lend d money

I forgot to add one other observation from last night's game. Richie Sexson made an outstanding defensive play in the hole on Vina in the fifth inning. It seems like he makes such a play almost every night I go to a game. The Brewers would do well to keep a Sexson defensive reel available as well when they market him this offseason.

I realize we don't have a murder's row lineup. However, Woody Williams PITCHED an extremely good game last night. I emphasize the word because he rarely topped out at 9l, usually 88-89. However, he was able to keep our hitters off stride by mixing speeds and locations. The most amazing part to me was our absolute inability to pull a guy throwing in that range. I would say no more than five balls were hit into the outfield on the pull side. Our batters were constantly fouling off pitches in the opposite direction.

Again, I will state he does not have the swing to be a doubles hitter. You can play him between LF and CF as he does not turn on the ball. Why? Because he doesn't stride into the ball. He lets the ball get on top of him and fights to keep it in between the lines. He fouls countless pitches off to LF. Even the Lansing manager figured that out in a short series and the Lugnuts didn't even play the Snappers in a regular season series after Tony's arrival. That is why he played a five man infield with no outfielder on the pull side during a crucial juncture of the only game played in Beloit. The "gimmick" worked and we eventually lost in extra innings. NO, he definitely cannot be counted on as a doubles hitter yet. I just went to BA for season stats. Bibbs got a double 2.6% of the time, Gwynn 3.4%. The difference is rather mimimal. I don't think any of us have visions of grandeur for Bibbs "power" numbers. Again, it appears Jr. isn't getting a pass based on bloodlines. I'm not willing to do that until I see actual signs on the field that he will be such a player.

Clancy, I will second that motion. I have been on record as being in favor of that acquisition ever since it was made public that the Pirates would supposedly eat some salary in order to trade him.

I realize I am kind of late in chiming in on this one. I was extremely impressed with Sheets effort(not to be confused with his pitching performance) on the ball that hit his wrist. He hit the dirt and made an attempt at getting the runner at first while sprawled out on the ground. The guy has thrown a ton of innings, plays for a losing team and was getting roughed up that night. He could have easily let it go without much effort and probably not have anyone say much about it.In addition, he stayed in the game. I thought to myself "that's the type of guy you don't mind seeing make the big dollar." I think it was Jopal that made some gripes about Ulice on a different thread. Clearly, the attitude within that clubhouse is immensely better than last year. They put together a three-run ninth inning rally against a top-flight closer. Earlier this year, they got to Billy Wagner. Management deserves some credit for this as they hired Melvin/Ash, who in turn hired Yost, who collectively demanded constant effort from the players. I realize it was only one win. Given what we didn't have to play for and what the Cardinals had to gain, I was proud(at least for a day) to be a Brewers fan.

I have always disliked the argument of playing the veterans for the integrity of the playoffs. We have(or at least, should have) a different agenda than other teams. If anyone has a reason to whine, it is the Astros.They played the Reds when they had players resembling a major league team. As a result, they lost several games to them before Cincinnati dumped everyone of value. The Cubs have benefitted from these circumstances, but yet are still in back of the Astros. Like the Reds and the Pirates, we should do what is in the best interest of the Milwaukee Brewers and nobody else. As long as the team is still trying to win with the players they decide to place on the field, they are maintaining league integrity.

I hope Frank Kremblas and any other available Brewer brass made it clear to the guys on the Stars team that this season was NOT a failure. I had fears when the season began that perhaps our expectations were too high. They certainly COULD have won the championship. But, then again, given injuries and promotions within their pitching ranks, I was happy to see them get past the first round and to the last game of the championship series. I just printed a copy of the Mudcats roster. Their average age is 26.28, assuming it is current(for instance, I had to remove Denny Bautista). I saw it mentioned in another thread where the average age of our infield is 21.5. I would gladly have a bunch of underage kids with upside a game short of the championship as opposed to the Mudcats, who have eleven players at or above 26 years old and probably a limited number with any major league hopes. I think we should be careful to judge our minor league teams on the basis of championships. If the Stars don't promote Martinez, Childers and Lee, the outcome may have been different. If the Snappers don't promote Housman and maybe bring up some of the better newly-drafted pitchers, perhaps they win, as well. However, none of this would have been in the best interest of player development. As fans of minor league teams, that is just a reality we face on an annual basis. A team that looks good today, might not be tomorrow due to promotions. In our cases, the teams continued to thrive. They deserve a ton of credit for that!

I have always been impressed with Frank Kremblas. Whether it be with High Desert or Huntsville, he was never afraid to "get his fingers dirty." He always participated in batting practice and/or fungos. The same cannot be said for other minor league managers, inside or outside of the organization. He has a drill sargeant look and mentality. It appears he is well-respected by his players. He plays an agressive style of ball, which mixes well with our present minor league personnel(mostly absent of power hitters). Though he may deserve something better, I hope he remains a minor league manager at least until we get the Beloit class to the majors. He just seems to have certain expectations for players and it would be nice to see some of our defensively-challenged, upper echelon minor leaguers serve under his tutelage.

I didn't see this particular play, but it seems reminiscent of the other night when the home plate umpire took off his mask to chase down Ginter. Very inexcusable! If you need to do that, uncerimoniously throw the player out of the game and be done with it. Otherwise, let the player go back to the bench without provocation and continue the game.

Yeah, my family and I were milling about waiting for players after the game to say our final goodbyes(never an easy thing...but at least my wife didn't cry this year). In regard to Gwynn's throw, not only did he do the things you mentioned but airmailed it in such a manner that runners moved up to 2nd & 3rd. This allowed them to tack on another run. Weeks started the inning with a walk. If we are only a run behind, the strategy changes completely. I will say Tony is a good fielder for the most part. For a second round pick, I'm looking for far more out of his bat.

The Snappers unquestionably have the better long-term prospects. However, the Lugnuts were a far better team fundamentally and a little older. Their starting pitcher was 24, first reliever 23, first baseman 25, left and right fielders 23. Having said that, we should have won that game for sure and at least one of the two previous games. Last night, we couldn't come up with any key hits. The Lansing defense made a few nice plays contributing to our woes. I remember once where there was a runner at first with one out. A ball was hit in the hole on the right side. The first baseman got enough glove on the ball to keep it in the infield and record the out at first. Instead of 1st and 3rd with one out, it was 2nd with 2 outs. Another time, a ball was hit up the middle with a runner on 2nd and one out. Their shortstop had Ripken-like height and was able to stop the ball and record the out at first. I thought he wouldn't have any chance at first. Again, now 2 outs instead of a possible run and one out. The ninth inning was indictive of why I am not as high on Gwynn as many others on this board. He had bases loaded with one out and five infielders. In most situations like this, the manager plays an outfielder near the pull side. In Gwynn's case, he had a CF and LF, no one near RF. With his wide stance and poorly leveraged swing, he is unable to turn on the ball(see 9 extra base hits in over 200 AB's for a fast man). With a 2-0 count, d money(no relation) gave him the green light. This is a definite fastball situation with bases loaded in the last inning. What does he do? Follow the ball off to left as he so often does. He will not succeed at higher levels until he is able to change his stance in such a manner that he is striding into the ball, rather than letting it get on top of him and fighting it off. He should NOT be given the free pass to Huntsville. I do not see any harm done from him going to HD. That place won't ruin a line drive hitter's swing like it could Prince's from all of those light air aided HR's. Gwynn hit .280 in the second half of the season when most of the best pitching prospects were gone to higher levels. BIG DEAL! At any rate, getting back to the game, we would again eventually lose due to an error. The two singles following the error are misleading in that they were both slug bunts. If SS and 3B are at normal positions, we could have recorded at least an out on both plays. It was good managing as he knew he had players who could handle the bat and advance runners. Without the error, it is potentially a different inning. In a nutshell, fielding and lack of timely hits the reason we are done with the season.

He is scheduled to pitch tomorrow. He hasn't started in a long time. Should they go on to lose this game, it won't be the best of circumstances for him. However, IF we were to lose tomorrow, I would much rather be it a result of the other team hitting not walking(i.e. Carpenter).

Al, it isn't necessarily harsh. However, as I have to repeatedly remind my wife, if we had someone better they would most likely be here. Murray got sent back early in the year. Terni can handle most routine plays, but it ends there.

He played the last two games of the Clinton series. D. Money(no relation) has basically rotated those two and Vandy and Pedro at catcher for some time now. I'm not sure I agree with doing that in the playoffs.

I just spoke to a parent of a Snapper player and got a basic overview. We were ahead 5-0 early in the game. The Lugnuts then scored two runs in consecutive innings(thinks third and fourth). Ballouli only went 4-5 innings. Huizinga came in after him and went to about the seventh or eighth. Alliston finished the game. He said we were credited with 3-4 errors, but in actuality made 6 errors. He said Terni and Heether ,in particular, had rough nights in the field. He said Prince had some clutch hits and thinks he went 3-4. The winning run was scored in the tenth inning on an error. They had runners on second and third with one out. I can only presume the infield was playing in. A very catchable ball was hit to Heether who bobbled it and then made an errant throw home for what evidently was a fitting end to the game. He said we missed out on some scoring opportunities, which was a series long problem against Clinton. I'm sorry I don't have any more specific information, but he was calling me from his car after the game and didn't recollect all the details.

I went on to USA Today before coming to this site. It had Carolina ahead 3-0 in the ninth.

I guess I will get my wish. Evidently d money has also run out of patience with Carp.

Carpenter has proven himself to be extremely unreliable. It is one thing to not have your best stuff and get hit, but quite another to repeatedly miss the strike zone and walk several people in an INNING. I would not want to see him on the mound as a game three starter unless we come home up 2-0. I would start Eric and get Carp work during any mopup duty. D Money(no relation) has proven in the last two days that he is serious about winning as he has brung the hook early and, perhaps too, often.

I don't necessarily agree with madbad's assessment of the Calvin Carpenter situation. He was the only guy not getting strike calls and there is an easy reason for that...the guy doesn't throw them. He deserves a precipitous fall on the Power 50 rankings. It appeared he was aiming the ball rather than trusting his stuff as his velocity was unimpressive. Kudos to d money(no relation) for not allowing Calvin to single-handedly end our season. I think the MVP of the game should have been Henderson. If he doesn't get us out of Carp's no-hit, bases loaded, no out jam, we aren't talking about today. He continued to shut the Kings down after that.

Nic Carter has a wonderful baseball body. However, he was nothing short of a failure for the Snappers this year. Despite his frame, he did not hit for power or average and was suspect in the field. A conversion to the mound is probably his only chance. When you invest fourth round money into a guy, you want to pursue all options before giving up completely on him.

Baker, Carpenter and Henderson gave up way too many runs against a horrible Dayton team(saw them play in Beloit over an entire series). This doesn't provide much promise for a playoff run. Carpenter has been a true "Dow Joneser"(stealing some material from Dick VItale). I believe his previous start had decent BB:K numbers. On Sunday, he was terrible. Sarfate and Ballouli, pray for rain!

But who/what determines the Brewers need to send a catcher and team X sends a shortstop, etc? Is it on some sort of rotating basis? Do the teams "bid" for the positions?

He is just a stolen base machine. It has been my contention for some time that he would make a good fifth outfielder on a major league team. He doesn't do anything well enough to warrant daily action. However, he does a lot of "SMALL" things that contribute to wins. He bunts exceptionally well, steals bases and will run through a wall to catch a fly ball. I see him as a late inning situational player and occasional starter to rest somebody. Thoughts??

He is just a stolen base machine. It has been my contention for some time that he would make a good fifth outfielder on a major league team. He doesn't do anything well enough to warrant daily action. However, he does a lot of "SMALL" things that contribute to wins. He bunts exceptionally well, steals bases and will run through a wall to catch a fly ball. I see him as a late inning situational player and occasional starter to rest somebody. Thoughts??

By the Snappers pitching Baker today, they have evidently decided to go with him as their third pitcher in the playoffs behind Sarfate and Ballouli. Who would have imagined just a few weeks ago?? This is obviously important to note as their first two rounds are only 3 game series. How did Prince get a triple? I didn't even know he had ONE previously. He normally doesn't run hard enough out of the box to complete such a feat.