JimH5

I'll look for you Bikeage77. . .Good luck with the Aaron. I'll be dressed like every other middle aged white guy there. . .khaki shorts & a polo shirt. But I'll have a grey & blue cap with the "Go Brewers Go" emblem, and a black Adidas messenger bag.

I will be at the National all day on Thursday. If anyone wants to meet up to show off our purchases, let me know.. I'll be there at 10:00, and will probably go off site for lunch (unless the food is good, which it seldom is), and then return in the afternoon. Looking for 1970s Brewers stuff, a 1950s era or earlier Yankees pennant, and autographs from old era Hall of Famers.

Let's face it, guys, Jonathan Lucroy is one of the best catchers the Milwaukee Brewers have ever had. It's true, but that is pretty faint praise. He's currently 6th on the Brewers career list in WAR for guys whose primary position was catcher: BJ Surhoff leads with 15.4 WAR in 4304 PA. Darrell Porter is 2nd with 11.1 WAR in 2009 PA. Charlie Moore is 3rd with 10.6 WAR in 4358 PA. Dave Nilsson is 4th with 10.5 WAR in 3153 PA. Ellie Rodriguez is 5th with 8.0 WAR in 1152 PA. Lucroy has 7.1 WAR in 1449 PA. With a couple more really good years, he could eclipse them all.

This isn't the place for slurs.

That may be true, but there's quite a bit of value in the food and beverages as part of that deal. Not saying it's for everyone, and I guess they do this at other times in other areas. It's just the first I've seen of it. I get email from my rep pretty often, but usually buzz through and delete it. This is the first time I've read about specific discounts on higher value seating--though again, apparently this isn't the first time they've done it, and it isn't tied to the Braun problem.

No, I'm just a Hot Summer Nights 10-pack holder in Section 217.

And it looks like the Giveback has started, with the Brewers offering season ticket package holders the opportunity to get tickets in the ATI club on Friday August 2 for $39 each. Includes a buffet dinner, 2 beers and unlimited soft drinks. Normal price is $86. This info just came via email from my ticket rep.

Agreed. I remember getting some trinkets in years past for buying season ticket packages. . .Mini-bat, Desk Ornament, Uniform patch, Media Guide, etc. That was under the Selig ownership group. I appreciate the effort by Mark and I think he's well aware of the problems of having disgruntled fans, but I don't expect him to give away the house, either. Maybe instead of a "buy 10, get 1 free" deal, they make it get 2 free, or 3. There were lots of empty seats Wednesday night against the Padres. If the Brewers gave away seats to these lowly attended games, they would still make money on parking and concessions.

I think we're in the bottoming out phase now. I don't think it's possible for value to rebound all the way, but his stuff could come back to half the value it had before. Though that's just a guess. All of this sports stuff is based on having an emotional investment in the item, and Braun will have this stain forever. Collectors can never be sure how much of his career was aided by unapproved chemistry, so they will steer toward other players.

Whether we choose to view athletes and celebrities as role models or not, they are in the public eye. They are on the stage while the rest of us are looking at the stage. I think we're wired that way. People have world class talent, and we want to appreciate it and cheer it. And some of us want to have it. I think it's natural for a kid to look at a star athlete and to want to emulate him. Or to see what a famous actress or singer is wearing and to want to look like her. How does that person conduct themselves when they're off the stage? People pay attention to that. That can be good. NFL players encourage us to give to the United Way, and to volunteer our time. Singers can put on benefit concerts to raise awareness and money for hurricane victims. But with that star power comes responsibility. When Alec Baldwin goes off on his daughter, it's more impactful than when John Doe does it. When Yovani Gallardo gets a DUI it's more significant than when an anonymous person does. Gallardo is in my living room 33 nights a year, while John Doe isn't. Kids should have other role models, too. . .parents, clergy, teachers, neighbors, aunts, uncles, cousins. Those people should all be more important than an athlete or celebrity. But as a kid, I cherished Marty Pattin's autograph, not my uncle's. Whether we should or shouldn't look to athletes isn't the point. We do look to them, and we will look to them. So they should conduct themselves as though they are deserving of all the attention.

Yes, secret power. The power to suspend a player based on a gut feeling or because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time without telling anyone what or why or how. I'm not saying he didn't do it...I just don't know because no one on either side will admit to anything or present any evidence of anything. There is no power like that because there are too many people with too much to lose for them to cede that kind of power to the MLB office. What about the MLBPA? They're on the players' side. They'll stand up for someone for whom the evidence is not overwhelming. And what about the Brewers ownership? They have been significantly harmed by all of this. Wouldn't they object to MLB taking away their biggest star without justification? This suspension wasn't based on a gut feeling, and it wasn't because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and it wasn't because of some vendetta. Braun accepted his suspension and nobody in the media or in the league or on his team, none of his union brothers, is standing up for him saying, "Wait a minute. . .this doesn't add up. Bud only suspended Braun because he's out to get him." That would be a HUGE media story, if Selig could hurt Braun & really hurt the Brewers franchise. But it's not a huge media story, because it's not true. Braun had the opportunity to have his case heard before an arbitration panel and he waived that. He accepted the punishment for violating the rules regarding PEDs. You don't accept the punishment, lose out on millions, embarrass yourself in front of the world, make your mother cry, all because you were trapped in some evil lair. You do it when you know you've been caught.

Of course that's the way it "went down"! How dumb of me. . . Don't forget about the part during the meeting where Bud Selig was wearing a monocle, stroking a white cat on his lap, and the cat had a diamond necklace. Darn it! All those questions! What's a guy to do?!? Clearly the only way out of such a diabolical scheme is to forfeit $3+ million in salary, your personal and professional reputation, a chance at the Hall of Fame, product endorsements, etc. The rest of us are just rubes for thinking it was that Braun was caught cheating.

How do you know that he is a long time user? Just because MLB got a dirty snake in Bosch to say something? Seriously Bosch is their star witness. That guy would say anything to save his sorry butt. No one knows the truth and I doubt we ever will. Both sides are sketchy. The only proven thing is that MLB's test failed. That's all that we know. After that everything is speculative. Where is MLB's overwhelming evidence? Bosch as the source? MLB presented all its evidence to Braun. Then he was the one to approach them about making a deal. Whatever they showed Braun was enough to convince him that they had a solid case. Are you going to hold out hope that this was all a big conspiracy, and he was set up from the start-- like in a movie? If so, be prepared to take some ribbing on that.

Secret power? You mean like a ray gun or something, where they hone in on a guy and put the whammy on him? Then he becomes their slave, and can do dastardly things. Yeah, I think they keep that in the back room at Gilles.

FWIW--I had a partial season ticket package from the mid-90s through 2002, during some of the dreck years, and we could consistently upgrade our seats from year to year, as people would drop off the season ticket lists. If you're willing to stick it out for some troubling times, it's worth it in terms of seat location.

Uhh, no. If I'm caught vandalizing property but think I can beat the charge why wouldn't I try to beat it, even if I did it? It's nice that you want/expect people to tell the truth right away and own up to what they did but that's not human nature. Of course it is. Lots of people get caught speeding, pay their ticket, and drive slower next time. Not everyone tries to fight it in court.

2) Walk through in detail what he took, for how long, why/how he justified it to himself at thetime. Why he now sees it is wrong (if even today he really believes he did something wrong.) 3) Press conference taking on all questions, and answering honestly and hearfelt. Funny how when he was claiming innocence he had a public PC. Yesterday he released a generic statement and snuck out of town. That is not lost on people. I don't believe we will ever get these, as much as some of us want them. BUT. . .He's got 6 months until spring training, with seemingly nothing to do. I don't expect to see or hear from him until the season ends, but from November through January, it wouldn't hurt him to spend half his time in the Milwaukee area, doing good deeds in the community, making tangible and significant gestures to rebuild his image. He can pick an issue that is important to him, do public appearances, make charitable donations, etc. Maybe it's Hunger Task Force, maybe it's a literacy program, etc. I think if he vanishes until February and then stonewalls the media (e.g. "I'm not here to talk about the past. . ."), then he's back to being the narcissist tool that he is today. But he's still the same charismatic guy, so if he shows some contrition and forces people to see a good side of him, that could go a long way to rebuilding his image.

True, but with big celebrity comes big expectations. If I lie and continue to lie, the impact is limited to me and my family. Braun is a public figure, the most celebrated Brewer since Yount, the most highly paid player in franchise history, and the iconic image of the team. He didn't shy away from any of that. Even though K-Rod and Gallardo's incidents were more criminal, they will pale in comparison to Braun's. It's how we know that Derek Jeter gives gift bags to the women who share his bedroom, but don't know anything about the way other players spend their free time. The bigger they are, the harder they fall.

From Twitter: Jeff Passan ‏@JeffPassan Word out of the Brewers clubhouse almost universal: They were glad Ryan Braun got suspended. He straight-up lied to teammates. They're mad.

Yes, seriously. I am far from perfect, and I'm generally far from judgmental (believe it or not), but this is basic right and wrong stuff. I thought? Me too. I get it that guys want to play and play great, and there is all kind of temptation to do well for your contract, your teammates, your fans, etc. But when you hold press conferences, make denials, continue to lead people along, it's ridiculous. I don't want to cheer for guys who do that.

There may be a day when I look at him differently, but today I see him as a fraud and a liar. There are a lot of people who have believed him and stood by him and defended him all along, and he was playing those people for fools. If they trade him away, that's fine with me. I don't want this joker in my hometown team's uniform.

I was at the game tonight and heard my first Braun boos. There weren't many--maybe just a few loud guys. I think that is premature, as he's in the lineup, not on suspension, perhaps never to be suspended. I have lots of unanswered questions and suspicions about him, but I don't think I'd boo him until the final verdict was in--and I'm not sure that I would ever boo him. There was also a guy with a Braun shirsey who used blue painters tape to block out the R and U, so the nameplate read "BAN" over the 8. Very creative, and sad at the same time.

The way Michael Weiner has been working through his medical issues is really remarkable. It is quite possible that these are his last living days, and he is still on task, still in the public eye. We should all be so heroic.

Yes, as stupid as it sounds, it's somewhat of a "manly" image thing. A man drinks what he wants. A boy worries what others think of him. That's my effort at being Jimmy the Bartender.

They've been having "official hearings" with players, some of whom have chosen to remain silent. If you mean arbitration hearings, who knows. . . MLBPA says not to expect any suspensions until the 2014 season. Haudricourt's column says Bud Selig says the agreement between MLB and the union allows him to announce suspensions before the arbitration hearings. http://www.jsonline.com/sports/brewers/mlb-union-differ-on-timing-of-suspension-announcements-b9955908z1-215754281.html