batman

Billy Hall to the opposite field... that's great to see. 'At a boy, Billy! ~Bill

C'mon, Po... that bunt single in the first was so promising! Dude has got to quit hacking at those high fastballs... the roid-rage-uppercut is not working for you, Scotty. And Doug Davis is doing his best to one-up Sheets in the "craptastic hitters" category. ~Bill

I don't know what's going on with Brady and his inability to steal. Last season, he stole 13 out of 15 bases. He was 4 for 5 in 2001 and 1 for 3 in 2002, so last year seems like an aberration, I guess... still, it was the first time he got so much playing time. He is 31, so I guess a gradual decline in speed should be expected, but there must be some other explanation for his Snachez-like ineffectiveness. ~Bill

***? 3-for-9. Nice work, Brady. NOT. What did Ben Grieve do? Two days off in a row against right-handers? Cripes. ~Bill

This kid has thrown a lot of pitches so far. Yeah... and he looks like he's just run a marathon. Anybody see a bit of Neugebauer in him? Maybe a little Schilling, too? ~Bill

'At a boy, Gint. That was his kind of at-bat... no swings, 3-1, hit-by-pitch. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif "Roger Caplinger is actually looking at the ball now for injuries." -- Daron Sutton http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif That was pretty funny. ~Bill

I've been following Clint Nageotte for a while, but I had no idea that his name was pronounced that way. NUH-jjjjett. I guess you learn something new every day. USA Today doesn't have lineups yet, but hopefully everyone has figured it out via TV/radio. ~Bill

I'll admit it, too, Toby... I was a bit teary eyed. It was a pretty cool moment and Uecker did a really nice job. Watching the video montage on TV was awesome... and Pauly was definitely touched. What a guy. Go Brewers! ~Bill

Adam Heether is the old Steve Sollmann. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif It's so nice to finally have an organization that drafts these kinds of players, even if they also love high-ceiling, raw high school kids. Team Canada isn't perfect, but when compared with previous Brewers' administrations they are regular geniuses. ~Bill

Wow. Some of those photos are top notch, Rogers8Fan!!! The one from behind the first base dugout without the chain link fence in front is just beautiful. Thanks so much for sharing them... you da' man! ~Bill

In the real world where people have, ya know, feelings and emotions, something like a lowly HS championship game can mean an awful lot. Yeah, I agree. I would've pitched if it were me. As long as he was ready, not pitching on three days rest or whatever, feeling good, and on a strict pitch count... go for it. ~Bill

Why *don't* they publicize this signing? For all the folks that call this team cheap and accuse them of lying about spending money on the draft, this is a pretty big refutation. ~Bill

Rogers8Fan, have I mentioned I'm really glad you founds this board? http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif Great points all, and it's awesome to have some real, local knowledge of a player we otherwise only know about from the mainstream media. I made the same observation about his inconsistent delivery and arm angle/action after watching the MLB.com video before the draft, and I really think that's going to prove to be a problem. If he can't get his mechanics "normalized," he's going to be an injury waiting to happen and he'll have trouble developing consistency. I'm not saying he can't change, I'm just saying that we're relying a lot on projecting him into a different pitcher than he is now. Thanks again, Rogers8Fan. ~Bill

Rogers8Fan, thanks sooo much for for the in-person game story. I was being somewhat facetious with that "is anyone else" post, but I didn't have any idea that the team he pitched against was so highly thought of. That's good to know... and I do think we can sort of understand how important Mark is to y'all up in Maine, as there aren't very many WI high draft choices or big leaguers, either. Our two states aren't all that different, really, considering the weather and the dominance of other sports. Anyway, thanks again. Can't wait to see the pictures! ~Bill

Tough sign? No problem. Nice job, Team Canada.* * I think that's what we need to start calling the team of Ash, Melvin, et. al. The "new regime" is getting old. ~Bill

Anybody else a bit irked that he (a) got hurt and (b) got knocked around by a Maine high school team? I'm not saying, I'm just saying. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif ~Bill

I saw him several times in the Fall League, and I think he could be a 4 man right now, and eventually top out as a 2 or 3. Does he throw 95? no. But he changes speeds very well, has devastating offspeed stuff (as we saw), and they don't hit balls hard off of him. Lots of groundouts. Agreed. I don't think he'll be a world beater, but he has the potential to do even that. The consensus seems to be that Little Ben is likely a middle-of-the-rotation prospect, and I don't think he'll have any trouble being within reach of league average as soon as this year. He's never going to throw 95, either... it's not like keeping him in Indy forever will make that happen. And for those that question his curveball, I honestly don't know what you're basing that on. His one big league start? Little Ben's yellow hammer is almost unaminously considered one of the best in minor league baseball. That's his bread and butter. One outing where he didn't have it does not a problem make. I won't be too upset of Ben is kept in Indy for a while longer, but he's earned the promotion. There's always going to be more that someone can do or something else to prove... at some point, you've just gotta let the guy pitch in the big leagues. He'd likely be an upgrade over both Victor Santos and Wes Obermueller, and this half season of work in the big leagues (pitching every five days) is going to be just as valuable as the equivalent amount of work in AAA. There are service time issues, but he's 23. It's not like Ben is a little kid anymore. I'm usually one to advocate caution, but I think that's what we've showed with Mr. Hendrickson. If we don't have room for him at the big league level right now, so be it. But if he's a better option than someone who is currently starting in Milwaukee, then I think he deserves the opportunity. There are no more super 2 concerns, and we'll have him until he's 29. That's good enough for me. ~Bill

Wow -- it looks like SportsNetwork has added the ball/strike count to each at-bat in the log, at least for this game -- sweet... Well that's the coolest thing ever. If they keep doing this, we will at least be able to get P/PA numbers and a better idea of the game "flow" and different players' relative patience. If they could add pitch-by-pitch logs like ESPN (et. al.) does, that would be incredible. Thanks for mentioning that, MB... ~Bill

In all of AAA, only Dennis Tankersley (now in San Diego) has posted a lower ERA. I think it's time for Little Ben to make the move to Milwaukee for good. EDIT: How's that for spicing up an otherwise pretty routine day in Link Report land? http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif ~Bill

probably no need to even post an Indy link going forward... I don't get it. With all the scrutiny directed at Milwaukee from the Indy folks, they should think about getting their own house in order, first. No functioning web radio for a Triple-A team? That's unacceptable. ~Bill

Final: Beloit 9, Cedar Rapids (Angels) 4 'At a boy, Snappers. This one looked pretty wild. The Kernels got off to an early lead thanks to a walk and a pair of Snappers' errors in the first, one by Corporan and one by Moreira. Then it was quiet. Still quiet. Nothing yet. Still quiet. Zzzzzz. Then the Snappers, ahem, scored eight runs in the top of the fifth. Thirteen good guys came to the plate and the scoring was capped off by some Vinny Rottino yardwork. The Cap'n also went deep as part of a 2-for-5 night. And no summary would be complete without mentioning Will Lewis, who is hitting .375 after finishing today's game 3-for-5. Beloit Box Score: Good start from Greg Moreira, who improves to 5-2..... Tough day for both Dan Grybash and Simon Beresford, who combined to allow three runs in two innings..... 3,565 in attendance - not bad. GAME DATE: 6/13/04 BLT at CR BELOIT 9 AT CEDAR RAPIDS 4 YTD YTD BELOIT AB R H BI AVG CEDAR RAPIDS AB R H BI AVG T.Trofholz RF 5 1 2 1 .312 N.Kimpton CF 2 1 0 0 .283 S.Moss CF 4 1 1 1 .212 M.Pali LF 4 0 0 0 .292 D.Anderson LF 4 1 1 2 .260 B.Wilson 1B 4 0 0 0 .302 L.Palmisano CAT 5 2 2 2 .308 A.Peel DH 4 0 1 0 .245 V.Rottino DH 3 1 1 3 .298 B.Wood SS 3 1 2 0 .284 A.Heether 3B 5 0 0 0 .259 M.Brown 3B 3 1 1 0 .256 C.Corporan 1B 3 1 1 0 .259 B.Balkcom RF 4 0 1 2 .274 M.Ramirez 1B 2 0 0 0 .277 T.Duenas CAT 4 1 2 1 .231 W.Lewis 2B 5 1 3 0 .375 S.Rodriguez 2B 4 0 1 0 .262 G.Acosta SS 2 1 0 0 .165 A.Moreno PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 G.Moreira PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 W.Hedden PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Grybash PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 S.Hindman PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 S.Beresford PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Stetter PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 38 9 11 9 TOTALS 32 4 8 3 BELOIT 0 0 0 0 8 0 0 0 1- 9 11 2 CEDAR RAPIDS 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0- 4 8 1 E--C.Corporan, G.Moreira, M.Brown. DP--BELOIT 1, CEDAR RAPIDS 0. LOB--BELOIT 8, CEDAR RAPIDS 8. 2B--C.Corporan (2), B.Wood (15), M.Brown (11), T.Duenas (10). 3B--B.Balkcom (1). HR--L.Palmisano (3), V.Rottino (8), T.Duenas (6). SB--W.Lewis (1). HBP--M.Brown. SH-- B.Wood. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA BELOIT G.Moreira (W,5-2) 6.0 4 1 0 3 3 0 4.20 D.Grybash 1.0 1 1 1 1 0 1 5.82 S.Beresford 1.0 3 2 2 0 1 0 4.50 M.Stetter 1.0 0 0 0 1 1 0 2.25 CEDAR RAPIDS A.Moreno (L,5-4) 4.1 7 8 7 2 4 1 4.95 W.Hedden 3.1 3 0 0 3 2 0 6.60 S.Hindman 1.1 1 1 1 1 2 1 6.55 HB--G.Moreira. WP--W.Hedden. BALKS--A.Moreno. SO--S.Moss 2, L.Palmisano, A.Heether 2, M.Ramirez, W.Lewis, G.Acosta, N.Kimpton, A.Peel, B.Balkcom 2, T.Duenas. BB--S.Moss, D.Anderson, V.Rottino 2, G.Acosta 2, N.Kimpton 3, M.Pali, B.Wilson. T--2:58. A--3565Beloit Game Log: That eight-run fifth is a thing of beauty..... Mitch Stetter walked a man in the ninth but got the next batter to ground into a game-ending double-play. www.sportsnetwork.com/mer...MEID=12635 ~Bill

I just got home a little while ago, but I did want to say that today's game was a lot of fun. I sat way out in the nether regions of the terrace level and folks were pretty loud and into the game. I haven't seen Miller Park so packed in a long time.... and for once, it wasn't because of all the Cubs fans. When the fog rolled in late in the game, it got kind of surreal in there. I'm surprised they didn't close the roof, as it looked like it was going to rain for at least the last hour of the game, but I'm glad they didn't. Nice to see the offense continuing to asplode, Cappy back on the hill, and the Brewers finally getting the job done in front of the huge crowd. Fun stuff. Is today a good day to be a Brewer fan, or what? ~Bill

Here's what's on-tap for day two. Some of these games will be on ESPN and ESPN2, so check them out. Georgia at Georgia Tech - 11:00 CDT Florida at Miami - 11:00 CDT East Carolina at South Carolina - 12:00 CDT Vanderbilt at Texas - 12:05 CDT Arizona at Long Beach - 6:00 CDT Texas A&M at LSU - 6:00 CDT Florida State at Arkansas - 7:00 CDT Tulane at Cal State Fullerton - 9:00 CDT I'll be at MP so feel free to update scores or post your thoughts if you're around and watching. ~Bill

Weaver and his gigantic blonde mane are currently on display on ESPN2. Flip on over... the Cubs are also playing the Angels on WGN. It's an embarassment of riches, I tell 'ya. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif ~Bill

This is fun... Jenkins is hitting, we're beating the hail out of the Astros, and I've finally recovered from last night's rip-out-your-heart-and-show-it-to-you loss. Did I mention this is fun? What doesn't Bobby Abreu do? Man, I'd like to have him. You and me both, Toby. The odd thing is that a lot of Philadelphia folks don't appreciate him... he's thought of as someone who doesn't hustle or give it his all in every PA/inning. I don't see it, but I also don't see him play that often. He's a legit 5-tool player and he rakes like crazy... who wouldn't want someone like that? Did I mention yet that this is fun? http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif ~Bill