TheCrew07

My usual Wednesday includes meeting the other coaches and our trainer out for wings at my brother's restaurant. As such my Wed updates will typically come later, I'll get WI when I get home later tonight unless someone else wants to take a crack at the LR.

I'd be down for an early June list

Well Scooter just missed the list, he was born in May and the cutoff in the Southern League was September. I honestly thought he was 21 but he must have started school a year late.

Barons Score Three in Eighth, Top Stars 4-2 The Birmingham Barons scored three runs in the eighth inning, coming from behind for a 4-2 win over the Huntsville Stars Wednesday afternoon in front of 1,747 fans at Regions Park. The Barons got on the board early as Drew Garcia continued his torrid hitting with a one out triple and scored on a wild pitch by Tyler Thornburg in the first inning. The hit extended his hitting streak to five games. Barons' starter Jose Quintana turned in a strong performance, cruising through five scoreless innings before running into trouble in the sixth when a leadoff double and a walk chased him from the game. Hank Mabee (2-0, 0.00) relieved and allowed an RBI single to Anderson De La Rose to tie the game. The Stars took a 2-1 lead later in the inning on a two-out error by Barons shortstop Tyler Saladino. In the bottom of the eighth, Kenny Williams Jr. led off with a double and was sacrificed to third by Saladino. Drew Garcia drove Williams Jr. home with a double to right-center field to tie the game at 2-2. After an intentional walk to Andy Wilkins, Corey Smith gave the Barons a 3-2 lead with an opposite field single. A bases loaded hit by pitch forced in the third run of the inning to give the Barons a 4-2 lead. Santos Rodriguez pitched a perfect ninth for his first save of the season. The win went to Mabee who allowed a hit and struck out two in 2.0 innings. Stars reliever Darren Byrd (0-1, 6.75) took the loss allowing three runs on three hits in 1.2 innings. With the win, the Barons improve to 3-4 while the Stars fall to 2-5. The win gives the Barons their first winning streak of the season and they will look to make it three in a row Thursday as Simon Castro (0-0, 7.20) takes the hill against Stars starter Evan Anundsen (0-0, 3.00). First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM.

I agree that you need impact pitching to advance in the playoffs, that's one of the key points I've argued in the past. I don't think losing Greinke necessarily means we resign Marcum or pick-up Wolf's option. I said previously that I'd rather not break in 3 prospects to the bigs in a single season but that's the way Melvin lined it up. I'm not sure losing Greinke would be the death blow people anticipate it to be either and while it's impossible to project how young players will do in their first full season, I feel pretty good about Fiers and Thornburg (if he's an option). Peralta would instill great confidence in me as well if he repeats last season's success in AAA this year. Peralta and Thornburg are vastly more talented than Marcum and Wolf, the initial results may not be better, but they have top of the rotation stuff. Fiers has just located so efficiently the couple of times I've gotten to see him pitch that I feel good about him as well even though he doesn't have stuff that will blow you away. Of course this all hinges on the prospects remaining healthy and continuing their progression towards MLB. There's a pretty good chance that one of the 3 will see MLB action this season as well, I'd be shocked if the Brewer's starting pitching remains as healthy as it did last season. It's nice to have legitimate options again in both AA and AAA.

Final: Birmingham (White Sox) 4, Huntsville 2 Huntsville Box Score This is getting to be a familiar theme for the Stars, they rally to take the lead only to give it back late in the game. Tyler Thornburg was fantastic and now that Odorizzi is gone I have no problem admitting he is my favorite pitching prospect in the system. Tyler threw 87 pitches, 59 of them were strikes, and a velocity report from Alex caused a flurry of activity in the Velocity Thread. Thornburg's final line 6IP, 4H, 1ER, 1BB, and 6SO... and he gifted that 1 run in the first inning. Darren Byrd came on with the Stars leading 2-1 in the 7th and knocked the Barons down in order but it all fell apart in the 8th. Neither or Byrd or Jesus Sanchez were particularly effective as the Birmingham sent 9 hitters to the plate scoring 3 runs to take the contest. On the hitting side Khris Davis had the only day worth mentioning as he went 2-4 with double. Outside of the 7th the offense just couldn't get anything going and unfortunately that's 2 very tough losses in the span of 13 hours for the Stars. Huntsville Play By Play Thornburg's only hiccup came in the 1st. Birmingham Bottom of the 1st Tyler Saladino flies out to left fielder Khris Davis. Drew Garcia triples (1) on a fly ball to center fielder Josh Prince. Andy Wilkins lines out to second baseman Scooter Gennett. With Corey Smith batting, wild pitch by Tyler Thornburg, Drew Garcia scores. Corey Smith called out on strikes. Huntsville's 7th to take the lead. Huntsville Top of the 7th Khris Davis doubles (3) on a fly ball to right fielder Kenneth Williams. Andy Gonzalez walks. Pitcher Change: Henry Mabee replaces Jose Quintana. Domnit Bolivar out on a sacrifice bunt, third baseman Corey Smith to second baseman Drew Garcia. Khris Davis to 3rd. Andy Gonzalez to 2nd. Anderson De La Rosa singles on a line drive to center fielder Jared Mitchell. Khris Davis scores. Andy Gonzalez to 3rd. Josh Prince lines out to second baseman Drew Garcia. Jeff Bianchi reaches on fielding error by shortstop Tyler Saladino. Andy Gonzalez scores. Anderson De La Rosa to 3rd. With Scooter Gennett batting, Jeff Bianchi steals (1) 2nd base. Scooter Gennett grounds out, shortstop Tyler Saladino to first baseman Seth Loman. The disastrous 8th. Birmingham Bottom of the 8th Kenneth Williams doubles (2) on a fly ball to left fielder Khris Davis. Tyler Saladino out on a sacrifice bunt, pitcher Darren Byrd to second baseman Scooter Gennett. Kenneth Williams to 3rd. Drew Garcia doubles (2) on a fly ball to right fielder Brock Kjeldgaard. Kenneth Williams scores. Darren Byrd intentionally walks Andy Wilkins. Corey Smith singles on a line drive to right fielder Brock Kjeldgaard. Drew Garcia scores. Andy Wilkins to 2nd. Seth Loman flies out to left fielder Khris Davis. Jared Mitchell walks. Andy Wilkins to 3rd. Corey Smith to 2nd. Pitcher Change: Jesus Sanchez replaces Darren Byrd. Jon Gilmore hit by pitch. Andy Wilkins scores. Corey Smith to 3rd. Jared Mitchell to 2nd. Offensive Substitution: Pinch runner Justin Greene replaces Jon Gilmore. Luis Sierra flies out to right fielder Brock Kjeldgaard.

I'm listening to the broadcast and was coming here to post that exact same thing. On the stadium gun he's hit 97 twice and 98 once, Alex asked the Barons media director between innings how accurate the stadium gun was and the reply, "it's accurate within 1 MPH and is more accurate the faster the pitch".

I love me some Lee Tunnell... he has me all excited to see Peralta pitch again, compared his delivery to a simple golf swing because it's so repeatable.

Final: Birmingham (White Sox) 8, Huntsville 7 (11 innings) Huntsville Box Score Huntsville drops one in extra innings and the organization goes to 1-3 on the farm tonight. In an on odd game where each team only scored 2 or 3 runs when they tallied runs and all of the runs were scored in the 4th, 5th, and 11th innings the Stars just couldn't pull through. After scoring 2 in the top of the 11th the pitching faltered and gave the game away. Starting pitcher Dan Merklinger just didn't have it tonight, he only made it through 4 innings giving up 3H, 4BBs, and 4ER against 5SOs. Bradley Banks tried to bail out Merklinger in the 5th to no avail and ended up going 2.1 with 4H and 1s across the rest of the board. Rob Wooten was particularly effective until I jinxed him, when I jumped on Gameday he had thrown 19 pitches, 16 of which were strikes, but then of course walked the next batter. Rob had 2 strike outs across his 2.2IP. Santo Manzanillo didn't have his game tonight either, superb defense bailed him out of the 10th(well after the E) and he got right back into trouble in the 11th. Roque Mercedes came on and promptly allowed the game winning double to close out the game. Normally a 1-7 effort won't get you mentioned in the LR, unless of course it's a double that could have been the game winner, but that was Kentrail Davis' night. Scooter Gennett went 3-5 with a double, Hunter Morris went 2-5 with 2 doubles, Khris Davis also went 2-5 with a double and a SB, Andy Gonazalez went 1-3 with a double and 3 walks, and finally Jason Jarmillo added a double. Brock Kjeldgaard always had intriguing power, if he keeps this season going he could be quite a story. Brock was 2-5 with a HR and a walk. Huntsville Play by Play The 4th, 5th, Birmingham 10th, and 11th. Huntsville Top of the 4th Brock Kjeldgaard homers (1) on a fly ball to left field. Hunter Morris flies out to left fielder Justin Greene. Khris Davis singles on a ground ball to second baseman Drew Garcia. Khris Davis advances to 2nd, on throwing error by second baseman Drew Garcia. Andy Gonzalez doubles (1) on a fly ball to left fielder Justin Greene. Khris Davis scores. Jason Jaramillo doubles (2) on a ground ball to right fielder Jose Martinez. Andy Gonzalez scores. Josh Prince grounds out, shortstop Tyler Saladino to first baseman Andy Wilkins. Jason Jaramillo to 3rd. Kentrail Davis flies out to left fielder Justin Greene. Birmingham Bottom of the 4th Andy Wilkins pops out to third baseman Andy Gonzalez. Corey Smith singles on a ground ball to left fielder Brock Kjeldgaard. Jon Gilmore walks. Corey Smith to 2nd. Jared Mitchell hit by pitch. Corey Smith to 3rd. Jon Gilmore to 2nd. Jose Martinez walks. Corey Smith scores. Jon Gilmore to 3rd. Jared Mitchell to 2nd. Damaso Espino singles on a fly ball to center fielder Josh Prince. Jon Gilmore scores. Jared Mitchell to 3rd. Jose Martinez to 2nd. Justin Greene strikes out swinging. Tyler Saladino strikes out swinging. Huntsville Top of the 5th Jeff Bianchi grounds out, shortstop Tyler Saladino to first baseman Andy Wilkins. Scooter Gennett singles on a ground ball to left fielder Justin Greene. Brock Kjeldgaard singles on a fly ball to right fielder Jose Martinez. Scooter Gennett to 2nd. Hunter Morris doubles (4) on a line drive to center fielder Jared Mitchell. Scooter Gennett scores. Brock Kjeldgaard out at home on the throw, center fielder Jared Mitchell to shortstop Tyler Saladino to catcher Damaso Espino. Pitcher Change: Brandon Kloess replaces Nestor Molina. Khris Davis doubles (2) on a line drive to center fielder Jared Mitchell. Hunter Morris scores. Andy Gonzalez walks. Jason Jaramillo flies out to left fielder Justin Greene. Birmingham Bottom of the 5th Drew Garcia walks. Andy Wilkins walks. Drew Garcia to 2nd. Pitcher Change: Bradley Blanks replaces Dan Merklinger. Corey Smith singles on a ground ball to center fielder Josh Prince. Drew Garcia to 3rd. Andy Wilkins to 2nd. Jon Gilmore grounds into a force out, first baseman Hunter Morris to catcher Jason Jaramillo. Drew Garcia out at home. Andy Wilkins to 3rd. Corey Smith to 2nd. Jon Gilmore to 1st. Jared Mitchell singles on a ground ball to right fielder Kentrail Davis. Andy Wilkins scores. Corey Smith scores. Jon Gilmore to 2nd. Jose Martinez grounds into a force out, third baseman Andy Gonzalez to second baseman Scooter Gennett. Jon Gilmore to 3rd. Jared Mitchell out at 2nd. Jose Martinez to 1st. Damaso Espino singles on a ground ball to left fielder Brock Kjeldgaard. Jon Gilmore scores. Jose Martinez to 2nd. Justin Greene strikes out swinging. Birmingham Bottom of the 10th Pitcher Change: Santo Manzanillo replaces Robert Wooten. Jose Martinez singles on a bunt ground ball to third baseman Andy Gonzalez. Jose Martinez advances to 2nd, on throwing error by third baseman Andy Gonzalez. Damaso Espino reaches on a fielder's choice out, third baseman Andy Gonzalez to first baseman Hunter Morris. Jose Martinez out at 3rd. Offensive Substitution: Pinch runner Kenneth Williams replaces Damaso Espino. With Justin Greene batting, Jason Jaramillo picks off Kenneth Williams at 1st on throw to Hunter Morris. Justin Greene walks. With Tyler Saladino batting, Justin Greene steals (2) 2nd base. Tyler Saladino grounds out, second baseman Scooter Gennett to first baseman Hunter Morris. Huntsville Top of the 11th Defensive Substitution: Luis Sierra replaces Kenneth Williams, batting 8th, playing catcher. Khris Davis walks. Andy Gonzalez flies out to center fielder Jared Mitchell. With Jason Jaramillo batting, Khris Davis steals (1) 2nd base. Jason Jaramillo walks. Josh Prince flies out to center fielder Jared Mitchell. Kentrail Davis doubles (1) on a fly ball to left fielder Justin Greene. Khris Davis scores. Jason Jaramillo scores. Kentrail Davis out at 3rd, left fielder Justin Greene to shortstop Tyler Saladino to first baseman Andy Wilkins. Birmingham Bottom of the 11th Defensive Substitution: Lee Haydel replaces right fielder Kentrail Davis, batting 1st, playing left field. Defensive switch from left field to right field for Brock Kjeldgaard. Drew Garcia grounds out, first baseman Hunter Morris to pitcher Santo Manzanillo. Andy Wilkins walks. With Corey Smith batting, wild pitch by Santo Manzanillo, Andy Wilkins to 2nd. Corey Smith singles on a ground ball to left fielder Lee Haydel. Andy Wilkins scores. Jon Gilmore walks. Corey Smith to 2nd. Pitcher Change: Roque Mercedes replaces Santo Manzanillo. Jared Mitchell doubles (1) on a line drive to center fielder Josh Prince. Corey Smith scores. Jon Gilmore scores.

Ha! That was pretty good.

The Stars just went to the 10th, I'll get the recap out before I go to bed tonight.

Burlington keeps Wisconsin from converting opportunities By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers BURLINGTON, IA - The Burlington Bees defeated the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 5-1 on a cool Tuesday evening at Community Field. The Rattlers had plenty of chances, but could not cash in for a big inning. Four Burlington pitchers allowed two hits and worked around nine walks with 13 strikeouts to end the Rattlers two game winning streak. The Rattlers (2-3) had base runners on in all but one of the five innings worked by Burlington starting pitcher Sean Murphy. But, Wisconsin could not collect the key hit that they needed to go in front of the Bees. Rattlers starting pitcher Andy Moye allowed one hit over three innings and struck out three. Burlington (3-2) broke the scoreless tie with three runs in the sixth inning against Jacob Barnes and the Rattlers made some mistakes along the way. Barnes walked Sean Jamieson on a 3-2 pitch to start the inning and committed a balk to move him to second base. One out later, Jamieson broke for third and Rafael Neda's throw appeared to beat the runner for the second out. But, Jamieson was ruled safe. Dusty Robinson followed with an RBI triple and the Bees were up 1-0. Seth Lintz came on in relief of Barnes and walked the first batter he faced. Royce Consigli was next and - with the runner from first on the move - he hit a grounder to second that Carlos George booted for an error and a run scored. Chad Lewis extended the lead to 3-0 with an RBI single. The inning could have been much worse, but the Rattlers turned an unconventional inning ending double play. Chi Fang Pan sent a fly ball to shallow left near the left field line as Consigli took off for third base. Ben McMahan raced over and looked like he would make the catch. Consigli headed back to second, but McMahan dropped the ball just inside the foul line. He alertly threw to third for the force on Consigli and Brandon Macias quickly threw to second to beat Lewis for a 7-5-4 double play. It took a play that was almost as confusing for the Timber Rattlers to score a run in the top of the seventh. Wisconsin had runners at first and second with two outs and George at the plate. George swung and missed at strike three, but the ball popped away from Bees catcher John Nester. Nester's throw to first to retire George was wild and Macias, the runner at second when the play started, raced home to cut the lead to 3-1. But, Burlington answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh. Lintz walked the first batter, hit the second batter, and a sacrifice bunt moved both runners into scoring position. An error on a grounder to third was missed by Macias for an error to let in the first run of the frame. Lintz walked the next batter to load the bases. Stephen Peterson came on and gave up an RBI single to Bobby Crocker before getting the final five outs. Chadwin Stang had a double in the third and Macias had a single in the seventh to account for the only two Timber Rattlers hits of the night. Wisconsin stranded ten runners in the game and was 0-for-15 with runners in scoring position. Game three of the series at Burlington is Wednesday night at Community Field. Matt Miller (0-1, 9.00) is the scheduled starting pitcher for Wisconsin. Burlington has Drew Granier (0-0, 2.25) is set to start for the Bees. Game time is 6:30pm. Tune in for the broadcast on AM1280, WNAM or timberrattlers.com starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 6:10pm. WP: Brent Powers (2-0) LP: Jacob Barnes (0-1) TIME: 3:19 ATTN: 361

Final: Burlington (A's) 5, Wisconsin 1 Wisconsin Box Score Andrew Moye got the start tonight and only went 3IP with 1H, 2BB and 3SOs. Jacob Barnes followed and was pitching well until the 6th when a walk, balk, and stolen base moved a runner to 3rd and then he gave up a triple and was pulled in favor Seth Lintz. Jacob's final line was 2.1IP, 2H, 2ER, 2BB, and 0SO. Lintz couldn't pickup Moye and then got into his own trouble in the 7th, his final line 1IP , 1H, 3R, 2ER, and 3BB. Stephen Peterson came on in relief of Lintz, did a nice job limiting the damage and finished the game going 1.2IP with 2H, 1BB, and 1SO. In addition to the extra bases the pitchers gave away the Rattlers also had 3 errors, 2 were fielding errors from Carlos George, and allowed 2 stolen bases which has been a common theme against the T-Rats as a Brewer's affiliate. The Rattler hitters only managed 2 hits, but Chadwin Stang did hit a 2B. On the bright side the offense did draw 9(!) walks, Jason Rogers and Parker Berberet both drew 2 a piece. Ben McMahan also had an outfield assist on a rare double play to end the 6th. Wisconsin Play By Play Everything you need to know about this game, the game log says it better than I could... Wisconsin Top of the 5th Adrian Williams grounds out to first baseman Chad Lewis. John Dishon walks. With Chadwin Stang batting, John Dishon steals (1) 2nd base. Chadwin Stang strikes out swinging. John Dishon steals (2) 3rd base. Carlos George strikes out swinging, catcher John Nester to first baseman Chad Lewis. Burlington Bottom of the 6th Sean Jamieson walks. B. A. Vollmuth flies out to left fielder Benjamin McMahan. With Dusty Robinson batting, Sean Jamieson advances to 2nd on a balk. With Dusty Robinson batting, Sean Jamieson steals (2) 3rd base. Dusty Robinson triples (1) on a line drive to center fielder Chadwin Stang. Sean Jamieson scores. Pitcher Change: Seth Lintz replaces Jacob Barnes. Bobby Crocker walks. Royce Consigli reaches on force attempt, fielding error by second baseman Carlos George. Dusty Robinson scores. Bobby Crocker to 3rd. Chad Lewis singles on a ground ball to center fielder Chadwin Stang. Bobby Crocker scores. Royce Consigli to 2nd. Chih Fang Pan flies into double play, left fielder Benjamin McMahan to third baseman Brandon Macias to second baseman Carlos George. Royce Consigli out at 3rd on the throw. Chad Lewis out at 2nd on the throw. Wisconsin Top of the 7th Brandon Macias singles on a bunt ground ball to third baseman B. A. Vollmuth. Adrian Williams walks. Brandon Macias to 2nd. John Dishon bunt pops out to catcher John Nester in foul territory. Chadwin Stang strikes out swinging. Carlos George strikes out swinging. Carlos George advances to 1st, on throwing error by catcher John Nester. Wild pitch by pitcher Brent Powers. Brandon Macias scores. Adrian Williams to 3rd. Jason Rogers flies out to right fielder Chad Oberacker. Burlington Bottom of the 7th John Nester walks. With Chad Oberacker batting, wild pitch by Seth Lintz, John Nester to 2nd. Chad Oberacker hit by pitch. Sean Jamieson out on a sacrifice bunt, first baseman Jason Rogers to second baseman Carlos George. John Nester to 3rd. Chad Oberacker to 2nd. B. A. Vollmuth reaches on fielding error by second baseman Carlos George. John Nester scores. Chad Oberacker to 3rd. Dusty Robinson walks. B. A. Vollmuth to 2nd. Pitcher Change: Stephen Peterson replaces Seth Lintz. Bobby Crocker singles on a ground ball to left fielder Benjamin McMahan. Chad Oberacker scores. B. A. Vollmuth to 3rd. Dusty Robinson to 2nd. Royce Consigli pops out to shortstop Adrian Williams on the infield fly rule. Chad Lewis pops out to first baseman Jason Rogers in foul territory.

technicality [ˌtɛknɪˈkælɪtɪ] n pl -ties 1. a petty formal point arising from a strict interpretation of rules, etc To the first part of your post, having listened to and read up about this the only way for the sample to get tainted would be to have multiple seals removed that Braun himself signed off on. It's not like the family dog could walk down into the basement and mess around with a test tube. My understanding was that the individual vials were sealed, placed in a plastic container and sealed again, and then contained within some sort of specimen shipping container that was also sealed. I don't remember exactly when Ryan had to sign off that the seal numbers matched the paper record, but he did. I read or heard some place that those seals were intact when the sample arrived at the lab. In which case tampering would be implied as a sample doesn't get accidentally tainted and the seal restored after the fact. I chose the word dispute carefully because there's no evidence that there was in fact a chain of custody violation, it's all just conjecture. So it appears that the intent of the process was indeed followed, to secure a sample and get sent to the lab for testing. In which case was some form not properly filled out? What's the story? Regardless I chose the word "technicality" because I believe the intent of the process was followed if there was no foul play involved. We have no idea what information the arbiter had which caused him to question the chain of custody, and as I said it has the appearance of impropriety even though none may exist. i heard multiple medical professionals call in and email various sports radio shows (i spend quite a bit of time in my car) saying that temperature has no effect on a urine sample over that short a period. I have no idea if that's true or not, however it's entirely plausible because what would break down and dissipate the urine? The entire public defense of Braun revolved around the sample taker and the sample that was in his care. It seems that FedEx and the lab are beyond questioning in this case, so the entire crux of the defense lies in what happened between 5 PM that Saturday and whenever the dude dropped off the sample on Monday. They put the focus squarely on sample taker and not the ridiculously high results of his test. Ryan offered nothing concrete, which to me was misdirection, they changed the focus from the result of his test to the process and the sample collector. If the samples were triple sealed, how do they realistically get accidentally tainted? How many people in this thread have thrown the sample taker under the bus because of what Braun might have said to him that pissed him off, or the guy might be or is a Cubs fan, or Cards fan, etc, etc. There are many problems I have with results as well, how can his test levels possibly be the highest recorded in the history of the test? His production has been steady throughout his career, he's never tested positive before, and so on. It also bothers me that this was the first leak, I would have rather known about it. However, nothing really surprises me, and as I don't know Ryan personally, I'm not getting off the fence until I see some hard evidence either way. So to your second point, you may not like me or what I post, but I never meant to infer that my opinion was law, you've read my intent entirely from the wrong context. I was trying to say that many people made up their minds one way or the other regardless of the lack of evidence. I have been making an effort to be more succinct and shorten my posts, but I do struggle with putting down on paper exactly what I'm thinking which is why my posts tend to be so wordy. That being said I don't care for a smoke and mirrors defense, give me something tangible, not hinting at a flawed process and partaking in thinly veiled character assassination. Pebadger did a wonderful job laying out all of the issues with the testing process, there's certainly room for improvement. I'm willing to believe Ryan if he would lay it all out... whatever reasonable explanation for the test result, but that's not what happened. If the sample taker is corrupt, I want him criminally charged, if Braun was guilty of taking something to get over injury I want him to admit it and let's move on. I honestly don't care either way, it was 50 games, the Brewers would have survived, however it's never going to go away unless there is full disclosure at some point. We have a crazy test result and some banter about not being able to ensure chain of custody, that's not an exoneration, it's not proof of innocence or guilt, all we know is that his team planted enough of a seed to get the arbiter to rule in his favor.

Well it's $15 million per year then it basically covers one of the contracts, I'm not saying it's a solid plan and I would be pissed if Melvin signed more players to long-term contracts through their mid 30s. I'm just pointing out that the relative increase in FA spending is rumored to be tied to new TV deals. Some teams have spent on their local contract, some are spending on the supposed new MLB TV deal, some are spending on both. I don't like the Ramirez contract any better even if the Brewers get another windfall of cash to cover the contract but the current payroll would appear to be sustainable at least in the short term given the attendance and performance projections for the team. I like Cincy as an organization, but both contracts were excessive at least in terms of years if not dollars from my opinion as someone who cares very little about homegrown players retiring with their original team. However if I was going attempt these signings then for Votto I would have tried for 7 years with a team option or 2 and Phllips 4 with a team option. If they wanted to risk hitting FA, ohh well. Jocketty is a pretty good GM but I view him similarly to how I view Melvin. I do like that he's willing to take risks on youngsters like Chapman which is right up my alley rather than spending that money on some middling FA pitcher.

I love his name and had high hopes for him when he was drafted, I was hoping he'd top out in that 2/3 range, he was already hitting the low 90s as an 18 year old. Now I don't hold out much hope he'll make it, he just hasn't shown any kind of ascension in his performance, his rate stats aren't showing massive improvement. Loved the pick on draft day, love his name, I just wish he would have performed better. He's currently MIA from any active roster which isn't a good thing, hopefully it's just a minor injury and he explodes this season.

Why should he be viewed as completely innocent when the full details aren't known? All the conspiracy theories surrounding the sample taker and his family are just classic misdirection, it's used in politics all of the time. Give the public something else to talk about... A chain of custody dispute is a technicality, that's not a medical solution with a repeatable cause and effect. The chain of custody dispute in itself doesn't prove Braun innocent or guilty, it just opens the door to the appearance of impropriety. People are going to believe whatever they want to believe, but I'm not going to sit here and claim that I'm buying what Braun's camp has sold. They haven't said anything libelous or slanderous yet or I bet Braun would be in court for a civil defamation suit. If this dude was just doing his job he's certainly come out on the short end of the stick. The professional athlete should expect public scrutiny, the average guy just doing his job not so much. In the end what's more believable? That some employee of a subcontracted vendor conspired to taint a professional athlete's sample or the athlete's test was accurate? I love a good conspiracy theory as much as anyone, but there's been absolutely no proof of one in this case. However, none of this has anything to do with the declining standards of journalistic integrity in this country. It started with blogs and it's only gotten worse with Twitter. The rush to be first and break the news first in this "everything at an instant" culture we're a part of hasn't served truth very well.

There's a rumor that the new MLB national contract will be a huge revenue boost for all of the teams, in addition to their local media contract. If true, the Brewers might be okay at 100 mil as another 10-15 million in revenue per team per year would be nice. The obvious problem of course is that salary inflation will eat that up so the Brewers wouldn't have more buying power in the future, but it would make the payroll situation sustainable in the near term.

I'll do the usual. I thought Arnett was a reliever in spring training? I honestly wasn't paying that close of attention, March was pretty busy for me.

I should have mentioned this yesterday for you Twitter type people as Chris talked about it literally a half a dozen times but Chadwin Stang is now active on Twitter. The link is right at the top of yesterday's game notes. And no, I don't have an account or follow anyone on Twitter.

Final: Wisconsin 6, Burlington (A's) 2 Wisconsin wins second straight By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers BURLINGTON, IA - The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers put together a four run rally in the top of the fifth inning to back up solid pitching for a 6-2 win over the Burlington Bees Monday night at Community Field. David Goforth allowed one earned run over five innings for his first professional win. Parker Berberet and Carlos George each drove in two runs to help the Rattlers to their second consecutive win. The Rattlers (2-2) jumped out to an early lead with two runs in the first inning. Wisconsin loaded the bases when the first three batters of the game reached base on two singles and a walk. Ben McMahan grounded into a force out at second base that scored a run. Berberet followed with an RBI single for a 2-0 lead. The Bees would score single runs in the first and second innings against Goforth with help from a couple of errors. In the first inning, the Bees had Sean Jamieson at first and Chad Oberacker at third with no outs. Jamieson stole second and the throw from Rafael Neda deflected off the glove of George at second. That allowed Oberacker to score. In the third, Bobby Crocker singled with one out. Goforth threw wildly to first on a pickoff attempt to let Crocker go around to third base. Chad Lewis got Crocker home with a grounder to first. Wisconsin had opportunities to retake the lead in the third and fourth inning, but could not break the tie until the fifth. Greg Hopkins and Jason Rogers singled to start the fifth against Bees reliever Max Perlman. Rogers had two hits on the night. He is 7-for-15 on the young season and has at least one hit in each of the first four games of 2012. McMahan was next and he was asked to drop a sacrifice bunt. He did. But, Perlman threw the ball into right field to let Hopkins score the go ahead run from second. Rogers took third and McMahan wound up on second base on the play. Berberet followed with an RBI single to score Rogers and put McMahan at third base. Later in the inning, Carlos George singled in both Berberet and McMahan for a 6-2 lead. Goforth pitched five innings with a walk and a strikeout to put himself in position for the win. His bullpen backed him up on Monday night. Fond du Lac native Chad Pierce came out of the bullpen to strike out five over three scoreless innings. Then, Tommy Toledo worked a perfect ninth inning with a pair of strikeouts to close out the Bees. Game two of the series is Tuesday night at Burlington. Andy Moye makes his Midwest League debut as the starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Burlington has Sean Murphy as their scheduled starter. Game time is 6:30pm. Tune in for the broadcast on AM1280, WNAM or timberrattlers.com starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show starting at 6:10pm. WP: David Goforth (1-0) LP: Max Perlman (0-1) TIME: 2:39 ATTN: 989 Wisconsin Box Score David Goforth was solid yet unspectacular in his Midwest League debut. I would like to see more strike outs but it's hard to argue with 5IP, 6H, 2R, 1ER, 1BB, and 1SO. If numbers like that continue he might join Brooks Hall in my "I have no idea how to project this young man" category. Chad Pierce also pitched pretty well though 2 BBs in 3IP isn't great, the 1H allowed and 5SOs were fantastic. The only time Chad was threatened was in the 7th when a live drive was hit at Hopkins who made a nice play to stab it but then threw it off the baserunner's helmet trying to double him up and put a runner on 3rd with 1 out. As Chris mentioned above Tommy Toledo came in to seal the deal and made quick work of the Bees to close it out. Offensively the Rattlers did nothing after the 5th inning, at one point I was just hoping for another base runner. Chadwin Stang, who by the way is the only Chad I've ever heard that prefers his whole name, finally obliged me in the 9th with a walk. Gregory Hopkins was 2-5, Jason Rogers was 2-3 with a BB, Carlos George was 2-4 with a 2B, and Yadiel Rivera added a double. Wisconsin Game Log Chris covered everything of note here. No idea why but the "Chadwin" vs "Chad" thing

Yes and no, they are doing the piggy back thing with Goforth and Pierce.

Yep of the guys on that list with legit starting stuff I'm not too upset about the guys that injured anymore, though Neugy still bothers me because of how hard he was pushed. Most of the healthy guys were just filthy and couldn't do anything with it for various reasons which is extremely disappointing. Wilhelmsen is the only guy I can kind of understand but still to just cut bait with the guy rubs me the wrong way even today, someone needed to step in and attempt to save him from himself. At least they learned from that mistake when Jeffress came through system so I will give the organization that much.

Final: Jacksonville (Marlins) 7, Huntsville 4 Huntsville Box Score It doesn't seem that long ago when R.J. Seidel was the Brewers 16th round pick in the 2006 draft does it? He retired the Suns in order until the 3rd when a looping fly ball fell, he walked a batter, then gave up HR and was promptly removed from the game. He went 2.2IP with 2H, 3ER, 1HR, 1BB, and 2SO. I'm unsure why he was pulled with only 48 pitches unless he hit his inning pitch count, my initial reaction was his removal had to be performance related. He gave up the HR to Jeff Dominguez a SS, who didn't have a hit prior to his HR. Josh Stinson came on in relief and pitched into the 5th before running into some trouble and getting pulled. Josh's line; 2IP, 3H, 2R, 0ER, 3BB, and 2SO. Darren Byrd replaced Stinson going 1.1 IP with nothing but 1 strike out in his line. Jesus Sanchez struggled in his 2 innings giving up 5H, 2ER, and a HR. The Stars actually outhit the Suns 14 to 10 and at one point had 8 hits without scoring a run. Anderson De La Rosa and Lee Haydel both pounded out 3 hits, Haydel adding a 3B. Kentrail Davis, Jeff Bianchi, and Scooter Gennet had 2 hits a piece, Gennett did walk (his first) and poke a 2B as well. Brock Kjeldgaard was back in the line-up today going 0-3 and was pulled for Khris Davis during a double switch which looks like it will be a recurring theme this season, LF seems to be the position of choice for the double switches in the early going. The defense wasn't very good, there were 2 errors, both of which directly led to runs charged to Stinson. Huntsville Game Log The Stars missed a chance in the 3rd Huntsville Top of the 3rd Kentrail Davis grounds out to first baseman Jaime Ortiz. Jeff Bianchi singles on a fly ball to right fielder Kyle Jensen. Scooter Gennett doubles (1) on a ground ball to left fielder Jake Smolinski. Jeff Bianchi to 3rd. Brock Kjeldgaard reaches on a fielder's choice out, third baseman Shawn Bowman to catcher Kyle Skipworth. Jeff Bianchi out at home. Hunter Morris strikes out swinging. The Suns 5th inning was "the dagger" for any of you that listen to Packer radio broadcasts Jacksonville Bottom of the 5th Jake Smolinski reaches on fielding error by third baseman Matt Cline. Jeff Dominguez flies out to center fielder Lee Haydel. Kyle Jensen walks. Jake Smolinski to 2nd. Shawn Bowman singles on a line drive to left fielder Brock Kjeldgaard. Jake Smolinski to 3rd. Kyle Jensen to 2nd. Kyle Skipworth out on a sacrifice fly to left fielder Brock Kjeldgaard. Jake Smolinski scores. Jaime Ortiz walks. Kyle Jensen to 3rd. Shawn Bowman to 2nd. Pitcher Change: Darren Byrd replaces Josh Stinson, batting 4th. Defensive Substitution: Khris Davis replaces pitcher Josh Stinson, batting 9th, playing left field. With Paul Gran batting, passed ball by Anderson De La Rosa, Kyle Jensen scores. Shawn Bowman to 3rd. Jaime Ortiz to 2nd. Paul Gran called out on strikes.

I'm actually kind of bummed about the Chris Dennis release.