splitterpfj

When this was happening, I said some bad words. After it had happened, I checked myself for any socially unacceptable odors or markings...all clear. Mr Clevenger, you dirtbag, I hope you get a nice vacation. http://www.startribune.com/local/25800259.html?location_refer=Homepage:latestNews:4

Phillies at Mets (Myers 3-9 vs Maine 8-7) Braves at Marlins (Hudson 10-7 vs Nolasco 10-5) Cubs at Diamondbacks (Lilly 9-6 vs Davis 3-4)

I was in St Paul yesterday, I was just leaving, I had reached Woodbury. A cop flies by me, she means business, she's really moving - I find her again about mile ahead of me, now on the other side of the road, out of her car, with another officer and his car also sitting there. They're watching the westbound lanes, I'm headed east. I can't figure out what they're doing, but they're very intent on something. I get maybe 1/4 mile further, and I see a gray SUV, which had to be going 80-90 MPH, crossing the grassy median, and heading directly at me. I saw him, thank God, if I hadn't, he'd have driven directly into me - I doubt I'd have ever felt that. I swerved right, a semi in the left lane, swerved all the way over and passed me on the shoulder to my right, before swerving all the way back across traffic, into the left lane again. This guy disappeared in my rearview, headed directly through the traffic on the eastbound side. I read online that he got away. They know who he is and where he lives, they even called him on his cell during the chase, trying to get him to stop, to which he replied, "Dude, I can't talk right now, I'm being chased by the police." That's probably the freakiest driving experience I've had to date....somehow I wasn't expecting an SUV to cross the median and drive against traffic on I-94.

I'm old enough to remember BJ Surhoff as "5" in the late eighties to early nineties, and George Scott as "5" in the early to mid seventies...."5" has served Milwaukee well.

Is anyone having fun out there? What a great effort - again! Nice job by Suppan, hanging tough after the lousy start, nice job by the bats - two out hits and a two out bomb late in the game, and nice job again by the bullpen. Absolutely nothing to complain about from this fan.

I guess no one seemed to notice....Mr Johnson has only allowed two hits, himself.

My goodness, what a pleasant surprise from the bullpen tonight! Great win for the team, what a fantastic start to the second half!

That's sure disappointing. We'll hear all about how the Cardinals keep coming back, but this one is entirely on the Brewers' defense. After Molina, Torres essentially got five outs. Yuck....come back and win this please.

Coming up for St Louis: This series with Milwaukee. A road trip to New York and Atlanta. Home for the Phillies and Dodgers. On the road to Chicago, Florida, and Cincinnati. All of that, with one off-day, between the Phillies and Dodgers. I would call that a rough stretch, and I do think it puts some heat on the Cardinals, starting right now, they've got a tough month to deal with.

Basically, just don't overthink it - do the things you would typically do. Read the splits - if Durham is a better match for their pitcher - use him, and vice versa. If one of their pitchers has owned one of our outfielders, give Kapler a start, etc. Other than that, for example, if it's a spot where you wouldn't typically bunt...then don't, just play your game, and give yourselves the best chance to win.

http://forum.brewerfan.net/viewtopic.php?t=14296 Have fun, and thanks again to ELCABALLO45, for generously donating the tickets!

It's really hard to project Durham's 2008 results, based on his prior three seasons. In 2006, Durham had an unexplainable power surge, which saw him set career highs (by far) in several categories - he doesn't have another season with a SLG percentage within 50 pts of that season. In 2007, Durham's legs were not healthy, and the bottom dropped out of his numbers - he doesn't have another season with an OBP within 40 pts of that one (on the negative side). It seems likely to me that Durham will never provide the power he did in 2006, or collapse to the level he did in 2007, both look like complete aberrations. He's been healthy this season, and he has hit very well, now he comes into a situation where his manager can pick and choose the matchups, to his own benefit. Maybe Durham won't maintain the .385 OBP he currently has on the season, but given his production to this point in the season, (which would seem to dispel the possibility of diminished skills), looking at his career OBP of .352, and knowing that he'll be able to sit against the worst matchups for his skills - I have no problem predicting success for him throughout 2008...as long as the legs hold up. The Brewers really do seem to be a great match for what Ray Durham can do at this point in his career. He won't have to play every day, he'll be the first left-handed option as a pinch hitter, and they've got two options waiting as late-inning defensive replacements, (which will partially offset his biggest weakness). To me, it just looks like a great fit, he's good at things this team needed to improve on, but he won't asked to meet unrealistic expectations. He just needs to do what he does, and fill his role, no one is expecting him to play like a 28-year-old.

The Cardinals did what they had to do, in climbing out of a hole every day to beat the last-place Padres. Good for them, they deserve credit, they've been getting it done all year. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, the Brewers also did what they had to do, in pulling off a road sweep, also against an inferior opponent. Both teams gained some ground on the Cubs, but at the top of the wild card standings, St Louis added 1/2 game, while winning every game they played. Here come the Brewers for four games, every bit as hot as the Cardinals. If the Brewers manage a split in this series, the Cards will have burned 8 home games to gain 1/2 game on the Crew. McClung vs Piniero is a matchup the Brewers might be able to win, and we've got Sabathia and Sheets for the second half of the series - a split is certainly possible. Here's to 2 (or more) wins in St Louis, and a bit of frustration in Cardinal Land, as the home schedule gets shorter, while the standings stand still. Soon enough, we'll be playing at home....and the Padres are still on the schedule.

OK, the prize is two terrace level seats to the Brewers-Mets game of September 3rd. (This is a Wednesday afternoon game) The Brewers are targeting pitching help as we head toward the trade deadline, tell me: Who will the Brewers trade for, and who will they give up. If your answer is incomplete, it will be disqualified...I need to know who the Brewers will give in the trade, as the tiebreaker. Please refrain from giving advice, editorializing, etc, in this thread. THANK YOU to ELCABALLO45 for generously donating the tickets for this contest!

I don't see a downside here. This player's skills fit a need on the team, and the cost was nothing of consequence - what not try it? Welcome aboard Ray, may you turn a bucket of solo homers into a constant stream of two-run shots.

Since the old Street thread morphed into the new Durham thread, which has now become the old Durham thread, I thought I'd start a new Street thread. The Brewers are likely to be looking at relief help, maybe Street will still become a target.

Yep, please use the thread in the major league forum.

With runners at first and second and one out in the ninth, Carlos Beltran was caught stealing third base. The batter wound up singling to right, the Mets stranded runners at first and third. I know what I'd be saying if the Brewers had just done that.

One thing on this trade... The assumption is that Taschner is not in the deal, because he was seen on the field today, while Durham wasn't. That doesn't necessarily mean Taschner is out: Durham has had the flu, and he's also a "10 and 5" guy, so he would have had to be notified of the trade in advance, to get his approval. Durham could be at home, getting over the flu, or he could be sitting somewhere with his agent, working out which team is paying him how much of what is owed him for the rest of this season. Taschner wouldn't have to be notified until the deal is announced, which may not happen until after today's game is completed.

I believe the biggest pay cut a veteran can be given by his old team is 20%, which would put Durham at a minimum of 6 million next year. If they offered him arby, and he declined, to sign elsewhere, the Brewers would get a pick out of it, but if he accepted arby, you've got an expensive 37-year-old on your hands. I would imagine they'll either let him go, or at the very least, get an assurance that he wouldn't accept arby. If there's an AL team that would use the DH spot on a leadoff guy, Durham would be a great one-year pickup for next season.

As with all things, not everyone is going to see this deal the same way. For me, I think it's outstanding. We all know this team is heavy with right-handed bats, and light in OBP. Durham, vs right-handers, 2008: .318 AVE, .396 OBP, .446 SLG I can't imagine how adding a veteran switch-hitter, with leadoff skills and above average speed, could be a bad thing for this team.

Watch us get another game telecast filled with, "It's a big news day for the Brewers", with no announcement until after today's game.

I'm glad this happened now, when it's easiest for Durham to join the Brewers, and in time for the St Louis series. The team still needs to add an arm, and they are still following the A's, (at least), I wouldn't be surprised if there's one more move before the deadline.

Brewers' OBP.... Weeks .322 Hardy .350 Braun .331 Fielder .360 Hart .329 Hall .292 Branyan .325 Cameron .335 Kendall .338 The bench has fared better... Kapler .350 Counsell .346 Dillon .354 Rivera .360 Gross was at .352

Durham is just another Counsell on the bench offensively. I have to disagree with this. Durham's average is 47 pts higher than Counsell's, his OBP is 39 pts higher, and his SLG is 78 pts higher, he's also a switch-hitter, and could still outrun Counsell with relative ease. Defensively, the league average Range Factor (per game) at 2B is 4.07 - Counsell is at 4.08 as a 2B this season, Durham is 3.7 - which is brutal. BTW, Rickie's Range Factor is 4.66 edit: The highest OBP on the Brewers right now, is Prince Fielder, at .360. Durham is at .385 this season, and .352 over his long career - he fills a need for sure.