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Hardy has agreed to a 3-year extension with the Orioles....cross him off the list.

Dear God....why does it have to hurt so much to be a Brewers fan? I'll await your response.

What are your thoughts on the Braves? They've had issues on offense, but their pitching has really won me over, in fact, if the Brewers do make the playoffs, Atlanta may be the team I'd like to see the least.

5-2, yeah, ok, I'm good with that.

OK Folks, here we are, on the eve of the 60th game of the season for the Crew, and they are.... 2 games out in the Central 1/2 game in front in the Wildcard race (which is ridiculous to point out at this point in the season, but I just did) They are 4th in the league in runs scored, and they are tied for 6th in the league in runs allowed. The team is the healthiest its been all season, and they've actually started to win some road games. Believe it or not, the Brewers are, in fact, a viable contender to reach the playoffs. Please share your thoughts on the Brewers, and the rest of the league - who's for real, who should start scouting for the 2012 draft...and why?

I think anyone would take a 4-3 return from Cincinnati and Florida, and here they are with a shot at 5-2! Go Crew!

Yes, we could be watching the "Best Brewer Ever", but it's way too soon to know that. Durability is key, for one thing, I think Paul Molitor was a better player than Robin, but Paul was hurt time and again. Here's to ten more healthy seasons, and another statue outside Miller Park!

Nice job everyone! McCalvy

Some knob ahead of me at Walgreen's is trying to become an "extreme couponer"...more power to anyone who can develop a skill and save money, but when the clerk explains that you can't buy the entire shelf of toothpaste, because they limit quantities per customer....chill out, you still got a great deal. This guy bought ten tubes of toothpaste, because it was on sale, and he also had coupons, making the toothpaste about 85% off for him....that's a great haul, and if you have a family...you'll use the stuff over time...nice job, Dad. When they wouldn't let him buy all 23 tubes they had on the shelf, he got all mad about it. Trust me, when he looks back on what happened...he should be completely embarrassed by his own behavior.

At this point, there still isn't a defensive metric that I have much faith in, although I know some of you do. I believe over time, measuring defensive ability will become much more refined, just as we've seen with hitting. As for Braun, no he does not have good instincts, but he does make the plays out there. I don't look away from the TV when the ball is hit to left. I think he does mask some mistakes by being able to run well, etc, but in the end, I don't see a ton of balls dropping in that should have been caught, etc. With pitchers, we're seeing a move away from simple pitch counts, to things like, how many pitches were thrown under stress, how many pitches in a single inning, etc. The attempt is being made to define what it is that wears a pitcher down and makes him more susceptible to injury, or to failure in the next inning. I'd like to see more of this with fielding, for example - with no runners on base, Braun misreads a flyball, but his speed allows him to make the catch...no harm, no foul. OK, but, suppose that same play happens with a runner at 3rd...Braun misreads the ball slightly, then uses his speed to make the catch...but in doing so he is running full-out, and is not in position to throw the ball, allowing the runner to tag and score. In that case, it's a nice running catch, but it hurt his team...that's the stuff that still isn't accounted for, IMO.

The interleague schedule makes no sense to me, the Brewers got it about as tough as you can get it. I think they'll hang in there, the team is the healthiest its been all season, so I'll go with 15-12. As May ends- The Brewers are within striking distance of both the division and the wildcard. Ryan Braun has been the best player in the National League. Braun, Weeks, Fielder, Lucroy and Marcum would all be justifiable picks for the All-Star team. Gallardo is tied for the league lead in wins, and is rolling. Greinke walks no one, and looks to be on the verge of some dominant pitching. There's no reason to think this team can't hold its own against top competition.

Base running isn't just about stolen bases, remembering that, the best Brewers in my memory - both Molitor and Yount, Jose Valentin, Mike Cameron and Corey Hart. At the bottom - Fernando Vina, Alex Sanchez, Johnny Estrada (who never really looked like he truly "ran" at all), and our own Carlos Gomez. One other quirky one...Ben Oglivie wasn't a bad runner in every sense....but the man simply never learned to slide - he was a broken ankle trying to happen.

OK, after two months of play, the Brewers certainly do look like playoff contenders. The one huge issue to this point - with all respect to the Crew...they've stunk on the road. This next trip takes them to Cincinnati and Florida, to face two more contenders, one of whom has driven this team nuts over the last two seasons. It would be fair to look at this trip and say, "This is the Brewers' chance to really show they belong in the race."...it would be just as fair to look at it and say, "Just when things were looking up..." The two series' may have distinctly different personalities...the Reds both score and allow plenty of runs - the Marlins have shown some of the best pitching in the league to date. I'll put the Crew at 4-3 on this trip, I think they're playing the Reds at the right time, and they'll finally take two of three in Cincy. I think they'll split the four games in Florida, in four games that could have gone either way. What are your expectations for the next week?

Now that April is over, tell us who how you saw it, I'll go with... MVP Ryan Braun - In 26 games, Mr Braun scored 24 and drove in 23....wow. Braun's 10 HR tie him for the league lead, he threw in three steals, and batted .367. Jose Bautista - 25 runs, 9 HR, .366, with 4 steals. Cy Young Josh Johnson - 3 Wins isn't sexy, but how about that .88 ERA and .71 WHIP?! Jered Weaver - 6 Wins, 49 Ks, .99 ERA, .79 WHIP Surprise Team of the Month Florida - You decide how much you can really learn in a month, but for the moment, they've stuck themselves right in the middle of the NL playoff picture. "Cleveland Rocks" 18-8, just like we all thought they'd be. Surprise Player Lance Berkman - Berkman took a .402 average into the last game of the month; he finished the month at .393, with 8 HR, 23 runs and 22 driven in. Surprise Pitcher Kyle Lohse - 4 Wins, a 1.64 ERA, and a .73 WHIP Best Team Philadelphia - This is a tough call, but I like the Phillies in the NL. At 18-8, they can score, and they can stop you from scoring. Indians - They weren't just a surprise, they led the AL in scoring, and they've allowed the 4th fewest runs in the league. Biggest Disappointment - This one is Boston. Picked by everyone to be dominant, the Sox are in last place in their division, and their offense outscored exactly two teams in the league - Minnesota and Oakland. Basically, the Red Sox had Baltimore's offense for the month. Worst Team in Baseball - It was the Twins. At 9-17, the Twins have the fewest wins in baseball for the month (two teams won 10, both of those teams played one more game). It really was that bad...their 82 runs scored leads only San Diego. The 139 runs allowed ties the Diamondbacks, while leading only Houston and the White Sox. How do you see it?

That's enough....I can't take anymore Carlos.

17-12

OK, do over.

What a letdown. McGehee has got to get an out on that groundball. If it's in the air in Cincy, it has a chance...I didn't think Hernandez hit that ball well enough to get it out. That's a look at the Brewers though...plenty of HR power, a defensive mistake at a crucial time...love 'em or hate 'em...there will be more wild games like this one.

I like this move. Morgan can do the one thing Gomez has never come close to...he can get on base. Morgan has two flaws that I don't like - he gets caught stealing too much, and his arm is pretty weak. I think it's great insurance in case Gomez starts putting up a .300ish OBP again, and the skills of the two players would allow for a platoon, if need be.

I just hate it when stuff like this happens. Yes, this should help the Brewers' chances for this season, but I love good baseball, which requires good players. I wish him well.

I absolutely love it, because I know this is just who he is. Zack's just a different guy than most, anyone who's read his quotes from his time in KC knows, this is just who Zack Greinke is. Go Greinke...the best quote machine in MLB!

I'm thrilled by this news! I'm chasing a comment...if I get one, I'll put it here.

FYI, Ashley is home from the hospital!

This is a tough situation. The team has to look at Rickie's injuries when making an offer, and of course, Rickie's agents are going to point to last season and negotiate from there. I don't know what's going to happen, but my fear is, Rickie has another big year, and someone buys him right out of here. I can't say I disagree with the team's position to this point, but no matter how you slice it, this is playing with fire. If you give Rickie the big deal and he has another significant injury...that's brutal. If you don't, and he matches last year...you have a very real chance of losing him to a team with deeper pockets. Yes, I have heard more on the situation, but it pretty much matches what has been reported publicly...I don't sense animosity in the situation, but the two sides just haven't been on the same page to this point on a long-term deal.

I met Mr Duren in Madison, in 2003. He spent about half an hour talking to me - he was a warm, pleasant man. Mr Duren's alcoholism once led him to park his car on a train track and wait...as a suicide attempt. I haven't had a chance to read it, but Mr Duren wrote, "I Can See Clearly Now", about his battles with the bottle.