Welcome back to fun time.

Let's open today with a Sabathia Smorgasbord. MLB Trade Rumors is reporting that the Brewers are expecting a counteroffer from CC Sabathia, once he's received offers from other teams. I was worried that counteroffer had come early when I saw this story claiming the Brewers had offered Sabathia $147 million. Turns out the story was from a newspaper in Australia, and $100 million American is about $147 million Australian.

Buster Olney says the Giants, who still owe about $100 million to Barry Zito, should pursue Sabathia anyway. Dodger Thoughts takes a look at Sabathia's workload. Beyond the Box Score thinks Sabathia is worth $26 million next season.

In the previous link, Beyond the Box Score rates Ben Sheets' value for 2008 at $14 million. He doesn't earn a penny of that by getting hit by pitches, however, as Recondite Baseball notes that Sheets has the tenth most plate appearances of any active pitcher who's never been plunked. It's probably a good thing he hasn't: a bruise in the wrong place could sideline Sheets for months.

If you missed the news over the weekend, the Brewers have hired Willie Randolph to serve as bench coach and promoted Bill Castro to pitching coach. I did a two-part profile on 2009 Brewer coaches over the weekend, and have a third post lined up for around noon today. Also, the New York Times notes that Randolph can get out of his deal with the Brewers if he gets the opportunity to manage the Mariners.

It's already time to take a look into the crystal ball for 2009. Beyond the Box Score has "Marcel" leaderboards for 2009. I use the quotes because the Marcels are Tangotiger's prediction tool and he didn't actually sign off on these numbers. With that said, the predictions have Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun tied for third in baseball in home runs, Braun fifth and Fielder tenth in slugging, Braun sixth and Fielder eighth in isolated power, and Fielder and Braun tied for tenth in RAA. On the pitching side, CC Sabathia projects to lead baseball in innings pitched, finish fourth in ERA and second in strikeouts.

Three notes on Mike Cameron today: First, Baseball Musings' Probabilistic Model of Range ranks Brewer centerfielders eighth in all of baseball in 2008, but ranks Cameron slightly below average, at 99.16. The Boston Herald is reporting the Yankees are not optimistic about being able to acquire Mike Cameron. And, in a somewhat related note, Baseball Musings dispels the notion that center fielders can pad their fielding stats by hogging fly balls.

I'm not sure who else they would have given it to, but the Brewers officially announced on Sunday that Mat Gamel is the organization's Minor League Player of the Year.

He wasn't listed in today's Fall/Winter League Update because he hasn't appeared in a game yet, but Mike Rivera is playing for the Santurce Cangrejeros (Kangaroos Crab Hunters) in the Puerto Rican Winter League.

Around the hot stove:

Astros: Reportedly are no longer, or maybe never were, a candidate to trade for Jake Peavy.
Braves: Rumor has it Jake Peavy might reject a trade to Atlanta because the players sent to San Diego would weaken the Braves' shot at winning in 2009.
Cardinals: Are no longer pursuing a trade for Matt Holliday.
Marlins: Could be working on a deal to send Scott Olsen to Atlanta.
Nationals: Chad Cordero is reportedly drawing interest from the Angels, Mets, Rangers and Tigers.
Padres: Could be working on a deal to send Khalil Greene to Baltimore.

Of course, if major league free agents and trades are too rich for your blood, you can always be a player in the minor league free agent market. Al has an All Star team of minor league free agents for you to consider.

Thanks to Kirbir, who nominated this blog for the 2008 Web Log Awards. If you're so inclined, feel free to follow the link and second the nomination of this blog and any other sports blogs you feel deserve it.

Oh, and I'm not usually a fan of blue cheese, but this steak with blue cheese sauce and this spinach blue cheese pasta recipe have made me rethink my opinions.

Drink up.

Well, here we are. I'm pulling out all the superstition stops today. I'm having a Nutrisoda and pumpkin pie for breakfast. Even Gorman is excited for an afternoon on the couch. I might even let him take the cone off his head for a bit.

It's Yovani Gallardo vs Cole Hamels at 2 today. Let's start with the previews and predictions:

• Another Baseball Blog has the Brewers at 46% to win the series.
• Baseball Digest Daily has three keys for victory for each team.
• Cardinals Diaspora has the Phillies in 5.
• The Good Phight has the Phillies winning in 4.
• Some guy named Jeff Sackmann predicted a Brewer victory over at The Hardball Times.
• Two other, less knowledgable guys predicted a Phillies win.
• Ken Rosenthal has the Phillies in 4.
• 8 of the 10 writers at MLB FanHouse have the Brewers winning. They're also staging a debate?
• MLB Playoff Odds has the Brewers at 45.7%.
• Peter Schmuck has the Brewers winning the series.
• I have no idea how betting on baseball works, but Results Disoriented has the Brewers at +190 today and +164 to win the series. Whatever that means.
• Rohan Chatterjee of Bugs & Cranks predicts the Phillies in 4.
• WhatIfSports gives the Brewers a 49% chance of winning the series.

Want to make your own predictions? Beyond the Box Score wants to hear them.

Still need tickets for Games 3 and 4? Big League Stew notes there are tickets available for trade on Craigslist, if you've got tickets to a Celine Dion concert or a tab of generic Viagra to give away. And if you're visiting Milwaukee and looking for food, Keith Law has some restaurant reviews for you.

Even if you don't have tickets, you can still follow the Brew Town Beat's postseason roadmap. Or you could follow the Brewers by reading Ryan Braun's postseason blog. By the way, Braun's errorless 2008 season made Umpbump's list of biggest surprises.

It doesn't look like Dale Sveum will be asking Ryan Braun or anyone else to bunt all that often in the postseason, as the small ball experiment is out. A rule against wasting outs in the postseason makes me feel better about the Brewers' chances.

Another thing that could help: Pat Burrell left BP yesterday with discomfort in his lower back. He'll be re-evaluated today.

It's time for the daily gathering of links about CC Sabathia. Jon Heyman has him second for NL MVP, behind Manny Ramirez. Marc Hulet of FanGraphs thinks the Brewers won this trade. MLB Trade Rumors says the Indians are leaning towards taking Michael Brantley as the PTBNL.

Then, on the other end of the postseason-usefulness spectrum, we have Ben Sheets. Sheets was left off the NLDS roster and revealed he has a torn muscle near his right elbow yesterday. The Brew Town Beat thanks Sheets for his efforts as a Brewer.

If you could have any first baseman in baseball for the 2009 season, where would you draft Prince Fielder? Baseball by Paul has him sixth.

Would you have guessed the best offense of any NL playoff team belongs to the Los Angeles Dodgers (of Los Angeles)? Me either.

On the coaching carousel: the Indians have fired bullpen coach Luis Isaac, who had been with the team since 1993. Hopefully he didn't punch anything on the way out, because apparently that can get expensive: The Padres are trying to recover some of Khalil Greene's salary after he missed about a third of the season with injuries sustained punching a storage cabinet.

Oh, and here's the Youtube video of Salomon Torres' speech from Monday's rally, which is now my second favorite Youtube video of the week, behind If I Were A Bond Girl.

Drink up. Then have another. See you back here at 2.

Now I know why they call them the Dog Days of Summer. Yesterday: 95 degrees, heat index over 110. Today's forecast: 96, heat index over 110. If it stays like this I might die, but Gorman can't wait to go outside and lay in the driveway. (UPDATE: New pics of Gorman are up.)

Oh yeah, and the Brewers took 2 of 3 on the road.

Friday's Win Expectancy Graph
Friday's BR Box Score

Saturday's Win Expectancy Graph
Saturday's BR Box Score

Sunday's Win Expectancy Graph
Sunday's BR Box Score

Well, the road winning streak is over, stopped at 9 games, but Jim Powell notes that if not for the 9th inning collapse in Arizona a month ago, it would've been a franchise record 12 games coming into yesterday. You can also click that link for his thoughts on Rickie Weeks, Brett Favre and...Roger Federer? Really?

The Junkball Blues takes a look at Prince Fielder, and his climb back from disappointing to stellar in 2008.

Seamheads puts the Brewers at 20-1 odds to win the NL Central. BP Postseason Odds have the Brewers at 13.3%, which is slightly less than 3-in-20, so I guess that's close to fair. Spitting Seeds predicts the three NL division leaders will win their divisions and the Wild Card leader will win the Wild Card. Gutsy.

Phil Rogers ranks the Brewers 9th in his most recent power rankings, but that's actually 8th if you only count MLB teams. The Whisnant rankings at Dugout Central have been revamped and now list the Brewers 10th.

Dayn Perry says the Wild Card is hurting, not helping, baseball in 2008. One could say the same thing about Dayn Perry.

Jon Heyman lists the Brewers among the trade deadline winners. They must have won pretty big, because before the Sabathia trade Heyman hardly noticed their existence.

On injuries:

Mets OF Marlon Anderson has been placed on the DL with a hamstring strain.
A's RP Andrew Brown has been placed on the DL with biceps tendinitis.
Cards OF Chris Duncan will miss the rest of the season following surgery to replace a disc in his neck.
Nomar Garciaparra has been placed on the DL with a strained roster spot.
Ken Griffey, Jr. left Saturday's game with "heat-related cramping."
Royals 2B Mark Grudzielanek left Friday's game after colliding with 1B Russ Gload.
Reds IF/OF Jerry Hairston, Jr. will miss a couple of days at the very least with a sore hamstring.
Orlando Hernandez still needs a special shoe to throw the banana.
Mets SP John Maine won't be able to pitch through a strained rotator cuff after all. He's on the DL.
Phillies RP Rudy Seanez has been placed on the DL with shoulder and back soreness.
Braves RP Rafael Soriano has been placed on the DL for the third time in 2008 with elbow inflammation.

The first trade deadline has come and passed, of course, but trades are still available for those willing to wander through the obscure and byzantine procedures of post-deadline waiver trading. MLB Trade Rumors has a nice roundup of posts explaining the rules.

I'm a little disappointed in myself today. I just realized that Khalil Greene injured himself punching a storage chest and I completely failed to mention that he'd been attacked by THE SPAZZOSAURUS!

Drink up. Drink two, in fact. It's hot out there.

A "friend" left this comment on my Facebook wall yesterday: I responded with the following: Win Expectancy Graph
BR Box Score

The View From the Bleachers has made a list of 9 reasons it sucks to be a Brewer fan. Apparently coming up with a tenth was too much work. I usually try not to troll, but I felt compelled to remind them that being a Cubs fan isn't exactly 100 years of sunshine either.

With that said, after five straight losses to drop from tied to five back, I do feel like I can relate to some of these pictures. XKCD also has a pretty good metaphor for the situation.

In-Between Hops and The Brew Town Beat want me to come down off the ledge. I will, but can I leave Ned up there? Via FNY, I found this list of 10 stupid things Ned has said in the last 4 days.

This did help to cheer me up, though: a Big League Stew interview with CC Sabathia that's almost too funny to be true.

Beyond the Box Score says the Brewers were winners at the trading deadline. That gives us exactly 2 wins in the last 7 days.

Only a couple of injuries today:

Khalil Greene broke his left hand on a storage chest last night. Was he frustrated over his current play or remaining a Padre? We may never know.
Tigers P Todd Jones has been placed on the DL with shoulder inflammation.

You've probably heard endlessly about the Manny Ramirez deal. You've probably heard about Ken Griffey, Jr. going to the White Sox as well. Even if you have, Hal McCoy's interview with Ken Griffey, Sr. covers some things you might not know about Griffey's time in Cincinnati.

Some other transactions you might not have heard about: the Twins are expected to DFA Livan Hernandez today. And the Nationals released Johnny Estrada, Paul Lo Duca and Felipe Lopez in the same day.

Home Run Derby has a story today on obstructed view seats, which come with the added advantage of giving you something to bang your head against when your team drops 5 straight games at home.

People don't usually complain when Erin Andrews obstructs their view, but Mike Nadel is making an exception. The piece goes on and on about her outfit but doesn't include a picture. Thanks to Deadspin for filling that gap.

Oh, and Garfield Minus Garfield is becoming a book.

Drink up.