LouisEly

Ramsey's over-arching tenet is to live debt-free. His steps include: - building a small emergency fund while banishing credit cards from your life and budgeting strictly - then paying off all debt by starting with your smallest and working to your largest. He admits that mathematically, you could come out ahead by comparing interest rates, but psychologically you're better off ignoring interest rates, paying off the smallest loans with extra going to principle, "snowballing" that payment into the next highest to combine with the minimum you were making there and on and on until you're debt free except for your home. It's about seeing debt disappear before your eyes. - then building a real emergency fund of 3-6 months' expenses - then paying off the house. Ignoring the mathematics of investing at a higher rate than mortgage borrowing -- it's psychological -- pay off the home and OWN it, no more payments, no risk. Definitely debateable, but most of us would not refinance our home to take out $50,000 to invest in the market, so why would we invest $50,000 of our income in the market before putting it towards principle on the house? - then, with NO PAYMENTS in your life, build wealth investing 15% income, give generously by donating to charities, and have fun with all the money you're not giving to banks and credit card companies! Are you kidding me? That's his schtick? People pay money for that advice? Like craigharman said, that's common sense. You can get that exact advice for free by reading any old copy of Money magazine in your doctor's/dentist's waiting room. Here's something even simpler - invest 20% of your income first, then spend 100% of what is left. The only addition - with today's economy, have an emergency cash fund of at least 6 months. Harder to find a job now, so it will take longer. Back to the original poster's question - I'm sure there's a book at Borders along the likes of "The Complete Idiots' Guide to Investing" or something like that. It will give you the basics and explain it in layman's terms.

LouisEly, you should have looked at Raines whole career. I'm 35 going on 36 - I watched his whole career. It's irresponsible of you to accuse someone of doing steroids based on your ignorance of their career. Nice choice of words. Real classy. I could have said it was irresponsible of you to be ignorant of what I posted, but that's not how we should conduct ourselves here. The fact that he slugged what he did at the ages of 25-27 does not surprise me at all - people generally reach their physical peak around the age of 27. What I posted was how do you explain five consecutive years of declining slugging %, followed by an increase in slugging % after the age of 31? Five consecutive years of declining slugging percentage is not an abberation, that is a trend. No it wasn't due just to batting average - after hitting 9, 9, then five home runs in 1991 in over 700 plate appearances that year, he then hit 7 in 1992 then 16 in 1993, second highest in his career in less than 500 plate appearances, and had double digits in home runs for three years in a row plus 9 home runs in only 201 ABs at the age of 36. That's looking at his whole career m'friend. Could someone with a baseball card collection please post an image of him circa 1992-1994? I had one once, and I remember very vividly at the time that he looked almost as bad as Sammy Sosa circa 1999. Raines is popular among the young set (good stat ratios and the like), partially because they don't remember his career Well said. Don't get me wrong - Raines was a very good player. But this is the Hall of Fame, not the Hall of the Very Good.

I think Dawson deserves it more than Rice. I wanted Rickey to be the only one to get in this year. To have the whole ceremony dedicated to him followed by a two hour, unedited speech by Rickey would have been the greatest! 1) If Rice is in, then Dawson should be in. Flip-flop their careers and have Rice play for Montreal and have Dawson play pepper with the Green Monster. Who would be where right now? 'Nuff said. B) I think the sole reason that Rice got over the hump was so that Rickey wouldn't have the ceremony all to himself. They didn't want to make the ceremony a complete circus. 3) Tim Raines was as big of a juicer as McGwire or anyone else. Just look at any baseball card of his after the age of 31. Hmmm... Mr. Raines, how did your SLG steadily decline from 1988 to 1991, then suddenly jump from .345 (yes, that is SLG) in 1991 to .405 in 1992 (at the age of 32) to .480 in 1993 (at the age of 33) and stay over .400 through the age of 37? How did you get the nickname "Rock" after the age of 31? And even if he wasn't juicing, which is a smaller chance than that of that asteriod hitting the Earth in 2029, I am not deceived by the number of walks and strikeouts that a guy 5'8" who crouches down in his batting stance gets. Sorry, but if McGwire only gets 23% of the vote, then Raines shouldn't get any more than that.

The omission of Cain, Lawrie, and Lucroy on someone's ballot have to be accidental, right? I can understand Lawrie, and Cain to a certain extent, but Lucroy floors me. He is a better defensive catcher than Salome, and for those concerned about his hitting his combined 20 home runs (10 each in Brevard and WV) was tied with Gamel and LaPorta (yes, fewer ABs) for second in all of their minor leagues behind Laynce Nix. That's more HRs than Gindl, Green, Salome, Gillespie, Katin, or Brad Nelson. Combined .301 BA, .377 OBP, and .872 OPS for Lucroy this year, and had a higher SLG and OPS at Brevard, notoriously not a hitters paradise, than Taylor Green. My only thoughts are that a lot of you guys really missed a couple strong pitchers in Bramhall and Brae Wright. I didn't miss Wright. If the list had gone to 25 I would have included Bramhall. Developing effective (and hopefully exceptional) young, cheap relievers should be (and I think, is becoming) a priority for the Brewers as they have to realign more of their payroll costs out of the bullpen and in to rotation and everyday lineup. Well said. While there may be reasons for developing a reliever (arm history), and while I agree that the top prospects should "start" or piggy-back until AA, if a guy has flamed out as a starter after a couple years at AA/AAA or a later-round pick that can be fast-tracked like Wooten then he should be developed as such. Experience counts in the bullpen, and I'd prefer that if their career path is in the pen that they have some experience before getting there. I look at a guy like Jose Capellan and wonder if they tried developing him as a starter too long and subsequently burned out his arm. Conditioning probably played the biggest role, but had he been converted to a reliever sooner perhaps he would have held onto his upper 90's fastball longer.

Riske was injured last season; I think you'll see him rebound to near his career numbers and be solid in the set-up role. I think this is the biggest thing that was overlooked last year. Riske played hurt last year, as his numbers were well off his mean, and being healthy this year is going to be one of the biggest improvements in the bullpen.

Not so mad clancy - it looks frighteningly like mine. I also had Green as my #2 overall behind Gamel, had Gillespie as my #1 OF prospect and #6 overall, and also had Escobar at #7. I think I had Cain at #8 or 9. My shockers were Lucroy at #3 and Aguilar at #5, and Salome at #8. I think I may have undervalued Salome a bit, but I think more of Lucroy overall as a catcher because of his defense. If Salome can harness his arm accuracy and quicken his release... then he will be worthy of uber-prospect status. Aguilar dominated in the AFL and dominated the last two months in AA. I went back and forth with Cody at the bottom of my list... but ultimately went with Scarpetta instead. I am shocked though that you had David Welch ranked higher than me. (I do agree that he and Wright will be serious contenders for #4/#5 starter spots in 2010; should be easier to move Suppan after 2009 when he only has one year on his contract left.)

Before you take sgtcluels (Sergent Clueless? No offense, just wondering if that is what it stands for) advice, I highly recommend that you look at T Bone's thread posted just the other day: http://forum.brewerfan.net/viewtopic.php?t=16943 Doesn't exactly look like AVG did its job there. The fact that it's free scares me - my experience has been with most things ultimately you get what you pay for. "There is no such thing as a free lunch." My anti-virus is from Computer Associates, which I got free after rebate last year with purchase of H&R Block Tax Cut. Every year at Staples (I think Office Depot and Office Max have the same deals) you can get free (after rebate) anti-virus software with the purchase of any tax software. I was at Staples earlier today and they have the same deal going on right now. I didn't see CA's software, but they had free Norton and Webroot anti-virus and anti-spyware software with tax software purchase. CA is very good - it intercepted a virus that I accidentally started downloading the other day on a P2P network and immediately quarantined it without infecting my computer. The downside is that it is very slow to scan my computer - takes 10 hours! I have a 2-month free trial of Norton 2009 on my new computer I got from Woot (the HP Media Center with Vista that everyone on Woot says is horrible but works great for me), and it works very fast and is not the RAM hog that the older versions of Norton were. Also, CA has a computer protection guarantee where they will basically insure your computer for up to $2500 if it fails and your computer gets damaged. I think Norton has the same thing. Something to keep in mind.

DeRosa just got traded to the Indians, too - only thing that makes this series of moves by the Cubs sane is if the package of players they get back for DeRosa gets added to Fontenot/Cedeno + a few prospects in a trade for Peavy. If the move is a straight salary dump - replace DeRosa with Miles or Fontenot/Cedeno at 2nd, the Cubs just got worse. Bingo. Unless they expect contributions from the pitching they got for DeRosa, or to flip them for other Major League talent, they got worse by replacing DeRosa for Miles.

Someone should tell the Lions fans that they are in the NFL and there is parity. Not to mention that the Lions haven't really been competitive since Barry Sanders was with the Lions. The salary cap in the NFL has very little to do with the parity in the NFL. Oh, you still need to make good personnel decisions. The Lions are an example of what happens when you make poor personnel decisions - their failure is in spite of the revenue sharing. Without revenue parity though, the lower revenue teams have zero margin for error, and that's the point. Teams like the A's, Twins, and Rays may occasionally make the playoffs if they make almost perfect personnel decisions, but they don't make the World Series. Before you mention the Marlins, remember they bought their first World Series with free agents (Bobby Bonilla, Moises Alou, Devon White, Kevin Brown, Alex Fernandez, Al Leiter, plus other role players like Dennis Cook, etc.). Granted they also made some very good trades (Sheffield, Nen, Floyd), but they couldn't have done it without the free agents and if they weren't able to pay Sheffield $6M (remember, 1997) per year on top of those guys. I'd argue that their 2003 World Series was partially bought too with free agents: Ivan Rodriguez, Derreck Lee (acquired for Kevin Brown, whom they signed as a free agent prior to 1997), and were willing to take on Ugueth Urbina's salary for former first round pick and now superstar Adrian Gonzalez. Now they did make some great trades (Lee, Lowell, Willis, Pierre) and some good draft picks (Beckett, Penney), which goes back to the first point about having to make good personnel decisions, but they couldn't have done it if they weren't willing to pay Rodriguez $10M/year.

Go to Norton.com - they have resources on virus removal, and if you search around on the site they will do a free computer scan over the net.

While at a bookstore in Portland I saw a refrigerator magnet set of words - you know, the ones with a boatload of words that you can use to create your own sentences (I had always wondered where people got those). They all have a theme, and I knew I had to get this one for my sister and brother-in-law when I saw that it was centered around... "The F-word". Yes, that is what it was called - "The F-word". "Cluster" was one of the words in the set. And the inside included a couple of pictures of a certain digit being extended. My sister and brother-in-law couldn't stop giggling the whole day, and I don't think they've stopped giggling yet. Good thing I didn't find it any earlier, or my brother-in-law might have been fired from his old job before he resigned. In return, they got me a book of postcards entitled, "Grandma's Dead: Breaking Bad News With Pictures of Baby Animals". Yes, postcards with cute pictures of baby animals but with captions that say, "Grandma's Dead", "Your (Behind) Looks Fat In Those Pants", and "You're Not The Father", amongst others. That's what Christmas gifts should be about - inappropriate gifts that give you hours of giggling entertainment.

Maybe MLB could divide revenue from FOX, ESPN, and Turner in a way to give more revenue to teams with smaller TV/radio contracts. IMO, that's a huge part of the imbalance, and channeling the national media $$ to the poorer clubs would be a start to fixing the problem. I also think teams should split T.V. revenue You guys hit the nail on the head. All TV/radio contracts should be with the league, and divided up equally amongst the teams. At worst, 50% of the TV revenue should be shared because without the league the team would not exist. When a team like the Angels, in the second largest market with an owner who spends a ton, cannot compete financially with the Yankees, then something is wrong. No, the Angels are not in the second largest market. Anaheim is not Los Angeles. Orange County is a whole different market, and is much smaller. Very few people go to Anaheim from Los Angeles, or vice versa, for anything. Just like the A's aren't in the same market as the Giants. The only thing I would add to any salary-cap plan is that the cap should be discontinued after May, just so then any team can move beyond the cap to make mid-season trades. Great idea, but I'd say end of June instead of May. The NBA should do this also. And the NBA should compensate free agent losses with draft picks like MLB, but that is for a whole different thread in a different forum. I'd argue though that with revenue sharing a cap might not be necessary. One last idea - draft picks should not be protected. The idea that the Yankees get a first and second round pick for not signing the players they drafted last year and not having to fork them over to the Brewers and Blue Jays is ridiculous. If they don't have a pick in that round, it should be compensated with additional picks in later rounds. Hey, Corey Hart was a 10th round pick, and Michael Brantley was a 7th round pick, so you never know.

Didn't there used to be a link in the Draft section to previous drafts? I cannot find that link. Did it get moved? I hope it didn't go away, because it was a great resource.

Certainly they need to focus on developing pitching talent, however neither Inman nor Garrison would be able to help in 2009. Inman had a 3.50 ERA last year, but his 1.40WHIP, GO/AO of 0.8, and 71 walks in 135 innings suggests that he is nowhere near ML ready, and those numbers do not translate well at all in Miller Park. Also, he basically regressed in the walks department despite having spent over half of 2007 in AA. Inman is living off of legend right now - he is just not as good as people think he is based on 1.4 years of A-ball numbers and one great interview quote. Garrison profiles better than Inman, but is not ready to make the jump either. He didn't exactly light AA on fire either, and it is highly likely that he repeats AA this year. The bigger point is that if Melvin had not made the trade for Linebrink (or any other bullpen arm), he would have been roasted for doing nothing to help the team get into the playoffs. They needed bullpen help and he went out and got it. People can say, "He didn't do enough in the offseason prior to the season to have to make that trade", but it doesn't matter if it happens during the season or in the offseason, in order to acquire major league players you have to give something up - either big contracts for free agents or prospects in trade. Pick your poison. Let's wait 3 or 4 years for Inman/Garrison/the draft picks to develop before really judging this trade.

Anyone want to imagine how much expenses went up this summer when oil/gas/jet fuel were at record high prices? Based on that and their travel schedule, I would bet that operating expenses of baseball absolutely dwarf that of any other sport. Sure the NFL has hefty equipment expenses, but I wonder how much baseball spends on balls, bats, water, and field maintenance over a course of the season. In the NFL they have to take eight to 11 plane trips a year; in baseball they may do that in a month. The NBA might be close, but they play half as many games with half the roster (and no equipment expenses other than uniforms and basketballs), so I'd guess their operating expenses are less than 25% of that of baseball. Hockey is probably the closest since they have roughly an equal roster size and half as many games, but if you add in expenses of the whole minor league system... I wouldn't be surprised if the operating expenses of an average MLB club is 10x that of an average NFL, NBA, or NHL team.

Just wanted to take a minute to say not only Happy Holidays to everyone, but a big thank you to everyone who makes this site and forum (as well as Lambeauleap.net) what it is. That not only includes the developers, moderators, and all of those who donate their time putting up the content that we read, but to all of the posters who make this a positive and educational forum (thank you for not turning this into a pile of... well, "a pile", like the ESPN and jsonline forums). While the moderators do a great job of keeping that in check, it is mostly due to the diligence of the posters of the forum abiding by the rules and treating others with courtesy. While things can get a little testy during losing streaks, in general people respect each others opinions and respectfully disagree with those they don't agree with. And I can't say enough about the content and how much of a resource all of the different parts of the website are. Thanks to all who contribute on every and any level, and Happy Holidays!

BF.net needs to come up with a new t-shirt - "My two favorite teams are the Brewers and whomever plays the Yankees" Hindsight is 20/20 but Melvin should have put language in the contract that the PTBNL was also contingent on the resigning of Sabathia or what compensation draft picks were received in return. We just got burned for trying to be competitive. The most disgusting part of it is that the Yankees get a sandwich comp pick because they didn't sign their first round pick from last year. That pick should be going to the Brewers. Another silver lining - the 2nd round pick turns out to be another Yo Gallardo or JJ Hardy (instead of a first round pick that turns out to be Mark Rogers or Dave Krynzel).

I'll counter that point by saying what if Melvin had not made the trade for Sabathia and the Brewers had not made the playoffs last year? How irate would the fan base be? Two sides to that story, and to me it is a lose-lose situation: if he makes the trade he gives up the top prospects, but if he doesn't make the trade they don't make the playoffs. What is he supposed to do? Personally I think the outstanding coverage of the minors and prospects on this website has made some people (not pointing at you specifically) overvalue the minors and prospects and undervalue the performance of the big league club. Ultimately the performance of the big-league club is what matters. The revenue generated by the big league club funds the entire organization, so the big league club needs to be financially profitable, and that means winning games and competing for the playoffs.

One transaction that has not been mentioned that could have been the missing link to his master plan if not for an unfortunate event: Traded Brian Wolfe for Corey Koskie Think about it - Koskie was the left-handed hitting, solid defense 3B that they have been looking for. Only 33 at the time of the trade, he had an OPS of .833 when he suffered the concussion (2007 looked to be an aberration as he posted over .800 OPS every year as a starter in Minnesota). That was perhaps the missing piece of the puzzle, and had it not been for a freak accident, could have had a significant effect on the fortunes of the 2007 and 2008 seasons. Wolfe has been very good in limited bullpen action, but for an every-day, left-handed hitting 3B, it is a steal. Then again, a health Corey Koskie probably means no Russell Branyan.

And now the Angels have supposedly pulled their 8-year, $160M offer off the table. This is not good. Please, please take the hometown discount and sign with Washington or Baltimore...

Oh God... no, he can't go to the Yankees. Please Artie, step in and bring him back to Anaheim. Or Washington. Or anyone. But not the Yankees.

What TheCrew07 said on page 2 of the thread. It goes in your mouth, I think. The way I read that, it sounded like the issue was on the other end. Maybe Melvin realizes what a boneheaded move it was to sign Suppan because now Suppan is hamstringing this team and who they can pursue. Let's also remember that as of August 31st Suppan had an ERA of 4.49, and in the month of August he was 5-0 with an ERA of 3.00. IIRC, he was hurt in the month of July (thus the poor July numbers - as of June 22nd he had an ERA under 4.00), and I think whatever it was reaggrivated in September but he didn't let on because they didn't have any other options. If he can revert back to that August form and finish with an ERA around 4.50 he will be more valuable than people give him credit for. Pitching costs money - hell, Wood got 2 years and $20M guaranteed in a down economy. OK, I just like the fact that I dated, and dumped, Suppan's ex-girlfriend from high school.

Speaking of this, where is a good place to get a classic custom jersey? I'm looking for a 1982-ish jersey with #20 (the man, Gorman Thomas) on it, but the only 80's Brewers jerseys I can find are Yount.

Really surprised with the open 40-man spots that they exposed Palmisano. More disappointed that they lost Ryan - he of the 0.00 ERA until Briggs jinxed him. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

That would be awesome. I think Hart could be servicable in CF and like someone else said it would increase his value. They could always make a defensive switch late in the game with TGJ (he would be the 5th OF and PR, 25th man on the roster - not advicating him for starter) if they felt Hart was enough of a liability. I would love to add Abreu's bat to the lineup. Weeks leadoff, Hardy 2nd, Prince 3rd, Braun 4th, Abreu 5th, Hart 6th... man that would be a lineup. From what I read on Fox Sports this morning, it's Cabrera plus "another pitcher that will be determined by how much of Cameron's contract Milwaukee picks up". So it looks like there will be an arm included, just which one depends on how much of his salary Milwaukee pays. Take it for what it's worth.