Friday's Frosty Mug

by KLSnow on May 30, 2008 9:02 AM CDT Comment 21 comments

Here are some things to read while I try to decide if I should buy the new REM album. Geoff from Ducksnorts seems to like it. Seriously? Is this what it's come to? I'm taking musical advice from the guy who writes Ducksnorts?

Win Expectancy Graph
BR Box Score
BDD Recaps

Ned Yost is in his sixth year as manager of the Milwaukee Brewers. He's been in baseball for decades. He just now decided that sending a reliever out there four straight days is bad. As a result, Salomon Torres was unavailable yesterday. Kudos to Ned for working out a new strategy...but really, should it take 6 years to get there?

Adam McCalvy wrote the easiest story ever: A profile of Mike Rivera. I'm glad Rivera could fit this into his busy schedule. Topics covered include how to best remove splinters from one's backside, interesting things he's found under the bench, and why playing him more than once annually could turn out to be a good idea.

Yesterday, I mentioned a rumor that the Brewers were considering moving their AA affiliation from Huntsville to Connecticut. The Connecticut Defenders' relationship with the Giants is deteriorating quickly and will likely end soon. After writing that, I was fortunate enough to have this conversation with Joe Perez of the Norwich Bulletin, which lays out the complaints the team has about the Giants. For an alternative view, check out the 12th comment on this post over at McCovey Chronicles, which does a nice job of portraying the other side.

Didn't he just do this? Dayn Perry has made another top ten list of free agent disappointments. Eric Gagne checks in at #7. Barry Zito, signed for 6 more years and over $100 million more, is nowhere to be found.

On injuries:

Braves OF Matt Diaz will miss at least a month with a partial tear of his PCL.
Troy Percival made an appearance on the DL the same day he made an appearance in my mailbox on the cover of The Sporting News.

RotoJunkie has taken over what used to be the Baseball Happenings Weekly Blog Poll. Lance Berkman, Edinson Volquez and Geovany Soto are this week's NL MVP, Cy Young, and Rookie of the Year, respectively. Full results here. Here's my ballot:

Rookie of the Year:
1. Geovany Soto
2. Jair Jurrjens
3. Joey Votto

Cy Young:
1. Edinson Volquez
2. Brandon Webb
3. Carlos Zambrano

MVP:
1. Lance Berkman
2. Dan Uggla
3. Chipper Jones

I guess I should've seen this coming, but somehow I had no idea: Randy Johnson tied Roger Clemens on the all-time strikeout list last night. Combine that with 289 wins and he now seems like a pretty clear-cut lock for the Hall of Fame.

Trust a voice of experience, this move won't make things any better: The Rockies are bumping Jorge De La Rosa from the rotation and replacing him with Glendon Rusch.

Bret Boone retired earlier this week and I didn't really treat it as news because he's been out of a job for months. This Ichiro quote about Bret Boone, though, is fun all by itself:

"I don’t know if it’s a good memory or a bad one," Ichiro Suzuki said. "But when I first came over to play in the United States, I had had a few teammates from the U.S. who had played on my team in Japan. So I had somewhat of an idea of what American players would be like.

"But when I met him, he was kind of a human being that you would never meet in Japan. So, whenever I was around him, I almost felt like I was witnessing a creature, not a human being. It was fun for me to watch him."

Oh, and the Mariners don't want lesbians making out in their ballpark. (Hat tip to 6-4-2)

The Mug is off tomorrow and Sunday as I continue my quest to drive 100,000 miles in 2008. Drink up.

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REM and lesbians

I heard a couple of good reviews for REM’s new CD, though I haven’t heard any of the songs from it.

It’s funny (and sad) about Safeco’s “no public displays of affection” rule - considering that Miller Park has the Kiss Cam, which practically begs couples to kiss on camera in front of 40,000 people. I’m guessing Safeco doesn’t have the Kiss Cam?

"I will agree that the attitude [at BCB] is ridiculous and they have done so much to instigate animosity and then block us from responding. Real mature!"

by roguejim on May 30, 2008 9:08 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

If they do,

they must not be soliciting lesbian kisses.

Derek Jeter is day to day after being hit by a pitch and being gorilla press slammed by a Bizarro Ray.

by KLSnow on May 30, 2008 9:44 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

which is truly a shame!

by Oakland Brewer Fan on May 30, 2008 10:55 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I was at a game at Shea a couple of years ago

maybe a Brewers game, actually, and Kisscam got a couple of girls. I suspect they were college girls who thought it would be funny, not “actual” lesbians, but it was enjoyable nonetheless.

Also, cheese.

by Jeff Sackmann on May 30, 2008 11:58 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Fanshot please

by molitorfan on May 30, 2008 7:03 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I wish!

Also, cheese.

by Jeff Sackmann on May 30, 2008 7:53 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Lesbian impostors!

"I will agree that the attitude [at BCB] is ridiculous and they have done so much to instigate animosity and then block us from responding. Real mature!"

by roguejim on May 30, 2008 10:03 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

R.E.M.'s new album

It’s the best album they’ve put out in years, highly recommended.

by kingcharlesxii on May 30, 2008 9:34 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

since they have been producing

pure ** for 19 years, this means nothing to me.

by Braunstalker on May 30, 2008 12:37 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Norwich and Dayn Perry

Unless something is seriously wrong in Huntsville, I can’t imagine wanting to move to CT. The comment at McCovery Chronicles paints a pretty bleak picture, and I don’t think the poster has any ax to grind.

Perry’s article purports to look at players who “have done their level-best to reduce their employers from national contenders to forgettable also-rans.” I think that’s why Zito isn’t there. With the Giants line-up, you could have 5 clones of 1963 Sandy Koufax in the rotation and struggle to reach .500.

Don't try to do too much with it. Just take the ball the other way.

by shooty babitt on May 30, 2008 9:51 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

What if they had nine Laportas instead?

by Getting Yosted on May 30, 2008 10:56 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

What?

And no at-bats for Dave Roberts and Rich Aurilia? That’s crazy talk.

Don't try to do too much with it. Just take the ball the other way.

by shooty babitt on May 30, 2008 12:02 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Late inning double switches

Grit is more valuable in high leverage situations.

by Getting Yosted on May 30, 2008 2:12 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Dayn Perry

It’s usually called ERA>

This season, Verlander is toting around an RA (runs allowed per nine innings) of 5.82, and he’s been even worse than that away from Comerica Park.

I’m not sure what Verlander’s making this year, but he’s the #2 goat and he made $1,030,000 last year.

Whenever prince is at first, he should charge the mound and yell "MEAT!"

by Jordan M on May 30, 2008 11:27 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs