TooLiveBrew

However, that was 197 PA, which is about 15% of his career PA. And pretty much the only PA he's had while healthy at MLB. Why do people continue to choose to ignore this?

The Doug Melvin-led CIA negotiates with Randy Choate, but not terrorists. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

With 8 potential starters and only 5 spots in a rotation, we could have up to 3 starting-caliber pitchers who are in the BP at any given time. This should help out a great deal in middle & long relief. If a starter implodes and only lasts 4 innings, we might have the option of bringing in a guy from the BP for 4 or 5 innings, which would keep the late inning arms fresh. That's a good point, and welcome aboard! http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

I read somewhere that Garth Brooks Chris Gaines has challenged Billy Crystal to an ol' fashioned batting-practice-off!

Moneyball - there's some rule specification if you've been in MLB for X amount of time that you have to be exposed to waivers to be optioned down - even if you have options left. FTC has it right, iirc: "if Cappy or Bush would be claimed by a team (either one would easily be claimed by several teams), the Brewers would have to revoke the option and keep them on their 25-man roster for the rest of the year to keep from losing them and getting nothing in return"

I'm going to go out on a limb and believe that Cappy's 2007 had to do with bad luck & poor support (run & bullpen) much moreso than his inner demons. Did you just completely contradict yourself, or was this sarcasm? Interesting indeed since there is absolutely no correlation between what individuals do and what groups of individuals do.

Interesting indeed since there is absolutely no correlation between what individuals do and what groups of individuals do. That was precisely my point. You're using team results to establish that Cappy's suddenly caught 'the losing gene.'

its ST, you shouldn't go plowing into a catcher just like you shouldn't go spikes up(you should never go spikes up anyway). ST is for guys to get fielding practice see live pitching, get ready for the season and get out of there without injury. I couldn't agree more with this. I'm not defending the Yankees' retaliation as ethical, but the notion that one play was just a part of the game (RS - yes, ST - no way) & the other was just a no-class play... I can't buy that.

If you don't want to get run over, DON'T BLOCK THE PLATE. It's baseball 101, and you're asking a guy who may not ever get another chance to make a club to give himself up there? It's ST. Players look out for each other - how many other teams have bowled the C mulitple times this ST? As for the Villy reference, it was an example of a comparable (as in, non-top-flight) 'prospect', just since I don't think Salome is quite comparable yet... should've used Angel, but it's so much semantics I didn't think it mattered. The irony in all this is that Girardi had talked with one of his players (honestly, iirc I think it was Duncan) earlier in ST about this. The player had specifically asked Girardi how to handle a situation where you'd bowl the C in the regular season, and Girardi told him point-blank that you just flat-out don't do that in ST... oh but I guess Girardi 'would totally bowl the C every time', huh? (yes, Goph, I know you didn't make that claim) you don't necessarily have time -- when you're running full blast and 10 feet from the plate -- to say, "Well, it's only spring training, so maybe I should let up." Except that it's pretty common baseball protocol to not plow guys in ST. Any and i repeat any player in that kids position would do the same thing. This may your only chance to make an impression on the major league manager. Hustle and determination like that will get you noticed. Well it certainly will on the TB Rays, aka the toughest sumguns in all of the old west! The most hard-nosed ST team you'll ever see. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/eyes.gif This notion that the guy did this 'to make the ballclub' doesn't hold any water to me. If your manager evaluates talent poorly enough where he needs to see you plow a kid in the 8th inning of a ST game to notice you, I'm glad he's not my manager. Either that or you're just not a very talented baseball player.

Yes, because he had bad run support. After awhile it doesn't matter how you lose--only that you keep losing--just ask the Bucks. Interesting that you point to a team as your example while using team stats to evaluate an individual pitcher.

and posters actually want Melvin to lie. Yes.. about trade negotiations, where you are supposed to do your best to conceal your hand.

Ah - I see. I definitely agree with you on that... though to be fair it probably is a good rule of thumb though to expect that a bigger athlete (obv. not like Frank Thomas big) would be better suited to play the position. Beckham is a sturdily-built young man - I don't know if he played football in HS or not, but it wouldn't shock me if he was a RB or something. I like what you said about just how good his bat speed through the zone is. Both of the HR I saw him hit were squared up perfectly, and both were to the LF side of the OF, which obviously demonstrates that he can get around on the ball.

Can ulcers make you puke?

His 1st inning problems may be a combination of him facing the opposition's best hitters and pitching from the stretch if runners are on base for the meat of an order. I hadn't thought of that. I'm not good with numbers, but I wonder if there's something to that.

But the Rays have been after this 'tough guy' thing before the collision with Cervelli. To display this lack of respect for the men who play the game during ST is despicable imo... but something tells me we won't agree. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

I was an jerk I guess because I found it amusing the insane amount of trade proposals on this board involving these two and I can't be the only one Did I call you a jerk? And as far as media reports of possible trade rumors http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/laugh.gifhttp://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/laugh.gif The majority of trade rumors out there from the media have zero substance behind them at all. But your guarantee that no one is going to try to net any of our SPs does? You can't be serious to claim that your shot-in-the-dark comment has as much legitimacy as reporting by beat-writers who are around the teams every day.

People lower their shoulder in an attempt to knock the catcher off-kilter and score all the time Not in ST they don't. Refresh that scenario... it's Villanueva covering the plate. Thoughts?

This biggest knock on Beckham seems to be his size (listed 6', but most seem to agree that he's a few inches shy of that mark), almost as though people don't want to believe that he might just be for real. Beckham is 5'10"-5'11" at the most. No joke - it's not that people don't want to believe as much as it is that people just don't believe... that he's a 6-footer (because he's not). Remember when Prince was 6'0"? http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

It's "Cameron", and the insinuation that the collision wasn't anything but brutal is ridiculous. http://i.a.cnn.net/si/2005/writers/pete_mcentegart/09/16/ten.spot/p1_cameron.jpg http://assets.espn.go.com/media/mlb/2005/0811/photo/r_beltran_275.jpg http://mlb.mlb.com/images/2005/08/11/2PXRNroO.jpg "Cameron broke his nose, had multiple fractures of both cheekbones and a concussion." -- MSNBC story "Cameron was disabled because of multiple injuries and will need surgery to repair facial fractures. Beltran was diagnosed with a concussion and a minimally non-displaced fracture of a facial bone, which will not require surgery." -- Mets' website recap http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/images/2005/08/11/lHTcF4Hu.jpg That would be Cameron.

This one time, at major-league camp...

It's funny to me how you don't hear much of the Rays bowling over Yankees catching prospect Francsico Cervelli last week in the 8th inning of a ST game on a dirtball play, breaking the kid's wrist (he's out a month).? Or no mention how all the TB players sounded off like their wanna-be tough guy manager who basically said, 'It's hardball.'? Well, Maddon & Rays, guess this is 'just hardball', huh? "Four days after Carl Crawford barreled over a catcher on a play at the plate, Elliot Johnson lowered his shoulder and floored New York Yankees catcher Francisco Cervelli in the Rays' 4-1 victory on Saturday. Cervelli broke his right wrist while making the tag, and Yankees manager Joe Girardi was angry with the aggressive play. 'I think it's uncalled for,' Girardi said. 'Spring training, you're going to get people hurt, and that's what we got. We got Cervelli hurt.' - Ocala.com story I just can't get too upset about the Rays playing trash baseball (in a vain attempt to say 'Yeeeea!? We're tough!') and receiving trash in kind.? Do unto others... This is something that probably wouldn't have happened under Torre and seems to represent a new direction under Girardi--even if it is only spring training IMO this has nothing to do with Torre/Girardi.? Very different managerial styles, yes... but I'd be pissed if this happened to Salome a year or two from now and our squad didn't have anything to say about it later on.? This is flat-out the bed the Rays made.? If you play with no class, expect none in return. EDIT: Yea, that was the 8th inning of a ST game... lowered his shoulder to hit the kid as hard as he could when a hook slide was probably the best chance to score.? You stay classy Tampa Bay!

Nice reflexes, blingster! It's really cool to see that... sounds like there are some nice nuances/touches for '08. EDIT: Just saw the The Show '08 commercial where Ryan Howard is talking about how he 'used to hit rocks over a creek in his backyard'... Prince gets one of the game shots used in the clip montage for the 2d half of the commercial. It's pretty much right away, and fleeting, but I couldn't even tell you if I ever could have envisioned a Brewers player in a video game commercial.

and because Carlos Lee is an elite defensive OF. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/laugh.gif

cj answered what was basically my same exact question ( http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif ) in the College Resource thread. Or, more specifically, I asked if he felt Beckham would translate his power to wooden bats... to which cj responded that Beckham led the Cape Cod league (wood bats) in HR & RBI this past year. As for his fielding, I'm not so sure. I know cj was 'wowed' by some plays that Beckham made v. Oregon State a couple weekends back, but I have no idea about consistency there.

Personal observation. He butchered a number of ball in RF last year in limited chances. Moving to CF doesn't make things any easier. I just don't think Gross is any real downgrade in the OF. He's a fluid athlete with a strong arm, and he's comfortable in the OF. Is he a top-tier defender? No. But he's certainly not some butcher. Besides, Hart is more than capable of playing any of the 3 OF spots.