Tbadder

I'd take Hardy and pray that Escobar is the real deal so I could get rid of him too in a year or two.

1) Bill Hall has a right to ask for a trade. He hasn't thrown a tantrum; it seems pretty obvious he hasn't been detrimental in the clubhouse. 2) Bill Hall is also corect in that there are plenty of Brewers slumping season long and they haven't been platooned. I do believe that based on the Brewers reasons for platooning Hall, that Weeks and Hardy should also have been platooned. 3) Bill Hall was stupid to let his trade demand out. 4) Russell Branyan is not the answer. If he was, he would have been the answer somewhere, sometime. 5) We're not going to make the playoffs so what does it matter. 6) Because of #5 I'd be tempted to trade Hall for good AA pitching to go along with the next wave of LaPorta/Gamel/Escobar. 7) If we could manage LaRoche from the Dodgers, I think we should package Hall and others. 8) It makes more sense to keep Gamel than LaPorta if you're gonna package Hall for something really significant because Gamel would be the better first baseman when Prince is shopped. In addition Gamel is a lefthanded hitter, which is in short supply right now at the major league level. Also, I know I'm in the minority, but I really believe that Gamel is the better prospect, a better all around player who only lacks LaPorta's extreme power. 9) Bill Hall is in no way worth a whole lot right now. His contract while not off the charts isn't gonna help us. His current production isn't gonna help us. His public asking for a trade isn't gonna help us. I don't see how we pick up a decent starting pitcher. 10) Ozzy--super interesting comparison of Cameron and Hall.

1. Gamel 2. LaPorta 2A. Escobar 4. Jeffress 5. Green 6. Salome 7. Brantley 8. Braddock 9. Lucroy 10. Gillespie

Holy cow! If Rickie can manage another 3 or 4 leftfield triples, that's gotta be some big-time, all-time anamoly. Not saying it means any thing, but it sure is a fun fact. Thanks for the graphs! And Jazzman--yeah I meant down the line triples, but still that graph is pretty conclusive.

Ever since I was a kid my favorite hit was the Robin Yount triple. I loved looking at that long stride, he'd bury his chin in his chest, and made that perfect compass-like arc from 1st to 3rd. My questions is, what percentage of triples are hit to leftfield? Rickie hit his 2nd or 3rd leftfield triple tonight. Isn't that pretty unusual? Where would I find such information? Thanks in advance for any advice/thoughts.

Obviously there's a double standard going on here. Guys that are highly touted like Gallardo, Gamel, Fielder are much easier to get excited about and be patient with, and if they start slowly easier to stick with. But when a guy is flying under the radar most of his minor league career or has gone from a top 20 prospect to some one that not many people talk about like Dillard it's a little hard to get overly excited until he builds a track record. I think that's a reasonable approach. I take your point about the Gold and Nuegabauer references and I agree, but i also think that organizations have track records on developing cvertain kinds of talent, and the Brewer track record is none too good in the pitching department, and a person could be reasonably skeptical on that basis.

You know Two Live Brew I'm one of those flea-bit Brewer fans. We've been so bad for so long, our track record on pitchers is so bad historically, I'm not use to the success. I'm not used to the idea that a guy like Dillard, who isn't even a top 20 prospect in our own organization, can be a really effective player. Sure I believe a player like that could be a major league average player, but mostly I believe those players will just be bodies. Now, that the organization is headed in the right direction long term, it's gonna take some time to adjust to the possibilities like a low level prospect who is more than just a body. It's an exciting prospect to be sure. But my main point, put really poorly on my part, is that I love it when organizations throw their own minor leaguers at a problem--giving each one of them a chance to stick, to show their stuff. I want them to give lots of guys chances. I want to see want Hernan can do. What is Nelson capable of? If the Crew would first dip into the minors when they had a problem, rather than heading directly to the trade or free agency, then I'd be a happy guy knowing full well that most wouldn't work out, but, and it's a big but, some might surprise us. Some who really shouldn't be in the majors based on projections might turn out. I find that a really exciting prospect. So really I'm totally about Dillard in a bass ackward way! Oops. Didn't answer your question. Yeah, I'm waiting for some kind of track record. Been burned too many times before by fast starts and all.

I really didn't mean it to be harsh. And I'm not a believer in Dillard because I don't believe in many minor league pitchers, especially from this organization. I know that sounds harsh, but it's not meant to be either. I look at his stats at AAA, I look at his age--it just doesn't scream successful major league pitcher to me. Quite frankly, I haven't heard a lot of people around here say anything glowing about Dillard, and that's another reason I more or less discounted him. With all the moves over the last year we made in the pen, why wasn't Dillard's name mentioned prominately in the off season? Why wasn't he called up sooner? Why did we dole out all that money to journeymen relievers if Dillard figured strongly in the Brwers' thinking? I heard Melvin mention Pena and Jackson. I saw Naverson pitch pretty well in spring training. I heard the Brewers make a "little deal" about the Weaver signing. But as I said I cross my fingers and hope, and I'm glad he's had a great start and that he can pump it up to 95mph, but am I a believer, honestly no.

There's so much to like about Prince. He cares. He has gobs of power. He's got batting intelligence. But he's got limitations--they're real and they're extreme. He's a typical AL player; he's Mo Vaughn and he better watch out. The thing is he doesn't really believe in himself. He could take over 50 million right now and be set for life, or he can wait on his 10 million next year. But what if he puts up a line like 25 HRs and a .265 BA? He might only get 8 million in Arby. Then what? What if the injuries start? You just know once they start a guy like him is going to be chronic. Think about what he's doing to his knees every time he runs hard. He might not like the system, but he could have done something about it. He could've opted to circumvent that system, but he chose not to. It was his decision. So he doesn't like his decision. Don't look at the Brewers or they're fans because he didn't effectively use his talent and he's got something stuck in his craw.

Is he pitching UP this year? Is that the reason for the excessive flyballs? I know a lot of people say that the low strike or low ball are way more desirable than the high strike or high ball. Because if Bush is simply pitching high I wiould suspect his problem is more mechanical and can be straightened out. Anyone know in general if that's been his problem this year or is it simply he gets too much of the plate.

I'm not a big believer in Dillard. He'll probably fail in the long run, but the point is the Crew are trying things. They're being pro-active where they can be. I don't like Tavarez either, but if you throw enough players at a problem one of them is bound to stick. Quite frankly I'm shocked that Dillard can throw mid-90s I always thought he was a soft-tosser. But sometimes the light just comes on. You know, the last-chance-make-something-of-your-life light. It just clicks on. Lets talk about this after he gets 30 or 40 innings under his belt. Till then I'll cross my fingers and hope that Melvin keeps making moves when problems arise.

Did Kapler or Hall's pinch hit save the season? I agree with Twobrewers; it all ended with Gallardo. But did they give enough impetus and inspiration to pull themselves up by the socks for the next couple of weeks and get slightly above .500, to start playing with some emotion and drive, I suspect so. I think they're due for a mini-run of good games. Sure, we don't have a chance for the playoffs, but we've got a chance to be a really entertaining team that deserves our support.

I like how Hall admitted he had to turn things around. His public outburst was legit, and explainable (?), but the relization that he had to get better might have been cathartic. I expect to see the rehabilitation of Bill Hall in the next 4 or 5 weeks.

I'm not sure how I feels about this. Seth doesn't strike me as a starter, but what choice do the Brewers really have? They've got to start experimenting in the hopes of catching some "lightning in a bottle." I'm disappointed and a little surprised that none of the AAA starters deserve a call up--I was hoping on Naverson.

I don't know. This just seems way too risky (Hewitt). I wasn't aware that college closers were bad picks inherently--too bad really. I guess I think the Brewers should continue on the best signable player, though once I'd like to see them make a splash with an over the slot price pick. The problem with their philosopy is that when they do have a need (pitching of all kinds) and nobody fits the bill where they draft, then they're going to have to depend on free agent signings (dubious given our financial restraints) or trades (we've seen the down side of that as well). Maybe for this draft I go for the best signable pitcher at each early pick.

This is so unscientific, but when I saw him on television in the preseason, I thought he had one of those lithe body-types that gradually fills out, gaining strength right up to the age of 25 or so. Am I nuts? Anyone else get that read on him? I think he'll eventually have that gap power. I rermain excited about him.

I think that Milwaukee's greatest trade was Bud for Mark. Thanks for the list and the work though, I'd almost forgotten some of those names.

Again, I don't mind this if the use Villy correctly, which I think is the 3 inning save. Last night's game was a perfect example, let him have the 7th, 8th, and 9th and save the bullpen. I just don't like trotting out 3 and 4 relievers every night.

I'm still predicting they go 7-1 after the Boston Sweep! Go Crew!

The chips have fallen their way so far. So be it. Fukudome was a nice sign. While our hitters were due for regression, guys like Lee must have been due progression. And I agree with the track record stuff. As much as I love our young talent their track records seem incomplete. Kudos to the Cubs they've got the right combination this year. I'm not gonna be miserable about it. The Cubs are worth it.

This is no longer an excuse. The Brewers are right in the middle of the pack in terms of team payroll. I'd respectfully disagree. Watch what happens to Fielder long term. Why don't the Brewers pay over slot value for draftees. Is Sheets going to remain a Brewer. I can't agrue that the payroll has increased under Mark A. but I think we're near the upper reaches unless we start making the playoffs on a consistent basis. Does anyone think payroll will top 100 million next year? 125 million a year after that? Small market teams are limited and have a smaller margin for error--that's not gonna go away.

I agree with both sides of this debate. LaRoche is someone the Brewers should target if DeWitt keeps on keeping on. It'll hurt LaRoche's trade value and we might be able to swing a bargain depending on what the Dodgers' needs are. Needs can change, but right now the fit doesn't seem to be there.

I would say that I'm a Melvin apologist overall. Being in a small market is like being a boxer with one arm tied behind your back. Because of this I think you've got to take a few more risks, and things can blow up in your face. But I also think that you can learn from them. When I look back I think that the Pods/Lee trade was Melvin's best trade (Locking up Jack Z. was his best overall move). He moved Pods after a terrific season and an okay season. When you ressurect a player like Turnblow or Clark or Davis, I think you have to have the discipline to dump that player after a year to two years for max value. Sure it might happen to screw your team up in the short term, but you can't afford to put all your faith in these kinds of players. Just think of the return we could've got for Turnblow at the All-Star break. What might Clark have netted us if we had traded him after his breakout season? What kind of catcher could we have gotten if we had traded Davis a year earlier? It's hard to know, and I'm not saying we'd get someone as good as Carlos Lee, but I'm guessing we would've gotten something better and more long term. All GM will have a variety of outcomes for all the moves they make, from the sublime to the disasterous. To hold up Melvin to a standard of a big market or even a medium market team is rash IMO. Is Melvin the best--no way, but I think he's done a good job overall and should be retained.

The Cubs, or any team for that matter, are not worth the question. If they win or lose, who cares? Nobody over here.

Two words--Junior Spivey.