TooLiveBrew

Too busy w work today to edit the lineups in the lead post. Sorry. If any other mod can get the lineups edited in, it'd be much appreciated.

Fiers seeks repeat performance in finale vs. Cubs Jackson takes hill as Chicago goes for series victory over Brewers By Caitlin Swieca / MLB.com | 8/13/2014 11:36 PM ET After a spectacular performance in his first start of 2014, the Brewers are hoping for a repeat performance from Mike Fiers on Thursday afternoon as they look to split their four-game series with the Cubs. Fiers, starting in place of the injured Matt Garza, allowed one run on three hits over eight innings in a win over the Dodgers. After a difficult 2013, Fiers couldn't have asked for a much better start to his Major League campaign in 2014. "He's got a lot of deception," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. "You saw tonight, most of his pitches are 90, 91 mph. There's a lot of 89s, but they all have a lot of life on them. When he's feeling good physically and mentally, that ball really comes out well. That's a good-hitting team. He threw a lot of fastballs that were getting by guys." Fiers will face a Cubs lineup that has found some life as of late with the promotion of young players such as Javier Baez, Arismendy Alcantara and Kyle Hendricks. Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer said this is a good stretch for those young players because of the tough competition they'll be facing, such as the first-place Brewers. "It's something we talked about with Javy," Hoyer said of Baez, promoted from Triple-A on Aug. 5. "You look at our schedule the rest of the way and there's only a handful of series where we're not facing contenders. Those guys are going to get a real indoctrination. They're not going to be facing another team who is out of the race. Everything we do the rest of the year will be against contenders." How does Hoyer view the organization's progress? "We're very satisfied with the way things have gone with our talent in the Minor Leagues. We're not even close to being satisfied with our record on the field." Edwin Jackson will take the hill at Wrigley Field on Thursday, looking for his third straight quality start. He went six innings and allowed three earned runs against the Rays on Saturday. Brewers: Gomez takes hands-on approach to protection By Carlos Gomez's own count, nine of the Major League-leading 13 times he'd been hit by a pitch entering Wednesday, he was hit on the hands or wrists. After being struck the night before on the right wrist, near the base of his thumb, Gomez wore a sleeve embedded with a protective plate into Wednesday's game against the Cubs. "I've gotten lucky so far," Gomez said. The free-swinging leadoff hitter also wears a protective guard on his left elbow, but his hands and wrists are often exposed because opposing pitchers pound him inside, and Gomez often begins to offer before recognizing the location and trying to get out of the way. Cubs: Soler considered for September call-up Hoyer said the front office is currently debating September call-ups and who will play in the Arizona Fall League. Triple-A Iowa outfielder Jorge Soler is one player being considered for both. Soler, ranked No. 6 on MLB.com's list of top 20 Cubs prospects, was injured much of the first half of the season, but has been getting regular at-bats, and was batting .300 in 20 games. "[soler] has been playing great, and is locked in now, and great at-bats, great attitude, playing good defense," Hoyer said. "We have to decide if he's had enough at-bats or not." Worth noting • Cubs president Theo Epstein has received several requests to take part in the "Ice Bucket Challenge" for ALS awareness, and on Thursday, he's going to give fans a chance to dump water on him and some of the players. During Thursday's series finale between the Cubs and Brewers, fans will be asked to donate to the team's 50-50 raffle, with proceeds going to ALS research. The Cubs will determine who gets to dump the bucket of ice water on Epstein, which will take place after the game. Among those who have challenged Epstein is Blackhawks president John McDonough.

[igt-2012][game-setup][logo]http://dl.dropbox.com/u/20589901/BrewerFan/2014/logos/brewers.png[/logo][game-info][h1]August 14 | 1:20 P.M.[/h1][h2]Brewers (66-55) | Cubs (52-67)[/h2][h3]FSWI | WTMJ 620[/h3][/game-info][logo]http://dl.dropbox.com/u/20589901/BrewerFan/2014/logos/cubs.png[/logo][/game-setup][pitching-photos]http://i.imgur.com/2K1OcV4.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/nga5bqE.jpg[/pitching-photos][game-matchup][divclass=away][pitcher]Mike Fiers[/pitcher][h2]1-1, 1.80 ERA, 0.87 WHIP[/h2][h3]Versus Cubs | Game Log[/h3][h3]Fiers gave the Brewers exactly what they were hoping for in his first Major League start of 2014. Filling in for Matt Garza, he lasted eight innings against the Dodgers on Saturday, allowing one run off three hits.[/h3][/divclass][divclass=home][pitcher]Edwin Jackson[/pitcher][h2]6-12, 5.61 ERA, 1.56 WHIP[/h2][h3]Versus Brewers | Game Log[/h3][h3]Jackson posted his first quality start at Wrigley Field since May 17 in his last outing, but it wasn't good enough for a win. The May game also is the last time he faced the Brewers, and he threw seven shutout innings at Wrigley in a 3-0 win.[/h3][/divclass][starting-lineup][divclass=away] CF Carlos Gomez RF Gerardo Parra C Jonathan Lucroy LF Khris Davis 2B Scooter Gennett 3B Mark Reynolds 1B Lyle Overbay SS Elian Herrera RHP Mike Fiers[/divclass][divclass=home] LF Chris Coghlan 2B Javier Baez 1B Anthony Rizzo SS Starlin Castro 3B Luis Valbuena CF Arismendy Alcantara RF Justin Ruggiano C Welington Castillo RHP Edwin Jackson[/divclass][/starting-lineup][/game-matchup][game-links][h3][chat]BrewerFan Chat[/chat] | MLB Gameday[/h3][/game-links][/igt-2012]

Tweet from Rockies' MLB.com beat writer Thomas Harding:

For the specific example you cited, the reason for the Green Monster is the footprint/location of the stadium. Saying goodbye to the Green Monster would mean requiring the Sawx to tear down Fenway & rebuild. http://www.wellsj.com/library/images/fenway/fenway_60.jpg

Wada, Lohse headline Cubs-Brewers matchup By David Adler / MLB.com | 8/12/2014 11:14 PM ET The Cubs will send left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada to the mound at Wrigley Field on Wednesday looking to take a 2-1 lead in their four-game series with the Brewers. Chicago, which is at the opposite end of the National League Central from Milwaukee -- the Cubs are well in last place, while the Brewers lead the division -- evened the series with a 3-0 win on Tuesday night. Wednesday's game will be the second straight in which the Brewers face a pitcher who was in the Minors the last time the two teams met. Both Wada and Tuesday's starter, Kyle Hendricks, were at Triple-A at the end of May. "It's more difficult when a guy comes up from Triple-A to figure things out," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. "There is video in Triple-A, but obviously, they have more video on our guys and what we do as hitters, so he'll be able to get more off us than we'll be able to get off him." Wada is 1-1 with a 3.25 ERA in his five starts since being called up. Most recently, he took a no-decision in an extra-innings loss to the Rays, pitching six innings, allowing two runs and striking out six. Right-hander Kyle Lohse will pitch for Milwaukee. Lohse is 11-6 with a 3.33 ERA and also took a no-decision his last time out, tossing six innings of one-run ball against the Dodgers. In two starts against the Cubs this season, Lohse is 2-0. He gave up three runs in seven innings to beat the Cubs in Chicago on May 16, then pitched a shutout in Milwaukee on June 1. Cubs: Cubs take extra infield practice before Tuesday win The clubhouse was particularly quiet before Tuesday's game -- most of the team was on the field taking early infield and batting practice. "It's just a refresher course," manager Rick Renteria said. "You talk about it. The coaches, obviously, are ... trying to get them to do the things they need to do. They put their eyes on them, too, and make sure that they're doing it the way we want it." Renteria wasn't critical of the team's fundamental play but said that the extra exercise serves well for his young core, particularly recent callups Javier Baez and Arismendy Alcantara. "When you're trying to put your eyes on guys and then just try to keep them, maintain them, it's really important to make sure they get their work," he said. "These are young men. They've got a lot of energy, and we want to make sure they're doing the things that they need to keep moving forward." Brewers: Garza optimistic, but not throwing Though he expressed optimism that his strained left rib cage is improving, right-hander Matt Garza is unsure when he will be cleared to resume throwing. "When it all clears up," Garza said. "That's all I can say. I'd like to [speed things up]." But Garza knows that returning to action too early could cause a setback. He has been shut down since injuring his side in an Aug. 3 start in St. Louis and is on the 15-day disabled list. Because of the fickle nature of rib-cage muscle strains, team officials have offered no timetable for a return. Garza had a similar issue last season while with the Cubs but is certain that this current injury is significantly less severe. "I'm still as optimistic as I was," he said. "Until it goes away, you can't really do much, [or you can] re-aggravate it. So we're just kind of waiting until it all clears up." Worth noting • Cubs starters have a 1.99 ERA over their last six games -- all quality starts -- while holding batters to a .203 average during that span. • Roenicke said that both Scooter Gennett and Jean Segura are well on their way to recovery from their respective quad injuries. Both started on Tuesday, with Gennett going 1-for-4 and Segura going 1-for-3. "Jean is doing a lot better -- he goes in for treatment just to make sure," Roenicke said. "It's maintenance. Scooter, [he's] still a little bit limited. I saw him run home yesterday, then jog there just to kind of take it easy. So I know it's still there. But they're both continuing to get better."

[igt-2012][game-setup][logo]http://dl.dropbox.com/u/20589901/BrewerFan/2014/logos/brewers.png[/logo][game-info][h1]August 13 | 7:05 P.M.[/h1][h2]Brewers (66-54) | Cubs (51-67)[/h2][h3]FSWI | WTMJ 620[/h3][/game-info][logo]http://dl.dropbox.com/u/20589901/BrewerFan/2014/logos/cubs.png[/logo][/game-setup][pitching-photos]http://i.imgur.com/s4wGuZr.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/9EE9m5U.jpg[/pitching-photos][game-matchup][divclass=away][pitcher]Kyle Lohse[/pitcher][h2]11-6, 3.33 ERA, 1.16 WHIP[/h2][h3]Versus Cubs | Game Log[/h3][h3]Lohse saw his pitch count driven up by battling Dodgers batters but still managed a quality start on Friday, rebounding from a disastrous outing in St. Louis. He's racked up 17 quality starts in 23 tries this season.[/h3][/divclass][divclass=home][pitcher]Tsuyoshi Wada[/pitcher][h2]1-1, 3.25 ERA, 1.23 WHIP[/h2][h3]Versus Brewers | Game Log[/h3][h3]Wada did not get a decision in his last outing, but did post his second quality start. The lefty held the Rays to two runs over six innings, walking one and striking out six, which matches his season high. This will be his first start vs. the Crew.[/h3][/divclass][starting-lineup][divclass=away] CF Carlos Gómez 1B Jonathan Lucroy RF Ryan Braun 3B Aramis Ramírez LF Khris Davis 2B Rickie Weeks C Martín Maldonado SS Jean Segura RHP Kyle Lohse[/divclass][divclass=home] LF Chris Coghlan 2B Javier Báez 1B Anthony Rizzo SS Starlin Castro 3B Luis Valbuena CF Arismendy Alcántara C John Baker LF Junior Lake LHP Tsuyoshi Wada[/divclass][/starting-lineup][/game-matchup][game-links][h3][chat]BrewerFan Chat[/chat] | MLB Gameday[/h3][/game-links][/igt-2012]

And there you have it; problem solved! Are you sure you don't mean "Woah Solvdd"? Of course! Thank you... where was my head?

I posted this just now in last night's IGT too, but I thought this was a really nice graphic from the Brewers' Twitter account. They posted a recap link for last night's game, along with this image: http://i.imgur.com/uGqfH0v.jpg

Thought this was a really nice graphic from the Brewers' Twitter account. They posted a recap link for last night's game, along with this image: http://i.imgur.com/uGqfH0v.jpg

And there you have it; problem solved!

I actually thought Davey was better in that in-game analyst role than he is at the pre- & post-game desk. He seems very awkward & forced in the pre- & post-games, but on-air last night I thought he was a lot more natural. As a one+ game emergency fill-in, I really think he's fine. And fwiw I thought he was being pretty coy & sarcastic when he was talking about 'not knowing why' Cubs fans were booing Braun. I definitely detected sarcasm in his tone, but as basically a Brewers employee, he can't be really blatant with the sarcasm.

Verlander's 'what the heck?' year was 2008 (4.84 ERA in 201 IP)

I think that if the org. thought Rogers was the answer going forward at 1B, they wouldn't have played him at 3B to learn the position this season. I think they see his upside as a bench player & are looking to get him as versatile as is plausible.

http://d3j5vwomefv46c.cloudfront.net/photos/large/817154695.gif?1382578659

Hendricks, Peralta have milestone wins in sight By Daniel Kramer / MLB.com | 8/12/2014 1:40 AM ET CHICAGO -- Talented rookie Kyle Hendricks will go for his fifth straight quality start, and first win over a National League Central foe, in Tuesday's tilt with the Brewers. Hendricks has quietly emerged as the Cubs' No. 2 starter since the All-Star break with three wins and a loss -- the loss a 1-0 contest against Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright on July 27. Hendricks held the Rockies and Dodgers, two of the NL's four most productive offenses, to a combined three runs over 15 innings during his last two starts. If not for the July 4 trade that sent Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel to Oakland, Hendricks might still be pitching in the Minors. "The results have been awesome," Cubs manager Rick Renteria said. "Anybody would take what he's been doing and take it gladly. Should I be surprised? Probably not, because I think that how he was going about his business in the Minor Leagues is basically reflective of what he's doing here." Milwaukee's Wily Peralta will go for a league-leading 15th win that would snap a tie with Clayton Kershaw and a pair of NL Central pitchers, Johnny Cueto and Wainwright. Wainwright is scheduled to start on Tuesday against Miami. Peralta boasts a 1.64 ERA and 24 strikeouts over his last five starts -- all of them wins. He's coming off a nine-K, 115-pitch -- both season highs -- outing against the Giants in which he allowed seven hits but just one earned run. "There's a lot of great starting pitchers out there, and to be able to be leading the league, that's amazing, a great feeling," Peralta said after his most recent start. "That's a thing that I've been working hard [for] in the offseason and been working hard in the season to be on top." Cubs: Chicago in middle of most competitive slate Renteria is a believer that strong finishes can lead to a sustained morale boost through the offseason. The Cubs find themselves in arguably their toughest slate en route to season's end. Of the Cubs' final 14 series, including this week's against the Brewers, the only one against a team that isn't in a pennant race is this weekend's four-game set against the Mets, who sit six games out of the second NL Wild Card spot. "It's much nicer to go through a season and finish strong. At that point guys don't want to stop playing," Renteria said. "I remember being in a lot of different situations where maybe you weren't in a pennant race, but when you're playing well, you don't want the season to end." Renteria added that the slate of formidable competition could prove beneficial to his young roster, which includes four everyday starters 25 or younger. "We're not thrust into the pennant race other than by through osmosis -- kind of playing these other clubs, which is a good thing, though," Renteria said. "[The young players] can see what other clubs are doing that make them good -- How do they run the bases, how do they play defense, how do they pitch, what are the things that put them where they're at?" Brewers: Milwaukee mindful of new-look Cubs The last two Cubs starters the Brewers faced before Monday's 3-1 win were Hammel and Samardzija on May 31 and June 1, respectively. Hendricks and Wednesday's starter, Tsuyoshi Wada, were still with Triple-A Iowa during the previous matchup, as were Javier Baez and Arismendy Alcantara, now everyday starters. Brewers manager Ron Roenicke says that competition against younger talent is "always dangerous." "That's why I say we never take any teams lightly. Whenever you do, you don't win the game. It's pretty simple," Roenicke said. During Spring Training, Baez belted a mammoth homer against Milwaukee, and Roenicke said it was one of the longest he'd seen at the Brewers' preseason complex. Baez went 1-for-4 on Monday with a double. "He's got tremendous power," Roenicke said. "He's swinging hard every pitch. We've got to be careful with him." Worth noting • Anthony Rizzo's season-high streak without a home run extended to 21 days after the Cubs' loss on Monday. Rizzo last homered against the Padres on July 22, belting two to take a then-NL lead with 25. He went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts on Monday. • Francisco Rodriguez earned his Major League-leading 36th save on Monday.

[igt-2012][game-setup][logo]http://dl.dropbox.com/u/20589901/BrewerFan/2014/logos/brewers.png[/logo][game-info][h1]August 12 | 7:05 P.M.[/h1][h2]Brewers (66-53) | Cubs (50-67)[/h2][h3]FSWI | WTMJ 620[/h3][/game-info][logo]http://dl.dropbox.com/u/20589901/BrewerFan/2014/logos/cubs.png[/logo][/game-setup][pitching-photos]http://i.imgur.com/QlVMeeT.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/H4R93cu.jpg[/pitching-photos][game-matchup][divclass=away][pitcher]Wily Peralta[/pitcher][h2]14-6, 3.42 ERA, 1.27 WHIP[/h2][h3]Versus Cubs | Game Log[/h3][h3]Peralta set a career high with nine strikeouts over 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball in a win over the Giants, despite scattering seven hits. He's been fantastic over his last five starts, allowing six earned runs over 33 innings for a 1.64 ERA.[/h3][/divclass][divclass=home][pitcher]Kyle Hendricks[/pitcher][h2]3-1, 2.10 ERA, 1.02 WHIP[/h2][h3]Versus Brewers | Game Log[/h3][h3]Hendricks posted the longest outing of his short big league career in his last start against the Rox, going eight innings and giving up two runs. In his last 28 1/3 innings, he's given up four earned runs for a 1.27 ERA.[/h3][/divclass][starting-lineup][divclass=away] CF Carlos Gomez C Jonathan Lucroy RF Ryan Braun 3B Aramis Ramirez 2B Scooter Gennett LF Khris Davis 1B Mark Reynolds SS Jean Segura RHP Wily Peralta[/divclass][divclass=home] LF Chris Coghlan 2B Javier Báez 1B Anthony Rizzo SS Starlin Castro 3B Luis Valbuena CF Arismendy Alcántara RF Justin Ruggiano C Welington Castillo RHP Kyle Hendricks[/divclass][/starting-lineup][/game-matchup][game-links][h3][chat]BrewerFan Chat[/chat] | MLB Gameday[/h3][/game-links][/igt-2012]

Many Brewers fans were convinced the sky was falling for Gallardo last season. An injury/ailment makes the most sense to me regarding Verlander, both because a guy that talented wouldn't just lose ability so suddenly, & because of all the innings he's racked up. If/Once he's healthy again, I think he's much more likely to get back much closer to his peak numbers than just plain old falling apart.

Sorry, that got quite wordy, but I got fired up researching/doing this! In short, this coming PL season projects to be one of the tightest & best races in a long time. Last season itself was great, but this season should be even tighter imo. At this point, I'd give even odds to Manchester City, Chelsea, or Arsenal to win the league. I am admittedly an Arsenal supporter, & may be more bullish on them than some. From what I've read so far, most pundits are picking either City or Chelsea to win the title.

Listed simply in order of 2013-14 finish -- Manchester City: with (so far) no marquee additions, can the defending champs repeat with everyone a year older? Still very much a top side, with a good chance to once again be the most dynamic & dangerous offense in the league. Top signing (so far) center-half Eliaquim Mangala (rumored £32M via FC Porto, & a French international) has been bought in the hopes that he can upgrade the other side of the center-half equation next to club captain Vincent Kompany. Sergio Agüero leads the strikeforce, and has missed enough time due to injury that his durability going forward is in question -- unlike his talent. Yaya Toure was one of the best midfielders in the Prem last season, & projects to be again. Immensely talented team. Liverpool: LFC were basically equals to MCFC last season in terms of attack, finishing at 101 goals, trailing the league winners by just one. But the departure of striker Luis Suárez (to Barcelona, reportedly for £75M), who led the Premiership by a wide margin last season at 31 goals, is a huge blow to the club. Suárez was not only LFC's best player last season; the argument could be made that he was the best individual player in the world. He provided a lot more to the club's attack than just goals, & is completely irreplaceable. Daniel Sturridge (21 goals, 2nd in PL) will be asked to lead the line now & into the future. 'Pool have played a major part in the raid of Southampton, signing attacking midfielder Adam Lallana, center-half Dejan Lovren, & striker Rickie Lambert. Lallana looks to be the prize of the bunch & of LFC's offseason so far. Liverpool also qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the first time since the '09-'10 season, which means many more difficult matches & a significant test of the squad depth. Chelsea: José Mourinho's return to Stamford Bridge was successful, but certainly not up to Mourinho's & club owner Roman Abramovich's high standards. They've conducted seriously good summer transfer business, bringing in big signings at striker (Diego Costa, via La Liga champions & Champions League runners-up Atlético Madrid), midfield (Cesc Fàbregas, via Barcelona), & left fullback (Filipe Luís, also from Atlético Madrid). They've also brought back club legend striker Didier Drogba on a free transfer (as he was a free agent). Although they've reportedly spent over £80M on the aforementioned players, they cashed in big-time on center-half David Luiz, who sold to Paris mega-wealthy club PSG for roughly £50M, an unheard-of amount for a center-half. Combine the fact that David Luiz is regarded as a better all-around footballer than natural defender, & it adds up to a slick bit of business & the definition of selling high. The club's reported net spend so far this summer is basically break-even, no small feat for the caliber of players they've added. Mourinho also has the nicest of dilemmas facing him at goalkeeper. Another club legend, Petr Čech, has been the man between the posts & one of the best keepers in the world since basically '04-'05. However, Čech is 32, & the Blues have likely the best young keeper in the world in Thibaut Courtois ready to go -- Courtois has been loaned to & starring for Atlético Madrid for the prior three seasons. Mourinho has indicated that Courtois is his first choice, so the final fate for Čech will be interesting to see. Chelsea were the stingiest defense in the league, which is Mourinho's m.o. They play a full-team high-pressing style, & are a well-oiled defensive unit that typically applies defensive pressure & looks to counter-attack. The goal in signing Diego Costa was to add a top caliber striker into the mix. Arsenal: The Gunners are coming out from underneath a conservative fiscal operational plan over the past 7 or 8 seasons, in which they paid off debt accrued to finance the construction of their Emirates Stadium, which opened in 2006. For nearly a decade, the club chose to not rack up any more debt than was necessary in the stadium project, which meant they lost & had to sell top player after top player. Heading into last season, manager Arsène Wenger smashed the club transfer record by signing German attacking/creative midfielder Mesut Özil for £42M from Spanish giants Real Madrid. Özil was a key addition & was the focal point/fulcrum of Arsenal's attack. The club sat atop the league table more than any other PL club, but injuries in the second half of the season & declining form saw them slip all the way to a third-place finish. However, they did go on to win the FA Cup, the club's first major trophy in a very well-documented & much-talked about nine-year drought. Box-to-box midfielder Aaron Ramsey was the revelation of the season, scoring goals in bunches before succumbing to injury on Boxing Day -- he missed three months, but was fit for the FA Cup final, scoring the winning goal in the 109th minute in extra time. New additions this summer: foward/attacking midfielder Alexis Sánchez (£30, Barcelona & Chilean international), right fullback Mathieu Debuchy (£10M, Newcastle & French international), right fullback/center-half/future defensive midfielder Calum Chambers (£12M, Southampton). Sánchez is viewed as another massive signing, again indicating that Wenger & the club are no longer hampered by stadium debt to be paid off. Sánchez is a tricky player with good passing, strength, & shooting, & adds a more dynamic element to the strikeforce. Everton: the other club in Liverpool had a strong season. After losing longtime manager David Moyes to Manchester United, the Toffies signed Roberto Martínez away from Wigan FC (who were relegated in 2012-13), & it proved to be not only solid business, but arguably a managerial upgrade. Martínez brought in an attractive, attacking style that brought both more entertainment and also the club's best finish in the league since 2008-09. USMNT captain Tim Howard has been the goalkeeper for Everton since mid-2006, and is consistently one of the best keepers in the PL. 21-yo Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku, loaned to the club all of last season from Chelsea (who bought him as a 19-yo wunderkind), was signed on a permanent transfer this summer for an Everton-record £28M. Lukaku led the Toffies with 16 goals in all competitions, & the club are banking on him continuing to develop into a star under Martínez's tutelage. Everton qualified for the Europa League (think college hoops's NIT tourney to the Champions League Big Dance), and much like Liverpool, will see their depth tested with much more travel & matches to contend with. Tottenham: Spurs were a club in transition last season, after losing Welsh superstar Gareth Bale on a world-record transfer fee of approximately £85M. The club re-invested that money, spending just north of £100M on seven players. However, that influx seemed to prove too much for André Villas-Boas & his coaching staff to integrate into a smoothly-operating unit. The team sheet fluctuated from week to week, & Spurs struggled to gel. Despite the club indicating that Villas-Boas was a long-term hire (he'd been hired in 2012) & that he'd have time to work with the addition of so many new faces, he was fired after a 5-0 drubbing at home to Liverpool. At that time, the club had taken 27 of a possible 48 points through 16 PL matches (8-3-5 record). The club had been playing inconsistent football, but (even as an Arsenal supporter myself) the termination seemed hasty at best. Spurs won 8 of their next 12, & tallied 26 of a possible 36 points in that span under interim manager Tim Sherwood. From late February through the end of the campaign, Spurs were again quite inconsistent, & finished 6th -- good enough for Europa League qualification, but an underwhelming result for a club that felt a top-4 (& Champions League spot) finish was attainable. Sherwood was fired after the season, & Tottenham may well have started the fleecing of Southampton by signing away Argentinian manager Mauricio Pochettino. French international keeper Hugo Lloris (a summer '13 purchase) returns as arguably Spurs' best player, though I'm very high on attacking/creative mid Christian Eriksen (another summer '13 add). Manchester United: After the failed experiment of fellow Scot David Moyes succeeding the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson, United signed another proven champion in Dutchman (& Dutch national team manager) Louis Van Gaal to try to right the ship. United won the league title an astonishing 13 times in Ferguson's 26-year tenure, as well as notching the Champions League twice & FA Cup five times. Unfortunately for United, the transition to Moyes went poorly -- even an April sacking of Moyes couldn't prevent the club from finishing 7th, & missing Champions League qualification for the first time since the '94-'95 season. They added Spanish international attacking/creative midfielder Juan Mata in the January transfer window last season (for a club record £37M). So far this summer, they've signed left fullback Luke Shaw (£27M, Southampton & English international) & defensive/holding midfielder Ander Herrera (£29M, Athletic Bilbao) Much like Liverpool last season, not being in any European competition could prove a blessing in disguise for Van Gaal's United. They can focus exclusively on the Premier League, & the richest club (in terms of sponsorship revenue) in England should still be able to attract elite talent in the remainder of the summer transfer window. Mourinho was a protégé of & studied under Van Gaal in the late 1990s, & it seems he gleaned much of his media manipulation & arrogance/bravado from the confident Dutchman. Van Gaal will likely look to provoke & prod other clubs & managers through the media, out to gain any mental advantage possible... just as PL fans are familiar with seeing from Mourinho. Southampton: The Saints are well-known as maintaining the best youth academy in England, and young talent that'd been developed through the academy paid in a major way last season. Southampton were relegated from the PL in the '04-'05 season, after a 27-year run in England's top flight. They finally earned promotion back up in '11-'12, stayed up with a 14th place finish in '12-'13, & finished 8th last season. Under Pochettino, they played fluid, exciting, attacking football, & the results were no fluke. If you were a PL fan, but didn't yet have a team, there's a good chance you were drawn to supporting underdogs Southampton. Unfortunately, high-profile success for a club without elite financial resources also means you're likely to see your best players signed away. Chambers (Arsenal), Shaw (Manchester Utd), Lambert, Lallana, & Lovren (all to Liverpool) signed away... not to mention Pochettino (Spurs). Defensive-minded midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin has also been agitating for a move away. In short, congratulations, Saints -- now reload & do it all over again. To spearhead that effort, they've hired another highly-regarded Dutchman who's new to the PL, Ronald Koeman. The exodus of talent is troubling to say the least. However, Southampton's track record with their academy & remaining young talent does mean that Saints supporters don't need to panic just yet. Former Southampton academy products include: Gareth Bale, Theo Walcott, Lallana, Shaw, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, & past legends Matthew Le Tissier & Alan Shearer.

It's been working fine for me (TW Cable, Fox Valley)

WHAT

The problem I have with this argument is that it inherently assumes that no pitchers were using at any point, or that significantly more hitters were using than pitchers all along the way. That just doesn't make sense to me. The HR isn't the only stat that being stronger & more powerful would impact. That is very true. But I think that can be explained by the type of skill used for each. Just like I think a runner would be more likely to get a bigger boost compared to a golfer I think the hitter gets more out of it than the pitcher. I am basing that on the fact scoring was up when PEDs were being used. Both from what they were previously and after. It's just hard to ignore the numbers and the timing of the scoring surge. While there may be some other reasons for it, better relievers, bigger parks and the like, none so closely correlate with the surge in scoring as PED usage does. To me, one possibly overlooked factor is simply that clubs probably focused a lot more on pitching from a scouting standpoint. With lineups 1-8 or 1-9 that could nearly all take you deep, my guess is smart organizations were doubling down on identifying & developing pitching. And almost inherently that would reduce the size of the pool of great hitters. I realize it's just one position, & might only be coincidental & not indicative, but look at 1B across the league. Beyond a club like the Brewers not being able to do much better than Mark Reynolds, there's just not the same offensive depth at that position anymore -- even just compared to pretty recent seasons. Another factor imo is as the pendulum swung back towards the pitching-&-defense side of the spectrum (once more advanced defensive analysis was developed), clubs started valuing defense more than in prior seasons. There was a run of seasons where many clubs (& obv. the Crew were as deep into this as anyone) seemed to be really focusing on the offense they could get at a position, & they viewed the defense as far less impactful... which iirc fit the statistical analysis at the time -- better to get premium offense at a position than premium defense. And clearly the 'scouting' side of the discussion frequently raged against that mentality. Now that there are better ways by which defensive impact is quantified, & that imho years of heavier focuses on pitching development have born fruit at the big-league level, offense is down. I am hard-pressed to believe that a substance like HGH, which primarily helps with recovery time & not as much with muscle growth, wouldn't have a massive impact on pitcher stamina & therefore maintaining success deeper into games & seasons. A starting pitcher's job, to a large extent, is recovery from fatigue. And one final thought is that I think it's setting oneself up for frustration and/or disappointment to view the past season or two as when 'PEDs are no longer being used.' They are alive & well, & as MLB fans, we're watching on a nightly basis guys who are using. I don't have a Mitchell Report or anything in my hands, but we see continued suspensions -- and as others have pointed out, many aren't based on failed tests. If you pay attention to how MLB reporters will talk about PEDs (esp. on Twitter imo) when the subject comes up, they very often cite how prevalent they still are in the league. But again, as others have already underscored in this thread, guys certainly seem to have the ability to beat the testing more often than not. I think it will be very interesting years from now, if/when there's better intel on how many guys were/are using & the 'what?/when?/how?/how much? they were using' questions can be answered, to see what kind of impact PEDs really did have on the game. Even now we still have very little factual evidence, so the sample size is pretty small. I agree that hitters yoking up should lead to higher offense in general, but again I feel confident that a very similar percentage of pitchers were & are using as well.

I admit to not being fully current on the tribulations of that relationship, but I think it's more the case that the Brewers are moving on from the partnership, not the other way around.

The problem I have with this argument is that it inherently assumes that no pitchers were using at any point, or that significantly more hitters were using than pitchers all along the way. That just doesn't make sense to me. The HR isn't the only stat that being stronger & more powerful would impact.