2008 Vent Thread (part 5)

[Glennron]

Not to mention the "trademarked" side-armed throw later in the game that he threw away, right before Blake's homer. Yeah, he successfully turned the twin-killing with the side-arm throw later in the game, but it's so frustrating.

1) With a perfect throw Martin would've been safe

 

2) A lot of high school first basemen would've made that scoop. Weeks's turning struggles won't get much better with Prince playing first.

[pitchleague]

still, a scoop shouldn't have even been necessary with a good throw.

 

Yeah, Martin would likely have been safe, but the trepidation on every ground ball DP chance that Weeks has to make the turn is confounding.

 

Plus, this is the vent thread. Let me vent without proving me wrong--even if you are right.

[yount19.u]

I'm convinced that even with Weeks hitting much better since the ASB, he is still a huge liability with his poor defense and high strike out rate. Unless he hits close to .300 for a season, I'm not sure he's worth the risk of having him play 2B and strike out as often as he does.

 

My other rant is that it's flipping ridiculous that the Cardinal keep winning. The Brewers should have a comfortable lead in the wild card race at this point, yet the Cards are still hanging around despite half there team being on the DL. The Baseball Gods are really ticking me off! It's about time someone goes Tanya Harding on Pujols' knee.

[Postseason2006]

No posts about Nix as the first option off the bench.

[crewcrazy]

I really don't think Weeks' strikeout rate would be brought up as often as it is if he had a few more hits falling in. Ryan Braun has more strikeouts than anyone on the roster and it's almost never mentioned.

 

My vent is how much Kevin Gregg sucks. When Daryle Ward hits a 3-run pinch-hit HR to put you ahead in the 9th inning, you know you've got a horseshoe lodged somewhere. Baseball is a funny game...the Brewers go on an 8-game winning streak and only pick up a game or so, then they lose back-to-back games and find themselves further behind the Cubs than when they started the streak.

[DougJones43]

the Brewers go on an 8-game winning streak and only pick up a game or so, then they lose back-to-back games and find themselves further behind the Cubs than when they started the streak.

I dunno. I have a pretty hard time feeling sorry for the Brewers when it comes to catching the Cubs in the standings. They had their chance to do it themselves, and filled their diapers during the 4-game demolition. If you don't win the head-to-head games, you can't get mad that other teams aren't beating the Cubs for you, to help you make up ground.

[RU Rah Rah]

The middle of the Cards lineup is pretty serious business -- Glaus, Pujols, and Ludwick. I guess my vent would be over Ludwick's production, which is just absurd.

[1992casey]

Jeff Cirillo doesn't finish his sentences. Once he corrects that (and I think he can), I think he'll become an excellent analyst.

[valpocrewsader]

ESPN finds ways to screw up the simplest things. Kapler makes one of the most amazing catches of the 2008 MLB season ... perhaps one of the most amazing all time ... to contribute to a meaningful win against two potential playoff teams in late August. Of course, it only registers as #2 on tonight's Top Plays list behind a very pedestrian Reggie Bush hurdle over a defender for a TD in a completely meaningless pre-season game. For the 50th time, ESPN is the suckiest bunch of sucks that ever sucked. I mean, you gotta be kidding....

[wibadgers23]

I agree valpo. Could you imagine if that catch had been made by a Yankee or Red Sox player? Not only would it have been number one, but they would have also called in the entire baseball tonight crew to analyze the play and spent 10 minutes talking about it. Absolutely ridiculous to put a preseason nfl play ahead of it. Seems like I get more and more angry with ESPN every day.

[sheethead]

ESPN is good for one thing and one thing only, live sports coverage. BT and SC have become total jokes.

[twobrewers]

The Cubs have 6 regular players with an OBP above .350.

 

The Brewers have 1 regular player with an OBP above .350.

 

Zambrano, Dempster, and Haren is just as good as Sabathia, Sheets and Parra.

 

Marmol, Wood, Samardzija and Gaudin is better than Torres, Gagne, Mota and Riske.

 

Every way I slice it - the Cubs are just a better team. And that hurts.

[tosabrewfan]

Regarding ESPN Top plays: By this morning Kapler was pushed back for the US relay team winning gold (which is not a play) and the Reggie Bush meaningless hurdle.

[Fike85]

Walk off HRs are not as fun when that happen against your favorite team.

[ILuvDaBush]

Especially when all the Dodgy Fellows do is hit HR's to beat your team at their own game. And against Villy, who WAS lights out as a reliever before he entered Chavez. I don't even know what hit me. I was sitting there, imagining how we were going to beat up on Hong and the next thing I know... Well at least we get the "contending" 'stros coming into Miller. Honestly, I just hope Rickie is ok, because you know that if he's not, there's going to be a lot more Weak CC action at 2B.

[BrewCrewForever]

Not walking Manny was just stupid.

[Big Cat Dad]

Zambrano, Dempster, and Haren is just as good as Sabathia, Sheets and Parra.

When did Haren join the cubs?

[ILuvDaBush]

I think he was just saying that IF the ScRubs had traded their farm for Oakland's prior ace instead of their latter ace, they would stack up well against the Brewers. But seriously, this series hurt. It could have easily been a sweep either way, but we still came out with the short end of the stick. It would be a lot easier to make a scapegoat if the losing pitcher wasn't my favorite reliever.

[twobrewers]

When did Haren join the cubs?

Harden - typo obviously.

[RU Rah Rah]

I sincerely hope that the Brewers can just move on from this series and focus on the 'Stros, who are the hottest team in the NL right now. They are lurking on the fringes of the WC race, 7.5 back. A bad series will give the Crew another team to worry about. (Conversely, a sweep will pretty much extinguish their hopes.)

 

And how about this: Cecil Cooper is predicting that the Astros will sweep (per MLB.com):

 

In response to a reporter saying that the Astros could sweep the Brewers, Cooper said, "I'm predicting that, I'm going out on a limb. You heard it here first."

[rluzinski]

Cooper is saying exactly what he has to say but it won't matter for his team, either way. The Astros could sweep the Brewers and still have almost no chance of making the playoffs. They are a .500 team that would have to outplay 5 other teams. Even with a sweep, you are looking at 20:1 odds at best.

 

The Astros can be as "hot" as they want. It doesn't make their chances of beating the Brewers are winning the wild card any better.

[Hate those Rodents]

Did Ned answer why he took Braun out after hitting his homer? We have maybe one of the two best players in baseball and we replace him? There is no strategy that makes this a good move. Double switching? Come on! Take out any of the other seven but not your best player. Or better yet, don't even worry/do a double switch.

[TSack27]

ESPN finds ways to screw up the simplest things. Kapler makes one of the most amazing catches of the 2008 MLB season ... perhaps one of the most amazing all time ... to contribute to a meaningful win against two potential playoff teams in late August. Of course, it only registers as #2 on tonight's Top Plays list behind a very pedestrian Reggie Bush hurdle over a defender for a TD in a completely meaningless pre-season game. For the 50th time, ESPN is the suckiest bunch of sucks that ever sucked. I mean, you gotta be kidding....

And now this poll shows up on espn (their bias makes me refuse to capitalize their name any further):

Which was last week's Baseball Tonight Web Gem?

• R. Baldelli: Diving catch vs. A's
• A. Cabrera: Bare hand pick up, throw across body
• C. Granderson: Diving catch vs. Blue Jays
• A. LaRoche: Diving stop/throw from his knees
• J. Rollins: Jump throw deep in the hole

Aren't those clowns missing:

• G. Kapler: Leaps into bleachers to bring back homerun

Even Cameron's diving catch in a tight came was more impressive than some on their list

http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/mad.gif

[Bucky Rules]

The Cubs are 7.5 games up in the wildcard race.

[ILuvDaBush]

Considering what the 'Stros and Rockies have done to get to the postseason, not even mentioning why the Phils found themselves in the playoffs last year, it would seem no lead is safe in baseball.