Joseph Zarr

I don't think calling him Jeff Janis is an insult. He's a field stretching TE. I simply want the Packers to use him to his strengths and it appears they are starting to do that more frequently. I thought that was his best game as a Packer.

I saw it move after he went to the ground but that was when the ball moved on his body. Perhaps it indeed moved or hit the ground to bounce back to that position? But, yeah, I guess not enough looks at it.

A day after and I'm still in disbelief they overturned Williams INT and Musgrave's grab. Was there any shred of real concrete evidence either ball in fact hit the ground? It's encouraging to see the coaching staff now sending Musgrave on these deeper routes more often. It is his specialty. It is where he can really impact games. That catch was incredible and I still believe that was a catch. Am I just missing it?

Both Made and Pena appear to offer quite a bit more projectable offensive potency than Pratt - especially when we factor in age with the output. According to Ben Badler of Baseball America, scouts are fairly divided on Pratt as a whole and especially when it comes to his bat. His defense, as a whole at SS, is largely considered his calling card to MLB ascendancy and the bat remains a mystery - tho, we do obviously see pull power from time-to-time it just isn't consistent nor is the hard contact consistent in any lasting manner as of now. Could he go the route of Turang in that regard? Sure. How likely that is is unknown. What's funny to me is I came into the 2025 season (and throughout the first 1.5 months) with Pratt as my clear SS #1 in the system. I made some outlandish statements overlooking Made's youth and over focusing on his rough edges and mental mistakes. Not a good look for me but I certainly learned to not look the prospect gift horse in the mouth, so to speak. It's important to remain open to possibilities while also understanding age implications not to mention the immensely long breadth of a baseball season. By season's end ,Made had leapfrogged Pratt for me. He's just a different level of human. IF Made can dial in the erratic throws across the diamond (he absolutely has the arm), he offers an entirely different level of athleticism and agility to the position. He really made some unbelievably athletic plays there as his season progressed. I think it's unrealistic to expect all three of Made/Pena/Pratt to achieve everyday MLB duties. Is it possible? Sure. Is it likely? I think not. I personally think Pena's best position down the line is likely 3B - cannon arm, uber athletic, incredible bat-to-ball profile, while limiting his range responsibilities and hopefully minimizing those uncomfortable moments (I personally don't think defense comes natural to him). Regardless, of the three Made is only the clear 'untouchable' prospect by my eyes. He is a crowned jewel. This being said, thankfully, the Brewers aren't in a position where they need to move on from any of the three. I personally hope they play this out as long as they can to continue discovering what untapped levels of play these talented three can reach. Given the nature of Made's bat, tho, he is on a fast track to the 40-Man. His bat and his switch-hitting profile is on another level and it has actually improved its impact with each successive promotion. He's different in all the best ways.

Always great to beat the Bears. Officials blowing calls repeatedly (what's new?) and refusing to call a single holding call is something. McManus kick off brain farts and execution blunders are a real problem. Touchbacks happen way too frequently. That kick out of bounds after responding with the TD to go up 10 (I think?) was just all sorts of face palm. Anywho, always great to beat the Cubs.

Old friend, OF Ben Gamel, gets another opportunity to try and get back on an MLB roster after an injury filled (albeit impactful) 2025:

RIP Elden Campbell. Man, what a tragic freakish medical event and terminal result. Ugh. I feel for His family and close Ones. I fondly remember watching him on the Lakers and those Hornets squads. Even won a ring with one of those Pistons teams.

The obvious target with this current absolutely electric Bucks backcourt is SF Jalen Johnson of the Hawks. Absolutely not Trae Young - those proposed trades at ESPN were predictably nauseating. You get a Johnson plus one additional young meaningful player and premium draft picks then you are trending toward exciting young basketball. This is Giannis we are talking about. This is not a fore sale for crying out loud. From there, develop the timeline to blow up the FO and coaching staff. New visions to grow a young nucleus. Can not have Horts and Doc in the fold at the draft. At all. As I said previously, I am prepared for the Bucks to absolutely underwhelm.

And so it begins... Or, according to Windy, so it continues... Sighs. It feels like just yesterday our young Buckaroo was just tasting smoothies and frozen yogurt for the first time! As stated above, I fully anticipate the Bucks to absolutely scree the pooch on compensation. Holding iut the slimmest amount of hope they get the sweetheart Mavs Doncic deal. Can not for the life of me, however, believe there is a world whereby the Bucks ship off the Legendary HOF Once in a Lifetime G-Man while keeping a roster with Kooooooooz and Bobby. And, alas, here we are. I got Horts n Haslam all up in muh Bucks life!😅

BUMP: Ponce signs for a 3 yr/$30M USD fully guaranteed contract. Cash in, young man! (31 is indeed young to this middle aged farmer. What a career move for Him!

I would love to know what the SLG and general HR numbers were at Knoxville. First year for the Smokies in that new stadium and recall the announcers repeatedly saying how power hitter unfriendly their new Home stadium was proving to be. Made Burke's power surge there all that more impressive.

TE Luke Musgrave's ability to immediately fall down upon any amount of physical contact is truly a sight to behold. This 'block' is amazing. If he were just a touch more physical...as he is? Man. Just man.

I remember that quite well. I agree on your overall sentiments of the multi-faceted manner of trying to assess an MLB draft and we know the Brewers love strategizing their Bonus Pool monies in real time. It certainly isn't an exact science. When it comes to Payne, specifically, I only want two things for Him next year: (1) Consistent health and GP (2) A comfortable and healthy looking swing I feel like last season was quite challenging to judge objectively and I almost toss it aside. He suffered some truly bizarre and unfortunate injuries. Started out on par with others in that red hit opening month. The injuries piled up. He struggled finding his purest swing throughout by my eyes. If he can stay healthy amd then find that swing identity consistently he's back meaningfully in the LT picture. We have the time given his age and his relative inexperience. And, I personally don't think we have a single reason to doubt his work ethic and commitment - it's a big plus attribute. I'm hoping for bug bounce back performances from both he and Bitonti. Both young men who truly care - and maybe, at times, so much they press and lose themselves. Hopefully with maturity they can fine tune thatz

Agreed. Lara's defense is Turang 2B level but for a much more premium position. He is legitimately a highlight reel on a game-by-game basis. He has just as good an arm as Frelick too. He just turned 21 (11/17) swiped 44 bags. Has a very good OPS for a 20-year-old in the OPS maligned Southern League. Has a very disciplined BB:K ratio. Switch Hits. There is no Brewers world I live in where I don't view Him as, in the very least, a meaningful rotational OF member on the MLB club. AND, we know Pat Murphy absolutely loves Him - and for very good reason. He positively impacts the game in many many ways. With an org placing such an emphasis on plus defense, we could quite easily argue he is the best pure defender in the entire system.

Which also wasn't all that long ago. Amazing time to be a fan of the Brewers organization - definitively, for me at least, just not really solely focused on the MLB team. That's the eye candy high-paying fruit for fans - we all obviously love the MLB Brewers and hope for that World Series opportunity (or opportunities) - but what they are doing on an organizational level is absurdly impressive and simply deserves our admiration and appreciation. They just lost some pitching coaches and coaches who brought their career journeys elsewhere for new opportunities. Will they promote within? Promote within and hire from elsewhere? I expect Arnold and his greater staff to keep humming along with their incredible systems in place - finding more talent to add in to their current and extant mix of managerial and coaching talent. We are in the Golden era as nerds. It is incredible.

Well, he did delete all tweets dating back to 2021 after last night's debacle in Capita(c)l(e). He is listed as an 'NBA Level Athlete' - I don't really visit twitter at all but a small bit during the MiLB season. Did he always list himself this way? I think the NBA higher ups made it quite clear with the way they've manipulated the whistle of Bucks opponents this season: you may not like it but we need you in a bigger market to close your career. All the groundwork was laid by Shams in the off-season. This is blatantly obvious and the NBA knows they have Haslam and Horts to screw anything and everything up beyond Hort's ability to find meaningful fringe FA and UDFA roster additions. SO, given that this certainly appears to be the way this is headed - Bucks paying three coaches and employing the worst HC and coaching staff (very arguably) in the NBA - while completely fumbling Giannis' late years as a Buck driving Him to request a trade, I have to lean on Horts and his general incompetence (certainly his lack of autonomy to execute GM duties - I think we all know he has stayed as long as he has because he is a consummate 'Yes' man fall guy personality). The team I keep hearing that matches up best is Atlanta - their young assets and their draft capital. The obvious headliner would be Jalen Johnson and some premium draft capital. Given this, I can't help but think Horts will do right by his aging superstar and headline around Kennard and Porzingis and a handful of second rounders. Feels on brand. Maybe then sign Glenn to a three year extension to give Him a chance fight for that coveted play-in scenario? Spit balling here. Either way, I'll be extremely happy for Giannis if he can find a workable scenario giving him another chance at rings. This organization never deserved his amazingness but man did we luck out and he gave us fans an unlikely Championship ring - never ever thought I'd see that day in my lifetime - and did he give his heart and Soul as a representative of the city. I fully expect the Bucks and their higher ups to absolutely undoubtedly fumble this entire situation magnificently. Never. Trust. The. Bucks. I have clearly thrown in the towel. 😅 Here I was just hoping and praying we could get Buy-Out Khash back in the fold for a run...Glenn can't even manage that. Good god he is such a tragically bad NBA basketball coach.

UPDATE: Spencer and I intend to record episode #1 next week Thursday (12/11). As per last year, episode one will be the full macro run down of affiliate season results; releases and trades; any ML free agent signings; brief Rule 5 recap, and then zeroing in specifically on the adSL/ACL squads and seasons etc. I'd say "We'll try to keep it short and sweet..." but, let's be real: this will likely be our longest episode.😅

Hey now, Mr. Ray! Just a few years after his first opportunity coaching at the Cubs' Low-A affiliate (Myrtle Beach - Carolina League) and after a season as the Cubs' ACL manager and system base running coordinator, old friend OF Corey Ray is now an MLB coach!

Well, that still may happen right? They opened up One spot today and they'll IR Wyatt to open another:

Oh it gets a little more enticing, even. They activated hyper athlete blitz specialist in rookie LB Collin Oliver too:

Neat. Just hope both can stay healthy. They both offer unique explosiveness.

Well, it certainly appears there is very strong( and multiple) interest in one MLB returning RHP Cody Ponce. Lengthy write-up HERE (discussing his velo bump to 94-96 avg touching 98 as well as kick change and splitter adds). Of note, is his likely massive incoming pay bump: 😯

KPJ has returned to the basketball court in the Bucks starting line-up. Was absolutely not expecting that so soon! Let's hope they can start winning some games again.

The Bears run game has become Johnson's opus this season as he's recognized Williams massive step back and drop inefficiencies. He has the O-Line for it and they've made a living out of ground and pound with pre snap movements and PA/roll outs. They are a well oiled running machine right now. It's a game where the Packers are going to need to drill and adhere to disciplined lane assignments - no wandering eyes with all the movement eye candy and Edge defenders holding stout. They'll need Edge to lower his missed tackles; a healthy Quay (here's hoping) or one of those stalwart McDuffie games he absolutely showcases, the same rising star in Evan Williams to keep showing out, and a game of games from Bullard. I have no idea how they'll strategize replacing Wyatt but I have to think they'll be giving Stackhouse reps early to see if he can hold up and impact their run game in any manner - I don't know tho as the Bears O-Line often moves as a wall as their TE's burst through untouched to second level defenders. Not an ideal game One after losing Wyatt for the season that is for sure. It will be very interesting to see what Hafley and his stuff lean into. As an aside, this was a very fun watch and more validation for MLF the play caller and quick study. Fantastic multiple attack concepts for a flaw they surely saw in the Detroit/Giants game: Very encouraging stuff. We can only hope we see similar impact and results next weekend.

Any fan of the Packers/Beers historic rivalry has to Love this opportunity. Ben Johnson's opening introductory presser comments will surely be good bulletin material for the Packers locker room. The loss of Wyatt feels fairly large for this One with the Bears coming off 300 plus ground yards at Philly. That is an absolute ground game whooping..