LouisEly

There actually is a legal standard for property abandonment. My uncle owns a large vehicle repair facility, and someone left a Ford Mustang GT convertible at his shop and never returned to pay for it. I believe after 6 months he filed official paperwork for abandonment and he was legally awarded with the car title.

I've never liked the idea of the winner of the RR to go on to Wrestlemania for the title because it eliminates all but about six guys from winning. No chance for any shocker. The one thing I do like is that every year there's one or two guys in the Rumble that come out of nowhere or are signed from another promotion (last year - Diesel, Booker T, etc.). Anyone have any bets on who that will be this year? If they are going to link the RR to WM, then I think they should link Survivor Series to RR. Have the traditional SS 5-man tag teams, with the winning team's survivors automatically entered into the RR. That would add some excitement to the SS.

Apparently Kim Jong Il has died. Who would have thought that Kim Jong Il, Muamar Gaddafi, and Osama Bin Laden would all croak in the same year. They say these things happen in threes... As they say this time of year, "Peace on Earth". At least we're a lot closer to it than at the beginning of the year.

The difference is Sam Hurd vs. Ryan Braun. It would be like Marco Estrada getting busted for cocaine distribution and Tom Brady testing positive for a banned substance.

Jim Jackson's kid was only a 2 star recruit for UW, so bloodlines can't be thought of that highly.

So the Brewers already had very little LH-RH balance, they are set to lose not only the only impact LH bat they had but one of the biggest LH impact bats in the game, and they go out and sign another RH hitter, so the only LH protection they have in the lineup is Gamel? They will get killed by tough RH pitchers. I'd rather have had Furcal and Green.

Remember, a player getting picked by another team is one thing. Having them make the roster is another. See: Rosario, Adrian.

This is a team that won 96 games without a lefty in the bullpen, with Loe misused as a setup man for half the season, with McGehee and Yuni stinking up the joint, and significant time lost due to injury for Grienke, Saito, Hawkins, Kintzler, Hart, Braun, Weeks, and Gomez. If they lose Fielder, he's what, a 5 WAR? They bring back the same team they win at least 91 games with no improvement at SS, 3B, or LH relief. Having K-Rod as the 8th inning guy instead of Loe will save them at least two more wins. And I want no part of Ramirez. They have enough RH hitters in the lineup - they need LH balance. They need Green to play 3B if nothing else besides he hits lefty.

And who knows what will happen with Syracuse with everything going on with Fine. If the ax falls on Boeheim, or if the distractions wear them out mentally, they could falter.

Interesting that they said the Marlins need/want pitching, and Ramirez says he wants to stay at SS. They say the Marlins want Pujols to make a decision so they can go after CJ Wilson. Could there be a package centered around either Wolf or Marcum for Ramirez? Brewers deal from strength (starting pitching) to shore up weakness (SS).

My concern with UW is lack of depth. Even in their blowouts they have only had seven players play more than 10 minutes in a game. Maybe Ryan will become more comfortable with Kaminsky and Jackson as the season goes on, but if you're not getting more than 10 minutes in a 77-31 game I don't think you are going to get many if any minutes in a close Big 10 conference game. My fear is their 7-man rotation will wear down come tournament time, and a tired squad will get bounced in the 2nd round. They really can't afford to have any of those seven to go down with an injury.

Remember, Wrestlemania is in Miami, The Rock's hometown. If they are going to turn Cena heel, that's the time and place to do it.

Pop quiz - match the walk rate in 2011 below to the following players: Yuni B, Carlos Gomez, Nyjer Morgan, and Scooter Gennett: A) 2.7% B) 4.4% C) 4.5% D) 5.8% Hint - if you had Gennett as "D", you're wrong. For being as short as he is, drawing that few walks is bad. Add in below-average defense, and he has a ways to go before he's in my Top 10.

I thought the whole point of replacing "Don't Walk" on crosswalk signs with a red hand was so that people who couldn't read English knew that it meant DO NOT CROSS.

Interesting quote from Melvin in the article linked by reillymcshane: ""He is open to giving a utility-type player a two-year deal, but only if it fits into the rest of the payroll puzzle. Melvin has been in contact with Casey Close about bringing back Jerry Hairston Jr. on the heels of Hairston’s solid second half in Milwaukee. “We don’t want to spend $3 million on a guy who’s going to be a part-time player,” Melvin said. “You can’t do that; not with where our payroll is.”"

The thing with Furcal is, not only does he improve the Brewers SS position but signing him also likely downgrades the SS position for their #1 competitor for the division title. If acquiring a player also weakens your top competitor, that's added value.

One load of whites, one load of colors, one load of bed sheets, one load of towels, $1 for the washing machine, $1 for the dryer = $16.

If the steriods and oxycodone were not prescribed by a licensed medical professional for a legitimately diagnosed medical condition, then your first statement is not true.

yet Carroll's got the great OBP No one is arguing that. Every argument against Carroll is because of his age (38) and concerns that he will not be able to sustain that OBP at his age and pull a 2011 Counsell. Like JB said, he only played 66 games at SS in 2011, 69 in 2010, and prior to that hadn't played SS since 2007. 38 years old, hasn't played more than 70 games at SS in a season ever in his career... not someone I want to hang my hat on as my everyday SS in 2012.

My interest in Brewers minor league prospects began in the mid-80s with the minor league section of my "What's Brewing" official Brewers magazine subscription as a kid. (I believe somewhere I still have the autographed cover I sent to Robb Deer.) I had such high hopes for Todd Brown after he hit .447 in Helena in 1985... After moving out of Wisconsin in 2004 was when I really appreciated the value of this site. I'm sure those who live outside of WI would agree that any type of Brewers news is hard to come by. Having it all together - majors, minors, draft, etc. - in one website is invaluable. But it would be nothing if not for the contributors like yourself Mass. We can't thank you enough for what you've done. The only favor I ask is that you don't ride off into the sunset like Geno or Batman, and still drop by here every once in a while to say hello. Just like in my avatar, I am standing and applauding you Mass.

Jim beat me to it - I don't think that the Prairie View A&Ms of the world are turning a profit on their football programs. If scholarships are worth $20K-$50K/year, what's another $500/year for food? Add a debit card to a scholarship for a nominal amount, say $250. It can get replenished up to another $250, so long as the player submits itemized receipts that are approved for legitimate expenses like food, bus/plane tickets, etc. or gets a prior authorization for a special expense (like a suit for away games, etc.). The cost of the program is funded by the NCAA, thus the profiteers of college sports are the ones paying for it. I don't have a problem with athletes getting a stipend for basic needs like food. If you are restricted to the university dining hall for food because you are poor and that's all that's included in your scholarship, what if you can't get there until after the dining hall has closed? You had a long day of travel or studying and it's midnight and the dining hall isn't open? You have to eat. What I do DO have a problem with is selling jerseys/etc. for tatts. That I have no sympathy for whatsoever.

berniebrewer, I think I just found a new lifetime goal.

They would have to resign him for $3.5M or less for the $2M buyout to make any sense. I think DM has something cooking on the trade front, because I only see three FA SS that would be a significant upgrade - Reyes, Rollins, and Barmes, and two of the three are going to be really expensive, and the third will likely be overpaid due to supply and demand. I don't trust a 38-year-old Jamey Carroll to be an every-day SS. Who else is there - 35-year-old Edgar Renteria? I didn't see Furcal on the list - did the Cards pick up his option?

David Freese didn't get called up to the majors until he was 26, and didn't become a starter until he was 27. Does that make him a non-prospect?

In fact, if you read two paragraphs further in that article he says this: "What are priorities this winter: "The fifth and sixth spot in the lineup hurt us offensively. On a 96-win team, if I could pay all these guys the same money, I'd have them all back next year. But that's not the way it works. I'd be glad to go to war again with this team. There's not anybody that I'm backing up a truck and getting rid of on this team. There was a lot of heart and soul on this team. These guys all came together; they didn't know each other coming into spring training. We had a new coaching staff, new manager, a lot of new players. They all came in here with the same goal. Every team has its flaws. But we finished seventh in pitching and fifth in hitting. We were 21st in defense. Defensively, is the one area that you have to get better at. And if you get better defensively, you're probably not going to be as good offensively. If you get a quality defender that's a good offensive player, he's probably an all-star. That's the balance we have to look at: How much offense do you sacrifice to get better defensively?" So if he knows he finished 21st in defense - whatever metrics he is using to define that - he is well aware of defense and how he feels they ranked. If you also read three paragraphs above that he said this: "Making off-season moves: "We'll put plans in place. You've got to have a Plan A, B and C. We hope to have the same kind of success (as last winter). Just because you maybe want to improve in an area doesn't mean there's somebody available there. We're creating a strategy and a game plan. I'm not one to go chase somebody that's not available. (With players returning), I feel good about the club and the organization."