JJHardy7

1. Who's going to challenge North Carolina? If you've read any magazines or looked at any sports websites, the NCAA championship is basically UNC's to lose right now. It's hard not to agree. They are insanely talented, experienced, and deep. Get ready for a year's worth of Psycho-T adulation - think JJ Redick's senior year times ten. Somebody please beat them. Why please beat them? Their season is championship or bust and I find no reason to root against them. College basketball fans whine all the time about players leaving early and Tyler could potentially do some things that have never been done...why root against them? Favored teams rarely go all the way, but I want UNC to win it all and I hope Tyler gets drafted in the first round. I don't understand your 'adulation' comment. 4 time all-americans don't grow on trees...he busts his tail off and he deserves it. I've talked to some friends in the NBA and we joke about AI (Allen Iverson) being on the same team as Tyler. 'We're talking about practice' and Tyler would set the tone for better or worse for the team. I don't have a team I follow every year, but I'm all for UNC running the table. I avoid knocking on good kids.

I'm down with Hoffman, but we'll have to see what other things happen (CC, Sheets, extensions for other players, etc). Hoffman isn't going to be in San Diego next year, but I wonder if he'll just call it a career. My guess he retires or goes to a team that is projected to be playoff bound. I don't know if the Brewers are that team yet, but we'll see what else they do. As far as Fuentes, he does have some Wisconsin ties. He pitched for the T Ratts! I grew up less than 5 minutes from Fox Cities Stadium and got to know quite a few players -- especially Fuentes. He seemed to like the area back then and he's a great guy. I've wanted him for awhile now, but I fear his contract now will be a bit much for my liking. As far as internal players, I'd go with Stetter or at least let him win the job. I know Stetter's walks are a concern, but he seems to have the 'closer' mentality. Stetter also isn't a LOOGY IMO so he may work there. As far as McClung, I don't see that happening. McClung wants to start and I think there was a link posted somewhere on bf.net about how he wanted to get his body ready to be a starter. I know he's wanted to be a starter from day one so it isn't a shock. I'm not saying McClung is so great that he can pick his role, but it he gets himself ready to be a starter he's going to show up in even better shape and have a higher stamina. I'd be willing to give him a spot in the rotation if all that happens.

I think he's too much of a risk given his age. I also don't think Seattle would trade him unless they were just floored with an offer they couldn't refuse. My guess is it'd take at least Gamel and Escobar to get the deal done -- he's that valuable in terms of revenue for the Mariners IMO. You're correct that they are rebuilding, but Ichiro gives their fanbase something to look forward to even if they stink. This is just an opinion with no facts or anything behind it, but I'd be willing to bet that Ichiro or his handlers would not want to go to Milwaukee. He could be traded, but I think it'd be to a major market if it happens. It would be nice to have him though if his contract wasn't the way it was. Cameron and Escobar/Gamel/etc for Ichiro plus cash would work for me, but I don't know if that's an option.

Now, Werth is only a career 38% GB batter (39% in '08), which appears to be at least 'below-league-average' if not a tad lower. Furthermore, TB's Balfour has just a 34% career GB rate (29% in '08). I think the stats with baseball are great, but at the same time you can't always rely on stats in every situation. Balfour may have a low career GB rate, but let's face it he's not a GB pitcher. He's a strikeout pitcher. Maybe they thought he'd 'make the pitch' to get a grounder, but that's an entire different discussion I guess. Maybe it was a matchup thing? It's a good question TLB don't get me wrong. I do wonder though what stats managers look at in each situation.

I thought the "Bill Buttlicker" scene was one of the funniest things I've ever seen on a TV show. I agree. I laughed so hard during that seen. I love how it was treated as such an actual sales call. I thought overall it was a pretty good episode, but some parts were a bit slow. Where was Creed?

I think the Brewers make token offers to simply appease the fan base so they can "wash their hands" and say they tried. It's more political than anything. Lets face it, the Brewers have not signed a top free agent in his prime - maybe ever. I don't know why we would expect that to change. I really don't like this reasoning. $100 million is not a lowball offer IMO. I think we need to remember that the economy impacts baseball teams as well as other industries. Attendance and revenue is solid in baseball, but the uncertainty means that teams may not break the bank this off-season. $100 million is not a lowball offer if the years are 'right'. That's the key IMO.

We actually traded Wayne Franklin and Leo Estrella for Carlos Villanueva and Glenn Woolard. Thanks trwi7. I don't know what I was thinking. I knew we traded for him, but completely screwed up what we gave up.

http://chart.apis.google.com/chart?cht=t&chs=440x220&chtm=usa&chf=bg,s,336699&chco=cc0000&chd=s:999999999999999999999999999999999999999&chld=ALCAFLILKYMONCSDVTWICOGAINMIMTNJNDPATNVAAZIAMNNEOHTXWAARMSNVNYOKSCUTKSORIDWYNM visited 39 states (78%) Create your own visited map of The United States or determine the next president

I don't know if this is posted somewhere else here, but the Brewers picked up the option: http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/33749649.html

Villaneuva? not sure We traded Ginter for CV. Gallardo is also on Jack's list.

I guess this place is as good as any to ask this question. If CC and Sheets leave via free agency and we get draft picks, can those picks be used to sign a Type A free agent? I'm not saying this will or won't happen I'm just curious.

While I understand the stereotype that Sheets is injury prone, it really isn't true. In 8 seasons he's averaged just under 28 starts and 180 ip per season. I'm curious how many pitchers can match that over the same period? Halladay has average 28 starts, 197ip. Peavy, 28 starts, 157 ip (over last 7 years), Oswalt 30 starts. 202 ip. Zito is Ben's age and has averaged 34 starts, 214+ innings pitched. He also hasn't been any good for the last two years. You bring up an interesting point. What happens when you limit the years to the past 4 or so though and not a younger Sheets 8 years ago?

You've answered your own question when you said "Dillon played quite a bit in Nashville." Dillon's had plenty of at bats in the minors. I just think since he did well in Nashville that means he's going to continue do perform well in the bigs given his age. If Dillon was 26, I'd put more weight into those projections. I really like Joe a lot and hope he comes back. I'm just not 100% sure his skills aren't declining given his age.

Is it hidden somewhere in this thread and I missed it? There are mentions above it on a few pages above and even one poster stating their family member was on a flight to Dallas with Maddux on the same flight. Of course, this also presumes that the Brewers had any good options at the end of the year with Kapler hurt, Branyan hurt, Gross traded, Gwynn showing no signs of being a productive corner outfielder, and Brad Nelson being very unproven. It's fully possible that Corey Hart was the Brewers best option in September despite the struggles. This is the point I feel gets missed the most. Hart was pretty bad, but there really weren't options. I would've gone with Nelson a time or two, but given the situation I understand why he didn't play him in the outfield. It would've been nice to start Nelson a game or two there and use Hart as his backup, but again given the circumstances we really couldn't afford a bad defensive play. I think this does point to the fact that the Brewers may need to get another OF this off-season. I know this guy isn't ideal and won't happen, but it'd be interesting to get Junior in Milwaukee. He could backup the corners and be LH pinch hitter. I know he's old and it won't happen, but I had to throw it out there.

That link is very confusing and it doesn't say much of anything. I just assumed he was released when I read that. It is very vague in its wording and leaves more questions than answers really. I'm guessing this means he gets to choose where he goes and I don't think he would want to go to the Knicks. Oh I agree totally. I just think since he's on the Bucks roster he's their property and they would have to trade him, but I'm not 100% sure. I would imagine if the Bucks only have 15 spots and released Jones he wouldn't be there. My guess is he's 'inactive' in terms of pay, but in the end he'll be traded for a 2nd round pick or a small part of a big trade. I guess I don't see why Bucks would agree with this if he's on the roster AND they're paying him. They could very easily suspend him and not pay, which leads me to believe he's on the Bucks and will be traded soon or agrees to be let go without money.

It is probably from the notion that big market clubs get more media exposure. Which for the life of me I can't figure out. This shouldn't be true anymore. With the internet and other advancements in technology this shouldn't be as big of deal as some people make it out to be anymore. I think it's related to money they can make outside of their salary. Playing for New York, Chicago, or LA probably brings in more endorsement type deals than playing for Milwaukee would. I know there were/have been rumors about LeBron James' deal with Nike and how it changes if he's in one of the big markets. I guess if the money is more or less the same (we'll just say on the four year deal discussed here) it boils down to how much money can be made outside of baseball. I have no clue if CC cares about this, but if he does he's as good as gone. I still think CC is a Brewer next year. I'm going to guess they'll offer CC a 4 year $100 million deal and CC will be 31 (IIRC) when that's up so he'll have one more big deal if healthy and hell he's already set. I do get the feeling that CC likes the guys he played with this year and doesn't really want to play in a New York (maybe LA I guess). I think they'll offer Sheets one year $15 million. I'd say CC is back and Sheets walks.

nate82, from that very link: The Bucks said both parties would explore options to help the 10-year veteran reach that goal. He's also still on the Bucks.com roster and actually now has a jersey assigned to him (#19). I checked a few days ago and he didn't have a number assigned. I'm not saying he'll actually play for the Bucks, but it appears he's still Bucks property. Jones is one of the 15 players limited by the NBA rules. I think the ESPN report stated he was 'on his own' in terms of working out and getting himself ready. I don't think he has a ton of value, but I guess we'll see. I think it's interesting they agreed to part ways. Does this mean he's Bucks property and doesn't get paid? I'd have to imagine that's the only way the Bucks would agree to him not reporting.

There is an agreement for him to stay away from the team until we can trade him I believe. I think this is right. He's still on the roster, but there was an agreement that he wasn't expected to report for anything.

Now that the grass is supposedly more durable, there is no reason anymore to keep a baseball team off of the field in spring. So the next point is having the Brewers charge a reasonable fee for usage, which to me would be about $1000 per game - cripes even $2000 a game. You only need lights, bathrooms, and some field prep and a few other things, it just can't cost that much. This is exactly where I think your idea doesn't make sense. A game or two fine, but I just feel that it does cost much more than $2k and not get any money back in terms of ticket sales. Think of all the workers that will need to be there for say 5 hours or so and that money is easily gone. What's the point in opening up Miller Park 25 times a game for a few thousand fans? If they could get it half full, the Brewers would be able to make some money on concessions and such and it'd probably be an easier selling point. I also don't like the idea of having UW-M play there all that much before the Brewers even play there. I'm willing to bet the field crew needed during that time would be a ton more expensive than not having any games played on it. I also think it might be a good idea to see how this grass holds up first before promising any games -- before the Brewers even take the field.

NFL isn't neutral either. Playing in a dome is very different than on grass and the view areas are all different for the QB etc. I see what you're saying, but both teams have to play in these conditions and it's not really going to boost a strength on a team like some major league ballpark designs do IMO.

The Brewers could give back a little - don't you think??? The Brewers could give back by letting them play there once or twice. 20 games is way too much and the Brewers would more than be giving back -- they'd essentially have another 'home' team playing 1/4 of the home games at Miller Park that the Brewers do. I would be interested in seeing how much money it would take for the operation, how much money tickets would cost, and how much money UW-M would have to give the Brewers. UW-M might be better off not playing at Miller Park since they most likely would get to keep a much larger percentage. I know the baseball team isn't out to make money, but I'm sure they would like to run as close to break-even as they can.

Here's the link from ESPN: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3672684

Seriously what is with all the touch fouls Bogut has been getting the first 2 games. In 2 of his first 3 fouls there really wasn't anything there. I agree. I know it was mentioned during the game last night, but it was nice to see the offense go through Bogut a bit. I know some will disagree with how good Bogut is or isn't, but he was getting doubled a few times leaving open jump shots for the perimeter guys.

I know that the Brewers should come first, but I don't think its unreasonable to play 15-20 games at Miller Park seeing as though the stadium was paid for by tax payers of the stadium district. And since about 29,000 of their children attend the university, I think they deserve a decent place to watch and game. I just don't see this as being interference or causing undue wear and tear, and don't think it should be about how big the place is or how empty it might look. Its a perfect place to play up here in the north. I went to UW-M and know a lot of the baseball players that were there while I was there and they're good guys, but this is a terrible idea to play 15 - 20 home games at Miller Park. I don't say this to be a jerk, but just from a cost view this doesn't make a lot of sense. Miller Park would have to have workers for the game and I doubt they'd get enough crowd to even break even. The Brewers are trying to bring more revenue in, but I don't think they view it as a charity/break even thing at this point. If the bottom line made sense, UW-M would be playing there, but the fact is most don't care about UW-M baseball at all (I don't say that to be a jerk, but that's a fact) and it won't bring money in. Even the UW-M basketball teams had crappy attendance the years they went to the dance. The major problem was that UW-M students had to travel downtown to see games and there wasn't always a bus provided -- I don't see students trying that hard for baseball. It's a good idea, but I just don't think UW-M draws more than 5,000 fans (at the very most) and combine that with operating at a horrible efficiency level I don't think it makes sense. Maybe a game or two, but that'd be all and the only reason they'd get that is because UW-M is a sponsor of Miller Park. It wouldn't be a income maker.

As for how they can project a gain from his 2008 numbers; he only had 90 MLB PA and 206 AAA PA in 2008. That's not anywhere near enough to tell us that his hitting skills have meaningfully declined, so what you'll see from projection systems is that the mass of data from 2004 through 2007 that says that he's an excellent hitter is balanced against the more recent info (which is more heavily weighted pound for pound but which is a lot smaller sample). I guess the thing I'm confused about is how we state that his PA's were not enough last year, but we still rely on some projections even though he's had a very small sample size in MLB. Don't the two go hand and hand? Dillon played quite a bit in Nashville and I've met him, etc. and I do wish him the best. I just don't think basing projections on limited MLB at-bats is a good idea. I also think he's becoming very limited playing multiple positions as he ages. I love Dillon, but I think the Brewers are thinking he's limited in terms of where he can play defensively.