owbc

If we agree that we want to move a different direction from the Macha era, a good way to start would be to not hire Macha's #2 man.

Tough call this year. Tempting to go against my preseason prediction of the Yankees winning it all, so I will still predict this to be #2 of their 4-peat. Yankees 3 Twins 2 Rays 3 Rangers 1 Phillies 3 Reds 1 Giants 3 Braves 0 Yankees 4 Rays 3 Phillies 4 Giants 2 Yankees 4 Phillies 1

The idea that he would even consider taking his time and looking at a broad range of candidates is excellent. It seems like the current list that we have generated is mostly speculation and that the Brewers have not made any decisions about their coaching staff. Remember, the Melvin that hired Macha is the same Melvin that went for young, inexperienced Ned Yost. You also can bet that Attanasio will have a say in the decision process. One disappointing aspect is that Wallach will likely be taken by the Blue Jays before Melvin gets a chance to interview him.

The fact that Attanasio is giving Melvin this hire suggests that Melvin is going to be around for a while--both will likely be around at least through the end of 2012. I think the Brewers job is very attractive. They were 77-85--that isn't all that bad for a team replacing its manager. They have a good group of young talent to work with. They are not in a rebuilding phase and are looking to compete again in 2011.

I agree. That's #5. I want Tim Wallach but he doesn't seem like someone Melvin would hire.

OWBC's rules for hiring a new manager: 1) Never played for the Brewers 2) Never worked for ESPN 3) Was not already interviewed by Melvin in 2003 or 2008 4) Not a current member of the Brewers' organization

Atlanta is trying hard to choke, but they are still holding on to an 8-7 lead in the bottom 8th. If Atlanta hangs on, they clinch at least a 163rd game. That leaves: a) Giants win: Giants win NL West, Braves win WC, Padres fans suffer more misery b) Padres win: Giants/Padres play for the NL West tomorrow, loser has to fly cross-country to Atlanta and try to win the WC playoff on Tuesday. I'm hoping for b)

The last day of the season is always sad, but at least this year there should be plenty of offseason moves to keep us interested--most likely starting tomorrow. Still, it's hard to believe that this is likely Prince Fielder's last game in a Brewers uniform. I'm also looking forward to the games with playoff implications today--rooting for the Padres who are miraculously still in contention.

I believe there was a game this year when 8 out of the 9 players on the field were home grown. That speaks volumes about Melvin's ability to get home-grown talent to the majors. His trades have been average and his free-agent signings have been below average. Overall I am fine giving him a few more years, but I am a little concerned about giving him another managerial hire.

There were plenty of contributors, but Corey Hart is the clear choice for MVP. The Brewers' improved record since mid-May was caused mostly by Hart, not Axford. He kept the Brewers afloat for almost a month when Fielder and Braun were both struggling. He was an all-star. He maintained his numbers with a solid second half. Weeks is the runner-up with an equally solid season statistics-wise. However, he never dominated the headlines the way Hart did in June.

It's always nice to see the Brewers on a winning streak--would be great to win the next 3 and have some momentum going into next year.

I think a B10 hockey conference would be great. The conference might not be the best at the beginning, but it can broadcast on the B10 network and eventually make enough noise to get a few more schools to add hockey. Maybe it is possible to invite some of the other WCHA schools into the B10 hockey conference?

Last home game of the year is always a sad day. Marlins' broadcast just showed Fielder in the dugout smiling and doing a pseudo-batting stance. I know it's good for the future of the Brewers, but it's going to be sad to see him go. They also offered up several suggestions for fixing the shadows problem that have been mentioned on this board, including curtains and window tinting.

Only 17,000 showed up last night at the Trop. Sad. Can't use the bad ballpark as an excuse in late September. At least Padres fans are finally showing up--35,000 at Petco last night.

The Rays' stadium has indeed stalled, which is too bad since their concept of the "sail" retractable roof right on the water looked like one of the neatest and most unique ballparks in MLB. Besides problems with securing funding, I think the Rays are locked in a long term lease that would be difficult to break--which also throws out the possibility of relocation for now. It is the opposite of the Marlins, who are literally being kicked out of Sun Life Stadium by the Dolphins. The Marlins' new stadium is cheap and small and in an inaccessible location, but it is far superior to their current situation. The options for relocation are very unattractive in my opinion--especially in this economy and in a time when public funded sports venues are coming under increased scrutiny. I personally think the best option would be a new Brooklyn Dodgers playing in a replica Ebbets Field, but that is about as likely to happen as the Yankees having a 90 loss season.

Marlins' announcing update: they are now very impressed with the "slow wave" and have not seen any fans partake in such a wave before.

Highlight of the game so far: Marlins' announcer called Macha "intellectual" and "studious" (they were Expos teammates in the late 70s)

The Marlins' announcers are reciting the Brewers' media guide. I now know where everyone in the lineup went to high school and college. They are also obsessed with video clips of the racing sausages riding Harleys before the game. Also, Yo looks great tonight.

Yesssss this game is on TV in Florida :-) I haven't watched the Brewers in over a month.

I'll agree that Minneapolis is a mid-market, but it doesn't take away my argument that they are at a disadvantage to the White Sox under the current economic system, despite having better attendance and fan support. While the postseason is a small sample, I also think that their lack of postseason success shows that they are ultimately inferior to the big boys. The Twins are good, but fell short in part because they could not afford to re-sign Tori Hunter.

Haha looks like Counsell is an ok #6 hitter after all!

Minneapolis/St. Paul is the 21st largest market in MLB. I consider the bottom 1/3 to be the small market teams.

Tampa Bay does not deserve a MLB team because of low attendance? Are you serious? Besides the fact that most people from Tampa Bay are transplants and have allegiances to other teams...and that they play in one of the worst ballparks in MLB--Rays fans know that their team is going to be dismantled--this upcoming fire sale has been known about for years. Rays fans know that even if they sold out all of their games, they would still not be able to afford a payroll of even HALF of what the Yankees have. Maybe Tampa Bay fans are the smart ones and we are the suckers for believing that the Brewers have a chance to compete. The Brewers drew almost 9,000,000 fans in 3 years and are still stuck with a below-average payroll and a mediocre 4th place team. Then you have Cincinnati--that used to be a huge baseball town a generation ago--but after 20 years of losing people seem to have stopped paying attention. The Reds are in a similar situation as the 2008 Brewers--they have a small window that will close quickly and they have zero margin for error in personnel moves if they want to keep winning. Of course there will always be some amazingly well-managed team like the Twins that manages to consistently win in a small market. That gives Bud Selig and the big market owners the chance to show them off as "proof" that the current baseball economic system is working. However, the Twins with a new ballpark, sellouts every night, and star players on the field, still have a lower payroll than the White Sox, who can break even drawing 12,000 less fans per game due to their market size. The Brewers could easily fall back into the same cycle of budget cuts and declining attendance. The difference is that small market teams like the Brewers depend on their fair weather fans to break even. The struggling big market teams like the Mets and the White Sox will never need to drastically cut payroll. The Rays will become just another victim of baseball's financial system, while big market teams can look forward to adding the Rays' former players.

Only 22,761 there tonight--smallest crowd in over 3 years.

Yes, it does occasionally show up that Weeks or Escobar is working with Randolph. But the coaches are also working with the infielders and outfielders on the other 29 teams. The difference is that any comments about the Brewers' defense from the coaching staff are few and far between. Improving defense starts the first day of spring training and can take years to show up. The Brewers' neglect of defense has gone on for several years, and has now come to fruition with the team becoming the worst defensive team in MLB at the exact time that pitching and defense became common areas of emphasis across MLB. Sometimes it was simple decisions, like allowing Prince Fielder to play the field during Interleague play. Other times it is more involved--like which positions to upgrade to make up for Braun/Fielder's atrocious defense. I also have to question why Escobar did not become the star defender that he was supposed to be according to our scouting. Remember when Ned Yost would remove our poor defenders late in the game--how often do you see that from Macha? I am confident that additional upgrades to the Brewers' pitching staff will not yield significant improvements unless the defense behind these pitchers is upgraded. A new manager is also needed that will come out on day 1 of spring training 2011 and announce to the team that improving defense is a high priority.