Ando Calrissian

I gotta say, I think this makes all the sense in the world.

To take a detour from the stats related posts in this thread.... I was at the game last night sitting in TR Box 418 R 1 and had a nice view down to the top step of the Brewers' dugout. For the most part Green hung out at on the top step all night, mostly chatting with Wilson, and had some serious ants in his pants. Dude could hardly sit still. Bending, stretching, swinging, stretching, talking, throwing, stretching. You could just tell the guy is thrilled to be in that dugout, literally still twitching with excitement. Patience, young Jedi, someday when you are convinced the skipper has forgotten you're on the roster, you'll be summoned upon to contribute - most likely, to sac bunt. If you do so successfully, you will endear yourself to the old man in perpetuity and be summarily praised for your burgeoning grittiness.

If McGehee draws a walk, he's not in scoring position for the 6th spot. He's also incredibly slow, so scoring from a double becomes unlikely. Also, I'm quite interested in the research that fluctuation in BA with RISP is most likely due to randomness. And I'm not sure what you mean by double-counting. It was argued that RBI's in this case aren't a telling stat because a player had more opportunities to drive in runs. I pulled up stats on that were an average performance per AB that a player did while having at least a player on second base. I don't think RBI's should be discounted in telling how well a player did, especially when they led the team. And yes, how he did last year statistically doesn't have all that much to do with how he's doing now, but I think a lot of people are discounting his season last year because he's been bad this year. It happened. He did good. Throw away RBI's, he still had a great year. Yes, he's not nearly as good of a player as Fielder or Braun, nobody's arguing that. Just because he had more RBI's than Fielder and Fielder's better doesn't mean you have to completely throw the stat away.They didn't completely throw the stat away, they just pointed out the holes in your logic regarding the statistics you choose to use for evaluation.

Fair enough, though Hardy did come with a load of buzz about his defese; was deemed as "major league ready" in that regard by the time he was in AA. Who knows how things would have progressed for Taylor (in the hype department) without that wrist surgery. I've been slightly dismayed by the media's (in my opinion) slighlty cynical reporting on Green's promotion. Seems like all the article's I've read (Haudricourt, McAlvy, and even Wagner from OnMilwaukee) have had a little sneer to their reporting aimed at fans' pining for Green's promotion. Speaking only for myself, I've wanted Green up for a while, but never have I thought he was the second coming of Braun or Fielder, only that McGehee had been so awful that giving someone else a shot was not a crazy idea at all. Anyhow, I've sensed some condesencion from the media towards the fanbase on this.

Green is nowhere near as accomplished of prospect as Fielder, Weeks, or Braun. Those guys were top prospects. Green is solid but Hardy is probably a better example. Escobar got the job in part because we was a good prospect and in part because Hardy was starting to cost more money. These scenarios are far different than Taylor Green and Casey. I dont think any of those were in the midst of a playoff race either. Hardy might be the closest comparison and he really struggled when first brought up. In saying all that I hope Green gets a start soon.Hardy struggled in large part because, following nearly a year off after a shoulder injury, he was promoted to Milwaukee with barely any AAA time. I get what you're tying to say, but it's not quite the same situation. For Green and Hardy's career paths to mirror each other, Geen would have needed to be in Milwaukee last year while still not over his wrist surgery. Yup, just checked, Hardy played all of 26 games at AAA. Looking back, it's remarkable how fast he moved through the system.

When will this be available?

Phils have 78 wins and we're 7.5 behind them.

If you call him up at this point though, you him for 6+ years of control rather than just a straight up 6 (if he made the roster out of spring training) and there's also little risk of him becoming a super 2.

At this point though, one's got to think that some of Melvin's aggressiveness is encouraged by Attanasio and his desire to win. Since Doug is the one making the moves he deserves the majority of the credit/blame; I just happen to think that Mark A. encourages it. To what degree is anyone's guess, but he encourages it none-the-less.Right, but when you've got a .500-something OPS, bad defense 3B at the MLB level, and a .950-ish OPS, better defense 3B/2B in AAA, you don't trade the AAA guy. They made a list of five players for the Mets to choose from, why couldn't it have been a list of four players not including Taylor Green? Plus, if the Mets haven't jumped on Green by now, the other players on the list must be as good as Green, so it certainly isn't the list of mid-tier, probably never make the majors prospects Melvin made it out to be. I hope Farris does something good in the majors, but he certainly isn't the one who earned the promotion. At this point, he's probably best served as a defensive replacement / pinch runner. We really need Weeks to heal quickly and hope one of our three terrible backup IF can get hot for two weeks. Wasn't really trying to stick up for Doug - I agree with your sentiment - just broadening the context. I hope Ferris succeeds and that we're all wrong about Green being on the list. Haven't wanted to be proven wrong this badly in a while.

At this point though, one's got to think that some of Melvin's aggressiveness is encouraged by Attanasio and his desire to win. Since Doug is the one making the moves he deserves the majority of the credit/blame; I just happen to think that Mark A. encourages it. To what degree is anyone's guess, but he encourages it none-the-less.

Green's got to be on the list. I'm so bummed right now.

Incredibly disappointing. Despite our position in the standings, I'm having such a hard time liking our team this year. I'm weary of manager speak and of unbelievable stubbornness. Gah.

Copacetic was great. I wish we'd had more time to hang out at Amnesia than we did, but it was a worthy stop. I was thrilled with how many places were brewing up bitter and that had multiple brews on cask. Good bitter and even IPA on cask might prevent me from being productive for days on end. So, so, good. Additionally, there seemed to be a fair amount of experimentation in blending base malts and hops from different styles. Amnesia did this - an all Maris Otter American IPA. I even remember someplace trying to do a pale ale with German hop varieties. Fun stuff. If I get the chance to return to Portland, I wouldn't go back to Rogue. I like a fair amount of their beer, but didn't appreciate that grimy tap room.

The thing that finally got me passed the tobacco habits I picked up in college was telling myself that the behavior has no longer acceptable as an adult. It's not like it was easy or anything, but I associated being tobacco free with wanting to turn a page in my life. I wanted that more than I wanted to satisfy the craving. I used to love cigars but I won't even let myself do that anymore. It's too easy to go from one stogie to a tin of Skoal a day. What's crazy is I now know that I'm in the best shape of my life and I can't get enough of it. Rather than kicking myself for lost years, I just run harder. No need to feel lazy, Doc. Take it one piece at a time, hold on to every freakin' accomplishment, celebrate it, and then move on to the next thing.

Elysian was good beer. Was really looking forward to the Diamond Knot per EDR's rec, but you know, I didn't love it. In the vast sea of great IPA's available there, I found to be good, not great. I was quite impressed with Boundary Bay's CDA (Cascadian Dark Ale). Hit all the right notes for me on what I'd imagine that brew should be like. As an aside, I think I discovered that the Pac NW might be the perfect context in which to enjoy a coffee porter or stout. There's just something that felt right about that style in that context. Gotta try and brew one up for the early fall.

The Gose was fantastic. They weren't just straight up sour/tart either, they'd been seasoned with salt and some other things. Anyway, they were a highlight. My absolute favorite brewery/brewpub of the trip was Cascade in Portland. From what I gathered they're only a couple years old, but I just found what they were aiming for to be impressive. In general, I noticed a trend towards specialization in brewers out west that we're not seeing in the midwest yet. Some places really went after English ales, others (like Cascade) had other things in mind. The Oatmeal Pale Ale was a real winner. Came come right away and brewed my own version of it (did an all Maris Otter English IPA w/ oats and nothing but EKG). As a general observation I was impressed with the experience in that rarely (if ever) did I try a brew there the brewer had just totally missed on the particular style they were aiming for. There's a great baseline of quality out there that some of our Milwaukee companies would do well to take note of.

Our trip started in Seattle. We headed east to Colfax (family reunion) and then down to Walla Walla. From there to Portland. From Portland to Seaside. From Seaside back to Seattle. We ate great food all over, gained a new appreciation for the amazing landscape of Eastern Washington and Oregon. Best meal of the trip is tough to say, but it might have been at Revel in Seattle's Fremont neighborhood. Alright, here's the beer list: Hale's Supergoose IPA Hale's Pale Ale Ninkasi Total Domination IPA Elysian Immortal IPA/ IPA on Cask (@ Stumbling Monks) Elysian ESB Elysian Raconteur Porter Elysian Red Alaskan Kolsch Boundary Bay CDA Anacoetes IPA Fremont Brewing Solstice IPA North Sound Brewing Bitter Rain ESB Diamond Knot IPA Russian River Pliny the Elder Stillwater Debutante Saison Upright Rye Ale Deschutes Inversion IPA Deschutes Twilight Summer Ale Deschutes Chainbreaker White IPA Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale Rainer Lager Olympia Palouse Falls Crimson Palouse Falls Spring Thaw HUB Rise up Red (on cask) HUB Evelyn's Imperial Sunshine HUB Seven Grain Survival Stout HUB Crosstown Pale Ale HUB Galactic Imperical Red Rogue YSB Rogue Double Dead Guy Rogue Dad's Little Helper Amnesia ESB Amnesia Dusty Trail Pale Ale Amnesia Copacetic IPA Walking Man Knuckle Dragger Pale Ale Cascade Spring Gose Cascade Summer Gose Cascade "The Vine" (2010) Cascade Apricot (2010) Cascade Sang Rouge (2010) Cascade Double Cherry (2011) Cascade Saison de Maison Lompoc C Note Imperial IPA Lompoc Strong Draft Lompoc Kick Axe Pale Laurelwood Brewing Motherlode Golden Ale Everybody's Brewing Common Ale Tug Boat ESB Tug Boat Golden Ale Tug Boat Chernobyl Stout Off the Rails OTM Stout Fort George Brewing Sunrise Oatmeal Pale Ale Fort George Brewing Vortex Widmer Citra Summer Ale Vertigo Friar Mike's IPA Fish Tail Leavenworth Dunkel Fish Tail Organic IPA Fish Tail Hodson's IPA Fish Tail Salmon Pale Ale Harmon ESB Harmon Belgian IPA Harmon Mt Takhoma Blonde Ale Mack 'n Jack's Amber

Am recently back from my trip to the PacNW. When I get some more time, I'll list the 70+ unique beers sampled on that excursion. What an awesome freaking time.

Played sports for years, but didn't pick up running as a specific discipline until last April in an effort to get back in shape. Was so tired of not living like I wanted to. Anyway, it's been a great year + of running (down 60+ lbs.) and I'm currently training for the Lakefront Marathon on 10/2. Put down 16 miles on Saturday for the first time ever; my lungs felt good, but my legs were pretty trashed at the end. Just figure my body is going to have to get used to those longer distances. My persoanl aim for the marathon is not about setting any kind of land speed record, but to enjoy myself so much that I want to do it again as soon as possible. In addition to completing the marathon, I really want to start adding trail running into my workouts.

I'm ready for Casey to be swapped out as much as anyone is, but it seems as though we're reliving one of those Yost moments when the "player's manager" gives the "good/hardworking/gritty battler/ whatever guy" an irrationally long time to get things right at the expense of the team. This is more excruciating even than the Turnbow affair as we've actually got a couple dudes that could arguably step up. I seem to recall that everytime Joe Maddon was asked about Roenicke this off-season the most repeated adjective he used was, "stubborn." I hear ya, Joe.

Well, yes. You left off Amnesia which every Brewmaster I've sat down and talked to speaks with reverence that is only rivaled only by foodies talking about Russian River. It's hard to get to, but the beer is worth the cab ride, 'tho everyone freely admits the food there is dodgy at best. Hopworks is a MUST also, and I'm a big fan of the Super Dog Red at Lucky Lab which is now on both sides of the river. Laurelwood has soldiered on after their original brewmaster left to found Hopworks, but his beers are still there and fantastic. Awesome info, guys. How about Seattle?

Haven't posted about homebrew for a while, so... Currently worked my way through a couple Dunkelweizens I brewed in early spring. The first one turned out ok, but the second I would certainly call a "good beer". It's not perfect yet, but is certainly on the way to being something I brew every year. Bottled a Kolsch last week. Brewed a California Common last week. American Barleywine will be fully carbonated tomorrow. Will sample a bottle right away and then put the rest of it away until Christmas. Planning brewing a Best Bitter this weekend. I'll work up a starter tomorrow AM and brew Saturday morning. I'm most excited about my Golden Strong Ale. Brewed it over a month ago and fermentation stalled due to cool basement temps. Roused the yeast, warmed the carboy, got the yeasties working hard again...and it's almost finished. Gravity was 1.016 last I checked. Aiming for 1.009. Tastes great already and that was a warm, uncarbonated sample from the hydrometer.

Thanks, TLB. Actually, I need your input also as I'm going to be able to fit Portland into the trip. So. Let's hear it!

I'll be visiting Seattle in July. I'd love to arrive with a "you've GOT to try this!" beer list in hand. I'd love to hear your suggestions.

I love brewing beer. 2:15 AM after a heckuva week and I can't think of anything I'd rather do. Even sleep. FWIW, the brew I'm tending is a Belgian Golden Strong Ale. OG 1.077 (hopefully).