I'm not sure why, but I didn't realize today was an off-day until lunchtime. This morning, I was even thinking about going to the game... before I walked outdoors and got drenched because I didn't check the weather/look out my window and notice it was pouring in downtown. I suppose umbrellas and oblivion have some sort of inverse relationship.

Anyhow, a quick check of the office window renders me unable to see more than a few hundred feet, so I guess it's not a good baseball day, so maybe we'll just get a head start on tomorrow. So, here's the latest back-channel relations post.

• Opponent: The Vegetarian Brewers of Wisconsin
• As great a threat to America as Bears: Rambling Al B of Al's Ramblings
• Worthwhile link discovered on enemy blog: AnySoldier.com - Help A Soldier*

Q: Entering this series, the Brewers are 14-11 (2-1 vs. the Cubs). Are you happy with the record so far? Should the Brewers have won more or fewer games, or does the record match up with what you're seeing? Also, who is going to win the NL Central this season?

They are right where they should be, Byron. They "should" have 13.3 wins or something like that, based on runs scored and runs allowed. Cameron missed the first 25 due to suspension. Sheets missed a start. Many folks are pointing to "so and so isn't hitting", but no one will ever hit evenly throughout the entire 162 games. They are on pace for 91 wins, which is a few more than I would have guessed.

Q: Ben Sheets is 3-0 with an 0.96 ERA after four starts. Has he finally pieced it together, or is he just off to a great start? Will he stay healthy all season?

As I mentioned, he missed a start with a muscle pull last week. He is unlikely to throw 200 innings, but there's little doubt the Crew would take 175 and be very happy. When healthy, he's probably a top 10 pitcher in all the game, and even at 75%, he's very passable. The more he pitches, the better off the team is. He is probably going to be a free agent after '08, as I see little chance the Brewers will pay him market value, given his injury-prone past. It should be noted, however, that his elbow and shoulder remain 100%, as his time missed has been mostly minor, somewhat odd stuff.

Q: I see Bill Hall has 7 homers already. Is he on roids? (Sorry, I couldn't help myself.) Seriously, is Hall the most surprising/hottest player so far, or is someone else stealing the headlines in Milwaukee?

Hall is hitting solely for power thus far, hopefully, his other numbers will follow. His swing looks very long, and his BB/K ratio seems to prove it, so if he hits it, it's flying. As for who's hot, Jason Kendall is smacking the ball out of the #9 slot. As for improved areas, both the bullpen and defense has been much better in April than in 2007, time will tell if this continues.

Q: What's the deal with Prince Fielder? The first time I heard about him becoming a vegetarian, it was April fools day... but I keep hearing these weird rumblings? Has he really given up on meat? How's he hitting, and has it had any effect on his play? Also, how are the fans of Wisconsin handling it?

Prince is off meat, at least for now. He started off a bit slow, but is back to normal now. Other than the fact he does not look smaller, I don't think it has had any effect at all. Some folks mentioned it when he took a while to hit a HR, but since we live in an era where you could pretty much eat powder mixed with water from GNC and hit all your nutrient needs, it's a non-issue.

Q: Do you have a specific sausage you pull for when you go to a game? Is there like a bratwurst racing fan club or something? Also, we just got done with a series against the Nationals and they have racing ex-Presidents. As a Brewers fan, are you offended by the blatant rip-off, or is mascot racing okay to be adopted by any team that feels like it?

I am a bratwurst man, since that's my favorite cured meat at the ballpark, loaded with onions and stadium sauce. I think the ex-presidents are cute, needless to say, the Brewers do not have a trademark on silly between innings races. Heck, when we lived in the Twin Cities, they had a "dot race" on the scoreboard at the Dome, and it garnered a lot of reaction from the fans.

Once again, Thanks to Al for sharing his knowledge and insights with us. (You may not be aware of this, but Al's been open for business since Jerry Royster was managing in Milwaukee.)

* As usual, GROTA makes no stance on wars, rumors of wars, or anything political like that. But I'd like to think GROTA (and more importantly me!) is in favor of supporting families who are currently dealing with the stress of a family member who is on the other side of the globe.