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Spectator: A sad ending for Sheets loyalists

Dennis Punzel  —  9/30/2008 3:05 pm

MILWAUKEE -- The jersey referendum doesn't bode well for Ben Sheets. Once the runaway Milwaukee Brewers jersey of choice, Sheets shirts were in short supply last Saturday among the sellout crowd at Miller Park for what presumably was his final performance in a Brewers uniform.

On this day, his No. 15 was not only outnumbered by Braun, Fielder and Sabathia shirts, but probably by Zambrano and Fukudome jerseys worn by invading Cubs fans, as well.

But while their numbers may have dwindled over the years, the Sheets loyalists came out, hoping for the best and fearing the worst. Their worst fears were realized as Sheets didn't make it out of the third inning, walking off the mound at Miller Park to a mixture of boos and cheers as he and his ailing right elbow head off into the uncertain world of free agency.

Even those who wear their heart on the back don't expect to see Sheets pitching for the Brewers next season.

"It's pretty sad," said Tim Satterthwaite of Madison, proudly wearing his No. 15 Sheets jersey. "Ben Sheets is probably one of my favorite baseball players. It'll be sad to see him go. I love coming to games to see Ben Sheets pitch; it's one of my favorite things. But nowadays baseball is more of a business than a tradition.

"Ben Sheets has had a good year. He was an All-Star. The second half wasn't so great (only three of Sheets' 13 wins came after July 4), so I don't know how big the market will be for him. But as long as Sheets can stay healthy, anybody in the majors would love to have him."

Ah, the injuries. The seemingly endless string of tweaks and twinges have gradually tarnished Sheets' legacy in Milwaukee. But for many fans, he symbolized hope for better days when he arrived in 2001, fresh off of pitching the United States to a gold medal in the 2000 Olympic Games. Suddenly, after years of the likes of Rafael Roque, Scott Karl, Ricky Bones and Jamey Wright, the Brewers had a true ace pitcher.

When fans like Dan Kluge of Brookfield think of Sheets, they think about the 18-strikeout game against the Atlanta Braves in 2004 or the opening day two-hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2007 or his 1-0 victory over the San Diego Padres and their ace Jake Peavy on Sept. 6 in what turned out to be Sheets' last win -- marking a new career high -- of a season in which he is being paid a little more than $12 million.

In the what-have-you-done-for-me-lately world of sports, that all seems so long ago. And while CC Sabathia becomes the toast of the town by pitching seemingly every other day, Sheets has been sidetracked by yet another ailment.

"I'm a Ben Sheets fan, but it's hard when he gets hurt like now," said Kluge. "He's human. But he's a Brewer. He came here out of the Olympics and has been a Brewer forever. He kind of gets forgotten here with Sabathia, but he's done a lot for us and he's always been our ace until we got Sabathia. I think people are just down on him because of the frustration.

"He was here through a lot of the lean years when they didn't have the talent that they do today. I know he's going to test the free agent market and business is business. If he could make the same money with the Brewers, he'd probably stay."

But Kluge doesn't hold out much hope for that happening.

"I think he's going to go east because Boston and the Yankees always want pitching," Kluge said. "If the Brewers could get him for $40 million, I'd do it. But I think he's going to get up around $100 million. It's going to be hard to lose him."

Scott McGuigan of Madison shares those sentiments, but credits Sheets -- who is 86-83 with a 3.72 earned-run average in seven major-league seasons -- with reviving his interest in baseball and the Brewers.

"I got back into baseball five or six years ago and he was the big-name guy," said McGuigan. "I just kind of watched him and watched the team grow around him. There are a lot of people who think he's more of an injury liability than he is helpful, but when he's healthy he's tough to beat. It'll be tough to lose him because he's done a lot of good things to help turn the team around and help make them a winner."

Still, McGuigan holds out little hope that the Brewers will re-sign Sheets.

Satterthwaite, on the other hand, would gladly spend $60 million of team owner Mark Attanasio's money over the next four years to keep Sheets. "Is he worth it? Yes," said Satterthwaite.

His buddy, Aaron Lehew, also of Madison, begs to differ. "He's done well, but am I sad to see him go if he does? No," Lehew said. "I honestly think if they can go out and get somebody comparable or even less, but is willing to go out every time -- like a (Jeff) Suppan -- somebody more reliable, I think we'd be better off."

Wherever Sheets ends up pitching next year, he'll have a fan in Bill Guernsey of Madison.

"I've been a Sheets guy all along and it's nice to see him perform so well this year," said Guernsey. "If he goes, I'll get over it eventually. It's unfortunate that there's a very slim chance we'll get him back, but I'll be a Ben Sheets fan even when he plays for another team."

Dennis Punzel  —  9/30/2008 3:05 pm