LouisEly

Let's please keep this to Villanueva. My opinion... CV was a mediocre reliever - not great, not terrible. He has a plus change, but the rest of his stuff isn't good enough where he can get by if he isn't hitting his spots perfectly. When he isn't hitting his fastball - or if they are sitting on it - he gets hit hard. CV gave up 7 HRs last year in only 202 ABs - for a reliever who faces a batter almost always only once in a game that isn't good. At that rate with the same number of ABs as Dave Bush faced (698) he would have given up 24 HRs vs. Bush's 28 (and Bush usually faces a batter 3+ times a game so the batter gets a better read on his pitches), and Parra in relief gave up only 2 HRs in 143 ABs and people wanted to run both of those guys out of town. That rate is slightly worse than CVs 3-year total of 20 HRs given up in relief over 682 ABs; not bad for a starter, but not good for a reliever who rarely faces a batter more than once. All changeup pitchers can get strikeouts; the problem is what happens when the batters don't miss the ball. More likely, at this point I don't see CV as one of the five best relievers on the team - Axford, Braddock, Loe, Hawkins (when healthy) and Parra. Obviously that doesn't include Jeffress, who I would like to see tried as a starter again but that would make CV no better than 6th, and then if DiFelice is back that would make him #7. Beyond that I see him as the same as Kintzler, McClendon, and James so given he costs more than those three CV is the odd man out.

Yes, but from that list of other possible SP trade targets you have to subtract those who have no-trade clauses to Milwaukee, which is no small number. Once you do that, Marcum might very well be the best or at least one of the five best pitchers on the "OK to Trade to Milwaukee" list. 3. Has an average fastball under 88 mph in his career. Greg Maddux and his stats from age 29-36 says "hello". We are very very thin on hitting prospects especially AA or above. The Brewers also have two of the top 15 picks in the June draft this year. Lawrie was #16 overall. The lack of hitting prospects can change quickly.

Most importantly, thank you for Kyle Heckathorn!

I'm not so sure it was about Fielder being hell bent on testing free agency as it is Scott Boras being hell bent on testing free agency. If the market is soft, an "out" clause after three years might be very appealing. I believe Boras did that before very successfully with A-Rod - IIRC he had an out clause in his contract with the Rangers and exercised it to get an even bigger mega-deal from the Yankees. It would also give the Brewers more time to develop/acquire LH bats to replace Fielder. If the Brewers have RH bats entrenched in LF and RF in Braun and Hart, they need to find or develop LH bats in CF (Logan Schafer), 3B (Taylor Green/FA), 2B (Gennett), and/or 1B (Gamel).

Good young catching is rarely traded, especially when your ML starter is a 34-year-old Jason Kendall. If the Brewers had started shopping him it would have raised a lot of red flags.

"Al, you have something on the side of your mouth." "No, the other side." (Half of a banana falls on the table.) Thanks for the many hours of laughs you have provided. Rest in peace Leslie, you will be sadly missed.

I think they get a couple of games at the beginning of the season before they decide if they have to redshirt, don't they? I seem to remember someone playing the first 2-3 games of the season and then redshirting without it being a medical redshirt.

Another name that interests me from the Padres is Tim Stauffer. Looks like he may have finally put it together, and he had success in the majors when he transitioned to a starter later in the year. He did just as well on the road as at home in pitcher-friendly Petco, if I'm reading his splits right he had a lower OPS-A as a starter than a reliever, and if Baseball Reference is correct he is arby eligible this off-season. At the age of 28 he is hitting his peak years, and given his age and arby status he will definitely be a lot cheaper than Latos. He could very well be a surprise legit #2 kind of like C.J. Wilson was for the Rangers this year, transitioning from the bullpen to starter. Perhaps he could be had without having to give up Lawrie.

This time of year Vegas won't be crowded, so it might be a good time to go. Most pools are closed from November through February. Lots to do there besides gamble, particularly shows. I recommend Ka (Cirque du Solie) at MGM - it's an amazing show. Zumanity is a little more adult-oriented. If you do your homework you will find lots of cover bands that play cheap/free shows. There is an auto museum with some very rare and exotic cars, and there are places where you can rent exotic sports cars by the hour if you want to have a little driving fun. There's always The Gun Store - how many places can you shoot fully automatic weapons, including a SAW? Still warm enough during the day to golf, or go on a helicopter tour. Grand Canyon/Hoover Dam isn't too far from there for a day trip. Pick up a book on Vegas - you'd be surprised how much non-gaming things there are to do. As for south Florida/Keys, the general rule of thumb is Spring = Caribbean, Fall = Pacific. But you might be far enough past hurricane season where you will get good weather and good prices. Just looked at Miami and the highs the next 10 days are low 80s with sunshine. Another place not too far from there is Gulf Shores, Alabama. Might be real cheap to go there now because of the oil spill/disaster. Hawaii will be too far, but Southern CA is a good option. I was back last week and they had a heat spell - it was upper 90s for two days in a row. For some reason though the weather is always nice around Thanksgiving. I'd look into LA or San Diego too. Napa is good - some friends of mine went there this weekend in fact. I'd recommend the Ferrari-Carano winery which actually is not in Napa Valley, it's in Sonoma Valley straight north of San Francisco. You can do SF for a day or two and Sonoma Valley wineries for a day or two.

All imports? Drive the Charger man... SXT AWD. And yeah, I think the Camry and Accord are overrated. Had a few as rentals and have not been impressed.

his ability to push a player's button at the right time And therein lies the real value of the manager - motivating guys to do their best. X's and O's aren't really going to win or lose you a lot of games, not nearly as many as motivating guys in ways where they want to win for you. If they want to "go to war" with you... that's how you draw out the best in guys. That's how teams like Texas get past the Yankees to the World Series. That something special in the locker room is what wins them those extra 5-6 games a year to go from good to great. Actually, that's a pretty good book to read - "Good to Great". Tells you the qualities of great leaders, which is what managers are - leaders, not strategists.

Bill Scott can rake.

Just curious, what anti-virus software were you using (so we know what NOT to do)? I have had my motherboard crash before and was still able to recover my files via hooking up my hard drive as a slave to another computer. Can't save any software, but recovered all my documents, music, and video files. Think part of the hard drive might have been damaged too but was still able to recover the files. Learned that external hard drives are well worth the less than $100 they cost.

For those of us living outside the metro-Milwaukee area, if not outside the lower 48, it allows us one really good source for in-depth Brewers information. It has also provided a link to other Brewers fans outside of Milwaukee, even a buddy to go to a game with in enemy territory. Somewhere I believe there is photographic evidence of the disappointment in the outcome of that game with said individuals. Finally... well, let's say my own little world where occasionally I am a TV star. Thanks to all who contribute to the community.

6'3" 220 here, with a 36-37" sleeve. Had a Dodge Charger SXT and loved it - didn't have to put the seat all the way back at all. Good looking car, didn't have any problems with it, fun to drive, fit great in it. Didn't have any problems with a Ford Taurus prior to that. Have a Lincoln MKX now and it is REALLY comfortable and the perfect height (don't have to stoop down to get in - just slide right in), but I don't know if that is out of your price range and you said you wanted a sedan. Just make sure it has a power driver's seat and a telescoping steering column. My brother-in-law used to have a Nissan 350Z and I fit just fine in it. With most cars that have a power driver's seat you shouldn't have any problem with it.

I understand what you're saying. Pay more and get a better phone. But is there really any guarantee I won't have the same problem with a more expensive phone? I actually was in a similar situation as you about six months ago. I had what I thought was a great phone when I bought it, based on the features advertised, but none of it seemed to work together right. The GPS/search would crash or freeze up and I would have to try three or four times over five minutes to get it to work. Text messaging was awesome... but I travel a lot so one of the main reasons I got the phone was so I wouldn't have to buy a GPS system/rent one/carry one around. I was going to wait for Sprint to come out with their 4G network in LA... but I finally got so sick of the phone, and I was essentially moving for 8 months and would really need a GPS system to find my way around. I was contemplating going cheaper with a 3G Andriod phone... or wait a few weeks and get the HTC Evo 4G for Sprint when it came out, along with the $400 price tag. I think it was $300 after instant rebate and then a $100 mail-in rebate I got 8 weeks later, so net cost of $200. My buddy who works for Sprint said getting the Evo would be the best decision I will make in a while. He was right. Couldn't be happier. And I don't use most of the stuff on it. Haven't downloaded many apps, nor do I use them very often except for a few. Don't listen to music on it, even though I can. Don't surf the web much, even though I can. The 4G network still isn't up in LA (as far as I know), nor is it up in NYC - I've only used it in Vegas. Don't use the camera or videocamera much, but it came in real handy when I forgot to pack my camera when I went to Niagara Falls the other weekend and it took great pictures and video. The GPS system works like a dream, and the Search function in Sprint Navigation is way better at finding businesses than the Yellow Pages app - you search for the business name, nearby or in a certain city, and in one click get either a map or triggers driving directions. It's handy having a calendar, calculator, flashlight, and weather apps when you need them and I've needed them all at some point (WeatherBug app is great - radar, detailed forecast, hour-by-hour, multiple locations). Even has a "level" app if you want to see if you have a roughly level surface. The Yelp app is handy (now that they finally fixed it) if you are looking for a place to eat and want to see how good it is. And the whole thing costs me under $100/month - unlimited mobile-to-mobile minutes, 450 mobile-to-landline minutes which I never come close to using up, nights starting at 7PM, and $6/mo or whatever for insurance. Point being, you might be surprised how useful a more expensive phone can be. And my contract wasn't up either, I was 14 months into a two year contract, but because I've been with Sprint for over a decade they let you get a new phone every 12 months with the same discounts/rebates as a new customer with no added fees. So far, well worth the $200 I spent. Don't regret that purchase one bit.

Just some advice, take a look at how much hassle this has been to you and then take a look at how much extra it would cost to either get a better phone or a new provider. Then ask yourself, would you pay $_____ to avoid all of that hassle? Is it worth $_____ to not have to deal with that anymore? At some point that hassle has an economic value to you. Is it $50? $100? $200? $500? Figure out what that threshold is and determine if that amount really has a significant impact on your finances. Some things are worth it, some things just aren't.

Position player wise, Lawrie could be an impact talent at some point and it’s pretty thin after that. I think some around here are a bit spoiled after a half-decade of top 10 picks spent on bats - Fielder at #7 overall, Weeks at #2 overall, Braun at #5 overall, LaPorta at #7 overall. It's a lot easier finding All-Star caliber bats in the first 7 overall picks of the draft then later on. The Corey Hart and Albert Pujols type picks outside of the first three or four rounds are fairly rare. Finding Lawrie at #16 was a very shrewd pick, and it looks like he will fare better than most players picked in the second half of the first round. You don't need All-Stars at every position. You need 3 All-Star caliber position players, five average to slightly above average major league position players, and above-average pitching. They have the All-Star caliber position players in Braun, Hart, Weeks, and Fielder. I'd say that Cain, McGehee, and Lucroy are league average for their positions with Escobar slightly below average so far. They were #4 in the NL in runs, #4 in OBP, and #3 in OPS. The only thing separating them from the playoffs is pitching. They've gotten rid of the below-replacement-level pitching of Suppan, Davis, Estrada, Vargas, Riske, and Hoffman and moved Parra into the pen and Hawkins to the DL. They have above average #4/#5 starters in Capuano and Narveson, with Rogers a distinct possibility to take over the #5 and pitch like a #2/3. Wolf is an average #3 and Yo an average #1; they just need a true #2.

I've been having problems with my TV lately. I have Comcast Optimum cable, and when watching shows (particularly sports) I'll get short spurts where the picture and sound will occasionally scramble for a second. Hard to describe the picture, but half or more of the screen will briefly show in square blocks. The sound goes out too - makes a grinding noise when the picture goes out. My TV (not mine, technically, it comes with the place) is a Samsung 52" LCD but is only 60 Hz. I saw a similar thing at a local sports bar a couple of weeks ago, chances are they have the same cable service and they just upgraded their TVs which makes me think it might be the service. I don't have another TV to compare it to. Is this a function of my TV (and being 60 Hz) or is this a function of my cable service?

If they go somewhat conservative with #15 because of signability, I would be all in favor of them going after a top college bat with that pick, preferably one that can play on the left side of the infield. Or find the next Lawrie. I'm in favor of BPA, but I think they need to lean quite a bit towards SS early as they have nothing in the system. A JJ Hardy-type 2nd round pick would be fantastic, or break the bank on one who slips into the mid-rounds like Gennett (but actually projects long-term at SS).

Of course you aren't. You're trading six years of Lawrie for badly needed #2-type starting pitching, one year of Fielder, plus two draft picks for Fielder. And once Fielder is gone, there is a hole at 1B that could be filled by Lawrie, or Braun or Hart could go to 1B and Lawrie could replace one of them. Then where does Gamel play? I really don't think he can stay at 3B with his defense. He will have to go to the OF to replace whomever of Hart/Braun goes to 1B.

Agreed. Florida or Anaheim would be nice partners for them, since both have huge holes at 3B and both have pitching to trade in return. I'd even add Lawrie to the list of players I'd rather trade than Fielder. They might very well get a better return for Lawrie than Fielder because of how long he will be under their control and at such a low salary. Lawrie was the #16 overall pick, and the Brewers have two picks ahead of that next year so they can find the next Lawrie with one of those two picks, and at worst the Brewers will get two picks for Fielder (not as high as #16, but they find a bat with one of their top picks next year to replace Lawrie and then use the two picks for Fielder to find the next Odorizzi/Gallardo). If Lawrie stays at 2B he is part of a logjam that includes Weeks, Gennett, and possibly Dykstra; if he moves to the OF he is blocked by Hart and Braun. If he is capable of playing 3B I think he would already be playing there. And Lawrie is a RH hitter, and the Brewers need more LH balance. If the Brewers trade Fielder and move Hart to 1B, then it is likely that Gamel moves to RF so there still is no room for Lawrie. Lawrie may be at his peak trade value now, and the Brewers best bet to get pitching may be to trade him. I don't think his situation is too far from LaPorta, in that the Brewers just don't have room for him so his best value is to be traded.

Yeah, a 99 OPS+ is good if you are a SS, C, or even CF. Not so good if you are a 1B - I'm too lazy to look it up but I'm pretty sure that the average 1B OPS+ is more like 115. Votto is 174, Pujols is 173, Gonzales is 152, Dunn is 138, Fielder is 137, Howard is 128,

Prolly should belong in the Trade Rumors forum, but... ...never underestimate the inferiority complex the Mets have on the Yankees. While logic dictates they shouldn't do it... since when do the Mets operate under logic? They can't stand being in the Yankees shadow, and if given the chance may very well want to make some headlines to draw attention to themselves. The Angels have Kendry Morales at 1B coming back from the broken leg. Matsui is a free agent, but they might very well slide Abreu to DH since he has at least one year left, possibly two guaranteed if he gets 550 PAs next year or 1100 combined PAs between 2010-11. Boston doesn't really need one. Youkillis and Ortiz have those positions locked down pretty good. I don't see why Boston wouldn't pick up Ortiz's $12.5M option for 2011 to go to Fielder unless they want to sign him long-term as a DH. They can pick up Ortiz's option for 2011 and then sign Fielder as a FA after 2011 so they don't have to trade anything for him - just a draft pick. I say give permission to Boras to seek a trade with a deal for a contract extension in the offseason if collective bargaining rules allow it. Let him find out what the market really is, then come crawling back for that 5-year, $100M contract they offered.

http://images.yuku.com/image/gif/d5f256f9dd8b333419ecc1269b06812926803e5.gif http://images.yuku.com/image/gif/1ed15b9a8d3e15c8adce582459023e9a7997d6c.gif Macha lost the clubhouse a long time ago. You could see it in their non-verbal cues that they were going through the motions. You'd be surprised how much motivation influences performance. Hopefully they will bring in someone who will stand up for his players when needed as well as hold them accountable for their performance/mistakes.