owbc

From the JS blog, Corey Hart commented tonight that the Brewers are "looser" on the road, suggesting that the pressure from the fans is getting to them at home. He thought the booing was out of line since the Brewers are leading the Wild Card race, a fact that many fans seem to forget, especially since their lead hasn't been decreasing significantly. Hart's comment: "Actually, it felt more like a home game than playing in Miller Park," said Hart, who has no home runs and two RBI this month. "We didn't hear the boos that we sometimes here at home. That's the way it goes. Everybody's expecting (the team) to win. I guess they have a reason to be frustrated because we haven't been winning. It's not a lack of hustle or effort. A guy makes an error, a guy strikes out and you hear your home town booing you. It makes you ready to get out of there and go somewhere else for awhile. I think we're all looser here" I have no interest in arguing whether or not Brewers fans are justified in booing. All I will say is that they boo loudly and frequently, and this year there have been far more boos than in any other previous season, including last year and 2002. As the season has progressed and the Brewers completed having the best record in baseball from June through August, the boos immediately grew very loud after just one tough week. This is obviously a much less patient fan base than the one that gave Hart a standing ovation during his first major league strikeout and gave Fielder a standing ovation when he was in a slump. The point is that there are obviously consequences to the fans booing the team (either the players or Ned Yost). Ned Yost has been preaching all along to these guys that they don't need to get worked up when they get into slumps. They've heard the same talk from him for years, and during their biggest slump during April and May, he preached the "don't worry" talk and the team eventually broke out of it. Despite the struggles, they have the 5th best record in baseball. Clearly, Ned Yost and his team are confident and believe in themselves--an attitude which is not shared by the portion of the fan base that boos at games. When fans boo at games, it appears to be creating pressure on the players which Ned has worked very hard to keep off of them, as this is their first time going into September with a lead in the playoff race. There's no way to test this, but I wonder if Gagne had come into the game last Friday with encouraging cheers instead of boos, would he still have given up a HR on the second pitch? I wonder if the fans pushed Bill Hall to succeed instead of pressuring him to produce, would he still swing at so many bad pitches? What about CC Sabathia--the one player who gets endless love and respect--would he be 9-0 if it wasn't for some of the standing ovations that he got during critical situations? It's shocking that Corey Hart is the one that calls out the fans of Milwaukee. He's never been booed, not even once. He doesn't have the personality that the media enjoys like Braun and Fielder. He was even voted into the ASG by the overwhelming fan support of Milwaukee. It will be interesting to see what kind of reaction Corey Hart gets when the Brewers return to Milwaukee. Hopefully the Brewers will be fresh off a big road trip and on their way to the playoffs, but I wouldn't want to go to a game if they fall out of it. Maybe a trip to the playoffs could finally end the booing, but at this point, I wouldn't be surprised to hear boos during a playoff game if they fall behind.

Good, he got out of it. Ben didn't have his best stuff tonight, but we're still in the game and this is Citizen's Bank Park, after all.

Is it just me, or has Prince Fielder lost some weight?

I am not so sure about that. My unconditional love for Bill Hall always manages to show up...

I agree--as bad as Hall/Counsell have been at 3rd base, the idea of throwing Gamel and his glove out these is scary. I'm usually fine with the pinch running, usually players learn in little league to freeze on line drives. It does illustrate the point that even though the regulars have looked like they are under pressure, the minor leaguers can look like deer in the headlights. My main argument is that we have no idea how well or poorly the minor leaguers are going to do. For teams in last place, September callups are a good chance to give young players big league experience and find out where they are in terms of progression. In a pennant race, the Brewers simply can't afford to find out whether or not our minor leaguers can play at the MLB level. The other day, we "found out" that Escobar has some baserunning issues. It might have lost us a game to learn that fact. They could start out their MLB careers like Braun or Clint Barmes, or they could start them like Fielder or Hardy did. It's not worth the risk to find out. It would be nice for one of them to get hot and get a key hit down the stretch, but odds are higher that they will blow a game than win one. At least I know what I'm getting with Counsell and Kendall--and I know that neither of them is likely to make a critical mistake down the stretch. Thus, limited pinch hitting duty and catcher replacement (so Rivera can actually play) is the best option. In blowouts, they all should be brought in for the last few innings.

True, adding defense would definitely help Bill Hall and hurt Fielder. I didn't realize picthing VORP was that simplified, thanks.

Another idea for credit/blame is to use VORP. Offense: Credit: Braun 45.3 VORP Hardy 38.1 Fielder 25.9 Cameron 25.6 Hart 20.2 Kapler 13.9 Branyan 10.9 --- Rivera 5.0 (higher than Kendall) Sabathia 3.7 (higher than Kendall) Blame: Bill Hall -6.1 Gwynn -2.7 Nix -2.2 Couunsell -1.7 Dillon -.8 Kendall 2.9 Pitching: Credit: Sheets 55.6 Sabathia 42.3 Bush 22.2 Parra 20.2 Torres 19.9 Shouse 15.4 Blame: Turnbow -6.9 (in such a short time) Tavarez -5.3 (in such a short time, continued) Dillard -4.5 Gagne -3.5 (ouch)

I think last year's Cardinals and Braves series at the end of September was bigger than this series. Last year we were behind in the division during those series and we needed to win a few to pull it out--and if we had won two more of those games, we would have tied for the division lead. Even if we get swept by the Phillies, we're still tied for the wildcard. Last year we had a 43% chance at the playoffs on September 18th which we managed to drop to 2.6% by September 23rd. That series with the Braves essentially ruined our season, while we still would have a decent chance at the playoffs (40% or so) if we got swept by the Phillies. Of course, that would be disasterous. I'll be happy with a split, as long as the Astros or Cardinals don't win every game this weekend.

Who's to blame for the Brewers having 83 wins on September 10th and having a solid lead in the Wildcard: 70% the players themselves and their inherent personalities/playing approaches which rarely experience change despite endless coaching and fan bickering 15% Melvin/scouts/assistants for bringing in Sabathia, who gives us a nearly automatic win every start, along with assembling the team in the first place 10% Yost for motivational tactics, lineup decision, and bullpen management, although we've either all been really hot or really cold, so I don't think his lineup/bullpen decisions have mattered much (the best example is that Mota went from the worst to one of the best relievers in the pen--he would have been dumped 3 months ago if the opinion of Brewer nation was used) 5% Brewers fans for support (attendance) and lack of support (booing) The Diamondbacks, Rays, Twins, and Cardinals have all experienced significant falls in the past few weeks.

I don't think there's any secret to it. He says in the video that about 90% of his solid diet is Big Macs. He rarely gets the fries or soda. Two Big Macs equals out to 104% of a daily fat intake, 90% of sodium, and 1180 calories. Add in a few snacks and it's not a high calorie diet, as long as you don't eat much of anything else. It certainly isn't anywhere near ideal, but I see why it works. I do love Big Macs but I only have 2-3 per year because of the nutritional content--maybe I should reconsider.

Hall is a better option than Counsell, but Lamb seems to know what he's doing, so maybe let him try for a few games. It certainly can't get any worse. They may as well play Gamel, Escobar, Nelson, and Salome--even a AA team could hit better than us right now.

Some questions just don't have answers. But if this one did, it would be because of Hall's defense.

I almost wish they would fire Yost just so I don't have to listen to people say "Fire Yost" anymore. However, it will be replaced with "Fire Kremblas", then "Fire (insert manager here)" and so on, just like every other baseball team.

There will be positive effects next year no matter what. If they blow it, everyone will be upset initially, but there will be new FA signings, trades, and come April 1st, everyone is going to get excited about baseball again. Look at the Cubs--their fans have gone through the same thing for 4 times as long as us and they are more popular than ever. Next year, 2.5 million fans is already a lock, even if they go 4-14 the rest of the way. Personally, I go to and watch approximately the same number of games this year that I did in 2002...and 2000...and 1998. I am way more excited about the Brewers than usual, but my love for baseball extends way beyond the Brewers. I really want the Brewers to make the playoffs, but that love for baseball always reminds me of the Brewers' flaws. They are free-swinging, they play poor defense, they fail frequently at fundamentals, they have a very inconsistent bullpen, etc. Thus, part of me believes that they don't deserve the playoffs anyway. I also see that Tampa Bay and Arizona are going through the exact same struggles that we are, so blaming Yost and Melvin is not an option for me. It's just that their flaws are coming out more now that it is crunch time. That being said, I still think they will make the playoffs.

At least the Packers won tonight.

This dropped to page 2? I'm not even sure what to vent about right now. The bullpen has completely come apart.

He is NOT stealing. The Brewers and him mutually agreed to a contract that pays him 10 million dollars. In fact, Gagne didn't come to the Brewers and demand 10 million dollars, the Brewers approached him as a free agent and offered him a contract, knowing fully that Gagne didn't perform in Boston last year. He's clearly not going to regain his old form, but that's not his fault.

I was embarrassed to be a Brewers fan for a while there tonight. I don't care how bad Gagne has been, it is unnecessary to boo him when he comes into the game before he hasn't even done anything wrong. After the HR I understand, but I'm sure that booing contributed to Gagne blowing up when he came in. He even got booed after the strikeout--and Maddux got booed for not taking him out, even though the pitcher warming up in the bullpen hadn't gotten more than about 5 throws in. I completely agree that he is a disaster and a waste of money, but tonight was upsetting. Considering this is the same city that booed a player during introductions on Opening Day, I'm not really surprised.

I second the recommendation to get an on-campus job. I work at the desk in a residence hall at UW-Madison and it has the benefits of flexible hours, no state/social security taxes taken out, and being close to home. I have an internship now but I still work 5-10 hours/week at the UW job since it's too nice of a job to get rid of.

We got a 9-pack letter yesterday. Even though we only have 3 seats, we can buy 4 tickets to one NLDS game and one NLCS game. The letter did not give prices.

If the change occurs, the Brewers are asking for it... It takes less than 5 seconds for our bag of peanuts/soda/chips to get checked. The cost of the items is maybe $7 total, but in the ballpark that would be $25 worth of stuff. Like many here, I don't have unlimited money to go to games, as it is already trouble enough to drive in from Madison and make arrangements. They will be able to get away with price increases and policy changes when the team is winning, but if they go back to being a 4th place team, I can guarantee you that crowds of 15,000 on weeknights will be back within 2-3 years. I should add that we have carried stuff in for almost every game that we have been to, which is around 200 over the past 10 years.

From a quick internet search, running outside results in burning 5-10% more calories. Setting the treadmill at a 1% incline will simulate outdoor running. Personally, I find running on a treadmill to be quite boring, as I find myself counting my number of strides and staring at the screen..... .50 ... .51 ... .52 ... .53 ... etc. Of course, that's unavoidable in the winter unless you have membership to a gym with an indoor track or have the guts to run outside. I also agree with OldHoss about the appetite thing...after a 5 mile run it's really easy to chow down fruits and veggies in addition to drinking tons of water. I'm sure the same goes for a cardio workout in the gym, but I can never last more than a week or two in the gym without getting bored. Running outside is more fun, it makes you feel more accomplished since you see how far you went, and it is excellent for your body.

I like the "Thunder" as a name, but the logo is very 1990s and very ugly. "Vortex" would have been better.

From what I've heard, Gamel's defense is dreadful. As for the offense--he might get off to a hot start, but realistically, .250 would be a nice number for a AA player in the majors the first time. Hall may not have much of a bat these days, but he's made a number of nice defensive plays lately which is reason enough to keep him in there. The last thing we want is a minor league player to make a critical error in an important game. I'd rather not see the position players at all, I don't see why we are messing with a team that won 80 games in 5 months. We're leading the Wildcard--save the rebuilding for next year.

I love how the announced attendance was 11,000. I wonder if they really sold that many tickets or if they are just inflating the number to make themselves look better.