HarveysWBs

Ok, I’ll bite: explain the love for Pollock. By my estimation, he’s never been the same since he broke his arm a few years ago. He’s an above-average defender, granted, but his bat is basically what we’re getting from Braun, and I’d even argue that when Braun is rolling, he’s clearly better than what you’re likely to get from Pollock offensively. Do we really need this addition when we already have plus-plus defense from CF and plus defense from Yelich enabling us to cover for Braun anyway? What am I missing?

Whoa, that is pretty much the absolute summit of his ceiling. The dude just wrapped up a .272 campaign at AA, though, so let’s pump the brakes a bit. I love the guy’s potential, too, but I think there could be some serious stockbroker on Black Monday levels of disappointment from some corners if he pans out as merely an above-average hitter at this point. Has everyone already forgotten the saga of Rickie Weeks? Can we at least let the poor kid get some more time in the high minors before we throw him a Roman triumph? He isn’t Vlad Jr. or anything.

https://www.theringer.com/platform/amp/mlb/2018/10/26/18026098/world-series-dave-roberts-pitcher-hitter-matchup-decisions?__twitter_impression=true This article is an interesting read about the knowledge problem for observers of baseball these days. I thought about this as I started getting caught up on this board so far. I, like most people here, assumed that DJ was a driving force behind the unexpected success of the pitching staff as a whole. The general notion that pitching coaches make a huge impact has been a major narrative in baseball for a while (and one that I’ve personally been a believer in since watching the Cardinals pitchers seemingly be transmutated into gold by Dave Duncan). But what if that narrative, like the “pitching staffs need starters to go deep all the time” narrative, is wrong? And either way, how would we be able to tell? Can we, as fans, tell the difference between coaching-based improvements and analytics-based improvements? And in a situation like this, where a coach has departed for another team, how can we tell if the reasons were personal, professional, monetary, strategic, none of the above, or some combination? As the Bard wrote, “men may construe things after their fashion,” and we all may as well be reading entrails here. For what it’s worth, someone with a much deeper connection to the figures involved than any of us (Tom Haudricourt) seems to believe the offer from Cincinnati was just head and shoulders above where the Brewers wanted to go, and at some point, the Brewers probably had to have a ceiling, which these negotiations may very well have exceeded. What if it’s that simple? At the end of the day, our knowledge problem still exists. The people with the most information and the most skin in the game made a decision. Because it wasn’t what outsiders like us necessarily expected, we instinctively fear the worst, but I’m not sure we have much reason to be worried at this point. After all, many people worried when we only added Chacín and Miley to the rotation last off-season, and look who was left standing at the biggest moments of the NLCS? Long story short: is DJ leaving bad news for the Brewers? Maybe: http://gemsofknowledge.com/parables/maybe-taoist-story/

Go get Realmuto and Goldschmidt and win the whole thing. (half blue) 1. Cain- CF 2. Yelich- RF 3. Goldschmidt- 1B 4. Realmuto- C 5. Shaw- 3B 6. Braun- LF 7. Hiura- 2B 8. Arcia- SS I love your (admittedly “half-blue) enthusiasm, but how exactly you think acquiring both Goldy and Realmuto while hanging onto Hiura would be possible sounds like a humdinger of a story. Make that a tragedy, since we’d have to watch all of our young arms (Burnes, Peralta, Woodruff) pitch in other uniforms for the better part of the next decade. Don’t get me wrong, the Crew needs another impact bat or two to really have a good shot at a title, but eliminating one of the team’s core strengths (really THE core strength, besides defense) to fix the offense seems like a lateral move.

Gute is clearly embarking on a “soft rebuild.” Of course, they’ll never detonate the whole foundation while 12 is still around, but he knows the team isn’t close this year, and I think he gave MM until the deadline to right the ship, but now it was time to get some draft capital. The 2019 draft is going to be critical, and there are a lot of bullets in the magazine for Gute (10 picks, 6 in the first four rounds) to make a huge injection of talent. This also highlights the miserable failure of the 2015 draft, which, more than just about anything else, explains why the Packers are adrift right now. Of that class, only Jake Ryan is left (and, of course, on IR).

If your interpretation is correct, then it’s hard to see why he would be kept on roster going forward. I don’t like calling for people’s jobs, and nobody deserves to be hated like Brian “Buckner” Bostick, but that’s inexcusable. What a snakebitten tenure for Ty Montgomery in Green Bay. Promising athlete and reputation as a willing and intelligent player as a rookie, left with no position after switching positions in good faith due to roster construction shortcomings, suffering an endless string of injuries and now that horrible play to smother a comeback in a huge road contest. What a sad story.

I’m agnostic on the McCarthy question. I think they could do a whole lot worse, but I’m concerned about the message and scheme getting stale. I think he clearly had the team ready to play a heck of a game today, so there are flashes, but I wonder if he’s clearly falling behind in terms of offensive innovation. Fresh blood offensively could rejuvenate Rodgers (who, I should clarify, is by no means playing poorly this year, but isn’t quite MVP-esque). The question is, who do they get to replace him? Lincoln Riley of Oklahoma? John DeFilippo of the Vikings? Those are oft-discussed “next big thing” types, but are they ready to run a team? We may go hunting for a wunderkind, and find we’ve underestimated MM’s ability to build a cohesive unit and hold a locker room of egos and man-children together. I agree that Gute probably wants “his guy,” I’m just wondering who he has in mind. He better choose wisely, because it may be the last coach Rodgers ever gets.

I’ve loved talking Brewers with you guys this year, everyone. Hell of a season on the field, and at brewerfan.net. I think I’ll be taking some time away from the game, but look forward to some hot stove talk in a while. Thanks for the stimulating conversations. Keep the faith.

Well, the Royals did it. I think if the only thing that makes being a Brewer fan worth it is a World Series, then baseball will be an unsatisfying pursuit. This is a really good point. Enjoy when they do this well, because it won't happen consistently. This is the furthest they've made it in my lifetime and I've loved it. I’ve loved this whole season, too. But winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing (in sports).

I want to believe championships can be won in Milwaukee. I want to believe you don’t have to spend 200 million, or tank for three seasons, or do both (Cubs, Astro’s!) to be a great team. It feels like I’ve dreamed a dream.

Well, he’ll be trying to get 6 outs. Baez and Kershaw are some darn good fallback options for Roberts. It isn’t impossible, but man, the road is steep.

Have yourself a series, Orlando. Man, I wish the big boys would have rallied to your standard.

I hope you are right and this isn't a big season to remember. The only way that happens if if this team makes multiple playoff appearances and World Series appearances in the next 5-6 years. If that doesn't happen, I sure as heck am going to remember this as a great season regardless of what happens tonight. This season has been the most fun I've even had watching this team. Well said. It’s hard to think about now, but you’re right. Best season I’ve ever seen.

I’m unavoidably on the road tonight, so only listening by radio. I’m glad I won’t be tempted to watch the Dodgers have their moment in Miller. I’m sick just thinking about it.

This! I hope the crowd stays and cheers on the Brewers until an hour after the game. These guys deserve it, whatever happens! Yes, indeed! Perhaps, when all is said and done, Braun was our Faustian bargain?

Yup, and who knows when we will ever get this close again. Hopefully before my 2 year old graduates college. Yeah, we have a three year old and a 9-month old, and they’re both too young to even appreciate what this team has done this year. I live in an area surrounded by Cubs and Cardinals fans. I’m in constant fear the Crew will slip back into oblivion and I’ll lose my sons to the heathen teams. The clouds darken on the horizon.

I have nothing good to say, so like my momma taught me, I’m not going to say anything at all

I’ve been understanding of virtually all CC’s decisions this postseason, but I agree, that one is curious

Man we need a Santana shot

Hader got 9. Cant ask for much more, with velocity declining. Next man up, and let’s go bats!

Man. This is a mystery up there with big foot and lock ness. I will never understand why you choose to play a bad player in place of a decent one. Probably has to do with how he handles the pitchers. Heck, in this day and age, it could be because of Piña’s swing path and pitching angles from the Dodgers starters. Who knows.

Sounds like this may be a moot point

Lead off walk. No bueno

Suddenly, I’m not so interested in having Moustakas back

Ugh, sad. Aguilar is overmatched most of the time this series