Milwaukee Brewers Blogs

Thank goodness Joey Votto (.314/.422/.589 with 22 home runs) was elected to the National League All-Star team via the Final Vote.  Billy Wagner, Carlos Gonzalez, and Ryan Zimmerman are great players and were all worthy of roster spots, but Votto should have been the NL’s starting first baseman over Albert Pujols, and it would have been a travesty had he not made it in the end.  Votto leads the NL in both On-Base Percentage and Slugging Percentage and is tied for the lead in home runs; if the season ended today, he’d likely be voted the league’s Most Valuable Player.  It’s too bad, then, that Votto went 0-2 and did not make an impact in the game.  (Each of the other first basemen on the National League side – Pujols, Ryan Howard, and Adrian Gonzalez – went 0-2 as well.)

Continue reading "All-Star Game thoughts"

The game of baseball lost two old-timers this week, as beloved Tigers broadcaster Ernie Harwell passed away at the age of 92 and Hall of Fame pitcher Robin Roberts died at 83.

Harwell is best known for his 42 years broadcasting Tiger games, but before his career in Detroit, Harwell made history.  For this, I turn to wikipedia:

Continue reading "Farewell to a pair of the game's greats"

As if Ubaldo Jimenez’s no-hitter was not enough excitement for one day, the Mets and Cardinals took part in a marathon contest, playing a 20-inning game Saturday in St. Louis.  If that does not…, the most remarkable part of the monumental occasion was that the two teams went scoreless through the first 18 frames!  That’s like back-to-back shutouts being thrown by both teams!  In a game that took nearly seven hours and featured an astounding 18 pitchers (two of whom were actually position players that Cardinals manager Tony La Russa sent to the hill), three Met hitters – Jose Reyes, Jason Bay, and Jeff Francoeur – went a combined 0 for 21.  That is an ugly line in the box score for three of the team’s four best offensive players.

Continue reading "Oh, what a night!"

After their playing careers are over, Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera will undoubtedly be elected to the Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility, but will teammate Jorge Posada join them in Cooperstown?  Yankee fans may feel differently, but the truth is that if Posada retired from baseball today, he would not belong in The Hall.  His credentials include five trips to the All-Star Game, five Silver Slugger awards, 243 home runs, and five seasons with 90+ RBI’s, as well as having caught the perfect game thrown by David Wells in 1998.  Arguments against Posada’s candidacy are that he is not a strong defensive catcher, has only once batted over .300 (.277 career average) and his 1,488 career hits do not make him stand out among his catching peers.  Despite 11 career playoff home runs, his postseason line (.239/.351/.384) is sub-par for a catcher known primarily for his hitting.

Continue reading "Third member of Yankee trio not a lock for Hall"

Hey Everyone,

Not sure who is out there but hopefully someone is! 

Continue reading "A new shortstop and new uniforms!"

It's been awhile, a loooonnnnng while.  Lots has changed since the last time I posted on here.  In fact, the NBA season kicked off; The Office started up again, The Community is taking my Thursdays by storm.  Some things haven't changed:  The Pac-10 is overrated, my team can't win, and I'm still the man.  All in all; I guess people have missed my thoughts and were begging for more. 

Continue reading "College Fantasy Football"

For the past couple days, that's a question that baseball fans have been asking throughout the country. And what's the answer? Is there an answer? Is it OK for a baseball team to premeditate a celebration as over-the-top as Milwaukee's earlier this week?

Continue reading "Was Prince Fielder's Celebration OK?"

The Cardinals continued their dominance of the National League Central this week, going 5-1 on a road trip with a blown save on Sunday, meaning it could've been a 6-0 trip. Last night the Cards got a boost from John Smoltz who was rocky early, giving up three runs in the first two innings, but he stuck with it and shut out the Brewers over the next three innings before turning it over to the bullpen. The Brewers had their chances for a knock out blow, but they couldn't capitalize, just as the Cards couldn't do so with runners in scoring position. When a team goes 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position and can still grind out a win, that's the make of a championship caliber team. Even when they don't play that well, they win.

Continue reading "Cards Continue September Tear and ..."

  Eugenio Velez drilled the first pitch of the game of Pedro Martinez for a home run and a 1-0 Giants' lead.  Too bad that was the end of the scoring for the rest of the game in a 2-1 loss to the Phillies Thursday.  Martinez looked really good with 9 strike outs over seven innings. No, his fastball is not what it once was, but he knows how to pitch, and still features a deceptive delivery with his arm angle. Philadelphia is hoping THIS will be the same Pedro they can take with them into the post season. Giants' fans may remember when Pedro came off the DL in May of '08 as a New York Met, and beat San Francisco at A.T.& T. Park. He also had two hits in that game, and Barry Zito was awful - I remember because I was there!  Now Zito has regained his form, and apparently, so has Pedro, because he was Way better today then he was at anytime last year with the Mets.

Continue reading ""Giants Can't Score Off Pedro Martinez; ..."

  Hopefully for Giants' fans, Brad Penny can find his groove back in the National League.  In his three inter-league starts against national league teams this year, Penny posted a

Continue reading ""Brad Penny on the Bump for the Giants""

The Cardinals' magic number has dipped all the way to 21. The Cardinals have 29 games remaining, 14 of which are at home. The 15 road contests left consist of games in each NL Central city except for Chicago and three in Denver with the Rockies. The Cardinals should probably win eight or nine of those, as the Rockies are the only decent team between them. St. Louis could be tested a bit in their next home stand when the Marlins, Braves, and Cubs come to town, but they're on such a roll right now that it may not matter. The Brewers got spotted a 3-0 lead in the first inning of last night's game, but after that Joel Pineiro kept them in check for just one more run over the next six innings. The offense came to life for the second time in three games, scoring in three separate innings including a couple of crooked numbers in the fourth and seventh. Last night's game showcased the reality of the Cardinals' revamped lineup. Albert Pujols is clearly starting to heat up again, as he hit his second bomb in four games. But Matt Holliday has remained hot for the birds. He took out the "A" in Big Mac Land during batting practice, tying the score between him and Pujols in letters for the year.

Continue reading "Magic Number Keeps Shrinking, Brendan ..."

In the National League, the elongated double switch shows again why pitching statistics are quite poorly attributed.  A traditional double switch involves the manager inserting a position player into the game  for the current pitcher and a new pitcher for a position player--typically one who just made an out, so that the new pitcher won't be batting for nearly a full trip through the lineup.

Continue reading "More Thoughts on MLB Pitching Statistics"

  

  How cool is this Eli Whiteside story?  The Giants' rookie back-up catcher, who plays sparingly behind Bengie Molina, has had some big moments in recent weeks.  After catching the Jonathan Sanchez no-hitter last month, Whiteside launched a grand slam today -- his first career home run -- helping the Giants to a 10-6 victory over the Astros.  San Francisco improves to 60-and-48, taking two of three games ON THE ROAD, and now return home to open a weekend set against Dusty Baker's Cincinnati Reds.  Thursday's off-day, by the way, is the first for the team since the all-star break in mid-July.

Continue reading ""The Giants Get it Done in Houston""

With the end of the trade deadline just passing, the everyday brewer fan ponders whether or not the Brewers will have enough to make it into the 2009 MLB playoffs. Doug Melvin failed to make the C.C.

Continue reading "Brewers Current Pitching Rotation Enough?"

With the end of the trade deadline just passing, the everyday brewer fan ponders whether or not the Brewers will have enough to make it into the 2009 MLB playoffs. Doug Melvin failed to make the C.C. Sabathia like trade that he did in 2009 and instead settled for a former Brewers, Claudio Vargas. With the Brewer's pitching staff currently with a huge dent in it. Should Melvin have considered making a more effective trade? The answer we will not know until October. But with heavily coveted prospects in Alcides Escobar and Mat Gamel, it is hard to understand why Melvin did not decide to make a larger deal. With Cliff Lee, Jarrod Washburn and even the likes of Jake Peavy swapping jerseys, not making a deal to that caliber is a bit confusing. With injuries to Jeff Suppan and Dave Bush the Brewer's organization will have to look to other solutions in order to patch up their pitching rotation. Claudio Vargas would be one direction that the Brewers may look, with a 11-6 record in the 2007 season. Vargas still could be a great addition to the Brewers organization. But will it be enough?

Continue reading "Brewers fail to make the moves to ..."

The Brewers gave up two touchdowns last night to the Nationals and only managed one of their own in a 6-14 loss, dropping them to 1 game under .500 on the season and 4 games back in the tight NL Central.  The Crew has ripped off 3 wins in their last 10 games, while the now Central Leading Cubs have reeled off 8 wins in their last 10.  Frankly, the Brewers have NO chance to win the NL Central.  The Cardinals, who have a superior pitching staff to Milwaukee, added Julio Lugo and Matt Holliday is protection for Albert Pujols.  The Cubs haven't added anybody; they don't need to.  Their line up is expensive and filled with talent as is their pitching staff, Rich Harden, Alfonso Soriano, Milton Bradley, Carlos Zambrano, and Carlos Marmol turning their seasons into AVERAGE seasons by their standards is like making 5 huge trades.  All they need to do is get healthy and play average seasons down the stretch, and they'll be neck and neck with the Cardinals. 

Continue reading "Brewers Future"

Here'e another quirky entry into the "Win" category:  http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4318608.  If we used Team pitching statistics, that win would simply go to the Nationals pitching staff, which clearly it should have.

Continue reading "Another Reason Why MLB Needs Team ..."

As the Brewers wrap up a series against the Cardinals and Tony LaRussa's peculiar lineup strategy, I thought it might be worth thinking about what would make certain lineups advantageous.  LaRussa has been hitting the pitcher in the 8th spot, with a position player hitting behind him in the 9th slot, for several years now.  Why?

Continue reading "The Merits of the Pitcher Hitting 8th"

The last couple of season, the Milwaukee Brewers have not fared well in their last two series before the All-Star break. Milwaukee went 1-5 in 2007 and last year finished the first half on a 3-4 skid. In 2008, a win by C.C. Sabathia over the Cincinnati Reds saved Milwaukee from being swept by their division rivals on the last day before the All-Star break.

Continue reading "Brewers Need Strong Finish Before ..."

I got into a discussion with Sean yesterday about the post I made a couple of weeks ago concerning when a runner has officially taken possession of a base.  We consulted the rule book (online at baseball-almanac.com, a great site) and found no specific details about the situation.  (Though, admittedly, I did not carefully pore over every bit of it research-style, since we were simply having an entertaining discussion.)  While shifting through various alternative scenarios to try to tease out the answer, this fun one came up:

Continue reading "More Baseball Rules Discussion"

It was a series where Alex Rodriguez got closer to Rafael Palmeiro on the all-time home run list. Mariano Rivera continued to pile up saves. Joba Chamberlain continued to pile up no decisions. The mark set by Andy Pettitte and Mo continued to increase. Ken Griffey Jr continued to approach Willie Mays in career HRs. Ichiro Suzuki continued to get hit after hit. Could he be on his way to a 9th consecutive 200+ hit season? Let's break this all down.

Continue reading "Mariners-Yankees: A Series of Milestones ..."

This game typifies why the open base need not always be filled.  Particularly with the winning run on third base, you are asking quite a lot of your pitcher to confine him to the box created by bases loaded.  The Brewers should have gone after Soto--a player coming in cold off the bench--with runners on second and third and 2 outs.  Instead, they blatantly pitched around him for 3 pitches, then intentionally put him on with the fourth pitch to set the stage for the walk-off walk.

Continue reading "Brewers - Cubs and Walk-off Walks"

Why are pitching statistics so quirky?  For instance, why does a starter need to go 5 innings to earn a win?  And why should a starter get a loss if his team eventually scores more runs than

Continue reading "Team Pitching Statistics in MLB"

The Minnesota Twins and Milwaukee Brewers are locked in a border battle of non-epic proportions.  Compared to the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox rivalry, we are the two douche-bags on the play ground yelling about an ill-advised Magic the Gathering card throw.  

Continue reading "Jason Kubel's White Rocket"

Deciding to sit among baseball fans, I wanted to be in the competitive environment of a major league stadium.  My fraternity brothers are eclectic and both sides of the boarder.  Wisconsinites mingle freely on Minnesota soil.  I sat down just in time to see nervous eyed Carlos Gomez bat lead off. 

Continue reading "Twin’s Verse Brewers 1st Inning ..."

Hazel Mae interviewed Ken Rosenthal from Fox Sports the other night on MLB Network’s show Quick Pitch. Mae brought out the point that the Yankees needed to improve their bullpen. Ken mentioned that the Yankees are all set with Brian Bruney and that they expect improvement in their bullpen upon his return. He also brought out some possibilities considering that Brian has been on the DL twice this season. Here are his picks along with my personal reaction to each pick:

Continue reading "Rosenthal’s Picks to Improve Yankees ..."

I thought it would be fitting for my first post to discuss a rules question I've thought about for baseball for quite a long time. Here's the situation: Runner on first, less than 2 outs.  The pitcher accidentally goes into the windup, and the runner takes off for second.  (Or the runner takes off, then the pitcher goes into the windup.)  There is a strange combination of blazing speed in the runner and very slow motion in the pitcher's windup.  The runner reaches second base before the pitch reaches the plate.  The batter hits a lazy fly to the outfield.

Continue reading "Rules of the game (MLB)"

Cleveland Indians vs. Milwaukee Brewers - June 17, 2009

David Huff vs. Jeff Suppan

Progressive Field - Cleveland, Ohio

Well so much for my 7-2 homestand prediction. The Indians will have to win this game just to go over .500 at 5-4. Every time I say something positive the Indians give me two reasons to be negative. Carl Pavano is suddenly terrible, and the bullpen has been atrocious again. The offense is averaging 8.5 runs a game vs. the Brewers in the frist two games of the series and has won neither.

Continue reading "Brew Crew gives Wahoo Blues x 3. ..."

Unfortunately that goes for both teams.

Screw it, I'm not going to edit this, this was how things were going to appear as late as the top of the 8th:

The best thing that can happen when you're team isn't getting the best pitching performance in the world is for your opponent to be having the worst pitching performance in the world.  Ok, it wasn't quite the worst in the world, but the Brewers pitching was worse than the Indians tonight.

Continue reading "If you can't pitch, swing for the ..."

The losing streak against the Red Sox continues. Yankee management needs to set up their rotation so that they have their best against against Boston. They need to come up with some kind of plan to keep the Boston offense in check every game. This losing is PATHETIC! Are the Yankees going to bow down to Boston all season, slide into the playoff picture via the Wild Card without beating them and spanking the other teams? It's been done before. During their World Series years (96, 98-2000), they were getting spanked by the Angels and they still won the World Series those years. Back to pitching, how can you set up a rotation where 2 opposing pitchers face off against each other back to back?  Every time A.J. Burnett takes on Boston this year so far, it's been against Josh Beckett. Are they going to do this again in their series against Boston in August and September? I hope not, Beckett seems to have A.J.'s number this year. How about putting in C.C. Sabathia against him? The Milwaukee Brewers worked him like a Hebrew slave in the time of Moses last year, pitching him on 3 days rest to win key games during the season. How come the Yankees can't do that? Unfortunately, Girardi's strategy is to keep the pitch count down on the rotation because he doesn't want to tire them out. Starting pitching needs to improve against the Red Sox. Mark Teixiera tried to get something going last night going 3 for 4, but the offense as usual fizzled out leading to a 5-4 Yankee lost. Oh well! Tonight, it's C.C. Sabathia against Brad Penny. Can even C.C. hold the Red Sox down in the early innings? Can Texieira, A-Rod, and the boys jump on Brad Penny's flamethrowing fastball? We'll find out tonight.

Continue reading "The Yankees need to get it together ..."

So the Brewers lose their second straight to the Rockies and take the series loss. Having Dave Bush on the mound against Jorge De La Rosa it looked like an easy victory for the crew before it even sta

Continue reading "Brewers drop another tough one"

1. Well, the Cardinals' recent road trip didn't go according to plan by any stretch of the imagination. They had to salvage a win at the end of each series after dropping the first two. Coming home to play the Brewers didn’t improve things. The only lead the Cards had against Milwaukee in the entire series got washed out by a monster of a storm on Friday. Colby Rasmus, who hit the two-run homer in the bottom of the second of Friday’s rainout, managed to get it back by hitting another two-run bomb in the bottom of the seventh of Monday’s makeup. However, it wasn’t enough as the Cards were held to just six runs over the three-game series, none of which came during Adam Wainwright’s two-hit, one run performance on Saturday. The Cards managed to get back on track a bit on Tuesday, thanks to a three-hit complete game shutout by stopper Joel Pineiro (Did I really just say that?). Rasmus’ bat stayed live with yet another two-run bomb off of lefty Ted Lilly in the fifth. The Cards also managed to manufacture a run in the first with a leadoff walk to Brendan Ryan, a sacrifice by Rasmus, and a stolen base by Ryan off of Lilly whose ignorance of the situation led to there not even being a throw down to third. This set up Yadier Molina for a two-out RBI single to put St. Louis on top after one inning. Molina also helped the Cards get back some of their defensive prowess in the top half of the opening frame, picking off Alfonso Soriano off of first, the 29th time Molina has done so in his career.

Continue reading "The Cards' Cavalry is on its way"

 Vs

Continue reading "Brewers are 3 for 3 against Pirates, ..."

A pitcher and hitter named Yovani Gallardo spoiled the Giants attempt to become the first team to ever go 162-0, as his Milwaukee Brewers downed the Giants 4-2 in Wednesday's contest.  Gallardo smacked a 3 run homer in the fifth, which turned out to be the difference in the game...Randy Johnson's debut as a Giant didn't go as planned, as he left after 5 innings trailing 4-1.  He did however strike out 7 in his debut, with most of his pitches registering in the low 90's, not bad for a 45 year old man...Mike Cameron, the man who replaced Ken Griffey in Seattle a number of years ago, had a solo shot for the Brew Crew's other run...The Giants again played steady defense, with just one error in two games.  (When they went to the series in 2002, they did not commit and error for 16 games.)...Bobby Howry and Alex Hinshaw also threw this evening...Milwaukee returns for a 4:05 game tomorrow.  Matt Cain starts...Tim Lincecum received his Cy Young Award tonight, presented by the only other Giant to win the coveted pitching award, Mike McCormick.  He was 22-10 on the year, with an ERA of 2.85, practically unheard of any more.  (Anything around 3.00 is considered good.)   Good readin', good rootin' and see ya at the ballpark.  April 8, 2009

Continue reading "NO 162-0 RECORD FOR GIANTS THIS YEAR"

Brewers up, facing Alex Hinshaw who kind of looks like Lincecum.

This should be the last half inning though Hinshaw has thrown only balls so far, getting the bullpen going.

Hardy whiffs big time through a curve ball for strike two (Fielder on first). Guess he thought he could make a 5-run home run if he hit it far enough. Gives up a double play instead.

Continue reading "Brewers at Giants, Top of the Ninth"

Giants up, facing Jorge Julio.

Winn homered and I missed it.

Renteria walks and Lewis ropes one to right for a line out.

Molina pops out for the third time.

Sondoval hits it hard, straight up the middle, on the ground, for a hit. It's about time the Giants had a good young grown hitter.

Continue reading "Brewers at Giants, Bottom of the Eighth"

Brewers up, facing Bob Howry

Kendall is out before I even knew what happened.

Craig Counsell pinch hits and earns a walk.

Sandoval is showing that he's not that great throwing on the run; Weeks beat his two-hop throw by a mile.

Continue reading "Brewers at Giants, Top of the Eighth"

Brewers up, facing Jeremy Affeldt

Fielder knocks it into the opposite field gap. Stand up, lead off double.

Hardy's grounder moves Fielder to third.

But Cameron draws a walk, which leads to a double play by Hall.

Continue reading "Brewers at Giants, Top of the Seventh"

Brewers up, facing Brandon Medders

Weeks and Hart both fly out to center. And Braun strikes out. Good inning to start a season on for Medders.

Continue reading "Brewers at Giants, Top of the Sixth"

Giants up, facing Seth McClung who replaced Suppan

Fred Lewis - Walks.

Molina - Off the wall in left! That puts runners at the corners. That was one long single.

Sandoval - Chases a high, high, high fast ball, strike three.

Continue reading "Brewers at Giants, Bottom of the Fifth"

Brewers up, facing Martinez

Cameron - Base hit. Steals second on the second pitch.

Hall - Strikes out and is none too happy about it. He gave the ump a piece of his mind.

Kendall - Martinez makes an always risky pick off throw to second and just missed getting Cameron out. Grounder to third and Sandoval tags Cameron instead of throwing to first. Great heads up play by Sandoval, but a bad mistake by Cameron.

Continue reading "Brewers at Giants, Top of the Fifth"

Giants up, facing Suppan

Ishikawa - Hard groundball bounces off the glove of third baseman Hall.

Rowand - He hits it high, he hits it deep... 2-run homer to left. He knew it was game the moment it cracked his bat, and we're back on top!

Continue reading "Brewers at Giants, Bottom of the Fourth"

Brewers up, facing rookie Joe Martinez

Lincecum is out after throwing about 90 pitches in three innings

Suppan - Ground ball down the third baseline again, this time for an out.

Continue reading "Brewers at Giants, Top of the Fourth"

Giants up, facing Suppan

Lewis - Ropes it straight to 2B Weeks. 1 out.

Molina - Pops up again. 2 away on 3 pitches. This is looking more like the Giants I know.

Sandoval - Went digging for a curve ball. Short fly out to center.

Continue reading "Brewers at Giants, Bottom of the Third"

Brewers up, facing Tim Lincecum

Braun - Bloop single to left.  I'd like to see Lincecum shut the Brewers down right about now.

Fielder - Crowding the plate, he jumps back on a fast ball that catches the black of the plate. Next pitch, Fielder's standing several inches farther back. Swing and a WHIFF for strike three on a change up low and outside. Second big strike three whiff for Fielder.

Continue reading "Brewers at Giants, Top of the Third"

Giants up, facing Jeff Suppan

Emmanuel Burriss - Hit on the first pitch. Suppan must be trying to make up for that unearned double and following run.

Tim Lincecum - Bunts foul. Takes a ball. Notices that 3B Hall is cheating too far in, pulls back that bunt and smacks the ball to left on a high chopping grounder over Hall's head. Burriss was going and makes to third standing up. Excellent play all around. I like the way these Giants are swinging!

Continue reading "Brewers at Giants, Bottom of the Second"

Mike Cameron - Four pitch walk. I think Timmy's feeling the opening day jitters.

Bill Hall - Strikes out on a high 3-2 fastball. Cameron steals second, beating a decent throw from Molina.

Continue reading ""

Giants up, facing Jeff Suppan

Randy Winn - Starts the season off with a fizzle. Pop fly out.

Edgar Renteria - That's more like it. Base hit grounder down the third base line. Earn the paycheck, Edgar.

Continue reading "Brewers at Giants, Bottom of the First"

Brewers up, facing Tim Lincecum

Rickie Weeks - And Timmy walked the first batter of the year. A more rash man would throw in the towel for this season already.

Corey Hart - First pitch grounded slowly up the middle. Renteria tagged second for the force but was tripped by Weeks and lost the ball. An ugly play that should have been two.

Continue reading "Brewers at Giants, Top of the First"

Opening game. Brewers at Giants. Bring it.

Starters: Tim Lincecum vs. Jeff Suppan

Line ups:

BREWERS

1. Rickie Weeks 2B

2. Corey Hart RF

3. Ryan Braun LF

Continue reading "Milwaukee Brewers at San Francisco Giants"

There are only a few sure things in the National League Central this year. The Chicago Cubs will win, the Pittsburgh Pirates will lose, and Albert Pujols will continue to be the best hitter in the NL. The Cincinnati Reds’ staff is intriguing, as is St. Louis’ if Chris Carpenter has a positive impact in his return from injury, and how much will Milwaukee miss CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets?

Continue reading "The Sports Don's 2009 NL Central Preview"

The Seattle Mariners picked up injured closer Chad Cordero in the offseason. Cordero was a solid major league closer with the Washington Nationals for years. Foxsports reports that the Mariners are likely to use Cordero as mid season trade bait if they are out of contention early as they are expected to be.

Continue reading "Speculation: Mid Season Trades"

Last season in late September the Brewers picked up Mike Lamb, to be used as a pinch hitter and reserve player. Lamb went 3 for 11 during the stretch run, but was not put on the post season roster. On tuesday the Brewers decided to essenially release Lamb, by not putting him on the opening day roster. He has the option to play for AAA Nashville, but will likely hold out for another major league gig.

Continue reading "Brew Crew clears spot for McGehee"

After playing their first meaningful October baseball games in a quarter century the Milwaukee Brewers have a tough road a head of them. They will dearly miss all 6 feet 7 inches of CC Sabathia, as well as injury plagued Ben Sheets. The 2009 Brewers will rely on young talent in their pitching staff, which is generally not a recipe for success. Maybe they should give the Rays a call.

Continue reading "Milwaukee Brewers 2009 Forecast: ..."

Every time Yovani Gallardo and Manny Para take the mound during spring training, Milwaukee Brewers' fans hold their breath a little bit. After making the playoffs for the first time in 26 seasons last year, the Brewer faithful know this year's success rests on the untested arms of these young pitchers.

Continue reading "Hoffman Injury is a Bad Omen for Brewers"

With the Brewers 2009 not look so good with the young amount of talent that needs time to grow, the following season does promising to the naked eye.  Ryan Braun didn’t look to show any sig

Continue reading ""

The NBA reviewed tapes from the Cleveland Cavs vs. New York Knicks game the other night and they felt the need to go the extra effort to take one rebound away from Lebron James. Taking this rebound away from him turned hit historic triple double night with 52 points into a pedestrian double double.

Continue reading "NBA Revokes LeBron James' triple ..."

With the regular and postseason over, and the hot stove not quite on fire just yet, it’s a perfect time to pick my regular season award winners for the 2008 season.  Here are my MVP picks.

Continue reading "MVP Award Picks"

        Francisco Cordero converted 44 saves in 51 chances in 2007 and had an ERA below three.   Cordero was one of the most touted relief pitchers in the league at the end of the 2007 season and he received offers from several teams.  Cordero decided to go for the money, signing a contract with the Cincinnati Reds.  The Milwaukee Brewers had offered a four year $42 million contract with an option for a fifth year.  Instead, Cordero packed his bags and moved to Cincinnati, taking their four year $46 million offer - also with an option for a fifth year. 

Continue reading "Brewers Bullpen"

A big thanks to everyone who participated in the "Inbound Link Contest".  We have a winner!  A big congratulations go out to Marija.  Thank you for all your hard work on this.  While we had a lot of people participate, Marija was able to win with only 4 links!  So it wouldn't have taken a lot to win this contest!  We'll be having another contest soon so stay tuned.

Continue reading "Inbound link contest winner announced!"

    Well, it's become quite obvious that the Mets desperately need to find someone else to close in Billy Wagner's absence.  When Wagner had to miss a game against the Phillies three weeks ago with forearm stiffness, Duaner Sanchez dropped the ball.  Since Wagner was placed on the DL last week, Heilman has been awful in two of his four ninth inning chances.  In order to put an end to the bullpen's pattern of implosion, Jerry Manuel offered two other options after yesterday's game:  Eddie Kunz and John Maine.

Continue reading "Mets' Season May Depend on Kunz"

Thursday night my friends and I were out to dinner and the discussion at the table was almost entirely around the Brett Favre trade.  Except for the 20 minutes my friend told us about a fifty year old woman that was legitimetly freaked out that she saw a ranbow in the water comming from her sprinkler.  Apprantly to can find this on Gurrilla Mask.  As we were discussing all the bizzarness of the trade, someting hit me.  Why are we not talking about the Brewers who are in a tight pennat race and leading the Wild Card race, and have an opportunity to make the playoffs for the first time in over 20 years.

Continue reading "Changing of the guard"

By now the story has been beaten to the ground. Prince Fielder's altercation with Manny Parra in Monday's 6-3 loss to the Reds has turned many heads towards a team trying to break out of a losing slump. So far, everybody in the organization is confident that the scuffle is nothing but a poorly timed altercation during the heat of competition. Teammates have already brushed off the incident as nothing more than Monday's loss as they prepare for Tuesday.

Continue reading "Disaster Relief 8/4"

I forgot to mention in one of my earlier blogs that Jerry Remy mentioned in his pregame report that the Royals were not going to be an easy team to beat.  This is the opposite of what I said at the end of my post after we swept the A's.  It looks like the Remdawg was right (as he usually is).  Meche really shut us down for 6 innings, allowing only  4 hits and two runs.  He didn't look too good in the first inning, as the Sox scraped up a pair of runs, but he got down to buisness after that. 

Continue reading "Why can't we win on the road?!"

(FYI -- All my times are Pacific Time) 

4:02 p.m.

It's Monday, August 4th. The Cubs and Astros are about to face off. The wind is always something to pay attention to at Wrigley....and it looks like it is blowing at around 10-15 mph from right to left field, straight across. Sweet outfits and hair on many of the fans tonight. It's 70s night...

Continue reading "LIVE game talk Cubs-Astros 8/4"

The Brewers did the best thing possible for a team coming off of a 4 game sweep at home to a division rival, they blew out a bad team.

The 9-0 victory was a fresh start for the young Brewers, who, after dealing with a momentum killing seven game home stand needed to make a statement. There are two months left in the regular season, which narrows room for error for the team looking too far ahead in their schedule.

Continue reading "The Dog Days of Summer 8/2"

Jim Edmonds had two huge home runs against the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday. The home runs just added salt to the Brewers' wounds. The Cubs beat the Brewers in games 1 through 4..... 6-4, 7-1, 7-2, and 11-4. The beating the Brewers received from the Chicago Cubs throughout the 4-game sweep hit a nerve. Frustration was obvious in the 9th inning when Eric Gagne of the Brewers threw behind Jim Edmonds on the fourth pitch of the at-bat. 

Continue reading "Brewers....Salty Finish"

It took the national media until the very end of July to hype a series being played in Milwaukee.

Until now, the Brewers have quietly been sitting in third place in a division that in years past has been branded "The Worst Division in the National League". Hidden behind constant coverage of the timeless Chicago Cubs and the professionally consistent St. Louis Cardinals, the Brewers have emerged as a true contender beyond their division rivals.

Continue reading "The Series You Were Waiting to Hype, ..."

it's a big series for the cubs this weeks.  Four games in Milwaukee. And what better way to see what a team is really made of than to start off facing Sabathia and Sheets.  I think it's going to be a hard fought battle on both ends.  It's still July and this series will not make or break either team but it can swing a lot of momentum in one's favor.  The Cubs will have most of there banged up team ready to play except for Kerry Wood.  But with Marmol and the newly brough up Jeff Samardzija, their bullpen should be pretty strong. 

Continue reading "Milwaukee Fest"

This is it.  Brewers fans, Cubs fans, hell, any baseball fan.  The Cubs sit 1 game ahead of the Brewers atop the NL Central.  I love this series because it completely takes all my atten

Continue reading "Biggest Series of the Year"

    When the bullpen blew the game after Santana's eight stellar innings on Tuesday, fans and media types alike griped that the ace should have finished the game.  Saturday night's 14-inning marathon necessitated a long outing from Santana, and he answered the call, this time by pitching a complete game six-hitter, to put the exclamation point on the Mets' 9-1 win in the rubber game of the series against St. Louis.  The lone blemish on his masterful performance was Albert Pujols' seventh inning solo home run, but as Aaron Heilman learned early Sunday morning, you sometimes just tip your cap when that man hits one out.

Continue reading "Santana Goes the Distance, Mets Stay Hot"

The Giants won 1 to 0 yesterday on the back of a brilliant four hit complete game performance from Matt Cain. While Matt deserves an enormous amount of credit for even making the start while being ill (flu), the way the giants finally manufactured their one run was equally impressive.

Continue reading "Giants Play Small Late to give Cain ..."

    A day after the Mets' bullpen acted out a microcosm of the final 17 games of 2007, Billy Wagner was back on the mound with a three-run lead in the ninth inning on Wednesday, and Mets fans could not be happier.  Wagner's save in the 6-3 victory not only sealed the win and moved the Mets back into a first place tie with the Phillies, but it also put the minds of many a Mets fan at ease, knowing that the true closer is once again available to pitch.  After the game Wagner said he looked better than he felt, but hopefully he continues to feel well enough to pitch 1-2-3 ninth innings.

Continue reading "Billy Wagner Never Looked So Good"

By trading Ray Durham to Milwaukee this weekend the Giants finally began the youth movement they had been promising since announcing the departure of Barry Bonds last August. Durham, the Giant with the longest tenure on the active roster waived his no trade clause and was traded to the visiting Brewers Sunday for two minor league prospects.

Continue reading "Velez and Burriss Set to Deliever ..."

If ever there was a sign that the Brewers’ future is now, it’s in their recent acquisition of veteran Ray Durham, who should shore up their leadoff spot, as well as allow Rickie Weeks the time off he sometimes needs when mired in a slump. Since they’ve already gambled their future on C.C. Sabathia—who’s looked amazing so far, winning all three starts and throwing complete games in two of them—it only makes sense for them to do whatever they can to push for the pennant this year.

Continue reading "Brewers Grab Durham"

To try and motivate our bloggers to get inbound links we're going to have a contest to see which blogger can get the most inbound links to their blog. The contest begins now and ends July 31st, 2008. To be entered in to the contest all you have to do is go out and get as many websites to link to your blog as you can and at the end of the month send us an email listing all those links. All links must be active from August 1st through August 7th when we'll be judging the entries - a winner will be announced on August 7th. All entry emails must be received by Midnight on July 31st, 2008. You can email them to sportsfan@nbabasketballonline.com

Continue reading "Inbound link contest - Win $100!"

Been awhile since I posted on here.  The cubs are looking good up to the all-star break so far.  They just got Rich Harden which may be a good pick up for this year but I am a little worried

Continue reading "Let's take a Break"

The other big trade that happened recently was the Cubs’ acquisition of the oft-injured Rich Harden from Oakland. This move is typical of Oakland’s business model, which involves shedding young stars before they get too expensive, often in exchange for other young or undervalued stars. In this way, they’re similar to the Florida Marlins, except that the Marlins tend to load up for concentrated runs at the championship (they have as many championships in the last decade as big-market Boston, and more than the Cubs have in the past hundred years), while the A’s tend towards consistent competitiveness.

Continue reading "NL Central Trade Analysis, Part Two"

Still playing ketchup here, trying to make up for a four-day absence from the blog, so I want to start with the big trade of last week, the CC Sabathia swap. The usefulness of this deal to the Brewers is a little dubious, as CC is likely to be a half-season rental, but let’s break it down:

Continue reading "NL Central Trade Analysis, Part One"

    Another day brought another win for the Mets this afternoon, as they ran their season-high winning streak to six straight.  Fernando Tatis snapped a 3-3 tie in the seventh inning with his fourth home run of the year, and his second go-ahead shot in the last five days.  The bullpen was lights out for the third straight day and hasn't allowed a run since almost giving back a 10-1 lead on Monday in Philadelphia.  The sweep of the Giants was the Mets' first such feat since they took three straight from Washington from April 15-17, unless you count the three-game series at Yankee Stadium that was started in May and finished in June.  The Phillies rebounded from a 2-0 loss in St. Louis on Tuesday to beat the Cardinals in two straight, so the Mets are currently 1.5 games out of first place heading into a three-game series against Colorado this weekend.

Continue reading "Dust Off Your Brooms, Tatis Comes Through Again"

The Dodgers chock full off their season of mediocrity (wait, you mean the season is still going on?) passed on CC Sabathia. According to multiple sources (including Ken Rosenthal http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/8328148/Notebook:-Will-Dodgers-ever-make-a-move??CMP=OTC-K9B140813162&ATT=3498) the ace pitcher could have been had for middling prospects that were not contributing at the major league level. Granted this is all here-say, but it is a rumor for a reason, and the big problem here was not Ned Colletti (for once). It seems as if frank McCourt vetoed the trade for strictly financial reasons as the Dodger payroll would have increased by $7-9 million this year with the addition of Sabathia, Jamey Carroll and Casey Blake had the trade gone through. I don’t even know where to start with this. This is the same moron who tosses $19 million to Andruw Jones, $16 million to Jason Schmitt, $9.5 million to Nomar Garciaparra and he is terrified of a trade that would increase payroll by $9 million? Granted he would have tried to sign CC to an extension and what not (and that would be about $25 million/year), but this is for the best pitcher in the game, not to mention a platoon player (who can play short) and a 3rd basemen. Everything the Dodgers wanted all in a package, and he vetoes it. It’s go to mean something when other teams won’t take on any of your high paid players because all of your high paid players are broken down and useless. So instead of moving towards a winning franchise, McCourt seems to love to meddle in mediocrity because we are dumb enough to keep going to games and to watch a bunch of turds in Dodger Blue “play baseball”. The best part of this trade was that we would keep ALL The high end prospects and could unload all the crappy players (Schmitt, Lowe, Nomar, Andruw, Kent) after next season and it would all be good. We are not a small market team, but apparently that is how the owner sees it. He is ready to try and turn Dodger stadium into a revenue service year round with his renovations and he is willing to increase prices to watch crap on the field but unwilling to make any moves of consequence to make the team actually look professional.

Continue reading "IF THE SEASON ENDED TODAY 07.10.08: Dodgers Fail"

With the addition of Rich Harden to the Cubs roster, the National League's best record just put themselves over the edge as the National League's best team.  A top 4 rotation of Carlos Zambrano,

Continue reading "The Rich Get Richer...But That's ..."

    This season Mets fans have come to realize that win or lose, life is excruciating.  For this team there is no such thing as a laugher--in either direction.  It seems that every Mets loss includes a blown lead, and every Mets win includes an attempt at the same.

Continue reading "Despite best efforts, Wagner and ..."

The C.C. Sabathia deal is dead. The proposed deal that would have seen the Dodgers send Matt Kemp, James Loney, Andy LaRoche, Andre Ethier, Chad Billingsley, Clayton Kershw, Vladamir Guerrero, the letter “L”’ from the Hollywood sign (the one on the left, not the one on the right), Kobe Bryant, and DJ Mbenga to the Indians for C.C. and Casey Blake is no more. The Brewers, in a possible drunken haze traded four minor leaguers (including the perpetually well traveled “player to be named later”) in what appears to be a great move for the Brew Crew. They have no interest in keeping C.C. outside of this year if it is going to cost them a lot (and it likely will) so they will be able to pick up a couple of draft picks from the next team that signs him, and get to use the skills of a man in a contract year who is trying to make a good impression on any team that’s courting him. Smart move by the Brewers that is pretty much win, win. The Indians got a good package, but one has to wonder what they could have fleeced from the Dodgers if their deal went through. My exaggeration from the top is probably not too far off.

Continue reading "IF THE SEASON ENDED TODAY 07.07.08: ..."

C.C Sabathia is officially the newest member of the Brew Crew! The Milwaukee Brewers have decided to put there foot down and compete immediately. With the addition of Sabathia the Brewers now have a formidable rotation led buy the lethal one-two punch of Sheets/Sabathia. But, just like a beautiful SL 500 from Hertz- don't get too attached...it's just a rental.

Continue reading "Rent-A-Club is Here!"

Before Wednesday’s game the Dodgers sent rookie pitcher Clayton Kershaw to Triple-A Las Vegas to make room for Hiroki Kuroda, who was coming off the disabled list. While Kershaw has been inconsistent throughout his first major-league stint, Kuroda has been even more so in his first season in the America. Kuroda has had brilliant games, such as his start in May against the Astros, and some horrific outings, such as his last start before the injury, when he gave up six runs in less than three innings in San Diego.

Continue reading "All 4-1 and Kuroda for All: Righty ..."

Most people would've said Kevin Slowey vs. Ben Sheets would be a pitching mismatch. They were right.

But few would've predicted that Slowey would be the dominant starter and Sheets would prove vulnerable.

Continue reading "Twins back on track"

Sometimes you just run into a pitcher who's in such a zone that you don't have a chance.

That was the case Saturday for the Twins as Manny Para and the Milwaukee Brewers ended a 10-game winning streak. The Twins had only three hits, and their only run came when Jason Kubel hit a homer with two outs in the ninth. That was against Mitch Stetter -- Parra pitched seven scoreless innings and gave up only two hits.

Continue reading "Parra unhittable as Twins' streak ends"

You might have been forgiven if you gave up on the Twins on Friday night. They were down 6-3 to a strong Milwaukee team. Twins starter Nick Blackburn wasn't great -- he was chased early.

The Twins had to win in a way they're not used to -- hitting homers. Joe Mauer's power in the eighth inning, only his third of the year, was the decisive blow in the 7-6 Twins win. It was the third Twins' homer of the game -- Alexi Casilla and Jason Kubel went deep as well.

Continue reading "Another day, another comeback win for Twins"

And probably not your own Braves, either. I watched them boot the ball around last night with a long-time Braves fan; three first-inning errors led to three runs, and they never recovered, losing 4-3, in a game without Chipper and a host of others.

Continue reading "Not Your Daddy's Braves"

Tough to top the Cubs' huge win against their intercity rival Friday.

Late homers by Aramis Ramirez, one in the seventh and the winner in the ninth, proved decisive in the 4-3 win. Kerry Wood pitched the ninth to get the win.

Continue reading "Cubs come back to tear Sox"

On the eve of the Dodgers winning three games in a row (Joe Torre: “We won a game today, if we win again tomorrow, that’s called a ‘winning streak’”) for the first time roughly a century, the great Jeff Passan over at Yahoo! Sports has his annual “All-Overpaid and Underpaid Team”. He is spot on with his selections that I can see, but this seriously should have been labeled “The Los Angeles Dodgers”. Out of every player in the league mind you, the Dodgers manage to crack this list a whopping 4 times out of an available 9 positions. Jeff is right by stating what the Dodger contracts lack in length, they make up for in girth (how many guys have actually tried to claim that, by the way?), and that in no way makes them better. The Dodgers have the enormous problem of overpaying for mediocrity, and a glimpse further on this list shows that the Dodgers already added, or tried to add (if you believe the rumors, and of course I do, for this argument) another 6 of these players. While Dodger stupidity with the pocketbook is nothing new, let’s look at these players and see why they aren’t Dodgers or won’t be for long. Since Jeff already astutely pointed out the flaws of Andruw Jones, Nomar, Kent, and Schmitt, I’ll avoid rehashing his points and add anything else I can to the conversation. 

Continue reading "IF THE SEASON ENDED TODAY 06.20.08: ..."

The Twins' two-game road winning streak is history as Mike Cameron's two-run jack lifted Milwaukee to a 4-2 victory.

Scott Baker was the loser, but he pitched pretty well, allowing just three runs -- including the Cameron homer -- in six innings. The bullpen was a problem, with Boof Bonser allowing a run (and getting just one guy out). Way to go, Boof. Bonser's ERA is 6.45 and Brian Bass's is 5.28. Keep a watch on those two guys -- they might be headed for the minors. Especially Bonser.

Continue reading "Brewers tap Cameron for win"

Write this down on your calendar, boys and girls. The Twins won their second game in a row, 9-4 over the Brewers in extras.

When, you ask, did they last achieve this stupendous feat? June 1-2, when the they took the final two games in the home series with the Yankees.

Continue reading "Twins hoist a few after beating Brew Crew"

Good news: the Houston Astros hit three home runs last night against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Bad news: the Brew Crew hit five.

All three 'Stros longballs were solo shots (Miguel Tejada, Ty Winnington and Carlos Lee), whereas Milwaukee's four runs accounted for eight total runs (two solo shots and two 2-run homers). Astros pitcher Brandon Backe, who shows flashes of brilliance, gave up seven hits and five earned runs in four innings. He's 4-8 on the season with this loss with an ERA of an even 5.00. Both starters got hit hard, and both bullpens had their shaky moments--Houston's more so than Milwaukee's.

Continue reading "Brewers 10, Astros 6"

In a perfect world, or at least a perfect National League, Ned Yost would like to be Bobby Cox when he grows up. If you’re looking for a managerial role model, you could do a lot worse than the long-time Braves skipper. In fact, Yost’s biggest asset when he interviewed for the Milwaukee Brewers’ job was his years learning the game as one of Cox’s coaching staff. 

Continue reading "Wither Nedly -- should Yost get fired?"

When I say Ol' Roy, of course, I'm not referring to the Wal-Mart brand of dogfood named after the late Sam Walton's late hunting dog Ol' Roy. Rather, the old version of Astros ace Roy Oswalt. You know, the guy who could get guys out and make it look easy.

Continue reading "Ol' Roy O shows up, Astros beat Brewers 6-1"

And his name is Jacoby Ellsbury.Okay, so the rookie doesn't sit behind a steering wheel tearing up a race track.  But the speed with which he tears up the baseball diamond, he might as well have

Continue reading "There's a New Speed Racer in Town"

Manny's back.  And he proved it last night by planting #499 in the right field bleachers to tie the game in the 6th.  Unfortunately his homer wouldn't help the Red Sox get the win.  Instead it would be just another dramatic moment in a night full of dramatic moments.It all started in the bottom of the fifth when Dice-K took the mound to start his warm-up, only to be pulled before he threw his first pitch due to shoulder fatigue.  Through four innings, the pitcher had only given up four hits and three runs.  He struck out two and for only the second time this season, the Diceman didn't walk anyone.  But in case losing your starting pitcher in the fifth due to injury isn't exciting enough for you, the Sox would lose two more key people later that same inning.Aardsma had come in to pitch, and with two outs and a walk under his belt, that's when things really got interesting.  Ibanez had just taken his first pitch for a ball when Lugo asked the 3rd base umpire, Angel Hernandez, to check the swing.  Things must've gotten heated because Hernandez threw the shortstop out of the game.  Then when Francona came out to retrieve Lugo, and ask why he was being ejected, Francona was ejected as well.  But the drama didn't end there.  In the sixth inning the Sox offense decided to add their two cents.  After Coco struck out, Pedroia chopped the ball to the Mariners shortstop, but he couldn't handle it and the Sox 2nd baseman ended up on first with one out.  Then Papi lined to right and just like that, the Sox finally have something going against Batista.  Then Manny stepped to the plate.  Manny's last homer was on May 12th against the Minnesota Twins, which means that red sign on top of the green monster has been stuck at 498 for the left fielder's last 42 at bats.  But taking that day off on Sunday clearly helped because he took the first pitch he saw from Batista and planted it in the bleachers in right for his #499th career home run.  That home run also tied the game 3-3 which meant the Sox had a chance to win and Dice-K's 8-0 record would remain intact.Unfortunately, as I stated in the title, that homer wouldn't get the Sox the win.   Nope, thanks to my favorite Red Sox relief pitcher, Mike Timlin, the Sox would lose in the bottom of the 9th.  Balentien's infield hit would turn into Seattle's fourth and final run when Lopez drove Timlin's pitch up the 3rd base line for the walk-off win.  So, Timlin not only blew the save, he

Continue reading "Manny Hits #499... To No Avail"

In the 1990s, baseball fans watched Cecil Fielder clobber home runs from one city to another.  A 3-time All Star, Fielder earned the moniker of "Big Daddy" for his towering shots.  In 1990, he became baseball's first player to hit 50 homeruns in a season since George Foster of the Cincinatti Reds hit 52 in 1977.  But perhaps Cecil's greatest accomplishment was the birth of his son, Prince, in 1984.  Today, the younger Fielder has also earned a reputation for launching explosive long-balls.  In 2006, Fielder hit 28 home runs to break the rookie record for the Milwaukee Brewers and in 2007, he became the youngest player of all-time to hit 50 home runs.  

Continue reading "Can A Vegetarian Break The All-Time Home Run Mark?"