WHY WE LOVE: RYAN BRAUN

Hello, Left Fielders. Ted here.

We've written the 'Why We Love' column about Brewers before - a few times, in fact - with such cases as Corey Hart and J.J. Hardy. On the Sunday of Simpsons Mania Weekend, we again write about a Milwaukee slugger, who is probably worthy of a voice cameo along Evergreen Terrace if he keeps playing this way.

Ryan Braun might end up being one of the main reasons for the Brew Crew holding off the Cubs in the NL Central. Across the last week, he's 12 for 28 with 3 HR and 7 RBI. On the season, he has 18 HR and 49 RBI in only 57 games played since his big call-up. The BeerSteins are still 1 game up on the Cubbies in Comedy Central.

These aren't the only reasons to love Ryan Braun. To wit:

- Love him because of his alma mater. He went to Granada Hills High School - and was a three-time All-Area player according to The Los Angeles Daily News - which happens to be the same place John Elway and Valerie Bertinelli attended in their halycon days.

- Love him because he's a golden boy. Braun had shots to attend Stanford and UC-Berkeley and chose "The U" (as in Miami), where he also excelled (being named to Baseball America's All-2005 team, for example).

- Love him because he's Jewish. There's so few good Jewish ballplayers, as classically spoofed in Airplane.

- Love him because of his ties to other players. "Braun" was actually the family name of Sandy Koufax, but he eventually took his step-father's name. "It's kind of cool," admits Ryan.

- Love him because of his nickname: "The Hebrew Hammer."

- Love him because his grandfather has been living for 40 years in the same house, and that house was once owned by former MLB player Hank Greenberg.

- Love him because he gives us a chance to reference Corey Hart again. Braun, who once ran a 6.2 second 60-yard dash at "The U," is clocked as the second fastest Brewer in time drills behind Mr. Sunglasses at Night.

- Love him because he makes a splash. He hit 15 homers in 50 games, becoming the fastest player to reach 15 since Pujols clobbered that many in 49 games in 2001.

- Love him because he's already drawing lofty comparisons to A-Rod. Maybe Bonds can break Aaron, then A-Rod can break Bonds, and then Braun can break A-Rod... and a Brewer will be back on top of things.

- Love him because his birthday of November 17th is not only 10 days after mine, but the same day Ah-Nold became the Governator ("I was elected to LEAD, not to read"), and the same day as another young stud in MLB, Nick Markakis of the Baltimore Orioles. The key difference between Braun and Markakis right now: the talent around them.

- Love him because his first MLB hit came off Doug Brocail, who is annoying in the sense that one of his daughters is named after Camden Yards.