Al's Ramblings



Saturday, March 31, 2007

(3/31/2007 04:18:00 PM) - Al

After 12 weeks, I'm 58 pounds lighter. I'll celebrate by having an extra teaspoon of low-fat dressing on my salad tonight. Actually, my wife is making a pizza, so I'll probably add a slice to my "big salad" I have most every night at 5PMish.

One thing I think about many days is how most people say that you shouldn't eat late in the day, because your body doesn't metabolize food you eat late, it just sits there. I just figure maybe I'll lose a bit slower, but if I don't eat late, I'll be hungry from 5:30 'til I go to bed. So, I usually eat about 12, 5, and 10. On mornings when I don't sleep in, I might have a nutritional shake at 9 or so.

On a non-related note, I'm listening to Kevin Smith's current podcast and he's so far mentioned:

1. He used to get dropped off at the multiplex at noon or so, and his folks would pick him up at 9. He'd be left without any money for food, and just jump from movie to movie. His folks would do the same thing at the swimming complex, and he was "forced" to eat half-eaten stuff others had thrown out (of course, Kevin's built like me, hence why forced is in quotes).

2. Never had keys to his own house growing up. If he was at a friend's house, he'd have to wait until a parent got home.

Both of those things seem so goofy to me, it's beyond belief.

3/31/2007 04:18:00 PM



(3/31/2007 03:00:00 PM) - Al

Surprised to see St. Louis is playing the day before they open their season, and that the game is at 4:30 Central, meaning the Cards will probably arrive at 11PM or so in SL.

The Brewers exhibition is also tonight at 7, I had assumed it was a day game. They won't be arriving until very late tonight either, with the Fanfest event scheduled for 11AM tomorrow.

3/31/2007 03:00:00 PM



(3/31/2007 01:10:00 PM) - Al

For anyone who is curious, the WNIT women's championship game is today at 2, and is on Fox College Sports Network, which I had never heard of, but we do have on our cable system, as well as Milwaukee and Madison TV. A listing can be found here.

UPDATE: It's now 3PM, and FCS still has on a meaningless women's softball game, which is currently in the 14th inning. Nice programming decision. If only one of the teams would score...oh no, it may never end!!:)

UPDATE 2: After a HR to end the softball game, which had just entered the infinitith inning, FCS proudly played 3 or 4 commercials...then played each one again in the same order. After the 3rd Army commercial, they finally went to the Badgers WNIT game, about 3:15 or thereabouts.

3/31/2007 01:10:00 PM



(3/31/2007 08:57:00 AM) - Al

Late last night, I was flipping channels and saw the Cubs/Mariners game was on WGN. During the couple minutes I watched, I heard them say that the M's do not have a single day off at home this year, that every day off on the schedule they will be flying to another city.

If that's true, it's hard to believe any free agent ever signs there. They also mentioned that their shortest flight is 2.5 hours, but many are of the much longer variety. I know Ken Griffey Jr. said once he was tired of always traveling on his off days.

UPDATE: What a load of crap. It is difficult to believe WGN can utter some profound untruths and not bother correcting it. While it is true SEA wastes several days off flying to the East Coast (including an intercontinental frequent-flyer delight of Seattle to Tampa Bay), they do have the following:

4/15--vs. TEX
4/16--off
4/17--vs. MIN

5/13--vs. NYY
5/14--off
5/15--vs. LAA

6/17--@ HOU (day game)
6/18--off
6/19--vs. PIT

6/27--vs. BOS
6/28--off
6/29--vs. TOR

8/1--vs. LAA
8/2--off
8/3--vs. MIN

8/15--vs. MIN
8/16--off
8/17--vs. CWS

9/23--@ LAA (day game)
9/24--off
9/25--vs. CLE

That's 7 days off that they do not have to travel at all, and it took 90 seconds. Is Bob Brenly really that ignorant?

3/31/2007 08:57:00 AM

Friday, March 30, 2007

(3/30/2007 10:01:00 PM) - Al

Ned Yost can say less in an interview than anyone I know.

3/30/2007 10:01:00 PM



(3/30/2007 08:37:00 PM) - Al

2007 Ramblings Underutilized Talent Team

Catcher--Robby Hammock

Robby just squeezes in at age 29, the RUTT maximum. Has hit well (with the prerequisite "for a catcher") in the minors and is used mainly as a utility guy for the Diamondbacks. By far the thinnest position in RUTT's history, the only others considered were Yorvit Torrealba and JD Closser. Every single nomination received was for Chris Coste, including two that arrived after I mentioned he was too old to be named.:)

First Base--Brad Eldred

Now blocked by Adam LaRoche, Brad needs a change of scenery to unleash his prototypical 1B power. I'd love to see him get 500 AB's and see what he'd do. Lance Niekro was also considered.

Second Base--Jorge Cantu

I'll take him as a middle IF even if he is pretty weak defensively. Considering he has a career SLG of .460 and just turned 25, you'd think TB would find a place for him. Jose Castillo was the runner-up.

Shortstop--Estaban German

Being used as the Royals utility guy, German was a top prospect for years in the A's system, but was eventually let go due to the emergence of frequent RUTT member Marcos Scutaro. Good top of the order guy, nice OBP and speed. Alex Cintron will serve if German is unable to complete his reign.

Third Base--Antonio Perez

Should return strong from an injury shortened 2006, Perez and Scutaro make up the best reserve infield in the game for the A's. 3B is almost as weak as C, as nearly all the reserves are older veterans, only Cubs' Ryan Theriot was considered.

Left Field--Matt Murton

I'd have him starting over Jones and Floyd. I don't know what a guy has to prove for the Cubs to show he's better than veteran mediocrity.

Center Field--Brian Anderson

He did not have a stellar '06, but the idea he'll be platooning with Darin Erstad...oof.

Right Field--Gabe Gross

I don't think he's as good as he showed in '06, but he's a fine athlete and hits the fastball as good as anyone. Still just 27, he might well platoon for a few years before he's done. Missing the OF cut was Joey Gathright (you still can't steal 1B), Jayson Werth, and Jason Dubois.

Designated Hitter--Jeff Baker

Finally out of options in Colorado, he looks to finally stick with the big league club. I hate picking guys who have only succeeded in the thin air of Colorado Springs, but Baker should be playing somewhere.

Thanks to those of you that wrote in and nominated a player or several.

3/30/2007 08:37:00 PM



(3/30/2007 03:00:00 PM) - Al

Baseball is the new football, says CNN.com.

3/30/2007 03:00:00 PM



(3/30/2007 02:32:00 PM) - Al

My son and I are going to enjoy an afternoon of bowling (unless one of us drops a ball on our foot), so I may not be posting RUTT until tonight. Or, the whole projections, preview, and RUTT will be up for most of you by Monday.

3/30/2007 02:32:00 PM



(3/30/2007 11:49:00 AM) - Al

The fellas at HT predict the winners...nice to see the Crew in the top 3 for all but one.

3/30/2007 11:49:00 AM



(3/30/2007 10:49:00 AM) - Al

I have no doubt the Brewers have already chosen their last two spots, and are holding back announcing it in case of injury and/or a waiver wire claim.

Ned, however, seems to delight in not telling the media anything a second before he has to. Needless to say, he does not seem cut out to ever deal with a media throng found in larger markets.

3/30/2007 10:49:00 AM



(3/30/2007 09:33:00 AM) - Al

The RUTT team has been chosen, and will be posted later today. Thanks for all your nominations. Hopefully a couple members of this year's squad will breakout like Dave Ortiz and Morgan Ensberg, two former RUTT alumni who do not stay in touch.

Also, still 2 tickets for Opening Day, standing room, e-mail me if you have interest.

3/30/2007 09:33:00 AM



(3/30/2007 09:29:00 AM) - Al

Ticket sales are up over 10% from last year at this time, the Crew reports.

Buy early and often. I think we'll even see good crowds on April and May weekends this year. It sure would be nice to see some 30K people at a weeknight game before school lets out. You get the feeling it will take an October series or two for that to happen.

3/30/2007 09:29:00 AM



(3/30/2007 09:16:00 AM) - Al

I tell ya folks, take a look at the names over at Rotoworld being mentioned as the 5th starter all over MLB, and you will feel much better about the '07 Crew. I honestly wonder why more teams did not have an interest in adding Elmer Dessens to the back of their rotation, his ceiling isn't much, but he won't give up 7 runs in 3 frames either.

On the same note, the DevilRays continue to be the epitome of a team that simply has no plan. Based on a couple dozen spring AB's, it looks like BJ Upton will open the season at 2B and Jorge Cantu will open at AAA...no, I'm not kidding.

Cantu is not much of a defender, or an OBP man, but I'd be happy to put his power bat at 3B and replace him for defensive purposes in the 7th.

3/30/2007 09:16:00 AM

Thursday, March 29, 2007

(3/29/2007 10:02:00 PM) - Al

If anyone has a need for a pair of standing room only tickets for Opening Day, shoot me an e-mail. Face value, whatever that is, and maybe we can arrange for delivery in the parking lot before the game.

3/29/2007 10:02:00 PM



(3/29/2007 08:58:00 PM) - Al

Adam discusses the final roster, it looks like they have their mind made up, and are just waiting to ensure no one is injured in the last couple games...it seems like they wait until the last minute every year "just in case".

I seem to recall last year knuckleballer Jared Fernandez was in limbo until the final moment as well.

3/29/2007 08:58:00 PM



(3/29/2007 03:34:00 PM) - Al

Grant Balfour did decide to stay with the Brewers rather than being a free agent (though I assume he can "opt out" if not in the bigs at some point), and will start the season at AA Huntsville to work on getting his arm in shape.

I can only imagine the angst this will cause Alabama baseball fans when they don't understand why this Balfour guy is allowed to give up several runs in a couple innings a couple times a week.:)

3/29/2007 03:34:00 PM



(3/29/2007 02:32:00 PM) - Al

ESPN Brewers' preview, ranges from 80-90 wins, with most going with about 84 or so.

For the most part, very kind.

3/29/2007 02:32:00 PM



(3/29/2007 10:33:00 AM) - Al

I wonder if MLB will ever consider opening the season on the final weekend of March, rather than the first Monday of April? Many teams use this last weekend to play exhibition games (the Crew is in Texas for a couple tomorrow night and Saturday) at their own stadium anyway, and it seems to me there are plenty of warm weather sites and domed stadiums that could easily have games with little concern for the weather.

I just feel it would be nice to open on a weekend, as my Opening Day national holiday initiative has stalled.:)

3/29/2007 10:33:00 AM



(3/29/2007 09:14:00 AM) - Al

Smart money seems to be on Greg Aquino and Vinny Rottino getting the two final spots on the 25 man roster, which we discussed in more detail yesterday.

3/29/2007 09:14:00 AM



(3/29/2007 09:01:00 AM) - Al

Officially, what defines a recession is two consecutive quarters of negative growth in real Gross Domestic Product. In practice, any period of high rates of unemployment, interest rates, inflation, or other indicator is called a receccion by politicians and media people.

I just heard someone (I think they're running for president) say we'd been in a recession for 3 years (which of course, would be a depression, but let's not let pesky facts get in the way of mindless campaigning), which would have bothered me if I still paid attention to big media. It was just reported that GDP was up 2.5% in the 4th quarter of 2007, so officially, the recession has not begun yet.

3/29/2007 09:01:00 AM

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

(3/28/2007 03:58:00 PM) - Al

Uecker seat auction ends tomorrow, as of now, $16 and $24 are what it will take to buy 1 or 2 tiks.

Part of the proceeds benefit Make A Wish. I have already been outspent, so I will not be attending.

3/28/2007 03:58:00 PM



(3/28/2007 03:39:00 PM) - Al

Peyton Manning's SNL parody of those awful NFL United Way spots is up. Laugh out loud funny, and extremely close to what you'll really see, for the first 30 seconds at least.

3/28/2007 03:39:00 PM



(3/28/2007 02:57:00 PM) - Al

Hi -

I'm a little surprised you didn't mention another reason for the hit increases - or maybe you didn't know about it.

In its baseball preview issue this year, Sports Illustrated listed four non-tradiitonal media Web sites, mostly blogs, for each team (for example, Aaron Gleeman for the Twins.) You were listed along with Brew City Ball and the Brewers' official site (along with somebody else I can't remember offhand) for the Brewers' sites. So you may be getting some hits from that.

Now, if only they'll list Packerama during football season.

Ray B.

I did not know this, as I have not read an SI in years. Thanks for the info, Ray. This would also not show up in the links, as people would be typing it in. Interesting...

3/28/2007 02:57:00 PM



(3/28/2007 01:30:00 PM) - Al

I wanted to take a minute and thank those of you that make Ramblings a daily or regular stop of your internet travels. Our hit count is the highest it has ever been as of this very moment. I would like to also thank Jason and Robert for their wonderful contributions, as well as our pair of guests who have also added content. As a mostly Brewers' blog, if (I mean when!) the team enjoys success in 2007, many more fans should eventually find us, as we all know the bandwagon will most certainly fill up should this edition of the club win 90 games or make the playoffs.

Ramblings is still a very small animal in the zoo of the worldwide web, but that's fine. There are several other sites to check out, and many do a tremendous job (and every one of them looks better).

Here's the plan for the upcoming week...subject to change, but just a rough outline:

FRI------RUTT team announced
SAT/SUN--Individual Brewers projected for 2007
MON------My 2007 W/L predictions, and I hope, Jason & Robert will also post their picks

Let's not forget, while I say Monday, I may well make my picks and post them Sunday evening. Most of you check Ramblings at work, so MON is when most of you will see it.

In closing, thanks for the feedback and continued support.

3/28/2007 01:30:00 PM



(3/28/2007 01:29:00 PM) - Al

Chris over at WSB took a tour of Miller Park the other day and dedicated a special post to the minor sewer issue found at MP a couple weeks ago. He includes pictures to explain the error, and I have to agree with him that it's simply stunning there was only one mistake made, given the maze of pipes.

3/28/2007 01:29:00 PM



(3/28/2007 01:21:00 PM) - Al

Last call to get your RUTT nominations in, be it an entire team or just a player or two. If you wonder about what it takes to qualify, check out the criteria here.

As an FYI, by far the most nominated player thus far is Chris Coste, the career minor leaguer who finally made the majors last year with the Phillies. Chris is in his 30's, and is therefore not eligible, the RUTT cutoff is 29. No problem, as I'd love to include Coste, and I'd much rather you send in your picks even if you're unsure how old a guy is or how much he makes. Reggie Sanders would be a fine choice for RF as well, but he is too costly and in his mid 30's.

Thanks to those who have sent in picks, I think I've got 8-10 so far, and again, I welcome your picks before the end of the day tomorrow. I think we'll post the RUTT '07 edition Friday morning, barring the unforeseen.

3/28/2007 01:21:00 PM



(3/28/2007 12:44:00 PM) - Al

Not a whole lot to talk about today, but I do find it remarkably comforting to see the participants in what appears to be the last two spots on the Crew's 25 man roster. The battles appear to be between Tony Gwynn Jr. and Vinny Rottino for the final position player spot, and Jose Capellan and Greg Aquino for the last spot in the bullpen, assuming there are not any trades or waiver pickups...and with 5 empty spots on the 40 man, I expect to see a couple players claimed, though they may well be Marino Salas types, not major league ready.

If you take a glance on Rotoworld, or other similar sites, you'll see names mentioned for the 5th starter, and even starting spots that are, to be kind, weak. As long as it is true that both Aquino and Capellan have options left, regardless of who makes the team, they will have the loser of that battle and Dennis Sarfate at AAA Nashville, two players that would probably have made the 25 man roster of over half the teams in the bigs, and probably two of the hardest throwers in AAA that can actually find the plate. My only fear is that Jose is not at full strength and hiding an injury of some sort, suffered in winter ball, as he's not even been hitting 90.

On the same line of thinking, I think Tony will hit the majors and stay next year, but would prefer he spend '07 getting 500 PA's and hopefully, dominating the AAA level, making him at least a platoon option in CF for someone. I do think his overall package is tempting (though as Robert often points out, the 25th man makes little difference), as he would be used as a PR, early innings PH, leadoff PH late, and possible defensive replacement (probably just for Mench). Rottino is a nice utility guy, as he's played all 8 spots off the mound, and is decent at 5 of them (all but 2B, SS, CF). He is a nice 3rd catcher, if you'd like to use Estrada as a PH when Damian is catching, or use a PR for one of them. He's also a RH bat, he'd actually be the only one on the bench (other than Miller or the switch-hitting Estrada) when a lefty starts. I would go with Vinny myself, but understand that Gwynn may well see more time if he is chosen.

There are probably players that will hit waivers that will tempt the braintrust as well, a RH slugger that could backup 1B/3B is one thing that comes to my mind, as well as that elusive loogy, although I would expect that piece to be added before the deadline in July, and not be a loogy by definition, but rather a solid reliever who happens to throw LH. Regardless, the quality of the 26th and 27th men make me feel pretty good about the strength of the depth that we've been bragging about all offseason.

3/28/2007 12:44:00 PM



(3/28/2007 12:22:00 PM) - Al

Jeff Sackmann does the Hardball Times Brewers' preview this year. As always, he does solid work, but I feel it's quite a step down from the awesome job that was done last year.:)

3/28/2007 12:22:00 PM



(3/28/2007 09:10:00 AM) - Robert R.

The final episode of Rome "De Parte Vostro (About Your Father)" aired Sunday. Synopsis here.

The dual storylines of the series, major politics and history contrasted against the lives of Pullo and Vorenus, serves the series well to the end. There are no major surprises to the Antony and Cleopatra storyline, although both suicides were handled remarkably well with a twist given to Antony's, but Vorenus and Pullo's stories allowed for tension and surprises.

I don't have much to add to the major political storyline. It's a familiar story that was told well. It was well observed that Octavian is at his most disheartening when he is trying to be charming. Atia gets one final moment to shine in her final scene when she puts Livia in her place. "You are swearing now that some day, some day you will destroy me....Remember: far better women than you have sworn to do the same. Go look for them now."

I'll avoid major spoilers for Pullo and Vorenus, but I will say that I was well satisfied at the final outcome. The fact that they remained friends to the end, the possibility that one would have to kill the other in the end remained a threat throughout the series, put as happy and apt an ending on their story as was possible.

For fans of the show, I, Claudius is available on DVD which will continue the story over the next 100 years. It focusses mainly on court intrigue and doesn't have the production values and ordinary man elements of Rome, but exceeds Rome in all other areas. It's well worth checking out and will fill you in on why Tony Soprano's mother was named Livia.

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3/28/2007 09:10:00 AM

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

(3/27/2007 08:58:00 PM) - Al

I have spent the past hour or so online researching and trying to buy ear wash for my dog. I know exactly what size and brand I need. The price range varies from $8.10 to $17.99...and the postage cost varies from $3.99 to $9.55. It's like I'm buying a piece of jewelry no one knows the true value of, so they just throw some random numbers out there. This is exactly why it's so easy just to give up and go down to your vet's office an just pay whatever price they sell it for...even if it is overpriced, you still don't have to pay postage.

3/27/2007 08:58:00 PM



(3/27/2007 08:10:00 PM) - Al

Game 4 of the '82 World Series is this evening on FSN. The Crew fell behind 4-0 early, but I can sense a comeback a brewin'.:)

3/27/2007 08:10:00 PM



(3/27/2007 04:59:00 PM) - Al

The lack of business IQ is out for all to see...the fact is, In Demand and Dish failed to pony up during negotiations, and are now out of luck.

And once again, I think John Kerry is completely out of touch in a capitalist society. He apparently fails to grasp any free market concepts.

Money quote, from Direct:

DirecTV president Chase Carey said that the issue was best left to the market.

"I don't run down to Washington every time we have a contract issue or a programming issue or a cost issue," he said.

DuPuy said that fans who received the out-of-town games on iN Demand or Dish have the option of switching to DirecTV or subscribing to the package on MLB.com.

"This is not a matter of fans being unable to view Major League Baseball's out-of-market games," he said. "It is a matter of not being able to watch those games on a particular system."

Emphasis added.

Carey is a businessman, and he gets it. The others seem to have little clue. The others act like they still don't understand why the Edsel was a failure.

3/27/2007 04:59:00 PM



(3/27/2007 02:58:00 PM) - Al

Ned also announced the badly kept secret of the rotation we all knew ages ago. Ned seems a bit short this spring, as this was obvious to anyone with 5 fingers a month ago.

3/27/2007 02:58:00 PM



(3/27/2007 02:40:00 PM) - Robert R.

Al was likely being kind calling Maxim St. Pierre "roster filler". Pierre is 27 years old and put up a .558 OPS in AAA last year. A bag of balls might have been more useful. Or perhaps there's a deal in the works for Closser. That might explain why Rivera is sticking around as well.

Ben Hendrickson getting traded is no real surprise. He needs a fresh start somewhere and appears to have worn out his welcome with management in Milwaukee.

3/27/2007 02:40:00 PM



(3/27/2007 02:21:00 PM) - Al

Geez, you go to the store across town to stock up the freezer in your garage with 50 cent Banquet meals (Andrew likes the fish sticks and chicken tenders), and all heck break loose.

Mike Rivera feels his best chance back to the big leagues is with MIL, which I find strange. He may well have a "handshake" agreement with doug that he would be dealt if another club promises him a major league roster spot. Grant Balfour also taken off, he has not decided whether or not to take his free agency...he needs work in the minors to get his arm back in shape, so we'll see whether or not he chooses to stay or go elsewhere.

Also, Ben H traded to the Royals for roster filler. I do have to wonder if this was agreed to before or after Rivera chose to stay, but regardless, it's done now. He should have every opportunity for a major league job with KC, but first, he'll have to not suck in AAA, which is his norm when a spot is up for grabs.

3/27/2007 02:21:00 PM



(3/27/2007 10:22:00 AM) - Al

As I said briefly last night, we took a drive down to Milwaukee for a quick 36 hour visit. The main two things we did was a Bucks' game Sunday and lunch (and ticket buying) Monday. Some notes and thoughts:

I have never been to a Bucks' game before, and neither has my son. I was very surprised at what a good view we had of the action, as we chose to sit in the $10, upper level seats. The players did not look small at all, and the court was right there in front of us. It was nice having a view of the entire court rather than just what the TV offers.

Wow, that 4th level is steep. If a person would lose their balance and fall forward, they'd land about 4 rows forward, and several feet lower.

The atmosphere was much more upbeat than at Miller Park, perhaps because of the constant loud music.

The game just flew by, it lasted about 2:15, and it seemed like maybe 90 minutes. My son never once said, "Maybe we should just go home", which he does no later than the bottom of the first at a baseball game.

Even though the outcome was never in doubt after midway through the 2nd quarter, the crowd was never unhappy. 3 pointers in the final minutes with the Bucks down 30 were cheered as loudly as they were in the 1st quarter.

After the game, as we fought to get back on 43 to go to our hotel, I saw a huge area of vacant land, which seemed out of place in downtown Milwaukee, and several abandoned buildings within 2-3 blocks of the Bradley Center. And you know at some point in the next couple years, the city will claim there is absolutely nowhere to put a new arena.

Wow, is the new interchange huge. You feel very, very small when you're driving under supports and such that must weigh tons. The piles of dirt and rocks must be 3-4 stories high too.

We had a free night at Sleep Inn, but to find one with a indoor pool, we had to drive to Mukwonago, about 25 miles from the BC. It is always astounding to me to see farms just a few miles from the city, though back when they were purchased, they were probably seemingly nowhere near Milwaukee. My friend Dave who I worked with at the pizza place back in the early 90's used to say how when he was growing up, in Baldwin (19 miles from the MN/WI border), when they'd drive to the Twin Cities, they used to get excited when they'd see the 3M building, because it meant they were "almost there". Now (or really, back in the 90's), you've been in the Cities for about 15 minutes when you can see 3M. Of course, today, Hudson (and maybe River Falls) is actually part of the St. Paul/Mpls real estate market. The world is getting smaller.

It sure is a lot harder to eat healthy while on the road. After having a meal replacement shake and bar each day for breakfast, I had Subway for a late lunch Sunday, and then went to a local family place called Market Square Sunday night. I didn't do badly, but was told by my wife that the broasted chicken was fried, and I thought broasted meant something similar to "roasted" because, well, they sound alike.:)

Monday, after swimming, we exchanged our seats from last year's final game for seats to games in April, bought seats for early May for my son and I's "boy's weekend", and bought parking passes for all 3 games. We were surprised they not only had 3 ticket windows open, but that there was a steady stream of buyers. When we left an hour later, they had 4 open, with 2-3 folks in each line. I guess Milwaukee folks still choose to buy at the stadium to avoid the minor charges you pay online or by phone.

It was our first visit to TGIFriday's at Miller Park, and we all really enjoyed it. I had a plethora of healthy choices, as they had many chicken entrees, as well as the menu stating they'd switch out any burger with ground turkey. I got chicken breasts grilled with onions, and my wife got chicken with cheese and potatoes, both were outstanding. My son chose the mac and cheese with fries, and then for $1.49, got a huge sundae that would cost $5 at Dairy Queen. I convinced him to give some of it to his mom, as lots of ice cream is tough on his tummy. Of course, the view of Miller Park was beautiful. The grass looked near perfect, as it rarely does. They were working on many things, fixing the clock in RF, power washing the seats and concrete in the terrace level, putting up new signs (93.7 FM is apparently a big sponsor this year), and so on. All the staff was exceptionally friendly, and there was a line to be seated by noon. I also was surprised to see waitstaff taking pictures of people and such...after all, the restaurant has been open 6 years now. Later, I will try to add a couple pics of our little 4 year-old question machine. It was a sunny, near-perfect day, and many people commented Opening Day was a week too late.

Just a quick mention, we stopped at the Petsmart in Madison hoping to buy ear wash for our dog at Banfield (which used to be Vetsmart), and they were closed Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. I think it's safe to say they aren't doing very well.

3/27/2007 10:22:00 AM



(3/27/2007 10:09:00 AM) - Al

Computer simulations are now coming out regularly:

The Hardball Times

Replacement Level

Both of the above have the "average" result of the Brewers right around .500, though many of these use projections that predict innings and AB's, which are of course, impossible to guess with any accuracy. If Sheets pitches 200 innings, the Crew is likely to win several more games than if he pitches 50. Most of these systems use variables that mean some years (they usually run 1000+ "seasons" to simulate) Ben will he 100% healthy, and some that have him missing the entire season, so when you combine all of them, Ben probably has about 125-150 innings pitched. That alone makes quite a difference.

3/27/2007 10:09:00 AM



(3/27/2007 09:20:00 AM) - Al

At this stage, Francisco Cordero, Derrick Turnbow, Matt Wise, Brian Shouse, Villanueva and Dessens are set in the bullpen. If Yost keeps only 11 pitchers, that's it. If he keeps 12, the final spot will go to Jose Capellan or Greg Aquino, both of whom have minor-league options, or non-roster invitee Chris Spurling (3.34 spring ERA).--JS

I did not think Aquino had an option, so that is surprising. Of greater concern than Capellan's results may well be his lack of velocity, he was throwing 89 the other day per Bob and Jim on the radio (per message boards). Spurling has an "out" that allows him to be a free agent, mid-May if memory serves.

3/27/2007 09:20:00 AM

Monday, March 26, 2007

(3/26/2007 11:23:00 PM) - Robert R.

It's a sign of growing older when people who entertained you as a child start dieing. It hit home for me again today when I learned that comic book artist Marshall Rogers died over the weekend. At the too young age of 57.



Some of you out there may know him for his work on Mr. Miracle, G.I. Joe, Silver Surfer, or Dr. Strange. But he's undoubtedly most famous for his work in the 1970s on Batman in a much celebrated run on Detective Comics. He worked on Batman for around a dozen stories or so but made so much impact that he was regarded as one of the definitive Batman artists of all time and there were healthy debates about who was better out of Marshall Rogers, Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Toss in Norm Breyfogle in the 90s and you have a list of the four most important Batman artists of the last 40 years.



Marshall Rogers's artwork and the stories he worked on were a definite influence on Tim Burton's Batman in 1989 and more prominently in the animated Batman series of the early to mid-1990s. It's not exagerrating to claim that noone drew Batman's cape as well as he did. Rogers was trained to be an architect and turned those skills into drawing some of the definitive cityscapes for Gotham City. He was a strong storyteller, rendered characters distinctly, was a master of graphic design and page layout, and was able to handle scenes of mood, action, mystery, and romance with equal strength.



Some images.






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3/26/2007 11:23:00 PM



(3/26/2007 09:11:00 PM) - Al

"We've lost jobs in recent years. We've seen a lot of folks go to Arizona, New Mexico," he said. "People retire, but they'd like to be able to continue to follow their team."--John Kerry, on Direct's exclusive (at the moment) Extra Innings deal

I think it's safe to say, first of all, that the mere fact John Kerry dislikes this deal will make many folks to reconsider and think it's a fine arrangement.:)

The irony here is twofold...Kerry has allowed his state to lose jobs and now freely admits it, but gosh darn it, the fist slams on the desk when the free market makes a business decision...the fact he's trying to change the incorrect thing here pretty much says it all to me.

Secondly, they can still follow their team, get a dish and shut up. What a boatload of whiners. Unless you're truly one of the unfortunate few who have a tree or tall building in the way, this remains a decision of capitalism. I learned a long time ago to trust the markets, and I've seen nothing to change my mind.

3/26/2007 09:11:00 PM



(3/26/2007 07:49:00 PM) - Al

In Adam's recap of the trade, he mentions Carlos V is still expected to make the team, which would seemingly mean the Crew has an extra reliever. Rather than ponder this too much, it's much easier to wait and see, I suppose.

3/26/2007 07:49:00 PM



(3/26/2007 07:06:00 PM) - Al

FYI, none of the three teams or so Doug Melvin felt might have a catching need would make a deal, so a father of a Brewers' farmhand has reported the Brewers have asked waivers on Mike Rivera, per message boards. There's probably at least a 50/50 chance of him being claimed, and I assume Mike has the right to become a free agent if he is not claimed, which he will surely take should he make it through.

I'd say the odds of Mike playing another game in the Brewers' system are slim.

3/26/2007 07:06:00 PM



(3/26/2007 06:56:00 PM) - Al

Thanks to Robert for the Brady Clark news. My family and myself were on our way back from a quick trip to Milwaukee for a Bucks game and a trip to the Miller Park TGIFriday's, and for those of you that know my son, an all important session of hotel pool swimming.

I have to agree with Robert, a minor rearranging of useful, veteran spare parts. I'm of the opinion Elmer (by far the youngest person I know named Elmer, by the way) will take Carlos V's spot in the bullpen and allow him to go down to Nashville and pitch 6 innings or more every 5th day, rather than spot (and hopefully, sporadic) work in the major league bullpen.

I sure will miss Brady though. A bit of an everyman who made it to the big leagues solely on hard work and overachieving at every level, and who has stayed by being a solid on-base guy and defender. I wish him the best of luck. I haven't taken the time to look over the Dodgers' OF situation, but I will go out on a safe ledge and say Brady will play a lot more than you think he would, being an afterthought on the 25 man.

3/26/2007 06:56:00 PM



(3/26/2007 03:16:00 PM) - Robert R.

XMRadio Schedule for the Brewers this week.

3/30 Brewers @ Rangers, 6:05 pm CT, XM 185
3/31 Brewers @ Rangers, 6:05 pm CT, XM 185

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3/26/2007 03:16:00 PM



(3/26/2007 03:09:00 PM) - Robert R.

The outfield logjam finally clears a bit as the Brewers trade Brady Clark for Elmer Dessens. And likely save a little money in the process. Dessens is nothing special, but he is a durable veteran with a career ERA+ at 102. Baseball Prospectus projects Dessens to put up about a 4.63 ERA in a neutral park.

Nothing sexy. Just a trade of a useful veteran for another useful veteran at a position of greater need. And it potentially muddies the bullpen picture for who is kept and who is sent to AAA.

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3/26/2007 03:09:00 PM

Sunday, March 25, 2007

(3/25/2007 09:40:00 PM) - Al

This afternoon, the JS said Laynce Nix would open the year on the DL or on a rehab assignment, but the Sunday report says Nix appears close to returning.

I don't know at all, but at least I have the excuse that I'm not there.:)

3/25/2007 09:40:00 PM



(3/25/2007 09:49:00 AM) - Al

Commissioner Bud Selig stopped by Maryvale Baseball Park on Saturday and said business is booming.

"There isn't a club that I talk to that doesn't tell me business is up," Selig said. "I think that's wonderful. I'm very proud of that. We set a new [attendance] record for three straight years and I believe this will be our fourth straight."

Selig said he keeps a chart of historical attendance information on the right side of his desktop. Whenever he is in a bad mood, he steals a glance.

"We're at numbers now that no one could ever have dreamed of, five years ago, 10 years ago," Selig said. "In the so-called golden era of baseball -- '51, '52, '53 -- the best average was 1.3 million per team. By 1953, when the Braves came to Milwaukee, they were down to 899,000 per team. So here, now all our games are on television and we're averaging 2.535 [million per team], and it will be better this year."

In 2006, 76,043,902 fans attended Major League games. The Brewers drew 2,335,643 fans, eclipsing the two-million mark for their third straight year and the fifth time in club history.

Ah yes, but can you imagine what attendance would be if the game had a good commish?

Heh.

3/25/2007 09:49:00 AM



(3/25/2007 09:26:00 AM) - Al

I have a busy day planned, so there will be no further updates until tonight or tomorrow morning.

Yesterday, Zach Jackson was the only "name" that among the Brewers sent to minor league camp.

Also yesterday, my son and myself went for a 90 minute hike in the still some snow on the ground trails in the high elevation (2K feet above sea level) of Rib Mountain State Park. Many times when we were walking downhill, these were our choices of what to walk on:

1. Wet smooth rocks
2. Ice
3. Hard, packed down snow, which is as slippery as ice.

Andrew usually went first, because he's a much better leader than I am, which he repeated to me several times. He just sort of glides on the top, and even when he falls, does so gracefully and without a sound. Meanwhile, I had my dog on a leash in one hand, who tends to pull you along because he's so excited about all the new smells. Every step was a stress filled fright.

People were still skiing and snowboarding on Granite Peak, literally 10 yards from where you pay to enter the state park (if someone would have been taking money, that is), and all were dressed in parkas and looked the same as if it were 10 below zero. In the little picnic area in the park, many teens were wearing polo shirts and shorts.

After about an hour, I told Andrew we'd take a break and sit on the rocks for a bit. It wasn't that physically tiring (especially for me, down 53 pounds in 11 weeks), but mentally it was, as the trail is often just a few feet from a 10-30 foot dropoff, and neither my son or my dog have an ounce of fear. So, we sat for about 5 minutes, and about 60 seconds later, Andrew saw some more rocks ahead of us, and said, "Daddy, there are more rocks up there, if you need to rest again".

Thanks, son.

3/25/2007 09:26:00 AM

Saturday, March 24, 2007

(3/24/2007 03:28:00 PM) - Al

Yet another reason why I would not have given noted flake Barry Zito $126M. He's just too nutty for me, though a heckuva pitcher.

Barry, you know, most people just eat what tastes good, and they get along fine. Say what you want, but no preservatives in your food ain't going to do a thing for ya if your shoulder or elbow "pops" one day on the mound.

3/24/2007 03:28:00 PM



(3/24/2007 03:15:00 PM) - Al

Reason 42,124 to not pay attention to spring training statistics:

Right-hander Greg Aquino, acquired from Arizona in the Johnny Estrada/Doug Davis trade, supposedly had a leg up on a bullpen job after making 42 appearances last season with the Diamondbacks (2-0, 4.47). But Aquino has not looked sharp this spring (7.11 ERA, .394 opponents' batting average).--JS

Of course, after two scoreless frames in last night's game, Greg now has a 4.32 ERA. Whenever getting 6 batters out can cut your ERA nearly in half, I think it's safe to say those numbers are simply flawed.

3/24/2007 03:15:00 PM



(3/24/2007 10:57:00 AM) - Al

I had not planned to attend Opening Day this year, and I still probably won't, but I will be making a bid here, if for nothing else to drive up the amount that will go to one of Bob Uecker's (and mine as well) favorite charities.

So, if you would still love to attend the opener, but do not have tickets in hand, check out the link and make a bid. You even get Uecker nesting dolls!!

3/24/2007 10:57:00 AM



(3/24/2007 10:32:00 AM) - Al

My son and I will be off to the park soon, so allow me to fill your needs with this lengthy preview by Ramblings' reader Josh, in which he compares to the Brewers to the Cubs, position by position.

A big thanks to Josh to sending it in, and if you would like to contribute a piece to Ramblings, e-mail it to me. Also, keep your RUTT nominations coming in, I will be putting that together late next week, along with my Brewers' projections for 2007.

With no further adieu, thanks again Josh. I just proofed it again and I think Josh has indeed been reading Ramblings a long time, much of it even sounds like me.

2007 Brewers/Cubs comparison

# 1 Starter...Ben Sheets v. Carlos Zambrano.



This has the potential to be a terrific matchup. Sheets is the true X-Factor for the Brewers in 2007. Although his win totals have never been eye-catching, true baseball fans are aware that wins and losses are perhaps the 3rd or 4th most telling stat when it comes to evaluation of a starting pitcher. And Sheets' peripheral stats are truly remarkable. Consider the following...



Over the last three years, two of those he spent battling nagging injuries, Sheets has compiled 521 strikeouts, while walking just 68 in 499.6 innings. That's a 7.6/1 ratio, amongst the best in baseball. Sheets compiled an ERA of 3.13 over that time frame, once again amongst the best in the game. Although Sheets has picked up the dreaded Prior-like "injury-prone" status, Sheets missed a total of 3 starts over his first four full seasons (throwing well over 200 innings in three of them), and still managed to pitch over 250 innings over the course of the last two seasons. And by all accounts, this spring is the healthiest Sheets has felt since 2002.

Sheets put up some amazing numbers last year, despite the nagging injuries that limited him to 17 starts. Jeff Sackman’s brilliant article on Hardball Times pointed this out that in 106 innings of work last year, he posted 11 walks, while striking out 106 batters. No other pitcher has EVER thrown 50 more innings in a season while striking out a batter per inning, and walking fewer than on per 9. Incredible stuff. If you want a taste of what Ben can do over the course of a full season, refer to 2004, his last fully healthy campaign: He had a stellar ERA of 2.70, struck out 264 batters in 237 innings, and walked just 32, an 8.3-1 K/BB ratio. If the Brewers can coax 200 innings out of Sheets' golden right arm, Milwaukee has a terrific chance at a breakout season.

Zambrano is no slouch himself. Like Sheets, he is a two-time All-Star. Also like Sheets, his best season came in 2004, when he posted an ERA of 2.75 and a WHIP (Walks and hit per innings pitched) of 1.2. Unlike Sheets, Zambrano's durability can't be questioned. He's pitched at least 200 innings (these days the barometer for a workhouse starter) for the last four consecutive years, and his bulldog manor on the mound has served him well for the most part. One thing that might be of concern to Z is that, while his K/9 ratio was a career high 8.8, his BB/9 ratio also marked his highest total since becoming a full-time starter in 2003 at 4.8. Basically, both of those numbers mean he throws a ton of pitches per start. It will be interesting to see if those numbers, combined with the ridiculous mis-use of the pitching staff that characterized the Dusty Baker Era in Chicago, has an effect on Z. Certainly, this is a guy that is a legitimate ace, and looks to have another big year in 2007.


# 2 Starter...Jeff Suppan v. Ted Lilly.

The Brewers are paying Suppan 42 million over 4 years to do what he's done the last eight years...pitch at least 188 innings, provide a better than league average ERA, be a mentor to younger pitchers, and be a stabilizing force. $10.5/year might sound like a steep price, especially for the Brewers, but it was the going rate for those types in the offseason, and Brewers brass felt strongly enough about the rest of the team to invest in Suppan. His remarkable durability and postseason experience (he was the MVP of the '06 NLCS) make him a pretty decent # 2 starter, but certainly his stuff won't blow anyone away. His numbers over the past three years, in almost every category, are basically the same. He is 32 years old, which is a concern with any pitcher. However, because he is not, nor has he ever been, a flamethrower, age issues shouldn't effect him all that much.

The Cubs, meanwhile, shelled out basically the same deal for Lilly (4 years, 40 million). Lilly is a year younger, has never pitched 200 innings, has pitched never won a post-season game, and has a career ERA of 4.60. On the plus side, he's a lefty, had a terrific year in 2004, and pitched in baseball's toughest division over the last three years. While it would be hard to argue that Lilly is worth the $10/year he got, he should provide decent dependability to the rotation.

# 3 Starter ...Chris Capuano v. Jason Marquis

Over the last two years, Capuano has proven to be a dependable starter that shows flashes of brilliance. An All-Star in 2006, the lefty has pitched 440 innings over the last two years, has one of the best pickoff moves in all of baseball, and has a combined ERA of just under 4 for the last two seasons. Cappy made huge strides last season in improving his K/BB ratio. While maintaining his strikeout rate (176 in '05, 174 in '06), Cappy allowed just 47 walks in '06, as compared to 91 in the year prior. He has started 69 games over the past two seasons, and was 7th in the National League in innings pitched in 2006. He finished 6th in the NL in BB/9, with 1.91.

Marquis was signed to a 3-year, 21 million dollar deal despite being so terrible for the Cardinals in 2006 that they left him off their playoff roster. Marquis finished 2006 with a an ERA of 6.02 and struck out just 96 while walking 75. The Cubs have to hope that Larry Rothschild can bring back the Marquis that pitched over 200 innings in both 2004 and 2005, while compiling an ERA of around 4.23. Not stellar numbers, but at least enough to take some pressure off the bullpen and give your team a chance to win the game. Marquis' whip last season was over 1.5.

# 4 Starter...Dave Bush v. Rich Hill

Bush is an interesting story for the Brewers. He went to Wake Forest as a catcher, and was later converted to a lights-out college closer. He was drafted by the Blue Jays in the 2nd round, and quickly rose through the ranks and made his MLB debut in 2004 with Toronto. He had a decent rookie season in 2005, starting 25 games in the tough AL East, and compiled an ERA of 4.49. He was traded to the Brewers as part of the Lyle Overbay deal, and was very dependable in 2006. He pitched 210 innings, and his peripheral numbers were much better than his 4.41 ERA would indicate, possibly meaning he simply pitched in a lot of bad luck. His WHIP of 1.13 was good for 4th best in the National League, and he walked just 1.63 batters per 9 innings, good for 4th in the NL as well. He led the entire National League in K/BB ratio, tying Roy Oswalt with 4.37-1 ratio (Had Sheets pitched enough innings, he would've won in a landslide). For these reasons, I believe that Bush is a strong candidate for a breakout year in 2007, much like the one that Capuano experienced in 2005.

Hill is a pretty decent prospect for the Cubs that has always done well in the minors, but had a horrific big league stint in 2005. Last season appeared to be much the same as after 10 outings, he was carrying an ugly 6.44 ERA. However, Hill put his big, sweeping curveball to work for him down the stretch and ended up with an ERA of 4.17. It appeared as though he had things figured out, so 2007 will be a crucial year for Hill to make the leap. Who is the real Rich Hill? The guy that struggled through his first 20 outings or so, or the one that had terrific success in his last 7 outings in 2007?

#5 Starter...Claudio Vargas v. Wade Miller

Vargas, acquired in the Doug Davis-Johnny Estrada deal, is a fairly league average pitcher that has the ability to pitch a gem from time to time. However, despite his relative success last year, I am a bit skeptical at his abilities. He had a nice home/road split, which in this case means he wasn't very good in the hitter-friendly environs of BankOne Park, but was very decent (4.12 ERA) away from Arizona. I'll take a wait and see approach. He's 29, so it's not like he's going to get a lot better here quickly.

Wade Miller

I project Miller to win the 5th spot, but could easily be wrong, as Guzman and others are challenging. Miller in an interesting project. From 2002-2004, he averaged 184 innings, and compiled a solid 3.57 ERA for the Astros. However, in the three years since he has started merely 36 games, including 5 for the Cubs in late-season duty last year. Since his injury, his K/BB ratio has been atrocious, as he has walked 109 batters while striking out 158 in 199 innings. Last season, he walked 18 and struck out 20 for the Cubs, posting a pretty terrible 1.7 WHIP. While Miller was once a solid pitcher, he's 30 now, and coming off a serious injury. If he somehow returns to form, he will be a nice #5.

6th starter/Long Man/AAA Depth...Carlos Villanueva v. Angel Guzman

Villanueva is one of the pleasant surprises to come out of the Brewers farm system in the past few seasons. Acquired from the Giants for Wayne Franklin in 2003, Villanueva was a little-known rookie ball pitcher with average velocity and a slight frame. Whatever the Brewers brass saw in him, their faith was rewarded as Carlos steadily rose up the system, posting a 3.24 ERA in his minor league career. Villanueva was called up from AA last season after a string of terrible outings by higher touted prospects in the stead of Sheets and Tomo Ohka, who went down simultaneously with serious arm injuries. His 2006 starting debut came against Cincinnati in a very tough ballpark to pitch. He threw six scoreless innings. He ended his 2006 campaign by allowing two runs in 8.1 innings against the Cardinals, who at the time were still fighting for their playoff lives. In between, he strung together several strong outings that belied not only his tender age of 22. Carlos has a terrific changeup, great mound presence, and simply knows how to pitch.

Guzman is a very highly regarded prospect for the Cubs that has seen little major league success. His only stint in the show came in 2006, and like much of the rest of the Cubs staff, was summarily lit up like Clark Grizwald’s Christmas tree. He ended the season with a 7.39 ERA that was actually much worse (9.28 ERA) as a starter. He has solid stuff according to most accounts, but is also advancing in age for a prospect, as he turned 25 in December. His minor league numbers are beyond reproach, as he has compiled an ERA of 2.83 over 7 seasons in the Cubs minor league system. 20027 will be a put up or shut up kind of season for Guzman.

Middle Relief…Turnbow, Wise, Capellan, Shouse v. Eyre, Howry, Novoa, Wood, Ohman

The keys to the Brewers bullpen lay in the hands of Derrick Turnbow. The former Angel castoff took Milwaukee by storm in 2005, posting a terrific 1.74 ERA and franchise record-tying 39 saves. He started out ’06 in the same fashion, recording saves in the team’s first four games of the season to set a MLB record. On June 29, Turnbow had 23 saves and an ERA of 3.28 on the season. That’s when the wheels came off, and Turnbow came unglued. The rest of his season was a nightmare, and his problems appeared to be almost totally mental. He was still throwing 97, but couldn’t locate his breaking pitches, and the fastball then became predictable, and hittable. This spring, Turnbow has been terrific. If he can return to his pre-breakdown stage, the Brewers can play a lot of 7-inning games this season. If not, another reliable setup man will have to emerge. Matt Wise has been a steady presence in the bullpen for the last three years with his nasty changeup. Injuries limited him to 40 games last season, and his health will be a key to the ’06 pen. Big things are expected out of Jose Capellan, who was 2nd on the club in appearances last season with 61. Another flamethrower, Capellan has lacked consistency, typical of young relievers. Some in the Brewers organization believe that he can become a dominant closer. Brian Shouse is the lefty specialist who came trotting in 59 times out of the pen last year, and held lefties to a .238 average.

The Cubs middle relief was a high point last season, as high dollar contracts doled out to the likes of Bobby Howry (3.17 ERA) and Scott Eyre (3.38) paid off nicely. Other bullpen stalwarts included Will Ohman (4.13 ERA, 78G) and Roberto Novoa (4.26 ERA, 66G), both of whom will be integral parts of the 2007 pen. Neil Cotts has had one decent season, 2005, but posted a WHIP of 1.63 last season, and a 5.17 ERA The X factor for Chicago could be former wunderkid Kerry Wood, who is currently down with an arm ailment. Shocking, I know. No one has ever questioned the stuff of Wood, whose two-pitch repertoire could play very well out of the pen. Should Wood be able to pitch 40-50 times this season, the middle relief could very well be a huge strength for the Cubs.

Closer…Cordero v. Dempster

Francisco “Coco” Cordero was acquired in the Carlos Lee deal, and basically single-handedly kept the Brewers season from completely going in the toilet. He was incredible upon entering the National League for the first time in an 8-year career, 7 of which were spent with the Rangers. He was unscored upon in his first 13.2 innings with the Crew, allowing just 7 hits in that timeframe. He finished 16-18 in save opportunities, and solidified the bullpen down the stretch. Cordero has absolutely nasty stuff, and was terrific, save April of 2006, for the Rangers, 86 games over the course of 2004-2005. Coco is one of the elite closers in the game, and should serve the Brewers well in 2007.

Dempster, a converted starter, had a nightmare 2006. He went 1-9 with a 4.80 ERA and nine saves. Because, save Wood, the Cubs don’t have another candidate for closer, Dempster will at least start the season with the job. He did the job in 2005, saving 33 games while compiling a 3.13 ERA.

Misc. Bullpen comments…

A bullpen’s best friend is a starting rotation that can consistently get deep into games. In this way, the Brewers figure to have a large edge, particularly as the season wears on, and the bullpens wear out. Although there are question marks in the middle of Milwaukee’s pen, if they can keep games in the hands of their top 4 relievers before Cordero, they should be fine.

Catcher…Estrada v. Barrett

In their only trade of the offseason, the Brewers sought to upgrade their catching position that has been a weak spot in the lineup since David Nilsson hit .309 with 21 home runs in 1999, making the All-Star team in the process. Estrada is a guy that is known more for his offense than his defense, but his arm should be adequate for what his bat can provide. He had a terrific 2004 for the Braves, hitting .314 with 9 HR before regressing into a .261 season in 2005, featuring just 4 long balls. He bounced back in 2006 with the Diamondbacks, hitting .302 with a career high 11 home runs. The issue with Estrada is that he doesn’t draw a lot of walks (just 13 in 2006). So when his batting average goes, so too goes his OBP down the tunes. However, at age 31, he shouldn’t be in a quick decline, and hopefully finish somewhere around that .300 mark. He certainly has people taking note of his hitting skills in Arizona, as he is still hovering around the .450 mark just less than two weeks before the season starts.

Barrett has been remarkably consistent in his three years with the Cubs, hitting exactly 16 home runs each season, and always batting between .275 and .307. While his walk rate is better than Estrada, he also doesn’t meet the 1 BB/10 AB standard preferred by OBP mavens. He’s the same age as Estrada roughly, and shouldn’t decline too much in 2007.

1st Base…Fielder vs. Lee

A position of strength for both teams to be sure. Fielder had a terrific rookie campaign, shaking off an 0-11 start with 27 home runs, and a solid .830 OPS (on-base plus slugging, the preferred offensive metric for most statheads). Seeing that he’s only 23 years old, and 2006 was his first full season of action, there’s absolutely no reason to believe that he won’t exceed his 2006 numbers. His ceiling is virtually unlimited, and he could easily turn into one of the game’s top sluggers. He was very durable last year, playing 157 games, and was better defensively than most expected.

Derrek Lee’s absence from the Cubs lineup was a major contributing factor to their garbage 2006 season. He hit well when he was in the lineup, though not up to the silly numbers he put up in 2005. In that season, his OPS was an astounding 1.080, good for first in the majors. Last season, he regressed back to .842, which was more near his career norms. I certainly think Lee’s a good hitter, but it’s also just as clear when looking at his career stats that the 2005 season was an outlier, and should be treated as such. Still, most teams would kill to have him in their lineup every day, and his defense is simply stellar at the bag.

2nd base…Weeks vs. DeRosa

Firmly entrenched as the Brewers leadoff hitter, this is a big year in the career of the talented Mr. Weeks. One of the highest touted prospects in baseball, Weeks tore through the minor leagues and made his debut in June of 2005. He got off to a solid start before injuring his thumb and sputtered down the stretch. 2006 was much of the same, as he missed the last 62 games with a wrist injury. It appears to be mostly healed, though in a troubling statement Weeks recently indicated that it still wasn’t 100%, merely good enough to play with. Weeks needs a healthy campaign for the Brewers to excel in 2007. He should steal well over 20 bases, hit at least 15 home runs, and hit around .280 with a decent OBP in 2007. Weeks still has the ceiling to be one of the top offensive 2nd baseman in baseball, but ’07 is a year to prove his mettle. Defensively, he was a disaster for the first 50 games, and nothing less than stellar his final 45 or so. His range is terrific, but he sometimes struggles with routine plays.

Mark DeRosa was signed by the Cubs in the offseason after spending two seasons with the Texas Rangers. In the offensive haven that is the Ballpark at Arlington, Derosa put up a solid .813 OPS, but spent just 26 games at 2nd base. A versatile player who has played all over the diamond in his career, he will stay at 2nd for the Cubs. Before last season, DeRosa had never played more than 108 games in a season, never hit more than 8 home runs, or driven in more than 31 runs. He has no speed to speak of, and is average defensively. Still, if he can put up similar numbers to last season (unlikely since about 70% of his AB’s came against LHP, against whom he hit .342) the Cubs might have a really solid right side of the infield.

SS…Hardy v. Izturis

Much like Ricky Weeks, JJ Hardy has lots to prove as the Brewers SS. A 2nd round pick with silky smooth defensive abilities, Hardy saw his 2006 campaign cut short with an ankle injury that felled him on May 16. He had a very slow start to his major league career, hitting just .180 in the first half of his rookie campaign. However, the Brewers’ patience was rewarded when JJ bounced back with a .308 batting average in the 2nd half. He also has a surprising power stroke, hitting 14 homers in 159 career games. A realistic total year for Hardy would be around .270, 12-15 homers, and a solid year defensively. His plate discipline is acceptable, but as a potential #2 hitter in the lineup, more patience would be helpful.

Cesar Izturis was acquired in the Greg Maddox deal from the Dodgers last season, and there is no doubting his defensive acumen. The 2004 Gold Glove Award Winner sees has seen his share of problems as the plate, however. Besides a breakout year in 2004 when he was a National League All-Star and compiled a .711 .OPS, his highest season stands at just .624. That’s thanks mostly to his complete lack of plate discipline. Last season, he drew just 12 walks, and he’s never even came close to the 1BB/10 AB standard. It also doesn’t help that he doesn’t have any power at all, as Hardy (14) has more homers in 159 games that Izturis does (11) in over 650 games. The Cubs obviously feel that they are strong enough elsewhere offensively to overcome his deficiencies.

3B…Graffanino v. Ramirez

This is the one position in which the Brewers are obviously weak offensively. Their best laid plans went to waste once it became apparent that Corey Koskie might never play again after suffering a concussion last summer. At the very least, he’ll be out the first month or so, which left the Brewers with an interesting dilemma at 3rd base. They gave stud prospect Ryan Braun a look, and his bat wowed, while his glove woahed, which is why he’ll be spending opening day 2007 in a Nashville Sounds uniform instead of facing Derek Lowe and the Dodgers. The 26th best prospect in the game according to Baseball America, Braun will hone his defensive skills on a lesser stage, but look for him to be up by June 1 at the latest. A positive about him starting in AAA (where he has yet to have an AB) is that the Brewers will gain a whole additional year of Braun’s services, as long as he is in the minors until late April. He will now be Brewers property until 2012, which will take him up to right around his prime. It’s certainly looking ahead a long way, but getting to bide your time another year before having to pay big bucks could be crucial. In the meantime, the hot corner will be manned by Tony Graffanino and Craig Counsell. Hopefully heavy on Graffanino. Graffy was solid after being acquired by the Crew last season, putting up a .750 OPS. However, he simply doesn’t have any power, and that’s a big negative when you’re talking about a corner infield spot. The positives are that he will be more than adequate defensively, hits righties about the same as lefties, and will hopefully be in this spot for just a few months maximum. Counsell is a weak hitting middle infielder who has had pretty decent on-base skills. At this stage of his career, Counsell should start about 40 games, and be a defensive replacement if he plays other than that. I will be extremely disappointed if Yost chooses to do a straight platoon, as Counsell hit lefties about the same as righties, around .255 last season.

Ramirez, meanwhile, is one of the Cubs’ greatest assets. They resigned him to a long-term deal over the winter, a just reward for the guy that has averaged 35 home runs and 105 RBI over the past three seasons, and has played solid defense at the hot corner. His OPS has declined over the past two seasons, but at over .900 all three years, he’s still doing just fine. At 29, he’s still got plenty of good years left, and should be a staple in the Cubs lineup for years to come.

LF…Jenkins v. Murton

The Brewers figure to give Geoff Jeknins the lions share of AB’s in left this season, though there has been plenty of noise about a platoon with lefty-masher Kevin Mench. After playing in left all his career, Jenks moved to right for two years to accommodate Carlos Lee. He was one of the game’s premier defensive LF’s for a long time, and although it appeared his defense slipped in the past couple of years, he should be fine out there. The question is weather he can hit LHP. The answer last year at least was a definitive no. He hit a paltry .133 against them last year, well down from his career mark of .244. He continued to mash against righties, hitting .306 with 15 of his 17 home runs. His season overall last year was disappointing. He limped into September hitting just .250 with 10 home runs, and for the first time in his career, he was benched. When injuries to other outfielders forced him back into the lineup, he excelled, hitting .409 with 7 homers in the season’s final month of action. Jenkins is also in the final year of a contract, and has been killing the ball against all pitchers in spring training thus far. It will be very interesting to see if Yost indeed does use Mench often against LHP. For his career, Mench is hitting .303 against lefties with a very healthy .930 OPS. After coming over from the Rangers in the Carlos Lee deal, Mench, a butcher defensively, struggled mightily, hitting just .230 with one home run in 130 Milwaukee AB’s. Seeing as though he hit 51 home runs in the two years prior in Texas, it’s clear that Mench has some value, particularly against LHP. Strictly going by the numbers (Mench career .930 OPS v. LHP, Jenkins .892 career OPS v. RHP), a platoon makes a lot of sense. However, both of these players have expressed reservations about doing that, which could lead to decreased productivity. One of the biggest choices Yost will have is how to make up his lineup card against LHP. In the past, he has been hesitant to bench or platoon veterans, but all spring long the talk has been platoon. I guess we’ll find out, starting April 2.

Speaking of platoon, the Cubs might go that route as well, though I think it’s silly to take any AB’s away from Matt Murton to give to the aging Cliff Floyd. Murton last season put up solid numbers, hitting .292 with 13 home runs, showing decent plate discipline and putting put a .803 OPS. He hit righties almost as well as lefties (.782 vs. .870) and got stronger as the year went on (last three months over .300). He’s just 25 years old, is decent defensively, and is a player on the rise. Floyd, meanwhile, is 34 years old, bad in the outfield, and had just a .731 OPS last season with the Mets. He hit just .179 against lefties for a putrid .631 OPS, while he fashioned a decent .765 OPS against lefties. I don’t know why they signed him, unless it’s simply for depth on the bench. If that turns out to be the case, and Murton starts 130-plus games, then it’s not a bad signing. If they split the AB’s…not good.

CF…Hall v. Soriano.

Let’s compare some numbers, shall we?

Player A: .270 BA, .345 OBP, .898 OPS, 27 years old

Player B: .277 BA, .351 OBP, .911 OPS, 31 years old

If you had to guess, which player would have just signed a 4-year, 34 million dollar deal, and which player signed an 8-year, 136 million dollar contract, what would you say? Certainly most astute baseball followers would never say give the money to player B, especially when you consider that his normal position (LF) is a spot where you need those kind of numbers simply to stay afloat, right?

Well, if you haven’t figured it out by now, Player A is Bill Hall, and Player B is Alfonso Soriano. Soriano got the money, Bill Hall simply the production.

Hall is a pretty good story. A 6th round pick out of high school, Hall climbed the ladder pretty quickly and reached the big leagues (well before he was ready) by age 22. He stuck for good in 2004, but he was still without a position when he entered camp in 2005. He bounced around the diamond, playing 66 games at SS, 59 at 3B, and 23 at 2B. He did this while making a huge jump in his offensive game. His OPS jumped from .650 to .837, and his home run total from 9 to 17. He made another quantum leap in 2006, jumping from .837 to .898, and from 17 to 35 home runs. In another positive development, Hall went from walking 39 times to 63 and seems to have made plate discipline a priority in his game. His defense might be interesting to start out with, but Hall’s athleticism makes him a solid candidate for a CF spot.

Soriano, meanwhile, is coming off a good season which saw him mash 46 home run for the Washington Nationals. Plate discipline is neither a strength nor a focus for Soriano, as despite being the only formidable hitter in the Nats lineup, he walked just 67 times in 647 AB’s. That total represented almost double his previous career high. So perhaps he’s getting the hang of it. Or, perhaps he was just pitched around so much with that bad lineup that he couldn’t help himself. He also strikes out a ton, including a career-high 160 times last season. He was among the league’s worst 2nd basemen defensively with the Yankees and Rangers, and then made 11 errors in LF last season. He has not played a game in center field in his entire career. He has good speed, as evidenced by his 41 steals (he was also caught 17 times, too high of a number) last season, but it remains to be seen weather he can play a passable CF or not. And the contract is just ridiculous. I realize that Wrigley Field is a money-making machine, but do they honestly believe that this guy is going to be worth 17 million for more than a year or two? Studies have shown that the prime of a player’s career is between 27-30. He’s now 31. He will be 39 when his contract expires. He plays a position, or at least WILL play a position that makes offense a premium (remember that the Cubs tried to get a CF so he wouldn’t have to play out there). Overall, a silly deal, but there’s also no question that he represents a significant upgrade for the 2007 Cubs.

RF…Hart v. Jones

Corey Hart has flat-out hit where ever he has gone. In seven minor league seasons, he hit .299, compiled an .855 OPS, and hit 86 home runs. The former 11th round draft pick was the MVP of the Southern League in 2003, and stole 131 bases. He was switched all around the diamond before settling in the outfield. Last season, Hart hit .283 with nine home runs in 82 games, positing an .798 OPS. I believe that given 500 AB’s, Hart could easily put up a .280, 20 HR, 80 RBI year, with an .830ish OPS and at least 15 steals. He’s got a lot of ability, is just 25, and should only get better as the years go by.

Jacque Jones had a pretty solid season last year, despite his bashing of the Wrigley Field faithful. Jones posted an .833 OPS last season, hitting 27 home runs on the season. He plays a very mediocre right field, making the Cubs defense in the outfield pretty terrible. He has very little plate discipline, striking out 116 times while walking only 35. Jones hit only .234 against lefties last season.

Bench…Counsell, Mench, Miller, Gross, Clark v. Floyd, Theriot, Blanco, Ward, Pagan

The Brewers’ depth in 2007 is one thing that sets them apart from years past. They have a solid backup infielder in Counsell, one of the game’s premier backup catchers in Damian Miller, and a stable of outfielders that, depth-wise, has to be among the best in baseball. Gabe Gross was solid off the bench in 2006, finishing with an OPS of .908 against righties. Brady Clark is a seasoned pro that can play any of the three outfield positions, and get on base at a decent clip. There still is a decent chance of a trade being made with one of the outfielders, most likely Mench, but they have the depth to lose of those guys.

The Cubs counter with Daryle Ward, who can’t play defense or hit lefties but is a solid option as a PH against righties. Ryan Theriot hit well in a brief stint in 2007, and could be given a long look at 2nd base if DeRosa struggles. Henry Blanco is the definition of the good-field, bad-hit catcher, who actually didn’t do too badly at the plate last season, hitting .266 with seven homers. Angel Pagan is reserve outfielder that could make the team, while Ronny Cedeno has a chance at a backup infielders spot.

Summary…The NL Central is wide open this year. You could make a solid argument that any of four teams could win the division. Conversely, you could also come up with a laundry list of reasons that any one of those teams could end up under .500. I believe that this will be the Brewers best year since 1992…however, I’m just not quite ready to predict a division title, as people from Baseball America (Brewers 1st, Cubs 5th) and the Chicago Tribune (Phil Rogers) have done lately. I think the Cardinals will see their manager sober up and their pitching stabilize, and win the division with an 89-73 mark. I see the Brewers just a few games back at 85-77, while the Cubs languish around .500, and end up 80-82. It should be a fun summer of baseball.

3/24/2007 10:32:00 AM



(3/24/2007 10:25:00 AM) - Al

Notes on the bullpen, and the makeup of the roster, can be found here. Still considering only 11 pitchers, at least according to Ned. With so few days off in April, that seemed unlikely to me. Maybe the quality of the rotation is a deciding factor, as the top 4 seem unlikely to have a 2 or 3 inning outing.

3/24/2007 10:25:00 AM

Friday, March 23, 2007

(3/23/2007 09:38:00 PM) - Al

Unless something especially newsworthy happens tomorrow, I believe I'll take advantage of the good weather and take the little fella to our local state park to wander the trails.

If you wish, I can start a pool of how many times I hear the phrase, "Hurry up, Daddy", usually said in a disgusted tone of voice.

3/23/2007 09:38:00 PM



(3/23/2007 08:37:00 PM) - Al

Al – Regarding Bon Jovi at Country Jam, there is a clear connection: Jennifer Nettles. Who says you can’t go home?

Todd

I did think of that, but I can't believe Bon Jovi is suddenly considered country or country rock because of that one song. However, I do think many country music fans really enjoy Bon Jovi...heck, they have appeal to folks anywhere from 15-50.

3/23/2007 08:37:00 PM



(3/23/2007 08:25:00 PM) - Al

Craig Biggio, like many players, fails to see the forest for the trees. He is not allowed to wear a pin on his cap that promotes a charity that helps young cancer victims. This isn't because anyone doesn't like the group. It's because no one wants to police this crap, and no one wants to be responsible for the legal issues that would soon follow if someone chose to wear a pin that promoted a controversial viewpoint.

3/23/2007 08:25:00 PM



(3/23/2007 02:25:00 PM) - Al

The idea for the network was first proposed in 1988 by commissioner Peter Ueberroth, who hoped to launch it in 1990. In a letter to the Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday, DuPuy said the network likely would televise games during spring training and the regular season, contests from other professional or amateur baseball leagues, and highlights shows.---nbcsports.com

I always liked Ueberroth, but the owners hated him, so his commish time was brief.:) This was written about The Baseball Network that MLB is making be available to most all subscribers, and is why Direct has Extra Innings and the others do not. One thing I would push for is for the new channel to broadcast a day game every single day of the season, and it would be the only entity to be able to do so (of course, with the exception of ESPN's Wednesday day games last year and Fox's Game of the Week Saturdays, day baseball is rarely broadcast anyway, with the exception of the Cubs on WGN...and i believe they have scaled back). Usually there are games on Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sundays anyway, so while some teams would not be thrilled moving games to the day, others would be more receptive (I see Fridays as being a tough sell).

3/23/2007 02:25:00 PM



(3/23/2007 01:06:00 PM) - Al

I rarely link to anything that could be considered offensive, or not safe for work, but I will make an exception for The Short Version of Jay and Silent Bob.

Don't say I didn't warn you though.

Speaking of Kevin Smith, his blog indicates he is currently on Optifast (the popular all-liquid diet Oprah used to shed her weight ages ago, for the first time) for the third time, or at least he was, he has not mentioned it in a while. One week, while just drinking 6 shakes a day, he only lost 1.5 pounds, and was a tad unhappy about it. Still, he lost 22 pounds the first 4 weeks, so he was also off to a good start.

3/23/2007 01:06:00 PM



(3/23/2007 12:20:00 PM) - Al

The Dallas Morning News reports the Rangers are in active discussions looking for a backup catcher. That's funny, the Brewers are trying to trade Mike Rivera...

3/23/2007 12:20:00 PM



(3/23/2007 11:27:00 AM) - Al

I don't think they could report home sales any clumsier than they do. Sales were down 1% from last February, but this is actually a measure of how many homes "closed" in February, meaning that most of the homes actually "sold" in December or January, which was unseasonably warm, which is hard to remember because it was so cold last month.

Of course, if you read the first paragraph, you'll see home sales were "up 3.7%", which is compared to January, which means you're comparing apples to oranges. Goodness, sales in January are always "up" I would imagine, as I'm sure very few homes are closed the week between Xmas and New Year's.

3/23/2007 11:27:00 AM



(3/23/2007 10:04:00 AM) - Al

My wife and I heard a promo for "the biggest concert of the Summer", and was shocked to hear it was for Bon Jovi, my favorite band, but whose popularity probably peaked 15 years ago. Imagine our surprise when we heard that they were appearing at Country Jam, a festival held in Eau Claire yearly.

The lines between country and "pop rock" or "pop metal", whatever it is that Bon Jovi is known for, is a bit blurry, but it sure is odd to see them on the same bill with pure country artists.

I just checked and tickets for a day are $59, plus various fees of course. I can honestly say I've never heard of a single performer appearing on Saturday except Jon and the boys, though Reba is appearing Thursday. She was there back in the early 90's when I lived in EC and was busy delivering pizza. I recall the huge rush we enjoyed post-Reba, mainly to hotels. I am almost sure that one of the drivers reported he had made a delivery to some of her "underlings" as well.

3/23/2007 10:04:00 AM



(3/23/2007 09:31:00 AM) - Al

Please, continue to send in those RUTT nominations. I've received a couple so far, and I know in previous seasons my begging has resulted in about a dozen submissions. Please, if you are unsure about what a player makes, or if he qualifies, send it in anyway and voice your concerns.

At the very least, our team of reserves will be better than the Nationals (Christian Guzman is starting AND batting 2nd? C'mon.)...there are more than a few people suggesting they will lose 20 more games than any other NL team...and I can't say I disagree.

3/23/2007 09:31:00 AM



(3/23/2007 09:17:00 AM) - Al

Very nice piece over at The Hardball Times about Bud Selig's abilities to build a consensus and get things done.

3/23/2007 09:17:00 AM

Thursday, March 22, 2007

(3/22/2007 08:19:00 PM) - Al

Adam goes over some of the new features of Miller Park. Mark A has done a fine job of spending money to make money.

3/22/2007 08:19:00 PM



(3/22/2007 06:51:00 PM) - Al

Dave Krynzel, who hit just .231/.314/.359 in Triple-A last year, appears likely to make the Diamondbacks thanks to the injury to Jeff DaVanon and his .364/.450/.576 line in 33 at-bats. He's also helped by being out of options, though that may not save him if DaVanon is ready to return in mid-April.

I wish Dave all the luck in the world, as he will surely need it. He's proven he is a subpar AAA hitter, but he still could have a decent future as a 5th OF, as for the most part, many teams just have a guy in that spot that can play all 3 OF spots decently, and run well. Dave can do that, but he can't hit a lick.

The only advice I can give to Dave? Rent, don't buy.

3/22/2007 06:51:00 PM



(3/22/2007 03:34:00 PM) - Al

On the TV broadcast, Doug Melvin just said the Brewers may open the year with 5 IF's and 6 OF's. He also mentioned Laynce Nix as a possibility, but that because of his injury he may open on the DL.

3/22/2007 03:34:00 PM



(3/22/2007 03:03:00 PM) - Al

Tubby Smith will be the next head coach of the Gophers. Quite a signing, I'd say even better than Tony Bennett, which I've suggested a few times.

That said, with the Iowa job now open, maybe Bennett will end up there.

3/22/2007 03:03:00 PM



(3/22/2007 11:13:00 AM) - Al

Once again, I am soliciting advice for the nearly annual Ramblings Underutilized Talent Team (RUTT). You can take a gander at previous years at the links below:

2003
2004
2006

As always, RUTT players must meet the following criteria; not be expected to start at the beginning of 2007 (or be unsigned, since we're doing it later this year, that should not be much of an issue), be 29 or younger, make less than the major league average salary (for ease of execution, we'll say $2.5M), and not be considered a "prospect" anymore. The latter is a bit hazy, but I'll try to sum it up with Brewers.

Tony Gwynn Jr. is still a prospect, as he is young and has had limited MLB experience. He is not eligible for RUTT.

Gabe Gross is not a prospect, as he has had quite a bit of time in the majors and is not yet a starter. He would be eligible for RUTT.

Laynce Nix is not a prospect, ditto to Gross.

Corey Hart is not eligible for RUTT, because he's projected to start.

Ryan Braun is still a prospect, and is not eligible for RUTT.

JD Closser is no longer considered a prospect, as he has now cleared waivers. He would be eligible for RUTT.

So, we will be putting together a RUTT offensive lineup, and I'll include a DH as well. If you click on the link above, you will see I picked Sean Burroughs as my 2006 3B, which I will kindly label "a miss". However, the untold story is this, I had another 3B written up (I actually thought it was Freddy Sanchez, but I see I put him at 2B), but I changed my mind and went with Sean, who had a bad year...at AAA.

Oops.

Previous members of the team have been Bobby Kielty, Craig Wilson, David Ortiz (yes, that one), Marco Scutaro, Morgan Ensberg, Ronnie Belliard, Jason Lane, Mike Cuddyear, Freddy Sanchez, and Bill Hall...proof that even though you're not a starter now, you may still have an outstanding career. There's a morale about not turning up your nose at a player another team has given up on as well, as most of the above are not still with their original organization.

If you would like to nominate an entire team, or just a player or two, please e-mail me.

3/22/2007 11:13:00 AM



(3/22/2007 09:51:00 AM) - Al

Baseball America picks the Brewers in the NL Central.

3/22/2007 09:51:00 AM



(3/22/2007 08:49:00 AM) - Al

On a tip from Brewers' blogging compatriot Jeff Sackmann, I added A Player To Be Named Later to my Netflix queue a while back, and sent it back a couple days ago. It's a documentary about the 2002 Indy Indians AAA club, and focuses on Marco Scutaro, Kyle Peterson, Micah Franklin, and Brad Tyler. I was and remain a big Scooter fan, as I was apparently the only person who felt he would be a fine reserve IF.

There are a few Brewers you have actually heard of with appearances in the film, Allen Levrault and Alex Sanchez being two of them. It's also interesting to see how decisions are made. Former veteran signing Jason McDonald is released a couple days after skipping treatment on his hamstring. When the filmmakers discuss it with Jmac, he says he had "personal stuff to do" before the end of spring training, like picking up dry cleaning and such. Former Brewers' farm director Greg Riddoch is shown having a serious talk with him, and afterwards, Jason says, "I won't do that again". As it turns out, at least not with the Brewers.

If nothing else, while the story about the veteran minor leaguers was interesting, it was a eye-opener seeing that just a few years ago, the Crew's AAA club was almost all low-ceiling vets, while now almost the entire rotation will be made up of true prospects. There's also the prerequisite story about a nutty fan baking cookies and such for the players, who is seemingly oblivious to the fact the Indians exist solely to develop players for the Brewers (at that time, now the Pirates, I believe).

3/22/2007 08:49:00 AM



(3/22/2007 08:21:00 AM) - Al

--John Edwards and his wife have announced a press conference for later this morning, speculation says he may be dropping out of the race and/or there may be an update about her health.

I think it's safe to say no one ever calls a press conference to say everything is fine and going smoothly.

--We had out first thunderstorm of the year last night. During Frasier, which follows our local news, we had a real house rattler, and was followed by our dog running around barking and whining, looking for the culprit. He then came back to the sofa and laid down next to me, as I, of course, am able to protect him from Mother Nature.

--FSN has on another Brewers' scrimmage (I'm sorry, exhibition game) today at 3. Don't say I didn't warn ya.

--The fine folks at Allis Chalmers rung the bell on the NYSE this morning. While most of us know them as a tractor maker, I guess they are now called Allis Chalmers Energy, ticker ALY. I glanced at their website and it seems like they sold all divisions in 1988 after asking for bankruptcy protection, and have now reorganized itself into a mostly oil and gas drilling company. Who would have guessed?

3/22/2007 08:21:00 AM



(3/22/2007 08:07:00 AM) - Al

Phil Rogers talks about Jeff Suppan and I believe picks the Brewers to win the division.

3/22/2007 08:07:00 AM

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

(3/21/2007 11:47:00 PM) - Al

Last night, our local pet store had a vet clinic, it's mainly an immunization thing, not designed for sick animals and the like. Because they do not charge for the office visit, you save about $25-30. I took our four-legged member of the family, Ronnie, to get his shots and heartworm medicine for the upcoming trip around the sun.

As is usually the case, the line was about a dozen deep when I arrived 15 minutes prior to the start time. I know my wife drew the short straw last year and called to say she was going to wait, but it'd be a while. Random thoughts and tidbits I overheard:

--Not a single person asked if Ronnie, a black and white cocker spaniel, was a springer spaniel puppy, which used to be a common, every few minute query. I guess I'm not the only one who thinks Ron is looking old.

--At least a third of the dogs had muzzles on the entire time. If i didn't trust my dog not to bite someone, I'm not sure I'd keep him, and if I did, I think I'd make an appointment and avoid the public.

--Ronnie whined the entire time, about an hour. A dog two ahead of us, a German Sheppard with a muzzle, growled or barked at him a minimum of 175 times, about once every 15 seconds. Why no, that did not get old at all.

--Every single person asked before petting Ronnie. We used to take him to Petsmart in the Twin Cities every week or two when we lived there, and hardly anyone ever asked.

--I could barely function last evening, as my neck, shoulders, and back were all excruciatingly sore, I guess from standing on the hard beyond belief concrete for that long. My old store had concrete in the back room, and once in a while we'd redo something back there, and my feet would get sore, but never my whole body. I suppose it's from standing, and not walking. I have never heard of places that have concrete floors having more injuries or missed days because of it, so maybe you adjust, but the difference is off-the-charts.

--My favorite moment was when the lady in front of me saw someone she knew, who said she was there to replace her Iams dog food (even though she fed the "dry", which has not been recalled, she said, "You just never know") and she said that the associates had recommended she "switch to Science Digest brand". I am sure she meant Science Diet, but I have chuckled at that many times in the past 24+ hours.

--The vets could not find a vein in Ronnie's front leg to take the blood sample, so she had to use a string-like thing to pull tightly around his other leg to find a vein. I told Ronnie if he would stop shooting drugs we wouldn't have this problem. Apparently, no one found this the least bit amusing other than me.

--My wife's uncle and myself were talking a couple years ago about how dogs used to exist on the farm, as they had free reign and never got any shots or anything. Ronnie had so many problems the first year we had him we ended up buying Vetsmart protection for him, which meant we paid $12 a month, and all we had to pay for was the medicines, as his shots were free, as were the office visits. I guess what happened is if the farm dog was limping or rubbing his ear, they figured it would go away, and it did, one way or another.

--With the lyme disease test they do, it shows up with a green dot if they have it. Both Ronnie and the dog ahead of him have had vaccines for it, but both showed up with a faint green color. They told us to watch him closely to see if he had any symptoms, and if he did, they would treat him, but for now, they were not going to. I asked what the symptoms were, and they said the main thing was that they will start acting very lethargic. I asked how I was supposed to gauge a dog's lethargicness level that sleeps 22-23 hours a day. The lady said he'd probably stop eating as well. I said no problem, I'd notice that. In 7 years, Ronnie has never missed a meal, and has always looked up at us for more the second he was done.

--The lady behind me said early on that what really slows the line down is when people bring in sick dogs or have them do extra stuff. Others around us looked on in horror and said they thought this was only for shots, and the lady said, well, if someone brings in an ill animal, they had to check it over. So, when she got to the table, as I was paying, she proudly asked the vet to do "pre-surgical exam" so she could have her little puppy spayed at their office the following week. I guess it would be silly to do a pre-surgical exam, you know, just prior to the actual surgery.

--You have to pay the vets, not the store, and if you used a credit card, they actually brought out one of those imprint machines where you slide it over the card and make a carbon copy of it (I had not seen one of them used since about 1996, and I have worked in retail the entire time), and then they had to call it in. Since a credit card transaction took about 5 minutes, for everyone's ease of execution, I paid with the check I keep in my wallet.

{Our dog kennel/groomer doesn't take plastic, so I try to keep one in there for them or someone else who astoundingly does not take Visa in 2007. We have been fortunate enough to pay off our cards monthly since 1998, so that does not matter.}

When I arrived home, I was chided by my wife, who said I should have paid with the card to get the "points", which earns us free hotel stays, well, eventually. I believe this is what they mean when they use the term, "can't win situation".

--Finally, after being on his best behavior for almost the entire visit, as the automatic door opened to let us out of the store, Ronnie lifted his leg on the door and let the world know exactly how he felt about the previous hour. Somehow, it was a fitting end.

3/21/2007 11:47:00 PM



(3/21/2007 11:33:00 PM) - Al

If you're interested in the Twins at all, Aaron Gleeman discusses them on BP radio, and is extremely knowledgeable. He also reports the stadium delay, some silly thing about the land, is past, and the Twins just announced they still plan to open up in April, 2010.

Aaron also says they'll miss not having a roof, which I totally agree with. The nature of MN politics is they'd much rather do something halfway than do it right, as they need to save the money to move old buildings in Mpls from one place to another...and you think I'm kidding.

3/21/2007 11:33:00 PM



(3/21/2007 08:13:00 PM) - Al

The Brewers have been a one-stop shopping outlet all spring for teams in the outfield market. But one club that has been speaking with them says they've pulled back their efforts to deal Clark, Mench or Jenkins until Laynce Nix recovers from an oblique injury. … The Brewers also are telling teams they're holding onto Turnbow. But one NL executive says: "I'd trade him right now -- while he's throwing strikes."---Jayson Stark, ESPN.com

Odd to hear about Nix causing any delays, as he hasn't been projected to make the 25 man at all.

3/21/2007 08:13:00 PM



(3/21/2007 02:39:00 PM) - Al

JD Closser made it through waivers and is now Brewers' property that is safely at AAA Nashville. I'm pretty biased, but by my count, that gives the Brewers an above average starting catcher, the best reserve C in the game, and a top 5 AAA catcher...not to mention Mike Rivera, who will likely be dealt soon, or claimed on waivers.

Pretty tricky move by Doug, asking waivers on the slightly lesser of the two extra reserves, if you go by spring numbers and 2006 major league stats. Any team that is patiently waiting for the Crew to waive Rivera may have passed on Closser now, but not later.

To quote that TV ad, "Brilliant!!"

3/21/2007 02:39:00 PM



(3/21/2007 01:55:00 PM) - Al

Don't look now, but the Dow is within a couple good days of record territory.

The "sale" we had a while back looks to be over.

3/21/2007 01:55:00 PM



(3/21/2007 01:19:00 PM) - Robert R.

Somebody is going to have to explain to me the Vinny Rottino infatuation. Yeah, he's versatile, but Baseball Prospectus has him projected at (BA/OBP/SLG) .259 /.308/.383 for a .691 OPS. He basically hits like a backup catcher at multiple positions, he doesn't really have much defensive value, and he runs o.k. but Counsell is still likely more valuable on the bases. How much is versatility really worth, considering that in most games a 3 man bench is more than sufficient?

3/21/2007 01:19:00 PM



(3/21/2007 10:38:00 AM) - Al

The JS looks at Damian Miller's role reversal, as he's now the best backup catcher in the game, rather than a mid-level starter.

Also, a look at Rottino's chances.

3/21/2007 10:38:00 AM



(3/21/2007 10:29:00 AM) - Al

Jon Lieber's situation should come to a breaking point soon. The Phillies aren't going to use him as a reliever. The most logical scenarios floating around: Lieber and Aaron Rowand to the White Sox for a reliever, or Lieber to the Brewers for Kevin Mench.

This may well be brought up because of the winter meeting rumor. Lieber's a nice arm, and would be the 6th or 7th option for the Brewers' rotation, yet makes $7M. That doesn't add up to me. Lieber should have good value at the deadline, but that's 4 months and $4.6M away.

3/21/2007 10:29:00 AM



(3/21/2007 10:22:00 AM) - Al

The Chicago Tribune says the Brewers may be interested in Rob Mackowiak, and says maybe Brady Clark would be offered.

Seems like I read something similar in my mind before I typed it.:)

3/21/2007 10:22:00 AM



(3/21/2007 09:09:00 AM) - Robert R.

New preview screening, new review.

The Namesake

Adapted from a best selling novel from Jhumpa Lahiri, the movie tells, over approximately 30 years, the story of a Bengali Indian family that has immigrated to America and the son's search for identity and a community to which he belongs. The Namesake of the title is the son, played by Kal Penn, who is named after Russian author Nickolai Gogol, his father's favorite author who also holds special symbolism to the father that is revealed over the course of the movie. The son bounces between the names Gogol and Nikhil which is Americanized to Nick, which is obviously the literary device used to symbolize his identity issues.

It's fairly obvious from the description that this movie is very literary in nature regarding names and identities. And the movie is structured in a similar manner to a novel, being very episodic in nature without the obvious Act 1, Act 2, Act 3 structure of most films. It covers a lot of ground, but revelations and actions don't necessarily find resonance until much later in the film instead of immediately. Also due to the scope of the film, the characters other than the father, mother, and son are sketched in very broadly, which undercuts some of the drama. When the son fights with his WASP girlfriend, it's hard to be invested in that since the girlfriend is pretty much a cipher.

Perhaps to compensate for some of the lack of character specificity, beyond the main three, the film concentrates on having a very striking visual style. New York and India get equal loving attention. And any movie that lingers over the Taj Mahal in closeup, a place that few Americans are likely to visit, gets extra points for beauty and novelty. For an essentially low budget, family drama, you get a movie that looks like it could stand alongside a lot of big budget blockbusters.

The success or failure of this type of movie really relies on the acting. And The Namesake is in mostly good hands. Irfan Khan, as the father, and Tabu, as the mother, are Indian acting veterans of high reputation and they both give strong performances. Both are expressive but subtle. Kal Penn, best known as Kumar from Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, gives easily his best performance to date, although there are some definite rough edges. He won't win any awards for this performance, but for the first time you can see some potential for more than starring in dumb teen comedies.

Overall, I think it's a good movie, especially visually, but not a very natural fit to movie structure. It's definitely the type of movie that will lend itself to discussion and gives a glimpse to a different American immigrant group than normal. It opens March 30th in Milwaukee.

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3/21/2007 09:09:00 AM

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

(3/20/2007 09:51:00 PM) - Al

Only single tickets remain for the Saturday, April 7th game versus the Cubs. If you planned on walking up, I would suggest buying tickets for the Friday night or Sunday afternoon contests ASAP.

3/20/2007 09:51:00 PM



(3/20/2007 09:01:00 PM) - Al

Very nice of the Brewers to continue with their free tickets for the military offer, though I'm not sure why they only do it on Sundays.

3/20/2007 09:01:00 PM



(3/20/2007 08:43:00 PM) - Al

CBS Sportsline preview of the Crew, optimistic in nature.

3/20/2007 08:43:00 PM



(3/20/2007 07:25:00 PM) - Robert R.

The penultimate episode of Rome "Deus Impeditio Esuritori Nullus" aired Sunday. Synopsis here.

Let's see, kinky sex between Antony and Cleopatra and Octavian and Livia. Pullo discovers his greatest betrayal and takes out the trash. Vorenus tells Caesarian about his father, in his honest way. Posca and Jocasta turn out to be surprisingly entertaining as a couple, and obviously Posca cares since he could have easily left her behind. The debauchery and over confidence of Antony and Cleopatra has them walk right into a trap set by Octavian. Octavian uses Octavia and Atia for perhaps the final time and uses their greed against them for a humiliating trip to Egypt. And Octavian gives orders to Pullo for the killing of Caesarian which combined with a promised confrontation with Vorenus should lead to a rip roaring finale. The Battle of Actium and the fallout are what's left, but there's enough drama and potential for triumph or tragedy for the series to go out on a very high note.

I'm definitely going to miss Titus Pullo. He's grown into being one of my favorite television characters, going from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows, but always moving forward. Ray Stevenson will get work though and I'll be happy to see what he's up to next.

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3/20/2007 07:25:00 PM



(3/20/2007 01:40:00 PM) - Al

Adam with a nice article about conditioning and its various forms.

My wife bought a pilates DVD and if memory serves, did it once and was too sore to do it again. That and yoga are far more demanding than you'd ever think by watching it.

3/20/2007 01:40:00 PM



(3/20/2007 01:08:00 PM) - Al

What part of "you cannot attend any games" doesn't she understand? With her history, she should be in jail before she hurts someone.

3/20/2007 01:08:00 PM



(3/20/2007 11:21:00 AM) - Al

Kevin Mench, Brewers. They're willing to move him, possibly even for prospects. He could fit with the Dodgers or the Pirates.--Newark Star-Ledger

In an article about who might be moved before Opening Day.

I could see the Crew having some interest in Jorge Julio, and the D'Backs OF is very young and unproven. The salaries are almost a perfect match as well, for either Mench or Clark. Julio is a bit of an enigma, as his stats have not matched his stuff for a few seasons. At some point, it stops being a fluke and turns into what you expect.

3/20/2007 11:21:00 AM



(3/20/2007 11:09:00 AM) - Al

The White Sox would consider trading utilityman Rob Mackowiak, who is eligible for free agency at the end of the season.--BP

Mackowiak is a handy utility player, and would be a slight upgrade from Vinny Rottino, and could pitch in at 3B until Braun is brought up for good. I discussed him here, where I considered him my top available acquisition using the criteria I adhered to. I wonder if they have any use for Mench or Clark?

Mackowiak is a nice bench player, especially for a contending team.

{The official Ramblings over/under is June 20th, FYI.}

UPDATE: Looking at this depth chart, any team with Darin Erstad scheduled to be the LH half of a CF platoon, and with Scott Posednik as the LF could use an OF upgrade of any sort. I'd be tempted to try and get Mench to play most every day in LF and move Pods back to CF on a full-time basis. There's small ball, and then there's just offensive black holes...I see more of the latter, in those two spots at least.

3/20/2007 11:09:00 AM



(3/20/2007 09:16:00 AM) - Al

Brewers' classic tonight, Game 4 of 1982 World Series at 7PM.

3/20/2007 09:16:00 AM



(3/20/2007 08:45:00 AM) - Al

Al,

I have a query. For much of the winter, we thought Dennis Sarfate was out of options. If he was, do you think he would have made the team despite his terrible spring?

Ben

Thanks for the e-mail, Ben. That's a fine question by the way, one I had not really considered. Greg Aquino is in a similar spot, though his ceiling is a bit lower and he offers fewer inexpensive pre-arby years.

I guess we'll never know, but it would have been mighty painful losing Sarfate over a half-dozen meaningless innings in the thin air of 'Zona, after his fine numbers in AAA, the AFL, and winter ball. Since his move to a relief role, he's been stellar until the last couple weeks.

3/20/2007 08:45:00 AM

Monday, March 19, 2007

(3/19/2007 09:53:00 PM) - Al

Mike Bauman with his look at the Crew.

3/19/2007 09:53:00 PM



(3/19/2007 09:04:00 PM) - Al

E-mail report has Ryan Braun and Dennis Sarfate being sent to minor league camp, among others. It makes too much sense not to be true.

UPDATE: The JS confirms Braun.

UPDATE: Adam comes through with the rest of their names, no surprises.

3/19/2007 09:04:00 PM



(3/19/2007 09:04:00 PM) - Al

Norm Chad with more of his normal outstanding work, focusing on Pete Rose and bad gambler jokes.

3/19/2007 09:04:00 PM



(3/19/2007 08:23:00 PM) - Al

Davis has an 11.25 ERA in his eight innings this spring. Not only has he given up 15 hits, but he's also walked five, a bad sign after his severe control problems during the early part of last year.--Rotoworld

I still wonder if he's 100%, especially considering he signed for about 75% of his market rate this past offseason.

3/19/2007 08:23:00 PM



(3/19/2007 03:38:00 PM) - Al

The Brewers just cut away to Ann Carroll, who according to Wikipedia, has worked with FSN North since 2005, with the Twins mostly.

I don't think Erin Andrews is in danger of losing her mythical crown, but I always find it refreshing to hear a female voice during the broadcast.

3/19/2007 03:38:00 PM



(3/19/2007 03:35:00 PM) - Robert R.

XM Radio Schedule for this week.

3/21 Brewers @ Padres, 3:05 p.m. CT, XM 180
3/22 Brewers @ Rangers, 9:05 p.m. CT, XM 181
3/23 Padres @ Brewers, 3:05 p.m. CT, XM 183
3/24 Brewers @ Royals, 3:05 p.m. CT, XM 189

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3/19/2007 03:35:00 PM



(3/19/2007 03:21:00 PM) - Al

The Royals' Reggie Sanders is one option; the Dodgers pursued him as a free agent after the 2005 season. The Brewers' Kevin Mench also would fit as a right-handed complement to corner outfielders Ethier and Luis Gonzalez.--Ken Rosenthal, Fox

Just idle speculation on Ken's part, but the odds are he heard it from a friend, who heard it from a friend...

3/19/2007 03:21:00 PM



(3/19/2007 03:13:00 PM) - Al

Jacque Jones just hit a 3-run fly ball off Yo Gallardo. My that ball flies off the bat and carries in the desert.

Matt Murton just hit a fly ball I would have guessed would be a bit deeper than routine, and Hall caught it on the warning track. I think this is why Mike Rivera is such a powerhouse in March.

3/19/2007 03:13:00 PM



(3/19/2007 03:05:00 PM) - Al

I wrote before about our local school districts giving kids a mid-morning snack as they get tired otherwise. Last week, they had yet another story on that they have began giving out a "sack breakfast" to anyone who wants one. Inside, there is a muffin or oatmeal bar, string cheese, juice, and milk.

The last thing I would ever wish on a child is to be hungry, so I think this is fine and dandy. However, if you add up the calories in the breakfast alone, it looks like 500 or more. I believe the Milk Marketing Board has a place in this, if memory serves, but I wonder why both the juice and milk are necessary. I think a nice water would be nice...but of course, juice boxes might be cheaper.

3/19/2007 03:05:00 PM



(3/19/2007 03:01:00 PM) - Al

UPDATE 2: It's on now, it started at 3. I bet there's some confusion because Arizona does not believe in daylight savings time, as they'd rather it be light at 4:30AM than 9:30PM.

I believe the Brewers' exhibition game is on TV today. I will double check to make sure, but I do have it circled on my calendar.

Either at 2 or 3PM Central time (I've seen both), on Ch. 41 if you live in Milwaukee, or FSN if you live elsewhere in WI. They are playing the Cubs, so if Daron Sutton was still with us, he'd be talking about the border battle even though all the regulars were on the golf course.

UPDATE: I just got home, and even my FSN has on MN programming, even though the TV Guide channel says it should be on. Might be a FSN overlook. I suppose I should be upset about this, but exhibition baseball is barely above high school track and field on my "must see" list.

3/19/2007 03:01:00 PM



(3/19/2007 02:58:00 PM) - Al

BCB giggles at some teams as they struggle to not suck, but I have to agree, Darin Erstad as a platoon player is absolutely hilarious.

Erstad hasn't had a good offensive season for half a decade. The White Sox look more like a 4th place club every day to me, in the very tough AL Central.

3/19/2007 02:58:00 PM



(3/19/2007 12:26:00 PM) - Al

The ESPN editor who spent a couple days with the Brewers has his article up. Nice to see the Brewers being used for this, rather than the Red Sox or Dodgers.

3/19/2007 12:26:00 PM



(3/19/2007 01:10:00 AM) - Al

Despite the fact he's single, Aaron Gleeman's house is bigger than ours! His has 300 square feet on ours, and his post today has pics.

Geez, I started reading AG back when he was just a college kid...time flies.

3/19/2007 01:10:00 AM



(3/19/2007 01:00:00 AM) - Al

Adam with a notes column, indicating Ben H is unhappy (what else is new?) and some rumors involving Turnbow and Clark.

3/19/2007 01:00:00 AM

Sunday, March 18, 2007

(3/18/2007 09:27:00 PM) - Al

To take Mr. Selig's quote one further, I wonder if any commish gets the credit they are due when they are in power, and/or alive.

3/18/2007 09:27:00 PM



(3/18/2007 08:43:00 PM) - Al

The first-year coach made about $350,000 this year, and has already won two national coach-of-the-year awards. He is expected to be targeted for a vacancy at Minnesota and is being mentioned as a possible replacement for Tommy Amaker at Michigan.

Written about Tony Bennett. I've had him pegged for the Minnesota job since Monson was pushed out, and I suppose Michigan could be considered as appealing, though they have terrible facilities and will always be a football school, not to mention the constant memory of the Fab Five.

I don't think Tony will ever have a better chance to move up to a Midwestern dream job, but we'll have to see if he'd rather keep going with the fine team he and his dad have built.

3/18/2007 08:43:00 PM



(3/18/2007 05:10:00 PM) - Al

2 of the pitchers I wanted the Brewers to go after as minor league free agents this offseason are in the hunt for the Rangers' final rotation spot.

Hat tip to Musings.

3/18/2007 05:10:00 PM



(3/18/2007 04:22:00 PM) - Al

UPDATE: Official, in USA Today.

Reportedly, Ben Hendrickson cleared waivers and was outrighted to AAA Nashville, per Jim Powell. For those not familiar with what that means:

1. Ben is still Brewers' property.

2. He is no longer on the 40 man roster.

3. Any team in MLB could have claimed him on waivers for a small amount ($20K, I think), but then would have had to put him on their 40 man.

4. If he did not make the 25 man roster, he would have had to clear waivers again to be sent to AAA for the new team.

I believe, but am not sure, that he would have had the option to be a free agent had he been put on waivers a second time. The first time you are removed from a 40, you do not have that option. That's one of those things I know, but often forget about, as I had assumed Ben would take his free agency if he went unclaimed, which I felt was unlikely. His meltdown in the 2nd half last year at AAA hurt his standing, as even with his major league shortcomings, he had been one of the best SP in AAA for 2.5 years, but has now lost most of that "prospect" status. When they say "you can never have too much pitching", this is exactly what they mean. Ben was as good a AAA arm as there was in the game in '04, and he's never taken that final step. Time will tell if he ever does.

I doubt the Crew will do it, but I'd move him to the bullpen and pitch him every other day for an inning, where I think that curveball would be tough for a hitter to adjust to for a single AB.

I think it's safe to say Ben is now effectively auditioning for 29 teams every time he takes the mound.

It also opens a spot on the 40 man. With all the teams soon to have to make their final cuts, it's always nice to have a spot or two open.

3/18/2007 04:22:00 PM



(3/18/2007 03:53:00 PM) - Al

Well, it would have been disappointing regardless of when the Badgers lost. The ironic thing is, I gave them nearly no chance after the first half, and I gave UNLV little chance when they were down 5.

If nothing else, the game was proof of how the 3 point shot is the great equalizer. You can have a lot of warts, but if you hit 3's, you're going to be right in the game.

Congrats on an outstanding season, and best of luck to the seniors who will never again play for the Badgers.

3/18/2007 03:53:00 PM



(3/18/2007 02:35:00 PM) - Al

The Red Sox are scouting Turnbow, as they still need a closer, apparently.

It seems a bit strange to me that Doug would deal Derrick now, after he has seemingly figured out what was ailing him. That said, I also am not sure what the Crew would want from BOS, other than Eric Hinske perhaps.

Hat tips to BCB and WSB.

3/18/2007 02:35:00 PM



(3/18/2007 02:32:00 PM) - Al

Hat tip to BCB, Dave Stewart ranks the top ten rotations.

It makes me feel better he doesn't include the Brewers, because as we all know, Grumpy Stewart is as unknowledgeable as they come.

3/18/2007 02:32:00 PM

Saturday, March 17, 2007

(3/17/2007 09:06:00 PM) - Al

If this deal actually gets the Florida stadium deal done, I don't think a single team is in need of a new ballpark, or will be in a few years.

3/17/2007 09:06:00 PM



(3/17/2007 09:04:00 PM) - Al

Plumbing problem fixed. The Miller Park Stadium District says it has identified and corrected a problem that resulted in some raw sewage from the stadium being dumped directly into the Menomonee River.

Stadium District Executive Director Mike Duckett says, "there are probably about 5,000 plumbing connections [in Miller Park] and what we found is that in those 5,000 plus connections, one of them was mis-connected." That resulted in some raw sewage from the park flowing directly into the Menomonee River. Ducket says the problem likely affected fewer than one percent of all the toilets and sinks in Miller Park.

Ducket says they've already used dye to test the connection that was a problem and it has checked out okay. He says they will continue to do more tests to make sure there are no other problems in the stadium.

MMSD and UWM tested a number of sites around the area. Miller Park is only one of 27 sites that were identified as having a potential problem. It is the first to identify and fix the problem.---WTMJ

I promise you, without a doubt, that this story will be covered with much less fanfare than the finding of the problem. I wonder if Stingl will write another opinion column about how damn slow the other 26 sites are at finding and correcting the problem. What an idiot.

For anyone who wonders why the mainstream media is dying, one only has to look at the incredibly poor quality product they sell. Jim Stingl isn't qualified to sell papers, never mind write for one.

UPDATE: The JS with a far longer and far more negative recap, by the way. Yawn, par for the course. Big media is dying for a reason, friends.

3/17/2007 09:04:00 PM



(3/17/2007 08:50:00 PM) - Al

NBCsports.com with a piece on the Brewers expecting to be in contention.

3/17/2007 08:50:00 PM



(3/17/2007 08:10:00 PM) - Al

For those of you that enjoy the old Flip this House show on A&E (the Trademark Properties, South Carolina version), according to this link, Richard Davis himself e-mailed her to say the new version will begin airing on TLC in April, probably 4/21.

I am a big fan of Ginger, because of her personality, of course.

This website will fill you in on the conflict, by the way. To sum it up quickly, Davis created the show and shopped it around, and A&E bought it. A&E has now recast it with "flippers" most people find very irritating. Davis has now taken A&E to court claiming they stole his show. and never paid him for it.

3/17/2007 08:10:00 PM



(3/17/2007 07:49:00 PM) - Al

With a .332 batting average entering play Friday, the Brewers led the majors in hitting, runs (122) and total bases (312).

This is why you ignore March stats...it will not carry over to the season, although we'd like it to.

I wonder if Maryvale is more of an offensive paradise than the other fields in 'Zona? This seems like an annual thing.

3/17/2007 07:49:00 PM



(3/17/2007 07:32:00 PM) - Al

Ned isn't a very good liar.

He set up Vargas as the team's 5th starter from the first day of spring, as he had him pitch the first game because every 5th day sets him up to be the team's 5th starter.

As Mark A said, having depth is a quality problem to have. Many teams are still trying to decide on their 4th and 5th guys in the rotation. Ned should just admit he has no such worries.

3/17/2007 07:32:00 PM



(3/17/2007 06:02:00 PM) - Al

As I check my counter stats on Ramblings (you can to if you want, just click on the site meter thing at the bottom of the front page), I often see a person or two on from Beijing, China. Just curious, if you're reading this and live there, if you are there going to school, on assignment for work, in the CIA, or what?

E-mail me if you get the chance.

3/17/2007 06:02:00 PM



(3/17/2007 05:52:00 PM) - Al

When I checked out the lines this AM (for entertainment purposes only, of course), I was shocked to see there even was a money line on Ohio State/Xavier (prohibitive favorites are all but a sure thing to win the game, so no one bets the underdog), and thought -350 (bet $350 to win $100) would be an excellent bet, if only one had $350 to "invest" on sports betting.

I guess that's why the linemakers are so good at what they do. Take away a 3 pointer near the buzzer, that "sure thing" was a loss. I felt the same way about Pittsburgh at -280, and felt Washington State should be more than a 2.5 point favorite. With the exception of the Buckeyes, all are looking like good picks.

UPDATE: Vanderbilt won, and while Pittsburgh won, they had to go to OT to do so. It's been a stellar day for basketball, and proof of how tough it must be to be a professional sports bettor.

3/17/2007 05:52:00 PM



(3/17/2007 04:50:00 PM) - Al

I'm going to recap the first hour of Talking Baseball, as that's when Doug Melvin appeared. The second hour was Bob Uecker material, which was entertaining, but not real newsworthy. He did say he had had offers from other teams over the years, including the Yankees, but never considered leaving Milwaukee. He has also has another Miller Lite commercial coming up, with Charlie Sheen, though Ueck did not film any new material, they are just using his clips from Major League.

Doug and Jim discussed how different it is in Florida, how you take batting practice and infield at your own facility in Arizona, and then bus over. Doug likes watching BP, but likes Arizona other than that, less chance of rain and wind, and less travel.

Discussed the "high sky" in Arizona and what exactly that is. Doug says he's never seen a "low sky". Doug thinks it has a lot to do with the wide open, small ballparks, there's so much massive, blue sky to try and find the ball. In a major league stadium, with the upper deck and such, there's less area to look at.

{I always just thought it was the blue, cloudless sky.}

Hall looks good in CF, scouts have told Doug he looks ready to go. Will be a bit of a learning curve, might try for the lead runner too much with his strong arm. Bill wanted to change, so Doug feels he'll be fine, tougher if the player isn't really into making the move.

No one making calls about the OF's, with Gross and Nix hurt, there really hasn't been an excess, but there will be soon. Gwynn and Nix the best defensive OF's in camp. Not in much of a hurry until late in camp, if Hart or Hall got hurt, it'd be a perfect number of OF's. Mentioned the A's losing Kotsay as an example of losing depth. Team is pretty well set except for having an extra OF, other teams know it.

Not much discussion about the extra pitchers, teams know the Crew is not going to give up young, cheap pitching; unless they have a giant need. They'd want pitching back, so what's the use?

Carlos V might be part of the club, but no thought of removing anyone from the rotation, Vargas pitched well last year and has a dandy K/BB ratio. Far too short a time frame to make much of an evaluation in Arizona. Yo Gallardo needs more time in the minors.

{Despite Tom H's awkward comment last week, I guess.}

Zach Jackson has pitched nicely this spring, looks very improved this year, along with Manny Parra. Zach probably needs more work in the minors, breaking ball especially.

Parra and Mike Jones both need to go down and pitch 150+ innings this year and just get their work in. Both pitching without pain, no setbacks. They both know this is a vital year for them.

Pitchers often end up having success with another club rather than the team that drafted them. Doug says it's tough to develop pitching, with injuries, options, etc. Getting Suppan really allowed the team to be patient with all the youngsters. The Crew wants them to dominate in the minors before being promoted. Ben Hendrickson has been a victim of AAA guys not being able to hit his curveball, not swinging at it out of the zone, and a tighter strike zone in the bigs. Both Dana Eveland and Ben have been victims of being unable to handle the extra pressure as well. Doug then said Dana has a good chance of being a very successful major league pitcher.

{I've often said the minor league zone is huge compared to the majors, in my limited viewing of the minors.}

Hernan Iribarren, probably will go to AA this year, bat is good, needs to work on defense, especially the DP pivot. Yost said he's much improved. Does not have the defensive ability to play SS or 3B. Older and stronger, not intimidated by being in the major league camp. Capable of stealing bases.

Damian Miller is almost 100%, ready to go. Rivera and Closser out of options. Went over teams that might have a need for a backup C, but most would need a big improvement to bring in a guy who doesn't know the pitching staff. Both have below average arm strength, both offensive minded. ID'd 3 teams that might need a reserve. Vinny Rottino has improved as a catcher, and he can play other spots. Teams might not want to trade for, or give much, for a guy with no options because they might get him on waivers for nothing, and if they want to make a change in a month, they're going to have to risk losing him on waivers when they send him down.

{Doug seems to feel Vinny is a legit option at C, and if they are able to trade Mike, doesn't sound like they expect to get much. No mention of carrying 3 catchers either.}

Davey Nelson working in community relations and TV work. Base coaches there to remind players how many outs there are, scoreboard often wrong, especially in the spring, and give tips, what type of move the pitcher has, where the OF is playing, who has a good arm, and most of all, remind the guys to touch all the bases (apparently, an opponent missed a base yesterday which helped win the game).

Players like Ryan Braun, who is so good he's flying through the system, need more actual coaching in the majors, while guys who take 6-7 years to make it don't need much.

Consider intelligence and coachability when drafting a player. Mike Mussina fared poorly on the psych profile, but the scout said he'd be fine. Mark Rogers scored off-the-charts on the tests, but he injured his arm, so that doesn't help him. More emphasis on intelligence and such in the NFL because they have to contribute right away, while most everyone in baseball has 3-4 years before the majors.

Weekly Jeff Cirillo question, pointed out by Jim.:) Jeff felt he had a better chance for playing time in MIN, and the fact he'd play in Seattle (and the direct flights from the Twin Cities to Seattle and back, Doug mentioned) twice a year led him to leave.

{Graffy is also a 2B/SS/3B, while Jeff is a 3B who can play 2B, though weakly, with little range.}

No problems with Geoff Jenkins, he always gives a good effort, has changed positions when asked. Many thought he would not be back, but they never felt that way. It is a business though, not much emphasis placed on time spent in organization as compared to other things.

3/17/2007 04:50:00 PM



(3/17/2007 02:14:00 PM) - Al

Wow, Ohio State being defeated in the 2nd round would have went down as one of the biggest upsets in history. Now, we'll see how the OT ends up before rewriting the books.

3/17/2007 02:14:00 PM



(3/17/2007 12:15:00 PM) - Al

I will be recapping the Talking Baseball show later today from the archived version, as long as it is put up on a timely basis.

And for my every other week recap, the count is now 47 pounds, especially good considering my exercise routine was shelved for a few days this past week as I studied to pass my test, as was my normal eating (or lack of eating:) plan.

And to close with another random, no cohesion involved in this post thought, I think the WIAA should look at having the boy's state tourney the week before the first round of the NCAA's. I know many of us would be a lot more likely to watch some HS hoops were it not for the always fun first and second round games on the NCAA side.

3/17/2007 12:15:00 PM



(3/17/2007 11:06:00 AM) - Al

Stiemsma road the bench for the next 9 minutes.---JS

Oof. I'm no linguist, but that's a painful goof.

3/17/2007 11:06:00 AM

Friday, March 16, 2007

(3/16/2007 08:01:00 PM) - Al

Vargas was supposed to go 5 frames or 75 pitches, and he went 6!! Brady Clark went 3-3, and Turnbow pitched another scoreless inning. I wonder if it means anything that Zach Jackson pitched the 9th...I wouldn't think he'd be considered for the 12th pitching spot, but I guess he could be.

3/16/2007 08:01:00 PM



(3/16/2007 07:34:00 PM) - Al

Al,

One question on the Brewers performance this spring. I understand and agree totally with ignoring individual results given the small sample size. But can we read anything into the overall team hitting and pitching results? Should we expect a lot of 7-6 games this year?

Steve

I sure hope not. If the rotation holds up and the relief corps is decent, this is at least a top 5 NL pitching team. The offense could be anywhere from above average to below average, but I predict they'll be 7th-9th in the NL.

Let's not forget, if the team is in the race in late July, they have a deep farm system, and plenty of young major league talent blocking them...I don't think they'll hesitate to make some trades.

3/16/2007 07:34:00 PM



(3/16/2007 05:02:00 PM) - Al

I find myself getting nervous about the Badgers' game today. I feel TAMCC is a pretty good team from a lower level conference, and to be honest, I'm just uncomfortable being favored rather than the underdog.

UPDATE: Looks like I had every right to be. I'm just happy the Badgers got it below 10 before the half. Might be a battle right to the buzzer.

UPDATE 2: When the Badgers got it down to 5-7 or so, I thought to myself, they need to get back to even by the 10 minute mark...and I think it happened at 10:17. I think the refs wanted some face time today...I haven't heard that many whistles since I walked through cheerleading practice one day at UWEC...the gals always want what they can't have.:)

UPDATE 3: I just checked, and the closing line of the game was Badgers by 12.5...so all over the nation, tons of people were hanging on the outcome of that last second 3 by TAMCC.

3/16/2007 05:02:00 PM



(3/16/2007 04:39:00 PM) - Al

I forgot to mention how amusing Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith were on TNT last night after watching the Lakers lose their 7th in a row to Denver.

--I tell ya what, Phil Jackson sure isn't near as good a coach without Jordan and Pippen.

--They might as well not play the first round of the playoffs in the West, because it's going to be Dallas, Phoenix, San Antonio, and Utah.

---I played with Larry Krystkowiak, and he's a good guy, I hope he succeeds in Milwaukee. That team's had a lot of injuries, but even if they're healthy, they're just an 8 (seed).

---I don't know what Lenny...Benny Harris is talking about (Bucks' GM Larry Harris)...not competing? Geesh, they just ain't that good. Redd's missed half the season, Bobby Simmons been out all year, Villanueva has missed a lot of time. hey might be a good team if they add a couple more players, and they're young, but he acts like they some kinda championship caliber team. I hope they get better, but that team isn't very good even if they're healthy.

Consider all paraphrases, as they talk over each other and nonstop all the time, but Sir Charles is just a joy to hear, even if his knowledge of the situation is sometimes weak. I do have to agree, however, that a healthy Bucks' team is a possible 7 or 8 seed, and maybe had 45 win potential. That said, with the amount of time missed, including Simmons, who will not play a single minute the entire season, this is a 35 win team at best. Thinking this was a contender with the time missed is just silly. But, coaches are paid well to be hired to be fired, so this is not a surprise.

I always marvel how short-sighted the NBA is, drafting 19 & 20 year-olds, then giving up on them at 21 & 22. Of course, the average length of time coaches and GM's stay employed have a lot to do with that. A perfect example of that is Joel Pryzbilla, drafted after he was kicked off the Gophers, not ready for the NBA, then predictably, sucked. Of course, now he's a decent big man, making a zillion dollars per.

3/16/2007 04:39:00 PM



(3/16/2007 01:53:00 PM) - Al

Brian Butch has been cleared to play today.

Either he is a healing machine, or the injury was ab it milder than first feared...or a combo platter of the two.

3/16/2007 01:53:00 PM



(3/16/2007 01:37:00 PM) - Al

Nate Silver talks about how bad the Cardinals' OF will be in early April. He also discusses BP's projection system which says SL will go 72-90, and says it might just happen. Hat tip to BCB.

This is how I feel...SL looks to me to be a mediocre team, I'd likely put them at 82 wins. That said, I'm probably giving them a good half-dozen wins...just because they're SL. When you're used to a team being competitive annually, you tend to make excuses why they'll win, whether they're true or not. The projection system just looks at numbers, so there is no such bias.

The Brewers might not win more games than the Cards, but if you look at the two rosters, I can't see how you could pick the Cards. Hey, Al Pujols is a heckuva player, but he doesn't make up for the fact the Crew will be better at 6 of the 8 position player spots on Opening Day...not to mention the Crew's rotation is the strength of the team.

3/16/2007 01:37:00 PM



(3/16/2007 01:33:00 PM) - Al

The Baseball Savant with a preview of the Brewers...I promise you this will be better than the Journal Sentinel's.

He feels the bullpen is weak, while many folks feel it's upper echelon. Minor errors, but who knows, they might end up being correct.

3/16/2007 01:33:00 PM



(3/16/2007 01:26:00 PM) - Al

I just watched the ESPN all-access clip that ran Tuesday night, and was surprised to hear a couple things about the Badgers. Part 3 will be in the sidebar as well.

One, while they did not practice Monday (I assume that's due to the NCAA rule that says the players must have a day off each week, and they played Sunday), they still had a tape session. I assumed a day off meant no getting together, but I guess not.

Two, Alando Tucker had to miss practice Tuesday to...go to class. Two other players missed as well for this reason. After class, Tucker did show up to lift with the team.

3/16/2007 01:26:00 PM



(3/16/2007 12:59:00 PM) - Al

Last night on the local news, they had a story about Wausau East, whose basketball team made the state tourney. They said that overall attendance was "less than 50%", and that while frshman/sophomore classes were being held with about half the students, the junior/senior classes were very sparse, with one 25 person class having only 4 present.

Then in a statement that surprised me, one student who was there said it wasn't a normal day because "many teachers went to the game".

I don't really have a point here, or a magical solution. I guess my question is why bother holding school in those circumstances, but concerns about having to make up the days of class likely prevented that.

I do find it ironic that canceling school would have led to the days being made up, but that if you open the school and no one shows up, it counts just fine.

3/16/2007 12:59:00 PM



(3/16/2007 12:05:00 PM) - Al

Jeff Sackmann ranks the Brewers rotation 2nd in MLB as far as depth is concerned...though he fails to rank the Padres in his top 5 (6 really), and I think the Brewers are 2nd only to SD in the NL.

3/16/2007 12:05:00 PM



(3/16/2007 11:34:00 AM) - Al

I don't think Joe Thatcher is in camp to try to win a job, but I do feel the lefty reliever has impressed some folks. I think it seems likely he has been compared favorably to some of the possibly available loogys, and eventually, Yost and Maddux said, "Well, let's take a look at this Thatcher then".

3/16/2007 11:34:00 AM

Thursday, March 15, 2007

(3/15/2007 08:15:00 PM) - Al

Even in the offensive paradise of Arizona, the Brewers prove they can shut down the Angels' reserves and minor leaguers.

Sheets and Suppan both have gone 5 innings with three starts left to go before the season starts.

3/15/2007 08:15:00 PM



(3/15/2007 07:22:00 PM) - Al

I took the dog for a 30 minute walk tonight, and felt it was a bit chilly when I first got out, but continued on in my T-shirt and sweatpants. The last 10 minutes or so, my forearms were cold and red. I was surprised to see it was only 28 here, per weather.com at least. Sadly, I guess it is not going to be 60 every day like it was Monday or Tuesday.

3/15/2007 07:22:00 PM



(3/15/2007 07:18:00 PM) - Al

I watched much of the first half of the Memorial game tonight to see Keaton Nankovil play...wow. He looks about as good as any big man in HS I can recall since Joe Wolf (I'm afraid I just dated myself). His poise is off the charts, and after one one quarter, he had 7 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Looks to have nice form on his shot up to 20 feet.

He could easily contribute 10-15 minutes a game next season.

3/15/2007 07:18:00 PM



(3/15/2007 04:38:00 PM) - Al

Krystkowiak indeed gets the hire. I'll be the first to admit his resume looks a bit skimpy, but I certainly do not share Mike Hunt's simpleton skepticism...surely Mike knows that at some point, every experienced NBA coach had to get his first chance.

Avery Johnson, Mike D'Antoni, and Jerry Sloan sure have done pretty well for themselves despite being "career assistants".

Just glanced at the remaining schedule, and it is overloaded with home games, as well as some road games against some of the lower echelon teams. Larry could get off to a nice start if he's able to win more than half the games the team has left. At the very least, it would give the Bucks a better shot at creating a decent marketing campaign for next year.

3/15/2007 04:38:00 PM



(3/15/2007 04:15:00 PM) - Al

Nice to see Pittsburgh and the Penguins come to an agreement on how to fund a new arena.

The last paragraph of the story credits increased state sponsored gaming for much of the funding. Too bad no one has shown any forward thinking to replace the now outdated Bradley Center in Milwaukee, by giving the Potawatomi the incentive to build an arena in exchange for relaxed regulation or added rights of some sort. As pointed out by many, Milwaukee almost killed the Bradley Center by dragging its feet on signing off on needed infrastructure, so any such ideas will obviously have to come from Madison.

3/15/2007 04:15:00 PM



(3/15/2007 01:28:00 PM) - Al

Best Buy is usually ahead of its peers, but I do see this as unlikely to succeed, at least in the stores. You do need customer service during times no one wants to work.

That said, at least they are trying new things. Retail is notorious for cutting labor and adding tasks (he said knowingly), and then wondering why customer service scores declined.

3/15/2007 01:28:00 PM



(3/15/2007 12:04:00 PM) - Al

This may be the best two days of the year that don't involve MLB. The NCAA tourney is a joy to watch, for a myriad of reasons, and having 32 games means there will be plenty of good games and great endings to watch.

My early review is that I'm not a big fan of the scores taking up so much space at the top of the screen, and that it would appear Stanford (down 25 in the first half) might have been a good choice to replace with Syracuse, whose snub was the worst I've ever seen (how do you go 10-7 in the Big East and not make it in?).

3/15/2007 12:04:00 PM

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

(3/14/2007 08:39:00 PM) - Al

MLB Trade Rumors did its season preview of the Crew today. If their salary projections are correct, our estimated payroll is much less than I thought, I felt it was pushing $70M.

Update: I think the reason I was overestimating payroll was because Suppan is only making $6M this year. When you add it up, it's about $64M.

3/14/2007 08:39:00 PM



(3/14/2007 07:58:00 PM) - Al

Terry Stotts let go by the Bucks.

As we all know, all NBA coaches (with the exception of Jerry Sloan) are hired to be fired, and they are well compensated for it. The JS story I linked mentions the Bucks were 16-15 in December, and then everything fell apart when Mike Redd started missing time with an injury. They are 4-7 since the break, and they easily could have won 3-4 of the games they lost, so I don't feel the team is as bad as their record would indicate...but without Redd, they are a team of decent role players, but certainly nowhere near playoff competitive.

It'll be interesting to see what direction the team goes, as I think Mo Williams and Charlie Bell are both free agents after this season. They are one of the youngest teams in the league, and may get even younger if they lose one or both of those guys.

Word on the street has it Bucks' assistant and former player Larry Krystowiak is currently negotiating with the organization to be the next head coach, and he probably has the head coaching job at the University of Utah in his back pocket to get the deal he wants.

I punched up Larry's career numbers, and I must admit, I thought he was a better player. He really had one season you'd consider to be "solid", and all the rest, he was just a backup. I also thought he was a good outside shooter, but if he was, he sure didn't back up behind the 3 point line very often...with a season high of...4.

3/14/2007 07:58:00 PM



(3/14/2007 06:00:00 PM) - Al

HBO's Real Sports did a feature on the Badgers' basketball team a couple weeks or so ago. If you did not see it, You tube can help:

Part 1

Part 2

3/14/2007 06:00:00 PM



(3/14/2007 04:27:00 PM) - Al

I should be in tonight with some thoughts on the Brewers and Bucks. I did pass both my tests I had to take today. Thank goodness for the power to reason. My studying skills are as bad as anyone I've ever known, because I've never really had to study, except to memorize dates and numbers and such.

3/14/2007 04:27:00 PM



(3/14/2007 09:53:00 AM) - Al

Brewers classic tonight at 7, I assume this will be Game 7 of the 1982 ALCS.

EDIT: Oops, I meant Game 5.

3/14/2007 09:53:00 AM

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

(3/13/2007 10:04:00 PM) - Al

Also, it appears a sewer pipe or two were hooked up incorrectly at Miller Park.

I just gave you the same news Jim Stingl did, though he took an entire page of bad puns to say the same thing. Just when you think the JS can't get any worse, some moron who has a grudge writes an opinion and they pretend it's a factual article.

Of course, Tom H said the other day Yo Gallardo might make the Opening Day starting rotation, so I guess it doesn't get any worse than that. Of course, the JS will try, I'm sure.

The worst in the business, without a doubt.

In fairness to the horrible JS coverage, they do have another story about this, not reeking of the stench (no pun intended) of Stingl's piece of crap (ok, pun intended) article. It can be found here.

3/13/2007 10:04:00 PM



(3/13/2007 10:00:00 PM) - Al

Allow me to say how incredibly tired I am of the Miller Park board continually complaining that the money they get from the state is not consistent enough. As if it's going to be within $45 each time. Talk about milking your time in the spotlight.

Good news about the roof at the bottom, by the way.

3/13/2007 10:00:00 PM



(3/13/2007 07:23:00 PM) - Al

Ben Sheets pitched 5 scoreless frames today, and Weeks went 2-3.

Nothing else of importance occurred. As I keep saying, we should just ignore the rest of March and hope no one gets hurts.

3/13/2007 07:23:00 PM



(3/13/2007 11:12:00 AM) - Al

I will be busy much of today and until late tomorrow, so posts from myself will be limited.

Just a note from my roster study the other day, a couple folks have e-mailed to say Greg Aquino is indeed out of options, so I would say he's very close to being a lock at this point.

3/13/2007 11:12:00 AM



(3/13/2007 10:37:00 AM) - Al

For many years, I was a loyal viewer of HBO's Six Feet Under, a show that could be described as odd, character driven, and for much of its run, was just outstanding. It now runs on Bravo, and once in a while I'll watch part of an episode for old times sake. Despite the fact that over its 5 seasons, many characters painfully became difficult to watch (the entire clan of Fishers for example, not to mention Billy and Brenda), it was television that was simply well beyond the scope of almost every show.

Last night I watched the premiere of The Riches, an FX show (check your local listings) that, dare I say it, reminded me of 6FU almost right away. The same dysfunctional family, the many subplots that seem totally unnecessary (Minnie Driver's character has a drug problem, the youngest child seems gender-challenged), and lots of risque humor, much of it simply from the characters doing what comes naturally to them, which to most of us is just goofy. Eddie Izzard, an English comedian who is award winning and yet completely unfunny, stars as the main character, and was perfect, a cross between a suburban everyman and an oddball con artist. Minnie Driver looks better than she did a decade ago, a trait previously only accomplished by Fran Drescher and Sophia Loren. All the kids act refreshingly strange, yet would fit in as normal to most.

The plot seems ripe for fun, as the family is a group of "travelers" who break apart from their group and end up in a luxury home on a golf course, as all it takes to do so is to push a car with 2 corpses into a swamp (hey, they were already dead, and otherwise the house would have gone to waste). I have no idea where the show is headed, but I do want to make the trip.

Mondays now have High Stakes Poker and The Riches, and is quickly becoming a very enjoyable night to watch TV.

3/13/2007 10:37:00 AM

Monday, March 12, 2007

(3/12/2007 07:21:00 PM) - Al

Yo Gallardo gave up 5 runs in 1+ innings today, and Ryan Braun went 0-5...looks like those 2 guys are overrated.

Yes, I'm kidding.

3/12/2007 07:21:00 PM



(3/12/2007 02:38:00 PM) - Robert R.

Definition of schadenfreude.

Mark Prior can't throw a breaking ball and his fastball is only reaching the upper 80s. Zambrano, Hill, Lilly, Marquis, and Angel Guzman doesn't look all that threatening, although it is likely to be a solid improvement over last year. The Cubs have a chance, but they need to stay healthy, particularly in the starting rotation.

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3/12/2007 02:38:00 PM



(3/12/2007 11:08:00 AM) - Robert R.

XM Radio listings for the Brewers this week in a convenient form.

3/13 Brewers at Mariners, 3:05 pm CT, XM 180

3/14 Brewers at White Sox, 3:05 pm CT, XM 181

3/17 Brewers at Athletics, 3:05 pm CT, XM 178

3/18 Mariners at Brewers, 3:05 pm CT, XM 184

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3/12/2007 11:08:00 AM



(3/12/2007 10:40:00 AM) - Robert R.

Continuing with a week of reviews, I saw the Milwaukee Repertory Theater's production of "The Voysey Inheritance" over the weekend. The play is about 100 years old, but it has a very contemporary angle. A son who's partner in the family's investment business discovers that his father has been running the firm as a sort of Ponzi scheme and dipping into the till to support the family. And apparently it dates back to the grandfather's days running the business.

The dilemma involves what's best to do. Report it immediately, ruin the family, and all the little investors that are depending on their investments for retirement? Commit a crime by not reporting it, but try to set things right behind the scenes, with jail as a possible reward? And what to make of his father's probably accurate assessment that looking like a success inspires confidence and helps the firm avoid catastrophe?

Against this story, you have the family's quarrels and reconciliations. The fact that the scenes play in sort of a P. D. Wodehouse-esque fashion, reminiscent of Jeeves and Wooster, helps leaven the serious undertone of the play and shows the stakes for the main character. He wants to be responsible to the law and his family, even though the latter drives him crazy on occasion. Part of him wants to found out so he can be rid of the burden without it being his fault. Another part wants to juggle the books just as well as his father and prove that he's his own man.

It's not an astounding production, but it's a good production that's well acted throughout. There are 18 speaking parts, but none remain a cipher and everyone gets a chance to show their stuff in a true ensemble production. This version is probably a little unbalanced away from the central conflict and towards the family squabbles and foibles, but it is a play of ideas, questions, and good fun.

"The Voysey Inheritance" runs through March 25th at the Milwaukee Rep for those interested.

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3/12/2007 10:40:00 AM



(3/12/2007 10:26:00 AM) - Robert R.

Newest episode of Rome "A Necessary Fiction" aired yesterday. Detailed recap here.

Like the first season, the latter part of the season is much stronger. When they were pitching the series, this must have been what they had in mind. Backstabbing and personal betrayal, murder, political maneuvering, gratuitous nudity and sex, violence, the strong friendship between Pullo and Vorenus, and the story sweeping towards an epic confrontation. We know how the big story ends, but the smaller Pullo and Vorenus story is still strong and a source of dramatic tension. Not to mention their family, Vorena and Vorenus and Pullo and the fate of his son Caesarian are still up in the air. The introduction of Livia at this stage is unnecessary, but it's a nice shout out to I, Claudius and is a nice lead in to that classic mini-series.

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3/12/2007 10:26:00 AM

Sunday, March 11, 2007

(3/11/2007 10:14:00 PM) - Al

I wonder who writes the headlines for MLB.com sites. Tonight, it says "Vargas making bid for rotation", as if he's in competition. In the piece itself, Yost is quoted as saying all 5 of his starters are proven guys...basically saying just what I have been, there is no open spots whatsoever.

And I guess I am totally out of touch, as 300 did $70M. I still haven't seen a single ad for it. However, I have seen a bunch of promos for "23", which is a thriller, or a biopic about Jordan, I'm not certain.

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3/11/2007 10:14:00 PM



(3/11/2007 04:44:00 PM) - Robert R.

300 grossed an estimated $70 million this weekend. Looks like the much anticipated and equally dreaded adaptation of Watchmen by 300 director Zack Snyder is likely to get a go ahead.

Remember all of those articles last year lamenting the status of the movie theater box office performances? Turns out apparently the only real problem is that studios weren't making movies that people wanted to see as this year has seen robust box office from films that you wouldn't expect it of. Of course, the fact that Ghost Rider, $45 million opening, Norbit, $34 million opening, Wild Hogs, $38 million opening, and 300, $70 million opening, are what people are flocking to see may cause some to question the taste of the general public.

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3/11/2007 04:44:00 PM



(3/11/2007 03:15:00 PM) - Al

Jeromy Burnitz has decided to retire. I would think he could have played a few more years as a LH bat, but I guess he did not have the desire to be a bench player.

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3/11/2007 03:15:00 PM



(3/11/2007 01:00:00 PM) - Al

TALKING BASEBALL RECAP, 3/10, updated 3/11, 1PMish

Dan O'Brien, special assistant to Doug Melvin, all but drooling over Yo Gallardo, and some kind words about Carlos V also. They both "look like they belong". Mentioned club intends to take 12 pitchers north. Acts as if Yo might see time in Milwaukee sometime in 2007, despite his lack of experience and young age.

Talked for a while about consistency throughout the organization as far as coaching goes. Players receive the same philosophy in rookie ball, AA, or the bigs.

Caller wonders why Gwynn isn't handed a spot in CF and why Hall was moved there.

{I can only wonder if that was Tony's agent.:) Gwynn projects as a .325/.375 guy right now, well below par for a major league OF. I still think he might be a platoon guy, but it's far more likely he'll be a reserve. He's not a guy you hand a spot to, that's for sure. Take a gander at Corey Hart's minor league numbers, and then look at Tony Gwynn Jr's. One of them looks like a starter, and it is not the Hall of Famer's son.}

Caller wonders why Jeff Cirillo wasn't given the chance to be the starting 3B this year.

{Apparently, the caller has no idea how poorly Jeff hits RHP, .255/.322/.354 in the past 3 years.}

Says one of the main things you need to have a good farm system is ownership that supports it, money is important, and just an overall belief that's the way to go. Mark A is very positive about building through the farm system.

Team speed is beginning to get better, that's been a goal, finally starting to happen.

Still optimistic about Koskie, but no idea on timetable.

Being a GM has changed because of the money involved. Have to decide who you like, but also who you want to pay the money to.

Doug believes in delegating and structure. Spoke highly of Jack Z and others on the amateur side, that Reid Nichols is putting together an "Olympic style training center" in Maryvale, for players to rehab and improve. Very organized set-up.

Yo Perez, Cuban SS, great hands, great exchange when turning DP, still shaking off the rust. Swings OK, but offense is behind his fielding. Lots of talented young SS's in system, a "wealth of riches". JJ is still very young. Alcides Escobar is "as talented a young SS as I've seen in a long time". Needs experience and to learn. Very optimistic about Perez's future as well.

Hernan Ibarrean, young 2B, did not perform up to his standards, but still had a decent year. Runs, steals bases, bunts, hits some gaps, bright future. Earned a promotion to Hunstsville.

Mat Gamel, 3B, had some quality AB's in the major league camp. Special bat, prototype 3B.

Caller asks about number of instructors in minors, compared to Twins. All clubs are similar in number, feels Brewers probably have more than most teams, roving instructors at least. Yost decides what is taught at the major league level.

Friend of Ramblings Jim asks in his New England accent about pro scouting, how they find guys like Bush, Overbay, and Gross; if they do advance scouting, or if they are mainly looking for players to acquire. Also asked about a roving instructor for catchers. Dan responds Charlie Greene is the rover in charge of catchers (I think Greene also manages a short-season team). The team does not have an advance scout anymore, they do it all by satellite and taped games. As we speak, someone is in Milwaukee charting pitches and preparing a folder for each team.

Lots of time scouts spend is just listening to others talk about players, strengths and weaknesses, and then verifying that. The Doug Davis trade took about 4 weeks from start to finish, lots of things to consider.

Trade interest in OF's still not that strong, but look for that to pick up as the season approaches.


Adam and Tom, beat writers

Adam said camp is boring, no position battles for the first time ever. Tom says it's different to hear Yost agonize about his batting order, and now he's finally got enough talented players to make a lot of things easy. Very few teams have 5 starters ready to go before camp even began.

Adam says talent is there to have a good season. Tom says they are positioned to make a run, before they did not have the depth, unless things broke perfectly, no injuries, and so on.

Tom says Yo Gallardo might still win a spot in the rotation...I just wonder how he can be so out of it despite being in Arizona for a month already.

Estrada very impressive, both feel Hardy is 100% and ready to start now.

Offense could be special, if guys develop. Tom says he's been on the Corey Hart bandwagon for 3 years (mighty quietly, I might add), and the lineup is filled with offensive weapons.

{Adam lets me down by worrying about strikeouts. Tom acts as if not walking is no problem at all.}

Yost is considering batting Estrada 5th in part due to his ability to make contact.

Hall has managed to overcome being rushed by the previous administration and made himself a heckuva player. Jim worries about Hall getting injured running into walls, which seems strange considering SS is a much more dangerous position.

Back of the bullpen all have very good velocity, better than most any team in baseball. They act as if Turnbow in the 8th is a sure thing. Jim says the same thing I've wondered, if the Crew could make it a 6 or 7 inning game. Tom said he thinks the bullpen might be the strength of the team. Adam says Derrick's limited sliders thus far have been almost all strikes.

Both agree Nix is intriguing, but Hall's the CF. The clubhouse feels strongly an OF will be dealt before the end of March. Jim says Nix will be discussed by other teams, he's blocked, and that he might be the guy traded.

{That, however, would not open a spot, as far as I can tell.}

Division is wide open, up to 4 teams could win. Teams have nowhere near the rotation depth as the Crew, that's why they are being picked as a sleeper.

Adam says Vargas is a lock for the 5th starter, and he feels Carlos V might go down and be part of an outstanding prospect-laden AAA rotation.

{That's be Carlos V, Yo G, Zach Jackson, maybe Tim Dillard, and perhaps a Mike Jones/Manny Parra.}

Adam says Braun almost certain to go down. Tom says they'll have the young IF for several years regardless of when he comes up.

{Adam mistakenly says Weeks will not be a Super 2.

Tom shows his short-sightedness when he says the team doesn't pay attention to time and arby/free agency concerns, that they only want to win now.}


I'll sum it up by saying I now know why I get my Brewers' news from Adam. Tom isn't much more knowledgeable than the Gwynn and Cirillo callers. Saying things like Yo might be in the rotation is just foolhardy, as Carlos V is the 6th starter should someone falter. As I said, he's been down there a month, and he's still throwing out incorrect nuggets like he just doesn't know. I don't know if he doesn't pay attention or what, but Adam seems to be "in the know" and Tom acts like he just rolled in on the afternoon stage, unaware of current events.

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3/11/2007 01:00:00 PM



(3/11/2007 09:35:00 AM) - Al

Al,

Longtime reader. Just wanted to tell you your line about receiving a letter from your townhouse association, warning you you might receive another letter was great. I laughed out loud at my desk, and that's not a common occurrence.

In previous years, you used to go through the roster and say who were locks, and who were the favorites, and so on. I know the roster is pretty much set, although talk radio in Milwaukee has a minimum of a caller an hour that asks where Tony Gwynn is going to play, but I was wondering who you would say the favorites for the last few roster spots were.

Keep up the good work,

Kevin

Thanks Kevin, glad you enjoy Ramblings. As for the roster, with things all but set, I had not felt it be to be a pressing need, but I'm never one to turn down a request, nor a cheap post idea.

Locks (22)

Sheets
Capuano
Suppan
Bush
Vargas
Cordero
Turnbow
Wise
Capellan
Shouse

Estrada
Miller

Fielder
Weeks
Hardy
Graffy
Counsell

Jenkins
Hall
Hart
Mench/Clark
Gross

I still feel very strongly Mench will be traded before April 1st, as the need for RH power is a common one. I took a glance at AL rosters looking for something else the other day, and Mench would be an upgrade on the 25 man roster for almost every one of them. His salary is not prohibitive either, especially in today's market, though teams like MIN may hesitate to add a $3M reserve/platoon player. If he is not, and there are no injuries, I suppose the possibility exists that Gross could be sent down for a while (as the only reserve with options left), but I doubt it.


Near locks (1)

Aquino

Hope you didn't stop after locks and go make a sandwich, thinking the next section would be lengthy. Greg's a solid middle man, and fits the Melvin mold as hard throwing and inexpensive relief help. I am not sure if he has any options or not, if he doesn't, I'd probably put him in the lock category.

Favored (2)

Carlos V
Rottino

Carlos seems to be the braintrust's choice to take the final pitching spot. Honestly, he probably deserves it, though I'd prefer he start every 5th day in Nashville, at least until someone falters or is banged up.

Vinny is a near perfect choice for the 25th man, he hits decently, can (and has) play anywhere on the diamond, and let's face it, he's scrappy, an undrafted free agent signed after a tryout or a tryout camp, who has had to prove himself at every level.

{Quite refreshing actually, especially when you consider guys like Dave Krynzel get every opportunity and still can't figure out how not to suck at AAA.}

Unless the team chooses to go with Braun as the starting 3B (extremely unlikely), or 6 OF's, the in-house choice right now would be Rottino.


Longshots

Braun
Rivera
Closser

Hendrickson
Balfour
Sarfate
Spurling


Spurling is the only one who has pitched well enough to be considered, granted, in a tiny sample. Both veteran catchers, Balfour, and Ben H are out of options. If an OF is dealt, look for one of these to be packaged with them. Closser could make it through, and Balfour could, especially if he's not ready to pitch. Rivera would almost surely be claimed, as would Hendrickson.

3/11/2007 09:35:00 AM

Saturday, March 10, 2007

(3/10/2007 09:38:00 PM) - Al

Audio with Tom H, in which he states he thinks "the Brewers have to move an OF...or maybe 2".

So, wouldn't you think the full-time Brewers beat writer would, at some point, write down how many guys they have and how many can be sent down?

Nix, Gwynn, and Anderson all have options, and all 3 will open the year at AAA, I would have to assume. That leaves 6, Jenkins, Hall, Hart, Clark, Gross, and Mench. Technically, Gabe has an option, but he is a LH hitter, performed well in '06, and can play all 3 spots, so he is unlikely to go down. So, if all the OF's are healthy, it would appear one would probably be dealt.

Was that difficult? Seriously.

3/10/2007 09:38:00 PM



(3/10/2007 08:53:00 PM) - Al

Milwaukee Brewers owner Mark Attanasio was in attendance Saturday hosting other investors in the team. Not so coincidentally, manager Ned Yost fielded a starting lineup that looked an awful lot like what he's expected to use once the regular season commences.--JS

Which can only mean that the lovely Jami Gertz was in the crowd.

3/10/2007 08:53:00 PM



(3/10/2007 08:22:00 PM) - Al

One of my favorite statements my mother ever made was that she'd never have an electric range in her home, because "What do you do when the power is out?"

Of course, call me a child of the modern era, but I always said I didn't care, because it wouldn't happen more than once or twice a year, and heaven forbid you go out to eat in such a scenario. Or, have a peanut butter sandwich or two. I guess I just didn't get it.

Tonight, as you may have guessed, our power was out for about an hour, from about 6-7. I had already eaten, having grilled chicken out on the grill, still trying to use up my moist charcoal that sat out in a Rubbermaid container on the patio all winter. If not for being such a supreme master of fire, I might have failed. But, my family had spent the day with some friends at the nearby indoor water park, so they got home about 6:30. The pb sandwich idea was thrown out by myself and roundly rejected by a 2-1 margin, so off we went to Target, where they ate while I went back to the outdoor section to buy some dry charcoal. I bought the last bag of anything except the overpriced premium, lighter fluid/flavor injected, so darn cool it lights itself stuff. I take it other folks must have felt the warm weather was grill-worthy as well.

When we got home, my son had to walk around the entire house turning on lights, and after each successful attempt would say, "Yep, this one works too!" It's quite an exciting world when you're 4.

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3/10/2007 08:22:00 PM



(3/10/2007 02:38:00 PM) - Al

What amazes me is, other than Robert's review the other day, I've never even heard of this 300 film. Obviously, others have, as it sold out almost all of it's midnight shows Thursday night, an event usually reserved form much awaited sequels.

It sounds very bloody, so I expect it will fall off rapidly. That said, after this weekend, it might already be in the black, when you consider the now guaranteed DVD money that will roll in when released.

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3/10/2007 02:38:00 PM



(3/10/2007 02:26:00 PM) - Al

Allow me to say how much I hate seeing Prince run full speed down the line, JJ being slid into at 2B, and Rickie stretching to catch a throw at 1B. I'd give anything just to get through the next few weeks without any injuries in meaningless games.

Mench had a nice play, going to LCF and cutting off a ball in the gap and a strong throw to 2B to hold the runner to a long single. Much like the death of Sam Clemens, Kevin's defensive shortcomings are greatly exaggerated.

3/10/2007 02:26:00 PM



(3/10/2007 01:45:00 PM) - Al

Dayn Perry has been very Brewers friendly for a while, and this is as positive as it gets.

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3/10/2007 01:45:00 PM



(3/10/2007 12:01:00 PM) - Al

Instapundit post which contains a couple links, one of which has Dave Obey screaming like a woman in labor at an anti-war activist...a side he should be embracing.

The Forrest Gump analogy is one I often make, by the way. I think the reason for Gump's ongoing popularity is beneath a lot of humor and "stuff", is the fact Forrest rises from a lower-class Southern upbringing to mega rich by following the American dream; he is always honest, loyal to a fault, listens to his mama, serves his country, starts his own business, works hard and has some good luck along the way.

It was a great movie when it came out, and it's even better today. I wonder sometimes if the reviews would be much more unkind if it came out now, as I'm sure the ever-shrinking big media would refer to it as "hokey".

3/10/2007 12:01:00 PM

Friday, March 09, 2007

(3/09/2007 08:25:00 PM) - Al

You can literally see how mentally weak Ben Hendrickson is in this article at the Brewers' site. He doesn't say anything as stupid as he did last year when he blamed his horrible '05 on coaches tinkering with his mechanics...but he comes close.

"I was mentally fried," he said. "I didn't have my head in it the whole second part of the season. That's all my fault. I don't blame anybody but myself."

He did not recover. His last 12-15 starts were "just awful," Hendrickson said. He posted a 5.63 ERA over his final 10 outings.

"If I could have taken a vacation then, I would have," Hendrickson said. "It kept building and building. I tried everything; going to the gym and not going to the gym. Running more. Throwing extra sides between my starts. I started thinking about everything. My mind was totally gone.

"Finally, I just said, 'I can't do it.' I was mentally drained."

Of course, if you're working 2 jobs trying to save your house and feed your family, you'd know what being drained meant. Ben has no clue, as he has done everything he can the past 2+ years to avoid being successful.

He seems to feel there's only a single open spot available on the staff, but there could be a couple, as Carlos V's long man role could probably be changed to starting every 5th day at Nashville if it meant losing someone on waivers, as Ben H surely would be. Not a soul has stepped forward to claim that final bullpen slot, as of yet. Before camp began, I would have ranked the possibilities:

Balfour
Hackmann
Sarfate
Hendrickson
Oxspring
Spurling

Wanna know how those 6 have done in their small samples thus far?

Balfour---23.08 ERA
Hackmann--5.41
Sarfate---26.97
Ben H-----2.08
Oxspring--9.00
Spurling--0.00

Balfour and Ben H are out of options, while Sarfate appears destined to use his last one. The others are in camp on minor league deals, so can be sent down without concern.

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3/09/2007 08:25:00 PM



(3/09/2007 06:26:00 PM) - Al

Here's an interesting thought...is it possible Greg Steimsma could be an earlier NBA pick than Alando Tucker?

Steimsma has a classic body for the NBA, and his physical play would seem well suited for the pros, rather than the ticky-tack, hand-on-the-waist sissy stuff called in the Big Ten with regularity. He is also a nice defensive player, solid rebounder, and accomplished shot blocker. On the rare occasions he has shot the ball this year, he has fared decently, and he hits his free throws as well as any big man in the land.

Tucker has been projected as low as a high 2nd round pick, but I think he'll go mid-late 1st round, probably 15th-20th. Watching their results in college, the idea seems preposterous, but while not likely, I would say it is possible.

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3/09/2007 06:26:00 PM



(3/09/2007 04:58:00 PM) - Robert R.

Baseball Prospectus has an article on the chances of the Brewers today. It's behind the pay curtain, but here's the bottom line of the article.

It’s a team of depth and options, of possibilities and probabilities. The Brewers are the only team in the league which could take an injury at almost every position and still have a solid replacement there the next day (aside from Sheets going down again). There’s no team in the division with the bench depth and versatility. There’s no bullpen in the NL with the combination of role players, power arms, and potential. With all that, the team simply has to do what’s expected. For once in Milwaukee, that’s enough.
In the state where “Hope and Faith” was coined, it isn't just an empty phrase; these Brewers are a team with real expectations. The World Series isn’t an empty hope, it’s the goal that an organization has been working towards for the last five years. There will be no irony when Bud Selig hands over the trophy.

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3/09/2007 04:58:00 PM



(3/09/2007 03:36:00 PM) - Al

If you wonder why the NHL will never be a major sport, all you have to do is take a look at this. I think the MSL will be bigger than the NHL in a decade or two, because pro hockey doesn't feel a need to get rid of the constant fighting and stick violations.

If that idiot ever steps foot on the ice again, 90% of the public would never dream of watching a game. That's a mighty small pool to draw from.

Of course, if Simon played for Duke, it would have been 2 minutes for high sticking.:)

3/09/2007 03:36:00 PM



(3/09/2007 03:22:00 PM) - Al

Jeff Sackmann writes at The Hardball Times that the the Brewers have the best bench in the NL.

He comes to this conclusion, of course, because they do.

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3/09/2007 03:22:00 PM



(3/09/2007 02:39:00 PM) - Al

This is a list of where the Badgers are on TV tonight.

3/09/2007 02:39:00 PM

Thursday, March 08, 2007

(3/08/2007 08:40:00 PM) - Al



I have received a few e-mails from folks asking to see a picture of our cocker spaniel, Ronnie. This is our favorite.

I wish he was still this young. He's much more gray now than black, especially above his eyes. He's still a keeper though.:)

3/08/2007 08:40:00 PM



(3/08/2007 08:34:00 PM) - Al

Oracle of Cheese says I make the Direct situation look "simple".

Well, from a simple mind...:)

3/08/2007 08:34:00 PM



(3/08/2007 08:30:00 PM) - Al

In Demand is already saying they cannot pick up Extra Innings, probably for the same reason many cable companies will not pick up the NFL Network, they will not agree to put it on basic service. That apparently was a big deal for MLB, and it was made a condition of the agreement.

Hat tip to Dave Pinto for the link.

3/08/2007 08:30:00 PM



(3/08/2007 08:23:00 PM) - Al

Duke lost to NC State.

That's a shame.

3/08/2007 08:23:00 PM



(3/08/2007 04:06:00 PM) - Al

David Pinto is reporting the new Direct deal is far from exclusive for Extra Innings, however, it's up to the cable companies to make a deal with Direct TV.

3/08/2007 04:06:00 PM



(3/08/2007 01:10:00 PM) - Al

I have to go to the dentist, but Darren Rovell is announcing on CNBC that the Direct exclusive announcement will come later today.

I know I'm a contrarian on many things, but I feel this is a good move by both MLB and Direct.

3/08/2007 01:10:00 PM



(3/08/2007 12:56:00 PM) - Al

Q&A from the Hardball Times:

Major League Baseball players like to claim that they are giving 100% to the team. If they are playing with a mouth full of tobacco slobber, make that about 85%. When a batter hits an in-the-park homer, he runs farther than 100 meters. Can you imagine a sprinter racing while chewing tobacco? When kids see their MLB hero with a mouth full of cancer-causing tobacco, it can be a case of monkey see, monkey do.

The Minor Leagues prohibit tobacco use on the field. The Major League Baseball Players Association has negotiated their "right" to chew toxic tobacco while playing. Isn't it time for the wise majority of the Major League Baseball Players to clean up the tobacco mess?

- Jerry H., Redding, California

John Beamer: I couldn't agree more with you. Chewing tobacco is a disgusting habit and one that has been strongly associated with MLB since time immemorial. Moreover, the link to cancer has been strongly proven. Originally players used it to keep their mouths moist so they could spit more frequently into their glove or on to the ball (ergo the spitball). Estimates vary to how prevalent the stuff is in the majors, but between 1998 and 2003 the number remained at 35%. Interestingly, in the minors the substance was banned in 1993 and usage has declined from 32% in 1998 to 25% in 2003.

That said, not all chewing is tobacco—quite a few players these days chew gum, which is of course fine. MLB should be setting an example and banning the stuff from the game. It is a disgusting, filthy and needless habit.

I'm not sure the player's association would be so quick to want to ban it, as many of their members use the product. I have a lot more disdain for the fact my tax dollars (and everyone else's) goes to pay for subsidies of this product, which to quote Ben Stein, leads to a slow and agonizing death. As with all subsidies, it's time has long past, never mind the purely ridiculous nature of a subsidy for a product with no redeeming qualities.

Back in the days of artificial turf being in a lot of stadiums, many groundkeepers complained how hard it was to remove the stains from the field, especially if a home player was a user. It's ironic, but I know smokeless tobacco is very popular with female hockey players as well, for a variety of reasons (one being that tobacco speeds metabolism and keeps weight in line, in theory at least).

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3/08/2007 12:56:00 PM



(3/08/2007 12:47:00 PM) - Al

Roger writes and includes this link, which says associations that attempt to ban small satellite dishes are unenforceable, and have been since 1999.

Maybe Andy ought to take a copy of this to his condo board and see what they say. As I hinted this morning, unless his condo faces the wrong way, I'd put one up and see what they did...of course, he may risk receiving a sternly worded letter.

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3/08/2007 12:47:00 PM



(3/08/2007 12:33:00 PM) - Al

I was unaware he had ever played for the Brewers, but longtime Phillies' coach John Vukovich passed away.

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3/08/2007 12:33:00 PM



(3/08/2007 10:55:00 AM) - Al

Dave Pinto with a note on what he feels is a poorly written global warming piece, with a possible fake photo.

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3/08/2007 10:55:00 AM



(3/08/2007 10:35:00 AM) - Al

Andy, who wrote a fine rebuttal to my pro-Direct piece, sends this link that says it looks like Direct will be getting exclusive rights.

Reading between the lines a bit, it looks like any financial motivations have indeed gone away, as In Demand has upped their offer, it would appear. As Andy mentioned, however, distribution of the Baseball Channel was a key to the original agreement.

Also, I like the way MLB has kept its word. They made what looks like a handshake deal, and despite the fact the others have now agreed to pay more, they are sticking with the original agreed to contract. Toward the bottom of the link, you'll also see Direct has agreed to waive the installation and equipment costs to new subscribers that purchase the Extra Innings package, a very friendly customer service idea.

The article also estimates there are about 5K people who have association restrictions

{Of course, we had a townhome association in the Cities, and we just went ahead and did what we wanted. We heard about it later, but the phrase "oh well" comes to mind. We not only broke the rules by having a dish installed on the roof, we replaced our old sliding deck door with an "open-out" type. I can only imagine the angst we caused. Each violation, when caught months or years later, ended with us being chastised in a sternly worded letter, which said, in part, that further violations would result in us receiving another sternly worded letter.}

or may be blocked by buildings or trees. That would be about 1% of the 2006 subscribers, and sounds about right to me, as most everyone can get Direct if they so choose.

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3/08/2007 10:35:00 AM



(3/08/2007 09:25:00 AM) - Al

Geoff Jenkins has supposedly made his leg lift slightly lower...I swear I've heard this before.

I have.

3/08/2007 09:25:00 AM



(3/08/2007 08:53:00 AM) - Al

The Brewers announce concession and parking prices for 2007. I'm not sure if it's sadder that they charge $6.25 for a beer or that they sell oodles every game.

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3/08/2007 08:53:00 AM

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

(3/07/2007 09:33:00 PM) - Al

Andy with an e-mail to me long enough to qualify for guest column status, so I will print it as such. The only disagreements I have are minor, one, no one knows the official monetary value of an exclusive Direct deal, and last year, they had 270K who paid about $175 each...that's about $47M. It seems odd to me that cable would agree to pay more for this package than it brought in, so I do doubt the numbers. Also, MLB.TV has improved greatly, even it's sample is much better than it used to be. However, you are dependent on your internet connection. Fine letter though, and I'm happy to print it. Good points about the MLB channel as well, I was unaware Direct was putting it on the basic tier.

THE OTHER SIDE

I'm in the camp that says Bud Selig gets an undeserved bad rep despite sheparding a number of profoundly beneficial changes for baseball during his tenure as commish. And, in the end, I do largely agree with your DirecTV point: it is a deal that will have little effect on the amount of fans able to purchase the deal, and little effect on baseball's long-term growth.

But I am personally affected by this -- I live in Minneapolis and because of condo association rules cannot get DirecTV. And I'm ticked off. I'll buy MLB.tv and watch the Crew -- what are my other options? - but I'm honestly less thrilled with the start of the season than I otherwise would be. So, though I agree with the larger point, I think there's more to this than meets the eye. I'll give you my perspective and shut up.

It seems pretty clear to me that, as a business decision, it's hard to see the real harm behind the switch. The exclusivity deal does deny access to a significant amount of fans, but those fans affected by the exclusivity deal are not going to start watching soccer, or boycott baseball. The fans that purchase EI are those devoted enough to baseball, and to a particular team, that they're going to choose another avenue to see their team, whether it be by ditching cable or by going to MLB.tv. You see e-mails and message board posts where lifelong fans threaten to say "that's it" if the deal goes through. Largely, that's some classic BS. Maybe a small portion of those folks will actually go through with this threat, and not watch baseball, but I think most will cave. I'm realistic enough to not even think I'd forgo watching games in an inferior medium; it just won't happen.

That said, as a signal of how the commissioner values baseball's true fans, the deal is a slap in the face. Those fans that are affected are the core base of baseball fans: those willing to shell out a good chunk of change to either see their team or to be able to watch Dice-K dish out or Johan Santana pitch a gem of a game out of appreciation of baseball as a sport, period, irrespective of their rooting interests. These fans aren't going to stray from baseball, but they will feel disrespected. I'll note that MLB's response to this -- Selig saying 'stop whining' and responses from the commissioner's office that don't address the real issue -- is simply patronizing. Some fans can't switch; some have to break contracts with cable companies to do so; some have to pay more for internet because it's not bundled with cable; some (erroneously, I agree) find DirecTV an inferior product to digital cable. And, regardless of the weight you place on these inconveniences, I do think it risks engendering true bitterness for some.

A couple other disagreements with your post:

One, it's certainly not about money. It's about MLB wanting their upcoming all-baseball channel on the basic DirecTV tier. The cable companies have come back with an equivalent cash offer, have promised to carry the baseball-dedicated channel, but have not committed to putting it on their basic tier. The extra $30 million per year, in other words, is not in play. It's now all about placement of the dedicated baseball channel (and, perhaps, about penalties inherent in backing out of a nearly-complete deal). I could care less about this -- unlike you, I'm a NFL fan, and I could also care less about having access to the NFL channel. (I'll also note that football's hardball stance of trying to squeeze the cable companies has probably failed -- the games aired on the NFL channel were largely duds, and there wasn't the clamoring for the channel that they had hoped for.) So: is placing a dedicated baseball channel worth antagonizing your core fans (even if you're not losing their business)?

Two, it's not fair to compare MLB's EI package with Sunday Ticket for NFL. Opponents of the EI exclusivity deal argue that it's different because the NFL has never offered Extra Ticket on cable. While this may explain the psychological backlash, it's not a very compelling reason for why baseball should not decide to take an exclusive route. It's a childish response. But the nature of the two services is different. I can certainly go out of my way to follow the Packers by going to a sports bar every Sunday I don't have their game locally. At most 13 or 14 trips to the bar is not too much to ask, though even that number is unlikely: of at most 16 NFL games, at least two are televised exclusively nationally, often more like 4 or 5. With baseball, the equation is totally different: if I'm going to watch the Crew, I need a source like EI. I'm not drinking overpriced beer or craning my neck at a TV mounted above the bar 120 times a year.

Three, you can pooh-pooh the fact that I am forced to watch the Brewers on MLB.tv, but -- having used it for a year in DC when I didn't have a cable box -- I can attest that it's quite inferior. Even with a hopping internet connection, you get slow-down, broken feeds, the works, on a semi-regular basis. The picture quality is fairly shabby -- right now, there's only so much they can do with online streaming live content. And there's simply a different feel watching a baseball game in your den on a computer screen versus watching a game while reclining with a beer in your hand in front of a nice TV. EI and MLB.tv are different experiences, and it's not mock disgust to say so. I'll begrudgingly buy MLB.tv, but I certainly won't be happy about it.

I wish I had a strong conclusion here, but I don't. I agree that this is not going to be a harmful decision for baseball to take: long-term, they'll be fine. I do question, however, the upside to the decision. Is a dedicated baseball channel worth that much? Is it worth mistreating your core consumers, not as an economic matter but -- eesh, I don't like using this word -- as a moral matter? Maybe I'm asking too much of what, in the end, is a business. But I do have a sour taste in my mouth from this -- earnestly, and I'm not a kvetching, pissed-off-at-the-world, make everything right for me kind of guy -- and that's no taste I want on the cusp of a promising, exciting, tantalizing season from the team I root for.

Just my two cents.

3/07/2007 09:33:00 PM



(3/07/2007 07:13:00 PM) - Al

I read on a pair of message boards today of folks concerned about the slow start of the Crew in Arizona (yes, I'm being serious). Hopefully, today's win will bring them in off the ledge.:)

Hardy, Hart, and Jenkins all had a pair of hits, and Yo Gallardo pitched 3 scoreless. Ben Hendrickson has been just effective enough thus far to be considered for a trip north or as an option for some other team.

3/07/2007 07:13:00 PM



(3/07/2007 12:25:00 PM) - Al

I have been providing limited coverage of the spring training action, and that will probably continue. To be blunt, with 22-23 roster spots locked in, about the only questions have to do with Ryan Braun making the 25 man, which I feel is a tiny chance, so that hasn't interested me much. Heck, if someone would guarantee me no one would get hurt the rest of the month, I'd be giddy and take it, and be unconcerned with all the rest.

I thought I'd take a few minutes and discuss one of my ongoing frustrations. As a Brewers' fan, it's difficult not to have a positive view of Bud Selig, without him, there would be no franchise, and moreso, Miller Park is a testament to the man's vision and determination. His time as commish has been highly criticized since the moment he took over, but the often unmentioned consequence is his reign has the sport going through the greatest period in its long history. Attendance is at record levels, the deletion of the Expos was simply addition by subtraction, there is nary a franchise that is truly "weak" because of circumstance (possibly Florida, as the stadium issue there is still not signed).

The ironic thing about the criticism is much of it has come from the smarter baseball fans, the ones who have progressed past bunting in the first inning and counting stats having much meaning. I recall the wildcard was going to eliminate all pennant races, while in reality, it has increased the interest in the game tenfold in September. Interleague play was going to ruin the game, let's not forget. After its initial success, it was called a fad, and still labeled for failure. Instead, nearly every ticket buying fan first checks to see which other league's teams are coming to their ballpark this year. We now have revenue sharing, which balances the advantage large markets have from local TV/radio money. We have a luxury tax, which also affects the huge regional teams from just buying talent.

Much of the critical voice is just foolishness, of course. You still hear grumblings about contraction, but of course, Montreal was a no-win market, and Minnesota's owner volunteered them for it. Was it likely a bargaining chip? Yeah. It worked out wonderfully, of course, with DC a huge success and the Twin Cities finally pushing a new stadium through. Yawn.

One of my favorites is that Bud canceled the World Series in 1994. Of course, it didn't matter, the players went on strike, and it wasn't going to be played anyway. It was actually Selig who fought through the owner's impasse in '95 and got some compromises agreed to to get the deal complete. Then in 2002, Selig again moderated things when the going got tough, and averted a work stoppage, for the first time since the players unionized in 1973. This year, the game is so healthy and literally seambusting with free-flowing cash, both sides are rolling in the dough so that an agreement was reached with little fanfare...as we all know, good news is not reported for the most part in today's media, so it barely caused a ripple except on ESPN's ticker.

The current black sheep is the proposed exclusive deal with Direct TV that MLB has negotiated for the Extra Innings package. Let's just ignore the simple nugget of fact that Direct has many such agreements, the NFL's Sunday Ticket being the most well known. This seems like a great deal to me, as it gave MLB more money, and nearly everyone has access to Direct. But, to be fair, some condo/apartment dwellers do not, as you need to point your satellite to the eastern sky, and if your deck faces west (or in rare cases, you are blocked by trees or tall buildings), you may not be able to get Direct. However, some fans are upset about this, for whatever reason, and have threatened boycotts. This is rather unlikely, as Joe Sheehan of BP said:

MLB is going to tick off a subset of that group: EI subscribers who either have Dish Network or cable. However, they’re not going to lose that group of people as fans of MLB as a whole. Some of those people will switch to DirecTV, others will make do with MLB.tv, still others will not purchase a package and live without the extra games. The number of fans that MLB will lose because of this decision, however, could fit in my living room. You simply don’t go from being such a big fan of baseball that you would purchase 1200 games a year on satellite to a non-fan based on one decision.

Extra Innings is not a casual fan's impulse buy. It costs about $150-200 for one thing, and it blacks out your local team's games. Also, let's face it, baseball is played in the Summer, when many folks rarely turn on the TV, as the weather is nice for the hemisphere in which the US exists. I had EI one year, when I lived in MN, and I got to see about 100 Brewers' games. Because I had it, I also often watched games on the West Coast. However, while most people can easily afford it (it is only about $1 a day for the season), I have little use for it with 140 Brewers' games on FSN.

Given the fact Direct would have an exclusive arrangement, it would seem pretty likely to me that they would market the bejeebers out of the package, and likely add subscribers, as well as convince existing Direct homes to purchase it. To me, this extra marketing more than makes up for the small amount of people who cannot get Direct. In the short-term, while a decrease is possible, I would feel in a few years, Extra Innings would be more successful than ever.

However, much of the dismay has been simply immature. I've seen message boards where people complain about how ugly the dish is. It doesn't work when it's cloudy. It doesn't work when it's raining. Snowing. Neighborhood youth playing outside interferes with the reception. You can't get local news/channels with Direct.

At best, the fears noted are outlandish at best, and many are lies or untruths. We had Direct for a couple years, and lost reception less than five times, usually for a few minutes, and never for more than a half-hour. It has to be a downpour and a very heavy cloud cover for the weather to matter. Kids don't affect it. Local channels used to be true, but Direct has had them for years now. Goodness, most of the complaints I've seen are covered on the Direct FAQ page.

I just think it's another case of folks not seeing the forest because of all the trees being in the way. Like the wildcard, interleague play, and so on, the public usually dislikes change, but later embraces them. Heck, I was the first to question the intelligence of the all-star game deciding home field for the World Series, but then I thought about it...is it really any worse than the previous method of...alternating leagues? That's the definition of "who cares?", and it has brought a bit of intrigue to the festivities.

I guess you could say the bit of noise we're hearing about Extra Innings is a direct result of how the game has grown under Selig's reign. EI was a Direct exclusive when it began years ago, and no one cared. Heck, if I were to write a post about that I'm angry the MLS League Kick package is unavailable to me as a cable customer, it would be met with one part skepticism and three parts disregard. But, because the sport has grown, suddenly it is considered indispensable. Heck, I'm surprised some anti-tech loner hasn't made a fuss that he should be able to get EI without cable or a dish.

The really odd thing about this mock disgust is that an alternative does exist, as MLB.TV is gaining more popularity every day, and actually broadcasts every single game, rather than "just" 120-130 of your favorite team's contests. Of course, this is designed to be watched on your computer monitor (though I know people have hooked it up to a TV), which limits the enjoyment for some.

So, at the end of the day, this is how I see it...even though people can see every single game, many want to see most every game only the way they want to see it, and are very unhappy about this. You know what? I wish Jennifer Love Hewitt was on CSI or Without a Trace, because I watch those shows nearly every week. Why yes, I could enjoy Ms. Hewitt's contributions to the show she's actually on, The Ghost Whisperer, but I'd either have to:

1. Watch it on mute.

2. Ignore the fact it's a total piece of crap.

But I don't want to do that. I want everything to be done solely for me, and in my best interests. I want everything to fall into place perfectly, just for my benefit.

So, tell me, how stupid is that? MLB is a business, it isn't a public service. I enjoy watching, and I attend a few games each year. If Direct and MLB come to an agreement which those two parties feel will best benefit them, congrats, and have a nice day. I have little doubt that in 20-50 years, the vast majority of MLB games will be on a package like this, with a few games broadcast over-the-air, or on cable (or whatever we call "cable" in a score or two).

My goodness, the NFL already did this, with the introduction of the NFL Network. It traded short-term satisfaction for long-term gain. And you know what? The world kept spinning, the NFL remains successful and I promise you more folks will insist their provider airs the NFL Network.

I only wish the best for baseball. I see this as pretty much a non-issue. The fact it is being discussed at all tells me how much many fans are yearning for the season to begin.

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3/07/2007 12:25:00 PM



(3/07/2007 12:22:00 PM) - Al

The Brewers will once again hold their On Deck event the day before the opener, April 1st. If good weather occurs, I would say this will easily be the biggest one they've ever had, I'd guess 18-20K.

3/07/2007 12:22:00 PM



(3/07/2007 10:47:00 AM) - Al

I got this in my inbox this morning, it's kind of baseball related, and admittedly, lots of fun.

If you're at work, it's safe, but you may want to wait until you are on a break...it's tough to stop Fun little game.

UPDATE: The best my son and I have been able to do is 323.5, not sure if that's the true peak or not, but we've each got that several times.

3/07/2007 10:47:00 AM



(3/07/2007 10:41:00 AM) - Al

An article from 2001 indicates what we all know...spring training means nothing.

3/07/2007 10:41:00 AM



(3/07/2007 10:14:00 AM) - Al

I hesitate to bring this up, but because many of you come here to hear any and all news associated with the Brewers, I feel obligated.

David Bell was mentioned as one of the players currently under investigation for using HGH, human growth hormone. Of course, HGH was not banned by MLB at the time, and may well have been prescribed by a doctor. I'm not even sure why this is news, as it bores me to tears, and only gives the media an outlet in which to be critical of MLB, which is currently in the midst of its greatest popularity in the history of the world.

In fact, I would say this has been mislabeled by nearly everyone, calling Bell an "ex-player", even though he just played last year, and may well have already signed for '07, if not for a lingering back problem. The mere fact this is a prescription drug seems to tell me it has its uses, especially if you're recovering from surgery (as was the case for John Rocker, also mentioned) or have a chronic back condition (as does Bell).

This witch hunt MLB insists on is simply bad for the game, and I still do not see what is going to be done even if someone is found to be "guilty". Unless they have discovered how to get in touch with Sam Beckett and go back to the 1990's, it's a giant yawn inducer.

Right now, the game is so popular, that independent leagues and the minor leagues are piggybacking off MLB and also booming. All this talk does is mask that fact, though it does it poorly.

3/07/2007 10:14:00 AM



(3/07/2007 06:59:00 AM) - Robert R.

Second preview screening of the week.

300

Director Zack Snyder, much like Robert Rodriguez and Sin City, is completely worshipful of writer/artist Frank Miller. This is a larger than life retelling of the Battle of Thermopylae where 300 Spartans met the overwhelmingly large Persian army in a narrow pass of land called "the hot gates". Historical accuracy does not apply as this is about the legend and meaning of the battle rather than the actual battle itself.

Much like the graphic novel its based on, which is told entirely in two page spreads, the movie is over the top, bombastic, and more than slightly ludicrous at times, but also stirring, exciting, rousing, and gorgeous to look at. It's shot on green screens like Sin City, but the movie feels much more open and epic. It really is a bit of a technological breakthrough with Zack Snyder having total control over the environment. Blood, and there's a lot, splatters digitally in patterns much like what Frank Miller drew. The film is sped up and slowed down throughout to alternate between appreciation of the images and the impact of the battle. It's like a 2 hour version of the Van Gogh sequence from Kurosawa's Dreams. One could reasonably ask if Hollywood has been more worshipful towards the art of Frank Miller than the art of DaVinci, Michaelangelo, Van Gogh, and Picasso combined.

Thematically, 300 is a rare thing. It's a pro-war movie much in the vein of Braveheart. There are good guys, or at least better guys, the Spartans, and out and out bad guys, the Persians, and a line in the sand. The Spartans are protecting their homes and their families, but also freedom and reason. The graphic novel was finished before 9/11, but the movie was made afterwards and it's not hard to read into the fact that it concerns an armageddon-like battle between the West and the East.

There isn't much nuance to the movie and that extends to the characters. Gerald Butler as King Leonidas may be the one exception as he has the weight of command and we see the real stakes for him. And his temptations. Unlike the trailers, he does get to do much more than shout all the time. The rest of the Spartan warriors with him pretty much fall into the model of an ethusiastic, macho, band of brothers. It's not an acting showcase, but at least everyone seems to be on the same page. Well, except for Dominic West as an evil politician who seems to be ill at ease in robes. And there's probably an overreliance on the voiceover by David Wenham, although there's a payoff to it.

300 is destined to be a staple of military barracks and football teams, with its us against the world, band of brothers mentality and its macho, over the top violence. Combined with its gorgeous visuals, it's likely to be a relative crowd pleaser as well for the right audience. It's definitely not a sophisticated story full of nuance though, and people looking for a deeper, more mature movie should look elsewhere.

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3/07/2007 06:59:00 AM

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

(3/06/2007 11:10:00 PM) - Robert R.

I've seen a pair of preview screenings of movies opening up in theaters this week. So, since I get the chance to beat regular reviewers to the punch, a few thoughts.

First up:

The Host

A fractured, dysfunctional Korean family is reunified by a family crisis. That crisis being the youngest member of the family is grabbed by a giant, man-seating, amphibious monster and needs rescuing. What follows is a mix of thrills, scares, drama, melodrama, broad humor, satire, and some well done action set pieces. And it's not going to far to say that there's a statement about Korea and its place in the world. As in most of the best monster movies, it manages to say something about society while simultaneiously entertaining.

It's also a movie that's well aware of the history of monster movies and manages to play with the conventions. The setup is classic, chemical dumping from a US Army base leads to a mutated monster. But, while other movies tease us with the reveal for awhile and rely heavily on shadows, the monster appears within the first 15 minutes of the film in broad daylight. It's shorthand to brief the character and audiences on the situation using a television news bit, but when someone turns on the tv to do just that, they're on another news story. It's that way throughout, adhering to certain conventions and breaking others.

In a classic monster movie, usually the army with help from a key person will rally to defeat the monster, but here it's the reunified family unit. Some people have leveled a criticism that the movie is anti-American, but I think that's hogwash. It's true that the US Army orders some dumping, which is based on a real incident, and the American officers in the film come off as descendants of Sterling Hayden in Dr. Strangelove, but the clear message of the movie is pro-family and anti-anything that pulls that family apart, including an ineffectual and corrupt Korean government. As I've said, there are clearly allegorical elements that make this one of those rare movies that's both broadly entertaining but also layered enough for deeper examination.

And, on a purely technical level, the monster designed for the movie works. It's kind of a fish/frog/salamander thing with a prehensile tail and one of the more unique movie monsters. The CGI is occasionally spotty, but for a limited budget it's impressive overall. Beyond the monster, the film is well shot and really works the environment into its shots. Wind, rain, and smoke are present in many scenes and add to the thematic content of the film. And it's well acted by the Korean cast who are able to swing between moods effortlessly.

It runs a bit long in the middle with a little too much time spent on the search and breaking up the family unit before the end. And some people just don't like monster movies, or reading subtitles. Still it's destined for at least cult status and an English language remake, which probably needs to be set in New Orleans to maintain any of the deeper thematic content. People looking for a fun time out with some intellectual meat are well advised to check this out though.

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3/06/2007 11:10:00 PM



(3/06/2007 06:05:00 PM) - Robert R.

I'm going to paraphrase Bob Uecker from this weekend.

"If you're scoring at home to spring training games, you must be out of your mind."

That's not to suggest that spring training and spring training games have no importance, but it certainly does suggest that you cannot assume a consistent level of competition, talent, and effort throughout.

How Ryan Braun progresses defensively is more noteworthy than who is leading the team in batting average, for example. Relax, enjoy the games, and pay attention to the little things players are working on instead of the big things, like who won or lost.

3/06/2007 06:05:00 PM



(3/06/2007 04:42:00 PM) - Robert R.

Latest Rome episode "Death Mask" aired this week. Synopsis here.

After all the rushing earlier in the season, this feels more like a normal pace of television. And it should be. Antony and Cleopatra can be done in 2 hours, less if all the characters and conflicts have been previously introduced, and they finally have time to let all the plots and subplots stew at an appropriate pace.

Two unwelcome marriages bookend the show. The latter isn't a surprise to people familiar with history, or Shakespeare, but I'm sure it's a pleasant surprise for the unfamiliar.

Servilla finally exits. And, to paraphrase Antony, "That's an exit."

Pullo is clearly getting played by Gaia. And I'm sure there will be repercussions, although Pullo's look on his face when his wife tells him to punish Gaia on a monthly basis was priceless.

The plot involving Vorena is sprung. This is certain to not end well. Vorenus really didn't have much to do this episode, but that's a welcome change when they've tried to fit in everything in earlier episodes.

Incidentally, Kevin McKidd who plays Vorenus had one of his first jobs acting in Trainspotting. You can't get much further from Rome than that.

Beyond that, you had an assassination attempt on Herod, with repercussions for Timon, a lesson in Roman corruption, a very funny wedding night bedroom scene, and more cracks in the relationship between Antony and Octavian.

There are plenty of legitimate complaints about the pacing and story choices of the first part of the season, but they're in position to have a strong finish.

3/06/2007 04:42:00 PM



(3/06/2007 01:46:00 PM) - Al

I just thought I'd mention that, by the way, the market is up 130 points today.--Jim Cramer

Heh. What I find simply astounding is all the sub-prime lenders are up about 10-30% today, as someone realized that, in a worst case scenario, even if New Century does go broke, their liquidation value is in the $8-11 a share range, and it was selling at 4 this morning and late yesterday afternoon. Needless to say, that's not a lot of risk to take.

The other day, Cramer mentioned that the "sub-prime" market only services about 10% of the population, and about 15% of those loans are in or near delinquency. Even if you ignore the little nugget of info that the reason those borrowers are charged a higher interest rate, because they are a poor risk, so the lender actually expects a higher percentage of them to default; it's important to remember that means the "disaster" in the market is because about 1.5% of all mortgages are defaulting...which is right at the historical average, or maybe slightly above.

Or, if stated positively (a rarity in the media), that means 98.5% of all mortgages are just fine. Smart money is buying heavily today, and is profiting from it.

3/06/2007 01:46:00 PM



(3/06/2007 12:14:00 PM) - Al

Sharon Stone apparently woke up one day and aged a couple decades.

3/06/2007 12:14:00 PM



(3/06/2007 12:10:00 PM) - Al

Alando Tucker Big Ten player of the year, and a unanimous first-team selection by both the coaches and media. Kam Taylor 2nd team, Brian Butch got some votes, and Mike Flowers is all-defensive team.

3/06/2007 12:10:00 PM



(3/06/2007 10:11:00 AM) - Al

As for the "classic" game last night:

---The Angels made 3 errors, the Brewers dropped an easy pop-up...I guess defense is the key, huh?:)

---Bob Boone let several balls in the dirt get past him, including a couple that he just casually reached his glove out and missed. Jim Palmer was left in an awkward position, as he was an active player at the time, so he decided to say, "Many catchers would have tried to block that ball, but Boone just tried to swipe at it with one hand", which seemed like a clumsy criticism to me. Also, why in the world would Bob Boone bat in the 9th inning down by 4 runs? Boone was at best a mediocre hitter for a catcher, and was probably the worst or the the 2nd worst hitter on the team.

---Keith Jackson volunteered that with Ted Simmons on 1B and Don Money at the plate, they were the American League's two slowest runners. At the first game I ever went to, I was 9, and Money hit a one-hopper to the SS. He took about 3 steps, and stopped, and walked to the dugout as the SS made the throw to 1B. He was an old man then, whatever his age was. Four years later, Money was still playing, but yes, he may well have been the slowest man in the game. Simmons may have been able to give a few catchers a run for their money, but that was not a team based on speed, to say the least.

---Let's be blunt for a few minutes...most athlete's wives are, as Dennis Miller has said, "winners of the genetic lottery". Many athletes marry models or actresses. Every Brewers' wife they showed was...plain, could have been the gal who waited on you at Target, or the woman your cousin married. The one they showed the most, Diana Haas, looked like a mom in my son's preschool, an average woman in her late 20's/early 30's.

---Many times, when we look back at our own athletic careers, regardless of whether they took place in MLB or beer league softball, we can recall a good game we played, or a nice catch we made, or a big hit; but it's tough to recall what would be considered the best game we ever played. Mark Brouhard does not have that problem.

---Every time I start to think about the '82 team, at some point, I start to consider what an incredibly weak bottom of the order they had, not to mention a very weak bench. The bottom 3 in the order was Roy Howell/Money, Charlie Moore, and Jim Gantner, which if you take a look at this page, will show you how feeble they were, at least compared to today's numbers. Then the bench was Ned Yost, Ed Romero, Rob Piccolo, Howell/Money, Brouhard, and Marshall Edwards...hope you don't need a pinch-hitter from that group.

Note: Money actually put up great numbers that year, but rarely played versus RHP's.

Seems to me to be all the proof you need that the bench isn't that important if you have good health all year. Also, even the best lineups have a weak bat at the bottom, and many have more.

---In the top of the 6th inning last night, Keith Jackson mentioned a "delay", but did not say how long it was. From memory alone, I can tell you it was probably about 30-45 minutes long, as it terrified me. Here's my story.

I was 13 in October of 1982, and at the end of the 5th inning, my dad and I drove the 5 minutes to the main farm to take care of a routine chore. It took about half-an-hour, and then we drove home. However, for whatever reason, our truck radio was not working, I believe it was a simple blown fuse (note that we did not fix it, which might explain my lack of handyman skills). So, we left, and I knew that the top of the order was due up for the Angels.

When I got home, I went into the house, and lo and behold, Reggie Jackson was up, which I thought meant the Angels had batted around while we had been gone, a frightening thought for sure, as the Crew was up several runs, and the only thing that could get the Angels back in it was a big inning. I turned to my mother, whose interest in the game could only be described as "lackluster", and asked what had happened, and awaited a grand description of line drives and doubles in the gap, and she disgustedly said, "It's been raining the whole time. They just started playing again." And with that, she went back to her newspaper or magazine, wondering when the season would ever end.

I still remember that. I guess if that was my most terror filled moment, my childhood was uneventful.

3/06/2007 10:11:00 AM



(3/06/2007 10:08:00 AM) - Al

Thanks for the link, Jason, it is a nice story. Perez does not speak any English, so he is farther away than we might think. It's going to be one step to get him back into the flow of playing at AAA (or AA), then another to actually teach him to hit at that level.

3/06/2007 10:08:00 AM



(3/06/2007 09:05:00 AM) - Jason Christopherson

A quick AP story on Yohannis Perez is on the J-S site. I almost missed it because it's in the "National Headlines" section, so I thought I'd post a link here in case you did the same.

3/06/2007 09:05:00 AM

Monday, March 05, 2007

(3/05/2007 09:40:00 PM) - Al

Adam points out both Mike Jones and Manny Parra pitched in the game today. Both are still just 24, so they still have plenty of time to make it to the bigs, Parra especially, being LH.

3/05/2007 09:40:00 PM



(3/05/2007 07:21:00 PM) - Al

This is what we may likely see in Milwaukee in the coming years, as everyone knows the Bradley Center is outdated, and the city barely allowed the Petits to build the thing for free in the first place.

3/05/2007 07:21:00 PM



(3/05/2007 07:03:00 PM) - Al

They should put it in the paper when Ron Artest is not arrested. It'd cut down on the amount of copy written about the punk.

If I'm one player away from an NBA title, I'd rather lose than have this idiot represent my franchise. I honestly can't believe the NBA did not ban him for life.

3/05/2007 07:03:00 PM



(3/05/2007 07:00:00 PM) - Al

As meaningless as spring training is, I sure wish someone could explain to me how Dennis Sarfate is struggling so much after pitching almost all winter in the AFL and Mexico. It's like he pitched his final game in Mexico and then did nothing until he got to Arizona.

Good to see Jenkins doing well, by the way.

3/05/2007 07:00:00 PM



(3/05/2007 03:04:00 PM) - Al

Almost forgot to mention tonight is a Brewers' classic game, unless of course if you have satellite, in which case, it might be, or it might not.

Tonight is Game 4 of the '82 ALCS, on FSN at 6:30. I have a story about this game I'll have to share tomorrow, it's actually more of a story of a fearful 13 year-old than a story of the game, but you'll just have to wait for it.

3/05/2007 03:04:00 PM



(3/05/2007 02:07:00 PM) - Al

Duke's Gerald Henderson suspended for, ahem, one game; for breaking a player's nose with a flagrant foul in garbage time. Just think what he might have got if the poor lad had played at a public school.

As if any of us needed more of a reason to despise Duke.

Another clip has the CBS commentary, which this NC fan finds a bit bothersome.

America's favorite team Thursday? North Carolina State...then Virginia on Friday.:)

3/05/2007 02:07:00 PM



(3/05/2007 10:39:00 AM) - Al

To keep up my "update every couple weeks" schedule, I am now down 40 pounds in the past 8 weeks. I slowed down a bit last week, shedding only a pair. I don't know if this is my body "plateauing", a fluke, or a sign I simply ate too much/did not exercise enough last week.

So, I am in the midst of redoubling my efforts this week. I have been working out 90-120 minutes a day, and cutting down a bit on the intake where possible (though I usually end up between 1200-2000 calories, so it's tough to go much lower).

And as usual, an apology to those bored to death by this. I'll keep quiet about it for another 14 days or so.

3/05/2007 10:39:00 AM



(3/05/2007 10:33:00 AM) - Al

Jeff points out Mike Hunt's "get defensive" article was a flaming piece of crap, so I will not bother doing the same.

The thing that really is getting old is the constant mention that Carlos Lee is gone, and that will hurt the offense. This comes mainly from the casual HR's and RBI crowd, and in reality, doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Goodness, Corey Hart is projected just about as high as Carlos Lee is, and probably better if you take into account the stadium each will play in. Even if Lee does do slightly better (in Minute Maid 81 games, I would put my money on him) offensively, it's hard not to give the defensive nod to Hart, and that gap will only get larger as time goes on.

3/05/2007 10:33:00 AM

Sunday, March 04, 2007

(3/04/2007 08:27:00 PM) - Al

Early organizational preview, hat tip to Jim.

3/04/2007 08:27:00 PM



(3/04/2007 12:17:00 PM) - Al

And yes, the Badgers will play the Spartans yet again Friday in the 2nd round of the conference tourney, barring a Northwestern upset in the first round.

Go Wildcats!!

3/04/2007 12:17:00 PM



(3/04/2007 12:13:00 PM) - Al

A free Q&A with Reid Nichols, the Brewers' director of player personnel at BP.

3/04/2007 12:13:00 PM



(3/04/2007 12:02:00 PM) - Al

I caught a bit of the first half of the Florida/Kentucky game, in which both teams showed a casual ambivalence towards playing defense, as if it were a tasteless salad that you had to eat to get to the main course.

I also watched much of the PBS replay of the Badgers/Spartan game last evening, enjoying Charlie Wills' criticism of the referees and Jay Wilson correctly hoping that Kam Taylor would hit the winning shot during the timeout with 12 seconds left. There was more defense played on every possession than there was in the entire first half of today's game.

While we're on the topic, it was interesting that Bo allowed both Stiemsma and Flowers to play the last few minutes of the first half with 2 fouls, which I don't recall seeing in Ryan's tenure, as a 2nd foul is a seat on the bench until the next half. Guess the old dog still has a few tricks.:)

3/04/2007 12:02:00 PM

Saturday, March 03, 2007

(3/03/2007 08:26:00 PM) - Al

ESPN.com feature story on Ben Sheets, with many Crew related notes in the sidebar as well, one of which has Buddy Bell saying that David Bell may have back surgery and try a 2008 return.

3/03/2007 08:26:00 PM



(3/03/2007 08:05:00 PM) - Al

If you're looking to buy a home or invest in the stock market right now, in 10-15 years, you'll be glad you did, as you'll be way ahead.--Ben Stein

These were two different comments by Stein, so the above is a paraphrase. That said, Ben is almost always a sane voice in a world where 3-6 months is considered to be long-term. Sure, we'd all like to be at the absolute low when we make a purchase, but unless you sell your home, who cares what it's worth.

An incredible amount of the media attention is focused on traders and "flippers", rather than investors and homeowners.

3/03/2007 08:05:00 PM



(3/03/2007 01:44:00 PM) - Al

The Badgers have played two of the best games to watch you'll ever see in the past week, both determined by a team making a shot, and then the other team missing. I guess common sense would tell you they were likely to go 1-1 if that happened, and that's exactly what happened.

As the year goes on, most teams have now started playing a zone or a very packed-in man-to-man, and if you try and force it in, you're just playing into the strength of the defense. I think the Badgers should keep shooting the open 3. It certainly is not their strength, but other teams now know how to take away their top option by this stage of the campaign.

As he showed today, Kam Taylor may be as important to this team having a deep run in the tourney as Tucker.

3/03/2007 01:44:00 PM



(3/03/2007 12:07:00 PM) - Al

Never heard of such a thing, but a nice collectible. I'll be surprised if the lottery doesn't promote this heavily, but I'm surprised it isn't debuting close to Opening Day.

3/03/2007 12:07:00 PM



(3/03/2007 11:56:00 AM) - Al

Oof.

I don't believe there are words to describe how simply abhorrent the officiating was in the first half of the Spartans/Badgers tilt today. Of the nearly double-digit number of charges called, every single time they showed a replay, it was obvious it was a flop or the defender's feet were not set.

The most contact of the half came just after the buzzer, when Neitzel turned his shoulder into the shooter, and 3 officials, after calling anything reminiscent of a foul for 20 minutes, all decided to head into the locker room for snacks.

Simply put, my cocker spaniel could have done a better job. The Big Ten should be ashamed of themselves for annually putting out the same incredibly poor performers.

3/03/2007 11:56:00 AM



(3/03/2007 08:40:00 AM) - Al

I've seen similar stories like this before, but they're always enjoyable. And no, this is not my wife's site, which is the only reason I skimmed it.:)

3/03/2007 08:40:00 AM

Friday, March 02, 2007

(3/02/2007 10:19:00 PM) - Al

No idea if this is true or not, as it was posted on a Twins' message board, but the poster is highly respected there. Take it as you wish.

Sooooo......... I've never seen Jerry White get upset with anyone. That's changed. I spotted it today, and was telling a friend about it and she mentioned that Jerry went on about it yesterday to her. So, two days in a row, Cirillo has shown an attitude, and has at least one coach really pi......ed off.
I was watching bunting practice. Cirillo seemed to have a good grasp of how to do it, but the ball came off his bat live. Many would have been easy for the pitcher to field. Jerry was feeding the pitching machine. He said something to Cirillo and Cirillo said something back. Jerry is one of the most soft spoken guys around. He grabbed a bat and walked in to Cirillo, held it up and I could hear "grip it, grip it hard" along with more. Cirillo stepped back in the box, and dropped the next 4 dead, as Jerry said "see?". Cirillo walked out, and away.

I saw Jerry about a half hour later and asked him about it. He was still mad. He mentioned how these veterans come in from other teams and think they know it all, and don't listen. He's played 10 years and doesn't know how to bunt. I said what did he say to you, and Cirillo said I can't bunt a dead ball, this is how I do it, or some such thing. Jerry said he showed him on the bat where the ball should make contact, and how to hold it. He was really mad that 4 pitchers later Cirillo walked off. Jerry asked if I saw all that and I affirmed I'd seen it. "I'm glad you saw it" he said twice. Cirillo had best watch it. All an attitude here will get you is out of town.

I never remember Jeff having trouble getting down a sac bunt, so if this is how it happened, he probably just has never learned how to bunt a 50-60 mph "pitch". Just one of the very few interesting things I've found from the intense boredom people over analyzing exhibition games.

Personally, I don't care at all how a guy does in his first two inning outing of the year, as we have his entire major and minor league career to look at...in games that counted. Unless he gets injured or is currently rehabbing, no one will care about it at all in a month.

With the Crew's roster being 88% set (at least), I hope we're beyond that, for all but a couple spots.

3/02/2007 10:19:00 PM



(3/02/2007 09:26:00 PM) - Al

Adam with notes, a recap, another recap, and talks with Tony Jr.

Adam is doing an absolutely terrific job this year in Arizona. You owe it to yourself to check him out every day.

3/02/2007 09:26:00 PM



(3/02/2007 09:16:00 PM) - Al

The Crew renewed Prince, as they could not reach an agreement.

Also in there was that the minimum salary for rookies was $380K this year, a huge increase. I do not believe there has ever been a separate minimum for veterans before in MLB, but the way that was worded, there seems to be now.

I wonder if you'll see some teams go with 24 players this year at times. It is rare, but it has happened in the past. While paying that 25th guy is pennies in the big scheme, some clubs are penny wise and pound foolish, to be certain.

3/02/2007 09:16:00 PM



(3/02/2007 04:40:00 PM) - Al

Al, I am the oddball reader who does not care much for baseball. I found your blog a long time ago when I did a search for something stock market related, and have enjoyed it ever since. We're about the same age, and we both share many thoughts. Anyway, I was wondering if you could share your top stocks, and what you'd buy now if you came into a windfall.

David

I thought of this e-mail this AM when I listed Buffet's. You must be elated, David, seeing two top investor's portfolios on the same day.:)

Dow Chemical
IShares DJ Select Dividend Index Fund
Wal Mart
Home Depot
Washington Mutual

My top two picks to buy right now would be Allstate and Capital One, by the way.

Of course, every stock has been dragged down the past few days by the selloff, but if that mythical windfall comes, I'd split it between the 2 I listed above, and add more Washington Mutual and the Dividend Index Fund. Most of the banks have been hit extra hard due to the sub-prime situation, regardless of whether or not they have exposure to that.

3/02/2007 04:40:00 PM



(3/02/2007 04:28:00 PM) - Al

Al,

Love the blog, it's my first read every day. You seemed pretty sure about most of the 25 man roster the other day, who are your sure things?

Bradley

If healthy and barring trades...

Sheets, Capuano, Suppan, Bush, Vargas
Cordero, Turnbow, Wise, Shouse, Capellan
Estrada, Miller
Fielder, Weeks, Hardy, Counsell, Graffy
Jenkins, Hall, Hart, Gross, Clark (I still think Mench will be the one traded, however, I think you can figure it out if say Brady would be)

That's 22 absolute locks, with probably one position player and two pitchers to fill. Leading candidates?

Rottino, Rivera, Closser, Braun, Nix, Gwynn

Carlos V, Sarfate, Balfour, Hackmann

I still think there's a pretty good chance the Brewers end up with a RP in exchange for Mench, and more than likely a bit of an overpaid LH reliever. The other possible pickup I could see is an IF of some sort, either a 3B or another utility guy. Luther Hackmann signed a minor league contract, and Dennis Sarfate has an option left, so I'd bet on Grant Balfour. With Carlos V, it comes down to whether the braintrust wants him to work in long relief, or every 5th day in Nashville.

And of course, I am assuming Koskie will not be ready to go, and will be DL'd.

3/02/2007 04:28:00 PM



(3/02/2007 04:18:00 PM) - Al

Al – quick blog question for you: which of the Brewers’ young players will step into legit star status this year, or closest to it?

Todd

I will say Rickie Weeks, but I'll be saying it for the second year in a row. I'd expect small steps up by Fielder, Hart, and Braun (probably joining the team in July), and a larger step up for Hardy. But, with Weeks' eye at the plate and ability to just destroy the fastball, all he needs to do is stay healthy and lay off breaking stuff in the dirt to be a very good 2B offensively.

3/02/2007 04:18:00 PM



(3/02/2007 04:13:00 PM) - Al

Al,

Just out of curiosity...Among the Brewers young pitchers Parra, Safate, Villanueva,Hendrickson who has minor league options remaining?

Don

Of the group you listed, only Ben Hendrickson is out of options. I'd say there is very little chance of him being with the Crew after the end of March, barring a couple injuries. Look for him to go to a team with a hole at the back of their pitching staff, or be packaged with the OF who eventually is dealt, if Gross returns healthy in time to start the year.

3/02/2007 04:13:00 PM



(3/02/2007 04:02:00 PM) - Al

So after my busy afternoon of napping and shoveling, I sat down to answer some e-mails, and decided to listen to a webcast of the game. The first link took me to MLB.com, and said I had to pay $14.95 for a package of some sort, so I went back and chose the other link. Brian Anderson's voice said "The Brewers lead 16-0".

I think I made the right choice.:)

3/02/2007 04:02:00 PM



(3/02/2007 11:28:00 AM) - Al

If things go as planned, I will be penning e-mail responses and printing them this afternoon. They should be up before most of you head home from work this afternoon.

3/02/2007 11:28:00 AM



(3/02/2007 10:37:00 AM) - Al

I just spent the past half-hour or so skimming Warren Buffet's annual letter to his shareholders. Part Midwestern folksy, part investment genius, Buffet's record speaks for itself. His brilliant philosophy is so simple, it's almost criminal:

Buy good companies and hang onto them.

That may be a bit of an oversimplification, but not by much.

Allow me to reprint some of the more enjoyable passages. This weekend, or maybe during lunch if you're at work, take the time to read the whole thing.

Every now and then Charlie and I catch on early to a tide-like trend, one brimming over with commercial promise. For example, though American Airlines (with its miles”) and American Express (with credit card points) are credited as being trailblazers in granting customers “rewards,” Charlie and I were far ahead of them in spotting the appeal of this powerful idea. Excited by our insight, the two of us jumped into the reward business way back in 1970 by buying control of a trading stamp operation, Blue Chip Stamps. In that year, Blue Chip had sales of $126 million, and its stamps papered California.

In 1970, indeed, about 60 billion of our stamps were licked by savers, pasted into books, and taken to Blue Chip redemption stores. Our catalog of rewards was 116 pages thick and chock full of tantalizing items. When I was told that even certain brothels and mortuaries gave stamps to their patrons, I felt I had finally found a sure thing.

Well, not quite. From the day Charlie and I stepped into the Blue Chip picture, the business went straight downhill. By 1980, sales had fallen to $19.4 million. And, by 1990, sales were bumping along at $1.5 million. No quitter, I redoubled my managerial efforts.

Sales then fell another 98%. Last year, in Berkshire’s $98 billion of revenues, all of $25,920 (no zeros omitted) came from Blue Chip. Ever hopeful, Charlie and I soldier on.

I had no idea trading stamps still existed. Buffet not only freely dispenses free advice, he tells you his biggest failure, and admits he's still throwing money at it as well. Hilarious.

Berkshire will pay about $4.4 billion in federal income tax on its 2006 earnings. In its last fiscal year the U.S. Government spent $2.6 trillion, or about $7 billion per day. Thus, for more than half of one day, Berkshire picked up the tab for all federal expenditures, ranging from Social Security and Medicare payments to the cost of our armed services. Had there been only 600 taxpayers like Berkshire, no one else
in America would have needed to pay any federal income or payroll taxes.

Our federal return last year, we should add, ran to 9,386 pages. To handle this filing, state and foreign tax returns, a myriad of SEC requirements, and all of the other matters involved in running Berkshire, we have gone all the way up to 19 employees at World Headquarters.

If there's one simple thing that would boost the US economy, it's making the tax code simpler. It is absurd for a company of any size to have 19 people do nothing except dot I's and cross T's, wasting time and money.

{On a somewhat related note, it may be stereotyping, but is there any doubt no one goes down to that department for a chuckle or a raucous end-o'-the-week party?}

I also laugh at how many times I've complained about the simple fact that many company profits are double taxed, as the company pays once, and then the stockholder pays as well, as dividends are taxed right away, and profits made on a stock transaction are taxed after you sell the stock, whether you held it 5 minutes or 50 years. Invariably, I'll get an e-mail that reads, "Al, corporations do not pay taxes. They are evil, and spend all of their money paying people who lie, cheat and steal to avoid paying taxes. Also, I've seen them kick puppies."

Turns out, that's kind of the truth, I guess...if you ignore the fact Berkshire alone paid $4.4 BILLION last year alone.

We show below our common stock investments. With two exceptions, those that had a market value of more than $700 million at the end of 2006 are itemized. We don’t itemize the two securities referred to, which have a market value of $1.9 billion, because we continue to buy them. I could, of course, tell you their names. But then I would have to kill you.

American Express
Anheuser-Busch
Coca-Cola
Conoco Phillips
Johnson & Johnson
M&T Bank Corporation
Moody’s Corporation
PetroChina “H” shares
POSCO
Procter & Gamble
Tesco
US Bancorp
USG
Wal-Mart
The Washington Post
Wells Fargo
White Mountains Insurance

And there you go, a list of 17 of his largest 19 positions (for free, mind you), with the classic "I'd have to kill you" corny joke thrown in for good measure.

Simply the best.

3/02/2007 10:37:00 AM



(3/02/2007 08:30:00 AM) - Al

A movie-stunt looking bus accident kills 6. The bus was carrying a college baseball team from Ohio.

My first thought was the accident a few years ago on I-94 involving the Chip Falls band.

3/02/2007 08:30:00 AM

Thursday, March 01, 2007

(3/01/2007 08:50:00 PM) - Al

Adam with his notes column, and the Crew wins their first Cactus League action...I shut it off when they were down 6-1 and went upstairs, turns out they won 14-8. Ryan Braun hit 2 homers, Vinny Rottino one, and Derrick Turnbow with a scoreless frame.

3/01/2007 08:50:00 PM



(3/01/2007 02:28:00 PM) - Al

I'm listening to the first Brewers webcast of the year (available at Brewers.com).

So far, I really like Brian Anderson's understated delivery and tone, as opposed to Daron's "it's the bottom of the 3rd on April 8th and we REALLY NEED this game" artificial excitement.

Also, Brian just mentioned Vargas is working quickly and said "he seems to have improved his pace" from prior years. He seems well spoken.

3/01/2007 02:28:00 PM



(3/01/2007 02:14:00 PM) - Al

The JS with a feature on the Badger women's point guard, Rae Linn D'Alie.

Note toward the bottom of the article, it is stated that no one recruited her throughout her senior season, except UW-Parkside, a D2 school, as they were turned off by her 5-3 frame.

If her team had not made the state tourney, she might not have even got the chance to play D1. Simply astounding.

3/01/2007 02:14:00 PM



(3/01/2007 10:58:00 AM) - Al

Ramblings' faithful reader Mike sends us this link that talks about how backward Japanese baseball still is in the 21st century, and has many quotes from former Brewers' OF Alex Ochoa.

The casual mention of pitchers throwing 200-300 pitches in their first bullpen session of the year is why I'd never sign a pitcher from the Orient to a megadeal. A 25 year-old has a 30-35 year-old arm.

3/01/2007 10:58:00 AM



(3/01/2007 10:49:00 AM) - Al

First baseman Prince Fielder was scratched from the starting lineup for the Brewers' exhibition season opener today against Oakland with tightness in his right quadriceps.

Manager Ned Yost said the tightness in Fielder's quad was the result of running the 60-yard dash for time during a workout Wednesday.

Another minor nick from the run.

3/01/2007 10:49:00 AM

Whatever strikes me as interesting, and serious Milwaukee Brewers thoughts. If you are a believer in respecting OBP, throwing strikes, and keeping the ball in the park, you may have found the place you've been searching for. I don't believe in paying a no hit/good field SS $7 million per year (Jack Wilson, I'm talking about you). I don't think it's a good idea to "play for a run" early in the game. Build up your minor league system, and watch success follow.

2009 stats by position


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