JimH5

At some point players who tested positive are most likely going to get in. Who do you think is getting in? And by what method do you think they will get in?

That's not all he did. But you can't see it because your rearview mirror has a blind spot.

It doesn't necessarily get them closer to the Veterans Committee, but it does get them off of the BBWAA purgatory sooner. The writers don't need 15 years to argue the merits of Jack Morris or Don Mattingly or Lee Smith. Ten years should be enough. And then for guys who aren't elected, they can be considered by the various Veterans Committee groups that the HOF creates. Currently they would be considered by the Expansion Era Committee. As it relates to PED guys, I don't think this serves them well, as the Veterans Committees have generally been filled with some of the more hard line "anti-cheating" guys. From the HOF website: Name: The Expansion Era Committee ("The Committee") shall refer to the electorate that considers retired Major League Baseball players no longer eligible for election by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA), along with managers, umpires and executives, whose greatest contributions to the game were realized from the 1973-present era. Membership: The Expansion Era Committee shall consist of 16 members, comprised of members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, executives, and veteran media members. The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc. shall act as the non-voting chairman of the committee and shall act as non-voting Secretary of the Committee. The 16-member Hall of Fame Board-appointed electorate charged with the review of the Expansion Era ballot features: Hall of Fame members Rod Carew, Carlton Fisk, Whitey Herzog, Tommy Lasorda, Joe Morgan, Paul Molitor, Phil Niekro and Frank Robinson; major league executives Paul Beeston (Blue Jays), Andy MacPhail, Dave Montgomery (Phillies) and Jerry Reinsdorf (White Sox); and historians Steve Hirdt (Elias Sports Bureau), Bruce Jenkins (San Francisco Chronicle), Jack O’Connell (BBWAA) and Jim Reeves (retired, Fort Worth Star-Telegram). If five guys from that list give a candidate the thumbs down, then they aren't elected. I don't see Herzog, Lasorda, Morgan, Robinson and O'Connell as picking any PED players. I don't know enough about the other committee members to form an opinion.

Regarding Bagwell, I don't think there's any evidence. People fishing for stuff might use his huge power numbers in the steroid era. And he had a bad complexion. And his odd shoulder injury. And rapid growth beard. There's enough about the era to be suspicious about everyone, and once you view everyone with that suspicion, you start to see things that may or may not be there.

What if down the road someone like Braun, Melky Cabrera, or any other players that failed a test and were suspended, went on to have say, a 20-year career of all-star numbers, maybe won some championships, and essentially had a HOF worthy career?.. Are they blacklisted from the HOF already? There's no rules that say so, but if the writers aren't going to let the old users in, why would they let the younger ones? Granted, the younger ones didn't for as long as the old guys.. but still.. do you think it would be Ryan Braun HOF*, Ryan Braun HOF, or just Ryan Braun..guy who used to dominate for the brew crew. It's so far down the road and potentially not even going to matter, but it made me wonder. As for Braun, I can't see him ever getting in. His denials and finger pointing and preening were so over-the-top...there's no way to make that stuff go away. To me, it's like Rafael Palmeiro's appearance before Congress. It defines his career as much as any hit or championship or award.

Brookfield Central State Champs in Baseball. Congrats from a 1980 grad!

He's been fine, he's been good, he's been quiet. He's stayed out of the headlines. He has adapted well to RF. I wouldn't say he's been "great", only because his production is down largely due to injuries.

Yeesh. Lots of easy outs throughout that lineup. They have got to shore up that bench if they want to make the postseason.

I'll submit pics of mine when my basement remodeling project is done. . .sometime before 2020. . .

PAMPLONA! There is so much to love in the article that I posted below. Beyond the annual pilgrimage of men dressed up like bus boys. Nevermind that while they call it "running with the bulls", it's really "running away from the bulls". Nevermind that this clown actually wrote a book (and that other clowns actually bought the book), where he gives hints and pointers on not getting gored, and he was the one who was gored. Forget about the part where he's "described as one of the best bull runners in America", as if they have their own AP rankings, and he's the Mike Krzyzewski of the bus boys. The very best part of this story OF COURSE--is that he's from Chicago. http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/buffalo-bill-hillmann-author-pamplona-bull-run-guide-gets-gored-n151466 'Buffalo' Bill Hillmann, Author of Pamplona Bull Run Guide, Gets Gored A Chicago author who penned a guide to surviving Pamplona's famous bull run should perhaps have read his own work more closely, given that he was gored on Wednesday. "Buffalo" Bill Hillmann is described as one of the best bull runners in America and co-wrote the influential guide "How to Survive the Bulls of Pamplona." But the bulls clearly have no respect for such honors, and 32-year-old Hillmann was gored in the leg after he tripped during Wednesday's morning run, according to the website Sanfermin.com. Alexander Fiske-Harrison, one of Hillmann’s co-authors, wrote on his blog that his injured friend was doing well after surgery. Hillman was one of several people injured Wednesday, the most serious of whom was a man gored in the thorax and taken to hospital in a semi-conscious state, according to Reuters. Dozens of people are injured each year in the eight-day “Fiesta de San Fermin,” which despite continued criticism from animal-rights groups annually attracts hordes of tourists to Pamplona. Since 1924, 15 people have died in the event.

Is that a tattoo of WWE's Golddust on the right side of his abdomen? If not, who? And why?

I would worry about the vinyl covering on those seats. Maybe it's not a big deal--they were made to be outdoors--but once one of them cracks or tears, or is punctured, then what do you do? Those are quite rare--you can find lots of the green wooden ones (I have two pair), but I don't remember seeing this style for sale in recent memory.

Rummage sales are typically known for bargain shopping. You never know who is going to walk up, but if I was buying something at fair market value, I wouldn't buy it at someone's garage. I would buy it at a store that is dependent on customers being happy, one that takes credit cards, has a fair return policy, etc.

I think there is some residual effect from the Braun suspension. Maybe people still feel burned by him, and so they aren't willing to let themselves get too emotionally invested yet. Like a cheating girlfriend wants you back, and you're hesitant to say 'yes' right away. Plus, the Brewers do lots of things to get people to the stadium that aren't much to do with the actual baseball. Group outings, Hank, Racing sausages, 50/50 Raffle, Beer. The games themselves are only part of the draw. And, talk radio is fueled by negativity. This guy stinks, the manager stinks, etc. It's hard to get all riled up when things are going well.

Profoundly sad about this. He died much too young. I loved to hear him talk about hitting. The stuff with him and Ted Williams was a fantastic mix of old and young. And he coached and mentored Strasburg, so that generational connection continues. I also liked that a guy with a fat body could have athletic success. Since the news came out about his death, there have been so many heartfelt condolences. The way he lived his life touched a lot of people. He seemed like a really great guy.

I kind of agree with what you're saying, but I look at it somewhat more selfishly. I'm already invested in the tickets and the experience of being at the game. So, If it's too hot, or if it's a blowout, or if it's a school night, or if that game is taking too long, or if I have something else going on, etc. then I'm going to leave when I want to leave, regardless of if it is in the 8th inning or the 5th inning, or the 3rd inning. I'm okay with all of those, just like I'm okay with turning on a game on tv, and seeing that it's not that exciting, and then opting for something else. People can choose to experience the games however they want to, if its staying until the very end, or donning a favorite player's jersey, or tailgating, or whatever. When I was in my twenties and thirties, I would always stay until the end. Now that I'm older, it really doesn't matter to me. I'll give the Brewers a couple of hours a night, but other responsibilities come first. And if I'm not there to stand for the final out, then so be it.

I haven't been there for the last out in years. Part of it is to avoid the end of game traffic, and part of it is because I'm ready to go at 9:30--and on a school night, we're lucky to make it until 8:30. If they want me there for the end, they can figure out a way to speed up the pace or start earlier.

He likes it and the Astros like it, so that's all that matters. A $10 million guarantee is a very large sum of money, and it should provide him a lifetime of financial security. I hope he doesn't have regrets later in the deal, but if he does, I would think the team would restructure it to keep him happy.

I usually save my glee for the Pamplona festival, but this newspaper story gave me great joy: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/video-3-matadors-gored-bulls-article-1.1801764 Three matadors taken out by 2 bulls. One of the bulls took down two guys, like when Andre the Giant used to fight tag teams at the same time. My dream is to have one bull skewer two guys on each horn, and then deposit all four of them in the front row of the arena. Ole!

The game is on July 16 and the Brewers next home game is on July 21. I don't know how much the field will be torn up. . .maybe not at all. But is it a concern?

I bought some packs at Target, and some packs at Jeff's Sportscards on Capitol Drive in Brookfield. Then I bought my two hobby boxes from an eBay dealer, when Jeff's was sold out. The boxes made specifically for hobby dealers will provide more of the special cards than you'll get from boxes made for retail dealers (Target, WalMart, etc.).

After not buying cards for years, I picked up 2 hobby boxes of Topps Heritage, and have really enjoyed opening up a pack or two each day. I'm still not that interested in refractors and special insert cards, and all the gems that seem to interest modern collectors. I like building base sets, and this is a fun group of cards to open. There are 9 cards per pack, and they sell for $3.00 to $3.50 a pack. I bought two boxes for $150, and that should satisfy me until next year's Heritage set comes out.

Juan Francisco would have to become an average or above average major league 1st baseman for me to get worked up about his release. And I don't think that's going to happen.

I think it would be easier to sell the public on a new venue if we saw models and renderings of a truly world class, 21st century building. Something like the awesome structures built for the Beijing Olympics, or an iconic building like the Sydney Opera House. Something that will garner worldwide attention. SE Wisconsin has millions of people who couldn't care less about the NBA and the Bucks. So we're not going to get fired up about a big rectangular ugly brick box, built to house games we don't care about.

On RAW, I think they cut away to crowd shots and the announcers, etc. while he was walking to the ring. I wonder if he needed help, or was really labored, etc. Plus, when he entered the ring, he did his signature "rope shake", and it was pretty slight. In any case, it's shocking, as he was celebrated just this weekend, and we got a chance to see him back in the WWE. Now in retrospect, his RAW speech was very poignant. I wonder if he knew the end was near.