JUNT4twan

So, do baseball owners do whatever they can to cover up profits through accounting practices, even though they really actually made a good chunk of money? It still amazes me that every owner in professional sports refuses to disclose their books while they continually complain they are losing money. If ownership is such a money-draining effort, I highly doubt these people would be in the business.

I definitely see how Nyjer pisses people off. But he fits right in with this team. I bet the guys like Prince and Braunie love him. His enthusiasm is contagious. As long as he doesn't go too far, It's all good with me. T-PLUSH baby.

Just a little info from his ESPN profile: "Rodriguez, who signed a three-year, $37 million free-agent contract prior to the 2009 season, will vest a $17.5 million contract option for 2012 if he finishes 55 games this season, a mark he is on pace to surpass. For that reason, Rodriguez ranks among the Mets most likely to be traded prior to this month's non-waiver deadline. An acquiring team could use Rodriguez as a setup man, thereby avoiding his option. If that happens, then having Boras as his agent may enable K-Rod to sign another - or even bigger - deal than he did three years ago." As a few have already stated, he has to FINISH 55 games to get the big payday. So using him in setup role allows the Brewers to avoid paying him that huge option. I'm good with this as of right now. We'll see who we gave up.

Agree with pmg, adding to list: overpaid- Wolf, DD underpaid- McGehee, Yo, Escobar, CV Fair Market Value- Prince Fielder, GoGo, Weeks, Bush, Hart As of right now, I believe that Hart is playing up to his $4.8million salary

No doubt, but believe it or not, one whole earned-run more can make a world of difference over half of a season, especially when the team barely sneaked into the playoffs after the final game.

1. Yo probably for the most part, has probably replaced Sheets. I think everyone understands that CC's performance in 2008, was unrepeatable -- even by himself -- that said, we really didn't need our "ace" to replicate a 1.65 ERA over 17 starts. If you think about it, if your team averages 4 runs a game, how many more wins does a 2.65 pitcher win over a 1.65 pitcher. Really? Well here's four games that were won by one run when CC was on the mound. -Jul 13 CINW 3-2 -Aug 24 PITW 4-3 -Sep 5 SDW 3-2 -Sep 10 CINW 4-3 So, had we had a pitcher in these games with a ERA of one point higher, then these most likely would be losses. In fact, I am 90% sure that at least one out of the four would've been lost, therefore the Brewers left out of the playoffs. There were a few other games that were won by 2 runs. So, given our bullpen last year, do you really think that they would've been able to hold out all those games? I wouldn't even compare Yo to CC yet, let alone CC and Benny combined, shortened years or not. Crazy talk.

Why does it seem that just a few understand that this team lost two all-star pitchers from their rotation? It's not hard to understand why they're struggling. An average fan should understand that a team that BARELY sneaked into the playoffs last year, have the same players, minus two GAPING holes in the starting rotation, have more potential for declination than stagnation, let alone improvement. While Macha certainly hasn't shown he's a magic-maker, he certainly doesn't qualify for being axed. In the end, it's very simple to see what the Brewer's problems are, and how they occurred. The correlation and layout couldn't be more blatant.

I agree with TheCrew07, objectively, Prince could very well be at his highest trade value. It's simple buy low/sell high market ideals. IMO, this is a very strong sell signal. Prince's glove has been great, his plate discipline even better, and he's doing what he's supposed to(big HR and RBI numbers), all along with hitting well over .300, with the cherry-topper being winning the HR derby. I can't think of one thing that he can be criticized for. It's as though he's been playing a nearly perfect season, which as we all know, isn't possible in the game of baseball (outside of Mr. Pujols). He's 25. he's under contract for more than one season. He has maximum national exposure with teams and their fans drooling over the dream of having him in their lineup. The problem is that baseball is weird when it comes to paying players. It's as if teams think players will automatically progress season-to-season, even if their already putting up great numbers. The Yanks paid A-rod like he was going to be hitting over .400 with 50HRs and 160 RBIs every year. The problem is, there is an invisible cap in the game that only allows you to do so well. The Yanks will never be satisfied with A-rod because of the way they projected him. I would be in shock if I ever see someone hit over .400 again in this game. The game is too informed and advanced to allow for one player to just absolutely dominate all the time(Pujols is the closest). Everyone has a weakness, which is exposed by the specialization of players as well as all the other tidbits of info that can be needled with. Basically, when someone is at the top of their game, the percentages are in your favor with both getting top value back for them, as well as the almost inevitability of the player not getting much better. When you're the Milwaukee Brewers, you need to balance the short-term and long-term goals. There are so many variables involved with the thought of trading someone like Prince (projections, signability, effect on team performance, effect on fanbase, etc). That's why we're chatting about it on a message board, and not in upper management chatting with the brass.

The problem is that Ryan is throwing the whole team, besides the position players, under the bus in the media, which is how most modest fans follow the team. The front office, the scouts, the pitching; he ripped all of them in one soundbyte. To fans that aren't knowledgeably in-depth of the Brewers, which is the majority of the fan base, it paints all these players and officers in a bad light. I don't care who you are, you should never step on the toes of your teammates/bosses, it should be the last resort. I could see it if DM has had a long track record of not doing squat to help the team, but that's not the case. Whether Jack Z is largely responsible for the draft successes, DM does his homework on these players as well as gives the green light. During these good times, who's been the GM? So, how can someone tell this GM to do his job when he's the most/second-most responsible for breaking a 26 year playoff drought for a franchise that's been in the dumps for years? It's OK for Braun to do his usual rant, but this time he crossed the line too far and went way too deep in the blame game.

The problem is that, over the years, the majority of the players in all sports that talk to the media a lot about truthful, but unnecessary things end up being cancerous to the clubs that they play on.

It seems like this was just the straw that broke the camel's back for DM. Braun loves to talk to the media. Many times, it's about his problem with something. NOBODY likes a complainer, whether it's the "franchise player" or not. Think about your workplace. Have you ever had a young, talented co-worker/subordinate that is everything you ask, except that he/she complains more than normal? I'm sure I'm not alone with having this problem. It gets to the point where, presenting a legit complaint/problem or not, you start hoping the person would stop being such a petty whistleblower and shut up. In my case, this person was very good at what she did, and had an unbelievable work ethic, but people started disliking her because of her abnormal complaining, which unintentionally created a bad work environment. It doesn't matter what Braun's intentions were, they are going to be taken by every person differently. Some won't have a problem, but some will without a doubt be taken aback by it. DM probably just got sick of it, decided not to take the "internal route", and showed Braun that he too can play the media game. Sometimes you have to stick it to the good ones to get your point across, because whether an internal road with Braun has been taken with a past issue or not, Ryan hasn't reigned in his "good-intentioned honesty" yet, which could be creating some tension in the clubhouse.

I'm guessing Prince said something about the walks, and Manny said something about that ball that got by Prince for two runs.

No offense to him but it seems like Prince is even bigger (more round) than he was last year, which is hard to believe.

It's all or nothing with this team. Nobody except for Kendall concedes to shorten up with two strikes and try to put it in play somewhere much like the Twins. But that's what happens when you have this sort of lineup. Not much small ball with them.

Pop up city today with the Crew.

It seems the Brewers have trouble with pitchers who pound the strike zone, which I guess a lot of teams have trouble with.

I think Russell has so many big bats around him that he's supposed to be an easier out than much of the lineup. So naturally, he'll see pretty good pitches to hit. Nobody is going to pitch around Russell Branyan in order to pitch to someone else in that lineup. It's not going to happen. Also, I definitely think that changes in stances or routines can positively effect outcomes. A good example, although it's pitching, is Seth McClung. He took out a whole step in his old windup and look at what's happened so far. He must feel unstoppable right now which is so key. A smaller example, Counsell too has toned-down his crazy stance and he's hitting much better than last year. I think it's all about whatever makes them more comfortable at this point in their careers. Making a change can almost feel like starting over with a fresh clean slate. The confidence snowballs once a little success has been tasted with the tinkering. That got me thinking that maybe Rickie should try a more toned-down approach and see what happens in BP. He can't get too much worse, although he might be one of the most unlucky hitters in baseball. I have never seen a player hit so many ropes for outs.