GenoSeligPrieb

I have made my peace with another season out of the playoffs for the Brewers 2008 season, and there are good reasons for my pessimism: - They waited too long to pull the trigger on launching Ned. It should have been done after Game 162 LAST year, and the damage he did to the clubhouse, with his polyanna "But we're still in first place" attitude, left us with virtually no room for error once Dale took over. - The Mets can hit all day long, and the Marlins are only so-so. - The game is in Shea Stadium. - The Cubs will try as hard as possible to beat us. - That damned Reed Johnson will find a way to either injure another key Brewer, or make another amazing sliding diving miracle catch to kill a Brewer rally. He wasn't capable of any of these heroics in Toronto, but in Cubbyland, he's Superman. - Similarly, Jim Edmonds didn't even seem like he was trying as a Padre, but for the lovable Cubbies, he's an All-Star again. - Henry Blanco, too. - Corey Hart is the anti-Carlos Lee, inthat, when a key RBI is on the line, he becomes baseball-incontinent, and he's starting again today. - Hart, with his .470 OPS in September, IS starting because Gabe Kapler can't. And we could use a cool, productive veteran like Gabe on a day like today. - While CC has been very good lately, he hasn't been no-hitter-threatening great. And he'll need to be, since stranding runners in scoring position is something most Brewers are becoming really goos at, this month. - Ben Sheets was again too fragile to do his job, so we're forced to mix and match today. - Last reason? Because it's the Brewers. I can't imagine us in the playoffs.

"Add him to my list, too, after yesterday's run-down fiasco. That's just not the way to play the game. " Exactly, Ru. I still can't accept why Doug Eddings feels he owes Pierzynski special calls that aren't in the rule book. To refresh for some here, Eddings was the same ump who was behind the plate for the pivotal 2005 AL playoff game at Chicago against Anaheim. He called Pierzynski out on strikes on a low pitch, raising his arm to emphasize the "Yes, he DID swing and miss" call. Then, Eddings pumped his fist to spell out the fact that it was strike 3 and that Pierzynski was out. These 2 strike 3 calls led the Angel catcher to believe Pierzynski was the 3rd out, so he rolled the ball to the mound. Pierzynski runs to first and the dumb-ass Eddings reverses his DOUBLE strike 3 call, and allows him to stay at 1st base. The White Sox, who could have been down 2 games to none, with the next 2 at Anaheim, instead drive in Pierzynski, tie and win the game, changing history. Yesterday, if you didn't see it or read about it, Pierzynski was caught in a rundown against Tampa, and he throws up his arm, brushing against 3B Willy Aybar. Eddings, who is still allowed to call White Sox games, called interference, and awarded Pierzynski 3rd base, despite the fact that anyone with eyes could see that the desperate Chicago catcher initiated contact. While I won't go as far as to say Eddings is in cahoots with Pierzynski, for personal or monetary gain, I'm convinced that Pierzynski is friendly with Eddings, and may have found someone very gullible, and easy to convince. Given his lack of ethics, his brash demeanor, his win-at-any-cost attitude, Pierzynski will either be a White Sox announcer or manager in a few years, because he fits their mold. And his bench coach, or play-by-play partner, will be Doug Eddings, of course.

To me, this Oswalt recruitment holds water. Sheets is from Louisiana, and as it often is, regardless of how "on the rise" the Brewers are, potential free agents tend not to stay here. OK, Sheets did re-sign once, but I wouldn't bet on him returning. Besides, I think we're already playing with house money with Ben this year, in terms of another injury, so I expect him to leave, and that's OK. If CC also leaves, there ARE options, and we'd have tons of cash to throw at 2 rotation slots. http://www.mlbtraderumors...7/12/2009-mlb-free-a.html John Lachkey's contract's expiring. So are Ryan Dempster's and AJ Burnett's. And if YoGa comes back close to what he had been, if we land 1 or 2 of these free agents, or just wait for The Great Billy Beane to have another pre-emptive fire sale, I'm not afraid.....but I REALLY do want CC to stay. If he does, with YoGa, we're OK.

Great thread! I guess I'll limit the list to active players and managers (sorry, Willie McGee and Ozzie Smith). 10. Derek Jeter 9. Johnny Damon 8. Reed Johnson 7. Jim Edmonds 6. Jason Giambi 5. Rick Ankiel 4. Alex Rodriguez 3. Gary Sheffield 2. Ozzie Guillen Since Clemens and Bonds are finally both out of Major League Baseball, and will never make it to the Hall of Fame (I really enjoy typing that, and having it be true!), my new #1 is umpire Doug Eddings' best friend: AJ Pierzynski

Yeah, Mike Greenberg even teased with it before the commercial break. He said it was probably the stupidest thing a coach or a manager will say this year. After the break, after disclaiming that MAYBE Ned's media scolding didn't come out as he may have meant it, he said that the media asking a question about an altercation, captured and broadcast on every sports outlet across the country was at a minimum, worth addressing. Greenie went on to note that Ned's reaction to the media, calling reporters "rude" for even daring to ask about the physical confrontation, shows that he's not in step with what's going on around him. Regardless of how many times bad things happen under him, nothing's ever a big deal. 2005's collapse, with Houston staging their charge was nothing to worry about. Last year, we were "still in first place." Now, this year, it's even rude to ask about the latest embarrassment under his watch. I wonder if someone will ask DOUG whether it's rude to even ask about this altercation.

All I know is that, Ryan Braun said, after one of the many beatdowns we suffered at the hands of the Cubs last week, that this is not fun, we're not relaxed. Last year, it was Johnny Estrada. This year's it's Prince. The whole tense atmosphere is starting to remind me of the 2005 collapse, or the 2007 collapse. I predict this year's clandestine contract extension for Yost will come on...let's pick...October 4th.

"I think the "rhyme or reason" is that Bush has been a better pitcher than McClung for the past four years." If the last 4 years is the yardstick here, then shouldn't Jason Isringhausen still be the Cardinals closer, Ivan Rodriguez the Tigers catcher, Richie Sexson the 1B in Seattle, and Eric Gagne be our closer? I think a much higher degree of weight toward how the player's performing in 2008, should be considered into the decision. If you don't get a chance based on what you've done in 2004 - 2007, then Ryan Ludwick, Josh Hamilton and Milton Bradley would still be reserves.

To me, Bush seems like a decent reliever, and a below-average SP. McClung has been much better adapting to being a starter lately. And during this home/road "audition" nonsense, Bush's ERA as a starter has been 7.30. McClung beat the Cardinals in his 1 start during this timeframe, and was bad in his 2 relief appearances. It seems that the move should be McClung starting, for his usual 5-ish innings, with Bush his designated inning 6-7...8? guy. Is that wrong? Again, it's not a slam on Bush, but he didn't pitch well as a starter during this experiment, and McClung pitched much better as a starter than as a reliever. Makes sense? I just can't see why Ned could look at the stats (IF he's being guided by the results), and declare, "Yup, Bush is the horse to bet on here." In today's article, Ned's rationale was...consistent, but as it often is, to quote another Ned...Flanders..."Well, that's a melon-scratcher!": "The reason we did that is two-fold," Yost said. " 'Bushie,' up until the point we started this, was on a pretty good roll. Two, he has been a starter with us for the last two years." But wait; there was one more fold to be unfolded. "And three, Seth fits a little better in the 'pen. It's easier to bring Seth in in a situation in the middle of an inning or to shut down an inning. I don't envision him as a long guy. Fifth-, sixth-, seventh-inning type stuff." Soooo...Bushie got the job because he had been doing it before? That's enough of a reason? McClung was pitching well in the rotation before this plan, too. Again, I'm not ripping on "Bushie" but Ned doesn't provide compelling reasons. How about the fact that McClung seemed to finally have found his niche as a starter, while Bush has been bad during this experiment? I know, I know, small sample, but there's no rhyme or reason to the decision....*sigh*

"Well, Durham has only hit RHP this well this season, so to say 'he's a switch-hitter, therefore his swing has no weaknesses' is off-base." TLB: You're right. A statement that claims "therefore (Durham's) swing has no weaknesses" IS off-base. Only I never thought nor typed that. Re-read the post, m'friend. I alluded to the fact that a switch hitter is not as prone to problems against either a righty or a lefty facing him. Believe me, if Ray's swing had no weaknesses, he'd be Ted Williams. "And of all the Brewers to call out for not hustling... you pick arguably the hardest-working & hardest-hustling one? Wow." OK then, please explain how that complete surrender on the basepaths, on the liner to Soriano, resembled a player who hustles. I'm not saying Weeks is always dogging it, but on that play, he apparently stopped trying. For all we know, maybe he does usually care. But to say he's arguably the hardest-working & hardest-hustling Brewer is tough to back up when we see evidence like that. And last year, after the team demoted Rickie to the minors for 8 days, he came back with some good habits the rest of the season, even drawing 4 walks in his first game back. To me, that suggests he can be motivated by the loss of playing time. If a dope like me can see stuff like this, why doesn't Ned try scaring him into stepping it up a bit?

One at a time, starting with Backup: "the relative talent level of the Cards vs the Brewers is similar to the relative talent level of the Brewers compared to the Cubs. If LaRussa couldn't so much as win one game at home vs the Brewers that is every bit as bad as the bad as Ned not being able to do so against the Cubs." I see your point, but I can't agree with the comparative talent gap angle. The Brewers are a LOT closer to the Cubs than the Cardinals. T. La R. and Dave Duncan are doing David Blaine-type stuff this year. Raise your hands if you thought the 2005/2006/2007 stat averages for Joel Pineiro, Todd Wellemeyer, Ryan Ludwick, Aaron Miles, Skip Schumacher, Braden Looper and especially Kyle Lohse would have brought this much success in '08. If the talent's not there, but the results are almost the same as a team like the Brewers, with a lot more bullets in their gat, than it comes down to how the 2 teams are prepared and motivated. And by the way, the Brewers/Cardinals series featured a 2nd place team hosting a 3rd place team. Monday through Thursday, it was the runner-up, only 1 game back, hosting the leader. That's more pressurized, wouldn't you think? "It's a shame that those Cardals games weren't statement games. I thought they were but what do I know? " I hear ya, Russ, I hear ya! I know where you were going with this, but as I mentioned above, a 3 @ 2 matchup is not as pressurized as a 1 @ 2. I'll grant you this: After the fact, current history (is there such a thing?) may indeed show that those 4 games in St. Louis DID turn out to be statement-makers. But at the time? Not as much as the Cub series we just blew. "I'm not sure what is achieved by assembling a list of self-proclaimed "statement games" and pointing out the team's failures in them. " Gifted1: I think what I achieved was to provide examples of the Brewers getting enough positive hype to be noticed, and earn some national exposure, only to shrink like violets in most cases. Games on Fox, on ESPN...they draw not only fan attention from all over the country to your club, but also national media. Hell, your whole family can watch THOSE games. Positive national exposure is a healthy thing. And besides, if you perform as your talent suggests you can, in high-profile games, the whole team's image gets a boost. Your players may actually stick around and not bolt for the door as soon as contractually able, if they're getting high-profile hype from USA Today, ESPN, Fox, SI....Hell, you may even attract talent based on wider recognition. Blow those games, and it's tougher to shake the same old small market, weak franchise image we've held for decades. But even after these titanic failures, Yost keeps saying "but we're still in first place" and "we're doing just fine." "Well, we are doing just fine. " - Going from first place on Saturday, to 5 games back in 5 days, - Providing a huge confidence boost to the Cub players, - Starting slumps for Hardy (his OPS is down 38 points since that Cub series started), Hart (his OPS is down 23 points since then), Braun (down 16 points), and Kendall (down 15). That's not fine. Thank goodness for Atlanta, because if we were facing a competent team this weekend, I don't think we'd have won the first 2. "Maybe they played poorly because they played poorly....Or that Ned didn't have them motivated." Did you see Rickie Weeks sauntering back to 1st base when that liner was hit to Soriano? Hell, he STILL could have made it back easily with a half-run stride. But he just "surrendered" after re-touching second base, and was still out, even after Alfonso's bad throw was bouncing around near the first base bag. Did he appear to you to be "motivated" to try as hard as he could, because his manager would endanger his playing time if he didn't go all out? Me neither. I still don't know why Ray Durham isn't being given a chance. For a leadoff man, his OBP is 46 points higher than Rickie's, his OPS is still 77 points higher, he's a switch hitter, so matchups don't affect him, you won't see HIM dogging it, and I think he can turn a DP instead of jumping back and sidearming the throw to first. Now, with today's announcement from Ned, does anyone think Dave Bush deserved to become the full-time 5th starter over Seth McClung? Bush was just godawful during this "audition", giving up 10 earned runs in 12 1/3 innings (that's a 7.30 ERA), while McClung beat St. Louis in his start, and pitched poorly in his 2 relief appearances, which suggests that, for now at least, McClung would be better suited to starting for a while, while Bush has failed again lately in a regular rotation slot. Is there a motivation to do your best if you get chosen by Ned, regardless of how you perform, and/or how well your competition on the depth chart, does?

"Since when are threads with rediculous titles allow to remain as is?" Dude, without ridiculous titles, I'm out of bidniss! I use them to make my posts distinct and hopefully compelling. Ask yourself which thread seems more creative and worth reading: "Moves I'd Make for the Stretch Run" or one called "American Idle"? " The mods on this forum are uber conservative so I no longer have any idea what is constructive criticism and what gets me a warning/ban so I am now just avoiding saying anything negative at all towards another poster....I just think the reasons you posted are pedestrian and have more or less nothing to do with why they Brewers are winning or losing this year." While this wasn't that harsh, calling someone else's ideas "pedestrian" has undercurrents of snobbish condescension. Would you like it if someone called your ideas "pedestrian?" If you condescend again and again, they add up, dude. "but I really think you are off base as to why Yost is a bad manager. It isn't because he enables things in press releases and it is completely because he makes bad in game choices." See? Now THIS is a great way to present your side of the debate, as everyone else in this thread has, without the condescension. I'll be glad to answer this one, Ennder. I think the Brewers get all flop-sweaty and fail in critical games because the sense of urgency is not instilled in them, and I'm afraid the motivation thing is on Ned. Of course, all games count as 1 out of 162, and you can't get too high or too low. Mike Ditka ultimately "lost" his Bears team in his last 5-11 season in 1992, because he screamed and demanded 110% for every practice! But there ARE "statement games" like the ones at Shea Stadium last May, the late July series at Wrigley last year (when Kevin Mench was selected by Ned to bat in the 9th against a tiring righty reliever, with Jenkins available on the bench), against Boston on national TV this May, and this week's 4-gamer against Chicago, with a chance to shut their fans' pieholes. And in those cases, the Brewers appeared unprepared for the deeper scrutiny, frightened by the bright lights like a mouse in your kitchen at 2 AM. But even after these titanic failures, Yost keeps saying "but we're still in first place" and "we're doing just fine." This Pollyanna attitude from the players' boss, filters down. The pitchers and hitters read these quotes, too, and I can't blame them for unclenching their fists and relaxing just a tiny bit. Some will argue that Ned doesn't panic, and that he doesn't overreact to adversity. But there ARE times to summon up your very, very best for THIS game or for that one, to stop a losing streak, or to compete in your own stadium with a crowd that's 2/3rd's Cub fans. And I just don't see Ned's Brewer teams doing that...which could prove to be the difference between a very talented team that finishes close to the top, and one that just steps on the throttle and "goes for it." There's also the security blanket tone that Ned sets for some really poorly performing players. Deep-down, Weeks didn't seem worried that he was jogging back to first base on that liner to left field, which turned into a DP. If he hustled, he'd have been safe at first, but his playing time is NOT being endangered by Yost, so human instinct for some people, signals that it's OK, don't break your arse running back to first. It's not like you're going to get benched, or sent to AAA or anything. Bob Brenly was saying after that embarrassing double-play, (paraphrasing) "Boy, for a guy who's been struggling, and who sees a new acquisition like Ray Durham, and a veteran like Craig Counsell on the same second base depth chart, you'd think Weeks would have been running full tilt back to first." Exactly! And whose fault is it for enabling that sense of comfort, where there are no consequences for bad plays? Debating like this, is much more fun.

Once again, it's not my imagination. I've been debating up and back with Sam, Russ, and a few others, and it was cool...until now.

Late to the party again, but what the hell? I'm married almost 15 years...3 sons, so that's my perspective. Minuses: - When we order pizza in a restaurant, 95% of the time, it's at least 1/2 cheese, because of the kids. And even then, the "adult half" is a compromise. I like pesto on my pizza...a lot! And shrimp, %%!+$%! Garlic, too. "But that's bad for your breath!"...and "I don't like pesto."...and "Shrimp? On a pizza? Are you nuts?" *sigh* - Can't watch Pulp Fiction, !!+!+*%, GoodFellas, The Sopranos, or Tarantino's latest Grindhouse film, "DeathProof" on the plasma upstairs. Got to watch with the sound not too loud, downstairs on the old TV. - Forced socialization. With pain-in-the-ass neighbors, or the 61 people on her side of the family. There's either a communion, a graduation, a birthday, a holiday, or a damned picnic every other weekend. I want to hit a bar and watch the Crew! Plusses: - Yeah, with that band on my left ring finger, I don't have to go trolling for women at bars. - While I'm not fat, I don't have to watch my weight anymore, because I have to attract a woman. - People at work don't look at me strangely, as they do to the single guy in my department who's my age. - My 51-year-old cousin Bobby is the one our relatives pity, not me. - The kids are fun. - What else am I going to do? Move to Africa? I've had my fun. I'm settled in, it's cool. Hey, I'm online tonight, ain't I?

RL: I agree in part. I was VERY ticked off yesterday, after at least 2 somewhat mean-spirited little comments that I had to absorb, and I posted angrily. It was cleansing and cathartic and all, but still, a bit emotional. But 1 game, against a VERY bad Atlanta team doesn't wash away that 5-run lead Ned left Mota in to blow...or Monday night's game when Durham and Counsell were better options, or the Julian Tavarez affair. He's still an enabler whose answers are literally, "you have to keep battlin'." Ned did a great Nero impersonation, fiddling while Rome, Wisconsin burned. Up the thread, the comparison was made to Tony LaRussa last week. Didn't his team also blow home game after home game to a key divisional rival? Yes of course. But St. Louis's management left the talent cupboard bare for T. La R. by spending all their money building that unnecessary new stadium. Tony's pitching staff and outfield were held together this year by strings and chicken wire supplied by Dave Duncan and Tony himself. No one expected them to still be in the race because the talent just isn't there. Joel Pineiro? Ryan Ludwick? Todd Wellemeyer? Kyle Lohse? Braden Looper? Skip Schumacher? They've overachieved, in a big way so far. Tony's Manager of the Year, hands down. Even if they slide back to .500, he's still got the trophy. But Ned's the opposite. Give him lesser talent, and he can't do anything creative with it. Give Ned great talent, and he can't guide them to the Promised Land. Just imagine if we had a real veteran manager, a no-coddling guy with legit credentials who has accomplishments on his resume. A Davey Johnson, a Bobby Valentine, a Ken Macha, even an againg Jim Fregosi. Those 3, 4, 5 games a year Ned's decisions cost us could turn into 1, 2 or 3, maybe none...maybe even a plus 1, 2 or 3 games in the standings with better decisions. But we'll never know, because Ned will probably get another extension this winter, after a 90-win season when we JUST missed the Wild Card by 2 games.

First of all, thanks for the kind words, fellas. You sit there and get pies tossed at you for 4 goddamned days straight, and you can't say anything. It was torture. OK, it wasn't as if Pvt Lynndie England was there, pointing and laughing at ME, as electrodes were tied to my nether regions, but in terms of sports loyalty, I took a big one for this team, in the Land of the Cub. Anyway, a few of you have wondered whether Private, Locker Room Ned may not be equal to Press Conference Ned. I think they may be, and it's because his in-game decisions, his actions if you will, reflect what he says in those soundbites. In his soundbites, he never dresses down Weeks, Mota, Obermueller, Helms, Clark... And his choices regarding playing time; i.e. the confidence he apparently DOES have in clowns like these, manifests itself in those decisions. He says (Insert struggling his latest personal Brewer favorite here) will be fine, he's battling. And he keeps playing that guy. That's all I need, to confirm he seems to mean what he's saying to the media.

"So you blame Ned Yost for the players hitting poorly with RISP? " Nope. I'm blaming him for downplaying it, and saying there's nothing to be done. His public statements, and his handling of struggling players, paints the picture of an enabler. Why do the Brewers fade when the pressure's on so often, under Ned? Because his words and lineup choices suggest there's no sense of urgency. It's not a problem, to lose big games. No one's guaranteeing Simba will come in, crack the whip and make everything better. But this is starting to look like the 3rd time his teams are playing well beneath their talent level suggests. He should have been gone last year, but Doug quietly EXTENDS him. Since there's no pressure on Ned to excel, it filters down. We can't be taken seriously as "going for it" with a 3rd-rate manager, costing us a game here and there, when our room for error is so small. Tell ya what. If we could switch Ned for Piniella, wouldn't you feel like we'd win not only the division, but probably the pennant? Those extra games his bad decisions cost us (the Julian Tavarez game vs. Minnesota on June 14th...the infamous 5-run lead Mota game...Monday's loss to the Cubs, with Durham and even Counsell available, and he still starts Weeks, who couldn't hit and couldn't turn a DP), they add up fast. Maybe Ted Simmons saves us from 1, or even 2 of those examples, alone. That's a game or 2 closer right there...

Anyone else catching a ton of crap this week, and can't do a thing about it? My 1970 Brewer barrelman pennant is displayed prominently in my office. This week, it has served as a magnet for taunts, laughs from Cub fans, and mild put-downs, mostly good-natured, (some, not so much), which I have to just sit there and take. It's like I'm 9 years old, and bullies are coming after me. These bullies don't have a superstation to promote them nor do they have unlimited cash, but....work with me here. So, the neighborhood tough-guys are on me, and I call for my big brother to come to my defense. But he shows up wearing a Girl Scout uniform. That's how it has been here in Chicago. I kept pointing to our All-Stars, our acquisition of CC, even Ray Durham, as signs that we're not the same old Selig Brewers anymore. We won't choke anymore! None of that applies anymore. All the unprofessional, backward people who lead us are gone.....except one. And he's the common thread between The Great Collapse of 2005...last year's shameful debacle, and the architect of this season's spectacular failure to capitalize on momentum, and go for the throat and win some key games. The Brewers DON'T have my back...again. Last May, after getting some hype, the first place Brewers headed for New York City. High profile media attention. And what happened? Later in that season, at Wrigley Field (on the superstation, nationwide) we failed again, under the bright lights. This year, it was national TV for a series in Boston. Bad. Now, with a lot of hype surrounding us, in a home series where we could have made life difficult for the Cubs, the same thing happens. Why? Because losing is always excused. "You've got to tip your cap to the other pitcher!!"..."(Insert Underperforming Brewer's Name Here) is doing just fine!!"...and my favorite, "We're still in first place!!" This morning, when Haudricourt cited our lack of performance in the clutch, and Ned's response spoke volumes: "Since the all-star break, the Brewers are hitting .156 (19 for 122) with RISP. That famine dropped the team average to .239 in those situations, one of the lowest marks in the league." "There's nothing you can do about it," manager Ned Yost said. "Just keep battling. It'll turn around. I don't think it's a major ordeal they're going through. It's not just something that happens to us. You wait it out." What a great plan to focus on a problem area! Leave it alone, and it'll get better all by itself! If Ned were a physician, he'd cure patients with the AIDS by doing nothing for them! Would Lou Piniella...HAS Lou Piniella ever made this many excuses, ignored bad trends, stubbornly stuck with poor players, or allowed his favorites (DOES he even have any favorites?) to not hustle as Weeks did today? Would Lou ever allow his team to dump their drawers, as we've done, again and again, in crucial games, year after year? It's the difference between a REAL manager, and a good ol' boy who sat on Atlanta's bench, supposedly soaking up all that winning atmosphere, but forgetting that, instead of a sponge to absorb all those intangible "winning ways" emanating from Leo Mazzone and Bobby Cox, he was using aluminum foil, all along. Part of the blame, however, rests on Doug and even Mark, now. They claim to be "going for it" which makes for a nice soundbite, a great marketing catch-phrase. But it rings hollow if you keep committing to a manager who won't use better players in the right situations. Hell, we may even still make the playoffs, because Mark and Doug assembled that much talent this year. I'm not so sure anymore, but it could go either way right now as long as we don't pee away key games. But honestly, can we ever expect to go anywhere this year, with this clown as our manager? Next season, CC. Sheets and even LaPorta won't be around, and our window of Wild Card opportunity won't be as open. Do we want to waste this rare convergence of talent the rest of this season, with Ned at the helm? Ted Simmons should at least get a chance, NOW. He couldn't do less to instill a sense of urgency. Jeff Torborg came in a few years ago, in-season, in Florida, and look what could happen. Last analogy, I promise! http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif Now let's say you're managing a Wal*Mart. Your 80-year-old greeter is welcoming shoppers, in pants with a big hole in the crotch. He's embarrassing himself, and by extension, YOU, as his boss. You even give him a pair of better replacement pants, fechrissakes. Let's call these improved pants, "Durhams". But no, the geezer keeps wearing the useless pants, because they had potential, and they used to cost a lot, brand new, back in the 1950's. The hole rips larger, and now his butt is showing, but you let him make his own decisions. Who's fault is it now? A few weeks ago, I proudly pointed out Doug's bold quote to my friends and relatives, when he said "We're going for it!!", but brother-in-law laughed and said, "Yeah, Ned Yost will lead you to the Promised Land!" That reality slap ruined the good feelings I allowed myself to have that day, but the truth was that I needed that, to prepare me for this week's torture...

"Yeah that was my first post - I really didn't mean to be 'that guy' - the typical one post banned type. Maybe it just wasn't meant to be..." Bullox: Thanks for taking one for the team! You've cemented yourself in BF.net folklore. We'll all look back and laugh someday the great Cubs collapse of aught-8, and we'll fondly recall that day our friend Bullox went over there to NSBB, bumped up a snarky anti-Brewers slam, and turned the firehose on them! Awesome work, m'friend!

I don't know, Stevo. You're entitled to be as angry as you like over Ryan's at bat in the 9th. But migod, he hit a home run...in the 9th...to bring in the tying and winning run...in St. Louis of all places...to give us a 4-game sweep...and a 7-0 road trip...and to add the cherry to this sundae of a game, the Cardinals announcers just had to eat some major crow after declaring Franklin the Player of the Game. It may very well be in the top 5 or 10 Brewer home runs in our history. The only way this is better is if it gets us into 1st place, or if the blast clinched a playoff berth...or better. If you want to dig deeply for reasons to be upset about Ryan's self-assured sense of confidence, then you'll find it anywhere. But please understand that tonight, your side of the aisle is gonna be pretty lonely. Enjoy it, man! ------ On the edit, I did find something to be mildly terse about tonight: ESPN blew through the Brewer highlights, for perhaps 20 seconds, and focused the next 3 minutes-plus on the Yankees. We've always been told that the Brewers will get the attention from the national media when they started deserving it...by winning. Fair enough. But a 4-game sweep against St. Louis, a team we were trailing on Sunday, a Wild Card contender themselves. You'd think that would warrant more than a cursory highlight. I still wish another network, FoxSports, CNN, Versus, hell, C-Span...ANYONE ELSE would start up a rival, nightly sports newscast, so we can get some fairer reporting. Oh well, I just remembered Pujols hanging his head again, and I'm back to ecstatic!

I agree with Russ that the last 3 years tell you quite a bit about a player. A lot more than career numbers, that's for sure. But I don't think we should be so quick to toss aside this year's production, either. It's how Durham's doing nowadays that counts. Weeks, too, for that matter. There are quite a few others where Marcel's don't give you an accurate predictor as to what they're capable of still doing for you in 2008. Gabe Kapler, Cristian Guzman, Dioner Navarro, Jerry Hairston, Ryan Doumit, Johnny Damon, Xavier Nady, Troy Glaus, Nate McLouth and especially Ryan Ludwick. If GMs and managers never took a chance, and steered clear of these guys, based on Marcel's, the pennant races would look a lot different.

Spectacular trade! The good news? 1) Ray-Ray (sorry, that's what they always called him in Chicago) could have vetoed the deal, but didn't, so it's not like we're picking up a "devastated" Junior Spivey. 2) Ford and Hammond were not especially valuable nuggets. 3) Durham has a .396 OBP this season, and is batting .294. Rickie's way behind that. 4) As others have mentioned up the thread, he destroys the Cubs and Cardinals. 5) StL and Chicago have very few LHPs in their rotation, so I can't wait to sic Ray on them, soon! 6) Dillon can't pinch-hit, anyway. 7) The Giants are picking up 1/2 the remainder of his salary (about $1.5 million from them, the same from us), so he's not even expensive. The bad news: 1) Durham's 36. 2) He's also a rent-a-player, whose deal ends soon. 3) Ned will probably try to STILL give his struggling guy every chance to play. Doug brought in Branyan, but Ned had a tough time accepting that his guy, Wes Helms, needed to play less often now. I suspect the same will happen again. Hope I'm wrong. 4) I half-expected us to land Jack Taschner, too. And maybe JT was part of a more lucrative deal for SF, but after we smacked him around a bit the other night, maybe DM hoped the price would drop, and maybe it didn't, so he passed on the chance to expand the trade. 5) Now the Cubs will probably counter this move by sending a couple of their half-asses like Ronny Cedeno and Felix Pie to Florida for Hanley Ramirez. Overall, though, the plusses outweigh the minuses here, by quite a bit. I honestly think that, if it's a straight platoon at 2B, with Weeks facing LHPs only, we have a solid leadoff slot for the first time in quite a while...

One thing that disappoints me about Cameroon ,FTJ is all this Gold Glove-caliber defense he was supposed to bring us. "He'll be the best defender on the club" we were told. But those "triples" that he let s scoot by him every few weeks are back-breakers. Gold Glove-caliber CFs don't let that many squeeze past them. I won't bore everyone with long-winded explanations for the grades, so I'll try to limit each player to a lovely 5 word Haiku. Fielder (B+) D & power going down Weeks (D) Leading off? Ya kiddin' me? Hardy (B+) Glove & bat in synch Hall (C-) Thought 3rd base would help Branyan (B-) Nice boost but fading again Braun (A) Even I'd like more walks Cameron (C-) Overrated D. Don't do drugs! Hart (A-) Improve arm & he's golden Kendall (B+) Re-learned how to throw Counsell © I never expected much, anyway Rivera (B-) Should relieve Kendall more now Dillon (C+) If Weeks continues to falter... Sheets (A) Injury-free gets an A+ Sabathia (A+) If only CC would stay! Suppan (C-) Same comment as Craig Counsell Parra (B) Pitch deeper into games, Manny! Bush (C+) AAA wake-up call helped McClung © Way better starter than expected Villanueva (C-) Awful before June, terrific now Shouse (B+) Overused, old, but still producing Torres (A-) Thanks, Sol for stepping up Riske (C-) Get healthy! We need you! Mota (D-) Was OK until June 6th. Stetter (B) 2 earned runs only once Gallardo (Incomplete) Why did Reed Johnson slide? Turnbow (F) Former All-Star washed up Gagne (F) Worst free agent since Hammonds Yost (D) Stubborn manager loves struggling players Melvin (B-) Going For It!...But Yost?

Under predictions sure to come back to haunt me: NL Central Champs: Cubs (93-69) vs. NL West Champs: Dodgers (83-79) NL Wild Card: Brewers (85-77) vs. NL East Champs: Phillies (85-77) Cubs in 3 over Dodgers Phillies in 5 over Brewers (Sheets injury leaves Sabathia winning 2 games, which unfortunately isn't enough to get us there) Cubs win the pennant in 6, but lose the Series to Anaheim, making it 101 years...

Oh, I agree, Stevo. We're not privy to the extact words exchanged in the locker room. And like the whole "Public Jim Powell may not be equal to the Private Jim Powell" conundrum, it may very well be true that there's a Private Ned vs. a Public Ned for all we know. So I'll spot you that one. But I find it hard to believe that Public Ned, with all his consistent, unwavering rhetoric about "We're still in first place...We can fix Mota...You've got to tip your cap to (insert hack pitcher with ERA over 6.00 here) tonight" taken against his consistent actions and decisions (sticking with bad relievers, his affinity for Counsell, his stubbornness in leading off Weeks) and Private Ned...are much different guys. The day Ned calls out an overpaid or overhyped player who's costing us games will be the first time. Gagne, Weeks, Cameron, Mota...no problem. And when there appears to be very little accountability, or dire consequences for your poor play, as a human being (especially pampered millionaire athletes with guaranteed contracts), you kind of unclench your fists a bit, and relax....just a little.

I can't say that the players are gassed in the second half. But I will attribute the Yost-managed collapses...plural...over the past few years, to the pollyanna attitude he expresses, publicly at least. Bad execution, poor pitching decisions, are never a problem, because "we're still in first place....it's still early...and we're still in the hunt." If Guillermo Mota pitches badly again and again and again, his workload is not even shortened; "we can fix him." The lack of urgency and/or killer instinct comes from the top down. Only Ryan Braun had the chutzpah to question all this whistling in the graveyard. Besides Ryan, the other guys you'd figure to be team leaders don't seem to be ready to stick around longer-term (Fielder, Sheets, Hart, Sabathia?). Other prominent Brewers are older ones on short-term deals like Cameron, Kendall and Torres. That leaves the burden of leadership on players like Braunie, JJ, Weeks and Hall. And while JJ seems comparatively quiet (but what do I know?), while the other 2 are in and out of the lineup. Ned's coddling after losses sure as hell isn't helping though...