Mid-Season Forum

Holding Out for Hero

2009-07-16T13:40:00.005-05:00

When I was a kid I’d look forward to coming home after school and watching episodes of the old Batman tv show from the 60s. This was long before the booming metropolis of LeRoy, Wisconsin ever got hooked up with cable television; during a time when Super 18 on UHF was the closest we would come to having Nickelodeon. But come four p.m. every week night I’d be lying in front of the console tv set, sure to return the following night—same bat time, same bat channel.

And, of course, my favorite episodes were the ones that included Batgirl. There were obvious reasons for this. After all, even in my prepubescent state, I’m pretty sure I understood how well Yvonne Craig filled out her bat suit. Besides having a dynamic leg kick that spontaneously caused me to yell things like “Bam” and “Splat,” (okay truth is, I was prompted) Ms. Craig also had the curves that called attention to her chest thrusts more blatantly than the bat signal glaring in the night sky.

But beyond any boyhood crush, there was a far simpler explanation as to why I looked forward to the episodes with Batgirl: three super heroes are simply better than two. Now, I’m pretty sure that at that age I didn’t have a clue that the show was actually spoofing a genre that I loved. The campiness went completely over my head, and I just took it for a super duper action series. Sure, when Mr. Freeze locked the Dynamic Duo in his super-freeze chamber, I thought it was a bit odd that Batman commented on having his Bat-thermal underwear, but I just chalked it up to Batman being one incredibly well-prepared super hero. And when Batgirl was around, there was seldom a need to escape any diabolical traps. Most of the time, the triumphant trio would capture their enemy within part one, leaving no need to tune in to a second episode. With Batgirl in the fold, most crimes were simply solved in 30 minutes. She was just that good. And again, further proof that three super heroes are better than two.

And that brings me to the 2009 Brewers. We have a Batman of our own. He’s a basher that became the first Brewer ever to win the home run derby. If not for a bloke named Pujols, our Batman would be the front runner for MVP. And our Boy Wonder is a cocky, fun-loving, quick to run his mouth all-star, who might very well become the state’s biggest super hero ever, especially now that Superman is about to don a purple cape.

But wouldn’t it be nice to add a third super hero to the mix? After all, at this point JJ Hardy and Corey Hart would have a tough time passing for the Wonder Pets, much less the Wonder Twins; and Bill Hall continues to be an unsolvable Riddler…

(As for Hall, it may be a very unfair assumption, but I’m not sure how fans cannot at least wonder if his 2006 numbers were “enhanced” in some not-so-super way. All I’ll say is this: Keith Ginter was friends with Richie Sexson, who was friends with Geoff Jenkins, who was friends with Bill Hall. Anyone seen their collective numbers of late? Given recent events, you just have to wonder.)

Casey McGehee and Craig Counsel are certainly having surprisingly good seasons, but I’m not sure they’re super heroes at this point…more like Chief O’Hara and Commissioner Gordon. And Mike Cameron had a fantastic early part of the season, but with his veteran presence he’s more like Alfred the butler, keeping our Dynamic Duo in line and making sure they remember to relax and have fun.

Which means: we could still use a third super hero. And I have just the guy in mind.

But before I get to that, I need to further explain my beliefs on the current seller’s trade market:

1. The Brewers do not have enough young pitching to land a Halladay type ace.
2. Mid-level pitchers, especially those that are merely half-season rentals are not worth the loss of top prospects.
3. Doug Melvin needs to make a move before the deadline.

Let’s take a brief look at each:

1. The Brewers do not have enough young pitching to land a Halladay type ace.

All Brewers fans (me included) were spoiled last year with the acquisition of CC Sabathia. But this year is even more of a seller’s market, which means in order to get a pitcher; you’re going to need to give two up. Even if the Brewers are ready to part with Parra, which I think is unwise, you’re going to have give up another quality arm, plus Gamel or Escobar (or both) before a trade partner will even consider an offer. If you don’t believe me, consider the trade that Jake Peavy nixed with the White Sox as a benchmark. That deal had the White sox sending to “A Type” pitching prospects, Aaron Poreda and Clayton Richard, as just part of the package that was to go to San Diego. So if you’re one of those people thinking JJ. Hardy and Corey Hart can get the job done; please just stop. Pitching begets pitching is the story in ’09. And ESPN’s Buster Onley is reporting that the Blue Jays are looking for three Type A prospects, two Bs and a C.

2. Mid-level pitchers, especially those that are merely half season rentals are not worth the loss of prospects.

For the record, I am not against the Brewers trading Matt Gamel, if the return is favorable. And right now that’s the reported asking prospect if you want a pitcher like John Garland or Doug Davis—a type A prospect. While I can’t deny Doug Davis would make the Brewers rotation better, I don’t think it’s that much of a marked improvement. Double D is not exactly the type of pitcher that inspires confidence every fifth day. Personally, I’d rather take my chances on Parra’s ability to duplicate his outing against St. Louis (and keep Villanueva in the bullpen) and Dave Bush’s chance to get healthy and return to his May form. I do think Washburn and Bedard would be worth the inquiry (after all, there are probably Type B prospects in our system that Jack Z values more than Doug does), but as of now it looks like the Mariners are going to be in the hunt well beyond the trade deadline.

3. Doug Melvin needs to make a move before the break.

Despite my urging not to squander the future for non-difference-making players, I do think the Brewers need to do something to inspire the fans and players. Trevor Hoffman is right; the players can’t sit around and wait for the cavalry to arrive. But that doesn’t mean adding an extra punch to our line-up isn’t worth the investment. When asked this offseason if the Brewers would be able to make another blockbuster deal, Doug Melvin explained that they’d be more inclined to trade for someone that they could have in the fold for more than a half of season. Certainly, Halladay qualifies in that regard, but again, I just don’t think there’s enough to make that happen. And I understand that in an ideal world that acquisition would be a pitcher, because pitching wins championships, yadda, yadda, yadda…And perhaps there are relievers that could strengthen the bullpen for both the short and long term (Scherrill?).

But what about this idea of further protecting our incredible dynamic duo? What if you could acquire the type of bat that would be worth giving away a prospect with the talent of Matt Gamel? Then I hope you would agree that you have to at least inquire.

Especially when you’ve done business with that organization in the past. Especially when the super hero’s name is Victor Martinez.

Before you scoff, at least take a moment to imagine a line-up with Braun, Prince and Martinez at the heart. I‘ll wait.

(Oooh and remember, Martinez is a switch hitter.)

Fun to think about, isn’t it? If you believe the rumors, the Indians would at least listen to offers for Martinez, who is under contract for 2010 at an affordable $7.5 million. With Prince also locked up for 2010, and locked under arbitration in 2011, why wouldn’t you make a run at creating the most fearsome threesome in the heart of any NL order? With Suppan and Hall’s collective $20 million coming off the books after 2010, you could then make a run at signing one of them (either Prince or Martinez) for 2011 and trading the other (probably Prince) for the prospects you gave up to get Martinez (and probably more).

So what about those prospects? I’d start by offering the Indians Gamel, their choice of either Lucroy or Salome and either Hart or Hardy. That’s a type A prospect, a B (near A) prospect, and a major leaguer with all-star qualifications whom they would control for the same length that they would have controlled Martinez. My guess is that they’d choose Hart, since Asdrubal Cabrera is looking like a very legitimate shortstop. If they were demanding pitching instead of Hart or Hardy, I’d get Detroit or Atlanta involved and see what pitching prospects they’d be willing to offer Cleveland in exchange for Corey (both teams have been rumored to have more than a slight interest in Corey).

Martinez has stated that he’ prefer to retire an Indian, but so did CC in the ’07 offseason. And granted, he won’t be able to catch every day, but even on the days he can’t start behind the plate, you’ve greatly enhanced the bench for that key pinch-hitting opportunity. And at some point it would be nice to let Prince sit a game without worrying that Mike Rivera is your best option if you wanted to spell him. The only real loser in this equation is Jason Kendall, who suddenly becomes a quality back-up catcher for the remainder of this year, while his $4.6 million safely comes off the books next year.

I know, I know. I haven’t addressed the lead-off hitter situation or the pitching. But just think of this line-up:
1. Counsel—2b
2. Escobar—SS or Catalanatto—RF
3. Braun
4. Fielder
5. Martinez
6. McGehee—3b
7. Hart—RF or Hardy—SS
8. Cameron—CF

Holy power punch, Batman! That’s the sort of line-up that would knock out the Reds (BOOM!); the Cubs (BAM!) and the Cardinals (KA-POWIE!)

I just ask one thing.

If we do get Martinez, please don’t tell him that I compared him to Batgirl.

Buyer's Remorse

2009-04-21T08:39:00.005-05:00

You might want to mark it on your calendar. April 19. That was the day when Jeff Suppan reemerged as an actual big league pitcher.

And hell, who knows—perhaps it was only for a day. After all, there’s no doubt that at least some of his success can be attributed to the fact that he was pitching in a ballpark that doesn’t have a power alley, but rather, has a par five. Carlos Delgado’s first inning double would have landed somewhere in the Brewers bullpen had Suppan served up the same pitch at Miller Park. But they weren’t playing that game in Milwaukee, and so…it was a win. It was a win that Jeff Suppan really, really needed. But more importantly, it was a win that Ken Macha, Doug Melvin and Mark Antanasio really, really, REALLY needed.

Say what they will, but there is no doubt in my mind that the Brewers brain trust was facing the very real possibility that a $12.5 million pitcher was heading for the bullpen. Had Suppan been rocked like he was in San Francisco or lacked control like he did on that depressing Easter Sunday night against the Cubbies, they would have had no choice. The hole being dug is getting far too deep, and the fans in Milwaukee deserve better than to watch their team stand no chance every fifth game. At this point, the pitcher’s salary should not matter. The point is: three million fans deserve better than that.

And as I watched the game Sunday afternoon, holding my breath on every Suppan delivery, I couldn’t help but think of the ramifications if Suppan does continue his spot-on mound impersonation of Ben Hendrickson. I started wondering just where he would stand in regards to the worst free agent signings in Wisconsin history. So, of course, the only thing to do was to make up a list of the worst free agent signings in Wisconsin history…

As you take a gander at my rankings of ineptitude, please note that this list does not include players that were re-signed to new contracts. Therefore, you will not see the likes of Danny Gadzuric or KGB or Derrick Turnbow. No. These are the guys that our beloved teams plucked from their competitors. And these are the players that we fans wished they would have quikly given back…

10. Marquand Manuel

See Marquand
See Marquand play.
See Marquand take a horrible *#*!ing angle.
Run, Marquand, run.
See the opposing team celebrate.
Boo, Marquand. Boo.

The fact is Manuel’s contract was not that lofty, so he did not cause the same fiscal challenges as the other guys on this list. But when you couple Ted Thompson’s unwillingness to dabble in free agency with the departure of a fan-favorite safety like Darren Sharper, and Manuel’s fate with Packers fan was sealed after the first forty-two or forty-three times he looked completely lost on the field. It also did not help that he somehow managed to start all sixteen games with only one interception.

9. Eric Gagne

I know some Brewer fans will want to see Gagne much higher up on the list. Certainly, the steroids revelation coming out the day after he was signed left a foul taste in fans’ mouths. Not nearly as foul, however, as when he actually started trying to save games. But the fact is, Gagne was only a one year mistake, and therefore his signing was not crippling to the team’s long-term payroll. After all, they were still able to go out and sign CC. Torres emergence as the team’s closer also cushioned the blow of Gagne’s failures. The story almost took a positive turn when Gagne agreed to a minor league deal this spring, but an injury derailed any chance of a make-good season.

8. Bobby Simmons

Admittedly, I was pretty excited when I got the news of this signing. I was at the Tessmer’s housewarming barbecue when my friend Brent asked what I thought of the Simmons signing. I distinctly remember nearly choking on one of Chad’s delicious wieners, out of excitement that the Bucks had gone out and nabbed the league’s most-improved player. And why wouldn’t I have been excited? The last four most improved players included Jermaine O’Neal, Zach Randolph, Gilbert Arenas and Tracy McGrady. Hmmm. If only I had known what was to become of O’Neal, Arenas, Randolph and McGrady. I guarantee I would have chewed my wiener much, much more slowly.

7. Tom Brunansky

Even though they were our rivals, I always kind of liked that old Twins team with Puckett, Hrbek, Gaeti and Brunansky. So when the Crew went out and signed one of those offensive juggernauts, I couldn’t help but get a little bit excited. Unfortunately, Mr. Brunansky forgot to pack his bat. In 1993 he hit a whopping .183 with 6HRs and 29 RBIs. In ’94 he played in 16 games and after hitting no home runs and NO RBIs, he was traded for back-up catcher Dave Valle. Let me just type that again…
He was traded for a back-up catcher. Enough said.

6. Jeff Suppan

Yep. This is where I currently have Soup simmering (I had to). He still has two years left on his contract, however, so there’s still plenty of time to make a push for #1!
The Suppan supporters will tell you that his .500 winning percentage is exactly what we should have expected from him on the mound. Most Brewer fans, however, will not forget that this man was signed because he had postseason experience. Experience that meant absolutely nothing after Jimmy Rollins launched his first pitch of game 4 towards the Dew Deck. Had he not had a stellar August, I might have put him up in the top five.

5. Sean Berry.

For all those people who like to take cheap shots at Prince, I offer you exhibit A of the Brewers post-Cooper years. Please stay tuned for exhibit B.

4. Jeffrey Hammonds

Two monumental things happened in the winter of 2000. I finally got my first personal computer, and the Brewers signed Jeffrey Hammonds. This new gadget was a real treat, as I began searching in this fantastic world-wide web. Suddenly, I had hot stove information available each and every day. Brewers season could now last a full twelve months. The new-found joy came to a screeching halt, however, when every single site I stumbled upon talked about how the Brewers signing of Hammonds was the biggest mistake of the winter. I mean every website. Yahoo, ESPN, CBSsports—they all said the same thing: Hammonds had one all-star season in Colorado, and it was purely due to the Rocky Mountain air. Apparently, Dean Taylor had never heard of this theory. And obviously, neither did manager Davey Lopes who said he didn't think Coors was a factor in Hammonds' success. "Jeffrey and I go back a long way," said Lopes, "I see his production last season as a guy getting to play every day for the first time in his career. I think Jeffrey is just now tapping into what he is capable of doing in the major leagues."

Needless to say, my relationship with computers has been tumultuous ever since.

3. Joe Johnson

When you think about it, the Packers probably deserved a horrible defensive line signing, given that White, Dotson and Jones might have been the best three free-agents to ever have been signed to one d-line. The simple fact is—you can’t rush the quarterback if you can’t get on the field. Be honest. If Joe Johnson walked into your office right now, would you know who he was? Neither would anyone in the Packers offices.

2. Franklin Stubbs.

Introducing exhibit B of the post-Cooper years. The truth is Berry actually had worse numbers than Stubbs.

Year 1:
Stubbs .213 11HR 38 RBI
Berry .228 2 HR 23 RB!

Year 2:
Stubbs .229 9 HR 42 RBI
Berry .140 1HR 2 RBI

Both men made over $1 mil in year one and $2 mil in year two, and Berry was released in June. But the reason Stubbs is so much higher in the ranking, however, is because his contract was signed 8 years earlier. And believe me; a $2 million contract was significant in 1990. Especially for the Milwaukee Brewers. And when you consider that for the past two decades I’ve referred to any worthless scrub of a ballplayer as a “Stubbs,” then you should understand why Franklin comes in at #2.

1.Anthony Mason

It isn’t just that Anthony Mason completely disrupted the chemistry of a team that reached the Eastern Conference Finals. It isn’t just that his crappy attitude helped widen the divide between Ray and Big Dog and between Ray and Coach Karl. It isn’t just that the Bucks completely ignored the fact that Scott Williams was a key part of their previous success. It isn’t just that they traded Williams to Denver simply to clear salary space to sign Mason. It isn’t just that, in order to take Williams, the Bucks also had to give Denver a 1st round pick for Radjovec and Kevin Willis (who they then traded for a second round pick). It isn’t just that the 1st round pick they gave up later became (via trades from Denver to Detroit and then Detroit to Atlanta) the unbelievably athletic Josh Smith. It isn’t just that Mason believed in pounding the ball into submission with his butt rubbing on an opponent, thereby completely bringing an otherwise high-powered offense to a screeching halt.

But when you add all of those things together, you should see why Anthony Mason and his $5 million per year salary ranks number one. He sat out all training camp waiting for the contract he thought he deserved. Because of that, the Bucks are still waiting for him to get in shape.

Brewer fans just hope Soup never gets that chunky (again, I had to). Because the number one spot might only be a couple shellackings away. Thank heavens, therefore, for April 19…

Brewers Need to Go Around the Van Horn

2009-04-07T09:33:00.003-05:00

It’s all right. I get it.

I understand that one exhilarating postseason run doesn’t erase twenty-six years of futility. I understand that CC Sabathia picked the Crew up on his over-sized shoulders and carried them into that series in Philadelphia. And, most importantly, I understand why no one gives my Brewers a chance to return to postseason play.

But that doesn’t mean that I don’t.

It’s been several months since I last blogged about the Brewers hopes (or rather, mine) for signing CC. I want to make it very clear that I harbor no resentment for Carsten Charles’ departure to the Big Apple. (Of course, that doesn’t mean that I’m not a wee bit pleased to see him get lit up a bit today in Baltimore.) This article is not meant to take anything away from the masterful second half of a season that CC composed or undermine what his performance means for this franchise. I just happen to believe that life will go on.

But before I go too far, let’s acknowledge that much has happened since my last blog. My long-time friend Brian asked why I haven’t been blogging of late, and my only answer is that I have been extremely busy with work, my playwriting hobby and my charismatic daughter.

But let’s take a moment to review what we have learned over the past few months:
1. We’ve learned that Aaron Rodgers probably would have got the Jets into the play-offs.
2. We’ve learned that Cleveland getting Mo Williams in exchange for Damon Jones has the rest of the Central division (and perhaps the entire league) cheering for the Bucks to be contracted.
3. We’ve learned that Arizona has a professional football team.
4. We’ve learned that a Bo Ryan team should never be counted as “off the bubble”, just because they’ve lost six consecutive league games.
5. We’ve learned that you don’t ask a blind guy to step away from the piano to shake things up a bit.
6. We’ve learned that success in the NCAA tourney is still dictated by point guards (Reynolds, Lucas, Lawson).
7. We’ve learned that, despite his inability to make a free throw, Marquette’s point guard was a pretty important piece of the success.
8. We’ve learned that Matt Sorenson can actually play a little wide receiver. (By the way, I feel sorry for anyone who decided to watch Friday Night Lights this season. Go back and watch season 1. And then desperately try to burn everything you’ve seen this season from your mind.)
9. We’ve learned that women in Wisconsin still play the best hockey (though I’m not sure that’s a positive for our tourism department).
10. Finally, we’ve learned that if you manage to get off a remote island, which has the unique quality of being able to travel through time, you never EVER intentionally go back.

And that brings us to today. April 6th. The night of the National Championship game and the home opener for most teams.

(By the way, it is completely idiotic that the Brewers start the opening series in San Francisco on Tuesday. Not only does that leave them with a horrible travel schedule for the home opener, it also gives them no wiggle room in the event of a rain out. I really hate the Giants. We take Ray Durham’s salary off their hands. We give them Ernest Riles for Jeffrey Leonard, and this is how they repay us? Jerks.)

A day of optimism. Of: what might be. Of: this could be our year.

But yet optimism for the Crew seems to be limited, at best. It started for me last week when several friends sent emails about a potential rough season. Then on Sunday, it continued when only one writer from the Journal staff predicted a postseason appearance for the Brewers. No one on ESPN.com had the Brewers in the post season. The same was true for the folks who write for Yahoo.

And like I said—I get it. So why, then, do I remain optimistic for the ’09 season? Well, for one thing—I pee Brewer blue. (Okay, really I don’t. But if there was a beer that allowed you to pee your favorite team’s colors, tell me you wouldn’t buy it by the case and buy stock in the company…) And also…I have a theory.

I call it the Van Horn. And it’s a phenomenon that occurs when a team overachieves, even after losing their star and essential heart of the team. To fully understand this theory, you have to rid yourselves of any memories of Keith Van Horn the Milwaukee Buck. Forget the pasty white forward who was the embodiment of the Bucks inability to play defense.

No, instead I need you to remember the pasty white college star from Utah, who was one of the most dynamic scorers college basketball had to offer in the late ‘90s. The guy who led his Running Utes to the Elite Eight in his final college season. And the guy who caused the pundits to write off Utah the following season because he was off to the NBA.

Do you remember what happened to that Utah team the following season? They not only got as far as the original team, they went two rounds further. They managed to knock off the top seeded and reigning champ Arizona Wildcats to get to the Final Four and then beat a second #1 seed (North Carolina) on their way to the championship game. They pulled off the ultimate Van Horn. And on this championship night, it is that team that should give Brewers fans hope for 2009.

It’s not like Wisconsin sports teams don’t have a history of Van Horning. The Wisconsin Badgers team that lost Alondo Tucker (who represented something like 97% of the team’s offense) Van Horned the following season quite nicely. The Packers wide receiving core Van Horned after Sterling Sharpe was injured and the whole world decided that Brett would now have no one to throw to…

So I say this 2009 Brewers squad can Van Horn too. Their sum can be greater than their parts. And here’s just a few reasons why:
1. Jeff Suppan. Come on. Do you really think he could be as bad as he was last year again? I figure Suppan is worth at the very least two more wins this season.
2. Ryan Braun. Just like that Utah team had Andre Miller when they Van Horned, the Brewers have their own spark plug for their offense. Like Miller, he sets the pace and leads by example.
3. Prince Fielder. The Brewers have a Doleac too. A big guy who is an enforcer (just ask Manny Parra) and can also knock one (from) deep.
4. Ken Macha. You hated how Ned Yost kept playing guys mired in month long slumps? Won’t happen this year. Not while Macha’s in charge. Not while McGehee, Duffy and Nelson sit on the bench waiting for their turn to swing it. Put up or shut up will reign supreme in Milwaukee this year.
5. Rickie Weeks. I know, I know. I can hear the guffaws and scoffs of Jonny and Darren from miles away. But by my math, had Rickie not been rushed to the majors, this would have been his second full season. It’s time for the unleashing. And if not, well then…see #4 above.
6. Alcides Escobar. I know I’ve already mentioned the three stellar plays he made in the four innings I saw of spring training ball last season. It was the sexiest debut I’ve seen since Jamie Presley first disrobed in Poison Ivy 3. The Brewers have (wisely) decided to let Escobar mature another year in Triple A. But don’t think for a second that he won’t be summoned if he manages to hit like he did in Double A, come July. He should also be a reminder that the future is still very, very bright in Milwaukee.
7. Dave Bush. Take away his horrible April last year, and you have a legitimate #2 starter to team with Yovani. So let’s do that. Let’s not have a horrible April, okay Dave? I’m predicting 15 wins from Bush this season, which will make for a huge escalator next year if the Brewers want to keep him…
8. Corey Hart and JJ Hardy. Many fans can’t seem to get past Corey’s September swoon. But this kid was an all-star for three-fourths of the season, and there’s no reason why he can’t become a little more consistent this year. I had been begging for JJ to hit in the 5 hole last year, and I’m glad Macha is putting it in motion. JJ is probably the best fastball hitter on the team, and if Prince is getting walked, he’s going to see a lot of fastballs for strikes. Although I’d still hit Corey 1 and Rickie 2, I really like having these two guys at the top of the order. Needless to say, I have big hopes for the top 5 in the order this season.
9. Yovanni. I’m really trying to temper my enthusiasm for this kid, but I just can’t wait to see what he’ll accomplish in a full season. He carries himself on the mound the way Braun carries himself at the plate. And that’s saying something.
10. CC Sabathia. I know, I know. We don’t have him anymore. But the fact that the Brewers went out and got him last year should never be lost on the fans. The ’08 Brewers still had to play well enough to convince Doug Melvin to go out and get CC. And I predict that this year’s Crew will have a better record come July than last year’s squad. Is there another CC out there? Who knows. The Cubs haven’t landed Peavy just yet. Halladay has already been mentioned in rumors. Options exist. Granted, there’s probably less payroll flexibility than year’s past, so a trade might have to include a major leaguer. But that’s where having major league ready talent like Escobar and Gamel can pay off. And if you think the Brewers cupboards are bare, think again. I’d guess that Escobar and Cain are the only two untouchable position players. Hope is only a Doug Melvin phone call away.

So go ahead. Tell me what a horrible bullpen we have this year. Throw out names like Riske and Julio. I understand your concern. Or if you prefer, give me your concerns about starters like Looper and Suppan. I’m not dumb. I get that they are average at best. Or tell me how we’re too strike-out prone and throw out names like Hall and Cameron.

(By the way, Doug Melvin should win an award for his PR work this season. Remember in Bull Durham, when Crash taught Nuke how to interview with appropriate baseball speak? How he made sure Nuke had phrases at the ready like “We’re just going to take it one game at a time”? Well Doug must have held a similar coaching lesson this off season. Go back and look at interviews of different players, coaches, Gord Ash, and even Doug himself and count how many times the following three phrases were used this off season:
1. “We’re not going to change who we are. We are a home run hitting team.”
2. “You don’t replace a player like CC Sabathia.”
3. “The strike-out isn’t the worst out in baseball. The double play is.”
I guarantee you’ll find those quotes from at least five different members of the organization. Kevin Costner, eat your heart out.)

And, I suppose if you really want to make your point as to why the Brewers are doomed, you’ll just mention two names: Ben Sheets and CC Sabathia.

But just know that I have a name for you as well.

Keith Van Horn.

And for the record, two rounds further would mean a trip to the World Series.
Go Brewers.

CC-ing is believing

2008-10-11T13:34:00.011-05:00

An open letter to Doug Melvin, GM of your Milwaukee Brewers--

Dear Doug,

Let me start by saying that for the first three plus months I never even dared to think it was possible. When you oh-so-wisely acquired CC Sabathia in July, I made peace with the fact that this was only a half year rental. As soon as anyone asked me what I thought about the Brewers chances of keeping CC for the future, I immediately told them to forget it. Draft picks. We were going to get a couple compensation draft picks to restock the farm system and replace the likes of Laporta, Jackson and Brantley. And I was fine with that. More than fine, actually. My Milwaukee Brewers had finally made a statement about "going for it." Those words were magic to my ears. I even abstained from blogging for the remainder of the season, out of fear that I might jinx what I believed was the oncoming end of the 26 year postseason void. And when that happened, it verified my faith in you, Doug. My belief in your status as a genius. You ended the postseason drought, and it was okay that CC would soon be moving on to greener pastures.

But then something funny happened. Both you and Mr. Attanasio stated that you would make an honest effort to sign the big lefty. You each acknowledged how much this guy is worth, and that he deserves every cent. But you would not rule out a CC signing in the free agent period. My gut reaction, of course, was that this was just company-speak to appease the fan base. Hoping is one thing, reality is another.

But the next to speak up was Ryan Braun. And the cornerstone of the franchise too thought it was possible for CC to stay in Milwaukee. Easy for him to say, sure, but I couldn't help but wonder if CC and Ryan had talked seriously on the subject. And then of course came the blow that knocked me out of (perhaps) reality...CC himself said it was possible. He said the clubhouse was like no other he'd played for, and he'd love to stick around if it could work out. And now, the guy who attempted to be so realistic, so accepting of those compensatory draft picks was completely lost to dream of what might be. And I'm daring to dream, Doug. I'm daring to dream.

That's because the signing of CC Sabathia would be the biggest transaction in the history of the organization. Think Reggie White to the Packers. In that equation, of course, Ryan Braun would play the role of Brett Favre: the talented up-and-comer that makes the veteran believe in the future of the franchise. Given that Mr. Favre is no longer a player in our beloved state--that makes a possible CC signing all the more impactful.

And so, from the moment I got home from the elimination game against the Phils, I've been crunching the numbers and trying to figure things out. You're a genius, Doug. I know that. So you don't really need my help. But I figured if I could make the numbers work, there'd be no doubt that you could too...

So here's my plan for '09, Mr. Melvin, the plan that includes one CC Sabathia. Our ace starting pitcher. #1 in the front of the rotation. The plan starts, of course, with signing him.

Step 1--CC Sabathia

I figure it's going to take at least $22 million a year to keep the big man in Milwaukee. Ryan Braun implied that perhaps CC would take a contract with one less year offered to stay in Milwaukee. I'll let you work out the details on the number of years, Doug. But I'm going to consider that we'll be $22 million above last year's salary. So that's what I'll look to make up.

(Truthfully, you actually paid a portion of CC's $9 million contract last year. But I know our beloved owner said by doing that it meant the club would be in the red for '08. And given the economic hardship right now, I'm not sure we can assume 3 million fans will come through the turnstiles again. Even with the championship-level squad I'm about to propose. So we'll look at making up the entire $22 million.)

We'll refer to this difference as the CCIP--the CC Investment Pool. I work at a company that's big on acronyms, and the "CCIP" just sounds kind of important to me. And it is pertinent-- because I'll be keeping a running total as we go. Just remember that step one is to get the big guy signed. We'll continue to look at the 2008 roster in order of the size of the '08 contract....

CCIP= - $ 22 mil

Step 2--Ben Sheets ($11 mil in '08; free agent)

I think it's quite clear that the Ben Sheets era is over in Milwaukee. Personally, it will be rough seeing him in an Astros uniform. And I'm not going to rehash Benny's injury history. We both know it is what it is. Ben still goes down as one of the greatest Brewers pitchers in club history. But step 2 involves not resigning Ben Sheets. Compensation draft picks are a plus.

CCIP= - $11 million

Step 3--Eric Gagne ($10 mil in 'o8; free agent)

Unlike others, Doug, I do not begrudge you for the Gagne signing. I actually think it was remarkable to sign the guy to a one year deal. 9 times out of 10, when you sign a guy to what is essentially a contract year, he's going to perform for the next contract. It's also amazing how many Brewers fans pissed and moaned (oops, forgive the language, Mr. Melvin) when Cordero got away, only because those are the same fans that complained when you acquired Cordero in the Carlos Lee trade. They mocked you for grabbing a "has-been" closer. And then they complained when you let that "has-been" get away. A fickle fan base, huh? Anyhow, there's no dispute that the one year deal with Gagne did not pay off. So step three is that we do not sign Eric Gagne.

CCIP= - $1 million

Step 4--Jeff Suppan ($8 million in '08; $12.5 million on '09)

I tried, Doug. I really did. But there's no way I can imagine anyone helping us unload this contract. I even considered the Yankees, but even they are not going to over spend on a number 5 starter. Not the way Suppan finished last year. And not when you consider that he's also under contract in 2010. So step 4 is dealing with the fact that we're keeping Jeff Suppan. (Although, you are the genius, Doug. So if anyone could figure it out, you could. And that sure would help with some of the very tough decisions I'm going to have to make moving forward. But I just couldn't do it...)

CCIP = - $5.5 million

Step 5--Ray Durham ($7.5 million in '08; free agent)

I'm not sure exactly how much of Durham's '08 contract you ended up paying. I know the Giants included cash considerations. But I have to believe you're saving at least $2.5 million by not having him on the roster next year. And step 5 is to not resign Ray Durham.

CCIP = - $3 million

Step 6--Mike Cameron ($7 million in '08; $10 mil in '09)

I spent a large portion of the '08 season defending the acquisition of Mike Cameron. I maintain that he's the greatest CF I've ever watched roam CF, not named Tori Hunter (and ever-so-slightly ahead of Devon White, during his Blue Jay years). I think the majority of Brewers coaches and players would attest to those comments. That being said, we desperately need to eliminate some of the strikeouts in this lineup. And the veteran leadership that Cameron provides may have to wait next year until we acquire a few veterans at the July trade deadline. And so, Step 6 is to not exercise the option on Mike Cameron.

CCIP = + $4 million

Step 7--Bill Hall ($4.8 mil in '08; $6.8 in '09)

Here's another significant contract increase that I didn't think I'd be able to move. I mean, what team is going to overpay for a guy who hits .225.? But then I remembered what Billy did to the Pittsburgh Pirates last year. And, even more, I remembered that they're the Pittsburgh Pirates. They desperately need some power in the line-up, and they might be willing to see what a change of scenery does to Billy's swing. That being said, the guy I've targeted in return from the Pirates could never be acquired straight up for Billy Hall. But Freddie Sanchez has been rumored to be on the trading block. And I also know that the Pirates, like most teams, could use more pitching. So step 7 is to trade Bill Hall and Dave Bush ($2.55 million, arbitration eligible) to the Pirates for Freddie Sanchez and a prospect. Freddie has a $6.1 million price tag that, like Hall, escalates over 8 million in 2010. It, however includes a reasonable club buy-out. The difference between Bush and Hall and Sanchez is a savings of $1.25 mil. It's tough to trade pitching away, and I'd never even consider dealing Bush...unless we had CC. But how could the Pirates pass on a pitcher who won a post season game? And how else could we expect them to take Billy's contract off our hands?

CCIP= + $5.25 million

Step 8--Keep Jason Kendall and David Riske (both under contract for '09)

We still haven't seen the best of David Riske yet. And Kendall is a great stop gap until either Salome or Lawrie are ready to go. Both have minimal escalators for '09--from what I've been able to locate it will total about half a million.

CCIP= +$4.75 million

Step 9--Trade Rickie Weeks ($1 mil in 'o8), Tony Gwynn ($.4 mil) and Chris Capuano ($3.75 mil) to the Kansas City Royals for David Dejesus ($3.6 in 'o9 escalates in '10, club option in '11) and Ryan Braun ($.4 million).

Let it be clear that I still believe Rickie will be an all-star in the next two to three years. But it's time for him to pay immediate dividends, by bringing back a legitimate lead-off hitter. Dejesus has been rumored on the block for a while, and the combination of Weeks and Gwynn gives the Royals solid major league ready prospects in return. The Cappy situation would certainly be dependent upon him passing a physical, but if he does look good, the Royals are in no position to pass up on pitching, especially one that is still under arbitration. With DeJesus and Sanchez now batting 1 and 2, the Brewers finally have the table setters that Braun and Fielder deserve. As for the other Ryan Braun, I don't know much about this young relief pitcher other than he seems to be somewhere between a triple A and big league pitcher. I just think it would be nice to completely corner the market on guys named Ryan Braun.

CCIP= + $5.9 million

Step 10--Do not resign Guilerma Mota ($3.2 mil in '08)

CCIP= + $9.1 million

Step 11-- Exercise the club option on Solomon Torres ($3.2 mil in '08; 3.75 mil in '09)

I'm not sure Torres will survive another season as closer, but he's too good not to bring back and the salary is very affordable.

CCIP= + $8.55 million

Step 12--Craig Counsell ($2.8 million in '08; $3.4 in '09 club buy out of $.4 mil)

I like Craig Counsell and think he's good for this ball club. But even he has to realize that, in order to keep CC, we can't pay a utility infielder over $3 million. So, Doug, I think you need to buyout Counsell's contract and then ask him to come back at $1 million. I'm willing to bet he gives the "Whitefish Bay discount" just to be a part of this team. If not, that $1 million could be put to the likes of a Russel Branyan or another utility infielder. I sure hope Counsell takes the deal though. It saves us $2 million, if he does.

CCIP= + $10.55 million

Step 13--I'm just going to assume that Mike Lamb isn't on the books for anything significant. We let him go.

Step 14--J.J Hardy ($2.65 mil in 'o8; arbitration eligible)

This is actually a two-step process. First, you have to convince J.J. that he's the club's future at third base. Alcides Escobar is the shortstop of my choice, and I think we need to bring him up in '09. J.J.'s been a shortstop his whole life, so this is going to be a tough one to accept. Especially when you consider that Escobar will almost certainly make more errors than J.J.'s 15 last year. Escobar committed 20 in AA, but the extra range that he has to offer makes it all worth it. If Cal Ripken (albeit later in his career) and ARod can swap positions, so can J.J. Hardy. And the selling point, Doug, is that with his somewhat limited range at short, J.J.'s probably never going to be a gold glove shortstop. But with his glove, I think he could be a gold glove third baseman--very, very soon. This also allows Matt Gamel to try either the OF or 1B and become the heir apparent to Prince in a few years.

The second part of this step is to lock J.J. up for three years. There's just not a huge market for 3B, and I'm not convinced that Gamel (30 errors in AA alone) will be ready to man the hot corner anytime soon. That means J.J. holds the fort until Greene is ready. After another solid year, I have to assume J.J.'s looking at a million dollar increase.

CCIP= + $9.55 million

Step 15--Brian Shouse ($2 million in '08; free agent)

As solid as he has been, I think it's time to look to Stetter to be our lefty specialist of the future. That means we're going to have to let Shousey walk.

CCIP= + $11.55 million

Step 16--Sign Todd Coffey to $1 million deal.

He was good enough for us in the last couple weeks to make him an offer. The fact that he was cut from the Reds should make it a very affordable contract.

CCIP= + $10.55 million

Step 17--Gabe Kapler ($.8 million in '08; free agent)

I don't see anyway how you can not bring this guy back in '09, Doug. The only problem is, he won't come as cheap as he did last off season. I have to assume Gabe's going to demand at least $2 million. But the good news is, he revived his career here, and I think he'll want to stay, which is especially good news for a friend named Jonny, who has developed a very, very serious man crush, Doug. He's even dubbed him "Gabe Ruth." So keep him around for Jonny, or I'll hear about it all next season. I'm not sure he can man RF every day, but my '09 plan involves Gabe being out there the majority of the time.

CCIP + $9.35 million

Step 18--Seth McClung ($ .75 million in '08; arbitration eligible)

Here's another guy who will see a marked (and deserved) increase in '09. I can't imagine where the team would have been without his right arm, however, so we have to bring him back (unless the Pirates would prefer him to Bush, which I doubt). I don't have him making the starting rotation, but he'll be in the pen in the event of an injury. And I have to say, given the way he pitched from the pen late in the year, Doug--I'd give Seth a serious look at the closer role in '09. That would allow Torres to return to his more comfortable set-up role...I'm guessing McClung's salary will jump up to 2.5 million next year.

CCIP= + $7.6 million

Step 19--Ryan Braun ($.455 mil in 'o8; $.745 mil in '09)

This was a step you already took last year, and it's almost as great of a move as the trade for CC itself. Braun's contract being so affordable next year is the biggest reason that re-signing CC is actually possible. He's almost certain to qualify as a super 2 after the season, however, and that means he'll jump all the way up to over $3 mill in 2010.

CCIP = + $ 7.3 million

Step 20--Prince Fielder ($ .67 million in 'o8; arbitration eligible)

Here come the two biggest steps of the process, Doug. There has been a lot of sentiment that Prince should be traded this off season. That includes a fellow actor I know who writes for onmilwaukee.com, Dave Begel (see # 4)--

http://onmilwaukee.com/sports/articles/begel100708.html

I respect Dave and his opinions a great deal. He's certainly seen a ton of more games than I have, but I think he's flat out wrong about trading Prince, Doug. Don't get me wrong. I understand that Prince is destined for the American League. But I just can't see moving him while we still have control of his contract for three more years. The trade will come, but it has to happen when we have identified a realistic dynamic left-handed bat to replace him. Frankly, even though he hit less homers in '08, I think it's remarkable that Prince played as well as he did without another legitimate lefty bat in the regular starting line-up. The majority of time Prince was in a key situation, he was either walked or the other team was able to save their only lefty in the pen just for Prince. And even so, he still put up a 30+HR/100 RBI season. And no one can tell me that Ryan Braun isn't a much better hitter because of Prince behind him. Maybe when Gamel becomes more of an established big league hitter--then maybe it will be possible. But we just can't move the big fellow yet, Doug. It would cause too big of a hole in the lineup. And I have a feeling the big fella at first is a drawing point for the other big lefty we're trying to keep. That means a big raise is coming Prince's way. Miguel Cabrera landed a $10 million contract in his first year of arbitration. As good as Prince has been, he doesn't quite match Cabrera, who made much more of an impact as a rookie. That being said a two year average of 40+ HRs and 100 RBIs doesn't come cheap. I'm guessing we're looking at an $8 million contract for '09.

CCIP=$0

Step 21--Corey Hart ($.44 million in '08, arbitration eligible in '09)

This is the one that hurts the most, Doug. And if you can find a way to sign Prince at a cheaper amount or somehow move Suppan, we might not have to make this last painful step. Anyone who thinks this a reactionary move to Hart's struggles at the end of the season would be completely wrong. I am as big a Corey Hart fan as you will meet. I love the way the kid comes to work every day. It really came down to J.J. or Corey, and it's simply easier to find corner outfielders than it is to find a third baseman. And Corey's going to be due for a huge raise. If JJ was at $2.5 million in '08, then I have to believe you're looking upwards of $3 million for Corey. I realize that Prince critics are going to argue that it's still much cheaper than Fielder, but we simply need Prince's left-handed power for at least one more year. I'm standing by that. So this final step involves trading Corey Hart to the Tampa Bay Rays for SP Andy Sonnanstine. The Rays have plenty of pitching, and with Price and Garza emerging with Kazmir and Shields, Sonnanstine should be available. I also know that the Rays are looking for a right-handed OF bat with power, and reportedly no one garnered more attention last offseason than Corey Hart. Sonnanstine's not arbitration eligible, so his salary should come out even with Hart's in '08.

Step 22--fill the remainder of roster with kids

Gallardo, Parra, Villanueva, Stetter and Escobar are all givens. You'll probably want to lock up Gallardo for a while in 2010. (Perhaps that's when we move Prince.) I'd also look to add Rivera again at catcher and Rottino if Rivera doesn't sign. I'd bring up Irribarren and Nix along with either Brad Nelson or Jay Gibbons. You've also got 8 kids who can compete for the last bullpen spot: DiFilice, Dillard, Pena, (non roster invitees:) Gulin, Narron, Narveson, Bateman, and the newly acquired Ryan Braun.

It's a young team, I get that. But as I mentioned, you will have a chance to acquire more veterans in July, when it's clear that this team is set to return to the post season. Here they are, Doug. The 2009 Milwauke Brewers.

Line-up:

CF-Dejesus

2B-Sanchez

LF-Braun

1B-Fielder

3B--Hardy

RF--Kapler

SS--Escobar

C--Kendall

The Bench:

Counsell, Rivera, Irribarren, Nelson, Gibbons/Nix

The rotation

1. Sabathia

2. Gallardo

3. Sonnanstine

4. Parra

5. Suppan

And the pen: McClung, Villanueva, Torres, Stetter, Riske, Coffey, and DiFilece

Now you just need to make it happen. And it all starts with step 1--signing CC. And, hell, if I can figure out a way to make it happen, well, then you know with a genius like you at the healm--

It. Is. Possible.

An Argument With...Myself

2008-07-16T09:19:00.003-05:00

I call this blog the Midseason Forum, so I guess (given the mid-season baseball classic is about to begin) I’m obligated to post something this time of the year…The problem is: I’m having far too difficult a time focusing on baseball lately. And I guess that’s to be expected. After all, it’s not every day a legend says he wants to abandon his franchise. And it’s even rarer for a franchise to want to abandon their legend…

So here I sit, watching the first ever Milwaukee Brewers pitcher to start an all-star game, and as Sheets gets introduced and shakes hands with legends like Steve Carlton, Don Sutton and Whitey Ford, I can’t help but wonder if our Lambeau legend is hoping to shake hands and join forces with evil empires in Minnesota or Chicago. I mean, dammit, it’s the all-star break. I should be relishing in the CC trade. I should be rejoicing in the fact that baseball’s smallest television market managed to get Ryan Braun and Corey Hart into the all-star game. I should be wondering how Tony Gwynn Sr. came to get so friggin’ fat and should be worrying that just maybe he’s eaten Tony Gwynn Jr.

But no. I have to deal with the emotional roller coaster of Ted vs. Brett. And it pains me.

You see there are two sides to this blogger known as Tom. There is the Packer Tom, the guy who has admitted that he was wrong about Teddy T all along and believes this franchise is heading in the right direction…the guy who sweats green and gold…and who has considered shaving a large capital G into his private region but doesn’t know of the barber he would trust with the clippers.

And then there’s Favre Tom. The guy who defends Brett Favre’s every interception, who has a “Wall of Favre” in his rec room, and who has considered tattooing Favre’s likeness onto his backside (think Henry Winkler’s Roy Orbison in The Water Boy.) if only I wasn’t so afraid of having hot pokers near my supple tushy.

And these two Toms have been going back and forth inside my head since last Friday when the news broke that Favre had asked for his release. And they won’t stop bickering inside my head. It’s not fair to the Brewers. It’s not fair to my family. Hell, it’s not fair to me. And since I’ve been tortured for the past week, I thought I’d open my mind up to my seven readers…

PACKER TOM: I think we should just go ahead and call Favre “Moses” from now on. Not because he’s old, but because he’s managed to split the Green and Gold Sea better known as Packer Nation into two equal halves.

FAVRE TOM: That’s not Brett’s fault. That’s all on your boy Ted. All he had to do was welcome Brett back with open arms.

PACKER TOM: Ted didn’t retire. Brett did. And nobody made him retire. He even said so himself. He went out of his way to say as much at his press conference in March. Nobody forced me. I just don’t have it in me. But now, all of a sudden, his story changes. The guy has problems. Seriously. I think he’s mental.

FAVRE TOM: Why is he mental? Because he wants to play again? Great. Bring him back, hand him some shoulder pads, and snap the ball. We get another year of Favre. What’s the problem?

PACKER TOM: Look, it’s like that episode of Saved By the Bell. Remember the one where Zack sells a skin care product to everyone, but it actually makes Kelly’s face turn red? That’s how I feel about Favre. It’s like he’s selling us a different story all the time, and I just can’t trust him anymore. I just wish he’d go away and retire with a little grace.

FAVRE TOM: Are you really comparing Brett Favre to Zack Morris? So what does that make Ted Thompson—Screech? You should be embarrassed for even mentioning that show. And you should be more embarrassed for not standing up for Brett.

PACKER TOM: Hey—you know our old roommate, Eric, watched that show religiously. We were forced to watch so many episodes of both that show and Boy Meets World that it’s possible we actually went through puberty for a second time. Forget the Zack comparison. Think of it this way—when Javon Walker was threatening to hold out, Brett said a player needs to honor his contract. So if he comes back, and the Packers want him to be Aaron Rogers back up—he should honor his contract. Or is he saying that his words don’t apply to him? Only he’s allowed to play hardball and ask out of his contract? Seems like a double standard to me.

FAVRE TOM: Seriously, you think Brett Favre should be the back up QB? To Aaron Rogers? I can’t figure out what Packers nation is thinking. Rogers plays one good half of a football game in Dallas and suddenly he’s a better option than Favre? That’s ridiculous.

PACKER TOM: It’s not just about that half of the Cowboys game. Aaron’s been there all off-season. He wasn’t the one who said in March that he wouldn’t be able to give it 100%. He’s got the support of a lot of players in that locker room.

FAVRE TOM: But he’s Aaron Rogers!!! He’ll be hurt by Week 4, and then we’ll be wishing we did let Brett come back.

PACKER TOM: So then why doesn’t Brett just come back as the #2 QB? If everyone thinks Rogers is going to be hurt by Week 4, then why can’t Favre just wait until then to get his snaps? It might keep his old ass in shape for the post season.

FAVRE TOM: Because he’s BRETT FAVRE. He’s not a number two QB.

PACKERS TOM: But HE retired. He gave up his starting spot that day. Why shouldn’t the Packers brass tell him he needs to earn the spot back? Favre could have eliminated all of this nonsense by just saying, “all right, I’ll come back as the #2. But I’m leaving as the #1.” Instead he feels slighted. It’s ridiculous. His whining is driving me crazy.

FAVRE TOM: He’s not whining. He just wants to play football.

PACKERS TOM: Not whining? You heard the interview on FOX News as well as I did—

FAVRE TOM: Of course, I did. I am you.

PACKERS TOM: Why didn’t Ted sign Marco and Wahle? Whine, whine, whine. Why didn’t Ted hire Steve Mariucci and his oh-so-impressive record as head coach of the Lions? Whine, whine, whine. Why didn’t Ted get Randy Moss for me? Well you know something Brett? Greg Jennings and Donald Driver didn’t lose the NFC Championship game against the Giants. You did! Yeah, that’s right. Even if that last pass was headed for Randy Moss, it still would have been picked. 90% of the QBs in this league would be giddy to have a receiving core like you had last year. So how do you show them the love for all of the YAC they racked up? You complain that Ted didn’t get Moss. Let it go you, horse’s ass. There’s nothing wrong with the personnel Ted built around you.

FAVRE TOM: (Long pause.) Wow. Tell me how you really feel.

PACKERS TOM: Look, all I’m saying is Brett had a chance to be a team leader and instead he reverted to his usual selfish self. We keep hearing people say that the Packers should trade Aaron Rogers and let Favre play this year. But what if Rogers is the Matt LaPorta of QBs?

FAVRE TOM: So what if he is? Isn’t another year of Favre just as valuable as a half season of CC Sabathia? The guy was second in the MVP voting, for crying out loud. If the Packers can get something good for Rogers, make the deal. We know how Ted loves his draft picks…

PACKERS TOM: Until Favre calls it quits again in mid August, right? Look, we both suspected that Favre was going to call it quits when we saw him in that Bears game last year. Sure, he said it was the coldest game he’s ever played in, but that was the not the Brett Favre that we have grown to love. The playful, fun Favre would have toughed those cold conditions and put forth a much better effort. This Favre didn’t even want to be on that field at all. And it showed. Sure, we saw that playful Favre again during the Seahawks game, but we’ve come to expect it game in and game out. The current Favre only seems to bring the joy when they’re winning. Well, I’ve got a news flash for you: the Packers are going to lose some games. There’s going to be some missed tackles. And there’s going to be some dropped balls…I don’t want to watch a Favre that doesn’t have the joy of playing through thick and thin…maybe the Packers are right not to let him tarnish his legacy…

FAVRE TOM: That’s not for the Packers to decide. It’s Favre’s legacy. So he’s the only one who can determine how it’s written. So if the Packers aren’t going to let him start, maybe they should just grant his release (crap, I just threw up in my mouth a little…)

PACKERS TOM: Absolutely not. Favre is a commodity and you don’t just give him away. You have to trade him and get something for him (crap, I just threw up in my mouth a little…)

And the debate rages on in my mind. There’s no simple answer. And I feel like both halves of me are right. So I can’t even enjoy Sheets two solid innings right now. Now with all this background noise making me dizzy. All I know is something needs to be done to resolve this mess in Green Bay real soon. And if I were a betting man, I’d say this whole Favre mess is not going to end pretty…

Crap. I just threw up in my mouth a little…

RAMBLING ROSE, Part 6

2008-07-03T10:36:00.003-05:00

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…

The Great Rickie Weeks Debate

2008-06-03T10:37:00.013-05:00

My daughter puked all over me on Friday night.

I don't share this information as an attempt to gross you out or as an attempt to use fatherhood as an excuse as to why I haven't been blogging of late. I only tell you this because I had never been puked on so thoroughly before in all my life. And because of this technicolor dream coat of vomit that I was given to wear, I became very, very ill myself. So ill, in fact, that I was unable to attend the Brewers game on Sunday. I had company seats, 7th row, behind home plate. I was taking my parents (my dad's birthday was Sunday and he retired on Friday), but I couldn't stay away from the toilet long enough to make it to my garage, much less all the way out to Miller Park. So the family went without me to a Brewers game--my wife, my dad, my mom...and of course, my daughter, who was feeling super-dee-duper by Sunday morning. I was with them in spirit, of course, and my dad did go back out of the park so he could re-enter and cash in on a Ryan Braun Bobblehead for his ailing son. And as I watched the Brewers offense come to life from the sweaty comfort of my own couch, I knew that the team's success had little to do with my absence from the game. Unfortunately, I couldn't say the same thing about Rickie Weeks absence from the line-up.

See, the thing is...just like I will always love my daughter, regardless of how many times she spews molten oatmeal upon me like my own little Mt. St. Helen's, I will always believe in the future of Rickie Weeks, even as he continues to consistently throw-up in key game situations. Hell, I'll just say it. I love that kid.

I love the way Rickie Weeks approaches the game of baseball. I loved that last year, while I was working at the park, I'd see Rickie taking infield with Dale Sveum before any other players were out there. I love the way the ball jumps off his bat (granted, when he makes contact), and I love the way he hustles out every single ground ball, just like Robin and Mollie used to. Despite the fact that he was the second overall pick and signed the largest amateur contract in Brewers history, Rickie has never displayed any arrogance or the slightest sense of entitlement. Despite his well documented struggles, the kid plays hard. And no one can deny that an abundance of talent is waiting to be tapped.

And yet...here we are again. For the past few weeks there have been another group of emails exchanged among several of my friends about when Yost is going to finally get the balls to bench Rickie. For several weeks, our friend Kelly has been admirably attempting to defend Rickie, primarily citing his ability to score runs as justification for putting up with Rickie's other apparent flaws. In the other corner of cyberspace were Jon and Darren (who, of course, still refers to Weeks as "Rick"), who each could care less about Rickie's runs scored, but merely want a lead-off hitter who can get on base for the big boppers. As these emails continued to be exchanged, I pretty much stayed out of the fray but silently cheered when Kelly would make his pro-Rickie arguments. Things turned for me a little, however, when Kelly started to rip Prince in his defense of Rickie. (However, maybe I should be thanking Kelly for apparently lighting a fire under the big man's arse.) And the debate seemed to flicker out eternally yesterday when Kelly conceded that the Brewers offense finally clicked with some legitimate table setters at the top of the order.

And although I applaud Kelly's efforts to defend Rickie, the fact is, I agree with both sides of the debate. For the record, I would never be in favor of benching Weeks this early in the season. He has offensive capabilities that no one else on the roster possesses. And as I've said before, no one has ever worked their way out of a slump on the bench. It just doesn't happen. But at the same time, I can't see how the Brewers can continue to march him up there in the lead-off spot.

And that, my friends, is the point I've tried to make about Rickie Weeks for the past three seasons--Rickie is NOT a lead-off hitter. The Brewers want him to be solely because he's fast, but that's not the approach Rickie has ever taken at the plate. And it's not how the Brewers projected him throughout his minor league career. Rickie was always projected to be a three-hole hitter, a plan that changed when the Brewers drafted arguably the greatest three hole hitter in all of baseball in the form of Ryan Braun. But that doesn't change the fact that Rickie never spent time as a lead-off hitter during his development. And it's really difficult to change your approach and make that drastic of an adjustment at the major league level.

Consider this: it was about this time of the year in 2005 when the Brewers decided to call Rickie up to the majors full time from Triple AAA. Take a look at his numbers when he left Nashville:

55G 203 AB 43 R 65H 12 HR 48RBI 28BB 51SO .320BA 10SB

Now I ask as you, as you look at these numbers from early June 2005 do you immediately think--"now there's a lead-off hitter"???? Me either. I know what I'm thinking: there's a kid who likes to swing for the fences, who probably benefited from hitting in front of Prince at triple A (Gwynn was the lead-off hitter on that team), and who doesn't get cheated when he swings...

Interestingly enough, take a look at Rickie's numbers heading into this evening's game against the Diamondbacks:

56G 217AB 41R 45H 7HR 19RBI 29BB 46SO .207BA 9SB

It's rather astonishing to me that with the exception of twenty less hits, and the 100 point drop in average because of it, the numbers are actually eerily similar. And I know, the cynics are going to say that those twenty extra hits makes it ridiculous for me to even compare the rest of the numbers--but is it really? When I look at the walks-to-strikeout totals and how close they are, I'd have to say that the Brewers have gotten everything they should have expected from Weeks back in 2005...with the exception, of course, of those missing twenty hits.

And I also believe that Rickie has failed to obtain those 20 less hits because he's not been able to take his same approach at the plate. The Brewers are asking Rickie to try to see more pitches and work the count deeper--you know, like a lead-off hitter would. But that's not something Rickie is used to doing. Like Ryan Braun, Rickie is a free swinger. Name the last time, you saw Rickie get a cheap, bloop single...He's a line drive hitter who doesn't ever shorten his stroke with two strikes--you know like a lead-off hitter would. And what's more bizarre to me, is the Brewers don't really want him to shorten his stroke with two strikes. You know why? Because they don't want to take away from his power. So they're asking him to take the approach of a lead-off hitter, but without relinquishing any of his power. What does that translate to? More hitting with two-strike counts. And more swinging and missing on that third strike...because you aren't asking him to shorten his swing.

What's more baffling to me is that Corey Hart has proven to be a terrific lead-off hitter, but because he doesn't look the part--the Brewers are resistant to put him there. Yost claims it's because he wants to protect Fielder because Corey is hitting so well with runners in scoring position...but do you know what else Corey does well--bunts for hits, sees a lot of pitches, and effectively shortens his stroke with two strikes--you know, like a lead-off hitter would.

So instead of Jon calling for the benching of Rickie Weeks or Kelly saying he should keep leading off, I say Rickie should be given the chance to swing like he did when he was called up to the big leagues. Is he going to strike out a lot? You betcha. After all, Ryan Braun has struck out 49 times this year and has only walked ten times. But you don't notice his Ks as much because he's producing those extra hits. But Ryan doesn't exactly work the count. And Rickie could really benefit from chasing a lot more first-pitch fastball strikes (something he started going after more during his seven game hitting streak a couple weeks ago) which he too often is letting go by because he's desperately trying to be a better lead-off hitter...even if he's not really built that way.

It's not easy to develop as a lead-off hitter. Tony Gwynn has had several years to try it in the minors (he and Rickie were drafted in the same year after all) and Dave Krynzel never figured it out. But if you want Rickie to start stroking the ball like he can--let him start hacking.

My suggestion: Give Rickie a shot in the two hole, with Ryan hitting behind him. After all, even Ryan Braun's numbers drastically improved when Yost flipped him and Fielder in the order and he started seeing more pitches. Give Rickie a chance to benefit from the fastballs he'll see from pitchers who don't want to pitch to Ryan and Prince. Then watch the fastball hitter go to work.

Corey

Rickie

Ryan (who has the chance to be Wisconsin's next Favre, but that's another post)

Prince

Hardy

Hall/Branyan

Cameron

Kendall

This is the line-up I've been clamoring for. This is the line-up where Rickie will be able to show what he's made of. It will make Kelly proud.

And it will erase a third of a season full of constant puking...

Fantasy Baseball 2008

2008-04-09T08:28:00.002-05:00

Before you can fully appreciate why I’m writing this article of pure fantasy, there are two key situations that you need to understand.

1.) I decided not to draft a fantasy baseball team this season.
2.) My friend Eric is taking a year off of life to travel the country with his wife.

Let me explain each in detail…

I was actually in Tucson, Arizona, watching the Brewers play the White Sox, when I realized that I hadn’t yet scheduled a fantasy baseball draft. I don’t belong to a regular fantasy league, but I have played in at least two free Yahoo! Leagues for the past 8 or 9 years. But as I was watching Ryan Braun’s monster home run sail out of Tucson Electric Park, it occurred to me that this year’s fantasy team was already assembled. Think about it; if I were going to draft a 2008 fantasy team, I’d be sure to focus on getting Prince in the first round, Braun in the second, and since I’d need pitching…Sheets in the third. The next few rounds might consist of non-Brewers, I suppose but there would certainly be other Brewers I’d want on my roster. I mean, how could you not want Corey Hart’s combo of speed and power? And since I didn’t get a shortstop in the first few rounds, there wouldn’t be a better value than JJ. And what second baseman this late in the draft will give you a better combination of HRs, SBs, and runs scored than Rickie (not Rick) Weeks. Obviously, I’d have to get Gallardo and Parra—since they’d be sure to come cheap in the later rounds. I’d take a gamble on Cameron, and I probably make Riske a sleeper pick, since I still think he might end up as the Brewers closer when all is said and done. And so it became obvious—I don’t need a fantasy team this year. They already play at Miller Park.

Now Eric is making a much bigger sacrifice—he’s going to give up his fantasy football team as he travels about the free world. Personally, I equate turning over my fantasy football team to another man to turning over my man parts to another man. I mean what happens if Chad, who’s assuming control of Eric’s…uhm…squad, wins the championship? I can’t imagine anything worse than finding out that the other guy uses your junk more effectively. Am I right?

But the fact is I’m envious of Eric’s ability to just leave it all behind and travel at will. I’m not exactly sure when my ex-roommate developed the ability to defecate fifty dollar bills, but it’s a neat trick. And as I sat there basking in the Arizona sun, I started to think about what my ideal journey would entail. And it was a pretty easy answer—I’d follow the Brewers as they embarked on their championship 2008 season. So here’s a little taste of what I envision. This, my dear seven readers, is the ultimate fantasy season…

April 23, 2008—
The journey begins for my wife, my daughter and I at Miller Park on my 35th birthday. To make me feel just a little less old, Rickie Weeks scores on a little league type homer when Pat Burrell of the Phillies lets a ground ball get past him and all the way to the wall. He tries to throw Rickie out at third, but throws the ball into the stands. This is the exact same way I had my first “home run” against Oakfield as an 8-year-old. The only difference is that Weeks homer is the winning run—the LeRoy little league team could never beat Oakfield. But for whatever it’s worth, now I feel vindicated.

April 26, 2008—
We take a trip to New York City to watch the NFL Draft. I initially planned to talk about the Packers surprise draft day trade to acquire Jason Taylor. After seeing him prance about on Dancing With the Stars, however, I don’t want him anymore. Disappointed that Keith Rivers is off the board for the Pack’s first pick, I remain optimistic about Dustin Keller, the TE from Purdue.

April 29, 2008—
We take a trip to the urinal of a ballpark better known as Wrigley Field. Mike Cameron plays in his first game as a Brewer and hits for the cycle.

May 1, 2008—
After being trashed talked to by a group of Cubs fans, my 6-month-old daughter strings together her first phrase as she yells “Cubs stink.” The Brewers lose 5-4, but all-in-all I consider the day to be a victory.

May 6, 2008—
Since Eric and his wife are off on their own journey, we crash at their place after watching the Brewers suffer a tough loss to the Marlins on a Hanley Ramirez walk-off homer off Gagne. After the baby falls asleep, my wife and I decide to christen Eric’s bed with our love—just like we used to do when he was my roommate.

May 7, 2008—
The Brewers hit seven home runs and romp over the Marlins 18 – 4. We drive back to Orlando, and decide to make love in all of the places of Eric’s that we used to—his couch, his closet, his guitar case and, of course, his humidor.

May 10, 2008—
The Brewers have traveled back to Milwaukee for a series with the Cardinals, but we decide to spend another couple days in Orlando.

May 16, 2008—
Fenway Park. Ryan Braun has a three home run game and all are over the Green Monster. The Brewers rough up Dice K for 11 runs and win 12-3.

May 20, 2008—
As the Brewers knock out Zach Duke in the first inning, I get a text message that the Bucks just earned the second pick in the lottery.

May 23, 2008—
Ben Sheets throws the second no-hitter in Brewers history at the new ball park in Washington D.C. The only one who comes close to getting a hit is Ronnie Belliard, but as he loligags into first on a one-hopper to right, Corey Hart throws him out at first.

May 31, 2008—
Saying that he simply doesn’t have the heart to play anymore, Carlos Lee retires from the Astros to become a fulltime cantle rancher.

June 7, 2008—
Colorado. While Matt Holiday goes 0-4 with three strike outs, Prince Fielder goes five-for-five with two home runs and seven RBI.

June 8, 2008—
Colorado. While Troy Tulowitski goes 0-4 with three strike outs, Ryan Braun goes five-for-five with two home runs and seven RBI.

June 17, 2008—
After appearing on the cover of Tiger Beat magazine, J.J. Hardy hits a walk-off homer to beat the Blue Jays at Miller Park. Sixteen year old girls scream for curtain calls until midnight. Oh…and so does my wife.

June 25th, 2008—
Atlanta. Ben Sheets strikes out 19 Braves in a 5-1 Brewers win.

June 26th, 2008—
As the Brewers travel from Atlanta to Minnesota, my family makes a stop in New York City for the NBA draft. With the second pick, the Bucks select Derrick Rose from Memphis. For the first time in my 35 years, the nickname “Rose” is actually cool.

July 3, 2008—
3-2 pitchers duel in Arizona. Sheets beats Webb and talk of an NLCS preview dominates the airwaves.

July 15, 2008—
Yankee Stadium. Prince Fielder is named the MVP of the All-Star game as he collects a record 7 RBIs and leads the NL past the AL 10-4. The NL will have home field advantage in the World Series. (In playwriting we call this foreshadowing.)

July 20, 2008—
San Francisco. Yovanni Gallardo throws a one hit shut out against the San Francisco Giants. When asked about the kids stuff, Ben Sheets is quoted as saying, “The kid's nasty. The only thing I have that he doesn’t is a no-hitter.”

July 25, 2008—
Yovanni Gallardo throws a no-hitter against the Astros at Miller Park.

July 28, 2008—Prince Fielder hits a home run off of Carlos Zambrano in the 5th inning. In the 7th, Zambrano plunks Prince. The melee that ensues is a true Miller Park memory, complete with Prince bodyslamming Zambrano on top off the mound. Unfortunately, Prince, Rickie, Hall, Kendall, and coach Ed Sedar are all suspended for seven games. Although the players alternate their suspensions, the Brewers play sub-five-hundred baseball during the next three weeks. After the season, they will admit that it was totally worth it.

August 6, 2008—
Back from his suspension, Bill Hall reminds fans how much he loves hitting in Cincy with a three homer game. The third comes off of Closer Francisco Cordero and leads the Brewers to a 7-5 win.

August 12, 2008—
Trailing the Cubs by four games, the Brewers win the first game of an important series in San Diego. The winning run comes in the form of Corey Hart, who steals home in the top of the 9th.

August 26, 2008—
Rickie Weeks hits four triples and the Brewers beat the Cardinals 7-2 in St. Louis. They trail the Cubs by 3 games.

September 3, 2008—
Carlos Beltran hits a ninth inning homer off Ben Sheets, who loses to the Johan Santana 1-0. The Mets sweep the three game series and in the post game press conference, Ned Yost declares, “one of these days we’re going to figure out how to beat those guys.”
Meanwhile, the sweep drops the Brewers to 5 games back of the Cubs.

September 18, 2008—
The Brewers beat the Cubs 5-2, taking two games of the three game series. They leave Wrigley 3 games back of the Cubs.

September 25, 2008—
Jeff Suppan throws a complete game, 14 hit shut-out against the Pirates. The Cubs are up next for the final series of the season. The Brewers trail the Cubs by two games for the division and the Padres by two games for the Wild Card.

September 26, 2008—
Trailing 3-2 in the 9th, Fielder and Braun hit back-to-back HRs against Kerry Wood. The Brewers trail the Cubs by one game.

September 27, 2008—
Gabe Kapler hits a pinch hit two run, go-ahead homer in the bottom of the 8th. David Riske (the closer since June) saves the game. The Cubs and Brewers are tied heading into the last game of the season.

September 28, 2008—
Sheets vs. Zambrano. The Padres, Brewers and Cubs all enter the day tied. After a 1-2-3 Cubs first—Rickie singles, Cameron singles, Prince walks, Braun singles, Hall doubles, Hart singles, Hardy doubles, Sheets strikes out, Kendall singles, Weeks triples…and Zambrano is removed. The great pitching duel never materializes as the Brewers win 18-0. Worse yet for the Cubs, the Padres win, and they’re eliminated from play-off contention...

So there it is—the ultimate fantasy season. I don’t know the exact dates of the play-off games, but just know that the Brewers sweep the Diamondbacks in the first round and then win a grueling seven game series against the Mets. The World Series? A four game sweep of the Yankees…

Am I dreaming? Maybe.

But it’s my fantasy team. And they’re the only ones I’m drafting this season.

Happy Trails...

2008-03-06T22:18:00.003-06:00

I was thinking about how I needed to finish the article below when the news of Favre's retirement flooded into my inbox at work. I literally received over twenty emails in regards to the news of Brett's pending retirement. Most were from people just wanting to make sure I knew of the rumor; others were from people checking in on my overall well being. I certainly appreciated all of them.

I must say, as disappointed as I am to see Brett ride off into the sunset, I am happy to see him leave on his own terms and while he was still unquestionably one of the top QBs in the game.

I'm not sure there's much I can say about Brett that hasn't already been said about the man. There may be more books and magazine articles on Brett Favre then there are combined on Al Capone, Billy the Kid, and The Lone Ranger. (That was my way of calling Brett a "gunslinger" without having to actually use the word.) All I know is this--when I was twelve I dreamed that the Packers would someday acquire a superstar that we could be proud of. Every year, I'd look at the helmets in the Pro Bowl and wonder when the Packers would get their star quarterback. The faces never seemed to change. There was Marino, Montana, Elway and Simms, but never, ever a Packer. (Ok...Majkowski had a good year, but you never really felt it was going to last.) Then, as I was finishing up high school, I believed the Packers had finally found their man. His name? Ty Detmer.

Well, fortunately Ron Wolf had the insight to make the greatest trade in the history of the NFL. The rest, as they say, is history.

No matter where I live, I'll always make sure my rec room includes my current "Wall of Favre." The transition into life after Favre is going to be more surreal than painful. I'm turning 35 this spring, so Brett has been the Packers QB for all of my adult life. The funny thing is, I've never felt like an adult while I've watched Brett play. I always felt like a kid again. And for that Brett, I can never thank you enough...

For the Love of Hate

2008-03-02T21:22:00.008-06:00

A funny thing happened on the way to Michael Redd hitting his game-winning three pointer against the Cavs last week--I made a personal revelation. It was nothing of major significance, however, and it certainly wasn't life-altering. As a matter of fact, to somebody else, it's probably not a big deal at all. But it was early in the second quarter, when the Bucks were trailing by about 8 points when it hit me--I really don't like Damon Jones.

That's it. That was my big revelation: I hate watching Damon Jones play basketball.

I realized this as Jones was pumping a fist in celebration of a three he had just hit to extend the Cavs lead. Forget about the fact that he was so open that he looked like the booger-picking kid at the seventh grade dance (because three other Bucks were collapsing on LeBron), he still managed to talk trash and pump his fist as if he was a more dominant force than Kobiyashi at a barbecue. And it's not just because of his God-awful mohawk or the fact that no one thinks Damon Jones is as good as Damon Jones thinks he is...I just hate watching him play. I hated him with the Bucks, and now I hate him even more when he plays against us. Now, I realize that Damon Jones could care less what a guy who blogs to seven readers thinks about him. But the fact is, I need Damon Jones. Every sports fan needs guys they despise. We need a bad guy, a villain, an ass. It's what makes our heroes that much more likable, and it's what makes victory taste all that more sweet. Redd's three took on even more meaning because it meant that Damon Jones went home a loser. And for that, I was extremely happy.

As I began thinking about my favorite sports enemies, however, I quickly realized that Damon Jones was nowhere near my top 20 of all time. It's taken me some time to figure it out, but I now present you with the top 10 sports figures that I have loved...to hate.

10. Tony LaRussa--As much as Brewer fans want to throw Ned Yost under the bus for the beanball retaliation events last year, the fact remains that LaRussa had no business forcing Ned's hand in the first place. When you're a team out of contention, you don't get in a pissing contest with a team that is. It was prickish for LaRussa to put Yost in a position to defend his player. Perhaps Tony forgot that his team was eliminated from contention, or (more likely) perhaps Tony was merely a sore loser. Either way, beaning Prince was chicken shit. And Yost should bean Pujols again the first time the two teams meet, just to let Tony know that he can piss right back at him.

On a side note, before you continue to criticize the McGwire's, Bonds and Clemens of the world for the steroids problem in baseball--keep in mind that there was a particular manager who resided in the dugout of the team that without a doubt lifted the steroid craze to a whole new level, but never said a word. You can clearly track the phenomenon to the Oakland A's and their bash brothers. Now, you might believe LaRussa when he says he wasn't aware of what was going on in his club house...but then you must also believe that Paris Hilton never meant for that sex tape to be released too, right???

9. Reggie Miller--When I was in sixth grade, I used to let ones rip in class and when my friend Scottie (he of the, "come on Bruce, Ruffin some feathers" fame) busted out laughing, he'd get blamed for it. I usually felt bad afterwards because I was the one breaking all the wind, but Scottie was the one turning bright red and getting hollered at from the teacher. Well, similar to the way I learned how to get away with successfully breaking wind, Reggie Miller too mastered the art of breaking the rules of basketball without getting caught. No one has ever gotten away with pushing off more before taking a shot. He mastered the art of knowing when a ref's eyes weren't on him, and he took every advantage he could as soon as he was out of view. He was both a bastard and a sharpshooter, who was good enough to break your heart as the shot clock was winding down. That being said, I still think Cheryl takes him one-on-one.

8. Carlos Zambrano--Here's one that is bound to keep ascending up the list over the next few years. Every time he punches his chest and rejoices after a strikeout, I can only hope he suffers a mini-stroke. Last year, Prince stared Zambrano down mighty hard after one of Carlos' personal cheerleading sessions. The Prince/Zambrano brawl is not far away, my friends. I'm hoping for front row seats...

7. Chris Hovan--I was actually surprised that my top 10 didn't contain more Bears and Vikings. Moss and Alonzo Spellman would certainly make the top 20, and there was no motion I hated more than Daunte Culpepper's odd fist roll (as if he didn't know how to do the entire hand jive, so he just did one part over and over) after a touchdown. That being said, Hovan's blatant disrespect for Favre and Lambeau was so aggravating that I truly wanted to see him stabbed in the groin. One note for Mr. Hovan--if you have to wear makeup to show the world that you are intimidating, chances are you're no more fierce than Danny Norieaga. Hovan is the exception to the rule on this list because he's the only one who isn't a true star in his field.

6. Reggie Jackson--The original villain. First the Brewers got eliminated to Reggie's Yankees in '81, and then they faced his Angels in '82. Yankee fans will always remember Jeter's amazing flip to home plate; I'll always remember Charlie Moore's heave that nabbed Reggie at third.

5. Bob Huggins--Bastard. (What else is there to say?)

4.Michael Irvin--Even though I appreciated that he helped out Adam Sandler in The Longest Yard, I'll never forget how much I hated watching his ten minute celebrations...after catching a two yard slant.

3. Albert (Joey) Belle--I was at County Stadium the day he slid into Vina and caused all of the brawls that ensued. That happened after he threw a ball in the stands that nailed a female teacher. He may have made the quickest ever journey from Hero to Zero.

2. Gary Sheffield--evil personified. ("You think that was an error? I'll show you an error.")

1. Roy Williams (the coach, not the WR or Safety)--He may feel like he made his peace with Dick Bennett, but I'll never forgive him for trampling on what should have been the greatest moment ever for the coach that I so strongly revered. There's no way not to take offense to the following comments:

"Are you going to tell me you didn't like this more than 19-17 at halftime? I'm not a nuclear physicist, but you make the choice. We're trying to make it a game of basketball skills, not a weight-room contest."

I hate you, Roy. And because of you, I now cheer for DUKE (except when they play Wisconsin or Marquette, of course).

So there you have it. The 10 guys I've most enjoyed hating. I'm sure many Bucks fans would have Lambeer or Mahorn on the list, but as you know, my Magnificent Seven, I was a Pistons fan then, and those guys were always quick to defend Isiah. I would be curious to see if there was anyone that people thought I have missed. Feel free to disagree with me, but just don't tell me you hate me.

Bucks' Lame Duck GM + Senile Owner = Brewers Talk

2008-02-24T15:58:00.009-06:00

When I was a kid, I was very excited when The Karate Kid II was being set for release. I had loved the first movie--the way Daniel-san had outmaneuvered the entire Kobra Kai team, despite the fact that they had many years of karate training in comparison to Daniel's couple months of tutelage under Mr. Miyagi. What's more, Mr. Miyagi played Arnold in Happy Days, which, of course, was set in Milwaukee--so I was bound to enjoy the hell of that movie no matter what. (In retrospect, however, how cool would The Karate Kid have been if Fonzie was the one to teach Daniel how to defeat the Kobra Kai by passing on his "cool" skills? The movie could end with Daniel entering the soda shop and slamming his fist on the jukebox to start the song, "You're the best...around...")

Anyhow, when I finally got a chance to see the sequel, I was mortified to learn that Elizabeth Shue wasn't even in the film. I mean, she wasn't in it at all! Let's be honest, to a twelve year-old boy, Ali (with an i) was one of the key selling points of the first movie. So at first, I did what any normal kid in that situation would do--I pouted. Sure, I understood why Ali left Daniel for a football player. I mean, she probably figured out that he was destined to look like his 15- year old self way beyond his My Cousin Vinny years. Nonetheless, I was disheartened and no longer thought I would enjoy the film.

That's the same way I feel now about watching the Bucks, knowing that they didn't do anything to improve their roster at the trade deadline and especially knowing that Larry Harris had the trade for Zach Randolph in place, but that he was shot down by the Senator. Much like how Ali tossed Daniel aside, Senator Kohl pretty much let it be known that the Larry Harris era has come to an end. But even if that is the message being sent, I couldn't understand how in the world Mr. Kohl figures that the new GM will have an easier time moving Simmons, Bell and Gadzuric than he would moving Randolph this off season. Harris was looking to move three of the worst contacts in all of basketball for a problem child that is still coveted by others around the league. That's the thing with the Randolph's and Artest's of the world--there's always a coach or GM who's willing to believe they can turn that horrible attitude into something positive. But the Bucks are never going to find another GM who was willing to take on their garbage like Isiah was. I actually thought my loyalty to Isiah as a kid was finally going to pay dividends for the Bucks. Now, I can simply guarantee that a chance like that won't come around again.

But the thing about The Karate Kid II is that the movie did end up growing on me. By the time Miyagi was spinning his little Japanese-drum in the palm of his hand, he had me cheering on Daniel again and singing aloud, "I am one man who will fight for your honor...I'll be the hero, you've been dreaming of...."

So there isn't much we can do about the Bucks now, except wait and see if this roster grows on us. I do believe that their schedule is favorable enough for them to make a playoff push. The question is, of course, do we really even want them to--since it's bound to mean a first round exit at the hands of the Pistons or the Celtics? (Considering the results of last year's tank job, right now I'm leaning towards "yes.") But regardless, there's not much we can hope for now until the new GM is in place and a direction for the team is outlined.

So instead of worrying about the Bucks, I've decided to turn my attention to the Brewers--where hope forever springs eternal...

Back in October, I took a look at what I believed to be the Brewers biggest needs going into the off-season. Now, almost five months later, I'd thought I'd take a look at the Brewers moves and see how things stack up. The writing in small font that follows contains excerpts from the original article in October:

10. Contact hitter. It's not a question of do they need one; they do. The question is: who will it be? It's fun watching the Brewers hit the ball out of the yard as effortlessly as we used to hit the tennis ball out of the old middle school playground. But it's not fun watching guys constantly strike out with runners at second and third. Quite frankly, that's as "not fun" as it gets for me as a baseball fan. But it doesn't take an avid baseball fan to understand that more home runs equals more strikeouts. I'm not talking about needing a Tony Gwynn senior, but a Jeff Cirillo or Mark Loretta type (while in their prime) is the piece of the puzzle that this lineup is sorely missing. Maybe J.J. can be that type of hitter in time, but this year he failed to drop a bunt or move a runner far too many times. And, of course, maybe Tony Jr. will finally get his shot...

I guess the answer here came in the form of Jason Kendall. Of all the acquisitions this off-season, this is one that has been subjected to the most criticism. My guess right now is that JJ might very well end up back in the 8-hole and that Kendall might be called on to move Rickie over in the 2-hole. (Yost is reportedly even playing with the notion of having Kendall hit 9th, behind the pitcher, and serve as a type of second lead-off hitter.) Kendall's not going to put up huge offensive numbers, but he is a tough out and makes pitchers work the count, which will be a huge departure from what we had gotten used to with Estrada's perimeter-less strike zone.

9. Catcher--If Damian Miller's run is over, then it's going to be important to find a defensive catcher who can throw guys out. Opponents ran on Estrada with less fear than the Duke boys when they sped through Hazard County. If Mike Rivera or Vinnie Rotino are not the answer, than it will be important to find a veteran catcher that can handle the young staff. Is Estrada for sale? Despite two grand slams, he certainly wasn't the offensive force the Brewers were hoping for...

Hmmm. Looks like the answer once again is: Jason Kendall. Most Brewer fans hate the Kendall signing because the only person who threw out a lower percentage of base-stealers last year was none other than Mr. Johnny Estrada. That being said, Ned Yost believes that Kendall's pitchers never gave him a chance to throw guys out, and Kendall himself claims that his issues last year were based on a foot mechanics issue that he has since corrected. The Brewers have struggled to answer the catcher question for many years. Jason Kendall's success might be the determining factor to the Crew taking the final step.

8. Centerfield. There are three solid candidates to roam center next year. Hall, Hart, and Gwynn. Gross played well in spurts, but I'm still not convinced he's going to be an every day outfielder, and I think Brewers management shares this concern. Regardless, the player who ends up in center, will dictate the rest of the outfield. If Gwynn finally gets his shot, you'd certainly feel good defensively with an outfield of Hart, Gwynn and Hall (in left?). Like Estrada, Hall might be dangled to see if teams show interest, despite his down season and new contract. His versatility and ability to play SS might make him more coveted than Brewers fans might initially think.

Never in a million years would I have guessed that Mike Cameron was the answer to this question. Don't get me wrong, I like Cameron a ton and am excited to see him roam center field and take away the alleys with his blazing speed. (After, that is, he's done serving his 25 game suspension.) But I never would have thought that the Brewers would sign another power-hitting, free swinging, RIGHT HANDED hitter. Quite frankly, I fear for Prince. I'm not sure why a right handed pitcher would ever throw him strikes, based on the way that the current line-up shakes out. It will be interesting to see if Gwynn can emerge during Cameron's suspension and stake a claim on playing time.

7. The Diamond Dancers--Seriously, I like flesh, women, and the flesh of women as much as the next married guy...but some of these gals had guts that rivaled Homer Simpson. I vote we throw them up in Bernie's chalet full time and call them "Bernie's biatches." The conga line down the slide alone is worth the price of admission. Either that or perhaps we save the half naked dancing girls for the Bradley Center.

I have no indication that the Diamond Dancers will not be returning. I suppose the next step would be to turn the foul pole into a stripper pole. I really do hate to seem like a prude about this--but I'm just not ready for cheerleaders at baseball. It's not right. If drunk women want to take off their tops in the bleachers--that's a different story. But I'm telling you, if I ever take my daughter to a Brewer game and she seems even the slightest bit interested in the diamond dancers--I'm leaving, no matter what the score or the inning.

6. Capuano. Quick story--When I was a kid playing little league I had a lucky pair of underwear. I'm not really sure how they came to be my lucky pair of underwear. I think I hit a little league homer (translation: a single and then a bunch of errors that allow you to run around all the bases) while wearing them, and from that point on they were officially my lucky underwear. Funny thing though--after about three games in a row of taking the collar, I quickly decided that they were not my lucky underwear anymore. I loved them drawers, but they just didn't have any magic left. Do you see where I'm going with this? The Brewers had lost 20 straight games in which Cappy had pitched, but yet they threw him out there on the day we were eliminated. Needless to say, a change of scenery may be in order. And because he's a left-handed starter, the Brewers will get something good for him. (Maybe even a contact hitter.)

I still think there might be a pitcher moved, but all indications are that Capuano is a new man this spring. I'll be cheering for his return to 2005 form if only to give the Brewers a much needed lefty in the rotation (Unless of course, Parra makes a Villanueva like statement in camp.) Given Gallardo's injury situation, now I'd actually be more surprised if Capuano wasn't in the Brewers rotation come opening day.

5. Veteran leadership. All spring training we heard how the Brewers had a great balance of youth and veteran leadership. But it's hard to follow those veterans when they don't perform. If you looked up "clutch" in the baseball dictionary the second or third definition listed would read "not Geoff Jenkins." Counsell was simply atrocious. Even Suppan struggled until September. This is why our 23 year-old firstbaseman emerged as the team leader. It's a great story, but it also happened out of necessity. Melvin needs to take some pressure of the kids and find the right veteran leaders this offseason.

Here's the single biggest reason for the Kendall and Cameron signings. Tony Gwynn claims that Mike Cameron is the greatest clubhouse guy that the current Padres squad has ever had:

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=721566

And even if Kendall does struggle throwing runners out, he's renowned as a one of the best "pitcher handlers" in the biz.

That being said, in order to truly lead the young team, Cameron and Kendall have to out-perform Jenkins and Miller and lead not just by words...but by example.

4. Middle Relief. There was a message on my phone after the Monday night win to the Cardinals. It was my friend Darren saying that he wasn't giving up hope yet, but if the Brewers blew their chance I should look no further than Rick (and yes, he said "Rick") Weeks and Bill Hall. Now I hate to argue with Darren; he's a doctor, a real smart guy, and if I was ever being chased by the mafia I'd turn to him to help me pay off my gambling debts. Nonetheless, the real reason the Brewers blew their chance at the division was because of the 6th and 7th inning collapses that kept happening all season long. The not-so-sweet sixteen, if you will--the sixteen games in which the Brewers blew a lead of 3 runs or more. This bullpen needs to be revamped. I know the numbers say that Turnbow was on more often than he was off, but you simply can't put your pennant race hopes on a pitcher who too frequently loses the strike zone. The good news is that guys who can throw in the upper 90s are still highly regarded, so Turnbow might bring us something good in return. I'd bring back Linebrink, Shouse and King, give youngsters like Aquino and Stetter a shot, and then revamp the rest.

Doug certainly agreed with me on this one, huh? Torres, Riske, Mota were all added to the middle relief equation. I couldn't be more pleased.

3. Ben Sheets. I know, I know. The Sheets fans are going to tell me that I'm crazy to mention a possible Sheets trade. And they have a good case--after all, the Brewers were horrible when he went down. The other side of that argument, of course, is that you have to worry every time Sheets sneezes for fear that he might pull something. And with just one year left on his contract, the Brewers probably do have to make a move so they don't lose Sheets and get nothing but a draft pick in return. Raise your hand if you thought the Brewers overpaid Suppan. Well, you can bet Sheets' next contract will be much closer to Bary Zito money than it will be to Jeff Suppan money. Since it would be bad PR to trade him at the deadline next year (assuming the Brewers will be in the midst of another run), it might make sense to deal him when there's snow on the ground. At this point, I'm not really sure what will happen. But the only three pitchers I'm willing to bet on as members of the rotation come April are named Suppan, Gallardo and Villanueva.

How can you not expect big numbers from Sheets in a contract year? How can the Brewers pay him market value after one healthy season? Stay tuned because this topic is bound to dominate the airwaves at the trade deadline in July...

2. Francisco Cordero. Once they pay Jenkins his $500,000 buyout, the Brewers will have an extra $6.5 mil to play with. I say you put as much of that towards Ko-Ko as necessary and sign him quicker than you can yell, "click, click, boom!"

I know I put this as my second highest priority, but I had no idea that the Reds would throw that kind of money at Co-Co. I'm not really sure what to expect from Gagne, given his struggles with the Red Sox. But a one year deal was the perfect way for the Brewers to go--assuring that Gagne will be pitching for his next contract. Even if Gagne blows up, I was extremely excited about the Riske signing and think he could still emerge as the Brewers closer in time...

1. Retro Fridays. Anyone who read the article on my encounters with many of the '82 Brewers knows that they will forever have a special place in my heart. But just like the Packers had to let go of the Lombardi era, it's time for the Brewers to let 1982 go. There's a new legacy about to be written with names like Fielder, Braun and Gallardo. Leave the retro wear for the fans. Let's start turning our focus to the future....

There are no 1982 player bobbleheads on this year's promotional schedule, and I even tried to stay true to my own mantra of looking forward rather than behind this weekend. I had been given a gift certificate for Borders and was on my way out of the store with the Harvey Wallbangers DVD, when I suddenly realized that I was breaking my own rule. So instead, I put the DVD back on the shelf and left the store with American Gangster. The '82 Brewers are a part of history; but I'm more interested in watching the 2008 Brewers make a history of their own...

Finally, I need to ask you to forgive me for breaking out of my usually carefree and rather sarcastic writing style for just a moment...

On Saturday night I received the tragic news about the death of a Milwaukee actor named Keith. I had the very distinct pleasure of acting alongside Keith in Windfall's production of A LIE OF THE MIND--almost exactly a year ago to the date--and I can't begin to explain what an honor it was to share the stage with such a talent. Every so often you get to work alongside someone who provides so much life to a scene that you can't help but be a better actor because of it. I will forever remember that second scene of Act 1 as one of my greatest performances, and there is no doubt that it is mainly due to Keith's dedication and commitment to the art of theatre. What's more, Keith was also an avid Brewers fan, (And needless to say, I don't find many Brewers fans in the theatre world.) and he wasn't acting when it came to his love of the game or of the Crew. I remember wearing my batting practice jersey to rehearsal and Keith asking where I landed the sweet Lou Palmisano jersey. That told me just what kind of a fan he was. Numerous people, including other very avid Brewers fans, have had no idea who Palmisano was when I've donned the jersey in the past. They don't even know how to pronounce his name. Keith knew who he was, who the Brewers hoped he would be, and what he was currently hitting at Double A...

Needless to say, we bonded almost immediately.

Wherever you are now, Keith, I can only hope that the Brewers are eternally in first place and that you are sharing the stage with a much better actor than me. God bless, and play ball.

Please Stand By

2008-02-19T15:17:00.003-06:00

I've been meaning to write an article on the state of the Milwaukee Bucks for the past three days. Actually, meaning to doesn't really even explain it. I've spent well over two hours desperately trying to articulate my thoughts on what ills this franchise. Unfortunately, I continue to fail miserably and everything I write is, quite frankly, crap. What makes it so infuriating is that I believe this Bucks team has talent, yet I don't see them recovering from their misery anytime soon. I hate the collective roster of the team, but I love many of the individual pieces. Trying to figure out why they can't click as a unit is more frustrating than trying to figure out why Ryan Grant only got 13 carries during the NFC Championship game (on a sub zero day at Lambeau when the wind was howling, mind you). And although I applaud Coach K's attempt to focus on the defensive side of the ball--there's certainly no excuse for this team continuing to struggle to find its offensive rythmn.

So with the trade deadline approaching on Thursday, I've decided to just wait. I know nothing is going to be done to clean up this disaster of a roster and solidify this disaster of a lockerroom. I know that Michael Redd isn't getting traded for Andre Kirilenko and that when the deadline has passed, we'll still be stuck with two of the worst contracts in the NBA--Gadzuric's and Simmons. I'm sure Larry Harris would love to try to make a move to ignite some enthusiasm for the team, but I also know that the Senator is NOT going to let him. But I'll save my rant until after the deadline has passed when we can see for ourselves the direction the club takes.

Maybe by then I'll have this team figured out...

In the meantime, I'll leave you with my favorite line from the season finale of Gladiators:

"On one side there's heaven, on the other side there's Hellll-ga!"

I guess that summarizes it best. The Bucks may very well be stuck in Hellga.

Rambling Rose, Part 5

2008-02-10T19:57:00.000-06:00

I received a few emails this week that were along the lines of, "glad to see you're blogging again--I'm curious what your thoughts on the Super Bowl will be." But there's one itsy bitsy problem: I'm in complete denial that a Super Bowl was ever played.

What was monumental about this past week, however, is the fact that my site counter is claiming that I've now had 2,000 hits on The Midseason Forum. Granted, I'm sure the counter is adding up each time I log on as well, but even so--that means that my seven readers have each logged on upwards of 250 times each. Words can not express my gratitude, my dear magnificent seven. When we hit 3,000 I'll auction off my Antone Williamson rookie card...But for now, in order to show my gratitude, I'll do what I do best...ramble...

My friend Brent is an absolute NBA fantatic. Seriously, if there was ever a guy that should appear in one of those "The NBA...It's fantastic" type commercials it would definitely be Brent. (For some reason I picture him dressed in a Michael Redd jersey, some 1980s style, too-tight shorts and a red Bucks headband. Not really sure why. But if you're going to be in my daydream of an NBA commercial, then you have to be prepared to dress appropriately.) He is also extremely savvy when it comes to the NBA salary cap and financial particulars. I've never met anyone who is as well versed on the whole luxury tax, mid-level exemption, balancing out of contracts gobbly-gook that is involved with NBA wheelings and dealings. For that reason, I respect the hell out of his opinion. And that's why I realize I'm treading dangerous ground when I disagree with him on anything NBA related. But I'm afraid I do disagree with him on the Shaq trade.

You see, just like almost every other NBA analyst I've heard on tv or read online (such as Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski's 2 articles below:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=Ar2xff2fMRxXjdtdSGQn4qu8vLYF?slug=aw-shaqnoguarantee020708&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AjJHwpwHuvFYPIFB9UOBD8TTjdIF?slug=aw-shaqtrade020608&prov=yhoo&type=lgns)

Brent too believes that the Shaq trade was a horrible move for the Suns. He believes that they not only failed miserably in getting any quality for Marion--especially when you consider that they could have had Garnett earlier this summer--but that they'll also be strapped down with Shaq's contract longer than they would have been stuck with Marion's. And of course, like so many others analysts who are cynical of this trade, I think it's safe to say that Brent believes Shaq retired two years ago.

(I can also say that Mo Williams of the Bucks also shares this opinion. This week I planned a school visit with Mo, and we decided to turn the tables on him and do our own version of the Mo Show. When he was asked, "Shaq of the Heat or Shaq of the Suns," Mo's response was, "Shaq with the Heat, 'cause I'm not sure how that whole thing in Phoenix is going to turn out." So even Mo would disagree with me on this and side with Brent...nonetheless...)

Now, I do understand the skeptiscism. I do. I don't believe, however, that the Wolves wanted Garnett in the Western Conference, which is why I believe THEY were the ones to back away from the Suns deal and accept a much weaker Celtics offer (not vice versa). The other thing is...I don't believe Shaq is totally washed up.

Now, please don't misunderstand me, I'm not foolish enough to believe that Shaq can bring it--Diesel-style--as he did four or five years ago. But there are reasons that I do like this trade--namely, because in the post-season you must be able to succeed in the half court. The Suns have been a perennial great regular season team, that falters in the post-season when refs tend to swallow their whistles and the game slows way, way down. Shaq can be the answer to that, to date, unsolved Suns' problem.

Again, I know Shaq can't play like he once did. And I know that he's been badly banged up. But answer me this--when Shaq is healthy even in his limited aging state, what players can defend him in the post one-on-one? As banged up as the Diesel is, you can count on your hand the number of players that could seriously disrupt him in the post. So let's say you're the Spurs and you're going to put Duncan on him. So who guards Amare? Oberto? Elson? Game on. I like my chances. And if the Spurs decide to put Duncan on Amare? Game on. I like my chances. You see, I don't believe that the Suns would ever get out of the Western conference with Marion at the 4. Not in these play-offs. No way. No how.

And I know--now comes the statement that I've heard thousands of times since the Shaq to Phoenix rumors started--everyone believes that Shaq will slow down the Suns offense. I can't remember ever hearing the phrase "square peg in a round hole" so many times in one week. But I really think it's over blown. Will Shaq slow down the offense? Sure, probably. But not nearly as much as San Antonio managed to slow down the Suns offense last post-season. And it's not like the Suns fast break consisted of five-on-four or five-on-three. No. Most fast breaks are three-on-two and two-on-one. And it requires somebody who can rebound (of which Shaq does quite well) and then pass (yep, Shaq does that very well for a big guy too) to an outlet. I guarantee that Sportscenter highlights are going to be filled with half court outlets from Shaq to Nash with Nash making the perfect decision on assisting a Barbosa, Hill or Bell dunk.

I think the big problem is that most of us in Milwaukee have been permanently scarred by the way that Anthony Mason slowed down the Bucks offense by pounding the ball into submission with 974 dribbles (while rubbing his ass end up against the defender as if his name was Macy and the defender just paid $25 for the lap dance of his life) and then settling for a low percentage fall away shot as the shot clock expires. These nightmares still haunt me too, so I understand this concern. But that's not Shaq. And for those who say he was already complaining about touches in Miami I say--of course he was. When you're losing by twenty points night in and night out and you feel like you could be a difference maker, you would complain about touches. But I don't believe that will be the case when the Suns are winning night in and night out. Winning cures a lot of ills. And I believe the Suns are built to win.

Now, I'm not proclaiming the Suns the Western Conference Champs. Shaq's health is certainly a big gamble that Ainge rolled the dice on (perhaps even more of a gamble is them banking on Grant Hill's health, now that Marion is no longer an option at the three). But I think it's a gamble worth taking. And I think the suns chances of rising in the West have infinitely improved...

Kudos to FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS for their recent storyline in which Smash lost his scholarship to TMU. I thought it was some pretty damn fine writing as we see how kids can get blackballed after getting stamped with the reputation of having "character issues." I know most people don't encourage high schoolers to punch kids in the face, but admit it--you'd do the same thing if someone was talking junk to your sister. The storyline is actually similiar to what Randy Moss went through in high school. According to Moss the kid that he kicked the snot out of (which subsequently cost him his scholarship to Notre Dame) had etched some racial slurs into his desk. Now the last person I plan to defend in my blog is Randy Moss, but I do think too often the media portrays these kids as thugs without providing all of the details. Anyhow, if you have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about because you've never watched Friday Night Lights, all I can say is--Shame. On. You.

I can't mention television on NBC without rejoicing in the return of AMERICAN GLADIATORS. Has there ever been a more entertaining hour of television? The writing is lame and contrived, the trash talk is poorly rehearsed, you'd have a better chance understanding Charlie Brown's teacher than you would Hulk Hogan...and yet I love every minute of it. I think Monday's semi-final features the soccer mom who bounces around like a cheerleader but somehow manages to win just about every challenge they throw at her. She's my favorite contender, solely by virtue that she doesn't take the compettion as seriously as the others. As far as the Gladiators themselves go--how about a big round of applause for Hellga? That is one big woman. She's not really muscular or buff, but her voice alone intimidates the hell out of me. My wife enjoys laughing at Wolf and all the zany things he says. She especially likes when he gets behind the contender and sniffs him. Personally, every time Wolf speaks I feel very uncomfortable for him, myself and any child who is watching the show. Sonia also accuses me of having a crush on Crush. And I admit, she is my favorite. And I guess she's the cutest of the women gladiators. But that's sorta like saying Smurfette is the cutest Smurf, isn't it? There's not a whole lot of competition in Gladiatorland, and I'm just guessing that a few of those lady gladiators might very well be smurfing each other....

Ok, I'll admit it. I did watch the game last Sunday. It hurt me to do it, but I watched. I thought it would be unAmerican if I didn't. And I thought the David Tyree catch was absolutely incredible--largely because Tyree is far from being a household name. As a matter of fact, in our twelve team postseason fantasy league--no one drafted Tyree. That's what makes the play all the more special. It's kind of like when Mark Brouhard and Marshall Edwards chipped in on the Brewers '82 teams. Once something like that happened, you just knew the Giants were going to win. And as much as it kills me as a Packers fan to admit it--the Giants won the NFC Championship because they were only the team that could have beat the Patriots. As much as I love Kampman and the boys, there's no way the Packers front four puts that kind of pressure on Brady. How the Giants D-line didn't win a collective MVP award is beyond me. Ah well, at least I can hope that McCarthy did some serious recruiting of free agents at the Pro Bowl...

In the midst of Packers and Bucks depression, there's only one thought that can save me--pitchers and catchers report this coming weekend.

Batter Up.

The Proposition of Trades

2008-02-03T13:50:00.000-06:00

I love trades.

I love them. I love the rumors before they happen, and I love the discussions and debates after they occur. In fantasy sports, I have a rule that says you aren't playing if you haven't made at least one trade. And I've made some pretty damn good trades over the years. But, of course, I've made some pretty damn horrible ones too. That's the gamble that makes trading so much fun. Because sometimes guys like Brian Westbrook emerge as "go-to" fantasy backs, and sometimes guys like Javon Walker go right to the IR the moment you acquire them. (In case there is any confusion, the latter of the two is the example of the horrible trade.)

It's actually amazing to me how excited we sports fans get whenever the trade deadlines in Major League Baseball and the NBA draw near. Just like Christmas, we all get reverted back to children as we dream about the presents that St. Melvin and St. Harris are sure to deliver us. Too often, however, we discover that we must not have been very good boys and girls this year--because instead of getting Scott Kazmir we get Scott Linebrink and instead of getting some help for Michael Redd we get a second round draft pick for Mike James. Nonetheless, like a cornerback who's trained to forget the last play, our minds are perfectly clear the next time a trade deadline rolls around, and we set ourselves up for disappointment all over again.

But trades are such an intregal part of a team's building, that we can't help but rely on them and treat them like Linus treats his security blanket. Even in the NFL, where trades are much more rare, Packer fans couldn't fathom life in Wisconsin without the trades for Favre, Ahman Green and more recently, Ryan Grant...

(...Ok, there it is. I thought I was over the whole Packer loss, but apparently I'm not. Just by typing Ryan Grant's name, I seem to have awaken an evil voice within me, which screams:

"13 carries!!! Thirteen f---in' carries is all you're giving the kid! That's f---in pathetic. The guy carried you last week against the Seahwaks and you give up on him after thirteen freakin carries!"

If this voice doesn't go away by April's draft, I'll certainly seek counseling. All the more reason for me to blog about college basketball and not football--eventhough I've heard talk that there is some kind of big game today...not really sure what the fuss is all about...)

Unfortunately, there are no trades in college basketball. About a week ago, I got an email from my friend Jon, stating that despite how well both teams are playing, it just feels like something is missing from both the Badgers and Warriors (not a typo) this year. I wanted to argue with him. After all, both are top 20 teams and both have had impressive wins (Marquette's being at the Kohl Center,Wisconsin's at Texas) this year which prove they can match-up against quality teams in tough environments. But there is indeed something missing from each roster that makes me worry about their tourney chances. And I do wish they could work out a trade, because I believe each team has what the other needs.

Or perhaps it's not a trade we need as much as we need to go back in time. Three years ago, there were two high schoolers that were head and shoulders above the rest of the seniors in Wisconsin. One was Marcus Landry, the kid out of Milwaukee St. Vincent. His girlfriend at the time (now his wife, I believe), went on to play basketball at Marquette. Marcus decided to go to Madison to play for Wisconsin. The other was Wesley Matthews, a kid from Madison with a family history with the Badgers--his father starred at Wisconsin before moving on to an impressive NBA career. So Wesley, of course, chose to play at Marquette.

Let me start by stating that I really enjoy watching both of these kids play ball at their respective schools. But I think both are currently being held back a bit in the systems that they play in, or because of the personnel around them. And there's just a part of me that can't help but wonder what would have happened if they had "swapped" their choices as seniors in high school.

I believe Marquette would have definitely gotten the better end of this "trade." The Warriors (again, not a typo) desperately need a more consistent presence in the post (with all due respect to Barro, who played a whale of a game yesterday in Cincy). Although Landry's only 6'7", he plays much bigger, and he would be the offensive post threat that could loosen things up on the perimter for James, McNeal, Cubillan, and Acker. Barro could still start at the 5, and Fitzgerald could back-up both Hayward and Landry at the 3 and 4. Landry sometimes gets a little lost behind Butch in Madison, and he'd undoubtedly be the first option at Marquette. With all due respect to Matthews, I think the addition of Landry would escalate Marquette to the Georgetown-like class of the Big East.

Now, the Badgers would certainly miss Landry's presence. But the one thing I worry about with Wisconsin this postseason is the tendency to fall under long stretches where the offense flat out stalls. At 6-5, Matthews seems perfect for the swing offense because he could post up smaller two guards and has enough of a shot to provide another threat from the perimeter. I'm a huge Michael Flowers fan, but--despite his clutch shot in the Texas game--he doesn't quite have Matthews offensive game. Matthews would also give the Badgers a slasher who can create his own shot--a talent that Wesley doesn't get to currently unveil as frequently at Marquette because they essentially have four point guards and they're the ones doing the majority of slashing and kicking. Granted, the Badgers have Travon, but Matthews athleticism would be a welcome addition in Madison. Landry's absence would also mean more opportunities for Stiemsma and Leuer, who impressed me a ton during the non-conference schedule. And it would allow even more time for Krabbenhoft, who can play three or four positions.

(By the way, as much as I love the way this Krabbenhoft kid plays, I can't help wonder if fans throughout the Big Ten are starting to hate him as much as I hated hearing about the tremendous effort of Brian Cardinal during his ten years at Purdue. What? Cardinal didn't play ten years at Purdue? Sure seemed like it.)

I realize all of the above is simply pointless speculation. But it's what makes trade talk so fun. Perhaps Dominic James will make the mistake of leaving early next year, and then Wesley is bound to get more touches in the offense. Certianly, Landry is bound to be a focal point of the Badger offense next year when Butch is gone. And since a time machine is yet to have been built, I guess I'll just cheer for both teams to make their runs this March, regardless of the flaws that might get exposed.

And besides that, the NBA trade deadline is only a few weeks away., and I've heard a rumor that the Bucks might get Tracy McGrady...

How to Cope When the Yards Come Up Short

2008-01-27T21:48:00.000-06:00

Here I am again, needing to apologize for an extended absence. This time I can't blame my lack of blogging on my daughter. I can't blame it on my new position at work. And I can't even blame it on the women of The View.

(I must say, perhaps the only negative outcome to having our first child is the fact that my wife started watching The View while she was on maternity leave. What's worse, she now DVRs it and watches it in the evening. I try to remind myself that she did indeed graciously sit through numerous football games that I was only interested in because my fantasy team's tight end or third wide receiver was playing...but still. There's only so much a man can take. I think I've figured out why I'm having those reoccurring nightmares about drowning in a vat of estrogen. Needless to say, my next child really, really needs to be a boy.)

No. The fact is--I was afraid. I was afraid to blog about the Packers. That's as honest and simple as I can put it. I was 100% determined that the moment I started to type about the emergence of Greg Jennings or how Donald Driver is the most underrated wide receiver in the league or why Donald Lee might be the most important ingredient for the offense, the wheels would fall off the Packer caravan. And the truth is, I'd never forgive myself.

I realize my superstition probably seems silly. But you're talking about the guy who begged Ted Thompson to sign Larry Johnson, only to watch LJ pull up lame and ruin my fantasy football season in our No Sallies League. Your talking about the guy who sang the praises of Yi Jianlian only to watch him throw up a 1-for-6 shooting, 2 rebound performance the day after the blog was posted. Forgive me for wanting to have kept my mouth closed about the Packers chances. Actually, now that I think about it--you should probably be thanking me.

During my absence, it was nice to get emails from three of my readers, asking when my next blog post would be on the way. (I do wonder where my other four readers where during this time...but I'm just insecure like that.) This weekend, I received an email from a high school friend, Brian, who asked if I had moved the blog to a new site. Brian is in New York, and if my blog gives him just the smallest taste of what the sports scene is like back in Wisconsin--then dammit; I owe it to him. I owe it to all seven of my readers. So I'm promising to post something every weekend moving forward. I'm just not promising how long that promise will last.

But it's not like I can jinx the Packers anymore this season. This afternoon, my mother was in town for Darian's baptism, and she asked me if I was over the loss to the Giants yet. I answered as honestly as I could: I'm not even close. It looks as though I'm going to have to pass through all of the stages of grieving. I was in denial the night after the game, anger Monday through Wednesday, and I'm still hanging out in the bargaining phase as we speak--"Come on Brett, give us one more year."

As much as I've tried to tell myself that back in August I would have been thrilled to be cheering during the NFC Championship game, I can find no solace in that accomplishment. This weekend, one of the cable networks was showing the movie, The Whole Nine Yards, and I've decided that this movie is the perfect metaphor to represent the Packers 2007-'08 season. You see, I like The Whole Nine Yards, I think it's a pretty well written movie. Matthew Perry pretty much plays Chandler Bing in it, but Bruce Willis is quite funny. And the two make a pretty good team, comically speaking. The script has some fun reversals; Michael Clarke Duncan makes me laugh; and Amanda Peete is, as they say, easy on the eyes. But then you get to the end of the movie and have to hear what may be the worst line to ever have been crafted in the history of Hollywood. As Matthew Perry is finally getting a chance to propose to Natasha Henstridge, she asks him if he really wants to marry him, to which he replies something along the lines of "No. I don't just want to marry you. I want to marry you more than any man has ever wanted to marry a woman in the history of the world." Okay, that's probably not the exact quote. But it really is something like that. And the first time I heard the line, it nearly ruined the whole movie for me. I started wishing that Jimmy the Tulip had just shot Oz on the boat. That would have been a more satisfying ending than that corny ass line.

And that's how I feel about the Giants game. That one painfully depressing lame-ass Sunday almost negates all the fun I had this season watching the Pack from September to January. That one loss almost erases the memory of an otherwise spectacular and almost surreal season. Just like one bad line from Matthew Perry practically killed my enjoyment for an entire movie...

But I did watch parts of the The Whole Nine Yards when it was on this weekend. I just tried to avoid that one dreaded line. And I suppose, when I go back and watch the highlights of the Packers' season, there will still be moments I'd like to see. Let's take a look at my favorite moments in the movie and see how they compare to Packer highlights...

1. The Return of Natasha Henstridge to the big screen. Admit it, if you were a guy living in the '90s you enjoyed Species. And it had nothing to do with the plot. No, it had much more to do with the sexy naked alien who was walking around naked looking only to mate with and kill numerous men while she was stark raving naked. On top of that...she was naked. You figured there would be worse ways to die. And you frequently pressed rewind on the VCR.

PACKER EQUIVALENT: The return of Brett Favre. Not sure who the old guy posing as Favre the past two years was, but it sure was nice to see the real Brett back again. He walked around with a killer confidence, he made sexy plays, and he reminded us all why he's Wisconsin's all-time great sports icon.

2. Seeing the softer side of Michael Clarke Duncan.

PACKER EQUIVALENT:Seeing the funny side of Mark Tauscher. He may look a bit like a drunken redneck, but the kid from Auburndale is articulate, insightful and downright funny. Whether he was on the Fox 6 Blitz, Steve the Homer True's "Tuesdays with Tauscher" or introducing Brett Favre on MNF as Vinnie Testaverde's dad, the man kept us entertained. The Packers haven't had that kind of locker room character since LeRoy Butler hung'em up.

3. Amanda Peete's topless scene in the window.

PACKER EQUIVALENT: Favre to Jennings in OT on Monday Night Football. It was hands down the sexiest play of the entire NFL season, certainly the most memorable, and something you could watch again and again.

4. Willis throws Perry a beer. It's a small moment near the end of the movie, not too long before the fateful line that ruins it all. After Jimmy the Tulip shoots Frankie Figs, he tosses Oz a beer. Oz, in shock over Frankie getting killed just lets the beer pass by and it lands harmlessly in the water. It's a subtle moment, but it makes me smile every time I see it.
PACKER EQUIVALENT: Favre throws snowball.

Not long before the disgusting conclusion to the season, Favre is playful in the snow. All is well. And it makes me smile.

So there you have it. There are great memories to take away from the season. That one game doesn't have to ruin it all for you. Just don't ask me to watch the Super Bowl.

Because truth be told, I never watched THE WHOLE TEN YARDS either. For some things you just can't forgive...

And then I saw Yi Play--Now I'm a Believer!!!

2007-11-07T17:49:00.000-06:00

Forgive me for my extended absence.

A part of my blogging deficiency can certainly be traced to the arrival of my beautiful daughter, Darian. Another part can simply be blamed on the fact that I hate admitting when I am wrong.

But it happens. Even the wisest of sports fans, the savviest of fantasy sports players, and the cagiest of armchair quarterbacks are wrong at times. And never let it be said that I’m not man enough to admit when I’ve erred. I was wrong about John Jaha becoming a perennial all-star. I was wrong about Ron Dayne becoming the next Jerome Bettis. I was wrong about the greatness of Cop Rock. And I was wrong about Yi.

So there. I’ve said it. But I do want to remind my seven readers that I never questioned Yi’s talent. What I questioned was Yi’s desire to play for the Milwaukee Bucks. And I questioned Harris’ continual arrogance in thinking that he could call Yi’s agent’s bluff. But he was right. And now that I’ve seen Yi play, I understand why the gamble was more than worth taking.

Now, we need to be very clear about this—Yi is probably not going to win Rookie of the Year, or put up dominating stat lines that get him noticed nationally (meaning within the U.S.) right away. He’s raw, and he still looks lost on the court at times. But there’s something about the kid that forces you to keep your eyes on him whenever he steps away from the scorer’s table...

So last night, as the Bucks were throttling the Raptors, I lied on the couch with my wonderfully fussy daughter on my chest…

(By the way, I don’t want to get overly sentimental because this is a sports blog after all, but I can’t begin to describe how great a feeling it is to have your own child cradled next to you. Those of you that are fathers already know exactly what I mean. Even as I type this I’m trying to think of something to compare it to, and I keep coming up short. Like the adrenaline of a big sports win or the high of a first kiss, it’s something that has a special feeling all to itself. So for those of you who are not fathers, I strongly recommend you go and knock somebody up. Immediately.

I also want to stress that I’ve decided that I’m never using the phrase “sleep like a baby” EVER again. Just not going to do it. I’ve only recently realized that it’s a phrase I’ve overused in the past. And on top of that--I was using it incorrectly. Because you know, I’d go out and play some basketball or some serious racquetball and as the last ounce of fluid would drip out of my body in a sweat saltier than the Pacific, I’d let out a sigh and say, “man, I’m gonna sleep like a baby tonight.” But I can assure you that I was not intending to imply that I would be sleeping only in two and a half hour intervals as I demanded something to eat and as I filled my shorts with a mustard poop that would make the fine people at French’s worry that they might be forced out of business. Nope. I didn’t mean that at all. So I’m not using the phrase ever again. I just thought you should know this.)

…and enjoyed the play of Yi Jianlian. As I discussed with my cable-lacking pal Brent (who is forced to either listen to the Bucks on the radio or watch as it’s updated on his computer), the thing about watching Yi play is that he is somehow able to show that he is playing hard and hustling with maximum effort, but at the same time manages to look graceful and effortless. Offensively, his footwork is well polished for a young (albeit, of an indeterminate age) player and even though he hasn’t truly found his shot yet, his form is a thing of beauty. It’s like watching a pure two-guard playing in a seven footer’s body. As Yi releases his shot, it’s like someone took Mark Price’s body and stretched him out to seven feet tall.

But even more impressive, is the way he hustles on the defensive end. Contrary to my draft day concerns, Yi’s not at all stiff or awkward. He really can defend more than just a chair. He has let a few guys blow by him on occasion, but he has also displayed much more physicality in the paint than I had expected, along with a much needed ability to alter shots. And he runs out and gets a hand in the face of shooters with a hustle that one can only hope is adopted by the entire team--a hustle that has been lacking in Milwaukee on the defensive side of the ball since Sidney Moncrief officially called it quits.

And, of course, on top of all of these intangibles, is that little extra element Yi adds in the way of revenue. When you consider that 100 million people in China tuned in for the Bucks/Bulls game you really start to grasp the economic impact that Yi could mean for the Bucks. There’s going to be a lot of Yi Jerseys sold in China. So many, in fact, that the fine people of China might deserve the naming rights of any future arena that may come Milwaukee’s way.

So yes, I now understand why Senator Kohl and Larry Harris wouldn’t back down. And I’m going to be patient as I enjoy Yi’s development. Because now I believe that this kid is destined for greatness…

That's right. I saw Yi play. And I'm a believer...

And there’s not a trace. Of doubt in my mind…

Do as Isiah, Not as Isiah Do...?

2007-10-08T22:59:00.000-05:00

The ultrasound says my wife is going to have a girl.

This is a good thing...because I'm torn.

You see, ever since the time I was a sophomore in high school, my first son was always going to be named Isiah. It was simply a given--Isiah Thomas Rosenthal. Or maybe Isiah David Rosenthal (named after my father, not the cold hearted son-of-a-gun who stole my No Sallies fantasy championship on Christmas Eve last year). I would even share this information with girls on first dates. (In retrospect, I'm now getting a sense as to why I wasn't more lucky with the ladies as an adolescent...) No ifs, and, or buts about it...My son was going to be "Isiah."

The problem is:now there's a "but."

You see, I'm a pretty simple sports fanatic, and I live by a couple of the simple rules of the sports fan. One is you never go and get a beer for a friend if he just referred to you as "beer bitch." (Unless of course you just lost a game and are therefore the official "beer bitch", in which case grabbing the beer is now mandatory.) Another is you never leave a ball game early, unless the starters have been removed. (Because if the coach has given up, any hope for that miraculous comeback has been shattered.) You never answer the phone during a Packer game. You never celebrate getting a foul ball if you picked it up off the ground. You never pee in the urinal right next to a guy, if there's an open urinal two or more spaces away.

(By the way, this last rule is an extremely important one in my book. I was traumatized in the eighth grade while peeing in the Middle school bathroom when our friend Metke stood two feet behind me and peed between my legs into my chosen urinal. As I hollered, "What the F are you doing?" he only laughed and said, "Stay still. We don't want to cross the streams." I felt like Batman in the old tv series, praying that the laser beam would not come close to me and slice at the inner side of my pants leg. "Will this be the end of our hero? Tune in tomorrow. Same bat time, same bat channel..." Miraculously, my jeans somehow remained dry, but to this day I break into a sweat any time the lines at Lambeau's urinals are four or five deep behind me. Because even though we're both in our mid-30s now, I have no doubt that if I met up with Metke in some arena's bathroom, he'd do the exact same thing today...)

And you never name your son after a man found guilty of sexual harassment.

As a kid, I had developed a knack at looking past Isiah's indiscretions. When he was accused of trying to orchestrate a freeze out of Michael Jordan at the all-star game, I chalked it up as a veteran trying to teach a young up-and-comer an important lesson. When he fell under fire for saying that Larry Bird would be just another ball player if he was black, I was quick to point out that Rodman had actually made that statement first, not Isiah. (He just agreed with it.)

And regardless of what was going on with Isiah Thomas the person at that time, all of it was forgotten whenever I was able to sit back and enjoy Isiah Thomas the ball player. Now, you can argue with me all you want, but nobody is going to ever convince me that there was a better player of his height than Zeke. What has always impressed me most about Isiah was his willingness to sacrifice his personal success for the success of the team. Many players will claim they are willing to do whatever it takes to win a championship. Few actually follow through. Isiah Thomas is one of the few exceptions.

Isiah could have been Allen Iverson before Allen Iverson was Allen Iverson. I have no doubt in my mind about this. As a matter of fact, I think he could have been an even more prolific scorer than Iverson because he was a better shooter, and could blow by any point guard who tried to defend him. (As a matter of fact, I remember my friends used to tease me that Isiah was only shooting 45% from the floor. It seems crazy now, considering how many times Iverson has failed to even hit 40%.) But Isiah knew (largely because Daley convinced him it was so) that in order to win championships he'd have to focus on making his teammates better. And he did just that. Oh, he'd still score. But he'd pick his spots and only start shooting daggers when the game was on the line. This is similar to the approach Jason Kidd takes today. Except, as great as Kidd is, he's nowhere close to Isiah on the all-time list of greats, largely because Kidd has nowhere near the same kind of scoring tools that Zeke had. As a matter of fact, I rank Isiah as the 9th greatest player of my lifetime, behind

1. Jordan

2. Magic

3. Bird

4. Olajuwon

5. Shaq (Lean, dominating Shaq of the early '90s)

6. Dr. J

7. Duncan

8. Barkley

9. Isiah

D-Wade and Lebron certainly have the potential to join this list and knock Isiah out of the top 10, but they're not there yet. I'd listen to anyone make a case for Kobe too, but since he wasn't smart enough to recognize how sweet he had it and orchestrated the trade that sent Shaq packing, I refuse to put him ahead of the guy that made the likes of Vinnie Johnson, Rick Mahorn, John Salley and Dennis Rodman become three times the players that they really were anytime he stepped on the floor.

Anyhow, I could defend Isiah the player for days...

I'm not so sure, however, I could do the same for Isiah the person. Running the CBA straight to bankruptcy and running the Knicks to quickly becoming the embarrassment of the league was tough enough to defend.

But there's no defending his use of the word "bitch" towards a woman, especially in a professional setting. And even more so, there's no defending someone who shows no remorse for doing it. I'm puzzled about Isiah's opinion that it's okay for him to call an African American woman a "bitch" because he's black. And I'm wondering if there's anyway I can blame it on Dennis Rodman.

But as for my son, whenever he might be born, I don't know if the name Isiah makes sense anymore. And unfortunately, my wife despises the names "Brett" and "Robin."

I suppose I could name him after one of my high school friends, Eric or Darren. But they don't really set the greatest example either...

...especially when you consider how often they tried to make me their beer bitch.

Not Quite Ready to Move On...

2007-10-02T20:38:00.000-05:00

I shat my pants for the Cubs Friday night.

No. I'm just kidding. I didn't do that.

But you know what else I didn't do?

When one of the many drunken Cubs fans that had infiltrated Miller Park on Friday night came up to me saying that he was sick and tired of getting hit and that he wasn't going to be responsible if he "got into it" with someone, I certainly didn't bother calling anyone for assistance. I didn't even get out of my chair to see who was bothering him. This was the same Cubs fan, mind you, that I had witnessed earlier in the night screaming "Tough luck, buddy; it ends tonight" in the face of a nine year old wearing a Prince Fielder jersey. So you can see why I was slow to react. I made an executive decision that he had probably antagonized these Brewers fans and provoked them to throw things at him. And I figured if I wasn't working the game, I would have probably thrown things at him too...and, you know...I don't want to be a hypocrite.

Ah well. I'm optimistic that I'll get over the disappointment of the Brewers collapse by the time my daughter is old enough to register for tee ball. Given my wife's due date is still three weeks away, it looks like I've got four and half good years to put the frustration behind me. And thankfully, Willie Randolph did everything in his power to lead a collapse that has all but erased the Brewers downfall from the nation's collective memory.

Anyhow, I suppose it's time to move on to Packer season, and I've certainly ignored the stellar play of the Badgers (and my future fantasy football tight end Travis Beckum).
But before I can completely let go of the season that was, I feel it's important to look ahead. Disappointment or no disappointment--the one thing the '07 Brewers gave me is a ton of optimism for '08. Today, the Journal Sentinel took the time to look at the top ten things that went wrong this year. That seemed a bit idiotic to me--anyone who watched the games can tell you what went wrong.
No. What I want to do is look ahead. So, my dear seven readers, here are the top 10 questions the Brewers will face in the coming off season:

10. Contact hitter. It's not a question of do they need one; they do. The question is: who will it be? It's fun watching the Brewers hit the ball out of the yard as effortlessly as we used to hit the tennis ball out of the old middle school playground. But it's not fun watching guys constantly strike out with runners at second and third. Quite frankly, that's as "not fun" as it gets for me as a baseball fan. But it doesn't take an avid baseball fan to understand that more home runs equals more strikeouts. I'm not talking about needing a Tony Gwynn senior, but a Jeff Cirillo or Mark Loretta type (while in their prime) is the piece of the puzzle that this lineup is sorely missing. Maybe J.J. can be that type of hitter in time, but this year he failed to drop a bunt or move a runner far too many times.
And, of course, maybe Tony Jr. will finally get his shot...

9. Catcher--If Damian Miller's run is over, then it's going to be important to find a defensive catcher who can throw guys out. Opponents ran on Estrada with less fear than the Duke boys when they sped through Hazard County. If Mike Rivera or Vinnie Rotino are not the answer, than it will be important to find a veteran catcher that can handle the young staff. Is Estrada for sale? Despite two grand slams, he certainly wasn't the offensive force the Brewers were hoping for...

8. Centerfield. There are three solid candidates to roam center next year. Hall, Hart, and Gwynn. Gross played well in spurts, but I'm still not convinced he's going to be an every day outfielder, and I think Brewers management shares this concern. Regardless, the player who ends up in center, will dictate the rest of the outfield. If Gwynn finally gets his shot, you'd certainly feel good defensively with an outfield of Hart, Gwynn and Hall (in left?). Like Estrada, Hall might be dangled to see if teams show interest, despite his down season and new contract. His versatility and ability to play SS might make him more coveted than Brewers fans might initially think.

7. The Diamond Dancers--Seriously, I like flesh, women, and the flesh of women as much as the next married guy...but some of these gals had guts that rivaled Homer Simpson. I vote we throw them up in Bernie's chalet full time and call them "Bernie's biatches." The conga line down the slide alone is worth the price of admission. Either that or perhaps we save the half naked dancing girls for the Bradley Center.

6. Capuano. Quick story--When I was a kid playing little league I had a lucky pair of underwear. I'm not really sure how they came to be my lucky pair of underwear. I think I hit a little league homer (translation: a single and then a bunch of errors that allow you to run around all the bases) while wearing them, and from that point on they were officially my lucky underwear. Funny thing though--after about three games in a row of taking the collar, I quickly decided that they were not my lucky underwear anymore. I loved them drawers, but they just didn't have any magic left. Do you see where I'm going with this? The Brewers had lost 20 straight games in which Cappy had pitched, but yet they threw him out there on the day we were eliminated.
Needless to say, a change of scenery may be in order. And because he's a left-handed starter, the Brewers will get something good for him. (Maybe even a contact hitter.)

5. Veteran leadership. All spring training we heard how the Brewers had a great balance of youth and veteran leadership. But it's hard to follow those veterans when they don't perform. If you looked up "clutch" in the baseball dictionary the second or third definition listed would read "not Geoff Jenkins." Counsell was simply atrocious. Even Suppan struggled until September. This is why our 23 year-old firstbaseman emerged as the team leader. It's a great story, but it also happened out of necessity. Melvin needs to take some pressure of the kids and find the right veteran leaders this offseason.

4. Middle Relief. There was a message on my phone after the Monday night win to the Cardinals. It was my friend Darren saying that he wasn't giving up hope yet, but if the Brewers blew their chance I should look no further than Rick (and yes, he said "Rick") Weeks and Bill Hall. Now I hate to argue with Darren; he's a doctor, a real smart guy, and if I was ever being chased by the mafia I'd turn to him to help me pay off my gambling debts. Nonetheless, the real reason the Brewers blew their chance at the division was because of the 6th and 7th inning collapses that kept happening all season long. The not-so-sweet sixteen, if you will--the sixteen games in which the Brewers blew a lead of 3 runs or more. This bullpen needs to be revamped. I know the numbers say that Turnbow was on more often than he was off, but you simply can't put your pennant race hopes on a pitcher who too frequently loses the strike zone. The good news is that guys who can throw in the upper 90s are still highly regarded, so Turnbow might bring us something good in return. I'd bring back Linebrink, Shouse and King, give youngsters like Aquino and Stetter a shot, and then revamp the rest.

3. Ben Sheets. I know, I know. The Sheets fans are going to tell me that I'm crazy to mention a possible Sheets trade. And they have a good case--after all, the Brewers were horrible when he went down. The other side of that argument, of course, is that you have to worry every time Sheets sneezes for fear that he might pull something. And with just one year left on his contract, the Brewers probably do have to make a move so they don't lose Sheets and get nothing but a draft pick in return. Raise your hand if you thought the Brewers overpaid Suppan. Well, you can bet Sheets' next contract will be much closer to Bary Zito money than it will be to Jeff Suppan money. Since it would be bad PR to trade him at the deadline next year (assuming the Brewers will be in the midst of another run), it might make sense to deal him when there's snow on the ground. At this point, I'm not really sure what will happen. But the only three pitchers I'm willing to bet on as members of the rotation come April are named Suppan, Gallardo and Villanueva.

2. Francisco Cordero. Once they pay Jenkins his $500,000 buyout, the Brewers will have an extra $6.5 mil to play with. I say you put as much of that towards Ko-Ko as necessary and sign him quicker than you can yell, "click, click, boom!"

1. Retro Fridays. Anyone who read the article on my encounters with many of the '82 Brewers knows that they will forever have a special place in my heart. But just like the Packers had to let go of the Lombardi era, it's time for the Brewers to let 1982 go. There's a new legacy about to be written with names like Fielder, Braun and Gallardo. Leave the retro wear for the fans. Let's start turning our focus to the future....

Go Crew. We'll get 'em next year...

Don't Stop Believin'

2007-09-25T23:18:00.000-05:00

Just a small town boy
Living in his Brewer joy...
They took the midnight train to the post season...

I know. That's really, really corny.

But Journey's "Don't Stop Believin" was one of my favorite songs when I was a kid in 1982. (And, yes, I know--you're going to tell me that the song was actually a hit in '81, but you need to know that I was 9 and I lived in the sticks. We were a little behind on the current hits in LeRoy, Wisconsin) That song always reminds me of the 1982 Brewers and the fact they never gave up despite being down 0-2 in that glorious A.L. Series.

Before I continue, I have to explain that I really thought my next article would be about the Packer game that I attended on Sunday. The fact is, it was the greatest game I've attended since the Yancey game, and I can't begin to explain how privileged I felt to be in attendance at Lambeau when Favre tied Marino's TD record. The Packers impressive start to the season has been truly inspiring, and as we made the drive back down I-43, my brother and I decided that if the loss to the Braves proved to be the final nail in the Brewers coffin...

(They kept us updated of the Brewers' score on the Jumbotron, but Tim also frequently tapped into his cell phone/PDA/paper shredder/potato masher for updates. Seriously, the only thing these hand held devices can't do nowadays is assist the Brewers in holding on to a 7th inning lead.)

...at least we witnessed the perfect segue from one season to the other.

But I told Tim Sunday afternoon, and I'll say it again and again until the Brewers are mathematically eliminated--this race isn't over just yet.... Look, I know what the supposed experts have been saying--no team has come back from 3 and half back with only a week to play since World War II. I know hoping for the post season at this point is improbable. Highly unlikely. But you have to believe, Brewers fans. You've invested in the team for this long; don't stop believin' now.

Perhaps I am the perpetually deluded optimist. But I am a playwright--and we playwrights know that you can't have drama without conflict. In order to have your audience root for your hero, you need to give him an obstacle to overcome. And of course, you can't have a storybook ending without first having a little adversity.

And this Brewers team has certainly experienced it's share of adversity--from Verlander's no-no, to Ben "Paper" Sheets' constant crumpling, to that horrible weekend in Atlanta--the Brewers have eaten an ample serving of humbling pie...but yet each time the pundits were ready to count them out, they've gotten up off the mat and flexed their collective muscle again and again...So why not one more time?

After all, there is a history behind my optimism. I take you back to fourth grade, when little Tommy was first unwilling to give up on his beloved Brewers. His classmates at Southview Elementary School ridiculed him and told him he was crazy to think the Brewers could come back from that 0-2 deficit. "It's NEVER happened. Don't you get that, stupidhead?" they jeered. "No team has ever done it before..."

But every record comes to an end. And once-in-a-while the baseball gods smile on your team and they drop that ball off Cecil Cooper's bat into left field, just as he motioned it to do...and history is rewritten...

And there's really no way to explain the joy of a fourth grade boy who carried in the Milwaukee Sentinel the next morning and proudly displayed the paper's headline:

NEVER SAY DIE; BREWERS DON'T!

And so I say, you just never know. Maybe the Cubs continue to be baffled by the Marlins. Maybe Adam Dunn hits 5 home runs in Cincinnati this weekend. Or maybe, just maybe...Milton Bradley injures himself during a temper tantrum and leaves the Padres without their best offensive weapon for the final series... anything is possible...

Regardless, it's been a remarkable atmosphere at Miller Park the last two nights. I've dreamed of being able to do serious scoreboard watching during the final week of September since the day Rene Lacheman was fired. And I was so elated after Hall's home run tonight that I couldn't keep my mouth shut when I encountered Davey Nelson on the employee's service elevator in the 6th inning. Even though we're not supposed to bother the "celebrities" when we encounter them, I had to let Davey know that I won't stop believin'...

Me: So far, so good.
Davey: Yeah, it's going well...the Cubs lost...now we just gotta keep going after it.
Me: Yeah, if we keep winning, that noose around the Cubs neck is gonna get tighter and tighter.
Davey: (a smile) That's right. That's right.

Davey believes, Brewer fans. The question is: Do you?

Reality Football

2007-09-18T20:32:00.000-05:00

(Editor's note: Although the author began this article on Tuesday night and had previously been able to write while watching sporting events, he has learned that writing during a September pennant race is next to impossible. Since the words "Brewers" and "pennant chase" have not appeared in a sentence for the past 25 seasons, we have decided to give the writer a pass on the disjointed article that follows:)

I yanked the zipper off of my khaki pants at work on Friday.

I'm not reporting this because I'm proud of removing my zipper. Actually, it's rather embarrassing when you have to let your co-workers know that you are currently unable to close up your fly. Safety pins wouldn't do the trick, and to be honest--I wasn't all that comfortable having pins in my nether regions anyhow. But I'm not trying to brag about my zipper yanking strength, and I'm not going to stoop for the easy boyish joke of having too much girth in my trousers (although...)

No, the only reason I'm sharing this embarrassing moment with you is because I had to take a drive home to retrieve another pair of khaki pants in the middle of the work day. (And since khakis are the official uniform bottoms of a Miller Park concierge, I have three pairs in the old closet.) And during that drive, I happened to catch a little of the Jim Rome show.

Now, I'll admit; there was a time when I was a pretty big fan of Jim Rome. I'll never forget when he called Jim Everett "Chris" (you know, like the tennis player), and Everett went over the table and tackled him. Ironically, Rome called Everett "Chris" because he said he was afraid to take a hit. Apparently, he wasn't afraid to give one to a smarmy sports host.

But like so many of the sports personalities of the past couple decades, once Rome became larger than the sports he was discussing--I seemed to completely lose interest in him. It happened with Madden too. I used to love to grab the remote and turn on his selection show of the All-Madden team. Now I find myself grabbing the remote to press mute just about any time he opens his mouth. Likewise, I used to think Dick Vitale brought excitement to college basketball. Now I just think he yells a lot. And Chris Berman used to give funny nicknames. Now I just think Chris Berman looks funny.

Who knows--maybe I've just grown cynical since my college years. But far too many of these sports personalities remind me of the movie Jerry MaGuire--You know, because you start out thinking that you're watching this good sports movie about an agent and his star player. You like Rod Tidwell. You even celebrate the moment he makes the winning catch against Dallas, and you laugh as he does his elaborate touchdown dance. But by the time the movie ends...it suddenly dawns on you that what you were watching may not have had that much to do with sports after all...And you feel a little foolish when it's over, just about the time you realize that Jerry had her at hello. That's how it is with me and Rome--he just seems to have crossed over the line between sports and fluffy entertainment.

Regardless, on Friday afternoon I did tune in to Jim Rome (silently praying I wouldn't have to hear him yell "rack 'em" ) and listened to a fascinating interview with Redskins tight end, Chris Cooley. (Which is the point of this whole story in the first place.) I was just about to change the channel when suddenly Cooley said something that greatly concerned me...he said, "Yeah, I play fantasy football. I have since high school."

Time out. Now, I love fantasy football. Love it. I mean, I love it like O.J. loves collectibles. It's a serious problem for me. And my wife often misses me on Sunday afternoons because I'm lost in the world of fantasy stats where I'm often found yelling at my computer to throw the damn ball to Anquan Boldin. And I even think it's cool that Ben Sheets runs a fantasy league in the Brewers clubhouse every year. (Perhaps he should spend less time running the league and more time finding ways to stay healthy, but that's another story...). But when an NFL player admits that he too plays fantasy football...well, perhaps this whole thing has gotten a bit out of hand.

Of course, it's also pretty cool (forgive me) that Cooley still participates in a league with his high school friends. It's refreshing to know that stardom hasn't changed him. After all, he admitted that he never really thought the NFL was a possibility until his senior year at Utah State.

And Cooley confessed to Rome that he never gets the chance to draft himself because others in his league rate him higher than he does. Imagine what that must be like on draft day:

Token Friend: "Yeah, uhm...with the 4th pick in the 7th round I choose...him."

Cooley: "Me?"

TF: "Yeah. I need a tight end. So I picked you."

Cooley: "Dude. That's way too high for me."

TF: "Just make sure you catch the ball. All right? I'm counting on you."

Cooley: "Whatever, man. I'm just saying--it's a reach. Especially with Heap and Watson still on the board."

It has to be awkward. And what happens when Cooley plays himself on a given week? If it's Monday Night Football and he has nobody left to play, while holding just a slight lead...well, maybe he's not getting open quite so easily.

Impossible, you say.

Oh really?

How many times have die-hard Packers fans (not naming any names) caught themselves not minding all that much when a TD pass is scored against the Pack because Roy Williams or L.J. Smith was on the receiving end? Be honest. It happens to the best of us.

After all, the Redskins are usually well out of playoff contention by the time Cooley's fantasy bowl rolls around. So you just never know.

So that's why I've decided not to draft or trade for Chris Cooley ever again until he drafts or trades for himself first. Because if HE's not grabbing the fantasy version of himself...what's that say in reality?
.....................................
Since it's taken me over three days to complete this article--I have to link you to Simmons ESPN blog on Friday Night Lights. Like Simmons, I too enjoyed the hell out of FNL last year. But I didn't wait until after the season to watch it on DVD. I was right there with Riggins, Street and Crash from the opening week until the season ended. Every week I kept calling it "the soap opera disguised as a sports show," but yet every week I was right there on the couch hoping that Matt would win the Coach's approval. And if I gave Sonia the option to watch either Heroes or FNL from the saved programs on our DVR, she always chose FNL.

I had no idea that FNL was in jeopardy of being cancelled, so I'm joining in on Simmons' plea to save the show:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/070919

I don't know if I agree with him that it's the best Sport show ever. I always really liked those Scooby Doo episodes when the Globetrotters helped out.

Now that, my friends, was real.

Rambling Rose, Part 4

2007-09-11T21:15:00.000-05:00

I haven't had a lot of time to blog of late, and for that I apologize.

But you can't really blame me. Every time I've been ready to share my reaction on an important sports event, another one comes up that's even bigger and more exciting. Every Brewer game (with the exception of last night's dud in Pittsburgh) gets more and more dramatic as we approach October, and the football season kicked off with a bevy of intrigue, upsets and fantasy football disappointments (at least for me--thank you very much Mr. Johnson and Mr. Jackson). There's been an Appalachian upset, a Donovan bootleg, a cheating Belichek, a phantom offensive pass interference call (on my fantasy tight end, mind you), and a Brewers game that opened with back-to-back-to-back home runs. The fact is--I couldn't blog. I was too afraid that if I'd leave the tv, I'd miss something else. It was like the scene in Porky's when Pee Wee couldn't see any of the girls in the shower. I didn't want to be stuck behind the fat girl and miss something good. So I stayed right where I was--comfortably in front of the tv. (By the way, any man who hasn't seen Porky's and is therefore confused by the reference needs to rent it immediately. Seriously. Go right now.)

Anyhow, since there's so much to discuss, it seems like a perfect opportunity to ramble...

--I think I finally figured out what was going on with the Crew in Pittsburgh. There had to be some explanation to why every time the Brewers travel to PNC Park they play like...well...like Pittsburgh. I mean, other than Freddy Sanchez (especially considering that Bay is hurt) there is no hitter in that line-up that you would want to add to the Brewers starting 9. And with the way Rickie's getting on base, you could argue against Sanchez as well. But every year, the Brewers travel into Pittsburgh as if they were Brittany Spears heading into a spelling bee. It's that atrocious...

(Host: "Ms. Spears, your word is atrocious."
B: "Atrocious?"
H: "Yes."
B: "You mean like Super-fragi-calli-licious-expi-al-atrocious?"
H: "No. I don't mean that at all."
B: "Could you use it in a sentence, please?"
H: "Brittney's parenting skills are atrocious."
B: "OH! I get it. Atrocious. A-T-R-O-W-S-H-I-S. Atrocius."
(Bell rings.)
B: Hello?

Anyhow, I've figured out the cause of it all--Yancey Thigpen. You see, I was at that game when Yancey dropped the pass in '95. And I specifically remember closing my eyes and pleading with God to please, please, please give us the division title. You see, the last Packers division title had been in 1972. I was born in 1973. I really, really wanted that game. So I bargained with the Lord. I told him that Pittsburgh could have something else over the next few years, but we in Wisconsin needed that game.
Well, you know the rest. To this day, whenever someone drops anything (a beer that's tossed to them, a bag of peanuts, the remote control) the first thing out of my mouth is "nice hands, Yancey."
But I spoke to the Lord this evening and asked him if we in Wisconsin have indeed now paid our debt for the Yancey game. I reminded him that the Steelers recently won a Super Bowl and that, despite the Pirates thirteen consecutive losing seasons, they at least got rid of Bonds before his head grew to the size of a Steelers helmet. Besides, a 19-41 record at PNC park seems like more than enough payment for the Yancey drop.
Anyhow, to all you unbelievers who doubt--apparently God does listen. To the tune of: Brewers 6, Pirates 1.

--Speaking of steroids, I love the new video game commercial with Shawn Merriman and Stephen Jackson as they go from stadium to stadium taking on blockers and/or tacklers on their way down the field. Despite how cool the commercial is--am I the only one who finds it odd that Merriman is featured on a video game? If he ends up breaking the all-time sacks record someday, will anyone demand that an asterisk be placed by his name? I mean, sure he hit a lot of quarterbacks, but he wouldn't have hit them nearly as hard without the help of steroids. Right?

--And as far as video games go--is there a cooler name than Atari Bigby? If he even has a halfway decent year, the Bigby jersey is as good as purchased. And man, if I could find a way to brainwash my wife to the name "Atari" for our first child. Well, I'd be all in.

--In the 10 year history of our "No Sallies" Fantasy Football league, I have owned my older brother Tim. In 19 previous match-ups, I was 16-3 against him, although he did win the only time we met in the postseason. In each of the two seasons I had lost to him, my team was pretty miserable, including the only season that I did not make the play-offs. Based on the fact that I lost opening week to Tim, I'm seriously considering renaming my team to "Rebuilding Year."

--The greatest line at this year's fantasy draft had to come from our friend Jonny. As the draft completed, he sees his older brother Eric on the phone with his wife, letting her know everyone that he drafted. So Jonny yells, "Guys, guys! This is the part where the giant beer can falls on Eric's head." Classic. And appropriate. I'm already writing a rule for next year that at least 2 hours have to pass before you can share your roster with your spouse...

--Wow. Rickie Weeks. Did I or did I not say that Rickie would be a key ingredient for this team's run? It's nice to have him back. I am a little concerned about his recent yips in the field, but hopefully it's just a Pittsburgh thing.

--Houston just won in the bottom of the 11th. 1 game lead! See, I just peed a little now for the Brewers. Ain't no thing but a chicken wing.

--Finally, with my first child only six weeks from entering the world, I'm really trying to cut back on the cursing I do during Brewers games. (Like tonight when Jenkins rolled into a double play with two on and no out. By the way, the only guys I don't bunt in that situation are Braun and Fielder. If it's anyone else, they're dropping it down and I'm getting a run.) To help with this, I've recently installed a punching bag in my basement. It works pretty well for taking out my frustration. Now I just have to find a way to eliminate the cursing on my way to the bag. Ah well, baby steps...

Yost-Buster

2007-08-27T21:35:00.000-05:00

After yet another heart-breaking loss, this time to the Giants, Ned Yost was ready to cry at his post game interview yesterday.

I'm not speaking metaphorically. And I'm not trying to be cute or cruel. But it's true; if Ned had fielded one more question from the reporters, he would have broken down and cried right there in the house that Bonds' steroids built. Now, I'm not sure it was a Dick Vermeil, make me feel really uncomfortable type of wail, but I believe there were tears at the doorstep. And that's why he cut that interview session short.

But I can't really blame the man. Truth is--I'd cry too if I was merely weeks from being fired from a job that I loved so dearly. And Ned really does love the Brewers. And Ned really does desperately want the Brewers to succeed.

The problem, of course, is that Ned has not been succeeding, and so we come to that all important series--the Wrestle at Wrigley, the Showdown in Chi-town--which can in one full swoop turn this whole mess around...or it can end up being a true Yost-Buster.

If you've read my blog in the past, you certainly know that I am a fan of Ned Yost. I don't always agree with his in-game decisions (okay, honestly--they sometimes cause me to curse like a hell-demon with a bad case of Tourette's) and I don't always gel with his post-game assessments, but Ned Yost has been one of my all-time favorite Brewers managers. I suppose that one could argue that naming Yost my favorite manager from a batch that includes the likes of Jerry Royster, Davey Lopes and Jim Lefebvre is about as bold as declaring Gwen Stefani the hottest member of No Doubt...But what can I say? Ned had me at hello...

I'll never forget that first speech he made in spring training about how great baseball could be in Milwaukee and how much people would love the Brewers and treat them like kings if they ever became winners. He lived through the frenzy of 1982, and he believed a winning attitude could be reality. He knew it could. Now, I realize this is going to sound completely egotistical, but in some ways--he reminded me of me. His passion for the Brewers was genuine. Earlier this year, my friend Chad and I attended the preview of the Harvey Wallbangers DVD at the Pabst Theatre. Ned had just suffered a tough loss--coincidentally enough, to the Cubs--and you could tell it was still eating at him hours later. It was only the 5th game of the season, but a super-charged Ned told the audience that he was determined to bring baseball magic back to Milwaukee. And again, he was so impassioned and so genuine, that I wanted it for him almost as much as I wanted it for myself.

And I must say, no other first place manager ever fell under the same kind of scrutiny that Ned Yost suffered through. Every night I've listened to WSSP's post game show on my way home from the ballpark, and if the Brewers lost, you could guarantee that Steve "Sparky" Fifer was going to find a way to pin it on Ned. I'm not even exaggerating about this. Every single time they lost. It was always, always, ALWAYS Ned's fault. Now, I've already said that I question many a Ned Yost move, but at some point some blame belongs to the players. And some of the second-guessing became flat out comical. Well...probably not for Ned.

But on Sunday I finally had to accept that Ned was grasping at straws. His decision to hit Bush in the 7th and send him back out after his struggles in the 6th was dumbfounding. And if I were Catholic, I'd need to go to about 6 years worth of confessions for the things I yelled at my television when Damian Miller lead off the 9th. (This is by far my biggest pet peeve of Ned--his unwillingness to hit for a catcher because he fears that if the back-up gets in and gets hurt, they'll have no more catchers. One problem--if you lose the game, who the hell cares that you still have a healthy back-up catcher!?!?!?). And I was even more angry when Dillon served that 0-2 pitch to center field for the 2 out single. You know, because he should have lead off that inning in the first place...

And I know what the Ned supporters will say (because I am one): Ned can't be blamed for the horrible starting pitching, the lack of clutch hitting, or the mental errors in the field. And you'll remember that I told you the Brewers would be in big trouble if the only trade they made was the acquisition of an arm for the bullpen. But you only have to go back a couple years to remember another Brewers team--the team that was above .500 at the break, only to set the all-time worst record for the second half of a season--that had a collapse as pathetic as the current one. You'll notice that the majority of the players from that team have moved on. The manager, however, has remained the same. And having another collapse after this year's start is simply unacceptable.

After all, when you think about teams having a special season, how many of you think about the Toronto Blue Jays? No one? Well that's who we are now. We're the National League version of the Toronto Blue Jays. A .500 team, with a realistic chance of finishing below .500 if things don't change real, real soon.
And unfortunately, Ned's the fall guy for that turn of events. With just one year left on his contract, there's no way the Brewers can renew it if he manages through two historic collapses. You simply can't bring back a lame duck manager next year to a team with so much talent and promise.

And so, perhaps it's ironic that the last winning Brewers manager got fired the day before Ned's Crew marches into a potential Yost-buster for a series. If they get swept in Wrigley, perhaps Ned won't be able to hold back the tears.

And you know something?

I might not be able to either...

Bringing out "The Kid" in Me...

2007-08-15T09:16:00.000-05:00

I shared a drink with Robin Yount last night.

Granted, he didn’t know about it. But that’s hardly the point.

I probably need to explain. When I work at Miller Park, there are three different “stations” that I can be assigned. First, there are the Founders suites on the field level. This is my least favorite place to work because you feel completely cut off from the rest of Brewers civilization. Sure, sometimes you meet an occasional leader of the Milwaukee community, like Mayor Barrett, but for the most part it is a long, painfully boring five hours of work. I tend to just turn on my radio and pass the time away with Uek.

Then, there’s the center desk on the Club level. It’s not a bad place to be assigned. You can at least hear the game over the Stadium’s sound system, lots of traffic passes by the desk, and you end up assisting not only the suite guests but anyone who has a ticket to the club level.

But the center desk does not in any way compare to the Gehl Club. Before we report for duty, each concierge member quietly says their own type of prayer, pleading to their God to convince our manager, Patty, to give us this cushiest of assignments. Not only do we stay busy by wrist-banding all of the guests (who are enamored with the new space) and by giving them a run down of what they receive during their stay in the Gehl Club, but we also get to enjoy the 52-inch plasma that faces our desk. It’s simply the nicest place to work, perhaps in the entire stadium.

And it’s especially nice when members of the ’82 Brewers are staying there, as they were last night.

Now, generally I’m not that easily star struck. Terrell Buckley once called me “dude,” I held a lengthy conversation with Mike Maddux, whose daughters were in my First Stage class, and Don Majkowski once winked at me. (Although I later found out that Majik winks at every fan, and is a bit of a wink-whore.) And seeing modern day players up close and personal has almost become second nature for me. We clock in at the stadium right between the Brewers locker room and the visiting locker room, and I frequently pass by players who are heading to the indoor batting cages. So I’ve witnessed first hand how huge Pujols and Carlos Lee really are, and I can attest to the fact that Brady Clark was one of the hardest working Brewers you’ll ever find—he was always in the indoor cages.

But these are the ’82 Brewers, and they will forever have a special place in my heart. So when Craig Coshun popped down into the Gehl Club and asked me how things were going, I answered as honestly I knew how, “Great. I feel like I’m nine years old again.” And as Mr. Coshun scanned across the room and took in all of the players from the ’82 team, he could only agree with me. “Yeah. It’s pretty awesome, isn’t it?”

And it was awesome. The entire night. Even finding out that Pete Vukovich was not exactly a cordial gentleman, was rather endearing. It’s exactly how I remembered him, after all. But yes—to call Mr. Vuckovich “a bit surly” would be like calling Mark Chmura “a bit of a womanizer.” And after a warm smile from Audrey Kuenn, Vuckovich’s snarl was completely forgotten.

Ted Simmons, on the other hand, was the friendliest man you’ll ever meet. When other ex-Brewers (like Vukovich) were a bit put off that they had to have a wrist band put on, Simmons wondered aloud if there would be water rides. And when they found out that their wrist band entitled them to free drinks at the bar, most of the others became much more accommodating as well.

I could go on and on about my encounters with the ’82 Crew. Gorman entered with a big smile and began asking me if I had seen Fing-- But alas, that’s as far as he went before spotting Rollie and his handlebar himself, thereby thwarting my opportunity to assist Stormin’ and point him in the right direction.

When Molitor stopped up by my desk to throw something away, he said something to the effect of, “It’s pretty incredible in here.” This was a hall-of-Famer, and it was time for me to provide a hall-of-fame reply. I’m guessing I failed when I nervously nodded and said, “yep.”

So many others stopped by my desk with questions or a cordial “hello.” There was Pete Ladd. Jerry Augustine. Don Sutton. Moose Haas.

And then there was Robin.

I never actually had the chance to interact with Robin, but he and many of the players were in the Gehl Club prior to the autograph signings. And when they called him to go downstairs at 5:30, he left his beer on our concierge desk. That’s right. I spent the next several hours inches from Robin Yount’s beer. And while the autograph signings and the pre-game ceremony took place, it dawned on me that there was no way that Robin was going to come back for this beer. He’s Robin Yount, after all, and I was pretty sure they’d give him a fresh, cold brewskie. So we tucked the beer away from our desk, and I joked with my concierge partner, Kathy, that I need to drink some of that beer. It was a chance of a lifetime, I laughed, and I would never respect myself in the morning if I let the opportunity slip away. And suddenly, what started out as a joke became more and more of a mission. It simply had to be done.

My opportunity arrived when Mike Caldwell was saying his goodbyes to Patty and thanking her for all of the festivities that she had organized. With Patty distracted, I scooped up the beer with the grace of a sure-handed shortstop and took a quick sip. Before Caldwell walked away, I had returned the beer to it’s resting place without anyone knowing any better. It was smoother than a 6-4-3 double play. I didn’t care that I was risking my job by taking a sip of alcohol while on duty. I didn’t care that most people would think I was a bit crazy or, as my wife described it, “a borderline stalker.” I didn’t even care that that the beer had sat there stagnate for almost five hours.

And when Patty gave me the chance to leave early that night, I took her up on it. Not because the Brewers were getting waxed on the field. No, I didn’t care about that either. Because I was nine years old again. And I had just tasted my first sip of beer.

Nothing could have topped the night after that point anyhow--even if the Brewers had come back and erased the 7 run deficit that they were looking at when I left the game. After all, how many people can say they shared a beer with The Kid?

I now know of one.

Roids...They're All the Rage

2007-08-09T21:31:00.000-05:00

Okay. So let's review.
In the past four games the Milwaukee Brewers have:
--Blown a five run lead in the 9th inning
--Lost to a guy with a BROKEN LEG
--And given up 19 runs in a game in which their pitchers got hit harder than a white trash mistress on a Jerry Springer show…
Yep. It's safe to say I'm still not ready to discuss the state of the Brewers. So let's turn to something a little more cheerful--
Steroids.
Back when he was frequently hollering about Rickie Weeks (who, by the way, is making his return to the big club with Graffanino's injury), my friend Darren would also fill my ear with rants on why in the world ESPN was even acknowledging the accomplishments of guys like Sosa and our newest home run king, Barry Bonds.
In my intro to the Midseason Forum, I mentioned briefly that I thought keeping the home run hitters of the steroid era out of the Hall of Fame was wrong. Look, I'll be the first to tell you that I think Barry Bonds took steroids. I think Mark McGwire took steroids. I think Sammy Sosa took steroids. And, yes, I think Rafael Palmeiro took steroids. You'll get no argument there from me whatsoever.
But I also think that the use of steroids extended to ALL of major league baseball. Not all players, mind you, but all types of players. I don't understand why the media, Congress, and the baseball loving public in general only focuses on home run hitters. Steroids are not only used for strength. They can be used for speed, for endurance (AKA pitching), and most importantly for muscle recovery. So why aren't we scrutinizing the guys who made a living stealing bases and stretching singles into doubles and doubles into triples? After all, one of the first to be busted after the new drug testing went into place was ex-Brewer Alex Sanchez. In case you've forgotten--Alex is not exactly a power hitter. Or what about leading an investigation on all of the middle-relievers who somehow managed to set all kinds of major league appearance records by popping out of the bullpen five or six times a week? You think steroids might have played a role in their ability to throw in games on six consecutive days? Or what about taking a look at the 40-something year-old pitcher who constantly decides that his season can't start until late May or June. Am I really the only one who wonders if this gives him enough time to flush some roids out of the old system? I'm just saying. It's a theory.
As a matter of fact, I thought it was very appropriate that Bonds 755th came off of Clay Hensley, who was suspended for steroid use as a minor leaguer. Does that mean that homer number 755 doesn't have an asterisk? I mean, if one steroid user hits a long ball off another steroid user, that should count for something, right? And I truly believe that (although we'll probably never know for sure) when push comes to shove, more pitchers ended up using steroids than hitters.

And--if you'll allow me to switch sports for a second--I can't help but wonder why Shawn Merriman isn't looked at as cheater after he tested positive for steroids and was suspended for the first four games of last season. No, Merriman is a football god. Bonds, however, is the baseball devil.

And now I'm about to do something very dangerous. I'm going to somewhat make an effort to defend Barry Bonds. Now hold on, hear me out.

First let me start by assuring you that:

1.) I strongly dislike Barry Bonds the person and think he is a big league prick.

2.) We need to all agree that Barry has a big head. No wait. Of course he has a big head, that's how we know he was using. No, I mean he has a big ego. We can agree on this, correct? And yes, he has quite the melon too.

Now onto my dangerous defense of Bonds... (I realize that I could lose four of my six readers forever by doing this.) The thing is--I kind of understand why Bonds took them. Now, don't get me wrong. I don't condone it. So please don't accuse me of advocating the use of steroids and blame me when they show up in local high schools. Don't misinterpret what I'm saying. Steroids are bad. Very, very bad. And they do very bad things to your testicles.

BUT--if we take into consideration my two points above--that Barry is a big league prick with a huge ego--I do understand why he took them.

Think about it. It's 1998 and you're Barry Bonds. You're arguably the best baseball player of the past two or three decades (and really, if you look at the numbers, I'm not even sure how you can argue). You were the NL MVP in '90, '92 and '93. You won a gold glove every year since '90 except in '95. Since that same summer of 1990, you have finished no worse than 5th in the league in on-base-percentage, no worse than 6th in the league in slugging-percentage, and no worse than 3rd in the league in OPS. An amazing accomplishment that may not be rivaled by another player in any equal span of 8 seasons. Oh, and you also never finished lower than 4th in the league in Home Runs since '90 either.

Until, of course, the magical summer of 1998. Then you get to sit back and watch as all of America becomes infatuated with Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa as they chase down Roger Maris' single season home run record. And you see them become more and more beloved every single day. There are rumors and jokes that these two guys might be getting a little assistance, but no one seems to care. Not the fans, not the Commish, and surprisingly, not the media. (And yes, I consider every member of the media who calls Bonds a cheater a hypocrite because I know they knew what was going on back in '98. I knew it. And I was just a silly 25 year old fan. There's no way they didn't know too. No way.) But worst of all you have become the forgotten man. Nobody is talking about you. No one. Even though you hit .303 with 37 HRs and 122 RBIs and 28 SBs, you finish 8th in the NL MVP voting. And although those 37 HRs are the 4th most you've ever hit, they're only enough for you to finish 9th in the whole NL. 9th. That's just not acceptable. Not with your ego.

And look, every guy who has ever played a sport can relate to the power of ego. I just had my ass handed to me in a game of horse by my friend Brent tonight, and yes, my ego took a hit. Hell, you don't have to even be playing the sport for ego to take you places you wouldn't normally go. Come sit and listen to some of the arguments between Brewers and Cubs fans. Or stop by our fantasy football chat room sometime. Yep, men who know sports know egos.

But the thing is--I can't even relate to Barry's ego because I have to admit that I am not the best at anything I do. (I am pretty good at tetris on the toilet, but I'm not about to brag.) So I can't relate to the ego of a Barry or a Peyton or a Kobe. But it must be pretty intense. Non-stop ego.

And so Barry made a choice. His ego won out. And in three years he was back on top of the world. winning four more MVPs from 2001-2004.

But the saddest thing in my humble opinion is not how Barry tarnished the game. It's how he tarnished himself. You see, I don't think he needed to take steroids to be the greatest player of my lifetime. Now, don't get me wrong, he wouldn't have won the home run title. But without the muscle mass he gained, he might have kept stealing bases and kept winning gold gloves--two parts of his game that were never the same after that summer of '98. And we'll never know just how great his summer of 2001 really was. Because I will go on the record in saying that we will never again see a player as locked in as Barry was that summer. And I've said it before--I don't think steroids help guys hit a baseball. It's a point that's argued by very intelligent people (Darren included) who say, "well if it doesn't help them, why would they bother taking it?" But I'm not arguing that it helps them. I'm sure it helps them hit farther and stay stronger through the course of a season. I just don't think it helps you stay locked in on pitches for a whole summer. Not like Barry was. He drove every pitch, no matter where it was, with authority to all fields. Opposing managers feared him like no other. Didn't matter how you pitched him, if you even had the courage to, he was hitting it hard somewhere. Would he have hit 73 HRs without the steroids? Probably not. But considering his previous career high was 46, I think 60 was realistic. He was just that locked in. Unfortunately, now we'll never know.

I heard an argument that Ken Griffey Jr. is the biggest loser of the steroid era because, had he taken them, he might have stayed healthy enough to break Hank's record before Barry. I can't argue that fact. It's a shame to think about what Griffey's career might have been without all the injuries. And I hate that people make jokes about him being soft, considering the majority of his injuries were sustained while he was going all out--the only way he knows how to play.

Yep, if Griffey had taken steroids he would have easily been the greatest home run hitter of our day.

And if Barry had not taken them, there would be no debate that he was the greatest overall player of the day. Too bad his ego came around before we could eliminate any doubt.

NUMB

2007-08-05T18:51:00.000-05:00

I didn't think the Brewers could ever again find a way to lose a game that would leave me feeling as bad as I did after the debacle in St. Louis last Saturday.

I was wrong.

Perhaps the numbness will leave my fingers, and I'll be able to type again...But not yet.

I simply don't have the strength.

Translating Ted-speak

2007-07-29T09:59:00.000-05:00

I was all set to write my first article in over a week.

My company's annual meeting had wrapped up, the 7th Harry Potter book had been read, and I was ready to rant about yesterday's Brewer disaster in St. Louis. I was ready to show how the blown 6-0 lead was the exact polar opposite of Hall's HR against the Tigers the day after the no-no. I was ready to discuss how my year's of joking about just wanting the Brewers to get me to Packers training camp may have come back to haunt me, as the Brewers had their worst loss of the season on the exact day that training camp opened and then managed to make a pitcher with a 0-10 record look a little something like Bob Gibson. I even intended to apologize to my unborn daughter, who had to have heard my uncensored tirade following Cordero's 5th blown save of the season. That's not how daddy normally communicates, honey. It was just a tough loss.

That's right. I was actually prepared to be negative about the Brewers.

But then I went on to JSonline and read Bob McGinn's candid interview with Ted Thompson. Suddenly, the outlook of the Crew didn't seem nearly as bleak. 'Cause after all, we have Doug in Milwaukee. And no matter what happens the rest of the season (which I am by no means giving up on, nor will I be content to say, "well, at least we had a winning season" when it concludes), the Brewers' young talent has given us enough promise to know that the days of "just get me to training camp" should be far behind us.

And then there's Ted.

I have to give McGinn credit. His interview with Teddy certainly included the type of questions that a GM with Ted's putrid record should be asked. And it's the kind of interview that my co-worker Aaron (who works in media relations, mind you) feels the Journal never has the balls to put in print (my words, his would certainly be more eloquent). For those of you who might have missed it, the entire interview is here:

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=639306

I need to, however, take a look at a few of my favorite Teddy-speak responses...

Q.Brett Favre will be 38 in October and is nearing the end of his legendary career. Yet, your major addition on offense was a second-round pick at running back. Why didn't you do more to provide some firepower for Favre in what might be his final season?
A. I think we try to do the best we can for the team. If our team gets better then that's better for Brett. We're trying to do the best we can. In the draft, the board works a certain way and that's the way we pick guys.

TRANSLATION: "I added a guy through the draft to help Brett. You're almost making it sound like the NFL has added free agency as an option for GMs to improve their roster. This isn't baseball."

Q.Favre has never come across as a shrewd judge of personnel, but in his mind he saw Moss doing damage in Green Bay with Donald Driver and Greg Jennings. He wanted Moss and said Moss would have done the same reduced deal that he took in New England. Given the circumstances, why didn't you obtain Moss?
A. Randy Moss is a member of the New England Patriots now. That's the way it is. It's inappropriate for me to be discussing a player that's on another team.

TRANSLATION: "Randy Moss is a wide receiver, right? Please don't compare me to the front office of the New England Patriots. That's just not fair."

Q.Ron Wolf and Bob Harlan almost always explained themselves to fans when given the opportunity in similar forums. Don't fans in this state deserve an explanation from the general manager three months after the fact?
A. Right. I still think it's inappropriate to talk about a player that's on another team.

TRANSLATION: "Have I done anything to make you think I should be compared to Wolf? Geesh. First the Patriots now Ron Wolf. Just what are you expecting from me?"

Q.You're well into the third year of a five-year contract. No matter what you inherited, the team is 12-20 during your watch. Do you worry that your tenure might be short-lived if the team doesn't start winning this season?
A. Well, we would like to win this season. I've said that publicly and privately, saying we expect to win. I don't worry about things like, "Am I going to be here after this year?" That never enters my mind.

TRANSLATION: "I told you already that I expect to win. I even told my wife I expect to win. I told the guy at the auto shop, my banker, even my dentist. It's just that we're not very good. But I do expect to win. As far as my job security... Well, I don't think about this as a job so much..."

(It never enters your mind? Ted, Ted, Ted. Perhaps it should...)

Q.On the day after Green signed with Houston for $5.7 million per year and $8 million guaranteed, running back Travis Henry went to Denver for an average of $4.5 million, with $12 million guaranteed. You're sitting here now with about $15 million in cap space. Why didn't you go get Henry?
A. That's another example of someone that's on another team and I'm not really going to get into that.

TRANSLATION: Travis Henry would have all made an immediate impact on this team. And that would have cut into my being able to dazzle you with my draft in a couple years."

Q. Joseph Addai, the 30th pick last year, helped lead the Colts to the Super Bowl. Little Maurice Drew, the 60th pick in '06, had a great first year in Jacksonville. Do you like Brandon Jackson as much as them? What do you expect from him and Vernand Morency?
A. I don't know how to compare them. They're different running backs. I think Brandon Jackson is a good player. Vernand Morency came in and played a role last year and did a nice job. All the guys in the backfield can catch the ball. They have different running styles. We think it's going to be a good group. It may wind up running back by committee, or someone might establish himself.

TRANSLATION: "I don't know how to compare them."

Q.Do you expect another major addition at running back before Sept. 9?
A. I don't know that you can predict anything like that. Depends on if some other team is looking to do something.

TRANSLATION: "We're going to wait and see who's available after the final cuts in August."

Q.Given that you didn't add much beyond the draft, you must be comfortable with your roster. Is this team pretty much where you hoped it would be?
A. Yeah. There's still a lot of unknowns. I believe in my heart the competition we have at every position will make our team better.

TRANSLATION: "We have average players at several key position, including RB and TE. I believe competition is going to raise the level of some of these average players so that they are slightly above average when training camp breaks."

Q.Sometimes the mark of a strong, confident leader is being able to admit mistakes. You know better than anyone when you've erred. What were some of your major miscalculations?
A. I don't do too much looking backwards. Probably the one that sticks in my mind is we weren't able to shore together the offensive line in 2005. We didn't do a very good job of that.

TRANSLATION: "Well, if I started looking back on all of my mistakes, we'd be here all day. But that Mike Wahle guy was pretty good. Who knew?"

Q. Would you fault yourself for not thinking bigger? Being too caught up in the minutiae of your job?
A. No. It's difficult to give a self-evaluation on something like that. I don't consider that a problem, but now that you mention it I'll look into it. We have some grandiose ideas at times. A lot of people say we're not very flashy. There are a lot of things that we discuss that don't come to fruition. I have a lot of different personalities working with us. It's their job to bring ideas and thoughts and what-if this and what-if that.

TRANSLATION: "The minutiae of my job? What does that even mean? No, don't tell me--I'll look into it. I bet someone in the office knows what that means. Perhaps Andrew Brandt. He's sharp. And very helpful. Yeah, he'll know what it means for sure."

Yep, suddenly things with the Brewers don't seem quite so bad...

Get 'Er...Dunn?

2007-07-19T21:36:00.001-05:00

All right, I know I've already written my "can't wait for the trade deadline" article. And I know Ichiro is now officially off the market. BUT...we're two weeks away from the trade deadline and the rumors are starting to fly around faster than an opposing point guard blows by Sam Cassell (in case you've forgotten--that's really, really fast...).
It was about 11:30 this morning when I got a call from a co-worker who was in Chicago at the time (Craig is definitely in the 99 percentile of true blue Brewers fans), asking me how I'd feel about the Brewers acquiring Adam Dunn. According to reports that he had been reading online (which were apparently also reported on WSSP and a Cincy radio station), the Brewers had already made a move to bring Dunn into our already jam-packed outfield. And a funny thing happened when I thought this rumor was true...I actually started to like it.
I mean, it makes absolutely no sense for the Brewers to bring in another incredibly strike-out prone, power-hitter, who may also be the worst defensive outfielder since Matt Mieske proved that charging in on balls is highly over-rated. And there's no way the Brewers can afford to take-on Dunn's $13 million next year, which he's guaranteed in the event that he is traded.
But yet...if you have a chance to add a power hitter to protect Braun, Prince, and maybe even Billy, you at least think about it, right? Especially if the cost is only Matt Wise and a couple of prospects, as the rumors were claiming. You would have to assume that Mench would be on his way out of town and that either Gwynn or Gross would be included in the trade for Dunn. So, would you do it?
No. I still wouldn't either. But I can't say enough how excited I am that the Brewers have a chance to be buyers and NOT SELLERS at this year's deadline. And I'm going to make two important statements that are going to seem contradictory, but yet are 100% valid.
1.) The Brewers should not make a move just for the sake of making a move.
2.) The Brewers should make a move to let the fan base and the rest of the league know that they are IN IT, TO WIN IT.
Like I said, I know those sentences seem contradictory, but they're really part of the same theory. I do think the Brewers need to send a message by making a move...but at the same time, it has to be the RIGHT move. Fortunately, there is no GM in the history of Wisconsin sports that I have more faith in than Doug.
BUT--that's doesn't mean I don't have a shopping list of my own, ranked from top to bottom:
--Chad Cordero (because you can never have enough arms in the pen)
--Mark Loretta (the Yankees want a utility player, Graffanino is as hot as he's ever going to be. Flip Graffy for a bullpen arm and then flip a prospect for Loretta, who hits for a higher average and plays more positions than Graffy)
--Octavio Dotel (because you can never have enough arms in the bullpen)
--Eric Gagne (because you can never have enough arms in the bullpen)
--Ryan Klesko or Eric Hinske (we're not in very good shape in the event Prince goes down for a couple of weeks)
--Akinori Otsuka (because you can never have enough arms in the bullpen)
--Brian Fuentes (you get the drift...)

And if the Brewers for some odd reason do decide to add Adam Dunn, perhaps he can at least help erase my memory of Todd Dunn...ah well, the days of "can't miss prospects," who in fact always missed, seems like such a long time ago now...That's why in Doug we trust...

--When I popped into Gord Ash's suite during the peanut run last night (Gord's always polite and either says "no, we still got plenty" or "yeah, I guess you better bring those in") I actually caught myself daydreaming about how cool it would be if he said, "before you go, Thomas, what do you think about this move..." But then I snap out of it and remember that I'm holding a bag of peanuts. And that he doesn't know my name. Actually, as I think about it, I hope I wasn't standing there an abnormal amount of time, holding my nuts. But, hey, I love my job.

--I made a realization the other night about J.J. Hardy, and I was a little disappointed. I've always been a fan of star shortstops. From Yount to Ozzie to Trammell to Reyes, there's nothing sweeter, in my opinion, than a slick-fielding shortstop. But I now realize that because thousands of teenage girls are wearing a Hardy jersey at each game, I'll never be able to buy one, no matter how good his career ends up being. There would just be something weird about wearing the same jersey that the pack of Lindsey Lohan wannabes that I had just passed in the concourse are wearing. Can't do it. Just like Scott Podsednik, a J.J. Hardy Jersey has become women's apparel...

--Thank God the Bucks got Jake Vohskul in the fold. I really don't have a problem with Garnett's $23 million per year or Redds max contract, but there's something wrong with a league where Jake Vohskul makes $3 million a year. That being said, I'm thrilled with the rumors (which are certainly based on more truth than the Dunn reports) that has Desmond re-signing with the Bucks. I look forward to seeing him take Bobby Simmon's starting spot by December.

And, wow, thank God this Yi Jianlian situation is cleared up. Silly me, I actually thought this situation might get messy...

And I guess I need to say that...

Darren was right. (God that's painful) Rickie needed to sit, but if he's not going to play, I'm all for him getting regular at bats in the minors once Billy comes off the DL...

We will need Rickie to contribute before it's all said and done. And he will. Trust me. Just like I trust Doug...to get 'er done...

Rambling Rose, Part 3

2007-07-15T17:54:00.000-05:00

The Brewers lead in the division has shrunk to 3 and a half games, but at least we've finally won a series. So many different thoughts running through my mind that I'm left with no other options but to ramble...

--I really love the opportunities that the Brewers are providing for kids who come to Miller Park. From the kid who yells "play ball" at the top of the game to the hordes of children partaking in the base run after a Sunday game, you see example after example of the Brewers' front office making every effort to create major league memories for their future fans. For example, I can't even begin to tell you how excited I would have been to announce the first three hitters of an inning, as one lucky kid gets to do every game in the bottom of the third.
But there have been a few kids that I have felt sorry for too.
That's because of another promotion that they run on Sundays, which is sponsored by Culvers and lets kids run out to one of the nine positions, greeting the players during the introductions and standing with them during the national anthem. I can't even begin to imagine how excited I would have been to stand next to Robin Yount when I was nine years old. You wanna talk about "pee your pants for the Brewers"? Yep. That would have done it.
But I do kind of feel bad for the kids who get chosen to stand next to the utility players when they get a start. For instance, on Bill Hall bobblehead day Fielder didn't start. So the kid who went out to first base stood next to Tony Graffanino instead. And today Counsell played for Hardy. I'm sure it's still a thrill for the kids to be next to a big leaguer, but if the kid's any kind of a Brewers fan--you gotta believe that when he first heard that he was going to go out to 1st base, he was thinking, "Awesome! Prince Fielder!"--and instead he gets to run out and meet Tony Graffanino. I'm sorry, and I really don't mean any offense to Tony, but there's got to be some measure of a letdown in that.
If it's 1983 and they tell me, "Tommy you're going to run out to shortstop," and I run out and meet Ed Romero--well, it's safe to say I'm sobbing in front of all of County Stadium. At the top of my lungs. I'm already picturing my mother scolding me and hollering "Tommy, you tell Mr. Romero 'thank you' right now, and take that baseball, dammit" as I fight through that post cry breath-intake thing that kids do (and can't ever seem to stop once they've started). As I think about it, perhaps it's best they started this promotion after I've become (somewhat of) an adult.

--Really glad the Bucks have Mo back in the fold, but I'm a little nervous about locking anyone up for 6 years. I like Mo's game, and I think he's only going to get better...but Bobby Simmons' contract has scarred me for a good three years (and I, admittedly liked the signing at the time). I do think Mo will play in an all-star game within the next two to three years, however, and will regularly pray that someone can teach him a little more defense.

--Meanwhile, Yi has had a conversation with Harris and Coach K, 68% of China wants him to play for the Bucks, and it's pretty well agreed that there's no way he would be able to sit next year (in order to re-enter the draft) with the Olympics on the immediate horizon. Nonetheless, I'm not going to admit I was wrong about the draft pick until Yi is practicing at the BC in a Bucks jersey. Until then, I still say the Buck should have sold while the selling was good. (Eric's comment three posts ago that I was "ripping on Yi," however is just not true. I've already said that I have no idea how good this kid is going to be. I haven't, after all, ever seen him play. But there's no way the Bucks can afford to "give him 2/3 years," because we all know that once he's completed his rookie contract, his days as a Buck are over...)

--Meanwhile, my other long-time friend, Darren, had to be ecstatic when Ned decided to pinch hit Tony G for Weeks on Saturday night. I have no problem with that decision, but I'm sticking with my prediction that Rickie breaks out of his funk during this homestand...

--One other observation I'd like to make from today's Brewers game, if I may--
Any of you that have ever sat behind home plate have probably watched kids run to the front row whenever a ball is fouled back to the screen and then beg the bat boy for the ball. (If you've ever thrown a piece of bread into a fish pond, it's pretty much looks like the same kind of thing.) And I have no problem with that. IF you're actually a kid. Today there were several adults begging for a ball as well. What's worse, there were at least two occasions in which the bat boy was throwing a kid a ball and an adult leaped up and stole it in front of them.
Can we just establish some kind of man law that it is NOT any kind of an accomplishment,whatsoever, to catch a ball from a bat boy? Please. I mean, maybe if Prince tosses one into the stands or Jenkins in left, then maybe that's a cool souvenir. But otherwise, unless you are catching the ball directly from the crack of the bat--you need to find the closest kid--immediately. And if you're stealing a bat boy ball from a kid, you should have one heaved at your head.

--Finally, I have a confession to make to my fellow Brewers fans. And an apology. On the night of the no-hitter, my cat Albus broke my Chris Capuano mini-bobblehead. I don't think he did it on purpose, but Albus does get jealous when I ignore him during the game. Anyhow, I think it's safe to say that Cappy hasn't been the same since. As a matter of fact, it was the next night that Villanueva had to make the spot start for him. My wife has obtained some super glue, however, and we hope to have him back to normal by his next outing. After all, with the Cubs playing like the '84 Tigers, we desperately need to put Cappy back together again...

Everything's Different Now...

2007-07-11T21:32:00.000-05:00

All right. Be honest now.

If I would have told you in early January that the Milwaukee Brewers would be ten games above .500 at the all star break, what would you have said? Honestly.

And if I had told you that they would be four and half games up on the division, what would you have said to that? Come on; be honest.

Those of you that know me well enough would have probably said that it was just Tom being overly optimistic again. You might have called me delusional or you might have made some joke wondering how a guy who drinks as little as I do can always talk like such a crazy flippin' drunk. You might have even asked me if I had talked to Scotty F lately.

(Since 4 of my 9 readers don't know who Scotty is, let me explain. In my life, I've had the privilege of meeting several hard core Brewers fans. It's very seldom, however, that I meet someone who is as blindly optimistic about their chances every year as Scotty. I think I can safely say that you will also never meet a nicer guy--which only adds to the lore of Scotty's pure devotion for the Crew. Now, Scotty wasn't necessarily what you'd call "cool" by high school standards, but I guarantee you that if anyone was messing with him, you'd have about 120 guys (and about 400 girls) ready to throw down. He was just that nice. And the simplest story I can use to illustrate his sometimes misguided loyalty to the Crew happened when he went with a group of us to a game in 1992. It was the Brewers against the Blue Jays, and it was still a couple months before Scrap Iron's boys really got hot that summer and started making their push. Left-hander Bruce Ruffin was on the mound, and the first 7 Jays to bat laced balls all over County Stadium so hard that you wondered if you were actually watching an extended batting practice. Before an out could be recorded, there were 5 runs in and 2 more guys on base. Garner came out to talk to Ruffin, and when he didn't give him the hook--the crowd exploded in ferocious boos. Just as the two-fisted slobbers around the park started to calm down, Scotty stood up and at the top of his voice yelled, "Come on, Bruce. Ruffin some feathers!"

Yeah. We didn't get it either. But that's what Scotty brought to the table. Every single Brewer game. And to this day, if the Brewers are getting roughed up, I still quietly whisper to myself, "Come on, Turnbow (or whoever). Ruffin some feathers.")

Anyhow, the point is that you would have been pleased as punch to know the Brewers would be in this position, had you known back in January. And you might have called it flat out "impossible" if I had told you that they'd be in first place despite Rickie Weeks batting .221; Hall having only 9 HRs and 38 RBI; and the new free agent Suppan having an ERA of 5.00.

And--if you think about it--if I had told you that the Brewers would finish 15 games above five hundred at the end of the year...but two games back of the Cubs, you would have been more excited than Richard Simmons at a Spice Girls concert. "Awesome," you would have yelled, "you mean the Brewers will still be in the hunt during Packers season? That would be so cool."

Ah. But how things have changed. I'm guessing, if you're anything like me, that wouldn't be quite so awesome anymore. Sure, we could try to spin it that a winning season would still be a step in the right direction, but the truth is--now that we've tasted first place for this long--there would be no satisfaction in second place. And that's why things are suddenly different for us Brewer fans. It's a whole new world. A world where, "just keep me interested until Packers training camp" doesn't cut it anymore.

Not after a 24-10 start. Not after all of the national attention. Not after having four legitimate all stars.

(And really as good as are four stars have been, let's not forget four other stars, who also made this remarkable first half possible:

1. Carlos Villanueva--Unbelievably solid in the pen. While I understand the desire to save pitches on Gallardo's arm, I still think Villanueva should end up in the starting rotation soon. He would be such a huge upgrade over Vargas, it's not even funny. I know people are going to throw the Brewers record in games that Vargas has started in my face as an argument for him. But let me just say this--giving Vargas too much credit for those wins is EXACTLY the same as the Bears giving Grossman credit for their winning record. Of late, the Brewers were winning Vargas' outings, despite his efforts. And as the pennant push continues, we're going to need someone who can actually pitch more than five and a third innings every time out. Moving Villanueva would leave a hole in the bullpen, however, so acquiring a Chad Cordero or Gagne might have to be the first move...

2. Corey Hart--Just when all of Greater Milwaukee was complaining about Tony Gwynn not playing enough, Corey Hart reminded everyone that he's a top prospect too...

3. Ryan Braun--Simply unbelievable. I'll be the first to admit that I questioned Yost putting him in the 3 hole and worried about putting undue pressure on the kid. I'm silly.

4. Jenkins/Mench--Both were disappointed about being in a platoon role when camp broke, but neither have let it affect their game. And their combined numbers--.271; 18 HRs, 61 RBIs, make for quite the left fielder.)

Players always say that it's far too early to scoreboard watch at this point in the season. But that's not true with us fans. Hell, I've been watching Cubs scores and Cardinals scores since early May.

So, finally--like Yankees fans, and Red Sox fans and Dodgers fans--we get to see what this pennant run stuff is all about. And prepare yourself; because I'm already getting a sense that it won't be all fun and games. There will be some tense moments. There will be some sleepless nights. There might even be some rashes and vomiting.

But I bet it's worth it.

And it's definitely better than Ruffin some feathers...

2007-07-08T10:30:00.000-05:00

Dear Mr. Thompson (or may I call you Ted?):

First off, I want to apologize for the things I've called you in the past. When I used the word "moron" I meant to say that you are more on with your choices than you are off. And when I used the term "ass wipe," I simply was trying to point out that, like toilet paper, you are essential to the back end success of the Green Bay Packers. And, well, I simply have no excuse for calling you a douche bag. But I do apologize. And I hope you accept.

See the thing about your moves thus far, Ted (if I may call you Ted), is that when Ron Wolf left the organization he admitted that his biggest regret was not getting better weapons to help Brett Favre. And since he was a mentor of yours, I've just always assumed that you had learned from his mistakes. And it has pained me to no extent to learn that you obviously haven't.

I will say, however, that you are up against unfair standards at GM. You see, the guy making the moves for my beloved Brewers has now officially moved into genius status. Every move he makes has come out looking more golden than than the gold of the Packers helmets. (But that's a topic for another blog, I suppose.) And it's hard for me not to notice that during your press conferences you look more confused than Mike Tyson at a spelling bee (All right, I stole that line from a comedian I saw last night, but it's so much more appropriate to you that I couldn't resist.)

That being said, however, there have been some moves I have really enjoyed, Ted (if I may call you Ted). I think you've done a fantastic job overhauling our defense, and yes it's true that defense wins championships. But let's be honest, for every Charles Woodson, there's been two Marquand Manuels or Arturo Freemans. And to be truly, truly honest Ted, I'll forever hold a grudge against you for using a 1st round pick on selecting Favre's successor when all Favre really wanted was a little help and he would have gladly stuck around without all the hemming and hawing.

I've also enjoyed your ability to successfully, "cut the fat" from our roster. Daycare centers have smaller messes to clean up at the end of the day in comparison to the dump truck load of poo Sherman left behind for you to clean up. The fact that you are still $10 million under the cap this year and $20 million under the cap on next year's books (with only Corey Williams becoming a free agent) is truly, truly remarkable. But here's the thing, Ted (if I may call you Ted)--it doesn't pay to cut all of that fat, if you don't spend the money. So here's what I propose, and if you can make this happen, well, we'll let all other bygones be bygones.

I need you to trade for Larry Johnson.

There were rumors that you were putting out feelers back in April before the draft, and now it's time to make the move, Ted (I'm just going to call you Ted and hope that's ok). You see, one of the biggest fallacies I heard after the Moss debacle was that the Packers shouldn't have gone after Moss anyhow because they are still far more than one player away from winning anything next year. Hogwash. That might be true in baseball or in the NBA, but anyone who's watched football the last 5 years knows it doesn't take much to go from worst to first these days. Not in the NFL, where parity reigns supreme.

The entire staff whole-heartily admits that Favre has his best year's when the Packers successfully run the football. Larry Johnson successfully runs the football.

Last year, the Packers were pathetic when they got into the red zone, lacking someone with a nose to the goal line. Larry Johnson has a nose for the goal line.

And when Favre does leave, it would be helpful to have a running back who can carry the load to take the pressure off the poor QB who'll have the unenviable position of being Favre's successor. Larry Johnson can carry that load.

So it's a no brainer really, Ted. You've done such a nice job of front-loading the salaries of Woodson and Kampman and now you can do the same when you negotiate LJ's contract.

And to make the deal sweet for the Chiefs, here's what I want you to offer them.

First Kansas City is always in need of help on their defense line, so I want you to offer them KGB. He's been exposed as purely a pass-rushing specialist, but Kansas City needs someone to rush on the weak side and KGB has proven he can put up double digit sacks. That opens the door for Montgomery and Hunter to step into the 3rd down pass rushing specialist and cuts $5 million off the cap that you can apply to front loading LJ's new deal.

Next, I want you to offer them one of your rookie WRs. You have two of them, Ted in Jones and Clowney, and I like what Ruvell Martin and Carlyle Holiday have to offer behind Jennings and Driver. So you really only have room for one of them--especially if Koren is able to contribute in October. The good news is that the Chiefs haven't been able to identify a good young WR in nearly two decades, so it's almost a lock that they'll choose the wrong one.

And finally, Ted, you need to offer them your next two first round draft choices. I know this is going to be really tough on you. You love your draft choices, I get that. And you have an uncanny knack at turning one pick into three lower picks, thus multiplying the number of average players on our roster. But LJ is a superstar, Ted. And sometimes you need to go and grab those kinds of players too.

And you can make the picks conditional. Here's what I propose.

If LJ rushes for 1,500 yards and/or 15 TDs in 2007, the Chiefs get our #1.

If LJ rushes for 1,200 yards and/or 12 TDS in 2007, the Chiefs get out #2.

If LJ rushes for 1,000 yards and/0r 10 TDS in 2007, the Chiefs get our #3.

Anything under those benchmarks, the Chiefs get our #4.

Follow the exact same formula for the 2008 season to tell you what the Chiefs get from us in the 2009 draft.

I think the Chiefs will be interested. After all, this deal is much sweeter than the 3rd round pick the Colts got from the Rams for Marshall Faulk. And if LJ rushes for 1500 yards the next two years and you lose a couple 1st rounders, so be it. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that with Favre and a 1500 yard rusher, it won't be a top ten pick. And you'll have Morency to become the great change of pace back that he is, thereby saving some of the hits that LJ will have to take over the next 4 years in a Packers uniform. That's the perfect formula for winning.

And after all, Ted, that's really how your job should be defined.

Sincerely yours,

-Thomas

OTHER notes...

I was sorry to see the agony (comments section of my last blog post) that Darren went through last night watching Weeks hit in crucial situations. I do hope he used some mouth wash before going to bed as that vomit taste can be awfully nasty. Here's what Ned Yost said about Weeks in today's Journal, but the comments are following Friday night's game:

"I thought Rickie swung the bat well last night," Yost said. "He's just got zero luck right now. He can not find a hole.
"I thought Rickie had some good at-bats last night, but he just had nothing to show for it. Every once in a while you just need one to fall in. It doesn't matter how it is, you just need one to fall in and then they come in bunches after that."

I would expect Rickie to get today off and be ready to go after the all-star break...

Finally, it's early to be thinking about Marquette basketball, but here's a nice article on Jerel McNeal, who I think will start a solid NBA career in two years as a defensive specialist (think Eric Snow with a better shot and better ability to take it to the rim).

http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/news?slug=rivals-139814&prov=rivals&type=lgns

(As I'm typing this article, I can't get anything to pop into the "Title" box. Not sure what's going on, but just know I would have called this post "My Letter to Ted.")

ALL WE ARE SAYING...

2007-07-04T09:31:00.000-05:00

IS GIVE WEEKS A CHANCE...

There was a long message on my voice mail when I finished blogging Sunday night. To summarize, my friend Darren spent three and half minutes telling me that he was pretty much sick and tired of watching Rick Weeks (And yes, he does make a point to refer to him as "Rick" and not "Rickie." But this comes from the same guy who once looked at me during home room and said, "Rose? We're not calling you 'Rose' anymore. From now on, you're Ironhead." And for the duration of the spring baseball season, I was indeed called Ironhead.) pathetically flail away at pitches. During his rant, he questioned whether or not a full time benching was in order for Mr. Weeks.
I will be the first to admit that watching Rickie at the plate has been rather painful this year. And if I was an opposing pitcher, there's no way I'd throw him anything over the plate once he had two strikes in the count. I also have no idea how much of this has to do with the wrist injury, so I'm not going to throw that out as an excuse.
But I will say this...
By the time his career has ended, Rickie Weeks will be one of the greatest offensive players to have ever donned a Brewers uniform.
Think Rickey Henderson. Or if you prefer modern day comparisons, think Soriano. Think Alex Rios. And now, don't laugh, but...think Barry Bonds. (I'm speaking, of course, of a young, skinny faster Barry Bonds, before massive head growth and back when he wore a Pirates uniform.) Yeah, Rickie has the potential to be that good.
I'm also a big believer that hitters don't work their way out of a slump by sitting on a bench. They need to see pitches; and in Rickie's case, he needs to start seeing strikes. In the same way Billy Hall broke out of his slump by taking some walks, Rickie needs to do the same. He also might need to take a couple called third strikes--as painful as that can be to watch--just to start really seeing the strike zone again. But, of course, he needs to be up at the plate for that to happen. Not on the bench.
Now you're not going to get me to say anything negative about Graffanino or Counsell because I think those two veterans will continue to prove vital for the Brewers success this season. And Ned should continue to find both guys at bats so they can stay fresh. But neither Counsel or Graffanino have the potential to carry a team like Rickie can. Neither have that same combination of bat speed, on base speed and raw power (a true Triple Threat, if you will) that can cause an opponent fits. And although the wrist itself may not be to blame for his most recent struggles, the fact that he missed the second half of last season might explain some of his problems. But like J.J. a couple of years ago, I fully expect Rickie to emerge in the second half of the season. And I think the Brewers will absolutely need a contributing Rickie Weeks (as well as Bill Hall) to fend off the charging Cubbies after the break.
Finally, as bad as Rickie has looked at times--and it has been bad, as evidenced by his .234 average--when we were at the game for our Bill Hall bobblehead, they flashed a stat that Rickie had reached base safely in 46 of his first 50 games. I was obviously surprised by that, almost as much as I was surprised to learn that Rickie is second on the team in walks, despite his time on the DL.
Believe me it's only a matter of time for Rickie to get hot. Look for it on the first homestand after the all-star break. Just don't give up on the kid yet. 'Cause as Ned will tell you--like Prince, J.J., Gallardo and Braun--he's a stud.

I was so disappointed in the Yi pick that I forgot to mention how thrilled I was for Alondo Tucker. The kid couldn't have possibly landed in a better situation. Mark it down, two years from now, you're going to be lying on your couch watching Sportscenter when a story airs focusing on how in the world so many teams passed on Alondo during the '07 draft. For anyone who has questioned Tuck's athleticism, now you'll see. The fact that he was drafted by the brain trust of the Suns organization is all the proof I need...

In case you missed it, my friend Brent sent me the Andrew Bogut quotes, sure to inspire some discussion in NBA locker rooms this fall...

The Sydney Morning Herald's David Sygall quotes the former top overall pick on life in the NBA. It's not pretty. One of the more memorable passages:
"The public's got it right, a lot of NBA stars are arrogant and like to spend lots of money and have lots of girlfriends and all that."
"The smarter guys don't do that. They like to live a regular life and want to retire and be set up. About 80 per cent of them go broke by the time they retire or come close to it."
"If you want to keep living that lifestyle when you're 40, but the millions have stopped coming in, you suddenly find your friends are gone and you've got nothing. It's a tough situation for some of those guys, especially the ones who come from the ghettos or tough upbringings."
"The funny thing is that we have compulsory tutoring each week where they teach you to manage your money and they tell you about all the things that can happen to you, people trying to take advantage of you, but it's amazing how many of the guys totally ignore it."
"I guess if you're a normal person and all of a sudden you're getting $10 million a year, it can go to your head. But I really think it's just the culture over there. I would never want my child to be brought up in an environment like that, where if you have money, you're supposed to flaunt it and make everyone jealous. The American attitude is 'We're the best'. That's why the NBA guys who come from other countries, the Europeans, all sort of stick together away from the game."

Look for the posters featuring "American" players performing serious facials on Bogut wherever NBA merchandise is sold...

Finally, a co-worker of mine who is much more upset about the Yi drafting (I'd call myself "disgruntled" over the move, Aaron is flat out pissed), sent me the following three team trade scenario in which the following players were obtained:
Bucks: Elton Brand, Raja Bell, Clippers 1st pick in '08
Clippers: Marion, Yi, Kurt Thomas (purely to balance the trade financially)
Suns: M. Redd, C. Maggette, B. Skinner (see above)

Although I love the idea of it, I don't think it would ever fly because Kohl wouldn't give up Redd with the chance of only getting one year of Elton Brand, who has a player option in '08. The trade also doesn't help the Suns get out of cap hell, but it's damn fun to pretend, isn't it? And you have to admit, it would be pretty exciting to see a line-up with Williams, R. Bell, Villanueva, Brand and Bogut with Simmons and C. Bell coming off the bench.

But best of all--it moves Yi out the door. So I challenge some of you to come up with trade scenarios to move Yi and post them as comments. If you're in the camp of keeping Yi, let me know that too.

Nothing better than pretending you're a GM...

Have a great Fourth.

God Bless America.

(And God Bless the Brewers.)

1st Half Grade--Brewers Get 4 Stars

2007-06-30T11:33:00.000-05:00

The Brewers reached the half way point of the season and, despite dropping two of three to the hated Cubbies, they still deserve a four-star rating for their first half of play...

Those four stars, of course, are: Fielder, Sheets, Cordero and Hardy. I think it's safe to say that this is more exciting than The Young and the Restless...

When I was a kid, there were few things I looked forward to more than the all-star game. I watched every all-star game played in the 80's. I remember the Fred Lynn Grand slam in '83 and the boring game in '88 when Terry Steinbach became the MVP for homering and hitting a sac fly and accounting for the A.L.'s only two runs. I sat in our rec room and scored along with every all-star game that was played between the '84 and '89 seasons. Admittedly, the previous sentence might very well be an indictment of the tiny town I grew up in and the fact that there wasn't a whole lot to do. Nonetheless, I really, really loved the all-star game. (As a matter of fact, the only other tv shows I remember getting that excited for--you know, like "I'm going to throw a temper tantrum if I miss this show" kind of excited-- were The Dukes of Hazard, The A-Team and that Saturday morning preview show. Remember that show? It would be on a Friday night in early fall, and it would highlight the new season of Saturday morning cartoons. And each network had their own preview show, but my favorite was on ABC because they carried the Superfriends, Captain Caveman, Godzilla and Scooby Doo. I wonder if they still do a show like that today. Probably not. Nickelodeon and The Cartoon Network have spoiled today's children so much that they don't even realize the simplistic beauty of a Saturday morning cartoon and a heaping bowl of nutritious Lucky Charms...)
Anyhow, what I loved the most about the all-star game wasn't necessarily even the game itself. I loved the introductions. I loved seeing the Brewers' representative standing in line with the likes of Wade Boggs, Cal Ripken and Don Mattingly. And I loved waiting for that moment when the Brewer would enter the game--and cursing like no eleven year old ever should when the Brewer never saw the field. On the rarest of occasions, I even got to rejoice when our Brewers representative would contribute to the win. I still remember watching Higuera in the '86 game retire Gwynn, Sandberg, and Keith Hernandez in order and thinking he should have started the game instead of that Clemmens kid.

And, of course, there were seasons when you'd feel a little ashamed of the Brewers representative. Those were years when you knew that the only reason that player was going was because of the rule requiring one all-star per team (Sundberg in '84, Bones in '94 and Seitzer in '95 come first to mind).

But all of those thoughts seem to be a thing of the distant past. This year, all four players belong in the game and all four should contribute before it's all said and done. So like old times, I'm grabbing my score book for this year's all-star game, and I'll be scoring along. That's the thing about these Brewers--they're making me feel like a kid again. And I'm all full of hope at the half way point...

I do think it's a little uncanny how similar this weekend's match-up with the Cubs was to the Mets series a few months ago. Both series were highly anticipated and both saw the Brewers blow a lead on Friday, throttle the opponent on Saturday and then get shut down on Sunday. And after both series, the Brewers headed to Pennsylvania. Let's hope their trip to Pittsburgh is better than that trip to Philadelphia. But considering the house of horrors PNC Park has been for the Crew over the years--let's just say, I'm nervous.

The coolest thing about the thrashing on Saturday has to be the Zambrano at bat. To see all of those Zany Cubs fans stand up in anticipation of something big from Zambrano was comical. But not as comical as the two hacks he took at Sheets' curve ball. I'm going to go out on a limb and say he never even saw the fastball.

I'm starting to wonder if Billy Hall is reading my blog. Not only does he get hot immediately after I predict it, but now he refers to Corey as "Hee Haw" in his introductions on FOX before the game Saturday. In case you missed it, here's the complete list...
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=626665

Finally, my brother posted a message asking me my thoughts on the Yi Hi-Yi that the Bucks delivered. Now that I'm up to 8 readers, I know the importance of responding to the comments, so here we go...

When I first received the news that the Bucks had drafted Yi Jianlian with the 6th pick in this year's draft, I felt a little like Evander Holyfield must have felt when Tyson bit his ear--I wanted to be pissed, but I wasn't even sure what the hell just happened.

I kept waiting for the news that the Bucks were going to trade the pick, and I have to say...I'm still waiting.

Look, I have no idea how good this kid is going to be. Maybe he even ends up as a legitimate all-star (and not a population-of-China-voted-me-in type all-star), but drafting a player that doesn't want to play for you, never ever, ever works out. Especially when the player is still officially under contract with another team in another league in another country. He doesn't have to come here. And that should be a bigger concern to Harris than the fact that Stephen A. Smith claimed he never saw him play. (And please, did Harris really let himself get sucked into Stephen A's child-like playground teasing? And does he really think he proved his point when he argued, "I may have not seen him play, but my daddy did"? I was totally expecting Smith to come back with a "Did not," so Larry could say, "Did too." That could go on for hours...) For the sake of argument, let's say that Harris can sign Yi to a rookie contract. What do you suppose the chances are that he stays in Milwaukee after that? And even if he plays as well as some scouts claim, even his biggest proponents say he'll be a liability on defense...so...welcome to the Bucks.

And if he's a bust...oh, Nelly...it will go down as a bigger flop the Tractor Traylor/Nowitski...because if you believe the rumors...

Philly was offering their two first rounders plus (?)
Golden state was offering Biedrins the 18th pick and another player...
Phoenix made several offers...

And no matter what, Corey Brewer was still on the board...

And you know how I like my Brewers. I give 'em four stars...

A Great Big Hi-Yi

2007-06-27T19:08:00.000-05:00

When I was I kid, I invented the ultimate defense against my older siblings.

I was five or six years old, and I was the victim of frequent pummelings, which consisted of being sat on, farted on, punched in the shoulder, punched in the leg, or all of the above. Before too long, however, I learned that if I grabbed my older brothers' pointer finger and thumb and stretch them in opposite directions, they were quick to end the beatings. I called my move the Hi-yi (pronounced High-Yigh), and it quickly became a part of Rosenthal family folklore for many years to come.

I never administered the Hi-yi without the accompanying battle cry, which was simply yelling "Hi-Yi!" at the top of my lungs with a prepubescent energy that would scare a warlock. It got to the point that all I had to do was yell, "Hi-yi!" anytime I was being messed with, and in a Pavlovian-induced sweat, they'd automatically let go of me and leave me alone. But even though they were the victims of the Hi-Yi, both my older brothers and older sister loved it. They'd frequently encourage me to deliver a "Hi-Yi" to one of the other siblings, my parents or random strangers that passed by our driveway. It was my calling card. And it showed the world that little Tommy was not to be messed with anymore...

The reason I bring up this story is because the Milwaukee Brewers just delivered one massive Hi-yi to the Houston Astros. Since the Brewers joined the National League in 1998, the Astros have been like their bullying older siblings--beating them up without hesitation and reminding them who was in charge of the division. As a matter of fact, as a division rival, the Brewers have NEVER won the season series against the Astros. The closest they came was in 2003, when the Brewers won eight of seventeen. Since then, the Brewers have gone 6-13; 5-10 and 5-10 in the head-to-head series between the two teams.

And when they look across the dugout, you can't help but think that some of the Brewers are seeing their big brothers. Loretta was certainly a brother of sorts to Jenkins for many years, Fielder credits much of his current success to the big brother-like guidance Carlos Lee provided last year, and Ned Yost might feel like he's living in the shadow of a big brother, considering that Garner was the last manager to lead the Crew to a winning season.

Now it's true--the Brewers haven't secured the season series yet (they're 7-2 against the Astros, with 9 more games to play), but they've certainly sent a message to the other dugout. They're not afraid of you anymore, Astros. And if you try to push them around; you'll get a couple more Hi-yis before this season is done...

FINAL THOUGHTS
I was honored to read a plug for my blog at the following link:
http://badgersportsfan.blogspot.com

I'm not sure who this gentleman is, but he may be even more insane for the Badgers than I am for the Crew. (I've been so consumed in Brewers buzz, that I almost forgot that we could have a top 10 (5?) football team, especially if the kid from Kansas State lives up to his reputation...) Whoever this guy is, I certainly appreciate any traffic he may have directed my way...

Speaking of which, last Sunday I added a hit counter to my blog. I was basically curious if anyone besides my friends Chad and Brent (and my wife, who I force to proof read) was actually reading this babble. I was pleasantly surprised to see that in 10 days I had well over 160 hits. (Truth be told, had it only been 10 or 20, I was going to just keep popping on the site myself and pad my stats.)

Also, I keep forgetting to highlight a cool article on the triple (the 8th most exciting play in baseball, you might recall) that Chad, known by our fantasy football league as the owner of the Manziers, sent to me...well, a couple of weeks ago. Despite my tardiness, it's pretty interesting stuff, and it makes me man crush on Curtis Granderson, just a tad...

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/6915602

Finally, one of the best things about today's walk-off win was that it was Lacrosse Day at Miller Park. I'm hoping lots of these Lacrosse folks took part in what I think is the Brewers coolest promotion--Walk-off Wednesday. On these days, if you buy a t-shirt of a player at the store and he has a walk-off hit, you also receive an autographed bat from the player.

The dumbest promotion? Has to be the one they do on the radio (I forget who sponsors it) where you win $5,000 and a car if the Brewers turn a triple play. Yeah...that's right--a TRIPLE play. So not only do you have to hope that the Brewers complete one of the rarest feats in baseball during the game, but you have to have it happen during a particular INNING! Please tell me people didn't really sign up for this. You have a better chance of getting Paris Hilton into Yale Law than you do of getting a triple play turned in a specific inning. The Brewers haven't even turned a triple play since 1999 (against the CUBS, mind you). And what kind of promotion has you cheering for the opposition's first two batters to get on base! I swear to God, I can hear the eyes rolling in Jim Powell's head every time the triple play inning comes up...

Okay, I'm done rambling for the night, but before you go, make sure you vote for Prince!

http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/mil/fan_forum/vote_brewers.jsp

Otherwise, I'll have to give you a Hi-yi...

Feeling a Draft Coming in...

2007-06-25T23:00:00.000-05:00

It was June 2003, and I had been counting the days (hell—the minutes) until the NBA draft. All of the experts were saying that the draft was top heavy, so that meant that at #8, the Bucks were going to add someone who would be a force for years to come. I was juiced. I was pumped. I was ready to go…

And I only had one stipulation.

The Bucks could draft anyone, and I'd be happy…except T.J. Ford.

Ugh.

I remember secretly wishing that Wade would drop to 8, or that the Bucks would make the move to trade up to get him. When Miami grabbed him at #5, I turned my attention to Hinrich. He had destroyed Marquette in the Final Four, after all, and despite the fact that he looked like the world’s largest Keebler Elf, I liked the intensity that he brought to the floor. I knew the Bucks were looking point guard, and I just hoped that the Bulls were not. But when Hinrich’s name was announced at #7, I knew T.J. Ford was ours…and so I placed myself in the fetal position and rocked myself to sleep...

Truth be told, there came a time when I actually had to admit I was wrong about T.J. Ford. Before he got injured, he actually played some pretty impressive point guard for your Milwaukee Bucks. And normally I’m all for a point guard who’s a pass first type player and can even overlook his obvious limitations when it comes to shooting the ball. But here’s the problem: somewhere along the line, T.J. started thinking he was a scoring point guard. Inexplicably, he started heaving up 3 for 12 and 2 for 14 shooting performances. But what I could really never understand about T.J. was why he was so ineffective on defense. I mean, obviously his size is an issue, I get that. Guys are going to post him up. By why didn’t he create more havoc on the ball handler and get himself more steals (which he actually started to do more of with Toronto last year….go figure)? So when the Bucks dealt him for Charlie V, I was all for it. (And truth be told, I still am. I still believe that when all is said an done, this trade will work out for the Bucks.)

Anyhow, here we are in 2007, and the Bucks are in a similar position. It’s a top heavy draft, and there’s no certainty of who is going to fall to them at number 6. According to the "experts" the Bucks are going to draft...

--Jeff Green (if you listen to Chad Ford of ESPN.com)

--Brandan Wright (if you listen to DraftExpress.com)

--Yi Jianlian (if you listen to Gary Parrish of CBSSportsline)

--Joakim Noah (if you listen to Jeff Reynolds of the Sports Exchange)

Which just goes to show, that it's still pretty much any one's guess, and it will be anyone's guess up until the moment the Bucks pick arrives at the podium Thursday night.

Before I reveal my own wish list for the Bucks, I should explain that I believe that...

A. Noah and Yi have made it very clear that they have no interest in playing for the Bucks. So if we draft either guy, you can assume we'd be moving them elsewhere.

B. There are two superstars in this draft. They are going one and two. There are others who will be very solid NBA players and key contributors, but if you're talking about guys that you can build a franchise around--it ends with Durant.

C. The Bucks need to think about ways to improve their defense.

With that in mind, here's my 2007 Bucks Draft Wish List, in inverse order:

5. Al Horford. I mentioned in my last blog my biggest concern: He's Tito's son. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice...He has proven to be a very solid defender, however, and by getting two blocks per game, the Bucks would increase their team total to...well...two blocks per game...

CHANCE OF BEING AROUND AT #6: 12%

4. Brandan Wright. If I was a betting man, this is the guy I'd say Larry is going to take. A project, to be sure, but if anyone has the skills to prove my point B (above) wrong, it's Wright. My biggest fear is that by the time his rookie contract expires, the Bucks have to make a difficult decision on him. Therefore, if he does become a superstar, it happens with team #2, similar to Jermaine O'Neal...and if they decide to pay him the big bucks, well, can you say, "Darius Miles?"

CHANCE OF BEING AROUND AT #6: 60%

3. Mike Conley, Jr. Don't get me wrong, I like Mo and do hope the Bucks resign him. But Conley is everything the Bucks wished that T.J. was...a pass first point guard who needs to work on his shot. The difference is that Conley doesn't feel the need to take a lot of shots, but still has the confidence to take it, if necessary, at crunch time. (All of us Badgers fans certainly remember the runner in the game at Ohio State.) And his pass-first mentality would be perfect for a line-up with Redd, Simmons, Charlie V and Bogut. Plus he knows how to use his speed to his advantage on the defensive side of the ball. It would hurt to lose Mo to the Grizzlies without any compensation, but Conley would take away the sting.

CHANCE OF BEING AROUND AT 6: 20%

2. Corey Brewer. If you read the comments following my last blog, Matt likes Brewer because he's been compared to Pippen, and Eric doesn't think Brewer is the choice because where would Pippen have been without M.J....Look, there's nobody that feels more strongly than I do that Scottie Pippen is one of the most overrated players of all-time,

(As a matter of fact, just off the top of my head, here's 5 guys from my lifetime that I'd have put on the NBA's 50 greatest, before even considering Pippen: Dominique Wilkens, Alex English, Adrian Dantley, Bernard King and Sidney Moncrief. Hell, I'll even show you three Johnsons that I'd put ahead of Pippen: Dennis, Marques and Kevin...)

but if Corey Brewer has a Pippen-like career for the Bucks, I would think they'd be okay with that. And to be honest, I don't compare Brewer to Pippen as much as I'd compare him to Tayshaun Prince. Brewer's an inch shorter than Prince, with far less wing span, but he plays the same hard-nose defense with the same type of athleticism. Tayshaun may never make an all-star game, but where would the Pistons have been the last few years without him? Brewer would step in immediately at the SF, and move Bobby Simmons back to the 6th man role that he was originally signed to fulfill.

CHANCE OF BEING AROUND AT #6: 50%

1. Trade the pick. There are a lot of teams currently itching to scratch their way into the top 10 (especially Phoenix and Seattle). That makes this a serious seller's market, and I think the Bucks should consider selling high. I could sit here and daydream about using the pick as part of a package to bring in one of the rumored available stars (Lewis, Marion, Pierce), but I'd only be setting myself up for disappointment. But if Phoenix were to say offer their two late picks (24 and 29) and next year's one, I'd make the move and take a chance on sleepers at the end of round one...

By the way, here's

TOM'S TOP 5 SLEEPERS...

5. Alondo Tucker, G/SF; Wisconsin. Ok, totally biased, I realize. And I know the knock on Tuck is that he can't shoot. But, you watch, Alondo's going to be taken at the end of the 1st round, end up on a good team (perhaps Phoenix) and contribute off the bench immediately. Say what you want, but this guy has an uncanny ability to score in traffic, and I'm very interested to see what he can do when he's not the focus of the opposition's defense. After a poor showing in the tourney, the rest of the country has no idea how good he can be...

4. Zabian Dowdell, G, Virginia Tech. First off, it's a kick-ass name, so I'd draft him on that alone. I don't think he handles the rock well enough to be a point guard at the next level, but I see him as an undersized 2-guard, with lights-out range. Think Vernon Maxwell, without the scary temper tantrums. He should be around when the Bucks pick near the end of round two.

3. Aaron Afflalo, G, UCLA. Here's another similarity to the 2003 draft, as another UCLA stud will go early in the second round, similar to Kapono. Afflalo doesn't shoot as consistently as Kapono, but he's probably the second best on the ball defender after Brewer, and that should keep him in the league for many years.

2. Herbert Hill, PF, Providence. Needs to bulk up a ton. As a matter of fact, he's so skinny, he makes Brandan Wright look like David Wright. But he was pretty unstoppable at times in the post for Providence, displaying good footwork and a soft touch. If he's around when the Bucks select in round two, it should be a no-brainer.

1. Derrick Byars, SF, Vanderbilt. Take everything you already know about Alondo Tucker and add a better shot and better on the ball defense. Not as big as a sleeper as others on the list because he's projected to go in the late 1st round, but if he ends up in a Bucks uniform, I'm thrilled.

The Bucks certainly have a lot of decisions to make--from signing Mo to waiting to see if they'll have to match any offers on Charlie Bell--and Larry Harris will certainly be under the microscope with every move he makes.

And it all starts Thursday night, where I'm already preparing myself...to assume the fetal position...

Rambling Rose, Part 2

2007-06-21T22:11:00.001-05:00

So many things to talk about, so little time. After working Monday and Tuesday night's games this week, I'm right back at Miller Park Friday and Saturday, and then back again as a fan on Sunday. And a lot happened over the course of the SWEEP against the Giants that I haven't yet had a chance to discuss...

SO once again, if you don't mind (and hell, even if you do), I'm going to take this opportunity to ramble...

--I want to start by apologizing for some really poor writing on my part. Two blogs ago, I mentioned that at times Brewers strike outs can pile up faster than Shawn Kemp's paternity suits. That was a horribly dated line, and I sincerely apologize. Shawn Kemp hasn't even made the slightest blip on the sports radar scene for any of his last 3,476 cheeseburgers. Perhaps in 1994, that would have been a timely line. So forgive me. What I meant to say was "Brewers strike outs can pile up faster than Elijah Duke's paternity suits." Thank you. I feel much better and much more contemporary now.

--One of my responsibilities as a concierge at Miller Park is to go on the peanut run. At the top of the third inning, we fill up the carts and deliver complimentary peanuts to all of the regular suite holders. Most of the time, it's actually kind of fun. The way some of these people respond to the peanuts, you'd think I was handing them a blank check from the Brewers. "Whoa! Peanuts! Awesome. Thanks, man!" But I like that. It makes me feel good, and on occasion we even share a celebratory peanut-induced high-five. Which is nice. BUT then there's times when people actually get a bit snotty about the peanuts. For instance, one gentleman on Tuesday night said, "Wow, peanuts. I pay $530 on food and I get a whole two free bags of peanuts. Just what I wanted."

Look...

If you expect me to feel bad that you can sit in the suites and afford $530 worth of food, well, then...you're pretty much a dumbass. No, not even pretty much. You're 100%, Grade A, dumbass. Plain and simple. I'm here after my regular job, trying to earn an extra buck or two so my soon-to-be-born child can enjoy a quality infant daycare--preferably, one that will completely quell my concerns and eliminate any urges I might have to hide a nanny cam in her nostrils. But I bet you don't care much about that either, right? No, of course not, and I don't blame you. So please just take the peanuts. Please. Take the peanuts.
(I will say that I have learned a valuable lesson on the importance of over-articulating that final "t" when I walk into the suites announcing, "Complimentary peanuts." Without that last "t," you WILL get some incredulous looks.)

--I would be remiss to bask in the joys of the recently-resurrected Brewers offense without at least mentioning one Corey Hart. How incredible has he been this past week? I still think he looks like something out of the Hee-Haw cornfields (and there's no way I'd ever enroll my daughter-to-be at the Corey Hart Daycare Center), but the kid can flat out rake. For those of you Tony Gwynn fans that are miffed about his recent demotion to Triple A, just remember that Corey was sent down about this time last year for the same reason--to get more at bats. Quite frankly, I'd say that move has turned out ok.

--Because I've been so Brewers gung-ho of late, I've been completely neglecting to talk about the Bucks up and coming draft pick. But truth be told, I'm still not sure what I want Larry to do with the 6th pick. Every mock draft I look at has the Bucks taking someone different, largely because they all have different picks going at #3. I do plan on talking draft strategy in a blog article next week, so I don't want to say too much right now...but, I have to mention that everyone seems to be in agreement that if Horford would still be on the board, the Bucks will get him. Am I the only one that's scared by this? I mean, are we seriously going to draft Tito's son? Wasn't one Horford acquisition painful enough for this franchise? Anyone who's watched college basketball has certainly seen the younger Horford play effective minutes on both sides of the ball in crucial moments of crucial games, but...I'm just not sure we should go down that Tito-like path again. It's kind of like when the Packers drafted Aaron Rogers and the Rich Campbell flashbacks caused me to dry heave. Oh and, I'm still not sold on the Rogers kid either. (And for anyone who argues that Rogers hasn't had a chance to prove himself yet, I'll just remind you that by this point in their careers, we knew we had talent with Brunell, Brooks and Hasselbeck.)

--So it's only been 7 of the last 8, but I'm starting to get those giddy daydreams again. I try telling myself, "It's only June, Tom. There's lots of baseball to be played." But I can't help but think this 25th anniversary makes it destined to be. And I even started thinking again about the whole "Pee Your Pants for the Brewers" thing. And now I'm starting to think it's just not enough of a commitment. I mean, like so many other Brewers fans I too signed up to wet myself in the event that they make the play-offs, but the more I think about it, the more I realize that this is probably bound to happen anyhow...involuntarily. I can just see myself in front of the t.v. watching Billy squeeze the final out of the clinching game and looking down and thinking, "Aw, crap. I just peed." It's been twenty-five years, folks. There's really no telling how my body's going to respond to that kind of shock. But I'm ready to find out. So let's not have a let down against the Royals this weekend. And let's take another big step...to wetness.

The Young and the Relentless...

2007-06-20T21:04:00.000-05:00

I have a confession to make.

On Sunday afternoon, with the Brewers trailing 9-4, I went off and organized an intense game of kickball with my nephews and nieces. And I do mean intense--a one run game, with me as all-time pitcher and all-time base coach and frequently having to remind the youngest kids where third base was. At one point the two youngest boys started walking off the field, mid-inning. When I asked the youngest, Sam, where he was going, he simply said, "I'm tired now." (Apparently, the pressure had gotten to him. Oh, and apparently there IS crying in kickball, or at least in the first and third innings.)

By the time the game ended, my kickball ERA was at a lofty 7.75 (I'm calling all three of the runs in the top of the third unearned; sure Missy is like 6 years old, but she's got to stretch for that throw) and the Brewers had miraculously tied the Twins at 9. Lesson learned. Don't give up on these Brewers--they're young, they're hungry, and they're relentless.

And perhaps they are, indeed, a little restless too. Prince Fielder certainly is. He was restless the moment Lew Ford lost the ball in the glare of the dome, sprinting around the bases with the grace of a hungry, and perhaps somewhat drunken, grizzly bear. After seeing the replay, I couldn't help but wonder if they shouldn't attach a parachute pack to his back, so in the slim chance that this ever happens again he can pull the rip cord and assure no teammates are placed on the DL due to a dug-out roll-over.

(I should mention that even if I hadn't gone to play kickball with the kids, I still wouldn't have seen this play live. My dad's cable company in the booming metropolis of LeRoy offers him like 13 channels, and none of them are Fox Sports Net. I knew I grew up in the boonies, but it was only as an adult that I became concerned that I might actually have grown up Amish.)

Geoff Jenkins may not be young, but he too seems restless. Just asked Prince Fielder's family jewels, who became the victim of a bank shot into the corner pocket when Jenkin's throw from left eluded Prince's glove last night. Ever the player's coach, Yost came out and chatted with Sheets until Fielder's voice was somewhere in the range of a second alto.

Bill Hall has certainly been restless, probably because he didn't want to bat in the 7th or 8th hole anymore. After my prediction that he was going to get hot, Hall managed to win a couple games with his bat the last week and saved, by my count, at least 7 runs over the same stretch with some amazing glove work in center field.

So maybe, just maybe, this was the perfect soap opera for the Brewers to appear on this afternoon. When the announcement came out back in April that Cappy, JJ, Hall and Suppan were going to appear on The Young and the Restless, I was annoyed. It seemed like a distraction that they didn't need, and I was afraid it would take away from their focus on an important west coast trip...thank goodness that didn't...uhm...anyhow...

I asked my wife to set the DVR to the show, and we had a chance to watch it this evening. Unlike me on Sunday afternoon, if you didn't tune in, you really didn't miss much.

I do fancy myself a bit of an actor, however, so I thought I'd provide my review of each Brewers performance, so here it is from the best to the worst...

#1 Chris Capuano:

At least as good as--Bob Barker in Happy Gilmore. Mostly relaxed, but a few of the lines felt a little forced. If you read the story on the Brewers website, however, during the airing this morning, his teammates caught him delivering lines to the lead actress' chest, rather than her face. Just like Bob used to do with his beauties. According to Cappy, it was a very pretty blue shirt.

Toughest line to deliver--"Oh yeah, we brought you this autographed ball too."

#2 Billy Hall:

At least as good as--Bubba Smith in Police Academy (#s 1 through 47). Billy was pretty smooth out there, but I wondered if he was improvising every time he said, "Tell you what." If that was scripted, he definitely made it his own and sounded natural.

Toughest line to deliver--After JJ delivers his God-awful line about the lead actress, you actually hear Billy holler "JJ!" It kind of sounds like he's about to ground him, without desert.

#3 Jeff Suppan:

At least as good as--Brett Favre in Something About Mary. Sup seemed to be enjoying himself the least. As you're about to read, the lines they wrote him didn't help matters...

Toughest line to deliver--"You just keep the fingers firm. Wrists flexible. Just don't be stiff." (Yeah, he was teaching the politician guy how to PITCH, but later he actually said, "I'll even throw in a personal training session." And they say soap operas lack quality writing?)

#4 J.J. Hardy:

At least as good as--Dan Marino in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. Perhaps a better comparison would be Dustin Diamond in any Saved by the Bell episode because they seemed to load him up with all the cheesy lines they could muster. I actually felt sorry for JJ because you know his teammates are going to be playing catch with him and saying things like, "This ball is going to bring you good luck in the election" for the rest of the season.

Toughest line to deliver--Is there any question? Has to be "She can warm up with me anytime. I'm going to need her name and number."

It wasn't exactly must-see-tv, but I'm not turning my back on this team again...no batter how bad they might be looking...or in this case, sounding...

Let's Make a Deal...

2007-06-17T11:24:00.000-05:00

Is it really possible?

It looks as if for the first time since they acquired Don Sutton in exchange for Kevin Bass in 1982, the Milwaukee Brewers will be BUYERS rather than SELLERS when the trade deadline rolls around this July. Although he's already gone over his projected salary budget, Mr. Antanassio has already stated that he will give Doug Melvin the green light to improve the team, if the opportunity presents itself. Most members of the Brewers media are pretty much in agreement that the Brewers will probably go out and get another lefty specialist for the pen. Definitely a necessity, but if that's the only move the Brewers make, I think you'll find that the Brewers nation will be, to say the least, up in arms.

And I think the Brewers will need to make a move. The Cubs are certainly showing a feistyness of late, and with their seemingly endless pocketbook, imagine if they add a Buehrle-type starter to Zambrano, Hill, and Lilly. With that offense, they're still very much a threat in this division. The Cardinals are expected to get Carpenter back in July, and if he comes back to form, there's no better pitcher in the National League. The Astros seem to have had horrible first halfs and dynamic second halfs for the past three seasons; so the Brewers would be foolish to think they're not going to make a surge as well. Granted, there will be no Roger Clemmens this year, but if Lance Berkman starts swinging the bat, their heart of the order is as good as anyone's.

Although adding a pitcher or two is always important for a playoff push, I believe that the Brewers need to pick up one more bat to push them over the top. The problem, of course, is where to put that bat in the Brewers line-up. You're certainly not going to replace any of the young infielders; there aren't too many catchers who hit better than Estrada; and I'm sure you've noticed that there's already a bit of a log jam in the outfield. Nonetheless, the Brewers current line-up seems to have an abundance of the same type of hitter. Guys who swing out of their shoes, and can really drive the ball when they're on their game. When their not so on, however, it can get ugly at times, with strike-outs piling up faster than Shawn Kemp's paternity suits. For that reason, adding a bat like Adam Dunn would not make any sense...we don't need more home runs and strike outs; we need someone who can hit for average--someone who make contacts on a regular basis, and rarely strikes out. And since that's the type of hitter the line-up currently misses (Estrada and Fielder currently rank 24th and 25th in league's batting average race, Braun doesn't qualify) I say we go for the best...

Now hold your laughs and hear me out, but...

I think the Brewers should trade Geoff Jenkins, Dave Bush and Tony Gwynn Jr.

For

Ichiro.

Two things you need to know before you post the comment about me being off my gourd...

1. I know the Mariners would be foolish to trade Ichiro and have said they are going to do everything in their power to keep him. But remember, the Brewers said the same thing abot Carlos Lee. They negotiated as long as they could, but they eventually had to get something back for him. And so will the Mariners. After blowing far too much money of the likes of Weaver and Beltre, this Mariner team simply may not be able to afford a contract that is certain to rival Carlos Lee and Alfonso Soriano. Ichiro and the Mariners said all the right things about getting a contract done back in February, but it's mid-June now and there's still no sign of a new contract. Ichiro has said that, although he would like to stay in Seattle, he's sick of the losing and wants to wait and see if the Mariners can stay in the thick of things (they're currently 6 games behind the Angels). I don't believe they're going to be able to, and that means the Brewers should pounce while the chance is there.

2. I realize that the Brewers are never going to keep Ichiro after the season. This is purely a move to rent a player for the rest of the '07 season in order to give both Ichiro and the Brewers a chance at a ring.

And now here's the craziest statement I'm going to make--I think this trade actually makes the Mariners better, both for the long term and for this year:

--One of the Mariners biggest problems is power, especially from the left side of the plate. They're currently 10th in HRs in the AL. If Jenkins were to join the team today, his 12 HRs would lead the club. Not to mention that they could bat him behind his good buddy Richie Sexson, which would benefit the pitch selection of both hitters.

--The Mariners desperately need a starter (or two) to mix in with King Felix and Washburn and replace the struggling Weaver. Bush steps into their rotation immediately and the Mariners have control of his contract for a couple more years.

--Given a chance to play every day, I think Gwynn establishes himself as a more than adequate lead-off hitter, and a staple at the top of the Mariners order for years to come. He certainly doesn't hit like Ichiro, but he's a pretty good replacement, especially if they get nothing for him when he leaves for free agency this off-season.

Okay, so my daydream is just about over. And I realize Melvin would probably not give up Bush (because you can never have enough pitching) and Gwynn for a player that he would have for four months. BUT, he does have Gallardo and/or Villanueva to plug into that 5th slot of the rotation. And although no official announcement has come down yet, I'm just assuming that Gwynn will be the odd man out when Rickie gets moved from the DL. The kid deserves a shot to play somewhere.

As for Jenkins, it pains me to include a guy with that much service to the team, when the Brewers finally have a chance to do something special. But there's no way you could take on the pro-rated portion of Ichiro's $12.5 million salary, without including Jenkins $7.33 million.

It would be a gamble, but there's just no telling if the Brewers will be in this position again next year. And I like gambles...

Even if you don't like this move, Doug, just promise me you'll make a move, because this opportunity is too good to waste...

So let's make a deal!

Perhaps We Can All Just Settle Down Now, Hm?

2007-06-14T16:51:00.000-05:00

It was worse than I had imagined.

Tuesday night, I warned you that the fall-out from the no-no was going to be ugly. I had no idea it would be THAT ugly. There were more people calling for Yost's head than I had ever expected. Quite frankly, I didn't even know there were that many Brewers fans out there.

This morning, I stumbled upon yesterday's JSonline chat with Tom Haudricourt
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=619565, in which more than half of the "chatters" were calling for Yost's dismissal. I'm not sure how many times or in how many different ways Mr. Haudricourt can say, "Managers in first place do not get fired," but I give him credit for keeping with it. At some point, I would have just started to delete those questions as they arrived. Seriously. Enough is enough.

I just have one question for those fans calling for Yost's dismissal--did you give him half as much credit for the 24-10 start as you blame him for the 10-20 stretch? 'Cause if so, you must have thought he was a frickin' genius. You do understand that those first 34 games count towards the standings too, right? (Okay, that's two questions, but I'm really, really baffled by this Yost hatred.)

Look, I was as miffed about Counsell and Grafanino batting one and two and I've already talked ad nausea about the Gabe Gross/DH-extraordinaire decision, but Yost has done some good things for this ball club too. Really. He has. I read a lot of comments that Yost is supportive of his players--to a fault. And that philosophy makes me laugh harder than the first time I saw Will Ferrel get plugged by the tranquilizer dart in Old School.

Ned Yost's faith in his players is the biggest reason the Brewers started 24-10 this year.

If you don't believe me, look no further than at our SS position. Remember his rookie year, when the entire Brewers' nations was calling for J.J. to be shipped back to the minors as he struggled to get close to the .200 mark? After the fact, Melvin admitted that he considered making that move, but Nedly didn't want him to do it. That support paid off to the tune of JJ hitting over .300 in the second half of the season. Fast forward to this off-season, and after a JJ injury, I once again hear the Brewers nation spew mad, obnoxious venom towards the organization for even thinking of moving Billy Hall from SS. This our MVP, they cried. What has JJ done so far?

I don't need to explain my point any further, do I? (Interesting how now those same fans are getting on Billy for his power struggles. I'm really not very good with the "what have you done for me lately" attitude.)

Anyhow, that's Ned Yost in a nut shell. He believes in the guys in his dug out, and he'll tell you that every single day, after every single game, no matter what the outcome.

I didn't play basketball in high school (for good reason, trust me), but two of my good friends, Eric and Darren did. And these two hot-headed knuckleheads might still be in the WIAA record book under the statistic for "most technicals received." (Eric had the amazing ability to take the Lord's name, "Christ," and turn it into a seven syllable word when he directed at refs.) One time, I was razzing Darren about a technical he received and the subsequent benching, and in a rare serious moment, he looked and me and said, "Yeah, but Tom, sometimes it would just be nice to know that the coach was on my side."

Every player wants to know that their coach is in their corner. And every Brewer knows that Yost is in his. Given the youth on the club and the fact that they are going to make their fair share of mistakes, that faith from their coach is crucial to these kids' development. How many times have you ever heard Ned Yost call out a player in the press Alla George Karl? On the other hand, anytime a Brewers player has a beef with an ump, Yost flies out of the dug-out and backs him, even when that player is dead wrong. For that reason, Yost deserves support. You might not like that he keeps trotting Graffanino out there or that Turnbow gets the ball every 8th inning, but his players do. And when those guys chip in on a win, the Brewers are better because of it.

Look, I realize that the Brewers can't continue to play at a 10-20 clip and still hope to make the play-offs. No team is going to the play-offs playing at a .333 pace--no matter how bad their division is. But you might be surprised to see how many teams go through extended stretches (two weeks or more) playing at .333--I did a little research, and although the majority of these don't cover a full 30 games, consider this:

In 2003, the Florida Marlins went 7-18 (under a .333 clip) from April 25 until May 22. With a little help from a cat named Bartman, they went on to win the World Series.

(Speaking of Bartman, wouldn't it be awesome if the Brewers made a statue of the guy and put it down in the left field corner, with his arms extended towards the third base foul line? It would cost us a front row seat on the third base corner, but if we're going to allow it to be Wrigley North, why not pay homage to the defining Cubs moment of the past thirty years? Better yet. Next year, instead of Take Back Miller Park campaigns, we should all dress like Bartman, complete with headphones and balding cap, and stand with our hands in the air for the entire game in this position:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Bartman
Win or lose, those Cubs fans are going home to nightmares.)

In 2004, the Boston Red Sox went 6-12 (a .333 clip) from June 15 until July 4. Despite that stretch, the curse still came to an end.

In 2005, the Chicago White Sox went 6-12 (a .333 clip) from August 12 until August 31. In October, they too claimed the prize.

In 2006, the St. Louis Cardinals went 8-16 (a .333 clip) from September 2 until September 28. You know the rest.

Of course, you're probably saying that the Cardinals run was a fluke, so let's look at their opponents, the Tigers.

Last year, the Detroit Tigers went 11-23 (less than a .333 clip) from August 8 until September 13. They played that kind of baseball just weeks before the play-offs started and still managed to make a World Series appearance.

Now, I'm not claiming that the Brewers are World Series bound. There's far too much baseball to be played to even think about that. But there's also too much season left to get so chop-block happy towards Ned. After all, Yovanni's on his way!
http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070614&content_id=2025810&vkey=news_mil&fext=.jsp&c_id=mil

And he'll help us settle things down...

I have to mention that my wife thought it was unfair of me to talk about her going to bed during the no-no without any mention of the fact that she is currently 5 months pregnant with our first child. And I have to admit, she's extremely supportive of my constant, must-see-every-inning Brewers obsession. And every once-in-a-while she will say something that makes me completely fall in love with her all over again. A couple of weeks ago, for example, I was zoning out on the couch when she came back into the room and said,
"Oh, did they do a double switch?"
"No," I said, "they just brought Turnbow in for Villanueva."
"But that's Gwynn in centerfield now."
My wife pointed out a double switch to me, fellas. I was so turned on, it wasn't even funny.

I also was pleased that I received three comments on my last blog. And I have to say, I have no idea who submitted the comment with the Cubs slant and the blatant enjoyment of my misery, but I don't think I've ever been trash-talked so eloquently before in my life...

The sentence, "as the brewers nosedive, you seem to be grasping at the unreachable hope of the playoffs, almost as if the sweet fruit that your palate suckled on w/the great start of the season has, little by little, been pulled away from your lips," made me feel abused, dirty, and for some reason, a tad bit hungry. Very nice job.

Anyhow, although I respect the anonymous blog, everyone should feel free to drop a hyphen and a name so I know who's actually reading my babble...

Until then.

--Thomas
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Sometimes You Just Tip Your Hat

2007-06-12T21:52:00.000-05:00

Prepare yourself.

You're going to hear a lot of chatter and overall negativity on the radio tomorrow concerning the Brewers getting no-hit tonight. They're going to complain that Graffanino was in the line-up instead of Braun. They're going to complain that Gross was the designated hitter and that Counsel was batting lead-off. The dooms-day speakers are going to say that the Crew has finally hit rock bottom and that we should all prepare for the continuing free fall--right into last place. Some are going to call for Yost's head. Others are just going to call him an idiot.

But you know something? None of it matters.

Because Justin Verlander was flat out filthy tonight. And there was nothing Ryan Braun, Ned Yost or Tony Gwynn Jr, could have done about it.
(Although, it would have been nice to see Gwynn start this game. I'm still baffled by the Gross as DH decision, and can't understand why Yost is so reluctant to get Gwynn's bat at the top of the order, especially in Rickie's absence. He's the guy with the best chance to beat out the infield single after all...)
Verlander was getting his no-no no matter what. And you could feel that it was going to be the case as early as the fourth inning. He was electric. And he was changing speeds as well as any pitcher that can throw the ball 101 mph ever has. He was locating his curve, his changeup and the fastball, which never registered lower than 96 all night. And he craftily used sea gulls to his all advantage all night long.

I'm not claiming that I predicted this no hitter ahead of time, but let me walk you through my night so you can see why I became sure that it was on it's way. After all, the Brewers have been no hit through four or five innings half a dozen times this season--even a couple times during the 24-10 start. But this night was different, here's my take on the series of "lowlights"

5:45 p.m.--I'm at the Ford dealer, getting some work done to my brakes (Or at least I went in for brakes; turns out I needed these tie rod thingy-ma-bobs replaced too. Apparently they're pretty important to the front end of your car or the tires fall right off the axle. Who knew? I sang a lot in high school.)
I'm told the car isn't going to be ready until 7, so I call Sonia and she picks me up. During the ride home, I panic that I haven't changed my fantasy baseball line-up for the night. I get home just before the 6 p.m. deadline and insert one Justin Verlander into the starting pitcher slot for my team, Harvey's Wallbangers. Hope that move works out...

Brewers 1st--After a Counsell strike-out Grafanino puts together the worst Brewer at-bat, since Chuckie Carr hacked 3-0. When Hardy lines out to center, I actually stand up and clap, yelling "Way to put it in play, J.J." I probably should have taken that as an omen.

Brewers 2nd--I warmed up some food in the microwave. I swear I ran it for 1 minute and 11 seconds (I'm lazy, so I always press "1, 1, 1" or "2, 2, 2" whenever I use the microwave.), but somehow, by the time I get back to the couch, the Brewers are already out. What the--?

Brewers 3rd--Billy Hall draws a walk. The perfect game has ended. Eat that, Tigers.

Bottom of the third--We're in route to pick up my car, which still isn't done when I arrive. By the time I make it to the waiting room and get their tv turned on to the game, the Tigers have a run. These Brewers really need me.

Brewers 4th--After another Graffanino strike out, JJ draws a walk. Verlander then delivers the filthiest curveball I have seen, at least since Sheets 18 strike-outs versus the Braves, to Prince Fielder. I don't have proof, but it may have broke a full 6 feet. On the next pitch Verlander throws another nasty curve, but instead of making it bite into the dirt, he paints the corner. Nothing Prince could have done. I swear on all things Brewers that at this moment, I realize the no-hitter is more than just a possibility...Hart strikes out to end the inning. But there's good news, Brewers fans; if my count is right, we forced Verlander to throw 20 pitches that inning (turns out it was 19).

Bottom of the 6th--I get home with my car just in time to see Curtis Granderson's triple. (I have to say, the triple is a pretty exciting play.) When he scores on a sac fly, I look to my wife and inform her that the Brewers just lost and she might want to stick around and see a little history...she goes to the bedroom and falls asleep. 'Cause that's the kind of pull I have around the house.

Brewers 7th--Prince Fielder hits one back through the box, but Verlander grabs it and throws him out at first. Hart then sends a line drive to right field that Magglio makes a nice diving catch on...I immediately flash back to the unnecessary dive Robin made on the final out of Nieves no-no in '87. It takes the pain away, but only momentarily...

Brewers 8th--Bill Hall walks for the third time in the game. (Here's my chance to find a bright side to being no-hit. Bill Hall showed patience at the plate and didn't flail at pitches off the corner. Mark this down: Billy is about to get hot. And remember you read it here first.) Gross hits a ball up the middle that Neifi Perez turns into a nice 6-4-3 double play. He was a Cub last year. Enough said.

Brewers 9th--The ump calls a pitch that was obviously a ball a strike and Counsell pouts...

I'm sorry, I have to interrupt my own typing a second to comment on the NBA game tonight. With 11 seconds left, Varejao just threw up some God-awful spin move on Duncan. That was the ugliest crunch time play the NBA Finals has ever seen. I really wish I had completely tuned out of this tournament as soon as Golden State was eliminated...

Anyhow, as Counsell pouts, you can actually see the third base ump laughing in the background. The Brewers fan in me wants to believe that the ump is laughing because he realizes it was a bad call and that the home plate ump has gotten carried away in the moment. Truth is, he's laughing at Counsell for not understanding that the home plate ump is going to give Verlander that call as he gets carried away in the moment.

Next, Graffanino accomplishes the rare feat of striking out for the fourth time, all swinging. Well, kind of swinging. If, that is, you consider a half-ass check swing strike an actual swing. Actually, someone should call Elias, he may have just set a record for check-swing strikes in a game. Of the 12 strikes, at least 9 are check-swing half-assers...

Finally, JJ send a soft liner to right. The Tigers celebrate, and all I can do...

...is tip my hat.

Rambling Rose, Part 1

2007-06-10T08:12:00.001-05:00

After last night's heartbreaking Brewers loss (which is undoubtedly the most painful loss of the season to date and which successfully fueled my first official temper tantrum, complete with two hat tosses and at least a dozen f-bombs released in the span of 45 seconds...) I simply do not feel that I will be able to string together one coherent piece this morning. My head is still reeling from being one out away from a much needed team victory and a much-deserved Sheets shut out. Therefore, during these times when my head is malfunctioning from an overload of bad Brewers thoughts and general what-might-have-been thinking, I've decided to just except the fact that I am destined to ramble...

--During the midst of my tantrum, I did look up to the tv in time to notice that Sheets was the first to greet Cordero and give him a quick pat on the backside. Through the cloud of anger and disgust that encompasses me, I feel like that classy act is a sign of why the Brewers will eventually pull out of this funk. In the wake of the Zambrano/Barrett confrontation, it's becoming more and more evident that this Brewers clubhouse is a tight group. How many times have you seen the starter bolt from the dugout and into the clubhouse, the moment the save is officially blown? Sheets knows he'll need CoCo many more times before the season is done and had to realize that his string of perfection was bound to end sooner or later (it's just tough to accept that it ended in the manner that it did). I often hear Sheets criticized for being a bit of a nut job, but that move demonstrates that he is truly a leader in the clubhouse.

--I listen to WSSP's Brewers post game show frequently when I'm driving home from the stadium, and usually I get really bothered by all the negative callers after a loss. For the most part, I believe in Yost and Melvin and don't put nearly as much blame on Yost when the Brewers lose, instead putting the "blame" on the youth of the ball club with the knowledge that a young team is bound to go through month-long tough stretches like this one. I do not understand, however, the logic of batting Gabe Gross in the 2 hole. I'm not all that thrilled with him being the chosen DH in the first place, but to bat him second really makes me scratch my head. With Hart's success at the top of the order, I'd leave him there and bat Gwynn second. And if you really feel the need to move Corey, why not use Counsell of Graffanino in the two slot? Despite their poor averages, they both are smart enough to move guys over and set he table for your heart of the order.

--With Melvin in Texas, I have to believe that a trade will come out of this visit to his old stomping grounds. I'm not saying it will happen as soon as the Brewers leave town, but considering these two teams recent trade history, I'm sure several names have been discussed, thereby planting the seeds for a future trade down the road. (Gross and Capellan for Gagne, anyone?)

--In case you've missed it, here's Yovanni Gallardo's stats at triple AAA:
8-2 record, with a 2.89 ERA; he's walked 27 and struck out 98 in 71.2 innings.
I think it's about time we add this arm to the bullpen and see how he fares against big league hitting, don't you? After all, the Twin used Santana out of the bullpen for over a year before he finally cracked their rotation...

--After seeing the previews for Hostel 2 on tv, Sonia and I grabbed Hostel from Netflix and watched it after the game last night. I highly recommend it. Even if you don't enjoy the plot, it receives my 4-star nudity rating (I'd give it 5, but you do have do endure several moonings from the tall Icelander.) No, seriously, even without the nudity, it's a fun flick, although I would say the 9th inning last night was far gorier....

--Let me switch my focus, if I may, and a share a brief story.
Back in high school, one of our good friends, who for secrecy sake I will merely refer to as "Joel"...no, that might be too obvious to people who know him, so let's just call him "Kams." Anyhow, one day Joel, I mean Kams, showed up to school sporting the first white Afro that the Mayville High School hallways had witnessed since 1977. To this day, I'm not sure what possessed Joel, I mean Kams, to sit down in the chair where his perm was being conjured. I have no idea why he woke up one day thinking that a perm was just the look he needed. But let me assure you that from the first moment he walked through the doors of the school, we, as his good friends, razzed him unmercilessly. Because, quite frankly, that's what good friends do. If someone looks silly bobbing up and down the hallways, looking like one of those old Ronald McDonald Cookies, a true friend let's him know about. Sure, we got a good laugh about it at his expense; and truth be told the majority of us laughing were probably sporting a little look I refer to as the Mayville mullet, but we were not about to let our good friend look ridiculous (Remember when they would flashback to high school on Friends and show Ross? Very similar hair-do.)
The reason I bring this story up is because I strongly believe that Drew Gooden's Cavaliers teammates have dropped the ball when it comes to that God-awful patch of hair on the back of his head. Call it a duck tail or a baby rat tail or whatever you like, but I just call it ridiculous. So many people criticized LeBron for passing up the shot in game one of the Pistons series, but I blame him for not talking to Gooden about that hair patch. Why didn't he pull him aside and say, "look Drew, this doo might have been ok in Kansas, but we're in the NBA Finals now. Against the Spurs. And quite frankly, Duncan's going to make you look silly enough." Because those are things that leaders and friend do...
After all, had we not let Joel, I mean Kams, really have it back it in high school, he might still be sporting that perm today. Which would have meant that he would have never been able to start his good looking family...so in many ways, I guess he owes us...

And you owe it to the Crew to stick with them, so don't give up on them yet....

Can't Take It Back

2007-06-06T17:54:00.000-05:00

Monday night I was in agony. Pure agony.

You see, normally I really enjoy my part time job at Miller Park. After all, chances are pretty good that if my lazy butt was at home, I'd probably just be sitting around watching the Crew anyhow. So why not spend some time at the old ball yard and earn an easy buck or two, right?

But sometimes I have to wonder if it's really worth it. You see, one of my jobs is to wish the fans well after the game. After all, if the Crew puts on a pathetic display of baseball, the Brewers front office expects me to do my part to make sure the fans' night wasn't a total crapper. So when they lose, I put on a smile and assure them that we'll get 'em next time. Even in a tough loss, the smile comes pretty easy.

But not Monday.

Not when the Cubs are in town, and especially not when those Cubs throttle my Brewers..

But yet I'm a professional. So as the drunken Cubs fans pass me at my desk and tell me how the Brewers suck, I hold back what I really want to say. And it tears me apart. Sure, I make little jokes about the standings, and how "we'll get ya tomorrow," but it doesn't suffice. I might as well be stretched out on the rack, poked with a cattle prod in my nether regions and forced to watch a month's worth of episodes of REGIS AND KELLY. It would be so much easier than having to put on that smile...

A lot has been made about the Brewers taking back Miller Park. The Brewers ticket office tried to encourage the purchase of Cubs tickets in 9 packs, radio stations planned marches, and their callers vowed to make life miserable for Cubs fans all series long.

Memo to Milwaukee--Cubs fans are not going away. There is no getting rid of them, so just be glad that the last Miller Park Cubs series of the '07 season wrapped up today. There is a big misnomer out there that all of these Cubs fans are making the trip up from Chicago, and to be sure, some of them are. But most of these fans are coming from right here in this state. They are Cheeseheads, my friends. Cubs-cheering Cheeseheads, and they walk amongst us.

They've actually been here since the Braves left town, but nobody noticed. When the Brewers arrived, it wasn't a conflict of interest for them to cheer for both teams. But when the Brewers joined the national league; they had a choice to make. And like so many Republicans, they chose incorrectly. Because they chose the Cubs.

And it shouldn't be surprising when they show up in droves to see their lovable losers--you see, we have 81 games to choose from; they have 6. And that's why the Brewers/Cubs rivalry has made the old Brewers/White Sox rivalry seem about as fierce as Screech versus Horshack in Celebrity boxing.

So look around you my friends because there are Cubs fans lurking. Like the old V tv series, at any moment, your neighbor, your co-worker, or God forbid, even your spouse might rip off their face and reveal their lizard-like Cubs exterior. Some of them will even try to trick you by saying that they do cheer for the Brewers, just as long as they're not playing the Cubs. But it's just a trap. So stand clear and be wary. But at the same time, you need to accept that they are not going away and that any idea of taking back Miller Park is pointless.

The ticket office can't take it back.
A radio station can't take it back.
And neither you nor I can take it back.

The only ones who can are the nine guys in the home uniform. (Yes, they still allow the Brewers to suit up as the home team.) Force a Carlos Zambrano meltdown and you've taken a step towards taking back Miller Park. Sweep a series and you're getting closer to taking back Miller Park. Beat the Cubbies so bad that their fans start to boo them, and you've definitely taken back Miller Park.

And then, when the game ends and it's time to don my best post-game smile, I can actually mean it...

RSS and THE EXCITEMENT OF A TRIPLE

2007-06-02T10:01:00.000-05:00

Upon visiting my blog for the first time, an avid Brewers fan (and fellow Mayville High School alum) named Kelly sent me an email asking me to set up an RSS feed. Fortunately, we had recently rolled out this technology at work, so I at least had some idea of what he was talking about but no clue how to make it happen. Kelly then sent me an email to FeedBurner, and I'm at least somewhat optimistic that I followed the directions correctly. Anyhow, if you are interested in subscribing to my blog, just click on the icon to the right under "subscribe now." With this RSS feed, you'll get an update via email anytime I post something new. I suppose it's a bit presumptious of me to assume anyone would even care to subscribe to my blog, but dammit--if one of my four readers makes a request, I'm coming through for him...

Kelly had another request in the same email, which read:
"Discuss why the triple is the most exciting play in all of sports. You are a sports genius, so I know you agree with me on this "

Well, let me just say, Kelly is right: I do fancy myself a bit of a sports genius. And I certainly have heard the adage that the triple is the most exciting play in sports. Unfortunatle, however, I just can't agree with it. As a matter of fact, I wouldn't even consider the triple to be the most exciting play in baseball.

Now, I love the triple. The triple has been very good to me in my softball career. And as fun as it is to watch the real burners like Rickie, or Reyes of Devon White in his prime motor around the bases, what I really enjoy watching is when the guys carrying a plow rumble into third. There's nothing sweeter than watching a right fielder misjudge his dive at a blall and, as the ball slowly rolls to the outfield fence, watching Joey Meyer roll himself into third. That, my friends, is entertainment.

But since the ultimate goal of this game is to touch home plate, then how can something that finishes at third be the most exciting play in the game? After all, I find it just as exciting (maybe more) to see Rickie Weeks score from first to home on a J.J. Hardy double. Just as many bases are touched, you still get to see Rickie fly, and the end result is more rewarding. Perhaps this perspective has something to do with the fact that I've witnessed far too many Brewers' triples left stranded at third when the final batter is retired. So here is my list of the top 7 most exciting baseball plays, leaving the triple to finish at #8...

#7-- The inside-the-park homerun.
This just seems logical to me. It's an extra base and it results in a score. Unfortunatley, with the modern day tiny ballparks, you see inside the parks less and less these days. But I used to love watching Molitor tear around all four, and the rarity of the event makes it all the more exciting. The last Brewer to produce an inside the parker was EY in '03.

#6--Strike three with the bases loaded.
I'm referring, of course, to when your team is in the field. A lot of my love for this moment has to do with the Brewers as well--after all, for years our pitchers always seemed to be in bases loaded situations. The other part of the excitement factor is listening to Uecker. My adrenaline still takes off the moment you hear Uek yell "Heeeeeee struck him out swinging!" It's a rush. I hear a lot of people talk about how tough it will be for Aaron Rodgers or whoever ends up replacing Favre. Personally, I feel a lot more sorry for the sap who attempts to replace The Ueck.

#5--The suicide squeeze.
Why isn't this done more? Seriously. If you're struggling to score runs, such as the Brewers were for the past two weeks, why not do it? If you get the bunt down, it's a run. And in many ways it's easier than trying to drive the ball deep enough for a sac fly. If the opposition recognizes that it's coming, throw the bat at the ball. I'd also include the straight steal of home in this category as well. Aaron Hill of the Blue Jays just did it this week. Incredibly tough to do. Pretty much impossible on a right hander, Hill picked on the lefty Pettite:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VaHed7s1kQ&mode=related&search=

Here's another play Molitor mastered on several occassions.

#4--The home run denied.
There are so many variations of great web-gem plays: the third baseman that dives and throws from his knees, the second baseman who starts the double play with a behind-the-back flip, etc, but none of them are as artistic or as meaningful as the leap at the wall to bring back an opponent's long ball. Some of todays ballparks have such short fences that Vern Troyer could reach up and pull shots back, so let's emphasize the stipulation that the outfielder has to leave his feet for it to count. Tori Hunter, Otis Nixon, Robin Yount, Devon White, Kirby Puckett were some of the masters at this play. Billy will get there eventually...

#3--The walk-off.
Preferrably the home run variety, but any game winning hit has to be considered more exciting than your standard triple. There's nothing better than coming through in the clutch, and the frenzy it creates is the equivalent to a buzzer beater in basketball. I also enjoy watching the hero's teammates beat the snot out of him when he arrives at home plate. Now that's fun.

#2--The play at the plate.
The exception is if the bases are loaded and it's merely a force play. That's not as fun. But seeing a guy motor around third with the ball coming in is baseball adrenaline at it's finest. A fancy slide to avoid a tag is nice, but add bonus points if the play ends with a Prince Fielder forearm sending the catcher into the on-deck circle. Who says baseball isn't a contact sport?

#1--When two Cubs fight each other in the dug out.
Seriously, how can any die-hard Brewers fan not watch this over and over again?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqJAOK_ayTw&mode=related&search=

It's easily as entertaining as Uma and Vivica's fight in Kill Bill vol. 1. The only thing better would be if Piniella had gone after Zambrano the way he did with Rob Dibble back in the early 90s.

The fact is, America loves baseball fights and brawls. When I told my wife what my topic of my blog was going to be and asked her what her favorite play was in baseball, you know what she said? "When they fight."

I know there's a segment of the population that questions why baseball fans have no problem with brawls while NBA players are constantly called "thugs" anytime they mix it up a little. There probably is a race issue there that should be looked at, but it might also have something to do with the proximity of the fans at the two venues. And don't get me wrong, there's a limit to what I want to see in my baseball brawl. I don't want to see a baseball flung into the stands that knocks out a second grade teacher, I don't want to see Rangers relievers tossing chairs, and I don't want to see drunken Milwaukeeans leaving their seat to tackle Billy Speirs. That's going too far.

But I still belive that a little brawling is good for the game. I think the fight the '82 Brewrs got in with the Twins was a turning point in their season. And I'll never forget the brawl between the Brewers and Indians that started with a Albert Bell blow to Vina's head and errupted further when Matheny took on Tavarez. Brawls fuel rivalries. And I think they're pretty damn exciting.

And man am I hoping the Cubs hold off on any punishment to Zambrano. Because his next scheduled start would be Wednesday at Milwaukee...

...and that could be really, really exciting.

TANKS, FOR NOTHING

2007-05-30T20:06:00.000-05:00

The moment I arrived back from Cancun, I jumped on my computer and started searching for it...

...and I was stunned when I didn't see it show up anywhere...

No, I'm not referring to a Michael Vick arrest or a Brewers victory (I had actually planned on writing my next article chronicling the "Brewers withdrawal" that I suffered from while I was in Cancun. Since they managed to lose every game during my trip, however, I've decided that perhaps the Brewers were suffering from a little "Rosenthal withdrawal". And perhaps what I was suffering from was, in fact, merely diarrhea. I was in Mexico, after all.) There's certainly plenty to discuss in regards to the Crew struggles, which I'll get back to in the next couple days, but for now I'd like to focus on the fortunes of your Milwaukee Bucks...

One of the last pieces of sports news I suffered through before our early Wednesday departure was that Portland, Seattle and Atlanta moved ahead of all three of the bottom feeders in the NBA Draft Lottery. And as I sat on the plane, I knew that I would return to an inbox full of messages from my friends regarding a conspiracy theory against the teams that so obviously tanked down the stretch of the regular season--especially the Bucks and Celtics. But nothing was there.

So I waited for Bill Simmons blog attacking the commissioner for this obvious affront to his beloved Celtics. After all, it is Simmons who has carried the torch towards revealing the conspiracy behind the Knicks receiving the rights to Patrick Ewing all those years ago...but when I checked his column, Simmons had written about the "luck" of his Celtics, but never pointed a finger towards the commish for setting it all up:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/070523&sportCat=nba

So i guess I'm going to have to--The 2007 draft Lottery was rigged. Rigged, I say. Rigged, rigged, rigged.

David Stern was not about to let what happened in March and April of the 2007 season become a trend for future NBA seasons. He doesn't want it to happen ever, ever again. And he sent a very loud and clear message to the Bucks and Celtics (and to some extent Memphis) that the NBA will not tolerate blatant tanking for any portion of the NBA season.

Now, before you start to tell me that this is what a lottery system is all about, please spare me the lesson on chance. What I look at is the numbers. And these numbers say that the chances of all three of these teams falling out of the top three spots was very, very slim.

Consider this:
Memphis had a 25% chance of landing the top pick.
Boston was at 19.9%
And Milwaukee 15.6%

That means there was a 60.5% chance that one of the top 3 teams was going to land the top pick.

And, yes, i can deal with the fact that it also means there was a 40% chance against any of the top three teams being selected. But on the second pick? And again on the third pick? And keep in mind, those odds only would have increased in favor of the tank masters when Portland and then Seattle were taken out of the mix.

Do you know what the probability of those three not being selected for any of the three picks was?

Me either. But it was damn low.

(And actually, if anyone is good with probability; please share...)

No. Stern sent a message. And you know what? I agree with it.

What the Bucks did for the last month of the season was wrong. And it wasn't fair to the fans who bought tickets months in advance expecting to see the real Milwaukee Bucks in April and not the Earl Boykins lead jv team. Now don't get me wrong...I was cheering for the Bucks to lose as much as the next fan. Visions of Redd to Bogut to Durant eased me into a blissful state of sleep on many April evenings. But it's one thing for me to want them to lose and another when the Bucks do everything in their power to make it happen.

Perhaps Charlie V really did need to get shut down. And maybe Andrew did too. But boy it would have been nice to see coach K get a chance to work with Andrew on playing with his back to the basket.

And as far as the games that Michael Redd seemed to need rest at the most crucial points of the 4th quater? Well, he's made no bones about his desire to play with his large fellow alum from Ohio State. So maybe even Michael was a co-conspirator of the stanky tank of '07.

And I know some will argue that my theory doesn't hold water since Atlanta was one of the teams to make the top three, despite the fact that they too took part in Tankorama '07. But Commissioner Stern is smart. If you were going to try to hide your fix, what better team to allow into the top three than the team that has managed to screw up the past two drafts? Isn't it punishment enough for the Atlanta fans to have to watch their front office pass up on Conley Jr. in the same way they passed on Deron Williams and Chris Paul?

And who knows maybe the 6th pick ends up being next year's Brandon Roy and not another Tractor Traylor. And maybe the Bucks keep Villanueva, Bogut, Redd and Simmons healthy for the next few seasons so that they avoid the lottery for years to come. There's really no telling.

But I'm willing to bet, no matter what happens next year, the Bucks will be playing hard until the very end.

And for that, Mr. Stern, you have my thanks...

Now batting, #....

2007-05-21T18:42:00.000-05:00

Sunday afternoon I was working at Miller Park, and during my break (which I always try to take during the home half of the 7th inning, which, thanks to Jenkins, proved to be the go-ahead inning on Sunday...) I found myself gazing up at Molitor, Yount, Fingers and Aaron's retired numbers, wondering which, if any, of the current young guns might find themselves up there 25 years from now. Quickly I realized that I was probably getting just a wee bit ahead of myself. After all, I should probably wait until these kids at least become the best Brewers to ever wear their respective jersey numbers. Despite his fantastic start to this season, for instance, J.J. still has a way to go to catch Don Money as the greatest number 7 that the Brewers have ever seen...and that got me thinking about today's list--the greatest Brewers to wear every jersey number from 00 to 59.

(Editor's note: Please understand that as I created this list, I focused on the guys who became fan favorites based on their play during their time here in Milwaukee. So in many instances, I'm not necessarily referring to the best player, but rather, the best Brewer. For that reason, you will not see Gary Sheffield anywhere on the list. And as far as I'm concerned, that's the way it should be.)

#0--Franklin Stubbs. The only reason he wins is because he is the only one to wear the number. And, boy-oh-boy what an appropriate number it is for this knucklehead. "Stubbs" became synonymous for me to the words "loser" or "scapegoat." Comments like "I think Jose Valentin is going to be my Stubbs this season," were typical comments in the mid and late '90s...

#00--Curtis Leskanic. He had a nice, allbeit brief, run as the Brewers closer, and was known as one of the more colorful personalities in the clubhouse. It also helps that the only other player to wear this jersey # was Jeffrey Leonard, who was the first in a long line of big-name disappointments that the Brewers obtained over the course of the mid to late 80s and early 90s.

#1--Fernando Vina--the heart and sole of the Brewers teams in the mid 90s--I will remeber him best for getting trampled by Albert "Joey" Belle in the first of a succession of plays that lead to the most famous brawl in Brewers history. And we let the Indians play here this summer?

#2--Bill Hall. I'd argue that Billy has already done more to preserve his place in Brewers lore than Jose Valentin. Pink bat, walk-off suicide squeeze in the 9 run comeback, walk-off homer the night before, face it...Bill Hall wins games.

#3--Gorman Thomas--Before you holler at me that Gorman wore #20, just keep your panties from getting cinched. Thomas actually started his career in #44, but gave that up when Hammerin' Hank came to town. His two season in #3 are still more important to Brewers history than Dante Bichette's single season. Interestingly enough, three managers (Garner, Royster, and Yost) also donned #3.

#4--Molitor. If I need to explain this any further, you've stumbled upon the wrong blog...

#5--Geoff Jenkins. I had a very difficult time choosing between Surhoff and Jenkins, and it's possible that yesterday's heroics are tainting my judgement...Nonetheless, 200 HRs is nothing to scoff at, and despite what you say about his strikeout totals, no one plays harder than Jenks.

#6--Sal Bando. Not much of a GM, to be sure, but he was a fan favorite as a player. His 5 seasons certainly top Cirillo's last two seasons here and Mike Hegan's (one of the five Brewers to hit for the cycle) 2 seasons in this uniform #.

#7--I loved Dale Sveum as a kid, but as I mentioned in the intro, this one is Money.

#8--Mark Loretta--I'd give anything to trade the Astros Grafanino for Loretta. Something tells me they won't take us up on it, however. The guy is a constant pro...

#9--Larry Hisle--speaking of class acts...

#10--Bob McClure--never spectacular, but he wins by basis of tenure, if nothing else. Ronnie Belliard finishes a distant second.

#11-Davey May. Hard to go against Sexson and Overbay, but May was one of the first fan favorites in club history and holds the second longest hitting streak (24 games) to Molitor's 39.

#12--Johnny Briggs. Not really a whole lot to choose from at this #. No one has even put up a decent season for the Brewers in this jersey # since Scott Fletcher in '92. You know it's a weak crop when Henry Blanco makes a case to be the top runner-up.

#13--Jeff D'Amico. Another weak cast of characters provides Roy Howell as Big Daddy's only real competition. Howell had some key hits (HRs) as a DH in the '82 season, but D'Amico had a short run of dominace on the mound in which he show cased the best ERA in the league.

#14--Dave Nillson--The less-than stellar defensive catcher doesn't get the nod at his other two numbers (11 and 13), but there were a couple years when Nillson supplied the only offense the Brewers could muster. Then he decided he wanted to support the Australian National team, and he was never heard from again...

#15--Cecil Cooper. With all due respect to Big Ben, who has been the ace of the staff since he arrived from the minors, Cecil Cooper may be one of the most underrated hitters of all time. When the Brewers set a major league record in '82 for hitting back-to-back-to-back HRs three times in the same season, Coop was involved in all three of the dinger assaults. And, of course, we all remember him motioning that infamous hit to left to "get down, get down." In the late summer of '83, the national writers were ready to hand him the MVP trophy, until the Orioles pulled away from the Brewers and Ripken became the obvious choice.

#16--Sixto Lezcano. Tiny Felder and Rookie of the Year Pat Listasch were certainly fan favorites, but the first player I remember cheering for as a toddler was...Sixtooo!

#17--Gumby. Gantner's number isn't officially retired, but you'll notice that no one else has wore this # since the kid from Eden hung 'em up. Hands down, one of the greatest defensive second basemen to ever play the game.

#18--Jose Hernandez. Yeah, not a lot of Brewer pride emanating from this choice: Hamilton wore the # for a year, but other than him it's stars like Wes Helms, Tom Brunansky, Todd Dunn or Duanne Singleton. If he can ever become a starter, this one might be Gabe Gross' to claim.

#19--If you don't know who this is, please drive immediately to Miller Park and kiss the feet of the statue outside the home plate gate...

#20--Gorman Thomas. Hands down the strongest # in the history of the Brewers. you could make a case for any of the following fan favorites--Kenny Sanders, Juan Nieves, Kevin Seitzer, Jeromy Burnitz or Scott Podsednik. But none of them have a cool nickname like "Stormin' Gorman" and despite Burnitz's all-star game appearance and Nieves' no-no, none of them have the credentials like leading the AL in HRs.

#21--Cal Eldred. With all due respect to what Hall-of-Famer Don Sutton did to push the '82 Crew over the top, Eldred's resume over his first few years was stellar. Unfortunately, arm problems doomed him, but he was the ace of the '92 team that made a run at the Blue Jays....

#22--Charlie Moore. 2 other catchers, charlie O'Brien and Mike Matheny, wore 22 as well, but neither of them would have been able to transition as one of the top defensive right fielders in the major leagues. His throw to get Reggie at third still seems like yesterday to me...Here's one that a current young gun, Tony Gwynn, has a realistic shot to claim...

#23--Ted Simmons. Argue with me long enough and you might be able to convince me that it's really Greg Vaughn. When I heard Ned Yost talk about Simmons at the preview of the Harvey Wallbangers DVD, however, it became pretty clear that, despite all of the talent on that '82 team, they might not have reached the Series without Simmons leadership and fire. And for every incredible month that Greg sent 10 to 12 long balls into Vaughn's Valley, there seemed to be three months of a .125 average with 537 strikeouts.

#24--Ben Oglivie. I was always a Daryll Hamilton fan (and I still say he was Freeway's twin brother), but Oglivie was one of the premier power hitters during each of his two stays with the Brewers. As a kid, there was no better batting stance to imitate on the playground.

#25--Bill Travers. Finished the '76 season with an ERA under 3 and was selected for the all-star game that season. Unfortunately for Travers, he left the Brewers as a free agent in '81 and never got to be a part of the real fun.

#26--Jeff Cirillo--the Brewers all time batting average leader just reminded the Crew of what an offense weapon he can be with a HR and a triple this past Friday night. Glenn Braggs finishes a distant second.

#27--Bob Wickman. Gorman actually wore this number for a year as well, and another closer, Pete Ladd, had a stellar season in '83 and was a key component to the '82 run once Fingers went down. But Wickman was the club leader in saves three times, including an all-star appearance.

#28--Prince Fielder. Yep, it's already his. You can make a case for Doug Henry or Jamie Easterly, I suppose, but neither of those guys ever meant as much to the Brewers hopes as Prince does today. He is the heart and soul of the current team, and the Brewers are better because of it. (You could also make a case for Rick Manning, but I've never forgiven him for getting the hit that ended Molitor's hitting streak.)

#29--Chris Bosio. A serious honorable mention nod goes to Mark Brouhard, but the Bos was a workhorse for several seasons. Ultimately, his constant butting of heads with Garner saw his days as a Brewer end on a sour note, but he was their best pitcher in '89 and a key to the late season success in '92.

#30--Moose Haas. Anyone named Moose is going to be a fan favorite in Milwaukee. Winning 91 games in a Brewer uniform helps too. No one else even comes close at this uni #.

#31--George Bamberger--I know I said "greatest Brewer players," but Bambi was the utlimate players' coach and a big reason for the success of the late '70s and early '80s. Honorable mention goes to Jaime Navarro, another key cog to the '92 team.

#32--Harvey Kuehn--You can't recognize "Bambi's Bombers" without recognizing "Harvey's Wallbangers." Harvey was the savior when the team was heading down the wrong path. And believe me, no one was a bigger John Jaha fan than me--but he takes honorable mention to Kuehn.

#33--Marty Pattin--lead the Brewers in wins in '70 and '71. This is before my time, so that's all I know of the guy. Regardless, it's a weak crop, so I'm confident it would be him. Villanueva has this one locked in three years.

#34--Rollie, Rollie, Rollie.

#35--Bill Castro. Well, hell he became our bullpen coach. That's got to be worth something, right? Right? Trust me, there's no other options.

#36--Mike Fetters. With all due respect to another reliever, Tony "the Mechanic" Fossas, Fetters was the Brewers best pitcher in '95 and'96.

#37--Dan Plesac. The Brewers really have had good success finding dominant closers. None of them had a better run than the "Sac Man." Not only was he the Brewers most dominant reliver, he was an all-star in four consecutive seasons....

#38--Matt Wise. Seriously. There's no one else of note. Navarro did wear the jersey for a season, but that was during his second stint (we swapped him for Eldred) when he was downright horrible.

#39--Dave Parker. He only spent a year here, but he was beloved for the attitude he brought to the club. The sledge hammer in the on deck circle is a memory all to itself. By next year, I'd probably put Cappy here.

#40--Mike Birkbeck. Seriously. This was the best I could do. The patheticness of this # continued last year with Hendrickson.

#41--Jim Slaton. Kolb made an all-star game, but Slaton is the Brewers all time wins leader with 117 and all times loss leader with 121. Quite frankly, you'd be hard pressed to find a pitching stat (both good and bad) that Slaton's name isn't in the top 10 of all-time Brewers.

#42--Scott Karl. You'll notice that we are getting into the numbers commonly worn by pitchers. Are you starting to understand why the Brewers were miserable for all those years?

#43--Doug Jones. As an 85 year old man, Jones somehow saved games without ever topping 60 mph...

#44--Hammerin' Hank. I know, his years as a Brewer were less than stellar, but how many times can i put Gorman on the list?

#45--Rob Deer. Maybe in five years the bitterness of El Caballo spurning our $48 million offer will wear off and I'll change my choice...but I doubt it. While most fans are going to remeber the towering home run balls and the high strikeout totals, I'll rember Deer as the outfielder who went into the wall defensively with reckless abandon. As good as Carlos was in his year and a half, i'm not sure he came close to giving us a memory like Easter Sunday...

#46--Bill Wegman. Not spectactular, but a solid workhorse. the same can be said for his runner-up, Jerry Augustine.

#47--Jaime Cocanower. This is a pretty good summary of how bad things were from '84 to '86.

#48--Mike Caldwell. Colburn was a great pitcher as well, but Caldwell had some amazing seasons with the Crew long before he won game one of the '82 Series. His 22 wins and an unheard of (at least in today's game) 23 complete games in 1978 are still the club bests. As is the 2.36 ERA he sported that year. Add to that the fact that Caldwell looked like the kind of guy who belonged at a bowling alley, and it's easy to see why he was a Milwaukee favorite.

#49--Teddy Higuera. An injured shortened career is the only thing that kept this man from being one of the greatest pitchers in major league history. Even so, he remains the greatest Brewers pitcher of all time. He was a dominant force on some horrible teams, and an essential component to Team Streak. If you ever wonder why pitch counts are watched so closely, look no further than Higuera who threw 261.2 innings in 1987. He also struck out 240 batters, which means he threw a ton of pitches...

#50--Pete Vukovich. Cy Young winner in '82 and one of the true bad asses in the game. A starring role in the movie Major League saw Ricky Vaughn give him the heater. The real Vukovich had little left in the tank, but somehow managed to win...

#51--Jimmy Haynes. Hmmm. And we were doing so well there for a second...

#52--Rafael Roque--Brewers opening day starter in St. Louis in 1999. Based on what I can remember about him, that might just as well been his only start. (The Brewers did win the game.)

#53--Mike Felder. He only wore this # for the '85 season, but he's a better choice than any of the pitchers who followed.

#54--Jose Valentin. I have no recollection of Jose wearing this jersey in '92 and '93, but the Brewers media guide says he did. So there you go.

#55--Brooks Kieschnick. What can I say? The fans did like him.

#56--Rocky Coppinger. This is just getting silly now.

#57--Joe Winkelsas. I'm a huge Brewers fan. Huge. But I'm having a tough time even remembering the other guys who reportedly wore this number: Sean Mahloney, Greg Mullins, Pete Zoccolillo...

#58--Valerio De Los Santos. This seemed like a much better idea when I was still in the teens...

#59--Derrick Turnbow. Despite his meltdowns, there was a time when Turnbow legitimately reached "rock star" status in this town...

And there you have it. Perhaps the single most uselesss list any Brewers fan has ever constructed. Do with it what you will. I'm actually off for Cancun the next five days, so i won't be checking back in until Memorial Day.

Until then--

Go Brewers.

The Great Outfield Debate

2007-05-19T15:49:00.000-05:00

I had intended to sit down and share my thoughts on Rickie Weeks current struggles at the top of the order, but with the recent news in the Journal that he will probably sit for a few days with his sore wrist (http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=607767), I thought I'd instead turn my focus to the man that everyone wants to see more of--Tony Gwynn Jr.

Let me start by saying that I am a huge Tony Gwynn fan, and was very pleased when he made the team on the last cut out of spring training. Many on talk radio in Milwaukee are quick to remind their listeners that Tony is not his father. And I agree with that assessment--he's not his father. But considering Tony Sr. was a career .338 hitter, Tony Jr. could hit 50 points lower than his old man and still have a solid career (I'd take .288 from my leadoff hitter.)

The problem with starting Tony Gwynn every day at the top of the order (which the masses in Milwaukee are calling for daily) is that Ned Yost is desperately trying to keep all of his OFers fresh. Ned faces the same dilemna that we all faced anytime we landed four Brewers tickets in high scool--what 3 guys am I taking with me today...There are those that argue that Ned should forget about equal playing time and just run his three best out there every day. Here's the rub--if you do that, you greatly diminish the trade value of the guys who ride the pines regularly. And it's pretty obvious that someone is getting shipped come the trade deadline.

Say what you will about Mench and Jenkins, but I think it's essential that the Brewers continue to find at-bats for Corey Hart. This is a kid who has proven himself time and again in the minors, and who often gets overlooked during the discussions of top prospects like Weeks, Hardy and Prince. His upside, however, is almost as high. And despite the fact that he looks like a small town high school basketball team's uncoordinated center, he has a great mix of speed and power.

My suggestion: turn right field and left field into pure platoon situations with Hart and Mench standing in against lefties and Jenkins and Gwynn standing in against righties. I know that makes Gabe Gross the odd man out, and even though he carried this team to their only win this week, I think an occassional start for Hall is all Gross should see over the next couple weeks...So, as I see it, the line-up should look like this...

Against righties...
Gwynn
Weeks
Hardy
Fielder
Estrada
Hall
Jenkins
Counsell
Pitcher

And against lefties...
Weeks
Hardy
Fielder
Hall
Estrada
Mench
Hart
Graffanino
Pitcher

In many ways, the logjam in the outfield is a nice problem to have, especially when you consider that not more than four years ago we were relying on the production of the likes of Jeffrey Hammonds, John Vanderwall, Chris Magruder and Jason Conti...I'd say we have a definite upgrade in talent since '03. Now Ned just has to figure out how to keep them all happy and keep Hart and Gwynn's development moving forward...

One other wrinkle exists in this whole logjam, and he is currently playing at Triple A. (Editor's Note: This will be the first of many bold predictions that I will submit to this blog. Hopefully they pan out better than JD closser...). I said at the time of the Carlos Lee trade, and I'll say again now--Lance Nix has the greatest ceiling of anyone in the Brewers crop of Outfielders (with the exception of Hall, who was a SS at the time of the trade). I consider Nix to be a young Jim Edmonds with a bit less range but, perhaps, a bit more power. When he first came up with the Rangers, Nix was an offensive machine. Slowed by injuries, the Rangers became frustrated with him and included him in the Carlos trade. When Nix first went down to Triple A for the Brewers he started tearing the cover up the ball, was called up, and hit a few dingers before he once again injured himself and was shut down for the remainder of the season. He began this year on the DL as well, but now he's back at Triple A, and through 7 games he is hitting over .400 with 3 HRs. If this kid can ever stay healthy, and admittedly that is a big if, he has the potential to be a .300; 35 HR, 100 RBI, 20 SB type player...with the current logjam, however, those numbers might be put up with another team....

I wanted to share a snippet of what friend and respected sports enthusiast Chad Privatt had to say about my opening blog:

"the best athletes being linebackers????what??? even on the football field- i would rate them 2nd, 3rd or maybe 4th.... i think alot of safeties and running backs are better overall athletes and that doesn't even get me basketball, some track & field athletes, and have you ever seen these professional wrestlers-the size, speed, flexibility, toughness, ect and you say linebackers?"

Personally, I categorize athletes as the combination of strength, speed and power. In all of sports, I can't think of a more apt description than having to shed a blocker, and then chase down a running back, before he gets to the sideline. Ray Lewis, Adalius Thomas, Joey Porter, Nick Barnett--to me these are the real freaks of nature that possess strength and power. But i'm curious what others think, so please feel free to share your comments, by clicking on the word comments and typing your thoughts. If you don't want to create an account, no problem--just make the comment "annonymous" and it should publish on the blog....

But remember to bring your A game.

Until next time...

Introducing the Mid-Season Forum...

2007-05-18T12:26:00.000-05:00

Let it be said that when it comes to talking sports, I always feel like I am in mid season form...

But with so many of my friends moving away from our beloved state of Wisconsin, the opportunity to talk about our favorite sports teams--the Brewers, the Packers, the Bucks, the Badgers, and for some, the Warriors (I refuse to use that bird-brained nickname of recent years)--seems to be decreasing annualy. Don't get me wrong; I still find time to criticize Ted Thompson or praise Doug Melvin with friends via email on ocassion, but if I don't get my fix in daily, I begin to visibly shake and stutter...

Let it also be said that I never would have imagined that I would someday create my own blog...

But during last year's Fantasy Football Season in our "No Sally" League (a wonderfully sexist term that dates back to our high school days in Mayville when the first one to go home or opt out of a night with the guys in order to spend time with his squeeze was immediately labeled "King Sally") I started a weekly feature on the website called "10 Random Thoughts From Your Commish." It started mainly as a joke, but I noticed almost immediately an increase of smack talk and general chatter from owners in the league. By the third week, some guys were actually asking me when the 10 Random Thoughts were coming, and suddenly I felt like I was back in the high school cafeteria talking 'Sconsin sports and making my infamous predictions like "J.D. closser might be Doug Melvin's biggest find this off season" (JD was traded a couple weeks ago) and I was in heaven...The only thing missing was our friend Metke yelling "Aardvark" at the top of his lungs and smushing apple sauce down his pants...but that's another day's blog....Anyhow, with the fantasy football season still months away, I felt like I needed a place to stay fresh for my 10 Random thoughts...enter the Mid-Season Forum.

As I've mentioned, my goal is to make this a place where my friends and I can share our thoughts on recent sports news and hopefully celebrate the continued success of the current Brewers season. Just in case I get any random visits to the blog, however, let me share a little bit about myself:

This blog will only cover the big three of sports--baseball, football and basketball. If you're looking for information on hockey, golf, boxing, Nascar or God forbid--soccer...please look elsewhere...
Although I share a couple of Packers season tickets with my long-time friend Eric, my first love is definitely the Brewers. I'm not ashamed to admit that I cried when they lost game 7 of the '82 series, and got goose bumps when my hero, Robin Yount, arrived at the post series celebration on a motorcycle. At that point, Robin Yount officially became cooler than Batman.
I strayed from the Bucks as a child and cheered for the Pistons. Before you assume that I was a fair-weather fan, let me explain. The first NCAA championship game I ever saw was Isiah's win in '81. I was three weeks from my 8th birthday, and Isiah Thomas instantly became my favorite basketball player. My brother will tell you that it was because his last name is the same as my first. I think it was because I was always the shortest guy at school, and Isiah was one of the greatest little men to ever play the game. Regardless, just note that when I became a Piston fan, the Bucks were in the midst of an impressive run as the dominant team in the Central Division. When Dumars retired and I moved to Milwaukee, I decided I wanted to cheer for the home team again, and the Grant Hill-lead Pistons held a better record than the Bucks. So although I was a traitor, it was never about jumping ship to the better team. Now I'm an avid Bucks fan, still believe in the Villanueva trade, and am in therapy for the damage Isiah has done since retiring from the game, both to the league and my psyche...but again, that's another blog topic.
I'm a Brett Favre apologist and make no excuses for it. If Brett throws an interception, I always believe I can find a way to blame Bubba Franks, even if he was on the sideline during that play...

And here are 10 mottos that I strongly follow as a sports fantatic...

10. With all due respect to basketball players who can dunk from the free-throw line, the greatest athletes in professional sports are linebackers...

9. All situational left handed pitchers should be taught to play another position, perhaps first base. Then in crunch time, when the other team's line-up goes lefty-righty-lefty, they can face the first lefty, play first base, and be eligible to pitch to the second lefty...

8. There is nothing sweeter in sports than a well turned double play.

7. Unless their name is Walter Stanley, all punt returners should be immediately benched if their first step upon receiving the kick is any direction but forward.

6. It's a fact: although there is certainly something honorable to the "acting like you have been there before" attitude, touchdowns are more entertaining when a dance, a flip or a prop are involved.

5. Anyone who boos the opposing pitcher for throwing over to first to keep the base runner in check, really doesn't understand (or at least appreciate) the cat and mouse element to the game...

4. The pass can open up the running game just as effectively as the run can open up the passing game.

3. Soccer is a sport. And I know the majority of the world has embraced it. But there's nothing wrong with the United states having different preferences to the rest of the world. Take, for instance, women with hairy armpits.; I prefer they stay in Europe as well.

2. You can never breathe easily if you bet on the under.

1. Home run hitters from the steroids era belong in the Hall of Fame. They didn't really cheat the game because they were hitting home runs off pitchers who were also taking steroids. If you want to keep them out of the Hall of Fame, then do it on the basis of smaller ballparks, watered down pitching, or juiced balls. But not on the drugs they put in their body to stay healthy. No one can convince me that steroids help you hit a baseball. And even if it adds distance to your home run ball, go back and check how many of McGwire's taters barely cleared the fence. Instead of traveling 500 feet, maybe they only travel 475...And remember as good as Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, etc were--they only played against the best white players in the game...Today's players go against the best players in the world....

So that's a little bit of me. Hope to see lots of people checking in and sharing their thoughts. Feel free to disagree with me, argue with me, even call me names...

Just know that you have to bring your "A" game if you want to participate in Mid-Season Forum....