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Yesterday on the drive home from PHX, I read an article about the hecklers in the LF bleachers at AT&T park in the latest ESPN Magazine. It seems like they can't take a player giving back to them. The article puts these fans in this glowing spotlight of being awesome fans that love to get under players' skins. So Nyjer makes a great catch at the wall and taunts them back and they can't take it? And anybody that wants to think they saw the "bird" will believe they saw the "bird", especially when they are 30-40 ft. away or further. This is a complete non-story. Well, it should be anyways.

Braun ran absolutely fine on his double. Probably the best he ran all series in PHX. Perhaps it was constantly going back on fly balls to the wall. (okay maybe not constantly)

the wife and I have decided that we are never again going to "splurge" on tickets by the dugout. We sit in the cheap seats for 2 games, they win. We spend some coin for 2 games, they get shutout. Tonight's crowd was announced as 22,000. I don't think so. Four guys in their 50s arrived in the first inning and sat behind us. All they did the entire game was yap, yap, yap and none of it was about baseball. They barely were watching the game. But they were drinking and loud. It was like I was in the clubhouse at the golf course listening to drivel-filled discussion. The lady next to us kept standing up and trying to get Craig Counsell's attention for a picture or something. And then loud whiny cheering when the DBacks were winning. I don't mind the cheering but it gave me a headache. Greinke looked real good to me. Two mistakes and that was enough. Hawkins did not look good. And Prince looked terrible. Maybe he was pressing even more because his wife was sitting right in front of us. The ball at Chase Field really travels well. They almost need a humidor like at Coors. Braun's 1st inning shot looked gone if not hit toward the end of the bat. Nyjer's bases-loaded drive got too much air, unfortunately. Even Greinke's drive was hit well but got caught in a breeze of AC or something to travel that far. .500 ball on the road trip thru 8 games is nothing to sneeze about, especially for this club. Hopefully they can take 2 of 3 in SF. Go Brewers! Thanks for a pretty good time in Phoenix! Now I gotta go home tomorrow. Boo.

sorry to hear about that AirShuttle. Where were you sitting? The LF bleachers were really good last night, short of the "Tatman" college kids having difficulty coming up with anything really original to taunt Braun or anybody else with. Fun game overall. I understood the move to bring in K-Rod, based on what someone else posted as well. Sure, he was pitching VERY well, but historically Narveson is a wildfire ready to happen any time after the 5th inning. Plus, we picked up K-Rod for just such a situation. And he hasn't pitched in several days. The bottom of the ninth had a tragic feel to it but they got away with it. Prince Fielder is really pressing at the plate big time. I think he is hearing the boos and even if he says it's not, it is affecting him. I believe I saw him slamming his helmet around the dugout after the double play in the 10th. He really needs to get back home where the fans are cheering for him. I stated this in the Braun Calf Injury thread, but Ryan was constantly stretching in LF the entire game and still had a very noticeable limp when just walking around. All right. One more game for us. We're in row 2 just past the Brewer dugout tonight.

don't know about the shoulder (interesting theory, though) but I do know that after watching him for 10 innings last night (he was directly in front of us) he was CONSTANTLY (no exaggeration) stretching out in left field and still had a noticeable limp when walking back to his position after plays.

first off, we were in first row of RF bleachers tonight. Made a wrong post last night saying we'd be in LF (that's on Wednesday, I mixed up the nights) so I apologize for any of you straining to see me on all those HRs to left since I was nowhere near then. They were all launched, though, and fun to watch. Much better game (obviously) but the crowd of 17,000 and change for the 2nd straight night was pretty pathetic. Lots of good Brewer fan representation again. (Airshuttle, I think I saw you in Sliders after the game. We were sitting at a table right next to a guy in the T-Plush shirt.) Fans tonight in the RF bleachers were well behaved and much more fun and easier to talk to than those people by the dugout. Almost saw Prince take off the head of some 8-year old kid trying to catch a line drive BP homer. That was pretty scary but the kid just missed the ball and it clanked off the bleacher. My wife says that she gets all the credit for Casey's 3-hit game since she was sporting her McGehee jersey T-shirt. Brandon Allen's HR was an absolute bomb. It almost made the upper deck in right field which is incredible. Most fans around us were pretty sure that both Enright and Brazoban would be heading to Sky Harbor Airport after the game to head back to Reno. Okay, that's all for now. LF bleachers (for sure) tomorrow night. Go Brewers!

for a teacher she doesn't listen really well

well, I gotta say that last night was an overall suck at Bank One Ballpark (it will never be "Chase Field" to me). First off, we sat in the best seats I have ever sat in. Two rows off the field right by the Brewers on-deck circle. Just the best seats. Got some great pictures. It all went downhill from there. From the obvious (Brewers getting shut out and overall stinking) to the disappointing stuff it just was a waste of my money. The fans booed Prince quite mercilessly. Rickie too. The group of four behind us were "baseball fans" in the sense that they knew basic stuff. But they couldn't shut up and they kept spouting out information that just wasn't close. Their discussion about the home run derby and how Prince was such a jerk for just choosing his teammate was ludicrous. I tried to inject that I completely understood and agreed with them that Prince made a horrible mistake from a PR standpoint by not picking Upton for the derby and that just led to more, "oh he's wearing a Brewers shirt, don't listen his garbage" so I just put on the ignore cap since they weren't able to have a intelligent conversation about it. With those good seats, you're supposed to have in-seat service. I saw our lady, Jane, all of about 3 times. Two of those three times I didn't need or want anything. But when I did she was no where to be seen and wasn't for several half innings. I finally ordered pizza back at the hotel because I was so hungry. (yeah, I could have got up to get something but [a] I wanted to watch the game, and I felt if I splurged for one game for good seats I should be able to reap the benefits. Luckily, there were many Brewer fans there so it's not like we were the only ones getting grief. But the booing and ridiculing for the errors was just a bit much and more than I've ever seen from the Arizona fans in all my years of attending. Pretty much right on the money with all the criticism I've read in the media the last week or so. Oh, and another haboob (large dust storm) came rolling in before the game. We were already inside so it didn't affect us but you could see it plainly from inside the ballpark. Felt kind of bad for those that were still traveling to the ballpark or were outside on the plaza. Tonight, front row of the LF bleachers for us. Hope it's a better experience. edit: Ah, I forgot to mention this. The D-Backs have started their own racing characters. They've always had the scoreboard racing condiments (ketchup, mustard, relish) with kids dressed in the costumes "running" on the dugout. But now they have official "Racing Legends" running on the field, complete with an in-game race on the field just like the sausages. The "legends" are Randy Johnson, Matt Williams, Luis Gonzalez, and Mark Grace. I'll find the pictures and post them since I'm unsure if they showed any of it on Brewers television. Anyways, they have done the evil deed of having a double rip-off with the event. First off, it's a direct rip-off of the sausage race, pierogi race, president race that are at other ballparks. But then they have the gall to rip off the Nationals in that the Mark Grace has never won a race just like Teddy Roosevelt has never won in Washington. http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n116/pitchleague/IMG_3717.jpghttp://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n116/pitchleague/IMG_3720.jpghttp://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n116/pitchleague/IMG_3719.jpg

I found it quite funny and telling at the same time after the Helton double. FSN quickly turned to a dugout shot of Roenicke standing there with the look of disbelief on his face. Or a look of "not again!" Or controlled rage. It was something like one of those three. His eyes were very glassy and staring off onto the field. Maybe, just maybe, he is starting to see the light.

wow. who didn't see this coming? oh yeah. he's standing in the dugout. Jiminy . . . .

oh boy, it's Kameron Loe time!

I, too, like the strike zone by this fill-in AAA umpire. If he stays consistent with it and doesn't get caught into the emotion of the game in the later innings. Otherwise, yeah, should be nothing-nothing, but our catcher can't make a throw to the outside side of the bag to retire the side and the floodgates open up and turn a nothing-nothing game into 3-0, which might as well be 23-0 the way we play on the road.

good for JJ. However, I thought the Orioles had an up-and-coming SS taken in last year's draft #3 overall Manny Machado. Is he not doing as well as expected? I know he's only 19 or 20 or so but I figured they wanted him up in a year or two. I guess that would "work" with this Hardy contract after all. never mind.

maybe I'm just overly tired from not sleeping well last night, but this question boggles my mind. How could K-Rod be pitching the TOP of the 9th inning when the Brewers are on the road? Never mind the losing part.

they just put an item up and it stays up until it sells out. Then they move on to the next item. And the next. And the next. Until they decide that it's done. The main idea behind it, of course, is the "Random Crap" that comes up usually once (but not always--sometimes not at all) per woot off. The "Bag of Crap" as it is called costs $3.00 plus the $5.00 shipping. Everybody pretty much gets the same really crappy items (sweatband, really tacky book bag, etc.) but then everybody also seems to get other really random items thrown into the box. Examples of this might be a cardboard insert and/or instruction manual for another product but not including the actual product, a random mp3 player charging cord, or some piece of electronics that is defective and/or doesn't work at all. More often than not, you tend to get at least one item that is new and unopened and works just fine and is worth considerably more than the $8.00 that you paid for. I have received 4 mp3 players in my 2 craps that I have ever got, plus a nice tennis bracelet, some musical instruments for kids, and some other stuff that I can't think of right now. Some people have reportedly had much larger scores than I have. Reports on HDTVs showing up at people's homes, camcorders, and other higher-end stuff have been received. But they are rare. Very rare. Bottom line is it's worth it. Many, many, MANY people on the site gripe about it when the server crashes etc. during the Random Crap, but it's supposed to be fun. It's more the thrill of the hunt for one that should keep you coming back not push you away like so many people do. The last couple of times a Random Crap has come up, they've had little flash games or something special to make you "work" for your chance to get one. Just the other day (Tuesday, I think) was the woot birthday and a Random Crap was the item. But it was hidden as a "choose your own adventure." If you didn't know it, you'd think the day's item was some Kodak computer printer. But if you looked closely you had to choose different mini-links that would, eventually if done right, get you to the Random Crap. It was fun. It was different. MUCH better than just being lucky that you got on at just the right time. Anyway, I hope this helps.

thanks! You made my night! Watching that instantly put a smile on my face and giggling replaced Brewer grumbling.

yeah, I'm not excited about some of the local fans when we go to all 4 games next week. I expect some ribbing. Question is will it be all in good fun or will some weirdos be getting in my grill? Actually tempted to make a sign to hold up: "These AZ fans LOVE U Prince!" or something like that.

okay, just playing a hypothetical game here, but let's say K-Rod is (somehow) at 54 games finished during the last week of the season. Scenario A: The Brewers are comfortably in first place with a playoff spot clinched. I would assume that K-Rod would be "shut down" from pitching in the 8th inning on, but what if he's used and gets a game finished? Argh, that'd be stupid. Scenario B: The Brewers are still fighting for the division in the final week. I would assume in this scenario that, like in "The Blues Brothers", the use of unnecessary use of force in using K-Rod has been approved. Mark A. would probably say it's worth it in this case, don't you think? Scenario C: The Brewers have been eliminated from the post-season. K-Rod "decides" that he is going to pitch the 9th inning no matter what and locks every other reliever in the bullpen bathroom to make sure he finishes the game. (Sorry, I was actually looking for a way for him to intentionally blow an 8th inning lead on the road so he'd be the finishing pitcher, but the Brewers finish the last week of the season at home so it couldn't really happen. Still, what if he did get close to the vesting option and started pulling shenanigans to get to 55 games finished? How bad would he look in the eyes of fans and the media? (his teammates, although some would be appalled, would probably praise him for his ingenuity.) Okay, my lunch is over. Time to do other stuff now.

a couple things that stood out for me . . . 1) Joe Buck sounded horrible. Doesn't sound recoved enough from whatever ailed him. He needed to sit this one out. 2) Brian Wilson's facial expression and tip of the top hat during the pregame intros had me giggling. I don't like the guy all that much but he does make me laugh. 3) Prince had a pretty good evening in the field, minus that dropped pop up. He should have let Weeks get it as he had a better angle and could have got to it if Prince peeled off. By the way, did any balls get hit to Weeks? I don't recall one but I was out working on the ribs on the grill several times. 4) I called the HR from Prince. About 2 pitches before the bomb, I shouted out to my wife, "Hey, I've never seen a Brewer hit a HR in the All-Star Game! I'd love to see that just once!" Afterward, when the celebrating in my house died down, I explained, "All right! Now I can die happy!" 5) Ugh, protests outside the park, Tucson remembrances, Cancer standing-up, booing throughout the weekend. This was a sorry and somber performance by my fellow Arizonans. Next All-Star event in 30+ years better be improved upon. 6) Prince seemed to constantly be adjusting his uniform, hat, himself, his hair, etc. every time he was on-camera both Monday and Tuesday. It was as if he was consciously trying to look his best for a National audience. I loved when he popped up behind the "Intentional Talk" set on Monday for an impromptu interview and constantly monkeyed with his hat before taking it off and putting it on backwards then, into the microphone for all to hear, said, "These hats suck." 7) Prince's kids looked like they wanted to take that Crystal bat and take some swings. I think dad knew it, too, because he was more worried about them than doing the interview. 8) The Chevy guy that gave Prince the check for $40k kind of dissed Milwaukee, calling it a "town" two separate times during the "interview."

well, looks like the Brewers have pulled off the first coup of the season and begun the trading frenzy 3 weeks early again (see: 2008). Glad to hear it, the bullpen was something, to me, that needed an improvement. I really wish we traded for Jose Reyes instead for a Mets salary dump and then go after Heath Bell or Mike Adams, but the Padres would have wanted real prospects and not just salary dump. Anyways, I'm even more excited to head to the games in PHX next week now. Pretty awesome night to be a Milwaukee Brewers fan (MVP, home field advantage, and K-Rod.) Except for the guy from Chevy dissing Milwaukee twice by calling it a "town."

don't know about anybody else, but I thought the whole thing was a snooze fest--one of the worst derbies I've ever watched (and I've watched pretty much all of 'em). Weeks stunk, Holliday stunk, Ortiz stunk, Kemp stunk, Batista stunk, and Prince stunk (except for his 5-for-5 in the swing off--that was cool). Otherwise, blah. Glad I didn't spend the money to go see that when I had the opportunity.

call me a loser or an old fogey or something . . . I had to do a google search for what is portishead. I figured it was a band. that was all I had to go on.

yes and no. He does have a certain "deer in the headlights" look to him, but some of that (maybe most of that?) is from the 1-2 second delay on the satellite in between Minneapolis and Milwaukee (if they REALLY are in 2 seperate studios, that is.)

I believe that hat/uniform style was the design-de-jour for a good portion of the members on this site. It's what the Crew was wearing when these members were young and impressionable. They grew up with those unis so they are their favorite. Personally, I absolutely hated the move to that logo and uniform set. I still despise them. I think they are hideous. I understand the logic with the change, trying to get a new personality out of the team (similar to the Devil Rays changing to the Rays). The site of them just made me think minor league. At least they didn't go with teal, purple, and/or black since those were really popular choices of teams back in the early 90s.

no, I think it's from sitting next to Uecker for 12 seasons that'll do it to ya. There's a cough button for a reason, folks, and it ain't for coughin'!