Fatter than Joey

But WARP is wins above replacement player. How do we know that the Counsellino combo wasn't AT replacement level (i.e. WARP = 0)?Even Weeks was better than a replacement level player. Counsell and Graffy are about at 1.5 or so... Clearly Braun is a better option, but I don't think (if you consider D) the gap is as large as people may have thought (Braun WARP 3.9). I don't think having Braun up in April would have improved on our 24-10 start -- if at all only incrementally. I think his terrible D is understated.

No -- I sure wouldn't at this point in the season. I am not sure what the point of sending a message at this point in the season does.

In other words, it was Braun's decision to steal, not Yost's. So I guess the only questionable call on Yost's end from the other night was leaving Jenkins in. I think Yost is full of crap, that was a 2xsteal. In either case though, if he has given a rookie the green light to run, that is on Yost as well. It's not as if the green light was written into Braun's contract. Yost gave Braun the green light, that is 100% on Yost. I understand giving the green light to guys like Juan Pierre, giving it to a rookie is questionable. Well I'm calling bull crap on Yost. If it was a straight Braun steal, there is no way Hart is going at the same exact time. Bingo. I'm not sure what Yost would gain from blaming one of his rookie players. Deflecting blame, and saving his job. Corey probably ran because Ryan ran. Corey and Braun left at the same time, it certainly seemed like they were on the same page. Adding in the steal attempt last night would seem to make it reasonable to guess that there might have been more to it. I wondered the same thing. IF Braun was benched because Ned can't control him, or Ned needs to send Braun a message at this point in the season, Ned should be fired today. If Braun is gassed and needed a day off, I am fine with that. If Braun needed to be benched because of a base-running gaffe, that is beyond incompetent managing. All Ned needs to say is something like "We rolled the dice... I made a mistake... etc." Blaming Braun doesn't seem like something a good manager does. EDIT: -- I will give Yost credit for not breaking out the "mosquito" excuse twice in the same season though.

Should Yovanni Gallardo, arguably the future of the franchise in the rotation, have been extended beyond his prescribed innings limit? Nope. Should we have given up Will Inman, Steve Garrison and Joe Thatcher for Scott Linebrink? Nope. I am pissed off that we couldn't have done with Thatcher what SD is currently doing with him. Thatcher has been really solid for SD this year, much better than Linebrink has been for us. I get the feeling that SD had better scouting on Thatcher than we did. SD is getting a lot of praise for phasing out Linebrink and replacing him with Heath Bell. There are the draft picks, and perhaps that will pan out -- but draft picks do not help us make the playoffs. Did not bringing up Ryan Braun at the start of the season have any impact on this team? Nope. If you like the WARP stat -- Braun's numbers are fairly close to Weeks, who for whatever reason, is having a disappointing season over all. Braun was hurt in ST, so I do not think Braun breaking camp was a realistic option. I think the time in Nashville had a positive impact on Brauns bat & glove, and probably had he spent April+May in Milw., his overall WARP #, might be under Weeks. Furthermore I believe that had Braun broken camp with Milw., he would have rotted on the bench as Yost would have certainly deferred to Graffy+Counsel. Has Ned Yost cost this team a playoff spot with his moves? Certainly. Yost is bad at managing. Fans are just starting to notice it as there is more on the line. Were the Brewers smart to keep Ben Sheets despite his propensity to miss games, which well may have proven crucial in this race, or were the games he actually pitched in too valuable to give up? Yes. He got hurt, and that sucks, but his contribution in games he did pitch in, is probably what is allowing to tread water at this point. How many games has the bullpen cost this team? Yost's management thereof has probably cost us 5-7 games.

Got to think the pitchers are losing concentration on the hitters while he's catching because they are focusing on the runners too much trying to hold them extra close. Yep -- esp. our off-speed pitchers. I'm sure we will see more of the same this weekend -- I assume Miller catches today.

Hot: Reds Not Hot: Cards C'mon let's empty the Dumpster

Leyva also managed the Cubs

The thing I have been wondering about is "Were the Reds running on Estrada, or Sheets+Estrada" At the end of the day -- Sheets shouldn't give up the hits, and HR to Dunn -- but if the Reds decide to run on Estrada today, that is a huge burden to put on the pitchers, that any single or walk has a 93% chance of becoming a double. Coupled with the bad defense, if I am a pitcher like Jeff Suppan, I get pretty nervous about not giving up a lot of runs.

So who's going to be the first caught using performance enhancing drugs? Rafael Palmiero

I guess I am surprised they are that close. I realize that they both suck defensively -- I guess I thought Braun would be closer to Tulo than to Weeks.

how can they not know that they you want the 8x10 or card signed? It's happened to me on a couple of occasions... I quit doing it long ago. It could be because of all or some of the following. 1.) Some athletes don't realize that the toploader is separate from the item 2.) Some athletes are not too smart 3.) Some athletes get pissed because they have to do more work 4.) Some athletes think it is funny.

So Braun is closer to Weeks than to Tulo. Wow.

BP got it's defensive stats working again. What is Weeks #? -- I couldn't find it on the site

This weeks lesson is don't use a toploader. Yeah -- you should never use a toploader for cards or photos. Prince DID NOT do that on purpose -- It happens from putting the photo in the envelope too fast. I quit sending toploaders when some of the guys started signing the top-loader instead of the photo. They can also get jammed in the post offices machinery, and tear your package.

Sometimes the contract just needs to be huge, to prevent trading, or DFAing

Im wondering why TGJ would be such a poor choice getting an OF slot next year. If people here think he's worth so much (or at least worth something of real value), why shouldn't he get a chance to play everyday? I think most people here see TGJ as a 4th OF.

I am on the Jack Wilson plan. Goofy-looking and horribly under qualified with no discernible talent with a HUGE contract that makes dumping or trading impossible.

Also if we had a different manager who is to say that he would not make decisions that lost us even more games. Well you could say that conceivably for any position player or pitcher on your staff as well. For example Doug Davis v. Jeff Suppan. Assuming we don't make the playoffs for the sake of this thread, I think you have to roll the dice with changing any position that could stand to be upgraded.

clearly he doesn't grasp how Turnbow works yet, which is also unfathomable. This is the real head-scratcher for me -- I am not so opposed to running Tbow out there, but at some point this season, you would think Yost & Co., would get the same bad feeling that we get when the Tbow trolley is headed for derailment. I understand how you feel that most other managers also make questionable moves - what I fail to comprehend is how you write off Yost's continual failings as, "well, other managers make mistakes too." I agree. This sort of logic would be like having a .200 hitter at some position and dismissing talk of an upgrade because a .300 "fails 70% of the time". The difference I think now for the Brewers, is that they have a team that managers may want to manage. In the last couple of decade, we haven't had talent that we have now. I am pretty sure that the hiring pool is a lot deeper now, than it was when Ned was hired.

The only other aspect I will add to this, is that the Brewer management knows that this is going to happen, probably 6 months ago. As long as Shouse tells DM/NY his wife's due date -- It becomes DM/NY's responsibility to work around it.

Ned is George W in this respect: Both these guys sought out the positions they are in, they are hardly martyrs or whipping boys.

What sort of run are you doing?

I am weird in this regard.... Heights do not bother me, but I am deathly afraid of ledges, regardless of the height. I have been in hot air balloons, no problems, high buildings, no problem, -- but a diving board freaks me out. I stupidly went on my roof last year, and got stuck at the edge, and could not move, even though the ladder was right were I was. I actually kicked the ladder over, and called my neighbor on my cell and told him I "accidentally" knocked the ladder over and hurt my knee, and asked him to help me down. My inlaws+holidays+alcohol is a perfect storm of terror as well, -- but I don't think anyone would fault me for this one.

Let's not forget the Linebrink trade, which cost 3 more. Incidentally, I firmly believe it'll be a good couple years before we can begin to judge the quality of that deal in its totality. However, I wish Mr. Linebrink would be a bit more consistent (or consistently good). I agree -- It is interesting -- Bud Black is getting a lot of credit for phasing Linebrink out of his pen, and working in Heath Bell. Dessens and Ball-Four are definitely not needed, I'd much rather have Balfour than McClung

All defense aside and amount of games played aside Braun has put up one of the best rookie years ever offensivly and that will be very hard to ignore. At the end of the day I am sure you are right. Really though, Tulo is having an amazing campaign as well, and probably wins in a lot of other years.