Some things to read while attending vuvuzela concerts.
Kyle is a little too teary-eyed to write this morning. It'll be a struggle to move on without him, but I think we can manage.
The Brewers got some time off yesterday. While that may have made for a boring day for some, at least we didn't have another chance to lose. Yay! But if you're missing your semi-daily dose of Ken Macha, Rubie Q has MACHAWATCH! all warmed up for you. Nicole's also got Uni Notes from the past week up, in case you missed seeing the Brew Crew last night. Or you could just hang out with Snoop Dogg.
Miller Park Drunk has just completed my new bible, the ultimate guide to Ryan Braun. He tweeted that it was going to be one of his longest posts and, like always, he doesn't disappoint.
Jeff Sullivan of SB Nation shares his five must-know statistics which, like Will Ferrell, are kind of a big deal. This week, he includes a bit on Corey Hart and his recent power explosion.
Jeff Passan, of Yahoo! Sports, has an interesting collection of letters regarding using instant replay. Are you for unlimited replay by an extra ump, or a limited replay ability? Or do you hate the idea of a replay? Discuss!
Around the baseball world:
- As Yar Nevik pointed out in yesterday's Mug, Lou Piniella seems to be not the best manager lately. Despite that, his job is pretty safe right now. Maybe Cubs GM Jim Hendry and Doug Melvin are secretly competing on "So You Think You Can Manage?"
- Apparently nobody wants Mike Lowell. I bet he's feeling a little like Keanu Reeves right now (for another great photoshop of the sad actor, you know you can always count on Miller Park Drunk).
- The Dodgers placed shortstop Rafael Furcal on the bereavement list to be with a very ill family member in the Dominican Republic. They called up Chin-lung Hu from the minor leagues as a replacement in the meantime.
- Bud Selig announced Wednesday that the 2012 All Star Game will be played in Kansas City's Kauffman Stadium.
- The Pirates are having a pretty hard time lately. As of yesterday's Mug, they've lost ten straight games. While Gm Neal Huntington and club president Frank Coonelly seem to be backing manager John Russell, a few others within their club aren't too happy with Russell's performance.
- Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones might be retiring at the end of the season, along with Braves Manager Bobby Cox.
- Phillies second baseman Chase Utley may be practicing voodoo.
I couldn't find any Brewer-related birthdays today, but it is Andres Galarraga's birthday.
On this date in 1953, future Milwaukee Brave Sammy White scored three runs in the same inning, against the Detroit Tigers. White only played for the Braves in 21 games during the 1961 season.
Also on this date, in 1972, the Supreme Court agreed with the lower court's decision against Curt Flood, stating that baseball was exempt from antitrust laws. Just before Christmas in 1975, arbitrator Peter Seitz's decision to allow pitchers Andy Messersmith and Dave McNally to become free agents ended the reserve clause. Eventually other sports followed suit.
So Toy Story 3 comes out today and it's already getting awesome reviews. Some are saying this could be the best Pixar movie yet. I'm not ashamed to say that I've been waiting eleven years for this.
That's all I've got for you today, unless you missed the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival.