WarhawkJoe

Who was he staring down there after the fist pump?

Did anyone mention that the cards catcher is calling pitches using signs as if there is a runner on second all the time? I thought only the Pirates suspected us of stealing signs at home?

joepepsi's thoery makes sense to me as well. It seems to me that he is mixing up his pitches more earlier in the game than last year, and more so than other starters with a more dominant fastball. It seems to me (based strictly on observation) like Yovani throws a lot of fastballs in the first few innings, and I think Sheets was similar in not working in a third pitch until the 2nd or 3rd time through the order. I think that's the main issue with using all your stuff the 1st time through - you don't have the extra wrinkle up your sleeve to bring out the 2nd or 3rd time through, thus limiting your effectiveness in the 6th inning and beyond. I see nothing wrong with Narveson coming at the opponent with the full arsenal right away given his lack of a dominant fastball, this just might mean he only goes a couple times through the order effectively and the bullpen will need to be relied on for 3ish innings.

True, no runs were scored on the Kotsay "trap", but it was extra pitches for Yo that may have resulted in one less inning for him. It definitely affected the game. On a positive note, Saito and Loe (other than the solo shot) looked great. I wish managers weren't so set on having roles in the bullpen. Loe never should have come out of the game - he struck out the side.

Yes, Axford was very hittable today (and most of the spring), and I don't have much confidence in him right now. However, combine the ball called a trap that Kotsay caught earlier and the out of the baseline non-call in the 9th, it's tough to win when you have to get 29 outs against only getting 27. Should have won, but at least I'm not totally flabbergasted. Yet.

Not so much about where to stay (I rented a condo on the north side of the city limits), but has anyone had success (i.e. good price and service) from renting a car away from the airport in the Phoenix area? Car rental prices appear to be very high again this year, and I heard a tip that off-airport locations might be a better value (after factoring in cab rides to/from the airport). However I can't find much information on the internet regarding such locations - even finding them. Any help would be appreciated.

I don't know about leaving the pen short. If I remember correctly, the other guys like Coffey, Stetter, and Vargas are guys that can throw back to back days (unlike guys like Riske and to some extent Hoffman). I'm not sure about Hawkins, but for his price, you'd hope so. Plus you still have Narveson to thrown in long situations or emergencies.

Maybe this has been discussed already, but what do you guys think about keeping a scenario of Suppan combined with Parra/Narveson to split one game in the 5-man rotation? It seems to me based on my observation that these guys (and Bush for that matter) can do a decent job getting through the order twice, but that third time is the one that usually bites them. Having each "scheduled" to pitch 3-4 innings, you eliminate that third time through (unless they are coasting, which is just a bonus). With essentially two long relievers in the pen, you can afford to plan on using one and keeping the other for the next few days if one of the other starters blows up and exits early.

I can't believe how expensive the rental cars are this year! I think last year I paid around $20-$25/day for an economy. This year the cheapest I can find on orbitz or priceline is almost $50 for the smaller cards, and I need a van or SUV this year. Does anyone have any info on finding cheaper rentals? The prices have been pretty steady since I originally looked a few months ago. I'm leaving next week, so I better figure this out...

I don't understand the anger here, specifically over his contract negotiations. First of all, negotiation is still in process. Second, how does the negotiation between his agent and the Brewers affect his ability to prepare for the season, midway through the offseason. I'm sure he's working out, running, and the rest of it. Third, I think most people would behave the exact same way in this situation and try to maximize their earnings based on the system in place. I can understand frustration with his performance over the last year or two, but using this a rather meaningless one-year contract negotiation against his doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Let's hope he turns it around and goes back to the Corey we know and love. Hope springs attorney!

Since group tickets are no longer being offered to the bars that have previously organized the large tailgate parties (i.e. Leff's), does anyone know if there will still be similar parties held in the parking lot this year on Opening Day? I've done the Leff's party for the past 5 years, and it sure is nice to have the large tent, band, port-o-potty's, and all you can eat & drink format. It sounds like Leff's will just hold off until game 2 for their party. I'm not sure how the Brewers feel about groups organizing parties assuming that they cannot offer a game ticket in the package.

I remember when Matt V. called a mammoth Burnitz homer and starting singing "Jeremy" by Pearl Jam.

Loge infield for sure. Sat in 215 for two years and loved it. I'm moving to 116 this year to try the field level. Hopefully it's worth the extra dough. Otherwise I'll be back in 215 loge diamond box.

Loge infield for sure. Sat in 215 for two years and loved it. I'm moving to 116 this year to try the field level. Hopefully it's worth the extra dough. Otherwise I'll be back in 215 loge diamond box.

The week of March 15 looks fairly solid with the following games (from the ST schedule released so far): Sunday 3/15 - MIL at CLE (Goodyear; weird to see Cleveland on the schedule since it's their first year back to AZ) Monday 3/16 - CHC at MIL (Maryvale) Thursday 3/19 - CLE at MIL (Maryvale) Friday 3/20 - MIL at SEA (Peoria) Saturday 3/21 - MIL at LAA (Tempe) Sunday 3/22 - SF at MIL (Maryvale) Looks the the World Baseball Classic is scheduled for round 2 March 14 - 19. Now on to looking at airline prices... Tuesdays - Will I see you down there again this year?