brewblue1

What about Kevin Seitzer, hitting coach for the Braves?

The Dodgers have decided to move their AAA affiliate from Albuquerque to OK City. The stadium here in Albuquerque is a beautiful place to watch a ball game and the fans and city support the team very well! It's a newer stadium, with nice views of the mountains and traffic is easily handled. Would love to see the BrewersAAA come to Albuquerque!

If you like Laphroig or Talisker, you should try Lagavulin 16. IMO, the best of the Islay scotches and my desert island choice of scotch. Also, visit The Scotch Malt Whiskey Society and consider joining for access to cask-strength scotch of very high quality for very affordable prices. www.smwsa.com. My fav bourbon is Booker's, with Basil Hayden's and Knob Creek following closely. Haven't really explored many Irish whiskeys yet, but Midelton is apparently the bench mark. Crown Royal is the only Canadian you should even bother trying. Makes the best Manhattans! Has anyone tried the new CR Black? Hear its very good and easy on the wallet. Also, if you're a whiskey drinker, you should consider investing in some Glencairn glasses. The proper glassware can make all the difference in how whiskey tastes and the Glencairn class is the best. Turns a 12 yr old scotch into an 18 yr old! JM

To the fellows who were "annoyed" by the clearly funny April Fools joke.........lighten up, Francis! Geez, stop taking yourself so seriously! I'm down in Brazil right now for work, and I posted on my FB site that I "hope to never see the inside of a Brazilian jail cell again." I got a few folks with that one, including a contact of mine here in Brazil. He was all concerned for me and ready to come help me out. Then he realized he had been duped, and he laughed his behind off. The fine people of Brazil are warm, caring and good natured. And they love a good joke, even one that's not a part of their culture. Talk about crabby Americans! Get out and enjoy life a little and, by all means, learn to laugh at yourself a little!

This time of year is when I enjoy baseball the most. The pennant races, the individuals chasing records, the playoffs...........I love this game so much and am already beginning to despair the cold (er, mild in NM) winter nights with only a basketball or crappy college football game on tv. The Brewers, no matter how badly they play, cannot diminish my love for this game. I'm very envious of all the posters here on BF who get to attend Brewer games on a regular basis and would give much in return to be able to see a few games in Miller Park again, even if they were losses. Even attending AAA Isotopes games is a treat for me as nothing beats sitting in a baseline seat with a dog in one hand, a beer in another and a live ball game happening right in front of you. Despite the disappointing performance by both the team AND front office this year, I STILL make sure to check the Brewers box score every evening, hoping for something good. Yes, more good than bad this year, but at least not what it was earlier this century. So, yes, I am enjoying myself as a baseball fan. As a Brewer fan.......yes and no. I know I've probably been labeled as one of the pessimistic fans here on BF, but despite my disdain for the Brewers performance sometimes, I will continue to bleed Brewer blue and yellow and express my fandom with pride. I didn't stick with this team through the bad times to give up on 'em now.

The thing is, though, that Suppan hasn't been relied upon to be a back of the rotation starter. M&M have been pitching him as a front ender. He started on Opening Day for cripes sakes! Unless something changes quickly, Suppan will again be relied upon to be a #2 or #3 next year and he's is NOT an acceptable pitcher in those spots, IMHO. I'm gonna back off my calls to fire Melvin until after this coming offseason. I'm not sure there is much he can do to improve the pathetic pitching on this club given the lack of any future pitching prospects in the minors and the sudden lack of trade bait on the offense, but maybe he can work some magic this winter anyway. I still doubt, very seriously, DM's ability to build this team into a REAL contender given the corner he has backed himself into. Seriously, best of luck Doug.

Terry Goodkind - The Sword of Truth series.

FtJ, thank you for so eloquently stating (much more so than I) the exact reasons why I'm not convinced that DM is the right man for the job anymore. Meanwhile, as we argue about this, the Brewers have, once again, slipped to .500 and 4th in the NL Central and 7th in the WC. I hope this team can make a comeback here in the 2nd half, as,technically, they are still in "contention", but it doesn't look promising, especially the way they have played the last month.

Sigh. Ok, fine. I didn't take the time to look over the entire schedule to verify when leads were lost and they placed the making the playoffs in jeopardy. But my point is valid. The Crew has had a pattern of melting down, at some point, in the last 3 seasons and that is an indictment of the players and the GM who has collected them. But seriously folks, I really do want to hear some positive feedback. Help me change my mind. I don't want to be so skeptical.

I'm counting 07, 08 and 09. All years in which the Brewers started hot, then had meltdowns that made making the playoffs questionable (despite remaining "in contention"). And yes, I don't see them getting the lead back this year either. So what. Isn't it Melvin's job to be the knowledgeable baseball guy and maybe explain that that signing was a bad idea. Maybe he did try and MA pulled rank, if so, fine. His recent signings of Gagne, Mota, Kendall, Riske, Looper, Julio and Duffy (among others) have not been all that reassuring. I will say the DM's trade activity has been decent and has not hurt the team the way his FA signings have. Solid is not the word I would used to describe Suppan. He has been a poor starter for the Brewers every year of his contract. ERA's of 4.62, 4.96 and 4.71, WHIP's of 1.5, 1.54 and 1.65, and BAA of .298, .298 and .302 are NOT solid. Bottom line, Suppan has not given the Brewers many chances to win games over the last 2.5 seasons and $42 million is a lot to pay for poor pitching. What has he done to be underpaid? I think $10million is a bit much for a .251/.348/.472/.820(over his season and a half) player. Not bad numbers, but not worthy of that much money. Oh wait, I forgot, he's a great clubhouse guy. Is that what he's being paid for though? Fine. Explain it to me then. Apparently I'm missing something about the past moves and past performance of this team that warrant optimism. Seriously, someone explain to me why I should believe in DM. I'm open minded, I'd love to hear more positive opinions. I would love to see him and the Brewers succeed.

And 16-27 this year. My point being more to the fact that the Brewers have blown sizeable leads in the division all three years in June/July, leads they never got back and, with one overrated exception, kept them out of the playoffs. I just don't think this team is that good. If the Brewers were in any other division in baseball, aside from the AL Central, they would be between 6 and 11 games out at this point and looking to be out of the playoff race. The NL Central is NOT a strong division, especially with it's best team, the Cubs, playing well below expectations. I also believe that DM's foul up with Suppan is not just some small mistake for the Brewers. His contract has not only hamstrung this team to a point that he HAS to pitch to justify the amount of money he's receiving, but also has severely limited the flexibility with which the team has to make other free agent signings or trades. The Brewers can't just eat a mistake like that the way the Yanks or Sox can. Suppans contract (as well as some other overpaid mediocrity) has really, IMO, hurt this team. Looper was the only pitcher the Brewers could afford this past offseason because of the absurd amount of money going to Suppan, Hall, Cameron and others. Might (yes, only might) have been different if the payroll was more flexible without those contracts. I'm probably not gaining much a fan base here at BF.net with my seemingly anti-Brewer or anti-Doug stance. But other than Yo, Prince and Ryan, I don't see what there is to get excited about on the 2009 Brewers. And I don't see much of a future with DM in charge. I really, really, do hope I'm wrong. Honestly.

Why is no one mentioning the fact that Dougie-boy has built a team that, for the 3rd year in a row, has played terribly come June and July, taking themselves out of contention. Niether Dougie, nor CC Sa-bye-thia, got this team into the playoffs. The NY Mets ineptitude at the end of the season did. And why are we so happy that the Brewers made the playoffs, only to embarrass themselves and prove, emphatically, that they did not belong there. Dougie's wonder pitching staff performed oh so well in the playoff series, didn't they. Doug has built the exact kind of team in Milwaukee that eventually got him fired in Texas. It's a team with an ok offense (one could argue that TX offense was better in DMs tenure) and a terrible pitching staff. I, for one, am not happy with that, just because of an over-rated playoff appearance. I'm sorry so many of you disagree with me, but I just don't think DM is the man to build a team good enough to go to the playoffs AND WIN!

As long as Dougie Melvin is the GM, we can expect the same, or more likely, worse than 2009. He needs to be gone. As soon as possible.

Um, ok. Will follow the "rules" because I've been asked, but am a little stunned that the harmless name was what alarmed everyone here. I just think it's overly pc to not be allowed to joke about the team that I root for. So as to stay on topic, I do recall Braunie also calling out the offense in his latest comments, as well. The Cubs out played the Crew all weekend. He said that. But, clearly, the offense is not the major problem with this team. Another lefty bat would be nice, but the starting pitching has been very deficient. I think Braun has every right to try to fire up the team. If the clubhouse becomes split up by these comments, then this team doesn't deserve to go to the playoffs. Every team faces some kind of adversity over the course of a season. It's the ones that stay together, despite it, that are successful.

Right on Mickey D! It's getting pretty ridiculous how the Sewers are having to play from behind almost every game. Braun is an All-Star and is one BIG reason why the team has the record it does. He didn't say that people stink or use foul language, he just mentioned that maybe it's gut check time for the starting pitching squad. I think he also might be right about Melvin not having one darn clue! But, like my opinion on Glassboy Sheets, I'm gonna guess that I'm the only one here who thinks that.

Dude, if she's a beer fan, and in California, don't subject her to Wisconsin beer. Get her a great craft beer from California, like something from Stone Brewery, Green Flash or Bear Republic. If she's that into beer, you could really get on her good side by getting her anything from the Dogfish Head Brewery.

Huh. The feeling is mutual. Guess I'm the only one who's glad that glass jawed loser is gone.

I live in Albuquerque now. It's great! The climate is mild year round, with highs in the 90's in the summer and mid 30's in the winter. We usually get one or two good snow events here, which contributes to nice skiing and other winter sports. The summers don't feel so hot because of the dryness, it literally cools off about 10 degrees in the shade. The high desert landscape is beautiful, especially the starkness of the frontier on the west side of town. While not a "mountain" town, Albuquerque sits at 5280 feet above sea level, just one foot below Denver. Most of Albuquerque sits higher than that, with the northeast side of town rising over 6000 ft. The outdoors opportunities here are astounding due to the Sandia, Manzano and other small mountain ranges providing lots of challenging hikes or bikes or climbs. The Rio Grande flows through the center of town providing some nice easier hiking and biking opportunities in the bosque(forest) surrounding the river. There are lots of GREAT restaurants in ABQ. The local New Mexican cuisine is addictive, I eat a breakfast burrito with red chile at least 3 times a week. There are a lot of fantastic Vietnamese restaurants, several amazing greek and italian places and of course, great Mexican as well. There are several very good micro breweries in town as well, my favorite being the Marble Brewery downtown. The nightlife here is a little slow, the downtown area being the only place that has clubs that stay open late, but the Nob Hill area is improving, several bars and restaurants have been opened in the last year, and the night life is beginning to improve. ABQ has the Isotopes, the Dodgers AAA team. Isotopes Park is one of the best parks in the minors an is a GREAT place to watch a game! We also have a NBADL team and a minor league hockey team. There has been talk of trying to attract a WNBA team as well. The Uof NM Lobos provide some great sports as well. The Pit is one of the best basketball arenas in the NCAA. The culture here is very good as well. The New Mexico Symphony Orchestra (I play trumpet with them) is a fine regional orchestra that gives weekly concerts. There is also lots of chamber music and the Opera Southwest. Like Santa Fe to the northeast, there are lots of art galleries, especially in Old Town Albuquerque. Popejoy Auditiorium brings lots of shows and events here, as does the National Hispanic Cultural Center. ABQ is a very dog friendly town. Many bars allow you to take your dogs into the building, also many have nice porches for sitting outside in the summer. The outrageous number of trails for hiking make dogs very happy! Albuquerque has begun to attract many large corporations. Verizon, Fidelity Mutual and Intel have their HQ's here and the Sandia Labratories is a large employer as well. Lions Gate Studios has begun to build a movie studio, New Mexico being a popular place to shoot now. "No Country for Old Men" was filmed here, many of the scenes filmed near where I live in town. The new Terminator movie was filmed here as well. Kirkland AFB is located on the south side of town, sharing the runways with the ABQ International Sunport. Its a very easy airport to get in and out of. A quick word about Santa Fe. While a beautiful part of the country and very culturally oriented, it really is a boring town. There is no industry there, the schools are failing and its full of rich snobs and aggresive "townies". I go there alot to work with the Santa Fe Opera and Symphony and can't wait to get out once I'm there. It is a great place to visit, but I could not stand living there. If you're into the arts, it is a nice place to spend a few days. I might add things to this list as I think of more, but the bottom line is that ABQ is a great place to live. I love it here!

Getting a new manager who will hopefully bring in a batting coach that might actually teach these guys to hit could be the most important thing to happen in the off season. Skaalen failed miserably this season (and last for that matter), and his removal should have been sealed with the Brewers pathetic performance in the playoffs. I would be willing to bet that Ricky and Corey are still savable if paired up with a hitting coach who might actually do something with them and work to fix the problems. The only Brewers I want to see GONE are Suppan (not gonna happen), Sheets (he's just become to unreliable) and that terrible platoon at 3rd of Hall/Counsell.

What a bunch of losers this team is. With the exception of CC, everyone on this team is a LOSER. No clue of how to suck it up and play the game when the going gets tough. I'm just sick of this whole franchise continuing to foster this losing spirit. Without question, CC is out of here at seasons end. So much for the rent-a-player getting us to the playoffs. Apparently, we needed a whole new team, not a pitcher. Looks like another losing decade after this year. Turns out Prince, et al, aren't as good as we thought, and this team still stinks. PS - Before everyone jumps down my throat, please remember, this is the venting thread. I'm still hoping for a major turnaround from this team.

Any word on Loser Ben's latest injury?

Old School. Borat.

This teams complete lack of heart is an embarrassment. I said a few weeks ago that I had never been more embarrassed to be a Brewer fan. I was wrong.

Albuquerque Isotopes.

Great post, Geno. I agree 100%. I don't understand this attitude that so many of us fans have. That "if you told me that the Crew would be in 1st on Aug......blah,blah,blah" attitude. Sure, we're all happy that the Brewers have been in 1st all this time. But if someone had told me in June that the Crew would BLOW a large lead by mid August (and frankly we're lucky it hasn't happened earlier) my reaction would have been, "Typical Brewer season." Why is there not more outrage that this team is playing NO BETTER than the awful teams of the early 2000s? Isn't this team supposed to be playing better than the crap we put up with as fans then? If this team continues on it's current trend of losing, and there is no reason think that it will change, they WILL finish below .500 for the season. That's not acceptable. Are we so used to losing that a 24-10 start constitutes a good season despite a poor finish? I'm angry. I want change. In both personnel and attitude.