owbc

Another night where the offense did enough to win. So, so frustrating.

The fire near LA is big but there are also some in Nevada and Utah. See this recent satellite image. A few times I have seen red dirt on my car here in Wisconsin after a light rain. Generally, this can be traced back to a dust storm in New Mexico or Texas that got pulled into the jet stream. Dust/smoke/pollutants can also travel across oceans. Layers of dirt in the Southeast have been traced to the Sahara desert and high levels of Mercury and other pollutants in California are due to increased pollution in China.

I really had a good time at Miller Park on Wednesday night. It was the first time in a few years that it felt like the old days. We had some free terrace seats way up in section 408 but quickly grabbed some RF bleacher seats (first time moving down from the terrace in many years!). There was plenty of space, people drinking beer from cans that they somehow got in the stadium, a police officer who didn't care, and a nice mediocre game on the field including several defensive miscues by the home team. It reminded me of my first Brewers game in the County Stadium bleachers in 1996. The Brewers lost but there wasn't any reason to be upset. Plus we got on the big screen!

I've come to the conclusion that all managers are going to make stupid moves from time to time.

I have the same feeling. I know what it will cost and I'm not sure if it is worth the risk. The problem is that we are staring at the next Yount/Molitor combination and we already have one of them locked up for the next 7 years. It has discussed on this site that Braun/Fielder and a bunch of mediocre players might be enough for an above-average offense. We also still have a decent offensive core to support them, and it looks like Hardy/Hart will not be offered large extensions like was originally planned. We would lose leverage in the free agent market, but our recent FA acquisitions suggest that we would be better off staying away from expensive free agents. What it comes down to is that the Brewers can not win a bidding war if a large market team is seriously interested. The only way I can see it happening is if the Brewers are aggressive this offseasion in offering an extension--and like I said earlier, the initial offer should be for over $100 million. They need to offer him the security of an extension now at a price below market FA value but still worthy of being called a mega-deal. If that works, then you should absolutely spend the money.

Why sign one mega-deal when he could have 2 mega-deals? If he signs a 6 year contract in 2010 for $20-25 million per season, he gets out of it at age 32. At that point, he will likely not have seen significant decline yet and should be able to get someone to sign him to another 5+ year contract. He will likely have around 400 home runs at that point, at least one MVP award, and numerous all-star appearances to bolster his value. The other problem with signing a 3-year deal is that the CBA expires in 2011. Any sort of work stoppage could have catastrophic effects on the free agent market. It would be better for him to get the guaranteed money now instead of risking a few very bad FA years after 2011.

I don't see how people are suggesting he will sign for anything less than 100M--or even 125 M, so I will try to rationalize this more... The Yankees have gotten used to signing 30-something free agents to huge contracts. Fielder offers an opportunity to sign a 26 year old to a big contract where they can take advantage of his prime years. I know Prince has weight issues, but he's only missed 12 games in the last 4 seasons and never had a major injury. He will likely decline at some point, which should be a concern. Mo Vaughn and Cecil Fielder lasted until age 32, David Ortiz declined this year (he's 33). Therefore, a 7 year contract is likely the ideal number, but if there is competition from other clubs I could see 8 or 9. The Brewers could be helped by Prince's defense, as it will likely be only AL teams looking to sign him. We may be the only NL club willing to take a risk, especially if there is some unforeseen future injury that allows him to hit but limits his mobility. With the economic recovery likely well underway in a year and a half, many of these teams will have additional money to spend. The Yankees will likely not be seriously interested, so the Red Sox will be the #1 bidder. The Angels will almost certainly try to match the offer. I could also see some teams with recent success get involved, so throw in the Texas Rangers (especially if they make the playoffs this year). How about Detroit--can you imagine Prince and Cabrera as the corner infielders? In the NL, I could see the Mets, Dodgers, Giants, and Cubs all being initially interested. So basically, there will end up being about 10 teams willing to spend 100M on him and about 5 that will go over 130M. Like I said before, he's very similar to Mark Teixeira, as they both hit 100+ home runs before turning 26. Fielder has the advantage of being even younger than Teixeria with better numbers. Boston offered $21 million per season and was turned down to the Yankees offer of $22.5 million/season (in a down economy!!!). Fielder will likely see a similar contract, I suspect 7 years for around $150-160 million. I think our best bet is to offer a 6 year extension this offseason with around $120 million in guaranteed money. Put the money on the table and see if he can avoid the temptation of signing now. We will have ZERO chance next year, it doesn't matter how well the team does, season ticket renewals are going to drop attendance to about 2.5 million next year. It has to be done in the offseason. Remember, any extension worth less than $100 million is going to be laughed at. It has to be a serious offer.

We got what we paid for with Looper. He's a solid #5 starter. Unfortunately, we have 3 or 4 #5 starters in our rotation right now.

I just realized that Braden Looper is scheduled to pitch on Wednesday--and of course I am going to the game. If my calculations are correct, that will be my 8th Brewers game of the season and the 5th one started by Looper.

Congrats to 3TO for reaching 30 home runs for the first time in his career!!!

Here's a few things I've heard of: -I'm not a coupon clipper, but if you go through the ads that come in the mail and get the manufacturers coupons, some stores have a day of the week where they are worth double savings. -Use the discount card and buy as much stuff that's on sale as possible. If you want to buy an item and don't care what brand it is, buy the one that is on sale (but make sure it is a good sale and not like 20 cents off or something). -When non-perishables/freezer items have a good sale, buy as much as you can fit in your cabinet/freezer -Avoid items that are overpriced for convenience (like the pre-sliced or grated cheese or rice that is already divided into servings) -Buy the larger sizes if possible, they are almost always cheaper -The generic brand foods sometimes taste exactly the same as the name brands and cost much less, depending on how picky you are -Buy fresh fruits and vegetables in season only. Right now strawberries are about $2 and in the winter they will probably be at least double that. Of course, starting a home garden is the best option, especially for stuff that is really easy to grow like onions, peppers, and tomatoes. -Stores like Woodman's and Aldi have consistently lower prices than the Roundy's/Sentry chains -Consider getting a Sam's Club membership (about $35/year)--this is worth it if you buy in bulk and especially if you have a whole family to feed

Looks like 1-2 more hours of light rain. All the heavy stuff is over. Edit: TH reports game will start around 7:30

If I were Fielder, I would decline 5/90M. He's proven enough to deserve Mark Teixeira money and contract length. If we want to be taken seriously, the offer should be around 6 years/130M or 7 years/150M at a minimum. If that sounds unreasonable, he should probably be traded in the offseason unless we are planning to "go for it" again next year and spend that money on FA pitchers.

Last Sunday McGehee was wincing in pain in the Brewers dugout after running the bases. The Brewers aren't talking much about his injury so maybe it isn't that bad, but I think it's significantly hampering his abilities and they should consider putting him on the DL or shutting him down for the season.

I try, but the other night I was watching the Red Sox/Blue Jays game and completely forgot about the Brewers for a few innings. The scary part is that the Brewers really aren't that bad, 10 years ago I would have given anything to be a few games under .500 at the end of August.

We really shouldn't joke about this because the Brewers once gave away FREE tickets at the end of the season and only drew a crowd of 26,000.

As much as I hate losing to the Pirates, I feel bad for their long suffering fanbase (or what's left of it).

McGehee looked to be wincing in pain in the dugout on Sunday. I doubt he will be starting tomorrow and I'm thinking he should probably just give it up for the year. At this point, Bill Schroeder could probably suit up, call just as good of a game as Kendall, and hit nearly as well.

I didn't pay too close attention to what happened yesterday, but I think the best moisture/instability stayed to the south along with the disturbance that was supposed to set off the storms. Basically, the models predict it, it seems to be heading our way, and then it doesn't work out. Of course, now the front is through so the thunderstorms fired in Illinois again today, resulting in just light rain again for WI. The severe weather season was really quiet this year.

Was that Cleveland series the last time the Brewers did anything other than 2-1, 2-2, or 1-2 in a series?

No, it was the bullpen (again). We are just suggesting that Stetter/DiFelice/others are ineffective due to overwork. Oh, and that's 20 more pushups for Escobar.

Thanks to the free agent market for making no reasonable starting pitchers available, resulting in a weak starting rotation, resulting in a worn out bullpen, resulting in the Brewers not winning 4 games in a row.

Ouch...that one hurts. Prince will definitely not be taking a discount.

Prince has to be worth at least $5-10 million more than most players merchandising and ticket sales. Don't break up the Braun/Fielder 1-2 punch.

Escobar should have to do 20 pushups every time he hits a fly ball.