Beast Light

I would just like to confess that I am a crow-eater on this one. I was anti-Bush for quite some time and I am GLAD that I was wrong. He really impressed me this year and I am excited to see what he will do next year.

Terrific point. Whenever I judge or attempt to project Rickie Weeks, Chase Utley always comes to mind. No doubt about it, Rickie has struggled but at age 25, he can still turn things around. He already gets on base at a solid clip and that is with a .230 BA. He just has too much potential and is too young to give up on him at this point. Just think where is OBP would be if he could get his BA up to the .280 mark. I say give him another year but if he doesn't start making adjustments and showing improvement, than maybe you deem him to be expendable. Like others have touched on, I am very curious to see what type of season he can put together when he is not slotted in the leadoff spot.

No offense but professional or not, Yost needed to go. The Brewers, who had not made the playoffs for 26 years and who invested heavily in the 2008 season had a decision to make. 1) Fire Yost near the end of the season and have a shot at the playoffs 2) Miss the playoffs and fire Yost once the season was over I have to say, Mark A stepping in and making sure what needed to be done was done scored a lot of points in my book. To me, he seems like a no [expletive deleted] kind of guy and I like that. I am thrilled that he is the owner of the Milwaukee Brewers. (edit: language --1992)

Hardy is the kind of player that you want to surround stars with. Great defense, good power, good on base skills with a great attitude. He is part of what is right with this team and we need more players of his mold. That being said, I understand why he may be traded. I would love to see the Brewers give him a shot at 3B. He has a terrific arm, reliable glove and his power, although already adequate for a 3B, could further improve as he adds pounds over time. He could be our answer at 3B for years to come. Let Gamel play RF in AAA next year and begin getting Green settled in at 2B and bam!! Third Base WOAH SOLVDD!! Also, when looking at things from a long-term perspective ..trading Hardy may save money and clear room for Escobar but the sooner this happens, the sooner Alcides' clock starts ticking ..and the sooner we will probably have to trade him as well.

That quote really disturbs me. This is bigger than finding your way out of a slump. This is the Playoffs and it is either win or go home. If I were Doug M or Mark A, I would be taking note of these kind of comments. Unless this quote was taken out of context, he is basically saying, "I am more worried about getting out of my slump than doing what it takes to win in the Post Season." I used to be a big Corey Hart fan and was pulling for him to get out of his slump but he is making himself very unlikeable. I don't want to turn this into a managerial debate, but we need a manager who won't put up with this crap.

After watching him ground into into a double play, on the first pitch after the pitcher walked in a run on 5 pitches, I was ready to pull my hair out. I am happy that the team made the playoffs but if they are going to be a contender, year in and year out, changes are going to have to be made. Good teams make the pitcher pay in that situation. All we needed was a walk, ground ball to the right side of the field, or a fly ball to the outfield and we have a run. Hart would have been better off striking out. What Hart did today has nothing to do with a slump. It has nothing to do with "not seeing that ball". It was a horrible decision. Even I know that you do not come out swinging in that situation. Hall Hart Weeks These are the guys that Melvin should be looking to upgrade this offseason. We need some guys that can play defense and get on-base at a good clip sprinkled into the lineup. If this can be done, we will have a very potent lineup.

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I vote for either this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=740CnjoQUa0 Or this: (listen to the words) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iuP87yhbw4

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This may sound drastic but as far as I am concerned, everyone can go with the exception of Braun, Hardy, Gallardo and Parra. Here is my reasoning for keeping these guys: Braun: The team needs a leader. He has the talent and he can be the guy Hardy: Slick fielding SS with a good on-base percentage. Doesn't strike out much and with Escobar in the mix, I would love to see his arm transitioned to 3rd. He has also shown year over year improvement in his play. He is screams "supporting cast" for a championship team. Gallardo: This is obvious Parra: Too much talent, still very young. Could make a great #3 down the road To me, these are the guys I would try to build the club around. I would push for CC but realistically, that probably won't happen. As for some of the notable guys that I would consider to be expendable, here is my logic. Fielder: I can't stand his attitude and he is getting big. If he can't control his weight at age 24, good luck at 30. His play is already beginning to slip and the Brewers better trade him while his 50 HRs are still fresh in people's minds. Weeks: I understand that he could still break out but the fact of the matter is that he cannot play defense and he repeatedly makes the same mistakes at the plate. After all the time he has spent in the majors, he has not even attempted to adjust to the pitch down and away. Sure he can hit a fastball middle in but he still looks foolish on everything else. Suppan: Give him to anyone who will take his salary. He is not even close to being worth what he is being paid. He is a below average pitcher that is beginning to get old. I didn't understand the signing when it happened. Why are teams willing to spend $10MM a year for marginal pitchers?? (ex. Washburn) Hart: He couldn't draw a walk if his life depended on it and that will never change. Also, he doesn't have the power number to offest this shortcoming. The Brewers are always going to be the same old Brewers unless they start filling the lineup with more "on-base" time hitters who can draw walks and do the "little things" (consistently get runners from 2nd to 3rd with no outs, score a runner from 3rd with no outs) Hall: He is flat out awful. Enough said. That is where my thoughts are. I have read many posts on this board and many people are so willing to trade Hardy. I know he is due some major cash soon but I really think he is the type you want to keep around. The team needs more players of his mold.

That is a very good list as I think you nailed the top 5. The only thing I would do is put the NFC Championship game to the top of the list and here's why: 1. No one thought the team would be as good as they were last year 2. The Packers somehow become favorites for the game 3. Everyone was ready to buy Super Bowl tickets after the Giants knocked off the Cowboys 4. No one expected the NFC Championship game to be at home 5. Many felt it was Favre's last chance at a Super Bowl 6. The Packers murdered the Giants earlier in the season 7. The Packers were granted a second chance when the game went into OT 8. Everyone just got that "feeling" that we were going to see a story book ending when they won the toss in OT 9. The Giants secondary was completely decimated by injury 10. I am going to stop because this is making me sad

This should be the final nail in the coffin enclosing Ben's last season in Milwaukee. There is no way that the team can resign him as the risk is too great. He has proven time and time again that he is prone to injury and I have a hard time dealing with the fact that his two best seasons have come in contract years. If the Brewers can get two draft picks for him, they should be more than willing to let him go. I am holding out hope that they will somehow be able to able to resign CC but if not, the farm system should get another strong shot in the arm. If they can pick up another pitcher in a deal, the Brewers may not be in that bad of shape without CC and Ben. Assume they trade Prince for Matt Cain and prospects.... Rotation: Gallardo Cain Parra Bush Suppan ...Of course this rotation is not nearly as strong as it this year's, but you have to look at what the rest of the NL central will bring to the table. Chicago will likely be losing Dempster (16-6, ERA: 3.02) and Harden could easily spend half of the season on the DL (His 23 starts this year are his most since 2004). As for the offense, if they can find a serviceable 1B to replace Prince, they should easily be able to make up for the drop off by filling the black hole that was at 3B this year.

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If anyone should be fearful of losing their job, it would be Davey Nelson. I really like the guy and want to see him do well but he is absolutely horrible on TV. He usually doesn't make any sense and in the few instances where he does, he merely states the obvious. It is also painful to listen to him stumble over his own words. He just seems to be too nervous. I bet he would do better if he had a few beers before going on the air.

It looks like Jeffress had a nice outing last night (8/23): 5.2 IP, 6H, 1ER, 3BB, 7K - (WIN) It appears as if he is starting to shake some of his control woes. I am really excited about this kid. He could be great.

Didn't Prince lose to Hanley Ramirez? Yeah, Uggla still finished higher than Prince (3rd place to Prince's 7th, I believe), but Ramirez won. Maybe you just meant that he finished ahead of Prince in the voting. If so, disregard. No, that is not what I meant... I am just losing my mind! I seriously thought Uggla had won it. My mistake doesn't get him off the list though!! :-)

Dan Uggla - I can't stand him because he beat Prince for ROY, he also seems like kind of a hot dog Hunter Pence - Flat out annoying, can't stand him Nomar Garciaparra - Can't stand that he didn't sign with the Brewers, at bat ritual is annoying, made of glass Brandon Phillips - Way too cocky for me Manny Ramirez - See Brandon Phillips Troy Tulowitzki - Can't believe he was even mentioned in the same breat at Ryan Braun last year Gary Matthews Jr - Hot dog, getting paid for one good season Jack Wilson - He just annoys me Livan Hernandez - Sick of hearing about what a great post-season pitcher he is

Didn't the Blue Jays intentionally walk Frank Thomas with the bases loaded when they met in the ALCS?

Understood, but is the general consensus that his numbers over the past year and a half could be good enough to warrant a "Class B" label? If so, is this the type of scenario where the Brewers could easily offer arby and watch him leave?

If Gagne finishes the season strong, will the Brewers be able to get any picks for him if he leaves? Could he qualify as a Class B FA?

SquirrelMaster, I think that is what I am going to end up doing. I am going to have to drive 60 miles to get there, but I just don't have the heart to let my fish die. By the way, if anyone is interested in starting a tank, they should go and check this place out. It is a pretty cool fish store.

Is it just me or has Gagne looked pretty good in his last couple of outings? If he can come around, it will be just the same as if we traded for a relief pitcher. The same could be said for Riske. He has looked good as of late as well. The bullpen could really be shaping up before our eyes. If Yost ends up settling on either Bush or McClung, the bullpen will get even stronger, regardless of who Ned goes with.

On a side note, I am moving and can't take my fish with me. I have called everywhere in the Sheboygan area and can't find anyone that will take my fish. Has anyone else ever had to deal with this issue?