Err to compare Milwaukee's hot corner to Hot Stove moves

Most cringe-worthy was Braun's three-error game against San Diego on the season's final Thursday as the Brewers were completing their heartbreaking fall from first place in the NL Central.

Braun, who has never played left field, was fielding ground balls at third in a winter workout at Pepperdine University last week when Melvin rang in on his cell phone -- which was sitting on the dugout bench. After Braun fielded that, he trotted straight out to the outfield to begin taking fly balls.

He's absolutely fine with moving from third to the outfield, Melvin says, and Hall's good with moving from center field to third -- as long as it marks the end to his nomadic life in the field. The last thing Hall wants to become known as is a super utilityman, and Melvin promised him that he will be a permanent fixture at third.

So the important thing to know here is this: Brewers manager Ned Yost will use lots of folks in center field in April while Cameron is serving his 25-game suspension for testing positive a second time for a banned stimulant. Hall will not begin the season in center field and then shift to third. He'll open at third, with Braun in left. Period.

That will put a revolving cast of Kapler, Tony Gwynn Jr., Gabe Gross and possibly even Corey Hart (moving from right field for a game here and there) to man center field during the month of April.

Unless, of course, Gwynn -- or someone else -- plays so well this spring that he emerges as Mr. April. There is some sentiment on the Milwaukee coaching staff to make Gwynn the everyday guy early, but, as Melvin says, "The Cubs have improved, Cincinnati is better with (closer Francisco) Cordero ... we're probably not having as much patience at the big-league level as we did in the past."

It doesn't mean Gwynn won't play every day early in center. It does mean, though, he'll have to earn every inning.

As for the patience level in Milwaukee, as a rookie in 2005, Rickie Weeks committed 21 errors in 95 games. Then he raised that to 22 in 92 games in '06 before improving to 13 in 115 last year.

Now in position to win, however, the Brewers simply can't give Braun an endless window to improve at third base. Thus, the Cameron move, which should play a big role in making Milwaukee better in the field and on the bases.

"In the old days, Don Baylor or Bobby Grich used to get sent back to the minors to improve their defense," Melvin says. "Today's game is so offensive-minded, though, that you bring guys up for their bat and then I think it takes two or three years for their defense to catch up.

"You can guarantee at-bats in the minors, but you can't guarantee total chances and tough plays (to accelerate defensive improvement). You can take all the fungoes you want, but it's not the same as game conditions."

The original plan was to go out and get a third baseman, and Melvin and new St. Louis general manager John Mozeliak spoke extensively at the winter meetings about Rolen, with the Brewers going so far as to indicate their willingness to include starter Chris Capuano in a deal and review Rolen's medical reports.

"We got the impression that they did not want to trade him within their division, and that they didn't want to trade him to a National League contender," Melvin says. "I went after him pretty aggressively early. I thought we had a chance to get him ... I think they had a fear he could bounce back."

Though Melvin indicated there were no recent conversations, the timing of everything sure was interesting last week, with the Cards pulling the trigger on the Rolen-Glaus deal the day after the Brewers agreed to terms with Cameron, thus removing them once and for all from talks surrounding Rolen or any other third baseman.

Meanwhile, like crocuses poking up through the snow -- or politicians on the stump -- these third basemen on the move are beginning to appear.

Cabrera, in a public appearance at a recent Tigers function, was said to have dropped as many as 20 pounds.

Rolen, described as "jovial", was smiling wide in Toronto, thrilled to pieces to be released from manic Tony La Russa's clubhouse.

Glaus was scheduled to be introduced in St. Louis on Wednesday.

And Braun was shuffling out toward left field at Pepperdine, another man on the move, spring training only a month away.