanges on baseball dates.
• 11:30 a.m.-12 p.m. -- Take 20 percent off all regular priced merchandise when you purchase a set of Brewers 2009 Holiday Cards. (Sale and Game-used merchandise not included).
• 12 p.m.-12:30 p.m. -- Receive an Authentic Brewers Line-up card from the 2009 season. All cards are signed by Manager Ken Macha and authenticated by MLB. No exchanges on line-up cards.
• 12:30 p.m.-1 p.m. -- Receive a FREE Racing Sausage Bottle Opener with any purchase of Brewers Holiday cards. Choose your favorite sausage mascot: Brat, Polish, Italian, Hot Dog, or Chorizo. 

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Former Brewers right-hander Ben Sheets returned to his Louisiana high school last week and saw his No. 15 uniform retired. Sheets intends to be wearing it again in 2010.

He missed all of 2009 after undergoing surgery in February to repair a torn flexor tendon in his right arm, but a member of Sheets' camp said he is participating in a flat-ground throwing program and is planning to be "more than ready to go" when the 2010 season begins. If that is the case, Sheets could draw some serious action on this winter's free-agent market.

But that wasn't the focus last Friday night, when Sheets returned to St. Amant High School in a small town between Baton Rouge and New Orleans and became the school's first baseball player honored with a retired number.

"It's time," said Walter Lemons, the Gators' head baseball coach and whose tenure began in Sheets' freshman year.

"I've been working on this for four or five years," Lemons said. "We finally got it done. He's well-deserving, and I wanted to make sure he was the first baseball number we retired. I wanted to make it special for him."

For more on Sheets and his possible destinations, see my story on Brewers.com.

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From Sporting News.....

Twins catcher Joe Mauer and Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols highlight Sporting News' 2009 American League and National League All-Star teams, as selected by a panel of 31 Major League Baseball general managers and assistant GMs.
 
Mauer received votes from all 17 A.L. executives who participated, while Pujols, Phillies second baseman Chase Utley and Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun were on the ballots of all 14 N.L. team executives who voted.
 
Mauer led the Majors with a .365 batting average and won his third A.L. batting title in the past four seasons. His .444 on-base percentage also was the best in the majors, and he set career highs with 28 homers and 96 RBIs despite missing all of April because of back problems.
 
Pujols, named SN's 2009 player of the year, led the majors with 47 homers, 124 runs scored, a .658 slugging percentage and a 1.101 OPS. His 135 RBIs and 115 walks both ranked third in the majors, his .443 on-base percentage was second and his .327 batting average was sixth.
 
In addition to Mauer, the A.L. all-star team features Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira, Blue Jays second baseman Aaron Hill, Rays third baseman Evan Longoria, Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, Red Sox outfielder Jason Bay, Angels outfielder Torii Hunter and Yankees DH Hideki Matsui.
 
In addition to Pujols, Utley and Braun, the N.L. all-star team includes Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina, Diamondbacks third baseman Mark Reynolds, Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez, Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp and Phillies outfielder Jayson Werth.
 
Sporting News is unveiling its award winners throughout the week on sportingnews.com. On Tuesday, Phillies lefthander J.A. Happ and White Sox third baseman Gordon Beckham were named SN's 2009 rookies of the year. On Wednesday, Royals righthander Zack Greinke and Giants righthander Tim Lincecum were named SN's pitchers of the year, and the Angels' Mike Scioscia and Rockies' Jim Tracy were named SN's managers of the year. Today, SN also named Pujols as 2009 player of the year.

The remaining schedule:
 
- Friday morning: Comeback players of the year, relievers of the year
 
SN's entire 3-page awards package can be found in the new issue of the magazine, which arrives later this week at all Barnes & Noble, Borders and Hudson Retail outlets.
 

Just wanted to say thanks to all of you who made Brew Beat the 10th-most visited beat writer blog on our MLB.com network during baseball's regular season. We trailed teams like the Braves and Cubs and Yankees and Cardinals, and needed only one more spot to give me permanent bragging rights over Ian Browne and Red Sox nation. I'll see what I can cook up this winter to pass him by.

The full list of regular-season leaders in all categories is available here.

The Brewers did not just hire a pitching coach on Tuesday. They hired a pitching philosophy.

The team announced its deal with former A's and Mets pitching guru Rick Peterson, who has a degree in psychology and a track record of success employing biomechanics, a system of analyzing pitchers' deliveries to look for ways to limit injuries and improve performance. Brewers medical staffers and coaches have been working in that area for several years, but now they are willing to embrace it in earnest.

"I asked right up front: Are you looking just for a big league pitching coach, or are you looking for an organizational philosophy?" Peterson said. "I'm more interested in integrating a philosophy, and that's what they were looking for.

"How much more exciting can it be? This is the work I've done my entire career, and it's the path the organization wants to go down."

Peterson got a two-year contract. The Brewers also announced that bullpen coach Stan Kyles would be back for a second season, and that Chris Bosio, who finished the 2009 season as Milwaukee's interim pitching coach, will return to the organization in a role yet to be determined.

Peterson has yet to look at video of Milwaukee's pitchers, most of whom are under team control for next season. Peterson was more interested in getting a feel for the organizational pitching philosophy, and whether key decision-makers were willing to embrace his program.

He was left with little doubt.

"It's very important that our philosophies are aligned," Peterson said. "Until the interview, I didn't realize how much we were aligned. I didn't know that the Brewers' orthopedic doctor [longtime head team physician William Raasch] was implementing biomechanical analysis throughout the organization.

"I was on the ground floor of this in 1989 with Dr. [James] Andrews at ASMI Lab. When you look at my career path, my life's path, I tried to design the best pitching system that could be designed, and now I'm coming to an organization that embraces that philosophy.

"Some of the other places I've been, it was a battle to a degree. They either didn't have anything in place or felt like it was too scientific, too data-driven. Whatever it was, there was opposition and a desire to be more old-school. With Milwaukee, all the way up to the ownership, it seems they are a very forward-looking team. It's traditional baseball intertwined with new-age thinking."

Peterson will now begin looking at video of the pitchers Milwaukee has in place and will also do "inside the numbers" analysis of their statistics to look for ways to improve. At some point during or just before Spring Training, Peterson would like to have those pitchers undergo a biomechanical analysis to look for ways to improve.

Brewers general manager Doug Melvin wondered aloud during the team's tough 2009 season whether his biggest loss wasn't free agent pitchers CC Sabathia or Ben Sheets but free agent pitching coach Mike Maddux, who bolted after six seasons in Milwaukee for more money with the Texas Rangers.

So on Tuesday, on the heels of a woeful season for the Brewers' pitching staff, Melvin moved to fill that hole and finalized a two-year contract for former A's and Mets pitching coach Rick Peterson.

The team also announced that Stan Kyles would return for a second season as bullpen coach. Chris Bosio, who served as interim pitching coach after Bill Castro was dismissed Aug. 12, also will be offered a position in the organization, either in his former role as the pitching coach at Triple-A Nashville or a newly-created job as an advance scout.

Peterson has been Milwaukee's top target from the start, and Melvin traveled on the final day of the regular season to Newark Airport in New Jersey for an interview. Peterson's ties to Brewers manager Ken Macha date back to 1997, when Macha managed Double-A Trenton in the Red Sox chain and Peterson was his pitching coach for a half-season.

They reunited in 1999 in Oakland, where Peterson was already the pitching coach and Macha joined manager Art Howe's staff as the bench coach. When Macha was elevated to manage the team in 2003 Peterson remained for one more season, then left to re-join Howe with the New York Mets.

Howe was succeeded after the 2004 season by new manager Willie Randolph, and Peterson and Randolph worked together until both were dismissed in June 2008. Randolph is now the Brewers' bench coach.

Peterson, who turns 55 next Friday, was out of coaching in 2009 and focused on his business, 3P Sports, which offers biomechanical analysis to amateur and professional pitchers.

"After taking this year off to recharge my batteries a little bit, my passion to get back on the field is unbelievable," he told MLB.com on Oct. 9. "It's a very intriguing place to be because I think Milwaukee could win if the pitching gets turned around. That's pretty much what I do best. I think it's a place that would be a mutual fit."

(UPDATED, at 5:30 CT with comment from Peterson)

The Brewers have focused on Rick Peterson for their pitching coach vacancy and were working Friday to conclude negotiations quickly.

Peterson, the former A's and Mets pitching coach considered an expert on biomechanics, worked closely in the past with Brewers manager Ken Macha and third base coach Brad Fischer in Oakland and Brewers bench coach Willie Randolph in New York. He would be called upon to turn around a Milwaukee staff that posted the second-highest ERA in the National League last season including the worst mark among starters.

Speaking generally about the search late Friday morning without naming any candidates, Brewers assistant general manager Gord Ash said that the process was "moving along."

"It's getting into the final bits here," Ash said.

Reached later in the day, Peterson declined to say that he had been offered the job but said, "I think it's a great fit, without question. I'm really excited to hear what decision they make and where we're going to go with this. I have talked to some other teams and interviewed with some other teams, so I want to find out what's on the table as soon as possible. ...

"Philosophically, we are totally, totally in line," he said of his discussions with Brewers officials. I'm incredibly optimistic. I think this is a great, great fit. I walked out of the interview going, 'Wow.' I am incredibly excited."

The Brewers might have some competition in wooing Peterson. He has also had contact with other teams in need of a pitching coach, including the Cincinnati Reds, but as of last week he had not formally interviewed for that job. This week, Peterson indicated an interest in the Florida Marlins' opening to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, though that story did not say whether the Marlins had called him in to interview.

Peterson has spoken with several Brewers officials about the job in recent days but that does not necessarily mean negotiations will be a slam-dunk. Former Brewers coach Mike Maddux set the standard when he left Milwaukee last winter for a deal in Texas that made him one of the game's highest-paid pitching coaches, with an annual salary reportedly in the neighborhood of $600,000. When the Mets hired Peterson away from Oakland after the 2003 season, negotiations lasted nearly a month, according to one report.

The Mets dismissed Peterson along with Randolph in June 2008 and he spent his year out of the coaching ranks focused on a business, 3pSports.com, that offers biomechanical analysis and training programs to amateur and professional pitchers.

The Brewers announced Friday that they had sent cash to the Reds to complete the Aug. 9 trade that brought veteran reliever David Weathers to Milwaukee. Weathers appeared 25 times for the Brewers and posted a 4.88 ERA, giving him a 3.92 ERA in 68 games between the two teams.

He turned 40 on Sept. 25 and the Brewers have until 10 days after the World Series to decide whether to exercise Weathers' $3.7 million club option. If the team declines, Weathers gets $400,000 and a chance to test his value in free agency.

The Brewers want to wrap-up their search for a pitching coach very soon and all indications have been that former A's and Mets coach Rick Peterson is the leading candidate. But the Brewers are looking at other coaches, and Peterson is reportedly looking at other teams.

Here's what Peterson told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel about the Marlins:

"I'm definitely interested," Peterson said. "No question about it. I think they can win and I think they can win very soon. With their young pitching, obviously you have to keep them healthy and get a little more production out of them. That's pretty much been my track record in my career."

As that story points out, Peterson saw a lot of the Marlins during parts of five seasons as the pitching coach in New York. Florida might also be alluring because Peterson is from the East Coast

I also mentioned the Reds as a possibility for Peterson, and heard that he had indeed called that club expressing interest but as of late last week had not formally interviewed.

Former Brewers manager Ned Yost has had 13 months to mull what went wrong in Milwaukee, and he broke a long period of relative silence Thursday after interviewing to be the next skipper of the Houston Astros. 

Here's what Yost learned from the sudden end to his Brewers tenure: 

"Don't lose 10 out of 13 games is the best thing I can figure," he told reporters in Houston, "and hope your offense stays on track so you don't struggle to score runs." 

The Brewers failed on both fronts during Yost's last two weeks as Brewers manager in 2008, and a four-game Phillies sweep that left Philadelphia and Milwaukee tied atop the National League Wild Card standings was the last straw. Yost was dismissed with 12 regular-season games to play.

Now, after a year spent at home near Atlanta, Yost is looking to get back into baseball. He is among 10 candidates already identified by the Astros, who are searching for a replacement for the departed Cecil Cooper. 

Like the Brewers did back in Fall 2002, when Yost got his first big league managerial job after 12 years on Atlanta's coaching staff, the Astros are conducting their search in public. Yost interviewed with Astros officials at 10 a.m. CT on Thursday, then met with reporters. 

"It's six years of experiences that you learn [from]," Yost said of his Milwaukee managerial tenure, "and I think more than anything else the ability to sit at home for the first time in 35 years like I did this summer to review where you've been and where you've gone and think of all the aspects of your leadership and where you can become better was really, really beneficial for me. There's a lot of areas where I think I can get better. It was beneficial to sit and take account of all those." 

Yost is one of the most experienced of Houston's candidates. He stressed that in his media session.

"I don't think there's any substitute for experience," Yost said. "I think I learned a ton of great lessons being 12 years with Bobby Cox, and I learned a ton of great lessons the last six years with the Milwaukee Brewers. I think that it only helps." 

Yost has remained mostly out of the spotlight since his Brewers dismissal. He graciously agreed to take part in a conference call with Milwaukee reporters the next day but then dropped off the grid except for one brief newspaper interview during one of the Brewers' road series against the Braves. He drew a salary from the Brewers all summer and made one trip to Milwaukee to return a leased car, but did so while the team was on the road and did not visit with any club officials. 

Former Brewers manager Ned Yost and former Brewers player Randy Ready will interview for Houston's vacant managerial post today and then will meet with the media as part of the team's open search.

Yost's interview, in fact, was scheduled to begin just as I write this at 10 a.m. CT.

My colleague Brian McTaggart spoke to Yost earlier this week, and here's part of that story:

Yost went 457-502 in six years as manager of the Brewers and was let go with about two weeks left in the 2008 season, a year in which Milwaukee clinched the NL Wild Card on the season's final day. Yost worked as a bullpen coach (1991-98) and third-base coach (1999-2002) under Bobby Cox in the Braves organization for 12 years.

"I think there's a lot of plusses that make [the Astros job] attractive to me," Yost said. "I'm very fond of the city, very fond of the ballpark. You look at their team, and I think they're just a player or two away from being a really, really good club again. There are a lot of things I can bring to the table that I can use to help make the organization better."

One thing that struck me on the field as the Brewers celebrated their 2008 Wild Card clinch was how many people gave thanks to Yost. Interim manager (and now hitting coach) Dale Sveum was among them, and so was general manager Doug Melvin, who spoke again about Yost's role in the team's building process earlier this year:

"He's a good man," Melvin said. "I don't want people to forget that we don't win last year without Ned Yost. He put us in that position as the manager ... and whenever we talk about last season and going to the postseason, I don't want fans to forget what Ned Yost did to contribute to this organization. He allowed our young players to play. I remember him making the statement to me, 'I'll put losses on my back today for wins in the future for the Brewers.' He did that."

The Brewers figure to have more turnover this offseason than they did last year, but they will still return in 2010 with much of their core intact. If Yost gets the Astros job, do you think would that give him any kind of strategic advantage in his 15 matchups with Milwaukee next season?

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The Brewers cleared a spot on their 40-man roster late Wednesday by outrighting right-hander Mike Burns to Triple-A Nashville.

Burns yo-yoed between Triple-A Nashville's starting rotation and a utility role in Milwaukee, where he was 3-5 with a 5.75 ERA in eight games, including four starts, for the Brewers. At Nashville, he was 8-3 with a 2.62 ERA in 14 starts.

After the Brewers' final home game, Burns revealed that he was fighting pain in his right shoulder. A subsequent MRI scan revealed "pathology," but the Brewers never announced whether Burns needed surgery.

With Wednesday's move, the Brewers have 39 players on the 40-man roster and three more -- pitchers Mark DiFelice and David Riske and infielder Rickie Weeks -- on the 60-day disabled list.
 

Brewers infielder Craig Counsell and right-hander Braden Looper each underwent arthroscopic surgeries on Tuesday to repair the meniscus in their respective right knees. The procedures, performed by Dr. William Raasch, were "routine," per a team spokesperson.

Both Counsell, who is a free agent, and Looper, whose contract includes a mutual option for 2010, played through knee pain all season. Counsell mulled surgery at the end of Spring Training but ultimately decided against it. Looper surrendered a Major League-worst 39 home runs this season and wondered aloud during the season's final weekend whether his persistent knee pain played a role.

The Brewers have until 10 days after the World Series to decide on their half of Looper's $6.5 million option. If they decline, he gets a $1 million buyout. If the team exercises its half, Looper has three days to decide whether to accept.

Tuesday's procedures brought to four the number of "clean up" surgeries performed by Raasch since the end of the season. Raasch also removed loose bodies from third baseman Casey McGehee's right knee, and repaired the AC joint in pitcher Manny Parra's left shoulder.

For more on all four players, see my story about the pending surgeries from Oct. 5.

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Happy birthday to Trevor Hoffman, who blew out his candles on Tuesday and will become the Brewers' first 42-year-old pitcher when he steps on the mound next season.

In fact, he'll be Milwaukee's second-oldest player, period. Hoffman, who last week agreed to a one-year contract to return, will be 42 years, five months and 24 days old when the Brewers play their 2010 opener on April 5. The only member of the Crew with more gray hairs was Hall of Famer Hank Aaron, who was 42 years, seven months and 28 days old when he played his final game in 1976.

The only other 42-year-old Brewer was catcher Rick Dempsey, who celebrated on Sept. 13, 1991, and played 10 more games that season, his last on Oct. 5 when he was 42 years, 21 days old.

The way Hoffman pitched in 2009, it looks like he could go on forever.

"I just go one day at a time," Hoffman said during the season. "I was fortunate to catch some breaks when I did and was able to weather some 'activity' with some low pitch counts."

For more on Hoffman's place among the game's most "experienced" players, see my story on Brewers.com.
 

The Houston Astros are once again conducting their managerial search in the light of day and released a list of candidates on Monday afternoon. Former Brewers managers Ned Yost and Phil Garner are on it, but current bench coach Willie Randolph, who wants to get back into managing, is not.

The Astros will interview their candidates, then make him available to the press afterward. Here's the schedule:

Wednesday, October 14: 10 a.m.-Dave Clark; 1:30 p.m.-Al Pedrique
Thursday, October 15: 10 a.m.-Ned Yost; 1:30 p.m.-Randy Ready
Friday, October 16: 10 a.m.-Bob Melvin; 1:30 p.m.-Manny Acta
Saturday, October 17: 10 a.m.-Phil Garner
Monday, October 19: 10 a.m.-Brad Mills; 1:30 p.m.-Tim Bogar

Lots of Brewers ties there. Besides former Milwaukee managers Garner and Yost, Randy Ready began his playing career with the Brewers and Melvin was once the team's bench coach under Garner. Melvin was one of the Brewers' managerial candidates before the team hired Yost in Fall 2002.
 

Brewers general manager Doug Melvin has interviewed a third candidate for the team's pitching coach vacancy, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

In addition to former A's and Mets coach Rick Peterson, who interviewed last Monday on the East Coast, and former D-backs coach Bryan Price, who interviewed in Arizona on Thursday or Friday, Melvin has met, according to the newspaper, with Chuck Hernandez, who spent 2009 as Cleveland's bullpen coach.

Hernandez, 48, has been a big-league pitching coach for the Angels (where he served alongside Brewers manager Ken Macha from 1992-94), Rays and Tigers, and was rumored to be a Brewers candidate last year when the team was searching for a replacement for Mike Maddux. But Melvin urged Macha to pick longtime Brewers bullpen coach Bill Castro. 

The move didn't work. Castro was dismissed on Aug. 12, and Melvin opted not to offer his interim replacement, Chris Bosio, or bullpen coach Stan Kyles, a contract for 2010.

Price, 47, has been the pitching coach for the Mariners and D-backs. He was with Arizona from 2006-2009 but resigned in June after Arizona fired manager Bob Melvin and has been working as a consultant with the Phillies. He's also been mentioned as a candidate for an opening on Florida's staff.

Peterson may be the strongest candidate because of his ties to Macha and third base coach Brad Fischer from Oakland, plus bench coach Willie Randolph from New York, and last week he confirmed his strong interest in the Milwaukee job to MLB.com.

The prestigious Arizona Fall League begins its 18th season on Tuesday with a trio of games, including a matchup between the Surprise Rafters and Peoria Javelinas that includes the Brewers' contingent of prospects.

Eight players will suit up for the Javelinas this season including pitchers Omar Aguilar, Josh Butler, Mark Rogers and Robert Wooten plus catcher Jonathan Lucroy, infielder Taylor Green and outfielder Lorenzo Cain.

In addition, left-hander Zach Braddock is a member of the Javelina's taxi squad, available on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Class A Brevard County pitching coach Fred Dabney will serve in that role for the Javelinas.

That's a pretty impressive list of Brewers prospects. Keep an especially close eye on Aguilar, Butler and Rogers because they are on Milwaukee's 40-man roster, plus Cain and Lucroy, who have pretty clear paths to the big leagues if they can continue to develop. Cain lost part of the 2009 season to a knee injury, so his AFL stint is particularly important.

The AFL distributed a PDF packed with everything you could possibly want to know about the league, so I'll attach it here for those who are interested. The AFL's regular season ends Nov. 21 with the championship game slated for Nov. 21.

AFL Opening Day.pdf

Here's something you won't find in that PDF: A javelina, according to the Arizona Game and Fish Department, is also known as a peccary, a medium-sized mammal that looks a bit like a pig. A terrifying, crazed pig.

Rick Peterson honored the code of silence imposed by Brewers general manager Doug Melvin and declined to say whether he had interviewed to be Milwaukee's next pitching coach. But Peterson didn't hide his strong interest in the job. 

"After taking this year off to recharge my batteries a little bit, my passion to get back on the field is unbelievable," Peterson said via telephone Friday from outside Yankee Stadium, where he was part of the broadcast of Game 2 of the American League Division Series between the Yankees and Twins. 

"It's what I've done my whole life, and Milwaukee is at the very top of my list," he said. "It's a very intriguing place to be because I think Milwaukee could win if the pitching gets turned around. That's pretty much what I do best. I think it's a place that would be a mutual fit." 

Peterson, 54, is the only candidate so far linked to the Brewers in published reports, including one on FoxSports.com early Friday that said he had already formally interviewed. Melvin has already spoken to at least two candidates but declined this week to name them. 

The search will likely be brief. Melvin said he wants to hire a pitching coach before the end of the month so that person could participate in offseason planning. 

Peterson is an obvious candidate because of his ties to Brewers manager Ken Macha and third base coach Brad Fischer from Oakland, where Macha was the bench coach and then the manager and Fischer worked extensively with Peterson as the A's bullpen coach. Peterson's working relationship with Macha actually dates back to 1997, when Macha managed Double-A Trenton in the Red Sox chain and Peterson was his pitching coach for a half-season. 

After the 2003 season, Peterson was hired away from Oakland by the Mets. He remained as pitching coach when Willie Randolph was hired to manage the team for 2005. Randolph is now the Brewers' bench coach. 

Peterson said he had "strong relationships" with all three men.   

"He might be the most thorough coach I've ever been around," said Macha, who will be back for a second season as Brewers manager. "He's prepared in all aspects of the game. He watches more film. He does more computer study. He has a program for these pitchers for long toss, balance, biomechanics. He's done it all. He's as prepared as anybody. I normally let my coaches go do their thing, and I let him do his thing." 

Peterson spent his year out of the coaching ranks launching a business, 3pSports.com, with noted surgeon Dr. James Andrews and former pitchers Al Leiter and Tom Glavine, among others. The company offers biomechanical analysis and workout programs to pitchers designed to improve performance and limit the chance of injury. 

Peterson was introduced to the science of biomechanics in 1989, when he was the first coach to walk through the doors of Andrews' now-famous American Sports Medicine Institute in Birmingham, Ala. He would return at least 80 times with professional pitchers, a list that eventually grew to include Oakland's "Big Three" of Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder and Barry Zito. Andrews broke-down deliveries and looked for ways to avoid injury. 

Peterson became a believer. So much so, that his 3pSports now offers the same program to Little Leaguers. 

"I'm looking for a home that embraces this philosophy and wants to implement it throughout the organization," Peterson said. "Milwaukee, from what I can gather, is a forward-looking organization. To me, it's really exciting because I think the philosophies fit." 

Asked earlier this week whether he had interviewed Peterson, Melvin declined to answer. 

"We don't want to say who we're talking to at this point, because there are a lot of other teams out there looking for coaches," Melvin said. "We don't want to advertise who we're looking at. The cat's out of the bag on one guy. I interviewed him on Monday and another team interviewed him the next day. That kind of thing happens, so you don't have to let the world know." 

If Peterson was in fact Melvin's interview subject on Monday, the Tuesday team might have been the Cincinnati Reds, who dismissed pitching coach Dick Pole on Oct. 2. A number of other teams could be in the market for a new pitching coach this winter but will likely complete managerial searches first.  

Macha's opinion will count in Melvin's choice. 

"Ken will have a say in it," Melvin said. "That's very important. Coaches and the manager live together for 200 days, so it's important that the manager has a comfort level and a say." 

The Brewers are looking for full-time replacements for interim pitching coach Chris Bosio and bullpen coach Stan Kyles. Neither were offered contracts to return for 2010 but Melvin said they would remain candidates for the vacancies. 

Peterson wasn't completely out of baseball in 2009. He was called upon by then-Rays left-hander Scott Kazmir to help escape a midseason slump, and Kazmir, who worked with Peterson in New York, posted a 1.73 ERA in six starts after a trade to the Angels. A few weeks later, Peterson got a call from Mulder, who was looking to rebuild his mechanics following shoulder surgery. 

"There's no doubt he has a track record," Macha said.
 

I missed the end of the Cardinals-Dodgers game yesterday so the morning highlights were my first chance to see a pair of former Brewers come up big for L.A. Ronnie Belliard tied the game in the bottom of the ninth inning with a hard single up the middle before Mark Loretta won it with bloop. It reminded me of July 25, 2001, when Loretta's single snapped the Brewers' 11-game losing streak with a 4-3 win over, you guessed it, the Dodgers.

It also made me wonder how many former Brewers are out there on the eight Division Series rosters. I found only five, including four members of that woeful 2002 team that lost 106 games. I think it's safe to say that the quartet is having more fun today:

Dodgers
IF Ronnie Belliard (Brewers' 8th round pick in '04, played in Milwaukee 1998-2002)
IF Mark Loretta (7th round '93, played 1995-2002)

Cardinals
None

Rockies
None (a groin injury kept Jorge De La Rosa off the NLDS roster)

Phillies
C Paul Bako (played in Milwaukee in 2002)
OF Matt Stairs (played in Milwaukee in 2002)

Angels
None

Red Sox
None (though skipper Terry Francona ended his playing career with the Brewers from 1989-90.)

Twins
None

Yankees
LHP CC Sabathia (you might remember him from '08)

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Brewers general manager Doug Melvin said he may need to sacrifice some of the team's offense this winter to improve the pitching staff, so he was asked the obvious follow-up. Is he willing to trade Ryan Braun or Prince Fielder? 

"Wow. That would be a tough one," Melvin said. "I didn't mean it that way. I don't see that happening." 

The comment came Wednesday during Melvin's annual year-end meeting with local reporters at Miller Park. Both Melvin and assistant GM Gord Ash said what they have been saying for weeks, that in order to improve a team that finished 80-82 they will have to bolster a pitching staff that finished next-to-last in the National League with a 4.87 ERA, including dead last with a 5.37 starters' ERA. Melvin said he wants to add at least two established starters.

The team's most valuable pieces at the moment are Braun and Fielder, who combined in 2009 for more RBIs (255) than any duo in the Majors this season. Braun hit 32 home runs, joining Albert Pujols as the only players in history to belt at least 30 homers in each of their first three seasons. Fielder finished second in the NL with 46 home runs and tied Howard for the Major League lead with 141 RBIs. 

"But it's a 25-man -- and, really, a 30-35 man -- team," Melvin said. "In fantasy baseball, you can dream about what you could get back for Prince or Ryan Braun. In reality, there's not too many teams that can give up the package that we would really want that would guarantee you to be competitive." 

Ash said there have been spirited internal debates on the topic. Is there more value in a bona fide No. 1 starter who makes 30-plus starts and affects perhaps 20 other games by leaving the bullpen fresh? Or in an MVP candidate like Fielder who plays every inning of every game and has the potential to affect all 162? 

"I'm going with the hitter," Ash said.  

In fact, Brewers officials have had internal discussions about whether Fielder could be locked into a longer-term deal, according to Melvin. He's entering the second season of two-year contract through 2010 that buys out the first of Fielder's three arbitration years. He will still be under Brewers control in 2011 but would hit the free agent market following that season. 

Compare that to Braun, whose contract runs through 2015. If the Brewers could convince Fielder and agent Scott Boras to take an extension, it would give the Brewers a larger window in which to put the right pieces around their slugging duo. 

"That's something we have talked about with Mark [Attanasio, the team's principal owner]," Melvin said. "We don't have a plan for doing that at this time. You can say it's in the back of your mind or whatever, but it's coming more forward as a decision we have to make in two years' time. ...

"Mark, from an ownership standpoint, knows that's a major decision that's down the pike. It's not next week, it's not next month, but it probably comes up in our conversation every time we get together."

In the short-term, the Brewers' focus is on the pitching. Melvin knows that it won't be easy to find solutions. 

"There's not any downtime this offseason, but I'm looking forward to it," Melvin said. "It's a challenge. I've got a lot of energy and I'm ready to improve the ballclub." 


All photos courtesy of Scott Paulus/Brewers

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The discussion about whether the Brewers would trade Ryan Braun or Prince Fielder was the most interesting part of general manager Doug Melvin's year-end wrap-up with the media, but here's a taste of the other topics discussed:

- The Brewers officially announced their new deal with closer Trevor Hoffman, who re-signed for one year plus a mutual option for 2011. The contract guarantees $8 million and could pay as much as $16.5 million over two years. 

 "By signing Trevor Hoffman, that was a big splash for us," Melvin said. "If our pitching is going to improve, we have to keep the success we had at the back end of our bullpen. And also, to attract free agent starting pitchers, one of the first questions they always want to know is, 'Who is the closer?'" 

- Melvin hinted that the focus on pitching could make it difficult for the team to re-sign its key free agents, including center fielder Mike Cameron and catcher Jason Kendall. Rickie Weeks is the second baseman, Melvin reiterated, making it likely that free agent Felipe Lopez will also be let go.

Assistant GM Gord Ash conceded that it's difficult for teams to win with unproven players up the middle but insisted it can be done. He mentioned Lorenzo Cain and Logan Schafer as the team's top center field prospects and said Jonathan Lucroy was the team's top catching prospect. Interestingly, Angel Salome's name was not brought up.

- Jeff Suppan, the Brewers' 2009 Opening Day starter, is not guaranteed a spot in the 2010 starting rotation despite his $12.5 million salary. It will be the final season of his four-year contract, and he projects as the team's highest-paid player for the second straight year. 

"I think Jeff is a professional and he knows that he will come into camp and [compete]," Melvin said. "You have to give him some credit for the fact he's been given the ball a lot of years. He's very seldom injured. ... I don't think there will be very many guarantees about who will be in the rotation. We probably have to make it more competitive to get better." 

- Free agent righty Ben Sheets, who missed all of 2009 following elbow surgery, is still on the Brewers' radar.

"Ben is somebody who would have to be on anybody's list when it comes to improving your pitching staff," Ash said. "We're not up to date with his physical condition right now since he's no longer in our care, so that would have to be Step 1. But from our point of view, we enjoyed Ben as part of the Brewers and there's been, 'once in a while' conversations with his agent to remind him that we still have that ongoing interest. It hasn't been followed-up yet."

- Melvin already interviewed one potential pitching coach on Monday and was to travel with Ash on Thursday to interview another candidate. He wouldn't say whether he had already spoken with former A's and Mets pitching coach Rick Peterson, an early favorite for the position because of his past working relationships with Brewers manager Ken Macha and bench coach Willie Randolph. 

"We don't want to advertise who we're looking at," Melvin said. "The cat's out of the bag on one guy. I interviewed him on Monday and another team interviewed him the next day." 

- Ash shed more light on the options that faced third baseman Casey McGehee, who underwent successful surgery on Tuesday. McGehee has a lesion in his knee, Ash said, that causes fragments of bone to break away. He could have had a more intensive procedure to inject healthy cells into the knee to promote re-growth but it was a riskier procedure that could have sidelined McGehee weeks or even months into the 2010 season. 

"He elected, after consulting with a couple of surgeons, to have kind of the intermediary procedure done, and that was to take out all of the fragments and hope that area of his knee remains intact," Ash said. "We don't have 100 percent guarantee on that. What we do know about Casey is that he's an excellent worker and he's motivated." 

- Melvin did little to dispute the notion that shortstop J.J. Hardy will be traded this winter to make room for Alcides Escobar. Hardy's value is down both because of his poor 2009 season (he batted .229 and was optioned to the Minors in August) and because the rest of the league knows that the Brewers are ready to install Escobar. 

"It might be down a little bit," Melvin said of Hardy's value. "But there are still clubs that have interest in him. Shortstop is a big hole to fill."

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The Brewers unveiled 2010 ticket prices on Tuesday, freezing individual-game prices for in five seating areas and raising prices $1-$2 in seven other sections. 

Individual game ticket prices will remain at 2009 levels in the club infield, club outfield, field bleachers, loge bleachers and Bernie's Terrace. Throughout the ballpark, prices range from $8 for seats in Bernie's Terrace to $50 for the field-level seats closest to home plate.

"A second season of over three million in attendance in 2009 speaks to the tremendous support and passion of Brewers fans," Rick Schlesinger, Brewers Executive Vice President of Business Operations said in the club's ticketing release. "We believe that our ticket pricing for 2010 reflects both our appreciation of our loyal fans and our sensitivity to ensuring that Brewers baseball is affordable to all, especially in difficult economic times. 

"The cost for a fan to attend a Brewers game in 2010 will remain well below the Major League average, and our ownership will continue to invest ticket revenue in player salaries, player development, and the Miller Park experience." 

According to the Brewers' figures, their average 2010 ticket price will be $22.10, more than $4 less than the Major League average in 2009 of $26.64 per ticket. The team will also offer discounts for 54 of its 81 scheduled home games. 

The "marquee game" pricing will remain unchanged. On game days, the Brewers will also continue to offer $10 loge bleacher tickets for all non-marquee games in Section 238 plus the popular $1 Uecker seats. 

Season seatholders who renew before Nov. 20 will receive additional savings. Pricing for season ticket packages will remain at 2009 levels in the club infield and club outfield areas while all other sections will increase by no more than $2 per ticket. 

New in 2010 is an opportunity for fans to buy one loge infield box full season ticket and get a second full season ticket free. The offer is available in Sections 210 and 227. 

Season Ticket prices for existing Season Seat Holders are as low as $10 per ticket (for terrace reserved seats) and range from $15 in the field bleachers to $42 in the field infield box.

PDF of ticket prices: 2010_SeatingPricing.pdf

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Add Craig Counsell and Manny Parra to the list of Brewers set for arthroscopic surgeries in the coming days to fix problems that nagged all season. 

Counsell, fellow infielder Casey McGehee and pitcher Braden Looper will each undergo relatively minor procedures next week to clean up right knee injuries and pitcher Parra will have surgery on his left shoulder.

All four procedures will be performed by Dr. William Raasch, the team's head physician. In chronological order: 

- Parra will undergo what a club official stressed was a routine surgery Tuesday to clean up the AC joint in his left shoulder. The procedure has been planned for some time, and the injury did not prevent Parra from making his final starts of the season. 

It's also "not even remotely close" to the shoulder issues in Parra's past, according to assistant general manager Gord Ash. Parra had season-ending surgery in August 2005 to repair a torn rotator cuff. 

"What Dr. Raasch is going to do is eliminate the friction" outside of Parra's shoulder joint, Ash said. "It's nothing inside the joint. It's been nagging him all year, but not nagging to the point where he couldn't pitch. There is some irritation there, so we're going to take this opportunity to eliminate it. It's kind of like having a pebble in your shoe."

Ash hoped the surgery would provide some peace of mind for Parra, who had a trying season. He went 11-11 but posted a 6.36 ERA in 27 starts and spent three weeks in the Minor Leagues following a June demotion. Of the 67 National League pitchers who worked at least 100 innings, only teammate Dave Bush (6.38) had a higher ERA than Parra. 

- As previously reported, McGehee will also have surgery on Tuesday, to clean out loose bodies from his right knee. McGehee played most of the season with pain in the joint, and has known since the All-Star break that he would probably require surgery. 

McGehee enjoyed a breakthrough season in spite of the constant knee pain, which affected him more in the field than at the plate. He singled in his first at-bat in Sunday's season finale to finish with a .301 batting average, and his 66 RBIs led all Major League rookies. McGehee also hit 16 home runs. 

Manager Ken Macha pulled McGehee from Sunday's game early to preserve his batting average. 

"That's something he by no means had to do, and I appreciated it," McGehee said. "I thought [my year] went pretty well. I want to get my defense back next year to where I expect it to be at. Other than that, I feel like I had a solid year." 

- Also, as expected, Looper will have surgery next week to fix torn meniscus in his right knee. Looper told reporters on Saturday that he pitched all year with the issue. 

He led the Brewers and set a career high with 14 wins and led the National League with 34 starts, but also led the Majors by allowing 113 earned runs, 39 home runs and posted a 5.22 ERA. Looper wondered aloud whether the pain in his knee contributed to his trouble keeping the ball in the park. 

"I tried the best I can to get the ball down because that's my whole game," Looper said Saturday. "I don't know [if the knee played a part in pitches staying up]. I know I haven't been as consistent this year. That's the thing that upsets me, I hope that [the knee] didn't cause that.

- Counsell has been dealing with an injury similar to Looper's since Spring Training, when he briefly considered surgery that would have sidelined him for several weeks. Instead, he opted to play through it and enjoyed his best season in years, batting .285 -- a career high for a full season -- with a .766 OPS -- his best mark since 2000.  

In recent days, Counsell had said he would not have surgery. On Monday, he changed his mind, and will also have his surgery scheduled for next week. 

- In another medical matter, Ash said that outfielder Corey Hart had visited Monday with Dr. Don Sheridan, a Phoenix-based hand specialist who confirmed the diagnosis of Hart's right hand injury. Hart has a pair of sprained fingers but no fractures and will require only rehabilitation.

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The Brewers hit the offseason ground running, agreeing on a new deal with would-be free agent closer Trevor Hoffman less than 24 hours after their 2009 finale.

The Brewers and Hoffman reached terms Monday on a one-year deal with a mutual option for 2011 that means that Hoffman, Major League Baseball's all-time leader with 591 saves, will seek No. 600 as a Brewer. 

It also means that general manager Doug Melvin can move on to other pressing matters, like rebuilding a starting rotation that ranked worst in the National League with a 5.37 ERA during the Brewers' 80-82 season. 

Melvin did not attend Sunday's season finale in St. Louis, where Hoffman suffered his fourth blown save of a 37-save season but picked up the win when the Brewers rallied in the 10th inning. Melvin said he had to leave for an "assignment" related to the team's pitching, but assistant GM Gord Ash said Monday that the trip was not related to Hoffman. 

Josh Goldberg, a spokesperson for the Beverly Hills Sports Council, said Hoffman's agent, Rick Thurman, would not have any comment. 

Melvin and Ash will meet reporters on Wednesday afternoon to wrap-up the season. The Brewers will probably wait for that event to announce Hoffman's new deal.
 
Hoffman told MLB.com and the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel after Sunday's game that he was deep into negotiations with the team about a return. He will earn $8 million in 2010 and the 2011 option could pay up to $8.5 million if Hoffman hits incentives for games finished. The buyout is $500,000 but would increase to $1 million if Hoffman finishes 40 games, a milestone he has surpassed in every season since his injury-shortened 2003.  

Back in January, Melvin wooed Hoffman away from his home in San Diego with a one-year, $6 million contract that formally ended Hoffman's 16-year association with the Padres. Despite being 41 years old and missing most of April with an oblique strain, Hoffman still managed to finish 2009 ranked fifth in the National League with 37 saves, and his 1.83 ERA was second-best in the league among pitchers who worked at least 50 innings. 

It was Hoffman's lowest ERA since 1998, when he led the NL with 53 saves and posted a 1.48 ERA, good for second place in NL Cy Young Award balloting. 

"Looking from the outside, you would have concerns about age. Being around him for a year, that's a non-factor," Ash said Monday while stopping just short of confirming that the sides had a deal.

How long might he be able to pitch?

"As long as he wants to," Ash said.

Asked after the Brewers' final home game to assess his first season in Milwaukee, Hoffman joked, "I feel really old. We've got a lot of young guys in here that are energizing to be around. It's been fun to be part of a new organization. I have a lot of respect for what they're doing and I'd love to come back." 

Hoffman's cell phone was not accepting messages on Monday. He was driving along with three other Brewers pitchers from Milwaukee to Minneapolis for the Monday Night Football showdown between the Packers and Vikings. 

Hoffman will turn 42 on Oct. 13.  Ash believes he has been effective for this long because Hoffman has thrown so many change-ups in his career, a pitch that puts less stress on the arm than, say, a slider, and because of Hoffman's incredibly extensive training program. Fellow relievers were wowed by the steps Hoffman took to prepare to pitch.

"[My stuff] really hasn't changed in 10 years," Hoffman said. "For me, it's about location, location, location and executing pitches. I give a lot of credit to 'Kid' and Mikey [Brewers catchers Jason Kendall and Mike Rivera] for their video work. When you develop that trust in what is being put down by your catcher, you throw with a lot of conviction." 

Does he feel good enough to keep pitching into his mid-40s? 

"I just go one day at a time," Hoffman said. "I was fortunate to catch some breaks when I did and was able to weather some 'activity' with some low pitch counts. I like it here [in Milwaukee] and I would like to be back with these guys."

Now he will be.

Brewers center fielder Mike Cameron's season ended four innings early on Sunday after he suffered what a club official called a minor concussion on a dive in the sixth inning of the season finale.

Cameron dove to rob the Cardinals' Colby Rasmus of a hit and then struck out swinging in the top of the seventh inning before Corey Patterson replaced him in center field. 

"I think I hit my head when I slammed into the ground," Cameron said. "It's just weird, a weird feeling. I caught the ball, though. I've done it a few times. I'm doing OK though. I'll be fine." 

Cameron said he has suffered several concussions during his career. He also suffered facial fractures in a scary collision with then-Mets teammate Carlos Beltran in 2005. 

A free agent this offseason, Cameron finished the year with a .250 batting average, 24 home runs and 70 RBIs. It's his fourth straight season and eighth overall with at least 20 homers, and on Sept. 1 he scored the 1,000th run of his career. With 265 home runs and 296 stolen bases, Cameron became the 20th member of the 250/250 club.  

Trevor Hoffman's season ended on a low note, but there were plenty of high ones in his first season with the Brewers. He said after Sunday's season finale that he's close to signing a deal to return in 2010.

"I think we're pretty close," Hoffman said. "I think we're getting something done."

Hoffman suffered his fourth blown save after walking three batters in the ninth inning on Sunday, but the Brewers rallied in the 10th for a 9-7 win and Hoffman was the pitcher of record. He finished with a 3-2 record but more importantly had 37 saves and a 1.83 ERA, his best mark in 11 years.

He signed a one-year contract with the Brewers in January after 16 seasons with the Padres. He's likely working on another one-year contract that would include some kind of option for 2011. Hoffman turns 42 on Oct. 13 but is showing few signs of age.

Prince Fielder hit his 45th home run on Sunday as the Brewers battled the Cardinals in their 2009 season finale. Fellow slugger Ryan Braun predicts that the team will look a lot different on Opening Day 2010.

"It's going to be an interesting offseason, that's for sure," Braun said on Sunday morning. "It could be a completely different look next year."

The changes are already afoot. General manager Doug Melvin announced that he didn't offer 2010 contracts to interim pitching coach Chris Bosio or bullpen coach Stan Kyles, and Melvin will spend much of his offseason trying to fix a pitching staff that posted the second-worst ERA in the National League.

Unlike last year, Melvin has changes to make to the lineup, too. Center fielder Mike Cameron and catcher Jason Kendall are free agents who were just as important to the Brewers off the field as on it, and shortstop J.J. Hardy expects to be traded after a five-year run with the team.

"Look, the reality is that when you're a mid- or small-market team, you have to take advantage of having guys in that pre-free agency range where you can have them at a relatively affordable rate," Braun said. "Everybody is starting to make more money. The reality is, Prince will probably only be here one or two more years.

"It's a small window for us to win. We're not the Yankees or the Red Sox, where you can have a $200 million payroll. ... You have to take advantage of that window and win while guys are affordable. That's why you have to go for it, every chance you get. You go all-in, that's my opinion. The goal shouldn't be to make the playoffs, it should be to win the World Series. You saw how much getting to the playoffs meant to the City of Milwaukee [in 2008] and I can only imagine what it would be like to win a World Series.

"To me, that has to be the goal, and the reality is they have to go for it in the next year or two, because at that point everybody will be free agents and too expensive to keep."

Of the Brewers' disappointing 2009 season, Braun said, "We'd like to think of it as an aberration. We're disappointed we didn't get back to the postseason. Ultimately, that was our goal. We wanted to build on last year and we recognized that it was going to be difficult without CC [Sabathia] and Ben Sheets, but we thought we had the nucleus of last year's team back and we had that opportunity. We fell short."

Brewers manager Ken Macha will return for 2010 but some of his coaches may not. 

Macha was formally asked to serve the second season of his two-year contract and the Brewers added a club option for 2011, general manager Doug Melvin said Sunday.

"I have confidence in him," Melvin said.

Bench coach Willie Randolph and hitting coach Dale Sveum were also told they will be back for the second seasons of their two-year contracts and two other coaches -- third base coach Brad Fischer and first base coach Ed Sedar -- were extended contracts for 2010. 

Bullpen coach Stan Kyles and interim pitching coach Chris Bosio were not offered new contracts but they will be candidates for the open positions, according to Melvin. The Brewers entered Sunday with a 4.83 ERA, second-worst in the National League, and their 5.38 starters' ERA was tied with Baltimore for worst in the Major Leagues.

"Our pitching has been our problem this year," Melvin said. "I think we all can agree on that."

The Brewers intend to hire a "world class pitching coach," as principal owner Mark Attanasio put it last week, and former A's and Mets guru Rick Peterson is one candidate but not the only one. 

Melvin is also considering adding an advance scout to the coaching staff for 2010. For the past several seasons, the team has relied on a video scouting system to prepare reports on opponents. Bosio and Kyles will also be candidates for that position.

The Brewers were 79-82 in Macha's first season entering Sunday's season finale against the Cardinals.

Brewers manager Ken Macha had breakfast Saturday with general manager Doug Melvin, then mentioned 2010 in several different contexts during his daily reporters' briefing without specifically confirming that he would be back. Melvin still wasn't ready to make any sort of announcement about Macha's future, he said through a club spokesperson. 

Third baseman Mat Gamel has finalized his plans to play winter ball in Caracas, Venezuela, beginning right after Thanksgiving. It's going to be a hectic winter, because Gamel also has plans to marry his girlfriend, Julianne, on Nov. 21. The couple had a daughter during Spring Training.

"She understands how important this is, how important in the club's eyes it is for me to go," Gamel said. "This game is about sacrifice, and so is marriage. I have to go down there to get some at-bats."

Among Gamel's Caracas teammates will be infielder Adam Heether, who spent most of 2009 at Triple-A Nashville.

Ryan Braun became the latest Brewer to homer his way into the record books.

Braun's Major League-leading 200th hit on Saturday was a two-run home run, making him the fourth player in Brewers history to reach the 200-hit milestone and the first in 18 years.

Cecil Cooper had three 200-hit seasons, Paul Molitor had two and Robin Yount had one. Molitor was the last to do it, in 1991.

Of the seven 200th hits in Brewers history, three were home runs. Braun's on Saturday, plus Yount's on Sept. 28, 1982 in Boston and Cooper's off the Red Sox's Dennis Eckersley two days later. All of them were two-run shots, and Yount's, like Braun's, came in the first inning.

"I finally feel like I'm locked in," Braun said Friday, after a three-hit night left him at 199. "I've felt great the last two weeks, the best I've felt with the bat all year. Better late than never. It's always good to finish on a positive note, individually and as a team."

Braun's first-inning homer off Cardinals starter Kyle Lohse extended his hitting streak to eight games, and he has a hit in 13 of his last 14 games entering Sunday's season finale.  

Braden Looper revealed Saturday that he pitched all season with an injured right knee and will undergo arthroscopic surgery in the coming weeks to "clean up" his meniscus.

"It's part of being an athlete," Looper said. "You have to deal with certain things at the time and do the best you can.

"It's something that's not serious in the sense of a torn ACL. ... It's a very minor procedure. They told me I'd be able to walk out of there."

Looper made his final 2009 start on Friday night and fell into a 6-0 deficit against Adam Wainwright and the Cardinals, then watched the Brewers rally for 12 unanswered runs and a stunning, 12-6 win. He became the first Brewers right-hander since Cal Eldred 1993 to win 14 games.

He also set a club record by allowing 39 home runs, but kept the Cardinals in the ballpark on Friday to avoid becoming the 18th different Major Leaguer to surrender 40 homers in a season.

"I tried the best I can to get the ball down because that's my whole game," Looper said. "I don't know [if the knee played a part in pitches staying up]. I know I haven't been a consistent this year. That's the thing that upsets me, I hope that [the knee] didn't cause that."

Looper's surgery will probably be scheduled for the week of Oct. 12 in Milwaukee. He lives in a Chicago suburb so it would be an easy trip.

The 2009 season was Looper's first in Milwaukee and he went 14-7 with a 5.22 ERA in 34 starts. His contract includes a mutual option for 2010 that calls for a $6.5 million base salary. If the Brewers decline it, they owe a $1 million buyout.

We'll see what the Brewers can get from Carlos Villanueva, who hasn't started since mid-August but is pitching today in place of Dave Bush. Alcides Escobar is hitting leadoff for the first time in his young career.

Alcides Escobar  SS
Craig Counsell  2B
Ryan Braun  LF
Prince Fielder  1B
Casey McGehee  3B
Mike Cameron  CF
Jody Gerut  RF
Mike Rivera  C
Carlos Villanueva  RHP

Brewers general manager Doug Melvin and assistant GM Gord Ash re-joined the team on Friday on St. Louis, but Melvin said he didn't plan to make any announcements about manager Ken Macha's future until Saturday at the earliest.

"I'm not going to do anything today," Melvin said.

Macha is under contract for 2010 and Melvin is expected to ask him back. What's unclear is whether Melvin will be willing to tack anything onto the deal, be it a club option for 2011 or more guaranteed years. Macha expected to sit down with Melvin following Friday's game.

"I'll let him be the spokesman," Macha said.

Brewers principal owner Mark Attanasio arrived at Busch Stadium with Melvin and Ash about an hour before the start of the season's final series to address the team.

A couple of milestones are in reach for the Brewers this weekend in St. Louis, including a dubious one for Friday starter Braden Looper. He needs to keep the Cardinals in the ballpark to avoid being the first pitcher since 2005 2004 2005 to surrender 40 home runs. On a brighter note, Ryan Braun is three hits shy of 200. He's 6-for-28 (.214) against Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright, who is aiming for his 20th win.

Felipe Lopez  2B
Craig Counsell  3B
Ryan Braun  LF
Prince Fielder  1B
Mike Cameron  CF
Jody Gerut  RF
Alcides Escobar  SS
Jason Kendall  C
Braden Looper  RHP

More on Looper: Only 17 pitchers have surrendered 40 or more homers in a season, including Hall of Famer Robin Roberts three times and Bert Blyleven, Eric Milton twice and Phil Niekro twice apice. Blyleven set the all-time record when he served up 50 homers in 1986, and Milton was the last to do it, in 2004 2005 with the Reds. 

After Colorado reliever Franklin Morales struck out Alcides Escobar to end Thursday's 9-2 Brewers loss, slugger Prince Fielder sat on the dugout and watched the Rockies celebrate their ticket to the postseason.

"I didn't mind watching," Fielder said. "It reminds you of what you're missing."

The dogpile on the pitcher's mound came 369 days after Fielder and the Brewers celebrated their own Wild Card clinch last season. Now, with 82 losses and three games to play, the Brewers are guaranteed a losing record.

Manny Parra, who endured an awful final start, saw the last out on a clubhouse television. He immediately turned it off.

"That's the last thing I want to watch," he said.

The Brewers aren't the first team to follow a playoff appearance with a losing season. Since the Wild Card era began in 1995, 21 teams have endured such a slip, plus two more -- the 2008 Indians and the 1996 Reds -- who came close but finished 81-81. 

Three of those 21 teams had a fall more devastating than Milwaukee's. The 1998 Marlins, the 2003 Angels and the 2007 Cardinals followed World Championships with losing seasons.

Brewers principal owner Mark Attanasio watched Thursday's final innings in frustration and vowed offseason changes. Among the team's pressing question marks is Parra, a 26-year-old with loads of talent who has been slow to put it to consistent use.

That was the case again against the Rockies, when Parra recorded five of his eight outs via strikeouts but also walked five -- one was intentional -- and surrendered five runs. He issued two of the Brewers' three bases loaded walks. Two of them inexplicably went to Colorado pitcher Aaron Cook, a .116 hitter entering the game.

"I have games like the last game [a win against the Phillies] when I'm able to stick to the plan and execute," Parra said "Today, I was trying to stick to the plan but I just wasn't able to accomplish what I wanted to do.

"I just have to forget about it. I know I have the ability. It comes down to fastball command. That's what it's all about. I understand that and know that's what I have to work on."

After sitting idle for an eighth consecutive game on Wednesday night, right-hander Seth McClung wondered aloud about his future with the Brewers.

McClung last month set up an account on Twitter -- @73_MC -- and has used it to communicate with fans during a busy month. McClung returned Sept. 19 from about seven weeks on the disabled list with a sprained elbow, but before appearing in Thursday's series finale at Coors Field he had only pitched once since being activated. 

On Wednesday night, he tweeted: "U know that saying, the writing is on the wall? I think I can make out more than just letters concerning me." 

McClung, who is arbitration-eligible after the season, was asked on Thursday morning to clarify. He was hesitant to take his feelings to the media. 

"It can be interpreted any way you want," McClung said of his tweet. "I'm not complaining, I'm not trying to make trouble. I'm just frustrated. I don't mean to talk about it in the media, but I'm honest with myself and it's hard to watch situations come up in which I've performed exceedingly well in the past, and get passed over. Now we're going on nine days since I've pitched last. I'm not saying I'm better than anybody else, I just think it's my turn. Beyond that, I really don't want to talk about it in the media." 

The Brewers avoided McClung last winter when the sides agreed to a one-year, $1.6625 million contract. He is 3-3 with a 4.99 ERA this season in 40 appearances, including two starts. He was having an excellent season in relief -- 3.25 ERA in 28 games -- until the Brewers moved him into the starting rotation on June 27 after Dave Bush was injured and Manny Parra was sent to the Minors.

McClung finally appeared again on Thursday and escaped a bases-loaded jam in relief of Parra, then worked a scoreless fourth inning to lower his ERA below 5.00. Brewers manager Ken Macha agrees that McClung is completely healthy but said other relievers have simply moved ahead of him on the depth chart including Chris Smith, who pitched in relief on Wednesday. 

"I don't know what my spot is here," McClung said. "I've had a good run here and I've enjoyed it. The way things are shaking up, I don't know if they have plans for me. I love being here, but that's not my decision. I would love to be here five, six more years."

The Brewers may need McClung again this weekend in St. Louis because Dave Bush is skipping his final start to rest his tired right arm. Carlos Villanueva was more likely to be used in a spot start than McClung. 

Corey Hart remains sidelined with his hand injury, so manager Ken Macha is sending out the same lineup that collected 14 hits but went 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position in a loss to the Rockies on Wednesday. The Rockies could clinch the NL Wild Card today even if they don't finish a sweep of the Brewers, but they would need a Nationals win over the Braves in Atlanta.

Felipe Lopez  2B
Jody Gerut  RF
Ryan Braun  LF
Prince Fielder  1B
Casey McGehee  3B
Mike Cameron  CF
Alcides Escobar  SS
Jason Kendall  C
Manny Parra  LHP