pacopete4

You wouldn't be embarrassed if you were a professional formerly great baseball player making $19M who can't stay healthy for any extended period of time? No. Not if I was doing everything in my power to play the game and it seems as though he is. He looks to be in great shape but just can't stay healthy. There is absolutely nothing embarrassing about that. This is where you grudge shows through. Braun stole nothing. Melvin liked to sign guys early to contracts before they got out of hand. Braun signed his and is about market value for the player he is. You act like he was being paid millions while being one of the best players on the planet. He was offered a $100 million bucks and took it. Good for him. This is the other part I never understand from people. We make such a huge deal over a person doing a drug in a game. Is it wrong? Sure it is. Was it even worse to continue the lie?Yep. I don't think anyone is disagreeing with that and I believe Braun when he says he regrets doing that. People grow up, they learn, they advance, they mature. Have you never made a mistake in your life? I know I have. A lot of people have and it wasn't played out in front of a national audience. The dude was in his 20's and he butchered his own last name. How do you not have some sympathy for that? We are all human. He has every right to continue to make the right choices and work his butt off to right that ship and every indication we've seen from him, the Brewers, their owner, the GM's... he has. Even him having a family now has turned him into a new man. I know for one I am a completely different person at 33 (the same age as Braun) than I was when I was mid 20's. Does everyone get their life in order at the same stage? Nope. I will forgive him and have. Not that he needs my forgiveness. A lot of fans, like yourself, who have the feelings you just shared will probably never see it this way and that is fine. But by even your post above, it is time to let it go. Can't change the past, and he's doing the best to help shape his future. Even if that is from the DL.

I guess I'm confused on this. What's embarrassing about it? Disappointing or frustrating that he can't play but embarrasing is a weird way to put it. I doubt Braun wants to continue to be hurt. Well for Stearns if it continues to trend like this. Oh gotcha. Yeah if there truly was a good deal on the table, and we'll probably never know, and Braun never does heal up than it's a big mistake on Stearns part to not dump him. But like you said in the post above, too early.

I guess I'm confused on this. What's embarrassing about it? Disappointing or frustrating that he can't play but embarrasing is a weird way to put it. I doubt Braun wants to continue to be hurt.

If we didn't get back MLB level or very close to it, the window closes with all those other guys. Then you might as well sell off all the rest too. If you do that, what exactly are we ever playing for?

Agreed. That next wave of players needs to come up later this year, 2018 and 2019 for us to be in that similar position. Hopefully this time with some better results on the home grown pitching options.

I just don't buy these types of comments. Honestly, how do you know? How could you possibly know? I'm not even tearing into just you for it but computers have been great tools for evaluating guys but i just don't buy it that they can tell us everything about a ball club over 162 game season. Way too many variables to come up with comments like this. Maybe they don't win 96. Maybe they win 110? Who the heck knows?

I think something that hasn't been discussed is that I can see Braun retiring before becoming a guy that just hangs around on the DL. If he truly is going to be so frequently injured where he missed 60-100 games a year, I can see him saying that it isn't worth it and going to spend time with his family. Seems to be a big factor in his life ever since having children.

I don't think we are too far off from what each other is saying but we do have a differing of opinions of how this team was seen in the 2008-2011 years and possible 2012 for a couple more years. Melvin knew he had a core group of guys that were ready to win and win now. He knew he had okay talent at the top of the prospect list but also knew they needed pitching to win. He went out and bought some pitching in 2008 when there was an opportunity at the post season (this is a success) and then again pre-2011 season with Greinke and Marcum. That carried us to our winningest season ever in franchise history. This franchise, and I hate even saying it, has been a bunch of bums for decades. Sure we have a couple players we hang our hats on in the 80's and even more when people want to consider Hank Aaron a part of the franchises history but this franchise straight up sucks. One of the worst in all of sports. I love em but I'll be real about them. I never understand how anyone could be against MA/Melvin and co. going after a championship in 2011. I can only hope that if in 2018, 2019 or 2020 that there is a core of players like the 2011 bunch ready to go after it like we did in 2011 when we should have won the whole stinkin thing. Sick of the losing and I hope Stearns/MA realize that as much as a lot of this fan base is.

I would be perfectly fine with a trade of Broxton come July and allowing Brinson to take over there. As it looks, Braun isn't going anywhere so might as well sell high on Broxton and begin the future with Brinson. As long as the deal is good enough.

If Domingo got his defensive game to even just average, he'd be a heck of a ballplayer.

Because they weren't really at the goalline or anywhere near it in 2009 and 2010. They actually had a very similar team to what we have now, but the farm wasn't as good and lacked quality pitching at the top. I'm not saying it was a huge mistake to do what they did but they didnt look like they were right on the cusp. It would be like trading Brinson, Arcia, Hader, Ray, Ortiz and Diaz for the best starters we can get next off-season. We could do it, and we'd probably be a playoff team next year because of it, but that doesn't mean it'd be a good idea. I think your history is a bit off. 2011 was the year we had those types of guys at the major league level already and they traded away what were OUR top prospects, but weren't seen as much around the league for some pitching. It was the right call and I'm glad Melvin had the stones to make it. It could actually be said that they should have went out and got more pitching. This franchise is loserville every season and would've continued that way with a rebuild mentality during the primes of Braun, Fielder and co.

The stats probably tell otherwise but it feel as though if this offense doesn't put up 6 plus runs a night, they are just not going to win much.

Your argument wasn't good and that wasn't my only response. I'll replay your first message towards me though for you the way I read it. It is one month don't get carried away. -This is probably all you really needed to say, even though there was no getting carried away with him. I do it here and there too but there is definitely a way to write a post to someone and comments like I can't wait to come back and stick it to you when a guy sucks, is not a great way to go about things. Nor is finishing with I'm sorry you are so sensitive after being a jerk to someone over something so silly. Pretty much the response I expected from a guy who has yet to make a compelling argument on this topic. Are you 15 yr old teenage girl? Won't be expecting to see you for much longer. Congrats on proving my point. Have a good day.

Your argument wasn't good and that wasn't my only response. I'll replay your first message towards me though for you the way I read it. It is one month don't get carried away. -This is probably all you really needed to say, even though there was no getting carried away with him. I do it here and there too but there is definitely a way to write a post to someone and comments like I can't wait to come back and stick it to you when a guy sucks, is not a great way to go about things. Nor is finishing with I'm sorry you are so sensitive after being a jerk to someone over something so silly.

I am by no means EVER saying that Garza is a stud. I don't think anyone has every said that recently of him. I do think however he can be a fine piece to a rotation if health continues. He's started the year well, minus today, and I do expect him to be a mid to lower 3 ERA guy if he's all fine. You're being an ass for absolutely no reason on this one.

Nice to see Peralta have another good inning as a reliever. It is interesting to see the Brewers slide and there is just not pitcher in their rotation to go out and be the guy to stop it. Playoff teams have these types of players. That's not to stay the Brewers won't win again I just highly doubt it will be because a starting pitcher goes out and throws 7 innings of shutout baseball.

.263/.333/.421/.754 (20 at bats) is his line as a pinch hitter. He has his role and he's done it pretty well. Will he be on this team all year? Maybe not but he doesn't get consistent playing time and when he's asked to give an at bat a game, he's done pretty well.

I've seen somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2 of both Clark's and Ray's PAs this year, and I can attest to seeing the production. They both look better than most of the other players on the field on most nights. That their batting averages aren't 30 points higher or whatever level is deemed acceptable is transatory. It's not an issue in my head. The talent is there, they hit the ball hard, and they work counts. wRC+ picks that up. The scouting backs it up. Are there development hiccups? Sure. But they are producing on the field, despite what Hall of Famers may think. Fair enough. I hope your assessment is right. I mean that sincerely. The last thing I'd ever do is root for a negative outcome. We all want them to succeed, obviously. The way you write about it, it gets that feeling behind it. You've made it known how badly you wanted a pitcher in those spots and it feels as though you will tear those picks a part if they are not HOF'ers.

Wait. We can't trade Reed for a top 100 prospect? Man.

The offense has been fine pretty much all year. Thames slumped (a little and some of it might've just been natural because of his hot start) without having Braun behind him but overall they have scored plenty of runs. The pitching staff continues to be the thing that holds this team back from being consistent.

Because he is healthy this yr? Didn't he miss the first couple of weeks because of an injury? So if he gets hurt in June/July then what? You are willing to look past 2 years because of one good month. I can't wait to come back to this message when Garza comes back down to earth. There are alot of players pitching over there heads (Morton, Vargas, Santana, Ray) and some are struggling (Cueto, Verlander, Kluber). It is one month don't get carried away. So you can play fantasy with an injury that hasn't occurred yet but I can't state how good of a pitcher Garza was FOR SEVEN YEARS before a series of injuries the past two season? Okay, got it. Moving on....

As quick as he got on, he is off. Dangit.

Scheduled off day for #Brewers LF Ryan Braun. Craig Counsell wants to ease him in a bit off the DL. Wouldn't read too much into it.

Blue Jays going to return our broom we left in Toronto.

Plus there might be something brewing between him, Counsell, Mark A and Bernie himself. Just speculating but they all four might have a lot of stuff festering between them. I'm on the edge of my seat to see this thing play out.