pogokat

Escobar isn't a once in a generation defensive wiz...in fact, Bp ranked Hardy as the better defensive player las year (obviously, looking at alcides AA stats). Truthfully, when talking about D plus bat, Hardy might be the best SS in the NL...sure, HRam brings the lumber, but Hardy is definitely better on defense...same with Stephen drew, jimmy rollins, etc...Hardy's not a throw away guy...had a 40 Vorp last year...he was equally as valuable to the team as fielde.r..and if his hitting improves, he could easily go higher... escobar will never be that valuable, and frankly, i'd rather have wins in hand than wins in potential with the lineup we currently have...really

This league has been around for years and is very competitive...lets get some new blood

an addendum: 1. The brewers will likely sign one more of their players long term...I just don't see a scenario where the team trades all of their mid 20 something players sans braun 2. I seriously doubt escobar's defense will be a full win better than hardy's 3. Hardy has not necessarily peaked 4. in this economy, hardy's not getting 15 million a year on the free agent market 5. there are many, many questions about escobar's offensive potential Alcides has a high ceiling, but his actual value will likely never reach hardy...in fact, i think it's much more likely that the brwers can cheaply replace fieldr and hart in house...with closer to their producion numbers...therefore, i think hardy is the one who should be signed long term.. of course, i am assuming the brewers intend to sign another of their young guys long term...if they are gonna trade everyone but Braun, then this conversation is moot.

"Of course, a little more risk in Escobar's bat than Hardy's. But given that Escobar derives so much of his value from his glove, and defense basically doesn't slump, the chances of him not being a good solution at a key position are slim. " I see this mentioned all the time---Escobar might be better than JJ on defense (debatable) but that difference isn't going to cover 100 to 150 pts. of OPS...I know there's the idea that we are emotionally attached to JJ, but truthfully, I think JJ's going to be the better player for the next 5 years, and since we are clearly in the playoff window right now, that's how the brewers should approach it.. The guy to be traded should be fielder...it's clear you can get a low average high obp guy with 30+ hr's a year pretty cheap right now, so why spend lots of money on him? I would guess their initial plan is to resign JJ and trade Escobar...simply because, from an offensive and defensive perspective, JJ is the second best player on the team...Fielder's likely going to be a heavy negative on defense by his late 20's, and JJ's increasing walk rate indicates he will be a better hitter long term than Corey Hart...which means, JJ is the guy to build around...especially since he has been so consistant the last two years. If I was Melvin, I'd let the year play out and then offer Hardy a 4 year 40 million extension if he plays at current level again...JJ's entering his age 27 season right now, and would probably be a decent bet to hit at a similar level in 28, 29, 30, and 31 years as well...I think he's easier to project than Fielder...who will probably cost more, and Hart, who we still have lots of questions about. escobar, on the other hand, still has lots of questions to answer about his offensive potential. he really doesn't have much power and his Batting average last year was greatly inflated by a Babip that he's unlikely to reporduce. Escobar is probably going to be a .700 to .750 OPS guy in his peak years...but he could just as easily be Rey Ordonez for a few years first...he's a great prospct, because we are all hoping he's turned a corner...but it's really too had to project. here's the dilemma: do you keep Hardy and try to contend year in and out, accepting that you are going to lose other players in the meantime, or do you clear house after 2009 and hope you bring back some good stuff...I think the brewers want to do something in between...they obviously plan on keeping some of the young all-stars, and frankly, now that Braun is locked up, Hardy should be next...he should provide more long term production than Fielder, hart, and weeks because of his defensive abilities...and frankly, his offensive abilities...also, since his skillset is so well rounded, it's not likely he's going to completely fall apart like those other guys... So, I think they should trade Escobar---possibly at the trading deadline for Roy Halladay...or after the season for something more long term...

DR vs. Netherlands was an all-time classic tonight...especially with Carlos marmol blowing it against a bunch of nobodies and randall simon

Kilgore Trout

Lawrie was on as a pinch runner in the 9th...announcers accused him of stealing signs...hehe...

wendy selig-prieb?

i don't know that melvin was wrong about him...we never knew what doug was offering...if melvin was only trying to get him for two years, then the deal wouldn't have looked that bad... this deal looks bad because the giants did something stupid...clearly, doug melvin wasn't as stupid, because roberts didn't sign with the brewers...

when I'm calling pitchs for the high school softball team i coach, i'll let one of the catchers call her own game...and frankly, if i don't know what's coming, then i go hav a chat with her because we have a game plan and a strategy based on the hitters, and the only time i don't know what's coming is when she's doing something stupid... good hitters always know what's coming anyway---that doesn't mean they can hit it...i mean, when mariano rivera is pitching, you know what your getting, but you can't do anything about it...

Linda Perry of 4 non blondes?

it's funny...it seems like the system is actually working to some degree this year...everyone is getting fair contracts for their talent and the teams that sucked are actually getting some free agents, rather than all of them signing with good teams...

He and his father are very good friends with one of the most successful high school coaches in Georgia, Bobby Howard---who asked me if i was still following the brewers closely the other ay, so i'll ask him if he knows where holmboy is headed...kenny was a talented ballplayer, but he's probably picking the right moment to call it a day

I had a similar situation in a grad school class where we met in person, but had the blackboard discussions as well...i didn't email the professor...i just decided to have a conversation with myself...so my "posts" were more or less mini essays where i discussed every aspect of the topic at hand, at least a little...the others would still chime in at the last minute and i did a lot more work than them, but i got the grade i wanted...i have no clue what kind of grades they got.. and yes, it did piss me off as much as it is probably pissing you off..

Lexi is Mat's sister... Thanks for the updates as always...congratulate him (and her, of course) for all of us!

Lexi is Mat's sister... Thanks for the updates as always...congratulate him (and her, of course) for all of us!

Lexi is Mat's sister... Thanks for the updates as always...congratulate him (and her, of course) for all of us!

Lexi is Mat's sister... Thanks for the updates as always...congratulate him (and her, of course) for all of us!

Lexi is Mat's sister... Thanks for the updates as always...congratulate him (and her, of course) for all of us!

Lexi is Mat's sister... Thanks for the updates as always...congratulate him (and her, of course) for all of us!

So, this guy was terrible at his job and stealing money and he gets to resign? That doesn't em right...but, a fitting end to a ridiculous career.

The vortex is on moreland avenue http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

"It's the south, so expect slow service and hillbilly English. Pretty friendly people, though." Midtown Atlanta is probably 80% people not from the actual south

I've lived in the atlanta area for 15 years... 1. rent a car...marta hasn't exapaned since the mid 90's and it's not simple to use...the station at underground atl is a ghost town now 2. the world of coke moved to centennial olympic park last yeare, which is where all the touristy stuff is like the aquarium (whale shark) and CNN 3. the area aound turner field has been vastly gentrified in the last few years, but there isn't anything to do there but go to a game...people don't tailgate at all...they just park, go to the stadium, then leave in the 6th innings http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif 4. i don't know how old you are, but most of the non-tourist trap restaurants and bars are outside of downtown, though downtown is convenient to the stadium---i recommend buckhead/midtown (the lennox square area/peachtree) if you want to spend some money, and the little 5 points area or the city of decatur (about 5 miles from downtown) f you are looking for young locals hangouts... 5. the airport is a 20 minute ride from downtown, and while marta will get you there, it will not be convenient...atlanta is like LA, Houston, or Jacksonville---you need a car if yo want to see anything more than your hotel room i can tell you anything about the city, so ask questions and i'll help you out---i'll likely be at one or more of the games as well

yeah... Stephen daedulus is traipsing through the basic plot outline of the odyssey (which is about odysseus' 10 year journey home to ithaca ...ulysees is odysseus in latin) in dublin ireland... ulyssees is the only greek to make it home after the trojan war...all the others are killed en route... Haven't actually read the joyce, but i'm guessing they just wanted to give us a "modern" version of the homeward journey that ben is taking back to the island also worth noting that daedelus is the father of icarus, who fell into the sea...