joepepsi

Point taken. KRod and Axford deserve most of the blame for this season.

Totally agree. If he's working for another team by Spring Training look for him to be with the Brewers as a roving instructor or some such thing. Unless there was some kind of attitude problem in the bullpen, this was a stupid move.

Both Loe and Veras are journeyman relievers who have kicked around pro baseball for some time. Like most of their kind, they have better years than others, but are unpredictable from one year to the next. I agree overall Loe has been OK for the Brewers. But it was known going into the season that he couldn't get out lefties. That makes him problematic for an entire inning. An ERA in the upper 3 isn't saying a lot about a reliever because of the sample size. Veras had a 3.59 ERA in 2008 and a 5.19 in 2009. One year he pitched 50 innings another 57. The year with the high ERA was caused by a difference of 6 earned runs.

I think of him as an A.J. Pierzynski type without the jerk factor. I'd take 10 years of that performance level.

Jose Veras has never really been that good. He's basically been just an arm in the bullpen his entire career. That's really all that Loe is too, but both has been pressed into more "important" roles in the Brewers' pen. Parra missed all of last season. Counting on him to perform consistently well was probably a mistake. Krod has always been a roller coaster ride; I doubt Mets fans were sorry to see him go. It took Axford a long time to get through the minors because he struggled with command/control. Sometimes one consistent, quality reliever can solidify an entire bullpen. He doesn't even have to be a closer. Just a guy who can come in and stop the other team at a key point in a game. The Brewers made a mistake thinking Veras could be that guy. They made another mistake by not trying to acquire another reliever early in the summer when it was clear the bullpen was not playoff caliber. But the team strategy for the Brewers this year was to tap out the payroll and dance with the date who brung you. It also doesn't help that RR is terrible at bullpen management. Good managers make their relievers look better than they are by knowing how to juggle each pitcher's strengths and weaknesses, and by getting a guy out of there when he clearly doesn't have it. Leaving Manny Parra in to walk three straight batters after giving up a 2 run homer is on Roenicke, not Manny. In Parra's 15 appearances before that game he posted a 1.64 ERA with 16K's in 11 ip. If anyone should be fired for the poor bullpen performance, it should be RR.

Wow. If Doug really told them he was going to trade Zack to another AL West team, then the Rangers were stupid not to up the ante. It's one thing to decide it's not worth the future for a 2 month rental of the best pitcher available, but it's a monumental blunder to knowingly sit back and do nothing while the team breathing down your neck works out a deal for said pitcher. The Rangers should have been worrying how they will ever beat the Yankees in a playoff series. With Zack they had a chance. Now it's the Angels who look very tough to beat in the playoffs.

Managing the bullpen is one of the few areas that a manager can actually control in a game. The bullpen is bad this year, but RRR is horrible at bullpen management.

They are 17-16 since the start of June. In those 33 games Axford has blown a save and/or taken the loss 5 times. That's not counting a game on June 13th when he gave up 3 runs in 1/3rd of an inning. In this same stretch, K-Rod has provided another 4 games where he blew a save or took the loss, pitching to a 10.54 ERA. Every player goes through bad stretches, but it's clear to see Axford and KRod are the problem this summer. The offense could be better, but it has shown some improvement over recent weeks. The bullpen has to stop giving up what leads the offense provides. If that happens they are back in this thing. If not, then they'll struggle to get to .500.

Just because he can stand at 1B with a glove doesn't mean he can play 1B. He looks terrible out there to me. Anyone can play 1B in the same context that Green can play 1B.

Managers never get fired for playing veterans. Or for using the designated closer in the 9th, whether he's an effective pitcher or not.

The question is, does this mean Green is gone for good? Unless Ramirez or Weeks is traded this month I don't see tht Green has a future on the big club. RRR doesn't like to sit down his stars, so Green will never get an opportunity to play 2B or 3B. He really shouldn't ever play 1B, and Gamel will be back next year anyway. It's too bad. Green's bat would play well at 2B, but I doubt Rickie is going anywhere...

I'd like Machado and Troy Patton. Patton's prospect status has all but disappeared, but he's doing a good job of re-inventing himself as a reliever in Norfolk. Brewers could throw him in the pen for the rest of the season. Or, if not Machado, then Schoop and Arrieta. Brewers drafter Arrieta out of high school but he choose to go to college. Kranitz should be familiar with these pitchers since he was Orioles pitching coach for a couple years. He may think he can straighten out Arrieta or Matusz. Another guy I haven't seen mentioned here is Zach Britton. He's coming off an injury and not back to his old self yet, but before Bundy came on the scene he was their top pitching prospect. Made 28 starts last year in Baltimore and fared all right--154 ip, 11-11, 4.61 ERA. I think the Orioles and Brewers match up quite well. Brewers need a pitcher and ss. Orioles have choices in both categories to offer up.

The All Star game is stupid and no one really cares. Bud Selig can try all he wants to add relevance, but in the end, it's just 3 days in the summer without good baseball.

What happened? Please don't be so vague and explain...

That's fine, but Miller Park isn't designed for summer weather. The high roof and cylinder shape doesn't allow for summer breezes to blow across the seating. I have been at a few games where it's 90+ and breezy in the parking lot, but still and stuffy in the stands. The architecture makes the most pleasant hot summer days infsufferable, imho. The problem is really that MP is more of a dome in my book than an actual outdoor stadium. They should have figured out a way to open up some of the concourses without glassing everything in. On games that I go to where the dome is actually open, I prefer to sit out in the Loge Bleachers to actually feel like I'm outside. I'm sure that this is an unpopular opinion here.... but at this point, I wish that they would have just built the stadium without a roof. Obviously it was a great business move, but you are talking about saving maybe 3-4 rain outs a year plus a dozen or so games with cold/inclement weather.... I agree. Target Field is a beautiful place to watch a baseball game. I thought they were nuts not to build a dome, but really, how many games has it ruined or postponed? You can always dress warmer for a cool day.

That's fine, but Miller Park isn't designed for summer weather. The high roof and cylinder shape doesn't allow for summer breezes to blow across the seating. I have been at a few games where it's 90+ and breezy in the parking lot, but still and stuffy in the stands. The architecture makes the most pleasant hot summer days infsufferable, imho.

Vizquel had an 11 year peak from 92-02 where he hit 279/349/370-719 OPS. Won 9 Gold Gloves and 3 All Star appearances during that stretch. He would have made the All Star team more often during that stretch but Cal Ripken was getting elected as a starter every year. The latter half of this stretch he was competing against Jeter, Nomar, and Arod, who for a 5-6 year stretch may have been the 3 greatest ss ever to play simultaneously in one league. From 95-2001, Cleveland made the playoffs 6 times, reaching the WS twice. Vizquel was a great fielding ss on a championship caliber team. To me he meets the standards of both longevity and peak career for the HOF. He's every bit as deserving as Ozzie Smith and should make it.

Earl Weaver: "If you play for one run, that's all you'll get." Frankly, I'm tired of the suicide squeeze too. There was a game a few weeks ago where a Brewer hit a triple in the 1st or 2nd inning. RR put on the squeeze in a 0-0 game. Runner was thrown out going for home. Next batter hit into a DP. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

A player has been traded mid season before then re-signed with his former team. I can't think who did this recently, but I know it happened.

Sports journalism has never had anything to do with the tenets or ethics of legitimate journalism. Back in the day journalists were friends of the athletes. They traveled with them, played cards on the train with them, drank with them in hotel bars, protected them from public scrutiny, and assisted teams in myth making of certain players. Nowadays, sports journalists continue to just make stuff up to suit whatever argument their producer or editor wants them make on a particular day. Sports "journalists" have never been held to anything resembling accountability. They are no more journalists than the 6 and 10 weather man on the local news. I haven't watch espn baseball tonight or Sportscenter for at least 5 years. I suggest everyone else do the same. I am disappointed in MLB Network on their coverage of this issue. It seems MLB is dictating editorial content to the network: "try and appear fair, but continue with the vague suggestions that Braun is a juicer." Eric Byrnes is possibly the stupidest person to ever appear on television. He won't be part of the MLB Network team this time next year. My hope is 60 minutes does a real journalism piece on this story around Opening Day, and we can then put it to rest.

Hart is a classic No. 5 hitter. Weeks' is somewhat wasted and 5 and should hit higher in the lineup. I suspect Rickie will bat 5th however.

My two favorite baseball teams have been the Orioles and Brewers since I was a kid. Corey Patterson keeps popping up on one team or the other every other year. In 2006 with Baltimore he was all right for a CF'er. Otherwise I too see him on a 25 man roster as a sign that something has gone wrong with the team. I'd rather see a younger career minor leaguer get a chance as the last guy on the bench of a major league team.

Very sad. God be with him and his family.

So the year he went 19-8 he was really 26/27? Geewhiz, what a surprise.....

I don't want to underestimate the loss of Prince, but this looks like a better team than this time last year.