LouisEly

Bah, the whole point is to annoy the jerks known as Giants fans by wearing your Brewers gear and standing up and clapping loudly when they score. Someone's gotta do it. Besides... how can you be more disappointed in their performance this year than any other year?

Yes, I get that its important to have a LH bat in the starting lineup. That doesn't mean that any LH bat or any elite LH bat is a fit for a team that needs several other pieces before being a contender and has payroll issues. It's important to have a couple of LH bats in the lineup, not just one. If they replace Fielder with Gamel you still have only one LH bat and it will not be as good as the LH bat that you traded in Fielder. They will be better off trading Hart and replacing Hart with Gamel so they have two LH bats in the lineup. We are not playoff contenders next year nor are we close. I think you underestimate the addition by subtraction of Suppan, Davis, Vargas, Estrada, Riske, and Hoffman, as well as the possibility of Rogers or Rivas making the jump from AA to fill one of the starting pitching spots.

There is also a free cover band that plays at one of the island bars near the restaurants in Mandalay Bay. They play all covers of 70s/80s rock/pop/dance stuff and it is a 40s/50s crowd. Decent free entertainment and dancing to your genre of music.

Prince is not a fit for the Crew Can you please explain why a LH impact bat on a team full of RH hitters is not a fit?

You're not going to get a Gallardo for one year of Fielder; if Fielder were under control for several years you could (depending on how much pitching that team has and how much they need LH power). What good is trading for 1 year of LH balance if it costs you several prospects and doesn't put you over the top for a playoff run? The prospects can be replaced by the comp picks. And they are just that - prospects. There is no guarantee that they will be successful at the major league level. And if you don't make any roster moves because you don't think it will put you over the top for a playoff run the fans will think that as well and won't come out to support the team.

Most players when they are drafted, especially high schoolers, are not good defensively. One of the functions of the minors is to improve this area, and the Brewers have not done a good job of developing this aspect. I don't know that it is so much Melvin's fault for bringing in poor defensive ballplayers as it is the organization's fault for poor defensive coaching in the minors. They need to take a long look at their fielding instruction program and make it a priority from day #1 in rookie leagues - if you don't make the effort to improve defensively you will not be promoted aggressively. It doesn't help when players get yanked around from position to position, like Hart and Braun, and come into the majors with little minor league experience at the position they are playing. Gamel is likely to be added to this list too.

Fielder isn't a good fit for this team next year, hence the reason we should be looking to trade him. Couldn't disagree more - I think he is arguably the most important position player on the team. Why? Because he is the only LH bat in the lineup, and a major impact LH bat at that. Gamel has a good bat but isn't going to match what Fielder produces, but if he replaces Fielder they still only have one starting LH position player. The Brewers need LH/RH balance in the lineup - that has been a point of Melvin's in the draft the last 3 years picking LH bats such as Morris/Hawn this year, Davis/Walla in 2009, and Schafer/Komatsu in 2008. Opponents can stack RH relievers against MIL and bring in LOOGies against Fielder. They need more LH bats in the lineup. Then there is the psychological impact of having Fielder in the lineup and the mental stress of facing him, plus the merchandising value of the jersey sales, etc., because he is the face of the organization. So if I'm the GM of a team, what would I trade to get Fielder? Depends on how much I need LH bats and whether or not I have the DH or who I have at 1B. But... if Fielder was on another team, and with the Brewers in need of LH bats, the only players that I would not trade for Fielder would be Gallardo and Odorizzi. The money doesn't matter because the Brewers will have at least $30M net coming off the payroll this year. I'd trade Lawrie straight up, or something like Heckathorn+Jeffress+Schafer (i.e. three prospects rated between #5-15). As others have said, if you lose him you get two comp picks likely to be 1st round and supplemental 1st round, so he is worth at least that much. Really, a consistent .400 OBP, .500+ SLG LH hitter in his mid-20's? That's the type of player you give $15M/year to.

Free Brendan Katin. Dykstra, Walker, and Ke. Davis in a fight to see who finishes with the highest OBP in the organization.

Well, as of today Kintzler has been added so he's off my list. Will add: Peralta, Green, Merklinger (lefties are too easy to stash away as LOOGies) Questionable: Farris, Anundsen Dark Horses: Frerichs, Manzanillo I list Farris as questionable because of organization depth at 2B (Weeks, Lawrie, Gennett, Dykstra) - do they need another 2B? Unless they plan on trading Weeks I don't know that Farris is a lock, but the AFL assignment is a good sign. As mentioned, Anundsen is questionable due to injury. Frerichs lost 2009 to injury, but if you combine 2010 and 2008 his two years in A-ball total: 159 IP, 116 H, 171 K. Maybe they protect Manzanillo because of the potential of his arm; bullpen arms are the easiest to protect. Something tells me that if Katin isn't called up he won't be added; I could see the Padres, Pirates, or Mariners taking a flyer on him.

Well, as of today Kintzler has been added so he's off my list. Will add: Peralta, Green, Merklinger (lefties are too easy to stash away as LOOGies) Questionable: Farris, Anundsen Dark Horses: Frerichs, Manzanillo I list Farris as questionable because of organization depth at 2B (Weeks, Lawrie, Gennett, Dykstra) - do they need another 2B? Unless they plan on trading Weeks I don't know that Farris is a lock, but the AFL assignment is a good sign. As mentioned, Anundsen is questionable due to injury. Frerichs lost 2009 to injury, but if you combine 2010 and 2008 his two years in A-ball total: 159 IP, 116 H, 171 K. Maybe they protect Manzanillo because of the potential of his arm; bullpen arms are the easiest to protect. Something tells me that if Katin isn't called up he won't be added; I could see the Padres, Pirates, or Mariners taking a flyer on him.

Cutter Dykstra's OBP for the season is now up to .422, which I believe leads the organization; while where he will end up defensively is in question, methinks a few people wrote him off a bit too soon. Hopefully he can build his arm strength and develop the footwork to stay at 3B. He's only 10 months older than Gennett, and has a higher OPS than Gennett. That OBP would look real nice in the leadoff spot. Somebody's gotta say it... ... FREE BRENDAN KATIN

It's entirely possible that those guys going for 100 RBIs may have bonus clauses that might mean an extra $10-25K for getting 100 RBIs. If that's the case, then I think it is only fair to give them a full opportunity to achieve that.

For as much as people complain about defense, Katin is an above-average corner OF defensively. Debate his OBP & K rates (I thought Ks didn't matter?), but considering his power, arm, and overall offensive and defensive abilities you could do a lot worse for a 4th OF.

The only reason Morgan bowled over the catcher was because the throw was high and the catcher was fully extended trying to get it. Had the throw been on-line and the catcher in position Morgan would have bounced right off of him. I'd like to see what would have happened had the catcher been down and braced for him. I don't think Morgan would have won. No issues with stealing when you're down by 11 runs in the 4th inning. IIRC twice in the last month teams have come back from 9+ down early in games to at least send it into extras. You got him with the beaning, fine, but the throw behind him was unnecessary... unless Morgan was mouthing off to him when he was on base and stealing. That is the one thing I don't know. If all Morgan did was steal 2nd and 3rd that's one thing, but if he was jawing at Volstad the whole time he was on base (and what he said) is another thing.

Studio 54 in MGM is not necessarily the early-20's ultra cool crowd - I seem to remember a mix of people there. Good dancing and entertainment. But like with any popular establishment you may have to wait in line to get in (or grease the palm of the bouncer outside), but probably not as much in November as the crowds die down after September. There is also a Prince cover band called Purple Reign that plays in Vegas and is more for the 40-ish crowd. I also recommend The Mix at the top of THE Hotel at Mandalay Bay - awesome view, and a decent amount of seating if you just want to sit and enjoy the view with a drink. Easier to get to than Rio and the Palms seems to be attracting a trashier crowd these days. Wasn't impressed when I went to the Palms earlier this year. Also check the Bellagio and Pallazzo as they cater to a more mature crowd.

I hope this helps Jeffress see what he'd be giving up if he "slips." This is an interesting observation. Different people are motivated by different things. While some may question whether he deserves this reward, with some people the best motivator is to give them a taste of the carrot so they can see/feel/taste/experience what the benefits of "behaving" are. Maybe this is what really sets him straight and gives him focus the rest of his career.

(**Pats self on back**) Pretty sure I'm the only one who called Kintzler, McClendon, and Merklinger.

Does anyone know who makes those giant cardboard heads you see in the student section of Marquette basketball games? Thanks!

Just when I was starting to warm on Zelous Wheeler as a utility prospect I see that he committed his 34th error on the season today. Ooof. Fiers has pitched exclusively out of the bullpen since coming off of the DL. I wonder if that is because of the increase in innings over last year. Then again, college pitchers often go to the bullpen their first season or two because of the amount of innings they pitch in college, so I wonder if he pitched out of the bullpen last year not because they view him as a reliever but because of the innings he pitched in college.

Is it because his fastball is bad? Or is it because "the book" on him is that Parra doesn't have command of his off-speed stuff so when he gets in a jam he they know he is going to throw his fastball so they sit on it. Frankly I find it hard to believe that they can tell exactly what pitch is being thrown with a heckuva lot of accuracy. This to me is the odd stat about Parra that stands out: OPS vs. RH - 0.778 OPS vs LH - 1.059 For some reason lefties are killing Parra. That OPS vs. righties for a LHP is excellent - if he could just figure out how to be average LHP vs LHH he would be a good pitcher. Is something about his delivery tipping his pitches to lefties? It could relate to the fastball - if Parra doesn't throw his offspeed stuff to lefties, they can sit on the fastball which is easier for lefties to hit than curveballs and sliders.

"Ethics" = just because you can do something doesn't mean you should. I hope they sue the bejeesus out of whomever leaked this information. If they have access to this information they signed a confidentiality agreement, which they then breached. And monty was exactly right - by publishing this they are condoning an ethics violation. If anything, the paper is the one committing a crime as they are using information obtained via a violation of contract law for their profit. This isn't Watergate they are scooping - it is the financial statements of a private organization that made a profit, and the revenue sharing they received was agreed on and signed off on legally under the rules of MLB. I'm no lawyer, but I'd suspect that there's a pretty good defense for the paper and leaker under various "whistle blower" laws. "Whistleblower laws" apply to committing crimes. There is no crime in making a profit if no laws are broken. Certainly Florida is in need of a new stadium if they are going to keep the Marlins, and if they are going to build a stadium they will need to start pocketing money. Banks are a little leery of loaning out a billion dollars now to a business that is breaking even. Credit is hard to come by these days. If they are going to prove that they will pay back that loan they have to prove they are making a profit. Ask yourself this - what if your accountant/tax preparer leaked your tax returns/w-2s/etc. to the local paper and they published it? And what if someone read that who has the same occupation as you but your employer pays you more than theirs? Does that make what you earn "criminal"? What if you run a business but you profit more because you pay your employees less and pay less in rent because you run your business in an old, outdated building instead of a fancy new office building (similar to the Marlins)? Does that mean you are not ethically running your business?

Or you can try to find a used laptop of an identical model and transfer "the guts" (motherboard/processor, hard drive, memory, etc.), provided that the screen works. You may be able to do that cheaper than buying a new laptop.

1) Completely Useless By September - as others have said, it's not just the team but the fans and the stadium that make the trifecta of loathe 2) Cardinals - a more annoying team, but slightly less annoying fans and ballpark; rapidly closing in on the Cubs 3) Yankees - a close 3rd, and #1 in the AL by a wide margin; the poster-child of arrogance 4) Giants - years of kissing the posterior of Bonds 5) Dodgers - kissing Manny Ramirez' posterior after testing positive, and perhaps THE most annoying fans in all of baseball 6) White Sox - the most annoying manager and by far THE most annoying announcer in all of baseball

Redfin only lists for certain areas. It is available in Chicago (and most of CA) but not WI. Realtor.com is OK - better than it used to be, but I know there are plenty of places that for some reason don't show up on Realtor.com. Not as many as there used to be, but it is not a complete listing of what is available. Realtor.com also does not filter out pending sales and may not tell you if it is a short sale, which can waste potential buyer's time. The advantage of an agent is both time and protection. If you don't have the time (or if your time is worth a lot, such as owning your own business/self-employed), and it also can protect you legally - if something goes wrong or if a mistake is made the realtor/broker is liable and not you. If you do it yourself you are liable for any mistakes you make. Then you have to factor in how much an attorney costs to review everything. Really, it depends on how much your place is worth - if it is worth less than $200K it probably isn't worth doing it yourself because the net amount you save isn't worth the risk. If it is worth significantly more than that, yes, you can save a lot of money.

Didn't someone here post that Riske said that the Brewers insisted that he throw a curveball (apparently he didn't prior), and that led to the elbow problems? If so, I'm wondering if that led to the firing of Bill Castro.