JohnBriggs12

I hate the fact that when a ball is hit down either line, the camera doesn't pick it up until its rolling in the OF. I don't see the need to show every single pitch in a game from the CF camera. Stevo's right too about closeups of fans. Who needs to see that? My biggest pet peeve during Brewer broadcasts though is when they give the "tavern of the game" and like clockwork they find some fan with a beer in his hand, implying somehow that having a beer at a game has a connection with a tavern. People who never step into taverns have a beer now and then too. The other day in SF apparently they couldn't find anyone drinking a Miller product, so they found a woman that apparently reminded the producer of a woman he met at a tavern. So she was shown as they gave the tavern of the game out.

I'm with you Oxy, I love both college and pro football once it begins for real, but NFL roster moves and preseason football don't do much for me. Every baseball player comes with stats so even a fringe minor league deal at least gives you something to look at. What do I know about some lineman or DB from SMU or New Mexico? I completely expected the lockout to work itself out at this exact point in time. I'll start paying attention to the Packers when I know Aaron Rodgers will be playing in the 4th quarter.

Are you accusing ESPN of anti-Brewerism? I agree that the 75 cutoff is arbitrary but I don't think it was chosen to make the Brewers look bad. "I don't think this is a big shock that McGehee and Betancourt have had down years. Counsell obviously has been bad. Kotsay however has helped win some games." Kotsay has a .56 WAR from batting. Unfortunately, a couple of large defensive miscues probably pushes that into negative territory.I'm accusing them of bringing up a totally arbitrary set of stats that don't prove anything going forward and that can lead to entirely misleading and wrong conclusions.

Sorry but this is just an example of how stats can be manipulated to make a point. If the cutoff were under 75 instead of 75 or less, the Brewer total would be 737. Betancourt and Kotsay are right on the cutoff line. Included in the total are AB's given to Almonte, Nieves, Reed and Gamel, none of whom figures to get key ABs from here on out. If the AL were included, the White Sox have 1,128 AB's for guys 72 and under, and 1,004 for guys 64 and under. So it's not like they are singularly standing out amongst all teams. The strength of this team was never supposed to be it's bottom of its roster. They are high on this particular measurement because of one guy, Casey McGehee, and he was the team MVP last year and isn't supposed to be the bottom of the roster. The strength of this team was supposed to be it's rotation and the middle of its order. The rotation has been middle of the road. The glaring issue with the middle of the order again is McGehee. No team wins championships because they have a superior bottom of a roster. You win because you have the best pitching or best combination of star power in your lineup combined with solid pitching. Since June 1, Betancourt's line is .290/.300/.426, 4 HR, 18 RBI. Now if there's a guy out there that is available that is likely to be an improvement on that or is equal to that but provides measurably better defense, and can be had for a reasonable cost, by all means then you get that guy. Otherwise Betancourt is here so get used to it.

He's improving that K rate as the season is progressing too. He's fanned just 3 times in his last 41 ABs. His improvement is amazing.

Danny Knobler suggests Brewers have shown interest in Hiroki Kuroda. We know they have interest in Carroll as well. That begs the question of what the Dodgers would want back for the pair? Who do the Brewers replace in the rotation to make room for Kuroda? Do the Brewers have suitors for Randy Wolf (or would the Dodgers take him back)? Personally, I think the Brewers would want to keep Narveson in the rotation because he's under their control for several more years at less money and is younger.

yeah; but betancourt hasn't broken 90 since 2007 and sat in the 60's for two seasons before hitting 88 last year. Point is, he stinks, has stunk, and will stink barring extreme luck or miracle and we keep on going back to that well. Luckily he makes up for it with his glove. People have been saying McGehee is more comfortable for over a month but it hasn't helped him in the results department; he'd probably be even more comfortable on the bench. Almonte and Nieves aren't here anymore; but they were Melvin/Roenicke's choice for too long. Overall, choosing to give 400 more PA's to terrible hitters than your nearest competitor in a year you are "going for it" is inexcusable. ESPECIALLY when there is are two feasible replacements for McGehee raking in the minors. The White Sox motto this year was "all in". They 3 guys in their lineup with OPS+ of 61 or less, Dunn (61), Rios (51), and Morel (52), and a total 1,128 AB's taken by guys who are not just 75 and under, but 72 and under. Yet they are still just 4.5 games back. It's not like they don't have options in the minors either.with Viciedo and Milledge.

Here's my take on Prince. It wasn't the game or the derby, it was the media attention and in particular the focus on his upcoming free agency. We all know Prince hasn't reacted all that well in the past to the attention he gets when he's been good. He's followed up his big seasons (07 and 09) with less stellar years in 08 and 10, struggling out of the gate both years when expectations were highest. I think the upcoming FA has gotten inside his head, and he's now trying too hard to put up big numbers.

It's a somewhat misleading article. Betancourt and Kotsay are right at 75 on that scale. Over the last month, both are well trending upward. If they each went 2 for their next 4, that would move the Brewers down to 4th on that list. Nieves, Gamel and Almonte's AB's are included in that total as well. There's no argument for keeping Counsell around. If you watch McGehee, it does appear he's a little more comfortable up there, but it hasn't shown in numbers yet.

I was prompted to go back and look at the draft day comments on Ramirez. Nearly all were negative based on some scout's commenting he was a product of metal bats.

It's more than a little stretch to compare Ryan Braun to Taylor Green. Braun stepped off the Miami campus a major league ready bat. His ceiling was off the charts. Those guys come along once a decade or a maybe once a generation. Green worked his way from a 25th rounder to the position where he's going to get a major league shot. Like most guys, he'll need to take advantage of his opportunity when it comes. The difference is you make room for guys like Braun. Guys like Green wait for room to appear.

Weeks isn't as fast as he was either. Distance runners peak in their early 30's. Sprinters peak in their early 20's. To me Hart is better off running less. He's a better hitter when he's hitting for power. For a while he thought of himself more as a speed guy and he didn't drive the ball enough.

Since the break, Yuni's posted a 1.175 OPS, raising his season mark by 45 points. He's a strong contender for NL player of the week, yet the bashing in relentless. Objectivity is thrown out the window when it comes to this guy.

The haters won't give him props if he hits .400 the rest of the way and is playoff MVP. They've never been objective. Ever hear the Ted Thompson haters give him props when the Packers won the Super Bowl?

I tend to agree. You make McGehee completely irrelevant with a Wigginton. I'd rather make a play for a LH hitting 3B like Greg Dobbs.

Briggs, nice idea about milledge. I'd forgotten about him. My big concern would be his ability to play CF. If I remember correctly, he was pretty bad. Yeah, he's pretty bad but if you think of using him for 6-7 innings until the LH starter leaves the game, you might be able to get by, and get at least 3 AB's on offense. On the road, you could replace him as early as the bottom of the 6th defensively. As for Reed Johnson, I'd give Carroll a month and see what he can do. Johnson is a guy who'll easily clear waivers and be available in August.

Johnson would be a nice fit on the Brewers and you wouldn't have to give back the "starters return" it would take to pry guys like Melky Cabrera. Let me throw another name out there: Lastings Milledge. Milledge is much better suited as a corner OF, but he's been killing LHP at AAA to the tune of .386/.463/.602. Even if you wanted him a bench bat to face lefties, those are impressive numbers.

He had a horrible month, but he was good last year and fine until about the 10th of May. A month in Omaha seems to have straightened him out. I'm not so worried he hasn't played a lot of short recently, when he played there his numbers were okay. Besides it's not clear where the Brewers need more help, 3rd or short. I'm just not sure the Royals will give him up just yet. Moustakas hasn't proved to be ready yet, and with Betemit gone, their option at 3rd is Aviles. Aviles is a potential non-tender in the offseason who'd definitely be a guy to consider.

Carroll's splits vs. LHP this year: .291/.400/.512. I think he'll be fine in the role Gomez had. He might even give them a little more offense. If he were to fail miserably, I think they'd be able to find a veteran platoon type like a Reed Johnson in an August waiver deal. With Morgan's success I don't see the need for an everyday guy. Beltran is in another category however. He'd push Hart to the pines vs. RHP, and be Morgan's platoon partner vs. LHP.

Carlos Beltran is not blocked by Corey Hart nor would they trade Hart to get him. Hart would be blocked by Beltran until the end of the season against RHP. Hart may not like it, but he's under contract through 2013 and there's not much he could do about it. Beltran's OPS vs RHP is .952. Hart's is .762. Beltran would only play CF vs. LHP. I'm not so sure the Brewers are as sold on Gamel as the 1B next year as many on here are. Trading for Beltran, might put the Brewers in position to sign Beltran in the off season with some of the Fielder money, and to then trade Hart or move him or Beltran to 1B. A lineup against RHP of Morgan, Beltran, Braun, Fielder, Weeks would be very impressive. Against LHP, it would be Hart, Beltran, Braun, Fielder and Weeks and equally imposing. In either case, it would leave either Morgan or Hart as bench threats too.

I don't see that as a problem. It's just the opposite. Teams looking at Beltran aren't going to be offering as much to get him and the Mets aren't giving up as much either.

Haudricourt threw out Clint Barmes as a guy Melvin has interest in. I kind of like that idea. He wouldn't be a huge difference maker, but he's solid defensively, and decent with the bat. Barmes is a FA after this year, and even if not traded for this year, is surely a guy Melvin would be looking at in FA. Stephen Drew's broken ankle adds another potential shopper for SS, and could raise the price on guys like Carroll and Barmes.

I think they'd play him in CF against lefties, and in RF against righthanders. Corey Hart is the guy who'd see his playing time reduced. Beltran is hitting .293/.389/.528. Hart is at .256/.339/.465. Hart's OPS vs. RH pitching is .763, Beltran's is .952 and Morgan's is .876. It's a no-brainer. Hart may not be happy about it but he's under contract through 2013 so what can he do about it? Nothing. Two months of Beltran isn't worth the very top of the line type prospects (1-3) and I don't think the Mets will get that. The problem is the tier just below that say from 4-8 is the one where the Brewers guys aren't as highly regarded as most teams have in those spots. I could see maybe a Scarpetta, Gindl, Bucci types as something the Brewers might offer. The Mets would probably want Peralta and Gindl package.

I've actually broken my collarbone. I was as good as new in 4 weeks. I would think he'd be back by no later than mid September. His problem is going to be there will be no place to send him for a rehab assignment by then.

I don't see his defense as being brutal. That is an editorial comment on your part, not backed by any facts and an overstatement that is a result of the echo chamber from those that share your contempt for him. The stats (and my observation) is that he's a below average SS, but not to the extreme or to the point he's hurt a team that has mostly strikeout and flyball pitching staff. After all, this team has been in or near 1st place for a month now with him as the everyday SS. Calling his AB's "unprofessional" is also over the top. Who are you to call any major league player "unprofessional"? Have you played professionally? Are you privy to his work habits or off field preparation? Would any manager play a player acting unprofessional? His weakness is his tendency to swing a lot early in counts. That's no secret but it's also not always bad or always the case. Last night he homered on the 7th pitch in his first AB, and homered on the first pitch his last AB. Every player has weaknesses. Is Adam Dunn unprofessional because he strikes out 200 times a year? I don't see him expanding the zone to the extreme any more than any other player, but he does swing at a lot of marginal pitches that he'd be better off taking. But he got to the big leagues doing that. So for me or you to say he should change completely is presumptuous. On the positive side, he rarely strikes out, no matter the opposing pitcher. I agree that to this point, Betancourt's production in total hasn't been what is needed. But where you and I differ is that I don't call out the guy as being unprofessional or brutal. What purpose does that serve? I also look at his career, and recent play and believe he's capable of adequate production over the next 60 games. That's all that matters. Over the last 4 weeks, he's hitting .286, slugging .457, and has an OPS of .745. Now if they get that out of whoever has the job, they'll be okay. I don't personally care if it's Betancourt, or Howdy Doody. I don't hold personal grudges. The stuff being written about Betancourt has gone beyond critical analysis of his play and has gotten personal and I take exception to that.