Brewers find excited fans in jaunt throughout Wisconsin SOMEWHERE IN WISCONSIN -- Welcome to the Brewers' Winter Tour. As baseball's version of the Griswold family, we hit the road in late January f or a campaign-like tour throughout the state. We were one of the two Brewers bu ses and our goal was to blanket Wisconsin with the love of the game and present the vision for the future of the franchise. My co-stars in this quest were Bill Hall, Mike Adams, Russell Branyan, Larry Hi sle, Gorman Thomas and Brewers community relations boss Leonard Peace (the brai ns behind the operation). We hit Kenosha, West Allis, Fond Du Lac, Wausau, Gree n Bay, Manitowoc, Sheboygan and Oshkosh. Even though it was our collective goal to put smiles on the faces of every fan we encountered, it became evident early that the roles at times were reversed. "The fans all seemed pretty excited about the upcoming season," said closer hop eful Adams. "You can tell that they feel that there is something special coming with new ownership, and you could tell how diehard they truly are." In years past, it was easy to see the passion of Brewers fans on this tour, but at times it may have been manufactured. In my case, in previous years, there w ere definitely occasions where I felt as if I was spinning things in a positive direction in order to encourage those faithful that had come. This year, it felt just a bit different. At every sold-out banquet, fans were o ptimistic to the core and all I had to do was flip on the microphone and preach the whole truth and nothing but the truth. As we all learned more about you, our fans, I was able to learn even more about the guys I cover on a daily basis. It was clear from the moment that our bus p ulled out of Milwaukee that our three current big leaguers were bound and deter mined to learn from the two that paved the way before them. Something that any sports fan may find surprising, and no doubt refreshing. "It was exciting," said Hisle, who played for the Brewers from 1978-1982 and co ntinues to do community work for the club. "It reminded me of when I was coachi ng for the Blue Jays. I just asked them a lot of questions, because I wanted to understand their thought process as players. Like, if there is a runner on thi rd and no one out, what are you thinking? Are you doing everything physically a nd mentally to get that runner home? "What I liked most about these guys is how they feel about this season," Larry continued. "I reminded them that what separates the good players from the great players is attitude. You must believe that every season, every game and every at-bat is the most important of your life. I could clearly sense that they unde rstood and believed it themselves." There are several other things learned along the way: I learned that Hall is on the fast track to replace Scott Podsednik as team hea rtthrob, but is not nearly as serious about that as about shedding the labels o f prospect and potential. I learned that Branyan has every intention of winning the battle at third base and his manager, Ned Yost, made it clear on two occasions this week that he had no plans of platooning him with Wes Helms. The winner of the job will play jus t about every day. I also learned that Russell was known as Elvis early in his career. This was du e to the southern drawl, big hair and healthy sideburns. He later admitted that he can neither sing nor dance. I learned that Adams is ready to assume the role of Brewers closer. He has the stuff to the job and a beautiful combination of confidence, desire and laughter at fear mandatory in a stopper. It was also learned that he garnered the nickname "Kramer" (from "Seinfeld") la st year. Do you see the resemblance? Adams explained that it was the big hair ( that has since been cropped tight) he sported last season that set him on this nickname track. Gorman sure seemed to like the name! "I have no problem with it, it's all in fun," Mike said. "It made every banquet interesting and it got laughs out of the guys and the fans. ... At the same ti me, please make sure that that nickname doesn't stick." With my fingers firmly crossed behind my back, I promise to honor that request. One of the final highlights was the opportunity to work out with the guys in th e Packers weight-training facility in the heart of Lambeau Field. As I watched guard Marco Rivera in all of his amazing strength prepare for his trip to the P ro Bowl, I had a few thoughts. Maybe, someday, these Brewers I am traveling wit h will experience the winning and domination enjoyed by the Packers star. Maybe there can be a second Titletown in our great state. After all, it costs absolutely nothing to dream, and that's clearly what this w eek was all about. See you next week, when I will be giving you an inside look at the 2005 Brewers Fantasy Camp. Don't forget, we will be having another Buckethead Brigade winte r gathering on Feb. 8 at Long Wong's in Milwaukee. Bill and I will be your host s and there will be more details soon. --

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