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Tuesday's Frosty Mug

Corey Hart has three home runs. It's also possible his teammates are congratulating him for growing that beard.

More photos » by Jim Prisching - AP

Corey Hart has three home runs. It's also possible his teammates are congratulating him for growing that beard.

Some things to read while growing a lot of potatoes.

So, with another tough loss last night, the Brewers dropped to 2-5, and have lost their last three games by a combined five runs. I'm starting to feel a little more urgency and panic out there the last couple of days, but I think it's important to remember that the Brewers were in the game in four of their five losses, and may have been a break or two from being 4-3 or 5-2 at this point, a record we'd all be pretty happy with.

Certainly, Edinson Volquez realizes he wiggled off the hook last night. If the Brewers could have capitalized on one of four opportunities with runners in scoring position after the third inning, it would have been a different game. And if the Brewers can stay in games with Jeff Suppan posting a 12+ ERA and Ryan Braun and J.J. Hardy scuffling, then this team could really turn around in a hurry when adjustments are made.

Suppan remains a hot topic of conversation today: Of course, in Suppan's last start pitching to contact wasn't the problem, it was pitching out of the zone. Suppan is partly responsible for the fact that 8.9% of bases loaded plate appearances in 2009 have led to a run-scoring walk, the highest percentage in 35 years.

Lost in the coverage of last night's game was a scary moment in the early-going: Rickie Weeks was hit in the face by an Edinson Volquez fastball, but remained in the game. I'd rather not publish the picture itself on the front page of the site, but if you're someone who likes to see such things, here it is.

You know your team is scuffling when the biggest source of excitement is the new outfield grass, but that's what The Official Site is touting in their preview for tonight's game.

If you thought the battle for roster spots was over, think again. A bullpen battle might heat up over the next few days, as Trevor Hoffman is expected to throw a bullpen session tomorrow, step one towards getting back into a Brewer uniform. Barring another injury, the Brewers will have to make a roster move to open up a spot for him. Jorge Julio seems like a likely candidate to be moved, but Mark DiFelice might get sent to the minors instead, as he has options remaining and organizational depth may get the edge over day-to-day performance.

Some people shouldn't be allowed to write about sports. OnMilwaukee.com's Dave Begel is having a tough time writing about sports in Milwaukee because there's not enough controversy. He's more than welcome to quit his job and start a fashion blog.

FanGraphs has their top ten prospects for each NL Central team. Nine of their top ten also appear in ours: the lone exceptions are Cutter Dykstra (sixth on their list) and Cole Gillespie (tenth on ours).

Would you have guessed that, of all hitters with 100 career home runs, Prince Fielder has hit the fifth highest percentage to center field? The only active player who goes deep to center more often is Ryan Howard.

Around the league:

Astros: Are 1-6 after five straight losses (worst start since 1984), and have been shut out in back to back games.
Braves: Tom Glavine is headed to Birmingham, Alabama to visit Dr. James Andrews for an examination of his sore shoulder.
Cubs: Milton Bradley will be out 3-5 days with a sore hamstring.
Dodgers: Designated Delwyn Young for assignment.
Rays: Placed catcher Shawn Riggans on the DL with right shoulder tendinitis.
Red Sox: Jed Lowrie has been placed on the DL with a wrist injury.
White Sox: Jermaine Dye and Paul Konerko each hit their 300th career home runs last night, in back to back at bats. Also, Dewayne Wise has a separated shoulder and will be placed on the DL.

If you're headed to Wednesday's game, I hope you're good at identifying players: everyone will be wearing #42 to honor Jackie Robinson on the anniversary of his first major league game.

With that said, don't tell your significant other if you're spending Wednesday night with The Cougar, which is apparently the new nickname for Kansas City's Kauffman Stadium.

It feels like we've been doing this a lot lately: Baseball mourns two more losses today: former Tigers pitcher Mark Fidrych and Phillies Hall of Fame broadcaster Harry Kalas. Both Bob Uecker and Brian Anderson commented on Kalas yesterday.

Drink up.

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Monday's Frosty Mug

Nov 2009 by KLSnow - 41 comments

Friday's Frosty Mug

Oct 2009 by KLSnow - 18 comments

Comments

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Hey hey, ho ho, Jorge Julio's got to go!
Jorge Julio seems like a likely candidate to be moved, but Mark DiFelice might get sent to the minors instead, as he has options remaining and organizational depth may get the edge over day-to-day performance.

If DiFelice is sent down and Julio stays on the roster, that will be all the proof I need that Melvin doesn’t actually watch these games.

by Marty McSuperFly on Apr 14, 2009 9:40 AM CDT reply actions   0 recs

In terms of our record

It seems like we were like the Braves last year, who couldn’t win the close ones… but data shows the Brewers are only 1-2 in those 1 run games… three of them occured in the 4 games.

31 Runs scored through 7 games and 43 Runs allowed… an average score of 4.4 to 6.1, which falls in line with the expected W L record of 2-5.

Certainly were in some games, but I am guessing most teams have half their games pretty close in this small sample size.

The designated hitter rule is like letting someone else take Wilt Chamberlain's free throws.

by Kyguy922 on Apr 14, 2009 9:45 AM CDT reply actions   0 recs

What I meant to say (before accidentally hitting the enter key)

From Joe Posnanski at SI.com

It’s impossible to look back at Fydrich’s remarkable 1976 — knowing what we know now about pitch counts and such things — and not cringe at the way manager Ralph Houk abused him. Of course, nobody was counting pitches in 1976, but even so it’s hard to believe a manager would allow a rookie to throw five extra-inning games. Five! Or how about this stretch: From July 29th to August 29th, The Bird threw a nine-inning game, a seven-inning game, a nine-inning game, another nine-inning game, another nine-inning game, a 10-inning game, a nine-inning game and an 11 1/3 inning game — each one on three-days rest. Imagine that: Fydrich threw 73 1/3 innings and seven complete games in a month.

To give you a comparison, K-Rod threw 68 1/3 innings all last year.

To give you a comparison, Johan Santana has thrown nine complete games in his career.

Fydrich was broken down and out of baseball at 26

by grant76 on Apr 14, 2009 9:53 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Actuall, some people shouldn't be allowed to write, overall
Eric Gagne, Rickie Weeks and Derrick Turnbow. Big names. Big contracts. Guys who had every chance and then some. Detailed analysis of their failings and endless discussions about where they ought to be playing.

RICKIE WEEKS DOES NOT SUCK NOR DOES HE HAVE A BIG CONTRACT DIE DIE DIE ALSO YOU DIDN’T ANALYZE IT IN DETAIL YOU JUST BITCHED ABOUT THERE BEING NO BRETT FAVRE STORY. ALSO THESE AREN’T EVEN SENTENCES THEY ARE FRAGMENTS.

The main controversies involving the Brewers have usually revolved around who is the general manager, who is the manager and whether Jeff Suppan should be hung in the town square or just flogged.

This is a reputable site? I would never write something like that. Wow. ALSO IT’S HANGED DUMBASS NOT HUNG. ALSO YOU JUST SAID THERE WERE NO CONTROVERSIES THEN YOU LISTED SOME CONTROVERSIES YOU’RE DOING IT WRONG.

We need something to spice up our world. And it shouldn’t be all that hard. In the world we live in now, all you’ve got to do is mention something and it takes off, demanding response and sparking denials. Get it in a blog, get it to go viral and there you go. It doesn’t even have to be real. As long as someone with almost any kind of platform says it, that’s real enough.

Then he works in an insult to blogs! Yeah, I write for a daily magazine, all these blogs don’t have access or credibility, even though I recommended Jeff Suppan be hanged in the town square.

Those of us who write about sports and those of us who are sports fans are going through one of the toughest times I can remember.

Where, oh where, have all the controversies gone?

RIDICULOUS EFFING SOAP OPERAS ARE GONE AND THEY WILL NEVER COME BACK AND WE ARE ALL BETTER FOR IT. IF YOU WANT DRAMA GO WATCH THE E NETWORK I PREFER ACTUAL GAMES AND COMPETITION.

Controversy has surrounded the Bucks, but it has almost always had to do with winning and losing and coaching.

???? WHAT OTHER THINGS ARE THERE THAT COULD BE CONTROVERSIAL? DO YOU WANT A PLAYER TO GO TO JAIL OR SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE FUN HAHAHAHA

Scored three times and detonated an indisputable in four visits to the batting box.

by Jordan M on Apr 14, 2009 10:17 AM CDT reply actions   0 recs

Hey now

Charlie V twittering during half-time is a big scandal :-p

"If lovin’ Braun is wrong, I want to be a repeat offender!"

"The whole of humanity is… one human family. This planet is our only home." HH The Dalai Lama

RIP Nick Adenhart: Stop Drunk Driving

by kirbir on Apr 14, 2009 10:47 AM CDT up reply actions   1 recs

That's a fine load of cognitive dissonance in the third quote.

Gotta love the desperate plea for “controversy” coupled with the backhanded insult to how and where he thinks those controversies would originate. Unless all our sarcasm detectors are broken, that guy might well be the laziest and least self-aware sportswriter I’ve encountered in a long time.

by Zeyes on Apr 14, 2009 10:52 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

well, I guess I wouldn't HANG Suppan.

Just run him out of town after a couple indian burns, maybe. The indian burns are just to vent my frustrations physically.

:) + Suppan = :'(

by NoahJ on Apr 14, 2009 11:22 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

M'self, I enjoyed these lines:

What were James Lofton and Eddie Lee Ivery doing in that strip club? Is Bart Starr any good as a head coach?

Wow. Nice timely references there, Dave. Care to reference any more stuff that happened 20 years ago?

The biggest issue facing [the Bucks] is the need for a new place to play.

Or, you know, the fact that the league they play in has around a dozen teams that are in serious financial trouble, and the league, as a whole, is on shaky financial ground. But yeah, other than that, not a lot going on.

by Rubie Q on Apr 14, 2009 11:25 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

And the Kareem and Barkley references were a nice touch

I just sit back and root for the taser
I'm on Twitter now. www.twitter.com/Enrico_Palazzo_

by Hyatt on Apr 14, 2009 11:46 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Dude needs a good dose of perspective

I wonder if the Angel beat writers are lamenting the lack of “controversy” so far this year?

by Brew Angel on Apr 14, 2009 11:36 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

well

at least he didn’t type in mostly CAPS
CUT IT OUT
ITS HARD TO READ

by PagsBrewCrew on Apr 14, 2009 12:37 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

How else would I convey anger?

Scored three times and detonated an indisputable in four visits to the batting box.

by Jordan M on Apr 14, 2009 12:42 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

I'd go with

small letters. I think die die die is as effective as DIE DIE DIE. just a thought.

I just sit back and root for the taser
I'm on Twitter now. www.twitter.com/Enrico_Palazzo_

by Hyatt on Apr 14, 2009 12:53 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

I'm not sure I'm comfortable

with the amount of thought you’re putting into that.

Also, cheese.

by Jeff Sackmann on Apr 14, 2009 1:46 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Just replace the entire column with two words:

I’m bored.

Laziest column I’ve ever seen. Where have you gone, Fire Joe Morgan? A nation turns its lonely eyes to you…

by Cheeseandcorn on Apr 14, 2009 12:41 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

you know

I just posted that in his comments… almost word for word… odd.

I just sit back and root for the taser
I'm on Twitter now. www.twitter.com/Enrico_Palazzo_

by Hyatt on Apr 14, 2009 12:53 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

HA!

I just sit back and root for the taser
I'm on Twitter now. www.twitter.com/Enrico_Palazzo_

by Hyatt on Apr 14, 2009 2:30 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Holy crap

I just read your comment…wow. That’s really weird. Umm, great minds think alike?

In my defense, mine is stamped two minutes earlier… :)

by Cheeseandcorn on Apr 14, 2009 5:54 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

DiFelice

Can Mark D move to the rotation and Suppan get a mysterious illness that puts him on the DL for the season?

What can the Brewer’s realistically do with Suppan if he doesn’t even pitch to a 4.5 ERA?

by Saberilliterate on Apr 14, 2009 11:00 AM CDT reply actions   0 recs

The only thing that would make sense would be to use him in long relief in games where we’re down by say 4 or more runs.

by drezdn on Apr 14, 2009 11:05 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Otherwise

We should Matt Morris him… Or maybe another pitcher could start a twitter account for Suppan and then tweet in the middle of the game.

by drezdn on Apr 14, 2009 11:06 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

If this fails I know a way we could only pay half of the salary.

Scored three times and detonated an indisputable in four visits to the batting box.

by Jordan M on Apr 14, 2009 11:19 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

These questions and more will be attempted to be answered in the post scheduled for 1:00

Scored three times and detonated an indisputable in four visits to the batting box.

by Jordan M on Apr 14, 2009 11:11 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

The only good thing about Nedly

was his uncanny ability to create mysterious injuries to ineffective players.

"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 Apr 14, 2009 3:13 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Anyone listening to Rome?

Ryan Braun is going to be on Jim Rome is Burning today at 3:30. He also alluded to Chris Dickerson getting injured by a revolving door. I haven’t heard anything about that until now.

by tcyoung on Apr 14, 2009 11:19 AM CDT reply actions   0 recs

This should be a decent enlightenment for you

If it’s mildly interesting, you know it’ll be on deadspin

I just sit back and root for the taser
I'm on Twitter now. www.twitter.com/Enrico_Palazzo_

by Hyatt on Apr 14, 2009 11:47 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

It was in yesterday's Mug. :-)

"The reports are that he is getting better. The definition of better is nebulous."

by KLSnow on Apr 14, 2009 12:42 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Weird, I thought I read all of that.

Sorry KL. I can’t say you didn’t try!

by tcyoung on Apr 14, 2009 1:44 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

I really don't get it

how is aiming the ball any different from throwing a ball at a spot?

I do pretty good at dunk tanks (80% dunk percentage over the past 5 tosses, 70% over the past 10;) ) and I always go for the plunger thingie. I would think that a pro could do the same.

by PagsBrewCrew on Apr 14, 2009 12:32 PM CDT reply actions   0 recs

He's a dunk tank fanatic

give him some slack, he can tell you the best dunk tanks in SE Wisconsin, and which to avoid.

I just sit back and root for the taser
I'm on Twitter now. www.twitter.com/Enrico_Palazzo_

by Hyatt on Apr 14, 2009 12:41 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

I admit...

whenever I see one, I have to buy a couple balls. Interpret that as you will.

by PagsBrewCrew on Apr 14, 2009 1:25 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

i have a scar

on the back of my head from a 10 in screw that was ingeniously sticking into the water in the dunk tank. i was six, and with my dad. he looks down to see the water turning red

by goirish2107 on Apr 14, 2009 1:14 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Wow

way to bring up a bad memory Pags.

Jerk.

I just sit back and root for the taser
I'm on Twitter now. www.twitter.com/Enrico_Palazzo_

by Hyatt on Apr 14, 2009 2:31 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

speaking of suck

KL, you may have noticed that Kendall is no longer the lowest average hitter in baseball now. 2 hits last night, and a wonderful DP to end a rally late. seriously dude, please come around on this.

I just sit back and root for the taser
I'm on Twitter now. www.twitter.com/Enrico_Palazzo_

by Hyatt on Apr 14, 2009 3:12 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

During the game

When he got those 2 hits, I remember thinking, great, now he won’t be taken out in the 9th

by tcyoung on Apr 14, 2009 3:15 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Ha!

"If lovin’ Braun is wrong, I want to be a repeat offender!"

"The whole of humanity is… one human family. This planet is our only home." HH The Dalai Lama

RIP Nick Adenhart: Stop Drunk Driving

by kirbir on Apr 15, 2009 1:33 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Some of Dave Begal's recent works...

Yankees’ excess makes it easy to root against them

Really… so you are saying that you are just now getting this after everyone has known this since 1996?

My favorite though is this:
Sports – February 10, 2009
  Bucks’ injury bug elicits sympathy for the bedeviled

then…

 Sports – April 7, 2009
  Sympathy for the bedeviled? Bucks deserve a break

8 weeks later, he wrote the same article. eliciting the same opinion.

I just sit back and root for the taser
I'm on Twitter now. www.twitter.com/Enrico_Palazzo_

by Hyatt on Apr 14, 2009 12:57 PM CDT reply actions   0 recs

and his bio produces this gem
Even though he doesn’t really understand how all those words and pictures end up on his computer, he thinks OnMilwaukee.com is the bomb.

Does he even understand the term “the bomb”?
 

I just sit back and root for the taser
I'm on Twitter now. www.twitter.com/Enrico_Palazzo_

by Hyatt on Apr 14, 2009 12:59 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

someone set us up?

seriously…no one has used “the bomb” since 1998.

by PagsBrewCrew on Apr 14, 2009 1:26 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

It means one of two things

1) He’s programmed an article-writing algorithm that pulls together updated details from the date in question and combines them with a set of stock phrases, puns, wordplay, etc.

or

2) He’s lazy.

by Brew Angel on Apr 14, 2009 1:52 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

anyone see the fidrych

complete game on mlb network saturday? that was so bizzare, never heard of the guy and they show this game randomly. then he dies two days later. when i heard he died i figured it must have been on the weekend, and that was why they played the game. but that wasn’t the case

by goirish2107 on Apr 14, 2009 1:16 PM CDT reply actions   0 recs

complete non-sequitur
We see computer technologies going through a life cycle where they turn from beneficial to evil. I recently installed something from a Microsoft site that dutifully gave me instructions about clicking the yellow bar at the top of Internet Explorer — the yellow bar that is now protecting us from popups and other bad stuff coming through — so I could bypass the normal protection against the installation of Active X controls. The instructions go on to tell you to ignore all the warnings Windows will then provide about installing this Active X control, because this particular one, unlike all the others, actually does a good thing.

Never thought about that before…but so true;)

http://www.charlespetzold.com/etc/DoesVisualStudioRotTheMind.html

by PagsBrewCrew on Apr 14, 2009 2:28 PM CDT reply actions   0 recs

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