HiAndTight

You'd rather play to win right now with this team? I'd rather pile up bodies in the minors and hope to hit on one down the line. Plus, presumably if we picked up a 'bench bat' right now and he went 1/11 to start then we'd all deem the guy to suck and the trade horrible. You play to win the game. NEVER sacrifice the now for the uncertainty of the future. That will always get you no where. A-They didn't really sacrifice much. B-The Herm Edwards quote is a little played out...AND nobody's saying the Brewers aren't trying to win now. C-Yes, VERY often "sacrificing" now for potential down the road will absolutely get you somewhere. But of course...saying you're "sacrificing now" for this uncertainty...what "certainty" is there with Phelps? He's a Journeyman reliever who was pitching at an unsustainable level. What is certain to NOT get you anywhere but the nearly endless state of rebuilding is sacrificing everything for now...with the uncertainty of Baseball and blowing off the future. But again...this team didn't trade Josh Hader for 3 pitchers in the lower levels of the minors, they traded DAVID PHELPS.

Maybe we do, maybe we don't, but Phelps was really unlikely to make the difference in any series. This really hasn't changed my view of the Brewers...at all. I still think the team is talented enough and Counsell is a good enough manager to get us in. And from there it's about how we're playing. We added some young talent from a guy who just doesn't make a big difference. I'm going to guess one of the 3 pitches will be Ethan Lindow. Just a complete guess, but he's ranked 25th in their system and from reading the scouting report, it talks about how his fastball plays up due to the spin rate. Seems like the type of guy Stearns would target and the Phillies would make available. Those are the type of pitches I'd expect. Flawed pitchers who have control issues or haven't developed yet, but have a pitch that the Brewers think it's worth trying to see if they can build a solid repertoire from. But...who knows.

Ok...these statements are just contradictory. What exactly suggests we're heading towards the lowest salary in the league year in and year out? That we just signed our MVP to a new 200+ million dollar deal? That we aggressively pursued Rendon? That Mark A has always been so cheap and unwilling to spend to add talent when it was available? So that's just objectively not true. Now, the 2nd part, you take issue with how awful the scouting is(and you blame this on Stearns). He hasn't even been GM long enough for any of the Latin American players signed during his time to be effective...or to really to make ANY judgements...but ok, terrible system that needs talent. We JUST added 3 young pitchers for a mediocre reliever who's going to be 34 years old next year...and I REALLY doubt that we made the trade to save 250K next year. The guy pitched a decent 13 innings for what YOU yourself call a terrible team. So explain the issue with trading him(especially when you have a guy like Rassmussen from the "abysmal" farm system and Devin Williams from that same system seemingly ready to pitch in the back end of the BP? I'm trying to understand the logic beyond Brewers=Bad.

Pass Rush Records for the Defense; Tipa Galeai 11-7 Za'Darius 5-4 Gary 9-9 Rasmey 6-6 Keke 8-9 Garvin 6-8 Clark 4-10 Preston 3-9 Don't know much about Galeai other than he was kinda played out of position in a 4-3 last year at 6'5 230 and seems like he's pretty natural dropping(for an OLB'er) at times. Looks to me like a TJ Watt type of body that can add some weight to it, and it sounds like he's been having a reall good camp. Maybe he makes the opening day roster and can develop and into a nice backup. As for the other backup, everything I've heard about Gary is that he looks a LOT better this year. I thought he looked good last year as a 21 year old rookie in the limited playing time, but it sounds like he's really improved his repetoire this year, he's fully healthy and they expect him to be able to play a larger role this year. Given Za'Darius Smith's ability to rush the A/B gaps(and Preston Smith for that matter) I could see Gary getting ~40-45 pct of the snaps this year. I'm gonna predict 8 sacks for him. Big step in year two...AND I think the Packers will have 4 guys with 8 or more. Now...for the love of GOD please go out and add a defensive run stuffer. Johnathan Hankins should be relatively cheap and he's a 6'3 345 BEAST vs the run. Timmy Jerigan is a guy who was respected in the locker room for the Eagles and can play the 3 or the 5 technique. Doesn't provide the size that guys like Snacks or Hankins would, but you wouldn't have to move Clark anywhere. Xavier Williams is a guy who has been pretty solid vs the run and who they could sign for very cheap. I believe because he wass banged up last year, the Chiefs went out and signed Mike Pennel(who'd be just about the perfect fit for this team...but don't want to dwell on that). Gotta think teams are gonna try us in the run game this year after giving up 175 yards BEFORE contact in the last game we played. And I like Keke...but I don't know if his skill set was ever helping out in the run game as much as it was being a guy who could rush the passer. They HAVE to be looking at DL you'd assume. With Adams banged up(and having shown almost nothing thus far) they've got Lancaster, Lowry, Hester and Keke to help Kenny Clark. Please...go sign Hankins for 1 year and 4 million...if it even costs that much.

Sounds like Turner is going to open the season as our starting RT. That'll mean Bahk/Jenkins/Linsley/Taylor and Turner at RT. That should be one of our best run-blocking OL's in a long time, but damn...I think Mercedes Lewis is going to be a glorified tackle much of this season though as Turner is an awful pass blocker at guard and even worse outside at tackle. Other stories from camp; MVS and Tonyan both apparently have been good. Both were slowed last year due to injury. But MVS is now in year 3 and that's when a lot of WR'ers really blow up. He has all the physical tools in the world, so it'd be REALLY nice if he could develop into a real #2 WR'er who was a big play threat but also more consistant across the board. Then Lazzard as your #3 is that much more effective. I haven't heard really anything positive about EQ, so if someone else has, I'd love to hear it. Lane Taylor has been unbeaten in one on one going 14-0. Turner has been close at 14-2 according to ESPN...so not sure if he's improved or that those just aren't that telling, but by all accounts, he's been much better. And...I know we hear about young guys doing well all the time, so take this with an extra grain of salt, but that Rodgers kid went 25-28 in a live session against the #1 defense. It's a bit early to say if he's got the ability to be able to translate that to the regular season, but we'll see. Seriously though at QB, it also sounds like Tim Boyle has been really impressive. I'm feeling pretty confident that they roll with 3 QB's this year as it sounds like Love is really raw and has been erratic thus far. Don't mind Love just running the scout team and being the #3 this year at all. In fact, I hope they're real patient with him...and barring injury, they give him the 3 full years they gave Rodgers. I was a little fatalistic about the Packers heading into this season, but if the reports about some young players really stepping up...Gary, Savage, Martin on D, MVS, Tonyan on offense and then the whole unit just being much more in sync and Rodgers having a much better understanding of the system....thereby giving him more freedom, I think this team is capable of winning 11 games and being in the hunt. They SHOULD win the North given how the Vikings defense has been decimated due to their big new addition Pierce opting out and the fact that they lost several players. Biggest threat IMO comes from the Bears. They just need Trubisky to be solid for them and that Defense has a chance to be elite again this year. We shall see!

Of course...but moreso from big TE's who play like Jimmy Graham. Not so much the other way around where you have big WR'ers who lineup on the end of the LOS and block(though I guess Lazzard did that some last year). More just asking if people are assuming he's a TE because he's 6'6 or if that's his projected position. Like when the Brewers sign a big SS from the DR and everyone just assumes he'll move to 3rd or won't be able to stick at SS(and they're usually right).

Jags cut Leonard Fournette...damn. I'd assume they tried to trade him before cutting him since Tom Coughlin is no longer there(and presumably they're run better and not just punishing players for stupid reasons). Had this happened prior to the draft...that would have been your AJ Dillon type back and would have freed up a second rounder on someone else. Amazing how they move on from a guy who ran for ~1200 last year with no QB and a poor OL. A guy who helped lead that team to the AFCCG as a rookie and is only..24 maybe. Hell, maybe the Packers should kick the tires either way. I mean...it makes almost no sense if Dillon is coming along(and there's no reason to think he's not), but if you really want to pound the ball, Jones, Dillon and Fournette would give you 3 really good runners. Ervin adds another dimension.

Not sure why you'd say "yuck" about either. Andujar, at 23, put up a really nice offensive season and the Yankees are having him learn multiple positions. Frazier is just a good but not great hitter. I'd want someone like Dominguez and then at least another nice prospect, but I think Andujar, if the Yankees part with him, is going to flourish somewhere else where he can get consistent playing time. Just not sure where that playing time comes. But given that it sounds as though the Brewers are asking for a LOT for Hader...I doubt we see him moved anyway. I am curious though, can you include PTBNL in a trade this year? I haven't paid attention to the details...would this allow you to acquire someone who's not part of the 60 man?

I haven't. He's not even really a prospect anymore. Nottingham's bat has really fallen off in the minors and he was never known as a defensive prospect. He's already 25, I think if they really thought anything of his future they would have given him an extended look by now. Maybe he can surprise and put it all together. But more likely he's another Jett Bandy. 25 really isn't that old for a guy you're hoping can be a solid backup catcher. The problem I have is that you wouldn't have a good defensive catcher who can really limit the running game. For that reason I'd like to keep Pina for another year.

Sure, they could have kept going. But remember...most believed that the Summer would be the time frame when the virus was at it's best and the fall was going to be worse than the initial outbreak. I'm still pretty skeptical that they'll end up playing, even with their reversal(or what appears to be a reversal).

Do you really believe they were ignorant about the money they'd lose when they announced it initially?

I just don't feel real comfortable that this team gets past the Heat. Just a bad matchup. The best 3 point shooting team vs a team that doesn't defend the 3 very well. They've got two really good young scorers, they can defend Middleton with Butler, they've got one of the best long defenders to help slow down Giannis. DiVincenzo, Matthews...I'd say Bledsoe, but I'm no longer holding my breath on that, but someone's going to have to step up and have big games other than those expected each game. And if we take a step backward this year...then Giannis and his contract situation becomes a whole lot more tenuous.

Exactly...this is a particularly bad year as we finally DO have another really highly regarded young QB. Although chances are he'd look bad since he's so raw and then it'd just add fuel to the fire that already exists. I hope the pre-season games come back to some degree. Maybe 3...or even 2. I'd just like to see some of the younger guys.

A little bit...but I care more when it matches what I see in the pre-season. We saw Sullivan play well in the pre-season. It's not the end all, but it's entertaining to watch. To see the next Sam Shields start to break through...not saying I love pre-season games, but I certainly enjoy that aspect. And I've enjoyed them more when we've had reason to hope we had a good young QB.

Same here. I love watching pre-season games. Camp is almost exclusively optimistic stories. So...when you hear about Burks "lack of instincts" being an issue, that is a big more telling.

I think it's even fairer to say you're going to be posting on this thread whenever the Brewers have a bad loss or a couple of losses in a row. What's REALLY shocking is you made this exact thread again after last year.

Again, I'm not saying we're a great 3 point shooting team. I'm saying with everything else we have....we have ENOUGH shooting to win. I don't think our shooting is the problem, I think it's the lack of a second guy who get can the offense going. I'd actually like to see the ball in DiVincenzo's hands more. I think he's probably the next best option on this team to be able to get things going. And it might help him get back to the level he was playing at earlier this year.

He was pretty outstanding last year in the post-season through game 2 of the Raptors series... So I'm not sure he can't handle the bright lights(not saying it's not possible...just not ready to label him a Bledsoe-esque type player). The thing was...even in I think it was game 4 last year vs the Raptors when he was not shooting the ball well. He was outstanding in every other facet. The offense was kinda running through him. He just looks utterly lost right now. He can't put the ball on the floor, some ugly turnovers when he just couldn't handle a basic pass. Things aren't going to get easier for him against Miami with Butler and then perhaps the Celtics with Brown, Taytrum and Smart...so he really needs to take these next 3-4 games to figure it out.

I'm fully aware of how the NBA has evolved...and I'm not suggesting we're the Warriors with their Hampton's lineup. What I AM saying is we have ENOUGH. When you look at the length we have, the size, everything we have and then you look at Bledsoe who was our 7th worst 3 point shooter at ~.345 pct including two of the better 3 point shooters in the league(and a 3 point specialist in Korver) THAT'S not the problem. We have guys who can knock down the open shot and I think DiVincenzo and Connaughton are both capable shooters. But when you have ONE guy you can rely on to break the defense down...and really only one guy, your offense becomes predictable. If you have another facilitator....say just a Chris Paul at this stage(you're ignoring the salary). Even as he's lost a step, I think he'd do a much better job of running the offense and getting some guys some easier baskets. So I'm not saying we're a great 3 point shooting team. I'm saying given all the things we can do well, how incredible we are at protecting the rim, how many points in transition and in the paint we get, our team defense, our shooting is not the problem. Game 1 I believe the problem was A-we just couldn't get out and run because we weren't getting stops on D and then...as I said, our offense becomes stagnant and we don't have anyone who can get guys easier baskets. Moving forward, I'd like to see the Bucks start some of their sets with guys in the post. Brook OR Robin Lopez can both score with their back to the basket. It's one of Middleton's strengths. And it's more likely to yield some easier shots than just Giannis coming downhill with 3 guys waiting for him to block off whichever way he tries to go with the Euro step.

Lets see...HILL-1, KORVER-2, MIDDLETON-3, MATTHEWS-4. Not sure how you get to "TWO" out of that. Ersan is AGAIN as I said about a 36.5 pct 3 point shooter, And yes, good shooter for a big IS relevant since the entire premise is tatyou surround Giannis with Shooters. So if you've got one of the best 3 point shooting 7-footers, the position he plays is obviously relevant. It'd be foolish to compare him to a JJ Reddick as Reddick isn't one of the best rim protectors in the entire league. And really? Yeah, if I don't agree with you then I should watch more basketball....because it's not possible YOU'RE just wrong. Man...that is such an obnoxious and arrogant response.

I don't think ANY team can "easily replace" the 2nd overall prospect in the game(ahead of Robert just for a point of reference and only behind Franco. He's 22 years old, he's shown virtually zero weaknessess when it comes to his offense, his defense is good enough that he's capable of playing 2nd base... And the Dodgers have pretty much the entire lineup set for the next several years with Lux in there at 2nd. A team like the Dodgers really shouldn't even entertain the idea of trading a guy who APPEARS as though he'll be a .300 30 HR, 20 steal middle of the field..middle of the order hitter for a reliever, even one as good as Hader. Whatever the Yanks got from the Cubs who were in a historically unique position to trade away a stud prospect while trying to break a ~110 year WS drought...should have absolutely no bearing on our expectations for Hader. We ALSO shouldn't expect a pitcher like Gore. Why would the Padres trade away a dominant young left handed STARTER for a dominant young..but not as YOUNG left handed reliever who's just going to start getting expensive? Finally, I TOTALLY disagree that you don't try and get 3-4 players for Hader IF you end up trading him and you instead put all your eggs in one basket and try to get that ONE highly ranked prospect(in most cases...I'd have taken Tatis last year or Lux or Franco this year, but again, those just aren't realistic). Give me 4 prospects, 2 guys in the 50-70 range...preferably position players with really good hit tools and then a couple of GOOD arms who maybe need work on control or adding a 3rd pitch. But I'd take that over the 1 best prospect you could get. What I would like almost as much as any of that however....would be to see Devin Williams continue to dominate, another guy other than Phelps really step up(preferably a guy like Rassmussen who has dominant stuff) and move Hader back to the role that best served the team...when he'd come in in the 6th, 7th or 9th depending on what the game looked like. He's worth so much less to me as "just" the closer.

I think you make a great point. While both of those trades worked out...and Stearns himself may have even entertained the notion were he in the same situation(a team that hadn't made the post-season in 25 years), I was one of the few people who was actually hoping they'd trade for Greinke INSTEAD of CC at the time of that trade. Greinke was reportedly on the market and he likely would have cost less. The Brewers are unlikely to find themselves in a situation in the near future where it'd make sense to go all in and make a trade of ~Turang, Mitchell and say...Small or another top 10 prospect for an ace pitcher. That ONLY makes sense to me when you're a dominant team like the Dodgers for example and you're so good everywhere except this one spot. The Brewers have been a pretty well balanced team the last few years, so if we're going to give up prospects, I'd MUCH rather acquire someone who is still young and we have him for 3-4 years even if that player doesn't have the massive upside other potential trade targets do. 2008 Grienke vs 2008 CC. Greinke wasn't as good of a pitcher obviously(though he would be the following year, you couldn't know that at the time). But with how much luck and fluke is involved in baseball, 4 years of that very good pitcher who still has quite a bit of upside is preferable to that dominant starter for 3 months. I do wonder what Stearns would have done at the time. It's kinda forgotten right now, but there were people talking about how our AA team that year was one of the most prospect laden teams that some baseball people had ever seen. Angel Solome looked like a little pudge hitting in the high .300's that year, LaPorta was obviously crushing it, Mat Gamel looked like an absolute monster and many thought he'd be a .300 30 HR 3rd basemen for us. Alcides Escobar was hit ~.330 that year...and his defense was NEVER in doubt; Cole Gillespie and Brantley were BOTH having big years and well regarded; I THINK Cain was even on that team....though I may be wrong on that. I just remember we were LOADED. We had good OF'ers who had to rotate due to the depth we had, we had Gamel, Escobar, LaPorta...probably someone like Hernan at 2nd base and Salome behind the dish. So while I started to point this out to agree with you, it's also a good reminder that just because fans or even scouting outlets rank a teams system...at some point you have to decide if you trust your GM. Our GM has traded away minor leaguers when their value was at or near it's peak...like with Grisham and we've gotten plaeyrs back when their values weren't necessarily as high(Urias...a top 20 prospect heading to last year). So I'd definitely like to see more guys ranked in the top 100 and to hear about all the talent we have, as long as every year we're able to produce a couple guys who can be legitimate difference makers like Drew Rassmussen appears he can be and other guys just keep moving up the ladder like a Brice Turang(my personal favorite and a player who I think is going to compare to Trea Turner in 2-3 years) I'm fine. Hopefully while that's happening, we have guys who are busting out and really exceeding expectations from our investments in Latin America and guys like Felliciano go from being solid prospects to ELITE prospects. Either way, I would NOT describe any facet of this organization as being "in shambles."

Does Lauer still need to meet that given there was an injury? I thought in that situation he was allowed to be immediately recalled?

I don't think anyone has said it's OK to use, but you conceding that it's worse in the context means that one use can be worse than another. It's grounds for firing for any broadcaster of his stature to screw up that badly. But I have no problem separating the degrees of offensiveness between say, Josh Hader and John Rocker. Right. Exactly this. We need to be able to show more common sense as a society. Digging up OLD comments a person made and then labeling them a bigot of homophobic or racist from there on is ignorant and foolish. There are degrees...or at least there SHOULD be. Just like with the law, there should also be degrees in society. Someone gets a pie in the face and says in a laughing manner, "oh you _____" that's obviously wrong, but it's different from a 58 year old man who's on a hotel mic throwing it out there and using it in reference to a city. Every single wrong doing shouldn't have the same amount of outrage, less that outrage becomes part of the background and eventually it's meaningless. Anyway, like Fox and the Reds....I'm done with Thom. I've posted enough I think and made every point I wanted to. As Hawk would say, "HE GONE," so...it seems like a pretty well settled discussion.

If you're in England and you're asking to bumb a smoke? Yeah, it's a equally ridiculous question because nobody's arguing it's alright to say it in a flippant way. I haven't seen one justification for still using that term? So the ONLY thing I can point to is you taking what I said or MAYBE what OldSchool said about how people have in the past used it in a different context...while fully acknowledging that it was NOT alright. We're all in agreement, it's a bad word to say. It's unequivocally bad. I do think a good point was made about how it's LESS offensive in certain situations and that point was made by OldSchool, but nobody said "well, it's fine if you said it in this context." One argument was made that it would be MORE understandable and perhaps not as clear of an indicator of his true sentiments had he said it in that context.