Bruce Ciskie
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Everything posted by Bruce Ciskie
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I don't post much, but I wanted to say this is a really, really good signing. -
I guess I really don't have a problem with Kottaras serving as Wolf's personal catcher. As much as Wolf frustrates me at times, he was pretty solid last year, and if he has better chemistry with Kottaras, let it be. Sucks when the Brewers face a lefty on the days Wolf pitches, but I'm willing to sacrifice some offense in order to get Wolf out there with a battery mate he's comfortable with.
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I'd be floored, too, and not because of anything ESPN has said. I've barely given SportsCenter or OTL the time of day since the day after this story came out. Haudricourt has, IMO, done an award-worthy job of reporting on this story and making sure his stories weren't clouded by stupid BS. I don't watch much MLB Network during the offseason, so I honestly can't tell you how they've done with this, assuming they've done anything at all. But anyone who still takes ESPN seriously after the way they handled this story is only asking to be fooled or misled down the line.
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Dan Patrick is reporting on his radio show that there is -- according to what he has heard -- a "strong chance" Braun will be exonerated.
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Kyle Lohse is pitching. They have a good reason.
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It's much more fun to overthink this stuff. Never mind that it's a good way for your team to get in trouble. Overthinking in October is tradition. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif (And, no, this isn't a shot at anyone in this thread. It's a shot at the people who do the overthinking, and I don't mean the fans.)
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We just started our fourth-best center fielder in a game where the other three were perfectly healthy. I'm not about to guess what the lineup will look like tonight.
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I don't have his Game 3 start against Arizona recorded, but Marcum looked to be shaking off Lucroy a lot on Monday. I don't know if this was something common throughout the season, because it's not typically something I watch for. Wasn't watching for it Monday, but instead just happened to notice it as the game played out. Marcum only threw 15 2/3 innings this season to catchers not named "Lucroy," so I can't imagine they're not on the same page, but it really looked like they had different ideas on how to handle the Cardinals hitters. It's easy to blame Marcum because of how the start ended up playing out, but I won't do that until I know if there's been a history of Marcum frequently shaking off his catcher.
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After all the heat MLB took over Verlander's shortened start in Game 1 of the ALDS and then what happened Saturday, I imagine they'll be ultra-careful letting this game start.
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If this happens, you throw Gallardo in Game 3, Greinke in Game 4 (regular rest), and Wolf in Game 5 (who cares about his rest ... extra might help him). Come back with Marcum on a short leash in Game 6 (Narveson in pen if necessary), then Gallardo on short rest in Game 7 (with Greinke available in bullpen if need be).
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Soup & Diego to throw out first pitches in St. Louis
Bruce Ciskie replied to RockCoCougars's topic in Milwaukee Brewers Talk
Well, after all those years of throwing batting practice to opposing hitters, Soup should at least be used to the velocity people expect on a ceremonial first pitch. -
All good. MLB will do what they want, but they're smarter if they take local/regional events into consideration. I know I'll be watching regardless of the game time, but there are a lot of potential eyeballs who will flat-out pick the Badgers or Packers over the Brewers, even in a playoff game. They just don't like baseball that much. That kind of thing doesn't matter to us, but for most of us, the game could be played at 3am and we'd make time to watch. But we're not the ones who make the ratings for these games good.
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The only reason I brought up the Packers is that Sunday is a Gold Package game, so there will be a lot of people making their way up from Milwaukee.
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The problem here is that there are no West Coast games, and when this schedule was put together, it was done almost with the assumption that there would be one team west of the Central time zone hosting a game Saturday. I have to figure MLB and TBS are working with the teams to set game times. There are considerations like the Wisconsin football game Saturday night and the Packers game Sunday, for example. MLB doesn't want the Brewers playing at the same time. No way they're not taking that into consideration here.
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I'm with those who say we need to at least try. I'm not sure how far he'd get in waivers, but if he ends up in Philly, I'm going to throw things.
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Lots of steam out of the Twin Cities that Thome is a candidate for a trade. Saw a tweet from one of the guys at KFAN saying he thinks the team will wait until after this weekend to trade him so he has a chance to play in front of the Target Field crowd again. What are your thoughts on this being a potential fit for the Brewers?
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General Lineup Discussion: 2011
Bruce Ciskie replied to brewtank34's topic in Milwaukee Brewers Talk
This is agreeable. A guy like Gomez, who has virtually no track record of sustained success at this level, needs to earn that spot in the batting order. Start him in the 7/8 area, and if he's hitting, move him up. I'd be in favor of putting Hart second once he's healthy. I think it's a virtual crapshoot until he comes back. -
Gomez is still young enough that what you see might not necessarily be all that you get. And what we see is an elite defensive talent who doesn't hit enough. In center field, having an elite defensive talent -- especially given that Braun and Hart, while not butchers, aren't exactly going to wow anyone in the field -- can make a huge difference. IF (admittedly a goodly-sized "if") Gomez can learn some patience at the plate, he'll draw more walks and probably put himself in a better position to make a positive impact with the stick. I think it's absurd to pass the Brewers off as a team of nothing but stars and scrubs. There's some improving young talent here. Not only that, but there are more stars than the Brewers usually sport, so just saying they're nothing but stars and scrubs is a bit misguided, IMHO. I'm not going to do a lot of hand-wringing over the roster at this point. I like the mix we have, I like our manager, and I like the position our favorite nine is in to start the season. As I've learned here with the hockey team I cover, sometimes it's a good thing to fly under the proverbial radar.
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General Lineup Discussion: 2011
Bruce Ciskie replied to brewtank34's topic in Milwaukee Brewers Talk
It's a great conundrum, but one where we're probably better off going with Gomez towards the bottom of the order. I don't think it's a big deal, though, because realistically he hits seventh at the lowest (catcher eighth and pitcher ninth). That means he gets about half a plate appearance per game more if he hits second. Of course, if we can find a way to get Gomez to take a few more walks and hit the ball on the ground more, his value increases as a No. 2 hitter, and it could make the offense more dangerous in the upper half of the order. -
There are some who are directing their boos at Suppan. Others understand how the system works, and they're venting at Melvin and -- to a lesser extent -- Macha more than trying to make Suppan feel bad.
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As long as you still make sure Gallardo and Wolf (I still think he has value) are starting every five days so they can stay on routine, I'm okay with some experimentation in the rotation. These guys are very routine-oriented, so I don't think we need to be throwing them more off than they've already been this year.
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Man, Opening Day is always exciting. Always. When you think your team could end up being pretty good, and it's not just a pipe dream, it becomes even more exciting.
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Can we just park JJ on the bench for the rest of the season? Then he'll have something to stick his lower lip out about. This is ridiculous. The franchise isn't run by vindictive fools. It's run by intelligent baseball people who are trying to make their players as good as possible. For JJ to question their motives is just a sign that he doesn't truly get the reason behind his demotion. If he didn't want to be in AAA for 20 days, maybe he should have tried posting an OBP better than .279. Go down there and rake, and give them no choice but to bring you back as soon as possible. Instead, JJ went there and pouted. I have no respect for a player like that. Take that right index finger you have sticking out towards the GM and put it in your own chest.
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I'm shocked that there is any serious sympathy for JJ. He made his bed by not hitting the ball. It got to the point where he looked to be taking his crappy at-bats to the field, which only made matters worse. In the end, the Brewers did what was best for the major-league roster. They'll continue to do that, and if JJ Hardy wants to be a part of that, it's all up to him.
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How would it help Hardy's trade value to have him stumble through another .220 month? It's about time. Hall and Hardy are big reasons why this offense refuses to totally come around, and it's time to see what Escobar can do. On the bright side, there should be no pressure.
