Thurston Fluff

I watch pretty much every Brewers games and see alot of Cubs games and do believe in general more "breaks" are going their way,but they definately are playing better than early in the year and we aren't.Besides Zambrano getting on track,late in games their bullpen guys aren't doing nearly as much dumb crap like walking guys and then hanging sliders or grooving fastballs down the middle to get hit hard which was losing them close games.Their bullpen was doing was ours is now.They were making all kinds of baserunning blunders to kill innings like early on and just not playing good fundamental baseball overall,all kinds of mistakes killing them in close games. This was the exact same thing said by many Cub fans earlier in the season. The only differance? It was the other team making all the boneheaded mistakes and not getting any breaks. As has been said all along these things have a way of evening themselves out.

It will be more fun the more years the team remains competetive. For my part I felt this team should have a winning record. A winning record means being in a race for the playoffs and we are there. If this team fails to make the playoffs I'll be disappointed but not disheartened because I know this year is the beginning not the end.

it may be a short term issue though especially if he's still not 100% healthy. Considering he never seems to be 100% healthy his ability to play shortstop at a high level is probably what is short term. One thing this guy has got to prove is whether he can survive the rigors of being an everyday major leaguer. If he can't play at a high level while being less than 100% he is never going to be able to play at a high level for an entire year. Let alone an entire career.

Just read the Sun Times and saw this I know it's a small sample and I'm not suggesting they are going in the toilet but this is the first time in a while they have shown signs of regressing to the mean. I thought it even more interesting given the discussion in another thread about the Cubs ability to hit in clutch situations where the Brewers can't ect. and how we lost so much off our lead. If the Cubs are starting to play to the norm and the Brewers play to theirs the Brewers may have held the lead through the biggest challenge to that lead of the year.

I certainly would give him all the credit he deserved, if he produced a winning season, let alone a WS. He's winning now. My point though was he has been around pennant races and that experience of how the successful teams manage it are there. BTW even though we tend to be on the oppostie side of the fence I really do enjoy our exchanges. Your ability to stick to your guns and reasoned thoughts without condecention make our exchanges fun.http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

Ned Yost has won piddly-squat to this point in his career, and we are smart enough to realize, that this is as much new territory to him, as it is to us. He was with the Brewers when they went to the WS in 82 as a player and with Bobby Cox as a coach for plenty of pennant races with the Braves. How much territiry does he have left to cover before you relaize he's been in this situation before? Fans will certainly relax, once Ned shows he can manage a team to the playoffs -- this happens with every team in every sport. Teams with proven managers have very trusting fans -- teams with unproven (like Yost) tend to get a lot more nervous. Dusty Baker, world series manager ridiculed in Chicago even after he got them a division championship. Joe Torre earlier this year was on a short leash and the fans were grumbling he lost his touch/ was too laid back. Lou Pinella earlier this year heard grumbling about his style and surprisingly enough there were complaints about his in game strategy, Bobby Valentine lead the Mets to the WS and got fired by the Mets. The list goes on. It never gets easier for managers. The only differance is very few managers who lead their division virtually all year get so much venom hurled toward them. It's ironic that the team who despite playing the best baseball in the league for a month couldn't catch the Brewers, love their manager. I guess if the Brewers would have sucked royally then got hot and were only three games off the lead Ned would be loved now as well. My guess is he'll take the hatred and the division. I wonder how Brewer fans would react if he won the WS with Milwaukee then went to a team were the fans appreciated him more.

100 Reasons the Brewers Will Fail and the Cubs Will Win the Central I like #49 49. The beautiful stolen base. The Cubs can swipe some bags, the Brewers not so much They have 3 more stolen bases thant the Brewers and a worse %.

Article claiming the Brewers unworthy to be chased by the Cubs. Couple things in it certainly makes me feel like the Sun times doesn't feel like the Brewers are a legitimate threat. www.suntimes.com/sports/b...27.article It starts out with this "Four days until the trade deadline, and the Cubs look solid enough to stand pat and coast contentedly past Milwaukee to a division championship."

I am at all not contending that the Cubs are superior -- only that if you compare 2 teams or players, using OPS alone -- that is not objective. Sorry I guess I missed what your point was. I just thought using the context of the thread that somehow you were suggesting the Cubs are one of those teams who are more productive with their ab's. Honestly for the current discussion you would have to say that to say there is some reason to believe the Cubs do have a better offense than the OPS suggests. Some teams/players are going to be better in moving runners while they make outs, OPS does not account for that. Some teams/players are going to be better/worse at getting runners from 1st to 3rd on a single In general I agree with you. In the specific case of the Cubs I just don't see it. What I did see while looking up the stats was a fairly wild variance with Detroit and Boston generally being at the top. I didn't do a specific rank of all of them just a general (and fairly quick) impression. Overall there was so much change in each category it would be hard for me to say there are teams who excel in certain situations that could be related to an actual skill. But I fully admit I dind't do anything significant and am going on general impressions.

Well his football career is in jeapardy and he can probably hit as well as Deon Sanders maybe he's planning on a career change. At least his team wouldn't have to worry about how to get through the dog days of August.

I fthe Cubs do have some ability to make better outs or what ever they should show up in a more indepth comparison. ML rank Cubs Brewers RISP 15th 20th (RBI) RISP 11th 8th (SLG) RISP 15th 20th (runs) RISP 7th 21st (hits) RISP 2 outs 6th 21st (Runs) RISP 2 outs 10th 20th SLG RISP 2 outs 12th 26th (hits) Bases loaded 22nd 2nd (SLG) Bases loaded 28th 22nd (runs) Bases loaded tied 22nd tied 22nd (hits) If there is some sort of ability to hit better under the circumstance we should also add what a team does with no one on. It's the most common circumstance there is. None on 14th 2nd (SLG) None on 26th 17th (OBP) Over all the Cubs may be better at the moment than the Brewers in some ways but they are not superior league wide in any catergory to say they have some type of special ability other teams don't. I think to suggest the Cubs have some sort of ability the usual stats missed there should be some sort of correlation to consistantly higher rankings in most of the categories. It should be noted the Kansas City Royals fared better than the Brewers and the Cubs in several of the categories and so did the Marlins.

If only there were substances out there that could help Bob Costas became larger. Well, maybe one day . . . I get like 10 emails a day to do just that.http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

I think Hardy "doesn't know" how to be "clutch" since pitchers have quit serving him up fastballs. (for example). Theriot is an emerging player, who is coming on strong -- so I am sure in some sense he is learning how to hit with RISP better. At some point don't you think Theriot will have to deal with the same adjustments when pitchers find his weakness? It seems a little odd that Hardy forgot how to hit yet Theriot will emerge and never go trough what Hardy is going through now. If anything Hardy is ahead of Theriot in the sense that he has already went through part of his adjustment period. I think Weeks has flat out forgot to hit. In the meantime Graffy relearned how to hit so nice bit of luck for us there.http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif For every reason given why the Cubs are doing so well recently there is one to explain why the Brewers did so well earlier. For every reason the Brewers cooled down there is reason to believe the Cubs will as well. One thing not mentioned that I believe will start to show in August and September is depth. The Cubs have blown through theirs finding servicable starters. The Brewers have plenty of it and when with Hall back and the addition to the pen and Sheets inevitable return for the stretch run it will even be stronger. The dog days of August really test a team's depth. That is one area were I believe the Brewers are head and shoulder above the Cubs. It's also the reason I believe the Brewers will prevail in a tight race all the way to the wire.

We really need a link to the article containing this quote. www.jsonline.com/story/in...?id=638724 about half way down the page.

I often wondered if he had a relative well placed at TMJ. There is no other way to explain why he still has a job at one of the biggest stations in the state. When Harry Sydney and Chris Havel have better baseball takes than you it's time to give it up.

I realize this will open up a gigantic can of worms, but did he really cheat? Steroids weren't banned during his stretch of superhuman years. I believe they were banned but not tested for. The union wouldn't have anything to do with testing until forced to. Whether they were specifically banned or not is irrelevant since there was no point in banning something there was no way they could test for. I just find that arguemnet to be hollow. They knew it was illegal. Further more they knew it was cheating other players and the game regardless of the technical rule at the time. They shouldn't have needed to have a specific bylaw in the CBA to know what they were doing was ethically and legally wrong in general thus ethically and legally wrong in baseball. I would also add that by the time Baroid started using them even andro was banned. It's hard to believe if an over the counter substance was banned one that required a perscription for medical purposes only wasn't banned.

I think if he meant all type of flyballs he would have said we don't hit enough ground balls. Obviously there are differant types of flyballs. Some are pop flys some are line drives and some are homeruns. When looking at a single quote some amount of context has to be inferred by the reader. Saying what he said was stupid by interpretating his comments literally probably misses his real point. Ned doesn't have the luxury of thinking it over a day or so then making a prepared statement or reading what is written then make changes to clearify his meaning. He's giving his impression after a game, in the heat of the moment, or answering a question impromto. Then the reporter takes the selected quote and adds it to an article. I've heard some of Ned's interviews after games then read the quotes the next day. Sometimes they are representative of what he meant sometimes the aren't.

30! May Depends keep you dry at night an Geritol give you energy all day.

FTJ to be honest this in one instance where I have a hard time understanding why Ned would leave Estrada in with an apparant injury. I have a harder time understanding why he would defend Estrada for lack of hustle. Or why any major league player would lolly gag in that situation. If he hustles the Brewers win and he gets to go home earlier. Just from what I know of Yost it seems inconsistant that he would have jeapordized further injury so I tend to look for another expaination. For the record the reasons I like Yost is his even keeled approach and his consistant way of handling things. I think things like strategy and game management are minor in comparison. The tangible result are comeing with better players. Comparing record of others is apples and oranges sicnce they all have differant talent levels.

Weren't the Yankee's also complaining about Lloyd being damaged good as well? IIRC he had a buthcer job done on his elbow prior to becomeing a pro so the Brewers used him very carefully. When the Yanks got him they overused him and he ran into trouble. King George whined about it but the Brewers had fully disclosed his history so they were screwed. Then Lloyd helped bail them out of a boat load of trouble in a pivital game in the WS and he became George's favorite pet.

But Bruce, Ned likes Milwaukee and he's positive. Who needs winning when you've got the "best" manager in baseball. Correct me if I'm wrong but aren't the Brewers winning? With the comparison to Guillen I think managers who go on so much emotion can have a positive effect when things are going good but a negative one when things go south. So while I give him more credit than I do most managers for what he did to win the WS for the Sox I also give him more blame for how hard they have fallen. Given my druthers I'll go with an even keel manager over an emotional one. Bobby Cox and Joe Torre will always be more to my tastes that Lou Pinnella or Bobby Valentine. As for Ned, it looks as if he buried this Estrada injury info a bit, but perhaps he was assured by JE, by the medical staff, his coaches, by trainers, whoever, that Estrada could play all this time. Geno I will give you this. We tend to be on the opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to optimism/Ned but you have always given fair consideration to the other side of the equation. My the Lords of cynicism frown your way.http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif I tend to believe your statement is true. It's hard to believe any manager, let alone a former catcher, would trot out a catcher who was in jeapardy of hurting himself worse by attemting to play through it. If it was later in the season there may be an arguement for it. Now there isn't. If Ned was pushing it for no good reason he deserves to be critisized. From what kind of manager Ned appears to be to me he wouldn't do it. Then agian I always liked Ned so I view him differantly than haters do.

I have a huge problem with Ned covering up his anger when guys aren't hustling, but he has no issues whatsoever about walking to the mound and dressing down a pitcher in public when he can't find the strike zone. I guess I see some hypocrisy there. Certainly some inconsistency. Ned has never had a problem covering up his anger at lack of hustle. He certainly made his feeling known when he benched Sanchez for Podsednick. Bill Hall was removed from a game last year and sat out the next one for showing up an ump. He always made it clear he will not tolerate lazy play. That is why it's likely Estrada was hurting a bit. As far as why he was playing when he couldn't run that is a valid point. I think it's easy to say he can't run after seeing him trot in the game. I don't know if the length of the game had an effect or if Ned had ever seen him run so poorly before that moment. I kind of doubt Ned would have had him in there if he knew Estrada was that hampered by the leg. I doubt they have Estrada out there doing timed wind sprints before every game to see how fast he can run. They play it by ear and ask him how he's doing. If he says I'm ok then let him play. Now that Ned sees he's not ok he sits him for a awhile. Why is that senario so hard to believe? Unless the hatred for Ned or Estrada is so strong as to taint any logical reason for the situation.

The soul was split seven times which is not the same as seven horcruxes. His body had one.

I just posted this link in the other dog thread. I haven't read it in a while but as I was browsing I found some of the suggestions for dog park safety I sent him almost word for word. It's kind of cool when someone who trains dogs for a living posts your suggestions. I'm not saying this to brag but I have been considering posting some of these things anyway since I see poor handling of dogs at the park all the time. If you go to the dog park these are some things that may help you have a good experience. These are my suggestions the link is the entire article. 3- Be a responsible handler There are some basic common sense rules that good owners should follow when they use a park. When at the park and a dangerous or out of control dog shows up, leave the park. While you may feel you have the right to be there you gain nothing by pushing your limit and risking a dog fight. Go to the park at off-peak hours. You will learn when the quiet times are, those are the times to be there with your dog. If you dress for the wind and rain there is nothing wrong with having the entire park to yourself. When a dog pile or dog fight occurs, immediately call your dog away from the pack. There is nothing wrong with using a remote collar and practice calling your dog away from chasing a group of dogs. There is nothing wrong with teaching your dog that you are more fun than other dogs at the dog park. When you go, play the games your dog loves away from the dog pack. When your dog is off leash at the park, 100% of your of your focus should be on your dog. If you wish to socialize with other dogs owners that fine, just do it when you have your dog on a leash. Don't make the dog park it's only out of the home experience with you. Take it for walks, take it swimming (when possible) play or train in different locations. People who only take their dog to a dog park set themselves up for dogs to get out of control. The dogs with a lot of energy who only go to the dog park can take the attitude of USE IT OR LOOSE IT which means they can get wild. www.leerburg.com/dogparks.htm (added tag --1992)

This web site has a lot of stuff that has helped me. Some of it is free and online ready to view. He trains dogs for police work ect. and has a very good grasp of how dogs think. It is not your basic pet shop raise it to be human type of approach. He has a nice blend of both positive and negative reinforcment. I personally don't think soley positive or negative reinforcment works. I found him while surfing for ideas on how to deal with idiot dogs and their non-attentive owners at dog parks. www.leerburg.com/dogtrainingebooks.htm