AJAY

What difference is that extra money going to make in Sabathia's life? He will be able to afford anything he wants anyway, so what effect will it really have? I still think if he goes to the Yankees, he won't be anything special because New York has hundreds of celebrities who are eventually forgotten as soon as the next new expensive flavor-of-the-month comes along. Even if he gets a ring with New York, everyone knows that it will be completely hollow and meaningless because of their financial advantage. I still think Sabathia can be more special and more of an icon in a place like Milwaukee. Players like him just seem to mean more in places like this. I am probably dreaming but I really hope that he sees what a special thing he had going here and I hope that counts for something. I still feel bad for the Indians fans too. This must be killing them.

In case you are interested, I just heard an ad on AM 620 WTMJ for a new program called "Brewers Weekly". It starts tonight at 8:00 Central Time (Thursday, November 13th). I don't know if they will have any guests, but it looks like Dan O'Donnell will be the host.

"CC Sabathia has told friends he doesn't want to play in New York, and the Brewers are making a big push." -Peter Gammons You never know if Sabathia is using his friends to drive up the price the Yankees will have to pay.

Interesting commentary on the Sabathia situation . . . http://bleacherreport.com...s/77012-being-cc-sabathia

I give credit to Craig Counsell for making the routine plays in the field and for being a nice guy. But he couldn't hit for power or average. He had no speed on the bases and he had no range or arm in the field. I just don't see any reason to bring him back considering that he excels at nothing. He is just getting older too. Let's use that roster spot to add a bench player who can actually contribute something.

Congratulations to the Phillies. (On a selfish note, at least the 2008 Brewers will be remembered in the DVD that commemorates their season)

From the New York Post . . . The perception has been that Bob Brenly is the frontrunner to become the Brewers' manager. But a person familiar with the process said Brenly's interview did not go that well and that former A's manager Ken Macha is now considered the leading candidate. Willie Randolph is the third person currently being considered for the job. He is well liked by Milwaukee GM Doug Melvin and his interview apparently went well. In addition - surprisingly - he has received strong endorsements from Mets New York Mets officials. Of course, if Randolph is hired by the Brewers some of the $2.25 million the Mets still owe him for 2009 would be removed, which could be a good reason for Met officials to be so positive about Randolph. (Excuse me while I go and vomit at the thought of Ken Macha becoming our next manager)

I don't understand Melvin's fascination with Ken Macha. He is not a sexy name that will boost excitement, sell tickets, or have credibility. He had terrible reviews from his former players. They were all very blunt about how terrible he was. He got fired once, got re-hired, and then got fired again. He hasn't really won anything big. I don't like him at all.

Not sure if this was mentioned already, but there is speculation in the media that if Bob Brenly were to get the Brewers manager job, Robin Yount and Damian Miller would be logical candidates to join the coaching staff (because of their ties to Brenly in Arizona and because of their ties and familiarity with the Brewers). It makes sense to me.

I agree that there is no harm in giving Bobby Valentine an interview. He is only the greatest in-game strategy genius of all-time. I think that's exactly what this team needs. Why wouldn't you interview him?

I don't think they should put up a banner for the Wild Card. In my opinion, they weren't really a winner of anything. They didn't win the division. They didn't win the national league pennant. I guess it would be similar to the Bucks hanging a banner for making the playoffs as an 8 seed, or the Packers hanging a banner for a Wild Card playoff appearance. I completely disagree. There are many instances where the Wild Card winner is better than one of the other division winners. We had a better record than the Dodgers and we played in a far tougher division too. In the NBA and NFL, it's pretty easy to make the playoffs so it is not as much of an accomplishment compared to baseball. In the NBA, it seems like half the teams make the playoffs. In the NFL, there are more divisions, fewer teams competing in each division, and more wild cards. So to me, it doesn't compare. Yes, I want some kind of banner displayed at Miller Park.

JS Online is reporting that Willie Randolph was officially scheduled to be interviewed today. http://blogs.jsonline.com...s-interview-randolph.aspx

I am sick of the Red Sox and I am very thrilled they have been eliminated. CONGRATULATIONS TAMPA !!

I also agree that Doug probably listened to Dale say they need more speed and contact and decided he was not the fella for the job. That was also the first thing that came to my mind. I know that when the Brewers were eliminated from the postseason, Dale Svuem was pretty blunt about wanting to change the offensive approach. I am not sure if that is what is what Melvin disliked, but you can't help but wonder. I am sure it's probably a combination of things.

I have never heard anything good about Buck Showalter. I remember when he was considered for the Royals job, several players approached management and asked to be traded if Showalter was going to get hired. Even Bob Brenly was not very highly regarded in Arizona. Several players were anonymously quoted as saying that Brenly was an idiot and that the D'Backs won inspite of having him as a manager. I still think that if it's not Bobby Valentine, Tom Kelly, or Davey Johnson, the Brewers should bring back Dale Sveum. I am still kind of upset by all this.

I am shocked. I really thought Dale Sveum would get the job. He had really great reviews as a minor league manager and the Brewers players all supported him. I don't want ken Macha or Jim Tracy. They don't excite me one bit. The guy I really want is Bobby Valentine. He is still the best in-game strategist I have seen.

We may be getting some help from the government . . .

I personally don't have much reaction. I guess I never put much stock into guys who get championship rings for being backup players or tag-along players. As you mentioned, Jenkins has not really played much of a role with that team and so to me it is not a big deal. I guess I am happy he gets to witness something like this in person and he may become a "World Champion" if things go well for the Phillies. But I don't want to see him gloat or get all excited about getting a ring when clearly he had little do with it. In fact, it is almost just as interesting that the Brewers made it to the playoffs after dumping him to get better. But I do like the guy . . . so there is nothing personal.

I just saved it to my hard drive. That one was a keeper !! Anyway, did you notice the advertising board behind homeplate was blanked out? It's amazing how many details they have to take care of when putting an ad together.

I did see that. That was really cool. I hope it wasn't just aired locally though. I am assuming it was national, right?

I really prefer to see Escobar have at least one full season at Triple A. I don't want to rush the kid.

I'm not sure how old you are, but the Packers weren't that big a deal from the early 70's - early 90's. There were numerous times that games did not sell out at County Stadium (yes, they always sold out Lambeau) and some company would have to snap them up in order for the game to be shown locally here in Milwaukee. Interest started to pick up when they hired Wolf/Holmgren and then skyrocketed with Favre. I wasn't that old in '82, but I seem to recall the Brewers owning this state at the time. Maybe WhizKid or JohnBriggs could confirm that. Yup, I can definitely confirm that. I don't recall any buzz about the Packers when I was a kid. I remember having one friend and his dad who were into the Packers. Other than that, nobody I knew even talked about football. In fact, when the Packers started winning with Favre, I was personally shocked at the level of interest in football because I never really thought anyone even cared about that sport. But I guess winning changes things. Anyway, I certainly respect the amount of interest in football today. The NFL obviously gets big ratings. But I won't tolerate people trying to re-write history and claim that this has ALWAYS been a football state. Even going back to the days of the Milwaukee Braves, the Packers would regularly get bumped from the Milwaukee Journal coverage because of the interest in baseball. Anyway, I am proud of our 3 million attendance and highest per capita attendance in MLB despite being the smallest market. There is no shortage of Brewers fans and it was great to see the excitement all over the state. I thought I read somewhere that the Brewers also had some of the highest local TV ratings in all of baseball. Our franchise has a lot to be proud of. Can't wait for next season. Good luck to the Packers too.

I have worked in the Milwaukee media for 5 years and have a handful of reputable sources. The word appears to be that Attanasio (not Melvin necessarily) is willing to commit 5 years, $140-142 million. He is not going to go beyond 5 years and the 5/$142mil is an absolute high barring option considerations and incentives. Again, not saying they will offer this, but may give an indication of how much they "might" want CC to stay. The interesting thing is, there is no indication as to what Melvin's ideas are. I love Sabathia, but maybe we would be better off having three good starting pitchers for that money instead of just one. It just doesn't sound very realistic, even for a team like the Yankees. You might as well get a few extra years on that contract for that kind of money. Johan Santana's deal is 7 years 136 million. In this economy, I would imagine the going rate would be lower, right?

I am glad we are planning to get a new HD scoreboard. I think it will be nice to get rid of the blue and white text board that shows all the stats. Everything should look much better in color now. I wouldn't mind if they added a little bit of an arch to the scoreboard (like PNC Park has on their scoreboard). I think it would look nicer than just a rectangle. Here is my suggestion . . . http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b273/AJAY_02/ScoreboardConcept.jpg

For me, 2008 was special because I finally got the "Major League Experience" that I have always wanted. I know many of you have heard me complain over the years, but now I finally know what it feels like to be in the Major Leagues. This what I have always wanted . . . . 1) A winning team 2) Post-season Baseball 3) Regular nationally televised games 4) High profile midseason acquisitions 5) 3 million loud and passionate fans 6) Seeing masses of people in Brewers clothing all over town 7) Being prominently covered on ESPN Baseball Tonight and SportsCenter 8) An owner with deeper pockets and a real payroll 9) A roster with name recognition 10) Higher profile sponsorships 11) Recognition as being a desirable destination for free agents 12) Strong television ratings 13) Overall respect for our city, our fans, and our organization. Ladies and gentleman, this is how the rest of the baseball world has lived for years. Now we finally get our taste of what it is like to be in the Major Leagues. It feels AWESOME.