Some things to read while stocking up for the winter for your kitties ...
Your friendly neighborhood Rubie Q here to finish off your half-week of half-assed guest Muggings. The Admiral went heavy on the Star Wars yesterday, and I'm sure that scared off the three of you who aren't uber-nerds, so we'll go with lighter fare today: milk steaks and cans of wine and cat food.
But first, let's talk baseball. The Brewers were off yesterday, and, with the season reaching its final days, there wasn't a whole lot of news. Jordan Schelling penned a piece on Randy Wolf's in-season adjustment of his tempo on the mound and the positive results Wolf's seen since making the change. Schelling also talked to pitching coach Rick Peterson about Wolf's adjustment, and Peterson opined that Wolf's struggles were very similar to the struggles of a golfer who has a subtle but persistent flaw in his swing.
The Brewers begin a three-game series with the San Francisco Giants tonight, who suddenly find themselves a half-game up on the Padres in the NL West race. Before we look ahead, though, a couple notes on the just-completed series with the Houston Astros.
- Over at FanGraphs, Jack Moore notes that J.A. Happ was outperforming his peripherals by a pretty wide margin and was probably due for a bludgeoning.
- The Ghost of Moonlight Graham observes that the 'Stros used an impressive eight pitchers to cover the last 17 outs of Wednesday's 10-inning game, after Happ lasted 4.1 innings against the Crew.
Because there's not much else to talk about -- aside, of course, from MPD's riotously funny "Teams as Stereotypical Pictures" post -- and I'm a one-trick donkey, it's time to touch on my favorite topic: Ken Macha's job security. After the game on Wednesday, Tom Haudricourt told Steve "The Homer" True on ESPN 540's Extra Innings post-game show (my apologies if that link doesn't work; I'm not sure how to link to an archived audio clip) that it's all but certain that the Crew won't pick up Macha's 2011 option, and that the announcement could be made as soon as the day after the season ends. (Query: could it be made any sooner? I don't think they're going to announce Macha's not coming back during the last game.) Jon Heyman of SI.com is hearing the same rumblings, and, at the Hardball Times, Craig Calcaterra sums up the situation perfectly: Macha's likely gone because the Brewers are a "flawed but talented team that didn't overcome any of its weaknesses."
So, with the writing on the wall, the question becomes: who's going to man the helm next year? Heyman speculates that it could be former Arizona skipper Bob Melvin (FanShot), and Tom H. says that makes sense to him, since Bob Melvin was a finalist for the job in 2002. And, in the interview with Homer on Wednesday, Tom noted that it's becoming clear that the new manager is probably going to come from outside the organization: if Willie Randolph or Dale Sveum was going to receive consideration for the top job, you have to figure Macha would've already been fired and Randolph or Sveum would have been given a month or two to make his case.
That's two votes for Bob Melvin, then. What say you in your Thursday chat on JS Online, Anthony Witrado?
Q: Ken, Chippewa Falls - Anthony- With Buck Showalter doing so well in Baltimore, is there anyone out there that could energize our team like he has? There has to be someone in the managerial world who could make the Crew a contender.
A: Anthony Witrado - There is. The man with the ability to have Cy Young candidates come to Milwaukee.
Lame jokes instead of analysis? You never disappoint, Tony.
Before we move on from this subject, there's one more part of Tom H.'s post on Bob Melvin that warrants mentioning. Tom says that the biggest obstacle standing in the way of Bob Melvin taking over as manager might be his last name:
I was working in New York [in 2002, when Bob Melvin interviewed for the job] and am not sure about the exact circumstances but I was told that part of the reason Bob Melvin was passed over was because of the possible confusion of having two Melvins atop the Brewers' baseball food chain.
If this is true, everyone in the Brewers front office should be fired. Immediately.
So, what do you think, BCB Brain Trust? Does Bob Melvin sound OK? Or would you rather not go shopping at Managerial Retreads 'R Us?
Down on the farm:
- Powered by two taters and eight RsBI from 2010 sixth-round draft pick Cody Hawn, the rookie-level Helena Brewers captured the Pioneer League title.
- In that same story, Adam McCalvy notes that Brewers farm director Reid Nichols is going to participate in an online chat on MLB.com at 1:30 p.m. (CDT) today.
Around baseball:
- In the wake of the Ines Sainz - New York Jets locker room controversy, Journal Sentinel reporter Lori Nickel offered her thoughts on the subject. Included in the post is a story from WTMJ reporter Jessie Garcia, who was being harassed by a group of Cleveland Indians some years ago until noted good guy Orel Hershiser stepped in and told the chucklenuts to knock it the hell off.
- Noted crazy person Nyjer Morgan's suspension was reduced to eight games.
- Noted old and cranky person Murray Chass takes a break from chasing the kids off his lawn to write that a Federal appeals court ruled that the federalis illegally seized the list of MLB players who tested positive for PEDs in 2003. Chass wonders if the person (or persons) who leaked the names of some of the players on that list last year will resume his (or their) shenanigans and trample on the rights of more players. It's a decent read, for a change, and I'm dismayed to report that I found myself agreeing with the old coot.
Around Nonsense (with love to the Admiral for the links)
- Vanilla Ice is going to have a show where he tries to flip mansions? Of course he is.
- Looks like these Dark Knights could use a stint on Celebrity Fit Club -- unless, of course, you prefer your utility belts in size XXXL.
- Casey Affleck says that all that Joaquin Phoenix craziness wasn't real. Finally, the world can move on.
- Sacha Baron Cohen is going to play Freddie Mercury in an upcoming biopic. I think I'm OK with this. Actually, I think it's a pretty good idea.
That's all I've got, so, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to pay the Troll Toll.
Enjoy your milk steak. It's boiled over hard, just the way you like it.