Brewers’ Braun is ready to have fun
Associated Press
PHOENIX
Ryan Braun left someone else awe-struck.
Instead of the typical throngs of female fans swooning in Milwaukee, this was a Korean journalist who came to do a story on the Brewers and was impressed that Braun gave him a 15-minute interview.
Apparently, the left fielder’s charm is international.
Still, there’s another side to Braun. He’s reserved when it comes to revealing details of his busy personal life in southern California and Wisconsin beyond his own fashion line and the restaurants bearing his name on them.
“There’s a lot of things I don’t open up to people,” he said. I don’t talk about private things and there’s a lot of times I give a response I know is going to be politically correct just because there’s no reason to create controversy.”
With that, he’s done talking about last year, including his struggles when he had the first extended adversity of his career and his tenuous relationship with former manager Ken Macha that have included jabs from both sides.
Braun broke out of his prolonged funk with a flourish at the end, hitting .365 with nine homers and 39 RBIs from August 2 on after grinding through the most trying period of his young career.
“Throughout the course of a season, especially last season when the team wasn’t doing well, it’s not fun. Baseball’s no longer fun, it’s important to get away from that,” Braun said. “Now, it’s fun again.”
Part of finding the job a joy again is the instant connection he’s gotten with new manager Ron Roenicke, another southern Californian who drove two hours to eat dinner with Braun at one of the slugger’s favorite Malibu restaurants.
For Roenicke, the meal was equal parts getting to know Braun and getting to know how the Brewers might be able to compete for the postseason every year after Milwaukee has struggled with inconsistency at inopportune times.
“I really wanted his perspective on the team and what he saw and what it takes for us as a group,” the manager said. “I think everybody knows it’s a solid core, but what’s it going to take to get to where every year people are expecting us to be in the playoffs. I wanted to know that from him.”
The 27-year-old Braun has had quite a ride after winning the NL Rookie of the Year in 2007 and starting each of the last three All-Star games by receiving the most votes among NL outfielders each year.
The accomplishments also include helping Milwaukee to the postseason in 2008, when he hit two critical homers in the final week to end the franchise’s 26-year playoff drought, and a .307 average with 128 homers and 420 RBIs in his first four seasons as part of a potent lineup that includes Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks and Corey Hart.