Tuesday's Frosty Mug
by Kyle Lobner on Jul 14, 2009 9:24 AM CDT
in Milwaukee Brewers News
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PrintBy the time you read this, tickets will likely already be sold out for the reduced price outfield loge seats for the Padres series in August. Prince Fielder hit 23 home runs last night on his way to winning the Home Run Derby, meaning those tickets will sell for $5 while supplies last. By the time I cleared the "virtual waiting room," tickets for the Wednesday game were no longer available. $48 seats one section over are still around if you want them.
My most sarcastic condolences go out today to ESPN and everyone else who was gravely disappointed that Albert Pujols, the national media's chosen star for last night's festivities, didn't actually win. The sentiment expressed by media coverage of the event is best summed up by Mike Bauman of MLB.com:
- He actually hit most of his derby home runs with Ryan Braun's bat. Before that, he had been using one belonging to Rickie Weeks. I've lost the link somewhere, but Fielder said he last used one of his own bats sometime in May.
- Viva Cerveceros and Baseball Digest Daily both say Fielder doesn't have to worry about a post-Derby slump.
- Ryan Fagan of The Sporting News noted that Fielder and fellow finalist Nelson Cruz were minor league teammates in Nashville back in 2005.
- David Pinto was worried about Fielder's decision to hit without a helmet.
- Prince also drew notice for several expletives after misses that had to be muted out via seven second delay. Fielder must read Lifehacker, because they had a note yesterday on how expletives can help relieve pain.
- Jeff Passan of Yahoo chronicled what he called "a lukewarm derby" and an awkward press conference question afterwards.
Moving on to tonight's game, Ryan Braun will bat cleanup and make his first start in right field. Braun will almost certainly be a better defensive right fielder than Raul Ibanez would have been, but it still could lead to some interesting moments.
Should the Brewers trade J.J. Hardy for pitching? Would your answer change if they got two major league starters in return? Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner thinks the Mariners should offer Erik Bedard, Jarrod Washburn and cash to the Brewers for Hardy. I'd make that trade.
In the minors:
- Adam Stern, Shane Justis, Drew Anderson, Jonathan Lucroy, Donovan Hand and Rob Hinton represented Huntsville in the Southern League All Star Game last night. The six Stars led the North to a 7-0 victory, with ten pitchers combining on a four-hit shutout.
- Lorenzo Cain continues his rehab in Appleton. He says his knee is still around 80%, but I was at the game yesterday and he didn't seem to be having any trouble with it.
- Rotoprofessor rated Alcides Escobar second on their list of Top 15 Prospects for the second half.
- Brendan Katin is on pace to hit 36 home runs for Nashville, which would break the franchise record of 34. Katin hit 19 homers in AAA last season.
- Chris Narveson accepted his assignment to Nashville and will join the team on Thursday.
The Brewers held steady at 11th in Inside the Majors' most recent power rankings.
If you've always wanted to spend millions on a beach house in California, you missed your chance this week. Jason Kendall sold his Manhattan Beach home for $5.45 million. He had originally listed it for $7.3 million, but lowered the asking price by a million to cover grit damage done to the carpet and hardwood floors.
Just one transaction note to pass along today: The Indians released Matt Herges, who they had designated for assignment last week. I'm really surprised they weren't able to work out some kind of deal.
While I was happy to see Prince Fielder succeed last night, part of me feels bad for Brandon Inge, who got shut out in the first round. He had a pretty good sense of humor about it, though.
I don't feel as bad for the guy with the mohawk and #5 shaved into his head that spent half the night last night trying to mop Albert Pujols' face with a towel. If you're curious, though, Mark Townsend of Bugs & Cranks knows who he is.
With most franchises, this would be surprising and disappointing, but with the Royals, it's to be expected: Dayton Moore, the Royals GM who just acquired one of the worst defensive shortstops in baseball, doesn't understand defensive metrics.
Happy birthdays today to Mike Burns, who turns 31, and former Brewers Jose Hernandez (40) and Derrick May (41).
And finally, on a sad note, today is the tenth anniversary of the crane collapse that killed three men working to construct Miller Park. Next time you head out to catch a game, be sure to take a moment to think of them and their families.
Drink up.
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Today's a good day!
Prince won the derby, much to the chagrin of the Cardinals fans.
ASG is tonight.
Not too busy at work.
Oh, and the Cubs are probably going to be filing for bankruptcy.
(Okay, it’s really just to help the sale, but it still has a nice ring to it.)
I smell a new chant
BANKRUPT, BANKRUPT, BANKRUPT
Cards Announcers On Gamel's First Career HR, ""That’s all they need is another home run hitter".
the "virtual waiting room"
It took me 50 minutes to get through, by which time the Thursday game was down to single seats (that day is my mom’s birthday, so some as-yet-undertermined number of us are going that day to celebrate…which means the single seats did me no good at all).
If you were already through by the time on the post, you beat me by 25 minutes.
You win!
I think I clicked in at about 9:05.
And it let me select tickets right around the time I was doing final editing…probably around 9:20. By then, there weren’t any groups of two seats left for Wednesday.
"The reports are that he is getting better. The definition of better is nebulous."
by Kyle Lobner on Jul 14, 2009 11:16 AM CDT up reply actions
If Chris Berman called that ball track thing 'doppler' one more time ...
As if the nicknames (Winnie the Pu-jols, remarkably clever) and the constant ‘back back back — GONE!’ calls weren’t enough.
did he even say
THIS ONE’S GOING TOWARDS (insert nearby Mossuri city here)?
It’s weird that jokes that weren’t funny 20 years ago (outside of Lance “you sunk my” Blankenship) are still being used, yet people still give him pity laughs.
It was also painfully apparent that Joe Morgan knows too much for his own good. At least he didn’t lie last night.
"That's not a weird stat. Rickie is a run-scorer," Yost said. "It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter," Yost told reporters. "See, you guys have no concept. He's a run-scorer. So there's nothing weird about it. That's what he does."
Did I hear Joe Morgan wrong?
I thought he said Pena needed to pull the ball. And in his next breath, said that his power isn’t generated by pulling the ball, and he needs to wait back on it.
Cards Announcers On Gamel's First Career HR, ""That’s all they need is another home run hitter".
I'm not sure I heard him right
But, if I did, I thought what he said was that when Pena tried to pull the ball, he was getting too much top spin on the ball. Conversely, if he went the other way, he wasn’t having that problem. Something about his top hand — I didn’t really get that part.
When you pull the ball, a lot of people roll the top hand over (if you don’t let go of the bat). This causes top spin on the ball. Which causes a hump back type movement. Obviously it can still be hit out, but loses distance. This is highly common in upper cut swings. See it all the time in slow pitch softball. When you hit opposite field, the hand doesn’t roll over, so no top spin. Whereas putting under spin (called cutting the ball) on the ball will cause it to carry further. This is how Lance Berkman hit in the derby he won when he hit right handed but is much more difficult to do.
I've spent most of my life playing softball, the rest of it I have just wasted....
Also, Berman's rant about Grif and Randy Johnson
and how baseball screwed up by not inviting them to the Game was the height of inanity — especially when Berman had to acknowledge that there’s no indication either one of them is going to quit playing ball after this year.
Great Mug today!
Do you guys think Prince winning the Derby will be good for the Brewers team morale? i think it will be great for them to see Prince and Braunny having fun and winning on the All-Star Stage.
I don't mind the broadcast team praising Pujols during the derby
but it’s a little ridiculous to have several national articles basically complaining that Pujols or Howard didn’t win. Passan’s article was pathetic.
Also, Lorenzo Cain is huge.
E: George 4 (5, throw, throw, throw, throw).
Trade JJ
If Jack Z offered Eric Beddard, Jarrod Washburn and cash for JJ Hardy – I would seriously question my man crush on Jack Z, sign on the dotted line and tell the equipment guy to start prepping Escobar’s jersey
by Saberilliterate on Jul 14, 2009 10:08 AM CDT reply actions 1 recs
$5
I got to the stadium around 8:45 and it took me a half hour to get tickets. Some old hag in front of me was trying to buy general parking passes to the weekday games (same price) and then I think she wanted to start buying tickets for other games. Finally the ticket rep told her that they’re trying to keep the line moving.
My seats are in section 231, so it could have been worse.. At least the guy behind me was cool. And he looked just like Jack Z.
On an unrelated note (but somewhat related since my subject line is $5) did anyone see THwitter’s post about seeing Jarod the Subway guy? THwitter GOLD.
Cards Announcers On Gamel's First Career HR, ""That’s all they need is another home run hitter".
correction
it took half an hour after they opened the windows
Cards Announcers On Gamel's First Career HR, ""That’s all they need is another home run hitter".
I don’t see it in Cots – but given who his agent is, I am sure that he will get that bonus as a part of his next contract
by Saberilliterate on Jul 14, 2009 11:29 AM CDT up reply actions
HR Derby Thread
I didn’t participate in the HR thread, but I went back and read through it. To be honest, it sounded a little bit whiny. I know Pujols didn’t go out and praise the Brewers or Prince Fielder, but I still thought he went about it in a respectable fashion. The fact that they talked to him during Fielder’s first round… I’m sure he would have talked during somebody else’s round if they were batting 2nd instead. The ASG is in STL, and STL has the best hitter in the game. They’re going to talk to him.
Cards Announcers On Gamel's First Career HR, ""That’s all they need is another home run hitter".
Speaking of whiny
go read the HRD threads over at Viva El Birdos.
"You are only a success at the moment that you do a successful act"
-Tex Winter
That trade doesn't make much sense
I don’t understand what the big fuss about starting pitching is. Who drops out of the rotation?
If Parra is back, there’s no way they drop him
We know Suppan is starting until the end of his contract for whatever reason
Looper is their free agent acquisition and he’s not doing poorly so why move him out?
Bush was one of their best pitchers and will be back in less than a week
Dave was right in the numbers that it makes sense, but assumes Suppan will be removed from the rotation. The Brewers barely have room for 1 new starter, let alone 2.
Why would the Brewers trade for a rental starting pitcher that would sit in Nashville as insurance against Parra or Bush? I don’t really get it.
Hardy will be worth plenty this offseason and Escobar can ride out most of the season in AAA to be called up next year. Why rush something and make a bad deal on some rentals that won’t even find a good place on the roster? If we’re talking a starter that would be under contract through 2010, then that makes more sense.
If the trade happens – Parra can go back to Nashville and build his confidence some more and Washburn can replace Mike Smith in the Pen
by Saberilliterate on Jul 14, 2009 11:27 AM CDT up reply actions
Matthew Parra and Jake Suppan could head to the Bullpen for long relief
Cards Announcers On Gamel's First Career HR, ""That’s all they need is another home run hitter".
Suppan can't pitch out of the bullpen
I don’t remember who made the comment before the season, but it was pointed out that as an older arm that’s started for so long, he basically can’t warm-up during the course of the game.
Plus, why would you even want Suppan in the bullpen? When starting, he can only hurt the Brewers 20% of the time. As a bullpen pitcher, he’d make an appreance more than once every 5 games!
Those weren't actual suggestions
I just wanted to say Matthew Parra and Jake Suppan
Cards Announcers On Gamel's First Career HR, ""That’s all they need is another home run hitter".
Washburn...
Is on fire this year….no way you’d want to send him to the Pen. Suppan would be a better choice to kick to the pen.
by TheBurningRom on Jul 14, 2009 11:47 AM CDT up reply actions
What else would it take
for them to take Suppan?
by Getting Yosted on Jul 14, 2009 11:48 AM CDT up reply actions
Agree with ecocd
Dave Cameron makes a compelling case, but he missed a couple of points.
1)Washburn/Bedard would not be replacing Burns/Suppan. While it makes sense that if Parra and Bush are ok, Suppan and Looper are out, in reality, I don’t see them getting yanked from the starting lineup. I guess Looper could go to the bullpen because he has experience there and is on a 1 year contract. I suppose Parra or Bush could also move to the bullpen, or there could be a three way trade that sends either Washburn or Bedard to a 3rd team for a prospect.
2) He didn’t seem to factor in the possible draft picks that would be available if/when B&W become free agents.
I think I would do it and move Looper and Parra to the pen. I would try to re-sign one of them for next year, and take the picks from the other.
moving looper and parra to the pen
and adding two pitchers.
who gets DFA’d or otherwise dropped from the 40-man? 25-man?
by PagsBrewCrew on Jul 14, 2009 2:06 PM CDT up reply actions
I'm guessing we could package Villa into the deal
that seems lopsided to me if we’re only giving up Hardy.
Cards Announcers On Gamel's First Career HR, ""That’s all they need is another home run hitter".
He didn't factor in the B&W draft picks
because there aren’t many (any?) to consider.
Washburn and Bedard are both in the Type B range and chances are slim either of them hits Type A. Thus, the Mariners would be looking at one draft pick each, except we’re probably not going to offer Washburn arbitration (which would be required to secure said draft pick), due to the fact that he was 99% sure he was going to retire after this season before he started pitching well, he’s going to clean house in arbitration because people still over-value ERA. and…he’s not as good as that sparkly ERA would initially indicate. So, if the M’s offered injury-plagued Bedard arbitration, we could get at least that one draft pick, but chances are good Bedard re-signs (he likes it here).
Anyway, from a M’s fan perspective, I was initially horrified at the thought of trading two of our three best starting pitchers to the Brewers for a streaky yet unquestionably talented SS, but I’ve come to see the light. Bedard and Washburn, as outlined above, net us approximately nothing if we let them walk away. JJ Hardy now and in 2010 looks a lot better than that scenario.
Now, whether or not Zduriencik and co. think that the Seattle media, fanbase and the players themselves can handle such a trade…that’s another question entirely.
I hadn't considered the players
It didn’t really occur to me that the current players could be upset by moving 40% of their rotation in the middle of the season (and switching starting SS). I’m sure they all understand baseball is a business, but seeing some important guys leave the clubhouse could be pretty tough.
Draft Compensation
According to this link (from Monday’s mug) which led to this page, Beddard is currently a Type B with a score of 69.123 and Washburn is 3 spots out of Type B status with a score of 53.246.
The last SP with a type A in the AL (how they have it listed) is Gil Meche @ 74.3 and 11 spots in front of Bedard.
The last SP with a type B in the AL (how they have it listed) is Brian Bannister @ 54.386 and 3 spots in front of Washburn.
In the NL the last type A is Randy Johnson with a 72.549 and the last type B is Brett Meyers with a 58.088
Given that data… I think that it is safe to say that Bedard will still be a Type B but has no hope of becoming a Type A and that Washburn would have to continue pitching out of his mind to become a Type B.
by Saberilliterate on Jul 14, 2009 5:50 PM CDT up reply actions
One of those two and a younger pitcher would make a lot more sense
Bedard and something else, or Washburn and Aumont (unless I’m severely undervaluing him, which is possible). I don’t want 2 rental starting pitchers for Hardy. I’d certainly take 1 and another piece, though.
E: George 4 (5, throw, throw, throw, throw).
On Kendall's beach house...
…it was actually sold because he had to import all the grit himself. To rectify this problem, his new summer home is on Omaha Beach.
Which reminds me...
I was thinking about KUGs the other day, and I had a thought – what would the KUG cycle be? Sac Bunt, Infield Hit, RBI Groundout and GIDP?
ROE would probably be on there
Cards Announcers On Gamel's First Career HR, ""That’s all they need is another home run hitter".
Catcher's interference has to be included
That’s the holy grail of grit.
by Getting Yosted on Jul 14, 2009 11:41 AM CDT up reply actions
HBP, Sac Bunt, RBI Groundout, Catcher's interference
"That's not a weird stat. Rickie is a run-scorer," Yost said. "It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter," Yost told reporters. "See, you guys have no concept. He's a run-scorer. So there's nothing weird about it. That's what he does."
I like this one the best for KUG cycle
by Saberilliterate on Jul 14, 2009 12:07 PM CDT up reply actions
Real grit is GIDP with no outs and the runner from third scoring. Can’t be gritty and pad stats.
by Getting Yosted on Jul 14, 2009 12:12 PM CDT up reply actions
Perhaps it could be ammended to include the RBI GIDP instead of the Groundout?
"That's not a weird stat. Rickie is a run-scorer," Yost said. "It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter," Yost told reporters. "See, you guys have no concept. He's a run-scorer. So there's nothing weird about it. That's what he does."
That would mean the creation of a new stat since players don’t get RBI when they GIDP… too much work to go back through all the score cards in history to get an accurate count
by Saberilliterate on Jul 14, 2009 1:54 PM CDT up reply actions
That makes it all the GRIT-ier
"That's not a weird stat. Rickie is a run-scorer," Yost said. "It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter," Yost told reporters. "See, you guys have no concept. He's a run-scorer. So there's nothing weird about it. That's what he does."
The Hills Section of Manhattan Beach is about as non-gritty as it gets
Other than the sand that gets blown inland off the pristine Strand and doesn’t stick to the bikini-clad hotties!
I Bet...
The first SGA bobblehead next year will be a Fielder HR Derby commemoration….if they don’t win the WS this year…and provided they don’t trade Fielder this offseason.
...since we're at the midway point of the season
how are people doing with the preseason predictions of where we’d be at the end of the season? Assume all averages are kept the same and everything else (hits, wins, losses, etc) are doubled.
We're a little past halfway, actually
88 games into a 162 game season.
E: George 4 (5, throw, throw, throw, throw).
yeah, yeah
you can renormalize things like hits and wins as appropriate then;)
I was just going for quick and dirty.
by PagsBrewCrew on Jul 14, 2009 4:45 PM CDT up reply actions
Shouldn't the bats on that trophy be made of wood?
make the whole damned thing out of ebony or some really dark wood. Or something like ash/maple and stain it/paint it like many wood bats are.
you know too much about wood
"That's not a weird stat. Rickie is a run-scorer," Yost said. "It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter," Yost told reporters. "See, you guys have no concept. He's a run-scorer. So there's nothing weird about it. That's what he does."
speaking of shiny bats
can you imagine how far those balls that feilder hit would fly if they were hit by aluminum bats? 600 feet? I know it will never happen but that is something I would pay to see!
Longest drive contest!
Why stop at aluminum? Why not go with titanium? Maybe some carbon fiber or ceramic compound and really watch them fly! If we can’t get a baseball to fly 800 feet we’re not trying hard enough! This sounds like something for the Mythbusters.
I'm sure there would be more distance, but
the effect is probably overstated. All of the baseball players I know say that aluminum makes it jump of the bat faster but the overall distance is pretty similar. They should just change high school and college to wood, it would make things much better and I think the majority of players would be in favor of it.
E: George 4 (5, throw, throw, throw, throw).
What about exploding bats?
Aluminum bats may increase the speed of the ball coming off the bat, but they don’t break in a cloud of splinters, either.
I'll take my chances with a broken bat
When the alternative is getting hit with a line drive off an aluminum.
"The reports are that he is getting better. The definition of better is nebulous."
"All of the baseball players I know say that aluminum makes it jump of the bat faster but the overall distance is pretty similar."
huh? is this an impulse situation? ie, it leaves the bat quicker after making contact but has less speed when it actually comes off the bat?
because with the same (upward) angle of the hit, as well as same spin, the faster ball IS going to go further.
by PagsBrewCrew on Jul 14, 2009 4:49 PM CDT up reply actions
stain and lacquer are
continue discussion
by PagsBrewCrew on Jul 14, 2009 4:46 PM CDT up reply actions
Then you don't know Wood
as a hobbiest wood worker with the right finish it can really shine. I think that wood bats, one Maple, one Bubinga with a few coats of poly would look super sharp on that base.
by Saberilliterate on Jul 14, 2009 5:54 PM CDT up reply actions
Speaking of bats
If Fielder hates his bats so much that he continuously uses his teammates, why doesn’t he just order bats that he likes?
:) + Suppan = :'(
Because then he won't like those
Cards Announcers On Gamel's First Career HR, ""That’s all they need is another home run hitter".
Did you see Obama giving Pujols shit for getting beat by Fielder in his own park?
Awesome.
by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Jul 14, 2009 7:10 PM CDT up reply actions
I was pleasantly surprised that Fielder recieved a pretty loud ovation when they introduced the team.
:) + Suppan = :'(
Haha...
that means he’s under their skin. But seriously, no All-Star thread? There’s a home run derby thread, but no All-Star game thread?
"I think this decision could go either way," Baseball Tonight legal analyst John Kruk said.
by ZTK Always on Vacation on Jul 14, 2009 7:20 PM CDT up reply actions
Probably just an oversight...
… you could start one in a fanpost…
by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Jul 14, 2009 7:26 PM CDT up reply actions
I created a FanShot to direct people over to Beyond the Box Score
But if you wanted to use that thread to discuss the game here, you’re welcome to do that.
"The reports are that he is getting better. The definition of better is nebulous."
Well, only by Bushie II being involved...
he should be in jail…otherwise politically fine.
"I think this decision could go either way," Baseball Tonight legal analyst John Kruk said.
by ZTK Always on Vacation on Jul 14, 2009 7:27 PM CDT up reply actions
Trade Value Link
Thanks for the link KL! I appreciate it.
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NL Central Standings
| W | L | PCT | GB | STRK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chicago
|
0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | Lost 0 |
|
Cincinnati
|
0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | Lost 0 |
|
Houston
|
0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | Lost 0 |
|
Milwaukee
|
0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | Lost 0 |
|
Pittsburgh
|
0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | Lost 0 |
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St. Louis
|
0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | Lost 0 |
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