JJHardy7

Durham could be at home, getting over the flu, or he could be sitting somewhere with his agent, working out which team is paying him how much of what is owed him for the rest of this season. I don't think they're worrying about who pays him...it's all guaranteed and it's something only the Giants and Brewers would be discussing. I'm also part of the small camp that now wants to send Rickie to AAA to see if he can hit like he did at the end of last year. I'm so sick of Weeks' so called potential and I call it so called because if you don't live up to it you never had it. I hope he turns it on now, but I feel like I've been saying that for awhile now.

nothing is a slight overstatement. we just don't think he's worth much, or more than a lot of other minor league vets. Al said a couple times he could see him as a reserve, as could I. If Zach Jackson can be part of a trade, so can Brad Nelson. I think we're not valuing Nelson here based on some of these posts. MLB scouts from a few teams have made trips to see Nelson. I'm not saying he'll bring a solid MLB vet, but he could be moved to bring a young prospect into the system or a package to get some MLB talent.

How fast was he throwing? Anyone know? Nice job by Riske.

After six days of absolutely no bullpen activity, with everyone rested, was Mitch Stetter REALLY the best guy to run out there in a one-run game? I'm not saying he's the best guy in a one run game, but the Brewers only got 5 innings out of Sheets so it's going to be a combined effort today.

What ceremonies are going on that are delaying the game?

Is there any television station anywhere carrying this game at all?

I haven't seen where Hart is receiving any love that Braun isn't. I've been moderately disappointed with both this season, considering what I was expecting/hoping for. There's a big thread that debates if Braun is good or great/all-star deserving or not and the big debate is OBP. It's barely been mentioned that Hart's OBP isn't where most would like. Who projects to have more plate discipline/OBP in the future? I don't really know either way, but I would imagine Braun does just because Corey's strike zone is huge due to his height. I wasn't for signing Cameron, but he's about where I thought he would be. If the glass is half full, missing the first 25 games may not be the worst thing and might help him stay healthy/not wear down as the season goes on. I just hope we don't see any more of the game changing defensive lapses. I still wonder how Kenny Lofton may have fit in better than Cameron, but there must be a reason he wasn't signed.

And to address the small marketism talk - we have stupid money tied up in the bullpen. That is not sustainable and not a wise investment. Agreed here, but the Brewers are still a small market team and that's not the end of the world. The Brewers are probably close to the maximum attendance and don't play in a huge market. That doesn't mean they can't compete, but it does mean they are probably close to the max payroll. I think Sheets and CC's future boils down to who the Brewers want to extend on the current roster and at what cost. I've really enjoyed watching CC pitch, but I think he'll get more money than Sheets in the open market. I don't think it's crazy to think the Brewers can sign one of the two, but I think the length of the contract will be a major factor. If one of them will take 3 or 4 years (not likely I know), they very well could end up in Milwaukee.

At the same time, Hart is receiving a lot of love, but Braun has been ripped on for his lack of OBP here. Hart and Braun both could increase their OBP, but that's a skill that can be developed over time.

never had it, but really would love to get cici's. all you can eat pizza buffet for 5 dollars. I've gone once and it was pretty bad. It's cheap, but here you get what you pay for...crappy pizza.

I agree, but it's more or less a cash flow play. I'm sure he'll get a profit out of the franchise when he sells it (at least it looks that way now), but the value of the franchise isn't bringing in any extra cash right now. As long as there's enough cash to operate the business, the Brewers could lose money or break even for years and still be a solid investment.

The Brewers have to be in the top five or the top spot of worst off-season moves: 1. Gagne - I was against this since his best days were WAY past and we had no known competitors 2. Mota - Nobody with a brain takes Estrada that easily 3. Cameron - I'm sick of how great his "defense" is. He has blown games on one play a few times this year and his offense is nothing to love. 4. Riske - The Reds guys have ripped this guy apart. I have a feeling we bought damaged goods. The Reds guys couldn't believe how slow he is now pitching and if it's because of an injury he shouldn't be playing. And the good: Kapler and Branyan -- two low, low, low risk investments. If this team seriously wants to ever make a real playoff push, they can't have such horrible off-seasons. The CC trade already makes me sick since we're going to have to trade more prospects to fill more holes to get where we need to be. On a side note...The Reds guys had a good point tonight. If (and I hope they are not) the Brewers are "out" of it the end of July, what would CC bring? Since the Brewers traded for him so early if they're enough games back in a few weeks we could probably turn him for close to what we gave up.

Dolphins a Tunafish

The Team Formerly Known As Aaron Rodgers' Mullet

72 mil is way too much. Bogut should be giving them a bit of a discount for extending him a year early. That's more like something he'd get as a free agent. Hopefully 72 mil is if he meets all his incentives or something. Per the JS it's 5 years 60 million and the remaining 12 million is incentives. Contracts always seem to go up in the NBA and signing him now could actually save the Bucks money if he continues to improve.

Very good move, big men are so hard to find and he has improved in each of his 3 years in the league. I think Skiles will make him a better player. I agree. I can't understand why during this past draft his name was sometimes thrown out as #1 bust or not worth the pick. Bogut has improved every year and if he becomes a 20 ppg and 10 rebound per game type of player he may have more value than any other player in that draft. Big guys are not easy to find and it's good that the Bucks don't have to worry about that -- and actually have a player on the team that likes Milwaukee.

This makes me feel like we got ripped off in the CC deal. Hopefully I'm wrong...

My wife and I went to pick out her engagement ring together, so I guess I was way at the other end of the traditional spectrum. I think it's all on the relationship you do or do not have with the in-laws. Traditions vary by families and I think it's up to them to determine their traditions...there's nothing wrong in my mind with any way it's handled. I asked the father's "permission". He really appreciated it. The best part is that the mother didn't know until my wife called her that we got engaged since her father wanted to keep it a secret until it happened.

Does anyone else think trading LaPorta possibly indicates the Brewers believe they can re-sign Prince? I know Gamel could just as well be moved to 1B, but I just thought I'd throw it out there.

Does it not matter that they are maybe not even in the race in August and September, if their #1 guy was not there in April, May, June, July? A regular season win is not worth any more on Sept. 15 than it is on April 15. Well if they're not in the race I still want to see Sheets in August and September. Something he hasn't done for awhile. Wins are worth the same throughout the year obviously, but we saw what happened last year when Sheets went down. Wins don't mean anything in June and July if you collapse in August or September.

I believe our payroll is at $84MM (correct me if I'm wrong). Mark A has gone on record that there is room to grow if the situation arises. Our attendance will be around or over 3MM this season. We need to lose the small market mentality. This market may be small in terms of television ratings, but we support our baseball team. And Mark A has not had a small market mentality. He's treated it like medium market. I don't think we should sell ourselves short in that regard. No... we're not the Yankees/Red Sox/Dodgers/Cubs. But it wouldn't shock me to see our payroll hit $100MM in the next couple of years. They are a small market team. The only way it's going to change is if millions of people move to Milwaukee, big tv contract, or raising ticket prices. There's nothing wrong with having a small market mentality. I personally think it's the best way to go for the long-term health of the franchise. This doesn't mean trading all good young players, but it does mean avoiding risk and I think based on the years and numbers thrown around here Sheets is a risk. Maybe we re-sign him for big money and he never gets hurt and is great...or we eat that money and are stuck with a guy at the end of the deal that will be 35 - 37 and injured. Will Sheets age well? That has to be taken into consideration. But you're right about signing Sheets being a risk. So is signing any pitcher (or player for that matter) to a lot of money for a number of years. I think letting a guy as good as Sheets get away is an even bigger risk. You don't get many chances to get FAs like him to come to Milwaukee very often. Acquiring guys like him in trades are generally more expensive than just cash. And you have to get dumb lucky to develop a guy like him in your system. He's just not that common a guy to just take for granted and dismiss. If Suppan had a injury history of Sheets, is there any way the Brewers sign him? My guess is not. I really don't think letting Sheets get away is a bigger risk than signing him. Again this all is speculation based on what we think and the market. If he'll take a 3-year deal, I would probably be alright with that. In reality though do you think a $75 - $100 million deal is less risky than letting him walk? I don't take Sheets for granted or dismiss him, but I will again say if you find a #2 starter that stays healthy for a year the damage compared to Sheets the past few years possibly won't be as bad because we're not stuck with a #6 pitcher for 1/2 - 1/4 of the season.

As far as Bogut/Paul goes, conventional wisdom states that you don't pass on talented bigs, or talented PGs. The Bucks had to choose between the two. They already had Ford, who couldn't shift to the 2, the pick was redundant. If I am not mistaken, Ford had not yet broken his neck, so he was still thought of as a good PG. They made a decent choice. The easy example of making the wrong decision in a spot like this was Big Dog/Kidd. Usually not a good idea to take a good 2/3 when a good 1 is available. I do think the Bucks did make the right pick, but my comments are more to those complaining about the JA pick since it's not a need. I hope the Bucks felt Bogut was the best player in the draftI really believe more than any sport in the NBA you have to take the best player available. The Bucks did that last year in Yi and then are year later were able to package him to get a pretty good player. If the Bucks think JA was the best player on the board, it's a good pick. Picks to fill needs don't always work out.

It's fine that I've been labeled a "pro-Sheets guy," but I do like to think I'm still being objective about it. I'm not saying a long-term deal for him isn't a risk, but it is really the only chance the Brewers have of acquiring a pitcher of his caliber. Even if they trade Prince Fielder, they're very unlikely to get back a pitcher with Sheets' talent. He's a top 10-15 starter in MLB; those guys aren't going to get traded for anyone. I'm pretty sure that's what people are trying to say when they call him irreplaceable. I respect your opinion and those that share it. I just think he is somewhat replaceable because of his injury history. Maybe Sheets never goes on the DL for a significant amount of time and when his career is over his injuries in Milwaukee were unlike most of his career. There is just too much we don't know about Sheets. I would hope the Brewers' brass has a good understanding of Sheets and if in fact he is in much better shape this year, etc. The best chance for any team to acquire a player of Sheets' level is through the draft. I do agree it will be hard to find a player as good as Sheets when healthy, but many teams in baseball have this problem. I do think Sheets potential replacement is already in the Brewers organization, but it will be a few years until Jeremy Jeffress is in Milwaukee. I do not think trading Sheets is the best option and I hope that doesn't happen (unless we get a crazy deal). It would be nice to see Sheets last game as a Brewer in the playoffs.

Other players saying that Sheets wasn't in shape in the past doesn't mean he came into camp in shape this year. Speculation on what kind of shape he is in this year based on the fact it is his walk year really isn't going to convince me. As baggy as Sheets uniforn is I don't think we can tell what kind of shape he is in. Regardless of that just IMO he looks in better shape. It is difficult to tell, but to me his uniform looks a little less baggy. It's just my opinion.

Chad Ford said the Bucks "had needs elsewhere". Well drafting for 'need' is what screws most teams on an annual basis. Not to mention, the draft is not the only way to shape a roster. Best post in this thread. Can we all go back to the Bogut pick please? The Bucks had Ford and Mo (by the way I still like the Bogut pick to a degree) and they passed on Chris Paul. Pick the best guy. Also, I can't believe this thread at all. Calling out "white players" flat out isnt' cool. Calling him out and calling him a big guy like Ostertag or Reeves is a joke. Have you ever seen Alexander play? If you have, you know darn well he's nothing like those guys. And if you know the NBA draft it's a crap shoot. Go back and look at some past drafts on how bad they have been. If Alexander averages 10 ppg for his a career, it'll be solid pick. I can't believe the race card on this thread. All NBA teams should avoid white americans in the first round? I love the fact that the Bucks took in their eyes the best player on the board --- regardless of his skin color.