Wining and dining Soup worked for Brewers
Associated Press
MILWAUKEE -- Two dinners apparently changed the direction of the Milwaukee Brewers. Jeff Suppan reaped the rewards both times.
The first, in the midst of Brewers’ team meetings just after a disappointing 75-87 season, came in Arizona, where executives huddled in the back of a restaurant and wheeled in a television to watch Game 7 of the National League
Championship Series between St. Louis and the New York Mets.
“It was a pretty interesting and exciting game,� said Brewers general manager Doug Melvin, who said he was rooting for the Cardinals because his family vacations with St. Louis counterpart Walt Jocketty. “You just had to enjoy the game itself, and watching Jeff compete out there against a quality team like the Mets.
“At that time, there was probably not a whole lot of thought that Jeff Suppan would be wearing a Brewers uniform today. But I’m glad he is.�
Melvin said the game stuck in his mind as part of the future direction of the Brewers as Suppan won the NLCS’ MVP.
Two months later, Brewers’ management had a date with Suppan, the former Crespi High standout, at the Brentwood home of Mark Attanasio, the team’s unconventional owner. Attanasio catered the meal from a famous Los Angeles chef, and it featured hors d’oeuvres, steaks and fish over glasses of Italian wine.
The five-hour date a week before Christmas was a rousing success. It showed the 32-year-old right-hander that Milwaukee was seriously wooing him.
“It may have been the wine,� Suppan deadpanned during his first public appearance with his new team Thursday. “Our dinner, it really kind of changed my perspective. I really didn’t know what their feeling was and I really got a sense from our dinner the commitment to winning that is here.�
A few days later, Suppan had his ringing endorsement — a four-year, $42 million contract, the richest in club history, on Christmas Eve. A club option for 2011 could push the package over $52 million.
Suppan, a 12-year veteran with a 106-101 record and a 4.60 ERA in 317 games, has been durable and an innings eater. He’s never struck out 10 in his 301 starts, hasn’t been on the disabled list in a decade, and has made 31 or more starts in each of the last eight seasons.
Suppan owns a 12-2 record overall against the Brewers and is 5-0 in Miller Park in seven career starts with a 1.76 ERA.
“Numbers are funny in this game,� Suppan said. “Those are kind of things you look back on. Sometimes you can’t answer it, I don’t know why that was, but I’m looking forward to seeing what’s going to happen in the future.�
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Costliest dinner the Brewers have ever given and will never be paid back in the form of intention. sorry.