DHonks

there's some guys on the Helena squad making this fun to follow: Lutz, Harrison, Garcia, et al

But by not doing so they burn an option, correct? yes. But teams have to figure out if an option is worth it. I guess I'm trusting they've done their own analysis on this. If Houser were on the 60-day DL this year, he'd be making ~$500,000. Instead he's making far less. What's a 3rd year 40-man roster guy make? Maybe $60-80k? Remember Jeff D'Amico--being injured in MLB--wound up with nearly 10 years of MLB service time. With Brinson, the service time isn't as big of a deal, as it's only a few weeks. Really they could likely transfer both at this point in time. But it's something clubs need to debate internally

With Houser and Brinson, they could do that but they'd have to pay them a ton more cash and they'd accrue service time.

This 1b/3b Garcia in Helena has some pretty darn good numbers for age 19. Orf with the cycle! Jorge Lopez seems to be doing better as a reliever. I wonder if they're totally done with him as a starter. Monte Harrison really doing a fine job with his midseason promotion. Demi is really struggling. Remember his hot start? He's young, power is coming along, and he's got a nice OBP to AVG differential.

these next two weeks are huge. We've gone 1-1 in this brutal 15 game stretch. The division is a challenge with the Cubs talent and their 2nd half ranked as a much easier schedule. Need to take care of business in these 15 games, especially the Cubs games. If we can go 8-7, that's damn good

The Mike Cameron comparison is brought up all the time but as a hitter he's Geoff Jenkins. Because of his streakiness? The stats are a dead ringer for Mike Cameron, hence my frequent comparisons since we acquired him.

Broxton reminds me of Mike Cameron, only with a little less defense.

And this is where I was disagreeing. In bad traffic it might be 2 hours. Now I realize we are arguing over 15-30 minutes, but it's a relatively short commute that teams did regularly until 2009. The reasons why this works: -available AAA-caliber stadium immediately -minor league fields and clubhouses for 2 clubs to handle spring training adjacent to stadium -when I worked Dbacks minor league spring training roughly 12 years ago, the locker rooms and training facilities were very good. -consistent weather to avoid the constant rainouts plaguing our other affiliates -facilities to handle a AAA team, extended spring training, rehabbing players, the AZ Summer League all in one spot -Community/county willing to pony up -Tucson airport very close and Phoenix airport with direct flights to Milwaukee (important should we purchase a AAA team) -drive/commute shorter than most in Florida, although roughly double what more are in Arizona (which is why teams usually brought only 2-4 starting players to compete in Tucson). 8:30-9am traffic generally a breeze on the I-10. -no other viable option at present, besides staying in Maryvale reasons this isn't great: -we can wait more years and hope for something better -It is farther from the greater Phoenix area. Fans wouldn't be able to stay in Old Town and attend home games easily, but can attend road games. -community near stadium isn't much better than Maryvale. Last time I was there, it needed some development. -players don't like bus-rides -many players live in the greater Phoenix area, and wouldn't be able to live at home during Spring Training. Personally for me, I probably would be more likely to travel to Tucson than Gilbert. I'm not a fan of dealing with the 60, especially nearing rush hour. At least with Tucson I might make a weekend out of it, play some courses I rarely get to, etc. Maryvale is ok--centrally located with plenty of parking. I'm still probably more likely to attend plenty of games at Salt River Fields, Peoria, and Surprise (just cause I like the stadium). My first desire is the north valley, as it has no teams training there, but those rumors died down long ago. Plus, there's also the reality that there's no actual plans for a stadium in Gilbert, just proposals

This is what I've been hoping for, and why I speculated Tucson a week or so ago. AAA baseball in Tucson is nice for a variety of reasons. MrTPlush, I think you're exaggerating a bit saying the Brewers would be "the only show within hours." Tempe, Mesa, and Scottsdale are roughly 1 hr 30-45 minutes. That's a pretty easy drive. In good traffic I have to drive nearly an hour to Surprise, 45 minutes to Tempe/Maryvale, over an hour to Goodyear/Camelback Ranch. Gilbert is basically an hour away. What's convenient for me personally is that a former golfer on my team is a starter on U of A's softball team, and it would allow me to head to Tucson to spend a weekend catching some college softball and Brewers games.

As I've said before, this makes sense. A lot of people down there with midwest ties (Tucson is the University, the Medical School, and retirees...not much else). The old ChiSox and DBacks site (was it Tucson Electric Park?) was in a weak location but had very nice facilities, and a AAA worthy stadium. I'd love to see renovations there with the Brewers buying a AAA team and moving it to Tucson. 1.5-2 hours drive from Scottsdale

I would agree wholeheartedly with this statement. I can't remember a year (at least in the past 6-8 years) where we've had this many intriguing young bats at the extreme lower levels. Now, time will tell how well these kids adjust as they move up and face better pitching - but it's certainly very exciting to see. yes and no. I remember Richardson, Festa, and many others. There was a draft or two in the mid-00's in which the Brewers took a bunch of college kids that raked in rookie ball and looked like our potential Money Ball draft (good obp, older players, etc). Then they got to A-Ball and that was the end of it. I can't believe we have a team this good in Arizona. Have we ever had this many wins in 2 seasons, let alone a single one?

As I said previously, one major problem is that the tax funding solution established by voters in Arizona created a mechanism to have an authority build a pool of money to help subsidize these communities in building stadiums. So for the other communities in AZ, they had major assistance in building the stadiums as a result of Valley-wide support. Unfortunately, the successful, very elaborate complexes have raided that fund sufficiently that there is nothing available. These stadiums do tend to get somewhat regular use outside of spring training. Many high school state tournament games are played in Tempe, Phoenix, and Maryvale. Adult leagues may rent them for leagues. Throw in the Arizona Fall League usage for several ballparks, or Arizona Summer League teams as well. They don't make money, but they can be a key part of a development or community that helps it grow and develop.

Quality, not quantity. Some good things tonight with Bickford and Anderson on the mound, Lutz's big night, etc. Heck, even Demi had 2 hits to give him a little wiggle room above the Uecker-line.

Sort of. The Brewers cannot have a AAA team in the Phoenix area. They could in Tucson, which is only 1.5-2 hours from the Phoenix complexes. But as others said, that hasn't been discussed (still a much shorter commute than the Grapefruit League). Would Vegas make a push for Spring Training? I've heard nothing about it, but Vegas is cooler and windier, with a MUCH smaller population. Part of the benefit to Phoenix is that the greater area has over 5million people (not sure if that includes "snowbirds" or not). While stadiums don't turn profits for those that build them, they are often like museums. Having them is often good for the community, morale, etc, but they don't turn profits.

Part of the challenge for tourists is that the plan was Maryvale Sports Complex was to be the lynchpin of urban development, including shops, hotels, etc. it's a low-income area. Generally people say that it's not a great area, especially at night. There's a really nice golf course nearby (formerly Maryvale, but now GCu). I don't mind the current location, I've just preferred more northern suggestions as the northern part is full of folks with disposable income, Snowbirds from the upper Midwest, and--selfishly--it's both near me and underserved by current stadiums. Gilbert isn't a hot area for tourists, but it is a strong area for growth in the last 20 years. I feel like the East Vally has an abundance of teams and--like I previously stated-- I try to avoid the 60 like the plague. Every day it can be counted on for serious congestion and accidents on the traffic report.

One thing that hurts is the local hotel and rental cars tax that was implemented to build and renovate spring training facilities has no money left and won't have any for a while thanks to all the new complexes.

I use the expression "a Cal Eldred" round of golf to describe when I have a bad score but hit it great, and want to declare that "I'd take that ball-striking on the course at any time"

Reillymcshane, I've long advocated acquiring Verlander for many of the reasons in that article. I would consider taking him on with his entire salary if we could give up fringe prospects--guys like Taylor, Coulter, Jungmann, Lopez, Wren. I'd even consider Dubon, Erceg, or Ray

Ender, you mentioned the pop outs. His pitch counts have been tremendous. In several starts he's been taken out too early given the game situations.

Correct, would be the direct neighbor from the directions given in the article. Also really close to the freeway ramp. Honestly I don't think you could get a more convenient spot. I think it is a way better location to draw people to the park vs. now. I don't know about that. The only major knock to the current location is the neighborhood is extreme poverty and high crime. It's easy to get to, but the Brewers have to play all day games for attendance purposes. With Gilbert, you're basically making it a pain to get to. Dealing with the 60 every day at rush hour is like dealing with the Marquette or Zoo Interchanges during the worst phases of their rebuilds. It's a highway with a large amount of accidents, fatalities, and just general gridlock. I don't anticipate people from the north, central, or western Valley going to games. The best locations I've heard about are the old ones mentioned--near the northeast corner of the 101 and north of the 101 just off the 17. Of course, selfishly, I live in the northern part of the valley. I just hate driving to Gilbert. If we're going to look at Gilbert, why not look into Tucson since they've gone from 3 to 0 teams? Why not look to Wild Horse Pass? Hopefully the Brewers are considering all options.

A hat or a broach or a pterodactyl. Logan, this made me smile!!

I'd hate Gilbert. I live in Cave Creek and that's over an hour away. I am really hoping for one of the North Scottsdale or North Phoenix rumors to be revived.

I don't think that's giving Jamie Moyer his due. Although Moyer wasn't very good until early 30s, then outstanding for over a decade

Real Men

With the NFL, that's something few talk about. Many players look good/great thanks to their systems, but fail when the go elsewhere. In baseball, familiarity is something we've seen time and time again. We have stud players that fail in big markets. I'd love to see JJ thrive in Milwaukee, and continue to be here