dlk9s

Dude on MLB network is complaining about the rule. Somehow, Harold Reynolds is the voice of reason. EDIT: Wait, never mind, now Reynolds is complaining about the rule, too.

WHHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!! I love the new slide rule.

The Correa hit was like, "Oh, well, Correa is awesome. Nothing wrong with giving up a hit to him." Then the cheap-o infield hit...grumble.... Then it all fell apart.

"Hypothetical."

Oh do you, now?

See, now this is a good day. I'm stuck at the in-laws, but the Brewers game is the free MLB.tv game today, so I pulled it up on the laptop and got my son, who is on the little league Brewers, to come over and watch. This is a good day.

Of course I say that a few weeks after buying my first Brewers hat with the current logo, since my kid is on the little league Brewers and they have those caps. I wanted to match. We play "Brewers Keep Turnin' Up the Heat" in the car on the way to his games.

I would really like it if the Brewers would just go make this Spring Training uniform (or some variety of it) their permanent setup. Go back to the classic logo with the current color scheme (though I like the old blue and yellow) and cursive across the chest. I don't mind the current italicized "M" logo, but the ball-and-glove is arguably the GOAT sports logo and the ST unis look so good. I'm still mad that they went away from the old logo, especially to the travesty that was the Notre Dame MB and color scheme. There was no reason to do that at all except to try to capitalize on selling retro gear. It's just so ludicrous that they ditched the best logo in the history of the game for a bunch of crap. The current stuff is nice, but nothing special.

??? Turner Field is a really nice stadium. Yes, it was built for the Olympics, but it was built with the plan to convert it to a baseball stadium. And that's what it is: a baseball stadium. It's not a football stadium with a baseball field on it or anything like that. It's a really good baseball stadium. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it when it comes to the fan experience or usefulness as far as hosting baseball games goes. I have read that there are some construction quality issues that need fixing, but as far as the "setup" for baseball, it's great. The problem with the stadium for the Braves is the location. It's in a crap area that has never been developed properly, so there is no reason at all to hang out in the surrounding neighborhoods before or after the game. And, of course, the people with money live in the northern suburbs, so the Braves wanted to build a stadium closer to them. I live up in those northern suburbs and it's pretty cool seeing the stadium being built so nearby. I have never minding driving down to Turner Field - it's pretty easy if you ask me - but having the stadium be up here (literally walking distance from my wife's office and our old apartment) is fun. Plus, unlike Turner Field, the new stadium will have all sorts of stuff built up around it.

Random anecdote: My son's YMCA basketball coach was Tyler Thornburg's HS baseball coach. Said Tyler was the best CF he has ever seen at that level. Added that he tries to get up to Milwaukee a couple times a season to catch a game and that he stays with Tyler when he visits (assuming these are times Tyler is with the big league club).

We can disagree about this stuff all day, but I think we can all agree that Korean league bat flips are the absolute best.

"Hi! I'm Goose Gossage. You might remember me from my role as old, white man."

I'm just praying that Google Fiber comes to my neighborhood in the next couple years. It would actually cost me a little more than what I'm paying for Comcast right now (but then again, I'm on a promotional package), but for $10/month, Google Fiber offers a sports package that gives pretty much all the regional sports networks. $10/month for basically all Brewers and Bucks games? And without having to deal with streaming? Yes, please.

Who cares. Look, I love dogs but why people still talk about Hank is beyond me. It was a great story saving that dog from a life of garbage and now being spoiled rotten having fun. But who cares at this point. Nobody's daily life is affected if Hank is dead, alive, an imposter, etc I agree that this whole controversy is stupid, but why wouldn't people care about Hank? He is adorable, was a wonderful story when he became part of the team, and is now a living mascot. People like dogs and this one found his way into the hearts of fans and players alike. Everybody needs to lighten up. Hank is fun. He's a good little doggie. It's ok to have a little silliness and joy in sports and in life. Not everything has to revolve around draft slotting, OPS, and ground ball ratios.

It's funny - my 7-year old had his first regular season little league game this morning. To my absolute delight down here in Georgia, he's on the Brewers! #6 - Jeff Cirillo. A parent of a kid in the next game brought her dog and it looked exactly like Hank, so that made me even happier that Hank was clearly alive and well and already attending a Brewers game. By the way, the league made an interesting choice with our team's uniform. Old school light blue jersey with the new script Brewers and logo. Navy hat, navy socks, gray pants. The "Brewers" across the chest is navy and gold. I think it actually looks pretty cool. Unfortunately, they played the Royals and that team had the same color jerseys.

Yeah, it's just all in good fun. Plus, it raised awareness for shelter dogs and what-not.

I assume nothing happened and that the whole "is he dead" thing is more or less a joke. He probably looks different because he's healthy now. Let's all try to have some fun with this team. Hank is adorable and awesome. Maverick's laugh is the best. It's ok if not everything about a sports team is serious. It's cool to have a puppy mascot and a young player who cracks everyone up when he cracks up.

You'll be happy to know Hank might be dead.

The strike zone is clearly defined but each umpire has his own "interpretation". Just because umps don't follow the rules on the strike zone doesn't mean rules/definitions shouldn't be established in other parts of the game.

The entire sport of baseball is an unnatural stoppage of play.

http://i.imgur.com/BG2b4.gif

It's a fantastic video. That's goosebump stuff right there.

I'm picturing fast moving video with Yakety Sax playing, a la Benny Hill. I can see it now. Lucroy fields a bunt and not trusting anyone else to catch the ball, proceeds to chase the batter all the way around the bases, while he somehow tears the skirt off a ball girl who joins the chase and repeatedly whacks him on the head with her handbag. http://i.imgur.com/DNBjW.gif

My dad is a Milwaukeean through and through, born in 1944. He was, of course, a Braves fan. For some reason, I've never really talked to him about what it was like when they left (my parents are coming to visit in a week, so maybe I'll ask), but I don't believe he continued to follow the Braves at all. I would imagine it would be a bit different nowadays, since it is very easy to keep track of teams and watch games from anywhere. My best guess as to what I'd do if the Brewers moved is maybe I'd still follow them, but not as closely. Wouldn't have that passion anymore. I've lived, coincidentally, in Atlanta for 17 years now and I'm fairly neutral on the Braves. I'm guessing I'd start following them more closely and wouldn't be surprised if I became a fan. Wouldn't hurt that I live in Cobb County where the new stadium is and my wife works within walking distance. My 7-year old told me the other day that it is ok if he cheers for both the Braves and the Brewers. Also, we got some fun news when we found out his spring little league team is the Brewers! The coach has already scored points with me because used the classic logo in his intro e-mail.

I know there are lots of people that hate the Greinke trade and feel that the Royals far and away "won" it. I mean, sure, I guess they may have, as they have used the pieces to put together a championship team, but the bottom line was that both teams got what they wanted out of the trade. The Brewers wanted the short-term boost, which they got. Two games away from a WS and like rick said above, they were setup for the second year, too, but it didn't work out. The Royals wanted the long-term gains, which they got. And realistically, the trade wasn't as lopsided as some think it was. Jeffress didn't do anything and ended up back with the Brewers eventually (and now doing well). Escobar, for all the hype he's been given, is basically an all-field, no-hit SS. That's fine, too, as he is a very good fielder and that's the most important trait for a SS. Let's not forget, though, that his OPS+ with the Royals is 77. That's bad. Odorizzi has been good, certainly, but hasn't done all that much yet. Looks like he has a nice future, though. His biggest value for the Royals was in the trade they swung, but they also had to part with Wil Meyers. Cain was obviously the biggest loss for the Brewers, one of the few correct calls I have made when it comes to prospects (I don't follow the minors). I knew he was going to be really good and was sad to see him go, but you have to give something up to get something. We gave up a guy who turned out to be MVP-caliber a few years down the road and got a top-five pitcher in return. I think the trade was fine. If the Brewers had won just a handful more games in 2011, everybody would be over the moon about the trade. Hell, the Royals luckboxed their way to the WS two years ago. I appreciate the article linked above and I enjoy in-depth statistical analysis, but I think it over-analyzed things. Both teams accomplished what they wanted with the trade.