Some personnel changes need to occur in the off-season…There were, however, plenty of memorable and dramatic moments throughout the year.

The 2007 season for the Milwaukee Brewers was their best campaign in 15 years, as they posted their first winning season since 1992. While not enough to catapult them into the postseason, it was nonetheless filled with highlights, memorable moments and some moments Brewer fans would like to forget.

The young Milwaukee team saw the emergence of Prince Fielder as an MVP candidate, Corey Hart as a perennial 20-20 man and Ryan Braun as the best-hitting third baseman this side of Alex Rodriguez and Yovani Gallardo.

Along with Fielder and Braun, the infield is capably manned by first-time all-star J.J. Hardy and the injury-prone, yet immensely talented Rickie Weeks. With experience under Manny Para’s belt and Coco Cordero pitching solid all year, these players provided some memorable moments.

On the downside, Ben Sheets demonstrated again that he remains incapable of staying healthy, and when he is hurt, the whole team suffers. The bullpen remains in shambles and the trade Doug Melvin pulled off for Scott Linebrink did nothing to adequately address the situation.

After trading top prospect Will Inman to obtain Linebrink, the Brewers brass cringed as they saw him post a 1.5 WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched) - hardly the kind of return you’d like to get for giving up a great prospect.

Iconic Brewer Geoff Jenkins suffered through his worst season in the big leagues. Playing usually only against right-handed pitchers, he batted a measly .255 with 21 home runs and 64 runs batted in - hardly the numbers a team looks for in a corner outfield position over a span of 132 games.

Kevin Mench faired no better and struggled after a superb initial month, ending with a paltry .305 on-base percentage courtesy of only 16 walks. Chris Capuano had one of the worst years in Brewers history. Finishing 5-12, he lost his last 12 decisions and the team lost 22 games in a row when he appeared.

Some personnel changes need to occur in the off-season, most of which may include these players. There were, however, plenty of memorable and dramatic moments throughout the year, balanced by a number of stunning and disappointing lows, which is a common trait for a young team.

Ben Sheets kicked off the season with a two-hit, complete game victory over the Dodgers on Opening Day, or what Milwaukee calls a national holiday. They rode the momentum to a baseball best 24-10 record but then began to falter, losing 20 of their next 29. The final loss was then no-hit by the Detroit Tigers’ star, Justin Verlander.

However, that proved to be a turning point in the season, as they got hot and cruised into the all-star break with a 5.5 game lead in the division. The second half provided some fireworks, such as Prince Fielder’s majestic shot off Tom Gordon in the eighth inning in a come from behind victory.

There was also Ryan Braun’s clutch round-tripper against Brad Lidge in the ninth to stave off defeat.

But not all was good, such as blowing a five-run lead in the ninth against Philadelphia or losing two of three in a pivotal series against the Cubs at the end of August. Nonetheless, the Brewers remained in the division hunt until the final week.

In the climactic last week, the Brew Crew unloaded on the hapless Cardinals, winning both games by a combined score of 22 - 6. Those wins, combined with the Cubs’ loss, made the last five games very interesting.

Unfortunately, the young team’s inexperience came back to haunt them, and they eventually lost too many critical games. The free-spending Cubs were finally able to buy their division crown.

In what will hopefully be the first of many exciting years, the Milwaukee Brewers truly made 2007 a season to remember.

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