BillScottCanRake

Hello, forum! Welcome to the All Star Break edition of Forum Friday. And based upon the Brewers weekend series against the Giants, the break may have come at the right time. With the Crew struggling last weekend, let's get things started with a quick look back at the 2022 MLB draft. The communities participation in the two threads, 2022 MLB Draft Pick Discussion Rounds 1-10 and Rounds 11-20 and UDFA Signings, was, as we'd expect, outstanding. If you couldn't catch the draft live, there is plenty of quality reading in those threads to get you caught up. Be sure to check back often to follow the players as they sign or, as will be the case for some high schoolers, choose to attend college. In the major league forum this week, a couple of interesting threads popped up. The first was a thread by our leader, @Brock Beauchamp, in which he calls the balk perhaps the dumbest rule in sports. While others may have had a bit of a software stance, there was nearly universal agreement the call made against Brewer Pitcher, Jandel Gustave was pretty terrible. @tortshad a really interesting idea, suggesting a balk can't be called until the pitcher throws the ball, either to a base or home. I personally like that idea, and it may eliminate the need for the umpires to try to judge intent. Another thread which is just getting started, authored by @homer, wonders if Josh Hader's recent struggles may be due to a change in release point. The thread starts with an analysis of Hader by @domricotta15. @timpepmentions reading on reddit Hader may have also been tipping his pitches against the Giant. We'll all be watching closely, as the Brewers will likely need Hader to be on his game if they are to make the playoffs this fall. Finally for this week, we have an article from @Brock Beauchamp entitled Brewer Fanatic Community Awards: 2022 First Half. As Brock says in his article: We cannot thank all of you enough for the amazing contributions, advice, and input you've given us as we've begun our journey with Brewer Fanatic. None of this is possible without the community that powers it. Here's to another successful four months and GO CREW! We wouldn't be the community we are without all of you. Thank you, and as always, Go Crew! View full article

Good Friday morning, forum! Sorry this is a bit late, but a power outage last night has pushed Forum Friday later into Friday morning than usual. Milwaukee went 3-3 this past forum week, remaining 10-games over .500 and three games clear of the Cards with three games left before the All Star Break. Last week included a rough outing from All Star Josh Hader against the Twins, in which he gave up a three-run home run to take his third loss of the year. With all those threes out of the way, let's get stuck in. Our first visit to the forums checks in on the Projected 2022 All-Stars thread started by @formerlybis. As predicted, starter Corbin Burnes and closer Josh Hader were both selected to represent the Brewers, with Hader opting to not play in order to spend time with his wife and their first child, who was born a month early in June. Milwaukee re-arranged their rotation to give Burnes the start last night against the Giants, perhaps to allow him a bit of rest and/or to pitch in the All Star game on normal rest. While the reasons for this aren't clear, the change was not met with much rejoicing. In somewhat surprising news, Keston Hiura was optioned to AAA Nashville on Wednesday. Surprising, because after a horrible June in which he saw way too many at bats against left-handed pitching, Hiura slashed 381/480/714 in July, and 324/432/595 over the last month in spite of his rough June. Hiura remains the Crew's best hitter against right-handed pitchers, going 303/418/652 with 9 extra base hits in just 79 plate appearances this year. The return of Hunter Renfro and having three catchers on the major league roster all likely contributed to the move (and explain the timing). The thread is full of good posts both for and against this move, and how this years roster has been constructed in general. On July 12 the aforementioned Hunter Renfroe was reinstated from the 10-day injured list, with pitcher Chi Chi Gonzalez being Designated for Assignment. Gonzalez lasted just about one month in Milwaukee, with @hawingnoting the “'if he clears outright waivers' made me roll my eyes a half roll." Finally from the Major League forum, @docduany updates us on Adrian Houser, who had a catch at Target Field on Wednesday, presumably not with his dad. In the Minor League forum, @monty57 asks for opinions on the future of Brice Turang, which is an excellent question for those who don't follow the farm as much as other. Given his time at shortstop, second base, and centerfield, Turang likely profiles as a utility player next year. This is common for most players in the system, as @Joseph Zarrnotes, unless you are "Jackson Chourio you're playing multiple positions all across the Farm." While the big club has plenty to play for this season, it is nice to see some of the kids will be ready to contribute at varying levels next year. We end this week's edition of Forum Friday by stopping by the MLB Draft forum, with this year's draft taking place July 17 - 19. The Pre-Draft discussion will give way to threads dedicated to the 2022 Draft. If past years are any indication, you can expect threads which include general discussion about the draft, broken into bit-sized chunks by rounds (see the 2021 Draft Pick Discussion, Rounds 1-10 and 2021 Draft Pick Discussion, Rounds 11-20 for a preview). As picks are made and signed to contracts, they will appear in the 2022 Official Draft Pick Selection/Signing Thread. As you can see from the 2021 Pick/Signing thread, this includes scouting reports and video about each draftee. With the Crew off on Monday, there will be plenty of time to check out the draft and see who Milwaukee takes with pick number 27. That will do it for this week. Be sure to check back next week, and as always, Go Crew! View full article

Greetings, forum. This week was full of unlikely outcomes among the Crew's 3-3 record. It started with the Brewers scoring 19-runs against the Pirates and it ended with a loss in which Josh Hader faltered for the second time in three days. In between was a 10-inning win against the Cubs which makes as good a case as any that technology can do way better calling balls and strikes than a human can. In spite of a week that was less than ideal, the Brewers actually stretched their lead to three games over the Cards. We'll start this week with a peak at the 2022 Draft Thread. With only ten days until the draft starts on July 17, a couple of new names have been projected for Milwaukee at pick 27. @Eye Black posts Baseball America is projecting Milwaukee to take Oregon St LHP Cooper Hjerpe. Baseball America notes analytical teams are high on Hjerpe, making their projection logical. @LouisEly is "getting some Corbin Burnes/Brandon Woodruff vibes" from MLB's #26 draft prospect Gabriel Hughes, a righty from Gonzaga. Those are some good vibes to have! For those hoping for a position player,@nate82 drops Vandy's Spencer Jones into the thread, noting comparisons by scouts to Aaron Judge. If you are like me and you wonder what to expect from the 27th pick, this Twin's Daily article talks about the best players drafted at Pick 27 as of 2020, when the Twins held that pick. As we approach the half-way point in the season, FanGraphs' ZiPs Midseason Updates hit the 'net earlier today, with @monty57 sharing with the community. ZiPs gives the Brewers a roughly 75% chance of making the playoffs, odds which are a bit shorter than they might otherwise have been had Freddy Peralta not gotten hurt in June. @Brewcrew82 has even better news in that fivethrityeight.com puts the Brewers odds of making the playoffs at 83%, with a 73% chance of winning the division. While both projection systems make a strong case for the Brewers making the playoffs in 2022, they are less optimistic about their chances to win a World Series. This will be a good thread to revisit in a month or so after the trade deadline moves cement each contenders roster. Next we will visit the Minor League Forum for three threads about (hopefully) future Brewers. @liveforoctober kicks things off with a thread about the Brewers Minor League first half MVPs, suggesting Caleb Boushley and Joey Weimer as mid-season pitcher and position players of the year. Jackson Reetz gets plenty of love for the position player slot (votes from @CheeseheadInQC, @Joseph Zarr, @markedman5, and @nate82). Pitcher of the first half was more diverse, with Brandon Knarr (@CheeseheadInQC and @nate82) and Cam Robinson (@Joseph Zarr) getting votes. Today was also the day the Futures game rosters were released, link courtesy our friend @nate82. @PlayerHader is looking forward to watching Jackson Chourio and Antoine Kelly participate, and for many it will be a great chance to see two of Milwaukee's best prospects in action. @Manty Brewer Fan points out Chourio is the youngest Futures Game participant since Vlad Jr. The game is being played July 16, as part of All-Star Weekend 2022. Speaking of the young Chourio, it is time to revisit the Jackson Chourio - Baseball America Hype thread. If you are anything like me, you are always looking for the next Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun, Paul Molitor, or Robin Yount to emerge from the Brewers system. Watching the 18-year-old Chourio perform so well in A-Ball makes it difficult to not look a few years into the future and imagine him becoming one of the games best. Luckily, as @PlayerHader points out, I'm not the only one getting excited by Chourio's play, as MLB ranks him #39 in their top 100. MLB has two other Brewer prospects in their top 100, with Sal Frelick checking in at 50 and Joey Wiemer at 64. That will do it for this week's Forum Friday. Enjoy the week to come, and Go Crew! View full article

Greetings, forum. When last we talked two weeks ago, the Brewers were in the midst of a rough patch and had fallen out of first place for the first time since April. Since June 16, Milwaukee has gone 9-3 and now stands 11 games over .500 and 1.5 games ahead of the Cards. The old adage that "Baseball is a marathon and not a sprint" is as true as ever. As we near the mid-way point of the season, the Crew are well positioned to make a playoff run. And eventually one of those runs will pay off with a championship, right? Before we get started, I'd like to dedicate this edition of Forum Friday to the newest member of the BrewerFanatic family, my grandson Luca, who was born on Wednesday afternoon. Welcome to the world, Luca! Let's kick things off with the newest way to watch the Brewers via Bally Sports, thread courtesy @Oxy. For those of use who've cut the cord, a direct-to-consumer app has some appeal. The new service is similar in price to other streaming services ($19.99 per month or $189.99 per year), which for some is not great value for money. Additionally, technical issues are creating a sub-optimal experience for some. With that said, having the ability to watch Brewers and Bucks games again will be nice for many of us. Let's hope the technical issues are address so more fans are able to watch the Brewers. The big news from the past couple of weeks came on June 18 as OF'er Lo Cain was designated for assignment. Signed on January 25, 2018 (the same day Christian Yelich was acquired via trade), Cain was very good in 2018, solid in 2019, opted out for most of 2020, and was OK in 2021, before Father Time caught up with him this season. @Brewcrew82summed up many of our feelings nicely: I know I've been advocating for it relentlessly, but I do have this empty feeling in my stomach knowing that it's actually happened now. @OldSchoolSnappernoted the move came on the day Cain reached 10 years of service and a guaranteed pension, a classy move by the Brewers to wait until then to make the move. And for those wondering if Cain's production matched his contract, @Brewcrew82 and @Brock Beauchampreminds us 1 WAR is worth between $9-10 million dollars, and Cain's WAR since 2018 was 11.5, including this year. @Baldkin adds a keen observation, reminding us that with three kids at home Lo may end up getting less rest in retirement than he did on the bench in Milwaukee. Good luck, and thanks for the memories. Spinning off the Lo Cain thread, the question arose as to whether the Brewers Rebuild, Retool, or Trade in the next one-and-a-half years. @monty57kicks things off an excellent examination of the Brewers current roster and payroll, as well as who is under contract for 2023, along with 4/5ths of Milwaukee's preferred rotation hitting free agency in '24. @Jopal78 and @Robocalleradvocate the Brewers go all-in next year, especially if Stearns is only under contract one more year in Milwaukee. @wallus is in the "re-tool a little" camp, suggesting a Hader trade could be coming to avoid the Brewers paying a significant portion of their payroll for a 60-inning pitcher. The thread is full of excellent points for each possible future, so be sure to take a few minutes to read and add your opinions. Finally for this week, @CheezWizHed kicks off the Rowdy Tellez appreciation thread. @stoutdude04 suggests Milwaukee brings out the best in average players while also evoking the name of Crew legend Jeromy Burnitz. And @nate82 compared Tellez to the great Adam Dunn, who did everything in his power to avoid running while playing baseball. Rowdy Tellez, the man with the cool name who is also good at baseball. That will do it for this weeks edition of Forum Friday. It is a bit shorter than usual, but normal service will resume next week. In the meantime, Go Crew! View full article

Greetings, forum. Please have a seat. Let's talk about what happened since my last Forum Friday way back on June 2. Back when the Brewers were 12 games over .500, in first place, and well on their way to making the playoffs for their fifth straight year. I don't want to point any fingers, but teams just don't go 3-10 by accident, and there is plenty of blame to go around. The last two weeks are in the past now, so let's see if we can regain our mojo in the coming week. We can't afford too many more weeks like the last two. I have no desire to write for CubFanatics.com, just as I am sure none of you want to post on their forums. With that out of the way, let's get this week started by thanking Forum Friday pinch-hitter @RoCoBrewfan, who stepped into a tough spot last week and hit a homerun. I'll be out again next week, and let's hope whomever gets the call next week has a better week to write about. Looking back on last week, @JohnBriggs12 says what is on a lot of minds when he talks about this team reminding him of 2014. In typical Brewer Fanatic fashion, a lot of interesting discussion followed. @Thurston Fluff and @JRob1125 remind us that the 2022 staff, when healthy, is more talented than the one that took the mound in 2014. @KeithStone53151 points out over 162 games, even great teams can fall into extended funks and lose to crappy teams like the Pirates. (Sorry, Pirates fans). @sveumrules points out the 2022 team's "division odds are essentially equal at this point to their division odds in 2014 despite being 13 fewer games over .500 with an eight-game smaller division lead while still 21 games farther away from the finish line illustrates how much better the 2022 team is (on a spreadsheet anyway) than the 2014 team was." @Jopal78 and @monty57 have an excellent discussion on the Brewers offense. In particular how Lorenzo Cain, Andrew McCutchen, and Keston Hiura have been used this year. While there was a lot of good discussion in the thread, I'd really rather not talk about 2014 again. Ever. Balancing out the bad news from the last couple of weeks is some good news on the injury front. Brandon Woodruff threw a 40-pitch bullpen session this week, reported by Will Sammon and Curt Hogg via @djoctagone. @Brewcrew82 also correctly predicted this weekend's rehab start Saturday in Nashville. If things go well, Woody could make one more rehab start and be back with the Crew in a couple of weeks. Getting an all-star caliber starter back in the rotation may be just the addition the Brewers need to snap out of their current funk. Continuing to look on the bright side returns us to a thread from two weeks ago, as Jackson Chourio continues to make hitting baseballs look way too easy. @Julio Muchacho posted a short video from the Mudcats Twitter account after Chourio won the Week 9 Carolina League Player of the Week award. @Outlander has kindly offered to provide us with first-hand scouting reports from Appleton after Chourio is promoted later this year. And don't forget to follow Chourio's progress at his Prospect Tracker profile. Finally for this week, with the draft just one month away, we take a trip to the MLB Draft & International Signings forum's 2022 Pre-Draft Discussion thread. @Eye Black makes an excellent post about the Brewers Area Code Games teams over the years, including their relationship with prior draft picks Brice Turang, Je'Von Ward, and Garrett Mitchell. Maybe Milwaukee can turn someone from their 2021 team into a future Brewer? And you can never have too many pitchers, as @brewmann04 reminds us. Until next Friday, Go Crew. When you post this week, make sure you fully harness your inner, gritty-battler. I don't want to come back in July writing about a second place team. View full article

Greetings, Forum. This past forum week has seen another starter land on the injured list, this time Brandon Woodruff with an Adames-like high ankle sprain. His injury, along with Freddy Peralta's from last week, and a double-header against the Cubs, lead to a flurry of roster activity for the Brewers. Let's look back at the week that was. The big news this week was Woodruff's injury on Friday against the Cards. While there was some hope Woody might not miss a start, he ended up getting placed on the injury list Monday. @Frisbee Slidernoted Jason Alexander was well rested, and it was indeed Alexander who started and made his Major League debut Wednesday night. While the inevitable Costanza references make their appearance in the thread, they unsurprisingly well done. Thank you for not disappointing us, forum! Alexander wasn't the first Brewer starter to make his Major League debut this week. That honor went to Ethan Small, who started Game 1 of Monday's doubleheader against the Cubs. As @Eye Blacknoted in the game thread, Monday's game was just the 29th featuring two starters making their Major League debut. Small struggled, only lasting 2.2 innings, allowing two earned runs on four hits, four walks, and four strikeouts. He was optioned back to AAA Nashville after game 1. @markedman5 found this two interesting nuggets, first reported by Curt Hogg. Small's four third-inning walks were the most for a pitcher making their debut. On the bright side, being a bit wild in start one isn't necessarily foreboding, as Ben Sheets walked five in his first start for the Crew and he did alright for himself. Best of all, Milwaukee came back to win game one and game 2 later that night to sweep the doubleheader. Game two starter Aaron Ashby was, as @Fear The Chorizo noted, "electric", and Josh Hader did Josh Hader things by closing out both games. He is the first Brewer two save both games in a doubleheader since Jim Henderson way back in 2013. @reillymcshane was right when he called Monday a "nice day." With the injuries and full schedule, there were plenty of roster moves over the past seven days. @djoctagone has all of the transactions related to the 40-man roster covered. Luke Barker spent three days with the Crew before being optioned back to Nashville without making an appearance. And just this evening Omar Narvaez was added the Covid-19 list, with Milwaukee selecting Wisconsin catcher Alex Hall's contract. And, finally, @Brewcrew82 reported earlier this evening Willy Adames was expected to begin his rehab assignment tonight in Nashville. Checking in on the "kids", the current Brewer Fanatic Featured Discussion gets on board the Jackson Chourio hype train. While the thread stared earlier in May when Chourio debuted as the Brewers top prospect and number 99 overall according to Baseball America, the 18-year old centerfielder has given fans plenty to talk about recently with his 350/400/530/930 slash line. @Manty Brewer Fanmade what appeared to be a bold prediction when he thought Chourio would appear at number 51 when Baseball America's updated prospect rankings were released today. Who could have guessed a 48-spot jump wasn't bold enough, with Chourio landing at the number 43 slot. @igor67 talks about being both reserved and confident the Brewers are building a minor league system to sustain their Major League success. It is a good time to be a Brewer fan to be sure. Finally for this week, be sure to check out the results from last week's 2022 Brewers Top Prospect Rankings. And thank you to everyone who voted. Until next Friday, Go Crew! View full article

Greetings, Forum. Your first place Milwaukee Brewers had another good week on the field, winning four of six during the forum week, with results from tonight's game against the Cards pending. Unfortunately, the week wasn't without its challenges, especially on the injury front. Let's take a look at how the community responded the events of the past week. We start our look back at the week that was with big injury news. On Sunday, Freddy Peralta left the Brewers loss to Washington with "shoulder tightness", as first reported by @djoctagone. Most of the initial post-injury discussion revolved around who would replace Peralta on the roster and in the rotation, with calls for Aaron Ashby, Ethan Small, and even Josh Lindblom. Unfortunately, by Monday night we learned Peralta was going to miss significant time, probably through August at least. Reaction can best be summed up by @RoCoBrewfan when he said "this sucks but they still have a good, a really good rotation". Ashby got a start Wednesday and provided 5+ strong innings in their 2-1 win over San Diego. On the bright side, it looks like Willy Adames is getting ready to come off the injured list. Once again it was @djoctagone who provided updates throughout the week as Adames tested his high-ankle sprain. Just today @BruisedCrew reports Adames may be ready for this weekend's series against the Cards. As May rolls on towards June, it's time to review prospect rankings. First up is a thread by @Madhawk23 wondering why Joey Wiemer is not getting more love in Top 100 rankings. @Nate82 mentions many top-100 prospects are not only having successful minor league careers but also were drafted earlier in the draft. Nate also reminds us Corbin Burnes took some time to become a highly regarded prospect. Finally for this week, @Brock Beauchamp introduces us to the 2022 Prospect Tracker. The Prospect Tracker is a list of the Brewers top-20 prospects with the communities votes determining the order. Voting can be done in this thread, and must be completed by Friday, May 27. Make sure you post your top-20 to make your voice heard. Until next Friday, Go Crew! View full article

Greetings, forum! After a rough week, the Brewers bounced back nicely, winning four-of-six last week and stretching their lead in the NL Central to four games over the second-place Cards. Milwaukee won Wednesday in thrilling fashion, getting key contributions from players who were not on the big league roster when the forum week started on May 13. Trevor Kelly's first major league win and Keston Hiura's walk-off blast are a great reminder there is more to the Brewers than Milwaukee and there is more to Brewer Fanatic than our major league forum. In this week's Forum Friday, we are going to take a closer look at some of the other forums which make our community a great place for Brewer fans of all types. With the big club off, Thursday was the perfect day to spend with the kids, with all four full season affiliates in action. I have said on many occasions our minor league coverage is the best around, and tonight's was no exception. @Mass Haas and @damuelle got us ready for the games, posting organizational links, affiliate audio, and lineups for each game prior to first pitch. @Julio Muchacho kept us updated all evening, with reports from Biloxi (Jackson Reetz's 5th home run in six games, TJ Shook's AA debut, and Joey Wiemer's 10th home run being the highlights in a 9-4 loss). @markedman5 asked what may of us are thinking: Is Reetz a prospect? While not yet included at press time for Forum Friday, links to game stories and box scores will be added this evening and tomorrow, rounding out our teams coverage for May 19. One of the big changes for our community in the past couple of months has been the re-introduction of original content to the Brewer Fanatic community. For the first time since the Shea Vuninich administration we have a group of talented writers producing dynamite daily content. The Brewer Fanatic Front Page News forum is a bit like a newsfeed for this original content, and well worth checking out. Among my favorites from this past week is an article from @GormansTapRoom on Wednesday's hero Keston Hiura. Baseball is indeed a "funny" and "weird game", and the rise and fall of Hiura exemplifies it. @Tim Muma's piece about the unlucky Brandon Woodruff reminds us small samples sizes and a bit of bad luck shouldn't be too much cause for concern yet, especially for a player who has has so much success since 2018. And be sure to check out @Brew City Couch Committee's not-quite-end-of-the-first-quarter podcast, including their biggest concerns for the remainder of the season. Yes, we have a podcast! The Transaction Rumors & Proposals forum is another hidden gem. @Brewcrew82 posted a link to an Athletic article by Ken Rosenthal which talks about Andrew Benintendi being a top trade target for the Crew. @Robocaller questioned Benintendi's defense (and gold gloves for left fielders), and @Brock Beauchamp reminded us the Brewers could really use a "legit centerfielder." There may not be a ton of action in this forum at the moment, but as spring turns to summer and the trade deadline approaches, action will heat up. Finally for this week, with the baseball draft less than two months away, the MLB Draft & International Signings forum is a great place to discuss all things draft-related. For those old enough to remember, Milwaukee used the draft in the early 2000s to select a group of players who became the core for the franchise's first playoff run in 25 years. This year, Milwaukee drafts 27th and will be looking for players to help continue their recent run of success, and maybe push them over that final hurdle to a championship. @Eye Blackkicked off our pre-draft coverage way back in October. @nate82 reported recently Jim Callis projects the Brewers will select prep pitcher Andrew Dutkanych, leading to a great discussion with @Madhawk23about prep versus college arms. A second mock draft, this one by Keith Law, had the Crew picking Iowa righty Adam Mazur, which immediately gave me Eric Arnett flashbacks. On that somewhat disturbing note, that's a wrap for this week. Until next Friday... Go Crew! View full article

Let's start off this week's Forum Friday with an apology. Having been a Brewer fan for over 40 years, I should know better than to call a 5-1 week "ho hum". This weeks 1-5 record is clearly karma reminding me I should never take the Brewers winning baseball games for granted. You can put the blame for this past week squarely on me. With that out of the way, here is a look back on what our community had to say about the first-place Crew in the Brewer Fanatic forums between May 6 and 12, 2022. The big news this past week was the demotion of Keston Hiura to AAA Nashville on May 6. After a highly-productive rookie campaign in 2019 (138 OPS+ and 1.9 WAR in 84 games), Hiura has not come close to matching that production in 2020 or 2021. His improved play early this year led @MVP2110 and @young guns to speculation the demotion was in part to ensure consistent playing time, something he hasn't gotten in Milwaukee this year. @Julio Muchacho and @edfunderburk also pointed out the Crew's improved depth, both in Milwaukee and Nashville, make this move less painful than it might have been just last year. And we may see Hiura back in Milwaukee sooner rather than later, as @djoctagonereminds us the Brewers can prevent his last option from being burned by keeping this assignment to less than 20 days. After Thursday's three-hit, two-homerun, seven-RBI game against top-50 pitching prospect Max Meyer, there is some reason for optimism. The other big story this week was Christian Yelich's Major League record-tying third cycle on May 11. The fact that his cycle came in the midst of a nice stretch for the former MVP instead of a bolt from the blue (I'm looking at you Chad Moeller) led to plenty of discussion as to whether he's back, and if he is, back to what. @Brewcrew82 points out in the Yelich is red hot thread, this hot streak is different than those we saw in 2020 and 2021. @DoubleSwitch backs this up with data which shows Yelich is hitting the pitches that gave him trouble in '20 and '21, even if it isn't as well as we saw from peak Yeli. Finally, @timpep and @igor67 talks us through the odds all three of cycles coming against the Reds. Even though it is a stickied thread, I'd like to remind our members about the Archived Brewers Audio/Media - 2022 thread. The last few weeks have seen my Brewer-time curtailed, so having a thread I can turn to to catch-up is much appreciated. Be sure to check out Brewer Fanatic's own @Mass Haas appearance on Matt Pauley's Brewers Extra podcast. That will wrap things up for this week. After a day off on Thursday, Milwaukee returns to action tonight in Miami against the Marlins. Here's to a better week and not taking success for granted. If things go a bit sideways this week, it won't be my fault this time. We can always blame it on Friday the 13th. Go Crew! View full article

@Patrick425There are only a very few possibilities here. The first is I got my mention wrong. I know that seems unlikely, but I suppose it is possible. The second is you are mistaken, and you really did post in the thread, but you don't recall it. And to cover up the mistake, you have deleted all your posts from that thread. Which seems like a lot of work to go through, to be honest. Or maybe, just maybe, the error was intentional, and part of a cunning plan to get you to read Forum Friday, knowing once you stopped by you'd come back each week. I will let the readers judge for themselves. But I think we both know the answer here. ?

Another week, and the NL Central leading Brewers sort of ho-hummed their way to a 5-1 record. Taking care of business against bad teams is important for teams with big aspirations. And while the 2022 Brewers aren't without blemishes, after a month it should be clear they have big aspirations. And the Brewer Fanatic forum knows it. Another week, and the NL Central leading Brewers sort of ho-hummed their way to a 5-1 record. Taking care of business against bad teams is important for teams with big aspirations. And while the 2022 Brewers aren't without blemishes, after a month it should be clear they have big aspirations. And the Brewer Fanatic forum knows it. We kick off this installment of Forum Friday with a thread about the Crew's logo for the City Connect Uniforms being leaked, with game-thread extraordinaire @Eye Black providing the link. The linked Uni-Watch article notes the MKE logo appears to pay homage to Milwaukee's 414 area code, and if you squint in just the right light you can sort of see it. While I am fan of the colors used, like @Dragonbait and @Patrick425 the logo is a bit meh. We'll see once the entire uniform is released. The other big news is Bally Sports' announcement of their direct-to-consumer app pricing. Reaction, while mostly positive, was predictably mixed. I am personally pleased, as my ability to watch the Crew has been limited to their appearances on national broadcasts for far too long. It sure helps selling their new app in Wisconsin with the Brewers and Bucks both doing so well. Of course, it wouldn't be Forum Friday without a look back at a couple of older, but relevant threads. When the Crew scores like they did last week, in particular the last couple of days, our old friend the 2022 Brewers Offense thread will get a few comments. Whether this uptick is real as @owbc asks, or a mirage, as @jerichoholicninja noted, will play out over the course of the season. But ending the week the number 2 run scoring offense in baseball after struggling for mediocrity for several weeks is fun. Jose Urias' return from the DL brought new action to the thread reflecting on the trade which brought him and Eric Lauer to Milwaukee. Not that Lauer's start to the 2022 season hasn't been enough reason to talk about it, but Urias is a bit of icing on the cake. Hopefully Urias' hot start off the DL hopefully bodes well as the Crew head into their weekend series with the Braves. And, after such a good week, how can we not close by taking a peak into the 2022 Brewers Optimism thread. In separate posts @Brewcrew82 noted Milwaukee now has baseball's highest probability to win their division per FiveThirtyEight (76%), with an 89% chance to make the playoffs, and the current ML leader in XSLG is Rowdy Tellez at .815, ahead of some guys named Trout and Judge. @Jopal78 reminds us Milwaukee has been averaging 5.8 runs per game over their last 13... and that was before Milwaukee scored 10 more to beat the Reds. Here's to hoping the offense continues to pull their weight. That will do it for this week. Until next Friday... Go Crew! View full article

Tim, as always, great work.

Tim, as always, great work.

This is totally off topic, but every time I see Karlaftis' name in this thread, for just a split second I wonder why we are talking about Austin Kafentzis. If Green Bay ends up drafting Karlaftis I am not sure my brain will be able to take it.

It is hard to believe that is 35 years ago already. I like the how you tied the game into the Top 40 music. For me, talking about the music from the time did a great job brining me back to 1987, better than just saying "The game was 35 years ago". Nice work!