slappzilla

With all these positional log jams I hope the Brewers start making some moves. I don't mean "sell the farm" or "trade everyone who's contract is up" or anything like that, but let's move guys who are at a position where we are set. I said months ago I didn't like Green coming up and not playing everyday. Down in Nashville he was arguably the Brewers best hitter. With Hart securing 1B, Ramirez securing 3B, and Weeks securing 2B, there's just no where to play him full time. Even next year there's no where to play him. Maybe trade Green?

We're all hopeful that what we're seeing out of the 22nd round from 2009 is for real, but in all honesty, I think he needs to do it at least the rest of the way this season. The sample size so far, to me, is still way too small. Again, I truly hope he keeps it up, but my expectations of him are not what he's done so far, and I'm afraid there is a market correction coming.

If you don't see what the story is you are either not very bright or you are trolling. The league leader in HR's, a guy who is in the top 5 for HR's year after year, was passed up in the HR derby by a guy who felt he should have been MVP over him last year.

I retweeted the writer's tweet when I responded to him and ya, Axford's handle was in the retweet. It wasn't purpose at all.

Weeks had two less HR's than Upton last year at the time. Braun leads the NL in HR's. If you consider Upton not being picked a snub, then Braun was super screwed.

It's not so much a big deal as it is a legit topic of conversation. Braun fans and/or brewer fans want Braun in the HR derby. Maybe not so much the "informed" fan as we went over before, but the average fans of Braun and the Brewers do. The fans of the Derby itself probably would too. Combo of that, the fact that Braun leads the NL in HR's, and the fact that Kemp is on video being salty about losing the MVP award to Braun, makes it a talk-worthy topic, so to say.

You'll never know how Braun feels about it because he is a PR master. No matter, he never publicly shows any ill feelings towards anyone or anything. Well, a bit in his PED speech after he was found innocent but that was more than expected and understandable.

Probably. What irked me about it all was I really liked Axford. I never went at him, just the beat writer, and I never said anything bad about Axford other than the fact that I didn't believe he belonged in the discussion with elite closers yet.

It's been all over the media, both national and local. PTI made it one of their topics. Intentional talk did as well. Braun would have come out by now and said that Kemp asked him but he declined.

Last year, a beat writer, I can't remember who, tweeted his blog in which he said Axford was a "lock down" closer, and compared him to guys like Mo Rivera and Jose Valverde. I tweeted at the beat writer, saying that Axford was having a great year, but he's not quite yet a "lock down" closer and he couldn't be compared to the likes of Rivera or Valverde just yet. Axford, out of nowhere, came at me, talking about how I knew nothing, and started bragging about how he shut down the phillies two nights before 1-2-3 heart of their order. We went back and forth for awhile, and I never once got rude with him. Just stated facts. He ended the back and forth by telling me to "piss off" and "get a clue". It wasn't till a month later when I told him to "grow up" (like I mentioned above) when he blocked me. Whatever. Lost respect for him there.

He used to act like a serious knob on twitter. Don't know how he acts now a days because he blocked me after I tweeted back at him to "grow up" after attacking a fan for telling him to "settle down".

Braun deserved to be crucified though. Still does actually, but that's a whole other topic. If Braun was asked, it would have came out days ago and we wouldn't be having this discussion even.

I was just going to say I hope this motivates Braun. I remember when Reyes pulled the bunt and out of the game last year for the batting title over Braun. Braun just said he's a great player and said he'd just try and beat him this year.

Exactly what I was getting at. The Brewers now have another option going into next year. No way Wolf, Marcum, and Greinke all stay on roster. I wouldn't be surprised if all 3 weren't back.

^ exactly my point. Just more proof the the HR derby is just glorified batting practice and that people who think that a player being in the derby is bad for them, or that it will possibly injure them or "ruin" their swing are reaching. Kemp knows he won't hurt himself doing some BP and he knows the fans want him so he's doing it. Fair enough, but the fact that Braun leads the league in HR's it was makes this talkable to begin with. Do you guys really think Kemp and Braun are "friends"? I'd say it's more of both being solid PR guys if anything. I wouldn't read into whatever either has said regarding the Derby or each other.

Again, it's something catered to the fans. Fans would love to see Braun win it, just like they did when Prince won it. It's a fun event. and if you're worried about Braun getting hurt standing there taking BP, then you should probably call RR and tell him to give Braun at least every other game off.

The HR derby is a popular fan endorsed event. More baseball fans than not enjoy the derby and they want to see the best HR hitters in the derby. If their hometown superstar leads the league in HR's, then they definitely expect him to be there. I highly doubt Kemp asked Braun and Braun said no. Had it gone down like that, it would have been reported numerous times already. You caring less if Braun is not in the derby is fine, and your opinion, but it's hardly the popular opinion amongst Brewer fans. People can run with the "well informed fans know better.." logic all they want, but saying that Braun being in the HR derby is bad for him in anyway is a ridiculous reach on the subject.

They didn't slump anymore than they did at other random times throughout the year. Blaming a random HR derby on a slump is reaching.

Who slumped? Weeks got hurt...

That's what I'm gunning for...having Thornburg come up around June of next year. That way he'll have one year of AAA under him, and he'll have more than a half year of the bigs under him going into 2014. That also works out perfect as far as not giving him an extra year of arb goes.

Yes that you started and its really a non-issue. In fact, I think most fans (or rather informed fans who understand that the HR derby probably does more harm than good) would rather have Braun not participate. The only good thing that could come out of it is Braun wins, which is nothing more than PR. The bad things could be he gets hurt/reinjures his achilles, he doesn't get an extra days rest, he screws his swing up from trying to hit a HR every AB, etc. It's really not a big deal and like others said in that thread you started, who's to say that Braun told Kemp he didn't want to. Just because that wasn't made public knowledge doesn't mean it didn't happen. By the way, what's the deal with the avatar? The average fan outweighs the informed fan 10 to 1. I agree there maybe more 'informed' fans that don't want Braun in the derby or AS game or both, but to say most fans would not want him in the derby or AS game or both couldn't be farther from the truth. and, like I said in that thread, even the informed fan would enjoy watching Braun win the HR derby. You are seriously reaching when you say Braun participating in the HR derby could be bad because he could hurt/reinjure his achilles, or he won't get an extra days rest, or he could screw his swing up from trying to hit a HR every AB, etc. He could do all that x10 just playing in this afternoons game (sans the rest of course). If he really needs the rest as you pointed out, RR will rest him out of the lineup before an off day. Seriously, if you think Braun, or anyone for that fact, participating in a HR derby is cancerous towards their health or performance going forward, you are nit-picking at best. The avatar is just an avatar of some chick. I've used that avatar for a decade in fantasy sports.

...and if he does well in his half season of reps in AAA, then has a good showing in spring training next year, I have no issue with him joining the rotation next year *if needed*.

It would have been made public already amidst the speculation that Kemp asked Braun and Braun said no. I agree with Braun resting. I want that too, but that doesn't take away from the fact that he got snubbed by Kemp for derby. We all loved it when Prince won the derby a couple of years ago. You can't tell me we (brewer fans) wouldn't dig it if Braun won it this year.

Agreed, but not including the guy that leads that league in HR's? If Braun was in the middle of the pack with those guys in HR's hit so far (say 17-19) I'd be fine with it and could understand, but he leads the NL in HR's, and was leading the NL in HR's when Kemp made his official picks Sunday night.

Either way, I don't believe Braun would really not want to be in the HR derby. You can't tell me he wouldn't want the chance to put up a HR derby champ trophy in his trophy case. Either Braun knew ahead of time he was getting snubbed or he was just doing PR work altogether like he usually does.