RoseBowlMtg

Counsell hitting .462 makes him a great utility guy for us. Nice career for a local kid not recruited to play college, didn't break in until 26 yrs old and is fundamentally perfect every single time he takes ground balls. A teammate to be watched and appreciated.

I would say Simba was the last player to play without a contract and can't remember anyone else in my baseball watching life (late 60's) who did. Silence: Simmons came over and hit way below his norm in 81, but still knocked in 61 runs in two thirds of a season. In 82 he started out slowly too but really disliked Rodgers micro managing from the dugout which changed completely when Harvey took over. He started hitting then and ended up with 97 ribbies. I think some negative press got to him and his frustration, since in St Louis he did what no one had ever done before i ML ball which was lead his team in rbi's for 7 straight years. Just speculation but frustration with Rodgers and adjusting to a curve ball league got to him. Interesting question for someone to ask him this year.

Prince is loved here and no one will boo him imo. A throwaway line? a lot means what? His mindset is off and will be out of here asap. He will hold this against the Brewers but that is most likely imo. Why not ask him who he's thinking of since he said a lot so maybe he can come up with them that I am not familiar with. What's so hard with the next question? Who Prince? Should we not ask the question since we know there isn't anyone or should we see him back up his statement. He is ripping the Brewers.

So when Prince says a lot there is none? Will anyone ask him or call him on it. For ex: Prince which players with the same amt of time are getting paid more and they have done a lot less so that takes away Howard?

Has anyone asked Prince who they are? "There are a lot of guys with the same amount of time I have who have done a lot less than me and are getting paid a lot more." Let's examine that: a lot of guys? A lot is more than 3 but at least 5 I would say Same amt of time: Plenty of players who have done a lot less: That takes out Howard since he has done more not a lot less. So 5 players getting paid a lot more who have done a lot less: Any names where this might be true and I mean the same situation not the Tulo early signing. Someone ask Prince who that would be.

What some might not know is that Simmons wasn't under contract and he played a half of a year. Some might assume he didn't sign being under contract but he didn't have one. Interesting seeing Simba's reaction to Prince's complaining. How many players have played without a contract? Simmons spoke every year but the 82 season to reporters and that was fine with the reporters since he gave them information where they agreed to not publish. Buck Rogers had a lot to do with that. Also not mentioned in the article that before the first game Simmons was voted captain by his teammates. His strong personality was a + if you listen to his teammates so it will be very interesting seeing his impact this year. HOF of course but they had it wrong Simmons missed out by 7 votes not 5 when he received 17 votes. #1 in hits and #2 in RBI's of the HOF catchers. Name another position player not in the HOF or eligible (Rose) with those quailifications.

No update on his second AB? Counsell: 2011 Yes 1 K and one RBI double. To Counsell's credit he has said we will not be as a good of a team if he is playing.

I thought it was a great off-season: 1: Mike Cameron has the players all sticking around the dugout for hours after practice talking baseball when that hasn't happened in all of Ned's tenure. 2: Cameron has hit 20+ HR's playing for SD but his real strength is hitting with power to RC which he gave up playing @ Petco. Once he sees a ball carry out to RC watch his game take off. 3: Having a former gold glover in CF will help our fast young corner OF's 4: Getting middle relief loaded with pitchers who can go 2 innings at times is huge and something not available last year. The new pen will keep Turnbow's innings around 60 instead of the 77 he threw last year so he won't lose his arm and control. But watch the idiot fans booing him on opening day. Hopefully his psyche will be stronger. 5: Getting any catcher is an upgrade but a hitter who takes pitches will be an improvement and key to a more patient approach by this team this year. Kendall's working with the pitchers along with Maddux will help all the pitchers. 6: Getting a brilliant mind in Ted Simmons who is willing to help out his buddy without any pressure to take over his job will help immencely. ABC baseball will be much more effective this year and having Simba's knowledge imo will be the move putting this team to a pennant, hopefully.

1992 my dad retired and I took over his Bucks season tickets @ $12 a piece for two seats in the 20th row the section just off the middle around the 35 yard line. In 2003 I gave them up when they got up to $110 each. So a 916% increase got me out of there. Now if baseball inflates like the lesser sport of basketball did: My $55 seats will be: $503.80 My $6.25 bottle beer will be: $57.25 Parking in advanced is $12 so it will be: $109.92 But then again someone making $40,000 will be making $366,400 so they could afford it....maybe!

Any predictions how long it will last? My thought is he will be eating meat before the first televised spring training game.

"My wife said that if I lose some power, she's cooking me a big steak." Prince has more energy so more energy vs a little drop off of power equals ??. Now that is a story I didn' t expect to read.

My favorite part of the article from Skaalen: "He's a guy who gets two strikes on him and fouls off five or six pitches. He works a pitcher's count up. We don't have a great number of guys who do that." Last week Melvin said the bullpen was hurt by too many starters throwing 100 pitches in five innings. So the brass knows it's important on both ends and the hitting coach wants it to happen so why is it that more of our young hitters don't foul off pitcher's pitches? Is it a learned process they will get better at as they mature or is it an attitude? Any thoughts?

So did it not work because Turnbow is incapable of achieving the goal? Early this year with Turnbow's arm healthy (go back and read Turnbow's take on the end of last year in today's JS) there will be too many fans booing Turnbow to the detriment of this team. Should Yost have known Turnbow was done, it was his last game of the year, we would have been better off but I wonder what the odds are of getting Shumaker, Cairo, and Stinnett out. How many times have those three gotten on in a row? If it was never, since they are all pretty weak hitters then isn't the percentage there that Turnbow was put into a good situation? We will see how the rested Turnbow performs this year which will be intersesting seeing how the fans treat him. If he fails it's Yost's fault and if he succeeds Turnbow is back! It's not easy being a manager on this board.

I mentioned the Suppan sacraficing since they said so many hitters were available instead of Counsell. Yovanni started that game and Suppan was used as a PH, that is the difference where he put down the bunt successfully on the first pitch. As for how Turnbow does when he doesn't start the inning I can't speak to since how many times did it happen? If Turnbow is rattled for coming in then is the thinking because he wasn't prepared? Turnbow was warming up and remained warming up when Pujols got plunked. If the plan was to plunk Pujols did you want your setup man to do it or a less valuable pitcher? What if Turnbow did plunk Pujols then the screaming is that you wasted your setup man. Right or wrong to plunk Pujols Yost didn't waste Turnbow and he was ready to perform when he came in evident by striking out the first guy he faced. Stat heads what is Turnbow's history when he strikes out the first guy and only needs one more out with a guy on first? I like the odds of Turnbow vs Ludwick, Shumaker, Cairo and Stinnett and if the odds are good then Yost put him in a good position to achieve. He didn't which as Turnbow says he lost his command because of over-use. My hope is Yost is not afraid to pitch Turnbow vs those 4 Cards. That was a plus situation Turnbow blew. (cleaned up code --1992)

That was a great game where Jeff Suppan actually had a sacrafice bunt. So when that happened and they didn't use Mench was that Yost's fault? Mench had 17 AB's the last month and was 0-5 the last two weeks of the season. He was being fazed out. With runners on first and third with one out how do you know Counsell was sent up to sacrafice? Could Counsell been bunting for a base hit? Could Counsell be trying to catch them off guard with a bunt with two strikes? Could Counsell think that was his best chance to get the runner in from third by bunting? Good thinking or not but why is that on Yost and not Counsell? Mench wasn't playing and Suppan had already been used. BTW Mench had 0 sacrafices all year. Does Yost get blamed for Weeks striking out next since he hit .188 with risp? I just think criticism and credit should go to the players. Yost thought Counsell could put the ball in play and Mench didn't play much after he swung at the first pitch when Jenkins was available to PH. Bring on the new year with fresh arms, a stocked bullpen and young hitters maturing. That brings up another question: Melvin said way too many times are starters were at 100 pitches in the fifth inning which overloaded the bullpen. I'm curious if that is so important how many times did our hitters get the opposing pitcher at 100 pitches in the 5th inning. I know they stress working the count but when players don't where should that blame go?

Good points adambr2. First off you are correct about Pujols using 56.1% is excessive. I think we can all agree that Pujols is the most feared amongst the next 5 hitters. Some Pujols career stats: with no one on: .406 obp with one out: .418 obp late and close: .439 obp 8th inning: .455 obp career at Miller Park: .445 Ludwick, Shumaker, Cairo, Stinnett, Taguchi and Miles don't elicit that fear. How many times do many managers say you can't let a certain player beat you? They walk Bonds and take their chances vs the lesser players. If Pujols cranks one to tie the game the same folks ripping Yost here would rip him for pitching to Pujols with these players coming up next. Turnbow hadn't pitched in 4 days and struck out Ludwick. He was fading and tired but 4 days rest it was more mental I believe. I mentioned earlier my belief Melvin has taken care of Turnbow's over use and this is from Turnbow: "Guys won't get overworked as much. At times, I had trouble even lifitng my arm and throwing a ball. That's why my command got worse as the season went on." Wow what a statement! The revamped bullpen will help Turnbow's arm and control which will make Yost a better manager. I understand your extreme Shouse scenario but Yost played by the book here. Turnbow vs Ludwick, Shumaker, Cairo and Stinnett and avoiding Pujols is by the book not extreme. Yost has been burned in the past for pitching to studs saying that they take on all comers so he puts a stud hitter on and gets it too. That is a tough position to be in. Is it different if he IBB Pujols instead of hitting him? How many fans are going to be booing Turnbow this year at the beginning with his fresh arm? How many fans are going to be questioning every Yost move when moves work a third of the time? If the move doesn't work why does it mean the other way would have worked?

endaround you are a smart fan so how much do you blame the manager for how the players perform? Shouse got rocked so that's Yost's fault? Do we give credit to him for all the times Shouse was successful? When Mench swings at a first pitch after a walk to the previous hitter is that Yost's fault or Melvin's for signing him and now he corrected that? You know hitters are instructed to work the count and go after a hittable pitch so when they don't the blame goes to Yost and not the player? That's a tough racket when a successful hitter is a success 1/3rd the time making the other 2/3rds the blame to the manager and not the player? The Cards had one player who is a stud in that lineup and he got on. If Yost is to blame for letting Turnbow come in with a runner on first, Turnbow didn't seem troubled since he struck out the first guy. The bullpen is deeper this year so we will see how he deals with Turnbows meltdowns with different choices. If so many people are down on Yost from this site are they down on Melvin for supporting them and Simmons for wanting to work with him? Are the fans here right or Melvin?

I never said I wouldn't be happier to get an out and I am sure you use the 60% figure because you know Pujols is so good and that is what you figured. He actually had an obp of .438 last year so you were off just a bit but it was .561 at Miller Park so 56.1% of the time he ended up where he did. How did the rest of the players stack up? Ludwick who K'd to make it two outs hit .350 at Miller Park and .267 with a runner on first Shumaker who singled hit .321 with a runner on first and had a .420 obp at Miller Park Cairo who walked was 0-3 @ Miller Park and had a .250 obp for the year with runners on first and second Stinnett was 0-2 with the bases loaded for the year and 0-5 @ Miller Park So Yost put a guy on who gets on 56.1% of the time at Miller Park and gets burned by Turnbow walking two players who didn't get a hit in those situations all year. You know Yost plays percentages so should he have let Pujols get on with a smash he would have gotten burned for pitching to him with Ludwick, Shumaker, Cairo and Stinnett coming up. If Turnbow didn't blow it Yost did it fine imo.

I wonder if Yost would have gotten so much blame this off season if: With Pujols on first with one out: Turnbow comes in and strikes out the first guy: Which he did so two outs with Pujols on first and a 3-2 lead The incredible matchup btwn Turnbow and Shumaker is next and Shumaker singles to left, Pujols to second: I remember at the time that with a one run lead having Pujols only get to first was alright. Two down and the immortal Cairo is up: Turnbow walks him. Now is this Yost's fault or Turnbow's or Maddux or Castros? Or is this a strategy used by some hitters to work a count but not by many Brewers? Bases loaded and it's Turnbow vs Kelly Stinnett. Stinnett gets walked which ties the game. Was that Yost's fault? All I can say is maybe they should have brought Shouse in one guy earlier but Stinnett is a rh and Taguci you want batting RH. Normally Turnbow vs Stinnett is a matchup you would like but Turnbow was imploding so this is Yost's fault? I blame the player who blew it. If Turnbow does his job hitting Pujols is a non-issue. Shouse comes in and gives up a 2 run double to Taguci. This is Yost's fault? No it's the players since do you give credit to Yost every time Shouse comes thru? 5-3! Miles hits a single to 3B that makes it 6-3. They have addressed the 3B fielding problem. We give credit to Gwynn for getting that key hit vs Hoffman but no credit to Shumaker, Cairo, Stinnett, Taguci and Miles? The Brewers hopefully have addressed their bullpen so these weak hitters don't get 4 runs with two outs in the 8th inning. Yost's fault for hitting the only strong hitter of the group or Turnbow and Shouse for not getting the last out vs scrubs? Aren't we happy in a one run game if Pujols only gets to first and we take our chances vs the players they faced?

OK I will go out on a limb and say the most important new component for the Brewers is Ted Simmons. Anyone who heard him on the air during a game last year realizes how high he is on Hardy, Prince and Braun. He gave the complete thumbs up to get Cammeron. When Simmons came over in 81 the Crew made it to the playoffs the next two years and only years. Simmons is beloved by Ned so the bad moves Ned makes so many complain about will be done in front of a man Nedly has the utmost respect for and almost universally known for his indept intellect. Will the bad moves be lessened? Will ABC ball be played more and the Brewers will score more runs outside of HR's? This is a great opportunity this year and Ted Simmons will be involved in many aspects.

Prince is a better all around hitter than Howard but is so much shorter. My concern with Prince is his unwillingness to go after throws that might create a collision with the runner. His 5'9" or 5'10" height you can't do anything about but it sure doesn't save errors from his infielders. He will age fast and sign for big bucks with an AL team where they will move him to DH and watch him hit 600 HR's.

Amazing how the powers of Japanese baseball get a boatload of money for their players. I wonder if the powers of Latin America ball is saying "How'd they do that?"

2live so true but I wonder if that is the only reason. Lowell definitely looks smaller and had a lot of opportunities to knock in runs with Boston last year. There are so many players who started at age 25 and played much longer than 31-32 who weren't on the juice most likely: Just to name a few: Warren Spahn Lou Pinella Edgar Martinez Moises Alou? (does pissing on hands count?) Mark Loretta

Nice signing for Lowell who didn't get to the majors until he was 25! Many Jamesian's thinik a player who doesn't brake thru until they are 25 or later career will fade at age 31 or 32. Nice contract to get at age 34 for that type of player. I thought Boston had a Jamesian as a GM or is that a Jamesian theory that doesn't apply anymore?

2live I will try to answer your question but it is hard to be accurate completely: Helton batted 4th 151 times with 17 HR's Here are the Brewers 5th slot hitters: Estrada: 57 games: 6 HR's Hart: 32 games: 6 HR's Jenkins: 19 games: 7 HR's Hall: 36 games: 4 HR's Total: 145 games 23 HR's The Brewers batting 5th hit 6 more HR's in 6 fewer games. I am not saying that Helton was less of a threat only that the Brewers did better at HR's than Helton did. Now this is what is interesting: Holliday batted; 3rd 133 times 4th 2 times 5th 23 times So the stats can't be exact without a much deeper look but Helton wasn't the HR threat the Brewers were. As for Prince: 53 games batting 3rd: .262 ave, 869 ops 4 IBB 102 games batting 4th: .304 ave, 1.101 ops 17 IBB So actually Prince batted much better in the 4th slot and his IBB didn't hurt him much at all. So why did he hit .220 with 2 outs and risp? The great thing for Brewer fans is that Prince will get better but the unfortunately if Prince would have hit better in the clutch that would have kept drives alive and maybe would have been the different in two games. Interesting: