Big Jay of the North

Bucholz would be a great get for Hardy but I doubt it would happen mainly because of all the hype that has surrounded him. It would be a pr nightmare in Boston, he's become the Red Sox version of Phil Hughes interms of hype at least. You have to think the Sox will give him more time to prove himself. I would love to see the Brewers get Bowden and Bard (I know I've said it before and I don't think either would be untouchable). If Melvin has to include a B level prospect in A ball I think DM should take a hard look. If Delcarmen is all the Brewers can get for Hardy we've got big trouble. Manny D. is a nice MR but not nearly enough value in return for a top ten SS. The two picks Boston would receive for JJ have great value alone and way more than Delcarmen. Let's say JJ and Anundsen for Bowden and Bard. Would that get it done? I bet it will take more than just Hardy to get both and the Brewers need both or comparable players. The Red Sox have one glaring hole in their lineup and that is at SS. Hardy's offensive game (especially the 07 and 08 JJ)would play wonderfully at Fenway. Boston and the Brewers match up very nicely for an off seson deal. Hardy will almost certainly be the best SS available this winter and whatever pitching the Sox lose can be bought on the FA market by a team with deep pockets. It just makes sense!

804, what if DM included a Rogers and/or Anundsen into the mix? I would have to think that could easily get it done.

Weeks could very well be an upgrade if he can stay healthy. Granted that's a big if. With the way JJ is hitting I don't think it would be hard for Escobar to match his output. These moves may slightly weaken the offense but the pitching should be much better. As for Felix, I understand the years of injury and his IP are a little scary but any young pitcher is a risk. He is not the only young pitcher that should be looked at, but if this team is going to ever go deep in the post season it must have better pitching. There is a two to three year window with this current core group and there is little to no help on the way from AAA/AA in terms of starting pitching during that time frame. We know that the top end FA pitchers will be too expensive for the Brewers. If we don't trade for it where will it come from? I guess that's the million dollar question.

What if DM included Lawrie could the Felix deal happen? Hart, Gamel, Lawrie, Salome, Peralta? I know that would seriously deplete the farm system but that kind of deal was kicked around for guys like Halladay and Lee whom we would have had for a year and a half. We'd have Felix for 3 years! Seattle needs offense and Jack Z highly values power and that deal would be more up his alley, who knows maybe he would throw in Morrow too. This team needs to get a #1 or #2 pitcher. Yo is great but after that we have 4's and 5's IMO. Parra showed signs last night that he may be more than that but I'm not sold on him yet. As for FA starting pitching, count me in the group that would rather not spend on the FA pitchers that will be out there. The top end guys will more than likely price themselves out of our market and the ones who remain that are decent options have serious durability issues like Escobar and Hudson. I would maybe take a chance but it would have to be at the right price. A Looper type deal as opposed to anything long term. As for the Hardy deal, I believe Bard could be the Brewers closer for 4+ years, at a reasonable cost , unlike the millions that have been spent on the position in the past. I like Bowden and Bard because they could help the quickest and be around the longest. Maybe Hardy could land those two without the other prospects but I'm not sure. Epstein is too shrewd. What are your thoughts on Weeks going to RF and playing Lopez at 2B? The amount then paid to Lopez would not be excessive. A line up of Lopez 2B, Weeks RF, Braun LF, Fielder 1B, Mcgehee 3B, Cameron CF, Escobar SS, Kendall or replacement at cather and the pitchers spot would be pretty nice to see. Counsell and Hall coming of the bench on the IF and Gerut and Cat in the OF, and Lucroy or Rivera as the backup C. The Rotation of Yo, Felix, Parra, Bush, Suppan/Bowden. BP of Hoffman, Bard, Coffey, Villa, Stetter, DiFelice, Bowden/Suppan. That team could compete in the NL Central. Using my up nort math it looks like a payroll in the low 80's. That's including dead weight in Riske and estimates in arby raises. A low 80's payroll is about where we are right now. The biggest question mark is whether or not we want to deplete our farm system for such deals not whether our payroll would be too large. Keep buying tickets Brewers Fans!

It's very disappointing to hear that King Felix was possibly coming to the Brewers at the deadline. What a one-two punch Yo and Felix could have been! I still believe this could be a deal that could go down in the off season and possibly just one of a few deals DM has to look at. With this uneventful trade deadline being rather disappointing I am starting to look into what can be done this off season to help next year and beyond. Here are some of the things I wouldn't mind seeing this winter. Would Hart, Gamel, Salome/Lucroy, and W. Peralta be enough for King Felix? Also if a deal of Hardy, Anundsen, and/or Rogers(a New Englander who I would include to replace some of the lost pitching prospects the Red Sox have suffered from the trade deadline and this coming offseason) to Boston for Bowden and Bard could be pulled off we could be looking at quite a bit of young, controllable pitching through 2012 at least. I hope DM brings back Cameron for a two year deal, first year for 10 million and the second year could be a mutual option loaded with incentives. I also hope he brings Counsell back for 1 million, Lopez for 5-6 million. These two can serve as insurance for Escobar and McGehee if they struggle and Weeks if he continues to be bitten by the injury bug. In the outfield they could go with Braun in left, Cameron in center, Gerut/Hall platoon in right--I realize this is less than appealing but Gerut is fairly cheap and I don't believe there is a GM alive foolish enough to deal for Hall's contract or Suppan's for that matter, unless we eat most of these contracts of course, which is a possibility. With Frankie Catalanotto as the fifth OF'er and LH pinch hitter off the bench. DM should definitley try to find a better option in RF. A Kapler like signing wouldn't hurt, maybe even think about Weeks in RF. You could then play Lopez at 2B, possibly dumping Hall(wishful thinking). As for catcher and I can't believe I'm saying this but bring back Kendall for 1 million and have Rivera or Lucroy/Salome as the back up. Of course if a better option comes up you have to jump at it. But as we all know DM loves Kendall for some reason. He should talk to his old team in Texas who have some catcher's with serious potential. As for the piching staff, sign Hoffman for 7 million to close until Bard is ready the following year. Let Looper walk. A rotation of Yo, Felix, Parra, Bush, and Bowden or Suppan, with the other in the BP (if Bowden doesn't make the rotation have him start in Nashville until needed) could potentially be the best in the division. The BP would be Hoffman, Bard, Villanueva, Coffey, Stetter, Difelice and the last spot could be Suppan/Bowden, McClung or the like. IMHO this roster could win in the short and long term and would cost about as much as the '09 Brew crew with quite a bit coming off the books with expiring contracts after 2010. Wow! It's fun trying to play GM! What do you think of my attempt? Pick away! Especially the RF and C plans, not too enticing.

I'm with you Igor. I'm in northern WI about an hour south of Duluth and get the Chicago/KC game too. For MLB TV and for FSN this area is considered Brewers country but for some reason FOX sees it differently. I wish I knew their reasoning, maybe someone here has some information they could share. This happend last year and I remember the frustration of finally having a nationally televised game only to watch the White Sox and someone else. I could understand if the Twins were on but the White Sox getting televised over the Brewers? I just don't get it. I gues Bob and Jim will be my only choice today.

Roberts would be the impact position player with a high OBP this team needs. I would send Weeks, Salome, Anundsen, and even Braddock (maybe I'm crazy) if necessary for Roberts and Bradford/ Jim Johnson. I know its a lot but I think that could put us over the top and the team would have Roberts and the BP arm under contract for next year as well. This trade could solve two major problems: One being our lack of production both offensively and defensively from 2B and second a RP who can be counted on to get MLB hitters out. What do you guys think? Too much? Not enough?

Just heard on ESPNNEWS from Buck Showalter through host Michelle Bonner that the PTBNL was an even better prospect than Laporta. Also stated in Agent39's blog is the inclusion of Brantley as one of two players along with Green on the PTBNL list. I don't believe either is considered to be a better prospect than Laporta IMO. Seems to me this deal is becoming a little more expensive all the time. Green and Brantley are very valuable LH bats which are in relative short supply in our system.

After tonight's game I'll take Jack Daniels.http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/tongue.gif

Really who cares if he is or isn't a vegetarian. What I think needs to be addressed is his overall size. He seems to be quite a bit larger than last year and I think it is really affecting his production. He is a barrel chested man who has tremendous power. He is talented but he is TOO HEAVY! I believe his size is leading to his slow start. IMO he is struggling with his bat speed because he is having a tough time opening his hips and rotating his upper body. Eat meat or don't eat meat but at least work as hard as you can to keep your body in top shape to maximize your production as well as your future in the league. I would bet that many teams in this league would be very wary of signing Fielder to a long term deal because of the perception that he will not stay in good enough shape to realize his vast potential. Eating rib eye steaks or PBJ makes little difference, it comes down to the quantity and quality of the food in the diet and the amount of exercise needed to burn the calories consumed. He needs to slim down!

Sigh............(sound of beer opening)..sigh...... gulp,gulp.gulp. Ahhhhhh! That's better. Let's get used to games like tonight's. The past two nights the Crew has been outplayed by a Twins team that has been struggling big time. In extras tonight how many pitches did the Brewers see per at bat? Most of them swung at the first pitch trying to hit a walk-off home run and be the hero. What did the Twins do? They worked the count and hit the ball the other way and ultimately win the game. Tavares is left out there to die with three guys in the pen that I would rather see in the game. There is no consistency in all areas of this team be it hitting, defense, starting, relief pitching or coaching/managing. I have tried to stay positive for as long as I can but this team is going nowhere fast and firing Yost/Melvin and trading a bunch of players isn't going to make it any better. This team just isn't good enough. The next three weeks with St. Louis and Chicago having serious injuries to deal with the Brewers need to capitalize. If they don't its time to sell the farm and hope next year is better...sigh............(sound of beer opening).....sigh.......gulp, gulp.gulp........ahhhhhhhhhh that's better. I love the vent thread.

Here's an idea. Instead of going with the contact play how about a squeeze. Where's the small ball strategy when we need it? I know this team has a lot power but sometimes you need to think outside the box. Hart and Hall would be a great combination to pull it off too!

Just wondering if anyone else was thinking about a squeeze play when Hart was third and Hall was up? It would have been the go ahead run and I think Hart and Hall would be able to execute it fairly well. I think that would have been a great opportunity to catch the cards off guard.

Can someone please tell me why any manager with a full 8-man bull pen would bat a relief pitcher in a one run game in the bottom of the 7th inning? I know its been covered already, but what was Yost thinking. A releif pitcher who hasn't batted all year is a virtual guarenteed out and of course Gross doubles and if a guy like Counsell or Dillon gets on its another run and you bring in Turnbow for the 8th. I'm not saying a pinch hitter is a lock to get on base but he sure has a better chance to get on then Scott Linebrink. We have seen over the past few weeks what a one run lead means for this team and we have been far from automatic in those situations. Please Ned wake up before its too late!

When is this team going to have a great start to a game and actually win the game? I would like to vent my specific frustrations about this team but can't narrow my list of targets to a reasonable number. So I guess I will just say that this team presently sickens me to the point of nausea and that takes a lot. The pitching (starters and bull pen)stinks right now and the offense has been disgustingly inconsistent. Nothing seems to make me feel better about this team even though they are incredibly young and won't peak for a few years. The twelve pack of Blatz Light in the fridge is my only solace. Later.

Maybe I'm nuts, but did anyone else think the Crew should have squeezed in a run in the 11th? I know that puts a lot of pressure on Estrada but I think he should be able to put a bunt down and I don't think the Reds would have saw it coming. I know it would have been a gamble but the way it worked out it couldn't have been any worse.

Johnny Estrada= slowest man alive. His lack of hustle or flat out laziness probably cost the Brewers this game and should not be tolerated. Yost or the players should make sure Johnny understands that what he did can never happen again. Losing because you were beaten by the opponent is one thing but losing because you don't run out a potential DP is not cool. A little leauger knows enough to run out a ball in that situation. Is it me or does Johnny look like he's been hitting the post game spread in the clubhouse a lot harder than he's been hitting opposing pitching?

My thoughts and prayers go out to the Coolbaugh family. How tragic. Two little boys and another baby on the way. You have to ask why things like this happen to a guy like that. I was in attendance for his first major league home run. A shot that just cleared the wall in left. The Crew lost that day to the White Sox. Another memory I have of Mike Coolbaugh was from a game later that summer. After the game my wife and I were hanging out near the players parking lot trying to get an autogragh or two. Most of the guys (Burnitz, Chad Fox, Jenkins)hustled right past you and jumped into their expensive BMW's, Mercedes', and SUV's. A few signed some autograghs and talked to the fans that hung around. One of them was Coolbaugh, he seemed to be just happy to be there, a big smile on his face as kids were asking for his autogragh. He stood there for about 15 minutes and then jumped into his car. This is what I remember most, it was a beat up old Chevy Celebrity, looked like something I would have been driving, not something a major league player would be rolling in. I guess the the idea that all pro players are rich isn't quite true. By the looks of it he may not have been monetarily wealthy. I believe his wealth was measured differently, his family and his memories of living his dream were probably his prized possessions. Once again my sympathies go out to the Coolbaugh family.

I loved listening to Costas with our guys on radio and TV. He is without question one of the best spotscasters of all time (along with Al Michaels). I can see how some are turned off by his supposed arrogance, but I see a man that can call any type of sporting event and do a masterful job. I may be biased becasue I was a kid in the 80's and 90's when he was on the air a lot. Also, the guy has charisma, he can keep the attention of an audience as well as anyone ever has. In my opinion MLB should make a rule that has Costas and Uecker call every World Series. You can have Buck and McCarver.

The reason for the original post was mainly out of frustration from last night's game. I and many others have changed our expectations for this team, from just hoping to be competitive to expecting a division championship. After waiting for so long for a playoff caliber team and finally seeing it come this year I just don't want to see this team fall short. Especially to the stinking Cubs! The Brewers will continue to have good teams in the future basically due to the fact they probably have the best young talent in the National League. There are many reasons to remain optimistic but I don't know if I have the ability to just sit back and enjoy the ride as some of you have suggested. I think I will order a case of Pepto Bismol and keep my fingers crossed......GO BREWERS!

So when do you think the crew falls into second place? I think it could be by the time they get back home to play the Mets starting on July 31st. I hope I am wrong. I know I will be branded a non-believer but this team is struggling and the Cubs are absolutely white hot right now. Feel free to tell me why I should relax and that this team is not going to blow the huge lead they have enjoyed most of the season. I need a pep talk! Call me a panicing little girly man but I have a bad feeling about the next few weeks.