TooLiveBrew

What is reasonable to expect for one year of a guy? Well, the Indians got arguably the best hitting prospect in the game for half a season of Sabathia. I think J.J. would bring in much better than a #3 or #4 SP.

I'm not sure about worth in terms of W-L, but a SS that saves as many runs as Escobar does & can be an average hitter at the position carries tremendous value, and I'd have to guess more than J.J. on balance I think fans that primarily follow the MLB club (like me) are only beginning to understand just how good Escobar is defensively. He's not just better than Hardy... more & more it sounds like he blows J.J. out of the water (which imo is saying something)

I would explain to him since he didn't have a problem when the shoe was on the other foot he needs to sack up and deal with being a third baseman for a year or two if and when the time comes. Except that Hardy isn't under salary control by the Brewers beyond 2010, upon which time he can sign a huge contract at SS somewhere else & tell you to pound sand.

I don't even know who is considered an excellent defensive ss anymore. Top-3 rated SS by the 2009 Chone defensive projections: Adam Everett: +19 (not considered as good as he once was iirc) Craig Counsell: +12 Troy Tulowitzki: +11 Omar Vizquel: +11 (still!) For reference's sake, Hardy is at a +1. Izturis (+7) falls in a second tier of guys around a +6 to +9 (Eric Bruntlett, Chin-lung Hu, John McDonald, Jack Wilson, Erick Aybar, etc.)

Right now in the Northwest it's all about the IPA. Must have something to do with how well the hops seem to grow out here? Thanks for the recaps of Hops & Props, guys. Sounds like it was a worthwhile event.

Was Hornsby being an ass? Yes. Did Tom pick the worst way possible to deal with this? Yes. Yeah, Tom really would do well to not participate in the public comments. He certainly has demonstrated that he isn't able to keep from getting into schoolyard interwebz warz. That wastes everyone's time, especially his employer's...

That quote makes Hardy seem completely unwilling to change positions, which means more than likely this is either his last year in Milwaukee, or Escobar is going to be traded. What baffles me is that people are still surprised that Hardy doesn't want to move from SS. One, this is old news. Melvin commented last season (iirc) that JJ wasn't amenable to that kind of move. Two, why on freaking earth would you move from being an elite talent to a 'solid' one? I agree with those who've highlighted that having Escobar & Hardy is a good thing, not a bad thing. Whether they're both in Milwaukee or not, they will certainly both help the Brewers get better.

same goes for Thorman - he has been hot but Macha seems to really like Nelson and so do I. That's good to hear. I'd hate to have the new manager get all small-sample-y. I think JJ's 25-man in the lead post looks pretty accurate. To me, the two spots that aren't certain are the ones he has assigned to Coffey & Green... but imo there's really no way for us to know how the lower rungs of the bullpen are going to shake out right now. I hope Morlan earns one of those spots, since that would mean the braintrust has confidence in his ability to perform now -- and would make the loss of Luis Pena more tolerable.

Hall reminds me of Weeks sometimes in that he'll make a play that will have your jaw on the floor, but he olés so many balls hit at him that he's not a great defender (at 3B in Bill's case). I'd guess Hall could handle 2B about as well if not better than Weeks.

I don't personally think the Yankees would want anything to do with a deal where Hall was the main return on Kennedy

craigharmann, karma will find you http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

They could however; use a guy who can get on base like Gwynn. I like his game and that is why I am an advocate of him. The problem, though, is that he doesn't get on base well. Guys with little to no power like him just don't sustain a .350-ish OBP in the bigs. Minor leagues (2,227 AB): .273/.346/.342/.688 Major leagues (242 AB): .248/.300/.298/.598 Take TGJ's best production at AAA (simply because I don't feel like combining seasons & crunching the numbers... so yes, small sample here) -- 2006's .300/.360/.396/.756. Plug that season into the Minor League Equivalency calculator, and you get a projected MLB line of .251/.299/.325/.624 <-- look familiar? http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

Minnesota Star-Tribune story (by La Velle Neal) Doctors today found a torn labrum and torn rotator cuff in Boof Bonser's right shoulder, leading to more extensive repairs than what was first thought. Bonser is out at least six months, but probably the whole season. My reaction is that this is a total surprise, given that he underwent two MRI exams that revealed no structural damage. It's too bad for Boof, who had a good chance at a bullpen spot. Still waiting for the Twins to officially announce the injury. Will check back later when more details are known. 3:42 Update: The Twins have made it official. The press release states that Dr. Koco Eaton, `found and repaired partial tears to the right labrum and rotator cuff in Bonser's shoulder. Bonser is expected to miss six to eight months recovering from the surgery.' I saw this first at The Disabled List Informer. Chris's take: The Twins were hoping to have Boof Bonser in their bullpen in 2009, but that plan is now scrapped. Dr. Koco Eaton performed surgery today on Bonser's ailing right shoulder and found a worst case scenario - tears to the labrum, as well as the rotator cuff. Repairs of both tissues were performed, which means that his season is definitely over with. This means that a best case scenario has him returning to a throwing program in June/July, and to more meaningful pitching sometime in October, but it will probably be later than that. The dual repairs certainly complicate matters. Many readers of the Minneapolis-St.Paul Tribune have commented (follow link, scroll to bottom) on the report of Bonser's surgery, talking about the two separate MRIs that apparently did not show conclusive presence of the injuries. How did two MRIs not show anything conclusive? First, the Doctors and Radiologists that read the imaging films need to have a good image to read. If there is any disturbance in the MRI (such as when a patient moves during the test), the results can be off. If the picture isn't of good quality, it will be more difficult to read/diagnose the problem. Secondly, MRI sometimes does not always show tears of the labrum definitively. An MRI is a diagnostic tool, not a 100% diagnostic certainty. If an Orthopedist suspects a labrum tear to be present, they could order an MRA (a more definitive MRI that uses a contrast medium that more readily shows small or hard-to-find tears). Whatever happened to trusting your own thorough physical examination findings? Physical examination can be the single best diagnostic tool to the examiner when used in conjunction with the array of various imaging that is available. No real fantasy impact here as Bonser probably not going to be in the starting rotation to start the year, unless there was an injury to one of their top five (Baker, Liriano, Slowey, Blackburn, Perkins). Bonser has posted horrible ERA and WHIP over the past two seasons, though his stikeout rate has at least been serviceable since entering the league (7.28 per 9). Have I ever mentioned how much I freaking love The Disabled List Informer? http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif Has to be my favorite baseball blog.

I think that's just human migration due to sunshine/shade. It's probably pretty hot sitting in the sun.

I think that's just human migration due to sunshine/shade. It's probably pretty hot sitting in the sun.

Awesome stuff, phxMILWfan -- thanks for sharing! 1) Nice to see Prince chipping in by dragging the infield (pic #1) http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif 2) Who is the dark-skinned guy pictured after the sequence of 4 pics of Bush? Is that Salome? 3) Who is the LHB Oakland player you caught? Is that Daric Barton? Also, the panoramic shots are amazing. Really gives a good feel for how awesome it is at Maryvale.

Awesome stuff, phxMILWfan -- thanks for sharing! 1) Nice to see Prince chipping in by dragging the infield (pic #1) http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif 2) Who is the dark-skinned guy pictured after the sequence of 4 pics of Bush? Is that Salome? 3) Who is the LHB Oakland player you caught? Is that Daric Barton? Also, the panoramic shots are amazing. Really gives a good feel for how awesome it is at Maryvale.

Volume, Volume, Volume. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/embarassed.gif - I've been working on keeping that post count lower. Kind of embarassing... I have a life, I swear! I'll echo the 'there are so many great posters' sentiment. Screennames I can think of right away... sbrylski, rluzinski, endaround, Ennder (honestly, between those 4 I think I learned probably about 95% of what little I 'know' about statistical analysis -- so thanks, fellas), trwi7, Backupcatchers, FtJ, EDR (but only because he's lame & sucks at taking pictures), logan3825, RyDogg, brettac1, Brawndo, brewjihad, fstorm (thanks for the beer -- I still owe you http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif) bobskube (has proved a very reliable source of at least some Front Office insider info), kalle8 -- I mean, a Brewers fan in Italy! That guy gets major points. Oh yeah, and Brian the Automator & the BF.net team. You guys are this site, so thanks a bajillion. Since he doesn't often receive public praise, I'd like to tip my cap to MassHaas. The work he does compiling articles on the Brewers is nothing short of stellar. Honestly, what other site gives you the hometown newspaper articles of just about any Brewers player, majors or minors? Thank you, MassHaas Another special mention to colbyjack, for the professional-grade scouting input on draft day & year-round. Great stuff. I've always felt like discussing prospects with you is like getting a subscription service at Perfect Game Crosschecker for free. Sorry to anyone I left out. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/ohwell.gif This site is hands down the best baseball forum out there, Brewers or otherwise.

If I remember correctly American pale ales are usually bitter and that bitterness is definitely there. Yep. APAs tend to not be as bitter as IPAs. It sounds like I might actually like the Crack'd. I'm so glad I found the beer thread. I'm a new Brewers fan, and new to the site, but it has become indespensible to me now. Down here in Nashville, there are several brewerys, but only a couple brew pubs ( brew and sell on premises), and only one great bar. I LOVE BEER and plan on brewing my own some day, but for now, I'm content just to be an avid admirer. Welcome http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif Glad you like the thread -- you'll be a good resource, since iirc there hasn't been anyone from your neck of the woods posting in here (apologies to anyone I may have slighted there). Theres a bar down here called The Flying Saucer( beerknurd.com ) that has a drinking club called the UFO. Once you have tried 200 different beers they give you 200$, a party, and they put your name and anything you want to say on a gold plate and put it on the wall, but you can only have three tallied in one day. They have an excellent selection and knowledgable bartenders. It's a great place to hang and drink before the Sounds game and the 10$ flat Bud Light prices if you guys ever come down here. They also show Predators games on the big screen. I'm at 130 something right now, so wish me luck. Good luck -- and don't let us all down! http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif That bar sounds pretty cool, and what an enticing challenge. Pretty sweet reward. It's great that they have knowledgeable bartenders -- that really makes the beer-tasting experience much more enjoyable. I think it's kinda funny that your first post in the beer thread, coming from Nashville, cites two Portland beers (my neck of the woods) as favorites. Small world. Rogue is an awesome brewery (one of many out here), and I've yet to go wrong with their stuff. The Dead Guy Ale is awesome -- my favorite of their varieties I've tried so far. Another Oregon brewery to try if you can find it is Deschutes. I freaking love them. My favorites of theirs are the Jubelale (winter seasonal), Mirror Pond Pale Ale, & Inversion IPA... but you can't find a bad brew from them.

No reason to be so cranky, obviously people found it interesting including the early video of Prince when he was a kid. I read it more as just disgust with Cecil, which I happen to share. That said, obviously it's a discussion-generator for legions of Prince Fielder fans http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

I look forward to getting to listen to Cory & check him out. And fwiw, I've heard the term "cushion" used before, but only in the phrase, 'And (Fielder) kicks the cushion for the final out of the inning...'

Thanks for sharing those pictures so far -- Prince looks great! I can't wait to see more. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

I don't know. I've seen people describe Abreu as "solid" defensively, and say that his reputation for being a lousy defender is because of that wall thing. I'll slightly modify Ennder's response... if anyone that's watched Abreu play defense in the last 3 seasons says anything about him being even close to "solid", he/she is a big fat liar. The worst I hear about him defensively comes from this site from people who don't want him. Well the reason is those "people" (myself included) have 1) actually watched him play a decent amount, and 2) don't want him because of his defense, not the other way around -- Abreu would be perfect if he could handle CF even at an average level. Believe it or not, I don't have some sneaky agenda to just randomly bash players with no logical reason. We have Ned Yost to slam like that.

Ironically, imo Helling looks pretty Beefcaked himself in the accompanying photo with that article. But I do think it's cool that he voiced those concerns to the Union. I can't find the game log. But I believe he once struck out the side on 9 pitches to start a game. I hear tell it was on 6 pitches

when they go cold we've seen how stale this offense can be. Ok, so your alternative is to bring in Abreu, whose putrid defense would cost runs all season long (same for Edmonds, just not as extreme), over taking the solid production from the lineup we already have, and the good defense in CF & RF? I understand why people see Cameron & think it's a logical spot to improve and/or add a LH bat, but honestly some of the arguments made in support of non-Cameron options are a bit strange.