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Cameron gives Brewers a lift

Jeremy Reeves
Correspondent for The Capital Times  —  4/30/2008 9:09 am

CHICAGO -- Mike Cameron couldn't explain it, but as far as he as the Milwaukee Brewers are concerned, that was probably a good thing.

Tuesday night at Wrigley Field, Cameron finally made his long-awaited Brewers debut after serving a 25-game suspension to start the season for twice testing positive last year for a banned substance.

And as debuts go, this couldn't have gone much better for the 14-year veteran.

In his very first at-bat, Cameron lined a 1-1 pitch from Jason Marquis off the left-field wall for a double, missing a home run by about 2 feet.

That was just the beginning of a 3-for-5 performance that also included a walk and two RBIs as Milwaukee's new No. 2 hitter sparked a season-high 17-hit attack in a 10-7 Brewers victory.

"I don't think I've ever had a day like this," said Cameron, who took a 6 a.m. flight from Omaha, where he finished up a four-game stint with Triple-A Nashville on Monday night. "I felt good for some reason -- I don't know why. I just had a real good feeling, saw the ball well and was able to put the bat on the ball."

It couldn't have come at a more opportune time for Cameron or the Brewers, whose offense has been mired in a collective month-long dry spell.

More than three hours before the first pitch, Milwaukee manager Ned Yost insisted that while it was a big boost to have Cameron rejoin the club for games that count, it wouldn't be fair to expect him to be a "cure-all" for its offense.

Fans have dissected and often criticized Yost's every word or decision over the last few seasons, but in this case the manager was dead on.

"He's a Gold Glove center fielder, he's a tremendous base runner, he's a great offensive player. I mean anybody in their right mind would long for him to come back," Yost said. "But if anybody thinks that we were just dying to get him back, we were just because of who he is but not to carry us."

One word -- relief -- could best summarize Cameron's emotions after his breakout game, which wasn't made any easier by the 38-degree temperatures at the start.

"I've been doing this for a long time. Always the first time is a little bit jittery but the only expectation I had was to go out there and try to focus on what I can accomplish," Cameron said.

"Try to square the ball up. It was good to get that first one out of the way and put everything behind me, and now it's just playing ball from now on."

While Cameron did his best to contain his excitement, Ryan Braun didn't hide his enthusiasm about having his outfield mate back in the fold. After all, it was Cameron who played a major role in tutoring Braun when he made the switch in spring training from third base to left field.

"I think we're all excited about it. Obviously he's a great player and he is a great clubhouse guy. He brings a lot of energy every day and can do a lot of different things to help our team win games," Braun said.

"I think it boosts our morale as much as anything else. I think he's a great base runner. We all have a lot of confidence in him. He can obviously hit for power as well and he's an unbelievable center fielder. So it should help us in all facets of the game."

Brewers first base coach Ed Sedar, who also works with the outfielders, said Cameron provides the intangibles that every successful ballclub needs.

"I sensed in spring training (that) the players feed off him," Sedar said. "I've heard other managers from other teams that have had him, that's what teams tend to do is feed off Mike. Hopefully, things will go well with him. Well, I know they will."

By leading the Brewers to their third win in four games in Chicago this year, Cameron is already off to a ringing start.

Listen to him for a few minutes, though, and it's easy to see that he's still upset over being suspended and having his reputation take a hit in some fans' eyes. In an ESPN.com article published Tuesday, Cameron said he thinks the positive tests came about after he used an energy powder that he purchased over the Internet last season.

But as difficult as the experience was for Cameron to see his name repeatedly appear in newspapers and on TV as, in his words, "That guy that's serving a 25-game suspension" -- along with having to spend three weeks in extended spring training in Arizona with players nearly half his age -- Cameron said he is ready to move on.

"It's over and done with, man. I'm excited to get a chance to play baseball so you guys (media) after today, you can write something else beside my name besides that. You can talk about how (bad) I was or how good I played.

"That's what I'm looking forward to."

With a few more performances like Tuesday's, Cameron will probably have people forgetting the whole episode in a hurry.

Well, except for maybe Cubs fans.

Jeremy Reeves
Correspondent for The Capital Times  —  4/30/2008 9:09 am