TheCrew07

If only Hart could "pickle the beast" my baseball watching would be complete, there would be nothing left to see...

People are always telling me that baseball is "boring" without the HR, which I never really understood. I get caught up in the strategy of every pitch in every AB, I'm very entrertained(sometimes frustrated) during the game. The topic came up again at work today and it struck me that maybe the reduction of small ball has made the game less exciting. I understand the statistical evidence in regards to bunting players over and stealing bases, but I'm sure the casual fan hasn't had the same opportunity to be educated. If you aren't interested in things like pitch selection, location, and so on it pretty much just leaves you with what happens on the basepaths.... and if runners are just going station to station, is that where the "boring" nature of baseball comes into play? If there is no stealing, no bunting, no double steals, no hit and runs and so on there really isn't much happening in the field during the game so a HR becomes the most dramatic moment in the game. In the last couple of years there has been talk that Home Runs brought the fans back to the parks, especially after the strike, something I've always firmly believed. However today during the conversation it occurred to me for the first time that maybe the station to station nature of the modern game is exactly what makes it boring for the casual fan?

Actually JJ, I understand where you are coming from entirely, I always have. I tried to illustrate to you that you basically talked yourself in a circle and disregarded the statistical and historical evidence when it came to Sarfate. You don't have to agree with me or anyone else, it's all just conjecture at this point anyway.

Nor is your opinion unbiased... I understand you defending one of your boys, but there are some pretty big holes in his game. Franky, I'm much more concerned about his strike out rate than his defense. If the bat is good enough, you'll find a home regardless... defensive positions tend to work themselves out in time. He had a tremendous BABIP last year, when he makes contact he hits the ball hard. However there aren't many Rob Deer types playing SS in MLB, so I view his strike outs as the biggest hole in his game at this time. When all is said and done this is just a fan site where people toss around ideas, hardly worth getting so worked up over.

For some reason that I'm unable to put my finger on WV's record really bothers me. Maybe it's that the pitching has lived up to my lofty expectations so far, but 3-12 has me pretty bitter at this time.

What? Saying someone didn't earn a call up and I don't like someone are 2 totally different things? Why wouldn't I like and root for every minor league player in the system? I didn't like the Ned Yost Jr signing at all, but I still rooted for the guy to succeed. The guy had electric stuff which he didn't locate for strikes, I'm not sure anyone would dispute that. How do you know they didn't? I'm no fan of the King transaction either, but who would trade for someone that they could just pick up on the waiver wire or via free agency in a couple of weeks? There are some bad GMs out there, but who would trade for AAA reliever with control problems about to go free agency? You're all over the place, first you said. I pointed out Dennis hadn't earned a call up. Then you said... Then we pointed out he was he a minor league free agent. The part about his dad or step dad was just my observation of his father's comments, which you're way too hung up on, and are rather meaningless to the discussion. In fact I wish I wouldn't have brought that up at all. You then said. To which many people responded that Sarfate wasn't going to help the bullpen last year and was going to be a minor league free agent following the season. Then you went to... Again it was pointed out that Dennis had done nothing to earn another call-up. You're next tidbit was... At this point it appears that you are disregarding the fact that Sarfate was pitching worse at AAA than the relievers Melvin was tryin to replace at MLB. They needed a roster spot, Sarfate was going to be a free agent anyway, that was the common sense move. He was out of options which made him the odd man out. On paper it doesn't look logical because it looks like it was a straight up swap for King. However when you frame it in the correct context the move makes perfect sense, even though I was irritated with the King aquisition at the time. If Melvin was going to make an aquisition, he pretty much had to do what he did. It could be argued he didn't have to aquire King, which I would agree with, but Dennis would have left the organization regardless in my opinion. Sarfate is a Melvin kind of guy, a hard thrower with good stuff who's had location issues (Turnbow, Kolb, Aquino, Balfour, Capellan)... This is why I believe that the organization pretty much knew he wasn't coming back. Why add another power arm when you have one sitting at AAA?

I was really excited about the WV staff, they haven't been so fun to listen to thus far.

I wonder why Nelson always seems to get off to a hot start and then fade later in the year, here's hoping he keeps it going this year.

Well Braun's value was maximized at 3rd... and while I wanted him to stick there, I know why they moved him to the outfield. He'll get every opportunity, but if he's an E machine later in his career, he'll get moved like everyone else with defensive issues.

Nix wasn't drafted by the Crew, this is his second organization. Nelson who looked great at his first stint in AA is looking more and more like an organizational soldier every year. Simply put, you're proving yourself wrong. Most players do not resign with their original organization when their commitment is over... Nelson is a pretty rare example of this, and he's not a prospect anymore. If you've been stuck in the minor leagues of one team for 6 or 7 years, would you stay or would you move on? You didn't really answer the question, if you wouldn't have brought up Sarfate either, what's to debate? If you would have then I would question your motives, you can't bring a pitcher with control issues into an already unsettled situtation, that's the very definition of setting someone up to fail. Almost everyone who followed the minor league side here at the site really liked his stuff and rooted for him, that's not really the issue. This issue is if he earned an extended call-up which pretty much everyone seems to agree that he didn't earn one based on his minor league performances... I know you'll defend your position until a topic is run into the ground, but I have no interest in debating whether or not Dennis earned a shot when it's clear that Balfour, Spurling, and Latin Cappy all out pitched him on the same team and earned their call-ups and failed. He would have failed as well, he wasn't ready at the time. Sometimes a guy needs to hear the same things from a different voice or a change in organization for things to click for him. Sarfate was stale in the Brewer's organization, it looks to me like moving on was exactly what helped set him straight. edit. Thanks for the clarification below Mass.

When you have a spotty minor league track record like he did, you aren't going to get extended chances to prove yourself... you simply haven't earned that right. Hendrickson earned it, Eveland earned it, Latin Cappy earned it, I thought Thatcher was on his way to earning it.... Sarfarte did not do anything in his minor league career to warrant an extended big league stay, it's that simple. What GM would call up a reliever into a struggling bullpen that has a worse WHIP than anyone currently in that pen at AAA? If you were the GM JJ would you have done it at the time? I don't remember you posting anywhere that Sarfarte was a possible solution to our bullpen woes. People would have been calling for Dennis' head the first time he walked in a run, and it would have happened. The pitchers that the Brewers called up in Spurling, Balfour, Cappy all outpitched Sarfarte on the same team over the course of the last 3 years and look how they faired... limited success elsewhere does not mean the Brewers made a mistake, sometimes an organizational change helps the light go on for a player. Good teams simply don't have the luxury of allowing players to work through their issues, they have to find players that will perform right now. These guys that have success late in their careers in almost all cases have passed through 2 or 3 organizations. Eveland is now on his second organization since the Brewers, it's not like he went to Arizona and set the world on fire... Of the 3 listed, Thatcher is only one that I felt the organization missed the boat on, but he's not really a Melvin guy IMO so I can see where he was somewhat easy to trade away. Let's not use highsight to over analyze what could have been when players have limited success with another organization. The current regime here in Milwaukee has hit on many more players than they've missed on, and that's about all you can ask for. No GM or organization is going to be perfect, human performance is just too unpredictable to expect perfection. edit. if Nix and Nelson... 2 role players at AAA are the best you can do, the arguement you're making has many holes in it.

A rather ho hum start for Yo, and Huntsville just got less than they should have in the 3rd on a DP you don't see very often. edit. Salome with his first hit of the season. This is not a well pitched game, both pitchers over 60 pitches in the 3rd, though it is cold.

The Overbay deal was fine, we got 2 MLB caliber players that plugged holes and contributed for a couple of years, Zach Jack is good depth if nothing else. I'm not sure why people think we should have gotten a huge haul for Overbay... everyone knew he was going to be moved to make room for Prince. Unless teams get a bidding war for your player, you don't have much leverage when the other side knows you have to move him.

As I have no shot personally with any TV personality, I just want someone who generally understands the game and asks intelligent questions. Mostly, that I don't want to turn the channel when they start an interview, like I always did with Brainerd. I'm easy that way.... just don't make me pickup the remote... Initially hotness always helps my tolerance level, but gradually that fascination wears away and in the end substance is what I care about most. I'm actually much tougher on male broadcasters now that I think about it, hmm. Are we allowed to say both?

I work out every morning and after lifting and playing hoops I make the following to go with Oatmeal or whatever I eat for breakfast: 2 Bananas OJ Water 2 kinds of Frozen Fruit each day. They sell bags of frozen fruit for pie making, but I use them for this instead. Pineapples, Raspberries, Cherries (red and dark), Peaches, Strawberries,Blueberries, etc. The quanities of the ingredients differ by the types of fruit (some require more water/OJ), but generally I'm trying to get a smooth (drinkably smooth) concoction. I don't measure it anymore, after 18 months I pretty much have it down to a "feel" thing. I was doing it for a pick me up because honestly I was spent after going to the Y every morning and never felt like going into work, and it helps recharge my batteries. The biggest benefit I stumbled into is that I haven't been sick once in the last 18 months, even with everyone around me sick and coaching high school boys who always seem to have one ailment or another. No cold, no flu, nothing at all, and I don't think it's a coincidence at all. I realize these aren't for everyone, but some of my favorite fruit combinations are |(in addition to the bananas and orange juice already in the blender): Raspberry/Peach Cherry/Strawberry Rhubarb/Pineapple (I know Rhubard isn't a fruit but it rules just the same) Blueberry/Rapberry but Blueberries go well with anything in my opinion except maybe rhubarb and pineapple.

He was a minor league free agent after the season, and I highly doubt he would have signed back. I got the feeling reading his father's (step father?) comments here on the site that the family wasn't too thrilled with the Brewers. I always felt he was gone regardless, so that move didn't bother me. Some guys with that kind of stuff figure it out eventually, some don't. He had plenty of opportunity here and didn't make the most of it, I hope he finds consistency and goes on to have a nice career. He's always had an electric arm.

I don't recall ever claiming either was going to be a quality major leaguer, both could suffer arm injuries tomorrow and their careers be over. That's why I like pitching depth... Neugy, Gold, Rogers, Parra, Peterson, Jones, the list goes on and on. Flipping positional players for pitchers is something I've always been in favor of, so I find your idea intriguing.

What's not to like about Buck Rogers? A great minor league GM with a sweet name to boot, I hope he continues his letters to the fans this year, I enjoyed them immensely.

A fair chance? The only one who didn't get a call up was Thatcher. Sarfarte's WHIP was close to 2, how could the big club call him up in the middle of a playoff chase, what roll would he have had. Consistency was always the issue with Eveland and Sarfarte, not the pure stuff, go back and look at Dennis' career game by game, it's a true roller coaster ride. I wish all 3 success, I always have.

That's the biggest difference between us, you're satisfied with the draft selections because you have faith in Z to come back with better players in the end, I view the draft as a crap shoot, and sooner or later the Brewers are going to start getting burned again. It's a difference of opinion, time will tell of course. With all the pitchers that flame out for various reasons, I just hate to trade away pitching prospects of any kind. It sounds dumb I suppose, but I usually pair them up in mind, and I'm happy if 1 of the 2 actually make it and pitch for the big team. Parra/Jones, Yo/Rogers, and so on.

Well that 10 ERA is actually 9.0, but he gave up 4 runs on 3 BBs over a week ago, and that one outing ballooned his ERA to 22 for a while, he's only pitched 6 innings thus far this year, and even with that if you want to use ERA his career ERA is still 3.0. I understand that the draft picks are the farther away, which is exactly the problem, there is no help from the system and the Brewers aren't ever going to be players in free agency. That one trade, for basically nothing tangible in the win column, left a gaping hole in the system at the upper levels. Assuming that these 2 draft picks are pitchers (which in all likely hood 1 will be a position player), they'd join the current crop of Bryson, Tyson, Seidel, Braddock, Periard and so on... they'd be in that same wave of prospects. There is still nothing between those guys and MLB besides Pena. I know there's no replacing a Ben Sheets, but I'd rather the Brewers not sign another Suppanesque type pitcher. I like Suppan only because he eats innings, I was hoping we'd get more for 10 mil a year, but he is what he is. The Brewers are competitive now, but every marginal player they have to overpay for will shorten this run, because the money will not available for more productive players as they reach free agency. Believe me when I say that I understand you have to give value to gain value, but in this case I believe we sacrificed value for 25 innings of marginal quality. I know many people were excited by the fact that the Brewers finally made a move to improve the big club in season, but I never saw the trade that way, and I likely never will. As of I've said numerous times, I just don't see how this trade helped the franchise in the short or long term. Much will depend on how productive the 2 draft picks are, but of the 3 we traded away, 1 is already contributing at MLB, and the chances of any draft pick reaching the majors is pretty thin.

It's still early fellas, but he's done nice things so far.

He has more Strike Outs (11) and Errors (8) than Hits (5) as well.... been tough season on the young man thus far. His BABIP was incredible last year, if he could cut his Strike Outs by just 1/3 he'd be a force at the plate.

X I railed against the trade when it went down, and I loathe it even more now. Linebrink didn't put us in a better position to win games, not any more than Thatcher on his own would have done. I still don't buy the logic to give up 3 prospects for 25 innings... that's not solid math. I would have lived with it had the Linebrink aquisition put this team over the top, but it clearly didn't as the slide continued and we were on the outside looking in to the post season. It's very difficult to prove me the value of that trade inning by inning, let alone the 25 innings as a whole. What did Linebrink do that our other relievers weren't already doing? I was wrong about Balfour, but I don't think I was wrong about Thatcher, he's been pretty oustanding at MLB so far. As I said all last year we could have solved that problem in the pen from in house, one of the AAA guys would have worked out, and Thatcher has worked out wonderfully for SD. The problem as TLB noted and others have noted going all the way back to the trade forum last year was that when you have a short window for success it doesn't make sense to trade away talent that is close to the big leagues...some of it will stick and be crucial during the window. I'm not saying to mortgage the future for a couple of games here and there either, but I have trouble seeing how this particular deal helped the Crew in the short term or long term. The best case scenario for any draft pick to contribute is 3-4 years... maybe available for the last 1 or 2 years with the current core, maybe. The Brewers need a yearly influx of quality young talent (cheap talent) to remain competitive. This trade effectively wiped out all of the pitching quality in the system down to A ball. Simply put, we have no pitching help from within the organization for the next couple of years. The only pitching prospect left is Pena, who I'm very high on, but it's tough for me to get excited about the system when only prospect is a relief pitcher, no matter how good he is.

Boy were we spoiled last year with all the teams up near the top of their divisions most of the year...