TooLiveBrew

It's terrible. One thing I've been hoping & wishing for is to somehow get myself a job working on those player skill ratings. It just seems like they craft players' hitting talent to fit roughly what they did in the season prior. Just look at Braun's talent v. LHP -- he's maxed out or nearly so in both contact & power. No consideration that what he did v. LHP in 2007 isn't sustainable for anyone, just slap those talent ratings on him. I've felt for a couple years now that if you just used the TangoTiger fan scouting reports, you'd get way more accurate talent ratings than the studios provide (clearly not perfect). I've just been grateful that recently the games started allowing you to modify the talent ratings. The first thing I do when I get the new The Show is to go through the rosters & 'normalize' them. Sure, I'm bound to make plenty of mistakes & also miss some guys, but it's sure a heckuva lot more accurate than the factory settings. TangoTiger Scouting Report By the Fans For the Fans

In 2006 we really didn't have much of a shot given our injuries, yet we went out and got Cordero which was a huge need for us at the time. Wasn't this more due to Carlos Lee turning down our low offer than going out & getting a closer?

EDIT: sent PM instead of clogging up the vent thread

I offered to pay a little bit late before he told me he didnt want me there anyways (I know it sounds like I mustve did something wrong that he didnt want me to stay there, but honestly that is not the case) It sounds like you managed to luck into a total jerkwad for a landlord. I'm sorry to hear that -- that sucks. In my experience, they're way more common than you'd hope. One thing you seem to have going for you, though, is that he doesn't appear to know his way around the legal stuff all that well. What landlord would want to target just one person when you've had contact with the other on the lease, & haven't let her out of the lease? I mean, if the ex-gf had just gone AWOL, then it's a different story. It seems like he's willfully & maliciously targeting you, when he should be focusing on both names on the lease. Maybe I'm the one that has it all wrong, though.

I can't check at work but that has got to be one of the last pure basestealing teams in baseball that finished with 200+ team steals. I can't think of any since, off the top of my head. The 2007 Mets stole exactly 200 (81.3% rate). It's like searching through a pile of legos for one particular piece -- ask someone walking past you to help find it, and they find it right away. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif I didn't recall the Mets doing that either. Anyway, for the rest since 1992: '93 Expos stole 228 (80.3%) '96 Rockies - 201 (75.3%) That's it. In '96 the Royals stole 195 (69.6%) -- I think this was the closest to 200 but not equal/greater than since 1992.

If your ex moved out and you had someone ready to move in to pay the rent the landlord pretty much has to allow it unless the person is some sort of convicted felon. If he doenst allow it then he can let you out of the lease but he cant have it both ways. That's good to hear. I often get frustrated with the balance of what's 'legal/illegal' v. what's 'just/unjust' Best of luck to you gbpacker40.

Theriot's FanGraphs stats page

True. Mainly because I don't believe it "adds" much if anything. Then why bother researching anything about this at all? You already 'know' the answer. It seems like it's pretty pointless to argue whether or not it's "working" when you're probably gonna have to reserve that judgement for a whole season sample size. It'd be hard to figure one way or another until we're much farther into the season, if not all the way into Sept. Great point.

Great to hear, MH! The video didn't work for me... just stayed at 'Your video is loading' -- do you have to register at the website to view video? Of course, I could just be the only one that has this problem.

Let's say that one day, Notre Dame changes their nickname to not offend the Irish. Would there be a lot of pissed off fans? Absolutely. Would every Irish person in the country jump right on the season ticket waiting list, and watch the Notre Dame Wildcats play every Saturday? Doubtful. The mascot, not team name for Cleveland is the offensive part, whereas with Wash. it's the name & not the logo (imo). I don't think the nickname "Irish" is akin to "Redskins" -- it'd have to be more like "Drunken Micks", which personally (Irish is the largest slice of my heritage) would bug the crap out of me.

This alone pretty much convinces me that the pitcher at 8 strategy is poor if Hardy is going to be hit there. But you haven't checked to see what batting Kendall 9th has added. You can't arrive at any sort of conclusion without analyzing both sides of the coin.

Stumbled across this today, and couldn't not post it here: http://www.thebanburygroup.com/bringbackreghi/images/caucasians_tile.jpg

That's an interesting approach, jazzytrav. I know what 'worked' for me was to write things out -- I'd set out to make study guides, but what really helped me remember the material was the act of creating them. Then, sure, I'd use them to review, but that was their second most-helpful function for me. For whatever reason (perhaps the same that jazzytrav had), that different act of repetition seemed to work.

So happy to hear it!

A .275/.325/.375 player? His minor league line is .279/.329/.395/.724 -- I don't think his current career line is very far from what he'll do. I know you know how I feel about Cedeno... I just don't understand why you think Cubs fans are fortunate.

I've loved posting on this board since the day I was tipped off to it -- most here have probably been here longer than me. The frustration with the slow start to this season has begun to manifest itself in some ugly ways, and that has certainly led to me getting frustrated. I apologize for the argumentative stance in the Vent thread (& in general; if you've read around, I'm sure you've encountered that elsewhere). All the stress at BF.net's forums has been getting to me lately, so this is my new approach. I know you love them, and I hope you know I love them. They're the Brewers. I understand people being frustrated & pessimistic right now; I just sometimes wish optimism were better-received. I know (at least I think I do) that this team has enough talent to make the postseason. Even when your entire team is 100% consistent & you don't lose any player, let alone Yovani Gallardo, to injury, you can miss the playoffs. That's the biggest thing I've learned here. I'm a total amathematical being, but I've learned that the best a team can do is play their odds. Even with Gallardo & Sheets for 35+ starts, this team could wind up finishing 2nd in the Central & out of the playoffs. What's the maximum possibility any given 'top' team can win the WS in a given season, 20%? Just looking at recent winners shows you that fluky WS champs are not only plausible -- they're downright common. All DM & Co. can do is gather as much talent as they think they can afford, try to find them the right spots to play, and then roll the dice. This team is not 'done', this team is not a bunch of underachievers... This team started 5-1 &, imo, we felt affirmed. 15-11 at the end of April seemed a bit frustrating, but 'ok.' Now, 2-6 in the last 8, it's like a cancellation of that 5-1 high. Here's what's important to me right now: we've had a hot streak. We've had a cold streak. In between, the Brewers have played 9-9. Really, the only regular hitters to get hot are Hart & Kendall... maybe Cameron. The rest are far enough below what we can be relatively certain are their true talent levels, that it's just playing the best odds to think that they'll heat up at the plate. With that reasonable assumption (not certainty), I think we're much more likely to start going 10-8 & 12-6 in those 'middle 18' games. This offense is for real, and we haven't even been lucky enough to see it clicking yet. Silver lining: the best is yet to come this season.

Sorry, moved the post. That's why the thread exists and it's not in the Statistical Analysis forum, because when fans vent, it's usually emotion based and those venting didn't feel like checking a few graphs or spread sheets before venting some frustration. Plus, it's not like there is a shortage of other threads where you can do just what you say you'd rather do, just talk baseball without all the frustrations that are guaranteed to exists in any vent thread on a sports forum. Good points... very true. The pure emotion here gets in the way of objectivity at times. I have a hard time with that, but need to live & let live.

Actually the Brewers of the late 80s and early 90s were pretty good. I have very fond memories of that era. I was too young for the magic of the early 80s, but that core of players RyDogg points to just makes me close my eyes & return to County Stadium... with a smile.

A HOF catcher...regardless of the actual votes. Blyleven isn't in either, so I think some voters are clueless, but in my opinion, he's a HOF catcher. Amen to that. I think all the frustrations that pop up in debates on players involving counting stats probably have played a role in Ted's ridiculous non-induction. If Ted Simmons isn't a HoFer, we need new HoF standards.

The whole premise of the article is the 'disaster' of letting Gagne still close? Not sure what to make of that. According to Schoenfield, Eric is in a "career crisis" http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/eyes.gif

One of my favorite things to do regarding baseball is to talk to a Cubs fan (one that you know, trust, &/or love... yes this is possible) about Prince Fielder. They fear him. It oozes out of their pores. All of our concerns about him (save defense) as Brewers fans are negated by the sheer crapiness this young man makes Cubs fans feel each time he steps into the batter's box. If you haven't tried it, be sure to ask a Cub fan you know &/or love how they genuinely feel when he comes up to bat. It'll make you feel better, if only for a while.

But if you're arguing that Rickie Weeks is head and shoulders above someone, then that someone is not a good baseball player. I think you have summed up Kaz Matsui fairly well. Fielder 2006 110 2007 156 2008 111 Berkman 2006 163 2007 131 2008 187 Yeah, I guess I must be delusional to think 163, 131 and 187 are better than 110, 156, and 111. Must be my jerked knee interfering with my vision. Must be, since you fail to note that Berkman out performed a 22-y-o (hardly shocking), then got outdone by a 23-y-o (incredibly surprising, given Berkman's talent)... and then you're using roughly 100 AB to try to make some form of definitive statement. I know it's 'fun' and all to bash the Crew right now, especially when you leave out relevant details like the fact that both StL & Hou are playing way over their heads & the Brewers are well under theirs. Apparently, that's not a sign that things are likely to get grooving soon for the Brewers... it's a sign that every good player on the Brewers forgot how to be good! Where's my 'sky is falling' cap?!

Sheesh -- thanks don. I think I'm going to go take some more 'alcohol' and lie down. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

The only thing there's no way around is the knee-jerk reactions & selective usage of stats lately. 2008 is Rickie's first (hopefully) full healthy season -- so ask yourself if it's wise to ignore the fact that he was just a step back from elite at 2B in 2007... even with a wrist injury holding him back all but the final two months of the season. If you think Prince isn't already a more dangerous hitter than 32-y-o Lance Berkman at this stage in his career, I don't think you could be convinced of anything you don't already believe.

not a good team. And if winning tradition helps propel a team to the World Series, then the Brews can fold it up right now. Luckily this has nothing to do with anything. They're 75-85 since last year's 24-10 start. So now people are going to combine two different sets of players & claim it tells us something? I feel like my head's about to explode.