Major League Baseball

Brewers' Braun embracing manager's plans

Published Feb. 25, 2011 9:08 p.m. ET

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Ryan Braun left someone else awe-struck.

Instead of the typical throngs of female fans swooning in Milwaukee, this was a Korean journalist who came to do a story on the Brewers and was impressed that Braun gave him a 15-minute interview.

Apparently, the left fielder's charm is international.

Still, there's another side to Braun. He's reserved when it comes to revealing details of his busy personal life in southern California and Wisconsin beyond his own fashion line and the restaurants bearing his name on them.

''There's a lot of things I don't open up to people,'' he said. I don't talk about private things and there's a lot of times I give a response I know is going to be politically correct just because there's no reason to create controversy.''

With that, he's done talking about last year, including his struggles when he had the first extended adversity of his career and his tenuous relationship with former manager Ken Macha that have included jabs from both sides.

Braun broke out of his prolonged funk with a flourish at the end, hitting .365 with nine homers and 39 RBIs from August 2 on after grinding through the most trying period of his young career.

''Throughout the course of a season, especially last season when the team wasn't doing well, it's not fun. Baseball's no longer fun, it's important to get away from that,'' Braun said. ''Now, it's fun again.''

Part of finding the job a joy again is the instant connection he's gotten with new manager Ron Roenicke, another southern Californian who drove two hours to eat dinner with Braun at one of the slugger's favorite Malibu restaurants.

For Roenicke, the meal was equal parts getting to know Braun and getting to know how the Brewers might be able to compete for the postseason every year after Milwaukee has struggled with inconsistency at inopportune times.

''I really wanted his perspective on the team and what he saw and what it takes for us as a group,'' the manager said. ''I think everybody knows it's a solid core, but what's it going to take to get to where every year people are expecting us to be in the playoffs. I wanted to know that from him.''

The 27-year-old Braun has had quite a ride after winning the NL Rookie of the Year in 2007 and starting each of the last three All-Star games by receiving the most votes among NL outfielders each year.

The accomplishments also include helping Milwaukee to the postseason in 2008, when he hit two critical homers in the final week to end the franchise's 26-year playoff drought, and a .307 average with 128 homers and 420 RBIs in his first four seasons as part of a potent lineup that includes Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks and Corey Hart.

''It's my fifth year here and I'm starting to feel like I'm one of the veterans already,'' he said. ''It's crazy, time goes by so fast.''

Braun has gotten in trouble before by speaking his mind when the team started struggling, but Roenicke said it's important for all his players to speak up in any situation.

''I want these guys always to feel free to be able to speak,'' he said. ''Now, there's times when maybe they're giving a little different vibe than I would like it to be, then I'll have that discussion with the player. It's their team. When a player says something, it means a lot. It's not that it means more, but it's different. It comes across different than when a coach or manager says it.''

Braun is signed through 2015 with what's considered a team-friendly deal, but he said he signed the $45 million contract early in 2008 because he believes in the franchise's potential and remains very happy in Milwaukee.

With Fielder likely heading to free agency at the end of this season, Braun's commitment has thrust him into the position of the team's primary spokesman.

''I want him to be. He's got obviously the ability to do it, he's got the brains to do it and he has the personality to do it,'' Roenicke said.

Braun has a different idea of how he'll embrace the role.

''The most important thing you can do to truly be a leader is to set an example,'' Braun said. ''We're still young players - Prince and myself and Rickie and some of us - but we're kind of the veteran guys on the team now, the guys that have to set the tone and prepare ourselves every single day to be successful. Everybody pays attention to what we do.''

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