RockCoCougars

I'd rather see Hairston hitting 2 with Morgan in the 8 hole personally. Have to get people on base for Braun and Fielder. Given how Morgan has played in this series, I'd have been very tempted to give Gomez another start today. Just a hunch, but he's the type of guy who could come up huge in a situation like this.

This shark was jumped as soon as the iron was placed on the first t-shirt for the 'Fan Zone'.

I don't get the argument that Arizona has nothing to lose, I've seen that one a lot. They have just as much at stake as the Brewers. This isn't a situation similar to '08 where the Cubs really had nothing to lose. I doubt if either team is 'loose' despite what they are saying. I think that the first few innings are going to be very telling. If one of the teams gets out to a lead, it will be much easier for them to relax, vice-versa if one team falls behind it will be very easy to press and get frustrated. Bottom line, if these guys want to bury the ghost of the '82 team, they need to step it up. That team was loved because they won when their backs were to the wall. This game reminds me so much of the game 162 at Memorial Stadium, but those guys had even worse mojo going. On the road, lost three in two days to the Orioles and going up against Jim Palmer in Earl Weaver's possible final game. Talk about momentum.... Prince or Braun need to set the tone early like Robin did that day.

Momentum is your starting pitcher for the day, always has been. This is generally the case for the most part. I think the day off and travel killed most of the momentum that AZ was riding. If the Brewers were in one of their pattented horrible hitting slumps scoring 1 or 2 runs a game, I'd be more concerned about momentum. If Braun and/or Prince can play like an MVP today, I'm feeling good.

The roof should have been open for all three games. I complained loudly about the first two, but I can actually agree with keeping it closed today because of noise. I'm not completely sold that noise makes a big difference in baseball, but I hear the argument. Hopefully someone from Arizona doesn't hit a 3 or 4 run jack in the first inning or two to render that moot. In the end though, this is Wisconsin. If someone can't sit outdoors in mild weather for a baseball game, perhaps they should stay home. I don't buy that the closures over the past week is MLB mandated either. I've been to plenty of day games in the early season where it is sunny and around 60 and the roof is closed. I find that to be a joke. My attitude, if it's raining, close it- under 50 degrees, close it- any amount of windchill reported, close it. Otherwise leave it open.

I take it she is Mat's sister. I'm also glad that Melvin took the time to apologize for this nonsense.

Well, I'm not that old, but from what I can gather, the early 70's Brewers teams seemed similar to the mid-late 90's Brewers, a decent enough young lineup, but not nearly enough pitching to be competitive over a 162 game season. They were also similar in the way they would get off to good starts and then fall apart. For the first few years of the franchise they made tons of big trades with Trader Lane as GM. Most of these trades turned out pretty well for the Crew in hindsight. They seemed to have annual issues with pitching. They got Colborn for a song from Durocher's doghouse in Chicago and he won 20 soon after, he never really pitched that well afterward. They had a pitcher named Bill Parsons who I believe was A.L rookie pitcher of the season- apparently due to overuse, he was injured and basically done. By the mid 70's, there was a ton of young talent on the roster, but I'd say they were mismanaged by Crandall and mostly Grammas. Drug (Porter) mental (Dan Thomas) and attitude (Scott, Pedro Garcia) issues ran some guys out of town, other guys like Lezcano and Gorman were considered headcases and came around nicely for Bamberger. Heck, even Yount was feigning retirement one spring after 4 years playing for Crandall and Grammas.

Ok, then tell me where they get the 58 to 42 % difference? Won't the Brewers either win or lose? It's a 50-50 chance one of those results will occur. Where am I wrong?? Brewer home record (over .700 winning percentage), D-Backs road record (barely .500). The fact that Yo has dominated AZ over his career (yes, it is significant) including Saturday, and that they knocked Kennedy around pretty good on Saturday. I wouldn't personally lay the chalk, but -146 is a pretty strong favorite in Vegas. I'm waiting to see which way the line moves. At any rate, I'm pulling for the Tigers here, hopefully they are the Cinderella this season (yes, I know that result has no bearing on the Brewers, but still).

I can't think of any examples where one game affected trade value, but it definitely can get a guy more in free agency. Ask Jack Morris or Larry Brown (football). I'd think a bit of that would carry over to trade value. I would think that a horrible outing in the playoffs would lower one's trade value somewhat though because everyone's watching. I'd say that pitchers probably have the most at stake in playoff games. Over baseball history, it seems that fans tend to remember horrible mound outings much more than hitters who disappear in the post season. I know it's just one game, but if you were a GM, would you want to give any meaningful pieces for Marcum or Wolf after watching them the last few nights?

I'm sure this was mentioned on Saturday- but I was tuning the broadcasters out a lot.... I was not aware to what extent Gallardo has dominated Arizona in his career. Counting Saturday, he's won all 6 starts with a 1.18 ERA and a WHIP of .87. I like those numbers.

Early odds indicate that Vegas thinks that the Brewers have nearly a 60% chance of winning tomorrow. They are actually bigger favorites than I thought they'd be, which usually bodes well for them- from my experience, at least.

I have a question regarding tomorrow's sale. A family member was lucky enough to get chosen to buy tickets for the NLCS, and she was wondering if she were able to navigate the system to buy some tickets, and heaven forbid the Brewers lose Friday, how long should she expect to wait to get a refund to her card? She wants to use debit, but doesn't want hundreds of dollars tied up from her checking account for weeks- if that's the case, she'd prefer to use a credit card. I figured that I'd ask here, because I'm guessing the same thing happened in '09.

OK, roast me if you want, but McGehee's pinch hit tonight got me thinking. As McGehee has been to the D'Backs over his career as Billy Hall was to the Reds- particularly in BOB with a career average pushing .400 there, why didn't he get a start yesterday or today? If I recall correctly, Casey's mini hot streak over the summer started out there as well. I know that Hairston has been playing well, but he could have been moved to another position (probably center). Obviously, it likely wouldn't have made a difference due to the ineptitude of Marcum/Wolf, but still.

Chris Dickersonhttp://www3.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Chris+Dickerson+Milwaukee+Brewers+Photo+Dayvd9Q5eN7gl.jpg Yes, I was the charter member of his fan club last season and this past off season and spring training. I had several spirited debates about what he brought to the table. Another board member was kind enough to donate his artistry to my picture.

Obviously, I'm starting to get nervous, but I kind of expected this because I didn't like the Marcum/Wolf turn in the rotation. That said, I think that Ian Kennedy is hittable. Braun and Fielder need to show up a la the first two games though, big time players need to come up big in spots like this. Bottom line, the Brewers have been money at home all year, and they need to get the job done Friday. Anxiety is what the post-season is about- it's rarely a cakewalk.

There is not a shortstop in the history of the game that would have turned that single into an out from where Betancourt was positioned. Lets lie blame where it's due, squarely at the feet of Wolf for leaving a steaming pile in the living rooms of every Brewer fan watching this game. If these guys do manage to pull this series out, Wolf had better not start another game. Yes, the ump is squeezing the zone, but I haven't seen this many 2-0 counts in my life. How many off speed pitches as Wolf thrown for a strike- like 3?

Boomer Scott and Johnny Briggs were at a signing at Waukesha Sportscards not that long ago. Scott made a comment that he didn't come back for a Brewers event (perhaps the unveiling of the Selig statue?) because the team didn't want to pay him for his appearance. I don't blame him for trying to grab the money where and when he can. He's in failing health and has difficulty getting around, so for him to travel would require a payday. Good grief, they couldn't have tossed a few grand at him for the County Stadium closing ceremonies? After all, he was one of the most colorful and productive players in team history. From the last I heard, he was in ill health, so it's good to hear that he's at least able to get around now and then. He lives in Alabama or Mississippi now, doesn't he? He should definitely be voted on the Walk of Fame

Easter Sunday, hands down. I've seen a lot of milestones (Robin's 3,000, no hitter, etc.) and a few post season games, and they pale in comparison.

More forgotten then Scott, was the guy who's name I stole for a monicker. Do you realize on the day Briggsie was traded away for the awful (as a Brewer) Bobby Darwin, he had a .447 OBP, the Brewers were 28-28 and only 3.5 games out of first. Without Briggs they went 40-66 the rest of that year. Briggs was also the first Brewer to go 6 for 6 in a game, and he once hit two home runs (including a GS) in a game off of Nolan Ryan in 1972, which was no small feat, considering that was a year that Ryan fanned 329 and only allowed a total of 14 HR all year in 284 innings. Having been at that game, it cemented Briggs as my first ever favorite Brewer.Briggs was a solid player along with Davey May as well. Though he's probably retired now, last I heard Briggs was working in law enforcement on the East Coast. I remember being dissappointed at the closing of County Stadium that guys like Scott, Briggs, May, Harper and Pattin weren't involved (I think Colborn had an MLB coaching job somewhere). Perhaps they were invited but declined. They definitely had more of an impact on the franchise than guys who represented that era like Lew Krausse, Danny Walton and Ron Theobald.

I've been nervous about piggybacking Marcum/Wolf since the talk started about moving Greinke to Game 2. Both have been pitching poorly for the past three weeks. Marcum has been getting killed by the big home run, and Wolf has been getting knocked around early in games. Hopefully he steps it up tomorrow. As we saw tonight, falling behind on the road is extremely tough to overcome.

This is probably opening a whole new can of worms, but I absolutely don't understand the need or desire to get wasted before going into the game. In this same thread we've had people talking about the cost of the game. Why would you front that kind of money and then put yourself in a situation where you won't remember what happened or be able to fully experience it? Agreed there. While there has always been somewhat of a 'frat party' atmosphere at Brewers games, I've noticed over the past 5-10 years that it's gotten much worse since Brewer fandom is 'in' again. I've never understood this at rock concerts either. I do make the exception for Opening Day, but I'm not sloppy puking in the concourse or passing out in my seat. As for the parking, I don't understand why they couldn't run a shuttle from State Fair Park. Let people park for five bucks or something and charge a few bucks for a round trip on the MTS. That pumpkin isn't that big, is it? This kinds of lends to my price gouging theory. If you want to go to the game, you don't have many options outside of prepaying or the alternative of riding a bar shuttle/walking, which may not be the best options for the young/old. I really don't believe that there would be that much space needed for media/broadcast trucks. This isn't the Super Bowl or anything. I will grant that there are likely less ticketholders per car and few if any large groups (buses, etc.) going to the game, so there probably is a shortage of parking. State Fair Park, and/or another park and ride location would alleviate that.

Agreed. Look at the playoff teams this year- most of them have a big hitter at first. I actually think that defense at first has been slightly undervalued historically, but here with Prince it seems overvalued- if that makes any sense.Agreed. Nobody remembers the Tony Muser's of the world. But Wes Parker is forever immortalized due to his guest spot on the Brady Bunch. Keith Hernandez is still in the lexicon as well due to Seinfeld and the 'your beard is weird schtick'... Unfortunately, most around here remember his as the 'coach who got burned'. He probably would have been the next Brewer manager had that not happened, but that's a whole other topic.

The guy I'd like to get more love from the Brewer family is Jim Slaton. He's the only Brewer I know of who got traded away (for Ben Oglivie no less) and then one year later returned as a FA. Now there's loyalty to the organization that spawned your career. I agree. Slaton was a pretty good pitcher, unfortunately during his peak he pitched for some very bad teams. I'm sure that he is right near the top of most Brewer pitching stats, but he's mostly forgotten with the dubious distinction of being traded for Bobby Clark. Kind of reminds me of the Seitzer thing... Bando let him walk, got lucky and got him back for his best years and then turned him into Burnitz in one of the top 5 trades in Brewer history. On a similar note, another largely forgotten guy during the Slaton era was George Scott. He was basically Prince with a gold glove. I know that his last year, he said some things and was mostly booed out of town, but it's almost criminal how obscure he is in Brewers lore....a walk of famer for sure.... plus he was turned into Cecil Cooper.

No, i dont buy the candy either and I'm not suggesting you should buy anything. I just think you're being a bit harsh on children doing a fundraiser that allows them to go someplace. Your post made it seem like they just lie and swindle people out of money, which i have never seen personally. There have always been kids and adults walking around the lots selling candy or giving away stupid stickers and such. This is nothing new. I just thought the "young scam artists" bit was funny. Unintentionally so, but still... No hard feelings. Just wanted to clarify. Back in the day, where I lived, a few people were busted for fraudulent candy selling deals, so I assume they all are at this point because the MO is pretty similar to what I've seen at Miller Park. I remember kids coming up to me literally at bar time selling candy. That was very disconcerting.

I take it that you've never gotten the hard sell from a kid selling a $4 box of candy for 'basketball'. I suppose that we should just gladly pay that as well, because the Brewers are in the playoffs. If you don't want the candy, tell the kid to take a hike. Problem solved. As I do. I was just clarifying my comments after being called a 'troll'.