| Al's Ramblings | |||
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Saturday, May 31, 2008 (5/31/2008 10:10:00 PM) - Al Another game without a single strategical decision of note (though Branyan at 3B is one, as is the entire lineup, but you know what I mean). A reader said it seems like the pitching rotation has really "picked it up" since the Boston sweep, and I would agree. Maybe I'll run some game logs later tonight to prove our thoughts. I wonder if I was the only person in the land who thought a squeeze would occur with Hart on 3B and Branyan up, up 4-1. I was at a game in '04 when Russ bunted for a hit twice, as the team was down several runs, and he was leading off the inning both times, so I know he can get one down. I tell you what, if Sheets stays healthy and pitches like he has thus far, he might get Johan Santana money, though not for as many years. Other than the one inning versus the Dodgers, he's been a horse, pitching well and deep into games every 5th day. 5/31/2008 10:10:00 PM (5/31/2008 09:56:00 PM) - Al Tomorrow's game is a complete sellout, even standing room. Because it is Ryan Braun bobblehead day, if you are at the game, there will probably be lots of empty seats, as many bought tiks to resell the Braun action figures, I'm sure. We'll have to see what the attendance is tomorrow, because I never recall the team refusing to sell more SRO tickets except on Opening Day. UPDATE/BUMP: Still singles available on the team site as of 9:55PM, and Uecker seats will be released tomorrow morning. Also, handicapped seats are usually released about 60-90 minutes before game time to the general public. 5/31/2008 09:56:00 PM (5/31/2008 07:48:00 PM) - Al Sex and the City will do about $75M this weekend, 2-3x's what estimates had ranged. I did not think it would play well outside NY and LA, and the 95% female crowd would limit the box office to $15-20M. Consider me incorrect...a lot. 5/31/2008 07:48:00 PM (5/31/2008 07:07:00 PM) - Al Eric Gagne has left the team to be with his wife, who is apparently having issues with her pregnancy. Eric does not feel he will be gone more than his DL stint. 5/31/2008 07:07:00 PM (5/31/2008 12:21:00 AM) - Al By my figures, the Brewers now have the 5th best bullpen ERA in the NL, if you take out Turnbow's horrible numbers. Astoundingly, the Brewers' starters are still 5th in innings pitched, even with the youngster's struggles. Only SL has averaged 6 frames a start. 5/31/2008 12:21:00 AM Friday, May 30, 2008 (5/30/2008 11:55:00 PM) - Al You know, since the SP has improved, the bullpen has settled in nicely as well. Heck, I haven't even seen any misspelled rantings about Yost needing to go of late. Funny how Ned has "improved" ever since the pitching has settled in...who could have predicted that? 5/30/2008 11:55:00 PM (5/30/2008 08:32:00 PM) - Al Since Damian Miller has told several teams he is not interested in playing for anyone but the Brewers, I wonder if it is possible the Crew would consider signing him, having him catch some at AAA for a couple weeks, and then be activated when the rosters expand 9/1? This is much more likely, of course, should the Crew be in playoff contention. 5/30/2008 08:32:00 PM (5/30/2008 08:08:00 PM) - Al Alcides Escobar went 4-for-4 with a double on Thursday and is now hitting .311 for Double-A Huntsville. Escobar had a brutal first two weeks, but he's been solid ever since. He's batting .362/.402/.474 during May, and he's up to five homers, four more than he had in 494 at-bats last season. If Escobar keeps hitting, perhaps the Brewers could choose to make J.J. Hardy available in July or in the offseason. They do need to improve their infield defense, and while Hardy is actually their strongest link right now, he lacks Escobar's range.--Rotoworld Escobar even getting noticed by fantasy sites. I have little doubt he will be the starting SS in 2011, but the many folks are penciling him in well before that. 5/30/2008 08:08:00 PM (5/30/2008 07:40:00 PM) - Al Al, I need your help. What is with all these trendy little necklaces that all the Brewers and opposing teams are wearing? What's the gimmick with this? Is it like those magnetic bracelets that supposedly going to help my golf game that did no such thing? Have a great weekend, Craig I can't say I've noticed, but do they look like this? If they are, I'm a believer. If Jennie Finch is wrong, I don't wanna be right. 5/30/2008 07:40:00 PM (5/30/2008 05:58:00 PM) - Al Many people seem to think the Dems will steamroll in November...and they might, depending on events between now and then. However, a glance at the electoral college projections tell the story, that as of now, it's about as close as it gets. Site 1 Site 2 Site 3 I think you'll see the candidates in the Upper Midwest quite a bit. Come to think of it, McCain has been in WI several times already. By the way, 538.com, Site 3, may be the hardest to understand web site I've ever seen. Charts and graphs that only a math major could appreciate. 5/30/2008 05:58:00 PM (5/30/2008 05:17:00 PM) - Al MLB with a nice touch before the draft, as each team will be surviving a former Negro League player. 5/30/2008 05:17:00 PM (5/30/2008 05:02:00 PM) - Al Al, Does that mean there is a possibility of an asterisk next to any of your other posts that don't have a "drug free" pledge? Mike I'm not here to talk about the past, Mike. :) 5/30/2008 05:02:00 PM (5/30/2008 12:02:00 PM) - Al Al, Just a quick followup to answer your question. The answer to the question on other dairy products is no, you don't see any significant amounts of cheese and butter or any other dairy product labeled as rBGH free. Outside of completely organic, fluid milk is the only area where this rBGH-free craze is widespread. We sell our milk to a cheese company in Illinois and the only reason they want to know if we use rBGH is so they don't pool our milk in with their excess that is sold on the fluid market. Our processor just hopes this will all come to pass before it gets into cheese too. Let me also point out that there is no reliable test to differentiate between the two. Thus I've had some farmers come to me to buy the actual hormone. My guess is that they signed a pledge not to use the hormone but choose to use it anyway because there is no way to tell if they have used it and buying it from me doesn't leave a paper trail back to Monsanto. So what's labeled as rBGH-free probably isn't even so. -Jon That's kind of funny they can't even test for it, but still advertise it as "rBGH free". Allow me to pledge that this post was written drug free. 5/30/2008 12:02:00 PM (5/30/2008 10:20:00 AM) - Al Al, I'm a bit surprised you did not mention the Warns video on your sidebar for Memorial Day. I had some coworkers watch it this morning, and none of us made it through without tears, even though I've seen it a dozen times. Ben PS: I'm in Clinton's camp, but would happily vote for McCain in November (I might anyway) if Susan Sarandon promises to move and never come back. Heh. I have some relatives who follow your voting pattern, Ben, though I'm not sure if they'd agree with your Mrs. Robbins assessment. Guilty as charged, Ben. My memory is really good, but rather short.:) It's always a good time to watch that tribute, and after you do, you'll realize many people are simply so out of touch that it's a shame they do not appreciate what the US has to offer. As for the tears, I always remember what Jim Valvano said. I tell you what, on my worst day, I still can't get past the part where his dad reads the poem, and then salutes the casket, and I'm not sure I'd want to hang around with anyone who can. 5/30/2008 10:20:00 AM (5/30/2008 09:49:00 AM) - Al Al, Wal-Mart recently decided that their store brand milk would no longer be gotten from farms that use rBGH. Isn't that counterproductive to rising food prices? Taking away tools to create more supply is not the answer to lower milk prices. While it may sound like I'm being hard on Wal-Mart here, they are actually pretty late to this rBGH-free party. This is mostly driven by the processors that can markup their product to the retailer for being rBGH-free and then pay nothing on the other end. Wal-Mart is reacting to demand here. The demand is there, but that doesn't make it logical. Consumers are easily swayed, especially when it comes to what they put into their bodies. Truth be darned. People want cheap food, yet they don't want farmers using tools to help create cheap food. Even if they are scientifically sound methods. Oh, and one final note on your e-mail you received on ethanol the other day. The byproduct of ethanol (Distiller's Grain) is definitely a very good feed source for cattle. We don't feed it ourselves, as we use Brewer's Grain due to all the breweries in Wisconsin. Ethanol has taken a lot of heat from plenty of people (including you) for the rising food prices. While it's certainly not without some blame, but there are plenty of other factors at work here like droughts around the world driving export prices up. It's not as simple as taking corn away from food production driving prices up, especially when you consider that a good chunk (56 lb. bushel of corn has approx. 17 lbs. of Distiller's grain after ethanol) still comes out on the other side. Like plenty of things, the answer is likely somewhere in the middle. Ethanol isn't the devil like some would lead you to believe, while it is certainly not the savior that the corn lobby would lead you to believe. -Jon I do not pay enough attention to this to know how safe the rBGH is now thought to be, but I certainly have no problem drinking it, as I'm sure it is better for you than pie. However, if their customers complained, and the alternative is readily available, I have to believe that not it is an easy call for them. Maybe a question for Jon...does any type of processed foods label themselves "rBGH free"? Or cheese, or butter? I will trust Jon on the feed info, as it makes sense. I have no problem with the various things farmers do to raise crops, as organic production is extremely inefficient, and to me reeks of losing ground (no pun intended). I know my brother and sister-in-law had a neighbor that people complained about because of the smell from their hog operation...not exactly sure what can be done about such things...if you live in a rural area, it is hardly a smell free zone. Farmers are picked on for various silly things, especially when one considers there profit margin is often very slim, and dependent on weather and other factors they do not control. 5/30/2008 09:49:00 AM (5/30/2008 09:22:00 AM) - Al I certainly would not have used the same words as Bob Dole, but to think McClellan did not, ahem, write his book for profits is a bit ridiculous. As an example, allow me to write two sentences that pretty much mean the same thing, but lean strongly: He drove home after several drinks at the bar. After enjoying a glass of wine and then some soda with coworkers, the hardworking man left to see his family. I think it's safe to say Scott would have used the first one.:) 5/30/2008 09:22:00 AM (5/30/2008 08:51:00 AM) - Al Susan Sarandon...says if John McCain gets elected, she will move to Italy or Canada.--NY Post That, my friends, is one patriotic American. 5/30/2008 08:51:00 AM (5/30/2008 08:30:00 AM) - Al I would chalk this up to Ned second guessing himself some, and even moreso, I'm a tad disappointed he felt the need to come forward with such information to the press and opposition. You can have whatever policy you like, and I would agree you need to have some kind of internal limits in place, other than asking your guys how they feel. But, those calls should be made quietly and smartly. If the guys who follow the team can't figure out bullpen usage themselves, you don't need to spell it out for them. I would liken this to Corey Hart being banged up last May, and the team decided to only play him a couple times a week, mainly versus LHP. Sure, this led to many fans complaining that Corey was "being benched", but even though he was hurting, other teams still had to prepare for him as a PH, whether or not he was available and/or 100% healthy...because no one really knew. I guess I just don't understand the openness. We all know Tony Witrado is not going to do an iota more than he's forced to, so why spill the beans on your bullpen usage patterns? If someone would have asked before the game, I would have said "no comment". If asked after, I would have said "Sal was unavailable today", and if pressed, stated the same thing. 5/30/2008 08:30:00 AM (5/30/2008 08:21:00 AM) - Al Here, here. That pretty much sums up my disgust with the critics of most all energy exploration...who then complain that the price is up. 5/30/2008 08:21:00 AM (5/30/2008 08:18:00 AM) - Al The Bradley Center will soon be outdated. The city now is completely aware of this...why do I get the feeling in a few years, they'll act like it's a surprise? 5/30/2008 08:18:00 AM (5/30/2008 07:54:00 AM) - Al Al, Why is no one picking up on Mark's comment that you pointed out, basically crticizing fans for their constant second guessing of Yost, and as you often show, often without any merit? CJ CJ means this, by the way. Mark A is a near genius on how to say things professionally and in ways as to not make the papers. When you look at the complete lack of common sense coming from the beat writers, wondering if Turnbow would be released rather than pitching at AAA, wondering why Zach Jackson was sent down because he throws with his left arm, being able to take apart well crafted phrases and decipher them is not what I'm expecting. 5/30/2008 07:54:00 AM (5/30/2008 07:48:00 AM) - Al Wal Mart is simply several steps ahead of most every company doing business. 5/30/2008 07:48:00 AM (5/30/2008 07:41:00 AM) - Al Seth McClung first 2 starts...8 innings, 1 run. Of course, that's just the first 4 frames from each outing. That said, it is not difficult to imagine him struggling to make it through the 5th after pitching in relief for so long. I think Carlos went down to AAA for 4 or 5 starts last year and then came back in September and pitched incredibly well. I hope Seth can continue to stretch out with success, as after another start, or maybe two, as at some point, my ability to justify failure in the 5th will go away. 5/30/2008 07:41:00 AM (5/30/2008 07:35:00 AM) - Al I want to find a JS writer who does not write like a casual fan. This IS a young team. Their core is still all right around 25. And the idea that baseball has momentum is a joke. It's such a football fan mentality. Teams can win 20-0 in game one of a DH and lose 9-1 in game 2. I've seen it happen. Michael Michael is referring to the latest Hunt column, which reads like an 8th grade report on chemical engineering...painful. I'm done banging my head on the wall over the JS, who get more and more unimpressive on a daily basis. 5/30/2008 07:35:00 AM (5/30/2008 12:27:00 AM) - Al I keep forgetting to post pics of the chicken I grilled the other day...my wife still has to e-mail me the link, as me no understand computer picture things. It was not only very good, but really simple...I don't know why everyone doesn't do it...I wonder how a turkey would turn out. And by the way, you can never put too much butter on something. 5/30/2008 12:27:00 AM (5/30/2008 12:01:00 AM) - Al I forgot to mention that I heard on the radio that the Northwoods League team here in Wausau, the Woodchucks, only had 6 position players available for their opener tonight, as many are still in school, still playing or both. Of course, many college pitchers probably also play in the field when not on the mound, so it's not like me being forced to play RF. Maybe I'm missing something here, but you have to wonder about why they are beginning their season with so few players. I just checked my pocket schedule, and I see the season ends August 11th, and the playoffs end on August 17th. Not sure if there's much you could do and still get the season done on time...of course, I don't see a lot of excitement about the playoffs in the league...so maybe a one game title would be fine, as that would allow the year to begin 3-4 days later. Maybe Jason can volunteer some info, as he probably knows far more about the league than I do. 5/30/2008 12:01:00 AM Thursday, May 29, 2008 (5/29/2008 09:37:00 PM) - Al If you wondered what the Pirates' odd looking patch is, this explains it...it's so dull, I now wish I wouldn't have checked. 5/29/2008 09:37:00 PM (5/29/2008 09:14:00 PM) - Al I watch CNBC more than Fox News, because of it's focus on the economic news...actually, I only watch Fox News, for the most part, on Saturday and Sunday mornings, for their morning Today-like show and the stock picking shows. So, I was a bit surprised to see their overall ratings are stellar...especially primetime, where every single show has led their time slot for 5+ years? Golly. Of course, this makes some sense, as while CNN, MSNBC, and the networks skew left, Fox seems to have the whole right to itself (though I would argue that CNBC is relentlessly positive about the economy, and the female staff even would remind some of cheerleaders in appearance, but hence, I digress). If you split the country in half, and then split up one side into many...and leave the other one whole, it doesn't take a genius to figure out where the ratings will be. That may be overly simplistic, but I'm a simple guy.:) 5/29/2008 09:14:00 PM (5/29/2008 08:48:00 PM) - Al Personally, though Ed Sedar had a better angle than I did, I feel they should have sent Prince with 2 down in the 6th. Bill's argument, as always, lacks an intelligent overall look at the situation. Saying you don't want to risk getting thrown out on the bases down 5 is a very good point...if it's the 9th inning. However, there's still 3 innings remaining after the one which is currently taking place. Each frame stands on its own...runners on base do not get to return there in the next inning after the 3rd out is made. Therefore each 3 out set represents a separate but equal opportunity to score runs...if you score 2 in the 6th, you don't need to "play for 5" anymore, as you are only down 3. The funny thing about this is, it has been proven over and over that to maximize your run production, you need to work to your strengths...be that OBP, power, using your speed, whatever. My goodness, if you can steal 85% of the time with success, you should run all the time; up, down, tied, whenever. Good baseball is good baseball, regardless of the score. Unless it's the 9th inning, a smart play is still a good play. 5/29/2008 08:48:00 PM (5/29/2008 08:39:00 PM) - Al Speaking of math, I am in the midst of enjoying the audio CD Freakonomics when I am in my car, ruining the planet for Generation Z (well, I was in X, then came Y...gotta be Z, right?). Thus far, I have heard various theories about how crime fell 18-20 years after Roe v Wade effectively legalized abortion, how they discovered Chicago teachers were cheating for their students on standardized tests, and how 7M children under 18 disappeared on an April evening in 1987 (how many fewer deductions were claimed when the IRS made folks put down Social Security numbers to claim a deduction). It's like a combo platter of trivia and math, which means it's perfect for me, while many would find it dull. 5/29/2008 08:39:00 PM (5/29/2008 08:24:00 PM) - Al The other night, one message board was complaining about "all the runners" the Brewers have had thrown out at home this year. I said I did not recall any except some with 2 outs, and of course, a couple on the "contact play". So, I was just thinking, if you're going to blame Dale for the 2 out ones, which maybe your runner has a 50% chance of scoring, while he would have a 40% chance if Braun and Fielder were the next to bat (in other words, ignore the facts which makes it obvious why you should often send guys), Dale has probably made a "bad" decision 5 times this year...which would put him at a 98% success rate. There aren't many professions in which 98% will get you complained about...but I guess, for people who struggle with the equation [50% > 40%], most all math is just beyond their means. 5/29/2008 08:24:00 PM (5/29/2008 08:08:00 PM) - Al Bill promoting the Grumpy Stewart line of thinking...that by giving the Braves more baserunners, you are actually more likely to shut them down. I understand walking Chipper, especially on a day when Campillo resembles unhittable, but when every simulation ever run shows one thing and you insist another, it might be time to read some literature. If only we could replace the official scorer with someone who actually watched the game, and then had Bill hold his hand; far, far away from the ballpark, it'd be a much happier world for me. This is the second outing in a row Seth has seemingly tired in the 5th inning, which I suppose is exactly what you'd expect from an effective pitcher who has only gone 1-2 frames since 2006. Too bad McClung does not have an option left to go down to stretch out...sadly, he's still going longer than Parra often does. 5/29/2008 08:08:00 PM (5/29/2008 07:57:00 PM) - Al No way I can beat the snarkiness of Glen and his link, so I will just send you over there. Money quote: Now I went back and checked the numbers for the past 50 years and didn't find a single case of a recession...that started with or contained two straight quarters of positive GDP growth... While I'm the first to admit the "Dude, where's my recession?" ongoing line is brilliant, I'm still partial to mine, which is "Calling it a recession does not make it one". 5/29/2008 07:57:00 PM (5/29/2008 07:33:00 PM) - Al I just got home and am watching the taped version of the game...Corey Hart beat out an infield hit in the 2nd, but the call was an E4...because the throw was high. Never mind that if the throw was perfect, he was still safe. Now, maybe the call was changed later, but my 5 year-old could make that call properly, with a 15 second explanation of what an "error" is and what a "hit" is. How pathetic does an official scorer have to be to make such a horrendous call? For guys like Weeks or Hart, that bad scoring costs them 10-15 points of BA every season, and it's just hard to believe it is accepted by the Brewers as an organization. EDIT: Changed later, per TV guys. If that is that same guy, he is literally watching a different game than most anyone with a pulse. 5/29/2008 07:33:00 PM Wednesday, May 28, 2008 (5/28/2008 11:28:00 PM) - Al I will be out of town tomorrow, so you will have to entertain yourself with the matinee game, which is on FSN, added because of the rainout in Boston. Enjoy. 5/28/2008 11:28:00 PM (5/28/2008 11:22:00 PM) - Al It's just amazing how easy the game is when you get good starting pitching every night. Ned has barely had a decision to make the past few games. One mildly interesting call Ned had to make tonight was who to PH with the go-ahead run on 2B, one out, and Suppan up. Why I bring this up is simple...it occurred to me as Dillon stepped up that Ned had 4 guys he could have easily justified using...Counsell, Branyan, or Kapler...and that if you asked 4 people, you might easily get 4 different answers. 5/28/2008 11:22:00 PM (5/28/2008 07:22:00 PM) - Al Ozzie Guillen simply does not get along with anyone. He's like the anti-chemistry man. 5/28/2008 07:22:00 PM (5/28/2008 04:39:00 PM) - Al The Mets' signing of second baseman Luis Castillo to a four-year, $25 million contract is starting to look like one of the worst moves of the off-season--Ken Rosenthal I remember seeing this proposed on one of the Brewers' boards last winter...apparently, not realizing that Castillo is destined to not just age badly, but has a rather low OPS anyway. Of course, it was one of those, "Sign Castillo to play 2B, move Weeks to CF", and so on things, not realistic anyway. Anyone who saw Eric Young play for the Crew knows how poorly speedy players tend to age. When they lose a step, it hurts their OBP, their SLG, defense, SB ability...everything really. 5/28/2008 04:39:00 PM (5/28/2008 12:38:00 PM) - Al I'm a bit negative on how well the Sex and the City movie will do...not only is is almost purely for women, it's also from HBO...though the repeats have aired on TBS for years now. You know, a highly rated show on HBO doesn't have THAT many viewers, as only about 20% of the public has HBO. Of course, it's not like it's loaded with special effects, so I'm not sure how much it cost to make either. 5/28/2008 12:38:00 PM (5/28/2008 02:10:00 AM) - Al As part of the free-agent deal Jeff Weaver signed with the Brewers, if the team doesn't call him up by Sunday, he can ask for his release. But it is iffy if that will happen since Weaver has done almost nothing to show he is a better option than anyone in the Brewers current rotation. Monday, Weaver gave up nine runs (five earned), eight hits and five walks in six innings for Nashville. He should make one more start before the team has to decide. "We haven't had a chance to visit with our staff on that yet," general manager Doug Melvin said. "It depends what we're doing up here, if he's better than somebody we have here." Heh. Needless to say, I do not see Weaver getting a call up, barring injury. I would assume they would let Jeff know if anyone wants him in the big leagues, they will let him go for very little, or maybe nothing. Guys with a 6 ERA in AAA don't merit a whole lot of consideration, especially with Bush pitching well in 2 of his last 3 outings. 5/28/2008 02:10:00 AM (5/28/2008 02:07:00 AM) - Al Hi Al, At the end of a recent post you wrote, "I have thought for a while if it were me, I would probably fire Ned if I decided I was not going to renew his 2009 option. That might well be exactly what Mark A is thinking." I just wanted to point out the team already picked up his 2009 option on February 8 of this year. It was strange because Doug Melvin claimed the option was picked up following the 2007 season but never announced. Thanks, Theron I thought they had added a 2009 option, not picked it up. I guess I would rephrase that and say "if I decided Ned would not be back in 2009". Thanks for the heads up Theron. 5/28/2008 02:07:00 AM Tuesday, May 27, 2008 (5/27/2008 09:49:00 PM) - Al I realize this is a very nice piece of community involvement, but I hate to see this on a day after a night game, with the players probably reporting at 10AM or so. You have to balance out what's best for the team and what's best for the city and suburbs. After a long road trip; night game, volunteer thing, night game, day game is far from an ideal schedule. 5/27/2008 09:49:00 PM (5/27/2008 09:35:00 PM) - Al I can just see the casual Brewers' fan watching the 9th ining: Announcer: There goes Hall! Fan: What are you doing? You're already in scoring position! Announcer: No throw, he's safe! Fan: Yeah, good move! Way to be aggressive! Announcer: Fly ball, medium left field... Fan: Don't send him! Don't send him! Announcer: ...the catch, there goes Hall, here's the throw...SAFE!!!!! Fan: Yeah, good move! Made it easy. This is what we call judging by the result. If Blanco makes a throw on the fly and not one bounce, they might well get Billy, but you have to be a moron not to send him, as I would guess he scores 3 of 4 times versus the various LF's in MLB (I have no idea how good Blanco's arm is)...maybe 4 of 5, given the state of how poorly many LF's throw. That's still 1 of 5 you'll fail...and with Braun up next. But, no way Ryan gets that run in 75-80% of the time. 5/27/2008 09:35:00 PM (5/27/2008 09:27:00 PM) - Al Obviously, Sharon Stone never took a science class, if she thinks behavior causes earthquakes. 5/27/2008 09:27:00 PM (5/27/2008 09:22:00 PM) - Al I think I predicted this a couple months ago...with warm weather here, interest rates low, and many motivated sellers, I think it's a buyer's market. UPDATE: 4 months ago today, but yep. 5/27/2008 09:22:00 PM (5/27/2008 09:15:00 PM) - Al Hudson seemed be tiring in the 7th, but is now still in after 2 hits in the 8th. Bullpen tired and/or ineffective? I am usually pretty consistent on this...I'd rather have a fresh, slightly worse reliever than a tired SP who has thrown 120ish pitches. That said, JJ hit it hard, but right at Hudson, who misplays it. I'd say that was a hit, but since we're at Miller Park, I'll wait.:) 5/27/2008 09:15:00 PM (5/27/2008 09:13:00 PM) - Al Funny how different the shifts are against Prince, DC vs, ATL. The Nats shaded him well up the middle, and left a huge hole between 1B and 2B. Tonight, the Braves are playing the 2B very deep and a step or two toward 1B, and the SS not too far from normal. I would guess one relies on advance scouts and the other more on the charts. 5/27/2008 09:13:00 PM (5/27/2008 09:00:00 PM) - Al Rickie has drilled the ball 3 times tonight, and does not have a thing to show for it. It's just such a minefield of luck some days. 5/27/2008 09:00:00 PM (5/27/2008 08:51:00 PM) - Al I doubt we'll hear a whole lot from our resident experts on "Why did he leave Bush in so long? He always tires in the 6th (or 7th, it depends when he allows a run that night) inning? Dave averaged more IP's per start than Suppan last year, so while Dave is not a CG guy, he is also far from a 5 inning pitcher. Great outing by Dave, aggressive the whole night, just a couple solo HR's. 5/27/2008 08:51:00 PM (5/27/2008 08:24:00 PM) - Al Doug, he's usually one or two steps ahead, so I talk to him almost every day. With Ned, I just try to give him support, let him know we're behind him. We have plenty of fans that are good at second guessing, so I don't do any of that.--Mark A, on TV Paraphrasing, as Mark let that nugget of honesty go after being his politically correct self for most of the interview. He does not sound like a guy ready to panic or make any changes. I do not recall ever hearing an owner give a "vote of support" (vote of confidence?) in such a back door manner before, but I think that's exactly what he did. If anyone can Tivo that and send me the exact quote, I'd appreciate it. UPDATE/BUMP: Ryan comes through with the goods. And thanks for the hits. Al, Love the blog. My friends and I check it on a near hourly basis, and usually can't help but agree with your level-headed opinions, although I'm in the minority of saying that you don't fire a manager for doing nothing wrong. Rewinding my MLB.tv archive, I dug up the quote from Mark A about staying out of Ned's way…. "With Ned I try to pretty much just provide encouragement and support and not get in his way. We have a lot of fans that can enjoy second guessing the manager, but I'm not going to do that." -Ryan I did pretty good, actually, for barely paying attention before he spilled his first "scoop" quote in years. Doesn't sound like a guy getting ready to make a change, that's for sure. I have thought for a while if it were me, I would probably fire Ned if I decided I was not going to renew his 2009 option. That might well be exactly what Mark A is thinking. 5/27/2008 08:24:00 PM (5/27/2008 04:18:00 PM) - Al Hi Al, Yost's decision to move Kendall back to 8th is all about JJ Hardy, in my opinion. Hardy has been complaining that batting in front of the pitcher has destroyed his batting stats. Yost has a history of changing his strategies to test player's theories and create teachable moments, especially if Yost sees little cost in doing so. Once Hardy proves to himself that his problems originate within the batter's box and not from the batting order, Kendall will return to the 9th spot. Robert JJ even said Jason is good in that spot, because he works the count and does anything to get on...that's what everyone is supposed to do. The excuses as to why guys are not hitting is getting old...it's about plate discipline, working the count, and driving the ball...none of which makes a bit of difference where you are hitting in the order. Robert also reports that band of Ramblings Northern Room will be opening for the BoDeans in Stevens Point on 7/3, in a free show. The Brewers play that afternoon, I might just head down for that...backstage pass, Bob? 5/27/2008 04:18:00 PM (5/27/2008 04:06:00 PM) - Al Al, Just some additional information in response to the issue of food costs as they pertain to the production of ethanol. I should mention that I am not completely sold on ethanol myself, but I do feel it has gotten a worse reputation than it deserves lately. My own summary [from an attachment Al could not copy over]: Grain-based ethanol is currently the main source in the US , but it will be replaced by cellulosic ethanol production. Cellulosic processes get a lot more energy out of the material and use raw materials like switchgrass or even yard waste rather than grain. Currently the technology is just being developed to utilize this production method. Ethanol has proven the ability to limit oil dependence. Brazil has virtually eliminated oil usage by replacing it with ethanol produced by their major crop, sugar cane. Sugar cane is a much more efficient base material than corn, but not as good as switchgrass. I believe they have been driving on ethanol for more than a decade. Corn does not simply disappear when ethanol is produced. I work with a person who runs a mid-level beef operation on the side. He feeds a lot of the by-products of the ethanol production. My understanding is that the carbohydrates are depleted, but the nutritional content (protein, etc.) is very good. He says his cattle love it. Due to the limited availability of ethanol, could the actual production levels have really affected prices as much as we are led to believe? There has been a percentage (10%?) of ethanol in our regular gas at every pump in the nation for years which still has to represent the majority produced. You can hardly find an E85 pump anywhere, so how can those few pumps have single-handedly driven up the cost of movie popcorn? (Not stating any facts here, just wondering) Ethanol is no silver bullet, no permanent solution. For autos I see it as one of the stepping stones from the gas only world to a new base propulsion system that may be in development or not even drawn up yet. It has its warts but the press it has gotten lately, in my humble opinion, has been overly negative (two years ago I thought it was overly positive). Energy prices are the key component to price increases everywhere, and ethanol has the chance to help if not reduce energy cost at least give us access to a source domestically. My concern is that people will dismiss it because they think ethanol is single-handedly responsible for the increase in their grocery bill. If production levels are increased though cellulosic production the cost to manufacture is estimated somewhere around $1.25 per gallon. That has the potential to greatly affect my daily fuel costs, and I don’t know about you but my food cost increases have paled in comparison to my gas cost increases. Great blog. Keep up the good work. David There have been many ethanol plants open in the past year or two, looking to cash in. I'm sure the demand has risen from those alone. While supply has also gone up, I'm sure there may be some "hoarding" going on, people buying the supply and holding it. Folks do this with contracts all the time, but with the astounding rise, I would bet some individuals and companies are stockpiling the actual product (I assume dried corn can be kept with little spoilage). I find your mention of switchgrass funny, because I remember when W was teased mercilessly for mentioning it during a State of the Union speech, because many had never heard of it. If it is truly that good, it will create a demand for a product with limited uses now, which will take up land, but not take an existing, needed product through the roof. I have heard the by-products are not nearly as good as corn for adding weight to beef, but needless to say, that's just 3rd and 4th hand info. 5/27/2008 04:06:00 PM (5/27/2008 03:51:00 PM) - Al Al, Just looking at the schedule and I see that 18 of the next 24 games are at home. This is HUGE. Looking at projected starters, we miss everyones ace, except for when we go down to Houston (granted some teams #2 are just as good as #1 - Atl's Hudson and so on). I think the Brewers need to have a great showing and make up some ground. It's not "make or break", anything can happen in the second half, but I definitely would like to see us go at least 15-9 over that 24. Is that too much to ask for? Your thoughts? After the 24, we are on the road for a tough 10 and then home for an "easy" 10 to finish the first half. Any projections for what are record will be at the All-Star game? Dan I don't think I'm going to make a guess about the record, because I do not know if Sheets will remain healthy and the like. However, I will say this...they need to be a few games over .500 by the all-star break to be seriously in contention...they could easily be sellers at the July 31st deadline if they are not. Let me list who they play, home games in bold, before the intermission: ATL HOU ARI COL HOU MIN TOR BAL ATL MIN ARI PIT COL CIN Other than COL twice and CIN and PIT once, I don't see a whole lot of weakness there, though many would argue HOU and BAL are likely to fade as the season wears on. If you wish to feel better, I would say the August schedule looks a bit weak. 5/27/2008 03:51:00 PM (5/27/2008 03:29:00 PM) - Al Glenn hits the nail on the head, on both how above the law the UN is and how the story would be treated differently if the abuser was a US soldier. 5/27/2008 03:29:00 PM (5/27/2008 03:19:00 PM) - Al As I had guessed, Zach Jackson sent out to make room for Tavarez...though I think it's safe to say Jackson impressed during his short stay, and has a big league future in the bullpen. I'm not sure if Tom has been watching the games or not, because he acts as if Zach has been used as a loogy, while in reality, he's just been used to eat up some low leverage innings...exactly what Julian's role will be, for the time being. If he continues to throw strikes, Stetter will be back soon, as will Riske. DiFelice is obviously an easy call, but as good as Dillard has been, Mitch will have to be very good to come up. 5/27/2008 03:19:00 PM (5/27/2008 03:12:00 PM) - Al Instapundit links to this list of favorite war films, Robert probably watched some of these over the holiday weekend. I've never seen any of those listed, though I've seen several of the ones listed below the list. 5/27/2008 03:12:00 PM (5/27/2008 07:30:00 AM) - Al Doug and Ned met with Hall and talked to him about Branyan getting some playing time. I would sit down before each series and pick out the toughest RHP the Crew is facing and pencil Russell in for that game, and let Bill play the other two. I doubt his very low numbers continue, especially now that Bill knows bad PA's will result in bench time. UPDATE: What's tough is when Branyan goes 0-5, and the next day, you have Tim Hudson going for ATL...very good RHP, Russell probably not seeing the ball that well right now. Might want to go with Joe Dillon or Counsell.:) 5/27/2008 07:30:00 AM Monday, May 26, 2008 (5/26/2008 09:46:00 PM) - Al Ramblings is on pace to set records in both visits and page views for May. Thank you for your continued patronage. Luckily, the price is right. 5/26/2008 09:46:00 PM (5/26/2008 09:37:00 PM) - Al Who knew Mexico had such a large navy...3 boats? UPDATE: Says here they have just under 600 ships, but only 37K sailors. 5/26/2008 09:37:00 PM (5/26/2008 07:46:00 PM) - Al Memorial Day seems to be the new trend as far as promoting top prospects, as Braun started it, and now Jay Bruce. Very wise roster management by the Reds. 5/26/2008 07:46:00 PM (5/26/2008 04:17:00 PM) - Al An e-mailer asks whose place Taverez will take...I would assume DiFelice or Jackson, unless someone is injured. Both have pitched fine...DiFelice gave up a HR to Dave Ortiz, while Zach ran into some bad luck and gave up a couple runs on bloopers and infield hits. I would probably lean toward Jackson going down, as he has not been used as a lefty specialist at all, and DiFelice can probably go 2-3 innings easier, as I doubt Julian will be able to, having not pitched in 2 weeks. 5/26/2008 04:17:00 PM (5/26/2008 04:02:00 PM) - Al What gets lost is amongst the silliness is what a nice job Ned has done using his patched together bullpen. Of course, his moves don't matter if Carlos hangs a breaking ball and one of the Nats drives it out of the park, but that did not happen. One of his finest moves today will probably not even get noticed...he had Tim Dillard up in case he needed him to get an out or two in the 8th. Most fans will look right past this, but it is important. Dillard pitched two frames yesterday, and I doubt if he's ever pitched the day after throwing 2 innings. But, Ned saw he had "a gap" between Shouse and either Carlos (in a tie game) or Sal (save situation), so he utilized the hard throwing Dillard to get a single batter in a tie game. I have no idea how Yost does in handling the clubhouse, but he always seems to have a plan. Between that and the excellent manner in how he has limited pitch counts over the years, he can be proud of what he has done. Also of note, I think the constant scrutiny has Ned second guessing himself...as the Kendall hitting 9th decision has worked swimmingly...Jason has yet to ground into a DP, and Cameron has the best RBI/AB ratio on the team, very rare for a #2 hitter. I'm the first to say batting order is nearly meaningless, but the idea seems to have merit, and has worked...not sure what more you can ask for. 5/26/2008 04:02:00 PM (5/26/2008 02:46:00 PM) - Al What's odd is though Parra had a short outing yesterday, it still very much affects things today, as Mota is unavailable (I assume) due to having to go an extra part of a frame yesterday. Tim Dillard is up in the 'pen in the 8th, and Brian Shouse is facing RH hitters as well in said 8th. There's nothing I want out of my SP than to get through the 5th. 5/26/2008 02:46:00 PM (5/26/2008 01:59:00 PM) - Al A bit strange to do the Memorial Day tribute in the middle of an inning, but still, a very nice touch by MLB. They have been among the leaders of these types of things since 9/11. 5/26/2008 01:59:00 PM (5/26/2008 01:58:00 PM) - Al I thought Alton Brown was the only one who took simple things so seriously. That's a lot of words on PBJ. 5/26/2008 01:58:00 PM (5/26/2008 01:21:00 PM) - Al Allow me to make a Memorial Day thank you on this beautiful late May afternoon. Of course, the day is designed to honor those military men and women that made the ultimate sacrifice, but some choose to celebrate the life of anyone who has passed. Personally, I often think of it as a day to remember all of those who chose to serve. Regardless, a happy and safe Memorial Day to all the readers of Ramblings. 5/26/2008 01:21:00 PM (5/26/2008 01:05:00 PM) - Al Jimmy Carter with his Memorial Day message...as usual, he still holds a grudge against the states for choosing the upbeat tone of Reagan over him wearing a sweater and telling folks what they need to do is be chilly and boycott athletic events. I'd say he's gone over the edge, but I don't want to offend those who have gone over the edge. 5/26/2008 01:05:00 PM (5/26/2008 11:58:00 AM) - Al A government official in Venezuela says former major league pitcher Geremi Gonzalez is dead after being hit by lightning in the South American country. Emergency management official Herman Bracho says the 33-year-old pitcher was at the beach in western Venezuela and was on a pier when lightning struck him on Sunday night. Gonzalez started in the major leagues for the Chicago Cubs in 1997 and later played with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, the Boston Red Sox, the New York Mets and the Milwaukee Brewers. He last played in the major leagues in 2006 with the Toronto Blue Jays and also pitched last year for the Yomiuri Giants in Japan.--AP Friend of Ramblings Michael sends along this sad note. 5/26/2008 11:58:00 AM (5/26/2008 11:53:00 AM) - Al Tom says the Crew will sign Julian Taverez as long as he passes a physical, and that Kendall will hit #8 today. Both very minor moves, as the team continues to tweak things. 5/26/2008 11:53:00 AM (5/26/2008 12:16:00 AM) - Al The grilling report from the weekend: I had lamb for the first time, just grilled it about 4 minutes a side. Tasted similar to beef, very tender and juicy. I made pork chops as I have had success in the past...indirect heat for about 20 minutes, and then put it over the fire for about 3 minutes a side. Very good, and if you look online, you will find sites that say pork is safe to eat at 150 degrees, far less than the 180, cook the flavor right out of it, that you will see elsewhere. I made ground chicken burgers twice since Friday, and you have to be very careful with them, as they fall apart. However, tonight I combined it with raw onions, formed patties, and then froze it for an hour or so. That really assisted it in "setting", and it hung together much better when I flipped them. Tomorrow, I will attempt to grill an entire chicken, with garlic butter rubbed under the skin. We'll see how that turns out, as I am not used to such prep time and work. I'll report on this if it works.:) 5/26/2008 12:16:00 AM Sunday, May 25, 2008 (5/25/2008 11:45:00 PM) - Al I'm one of those goofy guys that still thinks oil and gas prices are determined by supply and demand. I do not understand all the ins and outs of oil production, but I do know it is hard, dirty work. When you look at the many "no" areas that they cannot search for oil, the lack of drilling in Alaska, the lack of any new refineries in several decades, the upsurge in need from China, India, and other former third world nations that are growing industry fast and furiously...is it really any wonder why prices are up? Given that record high gas led to an, ahem, 1% decline in holiday driving, I don't see us being anywhere near the tipping point...I'm not even sure $5 would lead to a noticeable difference. 5/25/2008 11:45:00 PM (5/25/2008 09:58:00 PM) - Al Jim Powell is reporting that Doug, Gord, and Mark A will all be in DC for the game tomorrow, and of course, the message boards are thinking maybe this means a move is afoot. Of course, nothing bores me more than these types of discussions, but I am getting to the point that I wish someone would say something, as I'm getting tired of hearing rumors and silliness reported as fact (and that's just the JS!). If you wish to feed the monster, I suppose it would make some sense, if they planned to fire Ned, to do it before the home stand, and even before the plane trip home. However, I sure hope Ben pitches well and the road trip ends on a winning note. 5/25/2008 09:58:00 PM (5/25/2008 07:55:00 PM) - Al I think that a segment of the population just gets bored every decade or so and has to find something to panic about. I mean, the Y2K thing was just embarrassing, and this is even moreso...running out of oil and not a single person, although the potential for huge profits exist, bothers to come up with an alternative? 5/25/2008 07:55:00 PM (5/25/2008 07:05:00 PM) - Al Bob Barr does eek out the Libertarian Party nomination, on the 6th ballot. Now, this would have been a great way for the Dems to go, it would have been talked about for the next 50 years. 5/25/2008 07:05:00 PM (5/25/2008 06:13:00 PM) - Al Alfonso Soriano lost a ball in the sun today in PIT, and it bouned off his glove...and was ruled a double. Any doubt at all that's an error in Miller Park? MP costs the Crew about 20 hits a year, and gives them an extra 20 errors. 5/25/2008 06:13:00 PM (5/25/2008 05:49:00 PM) - Al Just a quick note, Jeff Suppan has gone 5+ innings in 8 of 10 starts, and 6+ in 6 of 10 starts. Compare that to Parra, who had a similar ERA going into today, but he has gone 5+ 6 of 10 times...but 6+ only once. That's why Suppan is so valuable, my friends. 5/25/2008 05:49:00 PM (5/25/2008 04:48:00 PM) - Al Shocking comeback today, and a stellar performance by the bullpen, but it all winds up being for naught. To be honest, it would have been better had the Crew "punted", saving the bullpen for tomorrow and beyond. But, no one knew that at the time. I was a little surprised to see Mota come out for his second inning of work, but if he said he felt good, more power to him. Sadly, he'll probably be out of action tomorrow now. As has often been the case, it was a walk that hurt him. Gotta make the opposition beat you with their bats, not by watching pitches. What really affected things was Parra only being able to give the club 13 outs. Some bad luck involved then too, as they rallied in the top of the 6th, forcing them to PH for DiFelice, who I'm sure they would have preferred go another frame. Dillard was again impressive, though he was helped in his second frame by a caught stealing, diving catch by Kapler, and web gem by Rickie (with a nice stretch by Prince as well). But, in the end, it all comes down to having your SP's give you innings, even when you don't have your best stuff. 4 runs in 5-6 innings won't devastate your relief corps, but 6 runs in 4+ will. But that's one of the risks you have when you have young starters, they are often not able to get through 5 or 6 without decent stuff. Losing Parra early forces others to go longer and deeper than you would like. 5/25/2008 04:48:00 PM (5/25/2008 01:47:00 AM) - Al Indiana Jones 4 will make about $150M on opening weekend. You know, I've heard the movies are dying since Beta came out, and with gas prices and the economy, I'm surprised anyone came out from under their blankets to see this flick. I sure hope the sarcasm came out properly in that last sentence. 5/25/2008 01:47:00 AM (5/25/2008 01:17:00 AM) - Al I was flipping between Under Siege (again, I'm just a sucker for goofy action flicks, though I doubt if I would tune in so often if not for Erika Eleniak) and the FSN Final Score (I'd watch ESPN, but I don't drink), and I grabbed the copy of City Pages my wife had picked up. I like reading City Pages, for those of you who are unaware, CP is a free weekly that leans left just a smidge (about the same amount Jerry Falwell leans right). I recall with great fondness an article it had a couple years ago, as it was discussing the fact WI was considering a concealed weapon law, a fact the paper hinted would lead to guns being drawn at most all gatherings, and would be the worst possible thing you could ever imagine. In passing, it then said that 46 states already had a similar law...hmmm, I haven't heard of mass trouble in the 92% of states that have this, I thought to myself. In this issue, Joel McNally, who used to writer for the State Journal I think, just ripped Mike Huckabee for making a joke about Obama dodging gunfire. I'll be the first to admit, it was a dumb thing to say...but what do you think the odds are of him talking so negatively of Hillary Clinton's assassination remarks...pretty doubtful, I'd have to say. 5/25/2008 01:17:00 AM (5/25/2008 01:01:00 AM) - Al Glenn picks on the "sky is falling" media, who still seem disappointed they are not in a recession (though I feel obligated to say "probably not"). This time, they say how incredibly spendy it is to grill for Memorial Day. There was a ABC news report much like this I saw twice, once on ABC and once when the local news ran it on the 10PM news. One woman, who seemed a bit dramatic, said, "You'd like to buy nice things when you have guests, but you just can't afford to"...which seemed a bit of an overreaction, much like Glenn points out. Of course, Aldi has buns for 75 cents a pack, but for me, that's across town, so I paid $1.19 for mine. If I bought hot dogs, there are several brands really cheap, about 69 cents. Somehow, I doubt they used those. Pop is of course pricier because it uses corn syrup, and somehow, I'm sure snack chips are related to corn's price rise as well. And I use ground chicken, which I enjoy just as much as beef, but I was only able to make 3 decent size burgers out of a pound, as so much fat drips away during the grilling. I'm not sure what the fattest part of poultry is, but whatever it is, the ground stuff in a tube is full of it. I have my pork chops marinating overnight. I was lucky enough to find them on sale (rather, saw they were on sale and thought that sounded good), a pack for $3 was about $1.80 as long as you had the store card (or asked the register operator to scan one for you). I'm pretty sure if the AP did a story detailing my pork chop lunch I intend to have tomorrow, they'd use the $3 to signify how expensive my shoulder shops are, regardless of what I actually paid. 5/25/2008 01:01:00 AM (5/25/2008 12:41:00 AM) - Al Doug says exactly what I said 10 days ago...the Brewers aren't going to release Turnbow as long as they are paying him. If he works something out, they will be the ones to benefit. Tom H has been around the game forever, and still, he doesn't seem to understand the simplest things about it. 5/25/2008 12:41:00 AM (5/25/2008 12:28:00 AM) - Al Russ Branyan up from Nashville, and will play 3B Sunday. Tony Jr. sent down, very little playing time for him with the other 3 OF's healthy. We'll see what kind of playing time Branyan gets...I would expect him to maybe start once a series, or something like that, versus the toughest RHP. Hall has really been swinging a nice bat the past few days, even after a RH relief guy has been brought in. 5/25/2008 12:28:00 AM Saturday, May 24, 2008 (5/24/2008 09:28:00 PM) - Al I was just reading over the comments on the JS blog (I also enjoy pulling my fingernails out with pliers), and a couple people said something to the effect of "Why take Carlos V out after one inning"? This was followed up with a witty statement like "Fire Yost" or "I haven't had a date since 1998", but hence, I digress. Seriously, it's like they still think the Crew plays in the AL. Carlos was PH for in the bottom of the inning. And, just a note, with a 1-2 run lead, my top choice to be on the mound is not a guy with a 6+ ERA. Take the 3 outs you got from him and run with it. To be honest, I think Ned has really done a fine job of thinking "out of the box", having Mota go 2 frames tonight, having Shouse keep the team in the game last night because the Nats do not have LH power for Brian to be used as a loogy, getting Dillard in right away in a low pressure situation, how he's used DiFelice and Jackson, and so on. But, much like John McLaren in SEA, there may well come a time when a move is made. It's one of those things, and often times, it's a shame, but it's a given. Joe Torre was fired in SL, and came out much better for it, eventually. I can't say I've ever heard of a single manager fired for forgetting to double switch or running out of players in the 8th inning, or pitchers in the 9th (though LaRussa has, many times). As they said last night on ESPN, last year, the Brewers were 2nd in SLG, and this year, they are 12th. You need not look further than that, and to be honest, many of the ideas to improve the team that have been put forth are painfully shortsighted and dare I say, stupid. Tonight, they hit enough and held DC to 2 runs...hey, that will usually do it. And, to be blunt, I saw many "in the know" people say McClung was a horrible choice, despite his excellent numbers since being left in to take a beating in early April. Even when the numbers add up, many are still stuck in a bizarro world where Carlos V is a better option, even though the numbers say otherwise...and then will criticize Yost for being "too stuck in his ways". Heh. 5/24/2008 09:28:00 PM (5/24/2008 08:56:00 PM) - Al Bill Hall, to use a term that used to be associated with Rickie a lot, just needs to "slow the game" down a bit. Heck, Rickie still does it, he almost always makes sure of one before trying to get two, he pauses before throwing to 1B on most grounders, and so on. Of course, when it works, like when he caught the line drive versus SL and then doubled off Pujols before hitting the ground, the accolades were soon to follow. On a related note, the other day, we discussed both Weeks and Hall having incredible low BAbip (BA on balls in play). Since then, both have "gotten hot", or as many might say "things have evened out". We'll see if that continues. I believe Weeks was .209 and Hall was .220, or something like that. Weeks is up over .220 and Hall is over .250 now. If only we get Ryan and Prince going at the same time... 5/24/2008 08:56:00 PM (5/24/2008 08:15:00 PM) - Al Add Estaban Loaiza to the ever growing list of possible AAA pickups for depth purposes. He has struggled with injuries the past 2 years, but has had a good career...kind of a poor man's Jeff Suppan. 5/24/2008 08:15:00 PM (5/24/2008 07:38:00 PM) - Al Outstanding outing by Seth McClung tonight, untouchable until the 5th, and just a pair of runs in 5 complete. Needless to say, he's earned another start, and hopefully, will be able to build up stamina so he can go 100 pitches. 5/24/2008 07:38:00 PM (5/24/2008 11:07:00 AM) - Al Nothing bores me more than independent teams embarrassing themselves by making "made for the media" trades, and then seeing the media, who wonder aloud why they are losing readers, run with it like an escort service sting during sweeps month. The really sad thing is, indy leagues have grown like weeds in the past few years, as major and minor league baseball has had record attendance, these rogue leagues have sprung up and rode the wave of baseball's popularity. But, rather than capitalize on it by getting involved in the community and marketing itself as inexpensive, healthy outdoor family entertainment...we get press releases heralding the fact a human being was traded for $600 worth of equipment. 5/24/2008 11:07:00 AM Friday, May 23, 2008 (5/23/2008 10:27:00 PM) - Al Just a quick comment on Tim Dillard...I'm not sure how in the world a guy that throws 95-96...and has a breaking ball (either a slider or cut fastball) that clocked at 91; can throw 164.33 AAA frames and only strike out 81 hitters, less than 4.5 K/9, is beyond me. Even if you have a "straight" fastball, that's hard to believe. He's one of those guys that's a better prospect than his numbers indicate, though at the end of the day, my ceiling for him goes only from "11th/12th man on the staff" to "could be an effective middle reliever". 5/23/2008 10:27:00 PM (5/23/2008 10:24:00 PM) - Al Tom H reports the Brewers have interest in Julian Taverez...he's about a week late in asking Doug, but, I've come to expect this. 5/23/2008 10:24:00 PM (5/23/2008 06:53:00 PM) - Al I'm not saying the camera at the DC stadium is high, but I believe I just saw the space station circling the planet the last time they showed a fly ball to CF. 5/23/2008 06:53:00 PM (5/23/2008 06:26:00 PM) - Al Brandon Medders was DFA'd by the D'Backs to make room for Doug Davis. Medders will never be a star, but he is young, cheap, and has decent enough stats in the big leagues to make him an option for many clubs. 5/23/2008 06:26:00 PM (5/23/2008 06:18:00 PM) - Al As expected, Eric Gagne does go on the DL to make room for Tim Dillard. 5/23/2008 06:18:00 PM (5/23/2008 05:25:00 PM) - Al Dave Pinto sums up Rob Neyer's feelings on instant replay, and I agree...in the age we live in, where everyone knows everything 5 seconds after it happens. 5/23/2008 05:25:00 PM (5/23/2008 05:08:00 PM) - Al A list of a dozen or so of McCain's VP choices...I can't say anyone jumps out at me and screams "pick me". 5/23/2008 05:08:00 PM (5/23/2008 04:57:00 PM) - Al The Rambling wife and son left a while ago to spend the holiday weekend at her parent's lake front cottage, and I just got home from a trip to the store stocking up on their sale items (watermelon, sweet corn, and pork chops). While there, I also bought cereal and lamb chops, which I mention because I am currently having Fruit Loops for supper, and have never bought lamb before. All they had was "Amish" lamb, which I guess means it never drove a car. Part of the sacrifice, I guess. 5/23/2008 04:57:00 PM (5/23/2008 04:41:00 PM) - Al Al, After playing the penguin game a while, I read the blog that Aaron linked to about the Twins' eat all wish deal. I really liked it, and forwarded the link to everyone left in the office. One woman sent a note back and said, "How could anyone eat enough food for that to be worthwhile"? Some people just don't get it, I guess. Peter I'd be ahead before the first pitch, Peter. It'd literally be like a dream come true. 5/23/2008 04:41:00 PM (5/23/2008 04:40:00 PM) - Al Hi Al, I am a fan of your blog. I liked Juno a great deal. I thought it was clever and written extremely well. Just my opinion. Clint See, someone liked it.:) 5/23/2008 04:40:00 PM (5/23/2008 01:34:00 PM) - Al Good friend of Ramblings James sends along this penguin game that I've linked to before, fun if you need to pass the time before your long weekend. 5/23/2008 01:34:00 PM (5/23/2008 01:26:00 PM) - Al 10 tips to get better mileage. A condensed version would read "never use the brakes and put more air in your tires". 5/23/2008 01:26:00 PM (5/23/2008 01:13:00 PM) - Al Philip e-mails this JS blog entry with info on popcorn prices and movie tiks. Money quote: This can be attributed to the demand for ethanol, which will claim 40% of next year's corn crop, munching away at the margins of theaters that rely on concession sales for as much as 45% of their revenue. I have a lot more respect for Jim Cramer, who was the first to realize this, a good trip around the sun before most of us did. Kudos, sir. 5/23/2008 01:13:00 PM (5/23/2008 12:46:00 PM) - Al Aaron Gleeman is a must read anyway, but today, his 2nd item in his "link report" is about the Twins' all-you-can-eat night, which many of us would love to partake in...even if it meant long lines. I can only imagine how many of these folks ordered diet soft drinks...as I would...as they filled themselves up to discomfort. EDIT: Toward the bottom, Aaron links that Mutt Lange, one of the ugliest people on the planet mind you, is divorcing Shania Twain because of his relationship with this woman. Stop the world, I wanna get off. 5/23/2008 12:46:00 PM (5/23/2008 12:31:00 PM) - Al Tim Dillard brought up to round out the bullpen, so it looks like Eric Gagne is headed for the DL. Note, this info comes from the JS, so hopefully, it is reliable.:) As I noted here, Dillard is not likely to wow anyone, and is probably in for a short stay. However, they might have said this about Dave Riske several years ago as well. 5/23/2008 12:31:00 PM (5/23/2008 12:11:00 PM) - Al They had a piece on the news last night that the Memorial Day weekend traffic is expected to be down 1%. To say the least, that seems like a minor drop, almost nonexistent. One gent caused us both the Rambling wife and I to laugh out loud, as he stood in front of his $20K camper, which probably gets 5 miles per gallon, and said something to the effect of "It's tough. Those stimulus checks are going right in the gas tank", hinting that if not for the Bush idea, most folks would be sitting at home, car in the driveway or garage, unable to afford gas to go to work, shopping, etc. This seems to be a common feeling, and while I would assume it has caused a small drop in recreational driving, people are not going to break habits and change plans because it now costs $10 more to fill up than it did last year. The idea the new Indy Jones movie is going to gross $150M on its opening weekend indicates to me disposable income is still plentiful. Is it as much as it was last year? Probably not, but as with the traffic, I don't see many noticing the 1% decline, despite claims otherwise. 5/23/2008 12:11:00 PM (5/23/2008 12:01:00 PM) - Al In the wake of Yovani Gallardo's season-ending knee injury, the Brewers' hunt for pitching depth led them to make a run at Julian Tavarez this week -- as serious a run, in fact, as Colorado. But the Brewers aren't through looking. They have Jeff Weaver stashed at Triple-A (where he's 1-1, 5.40 after three starts). And other scouts report they've been investigating a variety of once-familiar names currently toiling in Triple-A -- a group we call the Bartolo Colon All-Stars.--Jayson Stark COL signed Glendon Rusch, so if the Crew wants Julian, they should be able to get him. However, with the staff as it is right now, I don't think they'll be in a huge rush either...as it is doubtful these veterans in AAA are going to be any better than DiFelice. 5/23/2008 12:01:00 PM (5/23/2008 11:13:00 AM) - Al Hey Al, I have tried to keep a level head about this season because I cringe at some of these "extreme" fans that call in on talk shows and post on message boards. At some point over the past week I am starting for the first time in 2 seasons questioning whether or not the problem isn't more then a hot/cold issue. I hear all these fans talking about how cold the team is and how it "has" to heat up. My question is why does it have to heat up? Is it a matter of the Brewers hitters struggling or have opposing pitchers adjusted from last season? What has our back half of the rotation showed over the first 6+ weeks that leads you to believe that they are going to pull themselves out of it? Is the real problem in the way the club was constructed? This is not a shot at Doug Melvin or Ned Yost but are fans of this team expecting to be something they aren't? This team, the way it is constructed, is not going to be a high OBP team, it isn't going to be good at moving runners over, and it is going to strike out a lot. This team relied on the long ball last season and teams have adjusted. If Doug Melvin's track record shows anything it shows that his teams are offensively built and not as strong on the pitching side. So to think there is a magic pill down in the minors is going to lead to a lot of frustrations. The lack of a major league level closer, 2 major league level starting pitchers, and a good hitting lefty is going to cause doom and gloom for us Brewers fans for another season. The only way you fix all those problems is by trading Prince Fielder and that will NEVER happen. The biggest fear of mine is that fans are expecting the armature draft (Josh Fields, RP, Georgia) to produce major league ready talent now and that is not Melvin's thing. Thanks for allowing me for a place to vent. Craig Thanks for writing Craig, and I feel it's best to take a look at your statements broken up a bit. is not going to be a high OBP team Last year the Crew had a .329 OBP, which was 11th in the NL. this year, with Kendall and Cameron replacing Estrada and the Jenkins/Mench platoon, they have a .323 OBP, which is 12th. So, I think that it is quite possible they end up with a slightly higher OBP, but you are correct, it is built for power, not for OBP. Taking a long-term view, I feel it would be nice to replace one player on the left side of the IF with a bit of a OBP guy. For this year, however, Weeks reverting back to career norms and Hall as well would be a good start. it isn't going to be good at moving runners over, and it is going to strike out a lot. First of all, they are in the bottom half of NL teams in K's, so they are striking out less...but note it hasn't helped them score runs. It is not a small ball team, which is a good thing, so I can't say I'm concerned about hitting 4-3 groundouts. his teams are offensively built and not as strong on the pitching side That's a bit unfair, because while we can argue about Claudio Vargas, the truth is, if Capuano and Gallardo were healthy, the back of the rotation would probably not be an issue. As Mark A said, it's one thing to have injuries, it's another to lose 2 SP's for the year by May 9th. However, if forced to concentrate on one or the other, I would rather have offense, because it tends to be more consistent and easier to gauge. Also, Miller Park is a park that is pretty much neutral, but does favor HR's...which is exactly how Doug has built the team, to play 81 games at MP. The lack of a major league level closer Again,this team has a very good record when ahead after 8 innings...19-2, or something like that, so the concern about a closer is a bit overblown. 2 major league level starting pitchers Every team could use more pitching, and if you look at the guys who have struggled (right now, Carlos and Dave), both came into the season with solid major league numbers. Hopefully, one or both will return to form (or McClung will finally hit his considerable potential). and a good hitting lefty is going to cause doom and gloom As I pointed out the other day, they are not hitting RH's or LH's, so I think the numbers versus RHP will rise as the numbers balance out. In a perfect world, they would have more balance, but a team of Ryan Brauns would score a plenty, and they'd all hit RH. The only way you fix all those problems is by trading Prince Fielder and that will NEVER happen. No team is going to trade several major league ready players for anyone, even Prince. However, I could easily be convinced this would be a stronger team with a decent 1B (someone like a Scott Hatteberg)and a pair of young top tier guys Prince would bring. However, the thing about Prince is this...he has pretty decent numbers right now, and he isn't even remotely hitting like he did in '07. The biggest fear of mine is that fans are expecting the amateur draft (Josh Fields, RP, Georgia) to produce major league ready talent now and that is not Melvin's thing. I think you're safe there, because most fans could not tell you when the draft is or a single player that will be taken. The Crew has 7 picks in the top 100, and 9 in the first 5 rounds, which are considered the premium rounds. I think they will take at least one catcher and one college pitcher in those early picks, and then just go with the "best available" the rest of the time. This is a team that will always be built through the draft, as that is what the market dictates. The strange thing is, several teams expected to be right in the race (NYY, DET, CLE, COL, SD) have about the same or worse records than the Brewers. The margin for error is not that great for any team, especially if you lose a few guys to injury. 5/23/2008 11:13:00 AM (5/23/2008 11:02:00 AM) - Al Informed guesstimates from my box office gurus before the film opened ranged from a North American low of $142 million to a high of $175 million for the well-reviewed pic. I think the answer lies somewhere in between -- around $160M. Then again, that's not taking into account how movie theaters are raising ticket prices by a dollar or two this summer because popcorn is more expensive.--Nikki Finke 1. Why would you raise the admission and not the price of popcorn? 2. Thanks ethanol. 5/23/2008 11:02:00 AM (5/23/2008 01:23:00 AM) - Al Even Adam and Ned comment on the Crew's tough schedule thus far. 5/23/2008 01:23:00 AM (5/23/2008 01:05:00 AM) - Al Hey Al, love the blog. I appreciate your sound logic.(that's as best as I can say it) Just wondering if you have seen any of Werner Herzog's other films. It may have been a bit harsh to say he should be ashamed of making films portraying that behavior. Herzog's main characters share the trait of constant obsession all the way back to Aguirre, Wrath of God; so I'm not suprigsed he was attracted to the Treadwell persona. I guess it's sort of a theme in his work. I agree with you about Juno, though. Jared So, where are all those people who loved Juno? 5/23/2008 01:05:00 AM (5/23/2008 12:34:00 AM) - Al Turnbow in Nashville tonight...2 outs, 1 hit, 4 walks. That sound you heard was Derrick hitting rock bottom. You can't go much lower than not being able to get through an inning at a level where no one cares about the outcome. 5/23/2008 12:34:00 AM (5/23/2008 12:15:00 AM) - Al Riske still feeling discomfort, but hopes to be ok in a week, when eligible to come off the DL. 5/23/2008 12:15:00 AM Thursday, May 22, 2008 (5/22/2008 08:27:00 PM) - Al Sometimes, it's just not your night, as proven by the Pirates' 7th inning, 3 ground balls, bases loaded. If you didn't see it, you wouldn't believe it. 5/22/2008 08:27:00 PM (5/22/2008 08:22:00 PM) - Al DiFelice might have a future in the bullpen, as he looks to be nearly unhittable versus RH hitters. Pat Neshek of the Twins had astounding splits in this way as well, but I doubt if Mark will be able to hold lefties to a 700 OPS. However, used against mostly RH's, his stuff might allow him to spend some time in the majors. 5/22/2008 08:22:00 PM (5/22/2008 06:22:00 PM) - Al Gagne has rotator cuff tendonitis, and won't pitch until at least Sunday, after having a cortisone shot. If another pitcher is needed before then, looks like Eric will be DL'd. 5/22/2008 06:22:00 PM (5/22/2008 06:12:00 PM) - Al I was surprised the brewers were favored today too... they were actually underdogs last night with sheets on the mound and I was able to profit from that. Peculiar they'd be dogs last night and favorites tonight. Kevin Without a doubt. 5/22/2008 06:12:00 PM (5/22/2008 06:10:00 PM) - Al Like you, my fiancee and I just watched "Juno" and echo your sentiments exactly. We were a touch disappointed. It almost felt like the movie was trying achingly hard to live up to the "offbeat look at teen pregnancy" that post-release hype had promised. Obviously, that's not possible, but I also felt uncomfortable with the blossoming friendship between Ellen Page and Jason Bateman, and then found myself wondering if that was inattentive viewing on my part (if the movie genuinely did not mean to suggest that "felony" possibility, and my head was just in the gutter) or a major misstep on the film's part. Hmpf. I confess I do love The Shawshank Redemption, but I'm pretty much gaga over anything produced by Stephen King's pen. With Juno, it appears we had the same experience. JR Good to know I'm not the only one. 5/22/2008 06:10:00 PM (5/22/2008 04:07:00 PM) - Al I usually leave the discussion of films to Robert, but I wanted to comment on a couple disappointing films I got from Netflix recently. Grizzly Man is a much discussed documentary about Tim Treadwell, a fella who hung out with bears in Alaska for more than a decade, with predictable results. Even though I had very low expectations, it was just painful to see how stupid this guy was, and what a shame that he is now revered as a hero to some. Honestly, I would have barely had the patience to spend 15 minutes with this ignorant guy, who reminds me of those who complain about the DNR telling them they can't have a wild animal for a pet, and then have no idea how to dispose of the creature once it grows too big for their home. It's just such a waste of time and energy. To be blunt, the filmmaker should be ashamed of himself for glamorizing such behavior. Surprisingly, I was also shocked how little I liked Juno, billed as a funny film about a teen who decides on adoption for her unborn baby. There were some cute moments, so it wasn't a total waste of time, but it wasn't nearly as good as I had heard. The teen was so unbelievable, she talked with teen slang but the vocabulary of a 40 year-old. There was an uncomfortable "closeness" with the adoptive father, which I was afraid was going to go down a felony path, and all the teens other than the main character were just facades, goofy kids who acted as if they were 10 or 12, not 16-17. One of the ongoing jokes was that every time an adult asked the pregnant teen if she was "sexually active", she would complain, "What does that even mean?"...well, it's rather apparent what the definition is, and how this kid who speaks in paragraphs doesn't get it, I am not sure. I tell you what, maybe I just had high expectations for Juno. It was much better than Grizzly Man, but so is watching Nick at Nite. I have to wonder how many people who just adored Juno simply have no one to compare the heroine to, and don't really see her as an unattainable stereotype. Of course, I did not understand the fuss over The Shawshank Redemption either, so maybe I'm just out of the mainstream critical film buzz. 5/22/2008 04:07:00 PM (5/22/2008 03:32:00 PM) - Al I was surprised to see the Brewers are a slight favorite tonight, which seems strange for several reasons...nearly identical records and the Pirates being the home team alone would lead me to believe PIT would be favored. You add in that Bush has not been effective in '08, I am surprised to see that the Crew is in the favored column. Years ago, I recall a professional sports bettor saying that in addition to looking for trends and "strange" lines, he almost always followed two simple rules...in fact, when he was running bad, he would often just bet these two "proven" ideas: 1. Bet on any team that has won 4 or more games in a row. 2. Bet on any home team that has lost the first 2 (or 3) games in the series...the road team will often be happy to win a road series, and the home team does not want to get swept. Hopefully, the Brewers will get a good game from Bush tonight and have a good chance to sweep, but I have to imagine the "smart money" is probably on the Pirates this evening. For all the latest action, head over to Bodog by following this link. MLB, NHL, NBA, and Indy 500 lines are just a click away. 5/22/2008 03:32:00 PM (5/22/2008 09:26:00 AM) - Al Two available relievers DFA'd yesterday...Cha Seung Baek by the Mariners and Franklyn German by the Rangers. Both seem like capable back of the bullpen options, and as you'd expect from free talent, come with warts. German walks a ton of batters, and Baek has never really hit his potential, and has a career ERA over 5. However, many guys who have struggled in the rotation have turned into solid relief arms...Dave Weathers comes to mind right away. 5/22/2008 09:26:00 AM (5/22/2008 12:55:00 AM) - Al We'll see if any sort of actual platoon emerges, or if they just give Hall a day off each series versus a tough RHP. Either way, it bodes nicely for Russ Branyan finding a spot on the 25 man eventually. I think it also might be a way to try to convince Billy to be a bit more of a "slap hitter", especially when behind in the count. For the most part, any of the methods the Brewers claim to teach about a "2 strike approach" has completely missed Hall, who despite a 35 homer pace, needs plate discipline. If he'd stop chasing breaking balls in the dirt, he'd automatically improve all his stats. 5/22/2008 12:55:00 AM Wednesday, May 21, 2008 (5/21/2008 10:23:00 PM) - Robert R. Al beat me to the comments I wanted to make on Eveland. And tonight was a good reminder of how valuable Ben Sheets is. As a digression, Memorial Day weekend is coming up. My friends and I typically get together this weekend to watch war movies and I suspect we're not the only ones. For something beyond the well known classics, a few thoughts on one of my favorite little subgenres, the resistance picture. America has been fortunate to never have been occupied by a foreign power. As such, the resistance picture really isn't an American story and has only rarely been approached by Hollywood. One can make the argument that Red Dawn is the only true American resistance movie, although I think we can all see the problematic nature of counting that. Considering that the resistance story is fundamentally a European story, it's little wonder that those stories have mostly been relegated to the Europeans themselves as it's problematic for Americans to present all the shades of gray without appearing to criticize from abroad. In general, the resistance is treated by Americans in an idealized light as a result. In fact, there's really only one Hollywood resistance picture that truly leaps out to me, John Frankenheimer's The Train. Fortunately, it's a doozy encompassing everything good about Hollywood action movies of the period. There's some wonderful set pieces and a pair of strong actors, Burt Lancaster and Paul Scofield, representing the two sides of the conflict. Scofield portrays a Nazi Colonel who wants to loot Paris of some great art treasures. Lancaster portrays a French resistance leader who, reluctantly at first and then with greater and greater passion, blocks his plans. There's even a bit of moral gray thrown in as the Nazi Colonel genuinely appreciates and even loves this artwork while Lancaster couldn't care less about any of it. To further complicate things, Lancaster's task is infinitely harder as he must stop the train without damaging the priceless treasure inside. If The Train was in color it would be a perennial favorite. But for true complexity, you can't beat the Europeans. If anything the European films have an unromantic view of the resistance, the price paid, and the fact that the person that you'd bet your life on one week could be hopelessly compromised the next. The wellspring of all resistance movies is the great Rome, Open City. So influential is it that some have argued that it was the source of the entire Italian Neo-Realism movement. Completed less than a year after the liberation of Italy, it's a film of great power that's still impactful today. It details the occupation of Rome by the Nazi's, their brutal oppression, and the often impossible odds that the resistance struggled with at great cost to themselves. Most significant is the role of Anna Magnani who brings home the tremendous sacrifices made by women under the occupation. Perhaps the most well known French movie is Army of Shadows which was only recently released in America. Directed by Jean-Pierre Melville, who delivered a string of impossibly cool crime and heist films in the 1960s, this is a period piece that's very much of the style of his contemporary crime pictures. Random meetings, hairs breadth escapes that are often the result of luck and coincidence as much as planning, people putting their complete trust in someone they've just met and yet not knowing precisely who you can trust, and the willingness to make the supreme sacrifice for some goal that is perhaps meaningless in the big picture. This is a terrific picture and very entertaining. Paul Verhoeven, who witnessed the Nazi occupation, has two significant resistance pictures. Soldier of Orange, which I unfortunately haven't seen. And the deliberately provocative Black Book which I have seen and reviewed here. So provocative that you may find yourself rooting for the Nazi Colonel at points in the story with all the mixed emotions that entails. It's an engine designed to entertain, thrill, provoke, and titillate. It's not the masterpiece of Rome, Open City or Army of Shadows, but the popcorn movie equivalent that still raises many of the same issues and dives headfirst into a byzantine maze of morality and betrayal. You probably can't find Rome, Open City at your local Blockbuster and you'll probably be hit or miss on the others, but they're all worth seeking out if you want to delve into some less familiar war movies. 5/21/2008 10:23:00 PM (5/21/2008 08:57:00 PM) - Al For those looking for Mitch Stetter to rebound, he had his initial outing Monday and walked 2 in a scoreless frame, then retired the only batter he faced today. Let's hope he throws effectively enough to return at least when the 10 days are up...or to replace Gagne if he does go on the DL. If Eric is indeed out for a stretch, other options would be Tim Dillard or Luis Pena. Dillard looks to be a low ceiling guy, as his K numbers are very low for AAA. Pena has pitched much better of late than his numbers indicate, and is said to have very good, closer-type stuff. I have not been checking out Turnbow's outings, but his numbers look horrific (11 walks, 11 outs...oof). I'm surprised they are not having him start a few games just to get innings in, go 2-3 frames and then let the regularly scheduled SP go at it. 5/21/2008 08:57:00 PM (5/21/2008 08:38:00 PM) - Al Ben with a gem in Pittsburgh, though he had to throw about 8-10 more pitches than most of us would have liked to see...if Cameron doesn't fall down on a fly ball, that would have helped a lot. Weeks might have been able to turn a double play had the ball not got stuck in his glove, but I don't think so. So, let's be honest...if Yost would have been fired on Monday like some buffoon looking for hits said, there would be many wondering if the Crew would be undefeated thus far.:) It's a lot easier to look like a smart manager when you score 4 runs or more and/or give up 4 runs or less. I believe that makes the Crew: when scoring 4+: 20-8 when giving up 4 or less: 17-5 Weeks is seeing the ball better as well of late. Maybe some of that bad luck is evening out. 5/21/2008 08:38:00 PM (5/21/2008 08:35:00 PM) - Al Dana Eveland throws a CG for the A's. We all knew he could be the guy to come back and "bite us" when he was let go. I admit, I found it hilarious how many gave up on him because he was a 22 & 23 year-old lefty who struggled a bit. Doug Melvin knew it might happen as well, but unless you decide never to trade a young pitcher, it will happen from time to time. 5/21/2008 08:35:00 PM (5/21/2008 08:10:00 PM) - Al I get about an e-mail a week asking what is meant by folks when they say the Brewers have had a tough schedule thus far, how is it ranked, and so on. The link can be found here that shows the Brewers have had the toughest schedule in MLB thus far. It is figured how you would expect, they simply take the opponent's W/L mark, though I am not sure if they remove the games regarding the Crew or not. 5/21/2008 08:10:00 PM (5/21/2008 06:59:00 PM) - Al T Boone Pickens is investing in a huge wind farm to be built in Texas. I never knew there was a "wind corridor". Guess I've been living in a cave. As Glenn points out, luckily, there's no chance of the Kennedy clan complaining this interferes with their view by their beach front estate either. 5/21/2008 06:59:00 PM (5/21/2008 06:53:00 PM) - Al McCain looks to be interviewing VP's this weekend, and the usual suspects are mentioned. 5/21/2008 06:53:00 PM (5/21/2008 06:15:00 PM) - Al Gagne is flying back to Milwaukee to have his shoulder looked at. Eric described it as normal tightness that usually goes away. It would seem like a DL stint could be upcoming. 5/21/2008 06:15:00 PM Tuesday, May 20, 2008 (5/20/2008 11:56:00 PM) - Al Adam's report on Yost blasts the JS far more than Tony's JS report did, although he may add more in his story for tomorrow. I am always a fan when someone other than myself is critical of the JS, so good to see. EDIT/BUMP: Tony does not change his story at all for the paper. Not only did Tom quote a source as reliable as the corner beauty shop, Tony, at best, hides most of what was said by Yost because it was critical of the JS. Geez, they're weak. 5/20/2008 11:56:00 PM (5/20/2008 11:43:00 PM) - Al Gagne has shoulder stiffness, which could be nothing, or could be quite serious. He will be checked tomorrow. 5/20/2008 11:43:00 PM (5/20/2008 09:03:00 PM) - Al Credit should be given to tonight's home plate umpire, who has been as good as anyone all year. I have not seen a single "What?" call all evening. 5/20/2008 09:03:00 PM (5/20/2008 09:01:00 PM) - Al Does Nate McLouth ever get down the line quickly. He has that lefty advantage, but rarely is anyone faster than Weeks and Braun. 5/20/2008 09:01:00 PM (5/20/2008 08:41:00 PM) - Al The Bucks lose ground and will pick 8th in the lottery. I forgot to mention this the other day, and was reminded of it by him coming to the plate again...how weak is the Pirates' PH crew if the choice late in the game, twice now, is Luis Rivas? He barely has a .300 lifetime OBP, he makes Craig Counsell (lifetime .343 OBP) look like an all-star. 5/20/2008 08:41:00 PM (5/20/2008 08:17:00 PM) - Al Cubs placed RHP Chad Fox on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to May 12, with ulnar neuritis in his right arm. Sadly, I guess Robert had the 12th in the Ramblings' pool o' Chad Fox's inevitable injury. I have little doubt he can still pitch, as his slider is unhittable when right and he still has enough velocity, but in order for him to be healthy and effective, he can only go a single inning and cannot pitch consecutive days...and even then, he's not a good bet to remain uninjured. 5/20/2008 08:17:00 PM (5/20/2008 08:11:00 PM) - Al Nelson Cruz hit his 12th and 13th homers for Triple-A Oklahoma on Monday. Cruz leads the PCL with an 1164 OPS and is second to Dallas McPherson in homers. The showing might earn him another chance with the Rangers later. Still, it's going to take more than outstanding minor league numbers to get people believing in him again.--Rotoworld Nelson might still have a future as a platoon guy or maybe even a CF, as you'll get chances if you play solid defense, have a great arm, and compile a 1150+ OPS, even in the offensive weighted PCL. If he hit LH, I'm sure message boards would be hailing him as the Crew's savior, despite hellish big league performance.:) 5/20/2008 08:11:00 PM (5/20/2008 08:06:00 PM) - Al Gary Bennett admitted that a "mental block" has zapped his confidence in his ability to throw the ball back to the pitcher. Bennett has been making high, slow tosses back to the pitcher all season. He's been seeing a sports psychologist since early spring training, and has been working on throwing the ball back to the mound during bullpen sessions. He says it doesn't affect the way he throws to the bases, despite making two bad throws to first in his start on Friday. This is what drove Mackey Sasser from the game, about two decades ago, as Dave Cone was exhausted from having to run all over corralling Sasser's tosses back to him. It seems almost beyond belief, but happens just often enough to be an actual "problem". Bennett caught the game I attended last week, I wish I would have known, I could have paid attention. 5/20/2008 08:06:00 PM (5/20/2008 08:04:00 PM) - Al Red Sox sent RHP Julian Tavarez outright to Triple-A Pawtucket. Tavarez has accepted the assignment, apparently to give the Red Sox a few more days to finalize the trade they've been working on. The Rockies and Brewers have expresed interested in the right-hander. With no trade made, apparently BOS could not get what they wanted in compensation, or COL & MIL could not get the Red Sox to throw in enough cash. 5/20/2008 08:04:00 PM (5/20/2008 08:00:00 PM) - Al Bert says he has the same audio trouble as I do, but also has Charter...does anyone that does not use Charter also have bad sound? 5/20/2008 08:00:00 PM (5/20/2008 07:57:00 PM) - Al DePo with a tale of scouting on the road. You'd think the scout in question would have plenty of time to file his report while on the road. 5/20/2008 07:57:00 PM (5/20/2008 07:37:00 PM) - Al Let's be honest, could 4 guys you pulled off the street do any worse umpiring a game? You don't even bother looking to see if the 3B hung onto the ball, and then when asked, you lie and say it was when he pulled the ball out...even though his bare hand was nowhere near the glove? As I have said before, if it's a close call, you can count on it being wrong, and anyone can call it otherwise. So exactly, what good are they? 5/20/2008 07:37:00 PM (5/20/2008 07:13:00 PM) - Al Seth McClung will get Carlos' start this weekend. Seth has been very good in the bullpen, sans a single "take one for the team" outing early in the campaign. Hopefully, he'll be able to be as effective in the rotation...that said, it won't take a whole lot to put up a 6 ERA averaging 5 innings per. I've defended Seth since he was acquired, as he's a perfect example of "you can't teach velocity". But, if he's as good as a SP as he has been so far, he will be a definite upgrade over the status quo. 5/20/2008 07:13:00 PM (5/20/2008 07:10:00 PM) - Al PNC Park looks like it has about 5-6K "in the seats" tonight. They look to be doing a nice job of rebuilding, but it is tough on the gate. 5/20/2008 07:10:00 PM (5/20/2008 07:05:00 PM) - Al The networks overall audience average (41.5 million viewers) is off 7% from the 2006-07 campaign (44.8 million), according to Nielsen. By comparison, ad-supported cable saw a 9% increase in 18-49 rating (17.4 vs. 15.9) and 7% in total viewers (51.6 million vs. 48.1 million). I hope the writers feel the strike was worth it, because those viewers may never return to watch those network scripted shows, which may well result in lower pay eventually. 5/20/2008 07:05:00 PM (5/20/2008 06:43:00 PM) - Al Al, Thanks for your level head thus far. I am getting fed up with the "sky is falling" panic that is enveloping fans and media. Has anyone seen the Tigers? This is a team many figured would score 1000 runs and be unstoppable. The Rockies are horrible. Perhaps more telling, last year at this time, both the Rockies and cubs were several games worse than the Brewers are now. So were many other teams that never recovered, but you get my point. The really annoying thing is the stupidity involved in the ideas you hear on the radio and online. Call up Russell Branyan and platoon him with Hall at 3B? Seriously? Move a couple guys around in the batting order? Will hitting 8th or 9th transform Rickie from .200 to .300? Maybe folks have been spoiled into thinking there is a Braun or Gallardo waiting in AAA every year, well, there isn't. I mean c'mon. Bradley My personal favorite was that Callix Crabbe, who SD just let go and every single team in the major leagues declined to pick up should come up and replace Weeks. To be honest, Crabbe isn't nearly as good of an option as Counsell, Dillon, or Iribarren, never mind Weeks. Maybe you are right, people are just used to bringing up the kids and having them handed a spot, they think you can do that with anyone...I wish. I think many of us feel Branyan would be a useful bench pawn (of course, many AAA vets wold be, if presented with a chance), as he certainly has pop. But, to think he should step in and start seems a reach at best. Branyan has a track record, and while he would not be the worst 3B in MLB, he is not a good defender either. I suppose this is just par for the course with a struggling club, but to be label it foolhardy is offensive to fools. 5/20/2008 06:43:00 PM (5/20/2008 06:42:00 PM) - Al Again with the FSN audio? This is not a Charter problem, is it? 5/20/2008 06:42:00 PM (5/20/2008 04:07:00 PM) - Al I will leave it up to you whether the Celtics are stupid or liars. 5/20/2008 04:07:00 PM (5/20/2008 03:59:00 PM) - Al I got an e-mail that sums up my thoughts pretty well about the lack of imagination involved in the "suggestions" about what needs to be done. I will print it later, with my response, but allow me to give a short reply here: If you really think Russ Branyan and switching around a few guys in the batting order will "turn it around", you haven't been paying attention. I went to use a straw, but it had been shredded, having been grasped at so many times. 5/20/2008 03:59:00 PM (5/20/2008 03:45:00 PM) - Al Ned is unhappy about the JS covering a report from a lowly blog...and he should be, really. It's actually a slippery slope, as I covered it as well, but that said, I have no way of calling Doug Melvin and asking him if it's true. Also, Bush and Suppan will swap spots (good move, as it is not good to have the 2 dependable SP's going back-to-back, as that leaves 3 days of expected 4-6 innings), and Carlos V's spot is now "TBA", which means CV is either injured or about to be demoted (as I guessed here, almost anyone can be ineffective and go less than 5 frames), either to the bullpen or AAA. 5/20/2008 03:45:00 PM (5/20/2008 07:39:00 AM) - Al Mariners claimed RHP Tracy Thorpe off waivers from the Blue Jays. Thorpe spent two years on the Jays' 40-man roster without ever appearing in the majors. The 27-year-old had a 2.63 ERA as Triple-A Syracuse's closer this year. It's possible that he'd be able to survive in the majors as a middle reliever, but that's probably his upside. He doesn't have very good command to go along with his mid-90s fastball. Seattle will assign him to Triple-A. I thought Thorpe fit the mold of a Brewers' reliever, but the Mariners got him first, so we'll never know. 5/20/2008 07:39:00 AM Monday, May 19, 2008 (5/19/2008 07:07:00 PM) - Al Doug has no problem with Braun's comments...he sees it as a non-issue, much as I did, as I didn't even see the need to comment on it. The Brewers have not played well on the road for ages, so they may well lack confidence when playing away from Milwaukee, and Doug seems to think they lack some swagger as well. In the same link, Tom H wonders why he used a little known blog as a news source, and I do too. Looks like someone wanted their 15 minutes of fame, but it's a shame they felt the need to make up facts to add to their hit total. A lot of us have had blogs for years and probably have never gotten the hits some idiot got today...kind of a shame. 5/19/2008 07:07:00 PM (5/19/2008 04:18:00 PM) - Al We can't drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times ... and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK," Obama said. This reminds me of Carter telling folks to wear a sweater. Personally, I say live how you choose, because you have every right to do so. I'm not real sure why he "expects" other nations to "ok" what Americans do...it seems he has forgotten (or doesn't care to acknowledge) that world markets determine prices on commodities, including oil and gas. 5/19/2008 04:18:00 PM (5/19/2008 02:22:00 PM) - Al Weeks still has a higher OBP than Braun despite not hitting.--email Heh. Even though I might have guessed that Rickie's was slightly higher, I had never seen that phrase written out before. 5/19/2008 02:22:00 PM (5/19/2008 12:38:00 PM) - Al Doug Melvin is headed to Nashville to take a look at the AAA team, so it seems to me rather unlikely any move is upcoming. If it is, it would seem safe to guess Mark A is making it, not Doug. 5/19/2008 12:38:00 PM (5/19/2008 12:04:00 PM) - Al I stopped in for lunch, and Tom H is trying to figure our whether a fly-by-night posting by some blogger that Yost may be let go today is true. He seems to feel it is not, and I think we all know how unreliable those bloggers are...heh. I would say that if it is true, I would agree with Tom that Simmons is a likely successor, though I also doubt he has much interest, especially dealing with the press. As my brother just e-mailed, he has seen little contestable strategy at all from Ned this year, so if a move is being considered, you get the feeling it might just be "for the sake of making a change". What's really sad is, some weblog is likely getting a zillion hits today, and the truth factor may be a little weak, to say the least. By the way, I just did the math and my brother is correct, Hall is on a pace to make far more errors than Braun did. While E's are not a very good way of judging a fielder, it is strange not a single media source has even made light of this. 5/19/2008 12:04:00 PM Sunday, May 18, 2008 (5/18/2008 08:51:00 PM) - Al Do they realize Tiger begs out of a tournament or two every year with "fatigue" or "exhaustion" as an excuse? 5/18/2008 08:51:00 PM (5/18/2008 07:11:00 PM) - Al I'm going to be posting some numbers and then making some conclusions based on them: 18-8 when scoring 4 runs or more 15-8 when holding the opposition to 4 runs or less When they score, or prevent the opposition from scoring, they are fine. Unlike today, they are not losing 9-7 or 3-2 very often. 12th in NL in runs scored 13th in OPS 10th in OPS vs. LHP 14th in OPS vs. RHP 13th in OBP 12th in SLG 11th in BB 9th in K (1st would be the team with the most) 14th in GIDP (1st would be the most) 7th in XBH 7th in OPS with runners in scoring position 8th in BA with RISP 7th in OPS in "close and late" situations So much for the team striking out too much, which most of us realized was a crock from the casuals. To be honest, so is GIDP, as teams with higher OBP's do that more often too. They also hit better in those supposed "clutch" times, which is just a small sample fest anyway. While they have struggled versus RHP, not a whole lot more than they have overall. I'm not concerned. This team needs to get on base more through any means necessary...and walks would be especially helpful, in order to see more pitches (and in theory, more mistakes) and add to the pitch count. 12th in ERA 3rd in BB 11th in K 14th in OPSA 2nd in HRA (1st would be the team who has allowed the most) 11th in QS (quality starts) 14th in OBPA 14th in WHIP 13th in K/BB ratio 11th in K/9 1st in p/PA (1st is the most) Mediocre or below almost everywhere, but just awful with free passes. This team needs to throw strike one and move on from there. The combo platter of walks and HR's is devastating. The p/PA means they need to quit nibbling and throw strikes, and keep it in the park. 6th in IP by SP 10th in SP ERA 11th in SP OPSA Amazingly, the SP's have not been that bad, and above average in average innings (granted, it's by like .1 frames an outing)? 14th in RP ERA (10th w/o Turnbow) 11th in RP IP 16th in RP OBPA 1st in RP BB I feel pretty good overall about the relief corps performance, but they too have walked a lot of guys and allowed far too many baserunners of all kinds. At the moment, this is a below average team at both scoring and preventing runs. I have more faith in the offense getting up to mediocre than I do the pitching, especially without Yo and Cappy, and 60% of the current rotation struggling to get 15 outs. Do I have any magic solutions? Nope. It all comes down to scoring more and allowing less...they've been outscored by 23 runs, so they "should be" 19-25, so they have outperformed their expected W/L mark. You can talk about cosmetic changes, shifting around a few spare parts, but it seems rather unlikely to me the Crew is going to get back in contention without the guys they have currently in the lineup getting the majority of the AB's. 5/18/2008 07:11:00 PM (5/18/2008 04:11:00 PM) - Al I don't think I've ever heard Bill Castro subtlely rip on a pitcher like he did Carlos V..."you have to work from ahead in the count, and I'm not seeing any command of the fastball right now". For Castro, he might as well have said "He sucked today". 5/18/2008 04:11:00 PM (5/18/2008 04:08:00 PM) - Al And astoundingly, some people will argue that we have no disposable income anymore. Talk about being out of touch. 5/18/2008 04:08:00 PM (5/18/2008 03:42:00 PM) - Al Every message board I usually read seems to have a "where's my stimulus check?" topic, followed by several, "I was supposed to get my money and I didn't! Where is it? I need it"! Of course, let's not forget, this was not a refund, just a bonus for being a taxpayer, designed to stimulate an economy out of the recession that despite being hyped for a year now, has not yet come, and seems very unlikely to. If you are so in need that this is being depended on, it might be time to look for alternatives. UPDATE: My wife and I just mentioned that many people said no one was going to spend this money. Heh, it would seem they already have. 5/18/2008 03:42:00 PM (5/18/2008 03:14:00 PM) - Al Zach Jackson looks like he might have a future in the bullpen...though one batter is too soon to make a judgment, he made a mighty good LH bat (Ellsbury) look like a backup catcher. Let's not forget, while Zach has struggled at Nashville, most of that may be directly related to the insistence he work on his secondary pitches...the ones he is unlikely to use as a reliever. He certainly has a nice long and lanky frame, perfect for a lefty, in theory. 5/18/2008 03:14:00 PM (5/18/2008 03:06:00 PM) - Al Sal Torres looks to be a victim of overuse, with 28 innings, which would put him on a pace of well over 100 frames. I believe Ted Simmons said it best, when asked about whether Linebrink was tired late in the season, he said that because SD starters had a lot of short outings, yes, Scott probably was a bit fatigued...then added, that will happen when your rotation fails to eat up innings. This is a twofold issue, but the truth is, you have to have Torres near full strength, even if that means limiting his use a bit. It also reminds you that even though Stetter's wildness did not cost the Crew any victories, the bullpen is all related to each other, and Sal having to pick up an extra inning here and there is already coming back to bite the Brewers. 5/18/2008 03:06:00 PM (5/18/2008 02:30:00 PM) - Al I'd take my chances with a lineup of 9 Ryan Brauns...even if that meant having one play 2B, one play SS, and so on. If he didn't have that hitch in his swing, I doubt he'd ever make an out...:) 5/18/2008 02:30:00 PM (5/18/2008 02:18:00 PM) - Al No offense to DiFelice, but he Ortiz looked like he was taking BP up there. Now Manny strikes out on 3 pitches, so maybe his cutter works much better versus RH's, or maybe he was nervous and unable to hit his spots. We'll need a bigger sample to know for sure, of course, but I'm hoping for the latter, as there are plenty of lefty bats in the big leagues. That said, he's throwing strikes, which is nice to see. 5/18/2008 02:18:00 PM (5/18/2008 02:14:00 PM) - Al Speaking of bad scouting, I heard DiFelice's main pitch was a cut fastball which he throws at 89-91...thus far, every one of them has been 83-84. We'll have to see if his velocity picks up at all, but so far, chalk up another total miss. 5/18/2008 02:14:00 PM (5/18/2008 02:12:00 PM) - Al Nice thinking by Ned and Mike to realize the best time for DiFelice to make his debut is not with the bases loaded. It did not end up making any difference, but that's thinking ahead. 5/18/2008 02:12:00 PM (5/18/2008 02:02:00 PM) - Al Bill needs to stop making excuses for Carlos' wildness. Sure it is a shame that an error was made, but the pitcher's job is always the same...get guys out. That's why earned runs are an important measurement. What game plan do you know of would suggest walking (or pitching around) Varitek (who was trying to sacrifice) and Lugo? You're not going to get a lot of major league hitters out pitching out of the strike zone. A few will chase, but even then, you have to get ahead of the hitters for that to work. Carlos is close to 100 pitches in the 4th inning. He has lost his aggressive nature, strike one, strike two, and so on. Sure, he might give up the HR's regardless, but if that's the case, he'd give up 2, not 6 (5 earned). With options available, I don't see Carlos taking his next turn. He's letting himself get beat by a couple singles because he think he can shut down the opposition by giving them extra baserunners...that did not work when Grumpy Stewart was the pitching coach (though he still preached it, because he's an idiot), and it still doesn't. 5/18/2008 02:02:00 PM (5/18/2008 01:29:00 PM) - Al Every time I see Dave Ortiz play, I harken back to how many Twins' fans did not feel he was even deserving of a contract offer...too slow, swings for the fences. Of course, Ryan Braun was "a reach", because he has "a hitch in his swing". No, I don't give much credence to the amateur scouts out there...because simply put, they have no clue. Have another drink and show me what a guy has done. Observations made watching 7 seconds of video and 50 cents buy you a paper. Of course, maybe Dave Krynzel will be a better player than Ryan Braun... 5/18/2008 01:29:00 PM (5/18/2008 01:16:00 PM) - Al John McCain on SNL last night...not the master of comic timing, but still funny...because it's true. 5/18/2008 01:16:00 PM (5/18/2008 01:02:00 PM) - Al Is it just me, or is FSN's audio messed up today? Another thought, as reinforced by an e-mailer, how are all the Brewers' fans able to travel and attend games in one of the most expensive cities in the US? I told him they are just putting it on their credit cards...sadly, that may be true. 5/18/2008 01:02:00 PM (5/18/2008 12:59:00 PM) - Al Another close call at 2B, another incorrect one. If they aren't going to get the close ones right, they might as well not bother, as anyone can get the rest of them. As I've said before, they may as well be flipping a coin this year. Consistency and effectiveness have both taken a steep decline, and they have also thrown out more participants in the games I've seen. I don't feel that's a coincidence, as bad umpires make more ejections, because they have no idea what they are doing. 5/18/2008 12:59:00 PM (5/18/2008 12:46:00 PM) - Al Jeff Sackmann with a piece at The Hardball Times that goes over how hitters do when hitting in front of the pitcher, or not. For the most part, any discussion about the topic is a waste of time. It's a cliche used by those who fail to grasp the best thing you can do as a hitter is not get out. Much like the concept of "protection", which exists, but is discussed far too much; pitchers just try and get guys out. 5/18/2008 12:46:00 PM (5/18/2008 12:39:00 PM) - Al Ned said the other day Weeks has been hitting in a lot of bad luck, and that he expects his BA to climb just from things evening out. Today, Weeks led off with a lined shot right at the SS, and they said the same thing happened last night as well. I know there's a stat called BABIP, which is BA on balls in play. It is often used to see who is likely to suffer a drop in BA, as simply put, there are a lot of holes on a baseball field, but if every other ball you hit is a hit, no matter how hard you hit it, you're not keeping that up over 162. A chart is here, showing Hall and Weeks have both been hitting in bad luck thus far. 5/18/2008 12:39:00 PM (5/18/2008 01:06:00 AM) - Al Ann is back in Madison, and took a trip out to Gays Mills today, and treats us to pictures as well. I often tell clients of mine that I never understood why people would sometimes stop and take pictures of one of our pastures from the highway...until you see places in the world like Indiana (where if not for the tilt of the Earth, you could look in one direction and far off in the distance, you'd be able to make eye contact with the back of your own head). I was just thinking the other day, why did WI stop using the slogan Escape to Wisconsin, which used to be on many bumper stickers and supposedly boosted tourism many times over in the early 80's? UPDATE: The state owns the domain name. 5/18/2008 01:06:00 AM Saturday, May 17, 2008 (5/17/2008 08:59:00 PM) - Al Freakonomics talked to poker pro Phil Gordon and did a nice Q&A. 5/17/2008 08:59:00 PM (5/17/2008 08:19:00 PM) - Al As I discussed briefly with my brother on the phone tonight, the Brewers were just a blooper and some bad luck away from having the first game have a different ending...as Dave Ortiz hit what looked to be fly ball to LCF that somehow snuck over the wall, while the Crew had a couple guys on and someone (I forget) hit a long fly ball, but to the right of straightaway CF, the deepest part of the park, for a harmless fly out. Swap those two around, it's a different outcome...though I realize "pitching to the park" is a skill. 5/17/2008 08:19:00 PM (5/17/2008 08:16:00 PM) - Al Sounds like the Crew was closer to calling up Mat Gamel than Branyan. 5/17/2008 08:16:00 PM (5/17/2008 08:08:00 PM) - Al Somehow, I don't think being critical of the military tradition is going to hurt McCain or help Obama. EDIT: Harkin should be commended for his service as a Navy pilot, but he needs to find himself a true story and stick with it. He's an embarrassment, and has been pulling this crap for almost two decades now. 5/17/2008 08:08:00 PM (5/17/2008 07:34:00 PM) - Al Ned basically says the exact same thing I did about Branyan. 5/17/2008 07:34:00 PM (5/17/2008 01:54:00 PM) - Al Russell Branyan had a three-homer game and drove in six runs for Triple-A Nashville on Friday. He's the Jayson Werth of the PCL. Branyan is hitting .373/.451/.716 despite striking out 39 times in 38 games. There are certainly major league teams he's capable of helping, but we doubt anyone is banging down Milwaukee's door trying to get him. Russell is probably an injury away from coming up to MIL, but as I've said many times before, I sure wish someone would give him 500 AB's and see if he would indeed hit 35-40 HR's. You could make the argument that Branyan would be nice to have on the Brewers' 25 man, as an option at 3B for Hall versus a tough RHP, and more importantly, a big LH bat on the bench when you need a homer late, but it looks like that unless the Crew gets good enough starting pitching to cut down to 11 pitchers, it's not going to happen. Jeff Weaver gave up seven runs -- six earned -- and 12 hits in six innings Friday for Triple-A Nashville. Weaver has a 6.35 ERA after four starts for Nashville. The opening is there for him with Dave Bush and Carlos Villanueva struggling, but he isn't giving the Brewers any reason to provide him with an opportunity. His window of opportunity is not as wide as it once was, with all the Brewers' SP's outside of Sheets and Suppan pitching better in their most recent outing. The PCL is a hitter's league however, so that must be kept in mind. However, he's not going to impress anyone with a 6.35 ERA, even if he does have a 3-1 K/BB ratio and is striking out 7.4 per 9 innings. If the Crew needs a starter right now, they would probably go with McClung or DiFelice. 5/17/2008 01:54:00 PM (5/17/2008 10:31:00 AM) - Al Just to follow up my e-mail from last night, I spent the afternoon running around town to a couple stores to get some errands done. Multiple people at each place (Pick 'n Save and Target) had Braun T-shirts on. It was 2 o'clock in the afternoon. Maybe only the unemployed and those working at night have gone nuts for him? Anyway, the kid owns this town up, down and sideways now. Also, reading your Potawatomi poker recaps from this week and in the past have given me the bug. I'm really tempted to squirrel a little reckless money away and give it a shot. Any rules of etiquette/behavior at the table and in the room? I've never played live poker out of a friendly game in somebody's basement where everyone knew each other. Jim I had always wondered why he did not own the town before, as his only weaknesses (lack of walks, defense) are hardly noticed by the casual fan. No doubt, now that he is locked in, he will sell a lot of shirts and uniforms. The main thing I can tell you about the poker room is to call ahead, as otherwise, you'll be waiting 2-4 hours, unless you want to play blackjack in the meantime. There are always some idiots being loud and such, and they are tolerated, but universally despised. Other than paying attention (knowing when it is your blind, when to bet), all I can say is tip the dealer when you win a big pot and say "nice hand" when someone else does, regardless of how stupid a hand they played. 5/17/2008 10:31:00 AM Friday, May 16, 2008 (5/16/2008 07:47:00 PM) - Al Game is postponed, but I missed when it will be made up...I would assume a day/night split DH Sunday. Fenway not only needs a roof, they need about 60-70K seats, as the Sox would probably be the first team to ever draw 5M if they could. EDIT: Nope, they are doing two Saturday, despite the 2:55 start due to Fox. 2nd game at 7:30 tomorrow night. 5/16/2008 07:47:00 PM (5/16/2008 07:45:00 PM) - Al Free tickets for the Twins game next Tuesday. 5/16/2008 07:45:00 PM (5/16/2008 07:30:00 PM) - Al Al, Wanted to say I enjoyed reading the poker recaps tonight. I got a kick out of hearing about terrible players here at the casino that's 10 minutes from my house. Even though I've got the worst poker face of practically anyone I know, rarely ever play and know next to nothing about the intricacies of the game, I guess I've always fancied myself capable of sitting down at Potawatomi one night and possibly breaking even and having some thrills. I'm sure after hearing that, you'd love to sit down my table the night I take the plunge. My Brewers point is about how little I knew about Ryan Braun before Thursday. You often make a point to say that the guy on his couch watching the game is quick to second-guess and argue that he knows what's happening because he watches a lot of games. It never rang more true for me than with the Braun contract extension. When I thought about the guys Attanasio could convince to take less money to stick around, my list always looked something like this: 1. Hart 2. Hardy 3. Weeks (mostly because he's not fulfilling his promise) 4. Fielder 5. Braun I would have said before Thursday that Fielder and Bruan were a distant fourth and fifth. I thought I was 100 percent certain Braun was gone at the first possible opportunity. The people around the team couch it in the term "confident," but let's face it, he gave off every sign of being cocky, in all the worst senses of that word. I appreciated his talent, cheered for him and wanted him to do well, but I thought a Southern California kid who played at Miami, who had his level of talent, would want to live it up and get filthy rich. I was stunned to see the extension. Really, really floored by it. The no-trade clauses that are in the extension just blew my mind. Then, during the game broadcast, Trenni interviewed his parents, and I got a better feel for why he signed the extension. His dad looked, sounded and seemed to carry himself like a guy who lives down the street from me. His mom, similarly, came across as grounded, humble and, in a good way, kind of amazed at what's happening to her son. All really good signs, I think. But then again, I'm just a guy on the couch watching the game on TV. What do I know? What do you think this might lead to with Fielder? I have to think it rankles him a little bit. He made it a national story when he complained about his contract in spring training. Sure enough, all the Braun stories today have reaction comments from Fielder. Prince, for all his talent, is a mood swing kind of guy. It's apparent things bother him. Will this? Will he press? Also, just from a couple of casual conversations I had today with friends who are fans, they all said something along the lines of, "Ryan Braun is my favorite Brewer now. I love the guy!" I think the town pretty much fell in love with Braun today. We're like that in Milwaukee. You tell us you want to be here for a long time in your prime as a pro athlete and we're nutso for you, unconditionally. They were chanting his name when he came up to bat in the 6th. Sure, it's probably reading too much into it, but it kind of seemed like Prince relished being the top dog, the guy the fans loved the most. What happens next? There's a little shift in public perception now. OK, this has gone on really too long, but Thursday was a landmark day in the franchise's history. Even though it's the biggest contract in franchise history, it's still an unbelievable move that warded off having to lay out an even fatter payday in the future. Jim I would labeled it differently, I would have Hart at the top, but Braun in the middle, with Hardy and Prince last, as I think those two guys have replacements in the system right now. Braun, to me, simply seems smarter than most, as he is happy to trade in potential huge paydays for a really big payday and security that will last forever. I can tell you this, James, you can't be any worse than many of the players there. What's that old saying, any two cards can win? Most people truly believe that, and pay to see the flop every single time. It's truly like playing .01/.02 online. 5/16/2008 07:30:00 PM (5/16/2008 07:08:00 PM) - Al What a nice, simple tribute by Dogpile. 5/16/2008 07:08:00 PM (5/16/2008 06:58:00 PM) - Al Seeing the annual breakdown of Braun's deal makes you realize how inexpensive it is, all things considered. 5/16/2008 06:58:00 PM (5/16/2008 03:30:00 PM) - Al The Brewers do accept Crabbe back, so they must feel he has a future, albeit limited, with the team. I'm sure they would do a trade right away if a team said they wanted him in the big leagues. 5/16/2008 03:30:00 PM (5/16/2008 03:25:00 PM) - Al I'm not surprised Dillon is playing tonight, but I am that he is DHing, rather than at 1B, giving Prince a night off, for the most part at least. 5/16/2008 03:25:00 PM (5/16/2008 01:44:00 PM) - Al Word out of New York is that Willie Randolph will be let go by Monday morning...if not sooner. You have to believe this decision was made after the Mets; bad stretch to conclude 2007, though I think they went 5-12, far from a mathematically strange run. 5/16/2008 01:44:00 PM (5/16/2008 12:08:00 PM) - Al Al, Loved the poker room story. I had a roommate in college who hardly ever talked to a girl, so one night at the bar, we saw a girl we knew...just a plain, nice girl, who we thought he could at least talk to and loosen up with. We told him her name was Patti, and to go over and say he was Jeff's friend, and point over at me. His name was Matt, by the way. So, he walked over a couple tables and said, "Hey, I'm a friend of yours Patti, my name is Jeff, he's right over there". When he pointed back at me, in an exaggerated swooping motion, he knocked down a girl who was walking by, who literally bowled over two other people who were standing nearby. After about 5 minutes and our table bought everyone a round who had been involved, things settled back down. Patti actually came over to our table and sat down, and said to Matt, "Your name is Jeff too"? After we stopped laughing, and Matt had turned red, he looked right at her and said, "No, I'm a friend of Jeff's. My name is Patti, Patti". I tell this story on every job interview, usually when they ask about working under pressure. Two funny things though, Matt is now a cop (still not married though), and he and Patti went out for a month or so after all that. Your friend, JB Heh. Suddenly, I feel like the smoothest talker alive. Great story, JB, thanks for sharing. 5/16/2008 12:08:00 PM (5/16/2008 11:48:00 AM) - Al Joel sends along this link to make you feel a bit better. I will say this...if the Crew can come home from this road trip a couple games from .500, and healthy, I think we will have passed a major test. 5/16/2008 11:48:00 AM (5/16/2008 11:45:00 AM) - Al If he resigns with the Twins, even to a AAA deal, I'll hear one man scream from here. Jason Tyner is really not a bad 5th OF, but he is bad as a platoon OF, or worse yet, simply inept as a DH, which is how the Twins often used him. As Robert has said on occasion, it's not a coincidence scrappy is almost the same as crappy, as they usually have the same meaning. 5/16/2008 11:45:00 AM (5/16/2008 11:32:00 AM) - Al Mitch Stetter sent down to AAA to find his control, and Zach Jackson rediscovers himself as a reliever, is coming up. I doubt Zach will be used other than as a strict loogy, unless it's a blowout. Surprised to see him get a shot, after so few decent frames in relief. On the scale of how fast a guy can lose it, Stetter's descent into the abyss rivals that of anyone. 5/16/2008 11:32:00 AM (5/16/2008 12:46:00 AM) - Al Speaking of poker, I just heard about this...add me to the camp that if it's good for the game, I'm all for it, though to me, a delay is a delay...I'll still know who won, so I don't really get the angle being played. 5/16/2008 12:46:00 AM Thursday, May 15, 2008 (5/15/2008 11:10:00 PM) - Al I don't play live poker very often, and when I have visited Potawatomi in the past, I have done a trip report after I have returned, so I suppose another one is due. I arrived at the poker room at about 7:15, and was told the wait "would not be long". I later saw they have a TV that shows the list, and despite calling in at 6:04, there was still a dozen folks ahead of me. But, as promised, I moved up quickly, and soon was 2nd...but really 1st, because the person ahead of me had called in at 5:59, but was not there yet. At 7:58, I realized the guy ahead of me would soon be dropping off the list, as you have to check in within 2 hours after calling ahead. Almost as if by magic, a guy walked up to the desk and his check-in time disappeared...he had got there just in time. He soon got called, and I was officially "next". The pace of people leaving stopped, and it took until about 8:20 before I was awarded a seat. It was the same table I had been sitting near, so though I had not been paying close attention, I had heard plenty of "7 people in the pot" type statements to know it was a very loose table, as is the norm at the lower levels. I was card dead most of the night, though as I have to explain, you only play about 20-25 hands an hour live, while you get about 60-70 online. Considering I usually 3 table, in an hour, I see about 200 hands...more than I saw in almost 6 hours last night. That said, I saw so many 7/2, 8/3, 9/4, J/5 hands I loosened up my discipline as to the starting hands I played...though I think less than 10 hands were raised pre-flop all night...and more than half of those were by me, using position and the few hands I got to take advantage of my tight reputation. A little while after I was seated, the player to my left was replaced by another. The player that was on my right remained the entire evening, until our table was broken up. During the course of the evening, the same general pattern took place...a player would buy in for $50-60, go broke and be replaced by another fresh face, who would do the same thing. Sadly for me, I was treading water, watching the fellas on each side of me win hands at an astounding rate. I'd happily give them credit if they deserved it...actually, all three of us bet out often with position and won the pot that way. But, about 1AM, I said to the guy on my left, "you've had queens 6 or 7 times, and then flopped a set, haven't you?", to which he replied, "Actually, more than that, I haven't had to show a couple times." At least twice, he flopped a straight with crappy little hands like 4/6 or 5/8, and pulled in huge pots as both times, as he took 3+ players with him all the way to the river, all but drawing dead. Oh, the guy on my right...he was dealt AA 5 times...and complained they got "cracked" once. Of course, he never once raised pre-flop with them...sigh. Then, two of the Dahm triplets sat down at our table. OK, not really, though the two young ladies who sat at our table looked similar...long blond hair, college-aged, tan and athletic. One could only be described as nearly perfect, and her sister looked and was dressed identically, just maybe 10 pounds heavier (or healthier, depending on your perspective). Talk about a breath of fresh air in the poker room. A couple times, I thought to myself, if Aaron Gleeman were here instead of me, he would have his new fantasy girl...and she'd be real (and there would be two of them). The slightly less perfect one played very well, I imagine she has played quite a bit, either online or live, or both. She folded well more than half the time, adding her to the list that previously included only myself. She kept helping her sister, who never raised, and once only called when she had the best possible hand. Sadly, despite this, I'm all but positive she was not the worst player at the table. After about an hour, the gals began to get a bit unhappy about the terrible luck they were having, or moreso, the incredible good fortune of others...hitting two outers, hitting gutshots on the river, and so on. On one occasion, a player turned over 5/2, having hit a straight on the turn. The more experienced young lady sighed and asked, in an unbelieving tone of voice, "Why did you even play that? I mean, 5/2, why did you call with that before the flop"? Under my breath, I said the same thing as the player eventually did..."It was suited". Bad players play almost any 2 cards of the same suit...chasing that flush. Then, almost beyond belief, the other player remaining in the hand also turned over 5/2...and his was unsuited. She leaned back in her chair and disgustedly rolled her eyes. The newbie was a calling station, never folding if she hit top pair, even if others raised it way up, indicating massive strength. The better player patiently explained a couple times that she probably should have gotten away from that hand earlier, and as they played, the girl with 90 minutes of experience actually started playing smart poker...she lacked some subtlety, but given one guy raised out of turn when he hit his flush he was so excited (and before a bet had been placed that round, sort of giving away his big hand). I raised pre-flop with JJ, and she and a couple others came along. The flop came K/Q/4, and suddenly, my jacks didn't look very strong. She bet out, which is not a bad move, and told me she very likely had me beat. I folded after the turn provided me no help, and after the river, she turned over AA. I know this only because one person called all the way and proudly showed his Q/5...yeah, like that was going to be good. Once, the final board read J/J/7/7/5. One player had a 7 and bet, and another called with his small pair...I don't think ever realizing he was playing the board, as the 2 higher pair overrode his. The impeccable one called as well...even though she had only AQ or AK. The solid player asked why she had called with that, and she just shrugged...I knew why, she had a good hand, and kept waiting to hit a pair, she may not have even realized all the cards had been dealt. Being the type that does not say a whole lot (mostly because I'm afraid I'll drool or proudly utter "Um, me don't know"), I spoke up and said, "Actually, that wasn't a bad call...she had an Ace, if no one had a J or a 7, she might well have had the best hand. And there was like $50 in the pot, and she only had to call $4...the math says that's a call". The stronger player actually began "translating" my statement, explaining that her ace could have won, and there was so much money in the pot, it was worth it. Another player muttered something about she should not have called the whole way though and I smiled, thinking only that this is why you're single and out playing poker at 1AM on a Wednesday night, and despite the fact two stunning young ladies are at your table, the best you can do is criticize their play. Good one. Another time, the players on either side of me ended up splitting the pot. The dealer counted it out and it ended up, after the rake had been taken, to have 50 cents leftover. They use half-dollars for this purpose, but as the dealer said, "I can't split this". Other times, they have just added this to the next pot, but they all seemed to be lost on what to do (online, they just split it down to the penny, of course). Finally, they decided that it should go the player who was in "lead position", and the dealer flipped it to the guy on my right. One of the girls said, "Just give it to the dealer", and they got into a disagreement over this, finally ending with the girl concluding the argument by saying, "That's because you're cheap". Nice first impression, sir. My goodness, if one of them would have told me that competition and the free market is what's wrong with the USA, I would have smiled and said, "It's nice you're interested in the financial sector". The dealers switch every little while, and we had one gentleman who would take in his tips and as he put them in his metal tip box, would always say, "Whoo-hoo!" in a high-pitched, little boy voice, as if they had just announced a snow day. Given that most tips were 50 cents, with a $1 chip begrudgingly given on occasion, it kind of seemed like he was mocking them a bit, though I doubt that was his intention. Every single time he did so, both girls would chuckle and smile. Both were drinking heavily as well, ordering "double vodka sweet" several times. They just seemed so bubbly, hey, it worked for them. Other than the general "I can't believe I'm losing to these clowns" (which is pretty much how I feel, I just keep it inside, which is why I'm due to go insane any day now) vibe, they would have been just a joy to be around, even if they would not have seemingly stepped out of a world where flawless machines that were created in a lab can fool folks into thinking they were real women. So, about 1:30 or so, we were playing with 5-7 at the table, there were no more players on the list, and the gals were unhappy, as shorthanded play often means being more aggressive, as fewer people at the table means your cards are likely best more often, and of course, you end up "in position" more often. I actually got some cards and raised a few hands in a row, which while good for my chip stack, pushed the two blondes right out the door. They got up and were standing by the chip window, waiting to cash out. I walked over and spoke briefly to the more experienced one, telling her she had played well, but gotten unlucky. Still sounding displeased, she replied, "I know!", to which my witty response was to shake my head and walk away, somehow feeling this exchange qualified as "pretty good" (though as I type, I'm puzzled as to why). The other one sort of giggled, a little "hee-hee", which looking back, was probably her thinking how nice it was that the old fat guy could still waddle across the room without assistance. They broke up our table shortly thereafter, and soon, I decided that short of flopping 4 of a kind and having someone call all the way with the low pair on the board (oh wait, that happened, but just not to me), the high point of my night had already occurred, so I packed it in, ending up down just about the same amount that I had tipped on the night...note the irony of that correlation. 5/15/2008 11:10:00 PM (5/15/2008 11:05:00 PM) - Al Evan of Fire Brand asked me to answer some questions for him, which he printed on the Red Sox blog. By the way, it looks like Evan was right, and the Crew may indeed like to bring Taverez on board. Heck, with Stetter suddenly unable to throw the ball over the plate, he's all but useless right now. With Riske out, McClung will move up into more late inning situations, and while Mark DeFelice is a wonderful "The Rookie" like story, we have no idea how he'll perform in the big leagues. His AAA K/BB ratio (an astounding 91-10) seems to show he won't be horrible, but in the past, I've seen a lot of pitchers who just can't get the better big league hitters to chase their best pitch, which means they have to throw strikes...which often leads to them throwing their mediocre fastball, which gets blasted. I hope he is able to get in during a 9-2 win, as he will not be calm. 5/15/2008 11:05:00 PM (5/15/2008 07:04:00 PM) - Al Thanks to Jason for keeping Ramblings timely...I go off for 36 hours and Braun signs a record contract...there's something lacking in the planning process here! Get me Mark A on line one, please.:) 5/15/2008 07:04:00 PM (5/15/2008 12:43:00 PM) - Jason Christopherson David Riske to the 15 day DL with an elbow injury. I don't know about you, but that injury just doesn't scream "quick recovery" for a major league pitcher. The corresponding move hasn't been made yet, to my knowledge. Perhaps Dillard comes up? At first I thought maybe they would bring up Weaver now and move Bush to the pen, but that seems a little too early for Weaver (though I think it's inevitable he will be with the Brewers soon). UPDATE: Mark DiFelice has been called up. 5/15/2008 12:43:00 PM (5/15/2008 09:09:00 AM) - Jason Christopherson JS is reporting the Brewers will announce a contract extension with Ryan Braun at a 10 a.m. press conference today. Tom H is (rightfully so, considering the press conference hasn't happened yet) a little vague on the details--it sounded like a seven year extension AFTER this year, which would mean it buys out two years of free agency. Assuming the per-year average money is in the neighborhood of Tulowitzki's deal, I see this as a good deal--particularly if it buys out two years. The way arbitration numbers are escalating, this would save the Brewers a huge amount of money if Braun stays healthy and continues to produce as he has so far (or even if he regresses a bit). UPDATE: 8 years (including 2008), $45 million. Two years of free agency bought out. Hard to complain about this. 5/15/2008 09:09:00 AM Wednesday, May 14, 2008 (5/14/2008 08:59:00 PM) - Jason Christopherson Manny Parra deserved better tonight. His curve was outstanding--too good for this umpire who missed a couple of strike threes. If I remember correctly, Parra retired the last nine hitters in his last start so it looks like maybe, just maybe, he's starting to figure some things out. It will be a most welcome site if that is true. Fortunately, Andruw Jones flails away yet again and Parra is still in line for the win. It is clear that Manny, Villy, and Bush are feeling the heat from the fire that has been lit under them and this week at least they are all responding nicely. 5/14/2008 08:59:00 PM Tuesday, May 13, 2008 (5/13/2008 09:32:00 PM) - Al I think big league umps get 2-6 weeks off a year, depending on seniority, so I think Bill is a bit low on his guess of 130-135. "Average" probably work about 140. 5/13/2008 09:32:00 PM (5/13/2008 09:30:00 PM) - Al After 37 pitches last night, I'm very surprised to see Gagne up tonight, never mind in a save situation. 5/13/2008 09:30:00 PM (5/13/2008 09:24:00 PM) - Al Claudio Vargas brought up, Nelson Figeroua DFA'd. Two former Brewers swap spots. Nelson did a fine job, compiling a 5.12 ERA after being forced into the rotation...if he were a few years younger, I'd be all for giving him a shot, but at 34, he'd be fortunate to keep it below 5.50 for long. 5/13/2008 09:24:00 PM (5/13/2008 09:20:00 PM) - Al I will be unlikely to post much the next couple days, I have a meeting tomorrow in the Dells area, and then am headed down to Milwaukee for poker and a game, as long as I am more than halfway there. 5/13/2008 09:20:00 PM (5/13/2008 09:13:00 PM) - Al Negative feelings about Obama from WV Dems...I'll be the first to admit WV is a rather heavily rural state, but so are many others. 5/13/2008 09:13:00 PM (5/13/2008 09:11:00 PM) - Al Capuano will have another Tommy John surgery, all but assuring he has thrown his final pitch with the Crew. Good luck to Cappy, he is unlikely to have much of an impact until 2010. 5/13/2008 09:11:00 PM (5/13/2008 09:04:00 PM) - Al A bit surprised to see Sal Torres back to the 7th inning role, but he can go 2 frames, a true benefit. 5/13/2008 09:04:00 PM (5/13/2008 04:18:00 PM) - Al Pirates purchased the contract of RHP Marino Salas from Triple-A Indianapolis. Salas gets the nod over Jesse Chavez after posting a 0.77 ERA in 23 1/3 innings. It will be the major league debut for the 27-year-old former Orioles prospect.--Rotoworld The Brewers picked up Salas for nothing and traded him for Sal Torres. He's probably nothing more than an 11th or 12th man on a staff, but it looks like a trade that worked for both clubs. 5/13/2008 04:18:00 PM (5/13/2008 02:18:00 PM) - Al Not a good start for Derrick… The good news is that he should at least get quite a few more chances in Nashville to figure things out than he would have anywhere else. Would be a big boost to the team to have him come back strong later in the season. I wouldn't bet much on that happening but I have seen stranger things happen. Jerod Tom H of the JS weighs in here, with a classic final line: If he continues to be a disaster, you have to wonder how long the Brewers will wait before releasing him, $3.2 million salary or not. Well yes, I'm sure the Crew would much rather they pay him to perform on someone else's AAA roster than their own.:) Will Derrick ever "figure it out"? No one knows, but I can promise you 29 other teams would happily pay him AAA meal money and let the Brewers pay his salary and hope he does, as you cannot teach velocity. No one cares how the Sounds W/L record ends up. I would assume he'll be pitching every other day there unless he's working privately with their coaches. I'm sure that line will be the source of amusement to many in the organization tonight. 5/13/2008 02:18:00 PM (5/13/2008 01:47:00 PM) - Al Al, Just wanted to thank you for a great job on the blog. It's the first website I check as soon as my computer is turned on. It is a breathe of fresh air. For anyone that is a regular of jsonline's blog of the brewers is just... well, it's painful. That garbage is just horrible. Those "fans" just seem ignorant. No one seems knowledgable. It also overflows into the ignorant editorials from readers they print in the Sunday edition. Do people that know what's going on not write in or do they just purposely post the bad ones? The reason for this rant is because of what I heard yesterday (Sunday). After a great game yesterday, I went with my uncle to Menards to buy shingles. He had 1250 WSSP (SportsRadio) on. I'm not a fan of sports talk radio for the same reason as the JS blogs. They spent at least 10 minutes on this subject: Prince Fielder and how the Brewers are NOT going to be able to resign him. They won't be able to afford him. They should spend the money alloted for him on a free agent starter when he leaves. So do the math with me. If the Brewers are not able to resign Fielder, it means it is the year 2012. We are 37 games into the season and they are worried about free agent starters for the 2012 season? Now I enjoy thinking about the future (this years draft and the prospects we have), let alone a shot at this years playoffs, but this is a little crazy. Am I a minority or do I just have to put up with it? Dan Thanks for the kind words, Dan, I appreciate them. I share your opinion of sports talk radio exactly, so you're preaching to the choir. However, one thing to remember is that most "personalities" are not paid to be full of sports knowledge, they are paid to deliver ratings, which dare I say, is primarily generated by being loud, rude, and full of cliches and a strong opinion on everything. Let's be honest, Dan, if I had a radio show, I'd be known as "that guy who puts you to sleep", talking about numbers, payroll, years of service, roster construction and management, free talent, success cycles...people would say I have no idea what I'm even talking about, because they don't care to learn those parts of the game. No one would give me the 15 minutes I need to explain why 10 runs = 1 win, and why OXS is 98% effective in the amount of runs a team will score. No one would listen to me as I politely explained why CLE is not going to deal CC Sabathia to us for Tony Gwynn Jr. and "some minor leaguer". Instead, the hosts look to make bold, often silly statements about Prince, Braun, or Ben Sheets...the people casual fans have heard of, know are good, and so on. They do not want to hear why 1B is the most easily replaced position on the diamond, and why Prince's "body type" and skills do not project well...heck, let's not forget at one time many fans argued vehemently that Richie Sexson should be signed "at any price" and Fielder was "just another unproven kid". Now, the comparison is very silly, even if you don't concern yourself with the fact Prince makes $650K and Richie makes a bijillion. My goodness, not only do a lot of those in attendance at any game not understand that, many have no idea Sexson ever played in Milwaukee, though some liked that Overbay guy enough to suggest having either Lyle or Prince play LF (then in the next breath, say the Crew needs to improve their defense). I agree, worrying about Prince in '12 is at least 3+ years beyond where I like to project to. But, just by saying "Prince" and "leave" in the same breath will keep many from tuning out. I still recall the last time I bothered with any type of radio banter about the Brewers, it was the post-game call in on WTMJ, after Jim Powell's show had wrapped. Two hosts were discussing a myriad of things, and one said, "I really like this Julio Santana guy. Now sure, he's just a youngster, and he'll probably go back down to the minors soon, but I feel he's got potential". That was fine, of course, except: 1. He was not young, he was 32. 2. He will not go back to the minors unless he pitches poorly. 3. His potential was nil. He was what he was, a back of the bullpen relief guy, who threw hard. Now, if you can look past statements like that, by all means, tune in. Otherwise, it's just guys spouting nonsense, and doing it at a high volume, using the words "disaster" and "need a spark" just often enough so Joe Six Pack will go, "Hey, that's what I said before I passed out". 5/13/2008 01:47:00 PM Monday, May 12, 2008 (5/12/2008 09:45:00 PM) - Al Stetter has had some trouble with his control 2-3 times this year, but has never allowed a big hit to mess with numbers. Tonight, Mota keeps his ERA low. Mitch is probably not used to being used as he has, as in the minors, relievers rarely pitch consecutive days, and usually are not asked to loosen up unless they will pitch, as wins and losses are secondary to development. 5/12/2008 09:45:00 PM (5/12/2008 09:27:00 PM) - Al There is no income that is safe from overspending. I blame President Bush. 5/12/2008 09:27:00 PM (5/12/2008 09:18:00 PM) - Al Gagne is pretty much Ryan Braun on the mound...very inconsistent from one pitch to the next. However, as Braun can easily go from looking foolish on one pitch to slugging a ball 500 feet on the next, Gagne has not shown he has that recovery capability. I think they were hoping he would go 3 innings, but after throwing about 30 pitches in the 8th (37 total in the 7th and 8th), going deep in the count to almost every single batter, that doesn't look likely. 5/12/2008 09:18:00 PM (5/12/2008 09:13:00 PM) - Al Ryan Braun looked to have beat out an infield hit easily, and yet was called out by the 1B umpire, who did not even make a call for several seconds, as if he wasn't paying attention, and did not expect a close play. Thus far, the umps are just phoning it in for 2008. I'm not sure who the czar in charge of such matters is, but he has his work cut out for him, as there is no fear whatsoever among the ranks. 5/12/2008 09:13:00 PM (5/12/2008 08:58:00 PM) - Al I pretty much always feel 3rd party runs for the presidency are ego driven facades, and Perot and Nader's shoes both fit, to say the least. I know nothing about Bob Barr, so I look him up on Wikipedia, and find him to be as anti-Libertarian as one can be. I guess he could be considered a Christian Libertarian (as is Vox Day, popular commentator on WMD, but then we're talking about a minority of a minority), but his anti-abortion and his anti-drug stance is the exact opposite of the Libs. I doubt he'll even get the nomination, as I doubt those few Libs who feel strongly enough to show up at the convention will feel like selling out to a publicity seeker who embodies little of what the party stands for. 5/12/2008 08:58:00 PM (5/12/2008 08:46:00 PM) - Al Wainwright being asked to eat some frames tonight, as the Cards have elected to "punt" this one, barring them scoring a few to get back into the game. Sounds like the meeting Doug had with the coaches focused mainly on the back end of the rotation, but no changes are immediately on the horizon. I would have to believe Doug wanted to ask the fellas who they felt was struggling and would benefit from minor league time/being moved to the 'pen. He might have also touched base with scouts or Frank Kremblas about the AAA guys and who was pitching best. Even if the worst guy (let's just say Parra, since Bush pitched nicely tonight) can only be counted on for a 5.50 ERA, can Jeff Weaver do that? He didn't last year. 5/12/2008 08:46:00 PM (5/12/2008 08:36:00 PM) - Al You get the feeling that Molina simply did not want to be around anymore tonight. That said, as the announcers noted, he's going to get a game or three off as well in addition. I was shocked to not see a coach for the Cardinals pull him away much quicker...they could have saved him a day or two. 5/12/2008 08:36:00 PM (5/12/2008 08:21:00 PM) - Al The Brewers now have Sheets listed as the starter for Thursday's game. Either they changed their mind, or possibly MLB.com simply listed it incorrectly. Seth McClung, you are still in the bullpen. 5/12/2008 08:21:00 PM (5/12/2008 06:59:00 PM) - Al I've heard of several large cities having rat issues, and apparently, DC is one of them. Next time to think the feds are going to solve the problem with cost effective health coverage for all, think to yourself that if they can't eliminate rodents from the city, I doubt they'll have a whole lot of success covering all medical maladies. 5/12/2008 06:59:00 PM (5/12/2008 06:46:00 PM) - Al Gagne says he is ready to close when needed. I would have to guess he will used in earlier, low-pressure situations prior to a save opp. 5/12/2008 06:46:00 PM (5/12/2008 04:56:00 PM) - Al Padres designated infielder Callix Crabbe for assignment. Crabbe hit .176/.282/.206 in 34 at-bats for the Padres. The Brewers will have the option of taking the Rule-5 pick back if he clears waivers, but they might just give him to the Padres for a minor prospect. He's not part of their future plans, and they were pretty happy to see him get an opportunity elsewhere when he was selected in December.--Rotoworld I would tend to agree. Crabbe is a 2B/OF without a bit of power, or the ability to play a passable SS. Hernan Iribarren is a much better prospect, and he's unlikely to be a starter either, so if the Padres want Crabbe, I would have to believe the Crew will allow them to keep him for a minimal return. 5/12/2008 04:56:00 PM (5/12/2008 04:20:00 PM) - Al The big surprise on the other side is that Albert Pujols has the day off, we're assuming.--JS It's a surprise if you don't check Rotoworld, which I guess Tony doesn't. 5/12/2008 04:20:00 PM (5/12/2008 02:05:00 PM) - Al DePod has started a public blog. When Doug Melvin retires, he'd be my first choice to replace him, and as a bonus, it sure seems that Paul is a lot less publicity shy. 5/12/2008 02:05:00 PM (5/12/2008 01:56:00 PM) - Al A T-shirt for your favorite Seinfeld fan...$19 is pretty steep, but I'd consider it if it came in the proper fat guy size. 5/12/2008 01:56:00 PM (5/12/2008 01:51:00 PM) - Al The Chicago Tribune reports that the Cubs "are exploring the possibility" of signing Jim Edmonds. Let go by the Padres last week, Edmonds' arrival would send Felix Pie back to Triple-A. He batted .178/.265/.233 in 26 games with the Padres, whereas Pie is hitting .222/.286/.286 through 29 games, and Edmonds is 15 years older.--Rotoworld I always find it funny when teams talk about defense all the time, and then ignores it and plays the bat anyway. Pie will eventually be an everyday OF, and probably be stellar defensively, but the Cubs refuse to give him a chance. Edmonds has some life left, I bet, and would likely do well starting a few days a week and resting his feeble body the rest of the time. 5/12/2008 01:51:00 PM (5/12/2008 01:49:00 PM) - Al According to manager Tony La Russa, Albert Pujols will likely be out of the lineup Monday night. La Russa has said that he'd likely to get Pujols some time off, but he'll no doubt be tempted to use him as a pinch-hitter even if he doesn't start. Chris Duncan is expected to replace Pujols at first base.--Rotoworld With a struggling Dave Bush on the mound, I think it's safe to say the Crew will run with that. 5/12/2008 01:49:00 PM (5/12/2008 01:46:00 PM) - Al Red Sox released LHP Abe Alvarez. Alvarez was once thought of as a top prospect within the organization and received all kinds of love from Peter Gammons, but began this season at Triple-A for the fourth straight year, posting a 6.46 ERA and 8/11 K/BB ratio in 15 1/3 innings. He's still just 25 years old and figures to latch on somewhere, but has a 5.14 ERA in 378 career innings at Triple-A.--Rotoworld First of all, didn't BOS ever think to try him as a reliever? With his K ratios, I would figure half the teams in MLB would be trying to get him for AAA and see if they can make an adjustment. 5/12/2008 01:46:00 PM (5/12/2008 01:15:00 PM) - Al While Robert was at the movies, Deadspin was at Miller Park, which he reviews here. He is a cool weather person like myself, as he wonders why the roof was closed, apparently, not knowing how cold the average woman would have been. Heck, Bill Hall's mom had a windbreaker on anyway...think she would have appreciated it being cooler? Nope. 5/12/2008 01:15:00 PM (5/12/2008 10:06:00 AM) - Robert R. I attended a couple of movie previews in the last few weeks, so new reviews. My Brother is an Only Child This is a new Italian film that's a throwback to the Italian New Wave films of the 1960s and 1970s by Bernardo Bertolucci and the like. It particularly echoes Bertolucci's Before the Revolution. The story focusses on two brothers, Accio (Elio Germano), who is the "My" in the title, and Manrico (Riccardo Scarmarcio), with Accio being the primary focus. It's something of a coming of age story for Accio mixed with Italian politics, the revolutionary spirit of the 1960s, and brotherly rivalry/love covering about 16 years of highly contentious times. Much of it is summed up in the politics of the two brothers, Manrico becomes a charismatic Communist rabble rouser and Accio becomes a neo-fascist, at first. They also fall in love with the same woman, cementing their rivalry. However, while Manrico becomes more and more radical, Accio experiences various disillusionments and becomes more apolitical as the film rolls along, eventually coming to a point where he becomes more pragmatic than idealistic. While it's at heart serious, there's more than a little humor in the mix. Given the perspective of time, most of the political posturing is shown to be more than a little foolish. And the brother's affection is brought out by them physically fighting with each other in practically every meeting. There's a Three Stooges aspect to their relationship which becomes something of a running joke. They literally hit each other before they can embrace each other as brothers. The story is set in the 1960s and 1970s and the film tries to emulate the Italian film styles of the period. There's lots of hand held camera work, quick cutting, and a color scheme that relies more on pastels than vivid primary colors. It's a vivid recreation of the period and there's plenty of striking photography. However, for those that have problems with movies like The Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield, the prospect of reading subtitles while trying to keep up with a rapidly moving camera is going to be problematic. While I think it's a very interesting film, it's certainly not in the class of the period classics it tries to emulate. Those were original while this is treading over well worn ground. The family is more than a little cliche', in addition to hitting there's a lot of yelling, and it really doesn't have anything particularly insightful to say about politics. It's perhaps best emphasized by the title which translated fails to account for a sister in the mix and is therefore inaccurate. My Brother is an Only Child will be making the standard arthouse rounds this Spring/Summer. You can view the trailer here. Labels: movie review, My Brother is an Only Child 5/12/2008 10:06:00 AM Sunday, May 11, 2008 (5/11/2008 11:27:00 PM) - Al Interesting that the Crew has TBD listed as the SP for Thursday's game versus LA, and Ben Sheets listed as starting Friday's game in Boston. One guess would be the Crew is inserting Seth McClung into the rotation Thursday, and felt it would be better for Seth to make his debut in the friendly confines of Miller Park versus a club with far less firepower than the Red Sox. But, unless Gagne is DL'd, that would seem to mean that the Brewers may well be planning to send a current SP down...possibly whoever pitches least effectively in the next 3 days, and replacing them with a fresh arm for the bullpen. Time will tell. 5/11/2008 11:27:00 PM (5/11/2008 08:54:00 PM) - Al Mike e-mails to inform me Dusty has had a batting order mishap happen before. 5/11/2008 08:54:00 PM (5/11/2008 08:34:00 PM) - Al The Brewers, despite their closer issues, are 13-1 when leading after eight innings. Much of the "whoa is us" mentality has been from fans who have not really paid a whole lot of attention to anything except overreacting to this and that. The team is a game under .500 right now, and while many seem to think that's not enough victories, the truth is, they are just a couple games below where a 90 win team would be at this time in the season. With the rotation, at best, struggling thus far, they are fortunate to have as many W's as they do. I'm still thinking if they can get through the next couple weeks, a stretch of tough games and mostly road games thus far in the season, they might just be near where they want to be when June 1st rolls around. If they can raise that team OBP some and start getting an average of 6.25-6.5 frames out of their SP's (thus far, it's 5.77), they might just end up where we expected. More than anything else, they are in a spot in which they need Ben Sheets healthy and pitching every 5th day. They had the depth to be all right without him, but they have now lost it. 5/11/2008 08:34:00 PM (5/11/2008 08:26:00 PM) - Al Though Corey Patterson was supposed to be at the plate, David Ross batted out of order in the ninth inning of an 8-3 loss to the Mets on Sunday. What is this, Little League? Per MLB rules, Ross has to complete his at-bat to be ruled out, and the outcome of his at-bat is then discarded with no runners allowed to advance. The Mets allowed him to do so, and since he lined out to right there was little harm done. Ross was the batter listed in the order after Patterson, so he was forced to come back to the plate for his 'real' at-bat and Patterson was charged the out. Ross singled after returning to the batter's box. There's almost too many jokes here for us to enjoy. Patterson making outs even when he's not at-bat is just one of them. One also has to wonder exactly what function Dusty Baker is serving if he can't even make sure his hitters know where they're hitting.--Rotoworld I find it hard to believe not a single coach noticed it in time, though it was 8-3. That's the first I have ever heard of this happening that did not involve a changed lineup card, or someone writing the same name down twice. 5/11/2008 08:26:00 PM (5/11/2008 05:11:00 PM) - Al Such a simple game when you have a starter give you 7 good innings. The back end of the rotation should have been taking notes. Let's hope the Crew can start getting a few more outings like that. The idea it takes 100 pitches to get through 5 frames is the epitome of wasting pitches...you can either challenge them 3-2 or 0-0...I know what I would choose. 5/11/2008 05:11:00 PM (5/11/2008 05:05:00 PM) - Al I have little doubt at least a minor change will come out of the meeting tomorrow...it doesn't take much to realize all three spots, other than Suppan and Sheets, have been the reason guys like Torres have been so overworked thus far. Depending on how Weaver did today, I would expect either he or McClung would move into the rotation. UPDATE: Weaver pitched well through 4, giving up a single run, but was unable to get out of the 5th, ending up with 4 2/3 IP, 5 ER's. Looks like he's still a couple starts away from having the stamina to give you 6-7 solid frames. 5/11/2008 05:05:00 PM (5/11/2008 02:18:00 PM) - Al Padres optioned LHP Joe Thatcher to Triple-A Portland. This probably should have happened a couple of weeks ago. Thatcher took four losses despite throwing just 17 1/3 innings out of the pen for the Padres. He had a 6.75 ERA, and lefties were hitting .333 off him.--Rotoworld Thatcher is better than this, but not nearly as good as he was last year in his tiny sample either. He'll probably have a nice career as a loogy, but needs to get his confidence back first. On the same note, Mitch Stetter was awful in Nashville the first half of 2007, and is currently almost superhuman in the bigs. Sooner or later, guys find their midpoint. 5/11/2008 02:18:00 PM (5/11/2008 01:22:00 PM) - Al How McDonald's caters to local taste. I think I'd enjoy 4 of them. 5/11/2008 01:22:00 PM (5/11/2008 12:22:00 PM) - Al Cameron is indeed given a day off, and Gagne is given a "mental break", which I would assume means he would only be used as a mop-up man today and tomorrow. Yost did say the staff knows of a mechanical issue they will work on with Eric. No closer named, but I still feel it will be Torres, as I think Ned will continue to use Mota in the 8th. That said, we might see Stetter, Shouse, Riske, and so one used in a piecemeal approach. 5/11/2008 12:22:00 PM (5/11/2008 12:22:00 PM) - Al Before we get started, Eric from Portland, OR, I deleted your e-mail. Please shoot me a line when you get a chance. 5/11/2008 12:22:00 PM Saturday, May 10, 2008 (5/10/2008 11:41:00 PM) - Al Ned often gets a reserve or two a start on Sunday afternoons, and if he does, I'd have to guess Tony Gwynn Jr. finds himself in the lineup. Cameron, despite taking a bases loaded walk, has been in a funk since hitting 2 HR's in a game versus HOU. Given Bill Hall's past success on Mother's Day (while I'm the first to say such criteria is probably a bad way to decide), he might well play, but he'd probably be next in line to sit. 5/10/2008 11:41:00 PM (5/10/2008 11:28:00 PM) - Al Blue Jays designated RHP Tracy Thorpe for assignment. Thorpe had been on the 40-man roster for more than two years, but he never got a look in the majors. It's interesting that this move comes just a couple of days after he spoke out about the lack of African Americans in Toronto's organization. He certainly was one of the worst bets for the future of the players on the roster, but it's not great timing for the Jays. The 27-year-old had a 2.63 ERA as Triple-A Syracuse's closer.--Rotoworld Thorpe fits the mold of prior Doug Melvin pickups, as he's a large man and judging solely by his numbers, would appear to be a hard thrower. As mentioned, he was also doing ok in AAA for the first time this year. He's probably a low ceiling, back of the bullpen guy, but this is the kind of guy Doug has taken a look at in the past...though I am unsure of the 40 man situation. 5/10/2008 11:28:00 PM (5/10/2008 09:35:00 PM) - Al Support is growing in Democratic ranks for Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland as vice president. He would bring to the ticket maturity (66 years old), experience (six terms in Congress) and moderation (rated "A" by the National Rifle Association). He is very popular in Ohio, a state Republicans must carry to elect a president.--Bob Novak I think "must" is a strong word, but OH would sure be one of the key states. That said, John Edwards did not deliver NC in 2004, and TN did not vote for Al Gore in 2000 either, so exactly how much using a candidate to win their home state helps is debatable. 5/10/2008 09:35:00 PM (5/10/2008 08:44:00 PM) - Al "The bottom line is I missed the sign," said Kendall, a 13-year veteran known for his fundamental soundness. "It's unacceptable. I can't do that. I don't recall the last time that happened to the Crew. I'm not sure if it ever has. 5/10/2008 08:44:00 PM (5/10/2008 07:42:00 PM) - Al Remember when I said I've never seen a closer ask out of being the closer? Now, this makes twice in 24 hours. As most readers know, I'm not a big believer in any sort of magical formula to get 3 outs in the 9th as opposed to the 7th or 8th. I'd probably go with Sal Torres myself, but you could almost make an argument for darn near anyone in the bullpen, or to just "go with the hot hand", or "by situation", which almost always means they are moving the set-up guy to closer (see Ryan Franklin)...but not announcing it. 5/10/2008 07:42:00 PM (5/10/2008 07:29:00 PM) - Al As is often the case, when a guy isn't going good, he doesn't get many breaks either. Today, Gagne got a pop-up/soft fly ball from the first hitter and then a DP ground ball from the next guy...but was left with 2 on and none out after the first one dropped in and the second found a hole. The terrible luck even continued when Aaron Miles, who looked like a HS kid in that PA, hit a ball as weakly as a guy can, but instead of it being a 1-4-3 DP, it was a perfect swinging bunt. Eric probably is not "on" his A game right now, but when you are running bad, it's gotta be tough to have confidence when you come into a game and everything finds a hole. We'll have to see what it said about the squeeze attempt gone bad, as you'd think Kendall simply missed the sign. It was a perfect pitch to bunt as well, so if that was the case, it was a nice call (I admit, I had considered saying it was a good time for a bunt, but held off because of the pitcher's wildness). Hey, you can't go to the plate for your guys. 5/10/2008 07:29:00 PM (5/10/2008 03:43:00 PM) - Al Al, As a loyal reader to your "Ramblings" I appreciate your insight on the Brewers and other topics. I recently moved to Portland, OR which obviously limits my Brewers viewing - so I was elated to say the least that the Brewers were going to be nationally televised on Fox today. Unfortunately Fox is airing the Yankees - Tigers game instead to this market. Why would Fox claim to nationally televise 3 games at the same time (the third being Cubs - DBacks) and pick which market sees which? I understand that this is an American League market - but why not just show one game? I guess I'll get to listen to Uecker again through MLB Audio. Thanks, Eric They always have a main game and a backup or two. The main reason for that is in case in rains. They also try to have teams with national fan bases (Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs, and to a lesser extent, the Cardinals). Looks like they succeeded nicely today. 5/10/2008 03:43:00 PM (5/10/2008 02:43:00 PM) - Al My son, dog and myself all made our first visit of the new year to the state park near us, Rib Mountain. This is something we do about once a month once the weather warms up, as the two little guys love to walk through the hiking trails. Today, we went on the "yellow" trail, which is by far the longest. We've never walked it before, as I always was able to come up with an excuse. All winter, Andrew kept saying "next year, we'll have to go on the yellow trail", so we knocked it off right away. I was shocked to see how many bugs were out already, and how muddy much of the trail was at its lowest. Fortunately, most of the walking was straight uphill or downhill, so no water was sitting there. And yes, I'm being sarcastic. At one point, near the end, it was so steep going uphill, I turned around and saw my son walking on all fours. We rested at nearly all of the benches they have set up along the way, even though I really didn't need to (note to readers, yes I did). Amazingly, while both my son and I loudly proclaimed our exhaustion, Ronnie seemed thirsty but fine (we took a bottle of water, and I did pour some into his mouth, but that only kinda/sorta works). The Rambling son, on the way there, said, "This was the longest winter I can remember". It's only funny if you realize he's 5, and if you heard the exasperation in his voice. 5/10/2008 02:43:00 PM (5/10/2008 01:55:00 PM) - Al The Obama 57 state lapel pin. Heh. 5/10/2008 01:55:00 PM (5/10/2008 08:22:00 AM) - Al Adam discusses the rotation options, including info that the Crew is sending their top scout to Vegas to watch Jeff Weaver pitch tomorrow. Almost without a doubt, I think we'll see one new member in the rotation soon, and possibly two. 5 inning starts of dubious success will not get it done. 5/10/2008 08:22:00 AM (5/10/2008 12:22:00 AM) - Al Jim Edmonds released...call me a old softie, but I think he might have something left, as a part-time player. I wonder if the A's might like to see him play 2-3 times a week versus RHP. 5/10/2008 12:22:00 AM (5/10/2008 12:07:00 AM) - Al While on the road yesterday, every single person, expert or amateur, radio or in person, said Obama would be easier to defeat in November than Clinton. Now, I have no idea if they believe that or not. That said, suddenly, critical thoughts are being tossed out and printed all over the blogosphere, while a few months ago, it was a free pass, hope and change, change and hope. Glenn links to a couple things here, one is comments about Obama's seemingly unattainable "things we'll make corporations do", and another as to him saying he's been to 57 states. I do admit, thew difference between GW saying that, Quayle saying that, and Obama is all but off the charts. I know he misspoke, probably brought on by being fatigued. But, even after all those SNL skits, he still gets a pass from a media that just loves making a big deal out of such misstatements and bad quotes. 5/10/2008 12:07:00 AM (5/10/2008 12:03:00 AM) - Al "They can't keep sending me out there when I'm pitching the way I'm pitching," Isringhausen said. "We're going to have to figure out some kind of remedy. I'm sure it will give me some time off from the role and get somebody in there that can do a better job right now. "I don't have an explanation. I'm just pitching like a second-grader." I cannot recall ever seeing a closer "ask out" of being the closer...until now. That is especially strange to hear from a major league reliever, who has been solid for many, many years. He gave up 4 well struck balls in a row, including Hall's shot that was caught by Ankiel, and a walk. 5/10/2008 12:03:00 AM Friday, May 09, 2008 (5/09/2008 11:51:00 PM) - Al The Brewers are 13th in bullpen ERA in 2008...but if you remove Derrick Turnbow's numbers, they are 6th, with a 3.62 ERA. That's why it seems the 'pen has been very good, because they have. 107 IP 97 H 53 BB 102 K 1.40 WHIP 8.58 K/9 1.92-1 K/BB The walks total is high, but you can get away with that if you have that many K's. 5/09/2008 11:51:00 PM (5/09/2008 11:41:00 PM) - Al Seth McClung, minus one outing versus the Reds in which he was asked to "take one for the team": 13.2 innings pitched, 2 ER, 1.32 ERA, 8 BB, 17 K, 8 H, 1.21 WHIP Those are numbers that could win you a lot of games, if they are able to translate to the rotation. With his velocity and plus breaking ball, I'd love to see him given the opportunity. 5/09/2008 11:41:00 PM (5/09/2008 07:39:00 PM) - Al Sadly, Manny Parra is proving exactly why spring training means less than nothing. Young pitchers often struggle with the mental aspects of the game, and he is doing exactly that. Too bad so many fans don't get it. The braintrust may well have overemphasized it as well. 5/09/2008 07:39:00 PM (5/09/2008 07:08:00 PM) - Al This is supposed to be the Big One, the Mother of all Recessions, a once-in-a-generation/lifetime purging of greed and liquidation of excess—of such enormous magnitude and degree that Bruce Springsteen will write folk ballads about it and Oliver Stone will make a sparsely attended movie about it. But so far the data say "no." Read the whole thing here. I admit, I do find the disgust at the lack of a recession rather humorous. 5/09/2008 07:08:00 PM (5/09/2008 06:41:00 PM) - Al Doug Melvin said on a radio show this afternoon that Seth McClung may get a start or two, as he has pitched nicely in long relief. He also had positive things to say about Jeff Weaver, but said he needed a couple more starts in Nashville to build up his pitch count. And of course, who saw this coming? EDIT/UPDATE: Weaver has actually done nicely in AAA, especially considering he had not spring training. He might well be a start away from the bigs. 5/09/2008 06:41:00 PM (5/09/2008 04:16:00 PM) - Al Looks like the Spring Madness promotion that my family often attends, but not this year, will be another success...single tickets only remain for tonight's game, and hardly any for tomorrow afternoon's affair. If the Saturday game would have been at night, we would have headed down for our usual night/day DH, but when the game was switched to the daytime, we delayed our first trek this year. 5/09/2008 04:16:00 PM (5/09/2008 03:59:00 PM) - Al Thanks to Aaron Gleeman, a mention of Ramblings "still humming along", which may be the kindest thing anyone has ever said about it. Here's the original 2004 article, by the way. 5/09/2008 03:59:00 PM (5/09/2008 03:22:00 PM) - Al The Jays add Kevin Mench and Brad Wilkerson. Whenever money is not involved, TOR seems to do a fine job of building cheaply and smartly. 5/09/2008 03:22:00 PM (5/09/2008 03:03:00 PM) - Al Al, Any "ramblings" of Ned being fired? Eric You will not get any thoughts from me on the subject, other than reports of if such a move may be upcoming. On their Milwaukee radio show this AM, both Tom H and Drew Olson felt such a move was both a long ways off and unwarranted, and I would agree with both aspects. I feel no more like firing Ned than I did giving him an extension last week. Usually, teams fire managers when things are going badly, of course. Any manager would obviously do his best to win games. The one thing I will always say about Ned is that he has been protective of young arms, never pushing them to high pitch counts which will nearly always lead to injury. My goodness, Cito Gaston and Ozzie Guillen have both won titles, and neither could strategize their way out of a paper bag. I wonder how much difference a manager makes, and have said as much several times. I really hope that a bump in the road does not move the team off the long-term plan it has put into place. To me, the biggest problem is the team's lack of quality starting pitching...3/5th's of the rotation is fortunate to make it through the 5th, and the 6th is barely even dreamed of. As I said last night, I think Seth McClung starts next week, and it's possible they even give Jeff Weaver or Mark DeFelice a shot, as almost anyone can go 5 frames and give up 3-4 runs. 5/09/2008 03:03:00 PM (5/09/2008 09:24:00 AM) - Jason Christopherson To continue the piling on of Witrado--did anyone else catch him on Jim Powell's pregame roundtable last night? McCalvy sounded thoughtful and made good conversation. Witrado repeated everything Adam said with enough pauses and "yaknow"s to make the standard Prince Fielder interview sound like an Al Gore speech. Truly, truly painful. 5/09/2008 09:24:00 AM (5/09/2008 12:01:00 AM) - Al MLB.com reports that Derrick Turnbow has been placed on irrevocable waivers by the Brewers after several potential trades fell through. According to general manager Doug Melvin, teams were only interested in trading a mid-level prospect for Turnbow if the Brewers picked up the bulk of his contract. Now he's available to any team that wants to assume his remaining salary, which is about $2.5 million. If Turnbow goes unclaimed, he'll have the option of reporting the minors or becoming a free agent while forfeiting the money.--Rotoworld Looks like the Crew feels Derrick is a better bet than a middling prospect, which makes sense to me, considering Turnbow's success in the bigs. I may be totally off base, but I'd like to see Derrick go to AAA and start every 5th day, to get as many innings in as possible and work on his mechanics and consistency. I think he'd improve by taking a few mph off his fastball and just hitting his spots with it. 5/09/2008 12:01:00 AM Thursday, May 08, 2008 (5/08/2008 08:48:00 PM) - Al Considering McClung just went 2 frames last night, this may be a "show us your stamina" type of outing. He might well replace Carlos or Manny in the rotation next week. Other than the one game versus the Reds where he was left in to "take one for the team", he has been as good as anyone, albeit a tad wild...though that is often the case when you get sporadic work. EDIT: Or for Dave Bush. 5/08/2008 08:48:00 PM (5/08/2008 08:30:00 PM) - Al You can't say much about the quality of pitch that the HR was hit, but what led to it; a 3-2 pitch that was called a ball that might have easily been called a strike, an IF hit, and a blooper to left...not to mention the HR hit the pole in LF. When you're going bad, that all adds up to a big inning. 5/08/2008 08:30:00 PM (5/08/2008 08:00:00 PM) - Al I don't think you can have much better signs that the economy is slowly getting better than to have both McDonald's and Wal Mart report sales are up.--Ramblings increased sales at mcdonalds and wal-mart does not mean the economy is getting better... when people spend more money at those places in particular in actually means the economy is not doing so well. this is because people do more penny-pinching with their expenditures when cash is tight. thus they shop at wal-mart when they don't have a lot of money, and they buy nicer things and more expensive stuff when they are making more money. its the same principle you learn in economics on inferior goods- where people buy more hotdogs, for example, when their income is down, and less when their income is higher. -Kevin Those 2 companies are the breadbaskets of America, however. Anyone can bag a lunch rather than eat at McDonald's, and if you're short on funds, it makes sense you would spend $90 at WM rather than $100. Neither is happening. Now, a sign that the economy is all the way back might be Tiffany's be way up in sales. I ate at KFC today, and noted a 3 piece white meal is $7.09...with no soft drink. If you're close to losing your house, you ain't eating there, and it's certainly not considered upscale. While I drove into an empty lot at 11:50, by the time I left at 12:15, it was 75% full, probably 30 people eating inside. Things have slowed down in the last year, without a doubt. But given the lack of negative growth in the first quarter, and solid April sales at 2 American stalwarts, I'm hard pressed to forecast a recession. 5/08/2008 08:00:00 PM (5/08/2008 07:51:00 PM) - Al This is one of the most informative and well written columns I've seen in ages...consider me shocked it came from the New York Times. And, even better, it makes the conspiracy theory nuts look even dumber. 5/08/2008 07:51:00 PM (5/08/2008 07:43:00 PM) - Al After Mike Rivera steals 2B, Carlos Villanueva drives him in with a single down the RF line. There's a sentence I never thought I would type. 5/08/2008 07:43:00 PM (5/08/2008 07:37:00 PM) - Al Filling in for Tadahito Iguchi, Callix Crabbe went 0-for-4 with a walk and committed two errors on Thursday. Crabbe's roster spot is very much in danger with Juan Castro available in Triple-A. The Rule-5 pick is hitting .176 with one extra-base hit in 34 at-bats.--Rotoworld Callix would have to clear waivers and then be offered back to the Brewers before the Padres can send him to AAA. He's not much more than major league depth, as he is basically a 2B/OF with no pop at all; so Doug could well choose to accept a trade or cash to let Crabbe stay where he may have more of a future. 5/08/2008 07:37:00 PM (5/08/2008 07:29:00 PM) - Al Anyone wondering why the Crew is running bad need not look further than the 3rd, in which Carlos gave up 3 ground balls...every one of which found a hole and turned into a hit, including one that hits 1B. Luckily, he escaped further damage by getting a 5-4-3 DP. When things are going good, he's sitting in the dugout after 8 pitches and it's a really easy game. 5/08/2008 07:29:00 PM (5/08/2008 07:22:00 PM) - Al Dave Pinto with an article at TSN that all but shows why old media is dead, or at least terminally ill, showing how the NL is outscoring the AL this year, despite the DH. This is exactly what you'd expect to find from a blogger. If Tony Witrado of the JS would write an article like this...heh, never mind. Note how the NL has more PA's from those 26, and 28-30, and then how many more the AL has of 31-32 year-olds. 5/08/2008 07:22:00 PM (5/08/2008 07:08:00 PM) - Al I don't think you can have much better signs that the economy is slowly getting better than to have both McDonald's and Wal Mart report sales are up. 5/08/2008 07:08:00 PM (5/08/2008 04:59:00 PM) - Al Cleveland area Papa Johns sold pizzas for 23 cents to benefit the Lebron James Foundation. Not worth the wait to me, but obviously, worth it to many. 5/08/2008 04:59:00 PM (5/08/2008 04:48:00 PM) - Al I just finished reading Witrado's game story from Wednesday's loss. The guy's digging his own grave. They're going to stop talking to him. He seems no smarter than the people who comment on the Brewers blog. James I know better than to read JS recaps, but James feels he's as worthless as I do. I cannot believe we're the only two. 5/08/2008 04:48:00 PM (5/08/2008 04:41:00 PM) - Al Ben Sheets. If the Brewers are going to contend this year, they're going to need Sheets in the rotation. However, they're 16-17 right now, and likely won't see Yovani Gallardo for the rest of the season. The Brewers likely won't keep Sheets after this year, anyway, so if they're still in the middle of the pack, they can use the oft-injured ace to reload on players that can help them next year. Their lineup is still very young, with only two regulars over the age of 28. An influx of pitching could set them up well for next year.---MLBTR MLBTR was recapping a Buster Olney insider article on ESPN, discussing who might be available at the trade deadline. I would agree with everything said, although I might say the Crew would have to be a few games under .500 to make the deal. 5/08/2008 04:41:00 PM Wednesday, May 07, 2008 (5/07/2008 08:05:00 PM) - Al I'll be out of town tomorrow, so updates will be light...if any. 5/07/2008 08:05:00 PM (5/07/2008 07:44:00 PM) - Al Q: PHOF of Shelbyville, Ind. - Tom, do you get sick of answering dumb questions? A: Anthony Witrado - Yes. --Anthony Q: Russ S of Delavan, WI - Tom, Do you get sick of answering the same questions on a daily basis from people who most of the time seem to know nothing about what they're talking about or fail to offer a solution to there ridiculous questions? Care to bet on how many times you're going to have to answer the "Are you on Ned Yost's Payroll?" question? The season has been frustrating for all of us (including yourself, I'm sure), but you can't constantly keep changing things around to get results. Personally, I think you do a great job of not only reporting, but also keeping your cool with the influx of idiots you have to reply too. And no, I AM NOT on Tom Hardricourt's payroll........ Keep up the great work Tom, and GO BREWERS!! A: Anthony Witrado - Anthony does get tired of people calling him "Tom" on his mailbag. Both from little Tony's mailbag today, in which he wastes his time and his readers by responding ignorantly to questions in which the reader dares to use "Tom", which of course is the name of the the regular beat writer. A couple weeks ago, I received an e-mail from someone who knows Tony, and basically said he's a know-it-all and a jerk. Well, thus far, the kid has literally done nothing except act like an idiot in the daily blog the JS does, "shouting out to his homies" like a rapper, and file daily articles which can only be called "crappy". And, not to pick on the fella, who is apparently quite "challenged" mentally, but if you wish to submit a mailbag question, it just goes to a general mailbox. "His" mailbag could just ignore questions to Tom, but he is not intelligent enough to do so. What's really sad is a paper in a media market the size of Milwaukee brings in a guy to write for a MLB team who previously worked on the Milwaukee prep scene...nothing wrong with that, of course, but if that's the high point o your resume, I don't think it's exactly screaming MLB. Newspapers make a lot of excuses for their declining circulation, but the answer for the most part is simple...the quality of writing they put out simply is below what Aaron Gleeman and many others provide online. Having a putz like Witrado insult his readers on a weekly basis does not help either. 5/07/2008 07:44:00 PM (5/07/2008 06:52:00 PM) - Al HBP, blooper, missed called strike three (note, when the batter starts walking back to the dugout...), and finally, one well hit ball. That's a perfect recipe for a rally, and as usual, it's bad luck and incompetence. I suppose this may break even eventually, but... By the way, the first pitch to Weeks was also a curve over the corner...strike one. Oof. 5/07/2008 06:52:00 PM (5/07/2008 06:50:00 PM) - Al Dusty Baker should not be allowed within a country mile of any pitcher under 25. 5/07/2008 06:50:00 PM (5/07/2008 05:05:00 PM) - Al Teams interested in trading for Derrick Turnbow want the Brewers to pay a significant chunk of the remaining $2.5 million on his contract, reducing the chances of a deal. The Brewers aren't interested in paying for Turnbow to possibly straighten out with another club. Better yet, they should get Turnbow through waivers, send him to Class AAA and attempt to fix him themselves.--Ken Rosenthal I would have to agree that the odds of Turnbow "figuring it out" with regular work is probably the best bet. I don't see any team, regardless of record, letting Derrick use the majors as his practice canvas after his last two outings with the Crew. 5/07/2008 05:05:00 PM (5/07/2008 10:18:00 AM) - Al Tom H tells us that Prince hits better when the Brewers' wins than in their losses. Of course, I would assume you can find similar numbers for every hitter, and for most pitchers, for that matter, because you usually win when the opposing pitcher is going bad...and that's when hitters will get their hits as well. Trying to find a correlation for something that obvious seems to be a monumental waste of time. 5/07/2008 10:18:00 AM (5/07/2008 09:39:00 AM) - Al Notes from an evening of channel surfing: Not much to worry about last night, Scott Olsen was simply excellent. Could have ended up a 1-0 game, as Jacob's HR barely made it out, and rarely do line drives like that go over the fence. I watched the late encores of The Deadliest Catch and The Alaska Experiment on Discovery last night, and both are proving to be interesting. Catch is always enjoyable, as much for the gruff personalities as anything else. Experiment takes a bunch of city slickers and dumps them in Alaska to live in extreme conditions. Last night, one of the groups found part of a bison carcass, and decided the meat was still good enough to take a chance on. I would not hesitate to do so either, especially if I was cold and hungry, but admittedly, I'd have a tough time allowing my son to eat that, no matter how long I cooked it. Keith Olbermann is pretty much a caricature of himself, and while his ratings are now up to a measurable amount, as he panders to the far-left crowd, he is watched by about 500K a night, which granted is as tiny as it gets. But, as a news channel, I'm not sure how MSNBC can justify having one of its anchors openly root for Obama, and distort information as it comes in. He couldn't have been more of a cheerleader had he been wearing a short skirt and a tight sweater. At one point, the difference in Indiana fell to about 20K, and he literally exclaimed, "It could not be any closer"...apparently, unaware that such numbers as 17K, 18K, and 19K exist. One network had on a Democratic strategist, who said he once called Lake County, IN to ask when the final tally would be posted, and was told "They'll be up as soon as you tell us how many votes you need". Heh. 6 frats suspended at San Diego State after a drug bust. Obviously, just a group of misunderstood youth. Jennie Finch was pitching last night as Team USA continues prepping for the Olympics. I always find it interesting that despite the fact people often say our culture is that says, "you can never be too thin", Finch is universally thought of to be very attractive despite having a large frame. That seems rather inconsistent. 5/07/2008 09:39:00 AM Tuesday, May 06, 2008 (5/06/2008 07:12:00 PM) - Al Dan Uggla called out on a curve that I would say was high and inside. Considering the pitch to Cameron was low and away, that strike zone is huge...or just inconsistent. 5/06/2008 07:12:00 PM (5/06/2008 07:06:00 PM) - Al After calling him out on strike three, which looked outside, the home plate umpire watched Mike Cameron all the way into the dugout, continued talking, and then ejected Ned Yost from the game. Allow me to say, if they cared a percentage as much about getting the calls right than they do listening to stuff from the dugout, they'd do a much better job. It's simply painful seeing what a poor job each and every crew has done thus far in 2008. There seems to be no desire to give anything near 100%...but how dare anyone question them? 5/06/2008 07:06:00 PM (5/06/2008 04:24:00 PM) - Al I know I read many articles about the dealerships having to all but give away their gas guzzlers last Summer...many were able to buy 4WD pickups and full size SUV's for 30-40% off the list price as they took advantage of various rebates, incentives, and so forth. Take two. 5/06/2008 04:24:00 PM (5/06/2008 03:21:00 PM) - Al Ramblings has learned former principal John Klang, who was killed by a student who brought a firearm to school, that his family is a finalist for the Wisconsin "Extreme Home Makeover". In order to determine who will win the prize, the production team is asking for folks to e-mail who they would want to win. If you wish to participate, send an e-mail to castingwisconsin@gmail.com and put VOTE FOR KLANG FAMILY in the subject line. A mention that you feel the Klang family is very deserving is all you need in the body of the message, if you wish to put anything in at all. Sue, his wife, lives in a 100+ year-old farmhouse presently, and various updates and such need to be done. Hat tip to friend of Ramblings Fatter Than Joey for the heads up. Suuposedly, a decision will be made today. Vote! 5/06/2008 03:21:00 PM (5/06/2008 02:11:00 PM) - Al Hey Al, I don't know if you read Jerry Crasnick's "That's Debatable" topic for Monday, but the debate was 'Who is the best team in the NL central'. There were many good points made, and of course it's still kind of early, but as Mike Golic says 'When is it not early in baseball'. One key point that was not remotely mentioned in the debate, and quite frankly I don't think I've heard anywhere yet, is strength of schedule. First, the Brewers have played 13 home games, compared to Chicago's 17, and the Cardinal's 21. Second, the Brewers won a road series in Chicago, a road series in New York, and another road series in Chicago. Both teams are the favorites to win their respective divisions. Third, each division in the NL has a CLEAR loser team with little hope of a division title in the near future, the Pirates, the Giants, and the Nationals. As of Monday, the Brewers have played 3 games against those teams, the Cubs have played 9, and the Cardinals have played 12. According to ESPN's Relative Power Index (again as of Monday), the Brewers rank 7th (St. Louis 4th and Chicago 8th) with the second highest (most difficult) strength of schedule. Chicago was ranked 20th in SOS and St. Louis at 24th. Also, as anyone who has to get up early knows, the Brewers have played more extra innings games than any other team in the league, fatiguing our bullpen to the point in which Ned was forced to increase our bullpen numbers to where we only had two bench players plus Mike Rivera for a little while. I know a Win is a Win and we're in 3rd place but, hey, it's early and we've got a lot of watching Jason Bay strikeout to look forward to. Billy Very informative e-mail from Billy, which I will allow to stand on its own. I have not studied the numbers, but it sure does seem as though they have faced a very good SP far more often than you would think. Those things do even out over 162, but not over 31. I would say it is likely that much of the "problem" with the offense is directly related to the quality of arms faced thus far. 5/06/2008 02:11:00 PM (5/06/2008 02:06:00 PM) - Al A name to remember if the Crew looks for a SP to step right in...Josh Fogg, currently in the Reds' bullpen and wanting in a rotation. Very popular player among teammates, according to this piece. Seems to me he might have been linked to the Brewers in the past... 5/06/2008 02:06:00 PM Monday, May 05, 2008 (5/05/2008 07:12:00 PM) - Al Can you imagine paying $325 for a ticket to the ballgame, and having all the people around you tell you they paid $30? I'm telling you what, these folks have never dealt with unhappy customers. 5/05/2008 07:12:00 PM (5/05/2008 06:37:00 PM) - Al Doug says Gagne's job is safe...for now. Looking at his stats, the trouble spot is his walks. I'm the first to say he seems to have a tiny strike zone, but you have to throw strikes, as free baserunners will score. 5/05/2008 06:37:00 PM (5/05/2008 10:20:00 AM) - Al Obama voted three times for a gas tax holiday when he was in the Illinois legislature. Legislators were responding in 2000 to gas reaching $2 a gallon in the Chicago area. Looks like he voted for it several times...but would now vote against it. I think the VP choice is suddenly quite apparent...someone give John Kerry a call. 5/05/2008 10:20:00 AM (5/05/2008 10:02:00 AM) - Al Even though Chelsea is oodles more attractive than anyone else speaking in the race, she draws crowds like this. Just so sad. 5/05/2008 10:02:00 AM (5/05/2008 09:45:00 AM) - Al Why does SL want to trade Anthony Reyes if he was able to be sent down to the minors? They should have done that ages ago, as he's needed the work since early last year. It is hard to believe he won't regain his form and at least be useful again. He's still just 26. 5/05/2008 09:45:00 AM (5/05/2008 09:43:00 AM) - Al Wouldn't it be funny if the Brewers traded Turnbow to the Mets...for Claudio Vargas? 5/05/2008 09:43:00 AM (5/05/2008 09:21:00 AM) - Al A week after Roger Clemens said he was innocent of all charges, he apologizes for non-specific errors. No one ever finds Jesus on prom night.--Dennis Miller Clemens does seem to go by the old theory of "deny it 'til they prove it". 5/05/2008 09:21:00 AM (5/05/2008 08:55:00 AM) - Al Hi Al– Enjoy your blog! First time writing, but I’ve been reading for over a year. It’s not uncommon for people to wash their boats after using them. All sorts of unwanted creatures live in many lakes and washing down boats prevents then from spreading to other lakes. In fact, the DNR recommends you do just that. Scott I realize there are several reasons to keep a boat clean, but 2 hours seems excessive. Also, I'm far from an expert on boat hygiene, but I thought you were supposed to scrape off your boat as soon as you removed it from the water, to keep stuff from spreading. Scott writes a Brewers' blog called In Between Hops (get it, it has a double meaning!), stop by and say hello. 5/05/2008 08:55:00 AM (5/05/2008 08:12:00 AM) - Al UPDATE: Corrected minor typo. Al, I've been trying not to panic about the Gallardo injury, and trying to convince my friends that the team still has a decent chance to make the playoffs. The sweep at the hands of a subpar team, especially with leads in all three games, sure doesn't strengthen my argument, even if that is as much an indictment of the offense as anything (not to mention horrible luck in today's game on a few light hits and a magical shrinking strike zone). But to tell you the truth, I don't know if I believe my own arguments. I can feel the panic welling up, as I have very little logic that helps me cope with recent events. Here's all I got. 1. Gallardo still would not have appeared in 80 percent of the team's games, and even though nobody can count on it, Milwaukee still does have an ace-type pitcher in its rotation. 2. The Central is not a division of powerhouses, no matter how much the world tries to express its love for the Chicago Cubs. 3. Teams with lesser pitching staffs have put it together for a postseason run. Milwaukee employs two starters (Suppan, Weaver) who took St. Louis to a World Series, and I don't think anyone would mistake that staff for the 1993 Braves. Naturally, players such as Bush, Parra and Villanueva have to find themselves in a hurry. 4. Anything can happen in baseball. Since you are among the most rational of Brewers fans on the Internet, I beg you to give me something more substantive I can hang my hat on. JR, you did not mention the top 2 reasons I would tell you to give: 1. I think the offense will be better. 2. The team leading the division does not look that strong at all. There are also other positives as well, the bullpen has been very good, with the exception of Gagne...whose numbers are a bit off due to a plethora of bad luck/small sample size. I will certainly not argue Eric has been superb, but he deserves a better fate. What's ironic is that I was not any more down after the 3 games versus HOU than I was up after the 3 SF games...it's a long, long season. If you start worrying about your last 3 games, you're going to have a lot of down stretches over 162, to say the least. Heck, maybe this isn't the year...losing a pair of SP's to injury...by May 1st, does not bode well, to say the least. On one message board last night, someone said that if the Crew does not move into contention by mid-July, they are well stocked to make several trades that could net them a plethora of prospects and young players. While it is a contrarian viewpoint, it has merit. Many players, should they continue to perform as they have thus far, would be among the best at their position and garner a nice return. Torres, Mota, Shouse, Gagne, Kendall, and Cameron are all in the final year of their contracts...not to mention Sheets. One need not look past the A's to see how an infusion of talent can assist a team as they look to move up. Time will tell what scenario rises to the forefront. As for now, I promise you Doug and Gord are looking for ways to improve the team right now, but to be honest, much of the improvement is going to have to come from within. I see them finishing higher than 9th in runs scored, but currently, they are 12th in ERA...and while you can blame a bit of that on Turnbow, it's difficult to imagine them moving into the upper half anytime soon. That said, much depends on the offense simply regaining its 2007 swagger and level of success. 5/05/2008 08:12:00 AM (5/05/2008 01:20:00 AM) - Al The Rambling son is off school tomorrow, a built in snow makeup day, especially strange because our urban district did not even have a single snow day (or delay) this past heavy snow season, missing just a single "cold" day. If things go as planned, I will be responding to some e-mail I have put off and the like. Stay tuned. 5/05/2008 01:20:00 AM (5/05/2008 01:13:00 AM) - Al Little bit surprised to see so many teams playing tomorrow, as I half expected to see just a couple games, as is often the case when the Crew has a day off. The Cubs travel to Cincy, while the Cards fly to Denver. The Cubs lose out on that trade, as they lose an hour and have to travel further as well. Given that travel schedule, you might find it wise to take the Reds. For that and lines on every sporting event, visit Bodog. I got an e-mail just a while ago asking if I saw the conclusion of the game tonight. I did not, but according to the sender, Derrek Lee took three strikes from Izzy, one high, two low. The writer only wishes the Brewers would see a strike zone like that. Me too. 5/05/2008 01:13:00 AM Sunday, May 04, 2008 (5/04/2008 08:16:00 PM) - Al One of our neighbors that has a boat got home at about 6:15, and have spent the better part of two hours washing it off with their garden hose. Is that odd to anyone else? The only thing stranger is that I've been sitting in the same spot able to see them, watching ABC and playing on the laptop. 5/04/2008 08:16:00 PM (5/04/2008 07:49:00 PM) - Al Mr. Obama seems to think he can repeal the laws of economics.--Wall Street Journal Well, he is all about change. WSJ seems rather unimpressed by all three candidates actually, basically saying they seem to be ignoring the laws of supply and demand...where have I heard that before? From Glenn, isn't it odd that Clinton is now the fun-loving candidate? How dry does Obama have to act to lose the personality contest to Hillary? 5/04/2008 07:49:00 PM (5/04/2008 07:26:00 PM) - Al "There were some calls that could have gone either way that we thought we strikes," Yost said. "But not the majority of them. We're talking two or three pitches." Ned goes out of his way to avoid blaming the umps, but we are certainly not talking about a team that gets a lot of breaks, to say the least. Add that tight strike zone to having to get 4 outs in the 9th due to a missed call at 1B, you're going to struggle, especially since Gagne is not a guy who just throws 97 and dares you to hit it. To me, the 2-2 pitch to Berkman, which looked to cut the plate in half and was maybe a half-inch high, is a strike about half the time. Gagne has looked like he has gotten squeezed in almost every outing...at some point, that defies coincidence. Not sure if it has to do with how much his stuff moves, or if he lives on the corners, or what. Add that to the blown call at 2B (which the Crew actually got the call on) and the play at home in which it appeared Sheets was tagged on his back well after he stepped on the plate; it's been far from good judgments being made, as almost every close call seems to be incorrect. When Cruz was thrown out (supposedly) by Hart, Cecil Cooper correctly pointed out that the runner had not just beat the throw, he was standing up after the slide, a good "beat" before the throw was caught. Right now, unless it's a game like the 19-5 defeat, you just gotta hope to break even on the questionable ones. It's nothing that a few HR's won't take care of, but many games the team seems to be playing uphill. Maybe that will all even out, but after a month, it has not. 5/04/2008 07:26:00 PM (5/04/2008 04:01:00 PM) - Al 4 unnamed teams are interested in Derrick Turnbow, who is making $3.2MM this year. According to Ken Rosenthal, the Brewers would need to throw money in a deal or get a comparable salary in return - as the saying goes, you trade contracts, not players. Turnbow needs a fresh start and middle relief is always in demand; however, a lot of teams have better internal options and could see Turnbow as a project for better or worse.---MLBTR I was actually going to mention this possibility in my earlier post...I'm sure the Crew would be very happy to get an overpaid SP who has had his struggles in return for Derrick. 5/04/2008 04:01:00 PM (5/04/2008 02:51:00 PM) - Al When you look at the current makeup of the major league and AAA rosters, it would appear the 6th starter is either Seth McClung or Jeff Weaver, with possibly Chris Narveson being considered as well, at least until Weaver gets enough frames of work in. At first glance, that would appear to be quite a dropoff from where the club was just 45 days ago. But, there is nothing that can be done about Capuano's arm injury, nor Yo's freak ACL tear. Pitchers, and all players, get hurt all the time, and that's why you need good depth. The obvious question is the release of Claudio Vargas. I said at the time I would have kept him and sent down Manny Parra, as Manny has plenty of options and also past arm trouble that would make him a good candidate to limit his innings pitched. As I said at the bottom of the link above, it was assumed by me then that at some point, more help would be needed...and it almost certainly will be. While Manny was not one of the top 5, he seems to be a step up from the current 6th starter options. That said, perhaps a better way of looking at the situation is to compare Vargas to other pitchers that may be looked at. Certainly, most would be far cheaper than Claudio, and given that he has a 5ish career ERA, many would be similar in effectiveness. However, most teams have 30+ starts a year that can be considered well below that level, as I talked about here, as friend of Ramblings Jeff Sackmann discovered that many clubs get 20% of their outings from pitchers who struggle to keep their ERA under 6. That's exactly why SP's like Vargas continue to find work and make very good money. That's also why many, like myself and Dave Pinto often suggest skipping your worst pitcher when you can, after an off day. While the proper term is really "delaying", you get your top 4 out there quicker and over the course of 162, manage to get a couple more starts out of your better arms and about 8-10 less from your worst fella. I'd be delaying Parra until next Saturday, for example, after tomorrow's off day. If you look at the options currently available for the Crew, David Wells is out there, and if you look around, you might scrounge up a pitcher much like (if not exactly) Chris Sampson, who faced the Crew today. Sampson is not a hard thrower, and relies on his control. Glance at his career marks, you'll see some success, but poor secondary numbers, including a bad K/IP ratio, which usually indicates if he is in the rotation at all, he will be toward the bottom of it. Guys like that are actually similar to Vargas, though Claudio would have better "stuff", most would agree. I think the braintrust will do exactly what most of us would do...start bringing in veteran arms. We may see one or two signed to go to AAA, and maybe even one for AA. We could see a guy like Zach Jackson, who has struggled this year at Nashville, swapped for a lower ceiling, higher consistency type. And of course, they'll be watching the waiver wire for someone else to have a roster crunch and give up on a pitcher that could help...especially those that are "stretched out" and ready to go 100 pitches, something Parra still seems questionable on. Heck, it isn't beyond the realm of baseball for the Crew to ask the Mets about Vargas, who is still in AAA, especially if they needed a SP due to injury. Losing Vargas is unlikely to be devastating, but there is little doubt he would be utilized, if not now, soon, if he were still Brewers' property. 5/04/2008 02:51:00 PM (5/04/2008 02:30:00 PM) - Al The Rambling son is currently out on the lake fishing I hear, his allergies not as bad as they were yesterday, when he had gunk forming in his eyes (of late, Daddy has had to use a high pressure hose to clear out the "crust" on his eyes when waking up). Luckily, his aunt had some eye drops, as despite the 6-7 vials I have around the house, they did not pack any. This morning, he went golfing with his grandpa and uncle, walking the whole course, so I predict a good night's sleep when he returns home tonight. Meanwhile, I got up at 7:30 to let Ronnie out, and decided to go back to bed, and awoke at 11. Maybe I should not have watched Under Siege for the 15th time late last night. We have a beautiful day here today, so I finally grilled the pork chops I had marinating since Friday night, as I had intended to grill yesterday, but the rain and cold postponed that until today. I had never had much luck with pork, as I always get them too dry, so I referred to my grilling book the Rambling wife bought me for Xmas. It said to use "indirect heat" for 20 minutes, and that seemed to do the trick, as I as treated to juicy cutlets, which I served to loud kudos from the entire lunch party. I actually made little mini-sandwiches using those little refrigerator biscuits and some country gravy. I also grilled sweet corn, which means I made 4 things, which is 3 more than usual. I also made sure not to overcook the pork, as I found a website which said it was safe at 150 degrees, down from the usual 160-180 you usually read. In addition, I found that oft-noted trichinosis had only a dozen cases in the US the last year records are available, and that both bear and home grown pork are more to blame than commercially raised pork. 5/04/2008 02:30:00 PM (5/04/2008 01:29:00 PM) - Al Link roundup of thoughts about the gas tax holiday, hat tip to Glenn. This will not be the only time that Obama scoffs at lower tax rates, even with the most regressive of taxes, which is what the gas tax is, as for the most part, lower and middle income people pay a far higher percentage than the wealthy. Both Hillary and McCain should pounce on this, as complaining about "how little it will help", even though it is essentially a magnet of backward economic theory, is fine sound bite material. 5/04/2008 01:29:00 PM (5/04/2008 01:12:00 PM) - Al Bo does know recruiting. I don't even know if Brian Butch was a Top 10 national recruit. Longer story here. 5/04/2008 01:12:00 PM (5/04/2008 11:48:00 AM) - Al I'll be back this afternoon with thoughts on the sudden lack of depth in the rotation. However, right now, the grill is calling. 5/04/2008 11:48:00 AM Saturday, May 03, 2008 (5/03/2008 06:46:00 PM) - Al Warren Buffet says the worst is behind us, as did many of the panelists on the stock shows this AM, as did the host of the radio show on this afternoon...he probably said it best, the market went down soon after the new year, because they saw the slowdown coming, and now it is going back up, because they see the 2nd half of '08 and 2009 as being strong. He said the only ones not buying now were those who "can only see what's in the rear-view mirror, instead of looking straight ahead". With the 0.6% growth in Q1, the US would have to have negative growth in both Q2 and Q3 to have a recession, and many feel the stimulus package will boost the number by 1-2% alone, so that seems very, very unlikely. 5/03/2008 06:46:00 PM (5/03/2008 09:13:00 AM) - Al "You play the park," said Yost. "That's the way the stadium plays. You've got to keep the ball down. "(Villanueva) couldn't keep the ball down. In this ballpark, that's a death sentence." Carlos got beat with his fastball for all but a single HR, and the frustrating thing to me is, the Astros only have 4 guys that can beat you, and Carlos gave up a homer to every single one of them. 5/03/2008 09:13:00 AM (5/03/2008 08:43:00 AM) - Al Starter Rich Hill had to be pulled after walking four of the six batters he faced, forcing Lou Piniella to call on his entire bullpen--MLB.com Had to? He gave up one run, and was a single out away from getting out of the inning, and possibly settling in and having a decent outing. That's just a mighty quick hook. Must have been some "politics" involved here, as most SP's have plenty of leash to give up a lot more than a run. 5/03/2008 08:43:00 AM (5/03/2008 12:53:00 AM) - Al Looking for info on Chad Fox, I came across this in the archives.I've heard 'em all before, of course, but it never fails to amaze me...80% of the "poor" have AC? Heh. 5/03/2008 12:53:00 AM (5/03/2008 12:41:00 AM) - Al If Jason Kendall would go down, Damian Miller might answer the call. Nice piece on Damian here. 5/03/2008 12:41:00 AM (5/03/2008 12:31:00 AM) - Al Allow me to say how painful it is to agree with Hillary on anything.:) Actually, at the end of the day, she's probably not a bad person at all. She sure could use some PR, however. The irony here is, that's exactly what she needed last year, and she never got it then either. 5/03/2008 12:31:00 AM Friday, May 02, 2008 (5/02/2008 11:15:00 PM) - Al It's gonna make $80M this opening weekend, and I am all but positive I have never heard of it, or even seen an ad for it. I think it's official, I'm really old. 5/02/2008 11:15:00 PM (5/02/2008 10:58:00 PM) - Al Cubs lose, as Chad Fox is asked to pitch more than one inning, something he could not do 6 years ago. They said Rich Hill was taken out after 2/3rd's of an inning, so the Cubs bullpen is going to be tired tomorrow. 5/02/2008 10:58:00 PM (5/02/2008 10:45:00 PM) - Al I was flipping as the Jazz look to have it well in hand versus the Rockets, and I was surprised to see the Cubs still playing, as they are in extras with the Cards. The announcers were complaining about Soriano's defense, even though one of the plays looked like it should have been handled easily by the SS. I think that's one of those "so used to picking on his defense, do it even if it isn't his fault". Chad Fox is back in the bigs, playing for the Cubs. Someone mentioned Fox burned his bridges in Milwaukee when he left, but I do not recall it. He was one heckuva pitcher back when he was healthy, though that was rare. 5/02/2008 10:45:00 PM (5/02/2008 06:22:00 PM) - Al It appears inevitable that Wrigley Field will have to be closed for extensive renovations at some point in the next decade. The Cubs likely would share U.S. Cellular Field with the White Sox on the South Side for at last a year, although playing in Milwaukee apparently also is an option.--Philly.com It would seem quite apparent they would play almost all their games in Chicago, but Miller Park could be used in case of a conflict, or especially early in the season, when it's cold and snowy. 5/02/2008 06:22:00 PM (5/02/2008 05:04:00 PM) - Al I have no problem admitting Fox News skews to the right, just as I have no problem admitting CNN and MSNBC skew to the left. Heck, if I was running for something, I'd sure feel stupid if I ignored the cable news network with by far the highest ratings. Speaking of Fox, they have been teased by some who refer to them as the "Fox Babe Network", and often say that they are more concerned about short skirts than journalistic standards. Twice a day or so, if I'm home, I will switch it over to CNBC, which is the most watched financial news network. This week, or maybe last week, I noticed things seemed different, that the anchors were standing instead of sitting. What has happened is all the desks are gone, replaced by glass tables...which by pure coincidence, I'm sure, seems to create a direct path for the viewer to see the skirt length of all the CNBC personalities...who are all young, attractive, and far from Helen Thomas in appearance. What's that old saying...imitation is the sincerest form of flattery? 5/02/2008 05:04:00 PM (5/02/2008 04:52:00 PM) - Al No wonder this guy lost the presidency to an umpopular president. You can almost hear him... You people gotta let this go...how 'bout we talk about the recession we've been talking about for a year, even though it hasn't happened yet? 5/02/2008 04:52:00 PM (5/02/2008 04:38:00 PM) - Al Instapundit has been linking to a variety of "darn the good news" under the heading Dude, Where's My Recession? Note the difference in the headlines by the media in this blurb. 5/02/2008 04:38:00 PM (5/02/2008 03:29:00 PM) - Al My wife is off to her family's compound in northern WI this weekend with our son, so it will just be myself and the dog bacheloring it this weekend. After I turned in my paperwork at the office, I stopped in at Wal Mart to pick up some things for myself that I rarely buy, as my wife does not enjoy them. I'm not sure if it is at all related to the first of the stimulus payments going out or not, but the store was packed. I had to park 2 stores away, despite a driving rain. Inside, it was very difficult to get around, especially in what I would call "party" areas...by the meat to grill, the pop and beer section, and so on. By the way, an endcap of Vitamin Water, an overpriced flavored water product, was half-full and no fewer than 3 people grabbed product off of it as I walked by. Tell you what, even if it is just a "slowdown", paying $1.29 for Kool-Aid (with a multi-vitamin mixed in) is not a wise investment. On a sidenote, the other day I was at a local grocery we often go to when we need a couple things, I won't mention it by name, so I'll call it "Sick and Pave". Apples were all between $1.79 and 1.98 a pound. I really enjoy apples, but a big golden delicious or granny smith must weigh about half a pound...I don't like apples enough to pay 90 cents a piece for one. Today, I got some golden delicious and braeburn both for 69 cents a pound, or thereabouts. While in line at the register, I heard one woman say that something was $8 somewhere else, at WM, it had scanned at $4.19. I'm not sure who came up with the phrase "cut off your nose to spite your face", but those who refuse to shop at Wal Mart because they are simply bastions of efficiency and volume, you simply don't know what you're missing. But please, don't go on my account...it's too crowded there already. 5/02/2008 03:29:00 PM (5/02/2008 02:53:00 PM) - Al I almost posted about Anthony Reyes last night, then decided it was silly...with Dave Bush in AAA. Well, since he's not there anymore, and Reyes both available and rumored to be a guy the Brewers had interest in before, there might be a match there. 5/02/2008 02:53:00 PM (5/02/2008 02:47:00 PM) - Al I realize this is probably Tony LaRussa style overanalysis, but I wonder if the club considered bringing up a reliever for the weekend, since Dave Bush will not start until next week. Granted, Dave himself may well be available out of the bullpen, as Yo's rotation spot will not come up until Wednesday. 5/02/2008 02:47:00 PM (5/02/2008 02:40:00 PM) - Al Yo has a torn ACL, may well miss significant time, if not the season. That's a significant blow to the team's chances, to say the least. When Doug gets done shaking his head, I would not be at all surprised to see the braintrust compiling a list of veteran SP's who are either overpaid and/or headed to free agency this offseason. You can never have too much pitching, that's for sure. 5/02/2008 02:40:00 PM (5/02/2008 08:58:00 AM) - Al Unemployment falls? This has to be disappointing to many. 5/02/2008 08:58:00 AM (5/02/2008 01:25:00 AM) - Al So, am I the only one who thinks that maybe, just maybe, raising taxes on a product that is expensive to find and refine might just lead to higher prices at the pump? It's ECON 101, and I think I'm the only person that didn't skip the day of class supply and demand was discussed? The irony here is, at least 100 times in my first semester of college, the Econ professor answered a question by turning to the board and drawing a supply and demand curve...and now, I find out that all prices are actually fixed by "the man" to best benefit the rich and powerful. Once again, I wasted time that could have been better spent talking to girls that could only wish I would shut up and/or go away. 5/02/2008 01:25:00 AM (5/02/2008 01:19:00 AM) - Al I remember a few years ago that some casual fans said the Brewers should let Rick S go...because he was quite honest, and not a cockeyed optimist like the popular Ulice Payne was. Apparently, Mark A disagrees. I don't know what kind of job those guys do, to be honest, but I also know that a few years ago, I was labeled an idiot more than once for suggesting 3M in attendance was not just possible, but probable in the year after a playoff berth. Turns out, it's very possible this year, without a postseason appearance to build on. 5/02/2008 01:19:00 AM Thursday, May 01, 2008 (5/01/2008 10:20:00 PM) - Al Word from a message board is that Turnbow has been DFA'd, with the boring recall of Joe Dillon to take his spot. Dillon did play tonight in Nashville, but of course, that is a short trip to Houston. I have no source on this, but to be honest, it makes so much sense, it is probably 100% true. UPDATE: Adam confirms the Dillon recall. 5/01/2008 10:20:00 PM (5/01/2008 10:19:00 PM) - Al Friend of Ramblings Ryan agrees with my call about a recession...saying it is one doesn't make it one. 5/01/2008 10:19:00 PM (5/01/2008 10:06:00 PM) - Al Tom H would send down just about anyone on the roster after a bad outing, but his musings on Turnbow are pretty accurate...it's almost beyond belief how a guy that throws 95 could not get 3 outs in a blowout loss. Given Derrick's choices would be to go to AAA and make 82% of $3.2M (prorated over 162 games) or become a free agent and forfeit the cash, I'd have to assume he'd report to AAA, as even a team with nothing to lose would not want him in the majors without a few "get things worked out" outings in the minors. As I know I have said, and Robert has as well, Turnbow is an enigma of mammoth proportion, going from excellent to awful to dropping a perfect breaking ball on the outside corner...sometimes in a span of a single frame. Part of the delay may simply be the Brewers do not have a pressing need for anything...Joe Dillon has been down long enough to return, but 5 bench guys is like a 3rd piece of cake, especially after playing with 3 reserves for so long, nice, but not necessary. The only pitcher doing well in Nashville is Tim Dillard, who K's so few last year, his major league translation is dim. I'd be tempted to bring up major league veteran Mark DeFilice, based solely on his 16-0 K/BB ratio in a dozen AAA innings, just to protect the arms of the bullpen and to use as a bit of a safety net for the suddenly banged up, yet effective duo of Sheets and Gallardo. And, I feel even more strongly about that after seeing he's never pitched an inning in the big leagues, just call me Mr. Softheart. I'd maybe bring him up for a few days, and if the SP's are ok, send him down and bring Dillon back. Good friend of Ramblings Tim feels up to 12 teams might take a flyer on the hard-throwing Turnbow, something I discounted due to his salary and general awfulness in his pair of latest appearances. I think he's very high on his estimate, but if a single team claims him, he's every bit as gone. To many fans, that would not be much of a loss, but they also forget how respectable he was last year and in 2005-July 2006. 5/01/2008 10:06:00 PM (5/01/2008 09:57:00 PM) - Al I got home about 8 this evening, and watched most of the game on FSN replay. What an exciting game, and one of those "coin flip" affairs, as it could have easily went either way. Sure does cut down on your internet surfing when you can't check out any site that would have the score. Quick thoughts: Marmol is almost unhittable. I would seriously suggest just taking pitches at 3-2, as he rarely throws a strike, but they obviously look like strikes. Weeks seems to be seeing the ball nicely all of a sudden. So does Braun. Yost managed a beauty...not really, I can't think of a single move that wasn't rather by the book, but considering how folks overreact to moves that don't work, I just thought I'd go down the road less traveled. 5/01/2008 09:57:00 PM (5/01/2008 09:27:00 PM) - Al I have mentioned it before, but allow me once again to recommend, with no hesitation, The Deadliest Catch, a show about Alaska crab fishing. I have watched every season, and while you see some of the same things, it is simply a joy to watch what is usually considered to be the world's most dangerous profession. Below zero temps, high winds, angry sea, and inhumane work schedules (this past week, the guys were fishing for 47 hours straight) lead to interesting content, even if you're like me and wouldn't dream of risking your life in such a manner. Every season, one or two guys get injured, and often they have to either make a tough decision of whether to tough it or see a doctor, usually risking a huge amount of money (deckhands make a percentage of the catch, often $20-50K for a few weeks work). This past episode, one guy hurt a finger or thumb by slamming the giant "pots" shut on it a couple times. To relieve the pressure of the very swollen area, they heated a sharp thing in a lighter (gotta be sanitary you know) and then slammed it into his nail, which sounded like an egg being cracked. I'm telling you, it looked like 8 ounces of fluid drained out of that little area. It was astounding. You would see stuff like that done if such a show existed that followed around troops in Iraq, and that's about it. Even though many of the guys are rather gruff (almost every captain smokes nonstop and downs caffeine like water), they are a pleasure to watch. I believe the first run episodes are on Discovery Tuesday nights at 8, but they are rerun often. 5/01/2008 09:27:00 PM (5/01/2008 08:28:00 PM) - Al As a noted contrarian, I love to see out of the box thinking like this, noting how inexpensive gas is the US compared to many nations. Who are we kidding? If gas was indeed 12 cents a gallon, Obama would tell us it used to be 10 cents, a 20% increase.:) 5/01/2008 08:28:00 PM (5/01/2008 08:14:00 PM) - Al Looking for a recession...or maybe trying to create one through the media? Before you declare a recession, as many economic pundits have, shouldn't the economy, well, actually recess a bit? That's a great line. 5/01/2008 08:14:00 PM |
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