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Thurston Fluff

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Everything posted by Thurston Fluff

  1. Thurston Fluff
    If we are going to trade for someone without givng up the entire farm I thinkI'd rather the Brewers look at Wolf over Maddux at this point. He makes $4,750,000 this season so he'd be affordable. He's a free agent after this so he could possibly bring us a draft pick next year and wouldn't hinder the payroll in the future. He's left handed and has had some decent years but struggled the last couple with injuries. This year he has been pretty average but at this point average would be an upgrade. The Padres are one of the few teams that may sell early and they want speed and offense so Gwynn and something might get him. All in all I'd sya this is the type of player the Brewers would be interested in. Maddux would be a nice story and a name that Wolf isn't but I think at this point in their respective careers I'd rather the younger left handed guy.
  2. Thurston Fluff
    I'm sure I'll make it there sometime this weekend. I live in Appleton and it's a nice way to spend a few hours. Listening to the crack of the...ring of the bat and the pop of the mitt. The fact that these players are all doing it for the fun of playing and the joy of competition instead of workign on thier game to get to the next level in the minors is a refreshing change of pace. All in all it really is a pretty decent level of play as well.
  3. Thurston Fluff
    With Yost and Simmons you have two guys who know enough aobut catchers workloads to understand what type of workload Kendall can handle. Especially if Kendall is telling them he can. I just don't understand why it's so hard to believe a player in his 30's might have an idea how much of a workload he can handle and communicate that to the manager. I don't buy the he wants to play every day and any good player would want to play everyday line in the least. A young player trying to impress maybe there is merit to that line of thought. A veteran should and does know his limits. Especially when that catcher has been around the game all his life, is the son of a catcher, and is managed by a former catcher who has a former catcher as a bench coach. I'd have to think combined they probably have some sort of idea on this. I don't think Kendalls decline in production can be attributed to the play unless someone thought he was going to bat at a .350 pace all season long. Let him play if he faulters call up Rottino to boost production later in the seaosn if necessary. I do wonder if some of the useage has to do with a lack of confidence in Rivera as a catcher though. There has to be some sort of reason why he never caught on before this if he was anywhere near decent given the lack catching in the league.
  4. Thurston Fluff
    Earl Weaver's Second Law: If you don't make any promises to your players you won't have to break them Weaver notes in his book that players, for example relief pitchers, who have to be told what their "role" is just don't get it. When asked such a question he would often retort "Your role is to warmup when I tell you and come in the game and pitch when I tell you." Earl Weaver didn't have to deal with the highly specialized player of today or handle players who can bolt as a free agent for any reaos they chose after the first 6 years of service. I doubt you can get away with the same my way or the highway attitude today as you could when Earl was relevant.
  5. Thurston Fluff
    Maybe cubfan would have a more informed opinion on this but doesn't it seem that Marmol is sort of the glue that holds that pen together? Granted they have some servicable guys in the pen beside him but, Marmol aside, all I see is the equivelant of the Brewers pen without the depth.
  6. Thurston Fluff
    that a bater sometimes doesn't even have to swing to get on base. If only some of our regulars would know that we wouldn't need to debate Branyan or Gwynn.
  7. Thurston Fluff
    I know it's only one series but when they had to play a team with a winning record on the road they did lose two of three. Marmol is on pace to play over 80 games and has more innings than games played. In his major league career so far he had logged a high of 77 innings in 06 but that year he had 13 of 19 appearances as a starter so it's differant than going three days in a row like he has multiple times this year so far. Last year he has 69.1 IP in 59 games. Lou seems to be rolling the dice with him hoping he can handle the workload without breaking down. If he does hold up it would be nice for them but it is a pretty big risk to use him so much, so ealry when they have a lot of road games later in the year.
  8. Thurston Fluff
    If at year end it becomes evident that Yost isn't the right fit for the club, then make a move. Until then I just don't see how the current struggles are Yost's fault. As big a supporter as I am of Yost I agree. He has to at least have a winning record. I would have had higher expectations than that if YoGa hadn't been hurt. One thing that so often gets overlooked and why I think Ned has always been loyal to a fault with his players is how the Hall situation is starting toplay out. He's not good against right ahnded hitters and Ned has a legitimate reason to make some changes. Had Ned always had a quick trigger or not been loyal to guys who have done what he asked of them this situation could get ugly quick. Hall ahs been the model team player changing positions doing what was asked of him year in and year out. Had Ned's history been anything other than one who covered his guys back Hall would have a lot more influence with other players if he chose to be vocal about his less regular play. As it stands players have no option but to blame themselves since he gives them far more lattitude than most managers would to get themselves right.
  9. Thurston Fluff
    he needs to give great thanks to the drafting skills of Jack Zduriencik who found most of the higher skilled players on the roster who also happen to be cheap and thus allows Melvin to spend money elsewhere. If you give Zduriencik crdit for finding the higher skilled players you then also have to blame him for not being able to find enough high end pitching talent to go along with the position ones. I like Z but I'm not ready to put him at the head of the class when it comes to drafting players quite yet.
  10. Thurston Fluff
    In 2001 Davis had a 4.45 ERA in Texas, in 2002 it was a 4.98. Now thats not great but given the park it isn't bad. That Toronto cut him after a few starts was just stupid. I thought ERA was a team stat now days.
  11. Thurston Fluff
    If Branyan's AAA numbers are what we go by he looks fine but he is a 32 year old playing against 20 somethings. He is what he is a poor mand's Rob Deer. Branyan shouldn't be viewed as any sort of savior and I think the reason they don't bring him up is less to do with losing him as it is they don't think his AAA numbers are going to translate the major leagues any better than is has his entire career. I wouldn't mind if they called him up and sent Gwynn down but I don't think Branyan playing some of the time at third agianst righties is going to all of the sudden solve the problem at third.
  12. Thurston Fluff
    Things must be going all right the silver lineing thread is higher on the board than both the vent and the Yost thread. That was without me bumping it up with this post.
  13. Thurston Fluff
    Jsut read this article that mentioned the Brewers as a possible trade partnet for Wolf. Thought I might as well post it here. http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/rumors/post/San-Diego-fire-sale-coming-just-not-many-bargai?urn=mlb,83628
  14. Thurston Fluff
    I agree he could have went with another releiver but torres didn't have to hurry since injury repalcements get all the time they want to warm up. I don't buy into the injury being fake so the next reliever had a chance to warm up idea either. There have been plenty of times where a reliever gets up while the catcher goes to visist the mound, then the pitching coach comes out, then the pitcher faces one more batter and takes his sweet time between ptiches, maybe with another visist or two from the catcher. If the game had been closer and the very next batter could have been in a game changing situation I'd thik it more possible. Given the lead and the need for one more out there was no reason to make up an injury. There was penty of time to get someone warmed up.
  15. Thurston Fluff
    Davis was a decent pitcher before he came to the Brewers, McClung has earned his 6 ERA. The idea is to give you the best chance not to just blindly scrounge. How decent couldhis career have been when he got taken off the scrap heap? Lefties don't usually get thrown aside unless they really have struggled. As far as giving ourselves the best chance i'd say at this point the best chance is trying other options than Villy since he has been pretty brutal. If this doens't work out chances are it would ahve been a loss anyway so why not try?
  16. Thurston Fluff
    Johnson/Edmunds/Pie - All below expectations offensively I don't know about Johnson but Pie hasn't really done much iwth his two chances in the bigs so far so I'm not sure what expectations there are. Edmunds very well could be completely washed up. Sometimes age does matter. If iwas to pick a team to win the division today I'd say the Cubs simply because they have done what they are supposed to wiht the easy part of thier scheduale and the Brewers have the "YoGa injury that will set them back unless they can swing a trade sooner than later. Overall though I'm not going to hand the Cubs the division until they do face the more difficult part of their schedule and remian ahead of the Brewers over that stretch.
  17. Thurston Fluff
    I think Taylor was hired in part because he thought he could simaltaneously rebuild the farm system and put together a winning team through trades and free agency. I don't know if that was a something Wendy Selig Prieb demanded or something he sold her on but it certainly was how he operated when he first got here. He got guys like Jamie Wright and Jimmy Haynes who had decent stuff but no success. I guess the hope was they would somehow put it all together here. Unfortunealty for him he chose Davey Lopes as the person to get it out of them. I'm not convinced he got to chose who he hired as manager though. There was pressure on the Brewers to hire a minority since Bud just got done imposing a directive to interview more minorities. I think the pressure to field a winning team in a new stadium combined with the need to hire a specific manager and the horrid talent level he inherited made it nearly impossible to succeed. I've always been curious if he had the option to trade the veterans like Cirillo and Burnitz for minor leaguers to restock the farm and chose to go the route he did instead or he was told he had to get major league ready players.
  18. Thurston Fluff
    I suppose it is impossible to have another pitcher turn into Doug Davis and actually develope into a decent pitcher. Even if he is the same as he's always been I don't see how much worse what he always was from the other options we have at the moment. The high reward part is more due to the low level of success needed to be a better option than the status quo.
  19. Thurston Fluff
    I'd guess the first game would be more or less a piggy back senario with the 75 pitch limit. Villy and DiFelice are both capable of going long and even Jackson is stretched out enough to absorb the rest of the game if necessary. I wouldn't be surpirsed if they informed one of them ahead of time they'd be in the game after McClung just so they are prepared. I guess I'd rather they try McClung than do nothing and hope things turn around. If it fails no harm since it was bad already. If it work they solve one problem and the hole left in the pen is easier to fill than a starter spot is. It seems like a low risk high reward sort of move.
  20. Thurston Fluff
    given how many of them are great for a year or two then fade away I'd day the most recent trend is as good as any. Releives may be the one area where stats are not good predictoers of the future since they never really get enough time in any given season to have anything but a small sample size. Maybe the best stat is longevity. If they managed to stick in the bigs for 5+ years they must be doing something right a majority of the time.
  21. Thurston Fluff
    I think you're right about that. Maybe we had unrealistic expectations in that we thought all of the players would pan out. How often does that happen for any team? The Cubs thought Patterson then Pie would have been the answer for center field, Wood and Prior were supposed to be cornerstones of the staff for years to come ect. The differance is they can buy a vet when their youth fails we can't. That said you can't dismiss the SOS or the fact that some guys on the Cubs team are playing well above expectations so far.
  22. Thurston Fluff
    But htey have a great manager who puts the players in the best postion to succeed.
  23. Thurston Fluff
    It is very possible for the Cubs to be celebrating a division championship on the field at Miller Park this September. It may even be a victory lap considering they may run away with it as John Kruk has predicted. This should be a sign of good things to come for the Brewers. Last season they asked him if the Cubs were done and he said yes mainly becuase he believed in the Brewers. It was the same week they came out of their seaosn long slump and started to win. The only real differance between this seaos and last season is there are more than two teams that have a chance of playing above .500 baseball.
  24. Thurston Fluff
    fair enough wisportswriter. I can understand how a few bad apples can get through. I certainly don't question every reporter or news source. But it's also easy to see why some more pessimistic types do since those instances do happen.
  25. Thurston Fluff
    Didn't the Boston globe just issue an apology for one of their stories written by a reporter with supposed journalistic integrity who used an unnamed source that turned out to be not so credible? didn't the Globe then admit it should have vetted the story better before they allowed it to run? If we didn't see examples that are contrary to your claim of a certain amount of integrity inherent to journalists and lacking in bloggers it would be easier to believe in said journalistic integrity.
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