Fatter than Joey

Yes, it sounds like Sveum has been told if you do not get the team to the playoffs, you will not be the manager next year. This does not mean that he would necessarily be the manager if they do make it, just that he will have a shot at it. Exactly, if something cool happens in the next 6 games, Dale gets to add something to his resume. The Brewers had limited options when they fired Yost this late in the season. I don't think Sveum was given the job for any more reason, than he already has a uniform, and security clearance to the dugout -- and Simmons probably told the Brewers to pound sand. I think MA is pretty set on cleaning house this off-season. Sveum gets a chance to bolster his resume for his next employer -- that's about it.

Players don't have to say those sorts of things. They can just say something supportive to sound good in the paper, if they don't really care or mean it. Maybe, if Yost really had these guys wound up so tight, Dale letting the pressure off, feels pretty damn good to the players right now. My guess is that the players are responding more to the "clubhouse atmosphere" than Dale's"managerial approach". According to Haudricourt, Sveum has been told if we don't make the playoffs, a new manager will be hired. I think this is a reasonable statement. Sveum has to be a long shot to get the job in 2009. If the Brewers ran the table in 2008 to end the season, it certainly would catch some people's eye -- I don't think Dale has ever been a candidate for this or any other MLB managerial job. Doug has been around Dale for quite awhile, what he thinks of Sveum should matter far more than how the team does over 12 games. If Doug hires Dale, without interviewing other candidates he should be fired yesterday. We could end up only going 6-6 under Sveum and make the playoffs if the Mets collapse. So we'd be giving Sveum say a three year deal mainly just because the Mets fell apart? Sounds kind silly to me. It is. I am quite certain that MA is going to want to have an interview period in the off-season, after addressing the shortfalls of this year. Sveum is being a swell guy for taking over for a team in a most awkward position -- I think making the playoffs earns Dale an interview and (more) serious consideration, but in no way will these last 12 games ultimately determine whether Dale gets a 3 year deal -- it's a feather in his hat, nothing more.

Here are my thoughts, assuming: 1.) The Brewers don't make the playoffs... 2.) DM is on some sort of hotseat. My moves... 1.) Fire replace DM and hire a new manager -- DM has had plenty of time to build a team in Milw. I don't think DM has done a terrible job, however if we are going to retool, I would just as soon let someone else take a crack at it. 2.) I would try to move Prince, we have some guys that can play 1b and given Prince's hot September, I think his value is going to be still pretty high. I think Prince is one of the leaders on this team, and when you watch his effort on the field, I don't think his leadership is necessarily a good thing. I think his D will continue to decline, and my fear is that in a year or two, regardless of his offensive output, no NL team is going to want Prince to play 1b for them. 3.) Weeks -- I think his stock is low, so I wouldn't be very keen on trading him. I still would like to see Weeks play CF, much like Braun, he could turn from a liability to a decent defender. Weeks HAS to produce offensively in order to justify his getting run out on the diamond. I certainly would not be sad if Weeks got traded, I would hate to see him dumped though. 4.) Hardy -- Ideally I would keep JJ around for another year to give Escobar a full season at AAA. I think a team hard up for a SS would overpay for a guy like JJ, and if that were the case I'd send him off tomorrow. Any trade I made would involve some pitching.

If we finish the season 8-1 in the playoffs, clearly the regular season would have ended on a high note.

Making empty promises based on bold statements is just false bravado. God forbid that would happen on a sports-centered messageboard.

If you move Hardy off of SS, you are still going to have to pay him like a SS to sign him long term. That means you have to overpay him. If Hardy is not in the Brewers long term plans at SS, they should trade him. Agreed 100% -- As to Escobar, I'd like to see him start out at AAA next year for the first 2-3 months, just to try to get a little more polished offensively, and have him move to 2b. Disagree 100% -- If you move Escobar off of SS, you shrink his ceiling which is stellar SS defense. In order for the Brewers to maximize their value with Hardy & Escobar, neither one should be starting on the same IF. And if money is irrelevant, the Brewers should just sign every player to lifetime contracts. Except for Weeks, he sucks.

Dougjones > Cojones

that was against the Cincy Bearcats I think

Huh -- I had not even thought of thought that -- I currently have Tivo -- how much better/worse is Tivo than other DVR services?

I'm still fairly surprised they didn't move Sedar to third, since it's almost a sure thing that he knows both the speed of the Brewers' players and the arms of the opponents better since he's been with the big club for more than a couple of weeks. I seem to recall Sedar coaching third this year while Sveum was at some family function for a couple of games -- and I think Skalen coached first

I have Direct TV, but have yet to get a HD TV -- I plan to get a HD TV soon, and will need to upgrade my dish/receiver. I called Direct TV and they offered me a Dish and HD receiver+DVR for $200 -- Is that the best route? Thanks!

I wonder a little about the Cubs series. Are they just going to completely pack it in? If you mean the Brewers, I bet they will, if you mean the Cubs, I am sure they will rest players like Zambrano, and some of their BP arms, but it's not as if they are going to give Soto/Lee/Ramirez etc. 3 days off. If we can't beat the Reds, I am not sure the "resting" Cubs will be an easier task.

So what do you guys like better.... 1.) Your 2008 Milwaukee Brewers -- The Opposite of Fun. or 2.) Your 2008 Milwaukee Brewers -- THEY'RE PLAYING LIKE CRAP, BUT THEY AINT' GIVING UP I can't believe you guys deleted Brewtank's post... that was good stuff.

If Weeks can ever figure out how to make more consistent contact, he could conceivably vault well ahead of Reyes as an offensive force. I really doubt this. Reyes has 100 more SLG points -- Weeks's BB rate has dropped from 16% to 12%, so Weeks's struggle/drop with OPB is not only due to BA, In fact it is almost entirely due to decreased BBs -- which I suspect is due to pitchers realizing they can pitch to Weeks to get him out. Throw in Reyes ability to steal bases -- Weeks would have to improve considerably to ever get to where Reyes is at offensively.

Kendall has been one of the best defensive C in baseball this year. This is the surprising aspect of Kendall -- His offense really has been pedestrian, but I would have never guessed he'd be as good defensively. You are going to judge Cameron on strike outs and nothing else? I like Cameron a lot -- Defensively I think he has been wonderful. Mota has still earned his salary this year though so it still has been a good signing. Mota was brutal for most of the early part of the season -- walking a batter an inning -- I think he has been better as of late, but I don't think we should make a big push to resign him.

Plus he fired Yost who probably cost us the playoffs for the 2nd consecutive year with his boobery. MA fired Yost, DM extended him for this year -- I blame DM for Yost managing in 2008. DM should have fired Yost at the end of 2007. Yeah he isn't amazing but he is certainly adequate and it got Estrada off the team. DM could have simply released Estrada, just like the Mets did. He did not need to trade for Mota to get him.

I don't get why people rip on BA so much around here. He really does a pretty good job. Agreed -- I think he has done a great job. He isn't the "best" by any stretch of the imagination but better than most.

You mean our usually classy fans will boo their team? Crazy! Yeah -- it's silly to expect a zebra to change its stripes. I agree with Toby that MP might really suck for the last 6 games. If the Brewers aren't going to make the playoffs, it may be better that the last 6 (and especially the last 3) are as meaningless as possible (that is, the Brewers are eliminated).

I hate aggressive baserunning.

I'm in it for the long haul.

I don't think Attanasio would fire Melvin for decisions that they both agreed to. If Jack Z is offered a GM position elsewhere, he may decide to fire Melvin and promote Z if he thinks Jack has more future value to the team than Melvin does. I think this is an important distinction. When Yost was fired, words like boob, incompetent, semi-lucid, insane, inept, etc. were used --- I think we can all agree that DM performed (at his job) at a higher level than Yost did -- that is to say DM is not an inept boob, or even close to it. However, the Brewers are have made a transition from what they were in 2002 to what they are today, and perhaps a different GM may be better equipped to take the Crew from 80 to 95 wins than DM who took the Brewers from 60 to 85 wins. DM has had enough time and resources to get the Brewers into the playoffs -- I am not saying he did a bad job at all, just that he has had his cuts at the plate. 2009 will undoubtedly be a transition year for the Brewers, there will be a new rotation, new manager, and probably a number of our position players will be moved. I'd rather see a fresh perspective with a different attitude. I think it is pointless for DM to hire a manager and then get canned in 2009 himself. It just makes sense to me to clean house in 2009 and shuffle the cards a little bit. If MA thinks JZ could do a better job with the Brewers in 2009, I think it's a great time to make the transition.

I bet the crowd will be unclassy if we go 1-2 in Cincy

I think the fact that Giants fans think less of Durham's defense than Brewers fans think of Weeks' is noteworthy. Weeks and Durham defensively are like the stupid white and black jellybeans, your grandma put out in the Easter candy dish -- blech. If you like the white better than the black, or the black better than the white, it really makes no difference -- in either case those are the last 2 beans in the candy dish. If you compare them only to 2B, Weeks looks very good... I think you are alluding to a potential pitfall in comparison -- Sometimes when people say "Weeks is above average offensively" they mean that Weeks is better than the average major baseball player -- which includes all the Counsells, and TGJs floating around in MLB -- I have no doubt Weeks is in fact above average in that regard. However, a lot of people will mistakenly conclude that "Weeks is above average" means he is an average starting NL 2b -- which he isn't. I don't like comparing Weeks to AL 2bs, as they face different pitchers and play in different parks. In 2008 there is not an offensive category Weeks is above average in with regard to NL 2b (BA/OBP/SLG/OPS) --- he is across the board in the bottom half. I'm not saying that Weeks will be an MVP-type player next year I appreciate that.

In arby you can't offer less than 30% of his current salary correct? I think it is 80% i.e. a 20% cut is the least the Brewers can offer

but these last two weeks other than last night have been the opposite of fun Milwaukee Brewer Baseball -- The Opposite of Fun I like it!