Jim French Stepstool

Maybe it's because he's sandwiched between Quero & Dinges on the organizational ladder but It seems like Matthew Wood has been overlooked a little. I've liked him for quite a while & love the fall season he's turning in.

I thought the Rays had some luck when, in essence, Megill had to get five outs in the 9th (check swing, DP that was overturned) but still closed it out. I'd say Megill was much more gutsy than lucky. Yelich's ball could've been caught, but so could've the ball hit over Mitchells' head by Caminero. And Bauers' ball didn't lead to any more runs scoring. I think they won this game the way they've won countless games all season.

You usually see the 'A' BP guys stay in the pen when trailing during the regular season. I don't know enough about Cash; perhaps he extends that philosophy into the post season? Not sure how often his A guys have been used lately either (I only saw the ALCS sporadically). Yeah, I'd be surprised if he wasn't asked about it.

Good stuff (again😉). #3---Yes, it's the World Series. It's a play you need to make, and Mitchell is capable of making it. But very hard hit, right at you & over your head is an extremely tough combination. But all considered yes, it wasn't Mitchell's best game. #4---Miz is now at 195 innings. If the braintrust of this team was told in March that he'd throw that many this year, at best they'd be concerned & at worst they'd say the person telling them that was on drugs. Hopefully the arm has just a little more left #6---terrific point, but it was Bauers up after Chourio. Your point still stands though. #7---Yeah, that's 3 bases for Hamilton virtually always. Even with the stumble I think he makes it most of the time. But that 9-4-5 relay, dammit, it was textbook. And the out at 3rd for Misiorowskis' last out of the game, yeah. Thank you very, very much.

Yeah, that might be. But it can't be a strike. He whiffed on something low & away the previous AB, so maybe the 12-to-6 curve but keep it away.

I agree it probably doesn't happen. But the thought behind it is very solid.

My biggest quibble was a breaking ball to Simpson after getting to 0-2, would've liked to see 100 waist-to-letter high. But Contreras called the pitch; not Megill. Or you bury the breaker, but if you get contact it's a ground ball, and the way Simpson can run........

My first impression was that Chourio & Contreras are just such grown men on the big stage. But duh, we already knew that. From the neck up, I'm not sure Pratt is far behind. He didn't stuff the stat sheet but holy cow what a huge walk after falling behind in the count. Maybe Megill gets the biggest attaboy of all. I guess I'm exaggerating, but you get a DP grounder to end a World Series game, you're jubilant, you start to decompress. Then never mind, you have to go back to work. Oh and by the way, a single puts you behind. Then he throws one of the best breakers he's thrown all year to end it. Can't credit him enough. How's Simpsons' hammy going to feel tomorrow?

Let's not forget Romero was also included in the deal & he's been very effective in the postseason. But yes, that was an awfully high price.

My gut feeling is that they don't need to bribe him. From everything I've heard about him & seen on interviews, Woodruff seems to love everything about playing here, from the fans to the front office & his teammates right down to comfort level with the Wisconsin lifestyle. If there's anything left in the tank after '26 I believe he'll always prioritize staying here as long as the team is serious about wanting him. His being added is storybook stuff...........because he earned it.

Patrick might've indeed hit a wall. And maybe Harrison just came off a terrific week of work & has things figured out. Like I said, I'd have loved to see the workouts this past week. Re the L/R thing, yeah that's interesting. I wouldn't have believed it for a minute if I was told that both Patrick & Anderson would be sitting it out.

I would've loved to be a fly in the stadium this past week, getting to see the workouts, bullpens, scrimmage situations. However the series unfolds, Woodruff has obviously ramped up enough in recent weeks to give them reason to believe he can be Brandon Woodruff for a game, or possibly two. Three innings, or maybe four or five. That's all you need. If so, that trumps a lot of the other options. Just like with Hamilton, with Ortiz, even with Perkins, sentiment might be suspected but in the end, they've earned our trust. But like many, I didn't see it coming re Patrick being vulnerable. I'll say this, it never was a Patrick vs Senzatela thing. Senzatela was prioritized over him during the entire post-season.

Maybe, but that guarantees Henderson one start, and most likely only one other & then only if there's a 7th game. I think they stick with Misiorowski & Henderson for the first two.

I thought something might be up when they resisted naming a starter despite Rasmussen being available. And I think your theories as to the reasons behind it are spot-on.

I believe all prayers are answered. But sometimes the answer is no, and sometimes they're answered in ways we didn't expect. Yours is going to result in one beautiful experience. Savor every second.

They held volleyball practice on a Sunday? In the 80s? Serious stuff😉.

A few of the posters in this thread have apologized for rambling. But no one should apologize. When you're talking about a lifetime of sports memories, especially a sport like baseball, it's impossible not to ramble; it enriches the experience for all. So much good stuff here.

That's a tough one, but I wish you luck in trying to locate it. If you don't mind indulging me, it reminds me of a clip during a Tonite Show monologue from decades ago. There was a woman in the audience that had a very distinctive cackle, and at one point Johnny Carson looked out in the crowd & proclaimed "Lady, I love your laugh!!!!" Well, it was my wife's grandmother, and she's tried to narrow it down to find the clip, but not remembering the exact year has had little success, nor have I. Hope you have better luck, and welcome to Brewerfanatic.

The injunction has been granted for the players who were looking at getting the extra season of eligibility, which includes Braeden Carrington. Many expect the NCAA to appeal, but it's another hurdle cleared for Carrington & it looks pretty likely he'll be suiting up this year. It's a huge plus, but at the same time I feel for the part of the roster that is suddenly competing for minutes with someone who they didn't expect to be there---particularly Hayden Jones, Trey Autry & Jackson Ball. I'm guessing Carrington at this point has the inside track on Autry as the starting 2-guard.

Quinton Berry is someone who I would've liked to retain. I thought he could eventually slide over to the 3rd base box & I'm not surprised he did so in Chicago. But it obviously wasn't a crippling loss. I've been very impressed with the work Matt Erickson has done with the INF & coaching 3rd base. The man paid some lengthy dues.

If it happened I would expect it to be Henderson & a promotion. And I agree, it isn't overly concerning. Other teams not wanting your people, now THAT would be worrisome.

Given the performance of the pitching staff in 2026, what are the chances that the Brewers are able to retain both Hook & Henderson this off-season? I think it's gonna be real, real tough. It comes with the territory though, when you have this kind of success.

That's fantastic that you & your boy are heading here!!!! After the positive reaction to the watch party for game 4, I can all but guarantee you that Am Fam will be open for all the road WS games. If you're looking for an alternate experience I'd suggest one of the bars on Bluemound Rd near the stadium (if you do that, parking would be a mess so I'd suggest an Uber). I'm sure there are also places near the FiServ Forum that would be hopping, if you're staying downtown. But especially since your son is with you, the Am Fam watch party is definitely the way to go. If the weather cooperates, the zoo is really nice for a pregame or off day excursion. It's about 5 miles west of downtown.

The biggest negative defensively, by far. And it wasn't a ton of 3rd & five or less, either--UW had a lot of nice down & distance situations that they allowed conversions on.

I really dislike blaming officials, but tonite.........it's not really blaming them I guess, because UCLA was the better team & we probably lose anyway. But looking at missed calls both ways & questionable calls both ways, it's almost impossible to not make those guys a feature part of the story. I don't know what it is with west coast officials over the years, but tonite pretty much stood alone. It's almost as if they knew they missed stuff early, overcompensated, then overcompensated for the overcompensation. I thought the defense was extremely solid, especially since Dieffenbach had a pretty good game, not what you'd expect from a backup. Just a few too many penalties (legitimate ones) & poor discipline at inopportune times on both sides of the ball, reminiscent of Fickell's first couple of years. I'm sure all things considered Joseph is their best bet to win games. But he needs to mix in his running ability, and that wasn't there against a defense like UCLAs, and may not be in the next two either. I thought they ran the ball OK, but not well enough to open up passing opportunities to the extent that they need to. O-Line vs their front seven wasn't a favorable matchup. I'm sure I'm in the minority but I thought the punt with about 6 minutes left was the right call. Yes, they needed two scores. And yes, you're pretty much asking for a 3-and-out from UCLA, or a TO, muffed punt, etc. And while all those things were unlikely, I think they were a better bet than picking up a 4th & 9 play. I haven't seen all the B10 teams, but I have a hard time imagining a better group of LBs anywhere else in the league than UWs.