thebruce44

It kinda suck we are faulting DM for not idiot proofing the bullpen like last year. Should he really have to do that?

All solid points, but as bad as things look now, they would even be worse without Greinke. I look at this team and see a decimated underperforming offense, with pitching that has underperformed. I think that it's easier to fix a poor offense than it is to fix a poor pitching staff, especially when it doesn't appear that a Greinke-like trade would be advisable or even possible given the state of the farm system. Obviously, something could happen with an injury, but moving forward with a team where you should get approximately 40 percent of your starts from Gallardo/Greinke should keep things at least on the cusp of competitiveness moving forward. You could plug the young pitchers in the back end of the rotation and use any excess funds toward the offense. The Brewers pitching staff is 14th in the NL in ERA, and 7th in xFIP. So while they have under preformed, I am starting to think that they are really a fairly middle of the pack unit. This of course is brought down by the bullpen which is easier to repair than the starters via trade, but still.

That will always be my favorite, but for some reason I always had to laugh at Quinton McCracken.

Clearly, no one actually can see into the future. If you cant tell that all I am doing is predicting that he will never stop being a free swinger in the same way that you are predicting he will stop being one then I don't know what to say. His age doesnt really matter, what matters is his 1700+ PAs with a 5% walk rate. How many examples can you find of players like this who then upped their walk rate to 8-9% for the rest of their career? You think he has improved, I think he is just having a hot streak. He has improved slightly in his 2 weeks worth of PAs this season, swinging at 8% fewer pitches outside of the zone with an 8% higher overall contact rate. However, he also has seen about5% more fastballs this season and 6% fewer curveballs compared to his career average. His walk rate is very important, if he never takes his walks he will never get enough hittable pitches to keep up his current pace. Another small but simple example of what I've been harping on. 1st pitch slider on the black that he can't do anything with. He lays off. Next pitch is a fastball he can do something with and drills it into center. You see, some people honestly think this game doen't even require watching, only reading box scores and then using advanced metrics to make definitive statements on what a player is or isn't. What I'm saying, is if you actually WATCH the guy play, screw the numbers, he's coming up to the plate and approaching his at bats differently. Not a hot streak as he wasn't "hot," before he went on the DL. And I know it's mind bending for someone to actually WATCH a player(I refer to Estrada last year when his velocity jumped and everyone said he was a fluke for about 2 months). No, he was a different player. Numbers are HUGE when trying to decide what player to sign, to predict what a player is going to do over the course of a season, etc..etc..but talent has been found in this game for 130 years without them. Watching a player's a lot more important than being able to rattle off why he won't keep it up because he hasn't in the past. And he VERY well may not keep it up. I'm just saying if he continues to have at bats like he has, which hasn't got a thing to do with him being "hot," and I'm sorry if I haven't articulated clearly enough yet that's not what I'm talking about, but I don't know how else to make it clearer, then he's going to be a much more effective big league hitter. I think part of the reason people are "talking down" to you isn't that they aren't watching the games, its that we have seen Gomez get his head right before and fix his approach, then go back to being himself a few weeks later. And BTW, its talking down to other posters when you assume they are just reading box scores and looking at metrics just because they disagree with you.

Anyone care to weigh in on linen suits? I've got 4 weddings this summer, so I figure its time to take the plunge on a summer suit. Linen looks like it would be super light weight, but I don't know how bad the wrinkles get or if they are for younger people. What about something like a 50/50 blend of linen and wool? Also, what colors are best for summer? Light grey, or the typical tan linen?

There really isn't any other team like the Brewers. Their 3rd order winning percentage is .414, well below those other teams you mentioned. Its not just that they are losing a lot of close games when they are the better team. The Brewers are getting destroyed because they stink.

It also caters solely to a certain demographic...old people. Perhaps they figured they could solve some of the past problems since nobody between 16-30 is up at 5am, unless they are still partying from the night before.

I'd actually argue, probably unsuccessfully, that MCA was the only one who could have been a straight up rapper on his own.

Why not at least move him down in the order?

I'm not sure what your definition of "going up the river" is, but I'm pretty sure Bonds never tested positive for steroids under MLB's new drug testing policy, and Ryan Braun has. Well thats false. I'm not going to provide links since I assume Braun's test results and what they meant were common knowledge on this board.

I know a guy in his early 30's who doesn't know who Led Zeppelin is so I'm sure they are out there. That's disgusting.

Oh, and more importantly, good work Mat. His wife is smokin hot.

Couldn't agree more. Even when I see a player or two on their own, I will usually just acknowledge them or say a quick sentence, but for the most part I assume they are like me and want to get on their way. Pretty quick thinking by Gamel there though, good for him.

Nobody is saying "any more."

While i loved all three of the Beastie Boys, MCA was always my favorite in how he rapped. I have to agree, MCA was by far my favorite member. His voice was just so different from the other two it was perfect.

Are they really "cries," when it's mainly one person? If he is still playing the game the same way in 6 weeks, I think he'll be just fine. 10 days ago his OPS was .800. It's early. Stats fluctuate. Something I know you're aware of because you just dismissed a point citing an 11 game sample size to support your argument, except your argument was going the exact opposite way, ie, he only hit good for 11 games, so it was insignificant. So now Gamel's OPS drops over a 10 day period and that's the number you're going to cite? So basically if a player has a great stretch, he doesn't get credit for it, if he has a bad stretch, particularly when he is a bit banged up with a sore shoulder, that does not merit consideration because.....I guess the only logical conclusion I can draw is that your opinions of a players stats changed based on preconceived notions of a player. Just out of curiosity, why did you put "cries" in quotations? Briggs didn't say that.

FYI, Minorleaguesplits isn't really gone: http://mlsplits.drivelinebaseball.com/

Without looking it up, I'm pretty sure Parra has always carried a higher than normal BABIP. I'm not so sure its bad luck anymore, though I'm certainly not saying he should be kicked off the team.

1. Hardy wasn't as bad offensively in 2009 as McGehee was in 2011. 2. Hardy was a more talented player coming up and had enjoyed far more success at every level. 3. Hardy provided defensive value at a position higher on the defensive spectrum. This isn't a worthy comparison.

Forget the game, how did it go with the girl?!

Don't tell your employer anything. Take a day off, that's why people have vacation time.

Forgot to mention, I would go with a Navy suit if I only had one. It works for interviews and is very versatile for things like weddings.

Go to the Allen Edmonds outlet in Port for shoes. Probably the best investment you can make. I don't know how, but a good pair of shoes makes or breaks your suit. Next, as others have said, get a white button down, I like a point collar. This probably isn't the place to spend a lot of money as it will be hidden. I don't know much on ties, but everyone always told me to wear power ties for interviews, whatever that means. I got my last suit from Jos A Bank. It was a $500 suit I got for $100 because I also bought an overcoat. I know it isn't worth $500, but it fits well and actually looks really good thanks to an awesome tailor job. Be careful about going to a place like Brooks Brothers. While classical style never really goes out, it can be uncomfortable and not really fit the body type of a younger person. My grandparents helped me get started with suits and dressing up in general. It didn't look good because I would go to places like Brooks Brothers or the local places and everything was boxy and the pants were jacked up high. Its just not a very modern look, which is fine for some people, but it may be really hard for you to pull off like it is for me. I would imagine if you nail the shoes, tie, and get a cheap suit that fits you really well you will be able to pull off any interview. Good luck.

If a company is paying a CEO millions to not make mental mistakes that's one thing. Athletes are paid for their athleticism as much or more than their smarts, so I don't really see how you can compare the two. Its hard to get mad at a player over a human error every now and again.