fondybrewfan

You are right. I can't think of the player or agent right now either. It obviously wasn't Furcal because Furcal is a Boras client. For whatever reason I was almost positive that it was Furcal, I thought the Braves had an agreement in place but then that agreement was shopped to another team who ended up upping the offer

I really don't think there is anyway of knowing what happened to his elbow. Perhaps he came back to early from injury, perhaps he wasn't doing the necessary stretches to ensure everything was loose, perhaps he just had one freaky delivery which screwed the whole thing up. I don't think it is really possible or reasonable to blame Ben's most recent injury on any one thing or person. I certainly don't think you can blame Yost, at some point the manager has to trsut the player that he is healthy enough to play. Obvioulsy team doctors cleared Ben and Ben convinced Ned (And Dale) that he was healthy enough. It turns out that he wasn't.

I am not a fan of Mullens at all. I would love it if the Bucks could get a Greg Monroe or Thabeet though. The Bucks need a dominant defensive big man down low. Although Bogut can't really play the 4. Harden would also be a solid pick.

I don't know how often agents share other contracts. If I remember right the Braves said they would no longer negotiate with any Boras client because he supposedly shopped the Braves offer on Furcal to the Dodgers. At least it was something like that, I just remember the Braves being super pissed.

I don't know how often agents share other contracts. If I remember right the Braves said they would no longer negotiate with any Boras client because he supposedly shopped the Braves offer on Furcal to the Dodgers. At least it was something like that, I just remember the Braves being super pissed.

I don't know how often agents share other contracts. If I remember right the Braves said they would no longer negotiate with any Boras client because he supposedly shopped the Braves offer on Furcal to the Dodgers. At least it was something like that, I just remember the Braves being super pissed.

Then what happens in Year #2 and Year #3 when Man Ram feels he is underpaid. Will he pull the same crap he did in Boston? He certainly seems like a "Me First" kind of guy, I can't imagine there is a high demand for that type of player especially the huge salary committment any signing would require. He dug himself into this hole by pulling that crap in Boston. He may be a heck of an offensive player but he is terrible at defense and has the potential to be a huge clubhouser cancer if he doesn't get what he wants. ManRam is the MLB equivalent of a high maintenance girfriend.

Then what happens in Year #2 and Year #3 when Man Ram feels he is underpaid. Will he pull the same crap he did in Boston? He certainly seems like a "Me First" kind of guy, I can't imagine there is a high demand for that type of player especially the huge salary committment any signing would require. He dug himself into this hole by pulling that crap in Boston. He may be a heck of an offensive player but he is terrible at defense and has the potential to be a huge clubhouser cancer if he doesn't get what he wants. ManRam is the MLB equivalent of a high maintenance girfriend.

Then what happens in Year #2 and Year #3 when Man Ram feels he is underpaid. Will he pull the same crap he did in Boston? He certainly seems like a "Me First" kind of guy, I can't imagine there is a high demand for that type of player especially the huge salary committment any signing would require. He dug himself into this hole by pulling that crap in Boston. He may be a heck of an offensive player but he is terrible at defense and has the potential to be a huge clubhouser cancer if he doesn't get what he wants. ManRam is the MLB equivalent of a high maintenance girfriend.

What about the Nats? They had been rumored to be going after various high priced FA's so they probably have the money. Their rotation is pretty crappy with Lannan, Olsen, Cabrera, Hill, Balester, and Chico. A couple of those guys would be better served in the bullpen or in AAA. Baltimore also seems like a team that has some money to spend given the rumors this offseason. If Sheets is still around 2 weeks from now, I have a feeling he is going to start contacting teams about possible 1 year deals. There are probably at least 5-10 teams that would go one year at less than $10M if the opportunity arose. But since Sheets hasn't shown any interest in taking a 1 year deal those teams haven't surfaced yet.

If Hardy and Weeks do indeed have "breakthrough" years at 27, we will have one heck of an offense next year. Maybe good enough offense to offset our seeminly below average pitching staff. If all our players live up to their potential that has been talked about for years there is no way that the Crew isn't a legitimate playoff contender. Of course the likelihood of everyone reaching their potential is probably between slim and none.

I reall question how Boras and ManRam can possibly think that they are going to get a better offer than 1/25. If someone had been willing to offer a 2 or 3 year deal they would have done so already and Manny would be signed. It seems pretty apparent that no one is going to pay Manny what he wants and we all know that if Manny doesn't get what he wants he can really disrupt a team. IMO it was incredibly stupid for him to turn down $25M in this market. There is just no way he is going to get better than that unless he waits for an injury in the middle of the season and even then his salary would be pro rated, just stupid on their part.

I reall question how Boras and ManRam can possibly think that they are going to get a better offer than 1/25. If someone had been willing to offer a 2 or 3 year deal they would have done so already and Manny would be signed. It seems pretty apparent that no one is going to pay Manny what he wants and we all know that if Manny doesn't get what he wants he can really disrupt a team. IMO it was incredibly stupid for him to turn down $25M in this market. There is just no way he is going to get better than that unless he waits for an injury in the middle of the season and even then his salary would be pro rated, just stupid on their part.

I reall question how Boras and ManRam can possibly think that they are going to get a better offer than 1/25. If someone had been willing to offer a 2 or 3 year deal they would have done so already and Manny would be signed. It seems pretty apparent that no one is going to pay Manny what he wants and we all know that if Manny doesn't get what he wants he can really disrupt a team. IMO it was incredibly stupid for him to turn down $25M in this market. There is just no way he is going to get better than that unless he waits for an injury in the middle of the season and even then his salary would be pro rated, just stupid on their part.

Even he was a very marginal prospect until he exploded in AAA after having been there for a while. Soto was never considered a great prospect until his one extremely good year.

With all these trades of marginal players, the Cubs sure are building up a ton of marginal prospects in their system. I guess if you don't have any good talent in the minors you need to find somebody to fill out there rosters. There trades of Wuertz, Hill, Pie, DeRosa, and Cedeno didn't land them one legitimate prospect which is pretty sad IMO. Not to mention they traded a decent relief prospect (Ceda) for Gregg. The Cubs have done a huge quantity of trades so far this offseason but they haven't exactly brought quality back.

I think it is a pretty solid deal for the Mets. $12M for Perez in this market might be a little high but it is only for 3 years so there isn't too much risk there. Mets probably felt it was less risky than giving Sheets a 2 year deal even though when healthy Perez is no where near the pitcher that Sheets is. This probably officially removes the Mets from the list of potential Sheets suitors as well. It looks like it is down to the Rangers and the Rangers right now

Did we previously know that Jim frequented this message board? Did he ever post? Unless one of our minor league announcers has MLB experience he is not a candidate as it has been said that all finalists have MLB experience. We will probably steal an announcer from a bad team who is sick of announcing crappy teams.

MILWAUKEE -- At every winter stop, a Brewers fan would ask general manager Doug Melvin the same question, and it was usually the first one asked. Is there any chance the Brewers will look at re-signing Ben Sheets? The answer, every time, is the same. "I don't anticipate so," Melvin says, just as he did Saturday at "Brewers On Deck." Then comes the caveat: "I don't see it happening at this time, at least." The Brewers' official position remains that they have not closed the door on Sheets and his agent, Casey Close. But the team is unwilling to give the 30-year-old right-hander the multi-year deal he is seeking, and might not even offer enough guaranteed money in a one-year deal to pique Sheets' interest. Proof of Melvin's open-door policy came just after the new year, when he reached out to Close. The call was prompted by two Boston Red Sox signings. First they signed Brad Penny to a one-year deal that pays a $5 million base salary with incentives that could add another $3 million. Then they finalized a one-year contract with John Smoltz that guarantees $5.5 million and could pay as much as $10 million with incentives. Melvin wanted to know whether Sheets and Close were open to a similar offer, and it appears they were not. According to Melvin, the men have not spoken since. Close has not responded to multiple inquiries from MLB.com this winter. Sheets' representatives reportedly tried to allay clubs' concerns about his injury history by releasing new medical information last week. If that's the case, they did not send that information to the Brewers. That led Melvin to this conclusion: "It doesn't appear that Ben will be back," Melvin said. Yet it is tempting to keep in mind that Sheets has pitched for the Brewers his entire career, and could be tempted to return if he does not find any attractive offers elsewhere. In Milwaukee he would be the team's No. 1 starter and would add depth to a rotation that currently has precious little. Brewers officials say they want to preserve payroll flexibility to make a move once the season starts, but the opportunity to land Sheets at a bargain price could be tempting. He was the team's first-round Draft pick in 1999, attained Olympic glory the following summer and was in the Majors by 2001, a rookie on the National League All-Star team. It was the first of Sheets' four All-Star appearances in a Brewers uniform, including a nod to start the 2008 Game. In all, Sheets pitched 1,428 innings in 221 Brewers starts, third most in franchise history. He holds the franchise record with 1,206 strikeouts, and with the departure of Geoff Jenkins during the 2007-2008 offseason, Sheets was the team's longest-tenured player. Yet there were issues of durability that led the Brewers and Sheets to part ways. He was on the disabled list five times in the last four seasons. Sheets avoided the DL in 2008, but he was forced to miss Milwaukee's first postseason series in 26 years because of a torn flexor tendon in his right elbow. He was 13-9 with a 3.09 ERA in 31 starts. Despite the injury at the end of the season, the Brewers decided to offer Sheets arbitration this winter, a move partially aimed at securing a compensatory Draft pick should Sheets -- a Type A free agent -- sign elsewhere. Had he accepted, Sheets would have likely been granted a modest raise from his $11 million salary last season. Instead he tested the open market. The Yankees had interest in Sheets before they re-signed Andy Pettitte, leaving the Texas Rangers as Sheets' most likely destination. Sheets has a home near Dallas, and he met with Rangers officials last week. He has a staunch supporter there in new Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux, who used to fill the same role in Milwaukee. "Obviously, the reason he is still unsigned is because of his history," Rangers president Nolan Ryan said this week. "All ballclubs are a little cautious in their actions right now. I'm sure he'll settle in with somebody." Adam McCalvy is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. http://milwaukee.brewers....mp;fext=.jsp&c_id=mil EDIT: Please remember to provide links to any material that comes from elsewhere on the net.

Even the Bradley move is questionable given his injury history. Lets not forget giving Dempster a big 4 year extension reall early in the offseason before the poor market was established. In hindsight he overpaid big time for Demp.

Here is a little Thank You from Jim which was posted at sportsbubbler.com I just want to drop in to say "THANK YOU!!". I really appreciate all the kind words steered my way via message boards and emails. Working for the Brewers' fans all these years has been truly an honor and a privilege. I would stack up Brewers' fans with those of any team in the game. Considering the market size and the general fortunes of the team on the field since the Seattle Pilots lighted at County Stadium, I think the fans of this team have greatly out-performed just about everyone in baseball. It is easy to be a fan of a team when it wins every year. This team's fans helped build one of the best stadiums in MLB and now they fill it up at a staggering pace, and it isn't like there are pennant-wielding-flagpoles all over Miller Park (yet). The future of this team looks bright and of course Bob and his new partner will do a great job bringing the games to you. I was not in any way trying to get another job...my family loves Milwaukee and I loved my job. Going to my hometown to work for the team I rooted for while growing up is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I just could not ignore it. I hope you understand. How many people on this earth besides Ueck and now me actually get to broadcast the Major League games of the team with which they grew up? Can you name anyone else? My family and I will always love Milwaukee and I will continue to follow the Brewers very closely. I hope the Braves and the Crew meet for the NL title every year! Thank you again for your support and kindness. I will never forget it. Sincerely, Jim Powell EDIT... Link: Jim Powell: Thank You Brewers' Fans!

At this point I would be happy if Rickie can manage a .360 OBP and get 20 + steals. I don't care how he gets the OBP, be it walks or hits, I just want .360. That can at least be considered average for a lead off man I think.

Correct. Not actually in Rosendale but I did have to travel through their quite a bit. When the local gas station is selling "Just the Ticket" T-Shirts, you know your town is known for the wrong things. They basically have two cops that do nothing but sit on Highway's 23 & 26 where the speed limit changes and give tickets to people who speed up to fast or slow down to slow.

I am always scared to set my cruise at 73. I usually set it at 72, that one extra MPH could get me a ticket. Not sure why I think 8 MPH is so much worse than 7 MPH over though. I grew up in a speeding trap so that probably has something to do with my hesitatiion to speed.

We don't know for sure that they didn't. Just because there were no public rumors doesn't mean that he didn't try