CheezWizHed

So did you go vegan during the Twins series?! http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

You hate to have the ump make a judgement call! http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif I was referring to obvious ones like having Yount in the lineup twice... You turn in your card and someone says: I noticed you put Yount down twice: since that is obviously not allowed, what did you really mean? If you put down a pitcher and not a DH or something that is valid (but dumb), well, thats tough luck.

So can you sign him, then let us know? http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

15-13, 21HRs

Having seen him play once in person makes me an expert so... His batting stance tended to remind me of JJ more than Hall, because he started open, but strides toward the pitcher as if from a normal neutral stance (right now I'm not remembering if Hall does that too, but I know JJ does). The ball does jump off his bat. Everything he hit was hard and line drives, even the outs. So if its Hall, its '05 version of Hall. He is definitely not a natural 2B. He made three routine grounders (although he didn't charge a slow grounder and almost gave up an infield hit). One cutoff from RF he gave a really poor effort (Ole') and allowed a runner to score from 3B. But I'm sure he will improve with age and defense. My only real concern (and its only a gut feeling at this point) is that he thinks A-ball is beneath him or that the Brewers are slowing him down. With mentioning that he expected to reach the majors in a year (or something like that) and seeing some body language at the game, I worry that he might feel that he is better than he really is. Again, this is ONLY a gut feeling at this point and something I'm watching when I read/see him. I'm not convinced that its true.

This just in! Cardinal announcers found out that after running into the dugouts last night, all players and coaches untucked their shirts in the locker rooms! And even worse is that an unnamed source was quoted as saying they will do it again tonight, win or lose!

Some may think that way, but Pujols was actually one of my favorite non-Brewer players. Rags-to-riches type player (later round draft pick) that got there by working his butt off. I routed against him, but I respected him and wished he was a Brewer. Then the Villenueva incident came. Anytime a good player starts to show arrogance, it really turns me off.

You would hope at some level that common sense would rule the day and the ump would simply say: "Hey, you made a mistake, please correct it", then we move on with the game. Sad when stupid things like that have to blow up into a big deal...

Steak sounds good! Can I come over?

I think the image of a man diving into a huge stein of beer tends to promote over-drinking. Drunk driving, alcoholism, drunken brawls: I think that is the image they are trying to stay away from. "Drink responsibly" and a guy diving into a beer stein don't quite mesh. Maybe during the cooler weather, Bernie should "splash" into confetti (ala the Harlem Globe trotters water bucket gag)

If Nelson fills that role Yeah, that was my point. "If". I'm guessing DM thought he would accept the AAA assignment and go get back on track hence the short 20-some-AB rope. But expectations are high this year and that is a good thing. Can't wait for someone to figure it out in the MLB anymore. I hate to see him go, but its also good to see that we don't have the cellar-dwellar mentality anymore. Think Nelson was released over McGehee because he was left handed (i.e. need the RH bats on the bench)? Otherwise, neither is really doing much as a PH.

Can they remain in 1st place? Yes, I think they can. Long way to go, but yes. They do seem much more confident this year. Can they stay at the 104-58 pace? It would guarantee Ken Macha as coach of the year. But no, i don' think that will happen. My original guess was 85 wins, but I'm thinking more like 90 now.

To be fair, Ben Sheets hasn't "gotten away" quite yet.... http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif The main question I have about trying to keep Nelson is: How long do you wait for him to come around as a bench player? 5 years ago, we hang on to him (maybe even start him). But this season, I'm willing to give up on the promise of a "decent bench player" for a one year fill-in that can hit right now (Cat). Not that Nelson would torpedo our playoff or WS chances, but every little bit helps. The difference between Gross and Nelson is that Gross proved himself in the majors as a bench OF. Nelson hasn't. Some starters just don't make that transition to the bench for several years or at all. Thats why players like Lenny Harris and Matt Stairs stay around forever - because they know how to produce as a bench player with random AB and playing time. Nelson may become that, but I'm not sure I want to chance that this season. I really hoped he would take the assignment at AAA and could play his way back up later.

I'm actually somewhat surprised they called up Hurricane, anyway. With Counsell, Hall, Gamel and McGehee already on the roster, I figured they would handle 2B & 3B in somewhat a platoonish manner. Basically like Macha has done- let the player "write" his name in the lineup: i.e. play the hot bat. I think the original plan was to bring up Gamel (DFA Nelson), then return Gamel after the interleague series and bring back an OF. Right now, Duffy is the only backup OF we have. Does bringing Hurricane up signal Gamel (goes back same as before), so Cat can come up? If they will return Hurricane later, why not bring Cat up now?

The consistancy part of the QS got me thinking the other day. Given two pitchers with the same ERA and the same number of innings pitched (walks, SO, etc.. being equal), would you prefer: 1) Pitcher A who is inconsistant: pitches 4IP, 4ER one game, then 8IP, 2ER the next.(4.5 ERA) Lights out one night, can't find anything the next. 2) Pitcher B who is very consistant: 6IP, 3ER both games (4.5 ERA). Lunch pail, not spectacular, but you always know what you get. Not trying to dwell on the example, but focusing on the consistancy of the pitcher. I'm assuming more people would prefer the consistant pitcher, but I haven't really though it yet. Is there a stat tracked to measure the distribution of a pitchers ERA per game? (the variance (sigma^2) in statistic-speak) The part about the QS stat that I like is that it tells how often the pitcher kept the team in the game. And can be a loose "measurement" of unmeasureable data like momentum. Getting blown out on a given day can really stop a team cold.

Pros: 1) Simple, easy to calculate stat that reporters and commentators can use for the common fan. 2) Shows some measure (albeit a weak one) of consistancy. Cons: 1) Very basic and fixed measurement at 4.5 ERA. 2) Doesn't handle outliers well. Basically, its good for newspapers and TV commentators to give a quick and dirty glance at how a pitcher is doing. Don't use it for anything more and its fine....

I'm getting Fox WI on gameday audio also. It was kind of funny to listen to off the air, but nothing really embarassing... I miss Ueck!

Sure, I'm in. Very generous of you!

They were just waiting to start his arby clock...

And away from batting...

Congrats on the new web site and congrats on the new son! On your mock draft, do you match up players/teams based on need or more BPA? I'm guessing where the Brewers are drafting, the BPA is less obvious than at the top of the draft, so need plays more into the pick? I know you were asking for HS/College pics, but feel free to use the WI Rats pics I took from 5/2/09 if you want. I can send the hi-res pics also if you are interested. edit: wrong link...

So maybe do the revese of last year? One high-end pitcher + lots of bats.

The simple way is to simply search for "Mark Rogers" at the top of the Minor League Forum. All posts with his name will pop up and make it easier to find what you are looking for.

No problem, it was fun to play scout for the day. Unfortunately, I live 4 hours from Appleton, so this was probably it for me. The radar was the field gun, so take that with a grain of salt, but it didn't seem fast. The Lugnut's starter was hitting 91-92...

Last Saturday, I was over in the area, so I stopped in to see the T-Rats play. Unfortunately, they were beaten soundly, but it was fun none-the-less. I'll offer my amateur scout opinion (my scouting being amateur that is...) Trey Watten started the game. Looked like he had a 89-90 MPH fastball, 84 slider and 79 MPH changeup. From my angle, I really couldn't see left-right action, just up/down. He did really well for 5 innings, no-hitter through 3. He kept the hitters off balance really well. Lots of swings out in front of the pitch. Reminded me or David Bush (although I couldn't tell if his fastball was straight or moved like Bush's). In the 6th, he just lost it completely. FB was down to 86, lost all control of everything else and was getting hit hard. Report later said they are trying to stretch him out, but the fans were pretty upset that they left him in that long. http://images.yuku.com/image/pjpeg/5ca26a2360e4c341f5168930a3384476e62eb81d.pjpg Lawrie has a really nice swing. Everything he hit was pretty hard. Even when it was an out. Just crushed a triple into a stiff wind. Probably was a homer without the wind. Still, pretty impressive to leg out a triple on a ball hit to left-center. Defense is a work in progress. He had three easy grounders without incident, although one was almost beat out because he waited back on a hop. He had a bad cut-off from RF (Roger Dorn-like Ole'), that allowed a runner to score from 3rd. I also noticed he had a Hardy-esque batting stance. Wide open and steps into the pitch. http://images.yuku.com/image/pjpeg/db326c037fe37356f8d6f031bc9e01eda876a04c.pjpghttp://images.yuku.com/image/pjpeg/b243670f3506e9733140f3426750376012671ff3.pjpg Standing on third after the triple here... Kemp was the DH. He also hit the ball pretty well, but does look short out there. http://images.yuku.com/image/pjpeg/fa736cef312be4aa3fd5f24f6d9a33d24a022fa1.pjpg Dykstra was pretty raw in CF. A few balls hit over his head, and he kept turning to look back. Just needs more work... But he did get a bunt hit, so they threw sausages out to the crowd for a promotion. Unfortunately, I didn't get one... http://images.yuku.com/image/pjpeg/b91262c3a7e963c2f696b43114e6d6c9002a6384.pjpg Miller takes one high and tight... http://images.yuku.com/image/pjpeg/21a2696345e4536dfeb67b31fdba84dc5c20b885.pjpg Panarama view (not my best... there is no "hill" from 2nd to 3rd base... http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif http://images.yuku.com/image/pjpeg/41a2647339e8c303fc26123abae8cba05b559a54.pjpg