danzig6767

I guess one place where we differ is that i like the fact that most pitchers aren't good hitters, thus when they do get a big hit that drives in a run or two, it's a big deal good or bad depending if it's a Brewer pitcher getting that hit. That frustrating feeling to see the pitcher come up to bat with runners on, then the great rush when they surprise by getting a hit or that swear filled reaction when a pitcher from the other team gets a big hit. Granted, those situations are rare compared to the pitcher just striking out in feeble fashion, but that's also why i don't mind pitchers batting. The fact it's fairly rare for a pitcher to get a big hit makes it extra entertaining for me when they actually do. FWIW, i'm not one of those hardliners that go overboard and say they'd stop watching if the Brewers went back to the AL or the NL adopted the DH, just that if i had the final call, i'd get rid of the DH entirely.

I don't like Branyan nearly as much as many on this board does, but man, Hall has been utterly feeble vs righty pitchers. Even if the team didn't want to run a strict platoon between Hall/Branyan, i have a hard time seeing any harm from at least letting Branyan start in games with a very tough righty on the mound that has proven to give righthanded batters fits. Plus, there are few things more frustrating than seeing us be down by say two runs in the ninth with a runner on firstbase and we pinch hit with either fly swatter bat, Counsell or Gwynn.

I can see that your major reason for liking the DH is to not have the pitcher hit, i only phrased it that way because you also brought up Prince. The DH debate seems almost like the abortion debate in politics, there rarely is much middle ground in views. Baseball fans for the most part either like the DH rule a lot or can't stand it, very few are indifferent about it. I have no idea how old you are, but i'm in my 30's so i grew up watching the Brewers play in the AL. During that time, i had no real strong opinion about the DH, i just loved baseball and certainly wasn't against the DH. Once we moved to the NL, i was older and now i watch the game differently and more in depth compared to my younger days where i mainly just like seeing home runs, exciting plays, and hopefully the Brewers winning. I like that in a close game around the 5th-6th-7th innings, a manager might have to decide whether to remove a starting pitcher who is throwing well. I like that it can be important whether or not a pitcher gets a needed bunt down to advance base runners or the great surprise/frustration that comes from a pitcher driving in a few runs with a hit. I enjoy watching a good hitting pitcher like Gallardo or Owings get to bat. I like that if a guy can hit really well like say Ortiz/Hafner/Cust, an NL team would also have to deal with the downside of their terrible defense. When the Brewers moved to the NL, i wasn't sure whether i'd like the switch. Now after all the years, i find myself being more and more happy we moved and not missing AL baseball one bit outside of playing certain teams like Boston or the Yankees. I can understand why some prefer the AL, they like seeing lots of runs scored in the 9-6 game mode instead of 4-2, along with disliking how feeble some pitchers are at the plate. I simply don't share that view. I prefer that if you're in the game, you hit and you put on a glove, unless a point in the game arises that the manager decides the team is best served to remove the weakness of not being able to hit or field well.

I know it's stating the obvious, but the home runs are killing Villanueva. He allowed 16 last year in 114 innings and this year he's allowed 12 in 49 innings. That and just all the hits he's allowed, 64 hits in 49 innings while in his first two years he was under a hit per inning. There might be some bad luck this year with more singles finding holes, but given all the homers he's allowed, odds are bad command is the by far biggest culprit. Villanueva doesn't throw hard, like Dave Bush, when either guy leaves 88mph fastballs and hanging curves over the middle of the plate, bad things likely will follow. In only 90 innings, the two combined have served up 20 home runs, that's flat out ugly.

I we are going to selectively remove guys from having to bat or field a position because they aren't that good at it so that the game is "prettier" to watch, why stop with using the current DH system so bad fielders don't have to pick up a glove and pitchers not have to hit? MLB is full of terrible hitting catchers and nearly all backup catchers are extra bad hitters. So let's not make them bat either and add a second DH. Who would rather see poor hitting catchers bat when we could instead insert a better hitter in their place with a second DH? Just go ahead and specialize the game completely so only good defensive players are on the field and only good hitters have to bat.

More than any player on the Brewers, Weeks is the hardest one for me to get a grasp on, especially as a hitter. On the defensive end, i think Rickie is fairly easy to figure out, he simply wasn't born with the natural instincts good middle infielders have. He's improving somewhat on defense, but his ceiling as a defender at second will always be lower because he can't be taught the more natural instincts like say Hardy has. At the plate though, Weeks is exasperating. He has a great eye in regards to being able to draw walks, yet it's amazing how often he badly flails at low slides off the plate. He also can just hit many absolute line drive bullets as hard as anyone on the team that flashes the talent so many of us drooled over while we waited for him in the minors. It does also seem like Rickie has had more bad luck this year than anyone else on the team in regards to hard hit balls unfortunately finding a glove. Yet, Weeks has hit for a poor batting average each year in the bigs except for 2006. At some point the injury and bad luck excuses for hitting under .250 start ringing hollow. When Weeks was tearing up the minors, i thought he'd become somewhere around a .280-.290 BA hitter who drew plenty of walks, ripped 20-25 homers, and was a doubles machine. I kept thinking it was only a matter of when something around those numbers happened. Now for whatever reason, it's hard for me to envision Rickie putting it together as i hoped.

I understand that baseball is largely one on one battles between the pitcher and hitter, along with a fielder having to make a play on a ball hit in his direction. Sports like football and basketball involve much more team work for the team to have success. With that said, i hesitate to just dismiss the leadership and clubhouse dynamic of baseball teams that play a 162 game grinding schedule. I have no idea what kind of effect those things can have on a team, good or bad, because i've never spent a second on a major league team. I've never spent a second in their clubhouses, went on long road trips over six straight months, know exactly how a team gets/feels when on a great stretch of games or when struggling badly, know whether team personality dynamics during bad/good stretches can have some effect on the teams play, and if it can, how so and how much? I'm quite sure that a fair number of things spouted in the media about pro sports teams can be filled with more cliche than actual reality, but in some of these cases like leadership and team chemistry, many fans commenting from behind their computer are really only guessing because they can't know given they've never been on a pro sports team and saw first hand what exactly is truth, myth, cliche, or somewhat truth, but overstated.

Drop the DH in the AL and make Ortiz, Hafner, and Cust pick up a glove if they want to play and this "problem" between the leagues is solved. As for the series against Boston, they swept us because they are a much better team than he Brewers, not because of the DH. They have a team full of hitters that actually carry high batting averages along with the willingness to take walks. The Brewers on the other hand have the 4th worst team BA in all of baseball along with to many guys who don't take walks.

Can't wait until the DH is eliminated

It's true that the Davis/Estrada trade was the only really bad one. With that said, Melvin runs the operation and if we keep just finishing right around .500 and no playoff berths, it has to go on him. If i'm Attanasio, at some point fairly soon, i wouldn't accept my GM just doing a solid job with .500 or barely above .500 results. If i thought Doug has been given an extremely tough task to try and get the Brewers in the playoffs, i'd have lower expectations of him. Like say a payroll only in the 25-55 million range and/or taking over a team with a farm system severely lacking in talent. Neither is the case though in Milwaukee. Doug has an 80 million dollar payroll to spend and the Jac Zduriencik Express have delivered boxcar full of quality cheap young talent. Yea bad luck with injuries can badly harm a team. Key players can have an off year. No question things can happen that a GM can't control. Overall though, i think Melvin has done a pretty god to good job since coming here, not the great job some proclaim given the positive things he's had to work with and the length of time on the job. If we miss the playoffs this year while again just finishing in that 82-85 win range or lower, my tolerance the next season for more yea but if only comments would likely fall on deaf ears if we fell short yet again.

I fully agree with folks that think in general that closers are overpaid compared to say a top setup man and that the whole save stat can be silly. With that said, i've believed that a good closer is pretty damn important if you have a team good enough to contend for a playoff berth and we are seeing first hand what it's like with a very shaky closer. The difference between an upper tier closer and a mediocre or poor one can being losing an extra 3-6ish games, along with deflating the team with those demoralizing losses that come with gagging games you lead going into the ninth. Plus, just from a fans perspective, this is torture. Each time we get to the ninth with a small lead, my acid reflux starts churning and i feel dread as soon as a guy reaches base. Man, i'm envious of teams with a reliable closer.

No, he has Bakeritis

With as softly as that ball was hit by Kent, i wish Braun made a more aggressive attempt to catch it

So much of big time college sports is full of seedy behavior on various fronts that don't hold this against Mayo at all.

I don't find Conan to be funny at all Leno isn't really funny either, but i think he does a good interview. Then again, i rarely watch any of these late night shows unless a guest is on that i want to see interviewed and i just DVR the show, then fast forward through everything else except the interview.

I don't watch him pitch much, but i do know that Zambrano has a very good sinker. I wonder if he might be throwing it more and getting ground outs instead of him going for strikeouts?

Homer is the only local guy i can listen to and tolerate. Sparky is alright i guess also, but that's it for around here. That Cliff guy on 1250 during the afternoon with Gary Ellerson just might be the worst sports talk show host i've ever heard, just the sound of his voice makes my ears bleed. I remember for years Homer had on Mike Gimbal, that was always good to listen to. Now he has on Tom Haudricourt every day at three o'clock if there is no day game.

I don't buy this Boras stuff Only one thing will get Gagne another contract of any sizable value and it won't be what words coming out of his mouth, it will be getting hitters out. I know many like to think of Boras as the boggyman that can talk teams into anything, but the tape and stats won't lie. If Gagne keeps an ugly ERA, WHIP, and bad performances, his closing days will be over regardless of who his agent is.

When Dave Bush hangs his curveball, they look like they must be the most tastiest pitch any power hitter will ever see in their life. MLB should bring Bush in for the All-Star home run contest and ask him to throw his hanging curves and BP fastball right over the middle of the plate.

Me and Toolive were debating a bit on how much credit Melvin deserves in the large amount of young talent the Brewers have been able to draft beyond retaining Jack Z, compared to the credit for Zduriencik himself. Obviously some of the guys like Hardy/Prince/Parra/Hart were already in the system before Doug got here, but others like Weeks/Braun/Gallardo were drafted while Melvin was the GM, same with great prospects like Gammel/LaPorta. If i remember correctly what i've read, i thought Melvin as said that he stays informed of who Zduriencik is targeting with high picks, but that he pretty much leaves the choice to Jack on who to draft, outside of maybe Boras clients that will demand over slot money. Is that how you know things work? Do you know if Doug and Jack ever didn't share the same high opinion of say a first/second round player and then if so, did Melvin overrule Zduriencik? If Jack had liked Braun more than Melvin did, would Doug still let Zduriencik draft Ryan? I'm curious because with the Packers, there is no question that in the draft, nobody is picked without Thompson first agreeing to it. Obviously Ted takes input from his scouts, but he makes the final call. I'm curious if in the Brewers draft room, Melvin gives Zduriencik the power to make the final call on even the high picks? I doubt Doug knows enough about the huge number of prospects available, that he'd get involved with say who the 12th or 18th round pick is, but i wonder how much input he has with the early picks?

I'm quite sure Doug is in the room during the draft, at least for the early picks. I'll admit that i'm speculating more than being positive i'm correct in regards to how exactly things go in the draft. I based my opinion on things i've heard Melvin say when it comes to the draft, but he never did say that i will never overrule Zduriencik. From what i remember Doug saying, the whole front office gets together and they talk about the draft, particularly the possible first few choices. That Melvin is fully informed on who Jack is mainly targeting with the high pick/picks, but that Doug let's Jack make the call because him and his scouts were the ones who went out and spent countless hours scouting these college/high school kids, not Melvin. I do find the dynamics of how things actually go down in the draft pretty interesting and i wonder if Colby has a more firm grasp compared to my speculation. Say if Zduriencik was fully sold on Braun, but Doug didn't share the same excitement, how was that handled? If in this draft, Doug likes the idea of drafting one of the college closers with a sandwich pick, but Jack Z is less on board? Maybe later i'll ask Colby in the draft thread if he knows whether Doug has ever overruled a choice Zduriencik wanted to make.

I didn't say i give Zduriencik all the credit for the good drafting, just the vast majority of the credit. Doug has already said he doesn't have the time to go around scouting the incredible number of college and high school players out there that are needed in a 40 round draft. I'm quite sure though Melvin sits in meetings with Jack Z and the other draft scouts as they go over the draft and a plan is formulated on how at least the first few rounds might end up going. It just seems from what i've heard Melvin say that he leaves the vast majority of the draft in the hands of Zduriencik. As you said and i agree with that if Melvin deserves any credit for the good drafting, it's that he's willing to let Zduriencik pretty much handle the draft instead of letting his ego get in the way and telling a proven scouting director who he has to pick. That's an admirable trait for a GM with some track record of past success in building a winner in Texas.

Obviously Ted Thompson has quite a few scouts that provide input for Ted to take into evaluation when he decides who to draft. With that said, it is Thompson who makes the final call on any player drafted. With the Brewers, not only were some of our young talent already drafted before Melvin got here, he said that he pretty much let's Zduriencik run the draft. I do give Doug credit for retaining Zduriencik even though it was almost a no brainer choice and for letting Jack do his thing, but i give Zduriencik the vast majority of the credit for the young talent on the roster. Either way, there is more cheap young talent on the Brewers roster than almost any other roster except maybe Tampa Bay/Arizona. Mix in the payroll is no longer a joke, there aren't many excuses left for not winning. I'm not saying i'd fire Doug if the team misses the playoffs or finishes under .500 this year, but his leash would be getting very short.

My only issue with the above post is did Melvin construct the whole roster? When i look at the Packers, i know Thompson is the one who drafts the kids, signs the free agents, and makes the trades. His hands are on every player on the roster. With the Brewers, Jack Zduriencik not only drafted some of the young talent on the roster before Melvin got here, from what i've read, Zduriencik is still the guy running the draft. Looking at the roster, far and away, the largest chunk of talent is the young kids from the draft that Jack Z chose. Sheets is also as important than anyone else on the team, but he was inherited by Melvin. If i thought Melvin was the guy who spotted and was the primary reason for drafting Prince/Braun/Gallardo/Hart/Hardy/Weeks, i'd be more inclined to saying he's done a really good job. Very few GM's though, especially on smaller market teams, have been able to be blessed with such a large amount of cheap young talent that a smart scouting director brought in. This has allowed Doug to have more money available to spend on other places, lessening somewhat the struggles a smaller market GM faces when putting together a roster that can win. I certainly don't feel Melvin has done a poor job overall, but i do think his reputation is bigger than what he's actually done for the Brewers.

That's what makes him somewhat appealing to me. Most fringe starter types are going to give up their fair share of hits and homers, but if they also are out there walking guys, that's what can lead to those 3-4 inning 5-6 run starts.