TooLiveBrew

The Cubs played over their heads for that stretch imo. Maybe not by a ton, but I don't think it's a good bet to use that record to predict 2008. In addition to Fukudome, the one obvious change in their lineup is having Soto for the full season. Unfortunately for the Cubs, Soto has no way to replicate his ridiculous BABIP from 2007. They're still probably going to get better production from the C spot that the Brewers, but Soto is probably not going to be the star in 2008 that many are convinced he already is.

Nothing, Patrick. Plus, Fukudome's not much more than a lateral move from the RF production they had in 2007, so you could make the case that the Cubs haven't really improved themselves at all. Zambrano, Lilly, Dempster, Hill, Marquis. That's great news for the Brewers.

or do you lose McClung on waivers for a pittance of what he could bring? McClung wouldn't bring much of/if anything.

Works now. Wow. I'm seeing the number '2002' flash in front of my eyes repeatedly.

They don't need offense from the post since any of their guards can drive to the rim and Lazar is kinda a tweener. The problem I saw from this season was their tendency to kick out & rely on the 3, though, as opposed to actually going to the rim. I know they do go to the rim, but not nearly as much (from what I watched) as they opt to kick. When you rely on the trey, your offense instantly has an achilles heel, obviously. Couple that with a lack of a solid post game, and that's an offense with some holes in it. Crean likes the wing-oriented offense, to be sure, though.

Yeah I would -- Except I pretty much run around and shoot my own guys and then get lost. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/laugh.gif Sound like me playing laser tag.

Sure he can still play CF. You're probably right here - I think I overstated that. To rephrase, I think that Lofton's diminished range and lack of any arm strength (he did used to have a decent arm iirc) make him an average to below-average CF candidate. His OBP plays nicely as a part of a CF platoon, but I think many contending teams have a superior and/or cheaper option (such as Gross).

Giambi, Abreu, Mussina, Pavano, Posada? Jeter, A-Rod, Wang, Hughes, Chamberlin, Kennedy, Cano, Cabrera? Sure, the Yanks have some overpaid vets, but Stein's been operating that way for decades now. The Yanks are younger than Boston overall this season, iirc. I'd be hard-pressed to think the Rays will be a more potent team than the Brewers all while playing in a much tougher division. THeir bullpen is absolutley horrid, and outside of Kazmir, and SHields, their rotation is pretty bad. But they have some young arms MLB-ready or near-MLB-ready, and seem willing to plug them in sooner rather than later.

Not that I don't believe you, but according to what? What GM's have expressed this? I think the fan/observer can look at Carlos's BB rates/totals and see why there's some cause for concern. As for Vargas looking good in ST, can we really take that as anything more than a guy facing lesser competition?

No he doesn't hit for power, but that isn't what this team needs. He's had thousands of ABs in the minors, and has not shown much at all in terms of OBP skills.

A few years back, a great friend of mine saw someone pulling up into a handicapped spot without a handicap plate. He, being the outgoing & good-spirited guy he is, said, 'I'm going to go up & say something.' He got up to the driver's side (summertime, so her window was down), and said something to the effect of, 'Excuse me, [why are you parking here if you're not disabled]?' I wasn't close enough to hear her response, but I could certainly see her as she climbed halfway out of the door, pulling her wheelchair behind her. Whoops! - btw, her liscence plate read "WHEELS" - shoulda seen that comin'! http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/laugh.gif Classic.

I just want to suggest one amendment... Bubble Boys Bush TGJ Torres Sheets Shouse ....and of course the ultimate polarizing player, Russell the Muscle. Russell the Muscle Boys Branyan http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

Linkage no worky.

Wow - this cannot go unnoticed! http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif Also, Tommy Gyumm.

McClung pitched well for the Brewers last year Given that it was only 12 IP, and that his GB% & LD% were way off career norms, I'd say it's more that Seth got pretty lucky with us last year. 3.8 BB/9 is not good in any way. who am I as some dude on the internet to question that? http://whatthecrap.files.wordpress.com/2007/11/dude.jpg The Automator, man.

The quality of American reporting is pretty poor. If I want objective news I prefer the BBC. Amen. And also... Rocco Baldelli. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

My son loves battlefront, and I will play cooperatively with him. You need to rachet that up to "competitively" and PUT HIM IN HIS PLACE! http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

I just can't buy that it got that much better in the six days that he was down there. It had to be some combination of mental and physical problems dogging him in June and July. Google "Rickie Weeks wrist injury" or "Rickie Weeks injury". The scar tissue was cleared out almost literally to the day the docs predicted a year prior when Rickie had the surgery. There's no coincidence involved.

Great, he's 41 years old, and he's not a great defensive OF'er any longer, but he still is coming off a season in which he hit .296 with a .367 OBP and 23 stolen bases. Yes, but he can't play CF anymore, thus making his offensive contribution even less impactful. He's the RH 'no power' portion of a LF platoon. My guess as to why he's unsigned by any contending team is that there are plenty of guys that teams already have that can out-produce him. He's not worth much more than maybe $2+ mil., but I agree with pogo that an incentive-laden deal would probably work best for Kenny & any prospective employer.

Sincerely, Dr. Mike Marshall FtJ, thanks for that -- I actually was just going to post about Marshall - first thing that popped into my head. For those interested, there are some really intriguing videos out there on Marshall's pitching motion... and basically how he's been laughed off for years now.

I heart Classy Cappy. Dang, Chris. We're pulling for you, buddy. http://mlb.mlb.com/images/2006/11/08/VzGH2BpP.jpg

To whom it may concern: Being an avid baseball fan, I have seen a lot of backlash in refrence to an article written by your very own Kevin Hench. Hench felt it appropriate to lambaste Rocco Baldelli for injuries. Baldelli only two days before Hench released his rant, went public with details of a disease he contracted. Hench's disregard to check facts, and take child like pot shots at someone is not tolerable in my mind. I would have thought that by now your site would have removed the poorly timed and inappropriate article. You have not. Is there an oversight on the part of Fox Sports? Do you care about such remarks? I am disappointed in your organization. I would very much like to see Hench apologize to Baldelli and the Tampa Bay Baseball Club. I would also feel that Hench should face disciplinary action. I will no longer visit your site if these kind of attacks continue. Jamie Siegel Director Public Relations Brewerfan.net Bravo, brewerjamie. Very well done. If we're talking sitcom weather women, Hillary Banks, ya'll. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

SWEET PEPPER & EGG SANDWICH... AND ONE!

"Brewers counting on vegetarian Fielder in meat of order" "His wife, Chanel, is an avid reader, and anyone who has seen Prince, at 5-11 and a solid 270 pounds, knows he's probably no stranger to the kitchen. This book, though? Listen. Here's betting that if something called Skinny Bitch, the best-seller written by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin, was sitting on your kitchen counter, you'd page through it, too. 'I'll be honest,' Fielder says. 'If that wasn't the title, I probably wouldn't have looked at it. I was like, 'What is this?' ... 'He has everyone in here recycling bottles,' Brewers third baseman Bill Hall says. That idea came not only from the Discovery Channel, but also from viewing Al Gore's Academy Award-winning movie, An Inconvenient Truth. 'I just looked in the trash and saw so much plastic, it made me feel bad," Fielder says. "I figured, at least I can start with myself. Because I crush water. I drink it all the time. ... ...[W]hen he belted his first spring home run last week, his reaction ranged far more toward amusement than relief. 'Everyone was saying how many home runs would I hit as a vegetarian,' Fielder says. 'I told the guys when I got back to the dugout, 'Hey, guys, I'm OK! I'm still hitting home runs even if I'm not eating meat!' Trainer Roger Caplinger and strength coach Chris Joyner have spoken with him, emphasizing the danger of protein and iron deficiencies in a non-meat diet. ... His preferences run from black beans and rice to Boca burgers, the soy-based, meatless patties that substitute for his once-beloved cheeseburgers. What he's noticed so far is that he seems to have more energy and that his skin feels a better. 'I don't preach to people,' Fielder says. 'I don't want to make them uncomfortable. When people who don't know offer me meat, I just say, 'No thanks.' The irony of a young star -- and this young star in particular -- going vegetarian in this city isn't quite as entertaining as Fielder's spot-on imitations of dozens of batting stances (Mo Vaughn and David Ortiz are two of his finest that keep the Brewers' clubhouse in stitches). But it's certainly different. ... Fielder has honed that over the years and, his curiosity is wide-ranging. Mixed in with his offensive production in 2007 were 14 errors, most of any NL first baseman. This spring, in addition to watching what he eats, he's logging many more hours on the back fields with infield coach Dale Sveum. 'He's asked more questions than any young player I've ever been around,' says Sveum, who is especially working with Fielder on improving the big man's footwork." Prince crushes water. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/laugh.gif That cracked me up. It's appalling to me that a MLB clubhouse wasn't recycling, but great for Prince to be the one to take initiatve. A neat read, shedding some more light on Prince's lifestyle change. I hope someday we can see these batting stance impressions! Oh - and one nugget from Yost: "On a scale of one to 10, he's a 10," Brewers manager Ned Yost says. "I've met very few players who are a 10, but he's a 10. He's very special.

The guy's a good defender, you guys make it seem like he's not allowed to mess up. But what frustrates is when he takes his own athletic ability to defend (meant as a compliment) out of the play by being a bone-head. He's not a consistent defender, which to me instantly takes him out of running for being called "a good defender." He's capable of being a good defender, but is far too inconsistent imo. He doesn't hurt his team on D overall, but he's above-average at best imo.