Monday's Frosty Mug
by Kyle Lobner on Jul 19, 2010 10:50 AM CDT
in Milwaukee Brewers News
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PrintSome things to read while settling it once and for all.
The Brewers lost yesterday to fall back to nine games below .500, but at least they're done with the Braves for a while. A handful of HBP's turned a rather run-of-the-mill weekend series split into a high tension weekend. That was great, because banning trolls is exactly how I wanted to spend it.
Following Saturday's game, Ken Macha called for an investigation into the weekend's incidents. On the season, Braves pitchers have either hit the Brewer batter after a home run or hit a Brewer their next time up after a home run on three occasions over seven games. Macha met with Bobby Cox before Sunday's game and was assured that the hit batsmen were not intentional. It's possible that's true, but it certainly seems unlikely. 67% of voters in this poll think Venters should be suspended for his actions Saturday, and 44% think Cox should get some time off too. That poll link includes my thoughts on the situation, but Howie Magner did a better job of summing it up:
Biggest problem with Fielder/Venters incident. You wanna hit someone & pay consequences, fine. But headhunting sickens me.
Tom Haudricourt was pretty fired up too. Plunk Everyone, of course, has more. And the solo home run that preceded the incident was Wezen-ball's Tater Trot Track of the day.
Yesterday's game featured another strange HBP situation: Both benches were warned when Manny Parra hit Jason Heyward with a pitch in the sixth, but no ejections took place when David Riske hit Troy Glaus a few batters later.
After one false start, Lorenzo Cain finally made his major league debut on Friday, taking the roster spot vacated when Doug Davis was placed on the DL with elbow tendinitis. Davis' injury is a perfect example of how quickly things can change: on Friday the Brewers were looking at a six man rotation, and now they're giving Chris Capuano a spot start today because no one else can go.
Meanwhile, Cain is enjoying his first taste of life in the big leagues. There's a good chance it'll be short-lived, because he's probably the most likely candidate to go down when Yovani Gallardo is activated on Thursday.
Other notes from the field:
- Manny Parra allowed ten runs yesterday, becoming just the eleventh pitcher in 2010 to do it.
- Corey Hart went 1-for-4, extending his hitting streak to nine games and 29 of 30.
- Brian McCann, Matt Diaz and Rickie Weeks are leading FanGraphs' Star of the Game voting.
- CoolStandings has the Brewer playoff chances at 0.6%.
- Here are yesterday's MLB,com video highlights.
Manny Parra had another frustrating performance, so it's time once again for folks to line up to defend him. Carson Cistulli pointed out that six of Parra's first ten balls in play yesterday were on the ground, but five got through for hits. Jaymes Langrehr of the Brewers Bar stresses patience with Parra, and brings up the name everyone brings up: Jorge de la Rosa.
I know Parra has good stuff, and I know the cliche says that lefties take longer to develop, but how long are we really expected to sit around and wait for signs of progress? Sure, Parra could figure it out and have two serviceable seasons (which is all JDLR has had in Colorado), but he could just as easily be the next Valerio de los Santos. Parra will turn 28 in October. If he doesn't figure it out soon, I'm not sure he ever will.
Speaking of frustrating Brewers, Carlos Gomez went 0-for-3 yesterday and grounded into two double plays for the first time in his career. Jim Breen of Bernie's Crew has the line that sums it up:
It is safe to say that the organization, Doug Melvin and the scouting department, thoroughly whiffed on the Carlos Gomez acquisition.
We'll have more on Gomez later today.
Looking ahead, the Brewers open a four game series in Pittsburgh tonight, followed by a three-gamer at home against the Nationals. The Bucky Channel says the Crew needs to go 6-1 this week or the season is over.
On the trade front:
- Apparently Padres manager Bud Black approached Corey Hart at the All Star Game to let him know the Padres are interested in acquiring him. Isn't that tampering?
- Jeff Passan of Yahoo says the Rays aren't interested in Prince Fielder.
- Brewers Mix says the Brewers need to trade Corey Hart now, but can probably wait until December to deal Fielder.
- MLB Trade Rumors has a list of potentially available relievers, and Trevor Hoffman is on it.
- Ryan Braun likely isn't going anywhere, but FanGraphs has him as baseball's 12th most valuable trade chip.
Speaking of Hart, John Sickels of Minor League Ball took a look at his surprising season as part of a Prospect Retro. This is the money quote:
With two and a half months left to play, we don't know exactly how 2010 will look in the end for Hart, but I suspect that this will be the best season of his career.
Casey McGehee missed out on the All Star Game again this season, but the Fresno Bee has a look at what he did instead.
The more things change, the more they stay the same: Wezen-ball pointed out this Rick Peterson baseball card, and it's exactly what you'd expect it to be.
In the minors:
- LaTroy Hawkins made his second appearance in Arizona over the weekend and will be moved to Nashville to continue his rehab. If all goes well he could rejoin the team next week. His velocity has been down a bit in his rehab, but he's still working in the low 90's.
- On the field the affiliates went 2-4 yesterday. Hiram Burgos was one of the bright spots, pitching eight innings and allowing just one run in Helena's 8-1 win over Orem. Burgos, a sixth round pick in 2009, has a 1.06 ERA in 34 innings over his last five starts, with 44 strikeouts. You can read about that and more in today's Minor League Notes.
- The organization has finally promoted Kyle Heckathorn to Brevard County, after he posted a 2.96 ERA in 17 appearances for Wisconsin. Burgos has been promoted from Helena to take his place.
- Heckathorn's former teammate Jake Odorizzi was #2 on this week's Baseball America Prospect Hot List. (FanShot) Odorizzi is also #2 on A Brewer Perspective's list of the team's top five prospects.
- Eric Arnett talked to the Appleton Post Crescent about his rough season and second chance with Wisconsin. He doesn't think the pressure got to him, but mentions some mechanical adjustments he made in Arizona.
- The Post Crescent also has a profile of Timber Rattlers 1B/DH Chris Dennis. (h/t Rattler Radio)
- Fourth round pick Hunter Morris was hitting .255/.321/.422 for Wisconsin entering play Sunday. At The Hardball Times, Jeff Sackmann noted that he's one of just 18 players to make their professional debut in a full season league in 2010.
- Brewer 10th round pick Rafael Neda is one of the team's few remaining unsigned high draft picks. He's spending his summer playing for the San Luis Obispo Blues of the California Collegiate League.
- The Timber Rattlers have planted a vegetable garden beyond the left field wall.
If you weren't around this weekend, you might have missed Bob Uecker's nomination post for the SBN Wisconsin Hall of Fame. At Wezen-ball, Carson Cistulli has a look at what you can learn about life by observing the iconic Brewer broadcaster.
Also, if you were a little late stopping by this morning, you might have missed Hank Aaron's nomination post. Take a moment to check it out.
Around baseball:
Angels: Placed pitcher Scott Kazmir on the DL with shoulder fatigue and designated infielder Paul McAnulty for assignment.
Astros: Placed pitcher Felipe Paulino on the DL with a shoulder strain, placed Brian Moehler on the DL with a groin strain and designated pitcher Casey Daigle for assignment.
Blue Jays: Designated infielder Nick Green for assignment.
Indians: Placed closer Kerry Wood on the DL with a blister.
Marlins: Designated infielder Mike Lamb for assignment.
Padres: Placed reliever Mike Adams on the DL and are expected to announce a three year contract extension for manager Bud Black.
Phillies: Released infielder Juan Castro.
Red Sox: Designated catcher Gustavo Molina for assignment (h/t hotstove.com)
Yankees: Are expected to place Andy Pettitte (groin strain) and reliever Damaso Marte on the DL.
This seems borderline impossible, but somehow it happened. Between June 8 and yesterday, the Pirates went 1,097 at bats without a multi-run home run.
Elsewhere in unlikely home runs: Indians infielder Jhonny Peralta hit an inside the parker this weekend when the center fielder fell through the bullpen door (video).
Today's former Brewer note is another unlikely event: Seth McClung, who apparently hasn't found a major league team interested in his services, is the new girls basketball coach at a Tampa high school.
Billy Wagner was perfect in his only appearance against the Brewers this weekend, striking out two while recording the save Thursday. R.J. Anderson of FanGraphs notes that Wagner, who will turn 40 on Sunday, is having his best season.
This weekend's most interesting read might belong to Indians beat reporter Anthony Castrovince, who chronicled a day in the life of a beat reporter covering a day-night doubleheader.
On this day in 1969, the Twins and Seattle Pilots played 16 innings before suspending their game, tied at 7. The Twins would eventually win 11-7 in 18 innings.
On this day in 2009, the Brewers acquired Felipe Lopez from the Diamondbacks for pitcher Roque Mercedes and outfielder Cole Gillespie.
Happy birthday to:
- Tim Dillard, who turns 27 today.
- Helena Brewer Brian Garman, who turns 22 today.
- 1960-65 Brave Joe Torre, who turned 70 yesterday.
- 1994 first round pick and 1997 Brewer Antone Williamson, who turned 37 yesterday.
- 2001-08 Brewer Ben Sheets, who turned 32 yesterday.
- 1982-85 Brewer Pete Ladd, who turned 54 Saturday.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to think about how little things have changed.
Drink up.
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Starting to think Parra should be added to that list of AAAA stars the Brewers have found in the last decade
"It's a joke. It's all a joke.
This one is for you Mykenk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8FM8nyy_Fk
"It's a joke. It's all a joke.
No Wolf is a veteran pitcher who is having a so so year
How long do we wait for our little Manny Bud to Blossom into Pitching Flower? 2 more years 3 serious question the guy has been pitching up here since 2006 right he has shown flashes but a lot more bad than good.
"It's a joke. It's all a joke.
Wolf is having a terrible year.
Bush is having a terrible year.
Davis is having a terribly unlucky year (also, a terrible year)
Shruggity.
I thought bush was having an average year
by PagsBrewCrew on Jul 19, 2010 11:23 AM CDT up reply actions
Starter xIP tRA pRAA Suppan, Jeff 10.10 7.91 (3.70) Wolf, Randy 120.30 6.33 (23.30) Davis, Doug 41.90 5.98 (6.50) Bush, Dave 100.00 5.85 (14.00) Parra, Manny 55.90 5.29 (4.40) Narveson, Chris 84.90 4.42 1.60 Gallardo, Yovani 109.10 3.90 8.30 Capuano, Chris 4.70 2.63 1.00 Estrada, Marco 3.60 2.34 0.90
Shruggity.
by Mykenk on Jul 19, 2010 11:24 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Question:
Which column represents grooved fastballs on an 0-2 count with the bases loaded against a left-handed batter?
SRS BSNS
Though, seriously,
that was awful pitch selection (duh). Kottaras needs to not allow that to happen.
Shruggity.
How?
Jump in front of the bat? I’m relatively confident GeoKot didn’t call for a fastball right down Wisconsin Avenue.
SRS BSNS
Well, I'm assuming
he called for the pitch, but Manny missed the spot. No excuse for Manny to be throwing an 0-2 fastball, especially to a lefty.
Shruggity.
Two things:
(1) The prospect of Kottaras trying to block a splitter with a man on third is slightly terrifying.
(2) Can’t Manny shake him off?
SRS BSNS
(1) But he’s the better defensive catcher than Lucroy? Ug, need a catching coach too.
(2) Manny’s not that smart. Don’t let him make decisions, things end badly.
Shruggity.
Oldish quote
right when Kottaras took over for Lucroy catching Manny:
“Two things, [Lucroy] has struggled a little bit with the balls in the dirt with Manny and we will see how George does with that,” Macha said. “And George impacted the game [Thursday] night, too.”
So I guess Kottaras being better isn’t the reason, it’s Lucory being terrible, and Kottaras being unknown…
Shruggity.
I think that quote is a bit outdated.
Seems that Lucroy was the starter until his hand injury. Is he still nursing that?
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
It's from July 2nd.
When Kottaras starting catching Manny full time (3 starts, but still, full time)
Shruggity.
the opposite of parra
with the caveat that his pitching has been acceptable, not quite good, while the results are terrible
Sabermetrics
Eliding results in favor of what should have happened.
Maybe he should play first base instead. That is, he should lie out there and we can step on him when we get a hit.
True, but we're more interested in the future here...
If you flip a coin 10 times and get 7 heads, I’m not going to favor heads on flip number 11.
E: George 4 (5, throw, throw, throw, throw).
I guess
I just think it’s weird that hardly anything is ever good or bad anymore. There’s always something that should have turned out better, or a guy just got lucky.
Maybe he should play first base instead. That is, he should lie out there and we can step on him when we get a hit.
by TheJay on Jul 19, 2010 8:55 PM CDT up reply actions 2 recs
Bush seems to have done alright since the June 6th start
Plus look at his run support in the losses since that June 6th start that he lost One run in each loss.
actually looking at the 2nd half of the first half bush has been winning.
"It's a joke. It's all a joke.
So were giving up on Parra because of one disaster start?
He’s been decent for the majority of the season as a starter until his past couple starts, and as Mykenk points out above, he’s basically been the second best starter on the team. The chance of him ever becoming a solid #2 may be diminishing, but we shouldn’t be giving up on a lefty with his raw stuff and success relative to the rest of the team. Not to mention that across his entire career (minors and majors) he’s still been quite good more than he’s been bad.
Ryan Braun: He loves it.
by SRB on Jul 19, 2010 3:16 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
If by his "past couple starts" you mean his past month, you're right.
Now that's great tasting chicken!
Perhaps I have a misguided point of view but...
the Brewers are 22-13 when they get hit by at least one pitch. And 20-38 when they don’t get hit by any pitches.
Batters need to know which pitches to get out of the way of, and which ones they can take for a free base, whether the pitch is thrown at them intentionally or not. I’m not saying intentionally throwing at heads is cool – obviously it’s not – but if the other team wants to hand out free bases because they’ve gotten their feelings hurt, I vote for the “hey, free base” line of thought. If it gets persistent, charge the mound or bring in Dave Bush in relief.
by plunkeveryone on Jul 19, 2010 11:03 AM CDT reply actions 1 recs
how many times have we had the lead BEFORE the plunking though?
we tend to get plunked after taters
by PagsBrewCrew on Jul 19, 2010 11:24 AM CDT up reply actions
16 times.
16 plunks with the lead (without a prior plunk in the game)
9 plunks in tie games
10 plunks while trailing (with no prior HBPs in the game)
9 plunks with the lead after already being hit once in the game
3 while trailing, and already with one HBP in the game
3 HBPs immediately following a homer (2nd in the majors, behind the Reds)
by plunkeveryone on Jul 19, 2010 12:09 PM CDT up reply actions
6 plunks by batters who homered in their prior plate appearance
that’s a little suspicious, since the 2nd best team in that category has only 2.
But, when they’re tied for 1st in HBPs and 3rd in homers, there will be some coincidence between the two stats.
by plunkeveryone on Jul 19, 2010 12:24 PM CDT up reply actions
I like you Plunkeveryone.
You are good people.
by Bush League All Star on Jul 19, 2010 12:41 PM CDT up reply actions 5 recs
Seth McClung is back as a girl's basketball coach?
I will be imagining Son of Clung dishing out Kenny Powers quotes all day.
by thefreewheelin76 on Jul 19, 2010 11:13 AM CDT reply actions
I'm surprised morineko hasn't been here to say this
But McClung previously spent winters as an assistant in the U of Tampa’s women’s basketball program.
Maybe he should play first base instead. That is, he should lie out there and we can step on him when we get a hit.
I was at work
or else I would have replied. This isn’t a particularly surprising job move, although I’m wondering if he’s completely hung up the glove.
1996
In 1996, I made a WFBHS-renowned version of blackjack (menu driven with no scrolling text for a cleaner display than the competition) for the TI-85 and made improvements to the responsiveness of the “skis” game that another wrote (and allowed for variable course width).
It’s amazing how little I used that calculator for its intended purpose.
Good times, good times.
In Calc class, I had a season of TI-83 plus baseball going with one of my friends.
Every day, we played a new game. We kept our recods on the last page of our notebooks.
http://www.mlbsoup.com
in calc class
my teacher chucked chalked at me when I was trying to help someone understand some calculus. So, that taught me to keep my head down and just play a game rather than pay attention in class.
by PagsBrewCrew on Jul 19, 2010 1:27 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
I loved that game.
That was the reason I never did well in Trig
Too close for missiles, I’m switching to Ueck.
I only used it for its intended purpose
There was one year in which people at my high school were borrowing calculators so much they started getting mixed up between people (some wanted to play this game and others that game). I took all the games off my calculator. There must’ve been a dozen times that year when someone grabbed my calculator off my desk and after 10 seconds asked where all the games were. Then they gave it back and grabbed someone else’s. I actually had one guy toss it back on my desk. Jerk.
Overall, though, I found their frustration that I was using it only for math class extremely amusing.
The Gomez acquisition
He isn’t anything special yet, but he’s still very young and is out-hitting the guy we traded him for, give him time. And for God’s sake fire our freaking coaching staff (before they do any more damage) and teach these players that they have roles they are expected to fill.
He isn’t anything special yet, but he’s still very young and is out-hitting the guy we traded him for …
Stunningly, he’s also grounded into three (3) more double plays than the guy we traded him for.
SRS BSNS
That's what happens sometimes
When you hit the ball on the ground and people are on base. I’d much rather he hit the ball on the ground and try to run it out than swing for the warning track.
Yeah, I know.
Just thought it was interesting that CarGo would have more GIDPs than Cement Foot.
SRS BSNS
by Rubie Q on Jul 19, 2010 11:48 AM CDT up reply actions 2 recs
also
2010 Player Salary
Hardy – $5,100,000
Gomez – $1,100,000
Hall – $8,525,000
by nullacct on Jul 19, 2010 1:43 PM CDT up reply actions 3 recs
Winner.
What begins in fear usually ends in folly.
by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Jul 19, 2010 2:09 PM CDT up reply actions
It was meant to be sarcasm.
I don’t really see how Gomez is out-hitting Hardy. They’ve both been hitting craptastic.
http://www.mlbsoup.com
You'd think hiring a coach would fix that.
Maybe Sveum and Randolph should stop patting themselves on the back for fixing Hart & Weeks, respectively, and work with someone else now.
Shruggity.
Lost causes.
They do exist.
Spend the time with someone else. I don’t see GoGo getting a plate approach anytime soon.
Yeah, but they're not even trying.
And a lost cause? Seriously? The guy was traded for one of the best pitchers in the games. He’s got the tools, he just needs a decent coach to help him use them. The Brewers have zero decent coaches. That is why he’s struggling in the system. The fact that the coaches don’t seem to care leads me to believe that they know they’re gone at the end of the year, so why take on a giant project, even if it’s what the team needs long-term.
Shruggity.
Dude.
The Twins couldn’t even teach him how to play.
He doesn’t have it between the ears. He’s gonna end up on the rusty toolpile with Manny & countless other pro athletes.
Maybe.
Maybe not. I’m not ready to cut the guy and give the job to Cain who hasn’t proved anything yet either. I’m all for giving him a shot. Maybe move Gomez to right, let them both play every day. Maybe a little competition will spark something in Gomez. Who knows.
Shruggity.
I'm not saying they should cut him.
But he has options. Send his ass to AAA, he’s not a ML caliber player yet.
Agreed on JEd.
I’m willing to try the unknown over the known suckiness.
If Lo stinks it up, then we’ll cross that bridge.
I'd rather have them both out there
I’m not saying don’t give Cain a shot, just see what Gomez can do with regular playing time. Hasn’t really gotten it this year.
Shruggity.
That's what I'm wondering about
When has he last had a season when he wasn’t sharing time because of his bat? I don’t think he’ll learn anything in AAA unless they’re planning to chance his mechanics.
The Brewers got him for his defense and he’s been producing on that end of things and maybe you don’t need any more reason than that to keep him in the line up every day.
If Cain can't handle it
Then he still won’t be a lot worse than the guy he’s replacing.
Now that's great tasting chicken!
Fair enough.
So we’re giving up on Gomez, because there might be a better option, but not on Escobar, because there isn’t? Do we need to acquire a SS this offseason?
Shruggity.
How many of Gomez's were with regular playing time?
Honest question. You have to throw out all the Brewers ABs, at least.
Shruggity.
Not sure,
He played regularly in 2008 and parts of last season. If we’re throwing out ABs, 125 of Escobar’s 450 were from last year when he had sketchy playing time.
I’d think any drop off in stats from not playing every day might be offset by getting to face more LHP and missing tough RHP in a platoon role.
Get a ife broseph
He played in 153 games for the Twins in '08, and 137 in 2009.
That’s better than 3 of 4 games, so I’d say all of that counts. 950 PAs. He hit .248/.293/.352.
Now that's great tasting chicken!
.696
Thats what the Brewers have to play to get to 90 wins and a playoff spot (maybe).
I hope that DM isnt taking the Bucky Channel’s POV and “waiting to see what happens” to pull the trigger on any of the trades that should be made.
I know its only been a few days since we last talked about this, but the 3 teams “linked” to Hart all have pieces that would be very nice returns in a trade (SF: Jonathan Sanchez; TB: Wade Davis; SD: Simon Castro).
It will be a real shame if DM overvalues Fielder and Hart and gets nothing after everyone has laughed him off of their phone lines after the first offers have been refused, and he comes back a 2nd time, with his tail between his legs and desperation in his voice.
Huh. I don't want any of those three.
Actually, Castro wouldn’t be too bad, but Sanchez & Davis? Shruggity.
Shruggity.
Davis still has pretty nasty stuff
just needs time. Also needs a bit of work on his command. I’d take him for 5+ years any day.
Sanchez too, he’s a viable #3 in this Brewer rotation….for 2 more years and maybe $10 million, the 6 wins he could provide is well worth it.
Davis may have the stuff
But it’s also rather worrisome when a player becomes entirely unable to strike out major league batters and has the type of mega-disaster season that Davis is having. Not saying anybody should give up on him, but I’d rather not take on huge risks through trades if there are better options available.
Ryan Braun: He loves it.
He's probably the riskiest of the 3
With the biggest upside.
Sanchez is established, could break out with some command control improvement and have an all star type year.
Castro is profiled as a solid middle of the rotation starter
And Davis had a #2 upside and has faltered.
YEah.. I know
I fail at life…. not just blogging life. I feel like I simply repeat myself to much…
I should write something one of these days.
90 wins in this division?
again, c’mon. not needed
by PagsBrewCrew on Jul 19, 2010 1:31 PM CDT up reply actions
Cards/Reds/Rockies
162 × .554 is 89.7 wins
and for the WC the Rockies are currently the leaders and are on pace for 90 wins as well
Fresno Bee
As a native of Fresno, I’d like to apologize for the lousy writing in that article on Casey McGehee – and, of course, for Anthony Witrado (remember what the Canadians said about apologizing for Bryan Adams “on numerous occasions” in the South Park movie? yeah, I feel like that with Witrado).
I’ll point out that Jeff Passan and Adrian Wojnarowski, among others, used to write for the Bee too, so not everyone from there is a lousy writer. Maybe the sports editor changed after Passan left?
==
Check out Wezen-Ball.com
My condolences
My wife is from about an hour south of Fresno, and apart from Bakersfield, {Fresno} has to be one of the crummiest places I have ever visited.
Well, I was never that down on Fresno. It’s definitely no place that made me want to stay, though.
But I got to go to school in SLO and now I’m out here. I’m okay.
==
Check out Wezen-Ball.com
SLO
Now THAT’s a different story. Wonderful place to visit. And with Pismo 10 minutes away, couldnt ask for anything more.
Nice place to live, too. Though I think it’s a little different now in the 6-7 years since I’ve lived there…
==
Check out Wezen-Ball.com
Exactly what places
Do meet with your approval?
by Cheeseandcorn on Jul 19, 2010 12:47 PM CDT up reply actions
Ha, no.
But I have been to Milwaukee, and I know you hate that city, too.
by Cheeseandcorn on Jul 19, 2010 1:37 PM CDT up reply actions
I dont hate it
I grew up here and live here now. But there are huge things about the place that make it seem quite backwards, such as the disparity in income between caucasians and hispanics/african americans…so much so that it is considered one of the most racially segregated cities in the country, even worse than a place like Atlanta. Things like the mass transit set up are very discouraging as well. The public school system is in disarray….many many things that I feel need improvement here.
And some of the best things here when I was growing up, like the Parks and the lakes, have all gone to hell in the last 6 or 7 years.
When compared with places I have visited like Boston and Washington DC, San Francisco, and places I have lived like Minneapolis and Chicago, there is a LOT to be done here to improve the city.
Doesn't matter what they do
Milwaukee is going to be swallowed up by Chicago within 30 years anyways.
Get a ife broseph
Nah
Its east of the San Andreas Fault. If anything it will turn into an ocean city, dramatically increasing its value as a city. They will just have to find a way to get rid of the 60% of its inhabitants thar are involved in the Meth business.
If by reliable, you mean
decreasing funds, decreasing routes decreasing quality, while prices rise, then I agree it is reliable. Not to mention the huge gaps of space in the county where service is unavailable or very sparse.
The rankings you are probably referring to were done before Scott Walker took over.
The flat out blindness towards light rail is pretty sad, imo. I use MCTS every day, and am continually disappointed.
I agree that it's in decline and certainly short of money
However, it still remains very successful at getting people where they need to be quickly, and on time.
You talk about a blindness towards lightrail, but if nobody rides the buses, how can we expect anyone to ride the light rail. It would be a pretty big waste of money.
http://www.mlbsoup.com
That being said
Light rail is pretty cool. And I really wouldn’t be surprised to see it in the next 10 years… especially if Scott Walker is elected Gov.
Walker has been pretty clear about trying to re-allocate the high speed rail money to other transportation projects. I don’t think he’ll have much luck moving the money to roadway projects, simply because it’s ‘green’ money that the obama administration set aside specifically for ‘green’ high speed rail projects. He might, however, be able to take some of that money and use it for light rail, or at least to balance MCTS’s budget.
It’ll be interesting to see what gets done with that money in the next 2-3 years.
http://www.mlbsoup.com
Nobody rides the buses
because of the continually increasing fares.
I never realized how bad out public transportation system was until I traveled and saw how much better every other city’s public transportation system was. It’s really pathetic.
My goodness.
by BrewHaHeather on Jul 19, 2010 3:15 PM CDT up reply actions
Population
Most of the cities referenced above are quite a bit bigger than Milwaukee, so I’m not surprised they have better systems because they have more demand.
I’m sure there are improvements to be made, but I question how much demand there is for a light rail system.
Get a ife broseph
Actually
the main city I had in mind was Oslo, which has about the same population as Milwaukee. They have buses, a subway, a light rail, and trains running through the city.
I was also thinking of Washington DC, which, like you said, is much bigger than Milwaukee.
My goodness.
by BrewHaHeather on Jul 19, 2010 3:29 PM CDT up reply actions
Europe is just all together different
I agree completely, and wouldnt mind paying the taxes it woudl take to institute a European style transportation system.
Dublin Ireland is smaller than Milwaukee as a whole but they have trains, buses and light rail and do it all at with amazing efficiency.
Its just a whole different mindset in places with Subway systems and trains and light rail and buses, the many options almost force people to not use their cars. Also, the traffic in all of those places is so horrendous that if you use public transport, you save yourself the daily migraine.
Traffic has increased
in the past 10 years, and definitely in the past 30. Increased so much that they are adding an extra lane to the I94 corridor to Chicago.
Not only that, but its much more efficient than buses are as far as energy goes.
I would think that if they put up say 4 lines, one along WI ave (or somewhere close) one along the KK/1st street/water street/oakland ave way and one along fond du lac ave and Forest home ave, it would definitely get used.
The sad thing is that its probably a lot like the movie “Singles” where the guy takes his SuperTrain proposal to the mayor and his response is that “people love their cars”. Tons of single drivers out on that road everywhere.
If youre going A to B and have a book and an ipod, no reason at all not to take public transport.
i agree for the most part
Driving is a pain in the ass, and if buses run every 15-20 minutes, it’s not like you lose a lot of your day planning on when to get to the bus stop, etc.
but then again, the buses where I am make me motion sick. so I bike or walk :)
by PagsBrewCrew on Jul 19, 2010 3:38 PM CDT up reply actions
yep.
I admit, I only have to transit 3.5 miles. So, hour walk/20 minute bike ride/15-20 minute bus/10 minute drive.
buses here are every 30-60 minutes, so a slight inconvenience, but no biggie.
by PagsBrewCrew on Jul 19, 2010 3:41 PM CDT up reply actions
How far from Philly?
Now I would assume that they have a pretty good transit system. Subway, trains and buses and monster traffic.
haven't been there yet
probably a 3 hr drive? can’t comment on their mass transit.
by PagsBrewCrew on Jul 19, 2010 3:44 PM CDT up reply actions
Europe is a completely different beast, though.
Many of their cities ar so old that mass transit was really the only option as populations grew. They became used to mass transit long ago, so it’s much more welcomed there. When you come over here, mass transit has a bad reputation. People who have never even rode a county bus say that it’s scary and dirty. Although it may sound like a joke, people really do love their cars in America. You’ll have a very tough time convincing most of them to ride transit, let alone pay a tax for it.
Above, heather said that people don’t ride it because of the increasing fares. While this is definitely not the only factor, it’s certainly one of many. And if you can’t convince the people who actually use transit to pay for it, how are you going to convince an entire population to pay for it, even though 90% of them don’t use it.
http://www.mlbsoup.com
This is a bigger factor than you think, especially for distances.
Amtrak, for example, is a joke. When I still lived in Des Moines I wanted to take a four day trip to Denver. We would’ve had to drive 70 miles to catch a train, and the train takes 12 hours to get there. Driving to Denver from DSM is about 7 1/2 hours. It was also cheaper to drive.
Now that's great tasting chicken!
Yeah, i mean we have formulas that take into account the fact that it's just easier to drive
But I’ve always thought that they GROSSLY underestimate people’s propensity to driving their own car.
Also, sure, it’s better for the environment. But with the environmental cost of building it, you’re not exactly saving the earth of nobody rides it. The only thing you accomplish is having to tax your population to subsidize each trip, or putting the state that much farther in debt.
http://www.mlbsoup.com
Random, yet related thought
I find it interesting and slightly amusing that Milwaukee had a streetcar line for several decades, destroyed it, and are not likely going to rebuild it.
My goodness.
by BrewHaHeather on Jul 19, 2010 10:00 PM CDT up reply actions
increasing fares because of a lack of funding.... due, at least in part, to a lack of ridership
I just realized above that I wrote that we have a very reliable mass transit system, when I meant to say bus system.
http://www.mlbsoup.com
So.... why do we have to trade Hart?
I know his value is at a high right now, but why can’t the Brewers go in the other direction and consider talking about an extension? This is almost definitely going to be a career year, but even a small drop in production over the next few years would leave him as a good hitting option, even if his defense is terrible.
Is it only the uncertainty? It would be mildly sickening to have another Bill Hall contract on the books for the next 3 years, but if he produces on par with Braun then a locking him up would be a positive thing for the team. If they don’t have him on the payroll, can they replace him with a cheaper option (e.g., Cain)?
I think the biggest reason is the unknown.
I don’t think that the Brewers want to sign him to a multi-year deal and end up watching him regress to 2008-2009 Corey Hart.
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
Melvin, Hardy, Gomez, Escobar...
Speaking of frustrating Brewers, Carlos Gomez went 0-for-3 yesterday and grounded into two double plays for the first time in his career. Jim Breen of Bernie’s Crewhas the line that sums it up:
“It is safe to say that the organization, Doug Melvin and the scouting department, thoroughly whiffed on the Carlos Gomez acquisition.”
-———————————
I took that excerpt from today’s frosty mug…
I tried saying on this blog at the beginning of this season that Carlos Gomez was a piece of crap and Doug Melvin was an idiot for trading JJ Hardy for him. Before the season started I thought we need pitching, so keep Hardy (he’ll rebound) and use Escobar (over-rated) as a piece in a trade to get better starting pitching. There were other options in the outfield including shuffling Matt Gamel into RF, Hart is not prototypical but can play CF. Obviously Hardy and Gamel weren’t injured at the time.
Clearly now it’s obvious to those of you who disagreed at the time, what say you now?
The moral of the story is: FIRE DOUG MELVIN!!!
HARDY IS TEH AWESOME!!!!!!!!
SERYUSSLY! HE’S DOING SOOOO GOOD IN MINNISODA!
by PagsBrewCrew on Jul 19, 2010 2:27 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
You had me with you until right here:
Hart is not prototypical but can play CF.
What’s the opposite of a prototype? An antitype? Hart would be an antitype in CF.
SRS BSNS
by Rubie Q on Jul 19, 2010 2:28 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Thanks
I’ll now have nightmares of Hart and Braun going after balls hit into left-center field gap.
Get a ife broseph
Uh he was injured during the season, after these transactions would have taken place, even if he’s not as good as Escobar (and he is) the Brewers could have gotten pitching for Escobar, not Gomez for Hardy. Wow.
Brewers could have gotten pitching for Hardy, too.
I don’t think anyone here will say that the Hardy for Gomez deal was the best COA for the Brewers.
But, given what happened, Hardy’s been absolutely terrible (not to mention hurt) this year.
Shruggity.
by Mykenk on Jul 19, 2010 3:24 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
So we trade for an increasingly expensive reliever and watch JEd in CF every day?
No thanks
Ryan Braun: He loves it.
by SRB on Jul 19, 2010 3:31 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
We could have brought up Cain, or signed a FA CF.
Gomez & Edmonds aren’t the only 2 choices.
Shruggity.
by Mykenk on Jul 19, 2010 3:32 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Cain was definitely not ready, and JEd or schmuck free agent #2, what's the difference
Gerut would have made sense, but I don’t think Melvin considers him an everyday major leaguer.
Ryan Braun: He loves it.
No one else wanted Hardy
The only other confirmed offer was Hardy for Capps.
Ryan Braun: He loves it.
We didn't need to get big league pitching.
But I would have taken Capps and not resigned Hoffman, no question about it.
Also, the Tigers needed a SS, and Melvin didn’t bother to inquire, so…
He made no effort.
Shruggity.
1) You have no way of knowing that
2) It’s usually the selling GM’s job to make his players available, and if teams are interested they contact him and make an offer.
Ryan Braun: He loves it.
You have no way of knowing that Melvin "made no effort" or that he didn't proactively inquire with Detroit
And I assure you it’s no secret if a player goes on the trading block. Every GM in the major league will know.
Ryan Braun: He loves it.
What we do know
Is that the Tigers were brought up in conversation, and Melvin said he “didn’t see a fit there.”
Now that's great tasting chicken!
If the Tigers had been interested in Hardy, they would have made an offer.
Not “seeing a fit” probably refers to the fact that the Tigers weren’t making any of their starting pitching or centerfielders available.
Ryan Braun: He loves it.
Maybe
Perhaps other players could have been moved with Hardy. Maybe Detroit says yes, we’ll never know because the discussion never happened.
Get a ife broseph
Maybe he could have pulled Hardy for Linecum with some other players
But we’ll never know that either, I guess.
Ryan Braun: He loves it.
Was Lincecum on the market?
If Lincecum was on the market I’d hope DM would inquire what it takes to get him.
The thing that bothered me was that the trade happened less than a week after the season ended. I don’t see what the rush was to get Gomez and not inquire with other teams who had pitching that they wanted to trade.
Get a ife broseph
It was in a huge rush
I guess I envision a Moneyball-era Billy Beane type GM that is willing to do anything to make the team better. If I was GM I would call all 29 teams twice, evaluate the best offers, call them all again, maybe show up in their city and meet in person and try to hammer out details, then eventually decide on the best package before the offering team’s deadline. It was like Melvin got that offer from the Twins and said “Good stuff, I’m goin on vacation.”
E: George 4 (5, throw, throw, throw, throw).
Yep, this is it exactly.
If Melvin did this, and Gomez was STILL the best he could have gotten, then it’s a different story.
Shruggity.
Right
but he could have worked a little harder. Include more than Hardy, maybe. I find it hard to believe that an out-of-favor CF was the best he could do. If it was, then he should have held on to Hardy.
Shruggity.
Teams don't like to give up pitching, and Hardy was a player looking increasingly washed up
I’m not surprised nobody offered anything better than Gomez.
Ryan Braun: He loves it.
Nope. Pure speculation.
Usually what happens in hypothetical situations about the past. You’re speculating, and so am I.
Shruggity.
I'm not drawing conclusions about Melvin though
He very well could have handled this incompetently, or it could be true that Gomez really was the best available. We don’t know either way.
Ryan Braun: He loves it.
Ultimately, I think Melvin is a middle-of-the-pack major league GM (which really isn’t saying much). I don’t think he handled the trade like a genius, but I just don’t think it qualifies him as incompetent or lazy either.
Ryan Braun: He loves it.
by SRB on Jul 19, 2010 4:09 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
i think he diminishes his own value
every time he’s asked to get down a bunt and can’t. or swings for the fences when the coaching staff asks him to just try to put it in play.
Whether the coaching staff has the right philosophy or not, gomez hasn’t been doing what his bosses say, and that’s lead to issues and reduced playing time.
speaking of which, I should stop projecting and get back to work.
by PagsBrewCrew on Jul 19, 2010 4:14 PM CDT up reply actions
Well, I meant
by not giving him regular playing time, now that the season is over especially.
Shruggity.
my perspective is
the season is over now, we should give the center field playing time to Cain to see what he can do in a 1/2 season.
we’re both for letting the new guy play in the fields. Just which new guy is different. I think we can agree that although Edmonds has made some good plays out there, he should be a backup on the bench (or traded).
Hell, I wouldn’t mind Brauny taking a bunch of the rest of the season off, as long as he keeps in good shape and has some PAs every now and again.
by PagsBrewCrew on Jul 19, 2010 5:05 PM CDT up reply actions
Ah, found it:
The Brewers and Tigers might have had a better fit before Milwaukee shipped shortstop J.J. Hardy to the Twins for center fielder Carlos Gomez. Hardy might have been of interest to Detroit, though Melvin told the Detroit Free Press last week that he and Dombrowski never discussed Hardy.
“I was looking specifically for a center fielder or pitching that was low-salary and low-service time,” Melvin wrote in an e-mail to the Free Press. “I did not see a match so I did not call [the Tigers].”
SRS BSNS
The point remains, if Detroit wanted Hardy, they would have called
Trades are a two-way process
Ryan Braun: He loves it.
yea but Hardy had a bad year so his value was down, in essence under-rated, whereas Escobar is over-rated and his value was up during the offseason
So we should have kept Hardy?
even though he’s doing worse than Escobar this year, and would cost a lot more?
Yeah, you’re probably right.
Shruggity.
Escobar is still a rookie, give him a break
Trading him in the offseason to keep Hardy would have been ridiculous.
Ryan Braun: He loves it.
to keep hardy, yes
but to obtain pitching, no
by PagsBrewCrew on Jul 19, 2010 3:46 PM CDT up reply actions
Trade our top prospect and create a huge hole? (yes, Hardy was looking like a hole)
Ryan Braun: He loves it.
depends on what you can get in return for our "top prospect"
it’s all about relative value. I would have traded him for Greinke (despite his struggles this year), Sabathia, or a number of other pitchers. Or 2 of the best prospects in another system (depending on their positions and projections)
by PagsBrewCrew on Jul 19, 2010 3:54 PM CDT up reply actions
Benefit of hindsight (not that this season is indicative of Escobar's true potential)
Nobody was calling for an Escobar trade last offseason.
Ryan Braun: He loves it.
calling for it? no
willing to accept it if it happened and returned the right people? yes
by PagsBrewCrew on Jul 19, 2010 4:15 PM CDT up reply actions
I know you want this to be your idea and go Rambling Al and say I told you so
But for the record, I said this at the time. Basically what you are saying now.
E: George 4 (5, throw, throw, throw, throw).
And you weren't the only one.
There were a lot of people upset at getting Gomez.
Thinking Hart was a better option than Gomez in center is a different story. That’s like thinking concrete is a better dessert than Jello.
Now that's great tasting chicken!
in all fairness
perhaps tdog has thought this way since then though. it’s not that you invented the thought process either.
by PagsBrewCrew on Jul 19, 2010 3:45 PM CDT up reply actions
I think some people argued with your argument
But the way you presented it was a bigger problem.
Also, stopping back to gloat? That’s a classy touch.
Now that's great tasting chicken!
no...i think we agreed with his conclusion
not with his argument
fire doug melvin.
by PagsBrewCrew on Jul 19, 2010 3:39 PM CDT up reply actions
For what it's worth:
MLB has suspended VenterMLB has suspended Venters four games and fined him in response to him hitting Fielder Sat. night. Bobby Cox also received 1 gm. suspension.
Shruggity.
by Mykenk on Jul 19, 2010 3:09 PM CDT reply actions 2 recs
Four games is more than I expected
But it’ll be appealed down to 2 or so, and that’s about right.
Now that's great tasting chicken!
will/can cox appeal?
can he delay suspension, or is it immediate?
Any consequences for the brewers pitcher for 4 inside to the same batter the next day?
by PagsBrewCrew on Jul 19, 2010 3:40 PM CDT up reply actions
I don't think coaches can appeal.
They’re not part of the MLBPA, so they don’t have the same CBA.
Now that's great tasting chicken!
that's what I was figuring...
but wanted confirmation
by PagsBrewCrew on Jul 19, 2010 3:47 PM CDT up reply actions
I approve
I think Macha’s formal inquiry paid off. “You claim you don’t want intentional HBP so my guys don’t do that, but there’s no penalty for the opponents that do. My guys are playing by the rules so you gotta have my back here.” One has to wonder how the clubhouse feels about it compared to the standard vigilante justice. Better, worse, no difference?
I honestly didn’t expect the manager suspension, but I welcome it. Even having Venters 4-game suspension appealed to 2 makes me happy.
If the Brewrs can get one more 1-game suspension this season, it might actually stop.
I'm glad you guys are entertaining yourselves.
With that said, now that I see that you spent the whole afternoon debating the Gomez trade, Manny Parra and mass transit, I feel better about the fact that I took the afternoon off and went to a Timber Rattlers game and disc golfed instead.
Now that's great tasting chicken!
How'd Arnett look?
Sounds like velocity down a bit but a little better command than earlier in the year?
Get a ife broseph
I'm planning on posting a scouting report either late tonight or tomorrow.
Probably tomorrow, because I’m tired.
Now that's great tasting chicken!
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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 |
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Pittsburgh
|
0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | Lost 0 |
|
St. Louis
|
0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | Lost 0 |
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