DonMoney4Mgr

Although I would lean towards going with a one year deal, it's hard to ignore the fact that Sheets does not win often enough. He puts up decent number for sure, except in the win column. You can argue run support, bad luck, whatever, but this has gone on his whole career. Lincecome and Lee put up pretty good win totals this year for bad teams.

It was revealed today, or at least the first I heard, Sheet has a slight tear in a muscle near his elbow. I'd be surprised if he gets a long term deal from any team now. One or two years more likely.

17th in the majors in scoring runs, and 25th in batting average.

Hurricane Ike

a healthy Teddy Higuera Darrell Porter

Although he had a down year at Toronto, I would go after Scott Rolen. He has two years left at 11M per. Maybe they would be willing to take a Weeks or Hall plus a mid level considering Rolen hasn't done a whole lot this year. The gamble would be that Rolen still has something left offensively. At least he would be able to provide solid D. Also, he's not a big strike out guy and has a career 370 OBP.

To me Doug Melvin is a lot like Mike Sherman was for the Packers. Sherman inherited a solid nucleus from Wolf, and only needed to add a few pieces to a mediocre defense. He failed in the the draft and free agency. As a result, the team never reached a level everyone thought they should have. Melvin, on the other hand, had a different set of circumstances, but in the end has had similar results. He inherited Jack Z, who was largely responsible for the young core of players that were the main contributors to this team this year. Over the last few years he has needed to put the finishing touches on a solid foundation. IMO, he has failed to do so. With Sherman, it was the signing of Joe Johnson, drafting of Jamal Reynolds and B.J. Sanders, or the releasing of Hunter Hilimeyer. Melvin, one could argue, only needed a bullpen and a player or two to balance out a potent young lineup. I realize these few deficiencies plague many teams in the major leagues today. But considering what this team spent this year, and the prospects they had to deal, the bottom line is he couldn't get it done. This year if the Brewers fail to make the playoffs, it will leave a lot of fans feeling as though the organization has taken a step backwards. The pitching doesn't look promising for the immediate future, and soon decisions will need to made with several of the young core of players that got us this far. I don't know if Mark A. can trust Melvin to "try again" to make this a playoff team. Having said that, Sherman was a horrible GM, Mevin is not. But in the end he added the wrong pieces to get us to the next level.

Is kendall going to play every second of every game? Take away his hot start in April, and he's a 220 hitter. Yet he continues to bat in critical situations late in games. Game after game after game. This team deserves to lose. Sveum ol Same ol.

Durham Hardy Braun Fielder Hart Gamel/Counsel (what's the worst that can happen? One game, that's all I ask. If he goes O'fer and boots one that's not much worse than Hall) Cameron Rivera/kendall Also, I would go to the bench more often, and not be so set on non-productive vets. (i.e. Cam, Kendall, Counsel)

I don't even want Cam back at 9M. We have too many hitters with the same flaws. Take away his hot August and the remainder of the year he's hitting .210. I would rather have someone who has a chance at hitting .300/.380 OB. Maybe Brantley has a chance to do that. He was voted to have the best idea of the strikezone with a 2 to 1 BB to SO ratio. Hopefully I'm not veering too far off topic.

Only four teams in the majors have more blown saves than the Brewers. Bullpen's WHIP is about 18th last time I checked. Those numbers are not average or better.

LaPorta for CC straight up I could stomach. CC's been nothing short of spectacular, and should of made us a lock for the playoffs, which is still a possibility. However, throw in Brantley as part of the deal and we don't make the playoffs, then it becomes a major setback for this organization. No way will they find players of that caliber with the supplemental picks. And Brantley could of been a prototypical leadoff man, something this team hasn't had in a while.

My wife sat a table right next to Joel Przybilla at Mo's on Wed. nite.

I feel as if it's over. Houston's playing out of their minds, and their schedule seems too easy at this point. I could see them going 11-3 down the stretch. That would mean we would have to 9-5, or something like that. I don't believe we will have a winning record with the remaining games. But, good luck nervous Nedley.

I do see harm in keeping him. 9M is a lot to play for a 36 yr old defensive player who is a streaky hitter. I think RBI's are more in important than home runs. He has trouble, as do most brewers, at moving runners along, getting the run in from 3rd with less than two out. Strikeouts. Also, I don't believe he's ever hit 30 HR in a year. Brantley's my choice, if he is still a brewer.

Criticize someone other than Manny Parra. Send Bill Hall back to Mississippi. Use Counsel only situational. Play Durham, not Weeks. Pinch hit for some of these vets that are struggling (especially Kendall). Quit worrying so much about keeping an even keel. These guys are grown men making a lot of money and have pressure to perform all the time. They've played in front of big crowds all year and they've had several big series. Quit babying them.

Kap's been great. Where's the other Gabe when you need him? Please don't bring back Nix. I've also seen enough of Gwynn and his glass bat. If it wasn't for his last name, would he even be in the majors?

242 AB's against righties this year. .169/.236/.550. Waiting for him to get hot? It isn't going to happen. Those are pitchers batting stats, not a third baseman. I would do something drastic at this point. Matt Gamel should get some starts, or move Hardy over to third (I know it's crazy but I bet LaRussa would try it) and start Escobar at SS.

John Kruk made an interesting observation recently about Sept. callups to a team in a pennant race. He stated he was against it because the clubhouse becomes crowded, the chemistry changes, young guys get in the way, and the regulars get less batting practice because of the numbers. I don't know if he's right or wrong, but what's our record since the callups?

I'm already preparing for the post-season press conferences with Yost and Melvin. After a collapse, I don't want to hear about "reaching all the goals except for making the playoffs". Or, "Any of the last 5 or 6 years this many wins would of been enough but not this year". Or, "We spent 93M and went for it and fell just short". Basically, I don't want to hear excuses. I would rather them just come out and tell it like is, similar to the Mets last year. We blew it, we're embarrassed, the bullpen was awful, point out the players that didn't come through, etc, etc. If they can fess up to their mistakes, I am more likely to continue my season tickets and be a big supporter. I just want to hear somebody in this organization to criticize somebody even if it's themselves. Yost hasn't done it all year and probably never will.

I don't have paypal. I need to send a check. Who do I send it to, and what address?

He does, but he's shown a reluctance. IMO, that's why he's leaving his starters in longer than he has in the past. CC 130 pitches one game, Sheets has gone over 120 twice. Also, Shouse still gets hammered by RHH. (.289/.367/.789)

Yost is going to go with the players that got him to this point in the season....to a fault. I don't know if Gamel is the answer, but there are and will be situations this year where other options may appear better but he will stick with his guys. It reminds me of the '93 world series when Phillies mgr Fergosi kept using Mitch (wild thing) Williams when he clearly didn't have it. The analysts commented on the drop in velocity on his fastball, which was topping out at 88-90. Fergosi's answer at post game was "I'm going to go with the players that got us here".

My last point on the bullpen. The Brewers WHIP is 1.41, 18th in the majors. Only 4 teams have more blown saves than the Brewers (24); Seattle 25, Nats 26, Texas 26, and STL 30. That's not good.

I'd have to research that first question, but off the top of my head Billy Beane (A's), or Bill Smith of the Twins. Secondly, to take Gagne over anybody is crazy. But I wouldn't of signed Cordero either. Mota was a good deal, but he's not good enough to be an eigth inning guy or someone to really count on in a big game I'd take Balfour over McClung any day of the week. Balfour's whip is sick, under 1. 22 hits in 47 innings. The linebrink trade was bad last year, worse this year, and when Inman and Garrison reach the majors it will be a horrible trade. Adams wasn't given a fair shake. And his attitude wasn't over the top bad.