Ken Macha acted as if the question had been asked in Klingon.
Trevor Hoffman had just notched save No. 599 at home on Aug. 29, and the Brewers were embarking on a six-game road trip. So was there any way Hoffman pitched in a save situation before the club returned to Miller Park?
Rather than chuckle at the very notion, the Brewers manager tap-danced like Gregory Hines on a lava flow.
“Why wouldn’t…. I don’t understand the question.”
Well, with save No. 600 on tap…
“If he has to pitch that game ... yeah, he’s gonna get a save.”
So you won’t manage around the home-field thing?
“I don't understand why you would be asking me that question, so you’ll have to explain that to me.”
Do you or other club people want Hoffman to get the milestone…
“We’re trying to win games, you know, and I think that’s what it’s about,” the steadfast Macha explained. “If [young closer John] Axford gets in to two games and … he’s not available, we’re trying to win the next game.”
It was Macha at his old-school managerial best. Every game is an island unto itself, and your goal is to conquer each one. Anything else is incidental, just so much surf on the shore.
Turns out the Brewers made things easy on Macha, albeit in a difficult manner, by losing five of those six roadies. And yet it's hard to imagine any manager, even one as by-the-book as Macha, crashing Hoffman's pending party.
Maybe Macha gave the only answer he could, in his respect-the-game way. But part of the game is the fans, and they deserve some of that respect, too. So if they can't have a playoff team root for, they should at least get to watch Hoffman flip that Miller Park banner to 600 in person.
Could it have happened differently? Sure. If the Brewers were in a playoff race, no way Macha could manage around something as trivial as a number. Banners always take backseats to pennants.
But the Brewers long ago lost that war, so they may as well give this battle to the fans. Hoffman's the closest thing to a conquering hero that this year's Milwaukee club has left. Nothing the Brewers do the rest of this season will be remembered as long as Hoffman’s next save, so they should make it as memorable as possible.
Baseball, at its tightly wound core, is first and foremost a story. Every season is a book, every game a chapter, every player and managerial type a character.
Put it all together, through a hundred-plus years, and you get a library of tales, some worth more reruns than “Seinfeld” and “M*A*S*H,”
some as forgettable as “Joe Buck Live.”Sometime over the next few days, we should see something destined for reruns. Hoffman will walk onto Miller Park’s pitching mound to the tune of “Hell’s Bells,” and he’ll walk off to the tune of deafening cheers with that magically round number of 600. It's a baseball chapter that's never been written and may never be written again.
The win will have no direct effect on this disappointing Brewers season. It won’t spark some miraculous playoff run or drape a cold cloth over Packers Fever.
And it will still be as cool as Sinatra with snowbunnies.
So in this unorthodox case, throw the book away. Hoffman should get every single save opportunity at home until he hits the milestone (and none on the road until there are no home games remaining). Doesn’t matter if the lead is one run or three. Doesn’t matter if Hoffman blows a save or two or if Axford matches up better on a particular night.
Hoffman's the star now, and he should get star treatment, even though he'll never ask for it.
Don't mistake it for charity. Hoffman has earned every one of his saves, and he'll have to earn the next one, too. Just as his fans have earned the right to see it in person.
"I would obviously like to have it happen here," Hoffman said of No. 600 shortly after notching No. 599. He said it not to challenge Macha's intentions (indeed, he was completely unaware of Macha's old-school oration), but as a nod toward the Miller Park faithful.
"The fans have been tremendously supportive throughout the whole thing and provided a lot of energy for me while I'm out there," Hoffman continued. "They've been grinding through this whole thing as well and it would be special to have it done at home."
And it has been a wholly unexpected grind. When the season began, Hoffman was the unquestioned closer and 600 seemed a mere formality. Then the 42-year-old lost his touch, and with it his closer's role.
Meanwhile, that countdown banner hung in the outfield like some still-frame albatross frozen just a handful of wingbeats from landing. Hoffman regrouped. The movie started rolling again, if only in painstakingly slow motion. And the next scene celebrates the game's most prolific closer.
It's the ultimate home movie.
Emphasis on home.
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2 Comments
Macha needs to play for the integrity of the game rather than an artificial milepost that was earned primarily for another team. What if Trevor blows two saves in an effort to get one more for 600? Is that what the fans want? What about the starting pitcher who might be denied a win? What if the best and most competitive use of Trevor is on the road? Should we deny the club a win?
As the old adage goes, you can't win a pennant in April or May, but you can lose it. Having Trevor blow 5 or 6 games in April and May effectively put the Brewers out of contention early and probably caused even greater morale issues. Give them 6 extra wins now and they are a winning team.
Great career for Trevor and many thanks for last year, but finishing on a nice round number should never be a goal.
600 is just a number,more impressive for a relief pitcher going to the playoffs than one making tee times for October.
The crew has to focus on starting pitching with 4 to 5 front line arms, to get there they are going to have to give up quality, it's much easier to find every day 1st basemen & outfielders. Start over with a real plan & get competitive !