joepepsi

Yup. Rosenthal reports: Show's over folks, move along. Nothing left to see here.

Hernandez was pretty good his first year in Baltimore. He was pretty awful and injured his second year. That made people think he was lazy. 2008 started slow, but his final numbers weren't that far off from his career numbers. His defense did seem off though. Seemed to have a lot of passed balls and his caught stealing rate was down. He's expensive, but I suppose trading Bill Hall's contract for Ramon's would be OK, since Ramon is a free agent after 2009.

Totally agree, Kendall will get a lot of starts but no where near as many as last season. People will actually know that Mike Rivera is on the team!I think starting Kendall both games of a doubleheader should forever after be considered the litmus test for bumbling stupidity.

Does this mean we can get Jeff Bennett back?

He's caught 3 games in his career, so he can be the backup catcher since Kendall MUST play every game!

This from the Chicago Sun Times:http://www.suntimes.com/s...852,CST-SPT-cub09.article

Moore should be fired on the spot if he pulls the trigger on that trade!

Laynce Nix

Gordon's prime did overlap with the last several fine years of Charlie Gehringer. Frankly neither Gordon, nor Bobby Doerr for that matter, were any near in the class of Gehringer who might be one of the most underappreciated great players of all time. Nobody talks about Gehringer but he was right there with the all time greats of his day like Gehrig etc. Gehringer made his major league debut in 1926 and was an everyday player by '28. Gordon didn't appear until 1938. But you are right, Gehringer did turn in 3 very seasons from 38-40, then played parts of the next two years, though he was really done after 1940. I agree he was an underappreciated player. 1186 walks in 19 seasons and only 382 Ks! .320/.404/.480 Nice work from a 2B. 2800+ hits, 1400+ riibbies, 20th all time in doubles.

He's terrible. He had his best chance in Baltimore. In 2006 he was all right, but the next year he was back to his old self.

The only other 2B who was in his prime during Gordon's era was HOF'er Bobby Doerr. Their number are eerily similar. Gordon deserve recognition. So does Santo. so does Ken Boyer for that matter, but that's for another day.

I think the telling statement Melvin made was that if he trading Rickie he would need a lead off hitter. Melvin would trade Weeks for the right deal if he had a deal in place for a lead off hitter, but right now trading Rickie just creates more holes. We have no internal options at 2B or for a lead off hitter (even if Weeks is not a great lead off guy).Agreed. This is why I can't get behind all these proposed deals to trade Prince, JJ, Bush, etc. You don't want to fill one hole on the roster by creating another huge one.

I want to win next year and the year after that. But I think a certain freedom will come with CC signing with another team.It almost never works when a baseball team pins all their hopes on one player. This isn't football. I think the team is capable of 90 wins without CC. He probably makes them closer to a 94-96 win team. But Melvin could also get there with a couple shrewd moves. Moves that wouldn't cripple the team's flexibility for the next 5-6 years.

I grew up in a small town in Iowa as an Orioles fan. Everybody was a Twins or Cubs fan. I was the little kid in the neighborhood so I picked the Orioles because they were always good. I got to see them play the White Sox and Twins a few times growing up. Fast forward to 1982. I worked at a TV station with a guy from Milwaukee. He and I used to "spar" over our favorite teams. He went nuts when they won the pennant and went to the World Series. I remember him saying, "I don't even care if they win, just to know they are finally in the playoffs is enough for me." I thought about those words a lot this past September. Ever since then I kind of liked the Brewers. In '85 a buddy and I did an overnight road trip, first to Wrigley to see his Mets play, then to Milwaukee to see the Orioles and Brewers play. The Wrigley fans were rude jerks. The Brewer fans were great, knew a lot about the Orioles, and we had a wonderful time. A year later I went to another game at County Stadium with my girlfriend (later, wife!) and we had a great time. In 1990 we moved to Wisconsin. I was thrilled to finally be able to get a baseball game on the radio every night in the summer. I grew up listening to late night AM radio trying to pull in any game that would come over a clear channel. But to have a local radio station carry every Brewer game, and a local TV station carry 1 or 2 games a week, that was incredible. Listening to Pat and Ueck, then later Jim and Ueck, really made me a Brewer fan. My birthday is in April, right about Opening Day every year. About 5 years ago my wife gave me a Brewers cap as one of my presents. I said thanks, and looked at her a little puzzled. She said, "I think you're more a Brewer fan than Oriole fan anymore. It's time to embrace that."

He's trying to increase Weeks' value. Your bargaining position is much stronger if you appear content with a player.

It means that Olney, former Yankee beat reporter, desperately wants CC on his team. Just like Gammons making up these outlandish trade rumors for the Red Sox every year.

Actually there is. Ludwick was a top notch hitter at every level in the minors. He hit 29 home runs at A+ ball as a 21 year old in 2000. The next year in AA he hit 25. In AAA in '02 and '03 he posted OPS's of .912 and .927. I think it's been pretty clear all along he would hit in the majors. Why all these organizations never gave him a chance is a mystery.

He needs a pretty good defense behind him, doesn't he? I'm not opposed to him at all, but a little cautious.

Print the playoff tickets Gord!

Orange juice does a body good...pass it on. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gifAre you sayin' he's juicin'?

I realize Carlos missed the last 7 weeks of the season, but he's been better as an Astro than he was as a Brewer. So, if the Astros thought he was worth that contract when they signed him, then they certainly shouldn't complain about his performance. He's arguably had his two best seasons and it hasn't all been a MinuteMaid effect.

Take it for whatever you want, but he does have a career .802 OPS on the road. And he is a damn fine fielder.

This can only mean one thing. Cirrillo is suiting up for 2009!

I think the arbitrator picks one or the other offer. Once it goes to a hearing there is no meeting in the middle. I might be wrong but that's my understanding. No, you are right. But the two sides can continue to negotiate right up to the time of the hearing. Sometimes teams/players settle before the hearing.

I suppose they can always agree on any type of contract right up to the arby hearing, so it's possible to add something like this. I don't know why Prince would agree to it, though. He's going to win his arbitration case. The only way the Brewers avoid arbitration is to sign him to a long term which doesn't seem like anything he is interested in.