rickey24

Beautiful!!! I hate to lose Matt, and he will have a great career, but this is the time you've got to pull the trigger on the deal, get as many starts as you can from him, and steam roll past those Cubs and Cards!! Well done Doug!! Rickey

It isn't bad when the roof is open, but when that bad boy is shut I don't even bother bringing a camera.

The one thing you'll find is that with a digital camera is that your zoom will end up being more like a max of 450 mm, so if you would compare your shots to a 35 mm film camera, you actually get a lot closer with a digital camera. You're going to be amazed at the detail you can get with these zoom lens. Enjoy!

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e327/mjsimons/Picture012.jpg http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e327/mjsimons/Picture040.jpg http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e327/mjsimons/Picture072.jpg http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e327/mjsimons/Picture101.jpg http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e327/mjsimons/Picture118.jpg http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e327/mjsimons/Picture219.jpg http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e327/mjsimons/Picture313.jpg http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e327/mjsimons/Picture351.jpg

I've got a Canon 40D, which is really nice, it also has a zoom lens 28-200 mm that allows for those close shots. The only thing that stinks is that it is lousy for night games since it has a f 3.5. I can get a larger lens to allow for better shots at night, but those run into some serious cash. If you're just getting started, I'd suggest the Canon Digital Rebel, which is what I had for a number of years and it worked great. I upgraded to the 40D since you can get 6.5 shots per second, where the Rebel was 3 shots per second, so you didn't end up with the shots like I posted with Prince and Braun. Rickey

These are from the Giants game last year when Braun and Hart went deep in the first... http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e327/mjsimons/IMG_0540.jpg http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e327/mjsimons/IMG_0541.jpg http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e327/mjsimons/IMG_0542.jpg http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e327/mjsimons/IMG_0545.jpg http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e327/mjsimons/IMG_0547.jpg http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e327/mjsimons/IMG_0548.jpg http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e327/mjsimons/IMG_0551.jpg http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e327/mjsimons/IMG_0587.jpg http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e327/mjsimons/IMG_0589.jpg http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e327/mjsimons/IMG_0590.jpg http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e327/mjsimons/IMG_0591.jpg http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e327/mjsimons/IMG_0594.jpg

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e327/mjsimons/IMG_4393.jpg http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e327/mjsimons/IMG_4277.jpg http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e327/mjsimons/Brewers163.jpg http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e327/mjsimons/IMG_3617.jpg http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e327/mjsimons/IMG_8537.jpg http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e327/mjsimons/IMG_8543.jpg http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e327/mjsimons/IMG_8544.jpg http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e327/mjsimons/IMG_8548.jpg

Heard the news as I was driving, and I nearly pulled over to the side of the road to puke. Can we get a break for once???

Zachlaka, you sir are my idol! Thanks for the great recap, I wanted to get down there this year but work was a calling. Looks like it is time to call a broker, since all of the bars are already sold out. One thing I found last year, was that at some point about one or two weeks before Opening Day, the Brewers would release some tickets from packages that they didn't sell, and there would be a few tickets available. A good idea is to check the website just in case they throw them out there. Rickey

Again, I'm not saying their job is easy. But you'd have a hard time convincing me that it isn't easier (at least as far as in-game performance) than being an NFL or NBA official. If you asked me to step in today and put on a uniform and officiate an NFL or NBA game, I'd make an absolute mockery of myself. If you asked me to step in today and umpire an MLB game, I'm pretty certain I could pull it off without really bringing any attention to myself at all, even moreso if I wasn't working home plate.I find it interesting that someone could actually say that MLB Umps have the easiest job of four professional sports. Obviously you believe that being on the road for seven months out of the year living out of a suitcase and having the level of concentration it takes to pay attention to every pitch is the easiest job compared to the NFL, NBA or NHL. I personally couldn't disagree more with that asssesment. Since I know the level of training it takes to get to be a MLB Umpire, the dedication, the strain it puts on your family to spend year after year in the minors working your way through the system (with VERY low pay I might add), I think being an umpire is one of the more difficult jobs out there. You don't hear about NFL refs having one employer, you know that all of them work at their other jobs during the week, lawyer, teacher, accountant etc. Being an official of the NHL, NBA or MLB takes a tremendous amount of dedication in addition to having a passion for the sport they work in. I don't buy the story that guys don't care about their sport, and yes it is a job, but when you start looking at the quality of their work, MLB umpires are the top of the line in terms of getting the call correct. Do they miss a call? Yep you bet, was a pitch over the plate that they missed, sure thing, but when you're watching over 250 pitches a game you are sure to miss a few out there. Funny thing is, when it was announced that an NBA official was caught in a gambling sting, you know what the first question people asked? It was which one was it, not I can't believe that happened to the NBA. You don't hear about conspiracy theories out there for baseball, yet if you turn on sports radio today, you're sure to hear someone feel that one of the other major sports "didn't want" their team to win the game. Rickey

While this is a little dated, you can still get a lot of info on ST from this site: http://www.cactus-league.com/index.html This site also has a lot of good info: http://phoenix.about.com/od/springtrainingbaseball/tp/Cactus-League.htm My wife and I are heading down again this year, counting down the days to get out of this brutal weather. Rickey

I hate how we booed Brady Clark; and I disliked when Doug Davis got booed. Davis was a pitcher that performed above expectations for us and we got a good trade out of him. How can you boo him? I coudn't agree more, booing Brady Clark or Doug Davis? Give me a break, here were two guys who were traded, they didn't leave Milwaukee via free agency, they were traded. It just seems like Milwaukee fans have been acting like Cubs fans lately, and I'm sick of it. If you want to boo, stay home, no one needs to hear you, boo your TV. Rickey

Looks now like the Mets still have no idea what his role will be with the team: Rickey First Base, Baserunning, Hitting Coach? Rickey

There are a bunch of places to go, you can go to a bar that is close to Miller Park, on National Ave, the 4th Base is a classic bar and worth a drink. You can also check out the bars on Bluemound Road, Kelly's Bleachers (gets a little crazy after games), Long Wong's, Derry's (an older crowd), or Saz's which is about two miles from Miller Park. All of these places offer a shuttle back from Miller Park, so from there you can take a cab to your hotel. I'd also suggest checking out Water St, which is downtown, that is a nice area, and also Milwaukee & Wisconsin Ave, is a cool area. I'd suggest checking out Bastille Days, which is currently running this weekend, it is downtown Milwaukee, they'll have a few bands and a number of restaurants will have tents down there. Here is some more info: Bastille Days You can buy a lot of great stuff right at Miller Park, in the Clubhouse Store, but another great spot is the MLB Clubhouse at Brookfield Square, which is off of I-94, about five miles west of Miller Park. This used to be the Brewers Clubhouse, but last year the Brewers ended their relationship with them, but they still carry a ton of Brewers gear. I'll see you at the game Bernie! Rickey

Actually he won't be delayed, the years he played with the Bears and with the Dawgs don't count against him for entry into the HOF. Provided he doesn't get into a game this year, he'll be on the ballot in 2008, five years after his last game with the Dodgers in 2003. He would be inducted in the HOF in July 2009. Rickey

It would have been even better if it was true. It was a complete fabrication, here is a link to a story that mentions it was a teammate who made it up. Olerud Story Fake Rickey

Looks as though HoJo will be sharing the duties with Rickey when he comes on board. Rickey Joins Staff

I think the Mets were impressed with what he did with Jose Reyes, who was Rickey's special project two years ago, and we all know how he responded. Given how the Mets clubhouse was starting to get a little tense, I think the addition of Rickey will really help loosen things up quite a bit. Rickey

I'm thinking at the initial press conference, you know what Rickey thinks about Julio Franco! Rickey

Well you know if he was back in MLB playing, he'd be the story of the year (next to the Brewers of course), but instead Rickey will be the NY Mets new hitting coach effective today. Rickey To Coach Mets I know I'll be looking forward to seeing Rickey when the Mets take on the Brewers in late July! Welcome back Rickey! Rickey Jr.

If I loan a CD of the Grateful Dead to someone to copy, is that illegal? Of course perhaps the Dead aren't a good example since they allowed people to tape their live shows and trade tapes or cds of those shows. What they were against was someone selling a copy of those shows. The same is true in my mind about trading a copy of a MLB or NFL or NBA game. As long as there is no money changing hands, and the only thing that goes between the two trading parties is the CD, that really isn't a problem. Then again I'm not an attorney nor do I wish to be one. When I see some of the guys from FSN I'll ask them what they think. Rickey

Folks- Brian asked me to post this here so we could have some discussion on the issue of DVD/Tape trading for MLB games. As a long time trader I always enjoy swapping a game that I've taped for a game that I might have missed. Lately a few people have taken that a step further and posted VCR/DVD lists of games they are selling. In some cases, they're just selling the VCR tape, since they've transferred them to DVD, but in other cases, they're selling them to make a profit. I understand that the selling of DVD or VCR tapes of games is illegal, and I'd like to know if someone has any experience in this area that could shed some light on the trading of tapes or DVDs for games. I'm aware of a few sites on the internet where a traders go to swap a copy of a game, and in each case the legal language that is used, is that no one gets cash, no one sells anything, but the free trade is legal. I'd like to hear others chime in on this since I think having a trading area for games would be a great way for others to have copies of games they might have missed, like I did on Saturday night. Rickey

Folks- I'm looking to trade for a copy of last night game for another Brewers game that I recorded. If you have a good copy of last night's game please contact me, and we can arrange a trade. I've got quite a few over the past few years but I need a copy of Saturday's game. Thanks Rickey

I should mention that these are TV seats as well. So you can look for yourself on the highlights.

I have a pair of tickets for sale for next Wednesday's game, time of the game is 12:05. The face value of the tickets is $170, and I'm asking $150 for the pair. These will also include .300 level passes. The tickets are in Section 121, row four, so you're right on the dugout. There are no rows in front of you. If you're interested please send me an e-mail to: rickey24@wi.rr.com Thanks Rickey