madbad2000

Not much to say tonight as I need to go to bed. Terry Truffles is good and fast....2 stolen bases tonight...2nd then 3rd on the next pitch. Scored two runs as well. 3 for 4....nice night....keep an eye on him A night of relief pitchers as Beresford got the nod...all looked well...Simon had a bit of trouble with the balls but was effective...unlike a Pena who seems to have every hitter with 2 strikes before k'ing them or they get a hit. One hit wonder night, very nice crowd, Snappers win and fireworks...if you weren't there shame on you as you missed out. Michael

A two hour Snapper game tonight as a pitcher's duel took place, actually a 1 hr and 59 minute game, amazing. Pena looked very good again. His pickoff error was pretty bad...he has a good move to first. I believe Money got ejected from this game after Cap'n got thrown out at 3rd advancing from 1st on a single. He was actualy out as I had a perfect view. Lou comes around 2nd hauling tail and slows up about halfway thinking he's in there easily....relay was quick to the infield and a nice throw to 3rd....he finally slides and gets tagged out. Lou should never have slown up that early or he would have been in there standing. End of inning instead of runners at the corners with 2 outs. Don was arguing with the ump and it was getting loud as I heard em in the Leinie's Lodge in left. After that inning no more Money as Diggs was coaching third rest of game. Acosta got hosed bottom of the 8th down 1-0...he's on second and Moss hits a broken bat shot...Truffles out at 2nd...and the throw to get Moss at 1st was late...Acosta runs home when the throw goes to 1st. Play at the plate and they call Acosta out. Bad bad call as Acosta slides around catcher 3rd base side and in. A tag didn't even take place until Gilberto was getting UP! Still out end of inning and no runs. Diggs got in the umps face and I thought he was going to get tossed too. Tony had a strong case though. Double plays killed us tonight...Man I am getting more and more impressed with Captain Lou. He just mashes to every part of the field. His only hit was a single in the hole between ss and 3rd. He had a shot into deep right-center that was nearly in there except for a nice play by the cf at the track and wall. He even bobbled it and had to catch it again in order to rob Lou. This guy is the real deal. Vinny is the same way. He just hits the ball everytime. Mashing it everywhere. No one on this team hits the ball harder than Vinny. If Drew Anderson would not swing at pitches inside around his ankles he'd be scary. That low inside pitch is like a bug zapper to him...draws him in and drops him. Overheard Rich Sauveur not being happy with Manuel Ramirez at first base. The run in the first that scored should not have happened as Manny was playing too close to the bag. The ball was hit between first and 2nd and Vinny made a nice sliding attempt to knock it down. Coach was complaining how if Manny was playing where he should have (normally) instead of almost on the bag he would have made the play and no run in the first. Nice to see coach looking out for his boy in Pena. In support of him Manny does look bad at first base.

I agree with Murray being a future 3rd baseman. Said it last year when I saw him...his range isn't great for a SS and his throwing motion just seems better at third...an over the top style...reminds me of Duncan from Battle Creek. Most SS seem to be slingers with the ball while Murray has to almost "pitch" it there. I was wondering why Murray didn't dive for some of those grounders through the hole. He could have made it to most of them with a dive.

Tough day for baseball as the rain came and went all day. Almost blew away the victory in game 1. 3-1 and a soft hit, almost a bunt down 3rd base line and Eveland fielded it...his feet weren't set as his throw sailed into the right field bullpen...2 score. Snappers didn't win it until after a lengthy rain delay and a bit of luck. Truffles on first. Money sends him and Murray swings with a blooper towards 2nd. Problem was the 2 bagger was covering second on the steal attempt and couldn't get back in time to make the routine catch. Truffles on 3rd. He would score on a Drew Anderson bouncer to second as the play at home had no chance at catching the speedy Truffles at home. Montalbo looked pretty good. He seemed to get shaken when a man got on base. As if he stopped doing what was successful and started to pitch around every batter after that which would lead to a walk. Moreira suffered a Pena like outing as West Michigan just smacked the crap out of it to every field. He was hit harder than Pena though. More shots to the wall, etc. Heether didn't look the best...after the 2dinger performance on Saturday, today his head was flying around as he looked to be swinging for the fences. So needless to say he struck out a few times. Drew and Vinny with some nice diving catches in the outfield today and Moss should have had two if he would have dove. He seems really timid out there. Guilder not playing today....not sure why not, maybe punishment. The only sighting was when he warmed up Grybash as the catcher. Pretty small crowd due to the weather unfortunately. Nice to see Murray getting some hits as the potential is definately there.

Tell you what...I've liked Guilder's defense up until last night. I still like it...I'll chalk up last night to nerves and being over anxious to be the hero. Generally it's pretty good. Arm isn't the strongest but range and glove are nice.

Adam Heether at 3b is amazing. His arm is the best I've seen there in a long time....better than any other 3b I've seen play on other teams. He throws a bullet and is accurate. His range is pretty good as well. He made a diving play last night to end the Guilder fiasco and save yet another run. I've been saying it for awhile now that all he needs to do to move on is just hit some more...and he's finally coming around.

Upset over the result of a low A game? It's about development. From a Milwaukee Brewer front office perspective absolutely. From a Snappers baseball fan who attends ball games it's not. Emotions, feelings, blood...us humans have them...maybe someday you'll learn "Data". Parents can come to the game and just let the kids run around and not have to feel overly worried about their safety. Ooof. That must be wonderful for those folks who wanted a nice quiet nigth at the ballpark. Actually it's not too bad as there is a playground area behind the stands and others congregate around where I sit in the left field picnic area. So those who want a quiet night sit in the stands.

I was going to post this last night but I was too furious. No way we lose that game last night. Lend d money hit the nail on the head with Guilder. Got excited and made two crucial errors The 2nd one the worst as his throwing error caused two to score and was unnecessary as he had time to set his feet. Without that one we still win as we scored one in the bottom. Lend d money didn't mention the backbreaker for the Snappers last night. The Guilder Errors hurt us but we were still in a position to tie it up or more in the bottom half. Acosta drew a walk....Don then bunted with Guilder to move Acosta to second. Down by TWO? Didn't understand that one. Acosta would come around to score though. The biggest blunder occurred to end the game. Down by one...Anderson on first...Lou at the plate...Vinny on deck...2 outs....what happens.....Drew Anderson thrown out at 2nd on a STEAL!!!! What the hell?!?!?! You have your two best hitters at the plate/coming up so you steal with Drew who isn't the fastest and who had already been thrown out earlier and was probably a bit jittery hence a late jump. You take the game out of the hands of your two best hitters and give it to Drew's feet. I may not be the smartest man but I know for a fact that Drew's base stealing is not better than Lou or Vinny's bat. Horrible job of coaching. I'm still furious this morning. Heck, even my uncle who rarely goes to games was questioning Money's style. He bunts too much, steals too much with the wrong people. If Don had not had Guilder bunt the previous 2 or 3 times at the plate then maybe Guilder could have reached base with a bunt single in the ninth instead of becoming a sacrifice where even my 8 year old cousin knew a bunt was coming. Great post Lend about the previous opportunities that just magnified Guilder (and Don's) errors. 17 hits and still be in a game that we should have WON. Pena...what to say...I'm not sure if he wasn't on or what. West Michigan was hitting the ball where we weren't. A couple doubles right down the line, bloop singles, gap shots. Not much was hit hard so it's tough to blame Pena. McKenna and Dillard did awesome. Came in and shut the door. Taubenheim deserved a win which he would have received if not for the blunders in the ninth. Heether...I've been clamoring on here for a few weeks now that if only Adam could start to hit he'd be golden....well folks he's now hit something like 5 dongs in the past week....but I'm not taking credit for calling him out.... http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif We deserved better last night....we deserved free culvers ice cream too...maybe that's what is making me so mad...getting jipped out of ice cream. Play of the game...2nd inning...Guilder up...hits a slicing foul ball to the left field Lenie's area....I backpedal and make a grab on the slicing ball... http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif Nice crowd last night and I'm sure most were there for the fireworks. If this rain keeps up look for a doubleheader on Memorial Monday. Talked with Mrs. Lend D Money during the game...very nice to have met you. I'm amazed at how fan friendly Pohlman field is. Parents can come to the game and just let the kids run around and not have to feel overly worried about their safety.

Great games as we nearly pulled out a win in game two. We had a nice rally in the bottom of the 6th. Bases loaded and I believe one out...Moss with an RBI hbp, 2 outs with Moss on 3rd and Deevers pinch running for Corp at 1st...couldn't get Stevie in. The pitcher in game 2 for BC was the smallest pitcher I have ever seen. Sidenote: he won pitcher of the week award in the MWL. The website has him listed as 6-0, 155 but that is not even close. When Guilder Rodriguez TOWERS over you, you are not 6 feet tall. The site lists Guilder at 6'1" which is funny...more like 5'10". I would say this guy was about 5'8" to 5'9". His delivery was weird as well...very slow and deliberate and not a lot of push from his leg...mostly upper body and arm strength for velocity. Nice curve though. Funny as BC also has another pitcher listed at 5'7", 170. As cress mentioned, Vinny made a great catch in left on a slicing ball from a left handed hitter....added a dive and roll...nice. Lou's two homeruns were impressive. First one was to right field with a wind blowing strong to left. Second one (the Culvers ice cream shot) bounced off the top of the sign in left center. He's finally pulling some. Truffles may be the fastest player I have ever seen. The guy did a sacrifice bunt down the first base line and beat it out. On a sacrifice. Impressive. I don't know what Vinny has to do to move on. He clubs everything. All his outs were shots to deep left, center. Only reason I see is without Vinny where is our offense. Maybe a high draft pick will start out here to bump him up as his hitting level and age make him prime to move on. Costly error by Ramirez at first in game 2. The ball rolled under his glove and the runner ended up scoring the eventual winning run a bit later. Pena didn't have his best stuff. He wasn't bad by any means. Only 3 earned and those on homeruns a 2 run job by Duncan in the 1st and a towering shot by Santos that went OVER the scoreboard in center. Pena also picked off a runner at first with a nice move. Durost looked great. Had a few bouts of wildness where he couldn't find the zone but after settling down and some key defense steamrolled the Yankees. My player to watch is going to be Adam Heether. The guy is great at 3rd, strong arm....I believe the 1380 broadcast mentioned he leads the team in doubles with 12 so come on Adam. We really need a 3rd base prospect and no one is stopping you. Fun times...I encourage all to get out to Beloit. Michael

Snappers win 11-1 in the first game, lose 5-4 in the 2nd Lou P with 2 bombs on the day....more to come later.

Some thoughts from the game: 1 hour and 45 minute rain delay....didn't seem that long as goofy joe and I were talking with a couple of guys about all things Brewers. fun time....some of the players were having a good time as they were playing the new game of two-ball on the field during the rain. Eveland looked amazing. He should have only had 1 er instead of 3....maybe 2....Moreira came in with a couple on and gave up the 2 who Eveland left. Nice job Dana...that was fun to watch. Steven White looked ok, not impressive...a couple of wild pitches....fastball was there though. He definately has the stuff to succeed, it's a shame he got away. Lou Palmisano actually pulled a couple of pitches tonight. He usually and almost always goes straight up the middle to right center. He also hit a shot to right center that I thought could have went out but only to the wall and was caught. Vinny with a nice double tonight. He just rips that thing everywhere. He was thrown out at the plate tonight on a fly to center. Kind of a blunder as he should have been sliding and would have made it. No one told him to get down..he just assumed he was there. Afterwards he was mad and made the comment that he should have ran him over which he could have done easily. Eric Duncan got a SB on Lou but should have been out. Lou made a perfect throw but Gilberto just dropped it when coming down to apply the tag. Felt sorry for Lou as that was a bullet. Eric Duncan the Yankees 3b prospect looked decent. He had a couple of hits but only later on in the game when Dana was getting tired. He kind of reminds me of a Corey Hart at third with his throwing motion. Didn't make any errors but just wasn't smooth like.... Adam Heether...that man can play third. He was on as usual. Made a tough diving stop to his left and threw the guy out...made charges in and throwing off balance. Back hand snags....come on Adam we need a 3b prospect oh so bad...just a little more hit ok?? Talked with Steve Moss and the guy is so down to earth and he is frustrated about his performance. Looked ok tonight. Took a walk...his K was close to being a walk as well. At least he is putting some wood on the ball. Truffles is fast. He had an infield single that he just outran the throw. Would have stole second if Drew hadn't walked to automatically push him over. Then a double steal and Truffles easily beat the throw to third. Fun guy to watch play. The bottom half of that lineup is scary....where is Acosta?? I'm not sure if I can recall him getting a hit. Despite the rain delay the game was over by 10:30...2 hrs 20 minutes... Fun time none the less and here's hoping for another victory tonight.

Dhonks...not really sure on Dillard...haven't seen him pitch much...didn't go tonight and he doesn't stand out in my memory of past games. Luis Pena...very smooth pitcher with movement. This year's Snappers squad may not boast a Parra/Wilhelmsen/Sarfate power trio but is solid top to bottom and I can easily see many of these guys pulling a Saenz or maybe even a Hendrickson type ascent through the system.

You know Kat I agree....but I also want to see Stetter given a shot at going longer. Kloosterman is so smooth I wonder what is wrong...if he's overly trying to locate instead of pitch or what. Taubenheim just keeps on dealing and Stetter reminds me of a Kelly Wunsch type, tall lefty with a sweeping curve and a heck of a fastball. 6'7" 240....hmmm not sure if I can believe that...Pena looks to be the tallest in my memory. I'll try to look out for that tomorrow if I go to the game.

Beloit game....lost 2-1 Chris Capuano started on a rehab assignment...gave up a dinger. Durost took over in the 3rd with 2 outs....strict pitch count I'm sure. Taubenheim came in for the ninth and pitched great...2 k's. This guy looks very good....prospect wise watch him. Not much going on....Capuano picked a guy off of first...excellent pickoff move. Fairly uneventful....all you can eat night which was fun. Raining to start off and a haze stuck around all game... Capuano looked very good....the homer was a shot.. Knox of the Cougars looked ok...had a killer curve....easy to see why he would lead the league in strikeouts. Couple of bad calls against the Snappers at first base...one was a hit to the first baseman and the pitcher came over to cover and it was very close...even a tie....guess tie doesn't go to the runner. The 2nd one hurt the most as it was in the bottom of the ninth and truffles hit one to the left side of the infield and beat it out by a half a step and was called out....which very possibly hurt the Snappers as that was one out they could have used to manufacture a run to tie it. I'm starting to wonder about Lou....he hasn't been driving the ball as much...a lot of choppers to short and 2nd....Vinny Rottino continues to club the ball. Pretty uneventful night really...only real excitement was the Capuano sighting. I also believe I saw a few scouts there. One had a Tigers cap on and talked to Josh Murray for what it's worth. He even asked about his injuries. Hopefully more action tomorrow against Cedar Rapids. I'm guessing it's time for Pena again.

Finally saw Villaneueva pitch today and he looked pretty smooth out there. Vinny Rottino can hit. The guy just clubs it to every part of the park. Kloosterman...oh Kloos...how you break my heart. He just got shelled today. Which is like the 3rd start in a row he has not looked good. Mitch Stetter...remember that name. The guy looks very solid out there. He's like 6'5", smooth lefty. Has quite a bit of pop (not sure on radar reading but you can hear it), and comes over the top at that height...overpowering. He should take over for Kloos soon if he keeps pitching like he did today. Steve Moss....I'm a huge supporter...but sheesh...swing the bat man. I know he's working the count and it shows...but when the pitcher is dealing you have to swing man. Kane County pitcher in game 2....man among boys today. Although he did get some fine D...most of the time it wasn't needed. Only solid hit was a rope triple by Vinny into the left center gap. Great day for a game and I'm glad it was a double dip as it allowed me even more time to enjoy it. Best outfield arm.....Steve Moss....close and very very close 2nd Robby Deevers. Cannon baby. Corporans homer was a line drive to right field that hooked just inside the foul pole. Nothing else really comes to mind as it was just an enjoyable day at the park. Look forward to tomorrows game as it is the final of the series and All You Can Eat Night at Pohlman field. Michael

KANE COUNTY .266 747 137 199 15 122 171 5 5 122 walks?? Is this a misprint?? If not then that is double the next team.

Tuesday was a killer night for the Snappers. Let me just say right off that the umpire that night was the same one from Fanfest on Sunday. He sucks major league. Kloosterman didn't look bad at all even with the 6 walks and 5 ER...he DID NOT deserve them. The umpire was so inconsistent on his calls it was horrible. Kloos was pulled after 3.2 and afterwards he walked towards the bullpen and was furious! As well as he should have been...numerous times throw a pitch...ball...exact same pitch and location on the next pitch called a strike. The umpire finally settled down after Kloosterman left as the crowd (maybe 50 people) was getting very vocal. Dillard got screwed bigtime...he was doing well until Womack hit one to centerfield that was a routine play for Trofholz...right to him, didn't even have to move and he missed it...stood there and the ball went right between his glove and his head and past him scoring two. Should have been an error on Trofholz but instead a 2 rbi triple for Womack. Should be mentioned there were 2 outs at the time and that would have been end of inning. Funny play for the Rattler starter Feirabend (a lefty). Drew Anderson got on base with a single and Manuel Ramirez walked...1st and 2nd....the pitcher kept checking Anderson at 2nd as if he was going to steal. Probably did that like 4 times....he takes the rubber....makes a move towards first and throws it...no one covering as there were two on...it was like he was trying to throw it the 1st basemen who was playing back but the ball went in between him and the bag...Drew scored, Manny to 3 (later scored). Augustin Septimo....hmm...looks like Guilder Rodriguez with a tad more bulk and less "contact"....so basically a light Josh Murray. Very fast as well. Give me Guilder on this squad please. SB on Lou...he would have had a shot to throw him out at 2nd but Lou squeezed the glove prematurely and the ball hit and dropped before he could grab it. Other than that a typical chilly night in Beloit in April. Sloppy play abound and some bad luck as we were hitting the ball hard just seemed to be a Rattler player there everytime...I actually counted and the shortstop made like 5 putouts in a row.

Well I'm not advocating giving up on Villanueva, I'm not sure what to think as the piggybacking of the Snappers rotation throws out convential thinking. I'm torn as convential thinking is that he seems overmatched (on the surface) so take him out of rotation...but really with the piggybacking system of the Snappers does it really matter? A pitcher starts one game and is paired with another who he relieves the next rotation. As of right now there are pitchers doing better in terms of Pena, Eveland, Durost,Koosterman and maybe they are frustrated that starting prospects at lower levels such as Wooley or Hawk or Ramirez should get a shot. I say stick with the rotation the way it is unless you plan on moving up someone from Helena last year.

lend d money, I didn't go tonight but wanted to. Well at my house a few miles north it would have been blowing towards right field but not as bad as Sunday. I've yet to SEE Villanueva pitch but I agree his lines aren't looking very good. There are plenty of other options on that Beloit staff that have looked good. I also have to back you up on Deevers. When he was playing instead of Moss the ball was jumping. If it weren't for Marks having a few good games Deevers might get some more PT. Hopefully last night proved to Money he should get some. I'll stand by my comments that the Beloit outfield will have a big year. I'll be there tonight though for sure...can't miss a Kloosterman start.

Beloit wins 7-6....didn't go but checked out the sports network thing. Wisconsin with 4 in the top of the 1st and two in the top of the 9th. Beloit Box Score: GAME DATE: 4/26/04 WIS at BLT WISCONSIN 6 AT BELOIT 7 YTD YTD WISCONSIN AB R H BI AVG BELOIT AB R H BI AVG J.Womack DH 4 2 2 1 .257 T.Trofholz CF 4 1 1 0 .288 O.Navarro 2B 5 0 2 0 .225 G.Acosta SS 4 0 0 0 .186 A.Jones SS 4 1 2 1 .233 D.Anderson LF 4 1 1 1 .299 E.Bastida 3B 5 0 0 0 .000 L.Palmisano CAT 3 2 2 0 .350 W.Balentien CF 4 1 1 0 .207 V.Rottino DH 3 1 1 1 .348 J.Dutton 1B 3 1 0 0 .194 A.Heether 3B 4 1 1 1 .250 C.Colton RF 4 1 2 4 .206 R.Deevers RF 4 1 2 4 .188 S.Bradford LF 3 0 0 0 .116 C.Corporan 1B 4 0 2 0 .222 C.Collins PH 1 0 0 0 .231 G.Rodriguez 2B 4 0 0 0 .317 J.Ruchti CAT 3 0 1 0 .250 C.Villanueva PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.Metheny PH 1 0 0 0 .227 S.Beresford PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.Moorhead PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 T.Taubenheim PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 K.Chang PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 37 6 10 6 TOTALS 34 7 10 7 WISCONSIN 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2- 6 10 1 BELOIT 0 1 5 0 0 0 1 0 X- 7 10 1 E--O.Navarro, A.Heether. DP--WISCONSIN 0, BELOIT 0. LOB--WISCONSIN 8, BELOIT 5. 2B--J.Womack (4), A.Heether (6). 3B--C.Colton (3). HR-- J.Womack (3), C.Colton (2), D.Anderson (1), R.Deevers (1). SB-- C.Corporan (1). HBP--V.Rottino. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA WISCONSIN B.Moorhead (L,2-1) 5.0 8 6 6 1 7 1 2.70 K.Chang 3.0 2 1 1 0 4 1 3.75 BELOIT C.Villanueva (W,1-3) 5.0 6 4 4 2 7 1 4.56 S.Beresford 3.0 1 0 0 1 6 0 5.06 T.Taubenheim (S,2) 1.0 3 2 2 1 2 1 4.82 HB--B.Moorhead. SO--J.Womack 2, O.Navarro 2, A.Jones, E.Bastida, W.Balentien 2, J.Dutton 2, C.Colton, S.Bradford 2, C.Collins, J.Ruchti, D.Anderson 2, L.Palmisano, V.Rottino 2, A.Heether 2, R.Deevers, C.Corporan, G.Rodriguez 2. BB--J.Womack, A.Jones, W.Balentien, J.Dutton, L.Palmisano. T--2:54. A--368Beloit Game Log: www.sportsnetwork.com/mer...MEID=12470

Roco, was that your party of three sitting in front of us in the reserved seats, 1st base side?

I haven't seen Villanueva pitch yet but some of the other snappers pitchers have slow deliveries which lead to stolen bases. Pena can be drawn out at times and I've seen some huge leads/steals from that.

Bausher starting for Huntsville???

Don't know what to say about Thursdays game as that was a heartbreaker. Heether was called out at the plate bottom of the eleventh. Sure looked in there to me as the throw was high, catcher caught it over his head. I heard he missed the plate which is unexcusable if true. A lot of wasted opportunities though. Truffles getting thrown out at third on a passed ball which didn't really go past the catcher. Deevers picked off at second (same inning I believe) when he obviously wasn't going to run. Hate to see Montalbo go out like that as he was rolling. Taubenheim came in and was dealing too except for a double that scored the tying run. Nice play by Deevers in the top of the eleventh with a bullet throw from right to nail a guy at the plate. to no avail as the next runner scored on a bloop hit. Not much going on in this game as the offense was not to be seen. Not sure I agree with trying to bunt on all the time Don. Especially with your hottest hitter in Rodriguez and the defense looking for it. I mean every time Truffles or Guilder came up it seemed like he was looking to bunt with them. Frustrating but still a nice night aside from the bit of rain midway through. Wind was blowing to Left very strong and if our righty heavy lineup can't pull one out on a night like tonight I have an eerie feeling we'll hit like 5 jacks all year....and two will be inside the park jobs.

Eveland looked pretty good. The shot by Parker was a blast and IIRC he had him on the ropes for the last out. Dana was cruising until the 9th that's for sure. Not sure how fast he was throwing.