rickh150

I would like some speed off the bench. If not Morgan, someone else.... especially in Sept. (Schaeffer, I guess).

Great post, Patrick425.

"The emperor has no clothes!"....oh, I, obvious guy, mean....The players agreed to the rules..... if they wouldn't have, I'd be just slightly more sympathetic. When there were "no rules" in MLB, there still were laws against illegal drugs- still not ok..... love it when fans bodyguard cheating millionaires. Baseball authorities should be about getting the game safer for the body (less drugs) and fairer, regardless what the growing group of ignorant fans say. In recent years, baseball has and should be commended.

They could probably compete for the playoffs next year with a couple of top line starters .... tough to come by though. You only need to be a little over .500 to be in the wild card race.

How about putting him at 3B and Ramirez at 1B.... Money wise, probably need Phillies to throw us a little cash. Ramirez seems to be one pulled hammy away from the DL.... 1B has less wear and tear. We need another bat at either #2 or #6 to help the offense along. Not sure, but Rollins has to make more contact/ take a few more pitches than the avg. Brewer, right? Reynolds could be a back-up/ twice a week guy at 3B AND IB for match-up reasons. We could be "set" for next year with his addition and re-upping with Ramirez.... if Ramirez walks, we have Rollins as 3B insurance. We'll lose Weeks, Gorz, KRod (maybe), AND Reynolds (probably?) next year to get a little $ back for this. Rollins could be insurance at SS, as well. Melvin WAS interested in him 3 years ago before signing ARAM.... it could happen How about Jason Rogers and a middling pitcher for Rollins?

Tom G. has been playing as much as Wang in the majors lately. Give the guy a few more opportunities while Duke struggles a bit and before Smith's arm falls off.

Funny how some protect Braun while in yester years not letting ARod and Bonds types off the hook..... Just call yourself a homer and get on with it.... don't try to justify cheating (MLBPA approved the rules and testing)

He seems to be 3rd on the lefty list for the Crew...last year of deal. Could we swap him to a contender for a similar right handed piece relief piece. Makes sense although a little unusual.

Didn't know Price has another year........ in hindsight, not a great idea for the Rays. However, the better discussion is if Price (or another top 10 pitcher) would be worth getting this year if it would bring Milwaukee to a World Series, regardless of cost to the minor leagues. I'd say no, but I did hesitate.... World Series in Milwaukee? Boy....

I have noticed over the past two or three years that Miller Park is emptying out around 9:30, regardless of score. Not that this hasn't happened before, I believe it is happening at a higher volume. People have to work the next day, get there kids to bed, etc.... all good reasons. I was at the post Memorial game against the Orioles. This game saw dramatic shifts from the Brewers getting out to a 5-0 lead, to blowing the lead, to tieing the game on a bad throw in the 9th, to winning the game on Yo's 10th inning double. Wow! However, there was only about 1/2 of the people at the end of the game. What a shame! I believe most Brewers fans would welcome a change in start times for weeknight games. Move it back a half hour. This would allow most fans to see about the entire game at a decent hour. Not to mention, many fans drive long distances and don't return home until around 11 to 12 at night. Plus, many watch Brewers games and can't see the ending of games for similar reasons (work, kids to bed). 6:40 looks much better to me and most, I would have to believe.

This deal intrigues me: Yo is a solid #3 pitcher with team control through 2015 (13 mil) Jungman is an up and coming pitcher- tall, lanky frame Roach has huge power- something the Rays lack for David Price- one of the top 5 pitchers in the game His deal is up this year and his signing would put the Brewers in a definite driver's seat for the division and playoffs. We'd have Nelson shoring up the pitching next year, along with Fiers, Thornburg, or Pena. We would be "saving" money from the loss of Yo to put into some other pitching, as well. Perhaps Smith would be looked at as a starter next year, as well.

I'll try to respectfully give responses to a few, and then I'll let a dead horse die. I appreciate the debate, and it allowed me to think of trains of thought that I have not thought about before. Thank you. Braun was not banned because of a test... he was banned because of the overwelming evidence MLB had on him. Braun could see the writing on the wall and a deal was struck. The argument that he used just in the postseason doesn't fly because based on just part of the evidence shown and Braun's brief statements, he used throughout at least half of 2011 (and probably since college). In my mind (and most), he doesn't deserve the MVP. Like many here stated, it is tainted and probably will always be. My simple opinion is that he should give it back (sell it somewhere for charity), show some contrition, and gain a better rep. for the Brewers and himself, even be it small. Only one sided with the LL WS kid, whereas most here are siding with Braun keeping his trophy. The argument... he didn't know the rules. So if I run a stop sign, hit a car, and get a fine, my argument should be, "Sorry, offficer, I didn't see the stop sign" or "I didn't know the traffic rules" and the officer should let me off the hook? Being reckless and stupid doesn't right a wrong. Morals? My morals? I think most believe it's wrong to lie, steal, and cheat. Everyone has a baseline for some sort of human decency, even though some pretend that is not the case. Everyone is guilty of these imperfections, by the way, and has improvement to do. The argument that I can lie, cheat, and steal whenever doesn't fly because Tom, Dick, and Harry do it too. The whole opening a can of worms thing? The can is still open. The injustice of any MVP/Award/Stat winner on the juice still having an award/title from a juice year is still there. Who closed the lid? All this being said, I still hope the best for Braun and the Brewers. I want to get back to the post-season. I hope the Crew can stay healthy this season, pick up a few spare parts along the way, and make a run at its first World Championship. Giving back the MVP sure would help the Crew, Braun, and ALL its fans make a better peace with this issue, even if some of you have put that to bed already. I believe the organization is still worried about this (mostly financially speaking), and for good reason. Why else would it poll the fans about their FEELINGS about Braun? No, no, the stank is still there, and the Brewers fans will be reminded of this every time Braun goes to bat this season on the road. Good PR moves can still be made with Braun, one being giving back the MVP.

The kid broke the rules. He took a championship from another team. Braun broke the Player Association approved MLB rules. He should give back the 2011 MVP. I'm all for Braun. I'm still a fan and am rooting for him to be better than ever. Giving back a tainted award couldn't hurt his image one bit. It would only help it, including the image of his employer.

As part of Dominican officials' investigation, Victor Romero, head of the national public records office, interviewed the witnesses whose signatures appeared on the 1989 birth certificate. They both denied knowing Danny's parents, let alone signing the certificate. On August 31, Romero announced that Danny had in fact been born in 1987. As a result, Danny was retroactively declared ineligible, and the Baby Bombers had to forfeit all their wins in tournament play. All of their records were removed from the books, and the team was required to demonstrate compliance with all regulations before entering the 2002 tournament. Felipe Almonte was banned from Little League competition for life. Paulino was also banned, since Little League rules make the league president responsible for player eligibility. Dominican prosecutors filed criminal charges against Felipe Almonte for falsifying a birth certificate. Danny, who did not speak English at the time, apparently knew nothing about the falsified documents, and was cleared of wrongdoing. Little League president Stephen Keener said that Danny and his teammates had been "used ... in a most contemptible and despicable way" and that "millions of Little Leaguers around the world were deceived." ESPN's Jim Caple called Felipe Almonte "the worst stereotype of the Little League parent sprung to life."[3] Danny's godmother later begged forgiveness, saying that "we had to commit this little fraud" to give Danny a chance to compete in a tournament as significant as the Little League World Series.[4] Baldkin, should this kid have been allowed to keep his trophy? By the way, I'm all for redemption and 2nd, 3rd and 77 chances. I recognize sin as sin, me being the biggest sinner. That being said, should we dismiss bad action because everyone is bad? In essence, should we even try to live morally, try to run a clean league, try to set rules to govern fairly?

Sad society.... Most people so far think he should keep it. Why? They pick Sosa, Bonds, and Clemens for support. Since they kept their awards, Braun should keep his. People who cheat during a season SHOULDn't keep the awards won in a cheat season. I can't believe there isn't more support for this. Like saying it would make you less of a Braun or Brewers fan. Forget about what will happen or what is "fair" in regards to the other cheaters, what SHOULD happen? So far, the sound of most from this thread is "If you can get away with it, do it." How about the 16 year old Little Leaguer? Does anyone support him too? He got away winning the Little League World Series... dominated it. Not until weeks after did he get caught.... He and Braun are in the same boat.... Should he keep his trophy too?

Should the cheating 16 year old kid who dominated the Little League World Series be allowed to keep his award? I'm not asking what is legally ok. I'm asking what is morally acceptable. He cheated. He got caught. He admitted it. He should give the trophy back. I obviously know he could keep it. But, really, what good is that trophy ever going to do for him ever again? Giving it back would do more for his image now. Isn't that what he is looking for? My amateur guess is that he'd give a lot of money back to gain back a better reputation.

Braun has said all the right things this winter and spring. Although he has not been very specific, he seems remorseful. However, what would really help? Giving up the 2011 MVP. He won the award already, right? He can't win it again. It's just sitting there. Everyone knows it's a fraud. By Braun making this unprecedented move, he would turn the tables on his image. He would be not just saying the right things, he'd put an action with it. His image would turn so much for the good: Law to the proud.... grace to the humble Also, this situation has hurt the image of the Brewers a bit too. When an organization's star player is branded as a cheater and an incredible liar, it can't help tickets and jersey sales. What everyone loves is a redemption case- a player that hits bottom and rebounds. The organization obviously is concerned- more than the media is letting on. So much so, that the Brewers are finally putting Braun back into its marketing plans. The Brewers even polled their season-ticket holders on their feelings about Braun. When has that ever happened? A team polling their fans about one player? No, no, this is going to linger over this franchise- maybe not for all fans, but for some, especially those that have to pay the thousands for season tickets, advertising, and corporate sponsors. Doing nothing might not hurt the organization much any more; this bold move, however, would help Braun and the Brewers organization. There is no debating that.

After starting this topical discussion, I was amazed at the wide range of opinion.Some wanted nothing to do with Braun anymore... to the point of trading him or having him off the roster. Others say there is no hope for any type of redemption for the man. I am in neither camp. [edited by moderator] Let's be real here: In this world, there is redemption either on a small or much, much larger level. We all have been forgiven of something in our life. Our parents, boss, brother, friend, wife, girl friend, or next door neighbor has forgiven us at some point. We have all been thankful to a degree. [edited by moderator] Likewise, Braun needs to humble himself more. As far as I'm concerned, he has only been sorry for being caught. Give back the MVP, Braun. Ya cheated and you got caught. Denounce PEDs and do something positive to show that baseball authorities have it right in trying to clean up the game.

You know, this whole drug thing really taints 2011 for me. What a year that was! I thoroughly enjoyed getting to 96 wins, beating the Diamondbacks, and dreaming of a World Series. The crowds were great! I sat in the bleachers for Game 5 of the NLDS with my dad, caught a BP homer ball, and leapt for joy when the Brewers won on Morgan's hit. The Brewers were on top, and they did it the right way with home-grown talent, smart trades, and a reasonable payroll. Tickets were fairly reasonable too, and it always seemed the Brewers were doing some promotion to get you in Miller Park. Great year, great memories. Then the Braun thing happened. Back and forth, back and forth...did he do it? We all wanted to believe him, believe in him. Then the floor dropped out beneath us. He was using drugs in 2011, his MVP season. He batted like .500 in the NLDS. For me, for most Brewer fans I'd like to believe, the great feeling you had of that 2011 season has diminished. I still get chills when I think about the Brewer fever that year, being with my dad for that game, focusing on every pitch of those playoff games. And I know that Braun is just one guy of many on the Brewers team and in the team's organization. Yet, the feelings changed. Some of the innocence and magic of the year left, and now more leaves every year since. THat leaves us with Braun. Hart is gone, along with the Counsels, Kotsays, and Morgans of the day, not to mention stars like Axford, Greinke, and Fielder. What do we do with Braun? What should we think? Should we boo? be unresponsive? overlook everything? forgive unconditionally? Like a good movie or book, the ending will probably surprise us on what will take place with Braun and the Milwaukee Brewers. But what about us? What should we think and do? Like everything, I believe one's faith is instrumental in the whole life of a person, not just what he or she believes, definitely not just what they do on Sundays. So with Braun, I believe that we as sinners need to look upon another sinner with compassion. We are all pigs in the mud, right? All sinners that have fallen short, huh? Yet, sinners are seen in different lights in the Good Book. A common theme is: Grace given to the humble, the law given to the proud. In short, we all should recognize what Braun has done as a terrible thing- lying, cheating, stealing, coveting. Yet, are we to condemn him forever? Are we to never forget? If that is the case, I sure hope that you wouldn't get what's coming to you on your judgement day? However, what we need to see truly from him is a lowly heart that recognizes the errrors of his ways. He needs to be contrite in heart, sincerely sorry for what he has done to himself, those around him, the team, and those that support him. In short, be humble, Lord willing. Without this happening, the forgiveness of others and a loving Father will never be full again. Then we can jump back on the Brewers and Braun bandwagon with more vigor than ever, although we have never left. To Braun and all those who follow the Crew, here is what Braun needs to do: 1. Say he's sorry, especially to those around him most affected.....Check 2. Apologize to Brewers fans for what has happened 3. Be specific in saying that PEDs are wrong for the game and that he will, Lord willing, not use 4. Give back his MVP 5. Be a leader in a drug prevention program- financially or vocally Don't shrug it off....his actions were huge and it affected all of our feelings toward the Brewer team, past years' successes, and how we will look at Brewers baseball in the future, including money on the bottom line. Hopefully, the rise of the Brewers and the redemption of Braun is one and the same, and it can only happen with Braun being humble.

I was told by a member of the Brewers ticket staff that the Arctic Tailgate is March 1, and single seats will be on sale then.

Interesting that Feb. 28 is the date that demand-based pricing sets in..... Doesn't the Arctic Tailgate usually happen on the third weekend of February. This year, that would make it the 22nd. Maybe there will be a set price for a week before the demand-based pricing sets in. Still, there are a bunch of questions to answer from this. How are BP game discounts determined? How about half-priced games? Will there still set marquee games and marquee parking. I'm not sure how well this will go over with fans. Change is a comin.

According to the group ticket page of the Brewers, 2014 tickets for each game will be subject to demand-based pricing. Is this news? Does this mean that tickets will be cheaper at the Arctic Tailgate than normal? Will ALL tickets be subject to changes in pricing? Will we know how much we're paying for a certain game when standing in line any time at the box office? Many questions and few answers, from me at least....any help? http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/ticketing/pricing.jsp?c_id=mil&layout=gameflow&view=group

Ackley was sent down recently by the Mariners....I think the crew should look into getting him on the cheap now. We, at least, need some insurance at 2nd or 3rd for the future. Maybe Jack z. would want a former draft pick and some cash for weeks. Crazier things have happened.

This has to be the all-time wow Yount stat that I came across.... he only made three all-star games! He played for the Brewers twenty years, has a statue, and "only" appeared in three all-star games? That can't be, can it? Braun has made five out of six already, and it would have been all six if he played his entire rookie season in the majors. Why didn't Yount make more? Was there another great SS other than Ripken keeping him out?

Some say Brewers shouldn't do it. Others say the Phillies never would do it. I think it is, at the very least, an interesting idea both ways.