Most Despised Brewers - Round 1 Results

by Tim Muma                                                                      2/21/2013
(Twitter: @brewersblend)                                                     7:00am


Round one of the inaugural Most Despised Brewers bracket leaned the way of the favorites, but there were a few upsets and a number of tight games that included a #1 seed nearly falling.

Thanks to all the people who voted to help get us the most accurate assessment of which players and other personnel truly bothered the Brewers' fan base. Below are the results of each matchup with a Sweet 16 preview, as well as an updated copy of the brackets



Yount Region

(1) G. Sheffield over (8) P. Listach - Not surprisingly, Sheffield laid waste to the former Rookie of the Year as the perceived overall top seed has way too much going for him.
Final: 96% - 4%

Betancourt didn't lose the handle in Round 1

(5) Y. Betancourt over (4) J. Hernandez - A close matchup of irritating shortstops, Betancourt's lack of range and glove edged Hernandez's hole in his bat as defense wins games.
Final: 51% - 49%


(3) M. Parra over (6) D. Turnbow - Some favored Turnbow for his bobblehead's hair while others grew tired of Parra's yearly tease of talent. Mental weakness was the X-factor.
Final 59% - 41%


(2) W. Selig-Prieb over (7) M. Grissom - The 7-seed jumped in front early, but Selig-Preib's ability to completely stifle a team through poor financial and personnel decisions led to victory.
Final 68% - 32%


Sweet 16 Preview: Sheffield has a huge edge over Betancourt in every facet of the game. Parra and Selig-Prieb should duke it out as both individuals' failures have left scars.


Fielder Region

Ned reacting to the overwhelming
support for his Round 1 victory

(1) N. Yost over (8) R. Manning - No contest here either with Nedley's knack for belittling the fan base in the midst of collapse. A tight race would have favored Manning, but it was a blowout.
Final: 93% - 7%


(4) K. Macha over (5) R. Quevedo - Pure disdain for Grandpa Macha gave him the early edge, though "Qdoba" made a run (OK, a walk) midway through. In the end, Macha did less with more.
Final: 58% - 42%


(3) S. Marcum over (6) B. Selig - Fans gave Selig some rope since he brought baseball back to Milwaukee. Marcum got rope too, but voters wish he would have used it on himself at the end of '11.
Final: 72% - 28%


(2) J. Hammonds over (7) B. Hall - This one had upset special written all over it with Hall taking a late lead, but Hammonds took the money and ran, the 1st time he finished something in Milwaukee.
Final: 52% - 48%


Sweet 16 Preview: A pair of frustrating managers square off for a trip to the "Elite 8."  Yost has trouble finishing and Macha has issues waking up, but something's gotta give. Despite Hammonds big close in round one, experts think this matchup favors Marcum as fans put a ton of blame on him for the Brewers' 2011 NLCS defeat.


Molitor Region

(1) S. Bando over (8) A. Sanchez - Bando led wire-to-wire and proved why his poor talent evaluation made him a heavy favorite in the tourney. Sanchez didn't have the experience or power to compete.
Final: 93% - 7%


(4) R. Belliard over (5) R. Weeks - A 2nd basemen battle left a lot to be desired as Belliard was completely underrated by the committee. Weeks had no chance in a surprising 4 vs. 5 pasting.
Final: 87% - 23%


(6) B.J. Surhoff over (3) D. Lopes - Close early, but Surhoff's failed expectations in MIL and incredible skill to be a jerk to everyone was too much to handle for Lopes who many felt sorry for.
Final: 55% - 45%

Spurning tradition in MIL,
Gagne closed this one out

(2) E. Gagne over (7) B. Sheets - Time heals all wounds (except Sheets' arm) and Gagne took advantage of his 1 season in MIL with blown saves, PED links and the end of his career.
Final: 72% - 28%


Sweet 16 Preview:  Belliard's strong showing in the opening round has some believing he could pull off the upset over top seed Bando, despite Bando's experience and long-lasting effect. It's difficult to see Surhoff knocking off another high seed, especially Gagne who hit MIL hard and quick.


Braun Region

(1) J. Suppan over (8) C. Carr - Suppan wins in a nail-biter as Carr's brief stint in MIL left a deeper impression than the committee thought. Many were sympathetic toward Suppan, blaming Yost and Dale Sveum for running him out there despite his struggles. In the words of one voter who may have predicted the close outcome: Carr, down by 2, jacked up a 3 at the buzzer and came up empty and said, "That ain't Chuckie's game to take the layup. Chuckie firing 3's!"
Final: 51% - 49%


(5) K. Loe over (4) T. Higuera - A good matchup, fans were torn on where to place the blame with Higuera and how much Loe really struggled. Higuera broke down at the end and Loe got the save.
Final: 55% - 45%


(3) C. Moeller over (6) R. Deer - Deer took an early lead by hitting some bombs from deep, but Moeller was consistently bad before unleashing the secret weapon: "the cycle."

Final: 58% - 42%

Catcher vs. Catcher in the Sweet 16

(7) J. Estrada over (2) W. Helms - The biggest upset of the 1st round (one I'm not happy about), Estrada's lazy, slow, awful season in MIL wore down the underperforming Helms - as he again failed here. A classic case of Estrada getting hot at the right time and riding the "momentum" to victory.
Final: 52% - 48%


Sweet 16 Preview: Now that Suppan survived a scare, he looks to be a big-time favorite in the Sweet 16 as his negative impact and contract are far greater "strengths" as we go deeper in the tourney. Moeller and Estrada square off in fight to prove who the more inept catcher really was - holding up the Brewers tradition of bad backstops. This one is tough to call, but Estrada has some juice right now.



Sweet 16 Vote - Deadline is Monday, February 25th at 10pm CT

Again, to vote on the matchups, just shoot an email to    brewersblend@gmail.com

Feel free to add a comment or two as to why you chose a particular individual - especially if it would be an upset pick. Also, definitely add some comments or persuasive arguments on this page at the bottom of the article.

You can even send me some short blurbs via Twitter to @brewersblend

Below is the updated bracket.

(**The best way to view the .jpg is to right-click and "open in new tab)