Catcher thinks 2004's offensive slump was aberration PHOENIX -- The Brewers are in no hurry to make a decision, but Ben Sheets can't help but hope to see Chad Moeller catch the first pitch on Opening Day. "I'm open-minded, but, dang, it's hard to not want Chad after the job he did last year," said Sheets, the sure pick to start on April 3 at Pittsburgh. "He pushed all the right buttons and it was real comfortable." Sheets was among the National League leaders in a half dozen categories and established himself as an ace. Lefty Doug Davis cemented his hold on the No. 2 starter's spot and quietly was one of the league's most consistent pitchers. Victor Santos enjoyed a breakout season, as did closer Dan Kolb and closer-to-be Mike Adams. Along the way, all gave some of the credit to Moeller. But while Moeller excelled behind the plate, he was admittedly subpar at it, and the Brewers, desperate to improve the league's most sluggish offense, had to upgrade. So they parted with Gary Bennett, then signed free agent Damian Miller to a three-year contract worth nearly $9 million and named him the No. 1 catcher. Moeller was relegated to backup duties. Moeller's reaction was surprisingly diplomatic. "That's a good move," said Moeller, who teamed with Miller in Minnesota and then Arizona. "You get a guy who's caught great pitchers and does a great job behind the plate. He's going to produce." Even if it means fewer opportunities for himself? "I knew that was possibly the price for having a bad year last year," Moeller said. "I was happy with the way things went behind the plate -- the scores were low, the pitchers did well. But I didn't do what I am capable of doing at the plate. I'm glad I was given a chance to do it over." A career .254 hitter when the Brewers acquired Moeller and five others in the blockbuster December 2003 trade for Richie Sexson, Moeller slumped badly during the second half of last season. He batted .168 after the break with just five RBIs, struggling along with the rest of the offense as the team fell to the bottom of the NL Central. After batting .268 with seven homers and 29 RBIs in just 78 games with the Diamondbacks the year before, Moeller finished 2004 with a .208 average, five homers and 27 RBIs in 101 games with the Brewers. Four of those RBIs came on April 27 against the Reds, when Moeller became the first Brewer ever to hit for the cycle in Milwaukee. It proved a rare offensive highlight. "It was weird," Moeller said. "If you look at the numbers leading up to last year, last year doesn't make sense. So I hope to change that around this year. I'm just glad they brought me back here and gave me another chance to play." Moeller was brought back on a one-year, $700,000 deal. Assuming the usually-durable Miller stays healthy, Moeller's playing time will diminish. But both men were adamant that there are no hard feelings. "There's no conflict," the veteran Miller said. "Catchers know that it's a tough job to do, and we pull for each other. He'll do well. We just have to learn to work with each other and move on from there." Which gets back to the original question: Who will work with Sheets? "It will play itself out," manager Ned Yost said. "They're both real good, solid defensive catchers. Either one of them will catch anybody on our staff." Yost, a former catcher, says he does not like the idea of "personal catchers." Brewers hitting coach Butch Wynegar, another former backstop and a two-time All-Star, leans the same way. "It's not that I don't like the idea, it's just that if you have a No. 1, he should be the No. 1," Wynegar said. "Maybe it's an ego thing on my part. I never liked the feeling of, 'Why does that pitcher want that other guy? I can catch just as well.' " Yost said he would be open to discussing the matter with Sheets. For the record, Moeller was catching when Sheets threw a light seven-minute session in the bullpen on Friday. "I know they brought in Damian to be the No. 1 catcher, and I know they probably want to see him on Opening Day," said Sheets. Sheets has never pitched to the same catcher in consecutive seasons. He estimates that he has thrown to about eight different catchers during his four-year tenure, but only "clicked" with two: Moeller and Jorge Fabregas, who played a brief stint with the team in the second half of 2002. "I don't know, but other guys don't work me as well as those guys have," Sheets said. "[Moeller] always wanted me to strike guys out. I like that. He let me realize I can. "A lot of people might say, 'Let's throw an inside fastball to get a broken-bat out.' But Mo would say, 'If he doesn't put it in play, he can't get a hit. Let's strike him out.' " For his part, Moeller vowed to be better in 2005. He worked on the mechanics of his swing over the winter, but said the biggest adjustment needs to happen inside his head. "Last year, I worried about a lot of things that didn't matter," he said. "I learned a lot through it. Sometimes you always learn through adversity. I'm excited for this year. I think it should be drastically different." -- ★opengoodbook 你什麽时候设我为好友啦?!XD To opengoodbook: 第一次丢你水球之後阿XD ★opengoodbook 我会害羞(跑) To opengoodbook: :P ★opengoodbook 这麽主动...... --

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