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brewers4eric

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Everything posted by brewers4eric

  1. brewers4eric
    The only thing I liked about the Metrodome was the cheap general admission ticket that came with a free pizza. I always left the dome with a stiff neck from the poor seating and sight lines and the prospect of sitting in traffic for more than an hour. Good riddance. I look forward to the opportunity to visit the new ballpark. A buddy of mine is buying a season ticket package and he has my name on the seats for when the Brewers are in town. Hopefully they kept the chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich vendor.
  2. brewers4eric
    It seems like a nice pickup to add some depth. I thought he was involved in a trade for David Wells a few years ago. I remember reading the Baseball America trade ticker and it went something like "Padres obtain Wells but pay dearly". Kottaras will either make the team in camp or get released. They picked up someone similar a few years ago, I think it was JD Closser. It was Braun's first spring camp and Closser and Braun put up about 7 rbis apiece in the first spring training game and the in game thread was running wild with Brewer fever. Closser was gone before the end of camp and we went with a Graffanino/Counsell platoon at third.
  3. brewers4eric
    Congratulations, the world needs more baseball fans.
  4. brewers4eric
    We took the kids to a clinic about three weeks ago. We prepped them pretty hard but they were running them into a room five at a time and once one kid started screaming and crying, the rest of the kids in the room and those waiting in the hall joined in. A trip to Dairy Queen for a banana split soothed everyone's nerves. They get the second half of the treatment in a couple of weeks.
  5. brewers4eric
    I was surprised that Craig wasn't shipped to a contender via a waiver wire exchange at the end of the 2009 season. I don't think he'll get a multi year deal from any team, but stranger things have happened. The number of plate appearances that Counsell gets is a pretty good barometer of the Brewers success. If he isn't playing, the rest of the infield is healthy and/or hitting, and he is on the bench.
  6. brewers4eric
    After reading the 18 page thread, I'm still undecided on the trade. I think it signals a change in the current Brewers hitting philosophy. The last couple of years, we seemed to try to put a power guy at every position (aside from catcher) and swing for the fences. Now it looks like we are putting some speed guys at a couple of positions and are hoping that they will get on base so that Fielder and Braun will hit more three run bombs than solo shots. Gomez may be a fine defensive player but it is impossible to play defense on a 450 foot blast given up by Looper. A move like this is probably just a precursor to something bigger that obtains pitching. If we couldn't get an arm for Hardy, it is going to take more talent to pry someone loose (some combination of Hart, Gamel, Salome, Lawrie). Brace yourselves for an interesting offseason. Best of luck to JJ. I actually would have been interested to see how his defense would play in the Metrodome for 81 games.
  7. brewers4eric
    My favorite Weathers memory during his first stint with the team was the late nineties opening day game with the rain delay. Our opening day starter was Rafael Roque and he only went a couple of innings. Weathers threw three or four innings after the rain and Sean Berry hit a home run to key the victory. I thought that we might have enough hitting that year to break the Molitor curse and win more than 81 games. Weathers has really had quite a career. It is amazing how long he has stuck around. I don't think I have a favorite memory during his second stint, but when he was with the Reds, I remember lurking around their bullpen and some Brewer fans were calling him "Tackleberry" from the Police Academy movies and I just about spilled my nachos from laughter.
  8. brewers4eric
    Most teams will utilize 8 starters and around 15 relievers over the course of a major league season. As the Brewers proved in 2009, the 12 pitchers that break camp with the team combine with another 10 or 11 that take an express flight from Milwaukee to Nashville during the summer. The rotation lacked quality at the front of it and depth at the back. If the Brewers have the same starting five in 2010 that began the rotation in 2009, it will signal a failure of the current focus of their offseason. We used nine starters this year, but at this point I think that Gallardo is the only lock for 2010. You've identified five solid contributors to the bullpen, but when you consider the amount of depth we'll need over the entire season, we are only half way there. It seemed like we struggled for years to identify starters to go along with Ben Sheets. It took years for guys like Wayne Franklin and Matt Kinney to be replaced by a star like CC Sabathia. The cycle seems to be repeating itself for 2010 with four question marks behind Gallardo.
  9. brewers4eric
    Rockies Before I joined Brewerfan, I was an occasional poster on the JS Online site. There was a regular poster at that site with a handle that inferred that he was a Braves fan from Atlanta. When Prince Fielder received his initial promotion he suggested that the Brewers were showcasing him as a DH to American League teams for a potential trade as they would be better off hanging on to Lyle Overbay. His suggestions for trade targets included Shea Hillenbrand and Aubrey Huff, as they were just the type of players to put us into the playoffs. I cite that post as one of the reasons I quit visiting the JS Online site, and the originator as one of the reasons that I cannot root for the Braves.
  10. brewers4eric
    I think you did a nice job on the analysis. Chris Narveson should get a note as this year's Gary Glover. Personally, I'm blaming part of our problems with the rotation on Chase Wright and Nick Green. Around spring training, they were expected to add needed depth to the starting rotation and their acquisition looked like a savvy move by Melvin. Due to injury or ineffectiveness, they didn't do enough in the minor leagues to even warrant a callup when they might have been needed. Our 2009 rotation didn't have enough talent at the front end, or depth at the back end. The bullpen did better than expected based on an outstanding closer, coupled with sporadic performances from the guys that were trying to get him the ball. The offense needs to improve on the on-base percentage so that we hit more three run homers than solo shots. Craig Counsell had an outstanding year, but I believe that an indicator of the team's success is based on the number of times that he doesn't start. When he is on the bench, it means that Weeks is healthy and we've found a long term answer for third base.
  11. brewers4eric
    I can recall making the 3 hour trip to Miller Park back in 2002 to watch Vladimir Guerrero launch shots off of Rueben Quevado. That was the low point of my 31 year career of watching the Brewers. I thought about how low the club had sunk since 1978, when Paul Molitor appeared at the top of the lineup. Joining this site has taught me to appreciate each level of the franchise. When the major league team stumbles, I try to find something good within the minor league section of this forum. I'll recommend the article on Mike Jones and Mark Rogers for anyone that watched the three game disaster against the Pirates. I'm making the annual trip to Milwaukee next week. A friend from work has never been there before and he needs a dose of tailgaiting and cactus league nachos to convert from a casual baseball fan to a serious Brewers fan. For me, I need to enjoy a day off from work while Braun and Fielder are together in the lineup. That won't last forever, enjoy it while you can.
  12. brewers4eric
    Congratulations. I remember taking my daughter to her first game at Miller Park. We had stopped at Oconomowoc for lunch and she devoured an entire jar of peaches. Shortly after we parked the car by the stadium she lost them all over her Brewers jumper and her car seat. We spent the first two innings cleaning things up. The Brewers beat Detroit on a Rickie Weeks shot off of Joel Zumaya. Chris Barnwell had a pinch hit. She is four now and got ticked at me last week when I went to a game and she had to stay home. My two year old son admires the baseball cards on display above his changing table. Gorman Thomas seems to be his favorite.
  13. brewers4eric
    I'll add a recommendation for a comic book series. "Astro City" was one of my favorite reads.
  14. brewers4eric
    I've worked in a state government agency for over ten years. The staff meeting scene where they were discussing the proper coding of timesheets gave me flashbacks. The cover page for my monthly reports has also undergone several revisions over the years. One of my coworkers retired after 34 years of service last year. I loaned him my copy of the movie and he commented that he could recall when government catalogs switched the brand of staplers that they carried to one that he didn't like. As a side note, I met Ron Livingston's (Peter) sister. She was a co-anchor at Channel 8 in LaCrosse with a friend of mine from college.
  15. brewers4eric
    It will be interesting to see how the team reacts to bean balls over the rest of the season. Given the incidents with the Pirates this year, and the critical games with the Cardinals in September, things could be very interesting. It always seems like the key is to strike the first blow and avoid the ejections and suspensions that ensue. When the Cardinals come to town, we need to put Seth McClung on the mound so that he can nail Larussa when the lineup cards are exchanged.
  16. brewers4eric
    Last night's game reminded me of a game I attended against the Expos back in 2002. Ruben Quevado started and it was over by the third inning. Vlad Guerrero made a mockery of any pitcher we put on the mound. The shot that he hit off of Mike DeJean is scheduled for reentry into the earth's atmosphere sometime next year. The date was August 9, 2002, and I consider it one of the low points of the franchise. We've come a long way since then, but a game like last night is a sad reminder of how bad it can get.
  17. brewers4eric
    If I took a guess on the player most likely to be traded in the short term, I would say Craig Counsell. Any of the contenders could use his defensive skills at the end of the bench, plus he has more than his share of playoff experience. I wouldn't see it happening until after the trade deadline as a waiver wire transaction, and it wouldn't net anyone more interesting than a Maxim St. Pierre type player. We've got more than our share of backup infielders. Melvin has typically contended that the best trades are made in the offseason, so I don't really see the Brewers trading a shortstop for pitching until the winter meetings, unless an interesting nugget becomes available on the waiver wire in September.
  18. brewers4eric
    As Brewer fans, I think we all got a little bit spoiled when Braun was promoted and started knocking the baseball all over the park within a couple of weeks. The hype for Gamel was similar; he showed flashes, but he's got some things to work on in Nashville. In the meantime, we've got three or four other options for third base until he gets called back in September or earlier. I have my doubts that Felipe Lopez is going to lead this team to the playoffs. The Brewers live and die by the three run homer, so inserting him into the top of the lineup might give Braun and Fielder a chance to hit a few more of them, as opposed to their chances with Counsell at the top of the order.
  19. brewers4eric
    The 2009 Brewers are still built for the three run homer. With my simplified perspective, we just haven't hit enough of them to make up for the lack of depth in our rotation. Braun and Fielder have been solid, but the rest of the lineup has been inconsistent or just bad. We need some three run jacks from Hart and Hardy to make up for what we lost when Weeks went down and Hall disappeared. This year, we don't have Russell Branyan at Nashville to call up and inject a hot streak into the team. We all got spoiled when Braun got called up and started knocking in runs immediately, I was hoping for more of the same when Gamel got the call. The solution to our problems, past, present, and future, will always be our scouting department and minor league system. It gave us the pieces to pull off the Sabathia trade that put us in the playoffs last year. While I've been following the Brewers since 1978, we've been out of the race in May so many times that I don't know whether or not we should empty out the farm system in order to get the pieces that we need for the stretch run. This team currently has so many holes that my gut tells me that we just don't have enough to hedge the future. At any rate, we are a long way from where we were when guys like Collier, Ginter, and Rushford were on the top of our lineup card and we were on our way to a 106 loss season. The franchise has come a long way in 7 years.
  20. brewers4eric
    There was a similar thread one time where someone was looking for a cat name and "Winkelsas" was suggested. If the dog is wild and doesn't exhibit much control, I would suggest "Mabeus" or "Nomura".
  21. brewers4eric
    The Bichette for Reimer trade gets my vote for the worst in Brewers history. The Bando administration made some poor choices on the players to protect in the expansion drafts. I always thought that Darren Holmes had some nasty breaking stuff and I couldn't understand why that protected James Austin and lost Holmes. Troy O'Leary was cut loose at a time when the Brewers didn't have much outfield talent. He developed some power with other teams and usually torched the Brewers during his short career.
  22. brewers4eric
    I replaced my deck last year. A friend of mine directed me to a Timber Tech website. You can develop a plan and materials list with a free software download. It will also give you an idea of the colors of composite material that are available. Once you have your materials list, you can do some cost comparisons. Most Menards stores provide you with access to similar software within the store, but you will pay for the final design plans. In my case, I priced the composite lumber and got a case of sticker shock. I liked the maintenance free concept, but wasn't ready to shell out the dough. I'll be staining my deck annually. Plus, if I get frustrated with a Brewers loss, I have the option of ripping the deck apart piece by piece and burning it in my driveway.
  23. brewers4eric
    1. Go to every class, every day. You are paying for it. Get up in time for breakfast every day. 2. Don't be afraid to change majors. 3. Take advantage of opportunities for internships or other work experience within your chosen area of study. 4. Identify a place to lock up or hide your valuables. I lived next to a thief for a semester. He was the same guy that had never heard of Paul Molitor. 5. Take advantage of the entertainment options. I'm still kicking myself for missing a pre-release screening of "The Naked Gun" and interactive presentation by Leslie Nielsen. 6. Skip the video games. I was pretty good at "Double Dribble" on the original Nintendo, but I've never used it on my resume.
  24. brewers4eric
    Counsell is a nice fill in for a couple of games a week, but I don't think he is the long term solution that we need. Hall played a couple of games at second last year and he looked like he was lost. Iribarren will get quite a bit of scrutiny and will need to produce if he does receive a promotion. My feeling is that the Brewers will be looking outside of the organization for a replacement.
  25. brewers4eric
    I remember this happening, mostly because of a photo of the incident. The photo featured Robin Yount being restrained as he was ejected from the game.
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