JimH5

Agreed on Aaron, JohnBriggs12. He played in County Stadium for the first 12 years of his career and only left because the team left. He was a fan favorite, a two-time pennant winner, twice won the batting title, won an MVP award, lead the league in RBIs 3 times, HR twice. . . He goes on to more greatness in Atlanta, and then returns "home", back to County Stadium, to close out his career--the conquering hero. It's necessary for the major league franchise in Milwaukee to honor the player who made such an impact here, even if he wore the jersey of a team that doesn't play here any more.

I can't see them retiring Trevor Hoffman's number. His connection to Milwaukee is very weak. And I can't see them retiring Fielder or Sheffield. Maybe they'll assign 70 to Bud Selig and will do something with that, though the number 70 isn't really a baseball number. It may be awhile before we see one of those ceremonies. Since he's signed for so long, Braun makes sense--though it will take a high level of performance and off-field cleanliness to put him in position for consideration.

I guess he's worth a flier, but my expectations are low. A .699 OPS last year while Francisco produced .733 and Halton was .687. At least he's not Yuni.

Does the NBA count tickets sold, or actual people in attendance at the games? The box score from last night's Bucks game says 11,379--but on tv, the place looked really empty. Like maybe 7000. . .though I turned it on in the 4th quarter. That's going to be tough to sell the idea of a new arena with that kind of attendance.

If you're relying on athletes to set an example for your children and teach them how to live, I'm going to tell you that you're raising your children wrong. On that we agree, but I should be able to rely on athletes to set an example for my child on how to be an athlete. And I don't think that PED users are horrible people--I just don't want to cheer for them if they're not playing by the rules agreed upon by the owners and their fellow players. And as for Sheen and Stallone using steroids, I don't think that's a fair comparison. A significant part of the entertainment of sports is not knowing the outcome ahead of time. Hollywood productions are about story-telling. Sports is about story-making. I agree but I don't feel that this whole Ryan Braun fiasco really accomplished much other than make the commissioner's office feel better. The game isn't clean. I don't feel they are being vigilant. There are more clinics out there supplying the players. The fact they haven't found more than a couple(Biogenesis, BALCO) leads me to believe they are not really trying. Either clean up the game or don't. I tire of the half assed PR driven measures they have taken so far. That may be true, though we don't have any real evidence that players are getting drugs from these clinics. And while you think MLB isn't doing nearly enough to clean up the game, others are critical on how far they went in their pursuit of the Biogenesis clients. So I guess it's really up to everyone to decide for themselves what's an adequate effort in cleaning the game.

Maybe they want someone with you in case of an accident. I can't think of any other reason why a single person couldn't go. The three of us were combined with others and I think there may have been as many as 10 or 12 total in our group, but maybe it was just 8. The tour then took you down to the bowels of the stadium, out onto the warning track in the right field corner, past the inside hitting cages, the media room, past the clubhouse door, and then up to the Club area and to the slide platform. I would do it again.

I did the slide tour with my wife and daughter towards the end of the 2012 season. It was pretty cool. The climb up the stairs to the top is rather treacherous. I can't imagine doing it in full costume. I will advise sliders to be aware that the landing spot has some unforgiving Astroturf on the bottom platform. I left a little JimH5 leg skin as a souvenir for Bernie, and then spent the next three hours admiring my rug burn.

I was a moderately loud cynic & critic of Braun's during the whole mess of his PED scandal. And I remain on the anti-PED side of the argument as it relates to baseball players. I don't want to watch baseball if they're not going to be vigilant in pursuit of a clean game. That said, Braun has done a lot to shut me up in regards to his character and conduct. He took his suspension, he made his apologies, he stood before us with some humility. That's enough for me to move on. I'll never view his achievements the same, and I'll chuckle a little when he gets taunted on the road, so he'll never reach full redemption for me--but he's still a key player on the team, and he could be for quite awhile. I don't see any benefit for me in keeping up a hostile stance toward the guy. If he's welcome back in the clubhouse and if he keeps out of trouble, that's enough for me to root for him as he helps my hometown team.

That Walk of Fame voting process is ridiculous. They aren't electing anyone, so what's the point of having elections? I would recommend they honor the person who garners the most votes until the team is satisfied they have enough inductees.

I am much more disappointed in the careers of Dave Krynzel and Chad Green and Antone Williamson than the career of Rickie Weeks. I'm more disappointed in Marc Newfield than Rickie Weeks. Eric Gagne was signed to a big money contract to close games on a team that was to poised to be champions. Then a couple days later, he was named in the Mitchell Report. And he issued an incomplete apology and pitched terribly. I was (& remain) disappointed (& outraged) by Eric Gagne. Dan Thomas was the 6th overall pick in the 1972 draft, he produced a 0.8 career WAR, he had severe mental health issues and committed suicide in prison after being charged with raping a girl. That draft produced Dennis Eckersley, Gary Carter & Willie Randolph. Dan Thomas's career and life were more disappointing than Rickie Weeks. I understand that you may be really, really disappointed in what Rickie Weeks has become vs. what your expectations of him were. I am also disappointed in Weeks. But not as much as I am disappointed in at least 20 other guys.

I think Weeks has been a recent disappointment, but at least he's provided some value over the course of his career. Contrast that with the busload of top draft pick pitching prospects who produced no value at the major league level. Neugebauer, Gold, Mike Jones, Arnett, Rogers, Jeffress, Then add in the performances of Eric Gagne, Greg Brock, Franklin Stubbs, Jeffrey Hammonds--I think Weeks is way down the list for me. Antone Williamson, Chad Green, Krynzel. . . And Dan Thomas is in his own category.

I am in complete agreement with everything in your post.

Considering how many commercials he's made over the years, I can't believe how stiff Papa John seems in his ads. And that can't be his real hair color.

It's to make sure they are really done. What would happen if a guy is elected to the Hall and he decides to make a comeback? If a guy is forgotten after five years, he was not worthy to be in. FYI--Jim Palmer tried to pull it off. In 1991, seven years after he retired, and after he was a Hall of Famer, he went to Spring Training with the Orioles in hopes of making it back as a relief pitcher. He didn't have anything left and was banged around in a spring training game, and hung them up for good. It would have been awesome if he made it back, but he was done. http://seamheads.com/2010/02/08/jim-palmers-attempted-comeback/

I hear you, but you don't want to be the big lump on the couch who makes her handle all of the stress alone. You don't care about your wedding, as I didn't really care that much about mine, but your fiancé cares, so you need to be supportive and take the load off of her. The invitations, flowers, table centerpieces, her dress, her bridesmaids dresses, tuxedos, guest list, menu, music, the church and preacher, the reception site, the marriage license, transportation to and from, all of that and more. . .all that stuff needs to get done, and even if you don't care about it, she does. It's a huge event that she's been thinking about and hearing about since she was a kid, so keep that in mind. As for the wedding pictures, I never look at ours. She never looks at ours. But there are some shots on the walls and in albums at her parents' house, so even if you don't care about them, somebody will. Good luck on the wedding planning. It will get better..

I think Olbermann is short-changing Rick Ferrell a bit. He was better than "pretty good". He was an 8-time All Star, and retired as the all time leader in games caught. That doesn't make him a Hall of Famer, and Olbermann is probably right on the surprise way he was elected by the Veteran's Committee, but that was 30 years ago, and they have been more cautious since then. I also don't want to rip Keith Olbermann for his knowledge of baseball history. He's really an expert on the history of the game, and is more qualified than most to offer an opinion on the Hall of Fame and its election process. I just think he was wrong in his assessment of Ferrell in that book.

I'm surprised that LeBatard is a member of the BBWAA. Whenever I have read his columns, it's been about the Dolphins, or the University of Miami, or the Heat. I used to listen to his radio show podcast, and really enjoyed it. His segments with David Samson were fabulous. That said, being a Hall of Famer is a big deal, so if he's entrusted with deciding who gets to be one, he should take the responsibility seriously. All voters should. The voters clearly got it right with Maddux, Glavine and Thomas. Biggio is closing in, and it's really no dishonor to have to wait. I think Mussina was hosed, but he should pick up votes in the coming years.

I agree with Bikeage77. . .I think. If you've got an itch to sell, I'd do it today. If you've got room to store them away for years and years, you might find they have a market. That you have all of them is pretty neat. And if one of those guys meets an untimely end, then you might have something. I would say it's really not worth anything (maybe $10). Still, your set is fun, so if you enjoy it, then it's worth keeping just for that.

With my wife in charge of the DVR for the past two weeks, I have concluded that among all the Canadian twins with irritating nasally voices, Jonathan and Drew (aka the Property Brothers) are the most beautiful. Continued from: viewtopic.php?p=873369#p873369 Original Lead: viewtopic.php?f=67&t=8540

Milwaukee Radio Icon Gordon Hinkley died this morning. Here's the JSOnline story: http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/gordon-hinkley-dies-was-radio-personality-at-wtmj-b99172204z1-237350781.html He was on WTMJ for many, many years, and pre-internet search engine, his "Ask Your Neighbor" show was a staple for moms and families. If you had a question that could be answered throughout the community, you'd call the show, he'd put you on the air (I'm looking for someone in the south suburbs to repair some concrete, who should I call?, etc.) and then "neighbors" would call in with references or suggestions. Kind of like an Angie's list--but more than that. He was on during mornings, after kids went to school, and his was a very popular show. I don't remember if he did other talk or news, or if it was just Ask Your Neighbor, but he was a fixture at WTMJ. Recently, he was doing commercials for Church and Chapel, which is a fitting end to his broadcast career.

An original Brewer. And 71 is pretty young, though I think he may have had bad health for awhile. I remember (or I think I remember) him doing the sports report on Channel 4 (or 6 or 12) while he was a player, during the offseason. A nice guy and a significant Brewer from the earliest years.

I never hold it against a guy for taking the best deal available. I hope he has an All-Star season, and turns it into more money in 2015 and beyond. And I don't blame Melvin for offering him what he did. At some point, the price just gets too high. I don't see the Brewers competing in 2014 anyway, so this forces them to plan B. Just hope it's not plan Yuni B.

Regarding Haney, I was working at the Marriott (now Sheraton) hotel on Moorland Rd. in the early to mid 80s, and it was an occasional hangout for Brewers coaches after the games. To me, Haney was friendly and pleasant. This is how old I am. . .I remember a short conversation he and I shared about the surprising start to the career of Tom Candiotti. That was a long time ago. Anyway, it's weird how these guys can cement a legacy in our minds, with just a few random encounters. Regarding Jack Z, I love hearing about behind-the-scenes turmoil. It makes me laugh. At this point, with his lack of success in Seattle, and with the lack of people running to his defense, I'd guess a lot of it is right. I kind of hope it is, just for the humor.

I think he's a Hall of Famer. Otherwise, I don't know which pitchers from this era get in. He was considered among the top handful of guys when he played. More than 200 wins, great winning percentage. Current leader in CG and SHO. 8-time All Star. Four times lead his league in innings. Three times won 20+. . . Those are the kind of things that define 21st century greatness, IMO.

I had a ticket rep each of the past two years with my 10+1 game pack.