MILWAUKEE —
Career saves leader Trevor Hoffman says he’s got a lot of decisions to make and work left to do.
He’ll have to decide where to hang the huge oil painting commissioned in honor of his 600th career save, where to put the ball from Tuesday night’s achievement and when to respond to the hundreds of calls and text messages he received.
Hoffman says he talked to commissioner Bud Selig on Wednesday morning and also spoke with Hall of Famer Robin Yount after finally getting to bed well past 3 a.m.
He was back at work for Milwaukee’s game against St. Louis, just with another memento for his collection. He says he has kept a baseball from at least 95 percent of his saves, only missing a few from his early days in the league.
“Last night as great as it was, but we’re hearing the same music as we have the last 160 days, it’s the same feeling at the ballpark,” he said. “It was unbelievable for the moment, but as we’ve all been a part of and seen and witnessed, it just moves on.”
Hoffman, who had his game cap sent to the Hall of Fame, says his phone stopped accepting voicemails from all the well wishers. He thanked the fans in San Diego, where he received a standing ovation after the accomplishment was shown on their scoreboard.
“As a player, you just don’t expect to be received that way,” he said. “They’re in the middle of a pennant race, their focus is staying ahead of the Giants. To take the time was a class move by the organization as well.”
It took a lot longer than expected, but it now says “600” on the big board in left-center in Miller Park. The 1,000 T-shirts commemorating the event sold out in about 20 minutes.
The club says another shipment will arrive before the weekend.
Hoffman said he spent some time thinking about what he’d say to the fans and the players, and used a line similar to Andre Dawson’s Hall of Fame induction speech, saying, “If you love the game, it’s going to love you back.”
“I had a couple of angles, I didn’t know how much I wanted to get in the bittersweet relationship — the sweet that I accomplished it and the bitter in the path that it took,” Hoffman said. “The journey might not have been the one that I foresaw, but one that can be looked upon as a good thing. It’s a better teaching tool than anything else.”
General manager Doug Melvin said he wished everyone had heard Hoffman’s speech to the club afterward.
“I wished all 160 of our minor league players could be there, but I said also I wished all young players in Major League Baseball could be in there, not just our players,” he said. “I’m big into Western movies, I felt like I was following John Wayne.”
Hoffman blew five of his first 10 save opportunities and lost his closer’s job to rookie John Axford. His numbers have been much better lately with a 2.63 ERA in his last 29 appearances.
“Ax was sitting at the corner of opportunity and success, and I got Wally Pip-ed,” Hoffman joked. “We’ve dealt with this together.”
Axford has said he’s not the closer and Hoffman says the role is Axford’s.
“Trevor has been fantastic to me this entire time, he’s been a fantastic mentor,” said Axford, who has converted 20 of 22 saves. “I can understand and know what he’s gone through almost 700 times when he’s trying to close out games. Just knowing that emotional side, knowing how tough it is to close out a game, means even more.”
Hoffman’s second season in Milwaukee could be his last. Even if the right-hander who turns 43 next month wants to pitch, the Brewers must decide if they want to pick up his $7 million option or buy it out for $500,000, with Axford succeeding at a price that’s significantly lower.
“Offseason decisions can wait until the offseason, but I think everybody felt they were a part of something special with something like that, a milestone,” Melvin said. “I believe you never give up on somebody who has the character he does, you just don’t give up on them.”
Hoffman returned to the field, doing what he’s done since arriving in Milwaukee. He led the rest of the Brewers’ relievers in workouts with a smile on his face.
“He could’ve taken the day off,” Melvin quipped.
Sports
Related Photos
-
Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Trevor Hoffman is carried off the field after the Brewers defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 4-2 on Tuesday in Milwaukee. Hoffman picked up his career 600th save. Morry Gash / The Associated Press
Discussion
Hoffman enjoying moment
Relief pitcher got 600th save Tuesday
- Sports
-
-
Tribe triumphs
The Anderson Lady Tribe brought their best defense in Friday night’s semifinal battle against New Castle and rolled to a 56-31 victory to advance to the final of Class 4A Sectional 9 against Pendleton Heights.
-
Wertz rallies Arabians to final
Pendleton Heights junior guard Tiffany Wertz sparked a fourth-quarter rally in girls sectional basketball play Friday and lifted the Arabians into tonight’s title game. PH scored 29 points in the fourth quarter and erased a six-point deficit with five minutes to play in a 63-51 win over Richmond.
-
Broncos advance to finals
Daleville’s girls basketball team pounded Wes-Del for a third time this season, defeating the Warriors 39-11 to earn a berth in the sectional championship tonight against Southern Wells.
-
Elwood better but can't best Tipton
While the final score of 80-46 may not indicate it, there were some improvements for the Elwood girls basketball team in its rematch against the Tipton Blue Devils on Friday night in the semifinals of the Class 2A Sectional 39 at Madison-Grant.
-
Argylls' season runs out of gas in semis
It would not be too hard to pinpoint exactly when things went wrong for the Madison-Grant girls basketball team Friday night in its sectional semifinal game against Eastern. However, identifying the cause of the team’s struggles would be more difficult. The Argylls’ hung tough for three quarters of the game, but fell apart in the fourth with a perfect storm of problems, resulting to a 56-38 loss to end their season.
-
Winchester's final run fells Frankton
Girls basketball season came to an end Friday for the Frankton Eagles, but it didn’t end quietly. Frankton fell to the Winchester Golden Falcons 60-51 in the Class 2A Sectional 40 semifinals at Shenandoah High School.
-
Indians advance to finals
Photos from the sectional semifinal at Greenfield-Central on Friday.
-
Arabians come from behind to beat Red Devils
Photos from the sectional semifinal at Greenfield-Central on Friday.
-
Bearcats upend AHS
Often basketball is a simple game, and it was certainly true for the Anderson boys basketball team here Thursday night. “We had too many turnovers — that’s the game,” said AHS coach Joe Nadaline after the Indians lost to Muncie Central 54-46 for their eighth straight defeat.
-
Bulldogs topple Raiders, win 9th in a row
The Bulldogs keep on rolling. Lapel (16-3) led from start to finish as it beat visiting Shenandoah 69-47 Thursday night to push its winning streak to nine games.
- More Sports Headlines
-
Red Wings and Maple Leafs to Play at Big House
Parade for the New York Giants Super Bowl Champs
Raw Video: Giants Celebrate Another Super Bowl
Giants Beat Patriots 21-17 to Win Super Bowl
Manning Named Super Bowl MVP
Giants Beat Patriots in Super Bowl 46
Rodgers Wins AP MVP at 'NFL Honors'
Aaron Rodgers Wins AP NFL MVP
Martin, Five Others Elected to Football Hall
Brady, Manning Headline Super Bowl XLVI
Prosecutors Close Armstrong Inquiry, No Charges
Sights and Sounds: Football Fans Pour Into Indy
Rangers' Hamilton Confirms Alcohol Relapse
Goodell: Player Safety Is Top Priority
Coaches Update Injuries Ahead of Super Bowl
Pats Mesko Fulfills American Dream at Super Bowl
First Person: Will Peyton Manning Stay in Indy?
Gronkowski's Ankle Still 'Day to Day'
Umenyiora Explains Missed Media Session
Fans Having a 'Super' Time in Indianapolis
