AJAY

I am also surprised that Dale Sveum still wants to be here. I am personally happy he is staying because I have always liked him. But I was surprised that he didn't even get an interview for the manager's position. I am not saying that he should have been the next manager here, but I think he deserved to be a candidate at least. I would like to know why Melvin didn't think highly of him enough to offer an interview. There must be some story behind this. Maybe there just aren't many coaching positions in the major leagues, and maybe that is why Sveum came back here. I guess you have to swallow your pride and take what you can get sometimes. I don't know.

I am all for going after Zack Greinke. Doug Melvin needs to be aggressive on this one. But do we necessarily have to keep Fielder if we acquire Greinke? If we can get another strong starting pitcher by trading Fielder, that might help us more than Fielder's bat. Plus, trading Fielder frees up more salary to pay Grienke and / or make other moves.

I am pretty sure most managerial openings are with teams who are facing an uphill battle. It's rare that a team replaces their manager when things are going good . . . unless you have a Bobby Cox kind of situation where someone is retiring and leaving a good situation for the next guy. But I think those are very rare.

This is what Bobby Valentine brings to the table . . . 1) The most brilliant in-game strategist amongst all managers (in other words, the exact opposite of Ned Yost) 2) A winning track record and lots of experience . . including Japanese knowledge and insights 3) High profile name recognition and media buzz that would help raise our franchise profile nationally (which is the opposite of everyone we have ever hired before) 4) Local enthsuiasm that would bring credibility and excite the fan base to help sell more tickets (i,.e. the opposite of Bob Melvin who excites absolutely nobody) 5) Energy, passion, ethusiasm, and personality (in other words, the opposite of Ken Macha) 6) Swagger (think Ryan Braun !!!) Here is what other managerial candidates bring to the table . . . 1) Nothing 2) Nothing 3) Nothing 4) Nothing CASE CLOSED !!!

THANK GOD ALMIGHTY . . . . . My dreams have come true. NY Times is reporting that the Brewers have interest in Bobby Valentine. He is my first and only choice. http://bats.blogs.nytimes...wanted-man/?ref=baseball

Has it ever been officially confirmed how much the Brewers get in television revenue?

I have noticed complaints from visiting players every year since Miller Park opened. I am glad the Brewers are trying to improve things rather than just telling their players to "get over it". It's good to improve working conditions, improve safety, and take care of your employees. That is what successful companies do. I do hope the Brewers eventually invest in curtains or blinds to block out light from the window above first base. Even as a fan, I find the shadows annoying regardless of whether you are at the game or whether you are watching on TV. I was also very happy with the roof panel experiment they tried on Sunday. I attended that game and found it much easier to see compared to normal. I hope they keep working at it more.

It's amazing to see all the hype for Aroldis Chapman in Cincinnatti. I also noticed that whenever we face the Dodgers, they always seem to have one or two stud Asian pitchers on their roster year after year. They seem to get a lot of talent from Japan, Taiwan, Korea, etc. Considering our starting pitching woes, do you think the Brewers need to be more aggressive at finding pitching in other countries? Are there any hot names out there who might be available? How much would it cost us financially? If anyone has any familiarity with overseas talent, I would love to hear from you. Thanks.

AJAY, did you grow up in Glendale? Yes, I did grow up in Glendale . . . just a few blocks south of Nicolet High School. Are you from that area too? Teddy Higuera's house was on the cul-de-sac on Hyacinth Road.

When I was 14, there was a rumor that Teddy Higuera had moved into our neighborhood. I didn't believe the rumor. I thought it was very silly. One day, I was riding my bike and one of the neighborhood kids was telling me that Teddy Higuera was in the backyard of a house on that street. I didn't believe him, and he insisted that he was telling the truth. So we ended up trespassing into the backyard of that house. I immediately saw this Mexican guy grilling food, and he stopped to look at us as. I turned to the little boy and said "You idiot, that is NOT Teddy Higuera". He then said "No, not that guy . . . look at that guy over there". I turned my head and suddenly Teddy Higuera himself was standing right in front of me. My jaw dropped, and I almost fainted. I was also embarrassed to be trespassing on his property, and I thought I would be in trouble. Teddy Higuera then said to me "Do you want to play beisbol??" Still in shock, I said "uh huh". He then gathered several of the neighborhood children and was pitching under-handed tennis balls to us in his backyard. We played baseball with his kids. The whole time, I was showing off like crazy trying to make diving catches and impressing him with my hitting and defense. After about an hour of playing on his yard, I went flying home and told every single person I knew about what just happened. I couldn't sleep for a whole week. I'll never forget it.

I would probably have a little bit of a soft-side for the Pittsburgh Pirates because I have been to that city many times and I have family in that area. My dad was also a Pirates fan during his grad school days and I grew up with a lot of Roberto Clemente memorabilia in our house. I was also rooting for the Pirates heavily during the early 90's when they were regularly in the playoffs. Since the Brewers were in the American League at that time, the Pirates were sort of my adopted NL team for a while. PNC Park is nice too. I can also relate to the whole small market underdog thing. Having said that, I probably wouldn't be as emotionally invested in the Pirates as I am now with the Brewers. It would be more of a casual rooting interest. In fact, I would overall be a lot less interested in sports if the Brewers were to ever move. Maybe I would turn into the next Bud Selig and work my butt off to find a way to bring a team to Milwaukee. I think the Oakland A's would be better off here http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

The video of the brawl is on MLB.com now. I am happy that someone went after the Cardinals. I hate them too.

I have always admired Jim Edmonds and I was glad he got to spend some time in a Brewers uniform. I also do like this trade partially because the return was more than I expected, and also because Lorenzo Cain will get more playing time now. I wish Edmonds luck except when he plays against us. I hope the Reds beat out the Cardinals because I am so sick of the Cardinals winning year after year.

I am extremely happy for Corey Hart and the Brewers. It's awesome that he has turned his career around and is performing well again. I give him credit for making the necessary adjustments at the plate. I am also amazed that he really wanted to stay here considering how much he has been through both on and off the field. It might have been easier to just start fresh somewhere else, but it looks like he really wanted to be a Brewer. I personally appreciate that very much. I also give credit to him and his agent for reaching a quick agreement on a contract. It's nice to see them all being on the same page for a change. Time will tell whether the money is fair and whether he will live up to expectations. But for now, this is a really great story.

Let's pretend that when you were ready to find a job, different firms acquired you via a draft system. Let's say they have the right to pay you 1/10th of your worth, and that you couldn't leave them for another firm. This firm could be in Edmonton, Miami, or New York City, and you might hate the city you have to work in. That sounds just, doesn't it? Three points I want to make . . . (1) I don't view Major League Baseball as 30 different companies. I view MLB more like a single entity because the product is really the interaction of the teams and not the individual teams operating independently. I appreciate the person who posted earlier that a company which has branches all over the country has the final say on where their employees work. If you don't like it, you can always join the Japanese League, Independent Leagues, or form your own baseball league. That is how I think baseball and other sports should be. They need to be recognized as a single entity. You need to protect fan feelings first and hire employees who understand the concept. Nobody would be forced to become a Major League Player if they didn't feel comfortable. (2) If you or I change jobs and relocate, nobody cares. But in sports, whole communities aren't being disappointed or let down. It also kills the love of the game and the bond that exists between the paying customers and the sport. It's just NOT good for business. A lot of these communities are also paying huge tax amounts to fund stadiums, and it only seems fair that they get better treatment from the league and its players. The people deserve better. (3) My proposal to give the union a big check would alleviate concerns about workers being exploited. The union can negotiate what percent of MLB revenue they get, and they can divide it amongst themselves however they feel is fair. Nobody would work for "1/10th" of their value. In fact, MLB players are currently earning the least compared to athletes in other sports (when looking at the percentage of revenue paid to players). So it is possible, that they could potentially earn more under a different labor agreement. It should be all about the fans.

I really don't think Prince Fielder meant anything negative about the fans or the city of Milwaukee. I am sure he has had a great experience here and will value it for life. I wouldn't read too much into his comments. Having said that, this whole situation really angers me. After seeing what Cleveland has gone through with LeBron James, Jim Thome, CC Sabathia, Cliff Lee, etc., I am becoming increasingly frustrated and disgusted with pro-sports. There just isn't any regard for the fans anymore. It's really horrible what sports has become. I just wish there was a way that the players could get their money AND fans would be able to hold on to their favorite stars. I wish they would overhaul the system completely and start taking more care of the people who actually pay for the tickets. I wish the fans had a powerful union too. We don't have a voice at all right now. I realize that if the system changed, players would be sacrificing the freedom to play where they want. But I believe they should be willing to do so considering how much money they are making and how important the feelings of millions of fans are. If the freedom is so important to them, then maybe they should not go into sports and should pursue a different line of work. But MLB needs to take care of its fans better, not just those in big markets. Owners should just pay the players more in exchange for bringing back the reserve clause. Just give the union a big check, and let the players fight amongst themselves how they want to divide it up. But please stop screwing the fans who invest so much emotionally and financially to make you so rich. Free agency is the stupidest thing ever created.

I like Edmonds and I am glad he wants to stay here. I also don't think he would bring back anything meaningful in a trade anyway.

5 years, 115 million

I will always remember George Steinbrenner as a selfish coward who was too afraid to compete on a level playing field. He didn't care about the overall health of baseball, and he only cared about himself and his money-making empire. He was a jerk to anyone who tried to reform the game, and he consistently expected everything to revolve around him and his team. Anyway, I do feel bad for his family. May he still rest in peace.

I am not sure how to interpret this report. Does this mean that the Brewers are trying to trade everyone? Or does this mean the Brewers are open to trading any one of those players (but not necessarily all of them). If the Brewers do decide to have a fire sale, I could live with it. I like the idea of getting cheaper, younger, and clearing lots of payroll for other moves. I will miss Rickie Weeks though. He was starting to have a breakout season and it seemed like we were finally going to get some return on drafting him as our number one pick. I still hope they can work out an extension, but if the right deal comes along and it helps the team, I guess I can live with it. I just hope Doug Melvin is capable of evaluating young pitchers who we might get in return. This will be a HUGE test for his credibility as a GM.

I think there is no chance for 3 million. I also noticed that the team is offering more discounts and promotions compared to the past few years. So even if they were somehow able to get to 3 million, it still wouldn't reflect the same level of interest.

I can't wait to see it in person. I also love that arch with the creative Miller Park logo on it. It looks much more stylish than the crappy sign they have right now. Here are some more technical details . . . http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/97985164.html

It gets more interesting . . . . An article on twitter indicated that Carlos Zambrano was sent home by Lou PInella in the middle of the game. Apparently, a camera man from a local Chicago news channel followed Zambrano into the parking lot, and so Zambrano then went off on a profanity-laced tirade on this camera man. They will apparently be airing this other tirade on the local Chicago news tonight. I hope to see the footage. LOL

MLB.com is reporting that the Cubs have just suspended Zambrano.

Nice to see the Brew Crew finish the job. http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b273/AJAY_02/Broom.gif?t=1277412664