SeaBass

I had a 14 day free trial of HBO around the time Watchmen premiered and I saw the first 2 or 3 episodes, I really liked it and want to see the rest but I wasn't ready to pay for a subscription right then. Eventually I'll probably get another free trial and binge it. I'm really looking forward to The Witcher being released on Netflix next Friday. I don't know a whole lot about it, I know there are books and it was made into a successful video game (which I never played) but don't know a lot about the story so I'm going in mostly blind, which is great because I won't have any preconceived notions about characters and plot to cloud my judgement. I've heard good reviews about the source material and good reports about how the production of the show has transpired. Seems like it's going to be a hit.

I'm sure I'm not the only one, but it bothers me when people type out "could of" or "should of" (all the variations) when they actually mean could've or could have. It's not like I get up and start slamming my head against a wall but it's probably my biggest grammar annoyance. "Could of" is never something that makes any sense in the English language, ever. Ok, I'm sure there are actual examples where it's correct but not in the way most people misuse it. I could, of course, probably think of one myself if I forced myself to. Typing "loose" when someone actually means to say "lose" comes in second.

Not sure if it's been mentioned in the thread but I'm fairly certain I saw either a tweet or report that he can opt out after year 5. So if he's elite for 5 years he's definitely going to opt out and make even more money. So you think that after 5 years, he will still be good enough to get a new contract worth more than 36 million per season? I was responding to MrTPlush speculating that Cole could possibly stay elite for 4-5 years (see bolded). All I was saying is if that scenario came to fruition he would absolutely opt out because, in this scenario, he would still be elite. So in that case, yes, he would theoretically be able to command a contract that would exceed 4 years at $36 million AAV. I wasn't predicting what I think his actual performance will be and I don't think MrTPlush was either.

Hey, I had a great aunt Hazel when I was growing up in Janesville. Hmmm. We didn't interact with her much, though, and I don't know her take on the public drinking fountain object. My aunt Hazel (and uncle Wayne) moved to Phoenix, and she was definitely the type of person that would have called it a bubbler. I... I feel personally attacked.

Not sure if it's been mentioned in the thread but I'm fairly certain I saw either a tweet or report that he can opt out after year 5. So if he's elite for 5 years he's definitely going to opt out and make even more money.

Given a choice I'd almost certainly come down against implementing the 3 batter rule but I'm curious to see how it plays out, I don't think it's automatically a bad thing for the game. The key factor is the "or end of the inning" aspect, if that weren't there I'd be much more strongly against it.

I honestly don't hate the 3 batter rule. Not that I think it speeds up the pace of play or anything but it's definitely a new strategy for managers to contend with. I also think a lot of focus is being payed to the "death of the LOOGY" but let's not pretend it won't affect the game when a RHP enters a game either, there are just as many of those that can blow an inning up in a 1 or 2 batter time frame. This is going to affect matchups across the board, instances where managers send a pinch hitter up and the other manager counters with a pitching change aren't going to be so automatic anymore. I think it's simply going to result in more runs scored which in theory means more action on batted balls which I believe is another likely goal MLB considered when implementing this rule.

But can he pitch?

Only 4 seasons with over 170 IP. I'd have rather spent that money on Rendon. Entirely possible they're privy to more info about Rendon's intentions so that going with Strasburg was a better choice for them.

I still hear people call it a tyme machine and I cringe every time. Ya hey.

The lollipop throws for completions are really frustrating to see. Hope Bucky can keep finding ways to score because Ohio St. looks like they're starting to lock in on offense.

Yes. Bubbler was originally Kohler's name for a specific type of drinking fountain, and some Wisconsinites (and a few others) took to calling all drinking fountains bubblers, the way I and others call all disposable tissues Kleenex. I grew up in Janesville and learned it as bubbler. This link should show a photo of that style of Bubbler: There are some on the grounds of the Wisconsin Capital. Actually there's an article that claims to "debunk the myth" that Kohler Co. was the origin of the Bubbler. (I really have done way too much looking around the internet about this subject haha) Here's a snippet: The Internet abounds with reports that claim the bubbler is a trademarked name for a product designed in 1888 by a man named Harlan Huckleby who worked for Kohler Water Works, now Kohler Co. and that Kohler actually patented the invention and trademarked the name. As the story goes, the original bubbler shot water one inch straight into the air, creating the bubbling phenomenon that gave the product its name. Interesting story, but so very wrong. It is time to debunk the Kohler bubbler story. First, no evidence can be found of a company called the Kohler Water Works, and it certainly was not a predecessor of Kohler Co., which did not exist in its present form and location until about 1900. Kohler village did not exist until 1912 when it was incorporated. After consulting the archivist at Kohler Co. we find that the company has never claimed to having invented the bubbler, nor does it hold the patent. They’ve searched patent records and their own records to no avail. The same goes for the employee, Harlan Hucklebee. There is no record of Harlan working at Kohler Co. But the company does make great bubblers, producing white, enameled cast iron, pedestal drinking fountains since about 1900. Vitreous china pedestal and wall-hung fountains were first offered around 1927. These fixtures were fitted with brass valves described as continuous flow bubblers or bubbling valves. However, Kohler did not manufacture these brass pieces themselves until 1926. So, where did the urban myth begin? We may never know.

It's a baseball team, not a charity. The Brewers winning a championship isn't going to result in world peace and the end of disease and poverty. Look at the history of the franchise when it comes to spending big money on player contracts and temper expectations accordingly.

Chances are the discrepancy can be explained by pointing out he went from a lineup with very little protection to one with protection galore. Castellanos in his 100 games with Detroit still finished 1st in OPS (.790), his 11 HRs were 4 HR short of the team lead, had 10 more doubles than the next highest player and finished 2nd in total bases to Miggy who edged him out for 1st by only 10 bases with 110 more plate appearances. That entire Detroit offense was a world class stinker and he was their best player. I imagine opposing teams focused on trying not to let him beat them. He's a good ballplayer, I'm on board.

I had looked this up before and found it again, bubbler is used only in Wisconsin, Rhode Island and portions of Connecticut and Massachusetts including Boston. Weirdly the blog where I found the below image also stated they had respondents from a small area that included Sydney, Austraila that called them bubblers also.

My take is that if anyone has any confidence at all in Stearns then instead of being worried we should be really excited for the moves to come. This is a blank canvas, I'm not seeing the downside.

FanGraphs splits go back to 2002. During that time NL 7th hole hitters have posted league average wRC+ marks between 85 & 93. Last year it was 89. Manny's wRC+ the last three years has ranged from 86 to 95. That's good research. Thanks! And it offers some hope. I was dreading that bottom third of the lineup, but at least the Pina part is in line with others. Correct me if I'm wrong but it's still every NL club where the pitcher bats, correct? So that's 100% of NL bottom 3rds with a flaw. It also wouldn't shock me if there were other teams that had some combination of C, SS, P at the bottom of their lineups.

Cain? Assuming he is 2018 Cain? Cain's 2nd half 2019: .281/.350/.403 .753 OPS Cain's career OPS: .761 What are we worried about?

I think the Brewers can be just as successful rolling with Pina, and/or signing a more affordable catcher like Castro or D'Arnaud, and save millions upon millions of dollars while not having all that much of a drop off. Gambling a big long term contract on a 31 year old catcher just seems like a bad investment, there have to be better gambles out there at different positions.

Ah, you're right, that's what was getting fuddled up in my head. Thanks for setting me straight.

It's been awhile since I've heard the rules about what happens when a team's player gets selected in the Rule 5 draft, but if a team selected one of the Brewers' players, doesn't that mean they are able to protect 1 or 2 additional players? If so, that might also be part of the strategy. Say if the Brewers think a team will jump on taking Brown, they protect 2 more guys and in the back of their heads they make this gamble thinking there's a good chance Brown will end up being offered back to them because the claiming team might struggle to keep him on their MLB roster all season. That said, with the roster expansion to 26 players maybe it becomes easier for a team, especially with this being the first season under that rule they may figure they're used to only having a 25 man roster anyway.

A majority of their things, yeah. But for the category (cheap fast food), I have them with the best double cheeseburger (both full-size and the value menu), way better than McDonalds and edging out Wendy's and In-N-Out. And the Crossandwich - again, for the category - is way better than McDonalds' breakfast sandwiches. Burger King is best if you go during typical meal times, i.e. when they're busy. That way they are forced to cook fresh food for you. If you go at an off peak hour you're rolling the dice on getting pre-cooked, microwaved food. What's disturbing about this is in many of their restaurants you can see the people in the back making the food and watch them do exactly that. But they are cheap eats. If you were more concerned with getting a quality burger hopefully there's a Culver's nearby and you can pretty much bank on getting a great sandwich.

Probably Garza, Lohse and Suppan via free agency. Track record certainly hasn't been stellar there. Greinke was hit trade-wise, as was CC obviously. How does any Brewers fan not remember those guys??? Even signing Jhoulys Chacin wasn't exactly a sure thing when they took a shot on him as a free agent 2 seasons ago, it was modest at around 2 years $15M but still a risk.

I am really digging the home cream unis. Love those. The pinstriped version is really good too. The road grays are kinda meh, they're ok I don't hate them. I like that the city name is being used. I'm conflicted on the road navy jersey. By itself I like it, but when paired with the gray pants it isn't working as well for me. I don't hate it but it's a little jarring. It would be interesting to see it paired with cream or white pants instead (probably white would be better). The fonts are all good for me too, really liking the style. The secondary logos are fine, no problem with any of them. They're secondary logos for a reason, they're not really a focal point. Finally, the BiG logo. I was conflicted on the changes but I think I'm over whatever criticisms I had. Mostly didn't like the connected bridge for the M and B. The circle version of the logo looks a little off to me, mostly because I think it gives an impression of some of the elements being off center, but viewed by itself the BiG looks good. Not sure about using the gold background on the road caps but I don't hate it either. Overall I'm all for the changes and new fresh look. Those cream uniforms alone make it worthwhile to me.

Well, once he puts his Hancock on the contract anyway. His future is certainly looking Bright.