TooLiveBrew

Plus, adding Bonds as DH-only could be good for 2-4 wins... for a team projected to be around .500, you never know what that could mean. Sure, it's way more likely that Det./Cle. or NYY/Bos. come away with the WC at around 90 wins, but you never know in baseball. Some good luck for TB, and some bad luck for the aforementioned four (yes, I know - very unlikely), and you're talking playoffs in TB. Especially when you consider that it'd only be a one-yr. commitment to Bonds for relatively minuscule salary... smart move.

word is that Bonds' agent has been having meetings with the owner of the Tampa Bay Rays. I agree with GAME here - Bonds to TB makes so much sense to me. Besides, even if they signed him to a deal, wouldn't language voiding the contract if any jail time were issued be a no-brainer (& something Bonds couldn't realistically fight)?

Yes - the choice essentially boils down to whether or not you want more runners on base left to drive in for the low-/nil-slugging Kendall... or more runners for Weeks to drive in.

I can't believe the SEPRC was operating with a banned list beyond what the ASA puts out. I pitched/played enough in Madison to tell you that there isn't going to be some miraculous difference. Did SEPRC have some player injuries that were purportedly related to certain bats? I don't understand why they'd not just use ASA's criteria/list.

Since I don't think Weeks will be 'bouncing back' - technically - I'll vote Sheets, then Hall, then Gagne... obv. in that order. That is, those are the guys whose 'bounce-back' I feel will be most important to the team's overall success. Just on a 'I hope he bounces back' in terms of rooting for one particular guy, I'd vote Hall. I also happen to think that a healthy 2008 will be disastrous for P facing Hall. 25-ish HR for Hall is a no-brainer, given a full & healthy season.

And yet somehow these idiots are billionaires There are many examples that money has nothing to do with intelligence or lack thereof. Guys take so much on the first pitch due to the swing in success rates working with a '1-0' v. a '0-1' count... just mho.

So we lose ~17 PA for Kendall with RISP that he could have gotten batting 8th, but we add 33+ baserunners ahead of Weeks. Interesting breakdown, sbryl. Thanks - that really puts it into perspective. TLB--i still think it awkward to bat the pitcher 8th. and as for yost i suscribe to the keep it simple theory. Akward or not, if it generates what sbryl describes/approximates, I'm all for giving it a shot. Btw, we couldn't agree more on keeping it simple for Yost...

Hopefully somewhere between the dominance he was as a Dodger and how solid he was as a Ranger. I couldn't agree more. anyone know how he went from 16 saves and a good ERA in Texas to just getting lit up in Boston? Small sample of 18 2/3 IP in Boston.

I think some advocates of OBP-only player analysis would rather have every hitter take two strikes before taking the bat off his shoulders... Who argues this? No one out there is literally operating with "OBP-only player analysis" to my knowledge. OBP will take care of itself if hitters have good pitch selection and react to pitches rather than trying to outhink or outguess a pitcher. 100% agreed, as would most proponents of OBP-heavy lineups, imho. Adam Dunn draws tons of BBs due to a keen eye at the plate, power that pitchers fear, and taking tons of pitches. There aren't that many like him. Most guys that draw plenty of BBs do so due directly to your listed approach. Todd Helton is a fantastic example (imo) of this quoted approach.

They captured Ned's pissed-off tone quite well. Funny read. "The fact is, our bullpen could blow a hundred games this year and we'd still win the division. We still have math on our side." I don't think that particular (real-world, not this fictional one) quote will ever let Ned relax. What an odd thing to say.

As I mentioned, lots of the big market teams are pretty well set with arms. Obviously, there will still be a need - but I don't see a bidding war breaking out. Really? I certainly see his services instigating a bidding war if he throws north of 150 IP in 2008. What big market team are you talking about that wouldn't seriously improve their SP situation by adding Ben? He's so good that you sign him first, and worry about what to do with your Mussinas, Schmidts, Wakefields, & Perez-es later. As I posted earlier, I can't think of a big market that wouldn't have room for Ben in their rotation. In my mind, he is either past his nagging injuries...or never will be. Bingo. If I were in any kind of situation to sign Sheets after '08, the injuries he's had wouldn't hinder my evaluation in the least. Look at how much Jason Schmidt got from a contender - with much bigger injury questions (that happened to re-surface painfully) than Ben.

Capuano makes more sense for the 'pen than Bush imo... simply due to Bush's well-documented struggles in his first IP of outings & pitching from the stretch. I fell really good about Gagne, I think he will be back to Dodger form this season for us. I think it's a much better bet to expect what he did in Texas... in a hitter's park, than it would be to forecast the WOAHs he had in Boston. I think the LAD Gagne is gone forever... lost amidst a pile of empty syringes, but who knows? Maybe nasty Gagne wasn't dependent upon PEDs... we'll find out, I guess.

If Sheets can throw even 150 successful innings, his price will probably be too steep for the Crew (save a hometown discount). I can't think of one team in MLB that wouldn't be improved by adding Benny. BOS, NYY, NYM, ATL, PHI, LAD, LAA, man... this guy could end up anywhere.

I love seeing Ned think outside the box. I couldn't agree more. I think the Brewers, given their lineup, need to be north of 75% for stealing bases to be a worthwhile endeavor. Ok, and all the guys I listed are north of 75%, save Hart's rate, which is skewed by his 2006 numbers. His 23/30 rate from 2007 is right in line with what he did in the minors. Braun is obviously right at 75% for MLB, but I'm clearly talking about more than just MLB. Hart & Weeks will both be comfortably over 75%, Cameron has run with a success rate well over 75% in his MLB career (364 total attempts). Braun is our only question mark, and even his college & minor-league success tells us 75+% success is right in line with how he's stolen bases. so lets keep the pitcher 9th and not try to turn this into a circus. A circus? I mean no offense by this, but you seem to be the only one investing this much weight into the discussion. If it's mathematically worth trying, why worry about whether or not it's worth the effort? What I can tell from the studies you cited, it seems the 8th/9th debate is - at worst - an even split... with a very realistic possibility that batting the P 8th is an improvement (albeit small). So if it gets you even the slightest advantage to bat the P 8th, why not entertain an idea that can improve your chances to win? To argue that it's 'too much' for fans that one lineup slot has been changed just isn't a good enough reason imho, if it can help you better compete. If you find it doesn't help, and in fact hurts, no harm in switching back. I'd rather the manager give it a shot, on the outside/small chance it can aid winning.

Pretty crazy but I guess they are on the west coast where it is "only" 11 pm. It seems pretty stupid to me to make guys race this late. Live on said west coast, and I was shocked when the 10pm news anchor announced that they were pre-empting the NASCAR with their broadcast. My only guess is that it'd be really expensive to shut it all down tonight, and then get everything back up & running tomorrow. Stupid to not wait 'til tomorrow.

Sure, but Choate's a LHP. If Colon was legitimately one of the best SP options out there, I guarantee you Melvin will shortly begin (if he hasn't already) taking offers on Bush/Cap/Vargas.

I'm all for starting TGJ in CF if he hits HRs every time at bat http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif -- I just don't think it is likely. Outside of situational circumstances, the idea of Braun, Weeks and whomever else running, does not seem like a great risk/reward payoff. I think 66% is sort of the accepted break-even point for the average MLB team when they attempt to steal -- given the Brewers bats, I'd bet the success rate probably needs to be over 80% for it to make sense. FtJ, each of Weeks, Hart, & Braun have sustained SB success rates north of 75% prior to, and basically including MLB. Not sure where the super-skepticism comes from. I hope Yost doesn't set up lineups to maximize SBs. Me too.

I'm shocked, and disappointed, that Brevard County did not already have this. For shame!

the voices in my head tell me that the Crew value the draft pick(s) we receive very highly, and view injury risks along with competing offers... enjoy him in '08, unless we get a hometown discount.

Let Homer Bailey just throw this year - pitch counts... they're like OBP. Some of these guys are throwing pitches so efficiently, they're not really just throwing anymore.

It's like striped bass fishing...

If Braun can run as efficiently as Rickie & Corey, I'm all for them stealing. As long as you're getting caught less than or equal to one of four times, groovy. The funny thing to me is that with how efficiently Weeks steals bases, he's really only going to have to attempt 35 or so to hit 30 SB. Corey's not far behind, and Braun's the one I'd rather not see run into a lot of outs... or just really running much at all. Unless he can maintain the success rate he's had since Miami... guess he might be just as likely to be over 75% success.

But I noticed that he is the kind of guy who wears his nametag around his neck even when he owns the team! As a team owner, he could terrorize any employee who fails to recognize him and prevents him from wandering where he will. But he doesn't do that. Great point, brewizard! http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/laugh.gif Gotta love the guy for that. Apologies if this has been posted already... from the Brewers' website: Attanasio sees good things on horizon "Then I just [told them] that I always dreamed of owning a baseball team, and then, when I owned a baseball team, I always dreamed of this day," Attanasio said. "Spring Training is always great and full of hope, but we've got the team to this point ... where we've got fans lining up [for tickets]. We were on CNN today because we had fans lining up in zero degree temperatures, camping out since Tuesday. We have a huge amount of emotion in the community. And we have a team that's really good. That's what I always dreamed of happening." It's pretty much been a best-case scenario for all parties since Mark's group took over the Brewers. Don't know if I can come up with a better reason than that!

most teams do things in a similiar fashion because it has been tried and true. Except that it's oftentimes just perception that it's "true", as opposed to reality. Like the CP use.

The odds of JK hewing closer to his 2007 numbers, seem much more likely than JK reverting neatly back to what he was, years ago. If, by "years", you exclude "two years" ago, then yes. But if you're more fair-minded, well, a huge improvement over Estrada's offensive numbers can be expected. "Way back in prehistoric times, kids - 2006! - [crowd of children: "Ooooooohhh"] Jason Kendall put up the line of .295/.367/.342. He posted this all while spending half of his season in one of the worst hitters' parks in all of MLB. Luckily our archaeologists were able to uncover this historical gem from tar pits near Oakland!"