Invader3K

I've flown Allegiant from Rockford to Las Vegas before, and it was great. The flights are not fancy, like you said, but they are comfortable enough. Rockford Airport is also nice and about as hassle free as it gets for an airport. Edit: One more question: Any idea when spring training will be wrapping up this year? I know MLB hasn't released next season's schedule yet, but I'd like to have a rough idea of when spring training is going to be ending. Thanks.

Am I watching the game on the Dumont Network? HAW! Good one. (Even if it is recycled from Family Guy).

Well, he's only 22, but his stats look like garbage this season. Maybe Boston isn't the ideal trading partner.

What does Hugh Hefner have to do with this? But I digress... You are right that trading Prince leaves a sizable gap in the lineup, and that is partly why I keep waffling on this issue. I hate the idea of trading him because of his potent offense, and part of me thinks Melvin should say "Damn conventions!" and keep him until free agency and take the draft picks. But that is probably not the smart move if we are to take lessons from this past June's draft, and also trades of Johan Santana and the like. It really sucks that the Brewers' hand is being forced to do anything about this. I suppose if I was the Brewers GM, I would be incredibly blunt with Scott Boras and ask "What would it take to keep Prince beyond 2011?" Assuming then that Boras would stonewall or make some outrageous demand (I would be sure to leak all this to the media), I would trade Prince for the best available package, and then blast Boras indirectly in the media. But that's probably why I am not a baseball GM.

I'd bid again like last time, but it's been a rough summer (household improvements and other boring non-Brewers stuff). Hope someone steps up, as these are real "dream seats."

Died after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Didn't care for his movies, but it sucks he died so relatively young. RIP.

Game is on the usual FS-Wisconsin channel here on Charter, but the picture is notably sub-par tonight.

Still no Gamel. Go figure. Can't we try him in RF for one game, please?

Right, that's the thing. Fielder is worth about four to five very good AAA level players at this point. It's just hard to imagine any team being willing to give up that much for one player. That's the kind of deal Melvin has to demand though. If teams just want to trade one pitcher (no matter how good) and maybe one throw in guy, he needs to hang up the phone. Edit: Just read this on MLB Trade Rumors and had to share. From a Red Sox fan (of course): "What if we let Bay walk and trade for Braun instead?" They really have no clue out there, do they? They seem to just think almost all of MLB is one big feeder system for them and the Yankees. It makes me sick.

The thing is, I have to believe some of the Brewers players probably carry grudges against Tony LaRussa for past encounters. I wonder if he'd really be so eager to walk into the locker room and have to say to someone like Prince Fielder, "Hey, sorry about the bean ball wars in the past."

I like the idea someone had where they should have separate ROY awards for pitching and position players. Seems like it would bring a lot more clarity to the voting process, as it's just so hard to compare pitchers and hitters. Basically it's like debating apples and oranges. That said, yes, I would trade McGehee for Hanson. I'd probably trade Gamel or maybe even Escobar for him too, but that's just because we need starting pitching so badly at this point.

"We could afford to keep him around, we will choose not to because he most likely will be a DH before the end of his first big contract. " Define "afford." I'm sure the Brewers could have "afforded" to pay CC Sabathia that $160 million contract, but we all know damn well it would have probably wrecked the club in the long run. We also all know when 2011 rolls around, the Brewers could offer Fielder a HUGE record setting contract, and some stupid big market club will go out and offer something insanely higher that the Brewers can't hope to match. So the issue of "affording" him isn't really the question here. It's the problem that big market clubs can overspend to lure guys away, and offer money teams like Milwaukee can't hope to match. That's what is so screwed up in baseball. Like AJAY said earlier in this thread, it sucks because we can't even truly enjoy a guy like Fielder on our team...we all know he will be gone in two years, so why get too emotionally attached? It is completely asinine that we get shafted like this, but so many fans just grin and bear it. Or we turn around and blame an owner who has reinvested in the club, the park, the draft, paid players more money than the old owner, etc. It's not his fault. It's not really Melvin's fault either, because he and other small market GMs have to walk a razor thin line. They have to make every perfect move, all the time, or they are screwed. One or two bad contracts can completely straight jacket him from making future moves, like the Suppan and Hall deals. It sucks. I love the idea of a salary floor AND a cap. It would even things out tremendously. I just don't think it will ever happen due to the player's union having way too much leverage.

I think that's the best way to approach this situation. The Brewers don't have the luxury of being too choosy in who they want to deal at this point. You take the deal that is going to give you the best return. Though, as a counterpoint, I did hear the idea banded about on the radio today that perhaps Gamel could be transitioned to RF, since some scouts feel he could do well there. I think it might be worth examining if possible. So I guess I would say you trade Gamel, McGehee, or Hart...whoever gives you the best package in return.

Really? What don't you like about it so far? I haven't really noticed any major differences with it so far, but haven't really played around with it a lot yet. Just looks like they made it a bitt prettier and added some new features I'll probably never use.

Not sure what dates you're looking for, but I see Midwest is flying to Phoenix toward the end of the month. About $350 per person.

I don't know...I get the impression Hoffman is a pretty straight shooter. Maybe I'm naive, but I simply think he meant that he can only come back if Milwaukee offers him another contract.

http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090913&content_id=6936724&vkey=news_mil&fext=.jsp&c_id=mil Brewers.com has a story up about how Hoffman wants to return to the Brewers next season. I think if you're going to pay any veteran on the team similarly to what they made in '09, it has to be Hoffman. He's been worth every penny, and the fanbase clearly loves the guy. "I don't want to start over in an another organization, I can tell you that," Hoffman told MLB.com, referring to his adjustment after 16 seasons with the Padres. "Everything has gone very well here. They've made me feel more than welcome. If I have the choice, I'd really like to come back here. But that isn't my decision." Personally, I'd love to see him come back next year, get well above 600 saves, and then maybe retire if he is ready for that...hopefully after helping the Brewers make the playoffs in '10. Then maybe someday the Brewers retire his number at Miller Park.

McGehee has been red hot in September...I believe they said on the telecast yesterday that he leads the entire NL in RBIs this month.

McGehee has had a tremendous month, and has to at least be in consideration. What do you all think? Does Casey have a realistic chance, or is it probably a pipe dream now?

You bring up a good point with him being under control for six years. If they are both young and cheap, it's not like the Brewers are under the gun to trade either one. If some team out there offers up a "can't say no" type offer for one, then fine. But if not, may as well keep both and see who sticks.

You may be right. It just goes to show how hard it is to trade for "good young pitching." The fact that the Matt Cain "meme" seems to have died around here points to that.

Well, that makes me more open to it, I guess. Not sure if it justifies the price difference of a Mac vs PC, though. (Sorry, I'm not trying to turn this into a computer discussion thread).

I haven't examined BABIP, but is .330 with that stat really that outlandish? I wouldn't expect his power numbers to keep up as pitchers adjust to him, but he just seems like a very solid hitter in the way he approaches his ABs to me. He has also played pretty good defense this season (one of those things we don't know whether or not Gamel will do better at this point).

The Jim/Pam stuff doesn't bother me as much. I guess it's a nice counter point to Michael's constant angst and current non-relationship with Holly (who I hope will be back in some form next year, because she was pretty funny too). I know many hope Pam isn't really pregnant, but I can't see what else she would have found out from the doctor in that last episode. Maybe it will be a way to not have Pam around as much as maybe Jenna Fischer is doing more movies or something? (I have no idea if that is accurate, just speculation on my part). Oh yeah, and the actress who plays the new receptionist is hilarious..Google her name and College Humor for a good laugh (NSFW, though).

hawing, that's cool. Our current Dell desktop is about six years old, so I'm probably going to look for a replacement in the next few months. I think I have to stick with PCs due to the various programs I need for work (Excel, Word, etc). I like how slick Macs are, though. On an unrelated note, the wife and I had a great weekend camping in the Kettle Morraine. What great weather we've had!