ReverendBrewmeister

That'll boost the 3TO avg.

TSack: That's how we taught/learned the infield fly rule during the classes for umpiring intramural games at college. Some of us already knew it from previous umpiring experience, but it's a good mnemonic device. As for ruling the batter out for an intentionally dropped fly ball/line drive by an infielder, the applicable MLB rule is 6.05(l): 6.05 A batter is out when- (l) An infielder intentionally drops a fair fly ball or line drive, with first, first and second, first and third, or first, second and third base occupied before two are out. The ball is dead and runner or runners shall return to their original base or bases; APPROVED RULING: In this situation, the batter is not out if the infielder permits the ball to drop untouched to the ground, except when the Infield Fly rule applies.

Umpire conference determined that it was a home run. Surprised the new ballpark has no yellow line on the wall to help with those calls. Chalk up another example for instant replay's need.

Now, if the defense could only make the routine plays. Great glove work this inning!

BILL HILL!

I'm concerned that the Brewers can't seem to beat St. Louis. With the unbalanced schedule, lack of success against the Cardinals coupled with the poor road record of previous years (e.g. at PNC Park against a team that they should beat) makes a division championship a much harder goal to achieve.

That's some good wood on that one, Billy.

Sure looked like Kendall took that HBP like a pro. Just catch the pitch with your arm and deaden it.

Love that baserunning by Corey Hart!

Holy Mike Rivera on the bases. Where did Yost get this base-running aggressiveness?

There is the pitching magic. Manny Parra: We salute you!

Defense is letting Parra down a bit this inning. Will need some pitching magic.

Wind direction means from where the wind comes. A south wind means out of the south; hence, out to left field at Wrigley. A north wind (out of the north) would be in from left.

Oh, for crap's sake.

So when does Riske get warmed up?

Looks like Cincinnati may be heading from Florida to Arizona, sharing a yet-to-be-built complex with Cleveland. That would put 15 in each Spring Training League. Cincinnati Enquirer Story on Reds Nearing Deal to Florida "Indeed, it was Sarasota's inability to secure funding for improvements to Ed Smith Stadium that pushed the Reds toward Arizona." Ballpark Watch is repeating the rumor of Milwaukee's potential relocation. Ballpark Watch's March 13 Report "Milwaukee's limited interest was curious: true, Sarasota is much closer to Milwaukee -- by more than 500 miles. And Maryvale Baseball Park is a plain-jane facility with limited revenue potential, to say the least. In a sense, Milwaukee's presence in Arizona is more a series of quirks and inertia than anything else: the Seattle Pilots trained there for obvious reasons, and when Bud Selig's group plucked the team from bankruptcy court the team was in the midst of spring practices. Selig wintered in Arizona; hence the team's continued presence there. Still, the move of either team to Sarasota would be a long shot." Sarasota Newspaper suggests a possible Milwaukee relocation or a move of Baltimore to fill the vacancy created by Cincinnati. Herald Tribune Story Discussing Future of Sarasota Site "Calhoon said he has surveyed the landscape in Arizona and Florida and only found a couple of teams with even a remote interest in moving. The Milwaukee Brewers, because of their midwest home base, might be willing to relocate from Arizona, he said. But the team has a newly renovated stadium in Maryvale, Ariz." So apparently, there is more than a bit of smoke. Perhaps there actually is fire in this rumor.

A couple of stories from The Tennessean regarding the Sounds' stadium issue. Appears that new ownership could be on the horizon; perhaps an end to the stadium impasse could be on the way? First, a column critical of the ownership that also mentions a possible local ownership group being found for the Sounds. Would the same stadium funding deal, rejected last year, be extended to new owners? Sounds Owner Has Worn Out His Stay Second, a story on Nashville's mayor and his doubts about a new stadium. Dean Is Skeptical on Sounds Stadium Hopefully, a resolution of this could be in store. The franchise could be very valuable, as the lease on Greer Stadium ends at the end of this year. Could the Sounds end up in a new city? Richmond and Omaha are also having stadium discussions/issues. A silly season on AAA franchise location could be in the works. Does anyone know whether a change in ownership and location would affect the contract the Brewers have with the Sounds? Edit: removed note asking moderators to find original thread.

Here's a Top 5 that I remember from my youth, either watching original episodes or reruns: 1) Hill Street Blues (might be a competitor for best theme, period) 2) The Muppet Show (who doesn't sing along?) 3) Barney Miller (also great for penalty box incidental music) 4) Hogan's Heroes (turns German martial music into comedic theme) 5) Dallas/St. Elsewhere/L.A. Law (tied for most "80's-ness") And since I'm a lover of Western art music ("classical music"), the theme to Masterpiece Theatre rates very highly. Also, if you hear the theme to "Prime Minister's Questions" on C-SPAN (for the real political junkies among us).

Study abroad. It's one of the biggest things I regret from seminary, not taking the opportunity to spend a year of study at Cambridge, while three of my classmates did. Did the RA thing, and it has value. But going to a place out of the ordinary and making the most of it is the way to go. And as most of the posters have indicated, this is about the only time that you'll have the opportunity without making major sacrifice and adjustment in your life. Since you're looking at non-European, English-speaking nations, your options are limited to former British colonies in the Southern Hemisphere (Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, etc.). Remember that the standard academic year in those nations runs February/March--November/December, the "opposite" of our school year. One option that I didn't see mentioned, but might be worth looking at would be the University of Hong Kong. I don't know what it would take to obtain a visa and what limitations there are on American students, but I believe that the university is an English-medium school. And being a former British colony, there would be an English-speaking population of decent size. (I know some posters have been to Asia, and they might be able to fill in more about that.) The Hong Kong option would mean an academic year that runs August/September--April/May. The other thing that could affect your decision for next academic year are the university deadlines for application and acceptance, as well as the diplomatic/travel documents necessary to be an exchange student. If you haven't started working (if not approved) on that by now, it may not be possible for study in 2008-2009. Hope that gives you food for thought.

Dean Martin?

Philosopher's World Cup International Philosophy: Germany vs. Greece "Socrates has scored! The Greeks are going mad, the Greeks are going mad. Socrates scores, got a beautiful cross from Archimedes. The Germans are disputing it. Hegel is arguing that the reality is merely an a priori adjunct of non-naturalistic ethics, Kant via the categorical imperative is holding that ontologically it exists only in the imagination, and Marx is claiming it was offside."

NHL: Carolina Hurricanes Did my pastoral internship in Greensboro, NC. Member of congregation's son was/is Video Coordinator for team: breaks down video of players and line shifts, so that coaches can study them. Was down there for the Hurricanes' first Stanley Cup run (2001-2002 season, lost to Red Wings). The guy got his dad and me coach's tickets to a playoff game vs. Montreal. Never sat in mezzanine before, probably never will; but it was golden. Since then have been a diehard fan, even jumping around like a crazed man up here in Iowa when they won the Cup in 2006. NCAA: Central Michigan University Alma mater. Usually terrible, especially in non-conference. Occasional bowl game (2006 MAC Champs) or basketball tourney berth. Otherwise, am diehard Brewers/Badgers/Packers fan.

Dessens DFA'd; Linebrink activated according to JSOnline: Sportswatch. http://www.jsonline.com/watch/?watch=2&date=8/4/2007&id=27353

Why no buzz on Glavine? Chicks dig the long ball. In reality, I think that the number of wins a pitcher earns in a career just doesn't seem to be something that much of the "general" baseball fandom pays much attention to. And the lack of 20+ winners in recent years doesn't help the matter, since there isn't much of a horse race with pitchers over who is the best, and seeing three or four dominant pitchers each year. (I'll admit that personally, I haven't paid much attention to the Cy Young polls compared to Rookie of the Year or MVP, and I doubt I'm alone in that.) With Glavine in particular, his last 20+ win season was 2000 with a 21-9 record. His "162-Game Average" (from Baseball-Reference.com) is a 15-10 mark. To me, that doesn't seem to spark much of an idea of greatness, but has more of an appearance of "above average." And that's the problem with pitching statistics and evaluation compared to position players. They just don't translate well to the "general fan;" and the "general fandom" is where media buzz is built.

its pretty obvious we will be making another trade in the next two days Buying or selling? I think legitimately, a future deal could be one of either direction. Somehow, I don't think another bullpen arm is really going to be the answer.