OldSchoolSnapper

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That's not nearly as bad as what I expected to hear. So if I show up at 4, I should be OK?

I'll need both Suppan bobbles as I'm broke and can't pay for tickets. To trade I have an 05 Cooper pinstripe, a white uni Hart from last season, a white uni Kendall from this season, an 07 Fielder Beloit and an 07 Fielder Huntsville. I'd also trade them for tickets to the game. Thanks.

I've never gone to one of their games, what time do you think I have to get there to be among the first 1,000? I think the game is at 7 p.m. Thanks.

Manny Parra looks like a disaster to me. I mean, he's a 26th round pick, but I don't think he's anything remotely close to what the Brewers hoped. If Bush can come back healthy, I'd take him and Gallardo in our rotation ... if you can sign Looper for the back end, fine, but we need two pitchers to be our #2 and #3 and they need to be a lot better than anything we got right now. I'd have loved to keep Sabathia but the Brewers had no chance.

I e-mailed Tom Haudricourt and Anthony Witrado and asked them this question the night Prince tried getting into the Dodgers' locker room. Tom said Prince doesn't talk about it, but he guessed he's on a "'modified' vegetarian diet." Whatever that means. Witrado never responded.

Very last minute but does anyone have a Hoffman jersey - or a different Hoffman item they'd trade me so I can get it signed tomorrow? I have two Prince Fielder Huntsville bobbleheads, a Beloit Fielder 07 bobblehead, 08 Corey Hart bobble, 09 Kendall bobble, a Matt LaPorta sweetspot signed OMLB, a Bowman's Best Topps Certified Auto Braun rookie card. That's just some of the stuff, let me know if you're interested. I know this is not likely to workout, so my second choice would be a photo. It'd be awesome if anyone can trade me a 16x20. A blank OMLB would be decent too.

If you want to be safe I'd get there no later than 6.

I just hope they don't make 1,000 special ones with a button that plays Melvin saying "We're always looking at what's out there, but not a lot of teams are looking to move anyone right now."

I have an 07 Fielder Beloit and an 07 Fielder Huntsville if those interest you.

I'm not arguing that, but getting into it at 21 is different than living it at 42 and missing all your kid's baseball games because you're at JJ Hardy's. No matter how ready you think you are for that, you're not. Being told about the sacrifices you will have to make 10-15 years down the road doesn't prepare you one bit for when you actually have to make them, that is true for many jobs...it's the reason many people end up miserable with their careers once the family dynamic is added to the picture.

Last, "And since when is making forty grand a bad job when all ameneties are paid for." I'm not sure what this has to do with anything. Most any job will reimburse you when you go out of town. Tom doesn't get a meal allowance when the Brewers play at home. I'm not sure in Tom's case, but I can tell you right now with certainty that MANY papers have stopped paying for meals altogether. He may be able to get in on the pregame hospitality spread, but it wouldn't surprise me at all if Tom has to buy all his meals out of pocket. When the Trib and Times are filing for bankruptcy, that's not that surprising. That would be one of the first things for ownership to cut. What are the other "amenities?" The plane ticket he needs to get to St. Louis? Big deal, at what job would you need to pay for that yourself? And his hotel room? I'm sure he'd rather be in, you know, his bedroom, with his wife, than living out of Holiday Inns for eight months. I honestly think the average fan pictures a beat writer and thinks it entails enjoying the game from your living room with a burger and a beer, only you get to write a story about it afterward. And then get Ryan Braun's autograph.

"Also who cares if the players are asses? Then tell the public that they are being reclusive and unwilling to give their perspective." Yes, because that will be sure to get you very far in interviews with his friends on the team. And Doug Melvin will be so happy and forthright with you. If you think reporters just walk in the locker room like hard asses and print whatever they want without thinking about it, you're even more out of touch than I thought. Without access you can't do your job. Piss off one guy, you piss off the whole organization. You won't have access. "If they continue to not speak to to you, so what? You can draw conclusions from their attitude, on the field demeanor, responses to other reporters." You would have the worst stories in the country. Not to mention it is perfectly legal for any player or team to bar an individual reporter from access. Your lack of understanding the value of building trusting relationships in that job is more than sufficient proof that you would never be able to do it.

Menance, Rivals and BA compared to newspapers are two totally different animals. Rivals and Scout are thriving; newspapers are dying. And when I say this I'm not ripping on what those guys do, but the affiliates for Rivals, the guys who cover each team, have more a "fanboy" role than the average beat writer for a paper. Totally different markets, totally different job. "I realize college football is different than covering a MLB team but to assume they make 30k a year after several years of experience is ridiculous at this point." No it's not. The guys covering teams for major metros, are making 30-70, depending on where they are working, what size the paper is, etc. However, in that industry, it is highly unlikely you ever end up at a major metro. The more likely gig is that you start very small out of school, at a 5,000 circ like Lake Geneva, Manitowoc, etc., making 20k. Then you'll probably work your way to Waukesha, Janesville, maybe a place like Green Bay if you're lucky. The sad reality is that you'll be stuck there for the rest of your career unless you leave or get fired, and your salary will likely top out at a rather depressing mark. Most guys who stay in that field are the beat writer for Podunk State's football team and Podunk High School for their entire career. That's reality. My point is that guys like TH and myself were lucky enough to get big opportunities. TH may love his job more than anything in the world, but I can tell you the press boxes at any big league sporting event are full of a lot of poor, miserable people who second guess their career everyday and would do anything to have the stability and salary of a 9-5. "Please explain the comment..."consider yourself one of the lucky ones if you ever make more than a teacher". I didn't realize teaching is such a money making profession. Sounds like you've mastered life, good for you." I don't really get what you're saying. I was saying consider yourself a very lucky journalist if you ever make more than the average teacher ... meaning set your salary expectations very low. I don't know where you're going with the mastering life comment.

Ah, I love when people who have no idea what they're talking about post stuff like this. Being a beat writer is not eating $50 meals, staying at the Hyatt in every city, going to clubs and getting autographs from all your favorite stars. You want to know what it really is? Being berated by players and coaches who hate you for doing your job, tearing down PR wall after PR wall to get three minutes with the star player who A) Usually can't sand you B)Doesn't have anything interesting to say, and C) is a jerk. And if Prince Fielder wakes up cranky and doesn't want to talk to you, guess who pays for it? You, when your six-figure salaried editor complains that you're not getting the scoop. What's more, having to deal with fans, some of whom will e-mail you 3-4 times a day and then harass you at the stadium and threaten to kill you in the parking lot because you wrote FACTS about their favorite player struggling - no, I'm not exaggerating. Due to the current state of that industry, (yes I know the economy is bad, but no one has it worse than that field right now) guys like Tom H. who have 20+ years of service can wake up tomorrow and be shoved out the door. If you think Anthony Witrado makes a "respectable wage," I urge you to do some research. He may be making enough to live, but I can guarantee you anyone here working in a field that's profitable in any way is making well more than him, and their job is likely far safer than his. And I don't even like his work. I haven't even gotten into the schedule some of them are on, which goes far beyond "deadlines and long games." Do you know what it's like to go eight months a year and barely EVER see your family beyond spending five hours a few nights a week - if you're lucky - sleeping next to your wife? Because I can tell you that's what it's like for a lot of these guys, for more than half the year there is almost no real contact with your spouse or children, and that doesn't even count all the offseason meetings and random odd jobs you get thrown into during the offseason. "Hey, it's your editor, I know this is your off time, but since we just fired Bob, how'd you feel about spending the weekend three hours away in Stevens Point covering Division 3 women's softball?" If being a beat writer was what you're making it out to be, I would still be one. And I covered D1 programs and NFL football, and I left that for what I'm doing now. I work 9-4, my job is safer, I make more money, I see my family, and I'm a helluva lot happier. So don't be dismissive and call me "ridiculous" when I've been on both sides of the fence, because you clearly haven't. If you pursue that career, even if you end up working at a large paper like those mentioned above, you are sacrificing a ton. And you can give up any dreams of living some place nice unless you're a trust fund baby or marry a doctor. I don't know what your definition of "respectable wage" is, but anything above $40,000 is "making it big" in journalism. Expect 19k after college, and consider yourself one of the lucky ones if you ever make more than a teacher. One last point that on the ignorance of your post: "If it was so bad they would not pursue their chosen profession." False. Because when most of the JS sports staff chose that profession, it was the mid-80s when papers were thriving and it was far easier to break in. Witrado is an extremely rare exception, but that fiasco is an entirely different story. I know for a fact that many of those guys will tell you if they could go back they would not do it again. And that's why J-schools across the country are hurting and people are running to PR and communications faster than ever before. Rant is over, but please, I really wish people would not speak on things they know absolutely nothing about. This is tantamount to me walking into Ryan Braun's house tomorrow and telling him how to raise his BA.

Oh...and on the subject of Witrado, I'm speaking as someone who knew most of the JS staff and left journalism for greener pastures, but there's not a lot of good things I can say about Witrado. If anyone cares you can PM me. Fans don't really understand the stress and hectic schedule those guys are under - and they're not getting paid well - but TH is professional. McGinn and Silverstein are as good as you're going to find. Their sports page is among the best in the country. I'm sure you're all rolling your eyes, but every city's fans hate their own paper. People around here don't understand how lucky they are with the Packers coverage, and they do a pretty good job with the Brewers - usually.

FWIW I've blasted Kane via e-mail numerous times and he always responds to me. Always.

Last year I was able to get a picture with Braun, but you gotta work fast. He was sitting down and was nice enough to look up and smile with me, but a picture is a picture I guess.

I agree Ennder. Of course everyone will say "this team has no shot of blah blah blah" right now. If they win 3 in a row that tune will change quickly. I don't think they're going anywhere. But it wouldn't surprise me, and like I said, much stranger things have happened.

Which is how it should be. If the player wants to stay in that city, he shouldn't have to look elsewhere to get his best contract. That team should have the ability to compete with offers from larger markets. At the same time, there is no gun to the head; the NFL players can leave if they want to. If the NFL were set up like MLB Brett Favre never would have played in Green Bay for 16 years. The fact that our rotation a year ago had Ben Sheets and CC Sabathia in it, and now we are without both and Matt LaPorta, and trotting out Yovani Gallardo and four bums is the problem with this system. The turnover the smaller teams have to endure is ridiculous. Now I didn't expect the Brewers to be a playoff team this year, I just hope I'm not the only one who thinks it's possible that once every 26 years may not be a drought, it very well could be the norm.

I said 85-77 and playoffs depended on the strength of the division. We're still in it. Much stranger things have happened in baseball.

We are flirting with a circular argument but saying Jamal Lewis is comparable to Jeff Suppan is ludicrous. Lewis had over 1,500 all-purpose yards and 11 TDs in his first season with Cleveland, that is the third or fourth best year of his career, and Jeff Suppan has NEVER, comparatively, played that well once in his career. Lewis ran for 2,000 yards once and has topped 1,000 yards seven times in eight seasons, the only other season running for 906. In eight seasons he's surpassed 10,000 yards, with a 4.2 YPC and 62 total TDs. He turns 30 this month. He was 27 when Cleveland signed him. If he stays healthy and can muster 2-3 solid seasons he will at least be on a HOF ballot. He is not an NFL Jeff Suppan, not by any measure.

When was the last time the Packers signed a highly touted free agent? When was the last time the Lions signed a highly touted free agent? When was the last time the Bengals signed a highly touted free agent? When was the last time the Browns signed a highly touted free agent? Packers - Charles Woodson, and saying he was thought to be "done" is nonsense. Besides, this is a poor example because Green Bay doesn't pursue big FAs. Ryan Pickett was the best DL on the market when they signed him as well. The Brewers could never sign guys of that caliber. Lions dug their own grave by drafting horrible and tying up money with bust players. Detroit isn't really a small market anyway. Bengals - Antwan Odom last offseason. Not a world-beater but still well above the caliber FA the Brewers sign. Browns - Jamal Lewis and Eric Steinbach,both of whom were among the top players (Steinbach was the best) at their position on the market when they signed. And both helped the Browns make the playoffs as soon as they got there. Donte Stallworth as well was coming off a big season, though most people knew what he really was. Probably the poorest example you used as Cleveland is always very active in FA. In any case, I know baseball diehards are always pointing out the NFL's flaws, but the NFL has BY FAR the best balance of the three leagues and any team has a shot to turn it around in any given year. And at least in the NFL, teams like Green Bay, Detroit, Cleveland and Cincinnati have a chance to RETAIN their drafted players. Guys like Chad Johnson, Carson Palmer and Greg Jennings would be in Giant blue already if this were baseball.

Less inclined to be patient at the plate when the team sucks and he knows he and Fielder are by far the best chance at driving in any runs. That's how I see it. The steady decline month-to-month seems to support that theory.

Does anyone know if Hoffman will sweepspot if I get in his line?