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Michael Hunt and Ryan Braun

Milwaukee's favorite columnist changes his mind about Ryan Braun. This guy is ridiculous.  

May 3, 2007
"In the continuing absence of Corey Koskie, Braun might've made the team out of spring training had he defended third base better. As it has turned out, the Brewers have done just fine with the veteran platoon of Tony Graffanino, who made a nice defensive play to his right in the third inning Thursday night against Pittsburgh, and Craig Counsell. There is no guarantee they'd be better with a rookie."

June 23, 2007
"With his compact stroke and his comfortable approach in the box, Braun, according to one longtime Brewers observer, puts one to mind of a young Paul Molitor."

So keep him in Nashville for him to develop to he reminds me of an all-star.  What a joke.

Hunt does try to cover his ass by saying  "It was written in this space not so long ago that leaving Braun in Nashville all season would be a certain sign that all was well with the Brewers."

Michael, do you honestly think they would have kept him at AAA and let one of their best hitter develop?  I was also at the first Spring Training game when he had 2 HRs and a double and I knew he wouldn't be down all year developing. The idea that he even needed any developing is so abusrd i don't know anyone who can even try and defend it.

Considering he was comparing the combo of Counsel and Graffanino to Braun less than 2 months ago why does he even have a job?  I guess you don't have to be accountable for anything when you work for the Journal Sentinel.  

this team isn't bush league but the media coverage is.  

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Hm
The first quote has to do with the defensive side of his game. The second has to do with offense. That's kind of comparing apples to oranges. If he was suddenly advocating Braun get a Gold Glove, it would be more troublesome. Find a quote where Hunt says Braun is a bad hitter and that would be more powerful evidence that he's changed his mind pretty quickly.

I also think he was right about keeping Braun in AAA being a sign of sorts all was well. If Graffanino & Counsell had put up solid numbers, the team could have left Braun in the minors, saving on service time (and money), letting him work on defense, etc.

He also has a point about no guarantees a rookie would be better. Sure Braun has done well since he came up but plenty of highly touted prospects have had trouble at the beginning of their career in the big leagues. Does Doug Melvin's quote from a month or two ago about "what if Braun comes up and struggles?" mean he's had a change of heart recently, too?

Of course, I think I need to shower now that I defended Michael Hunt. Ugh.

by TheJay on Jun 24, 2007 2:40 AM CDT   0 recs

I know...
I saw that coming...I knew that he was talking about two different things but that wasn't really the point.
In the beginnin of May, Hunt said, forget that guy we don't need him.  Today he says, this is guy is great.  
That is ridiculous. The May 3 articl was uninformed and wrong.  He tried to cover it his ass with the..if we would have kept on going like we did we wouldn't have needed him.  
He threw Braun under the bus, came back a month and a half later said sorry, I didn't mean it.  Just some stupid homer/company line bs.  That is what has gotten me all fired up.  

by Kocchatollah on Jun 24, 2007 2:55 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Apple-y and Orange-y
It's true, the two quotes are apples and oranges, but I think Kocchatollah has a point.  In May, Braun wasn't good enough to beat out two light-hitting journeymen at third base because his defense was just that atrocious.  In June, suddenly, he's an all-star.  

Now, admittedly, I'm too lazy to look up the original quotes and put them into context, and I really don't disagree with having Braun start the season in AAA (last year, his defense was so bad that there was talk of moving him to left).  Still...c'mon.  That Counsellino would give us one of the least productive third basemen in the league was pretty predictable even then.  Are you telling me that the beat writer for the J-S couldn't see this coming in May, that Counsellino (who don't even form a Menchkins-like platoon, in that their L/R splits are equally mediocre) wasn't an acceptable option for the whole year?  

In May, he could say that Counsellino is keeping 3rd base warm while Braun gets a few more games under his defensive belt; instead he implied (and affirmed in the later article) that Braun spending the whole year in Nashville was a good idea.  No one except Craig Counsell's mother could think that.  That's some pretty lame analysis there.

Still (in all), I really don't expect someone in Michael Hunt's position to stir up much dust in his articles.  If your job is to cover the Brewers, you're not going to be overly critical of any move they make, lest you get on Moustache's bad side.  The Brewers send Braun to AAA to start Counsellino?  You say that Counsellino is an acceptable option at third, and that even though they'll make an out three-quarters of the time, they'll be veteran, productive outs.  (Or that Graffanino "made a nice defensive play to his right.")  They start Braun at third?  You say that Braun has paid his dues and it's a good sign that the Brewers are offensively sound that they can start a highly touted but unproven rookie at third base.  The Brewers could start Ike Turner at third, and he'd say, well, at least no runner is going to make it from second to third unchallenged.

It's the nature of the beast.  You want hard-hitting analysis, best to stay away from the newspapers and stick to the blogs.

"C'mon, boys, let's get 'em some RUNS!" --- Daron Sutton, pretty much every game of the 2005 season.

by roguejim on Jun 24, 2007 8:03 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Does anyone remember...
one of Hunt's spring notes articles where he said something to the effect that Braun is still has a lot of maturing to do.  I was trying to search for it on the MJS site; with no luck.

By the way, Braun has looked pretty good defensively; great play last night by the foul line where the grass meets the infield.

(formerly engbjm06)

by Jamie in LA on Jun 24, 2007 10:18 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Hunt sucks
I am a long-time reader of the Journal-Sentinel and would add that be it Brewers, Packers, Bucks or Badgers -- Hunt is the worst.  He doesn't seem to be engaged as an observer of the local sports teams -- he consistently writes useless (to anything other than the most casual of fans, at least) drivel and all one can surmise is that jobs are not awarded at the J-S based on merit.  What a pity that his writing is so prominently featured in the paper and online.
Whatever happened to Ramser Correa???!

by TrueBlueBrewCrew on Jun 24, 2007 3:10 AM CDT   0 recs

right on
Has he ever broken a story?  He just seems to repeat the basic drivel. Has anyone in the Milwaukee sports media ever gotten a scoop on anything or even cared to try and get it published?
I don't what he is paid for.  
The Milwakee media is terrible as a whole.  I'm glad I moved to AZ where were sports media icons like Kevin Hunt hit me with the hard hitting sports coverage I need.  

When I turned on the TV and Kevin Hunt was on I almost bought a plane ticket back so I wouldn't have to live with him again.

by Kocchatollah on Jun 24, 2007 3:38 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

You're not missing much
I'm sorry Kevin Hunt followed you out there.  Lance Allen, though, is almost as bad.  He's not as goofy as Hunt, but he's just as unfunny.  It's like Kevin Hunt left his whoopee cushion at TMJ4, and Lance Allen is contractually obliged to use it now.  

(Actually, that WOULD be pretty funny.)

"C'mon, boys, let's get 'em some RUNS!" --- Daron Sutton, pretty much every game of the 2005 season.

by roguejim on Jun 24, 2007 8:07 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

One thing I can say about Kevin Hunt
He can definately hold his tequilla.  Unlike Vince Vitrano, he's got no tollerance what-so-ever.
That's not the Chirizo, It's Enrico Polazzo!

by hyattff2003 on Jun 25, 2007 9:09 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Media...
try living in Minnesota, the coverage here is horrendous. KSTP once did a story on Tori Hunter. In the caption displayed to identify him at the beginning of the story, it read simply Tori Hunter: best centerfielder in baseball. If that isnt Bush league reporting and an absolute lack of objectivity and insight, then nothing is.

by WendySelig on Jun 26, 2007 9:22 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

wow, and I though Michael Hunt was bad
I'd say Bat-Girl would have to get on their asses about that one.  No one screws up Sweetcheeks' name on her watch
All Hail The Razor!!! Braun is The Savior!!!

by hyattff2003 on Jun 27, 2007 11:03 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

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