batman

If Tomo pulled up his pants any higher, he wouldn't need a jersey. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif He looks good so far. ~Bill

Did anyone notice what it was that Rickie was taking off in the dugout (it was visible on the FSN feed)? It looked like some sort of wrap... I assume it was for his injured thumb. I wish the local media would tell us what is wrong with him... now I'm paranoid. Coshun is giving it the old college try, but he's hard to listen to. ~Bill

If you hate this website so much, Brewer Fever, why do you read and post here? There are several other options if you enjoy chatting about the Brewers online that might be more consistent with what you would like to see in an internet community. I'm not intending to be mean or encouraging you to go, but if brewerfan.net makes you unhappy, why are you here? ~Bill

Did they mention why Daron is not there tonight? Has Coshun ever done play-by-play before? I can't remember Daron ever missing a game before. ~Bill

Ugh... I added the game to my iCal but I thought it was on Sunday and didn't see this post until now. Unfortunately, that means I wasn't able to tape the game for myself and for Patrick. Did anyone happen to VHS or Tivo it? Does anyone know when it will be re-aired? Any help would be appreciated! Email, post, or ezinbox me... ~Bill

Fielder's BA up to .274 now, is that high enough for people to stop complaining about it? Just 'cause it's interesting, Overbay is now hitting .276. Hmm. ~Bill

Today's home plate umpire, Greg Gibson, ranks third among all MLB umpires in pitcher's Run Average. When he's behind the dish, pitchers allow 5.8 runs per nine innings. Hitters bat .294/.361/.489 when he's calling balls and strikes... those rank third, second, and second. Pitchers probably aren't big fans. ~Bill

Branyan has now walked, struck-out, and homered in his three plate appearances. Life is in balance; the holy trinity has been completed. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif ~Bill

I hate FSN. I hope Mark "I love you very much" Attanasio recognizes how frustrated the fan base is with the team's television arrangement... the talk radio shows have been very critical of the Telemundo games (arguing that FSN should televise Sunday day games, too) and everyone is upset at the lack of coverage (only 115 games... that's pathetic). If he could somehow negotiate an increase in the minimum games agreement, a whole lot of people would be very happy. The team finally gets to .500, they're playing great, everyone is excited, and fans can't watch the game on TV. Boooo. ~Bill

Thanks, Miguel. Did you learn that from Captain Clutch while interning with the World Champion Yankees? Doofus. ~Bill

Branyan is the manyan is the coolest tag line I've read here in a long time. Nicely done! Roto-Mag-Ruder's hit came left-handed, too, so that's nice to see. We're gonna win this one... the Mets' bullpen ain't good. ~Bill

What's cooler: Rick Peterson's hair or Mike Maddux' stache? ~Bill

Why doesn't Floyd just slap a bunt down the third base line? He could probably beat out a double... then let David Wright bat. Dumb. ~Bill

Why does Daron keep saying that Jorge De La Rosa "struggled" tonight? He sawed off Marlon Anderson but the blooper dropped and then he struck-out Jose Reyes. Five of his nine pitches were strikes. He wasn't great, I guess, but "struggled"? I don't think so. Sorry - had to defend the King. C'mon, Julio! ~Bill

It's pretty hard to believe that Mike Piazza is available on the bench and they're not using him. Can't say I disagree, but oh how the mighty have fallen, eh? ~Bill

Mike Cameron hit a homer off you, Derrick. He's good. Doug Mnkadfslknansl;d, on the other hand, is not good. Throw it by him. ~Bill

Roberto Hernandez is amazing. He's somewhat fat, very old, and he throws in the mid-to-high-90s with a nasty splitter. He and Julio Franco should collaborate on a health/fitness book... they'd make billions. EDIT: And as I say that, Jenks goes yard. Jinx, baby! http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif ~Bill

It's a matchup of two aces tonight as the Giants hand the ball to Jason Schmidt and the Brewers counter with Ben Sheets. [b]<span style="text-decoration:underline">Pitcher R/L Age W-L ERA RA+ OPS VORP</span>[/b] Ben Sheets RHP 27 6-7 3.45 110 702 19.8 <span style="text-decoration:underline">Jason Schmidt RHP 32 7-5 4.53 95 751 8.8</span> The Crew really needs a win after two disappointing losses on Thursday and Friday. It is keychain night at Miller Park and the weather looks great... head on out with the family and hopefully enjoy a nice pitching matchup and a Brewers win! ~Bill

Kevin Glew penned a nice article for MLB.com about Canadian baseball and Bob Elliot's book The Northern Game: Baseball the Canadian Way. You can learn more about the book at the Sport Classic Books website or you can purchase it at Amazon.com. I'm definitely going to see if I can ILL this one. mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/co...141759.jsp "Book details Canada's baseball impact" By Kevin Glew / Special to MLB.com / July 23, 2005 It might be called America's pastime, but that doesn't mean the only baseball being played in North America is south of the 49th parallel. As Bob Elliott's new book, "The Northern Game: Baseball the Canadian Way," illustrates, Canada not only has a rich baseball history, but it's producing an increasing number of professional and collegiate players. "Right now, we have the most Canadians we've had in the Majors since 1884," said Elliott. "We have close to 650 kids playing at schools in the states." These growing numbers are a result of improved grassroots programs and a proliferated number of opportunities for Canadians to showcase their skills, writes Elliott. These enhancements are the main reason that Canada's baseball team finished fourth at last year's Olympics. And while the author had been accumulating stories about Canadians and their contributions to baseball for years, it was his country's Olympic berth that motivated him to put the book together. Despite being raised in Kingston, Ontario, a city that some claim is the birthplace of hockey, Elliott has always preferred baseball to Canada's most revered ice sport. Personal indifference aside, Elliott, who has covered Major League Baseball for 25 years, reveals in his book that playing hockey has influenced Canadian Major Leaguers such as Larry Walker, Justin Morneau and Eric Gagne. Some scouts even see it as an asset for a Canadian to have played hockey, suggesting that the sport teaches toughness. This rink mentality has helped forge a positive identity for players from the Great White North. "Years ago, I thought it was a derogatory remark to say a player was 'Canadian,'" explained Elliott. His perception changed, however, after a conversation with Pete LaForest, a Devil Rays catching prospect from Hull, Quebec, at a pre-Olympic tournament in Italy last year. "He said it means, 'He's hardworking. He's got a good work ethic,'" Elliott recalled. Walker, the most successful position player to emerge from north of the 49th parallel, is a testament to this gritty style of play. A goaltender in his teen years, it was only after the Maple Ridge, British Columbia, native was cut from his junior team that he decided to focus on baseball. After a near Triple Crown season in 1997, the then-Rockies outfielder became the first Canadian to be named the National League MVP. Elliott notes in his book, however, that this unprecedented achievement was still not enough to earn Walker the honor as Canada's best male athlete that year (he lost to Formula One driver Jacques Villeneuve). One accolade that Walker has won nine times is the Tip O'Neill Award -- a trophy handed out annually by the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame to Canada's top player. O'Neill, a Woodstock, Ontario, native, remains the only Triple Crown winner not enshrined in Cooperstown. A career .326 hitter, the Canadian legend batted .435 for the St. Louis Browns in 1887. The author, who is a member of the baseball writers' board-appointed historical overview veteran's committee, has attempted to get O'Neill's name added to the Hall's Veterans Committee ballot, but so far has not been successful. Another overlooked Canadian is former Red Sox owner J.J. Lannin. At the helm of the Bosox from 1914 to 1916, the entrepreneurial Canuck signed Babe Ruth and won two World Series during his reign. In the book, Elliott shares the story of how Lannin's great-grandson, Christopher Tunstall, predicted that the Red Sox would win the World Series after his great-grandfather was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in June 2004. Another Canadian who would love to hoist the World Series trophy is Dodgers closer Gagne. Elliott writes that the flame-throwing Mascouche, Quebec, native is a product of Canada's improving provincial baseball programs. And while the All-Star reliever has become a poster boy for the Quebec program, British Columbia has become the most prolific province in spawning Major Leaguers -- Morneau, Jeff Francis, Rich Harden and Jason Bay all hail from Canada's westernmost province. Bay, the first Canadian to win the National League Rookie of the Year award, was originally drafted by the Montreal Expos -- a team that after several seasons of uncertainty has moved to Washington, D.C. Elliott, recalling treks to see the Expos with his dad, expresses in the book how emotional he was at the final series at Olympic Stadium. "I remember telling [sports Illustrated writer] Michael Farber at the second-to-last game that I was going to cry tomorrow. At the last game, I sat there watching videos from way back. I saw highlights of Mack Jones. I remember being in grade 10 watching him," lamented the author. The Expos' legacy, however, lives on in the Nationals and in the Canadian players -- like Bay and Walker -- that the club developed. These two former Expos products could play a significant role on Canada's entry in the World Baseball Classic next March. In a pool with the United States, Mexico and South Africa, the Canuck team, Elliott believes, has a chance to pull an upset. "Do I think it's possible that in one game Erik Bedard [Orioles pitcher from Navan, Ontario] and Rich Harden could beat the Americans? Yeah, I think so," he said. "The Northern Game: Baseball the Canadian Way" is published by Sport Classic Books and is in bookstores now.

"I'm very happy with the new concept of our 2006 schedule and very curious to see how it works," said Southern League President Don Mincher. "The five-game series concept is a radical step for us but I see many advantages. It will cut our overall league travel by 25 percent, all homestands and road trips are either five or 10 games and there are no back-to-back series. The competitive value of the league is better balanced with each team playing each other between five and 15 games next season, as opposed to previous seasons when play was less balanced." That's pretty awesome. Can anyone think of a reason this isn't a good idea? Thanks for the link, Mass! ~Bill

That big dude in the yellow shirt needed to go stand right next to the foul pole and let the ball bang off his gut. Be a team player, dude! That was very disappointing. ~Bill

That might have been one of the slowest home run trots in baseball history. But I can't even get made at Hennessey. Victor deserves to be shown up after that shot. ~Bill

I wonder how many times that happens... it would probably be pretty hard to find out, but I would imagine it's not a whole lot more than once a year. Crazy. ~Bill

I wonder if we would snag a couple of extra games each year if our pitchers batted above .100. That's an interesting question, H0ffy. The batting line for National League pitchers is .135/.163/.172 while the Brewers are hitting .094/.112/.115 in 192 at-bats. So using a really simple Runs Created formula (OXS), Brewers pitchers have contributed (.094 x .112 x 192) 2.02 runs. If they had been league average, they would have contributed (.135 x .163 x 192) 4.22 runs, or an increase of 2.20 runs. That's probably not even a win by itself, as most high-leverage offensive situations result in pinch-hitters taking at-bats away from the pitching staff. A few well-placed hits could obviously have swung the win-loss outcomes of a handful of games, but you can say that about any team and any position. I thought it would be a bigger difference but it doesn't seem to be a big deal. More important would be the team's pitchers' abilities to get bunts down and make productive outs, probably, but again I'm not sure if that really has a whole lot of impact on the team's record. ~Bill

Is the regular site down (not the forums)? I can ping brewerfan.net but can't load the homepage (or any other pages). ~Bill