Cool Hand Lucroy

I probably would have PH Tellez there just to force Ross' hand and bring in Kay. Concede the lefty-lefty to make them burn another reliever. Miller moves to third, Tellez at first. Take your shot with a guy who's got the better chance to tie the game.

I mean, Ross went to a mediocre bullpen in the fourth inning, and the Cubs have lost their DH. Long way to go. I wouldn't be surprised if it takes 8 or 9 to win this game.

Worried a little about this series. I think the Brewers match-up well with the Reds. Similarly, I think the Cubs match-up well with the Brewers. Starting pitching is good, other than Taillon who won't pitch this series. Two lefties going. We'll see. Cubs had to cover 10 innings yesterday, didn't end until late, Alloway had to throw 25 pitches, so hopefully they'll be tired. Go Crew!

Bush and pitching to Santana. Very bad choices.

Yeah, I gotta think Wilson is a better option here, right? Best of a bad bunch, granted, but still the best.

Frustrating thing is they had so many hittable pitches and did absolutely nothing with them. And now they won't even make Buck throw the A pen again. Ugly.

Weather looking a little sketchy for this series. Might see a double-header at some point. I'm thinking Thursday.

They've been okay on the road, and I generally agree with this, but I think GAB is worse than Coors in the "no lead is safe" category. The Reds sure seem relentless is every game I've watched of theirs, but I've only watched GAB games so far.

My long-term concern about this team is that they don't have anything they're really good at. Defense, I suppose, but I feel like you've got to be top-tier in offense, rotation, or bullpen to really compete. Maybe Woodruff helps a little with rotation, but I'm just not confident in any aspect of this team's roster game-to-game.

Yeah, thumbs down on the lettering for sure. I am I the minority, but I LOVE the Brewers CC unis. That powder blue is awesome. Even the chintzy grill patch is fun. To each their own, I guess.

I just don't think you want to turn over the entirety of the strike zone to a machine. Check out "Subject to Review" on ESPN+. It's a fantastic deep-dive into Hawkeye in tennis, and it does a great job of covering some of the drawbacks of a camera-based system. Mainly, those drawbacks involve the cameras having their own margin of error and promoting the illusion of certainty. For me, the debate isn't between "wrong" umpires and "correct" technology. It's between authentically subjective umpires and falsely objective technology. The automated strike zone would have a bias. It would not be neutral. I'd prefer we correct the most impactful missed calls rather than adopt a once-and-for-all, binding machine-centered viewpoint. If that makes me a Luddite, I accept it.

It's like tennis. You get a limited number of challenges per game and need to be judicious about how you use them.

I don't know. The pace isn't bad in tennis. I just think there are going to be some very "ugly" strikes with a fully automated system. There are also going to be a lot of unhittable strikes. Every change creates unintended consequences, but the hybrid, challenge approach seems to make the most sense to me.

I'm pretty worried about Strez and Peguero. Payamps has earned my confidence, but it's pretty tough to compete when both the middle of your order and the last third of your bullpen is shaky.

The challenge system is a great solution. Limits the downsides of a purely automated system, preserves pace, and introduces an element of strategy.

I'll say this. The Brewers sure can't afford to lose games because of outfield defense. At some point, the middle of the order has to hit, you would think?

Yeah, their schedule into the ASB is tough. Braves, Orioles, Brewers (plus a 4-gamer against the hopeless Nats). Heavy BP usage too. They get the off day tomorrow, but the Brewers definitely have the scheduling advantage into the next two weeks. Too early to be going through all this, of course. I'm just hoping this team can stockpile wins into the break. If they get today's game, I'll be ecstatic.

I remember when GameDay Audio let you listen to local commercials AND was only about 30 seconds delayed instead of what? 4 minutes?

Yeah, there is so little difference between winning the division and winning that last WC spot now. The Brewers are totally fine standings wise. Their schedule is easier over these last 94 than it has been. And the division is very bad. That's the good news. The bad news is, they're a really middling baseball team right now. Until Woodruff gets back, the rotation is what? A little above average? Maybe? The bullpen has been good enough, but beyond Williams, do we have faith in anyone? The offense is a big weak point. Unless Tellez or Willy or Urias or all three really pick it up, I have a hard time seeing this crew stringing together a bunch of wins. 23 games to the All-Star Break, with 13 against the Pirates, Reds, and Cubs. I think the Brewers need to hit about 15-8 for me to feel pretty good about things by mid-July. Anything less than 13-10 will be disappointing. This is the part of the schedule where they need to make hay, I think. The 3 against Arizona are the only 3 against a team over .500 in that stretch. Plus, they come out of the break with 6 against the Phillies and Reds. So, let's say the next 29 games will tell us something about how much we should hope for playoff baseball.

Caratini's throws to second today were indeed very very bad. I like the guy, and he's a backup catcher. Whatever. I'm just not sure he's bringing much value at this point?

This is the case for optimism from where I sit: 1) The schedule has been brutal and gets less so in June and July. 2) The team has ground out wins and avoided sweeps and generally maximized win totals during an awful stretch. 3) Injury luck has been bad and should hopefully improve. 4) The NL Central is bad. Somebody has to win it.

Catching up on some of this, and on board with most of it. The shift rule, though....ew. Let me rephrase. It makes me feel really icky while I recognize it's probably necessary to do SOMETHING. Hitters have had plenty of time to adjust, and it hasn't happened. So, my conflict: I had the idea of reducing the freedom of the game. It's one of the things I love about baseball. Sure, the pitch clock does this in some sense, but it seems much more tailored to cutting on down on the rude kind of selfish freedom that no one likes (basically just delaying the game out of personal preference). The shift actually restricts player movement, at least pre-pitch. We'll see how many pitches have infielders scrambling to reposition once the ball leaves the pitchers hand---that might be a little bit fun. Basically, I just wish there was a way to avoid imposing rigid boundaries on fielders. Seems against the spirit of the game in ways that make me squirm. The bigger issue is: it seems to cut against the goal of reducing game time by quite a bit? I mean, I guess it encourages balls in play, but the "penalty" is weird--take the result of the play or make the pitch a ball? I hate that. Why not just make it "result of the play, or everyone, batter included, advances one base? Even if you got situations where, like, I don't know, the defensive team shifted illegally, resulting in the batter making an out, but a runner scored from first on an ensuing bad throw, the offensive team would have a decision to make (like the NFL: do we take the holding call on 3rd and 4 after an incomplete pass?). The "add a ball" just seems dumb. Anyway. On board with most of the rest of it.

This is definitely the most talented group of players I've seen (following since 1994). Their skill in midfield and out wide is impressive. Back line and striker are pretty thin. And the back is very important at the international level. Not getting out of the group would be VERY disappointing. But, yes, 2026 is the more realistic deep run target.

Despite Qatar and the sheer absurdity and corruption (not to mention violence), I am looking forward to the World Cup. Will be interesting to see US engagement levels when the event is competing with every major domestic sport (including CBB and CFB), baseball excepted. A few quick thoughts: Most disappointing team: England. Could be sneaky tough for them to get out of a group much more difficult than the gut feelings would suggest. HM: Spain (because I think they have the toughest group) and France (because they are so talented, but also potentially very toxic). Most surprising team: But for some health concerns about Mane and Davies, I'd go with Sengal or Canada. I'll say Denmark. Very cohesive team. Uruguay and Japan are up there too. How far will the US go? Round of 16. I think they'd be underdogs against any Group A team in that game. I could see deeper if Mousah and Reyna have the breakout they're capable of. Champion: Brazil. So deep. Feels like their turn. I'll be rooting for Argentina, though.

I've honestly always wondered why leagues like the MLS and NWSL don't try to put pro teams in smaller cities. I can't imagine a pro women's or men's soccer team doing poorly, even in a place that doesn't scream soccer culture. Tons of small, pro-sports-less cities (Omaha, Des Moines, Louisville, etc.) seem like great opportunities for the newer domestic leagues. I suppose the NWSL tried this once with that team from Western New York (and they did pretty well in attendance drawing from an even smaller town before moving to NC). I just think, if I were I pioneering millionaire with enough money to buy a pro sports franchise, I might move an NWSL team to the Quad Cities or something on the idea that, in a really fractured market, lower levels of intense, local support are what's going to carry a team.