So I have been watching Brewers live in sweet anticipation/flipping back & forth to ESPN & have the following to note:
1. Tony Gwynn Jr sounds EXACTLY like his dad, who sounds like a white dude who plays lots of dungeons & dragons when he's not doing extra math problems for fun.
2. Watching college womens softball is actually fun if several of the players are in fact attractive.
3. The Brewers called up Braun at just the right time. Although we are still comfortably in first, we have been playing like dog shit lately, have had exaclty 1 RBI from the Counsilino tandem this year, and judging by the postings on this blog, excitement for the Brew Crew has stalled slightly. Right now I am damn excited.
There will hopefully be more to report later as long as the Crew comes to play & I continue to pound the Highlife.
Polish out
Friday, May 25, 2007
Thursday, May 10, 2007
The First Challenge
9-1 in the last 10, sweep of the woeful Nats, 24-10 overall. Life is good in the land beer made famous. The next few series will provide a good scale as to how good this team is and how they fare as one of the dominant teams in baseball.
The first series is away against the 21-12 Mets. Many picked this team to win the NL during the pre-season and the team isn't dispointing. It's loaded with talent, I should know, I own three players on my fantasy team. This could be a NLCS preview (wishful thinking?).
The Brewers continue their road trip with a visit to Philadelphia. The Phillies are 15-19 and underachieving, yet again. So this series might not really be a good litmus test for the crews dominance of the NL. They've still got "my boy" Pat Burrell though. And who knows what Charlie Manual has got planned. "I will drop you right there."
The Brewers then return home for some good 'ole interleague play against the Twinkies. Currently 17-16, this series always heats up the old rivalry between the two old AL foes. I hate all that is Minnesota and the Twins.
The Brewers then hit the airplane for a trip to La-La land and the West-leading Dodgers. In the 2005 MLB video game for XBOX I let Sheets go because I didn't want to pay his huge salary and he landed with the Dodgers. And for some reason he always pitched against me when we played them and he was tough. But it brought out my A-game and I always rose to the challenge of sticking it to the Dodgers. I see no difference in real life, but this times Sheets will assist in sticking it to the Dodgers.
Continuing their tour of the West the Crew will then take on the Padres. A constant .500 team in the weak west, 2 out of 3 should be expected, not hoped for.
Finally the Brewers get to come back for a homestand that begins with hosting the Hot-lanta Braves. This team has reloaded and looks as though it could compete for another 13 division titles. B. Cox has already cleared his calendar for this time frame. Ironically enough, he has openings in his schedule during the end of October.
The first series is away against the 21-12 Mets. Many picked this team to win the NL during the pre-season and the team isn't dispointing. It's loaded with talent, I should know, I own three players on my fantasy team. This could be a NLCS preview (wishful thinking?).
The Brewers continue their road trip with a visit to Philadelphia. The Phillies are 15-19 and underachieving, yet again. So this series might not really be a good litmus test for the crews dominance of the NL. They've still got "my boy" Pat Burrell though. And who knows what Charlie Manual has got planned. "I will drop you right there."
The Brewers then return home for some good 'ole interleague play against the Twinkies. Currently 17-16, this series always heats up the old rivalry between the two old AL foes. I hate all that is Minnesota and the Twins.
The Brewers then hit the airplane for a trip to La-La land and the West-leading Dodgers. In the 2005 MLB video game for XBOX I let Sheets go because I didn't want to pay his huge salary and he landed with the Dodgers. And for some reason he always pitched against me when we played them and he was tough. But it brought out my A-game and I always rose to the challenge of sticking it to the Dodgers. I see no difference in real life, but this times Sheets will assist in sticking it to the Dodgers.
Continuing their tour of the West the Crew will then take on the Padres. A constant .500 team in the weak west, 2 out of 3 should be expected, not hoped for.
Finally the Brewers get to come back for a homestand that begins with hosting the Hot-lanta Braves. This team has reloaded and looks as though it could compete for another 13 division titles. B. Cox has already cleared his calendar for this time frame. Ironically enough, he has openings in his schedule during the end of October.
Monday, May 7, 2007
central foes
For those of you that do not have Insider access on espn.com, Peter Gammons referred to the Brewers as the consensus NL Central favorite in a recent article about the Cubs.
Gammons writes of the Cubs, "Their fourth straight win Saturday put them at .500 and second to the Brewers, the team most everyone in the division believes is the team to beat. " As far as I'm concerned, Peter Gammons is the foremost media authority on major league baseball and this legitimized our successful start more to me than any media coverage we have received so far.
That said, I do believe that the Cubs are the central team that the Brewers will need to be the most concerned about as the season moves along. If you look at the teams in the central, the Cubs have the best combination of talent out of any of our opponents. The Pirates can't get enough consistency from their offense to be considered a long-term threat. Houston will be able to score runs but after not landing Roger Clemens their pitching is seriously suspect. Cincinnati strikes out too much and their bullpen has taken a major step back from last year, and the Cardinals seem to have lost most of their pitching (some to injuries) and seem to have gotten old quickly.
Rich Hill continues to pitch well and Jason Marquis has rediscovered some of the success he had in St. Louis. When they get Soriano, Derek Lee, and Aramis Ramirez all hitting at the same time they will be dangerous. Lee has been playing well but Soriano has just very recently started to come around. Brewers fans can hope that Carlos Zambrano remains distracted by his contract situation all year and that the Cubs don't pick up anyone to improve their bullpen but the baseball season is a long one and we can't be counting our money for playoff tickets yet.
This series with the Nationals is one that a legitimately good team should sweep, and I'm looking forward to our trip out east to see how we can perform in Shea stadium against a quality Mets team. Nice outing by Cappy tonight and I'm glad to see Coco coming in to get the save for my fantasy team.
peace out,
the brat
Gammons writes of the Cubs, "Their fourth straight win Saturday put them at .500 and second to the Brewers, the team most everyone in the division believes is the team to beat. " As far as I'm concerned, Peter Gammons is the foremost media authority on major league baseball and this legitimized our successful start more to me than any media coverage we have received so far.
That said, I do believe that the Cubs are the central team that the Brewers will need to be the most concerned about as the season moves along. If you look at the teams in the central, the Cubs have the best combination of talent out of any of our opponents. The Pirates can't get enough consistency from their offense to be considered a long-term threat. Houston will be able to score runs but after not landing Roger Clemens their pitching is seriously suspect. Cincinnati strikes out too much and their bullpen has taken a major step back from last year, and the Cardinals seem to have lost most of their pitching (some to injuries) and seem to have gotten old quickly.
Rich Hill continues to pitch well and Jason Marquis has rediscovered some of the success he had in St. Louis. When they get Soriano, Derek Lee, and Aramis Ramirez all hitting at the same time they will be dangerous. Lee has been playing well but Soriano has just very recently started to come around. Brewers fans can hope that Carlos Zambrano remains distracted by his contract situation all year and that the Cubs don't pick up anyone to improve their bullpen but the baseball season is a long one and we can't be counting our money for playoff tickets yet.
This series with the Nationals is one that a legitimately good team should sweep, and I'm looking forward to our trip out east to see how we can perform in Shea stadium against a quality Mets team. Nice outing by Cappy tonight and I'm glad to see Coco coming in to get the save for my fantasy team.
peace out,
the brat
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Sunday Baseball
Does it get much better than sitting around on a nice, Sunny, Sunday and watching baseball? One of life's little pleasures.
I'm having mixed fillings about the Brewer's performance today. They currently have a 3-0 lead, but have let the 'Stros load the bases the last three innings. You can't ride this wave too long without getting capsized. This is where I am having mixed feelings. I'm glad the Brewers can hunker down and work themselves out of the innings, but their performance is poor to get them to this point. Claudio Vargas, for some reason is determined to go 2-0 or 3-0 to every batter. And with as patient as Berkman is and Lee batting behind him, you're risking the chance to wake up a sleeping giant. I'm of the school that you need to throw strikes and execute in the field. That is what good teams are made of and the Brewers are not doing either effectively. Their pitching is constantly getting behind and then either walking batters or letting hitters sit on pitches. Then the fielding has been less than spectacular. Vargas', what could only be described as, "lazy" throw to second that messed up a tailor-made double play ball. Hardy's mishandled turn of a double play. Good teams make big plays in big situations and Brewers have not done that today. However, they are still up 3-0. So, if the Crew hangs on to win this game, I won't complain about another "W" especially against a division foe. But for these previously-stated reasons are why I won't get too over-hyped about the Brewers fast start. Once they start executing consistently in the field and have their pitchers get up on hitters to control each at-bat (see Villenueva's outing today), that's when I'll start getting a good feeling about this club - and when I say good feeling, I'm talking about being a legitimate pennant contender.
I'm having mixed fillings about the Brewer's performance today. They currently have a 3-0 lead, but have let the 'Stros load the bases the last three innings. You can't ride this wave too long without getting capsized. This is where I am having mixed feelings. I'm glad the Brewers can hunker down and work themselves out of the innings, but their performance is poor to get them to this point. Claudio Vargas, for some reason is determined to go 2-0 or 3-0 to every batter. And with as patient as Berkman is and Lee batting behind him, you're risking the chance to wake up a sleeping giant. I'm of the school that you need to throw strikes and execute in the field. That is what good teams are made of and the Brewers are not doing either effectively. Their pitching is constantly getting behind and then either walking batters or letting hitters sit on pitches. Then the fielding has been less than spectacular. Vargas', what could only be described as, "lazy" throw to second that messed up a tailor-made double play ball. Hardy's mishandled turn of a double play. Good teams make big plays in big situations and Brewers have not done that today. However, they are still up 3-0. So, if the Crew hangs on to win this game, I won't complain about another "W" especially against a division foe. But for these previously-stated reasons are why I won't get too over-hyped about the Brewers fast start. Once they start executing consistently in the field and have their pitchers get up on hitters to control each at-bat (see Villenueva's outing today), that's when I'll start getting a good feeling about this club - and when I say good feeling, I'm talking about being a legitimate pennant contender.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
The Soup's On
I must admit that I was skeptical of the Crew's chances this evening after Rich Hill started perfect the first three frames. I mean he's got a 0.47 ERA and the Cubs spent about 900 million this year on bats right? Screw that. The wind only seems to be blowing in for those lovable losers right now. I guess they're just hitting the ball too high.
Speaking of the wind blowing in, how great is it to see the Brewers flag atop that lame ass schooner mast out on the bleachers in Wrigley?
The real reason for this post is to comment on a few sights from this evening's game that I found thoroughly amusing. First was the shot of Carlos Villanueva holding a freshly cracked hand warmer up to his ear like it was supposed to sound warm or something. The Brewers pen looked like they were about to begin the Iditarod all bundled up in Parkas. I don't think Carlos has ever seen snow. He looks like a tool but he gets a pass because he saved our ass last night and is my hero.
Miller just scored. 4-0 Brewers. We are awesome.
Second is how Kevin Mench looks like a cartoon character when he runs. I mean he's pretty short and his legs move real fast. It's like the roadrunner. And how about the old "Oh shit I can't see the ball in the lights" trick that didn't fool Derek Lee for a second, at second. That's still pretty funny. Suddenly we have lots of good outfielders. El Caballo who?
Felix Pie just caught the ball. That's not a french last name, its a dessert.
Third is how Lou Piniella looks like he wants put away about a fifth of burbon and forget he took this job. I mean he could have managed a shitty team in Tampa right? At least it would be warmer. This guy has already gone off on one reporter for asking why the Cubs sucked that night and refused to address the press after the 12 inning masterpiece the brewers snapped off last night. This is going to be fun to watch.
Suppan just got pinch hit for. 8 innings of shutout ball. The Soup's On.
Go Crew,
The Polish (They call me the Polish because I have the longest cock)
Speaking of the wind blowing in, how great is it to see the Brewers flag atop that lame ass schooner mast out on the bleachers in Wrigley?
The real reason for this post is to comment on a few sights from this evening's game that I found thoroughly amusing. First was the shot of Carlos Villanueva holding a freshly cracked hand warmer up to his ear like it was supposed to sound warm or something. The Brewers pen looked like they were about to begin the Iditarod all bundled up in Parkas. I don't think Carlos has ever seen snow. He looks like a tool but he gets a pass because he saved our ass last night and is my hero.
Miller just scored. 4-0 Brewers. We are awesome.
Second is how Kevin Mench looks like a cartoon character when he runs. I mean he's pretty short and his legs move real fast. It's like the roadrunner. And how about the old "Oh shit I can't see the ball in the lights" trick that didn't fool Derek Lee for a second, at second. That's still pretty funny. Suddenly we have lots of good outfielders. El Caballo who?
Felix Pie just caught the ball. That's not a french last name, its a dessert.
Third is how Lou Piniella looks like he wants put away about a fifth of burbon and forget he took this job. I mean he could have managed a shitty team in Tampa right? At least it would be warmer. This guy has already gone off on one reporter for asking why the Cubs sucked that night and refused to address the press after the 12 inning masterpiece the brewers snapped off last night. This is going to be fun to watch.
Suppan just got pinch hit for. 8 innings of shutout ball. The Soup's On.
Go Crew,
The Polish (They call me the Polish because I have the longest cock)
Monday, April 23, 2007
midnight oil
For those of you that went to bed before the Brewers/Cubs game went final on Monday night, you missed a dandy.
This is just the type of game that you love to see as a Brewers fan. The Crew got down early, clawed back with some timely hitting and a very good bullpen effort, and won the game in the 12th on a solo homer from Prince Fielder.
Just as they did this last weekend on their homestand, the Crew once again looked like a very solid baseball team. This hasn't exactly been the case in recent years. We scored 5 runs, with no more than 1 coming in a single inning. Ned Yost made some gutsy managerial calls, especially leaving Counsell in against a lefty reliever late in the game to knock in the tying run. The Cubs threatened to score a number of times. They had runners on 2nd and 3rd with no outs one inning we were able to get out of it. They had a quick Felix Pie on 2nd late in the game that Jenkins made a great play on a rifle shot to left that saved the game. And then all of these little efforts as the game went on were able to bear fruit when Prince went deep in the 12th.
Since Cordero has been worked a lot lately (cause we've been winning) Derrick Turnbow came in to get the save, another example of exactly what I'm talking about, the little things. If we can keep making the hustle plays and doing the little things right, we might have some baseball to worry about in Milwaukee in October. Peace out.
the brat
(they call me the brat cause I've got the biggest cock)
This is just the type of game that you love to see as a Brewers fan. The Crew got down early, clawed back with some timely hitting and a very good bullpen effort, and won the game in the 12th on a solo homer from Prince Fielder.
Just as they did this last weekend on their homestand, the Crew once again looked like a very solid baseball team. This hasn't exactly been the case in recent years. We scored 5 runs, with no more than 1 coming in a single inning. Ned Yost made some gutsy managerial calls, especially leaving Counsell in against a lefty reliever late in the game to knock in the tying run. The Cubs threatened to score a number of times. They had runners on 2nd and 3rd with no outs one inning we were able to get out of it. They had a quick Felix Pie on 2nd late in the game that Jenkins made a great play on a rifle shot to left that saved the game. And then all of these little efforts as the game went on were able to bear fruit when Prince went deep in the 12th.
Since Cordero has been worked a lot lately (cause we've been winning) Derrick Turnbow came in to get the save, another example of exactly what I'm talking about, the little things. If we can keep making the hustle plays and doing the little things right, we might have some baseball to worry about in Milwaukee in October. Peace out.
the brat
(they call me the brat cause I've got the biggest cock)
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Notes from Kauffman Stadium 4/20
To celebrate my cousin's First Communion I took the trek down to the Kansas City for the weekend. And to mark the occasion I was able to take in a Royals game as they took on the twinkies. Since this was my first MLB game viewed outside of Milwaukee, I'll give my thoughts about the baseball experience.
We showed up right around game-time so I was unable to get a good feel for the tailgating situation. So I cannot comment on that. But I have yet to see any team in any sport that tailgates better than the Wisconsin fans. So the Kansas Cityonians may tailgate well, but I doubt it's as good as us.
Overall impression of the stadium is excellent. For a stadium that is 30 or 40 years old, it is still very nice and a great place to watch a baseball game. It seems as though every seat in the house is a good one. My group was split up into two sections onn the first level so I got to see the game from two views and both seats were great views.
The fans were quality. There were a lot of twins fans their and early it seemed as though the crowd may have been about 60-40 for the home team, but as the game went on the Royals fans must have showed up to the game from tailgating and it turned to about 70-30, max.
The fan-base did seem overwhelmingly young. A lot of 20-somethings at the game. It seemed as though the Royals games was the place to be on a Friday night before going on to whatever other activities they may have planned. And a lot of good looking women too. Most of the female fans were attractive, young women. Now any girl who is a fan of baseball automatically gets extra points, but these girls didn't need the extra points. Their support of the team and baseball was just the icing on the cake. This lead me to dub Kansas City the lost city of Hot-lantis. Miami, So. California always get props for their women, but KC is probably the most underated city in the nation when it comes to the proportion of hot women.
The game was a good one, the Royals won the game. As bad as they are and everyone expects them to be, they have a pretty solid line-up. DeJesus at the top, Sweeny, Tehan, in the middle. Buck(Hitting .444) and Reggie Sanders (still has power at 57) batting 6th and 7th with Alex Gordon (baseball's biggest prospect) hitting 8th is a pretty formidable line-up. It's the pitching that sucks.
There was one extremely disturbing aspect from the game though. Around the fifth or sixth inning, they rolled out three hot dog costumes in right field and raced them to the first base side dugout. A terrible ripoff of the sausage race. It was insulting. I hope as long as they keep using it KC stays a terrible team. I don't want to be mean, but there is no reason for them to have that race, none at all.
And my note in a previous post about how easy the hat game is, they have the hat game in KC and its even easier. No joke, they have three posts that the hats sit on and water sprays the hats back and forth and it's easily easier than Miller's game - which goes to show how easy this game is.
Besides the largely negative fake sausage race, I give the overall experience a 8.5 out of 10. I would say it is a must see ballpark and just a great place to watch a game if you're a fan of baseball.
A couple of quick notes on the Brewers. We need to win those games where its 2-2 in the ninth and we're at home. Giving up grannies to Biggio is not going to get you into the playoffs.
If there are any rumblings about Cordero not being the closer after his Sunday performance, let's nip those in the ass right now. You're closer is your closer until he gives up the lead. Did he give up the lead on Sunday? No. Okay, end of discussion, Turnbow had his chance and he didn't come through. He may get a chance again, but let's not throw Cordero under the bus, he's 7 for 7 this year.
We showed up right around game-time so I was unable to get a good feel for the tailgating situation. So I cannot comment on that. But I have yet to see any team in any sport that tailgates better than the Wisconsin fans. So the Kansas Cityonians may tailgate well, but I doubt it's as good as us.
Overall impression of the stadium is excellent. For a stadium that is 30 or 40 years old, it is still very nice and a great place to watch a baseball game. It seems as though every seat in the house is a good one. My group was split up into two sections onn the first level so I got to see the game from two views and both seats were great views.
The fans were quality. There were a lot of twins fans their and early it seemed as though the crowd may have been about 60-40 for the home team, but as the game went on the Royals fans must have showed up to the game from tailgating and it turned to about 70-30, max.
The fan-base did seem overwhelmingly young. A lot of 20-somethings at the game. It seemed as though the Royals games was the place to be on a Friday night before going on to whatever other activities they may have planned. And a lot of good looking women too. Most of the female fans were attractive, young women. Now any girl who is a fan of baseball automatically gets extra points, but these girls didn't need the extra points. Their support of the team and baseball was just the icing on the cake. This lead me to dub Kansas City the lost city of Hot-lantis. Miami, So. California always get props for their women, but KC is probably the most underated city in the nation when it comes to the proportion of hot women.
The game was a good one, the Royals won the game. As bad as they are and everyone expects them to be, they have a pretty solid line-up. DeJesus at the top, Sweeny, Tehan, in the middle. Buck(Hitting .444) and Reggie Sanders (still has power at 57) batting 6th and 7th with Alex Gordon (baseball's biggest prospect) hitting 8th is a pretty formidable line-up. It's the pitching that sucks.
There was one extremely disturbing aspect from the game though. Around the fifth or sixth inning, they rolled out three hot dog costumes in right field and raced them to the first base side dugout. A terrible ripoff of the sausage race. It was insulting. I hope as long as they keep using it KC stays a terrible team. I don't want to be mean, but there is no reason for them to have that race, none at all.
And my note in a previous post about how easy the hat game is, they have the hat game in KC and its even easier. No joke, they have three posts that the hats sit on and water sprays the hats back and forth and it's easily easier than Miller's game - which goes to show how easy this game is.
Besides the largely negative fake sausage race, I give the overall experience a 8.5 out of 10. I would say it is a must see ballpark and just a great place to watch a game if you're a fan of baseball.
A couple of quick notes on the Brewers. We need to win those games where its 2-2 in the ninth and we're at home. Giving up grannies to Biggio is not going to get you into the playoffs.
If there are any rumblings about Cordero not being the closer after his Sunday performance, let's nip those in the ass right now. You're closer is your closer until he gives up the lead. Did he give up the lead on Sunday? No. Okay, end of discussion, Turnbow had his chance and he didn't come through. He may get a chance again, but let's not throw Cordero under the bus, he's 7 for 7 this year.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
More notes from Miller Park 4/18
One more item of note from the game last night. Right before they announced the Pirates line-up they played the scene from Seinfeld where Jerry was supposed to wear the puffy shirt that Kramer's girlfriend had made.
"It's the nineties, you'll be the first pirate." - Kramer
"But I don't wanna be a Pirate." - Jerry
Great way to open the game. Whoever is in charge of playing clips from movies and TV shows should get a raise. They always do a good job.
Also one of my favorites has to be the scene from Animal House they play. Unfortunately that means we're down late in the game.
D-Day: War's over, man. Wormer dropped the big one.
Bluto: Over? Did you say "over"? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!
Otter: Germans?
Boon: Forget it, he's rolling.
Bluto: And it ain't over now. 'Cause when the goin' gets tough...
[thinks hard]
Bluto: the tough get goin'! Who's with me? Let's go!
[runs out, alone; then returns]
Bluto: What the fuck happened to the Delta I used to know? Where's the spirit? Where's the guts, huh? "Ooh, we're afraid to go with you Bluto, we might get in trouble." Well just kiss my ass from now on! Not me! I'm not gonna take this. Wormer, he's a dead man! Marmalard, dead! Niedermeyer...
Otter: Dead! Bluto's right. Psychotic, but absolutely right. We gotta take these bastards. Now we could do it with conventional weapons that could take years and cost millions of lives. No, I think we have to go all out. I think that this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody's part.
Bluto: We're just the guys to do it.
D-Day: Let's do it.
Bluto: LET'S DO IT!
"It's the nineties, you'll be the first pirate." - Kramer
"But I don't wanna be a Pirate." - Jerry
Great way to open the game. Whoever is in charge of playing clips from movies and TV shows should get a raise. They always do a good job.
Also one of my favorites has to be the scene from Animal House they play. Unfortunately that means we're down late in the game.
D-Day: War's over, man. Wormer dropped the big one.
Bluto: Over? Did you say "over"? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!
Otter: Germans?
Boon: Forget it, he's rolling.
Bluto: And it ain't over now. 'Cause when the goin' gets tough...
[thinks hard]
Bluto: the tough get goin'! Who's with me? Let's go!
[runs out, alone; then returns]
Bluto: What the fuck happened to the Delta I used to know? Where's the spirit? Where's the guts, huh? "Ooh, we're afraid to go with you Bluto, we might get in trouble." Well just kiss my ass from now on! Not me! I'm not gonna take this. Wormer, he's a dead man! Marmalard, dead! Niedermeyer...
Otter: Dead! Bluto's right. Psychotic, but absolutely right. We gotta take these bastards. Now we could do it with conventional weapons that could take years and cost millions of lives. No, I think we have to go all out. I think that this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody's part.
Bluto: We're just the guys to do it.
D-Day: Let's do it.
Bluto: LET'S DO IT!
Notes from Miller Park 4/18
I made my first trip to my Mecca last night to watch the Pirates take on Brewers. What a terrible April day. Makes me thank the heavens that the good people of Milwaukee are paying higher taxes for a dome ballpark. Rain and 40-degree weather are just no fun to sit in.
The guy I went to the game with used to be an usher at Miller Park for about three years. In his tenure he got to be friends with all of the other ushers - who if you don't know are like sacred gatekeepers at ball parks. Well, let's just say section 4-something turned into 119, 20-or-so rows away from the field. It's not who you know, its who knows you. Not too bad for $4 tix.
Now that I've set the stage let's get to some quick first-hand notes and observations.
Bruce Froemming, a Milwaukee Native was noted prior to the first pitch as being the longest tenured umpire in MLB history, currently in his 37th year.
A great quote about and from Bruce: "Bruce Froemming was an absolute terror at first - a cross between Napoleon and Hitler...especially if it's a day game after a midsummer's night contest and he has to umpire behind the plate." - Larry Dierker
"The sun is 93 million miles away, and I can see that." - Froemming, when asked about his eyesight.
I love baseball quotes.
On to the game. Nice to see the crew get some early run support to Vargas who was dealing. Let me tell you, Vargas does not mess around. He throws strikes, gets the ball back standing six inches behind the rubber, steps on, gets his sign and is ready to throw again. Very un-Sheets like.
The all-righty line-up by Ned (Miller at first base? Really? Are you sure? You want to think about that one more time? Really? No, really. Really?) seemed to work out pretty well as the brewers touched up Maholm early getting three in the first. And Billy should should do some sort of free advertising for Mercedes as he needed every inch that party deck was brought in to hit is home run.
Speaking of Hall, mark this day as he hit the midpoint of when his athleticism was equally as positive as it was detrimental. Let's not even talk about the bobble in center after two throwing errors by Vargas. Well it should have been one, Miller at first base? Really? Fielder wouldn't have caught that? Really? Fielder did stick it in Yost's pipe to smoke when he got a pinch-hit single against a lefty.
Fast-forward to the Sausage race. Any coincidence that the first game I attend the Hot Dog wins the race? Then manages to high-step, give a pseudo-Heisman pose and flex at the other sausages as they hobbled across the finish line.
I have to honestly say from about the sixth through the eight inning I only had one eye on game as the other eye was watching the scoreboards in left field post 0 hits next to the Texas line. Through the eight you could feel the excitement build and then when it finally posted an "F" and Texas still couldn't manage a hit, it was pretty exciting to be at a ball park the same time a no-hitter went down.
For all of you who want to know how did Bay's hit look in person, let's just say he cleared the Liene's canoe in right-center. That was a bomb.
The ball under the hat game needs to go or get harder, I don't care about the kids. I've never lost at that game, no matter how sober or wasted I've been. Not once, it's not even hard.
Needless to say it was a good night for the Brewers last night. There were more topics I wanted to get to, but this is getting pretty long, so I'll stop it here and maybe make another post later with more thoughts from the game.
The guy I went to the game with used to be an usher at Miller Park for about three years. In his tenure he got to be friends with all of the other ushers - who if you don't know are like sacred gatekeepers at ball parks. Well, let's just say section 4-something turned into 119, 20-or-so rows away from the field. It's not who you know, its who knows you. Not too bad for $4 tix.
Now that I've set the stage let's get to some quick first-hand notes and observations.
Bruce Froemming, a Milwaukee Native was noted prior to the first pitch as being the longest tenured umpire in MLB history, currently in his 37th year.
A great quote about and from Bruce: "Bruce Froemming was an absolute terror at first - a cross between Napoleon and Hitler...especially if it's a day game after a midsummer's night contest and he has to umpire behind the plate." - Larry Dierker
"The sun is 93 million miles away, and I can see that." - Froemming, when asked about his eyesight.
I love baseball quotes.
On to the game. Nice to see the crew get some early run support to Vargas who was dealing. Let me tell you, Vargas does not mess around. He throws strikes, gets the ball back standing six inches behind the rubber, steps on, gets his sign and is ready to throw again. Very un-Sheets like.
The all-righty line-up by Ned (Miller at first base? Really? Are you sure? You want to think about that one more time? Really? No, really. Really?) seemed to work out pretty well as the brewers touched up Maholm early getting three in the first. And Billy should should do some sort of free advertising for Mercedes as he needed every inch that party deck was brought in to hit is home run.
Speaking of Hall, mark this day as he hit the midpoint of when his athleticism was equally as positive as it was detrimental. Let's not even talk about the bobble in center after two throwing errors by Vargas. Well it should have been one, Miller at first base? Really? Fielder wouldn't have caught that? Really? Fielder did stick it in Yost's pipe to smoke when he got a pinch-hit single against a lefty.
Fast-forward to the Sausage race. Any coincidence that the first game I attend the Hot Dog wins the race? Then manages to high-step, give a pseudo-Heisman pose and flex at the other sausages as they hobbled across the finish line.
I have to honestly say from about the sixth through the eight inning I only had one eye on game as the other eye was watching the scoreboards in left field post 0 hits next to the Texas line. Through the eight you could feel the excitement build and then when it finally posted an "F" and Texas still couldn't manage a hit, it was pretty exciting to be at a ball park the same time a no-hitter went down.
For all of you who want to know how did Bay's hit look in person, let's just say he cleared the Liene's canoe in right-center. That was a bomb.
The ball under the hat game needs to go or get harder, I don't care about the kids. I've never lost at that game, no matter how sober or wasted I've been. Not once, it's not even hard.
Needless to say it was a good night for the Brewers last night. There were more topics I wanted to get to, but this is getting pretty long, so I'll stop it here and maybe make another post later with more thoughts from the game.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Running Diary, 04-17
In an attempt to copy Bill Simmons, I’m going to attempt to author a running diary during one Brewer game a week if my golf schedule allows me time to watch enough games. Here’s the first one.
We find the Crew in Cincinnati tonight playing against the Reds after taking the first game of the series yesterday. I’m picking things up at the start of the 3rd inning since I just got out of the shower after watching the first 2 inning sweating my nuts off following a run.
Notes from the first 2 innings: Dave Bush started out poorly as he seems to have a habit of doing. We got lucky only giving up 2 runs in the first, due at least partially to a bonehead running mistake by Brandon Phillips. Bush helped his own cause with a 2-run double in the 2nd, and we started the 3rd inning tied 3-3.
7:00: Fielder strikes out to start off the inning. You can’t tell me once this guys rookie contract is up he’s not bolting for the American League. He’s got DH written all over him.
7:02: Hall singles up the middle for his second hit of the night. Hall’s looked good in Cincy, hopefully this series gets him going and gets him back into the form we’ve all grown accustomed to him being in.
7:05: Johnny Estrada doubles to score Hall. I tell you what, I can’t say I’m all that impressed with this Matt Belisle pitching for the Reds. We’re going to tack up those two good starts to begin the year as an exception to the rule, and the rule is that no Red pitcher can actually pitch good for a whole season. That ballpark is like a glorified sandbox. Mench just ended the inning. Back in the bottom of the 3rd.
7:24: Alright, it’s the bottom of the 4th. I had to take a hiatus from the diary to field a phone call from what some would call my better half. As far as I’m concerned that’s up for debate. Dave Bush is still with us, so that’s good. We also just got a stat update that Hanley Ramirez had a leadoff homer for the fins tonight. Good news for everyones favorite nutbags.
7:31: Another scoreless inning for Dave Bush. He might be picking up the W tonight, folks. And there was some comic relief watching the Reds pitcher strikeout to end the inning. That’s probly one he’ll keep off his personal highlight film.
7:37: Two quick popups to start the 5th. Hey hey, Bill Hall just collected his third hit of the night. Schroeder tells us that Ken Griffey doesn’t run like he used to. Then again, not many people in their late 30s are going to run like they did in their early 20s. Now that I’ve got a minute, I don’t know about this new deuchebag doing the play-by-play with Schroeder’s color. There’s no emotion, no fun. You might as well have it be computerized. Then again, I never like Sutton all that much when he jumped in after Vaskersian. I’m sure I spelled that wrong. And Sutton grew on me, so who knows, I suppose you’ve gotta give this guy a chance. Inning over. Alright, I’m gonna eat something so I’ll be back for the start of the 6th. Hopefully Dave Bush can shut down the big red machine for another inning in the meantime.
7:57: Enjoyed some reheated cheesy crab dip while taking in a fairly questionable defensive inning from the Crew. I don’t know if Dave Bush’s runs are technically earned or not yet so far this game, but he really could have gotten away with only giving up 2 so far if Hardy picks up that ground ball in the 1st and Hall improves one of those 2 plays in the 5th.
Jenkins draws a walk to start the inning and Kevin Mench moves him over with a single. I tell you what, Ken Griffey really can’t run like he used to. I wonder if he’s thought about pursuing a DH position for the twilight of his career. Wait a minute, is the Reds pitching coach’s name really Dick Pole? I swear that’s what I just heard. Alright, taking a break to check the internet.
It has been confirmed. The Reds pitching coach really is Dick Pole. That’s unfortunate. Dick just made a call to the bullpen after Yost did the smart thing and had Counsell bunt the runners over to 2nd and 3rd. Bush is officially being pulled and will not get a decision tonight. The ‘Real’ Cormier comes in for the Reds to face Corey Hart. Yost must have started to read the blog as I notice we are playing the Jenkins/Mench tandem. Not every night, I say, but occasionally. Now we’ve got Hart available to pinch hit here.
8:07: And he takes one for the team. Nice. Time for another pitching change. Bases loaded, 1 out.
Would you believe that I once had this Saarloos pegged as a potentially good starter? Weeks with a knock up the middle, botched by the Reds! Run in for the Crew. Why didn’t Hart slide into second though? Hardy grounds out to end the inning and the lead is ours heading to the bottom of the 6th.
8:18: Charlie Villanueva is in town from the Bradley Center to carry the torch for Dave Bush. Little did you know, to aid the Bucks tanking this season, Charlie faked an injury and reported to spring training for the Crew instead. And he’s looking pretty good. The announcers have corrected me and I should note that Dave Bush is the pitcher of record at the moment. And Chuck gets out of the inning, looking solid. I’m going to skip another half inning here, back in the bottom of the 7th.
8:36: Ryan Freel gets his fourth hit of the night and Chucky V. gets pulled in favor of Brian Shouse, aka ‘the Lefty Specialist’. Shouse gives up a base knock to Josh Hamilton. Gotta love the story on Hamilton. The heart of the Reds lineup comes up, although do Adam Dunn and Ken Griffey really strike fear into the hearts of opponents these days? Dunn’s like a walking strikeout and despite the fact that Griffey’s swing is still a thing of beauty, the consistency just isn’t there anymore.
Alright, Dunn strikes out. This guy had led the league in strikeouts the last 3 years. Granted power hitters tend to strike out more and young guys take a while to adapt to major league pitching, but come on, dude. Wouldn’t you start to learn eventually? It’s not like he’s that young anymore.
Nice backdoor slider from Shouse to strikeout Griffey. I don’t think he meant to throw it there, but all’s well that ends well, they say. 1st and 2nd, 2 outs. Mark it a hold for Shouse, Donny.
8:47: Greg Aquino comes in and immediately blows the 1-run lead. And he’s actually been doing pretty well this year so far. This one’s getting dicey, folks. Wild pitch, Greg Aquino. Could’ve been ruled a passed ball. Time to load the bases intentionally to face Alex Gonzalez. This guy’s been around, hasn’t he? Of course, I might be confused because he had an alter ego that played in the league at the same time too. Alright, time to get this Aquino dude out. 4 straight balls to walk the go-ahead run in? Yikes. Dick Pole would’ve had someone else at least warming up by now.
This Valentine dude for the Reds looks like a fatter, shorter version of Jose. I’m pretty sure they’re brothers. And Valentine knocks an RBI single into center, the effects compounded by and error on Bill Hall. Can’t say that this has been the most spectacular night for the Brewers in the field, and now we’re down 9-5. Thank God the Reds showed some mercy and let their middle reliever Mike Stanton hit to end the inning. Well, 2 more at bats for the Crew to try and pull this off.
9:06: Pretty uneventful 8th, although it was highlighted by a solid dose of smoke blowing in from the Great American Ballpark party deck and another mound visit by Dick Pole. I always want to type Dick Pound when I do that, but that’s the guy that used to head up the IOC. Although when we’re talking about Dicks, a Pole or a Pound will both fit the bill.
9:08: Elmer Dessens graces us with his presence in the 8th. I was driving in my car on Sunday and listening to the radio broadcast and ol’ Elmer came in. He immediately gave up a bomb to Pujols, and in the commentary following the home run, Uecker said that he ‘hung a fastball’. Think about that one. Schroeder just noted that upon entering the game, they read his stat line for the season incorrectly. His ERA isn’t actually 1.37 as they said, it’s 7.20. Who would’ve guessed. I suppose that shows what we really thought about Brady Clark.
After only two runs and another questionable play by Hall in center field Elmer disposes of the Reds and the Brewers head back to the dugout down 6 with one at-bat left.
9:26: Game over. Weeks, Hardy, and Fielder go down in order and the Brewers come home 4-3 on the recent road trip. Better luck tomorrow night as they start a series against the Pirates at Miller Park.
We leave you with the Brewers a half-game ahead of the Pirates and Astros and a half-game behind the Reds. The Cubs are still in last.
Peace out,
the brat
We find the Crew in Cincinnati tonight playing against the Reds after taking the first game of the series yesterday. I’m picking things up at the start of the 3rd inning since I just got out of the shower after watching the first 2 inning sweating my nuts off following a run.
Notes from the first 2 innings: Dave Bush started out poorly as he seems to have a habit of doing. We got lucky only giving up 2 runs in the first, due at least partially to a bonehead running mistake by Brandon Phillips. Bush helped his own cause with a 2-run double in the 2nd, and we started the 3rd inning tied 3-3.
7:00: Fielder strikes out to start off the inning. You can’t tell me once this guys rookie contract is up he’s not bolting for the American League. He’s got DH written all over him.
7:02: Hall singles up the middle for his second hit of the night. Hall’s looked good in Cincy, hopefully this series gets him going and gets him back into the form we’ve all grown accustomed to him being in.
7:05: Johnny Estrada doubles to score Hall. I tell you what, I can’t say I’m all that impressed with this Matt Belisle pitching for the Reds. We’re going to tack up those two good starts to begin the year as an exception to the rule, and the rule is that no Red pitcher can actually pitch good for a whole season. That ballpark is like a glorified sandbox. Mench just ended the inning. Back in the bottom of the 3rd.
7:24: Alright, it’s the bottom of the 4th. I had to take a hiatus from the diary to field a phone call from what some would call my better half. As far as I’m concerned that’s up for debate. Dave Bush is still with us, so that’s good. We also just got a stat update that Hanley Ramirez had a leadoff homer for the fins tonight. Good news for everyones favorite nutbags.
7:31: Another scoreless inning for Dave Bush. He might be picking up the W tonight, folks. And there was some comic relief watching the Reds pitcher strikeout to end the inning. That’s probly one he’ll keep off his personal highlight film.
7:37: Two quick popups to start the 5th. Hey hey, Bill Hall just collected his third hit of the night. Schroeder tells us that Ken Griffey doesn’t run like he used to. Then again, not many people in their late 30s are going to run like they did in their early 20s. Now that I’ve got a minute, I don’t know about this new deuchebag doing the play-by-play with Schroeder’s color. There’s no emotion, no fun. You might as well have it be computerized. Then again, I never like Sutton all that much when he jumped in after Vaskersian. I’m sure I spelled that wrong. And Sutton grew on me, so who knows, I suppose you’ve gotta give this guy a chance. Inning over. Alright, I’m gonna eat something so I’ll be back for the start of the 6th. Hopefully Dave Bush can shut down the big red machine for another inning in the meantime.
7:57: Enjoyed some reheated cheesy crab dip while taking in a fairly questionable defensive inning from the Crew. I don’t know if Dave Bush’s runs are technically earned or not yet so far this game, but he really could have gotten away with only giving up 2 so far if Hardy picks up that ground ball in the 1st and Hall improves one of those 2 plays in the 5th.
Jenkins draws a walk to start the inning and Kevin Mench moves him over with a single. I tell you what, Ken Griffey really can’t run like he used to. I wonder if he’s thought about pursuing a DH position for the twilight of his career. Wait a minute, is the Reds pitching coach’s name really Dick Pole? I swear that’s what I just heard. Alright, taking a break to check the internet.
It has been confirmed. The Reds pitching coach really is Dick Pole. That’s unfortunate. Dick just made a call to the bullpen after Yost did the smart thing and had Counsell bunt the runners over to 2nd and 3rd. Bush is officially being pulled and will not get a decision tonight. The ‘Real’ Cormier comes in for the Reds to face Corey Hart. Yost must have started to read the blog as I notice we are playing the Jenkins/Mench tandem. Not every night, I say, but occasionally. Now we’ve got Hart available to pinch hit here.
8:07: And he takes one for the team. Nice. Time for another pitching change. Bases loaded, 1 out.
Would you believe that I once had this Saarloos pegged as a potentially good starter? Weeks with a knock up the middle, botched by the Reds! Run in for the Crew. Why didn’t Hart slide into second though? Hardy grounds out to end the inning and the lead is ours heading to the bottom of the 6th.
8:18: Charlie Villanueva is in town from the Bradley Center to carry the torch for Dave Bush. Little did you know, to aid the Bucks tanking this season, Charlie faked an injury and reported to spring training for the Crew instead. And he’s looking pretty good. The announcers have corrected me and I should note that Dave Bush is the pitcher of record at the moment. And Chuck gets out of the inning, looking solid. I’m going to skip another half inning here, back in the bottom of the 7th.
8:36: Ryan Freel gets his fourth hit of the night and Chucky V. gets pulled in favor of Brian Shouse, aka ‘the Lefty Specialist’. Shouse gives up a base knock to Josh Hamilton. Gotta love the story on Hamilton. The heart of the Reds lineup comes up, although do Adam Dunn and Ken Griffey really strike fear into the hearts of opponents these days? Dunn’s like a walking strikeout and despite the fact that Griffey’s swing is still a thing of beauty, the consistency just isn’t there anymore.
Alright, Dunn strikes out. This guy had led the league in strikeouts the last 3 years. Granted power hitters tend to strike out more and young guys take a while to adapt to major league pitching, but come on, dude. Wouldn’t you start to learn eventually? It’s not like he’s that young anymore.
Nice backdoor slider from Shouse to strikeout Griffey. I don’t think he meant to throw it there, but all’s well that ends well, they say. 1st and 2nd, 2 outs. Mark it a hold for Shouse, Donny.
8:47: Greg Aquino comes in and immediately blows the 1-run lead. And he’s actually been doing pretty well this year so far. This one’s getting dicey, folks. Wild pitch, Greg Aquino. Could’ve been ruled a passed ball. Time to load the bases intentionally to face Alex Gonzalez. This guy’s been around, hasn’t he? Of course, I might be confused because he had an alter ego that played in the league at the same time too. Alright, time to get this Aquino dude out. 4 straight balls to walk the go-ahead run in? Yikes. Dick Pole would’ve had someone else at least warming up by now.
This Valentine dude for the Reds looks like a fatter, shorter version of Jose. I’m pretty sure they’re brothers. And Valentine knocks an RBI single into center, the effects compounded by and error on Bill Hall. Can’t say that this has been the most spectacular night for the Brewers in the field, and now we’re down 9-5. Thank God the Reds showed some mercy and let their middle reliever Mike Stanton hit to end the inning. Well, 2 more at bats for the Crew to try and pull this off.
9:06: Pretty uneventful 8th, although it was highlighted by a solid dose of smoke blowing in from the Great American Ballpark party deck and another mound visit by Dick Pole. I always want to type Dick Pound when I do that, but that’s the guy that used to head up the IOC. Although when we’re talking about Dicks, a Pole or a Pound will both fit the bill.
9:08: Elmer Dessens graces us with his presence in the 8th. I was driving in my car on Sunday and listening to the radio broadcast and ol’ Elmer came in. He immediately gave up a bomb to Pujols, and in the commentary following the home run, Uecker said that he ‘hung a fastball’. Think about that one. Schroeder just noted that upon entering the game, they read his stat line for the season incorrectly. His ERA isn’t actually 1.37 as they said, it’s 7.20. Who would’ve guessed. I suppose that shows what we really thought about Brady Clark.
After only two runs and another questionable play by Hall in center field Elmer disposes of the Reds and the Brewers head back to the dugout down 6 with one at-bat left.
9:26: Game over. Weeks, Hardy, and Fielder go down in order and the Brewers come home 4-3 on the recent road trip. Better luck tomorrow night as they start a series against the Pirates at Miller Park.
We leave you with the Brewers a half-game ahead of the Pirates and Astros and a half-game behind the Reds. The Cubs are still in last.
Peace out,
the brat
He's in there for his bat
As a former catcher, I know the backhanded compliment of "He's in the lineup for his bat." That phrase is one par with, "You don't sweat much for a fat girl." (Brat and Italian Sausage are just chomping at the bit to comment on that) But at the catcher position for the Brewers foe last night was Javier Valentine who is known for his average bat and lack of arm. Coming into the game, he was 0-6 in throwing out runners during 2007.
So you can imagine my frustration in the second inning when Bill Hall lead off with a single and Johnny Estrada decided the best thing he could do was pop-out to the infield. Jenkins, who I'm not sold on as returning to his old form, couldn't put the ball in play either. So there's speedy Bill Hall standing on first base with no attempt to at least get him into scoring position. Just as I was about to start bitching at Yost for not running all over Valentine he sends Hall on a hit-and-run with Mench at the plate who lined a single to left-center scoring Hall. I was satisfied. But Yost wanted to make it up to me. So he sent Mench AND Council with Bush at the plate - with two outs. You know a manager has no respect for your arm when he's double-stealing with the pitcher up and two outs. But not to be outdone by Mench, Bush lined a two-run hit.
You see what happens when you put guys in motion? The Brewers need to remain aggressive on the base paths (but not as idiotic as the Reds run) and put the ball into play. The runs and wins will follow.
I will be attending my first game at Miller Park tomorrow. I'm sure I'll have a report on the first, of hopefully many, journeys to the holy land of Miller Park.
So you can imagine my frustration in the second inning when Bill Hall lead off with a single and Johnny Estrada decided the best thing he could do was pop-out to the infield. Jenkins, who I'm not sold on as returning to his old form, couldn't put the ball in play either. So there's speedy Bill Hall standing on first base with no attempt to at least get him into scoring position. Just as I was about to start bitching at Yost for not running all over Valentine he sends Hall on a hit-and-run with Mench at the plate who lined a single to left-center scoring Hall. I was satisfied. But Yost wanted to make it up to me. So he sent Mench AND Council with Bush at the plate - with two outs. You know a manager has no respect for your arm when he's double-stealing with the pitcher up and two outs. But not to be outdone by Mench, Bush lined a two-run hit.
You see what happens when you put guys in motion? The Brewers need to remain aggressive on the base paths (but not as idiotic as the Reds run) and put the ball into play. The runs and wins will follow.
I will be attending my first game at Miller Park tomorrow. I'm sure I'll have a report on the first, of hopefully many, journeys to the holy land of Miller Park.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
A Few Good Weeks
Since my default Brewer man-crush, Bill Hall currently has a lower average than Chad Moeller, I want to give some big ups to Rickie Weeks. In the two weeks since the season began, Rickie has been putting to rest any doubts as to his health after a freak bat-wiggling incident put him on the DL last summer. Heading into Sunday’s ass-whooping at the hands of the hated Cards, Weeks was on pace to hit 48 home runs and score 102 runs this season. While these early stats are very encouraging, the most significant projection is Rickie’s current pace for total errors this season: zero. This is pretty great considering Rickie led the major leagues in errors by a second baseman last season even though he only played in 95 games. If he’d been in all year we may have seen some kind of horrible record. Ricky hasn’t played more than 100 games in a season yet so we’ll have to wait and see if he can keep up a high level of play for an entire season. I think this guy is going to be a superstar pretty soon. I just hope we can hang on to him for a few years before he gets too expensive. Now if I could just figure out what’s up with that stump of a bat Rickie uses. It looks like a table leg.
Global warming is ruining my fantasy baseball team,
Polish
Thursday, April 12, 2007
JeeHoff
As much as Geoff Jenkins has come to be mailgned by any Brewers fan that knows what they're talking about, you've got to admit the guy is having a pretty decent start to the season. I've been just as pleasantly surprised by the LF platoon between Jenks and Mench as I have been disappointed by the play in right by Corey Hart.
I know that Hart is viewed as an important part of the Brewers future, but given his .190 average so far this season coupled by Jenks and Menchs good starts I think that we could afford to use something like a 3-man platoon between the 2 corner outfiled positions. This isn't such a bad suggestion, is it? I don't think any of the three would have that much trouble adjusting to playing the opposite corner outfield when they were called upon, and what's Hart done to show that he deserves an everyday spot anyway? You could make sure you were playing Jenks every time the crew was facing a RHP, play Mench against the lefties and put the other out in right every third game to give Hart a day off.
This would at least temporarily take his bat out of the lineup every now and then, as well as make him available those games to pinch run if necessary. With an OBP of .182 (how the hell is his avg higher than his OBP by the way) he's getting on base an average of less than once a game anyway. The games that he were to sit out you could pinch run him and he'd see the base paths more often than he would filling up a spot in the lineup.
And I don't think this necessarily needs to be something that's in place for the whole season, just give it a shot. He hit well last year even when used sparingly as a pinch hitter, so I don't think the irregularity would be an issue for him. If you take Hart's performance so far and couple it with Bill Hall's .194 average, where would we be without the better-than-expected play of Jenkins and Mench. Those guys deserve a shot to help out until they prove otherwise.
Peace out,
the brat
(they call me the brat cause I've got the biggest cock)
I know that Hart is viewed as an important part of the Brewers future, but given his .190 average so far this season coupled by Jenks and Menchs good starts I think that we could afford to use something like a 3-man platoon between the 2 corner outfiled positions. This isn't such a bad suggestion, is it? I don't think any of the three would have that much trouble adjusting to playing the opposite corner outfield when they were called upon, and what's Hart done to show that he deserves an everyday spot anyway? You could make sure you were playing Jenks every time the crew was facing a RHP, play Mench against the lefties and put the other out in right every third game to give Hart a day off.
This would at least temporarily take his bat out of the lineup every now and then, as well as make him available those games to pinch run if necessary. With an OBP of .182 (how the hell is his avg higher than his OBP by the way) he's getting on base an average of less than once a game anyway. The games that he were to sit out you could pinch run him and he'd see the base paths more often than he would filling up a spot in the lineup.
And I don't think this necessarily needs to be something that's in place for the whole season, just give it a shot. He hit well last year even when used sparingly as a pinch hitter, so I don't think the irregularity would be an issue for him. If you take Hart's performance so far and couple it with Bill Hall's .194 average, where would we be without the better-than-expected play of Jenkins and Mench. Those guys deserve a shot to help out until they prove otherwise.
Peace out,
the brat
(they call me the brat cause I've got the biggest cock)
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
We Must Protect This House
The big commotion surrounding Milwaukee and the Brewers, besides their continued awful performance on the road, is Miller Park playing houseguest to the Indians and Angels. With 19,000+ Milwaukeeonians showing up for the AL matchup I think it was a good representation of our enjoyment of the game of baseball. There is always talk about how much a city is a "baseball town" or the city is a "fan of the game." By having two teams play away from their fan base in a regular season game gave us the opportunity to show that Brewer's fans are also big fans of baseball in general.
Now the inevitable debate arises; what is the over/under on how many games the Brewers will play at Miller Park and not draw 19,000 fans? Last year's average attendance was 28,000+.
Let's brake it down: 81 home games, take away the home opener because that is always sold out. Cubs (6) and Minnesota (3) games are always big draws. Three against St. Louis and San Fran (Let's boo Barry) should grab 19 K easy. Now we're down to 65. Subtract the six games on the weekend that dont' include the previous teams and you have 59 potential games. 15 times the brewers couldn't break the 19K mark last year so this year's over/under of 19,000 is 12.5 on the fact that we're averaging 7,000 more fans per home game after the same amount of home games last year and the Brewers should compete for the weak central which will draw more fans.
So we've showed we're fans of any baseball in Milwaukee, let's see how big of fans we will end up being of the Brewers.
Now the inevitable debate arises; what is the over/under on how many games the Brewers will play at Miller Park and not draw 19,000 fans? Last year's average attendance was 28,000+.
Let's brake it down: 81 home games, take away the home opener because that is always sold out. Cubs (6) and Minnesota (3) games are always big draws. Three against St. Louis and San Fran (Let's boo Barry) should grab 19 K easy. Now we're down to 65. Subtract the six games on the weekend that dont' include the previous teams and you have 59 potential games. 15 times the brewers couldn't break the 19K mark last year so this year's over/under of 19,000 is 12.5 on the fact that we're averaging 7,000 more fans per home game after the same amount of home games last year and the Brewers should compete for the weak central which will draw more fans.
So we've showed we're fans of any baseball in Milwaukee, let's see how big of fans we will end up being of the Brewers.
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