rickh150

Fans simply are not coming in droves any time soon... COVID or no COVID in the next couple of years. Patterns have been made and other people are thought of as a risk to the masses. Sitting next to several people within arm’s reach for 3 hours straight looks and feels different. A pretty surprising report.... https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/americans-still-plan-wear-masks-public-covid-19-no-longer-threat-survey-194043610.html

There would be less dead time between pitches with less pitches and more contact, right?

Who said anything about Cain returning yet? Did he jump the line and get vaccinated? Seems pretty presumptuous to assume Cain will be around this year. It would shock me, actually, if he is anywhere near Arizona in the next month. Great signing today.... hope it lengthens the lineup!

Hard to believe Hiura is taller than Fielder...not that it matters. Yet telling a bad fielder to just go play 1B is pure folly. It’s not a given he can play adequate there.

But not last year.... Yelich hit .205 and Cain chose not to play.

True, and if Fingers would have been able to pitch in that World Series, I think we would remember 1982 a little differently as well... Ladd was fabulous in the ALCS. Fingers could have blown one close game in the ALCS and there would be no World Series. Whenever the whatif game is played, this narrative doesn’t get much play. No Sutton in 82, probably no playoffs or WS in 82.

Remembering last few postseason runs recently.... got me thinking about the best years of the franchise.... specifically the most memorable two year stretch in team history. Although the last three years put us in postseason play, I don’t think any combo of 18-19 or 19-20 would be my pick. The 20 season had no fans; the 19 season ended so achingly bad. The right answer is probably 81-82, but I was too young to remember much of any of it. Years 08, 11, and 18 were pretty great, but the years previous or after not as much. I’ll go with 07 and 08. Even though these two years resulted in no playoff series wins, one playoff game win, and only one of those teams making the playoffs, it was probably the most memorable for me.... 1. Miller Park was hopping.... around 3 million fans each year... so many sellouts. The idea that the team was getting better with all the young talent of Fielder, Weeks, Hardy, Yovanni, Braun... yeah, baseball was fun and hip. We all felt something good was coming, and then the idea of playoff baseball in Milwaukee was equivalent to the Packers making the Super Bowl! 2. Even though 07 ended poorly, it was a tight race with the Cubs til the end. Every game was so important. 3. Then to have the Brewers beating the Cubs in 08 to make their first playoffs in 26 years on the last day of season.... special stuff with CC, Uke’s call of Braun’s HR, and the whole crazy week of games leading up to it. Braun and Fielder walk offs, Seth McClung, Wes Helms... yep. Curious what others think.... other years are better no question, but for me these two consecutive years were the most memorable.

Bob Costas stood out to me.... His stories of the 86 Mets and 88 Dodgers, with Gibson's HR, were just fun to hear..... Thwack...Uhhh.... Thwack....UHhhh

I think he would like closure, a loud standing ovation at Miller Park, and all that "going out" stuff. This is Ryan Braun for crying out loud, and I think we know, for right or wrong, his pride and swag. He'll get all this in time..... just has to be a bit patient.

Spectrum TV compared to Dish is no comparison.... Dish is way better in almost every facet. However, I'm not going to get caught in a 2 year contract again, especially when so many channels have left or could be left out of a package midstream, ala FSN. I'll pay the extra fee month to month now, knowing that I could change at any point without the added hassle of what I went through with DIsh.

I have Spectrum after dropping Dish mid contract. Spectrum covered my contracted expenses ( 6 months worth was left). I have a first year bargain, but cost goes up a lot in year two. Yeah, the Brewers and MLB are losing fans for a variety of reasons, no question. This TV thing is one of them.

I talked with my group rep recently. In a nut shell, they have no clue what to do. He says they are in wait and see mode. On one hand, he says all is being treated, so far, as normal.... full season, full schedule, no restrictions on fans. On the other, nothing is being rolled out yet. No group tickets or presale, no hard dates for almost anything. Wait and see... I am curious to see if Season ticket holders were given any extra info.

For whatever it is or isn't worth, NBA.com had the Bucks bench 8th in scoring, 1st in rebounding, 10th in assists & 3rd in +/- last season. Their bench was good in the regular season. The problem was that Bud used them too much in the playoffs when everyone else leans on their starters. Very insightful.... didn't think about this before, but yeah.

Hiura had the most hits for us in 2020, and he batted .212.......

The odds of one of them both staying past next year? Less than 10 percent in my mind. Even if Giannis stays, we are giving an ok 31 year old point big money?

Agreed.... Crazy nuts if no extensions are announced.

The ONLY way I do this deal is if I am 100% sure Gianni's signs here. I just don't know how this makes the Bucks look better to Giannis..... maybe for 2020-2021. Jrue is getting old too.... on a one year deal? This better not be a last ditch desperate attempt to win a championship this year. The Bucks already cornered themselves by saying they are not trading their star. Is it possible that Giannis told them recently that he wants out after this year? I guess this would make sense only if the boatload of Picks weren't attached. With the picks, it would be beyond crazy.

Is Jrue better than Bledso straight up? If Giannis doesn't sign after2021, are we lacking draft picks when we are really, really bad? Jrue is 30 and on a one year deal, correct? Um, yeah. Why is this good? That Gary Payton trade is looking better.

So many people will not be even thinking of coming to a large group whatever. Even with a decent vaccine and better Covid numbers, they are not coming back much in 2021. And that's only partly because of the virus. Politicized athletes and seemingly more violence in large cities are not giving a welcomed calling card to return either. Moreover, we have gotten into a nine month pattern of staying more at home more for entertainment/food/school/etc, and it's going to take years to break that habit, if it ever does change. Finally, we are not going to be as eager to drop major coin for attending a game after being witness to 2020. That money will be prioritized for better needs. Major sports leagues are in for a wake up call.

Even I...... I can't justify paying him anything of substance to come back. He still has some tools and can be clutch. The numbers and metrics were just pure awful for him in 2020.

Baseball is tennis in the 90's... I used to enjoy watching a tennis match on tv, especially at Wimbledon..... so much serve and volley. Yet, there was strategy amid longer rallies. Then better equipment took over and all the aces took away my enjoyment in the sport. Baseball looks more and more boring to me with all the strikeouts and less strategy. No get the runner over, no bunts, less steals.... less variety and movement. Watching a 3-1 game with 35 total strikeouts and runs happening by the HR only are becoming more the norm. Baseball is now almost impossible for me to watch if the Brewers are not playing. Even with the team playing playoff baseball, it was pure awful watching the team barely lay wood on a ball most of the season.

Has Attanasio said much of anything of substance since Covid? Who knows what is going on with the team... might be declining most options and let arby guys go or trade for cheaper guys. I mean, he might have lost 100 million with baseball in 2020.

Apologies if this his been written about, in part, other places on brewerfan. We all know the years.... 2008 and 2011. Both were better than the last two seasons when the team couldn't win a game in the playoffs. Both 2008 and 2011 got the Brewers universe unbelievably excited; I'd venture to say 2008's 90 win team was even more exciting getting to the playoffs the first time since 82. That being said, I was at Morgan's Game 5 in 2011, and I know the pure bliss that was in that park and parking lot leaving that game. I got to thinking how many of Doug Melvin's teams could have gotten to the playoffs under this year's rules of 8 teams in per league. In a nutshell, I found out that our disappointing years would have been years of at least minor achievement and less misery. The years of 2007, 2012, and 2014 would have been playoff teams (along with 2008 and 2011...and 2017 Stearns-4 in a row). Who knows how those years would have ended if we were included? Melvin's legacy would have been bumped up a notch too, almost regardless of how they performed in the postseason.... Stearns too. The really surprising thing I found out after looking up standings over those years? We almost would have gotten in 2005 (our first .500 team since 92) and 2013! In 2013, the Padres would have gotten in with a 76-86 record! We had 74 wins. Wow! All being said, I do not hope for the current playoff format to continue. I'd like to see 6 teams in per league, division winners and 3 wild cards. Ala the NFL (before this year), the best two division winners in each league gets buys. The other 4 teams playoff teams play a best of 3 at the better record team's stadium... division winner or not. My feeling is that this would be a nice blend of playoff inclusion for generally smaller market teams, along with rewarding excellence with playoff byes.

If the guy is swinging and missing anyway, hitting .211 (our hitter with the most hits, by the way), laying down a bunt to move runners might not be such a bad idea once in a while. If nothing else, it keeps the 3B and 1B honest and up a bit at the corners at times, opening the field up.

Hiura had more hits than any Brewer this year..... he hit .211 Awful beyond awful watching our hitting. Glad to see a foul ball