dlk9s

You must be pretty well groomed.

You must be pretty well groomed.

I really need to get my arm back in shape.

Other than Gagne (and Fielder, I suppose), everything was positive about tonight's game. The team hit very well, Parra was good, and McClung was good. Looks like the hitting might be starting to come around. Let's just hope that the pitching staff somehow keeps its head above water.

I wouldn't worry about Torres. He only pitched to one batter - that's like a daily warmup.

Methinks Corey Hart is finding his power stroke.

Sheets beat SF 7-0.

I feel the tension building at BF.net, waiting for Parra to blow up in the 6th.

Most people have figured out that he's a poor fielder. He's obviously a very good hitter and leader, though.

I believe it was before the game.

I just stopped watching that interview at the 2:25 mark - it was too painful.

Congratulations! Regardless of what level of schooling you just finished, I feel old when I hear about people graduating. And I'm only 32. Maybe taking care of a 1.5 year old all day, working at night, and preparing for another baby at year's end if also making me feel old. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

I guess we'd better beat the Pirates this week! http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif I do think Soto is the real deal. Maybe not OPS over 1.000 "real," but he appears to be a very good player. I think he'll quickly become one of the top few all-around catchers in the game.

Off the top of my head, I would think WHIP is a good stat by which to judge relievers. Basically, the fewer runners you allow per inning, the less likelihood there is of allowing runs. This would probably not apply as well to when relievers come in with runners on base compared to starting an inning, as they could allow runs (and thus "not do their job") without allowing a hit/walk.

Fortunately, media polls don't determine who makes the playoffs. But I do see your point. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

I really noticed this yesterday. Villy has fantastic off-speed and breaking stuff, but his fast ball, at least yesterday, is pretty bad. It's slow and has no movement. I was nervous whenever he threw it, as it looked like a batting practice fastball. And as you, said, if he's not throwing strikes consistently with his other stuff, he's in trouble when he has to bring the straight pitch. To his credit, I was impressed with how he pitched after he loaded the bases with no outs yesterday. He kept Crisp off balance and was able to strike him out after a long battle, not giving in by just serving up a fastball. He did the same to Lugo (was it Lugo?), but Lugo laid off a couple nice breakers and eventually walked. The hit to score two runs was extremely lucky - the batter flailed at a "pitcher's" pitch and dinked it to right.

Buzz Bissinger, is that you? http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

My apologies to homer if I sounded condescending. I was actually trying to criticize the opinion/argument, not the person. I felt you, homer, were actually being a bit condescending about it earlier, as you seemed to feel that because you were at the game, your vantage point was undoubtedly the correct one. But at any rate, sorry if I sounded harsh (which I guess I did). The funny thing is, watching the replay, Fielder was the one who wasn't hustling, but it didn't really look like he was admiring his shot. It was possibly more because he also thought it might be caught, combined with Braun's hesitation.

I watched on television and was able to view multiple replays, particularly one in which the camera was trained on Braun. You are 100% incorrect. jhart05 is 100% correct. Out of all the silly criticisms I listed, yours was the silliest.

I live a few miles away from where Yost's kid(s) go to high school in Marietta. Heading over there now to get the scoop.

Some of the criticisms of Braun in this thread are absolutely ludicrous. a) He's not a leader because he doesn't walk -- has anyone seen his recent performances? Forget the HR's. His plate discipline has improved tremendously, something that directly coincides with his hot streak. In his last 11 games (48 PA), he has only struck out 5 times. Admittedly, since I don't live in Wisconsin, I don't get to see most of the games, but I do follow them online. And in the two that I was able to watch this weekend, he had a very good eye at the plate. A great example was his second HR yesterday - and interestingly, on a pitch outside the zone. He took that first strike on a pitch that was obviously low and outside. He even showed his displeasure at the call. But, realizing at that point that the ump was giving Beckett strikes off the plate, he recognized that a breaking ball was going to hit that same spot a few pitches later, and he didn't allow himself to be caught with the bat on his shoulder. Result - homer. While I would love him to walk as much as Weeks, I'd much prefer him to swing at pitches in the strike zone and get base hits, which he has been doing of late. b) He's not a team leader because he didn't run hard on Fielder's double -- if you think this, you weren't watching the game. He thought the ball had a chance to be caught, so he was making sure he wasn't going to have to tag up. TBS showed him on the replay and it was completely obvious. He wasn't trotting - he was carefully watching, being sure not to stray too far from first base. There was no reason for him to take a chance there with no outs. c) He's not a team leader because a team leader wouldn't allow the team to struggle like this -- as someone stated earlier, baseball is really not much of a team game. Obviously, players have to work together in certain areas to an extent, but Braun can't block for a running back, he can't dish out an assist on a pick and roll, he can't screen a defender, he can't occupy both a cornerback and a safety to allow a teammate to get open. No matter what he says, it's still up to his teammates to hit better, field better, and pitch better. d) He's not a team leader because what he said was cliche - it was far from cliche. Cliche is something like, "We're just in a slump, but it's a long season. We're hitting the ball hard, they just aren't falling. You've got to tip your cap to the other team." Stuff like that. As TooLive Brew stated (and I stated earlier in the thread), he spoke his mind, was critical of the team, but also didn't throw anyone under the bus. e) He's not a team leader because he didn't criticize himself - first of all, he had a really nice series. There wasn't much to criticize. But forgetting that, he always said "we," not "those guys," or "some players on this team." He included himself in the criticism by saying "we." Is he becoming the leader of the team? I can't say for sure, since I'm not in the locker room. But listening to his honest, no BS comments, his enthusiasm about being a Brewer, combined with his on-field performance, it looks like he very well might be on his way.

I have a deep fear that this might be Prince's own little "Operation Shutdown" in retaliation for the whole "I should be getting paid more" situation from earlier this year. That's just silly. Prince plays hard. He just isn't doing very well at the plate (although he's improving) and his fielding ability continues to augment the irony of his name. Besides, it wouldn't make sense to not try because of money issues, since a poor year will hurt his chances at getting a massive contract. I do appreciate Braun's comments. I agree with thablingster in that Braun is pretty much just stating the facts. He doesn't sugar coat, but nor does he toss blame around. He says it like it is, but is still a good teammate.

...and Hall is regressing before our eyes.

So...Fielder is going to be involved in getting two pitchers hurt?

Well, DiFelice wasn't good, but at least he made them hit the ball, rather than walking guys. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/ohwell.gif