Fatter than Joey

Picture links not working! -- Must see cougar sizing up grandkids! Please fix! http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

Isn't all of this still from when he was at Oklahoma? Nope, this is new stuff.

1. Seth McClung has no place on any roster in MLB. Agreed. He sucks. 2. Every pitcher who gets called up must be able to contribute immediately or he is of no use No one said "Every pitcher". The only way though a guy like McClung gets called up, is if there are injuries or other pitchers are unreliable. In those cases, he'd pretty much need to fill in right away. 3. McClung isn't even good enough to be AAA filler for the year and earn a September call up when he could serve his suspension. McClung can pitch at AAA, but there are so many pitchers like him, why not call up one that doesn't have to deal with a suspension.

If like you said he is fringe talent the he would be the last pitcher on the roster. No -- I think he'd be in AAA, and would be called up if the MLB team was in trouble -- much like Balfour was last year. Do you think DM would have signed a guy like Randy Choate if he had to serve a 3 game suspension before you use him? Is it really so hard to accept that MLB's opinion of events differs from yours Nope, not at all. However MLB never gave a reason why they rescinded the suspension, I am not sure MLB thinks McClung accidentally hit Pujols. Why would the MLB make up a reason to revoke a suspension I never heard any reason given.

I hope the Reds make this deal because it's a horrific deal for them if there's any truth to this rumor. I don't think it is a horrific deal if it moves Matt Belisle out of their rotation, that said, I think the A's are insane to ask for the players that they did. Even if they traded Cueto for Blanton, that'd make the Reds rotation a lot deeper all of a sudden.

Sorry, but thinking that a 3 game suspension would end a players career is just silly in my opinion. No, it's really not -- There are a ton of pitchers out there like Seth McClung -- why would you sign him if the first thing he had to do was serve a 3 game suspension. The only way McClung should ever be on a MLB roster is if someone gets hurt, and he is needed in a pinch/emergency callup -- a 3 game suspension would make it hard for him to contribute immediately.

The important question that should have been asked anyway is "What young Brewer(s) would have ended up stealing Pods wife"? I think JJ Hardy.

It is quite possible to vote twice in Wisconsin. This is not correct -- Perhaps it could be said "it is possible to vote in multiple states". Different states have different rules, and qualifiers for voting.

But in this case, aren't we more intersted in the macro view? I want to know the aggregate value of having Pods on my team. Perhaps. I'm not really here to argue about the aggregate value of having Pods -- rather the idea of referring some sort of general study and then using that to say something specific "Pods had no effect on the pitchers" (with regard to the study mentioned). I guess I have a problem using a general study, to assess the effect a specific player had on a specific team, in a specific season. If you wanted to say something like "The Brewers should not get a base-stealer type of player because it doesn't help the batters at the plate" -- I find that more acceptable -- I guess. If that was their conclusion, it was painfully wrong. Well I probably grossly misrepresented it. My point was this some players make the right choices hit the cutoff/throw home, other players often make the wrong decision. A lot of that gets evened out -- and perhaps stupid players should always throw to the cutoff - but that doesn't mean that there weren't some players that were able to do the right thing.

Whenever I voted in Presidential and local elections, I didn't check off a total one party vote. I sometimes mixed my votes between the GOP and DNC. Your vote got tossed then. You CANNOT do this -- or I should say if you do, it gets tossed if you do it in a primary. In the general election you can vote for people from any party -- not in a primary. So you can't vote for one of the republicans and one of the democrats? Only one person total? Correct -- you can't vote for both McCain and Clinton, for example, and you can't vote for Clinton and then the local GOP guy running for sheriff or some local office.

I would really recommend registering ahead of time. You can register at the polls, but given the expected turnout, I'd do it now, so you can ask questions and take your time, and really understand whats going on, and not be at the mercy of a swamped poll-worker. Wisconsin is an open primary state -- so you can vote in either, but only one of the races. Make sure you think that through, as there may be local GOP primaries (e.g.) you want to vote but vote nationally for the DEM candidate -- you can't do that. You can only vote in all GOP races or all DEM races. For example, my father-in-law was a local politician in the party opposite of the one I was registered in, so a lot of times if I wanted to vote for my father-in-law, I couldn't participate in the national primary that I wanted to -- so I had to make a choice as to who needed my vote more. I know you didn't ask about this -- but there seems to be a lot of confusion as to how primaries work, hopefully this helps someone out.

I'm sure there are specific pitchers that really get bothered by the runner and specific hitters who don't get bothered etc but on a global level it just isn't a big deal. On a global level -- I think you are right. I think though specific situations and specific batters there probably could be a case made. Does it help a batter in the 3rd inning of a 4-0 game? -- probably not. Does it help Albert Pujols in a close game in the bottom of the ninth -- probably not, a lot of time pitchers just let the runners run and focus on the hitter (like Pujols). Does it help a proto-typical #2 hitter in a close game -- probably. I think that the problem with these global studies like Russ and Ennder refer to -- is that they are done inside of global parameters, and then applied to specific situations. When things are done globally situational events can cancel themselves out. For example, I remember reading a study that concluded that OFers would be better served to never throw the ball to the plate, but instead always hit the cutoff man. Basically there were more times when OFers stupidly threw the ball to the plate (allowing other runners to advance), than there were smart times (erasing a run at the plate), so the conclusion was based on the fact that all the smart plays were "washed out" by the stupid plays, and there happened to be more stupid plays left over. The conclusion I drew was that OFers need to become smarter. Certainly it is better to understand that trading bases for a remote chance at erasing a run is a losing proposition, however, there are times when you absolutely have to throw home regardless of how small your chance at success is. Point being, I think Jason's contentions are better made a case by case basis, and certainly not globally. The other aspect that is sort of glossed over -- is that the batter still needs to execute. That is to say -- if a pesky base-stealer causes a couple of pitch-outs and a 2-0 fastball grooved to Craig Counsell -- but Counsell hits a crappy groundball to 2b, you could contend that the runner gave the hitter a better chance at success -- but at the end of the day, the batter still needs to execute.

We're gunna need a new batch of players to hate on this year. We have Ned Yost -- Getting a new batch of players to hate on, when Yost is your manager, is like going to a Prime Rib buffet and filling up on rolls and breadsticks.

We're gunna need a new batch of players to hate on this year. We have Ned Yost -- Getting a new batch of players to hate on, when Yost is your manager, is like going to a Prime Rib buffet and filling up on rolls and breadsticks.

We're gunna need a new batch of players to hate on this year. We have Ned Yost -- Getting a new batch of players to hate on, when Yost is your manager, is like going to a Prime Rib buffet and filling up on rolls and breadsticks.

So no suspensions can even be reviewed? Even at the discretion of MLB? I think the key is "there is no formal appeal process". I am sure that a manager could get some facetime with Bob Watson and plea their case --- but they would have to have a pretty substantial argument -- rather than McClung's "Hey I suck real bad" argument.

How would a suspension for McClung be career ending? Basically McClung is a garbage pitcher -- I can't imagine a team wanting to keep him on their roster for 3 games w/o him playing or being able to play.

Wasn't it shown that there was a hitch in his delivery on the pitch, and that it was a mechanics problem, not intentional? Nope

I like the ones that mulch the grass. -- then you dont need to bag it.

If Sheets has another year like he did in 2004 -- I would have no problem with DM signing him. I feel the same way about Sheets as I did about Cordero -- he's a great pitcher -- but someone will offer him more than we can reasonably pay.

If you can't hit Bye Ben Sheets

Thanks for the help -- I bought some goggles -- that was a great suggestion. I am embracing the point forward concept -- I took him to open gym help with his ball-handling.

I think DM is building a team that would do better in the AL -- that said -- I'd hate to lose the Brewers/Cubs rivalry

I don't want to diminish BP at all, but this statement is really is just a throw away statement at the end of a really trite piece. Just because some guy at BP said the Brewers are "entertaining" isn't our cue to start opening up the boxes of wine. I've said it before, some people are wired optimistic, some pessimistic. It's hard for one to be the other. One is not a better fan than the other.

I don't think it is a given that Sheets will be a type A, but it is probably likely. I think trading for Sheets mid-season is possible, if we get MLB ready SP back in the deal, or if we are out of the race in July. If Yo, Cappy, Bush are all pitching very well, Sheets could be expendable.