Tuesday's Frosty Mug
by Kyle Lobner on Apr 12, 2011 10:11 AM CDT
in Milwaukee Brewers News
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Some things to read while making a choice.
On the field the Brewers were off yesterday, but they still had a busy day when it comes to transactions. First, the team activated Jonathan Lucroy off the DL and designated Jeremy Reed for assignment (FanShot). Lucroy played four games over the weekend in Huntsville, told Adam McCalvy he feels "really, really good," and will rejoin the team in Pittsburgh today. Reed has until Wednesday to decide if he'll accept an assignment to the minors or choose free agency.
By replacing Reed with Lucroy, the Brewers are keeping three catchers on the active roster. Gord Ash told Adam McCalvy the team feels like it has enough outfielders to make it through until Corey Hart returns off the DL in 10-14 days, so Reed was expendable. In addition, the move delays a decision on George Kottaras and Wil Nieves: Both are out of options, and would have to be designated for assignment to be removed from the roster. Jack Moore of Disciples of Uecker is just glad Kottaras is safe for now.
As many of you were likely getting ready for bed the Brewers made another move, putting Takashi Saito on the DL with a hamstring strain and recalling Brandon Kintzler from Nashville (FanShot). Saito hasn't pitched in over a week since allowing a pair of home runs to the Braves, so his DL assignment is retroactive to April 6. Kintzler, meanwhile, had only been with the Sounds for a few days but is allowed to return to replace an injured player.
The Brewers have won their first small sample size award of 2011: Prince Fielder was named the NL Player of the Week after hitting .440/.500/.840 with two home runs between April 5-11 (FanShot). Toby Harrmann of Brewerfan.net also noted that Fielder has only struck out twice in 35 at bats this season.
Elsewhere in very prestigious awards, Hangwith'em Rach split this week's El Super between Nyjer Morgan and Chris Narveson. Howie Magner says Morgan and Narveson deserve extra credit for easing the pressure to rush Corey Hart and Zack Greinke back from injury. Brewers Daily thinks Morgan should be the Brewers' primary center fielder against right handed pitching.
Of course, Fielder, Narveson and Morgan weren't the only Brewers to win an award this week. Reds pitcher Sam LeCure awarded John Axford with the inaugural NL Mustache of the Week award. Axford accepted gracefully.
The Brewers and Pirates are scheduled to open a three game series in Pittsburgh tonight, but it looks like we'll have to attach the "weather permitting" tag to that: The Weather Channel is predicting a 70% chance of rain throughout the game tonight. As you might expect, Tom Haudricourt has noticed the weather too.
With that said, the next six games (against the Pirates and Nationals) could be an opportunity for the Brewers to get hot and gain some ground on the field in the NL Central. Toby Harrmann of Brewerfan.net says they need to win three of six, and four or five would be a huge swing.
I talked with Charlie from Bucs Dugout this week for our series previews. You can read my interview with him here and see my answers to his questions over at their site.
In the minors:
- The affiliates went 2-1 on the field last night, and Tyler Thornburg struck out five while allowing one run over three innings in his Midwest League debut. You can read about that and more in today's Minor League Notes.
As Miller Park opens its eleventh season, OnMilwaukee.com has a look at how the ballpark has changed the direction of the Brewer franchise.
The Brewers are only .500 through ten games, but at least they're fun to watch: Carson Cistulli of FanGraphs used his NERD formula to rank the Crew as baseball's eighth most interesting team.
Elsewhere in power rankings:
- Daniel Moroz of Beyond the Box Score has the Brewers at 10.
- Craig Calcaterra of Hardball Talk has the Brewers at 14, up one spot.
- MLB Soup also has the Brewers at 14.
- ESPN has the Brewers at 18, up two spots.
- USA Today has the Brewers at 20, down five spots.
If you haven't yet, please take a moment to vote in this week's BCB Tracking Poll. The poll is open until the first pitch tonight and results will be posted tomorrow morning.
Around baseball:
Athletics: Signed pitcher Trevor Cahill to a five year, $30.5 million contract extension with club options for 2016 and 2017.
Blue Jays: Placed outfielder Rajai Davis on the DL with an ankle injury and signed outfielder DeWayne Wise to a minor league deal.
Cardinals: Released pitcher Ian Snell.
Dodgers: Shortstop Rafael Furcal is expected to be placed on the DL with a broken thumb.
Nationals: Placed third baseman Ryan Zimmerman on the DL with an abdominal strain.
Around the NL Central:
- The Reds beat the Padres 3-2 to improve to 2-2 on their west coast road trip.
- The Cardinals beat the Diamondbacks last night, 8-2. They're currently 2-2 on a ten game road trip that will take them through San Francisco, Arizona and Los Angeles.
- The Cubs beat the Astros 5-4 in the opening game of their series.
The Cubs' win moved them into a three way tie for second in the Central. Here are this morning's standings:
| Team | W | L | GB |
| Reds | 7 | 3 | -- |
| Brewers | 5 | 5 | 2 |
| Cubs | 5 | 5 | 2 |
| Pirates | 5 | 5 | 2 |
| Cardinals | 4 | 6 | 3 |
| Astros | 2 | 8 | 5 |
Today in former Brewers:
- Bill Hall got a day off for the Astros yesterday, so they turned to another former Brewer: Joe Inglett started in his place.
- The B-Ref Blog has a list of 59 pitchers with 1500+ innings pitched, a career ERA+ over 100 and no All Star appearances. By my count six of them are former Brewers: Chris Bosio, Tom Candiotti, Danny Darwin, Doug Davis, Rick Helling and Dave Burba.
Today in baseball economics: Despite having Felix Hernandez on the mound, the Mariners set a new Safeco Field record low with 13,056 in attendance last night.
Sometimes we all need a reminder of how little we actually know. If you're in need of one, try this Sporcle quiz asking you to name the players who have started the most games in the top four spots in the order for all 30 teams since 2000. I got 65, and for once I actually used all the time. (h/t Lone Star Ball)
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going back to bed.
Drink up.
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I find it interesting
that will all the preaching about the importance of defense, as soon as a decision has to be made between D and O, fans will pick the offense player
"You are only a success at the moment that you do a successful act"
-Tex Winter
Overgeneralization.
Now that's great tasting chicken!
by Kyle Lobner on Apr 12, 2011 10:28 AM CDT up reply actions
I agree
It is and in this case, yes I was speaking of the catcher situation.
"You are only a success at the moment that you do a successful act"
-Tex Winter
Well, my own reasons for preferring Kottaras are:
1) Since Lucroy will be starting as many games as possible, the backup catcher will be much more valuable if he can be used as a PH instead of starting every six games (or whatever) and wasting a roster spot the rest of the time.
2) Based on the very rudimentary catchers’ defense metrics out there, Nieves isn’t all that amazing (slightly above average) and Kottaras isn’t as terrible as some make him out to be. Nieves’s bat is much worse than Kottaras’s defense, so I think GK is pretty clearly the better player overall.
Ryan Braun: He loves it. -- Four pitchers in history with 8.5+ WAR and <250 IP seasons: Greg Maddux (age 29), Pedro Martinez (age 28), Roger Clemens (age 27), Zack Greinke (age 25).
by SRB on Apr 12, 2011 10:41 AM CDT up reply actions 2 recs
I generally agree with this statement
But I dont know if RR does. If RR is strongly opposed to using the backup catcher as a PH, Nieves might be the better fit – or at least it becomes 50/50 to me.
by BrewCrewBrian on Apr 12, 2011 10:57 AM CDT up reply actions
He's already used Kottaras to pinch-hit once this year
It was 8th inning, I think, and a refreshing change. I imagine he’ll be using Kottaras as the 1st or 2nd pinch-hitter off the bench in the games he’s not catching Randy Wolf.
He's already used the backup C once as a PH.
Now that's great tasting chicken!
by Kyle Lobner on Apr 12, 2011 11:04 AM CDT up reply actions
I was in Mexico for that game.
No wonder I don’t remember…
by BrewCrewBrian on Apr 12, 2011 11:49 AM CDT up reply actions
this could be on
the HumbleBrag Twitter feed
Celebrating the addition of Greinke and mourning the loss of my man crush Cain
Indeed.
Nieves would need to be Yadier Molina behind the dish to overcome his Moeller-ness at the plate. And he isn’t.
And WN is also a righty, the same as the catcher who should be seeing most of the starts, JLuc.
Agreed that it's an overgeneralization
For me, it comes down to something like this.
1. Just how good is Nieves defensively?
2. How much better defensively than Lucroy is Nieves (if at all)?
I’m not convinced the gap between Lucroy and Nieves is that large, so I don’t think the Brewers would be sacrificing much defense if they were to cut Nieves loose.
You're forgetting his most important contribution
His veteran leadership.
My goodness.
by BrewHaHeather on Apr 12, 2011 9:06 PM CDT up reply actions
Not sure which player(s) you're referring to, Kottaras vs. Nieves?
Ryan Braun: He loves it. -- Four pitchers in history with 8.5+ WAR and <250 IP seasons: Greg Maddux (age 29), Pedro Martinez (age 28), Roger Clemens (age 27), Zack Greinke (age 25).
Didn't Rick Helling win, like, 35 games one year?
How wasn’t he an All-Star? (Aside from his 4.60 ERA that season.)
Just looked back on his 20-win season...
and it might be Exhibit A in why wins are meaningless stats. Wow, was he mediocre.
He was a game winner, you have no concept.
Ryan Braun: He loves it. -- Four pitchers in history with 8.5+ WAR and <250 IP seasons: Greg Maddux (age 29), Pedro Martinez (age 28), Roger Clemens (age 27), Zack Greinke (age 25).
by SRB on Apr 12, 2011 10:50 AM CDT up reply actions 8 recs
turn this green
"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."
BCB Fantasy Football League 1 Champ
Exactly
He did enough to give his team a chance to win. He fought hard when his stuff wasn’t working. He was a real gritty pitcher and that makes wins the perfect statistic to measure all pitchers by always.
like Storm Davis
who went 19-7 with a 4.36 ERA (85 ERA+) and a 1.51 WHIP
"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."
BCB Fantasy Football League 1 Champ
his name should earn it alone
Too close for missiles, I’m switching to Ueck.
by theBrouhaha on Apr 12, 2011 11:28 AM CDT up reply actions
That's such a pitchers name it sounds made up.
He sounds like the #1 starter for NJ on Bases Loaded for the NES.
I was more of a fan of SNK's Baseball Stars for the NES
"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."
BCB Fantasy Football League 1 Champ
Well yeah, Baseball Stars is the best.
I liked all of the many, many NES baseball/softball games.
Except Clemens baseball, eff that game.
Did that one offer the opportunity to roid up your pitchers and batters?
Improve their stats and head size one step.
I used to rock that game.
Now when I fire up the ol’ emulator, I can’t hit, field, or pitch. Don’t know what Jedi magics 10 year old me had.
Baseball Simulator 1.000
I see your meteor ball and raise you one lightning pitch!
by Cheeseandcorn on Apr 12, 2011 4:04 PM CDT up reply actions
This is a great simulation
of the time lighting struck simultaneously on both sides of the mound as Bret Saberhagen struck out Ruben Sierra in 1991. Texas would go on to win 17-12 in 14 innings.
by mpbMKE on Apr 12, 2011 4:30 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Oh man...
I remember the good old days…when every pitcher threw the same speed, and every pitcher could throw a fastball, changeup, curve, and slider.
Applying pop culture to Brewers discussions since 2009, earning the nickname of "Our Little Abed".
Remember when he came back from the DL
And struck out the side on 9 pitches… that was awesome. Till the rest of the game.
thanks Chris!
"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."
BCB Fantasy Football League 1 Champ
The 1998 ASG was played on July 7.
Helling pitched on July 5. So the fact that he wasn’t chosen might have been because he wasn’t available.
Now that's great tasting chicken!
by Kyle Lobner on Apr 12, 2011 11:06 AM CDT up reply actions
ASG selection
is announced well ahead of when teams know how their rotation will line up. additionally, they can be selected and then refuse the opportunity – I thought you were still considered an all star in those circumstances.
by PagsBrewCrew on Apr 12, 2011 11:12 AM CDT up reply actions
Wow
It must really suck to be an Astros fan.
by LosinCatmansLove on Apr 12, 2011 10:42 AM CDT reply actions
I thought Ian Snell retired from the Cardinals
Since they tried to demote him to the minors. You got him as released. It was a classic “you can’t demote me I retire” move.
Nationwide Writer for SBNation's Nascar Ranting & Raving (www.4ever3blog.com)
"A ringing single for David Eckstein who, in my view, is the perfect size for an American male." -Bob Costas
Now on Twitter: @RockstarTroy
Wiki agrees
On March 15, the Cardinals assigned Snell to minor league camp, but he chose instead to retire. In April, he decided to reconsider retiring and the Cardinals released Snell to allow him to pursue any opportunities.
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
Interesting
In the Bucs Dugout interview with Kyle, if you scroll down to the bottom, you’ll find a bit whining about getting banned over here. And then our pal, Ol Pete, shows up.
Remember that guy???
http://www.mlbsoup.com
he shows up
on all non BCB blogs whenever we play them.
by PagsBrewCrew on Apr 12, 2011 11:13 AM CDT up reply actions
Got the commets now thanks. Miller Park is 11 years old already Wow! I hope to get up to a game maybe later this year. Talk soon Thanks and see your comment came through.
steelspurredsoxbrewerleafs. A conglomeration of some of my favorite sports teams Update I added brewers as a second favorite major league team
by steelspuredsoxleafs on Apr 12, 2011 11:07 AM CDT reply actions
my grandma joined BCB?
I can’t wait for the dollar in my birthday card!
Celebrating the addition of Greinke and mourning the loss of my man crush Cain
by molitorfan on Apr 12, 2011 9:03 PM CDT up reply actions 2 recs
USA Today makes me laugh
#20? Behind the Pirates? Seriously?
Oh and let’s not forget, they have the Braves (whom lost 3 of 4 to the Crew) at #11. Right… and their only comment about the Brewers is ‘Greinke still 3 weeks away’. WHO CARES? What the hell does that have to do with anything right now?
Blue Jays are # 10 with the same record, ****ing Boston is #13! And the Twins are #18, and they’ve also been struggling.
I know they’re just a bunch of idiots over there at USA Today, but seriously…could you at least put a little bit of effort into your rankings?
Everyone just needs to Grillax a little bit...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVod3uqtqgk
by jmeks23 on Apr 12, 2011 11:12 AM CDT reply actions 1 recs
We don't know when they had to put their votes in
Maybe they voted when the Brewers were 3-5 or something.
No by the comments you can see it was probably sunday or yesterday
I agree I looked through those and was amazing. I think its a classic case of people sticking with pre-season projections and not wanting to deviate too much from that. Like the poll is super important so they dont want to make drastic changes even if results warrant it
Secondary factor is likely national writers not really having the ability to pay attention to the whole league. “The brewers got swept in Cincy, oh better move them down”
BCB: Pointless Exercises in Devils Advocacy
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also like the BCS
Unless you’re a preseason Nancy, one loss sends you from the top 10 to permanent exile, whilst Auburn stays ranked forever with a .500 record
wait...what sport did you watch last season?
14-0 = .500 record?
are you talking about boise’s long run at the top – but they plummetted as soon as they lost one.
S. Carolina was the highest ranked “bad” team. 9-4 @19
Alabama stayed near the top an inexcusably long time though
by PagsBrewCrew on Apr 13, 2011 10:12 AM CDT up reply actions
I hate the ESPN power rankings
They generally seem to overreact to everything; you guys really think the Red Sox are worse than the Pirates, Royals, and Cubs? That the Orioles and Indians are better than last year’s WS winner?
"Do not mess around when it's my head. That is personal." -Carlos Gomez
by JAMOOL on Apr 12, 2011 11:14 AM CDT reply actions 1 recs
it depends on how you see a poll
is it how you see the teams moving forward? Or is it based on how the teams actually stack up at that time? The Sawks might go on to great things this year but over the first 10 days of the season they were one of the worst teams in Baseball
BCB: Pointless Exercises in Devils Advocacy
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If I wanted to see how things stacked up at the time I'd just look at the standings
They do this for the NFL power rankings too, where they drop a team like 7-8 spots because their kicker missed a last second 35-yard FG
"Do not mess around when it's my head. That is personal." -Carlos Gomez
by JAMOOL on Apr 12, 2011 12:19 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
But the standing dont tell everything
first you dont really get to see between leagues very well.
Second in the standings teams with equal records are ranked typically alphabetically
I would say there can be some upward and downward movement based on circumstances (losing all your games by 1 run, general unluck ect) but the basic outline of the power rankings should be the records not some stupid pre-season poll
BCB: Pointless Exercises in Devils Advocacy
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Power rankings generate conversation and interest, which is why people have them, and people like me link to them.
With that said, they’re virtually worthless and I’m hoping to get through the rest of my life without ever having to do another set of power rankings myself.
Now that's great tasting chicken!
by Kyle Lobner on Apr 12, 2011 11:32 AM CDT up reply actions
So our goal is now to inundate Kyle with requests for a BCB-sponsored Power Rankings
Doesn’t have to be baseball, mind you. It might be more fun and representative of the veracity of Power Rankings if we try to do one for the NHL playoffs seeing as how most of us have no idea what’s going on in the NHL.
BCB power rankings
1. Brewers
30. Everyone else
Infinity Billion: Cubs and Cardinals
by BrewCrewBrian on Apr 12, 2011 11:46 AM CDT up reply actions
How about a meta power ranking
I want to see KL do a power ranking of power rankings.
by Wackbard on Apr 12, 2011 11:57 AM CDT up reply actions 3 recs
That would actually be something interesting
especially if someone like JoePo did it
BCB: Pointless Exercises in Devils Advocacy
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We should combine two things he hates
by making Kyle do the fantasy Baseball power rankings for each league.
BCB: Pointless Exercises in Devils Advocacy
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by Jeo on Apr 12, 2011 12:06 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Is there something malicious in the water today, or something/
Now that's great tasting chicken!
by Kyle Lobner on Apr 12, 2011 12:07 PM CDT up reply actions
Residual hate left over from the cubs series trying to find an outlet
maybe I should go punch a teddy bear instead
BCB: Pointless Exercises in Devils Advocacy
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Onion article featuring Suppan
Jeff Suppan Approaches Omaha Residents With Offer To Do Small Pitching Jobs Around House. Link
by Hangwith'em Rach on Apr 12, 2011 12:04 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
Onion article featuring the Cubs
Why are we playing another season?
Applying pop culture to Brewers discussions since 2009, earning the nickname of "Our Little Abed".
Not that you want players to get hurt
But getting to play the Nationasl without Zimmerman in their already below average line-up is a good thing for the up coming weekend series.
"except an assignment to the minors or choose free agency."
accept. sorry, pet peeve
by Digger Simoens on Apr 12, 2011 12:08 PM CDT reply actions
My apologies.
That’s a pretty bad one. Fixed.
Now that's great tasting chicken!
by Kyle Lobner on Apr 12, 2011 12:09 PM CDT up reply actions
I am way behind others on this blog re advanced metrics but...
I found this article on development of improved pitch analysis interesting and thought I’d pass along:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/tom_verducci/04/12/fastballs.trackman/index.html?eref=sihp
They've got an opening for a mechanical engineer
It looks like TrackMan Inc. currently has an open position as a TrackMan Manager for any mechanical engineers that feel like moving out to Samford, Connecticut.
Looks like the data are strictly proprietary so it’s limited to the deep pocket MLB teams right now. Don’t most bloggers also theorize that MLB teams have access to better defensive data?
I have not come across any FieldFX data yet.
I an eagerly awaiting that.
Give him an offspeed pitch down and in. He will swing and miss.
The SVP Quote on Making a Choice
I have an agree/disagree feeling on it.
I agree that you should only have one team to follow solely. You should have one team that you fully support in the sport, and no trying to play multiple favorites so you don’t have to choose.
However, I also think that you can like other teams as long as you stay true to your one big choice. For example, I’ll always have the Packers in the NFL, Brewers in MLB, and Bucks in the NBA as my primary teams. However, I do have a secondary for each in the other league/conference, a team that I’ll follow casually but not as in-depth. They are the Texans in the NFL, Rangers in MLB, and Mavericks in the NBA (the Texas relationship is just a coincidence).
For next season, I’m also planning on conducting a little experiment. I’ve decided to start following an NHL team (and possibly a UEFA Champions League team, but that may be too complicated), but haven’t decided which one yet. I’ve always wanted to have the experience of choosing a team with little to no bias going in. My other favorite teams came from the time I spent growing up in Wisconsin. The other teams in each sport were probably because they had better offenses, so the excitement factor played in there. It will be interesting, I don’t know if anyone on here has done this before and I honestly have no idea how to go with it.
Time to get off that tangent and go back to the Brewers.
I tried having an AL favorite
After about a week of following the Athletics, I just couldn’t bring myself to care anymore.
In your experiment, I suggest choosing a team that’s really, really good. I spent 3 years in Columbus and tried to become a BlueJackets fan and just couldn’t keep it up, because they were so terrible back then. It’s much more fun to watch a team that wins rather than loses, even if you end up feeling like a bandwagoner.
It might be a good time to pick up hockey with the impending NFL and NBA lock-outs. Good luck!
Success this season is a big factor
I want to find a team that I can actually get excited about.
My early favorite is the Nashville Predators. There is the Brewers connection with the AAA team there, but the Milwaukee Admirals are the minor league affiliate of Nashville as well, so there’s a local connection. They made the playoffs as a five seed this year, and have made the playoffs six of the last seven seasons, so they have a history of success. They haven’t won a Stanley Cup yet, and actually haven’t made it past the first round of the playoffs, so I don’t feel like I’m just following the hot team. As I’m typing this, I’m actually starting to talk myself into following them, but I don’t want to make a decision so impulsively.
Other teams under consideration:
- Dallas Stars (I seem to like other teams in Texas, could just be consistent.)
- Minnesota Wild (I could actually watch their games on TV, but they don’t have a history of success that I’m looking for.)
- Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, Pittsburgh Penguins, San Jose Sharks (Only under consideration because I have friends who follow those teams.)
Go for Minnesota or Detroit, maybe San Jose
Penguins are the St. Louis Cardinals of the NHL, Dallas stole the Stars from the Upper Midwest so screw them, Blackhawks are Chicago…
Minnesota is closest to a Wisconsin team, the Red Wings are probably the best run organization in professional sports, and San Jose has a Wisconsin connection (Joe Pavelski is from central WI). If you want to get behind a team that perpetually wins though, go with Detroit.
Ryan Braun: He loves it. -- Four pitchers in history with 8.5+ WAR and <250 IP seasons: Greg Maddux (age 29), Pedro Martinez (age 28), Roger Clemens (age 27), Zack Greinke (age 25).
What about a team
that perpetually loses. That’s more my style…
Less than proud owner of Marmol Says Knock McLouth (BCB League III)
"Now attribute that shit!" mpbMKE
Toronto Maple Leafs
Ryan Braun: He loves it. -- Four pitchers in history with 8.5+ WAR and <250 IP seasons: Greg Maddux (age 29), Pedro Martinez (age 28), Roger Clemens (age 27), Zack Greinke (age 25).
That makes sense
as I’m a big fan of leafs
Less than proud owner of Marmol Says Knock McLouth (BCB League III)
"Now attribute that shit!" mpbMKE
Also
Just remembered I saw one of their minor league teams play in a pre-season tournament in Edinburgh. The gap between them (and the other NHL affiliate) and the two local top league teams was immense…
Less than proud owner of Marmol Says Knock McLouth (BCB League III)
"Now attribute that shit!" mpbMKE
If I was a bigger fan of the NHL, I might consider going with a losing team.
However, I want this experiment to have a chance of succeeding. That means picking a team that won’t make me want to quit watching. Because of that, I’m eliminating teams that have been losers over the last few years. The first four out are Edmonton, Colorado, NY Islanders, and Florida.
I’m also trying to avoid the biggest U.S. Markets. Because of this, I’m eliminating NY Rangers, New Jersey, and Los Angeles. Teams like Chicago, Anaheim, and Detroit are on the bubble as well, but won’t be eliminated for that alone.
Favorite remains Nashville, and I may give them a try during the NHL playoffs.
It's still in the top 20 of metropolitan areas in the US
Though, if I want to be fair, Boston, Atlanta, Washington, Dallas, and Philadelphia need to be on the “big market” list as well.
Actually, forget the large market comment.
It’s not as much of a factor here, and following a large market team might be easier.
I root for the Preds, but mainly because I’m a huge Admirals fan and have got to see some of the Predators before they were big.
REWIND YOURSELF!
Red Wings all the way!
I’m just glad they don’t have to play the Hawks in the first round. Vancouver should be pissed. Chicago had the 2nd best goal differential in the West and somehow finished 8th.
If I'm watching an AL game, I usually try to find the A's.
Could be why I think AL ball is terrible.
I follow the Mariners as my AL team.
It helps that Jeff from Lookout Landing is probably my favorite baseball author.
I (sort of) follow the White Sox as my AL team.
It helps that they hate the Cubs and that Ozzie Guillen is my favorite baseball author.
Ryan Braun: He loves it. -- Four pitchers in history with 8.5+ WAR and <250 IP seasons: Greg Maddux (age 29), Pedro Martinez (age 28), Roger Clemens (age 27), Zack Greinke (age 25).
I love me some O's
but if they ever played the Brewers in the World Series I would burn my Wire DVDs to show them I meant business.
Celebrating the addition of Greinke and mourning the loss of my man crush Cain
by molitorfan on Apr 12, 2011 9:06 PM CDT up reply actions 2 recs
I've tried following different teams in addition to the Brewers
but I can just never seem to care enough. The only time I really root for one team to win (when the Brewers aren’t involved) is when I really want one team to lose (Cubs, Cards, Yankees).
My goodness.
by BrewHaHeather on Apr 12, 2011 9:18 PM CDT up reply actions
Same boat
My investment in games that are not the Brewers lie only in fantasy baseball or team hate. Go not Cards, not Cubs.
When the Cards play the Cubs, I root for injuries. Nothing serious, just enough to make them play through it and have performance suffer.
Every other team is an obstacle to Brewer success
I wish them all to make poor decisions off the field, and play terribly on it.
Somewhat off-topic
but a friend of mine who works at a restaurant frequented by Brewers and their families just sent me a text saying Prince’s daughter is crying because she doesn’t want to move to another city and leave behind Corey Hart’s family.
I told him to take pictures and send them to Scott Boras.
I'm going to go out on a limb here
and say that that’s how every kid feels about every move. Corey Hart’s family will only be a 90-minute car ride away next year…
That is a distinct possibility
But if the Angels get Fielder then Prince’s daughter will be 1,750 miles and about 1,000 centuries away from the Harts…
Less than proud owner of Marmol Says Knock McLouth (BCB League III)
"Now attribute that shit!" mpbMKE
Not gonna happen.
To be fair, though, I also didn’t see the Vernon Wells trade coming either. Tony Reagins can surprise you. Except for the Torii Hunter signing, it’s usually not in a good way.
1,000 centuries away from the Harts.
Well, they are Neanderthals…
Applying pop culture to Brewers discussions since 2009, earning the nickname of "Our Little Abed".
The answer to this problem is obvious
Start a brawl with the Cardinals and Cubs every time they play. We can almost cross the Dodgers and Giants off the list already. Let the grudges abound.
Does Fielder even live here during the offseason?
I just figured that a lot of these guys only had rentals in town while the season was going on, and had regular residences in FL, CA or AZ, and that thats where the wife and kids all lived and went to school, etc.
Prince might want to explain to his daughter that if she wants to stay close to the Harts that that would require the purchase of a trailer home, which isnt something he would be too fond of doing.
Prince: “Honey, do you want to have to go to the bathroom outside every time you have to go?”
Daughter: “no” starts crying even worse
Prince: “Then honey, we just cant always live by the Hart family. Right now its nice having them live in our back yard and its fun for you, but next year we will have a big huge house in __________, and you will have 18 different bathrooms INSIDE that you can go in. Doesnt that sound like more fun?”
by backtocali on Apr 12, 2011 1:31 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
The Hart trailer line was hilarious.
trailer could have been replaced with cave, though.
http://www.mlbsoup.com
If you believe a completely random website with no citation as to its authenticity
Prince Fielder has a house in Orlando, Florida
Didn't Greinke mention living near Fielder in Orlando during some interview? (Weeks as well)
Ryan Braun: He loves it. -- Four pitchers in history with 8.5+ WAR and <250 IP seasons: Greg Maddux (age 29), Pedro Martinez (age 28), Roger Clemens (age 27), Zack Greinke (age 25).
I think they grew up near the same place.
Now that's great tasting chicken!
by Kyle Lobner on Apr 12, 2011 10:07 PM CDT up reply actions
Scott Boras hates children.
Along with teddy bears, puppies and everything else that is right in the world.
by BrewCrewBrian on Apr 12, 2011 2:45 PM CDT up reply actions
Prince doesn't have a daughter
he has two sons.
My goodness.
by BrewHaHeather on Apr 12, 2011 9:21 PM CDT up reply actions
Clearly
If he’s crying in a public place. The kids needs to man up!
The confusion probably comes from the fact that his sons have fairly long hair. For boys.
My goodness.
by BrewHaHeather on Apr 13, 2011 8:12 AM CDT up reply actions
You seem to do that alot
May want to consider adding that as your signature. :)
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
Yeah.
I get over-excited. Forget to do things like hit “reply” or close my tags. Or punctuate, correctly.
by mpbMKE on Apr 12, 2011 4:05 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
A rec for that post?
Wow, some people have low standards.
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
by sjlee on Apr 13, 2011 9:58 AM CDT up reply actions 2 recs
So getting our good catcher back is an excuse to put all the non-Nieves black holes in the lineup at once?
Applying pop culture to Brewers discussions since 2009, earning the nickname of "Our Little Abed".
However bad it gets
We don’t have this guy pitching for us – even if he probably would be more effective pitching mulch…
Less than proud owner of Marmol Says Knock McLouth (BCB League III)
"Now attribute that shit!" mpbMKE
I get giving Kotsay a start now and again to keep him fresh for PH
But do not understand the desire to give him back to back starts.
Sounds like the game is going to be rained out anyways.
Get a ife broseph
A start now and then makes some sense.
Maybe one or two a week though, not 4-5.
Give him an offspeed pitch down and in. He will swing and miss.
You would complain the same if he got 1-2 starts a week
Also, if the game is rained out, my guess is the makeup would be August 25. It’s an off-day after the only other Brewers-Pirates series this year in Pittsburgh.
Players have to approve playing on an off-day
I think they usually they opt for a doubleheader
Get a ife broseph
Nope.
The Pirates have a game that day.
Now that's great tasting chicken!
by Kyle Lobner on Apr 12, 2011 10:08 PM CDT up reply actions
You really don't know me if you think I would complain about a guy getting a day off now and then.
Give him an offspeed pitch down and in. He will swing and miss.
I think Roenicke's playing some meta-psychology games here
“See, Kotsay, I had you in the lineup two days in a row! Then the game got rained out. But I was really, really, going to play you. Really.”
That will lull him into a false sense of security. Then when we DFA him, he won’t see it coming. He’ll break down like a little girl and cry. And we can offer Boras a chilled jar of Kotsay tears instead of those belonging to Prince’s daughter. Everyone knows Boras loves the taste of grown men’s tears even more than children’s.
by Brew Angel on Apr 12, 2011 3:13 PM CDT up reply actions 5 recs
Agreed
No reason why Morgan shouldn’t be in the lineup today.
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
Game's rained out.
Per a gloomy Haudricourt.
I’m not smart enough to look at the other stuff and do anything but drool and mumble.
I'm glad that marcum won't get caught pitching 4 innings, sitting through a rain delay, and not being able to finish.
Causing us to burn our bullpen.
http://www.mlbsoup.com
Kind of glad
Would have hated to have my twitter feed full of Haudricourt complaining about the weather all night. At least now he can get an early start at the hotel bar.
Get a ife broseph
This ruins my evening.
Well, maybe not. I just get to spend hours playing the new game that I’m addicted to.
No, I'm already past the addiction with that one.
Also, Angry Birds ticked me off more than anything else, so that one is done as well.
A friend of mine showed me this game called Minecraft. It seems so simplistic, yet is very addicting.
that game is totally old now
people have been playing that for 2-3 years now.
I never started….I’m about 10-20 years behind in my video games, which makes running them on my modern hardware really smooth.
by PagsBrewCrew on Apr 12, 2011 3:26 PM CDT up reply actions
minecraft
it’s been around for at least 2 years now
someone’s built an ALU within it for chrissakes
by PagsBrewCrew on Apr 12, 2011 4:12 PM CDT up reply actions
In Beta
The full release is only a couple months old. They’re adding weather effects in an upcoming patch, or so my son says. He loves the game.
xkcd's been referencing minecraft forever
or so it seems
by PagsBrewCrew on Apr 13, 2011 10:14 AM CDT up reply actions
Baseball Superstars 2011
So ridiculously fun. With an emphasis on “ridiculous.” Think crazy Japanese role-playing game crossed with crazy Japanese baseball game.
Gloomy Haudricourt?
I was unaware that there was any other kind.
by Cheeseandcorn on Apr 12, 2011 4:08 PM CDT up reply actions
Sure
there’s also Sullen Haudricourt, Maudlin Haudricourt (Maudricourt, if you will), Morose Haudricourt, and Cantankerous Haudricourt.
The Cubs are now officially pulling from the Brewers scrap heap.
Doug Davis has signed with the Cubs.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2011/04/cubs-very-close-to-signing-doug-davis.html
MLB actually spaced the Cubs series well apart this year
April 8-10
June 13-16
July 26-28
August 26-28
September 19-21
Has this Nyjer Morgan story been shared?
Don’t remember seeing it, from Deadspin about a year ago, and yes the link title pretty much says it all:
http://deadspin.com/#!5550231/the-one-where-nyjer-morgan-poops-in-a-gatorade-bottle
Get a ife broseph
Interesting story
Not quite as bad as what Najeh Davenport did back in college.
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
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NL Central Standings
| W | L | PCT | GB | STRK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cincinnati
|
26 | 20 | .565 | 0 | Won 1 |
|
St. Louis
|
25 | 22 | .531 | 1.5 | Lost 3 |
|
Houston
|
22 | 24 | .478 | 4 | Lost 1 |
|
Pittsburgh
|
22 | 24 | .478 | 4 | Won 2 |
|
Milwaukee
|
19 | 27 | .413 | 7 | Lost 1 |
|
Chicago
|
15 | 31 | .326 | 11 | Lost 11 |
(updated 5.27.2012 at 12:11 PM CDT)
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