RAMBLING ROSE, Part 6

So much has happened since the last post on Weeks: Rickie got food poisoning, someone reminded JJ Hardy that he can hit to all fields, the Bucks are movin’ on up to the East side with Mr. Jefferson, and Favre got a nasty itch. With so much excitement bubbling, you’ll have to forgive me for needing to ramble…


With all the attention on getting Ryan Braun to the all-star game (which I do think is deserved, don’t get me wrong), I feel like Corey Hart’s first half of the season has gone a little unnoticed and unrecognized. He’ll never make it this year, but Corey Hart deserves just as much mention as a viable candidate to play at Yankee stadium. That’s why I was extremely happy to stumble upon this story on Yahoo!, in which Steve Henson lists Corey as a deserving starter for the National League team:
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=As9YtsJtwUSEaOKtd7nnr6wRvLYF?slug=ys-allstarpicks070208&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
Again, I realize it won’t happen, but it’s nice to see Corey getting at least a little national attention. I have to admit, he’s certainly been well used in the five hole protecting Fielder, but he’s also proving he could produce from any spot in the order. Rickie’s out? Let’s hit Corey lead-off. Prince is going to get a day off? Let’s hit Corey clean-up. Ryan’s got a sore thumb? No problem; Corey can hit third. Now that Braun is a Brewer for years to come, there’s no player I want locked up more than this kid.



I’m going to have to declare Monday night’s loss to the Diamondbacks the most painful loss of the season. Not because Dave Bush gave up a 2-0 lead quicker than Lindsay Lohan gave up on the idea of wearing underpants. No, it actually had nothing to do with the final score, or the return of Dave Bush to his usual meatball tossing self. What made the game so painful was the foul tip that Arizona catcher, Chris Snyder, took to his giblets. When it happened, Bill and Brian did the usual, “he’s going to need a couple of minutes” routine, and the camera crew panned in on guys who were grimacing, but also smiling (because it wasn’t them). Then, early in Tuesday’s telecast, Brian Anderson announced that Snyder was placed on the DL with a fractured testicle. As my wife declared, “I didn’t even know that could happen,” I immediately curled myself into the fetal position and breathed deeply, desperately wishing I had taken that yoga class the company offers. Even just the fact that I typed the words seconds ago is causing me to ….type…much…slowe…r…
I think from now on, teammates should not be allowed to take these foul-tip-to-the-nards moments so casually. Instead, it should become an unwritten rule, that guys treat these incidents the same way football players react when a wide receiver is laid out and lying unconscious. They should huddle together, engage in a group prayer, and treat it as the solemn moment that it really is…any less respect for the injury is just plain nuts. (Forgive me.)




As long as I’m proposing unwritten rules, let me propose a written one as well. Last night, David Riske got the win after blowing the 3-2 lead in the 8th. There is no rule in sports that infuriates me more than this “win” rule in baseball. If a starting pitcher can’t earn a win without pitching 5 innings, why should a relief pitcher get a win after blowing a save (or a hold)? I just don’t get it. Why can’t the win get credited to the last pitcher of record (in this case Shouse, who performed an amazing escape act in the 7th)? If a relief pitcher blows a lead, they should have to pitch two more innings to qualify for a win. That’s a simple rule. We can add a Wild Card, realign divisions and move the Brewers to another league, but no one thinks it’s feasible to change this ridiculous rule? Who’s with me? (cricket, cricket)


A lot of debate is going to occur over the next three to four weeks in regards to how much the Brewers should be willing to give up for an ace pitcher. The Sabathia rumors abound, but there seems to be a large contingency who don’t think the Brewers should be willing to part with the likes of Matt Gamel. All I know is I’ve waited far too long for the Brewers to be legitimate buyers at the trade deadline, and even if Gamel ends up being the next Jeff Bagwell, I’m willing to take that gamble. Considering that we’ll probably lose Sheets after the season, the Brewers have to take a run at it this year…there’s simply no guarantees that a team, no matter how young and no matter how talented, can duplicate their output from year to year. If you don’t believe me, take a look at the Colorado Rockies…


Aaron Rogers is a smart man. I don’t know if he’s going to be a quality starting QB in the NFL, and I don’t know if he’s going to be able to stay healthy for four games, much less a full season. But I do know that he is smart. That’s why I couldn’t help but wonder if his comments in Sports Illustrated weren’t actually a little more contrived than he’s letting on. After all, for three years he’s had to deal with the Favre rumors every time he opened up his newspaper or turned on his tv.

“Will Favre retire?”
“Will Favre come back?”
“Does the fact that Favre has given up eating bagels mean he wants to return in August?”

It has to get old very fast. So why not purposefully say things about the fans needing to “shut up” just to draw a little attention to Aaron Rogers? Then you can quickly let the fans know how much they mean to you, and even if there’s a recovery period with the fans, you have them thinking about you, instead of the Hall of Famer that isn’t around anymore.
But then, of course, that attention goes away as soon as an unscratched itch is reported. I’m guessing it was a nice 18 hours of fame for Aaron while it lasted. I’m also guessing he ripped up his copy of the SI Special Edition Favre Tribute issue. Just a guess.



Every time I see that Kyle Lohse put up another quality start for the Cardinals, I can’t help but remember that the Twins wanted to trade Lohse for Hall, straight up. At the time I thought it was ridiculous. Billy was ten times the prospect of Lohse. And, of course, when the Twins finally gave up on him, I was feeling even cockier that I was right. Suddenly, it doesn’t seem like such a bad trade. Funny how these things go in cycles, huh?


I can’t ever remember being as excited about a Bucks off-season as I currently am about this one. I love the Jefferson trade. I like the draft picks of Alexander and Mbah. I’m excited that Skiles plans to instill a defensive mindset. And I think (forgive me, given my Pistons roots) that John Hammond will bring a winning attitude to the organization. I still think Mo and Charlie V are on their way out the door, given the fact that one of Hammond’s first comments was that he could ask Skiles to hide one poor defender, but not three or four. I have to assume that "one" is Michael, who they’ll try to hide. "Two" is Bobby, who is gone. And "three" and "four" are Mo and Charlie V. Package the two of them for a defensive minded PF, and I’ll really be ecstatic.

But as excited as I am about the direction of the team, I’ve been here before at trading deadlines and off-seasons gone by. Probably the best way to sum up my problem with the NBA is that I’m never as excited during the regular season as I am in July, when hope springs eternal. That’s the only league I can say that about. Let’s hope the Bucks can do something to have me as excited in January…you know, when they’re actually playing games…

I know this old news, but I just have to wonder what would have happened if Danika Patrick had taken a swing at the guy that she was pissed at a few weeks back. I know nothing about car racing, but i do know that you're never supposed to hit a lady. But what if she clocks you on national tv? You still can't hit a girl, right? Or is it offensive not to swing back at her, because she wants to be treated like an equal? I'm perplexed. And it's just another reason not to get into to car racing...


Finally, I close with the words of Ned Yost, after Rickie hit his pinch-hit home run last night--


"We figured Rickie's a leadoff hitter, let's see if he can't lead off and get on base," Brewers manager Ned Yost said. "He put a jolt into one."


Is he really, Ned? ‘Cause he looked a lot like a power hitter to me…