AJAY

I just love that more stations are interested in talking baseball. This is good for the team.

There was an article online somewhere stating that Ryan Howard will probably be asking for something similar to what Miguel Cabrera received from Detroit. I am sure Fielder will be watching closely.

Tom Haudricourt is reporting on his JS Online blog that the Brewers have approached Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun about multi-year contract offers. http://blogs.jsonline.com/brewers/default.aspx

Today I read that it appears that Carlos Villanueva is going to start the season in the minors. I am sure that he would really benefit from the minors. He was already dominating AAA two years ago. He has also outpitched ALL the other starters in Spring training. He and Yo kept us in the race last year They might as well start selling playoff tickets at Wrigley Field. It's clear our management doesn't have a clue. Our fans always seem to have a better understanding of our players than the guys who are paid to be experts. We all knew that Chad Moeller was awful, and yet Ned Yost would never pinch hit for him when the game was on the line. We all know when Derrick Turnbow is on the verge of a metldown, but Ned never sees it coming. Now, it's the same thing with the whole Villanueva situation. Why does this franchise seem to hate the concept of winning? I just don't get it. It's like they seem to get pleasure in doing things that make us scratch our heads and fall short of our ultimate goals. When we all are watching the Cubs play in October, are we supposed to look back and say "Yippee, we missed the playoffs for the 26th year in a row, but hey, at least we have great "depth" in our rotation"? Give me a break. There ought to be Congressional hearings on this.

I feel terrible for Capuano. One minute he is an all-star who is probably looking at having a nice career and making millions of dollars in his future. The next minute he can't win a game, he loses his starting spot, and now he needs surgery and is out for the year. He seems like such a class act too. It's amazing how quickly life can change.

1) The Cincinnati Reds win the NL Central. 2) Tony LaRussa resigns from his job at midseason 3) Carlos Villanueva will prove to be the Brewers most consistent and reliable starter.

JS Online is reporting that Vinny Rottino has been told that he will be a full-time catcher and will be looked upon to one day become the Brewers full-time starting catcher. That's got to be an exciting vote of confidence.

From Tom Haudricourt's blog. . . . Villanueva certainly doesn't deserve to go to the minors. He is a big-league pitcher and on talent alone should be in the rotation. But somebody has to go and Yost has made it clear that Villanueva is considered a starter now, not a reliever. And you almost get the feeling that Villanueva sees it coming when you talk to him. (On a personal note, my blood pressure went up when I read this. I swear to god, I really really hate Ned Yost. I just can not stand him. How can you even think about not having Villanueva in the Brewers rotation? Send Ned to the minors instead. Or better yet, designate him for assignment.)

40,000 for a seven day trip to Japan is way too much. I am glad the players care about their fellow staff members, but their demands are too excessive.

Does anyone know what is going with Eric Gagne? Why is he only playing in minor league games? Why is he only throwing on the side? Is he hurt? Are the Brewers hiding something? I haven't seen him play much in the exhibition games and I am starting to get a bad feeling.

I said it before, and I will say it again. Joe Dillon has the best hitting approach on this team. He better make the final roster. I actually thought he should have played ahead of Jenkins last year. We would have gone to the playoffs.

Sheets has had to throw so many extra pitches this inning because of bad defense. THis is the kind of thing that causes more injuries and wears out the starters (and eventually the bullpen)

Hook me up !!

I just saw Prince Fielder hitting a homerun in a video game commercial that was aired on national TV. That's the first time in my life I have seen a Brewer player being shown in a video game commercial. I just hope the Brewers appreciate the marketability of this kid. Prince Fielder is the name and face that puts the Brewers on the map. Players like this come along maybe once or twice in franchise history. You need to have some legends if you want your franchise to become part of the historical fabric of the sport. Sign him.

Prince will be 33 in 10 years. He won't really be that old. I am sure his salary will probably be considered a bargain by that time.

After seeing how enormous the Brett Farve retirement coverage has been lately, I hope the Brewers have really learned something. It very clear to me that the Brewers have to be willing to pay Prince Fielder whatever the marquee superstars are making. This kid is extremely special and you can NOT let him go. He is the youngest player ever to hit 50 bombs. He is going to challenge Hank Aaron, Alex Rodriguez, and Barry Bonds for the all-time homerun champion title. He has major name recognition because his last name is "Fielder". He wins the voting for the all-star roster. His unusual body shape makes him unique and gives him character. His first name is Prince and the name just sounds so smooth and marketable. He is a big-time leader in the clubhouse. He has a lot of passion and energy in his game. He is committed to improving all aspects of his game including his defense. He is going to become a Hall-of-Famer. He is shown on ESPN montages all the time. He has been on the cover of ESPN Magazine and featured in Sports Illustrated. Even his conflict with his father brings national media attention and creates something of a story. I can easily see a documentary someday called "Behind The Glory: The Prince Fielder Story". Prince Fielder gets African-Americans to notice the Brewers and baseball. Prince sells jerseys and bobbleheads. The Brewer are now contenders and are drawing close to 3 million. Prince Fielder gets more standing ovations than all the other Brewers combined over the last 25 years. Prince Fielder can become what Brett Farve was to the Packers. No offense to Robin Yount, but it's time for the Brewers to have a high-profile national icon for once in their history. It's our turn now. If Prince has a legendary career in a Brewers uniform, the franchise will forever have some relevance in baseball history. That can never be taken away. 10 years, 190 - 200 million. Just Do it. Like I said, I hope the Brewers have learned something from the whole Farve era.

I believe the quote comes from Brewerfan.net's Fatter Than Joey . . . . when the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel first noted that Fielder had become a vegetarian last month, the Internet message boards lighted up, with one popular Brewers site getting over 100 comments in less than 24 hours Fans mostly supported Prince's decision to eat a field of greens, with observations like "I have to think cows are pretty enthused about this as well. However, I'd hate to be the nearest cow when Prince puts up his first 0-20 stretch'' to "Maybe now they'll finally get veggie brats in more places in (Miller Park).'' One even noted that baseball covers are made of animals, too. "I think you should express your anger by hitting them as hard as you can with a bat http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/baseball/mlb/wires/03/07/2010.ap.bbn.brewers.the.veggie.prince.adv08.1025/

This is really awesome news if it's true. I am so happy that FSN and the Brewers are stepping up and going all out. I have no doubt that having games in HD will improve the fan experience and make watching the Brewers a much more attractive option, especially for those casual fans out there. It also conveys the message that the Brewers are committed to being top-notch. If I could offer one word of advice to FSN, it would be to please add more crowd noise during the broadcast. I want to feel more of the energy and the buzz in my living room. Small things matter.

Yeah, I wasn't impressed with Braun's comment either. I don't know what he was asked by the reporter, and I don't know the context . . but it sure didn't look classy in print.

U.S. Cellular-Brewers sign deal By Don Walker Wednesday, Feb 27 2008, 11:24 AM The Milwaukee Brewers and U.S. Cellular announced today a multi-million dollar partnership deal in which the company will be the exclusive wireless provider for the franchise. As part of the deal, U.S. Cellular will have signage in and around Miller Park, including on the Brewers' LED board as well as permament signs in the outfield and along I-94. The company will also have a kiosk to show fans its products. Besides the deal with the Brewers, the company also has naming rights for the U.S. Cellular Arena, the U.S. Cellular Connection Stage at Summerfest, the Wisconsin State Fair presented by U.S. Cellular and Festa Italiana, sponsored by U.S. Cellular. U.S. Cellular is the nation's sixth-largest wireless service carrier, providing wireless service to six million customers in 26 states.

That's awesome. It's about time we see Brewers players on the cover of SI. Of course, I would prefer to see it on a certain commemorative October issue http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif Anyway, I thought Prince should have made it last year.

According to milwaukeebrewers.com, Mark Attanasio said the following . . . "We were on CNN today because we had fans lining up in zero degree temperatures, camping out since Tuesday: Did anyone see this? Is there video online somewhere?

From Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com . . . . Brewers' Gross in demand Unable to pry Matt Murton from the Cubs, the Padres are among the teams eyeing Brewers outfielder Gabe Gross, who is out of options and caught in a potential roster bind. The Brewers' corner outfielders, Ryan Braun and Corey Hart, each could play more than 150 games. Mike Cameron will be the regular in center once he returns from his 25-game suspension for testing positive for a banned stimulant. Tony Gwynn Jr. and Gabe Kapler could be the backups. Gross, then, could be the odd man out, unless the Brewers option Gwynn or drop Kapler. The Brewers still think Gross could produce decent numbers if he were given 400 to 450 at-bats, but he will not get that chance in Milwaukee. The A's and Indians have shown past interest in Gross and the Braves also were interested in him when they were searching for a center fielder. The Padres are still looking for additional options in left, but the Cubs want major-league help for Murton. The much-discussed Murton-for-Marlon Byrd deal is all but dead due to the Rangers' asking price, sources said. http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/7830284/Notebook:-Reds-fill-rotation-with-cheap-labor

I can't believe they are considering sending Villanueva to the minors. This is ridiculous. He should be guaranteed a spot in the rotation so he can just relax and pitch. How about sending Ned Yost to the minors instead? That makes much more sense to me.

SWEET !!!! I'll never forget that home opener when he blasted two homeruns to crush the Pirates.