JJHardy7

Prince Fielder was up for the Brewers from mid June until early July. He started just 5 games in almost a month of time and sat on the bench and PH the rest of the time. He then came up again in mid August until the end of the season and only started 2 games that entire time. He was in the majors for 58 games, over 1/3 of the season and got 62 PA in those games. I don't see how that isn't worse than what happened with Gamel this year. How many September games was he up? 25+? I think if you take that into account it's a different scenario IMO. At the time Gamel was called up there, 3B was somewhat of a question. We knew 1B was Lyle's job when Prince was called up. I will agree it wasn't handled the best way, but I just think that the Gamel thing was worse than Fielder. Maybe expectations for the team had something to do with that as well?

If people think Gamel was ruined by not playing full time I'd imagine their heads would explode if they went back and looked at Fielders 2005 game log. That's not even close to what happened with Gamel...I do agree though Prince's situation was bad though. I still think people fail to realize just how bad calling Gamel up was this year...it was handeled poorly. It was handled so poorly...that I really think Gamel is dealt in the off-season...they clearly don't have a plan for him. TheCrew07...I agree with a ton of your thoughts. You're one of the better posters here. My thought here though is that posters may have been expecting WAY TOO much for Hardy. I go in the in-game chats on occasion and I think I was in one of my few in July and a poster flat out told me that trading JJ for Buchholz wasn't enough for the Brewers...so my point is what should they have dealt for? I've gone on record more than a few times that I felt the 'value' for JJ here was way too high...same with some Corey Hart trade thoughts here...I really enjoyed JJ and following him in the minors and such...the bottom line is it didn't work out. That's why I posed my question....what did you expect that is actually legit? I know I really wish some team would've traded us some pitching stud/prospect...but that wasn't going to happen IMO. I do like the fact that the team is really turning this into a huge cost savings...IF it works out http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

What specific pitcher would've been available? I don't think anyone knows that answer...

Ersan looked solid both games I didn't see last night's game, but I did see the season opener. I've really had high hopes for Ersan when we drafted him and now that he's back...I thought he played pretty bad in the season opener. I guess he just looked really awkward to me. I was disappointed...at least in that game.

The USFL also had a TON of talent. Jim Kelly, Walker, Gary Zimmerman, Nate Newton, Reggie White, Sam Mills, Steve Young, etc. come to mind. Check out the list of USFL players that also played in the NFL: http://www.oursportscentral.com/usfl/nflplayers2.htm That is really, really impressive IMO.

It is unique how Dominos does this, using this concept. Hopefully, he will be successful, even though he is now despised by many as "part of the problem". Make it or not, it takes a lot of guts to do it, especially if he has a family. Can you clarify what you mean about 'concept'?

Yes, all Halloween masks are $500+...prices have gone up some in the past few years. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif There's no way I'd ever spend that much on a mask, but it'd be interesting to see it since it fits to your face and matches your facial expressions.

Chuck Knoblauch, Steve Sax, Rick Ankiel and their buddies all say hi. This isn't directed at you specifically...but what is with the 'saying hi' stuff? I've seen this a few places here and other sites...I guess I just don't get it. I would just say hi, good morning, good afternoon, or good evening back to them...

Rent is just as good as owning if you invest the difference; the problem is that few people invest the difference I think it depends on one's situation. The apartment we lived in before buying our house was about $100 less a month than the house we built including property tax, insurance, etc. I think in our situation it would not have been smart at all to continue renting, but again a lot depends on where you live and one's situation.

Wonder whats next in store for the office. The Pam and Jim was the main focus for all 6 seasons it seems! Probably their baby...

Debt assumes risk, having a paid-for $5,000 car in your driveway gives you indisputable security you don't have when $20,000 spread over 60 months' of payments (!!!) is sitting in your driveway. I drive a car that is 12 years old...but I appreciate new cars as well. If you buy a new car, take on the debt (which by the way right now you could get a 0.0% interest rate...aka free money when considering TVM), and keep the car for awhile...it's not the end of the world. A new car now also comes with a ton of warranties, etc. It's not like if you buy a new car you'll be struck by lightning. Buying a new car isn't ideal because of depreciation (Ramsey says that, but again Ramsey isn't a genius...he just has made a ton of money speaking about common sense...I do give the guy a lot of credit for that and wish I thought of it http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif ), but it can 'pay off' in the long-run. Vehicle purchases come down to how long you'll have the vehicle...you really can buy used cars and trade them in for decent value if you time it right. In other words, you can manage it. That could also be chalked up to generational differences. This dude's fearliest memories were formed during the Great Depression when people scratched and clawed for everything they had. Agree 100%

Larry King wears white tube socks: It could be (at least I hope it is) a blood flow issue. I'm not Dr., but I do know some older folks in my wife's family that have to wear a tube sock for blood flow related issues. If it's not that....pretty strange.

It seems like you're setting yourself up to HAVE to go back to the credit cards because you're not sufficiently prepared and take a huge step back in your efforts, if not completely derail them. This is sort of what I'm thinking too. I agree with homer as well. A guy I work with just went through some terrible bad luck. He needed major dental work done (it was some type of emergency...either do it or lose the tooth) of some sort (I guess the dentist said it was a freak thing since he goes to the dentist regularly and everything). That was going to set him back some. The day before he actually had the surgery he got in a car accident (not his fault). I can say with certainty that $1,000 would not cover his expenses.

I agree with PF 100%. Ramsey is a decent guy and his common sense has made him a wealthy man. If someone were to get laid off though and only had $1k saved, they could easily lose their house, car, etc. due to lack of cash on hand. I'm sure it's a balancing act, but I'd much rather have 3 - 6 months saved up if possible than potentially losing a house or something of that nature.

Menotti, my first piece of advice to you (worth what you paid for it, ha) is to get on a written budget. Couldn't you just use a spreadsheet? Your advice is good, but everybody has different methods. I would think the most important thing IMO is to have some type of budget and start from there. If writing it down helps, that's fine. I have a new tab for every month of the year. This way I can project and look at actuals in terms of past months and also the amount of money we've saved. I do think it helps to have some type of goal. If you're just saving to save, that's fine. For me, if I have a goal of saving xyz for a month or the year it makes me focus on the goal a lot more. Also, I agree 100% on your thoughts about a vehicle. IMO it's the biggest money waster in some cases. I know some need certain vehicles for work or family, but I have plenty of friends who have high car payments for no reason. I know everybody is different, but IMO if you buy a car and make big payments it's not the end of the world...as long as you got a good deal and plan to drive the car into the ground. I got a good deal on a newer Jeep a few years ago, but when the auto industry was going down I sold it and I'm happy I did. The payments really didn't make sense for how much we used it. The only bad thing is I'm stuck driving my 'sports' car...a 1997 Saturn sedan! Mathematically, you might come out a few dollars ahead chasing the high interest rate angle, but the key is actually getting it DONE, and the snowball approach makes that success most likely. It'd likely be more than a few dollars...and it would be more money to save or pay debt. I would definitely recommend running a cost analysis for each type of debt. You could easily save hundreds (maybe thousands) depending on one's situation by paying the higher interest rate off first.

I think the Brewers need to look for pitchers with good K rates. Of course this is true for every team. But they have enough "pitch to contact" starters. I agree with this, but I can't help but chuckle a little bit. It's important to have a good K rate for a pitcher, but you Ks don't matter for hitters? I don't want to take the thread in that direction so I'll put in my two cents... I guess I'd rather see the Brewers explore trade options. I believe there's an article over at The Sporting News regarding Fielder and how he might be on the market this off-season (I have yet to read the full article). It's easy for me to say we should trade some players, but I get the feeling to bring back real value you might have to give up Fielder, Escobar, or Gamel. Another thing to look at may be the market as a whole. Will it be a 'down' year for free agents again?

IIRC, Hart was a first baseman that was moved because we already had Sexson/Fielder. He was moved to 3B, but was eventually moved to OF because he couldn't play good defense at 3rd (just like Weeks at 2nd), and there was already an answer in the majors at 3rd (but Helms ended up being the wrong answer). That's what I thought. To be honest, I think we 'stuck' him in the outfield because he didn't have a position in the IF. I guess I'm not sure how much is speed factored into that decision. I know it's an obviously plus, but I just can't see Corey playing anywhere else except the OF.

Cory Hart is fast, and we stuck him in the outfield (for similar reasons some want to put Weeks out there). He gets bad jumps on batted balls and does not look that good out there. Didn't Hart have to move to the OF though?

I'm sure he's spent his signing bonus on supporting drug using friends and members of his entourage. His trade value is very minimal, as one more test and he's done, so no one is giving up more than a middling prospect. As I've said many times, he'll get every chance because of the money invested in him, but it's hard to believe someone that stupid could ever be intelligent enough to get major league hitters out. Really? There was this one guy with drug problems that played for the Brewers...Paul...something...Molitor? Yea I think that was his name. Let's get real here. You and jack have been against him in other threads and are sticking by your opinion (which is fair). Let's not make generalizations. It's so easy for us to sit here and think the guy is an not intelligent or whatever other words some have said here. He's not intelligent, huh? There have been many more 'intelligent' people that have smoked weed than JJ. I've never met the guy so I'm not throwing him under the bus. From what I've heard, he's a good guy who has made some bad decisions. I'm not going to go out of my way to rip on the guy and I absolutely put him on the 40-man roster. When did a guy on the 40-man have to be a guy that never smoked weed or made bad decisions? Let's step back for a second...I'm not trying to rip on guys on the 40-man this year since I know how much time everyone of them put in, but let's be honest...JJ has more potential than quite a few guys who were on the 40-man (I'm specifically speaking to those not on the 25-man roster). Do I wish JJ made better decisions? Sure. He did screw up an opportunity. This guy is still very, very, very young. Again, let's all throw stones at him because everyone here must just be so perfect. Let's face it...nobody here knows the exact details of anything related to JJ and the weed. I guess I'm not the kind of person to totally think he is supporting his 'friends' with drugs and has some big entourage. From a pure baseball standpoint, not putting him on the 40-man would be a major mistake. It won't hurt anything. If something happens during the season and you need a spot, you can always take him off the 40-man. I still am somewhat appalled that around here regarding comments regarding JJ. People apparently have no problem throwing stones at people they've never met...I've never met him so I'm not going to do that. I am disappointed in what he's chosen to do, but by no means am I giving up on him. I do wish him the best and I hate to say it, but if he does make it I hope everyone throwing stones here sticks by their views. People make mistakes...there are hundreds of higher profiled athletes, celebrities, etc. who have made the same or worse mistake. And to answer the question I don't trade JJ. His value isn't high and if you're going to sell low you might as well release him. And yes...he has been thought of to be an ace. The main question has been whether or not he'll be a starter now given his time away from the game. He may profile now more as a reliever.

This might be a stupid question...but does anyone know/or where to find some sort of splits in regard to home grown talent vs. free agents/trades? I guess without knowing this I still have to give the Red Sox some credit. I don't know if I'd put them number 1, but they do have a lot of home grown guys and/or players that they traded for using minor league guys (Beckett, Ortiz, etc). It does cost more to maintain some of these guys, but they've had the minor league depth to make deals like that. I don't know if it's fair or reasonable to use that model in Milwaukee though.

The 1% is deceiving also, because many of these reward programs will give you double points for various purchases. That's true. 1% also doesn't sound like much, but for many things that you have to pay for anyways it can add up. My Discover card rotates each quarter for special 5% items (gas, groceries, etc). That is an added plus IMO.

What if you put that $1k television on your credit card and pay it off on time? That's my point. Most people aren't lucky enough to buy a house without a mortgage....that's where your credit rating comes in. My entire point is you can use a credit card and live within your means. It's not like using a credit card means you're living way outside your means...far from it in some instances. There are many opportunities out there for people that have good credit. From a finance view, there are many auto loans right now with 0% financing. It would be silly to pay for the car up front give time, value, money, etc. Again, it's an individual thing and not a grand sweeping generalization. EDIT - I don't think I'm disagreeing with you. I agree 100% one has to live within one's means...I just don't see credit cards as the reason it happens. Credit cards enable it to happen, but they're not the cause of it if that makes sense.

AMEN!!! Do you think our Grandparents and Great-Grandparents would use credit cards? NO WAY! Why? Because there is a value in saving for things. Problem is, our society is now a must have it now, pay for it later way of going about it. I fell into that trap my freshman year of college, and didn't get out of the cycle of using credit cards until about 2 years ago. Now, it's still a process of digging out of it all. Even if you pay off your credit card bill at the end of each month, what happens if you can't pay it off one month? Then you have to pay the interest. Better to pay cash either literally or with a debit card. I have cut up all my cards and closed ALL of my accounts, and once we get out from this hole in the next 2-3 years, we will only be buying things we can afford at the time, using our emergency fund when emergencies happen. Not a credit card. Again, credit cards aren't the world's worst thing and I don't get the reference with grandparents. Some people just think it's cash...some don't. I use a credit card for a ton of things and I've never ran into any problem. I treat it like cash. I don't go and buy a fancy electronic or something else just because I can. It's on an individual basis and I hope people understand that. If you've ran into bad luck or have some debt issues, than a guy like Dave Ramsey works for those people. I know people who work with him and he offers a lot of classes down here (never been to one). A lot of his business is common sense, but he also works with athletes, celebs, etc. on much more complicated matters. To me, the 'average joe' stuff is common sense, but individuals run into different problems which I understand. dadofandrew - I check mine and make a few payments to ensure that we're not using our credit card in a way that would shock us later. It's typically the same things, but to be honest I'm not really to worried about the floating interest. The amounts usually aren't significant anyways compared to my checking/savings. I invest my money in other activities compared to the interest I could receive in a checking/savings account. We have a few different cards for different bonus points. Sometimes we only get 1%, but with some cards we get 5%. I know it's not a lot of money in terms of points, but if you're buying it anyways I'll take the points. I know some check cards are now offering rewards, but the one I have from my bank have some decent restrictions on them (payments must be signature based, certain websites, etc). I know it's different for each individual, but some can use credit cards like a debit card and never have a problem with it. And I do understand emergencies happen. I guess I'm not really including those in my discussion. My point is you can't treat a credit card like it's cash, but if it's an item you need anyways I'll always take the bonus points.

Bottom line, I view my credit card like a checkbook. If I use it, I pay it off right away. I'm the same way. I also make multiple payments a month. It really gives me a better idea of exactly what we're spending our money on. It is nice to also have some standard bills automated on it...like phone, cable, utilities, etc. I think that's good advice to view your credit card like a checkbook. I check mine a few times a week.

For those whose ship has sailed, cut up your credit cards except an emergency one. If your Landmark is tax deductible (home equity), certainly move debt to that, as it's tax deductible. This obviously isn't an end all statement. Depending on the size of the loan and individual circumstances you may never use the interest deduction on your return. Credit cards aren't all bad. My wife and I use ours for many things in order to get more bonus points. I do keep a budget every month though that tracks everything we've spent. I think some of it is just being responsible on day-to-day items. We also pay it off every month too. I understand emergencies and such happen, but I would highly recommend tracking every dollar spent for a month. You'd be surprised where some of it goes if you're not doing this. I know we save a lot more money each month because of that.