Jeff Suppan happily agrees when he’s called the most boring guy in a Brewers uniform.

He won’t look into the future and he rarely looks back. He’ll talk about the pitch that Philadelphia’s Jimmy Rollins hit for a leadoff home run in Game 4 of last year’s National League Division Series, but it’s more difficult to get him to talk about how it felt to lose the game that eliminated Milwaukee from its first postseason series in 26 years. He’ll walk you through his most recent Spring Training outing, but he’s hesitant to talk about the honor of starting Opening Day.

Suppan drew that honor over young arms Yovani Gallardo and Manny Parra, who will be counted on to lead a starting rotation missing ’08 aces CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets. Over Braden Looper, who along with closer Trevor Hoffman represented the Brewers’ offseason action in free agency. And over Dave Bush, the longest-tenured member on Milwaukee’s staff.

“I am boring,” Suppan said, “and I appreciate you saying that because a lot of people don’t understand that. I use a lot of clichés, but you know what? They are clichés because they are truths.

“I say the things I say because I believe in them. Baseball is played in the moment, and my focus is on the ‘now.’ Last year was a difficult year for me, but now it’s a new year and it doesn’t do any good to dwell on the things that are negative.”

Suppan, the last Brewers starter to toe the rubber in 2008, will be the first in 2009. Because new Brewers manager Ken Macha preferred an experienced arm for Opening Day, Suppan will start for Milwaukee against Tim Lincecum and the Giants on Tuesday to begin the 40th season in Brewers history.

The 34-year-old Suppan has been here before. He started three consecutive season openers for the Royals from 2000-02. He’s 0-1 in those games, allowing 20 hits, including nine home runs, in 16 innings.

Suppan’s most recent Brewers start was not much better. After Bush pitched Milwaukee to a Game 3 win in the NLDS to stave off elimination, Suppan, who has a reputation as postseason stalwart, took the mound for Game 4 and surrendered a first-pitch homer to Rollins. It was one of three home runs he allowed in three innings, and it capped a tough finish to the season for Suppan, who went 5-0 with a 3.00 ERA in August and then 0-3 with an 8.44 ERA in September.

His troubles, Suppan concedes now, dated back to an elbow injury in May that briefly landed him on the disabled list over the All-Star break.

“I did have some good starts, but it was a deal where I hyper-extended my elbow in May, and it affected me in ways I didn’t know,” Suppan said. “By September, my pitches were flat and I didn’t have the arm speed that I needed to pitch.

“I did the best I could. I wasn’t hurting, but everything was flat, and when it did move, it was moving toward the middle. Looking back, my mechanics had changed.”

Game 4 will stick with him.

“That Game 4 will never change,” Suppan said. “When I’m sitting there, 60 years old with my grandkids, I’m still going to have Game 4 of the 2008 playoffs on my record. You can dissect it any way you want.”

He focused on achieving a “downhill plane” this spring and found success. Suppan allowed just the one run on seven hits over 12 innings in starts against the Giants and the A’s on March 17 and March 28. His start between those outings fell in Minor League camp.

Macha said he liked the way Suppan “used his pitches” this spring.

“Especially his curveball,” Macha said. “That was something we tried to get in there a little more, [beginning] a couple of starts ago. To me, the change of speeds is the key for him.”

The Brewers’ Mr. Boring will look to keep rolling in the regular season.

“I’ve had some accomplishments in my career that I’m proud of,” Suppan said. “But the main goal is always the same: Help your team win a game. That’s it.”

Hookscenter.com wire report.