And That

Oh, just run the bases. Counsell's idea wasn't the best, but Prince should have scooped it.

He's a real rebel in that way http://images.art.com/images/-/Clint-Eastwood---The-Outlaw-Josey-Wales--B10103986.jpeg Yee-hah!

I know you were trying to make a point, but why say something that would hurt our team so bad. Subconscious sadism. And I don't subscribe to that whole blue font thing. Edit: Or would it be masochism, even though it isn't to myself? Hmm.

Gallardo gave up a run. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/frown.gif He sucks, we should trade him for depth.

Hardy hasn't struck out yet in 21 ABs this spring. Something to chew on.

Yo Gallardo owns. 3 IP, 3K's.

DDSM That acronym reminded me of a really interesting combination of... nevermind. Welcome aboard, Joshua!

Curiosuly enough, Adam McCalvy also posted a Jones/Parra story. If they both post Greg Aquino stories tomorrow, something is up: milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com...p&c_id=mil

Team Record 2007 Record: 85-77 2007 Record as of Sept 1-ish (135 games): 69-66 2007 Predicted Finish within the NL Central: 2nd 2007 Playoff Predictions: 2nd in Wild Card race (by 2-3 games) Offense- Individual Team Leaders with 502 PA Batting Average: Weeks - .310 OBP: Weeks - .390 SLG: Fielder - .560 OPS: Fielder - .935 BB: Fielder - 80 2b: Hall - 45 3b: Weeks - 10 HR: Fielder - 39 RBI: Hall - 115 K: Hall - 160 SB: Weeks - 34 Pitching- Individual Team Leaders Wins: Sheets - 22 Losses: Suppan - 14 Saves: Cordero - 35 WHIP: Sheets - 0.95 IP: Sheets - 230 K: Sheets - 250 BB: Suppan - 75 K/9: Sheets - 9.78 BB/9: Sheets - 1.17 OppOPS: .650 ERA (among starters): Sheets 2.75 ERA (among relievers): Turnbow 1.90 Appearances: Turnbow 70 Team Awards Offensive MVP: Fielder Team Cy Young: Sheets Most Valuable New Addition: Gallardo Minor Leagues Awards Minor League Offensive MVP: Cole Gillespie Minor League Cy Young: Will Inman Misc First player not on opening day roster recalled from Minors: Ryan Braun First player on 25 man roster removed (via waivers, trade or optioned): Greg Aquino First Player on the DL: Craig Counsell League Awards AL MVP: Travis Hafner NL MVP: Albert Pujols AL Cy Young: John Lackey NL Cy Young: Roy Oswalt AL ROY: Daisuke Matsuzake NL ROY: Yovanni Gallardo Post Season AL Champs: Oakland NL Champs: Los Angeles WS Champs: Oakland

Colby explained it much better than I could. I just want to add that the height thing is also because taller guys have longer arms and can hide their pitches a little longer. So theoretically, a shorter guy would have to have better stuff than a taller guy to get by. By the way, Inman has great stuff. Low 90's great running fastball, a plus-potential breaking ball and an average-potential change. Doesn't have Sheets' velocity, but he has his moxie. Inman is the new Gallardo.

Clancy, what if I told you that Ryan Braun was related to Jeff Pickler?

tell me there is a way i can get the play by play MLB.com might be gamecasting it. Can't remember if they did last preseason or not (I think not). If they aren't usually someone will pony up the time and energy to do a gamecast (contained within one post) in the game thread here. I would, but I won't be home until 4:30 or 5. While I'm on the subject, remember that the IGT exists to make less substantive posts about reactions to the game. It does not exist to form a play-by-play of the game. If moderators see someone spewing post after post of "Rottino singles" and "Weeks bunt triple" and "Turnbow strike" those posts will be deleted and the poster may be warned.

If it is 6 weeks, he misses the first few weeks of the season. Who would trade for Kevin Mench because of that? I see what you are saying about the LHP/RHP splits of both, but Oakland might not appreciate Mench's defense, especially at his price tag.

Manager Ned Yost said the tightness in Fielder's quad was the result of running the 60-yard dash for time during a workout Wednesday. The 60-yard dash was totally, like, the best idea ever.

Turnbow will have the advantage of pitching against whoever the A's have in the game in the later stages. Might be a good way to get some confidence back and scare some A-ballers at the same time.

Brian, all I ask is that you let us know if someone buys a "Knowledge=Power" thong. http://images.cafepress.com/product/111211682v1_240x240_Front.jpg Bada bing!

I'm surprised this thread hasn't been more active given the great blizzard of '07. I had a bottle of wine and a number of beers yesterday, but just watched The Sopranos and had a few MGD Lites tonight. So its like the day-after drunk thread post.

Anyone like death metal? I'm not a big fan of the doom/death metal genre, but a band I like listening to occasionally is Sunn O))). It is one of the most intense albums I own, even to the point of being somewhat scary to listen to. On one of the tracks on "Black One" one of the guest singers was recorded while he was in a coffin - the kicker being that he also happened to be clausterphobic. Not for mass consumption or often consumption, but it will consume you. I've bought a number of new albums recently, and I'll post my reviews later on. More Velvet Underground, more Bob Dylan, Wolfmother, The Radio Dept., Whiskeytown, and a lounge album with questionable merits.

Serena Maneesh - Serena-Maneesh The problem I have with doing Best of 200x lists in December is that I'm a huge procrastinator and don't get around to listening to a lot of the albums that turn out to be my favorite albums of 200x until January-March of the next year. Such is the case with Serena Maneesh. These guys and gals are Norwegian and love to rock it. The closest comparison I can conjure up while listening to it is a Sigur Ros meets Aenema-era Tool that had been listening to a lot of early-90's British rock, plus they're Scandinavian. At times utterly ethereal and and other times rocking your rooster, Serena Maneesh have created one of the most distinctive albums (and I stress, album) since Tool's "Aenema." While it may not have the sensual flow of Tool's masterpiece, it rocks in equal parts. Going back to the Sigur Ros part of my analogy, it's as hard to pin down a favorite track as it is with Agaetis Byrjun... the album turns into an amporhous blob of awesomeness at various points throughout. And if you've listened to Swedish rockers Dungen, you'll hit on addition apparently Scandinavian rock eccentricities of changing tempo, even changing song structure, in the middle of a song. For instance, after about 50 minutes of rocking, vibraphones show up in the penultimate track of the album - its one of my favorite moments of the thing. This is my new favorite album of 2006, edging out the fascinating, yet sometimes self-aware Liars album Drum's Not Dead. Serena-Maneesh hasn't yet reached "classic" album status with me, but it is coming pretty close. My rating 4.5/5 stars.

Bob Dylan - John Wesley Harding JWH is Dylan's opening foray into country music, largely spurning the electric instruments of his previous "Bringing It All Back Home" period. I hadn't listened to this album all the way through since I was about 6 or 7, so I had fresh ears listening to this. This immediately struck me as a quasi-alt-country, sort of a forerunner to what would eventually be the harder, punk influenced sound of Uncle Tupelo and The Jayhawks. It also reminded me a lot of same period Waylon Jennings and those other immediately pre-honky country albums. With all that said, and noting that JWH is widely regarded as one of the essential music recordings of all time, and enjoying the fact it sounds so much like The Band at time, it personally didn't hit home for me as much as his other albums have. The songs are all remarkably short by Dylan standards, and I frankly got sort of lost in the second half of the album. "All Along The Watchtower," "I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine" and "As I Went Out One Morning" were my favorites. I'm glad I listened to it again after all these years, but it won't be at the very top of my playlist for a bit. I'll give it 3.5/5 stars, whilst realizing most people would have it higher. Lush - Spooky After listening to the first couple tracks, I thought I had mistakenly put in a Cocteau Twins album. Turns out that Robin Guthrie, Cocteau Twin himself, had produced the album. Lush has been in the second tier of shoegaze bands for me, and I was conflicted after hearing this album. This sounds better than other things I have heard from them, but it doesn't sound exactly like they should. If I didn't know who Robin Guthrie was, this would receive much more (blind) praise from me. As it is, it is a solid album, with more solid moments in the second half than the first. I'll give it 3/5 stars.

Not quite done with it yet (I'm through 4 of the 5 discs), but: Sufjan Stevens - Songs for Christmas If you like Sufjan and you like Christmas, you'll like this box set of collected Christmas EPs from previous years, along with a new one for 2006 (which is the one I haven't got to yet). The title "box set" is a bit of a misnomer here - the total running time of all the discs is just around 2 hours, with one or two clocking in at under 20 minutes. Typical Sufjan sound, and nothing that really stands out. Good music for the holiday season, but I doubt I'll dust it off again until December '07. It is what it is - 2.5/5 stars.

Asobi Seksu - Citrus I got their eponymous debut album, and I was sort of dissapointed by it. I've heard lots of good stuff about Citrus, tho, so I'll have to check it out.

bumping it up to the first page and wondering if anyone got "the good, the bad and the queen" They've been playing it a lot on the radio here in the Twin Cities, and it sounds like a Gorillaz hangover, which isn't a bad thing at all. Lots of dense, not-terribly-poppy music.

The Velvet Underground - White Light/White Heat Six tracks, two days of recording, and a lot of drugs. In some places, it's too drugged out for my tastes, and the recording quality is intentionally pretty bad. John Cale did his thing really well, but Lou Reed got sort of lost in it. "The Gift" and "Sister Ray" were my faves, but the album lacks the flair of The VU and Nico IMO. The S/T VU album is next on my list of things to buy, and I have high expectations for it. I'd give White Light/White Heat 2.5/5 stars. Amélie - Original Soundtrack Yann Tiersen composed most of the material here, and if you close your eyes and listen, you can picture the movie. Lots of cool instrumentation and catchy (albeit brief) hooks. Almost makes me want to visit the French countryside. As it has a high dose of ethereality, I can't recommend it for intense listening, but it's pretty good for what intends to be - really awesome background music for a happy day. 3/5 stars. Medicine - Shot Forth Self Living I've continued my quest into shoegaze, and stumbled upon this beauty by accident. Put out by L.A.-based Medicine in 1992, it is in many ways a mirror of the timeless and arch-shoegaze album "Loveless" by My Bloody Valentine. While it lacks the consistent brilliance of Loveless (few albums do), its high points are nearly as high. Opening track "One More" is a 9+ minute ride of squall and even a little funk. "A Short Happy Like," "5ive" and "Christmas Song are other standouts. I also get the feeling this album will grow on me even more. A hearty 4.5/5 stars.

The only team who would take Todd Helton right now is the Rockies, and they already have him.