pebadger

Would you guys trade Ned straight up for Willie Randolph? I'm not being sarcastic here, it's an honest question. FWIW, my estimation of Yost has steadily declined to the point where about a month ago I lost any remainining shred of confidence I had that he could get the job done here. I'm sure he has some fine qualities, but it appears that actual high pressure game management isn't one of them. Right now, this team needs a guy like that, even if he only stays for a few years and then wears out his welcome. I guess the nightmare scenario for many is that Ned stays, the team succeeds in spite of him next year and gets to the NLCS, and suddenly we're looking at a new long-term deal, over the time of which a genuine opportunity to have a good long run turns into a period of sporadic, underachieving 'success'. Then the young guys leave for greener pastures and we're back to square 1.

I think many will probably make that argument this 2007 team isn't a .500 team either, but they ended up there. It's only that the direction of the variance is not as positive.

This past few weeks has soured me on baseball in what is one of the most improbable finishing weekends in baseball history. The playoffs will probably be great, too, with nobody really having any idea who is going to come out of either league. Next week, I'll be flipping through the channels. I'll come across a game, and no matter how exciting it is, there will be a hollow spot inside that will be filled only by anger and regret as I watch, until finally I have to turn it off. I don't want to feel that way, but I know I will. Some people will say that the Brewers are to blame, but I know it's my own damn fault.

As of tonight's standings, the Brewers went from 13th place in the National League last year to 8th place in the National League this year in terms of raw record. That does not account, however, for the fact that not a single team in the division has a winning record outside the division and every team in the NL West other than the Giants has a winning record against both East and Central foes. As such, I'd probably rate the Dodgers (80 wins) ahead of the Brewers (81 wins) in terms of "who's better". They're a middle of the pack team in the lesser of two qualitatively so-so leagues. That it took a huge spending spree by the Cubs to eke out a title in teh worst division in baseball this year is telling, on a lot of points. I guess I'd say the Brewers managed to make mediocrity exciting this season, which is an accomplishment of a sort.

Potential bandwagon-thinner tonight. WIthout question the closest thing to a must-win yet this season. The worst-case scenario could be a real killer.

If this season ends badly for Brewer fans, and the Cubs sweep this thing tonight, it won't be too far fetched to simply look at the double headers in St Louis. The Brewers blew a big lead on the front end of theirs, and went south from there. Meanwhile, the Cubs have lately been winning the types of games the Brewers have found creative ways to lose.

Umm, given the competitive track record of most of the vets on this team, maybe we don't want to count on the vets to step up. Though Damian Miller sure tried on Wednesday.

I fear 10-6 will probably not get it done. I used to think that if the Brewers got to +5 and stayed there they'd be in good shape. But the Cubs are winning games that the Brewers are losing, even with Dempster blowing up. The Cubs have peaked at +5 a number of times in the last few weeks. Despite a few opportunities to get there, the last time the Brewers were 5 games over .500 was one month ago, and they only saw +5 in the rearview, as they passed that mark heading the wrong way in the middle of a losing streak. At this point I think the Brewers have to win every series.

Because the vent thread should rarely be on page 2 of any internet forum. I hate the Cubs more than I hate second place.

Wasn't this part of the plot on a Gilligan's Island episode? Gilligan was supposed to give the Skipper a signal by waving his white hat, but then a fly was bothering him, so Skipper pulled the rope for the net trap too early?

Cubs actually have two off days coming up, but that's cancelled out by teh DH at STL next weekend. I honestly don't know who's in the best position. The Crew has the toughest schedule to face in my opinion, but all those game in all those days won't be easy on teh Cards, and the fact that the Cubs have only 7 home games left would seem to be their only negative (though it may do them good to get out of what would probably be a pressure cooker at Wrigley). My thought is that 84 wins it, or at least gets a share. The Brewers need to find a way to beat the the Cards 2 of 3 and then win at least 3 of the 4 series vs the Reds, Pirates and 'Stros. That gets them over halfway there or even better if you can sweep. Just win 3 of those last series though, don't get swept in the other and you "just" have to split with ATL and SD to get to 84. I guess I'd rather have the Cards carve up teh Cubs next week and knock the Cubbies down a bit. Barring a strange occurance, the Cards series will probably be a "must win" series anyway, so I'd prefer the Cubs to be in third when the Cards come to Miller Park. Then, as long as the Brewers are in first, or within a game of first, the Crew will have their work laid out right in front of them.

A quick check of the schedule at Brewers.com indicates that the two remaining Sunday home games are set to be televised only by Telemundo. (The Wednesday game at Pittburgh is apparently only available on MLB.TV) I realize the two Sunday games will be going head-to-head with the Packers (@Giants and @Vikings) those days, but God help us if we can't watch the Crew down the stretch. Anyone heard anything regarding whether any of these games will be picked up and available to a wider audience? I can't imagine ESPN not picking up the final game with the Padres if it means anything at all to either team.

Yes, IF they make plays it doesn't come down to Aquino. But it did come down to Aquino, becaue Ned made the decision to let it come down to Aquino after teh plays were not made. You can't blame Ned exclusively for teh loss. But, you can't just say the players should make plays, either. They do need to make plays, but they aren't perfect. When they're not perfect, managerial decisions need to be made. Right now, it's pretty hard to trust Yost's decision making process, even on those rare occasions when things work out well. Heard someone earlier say that the Brewers just can't catch any breaks, and that the breaks have to even out sooner or later. Yes, they have caught some bad breaks lately (though today had nothing to do with bad breaks), and maybe they will even out never the last month of the season. The problem is, a lot of this season's results have not as much to do with bad breaks as they do with bad baseball. Bad baseball doesn't even out over the course of the season: it's the filter by which we mostly determine which teams have a chance to go to the playoffs and which do not. All the bad breaks aside, the Brewers have benefitted from one of teh biggest breaks of all: their location in the NL Central. That's the number one reason all the bad baseball hasn't filtered them right out of the mix.

The worst thing about the Aquino move is that it was readily obvious, at least to those listening on the radio, that even the CROWD knew that it was a bad move as it was being made. Of course, the crowd knows nothing. Apart from the enitrely predictable pitching debacle, the offense again, despite doing pretty well, left some stuff out there on the field which could have made a big difference. I see the game is on delay on FSN tonight. Anyone watching that knowing the outcome going in would also be the type who, after finding out his girlfriend is pregnant by another man, would later sit down and watch the video documenting the conception.

My only predictions are that, now having climbed back above .500, the Brewers will not make the postseason if they fall back under .500 again, and that they will make the postseason if they can push their record to 5 over at some point in September.

I'm beginning to understand the allure of the dark side of the force. At this point I don't even care about the Brewers anymore, I just want the Cubs to go down in flames. Nihilism seems to me to be perfectly reasonable. I want to see Fielder take his bat and smash several batting hemets in the dugout, as if he were playing Whack-A-Mole. I want to see Weeks fire the back end of a double play right into the lower mid-section of a runner coming into second base. I'm just angry and disillusioned right now, even though I have suspected for a while that this team simply didn't have "it" yet. Despite a good group of young talent, you look at them and they don't have the feel of any of the somewhat unexpected Series winners of the past few years. Not even the feel of the Tigers from last year. They're simply not good enough yet. As odd as this sounds, they don't have a Pierzynski, or even a Spezio on this team. Not that those guys are any great shakes, but they are veteran guys that just seem to get the job done. Just too many guys on this team, both players and on the coaching staff who are struggling to figure "it" out, and trying to find a place in the world. The future does seem to be bright, but given the number of times the light at the end of the Milwaukee tunnel has turned out to be a train, I don't even want to bank on that anymore. I realy don't like the booing at Miller Park at all. I think in many ways, such as when Carlos Lee was booed earlier this season, the booing is just a sign of a degree of fan ignorance. But I have a feeling that the first time the Pirates take a lead on Friday night, there will be a fair amount of booing at Miller Park. And, if I'm still watching games at that point, even though I won't be joining in, the booing probably won't bother me at all. Which makes me pretty sad about where this season has taken me. If the Badgers go out and lay an egg on Saturday (which could easily happen in a season opener against an unfamiliar opponent playing an unfamiliar style), we may need to put cops on a lot of bridges in this state come Saturday night.

If you're a team like Milwaukee, assembling a great pitching staff is a lot less under the GM's control than it is somewhere where pitching can just be bought. It's really a matter of catching lightning in a bottle in a lot of ways. Sometimes it's simply a matter of a few guys all getting hot at once. All things considered, I think most people thought the starting pitching was a strength going into the year, with lots of help getting ready in the minors. I think the number one thing a GM in Milwaukee can do is make the minor league system the best it can be. It's the only route to sustained success for a team that just can't buy pieces every year. The other component is simply not being wrong in veteran dealings, which is a hell of a burden to bear when other teams can literally afford to be wrong sometimes.

And becasue fate wants to mess with Brewer fans' heads just a bit more, somehow the Cubs blow a really good situation to keep the Crew only 1.5 games out in the division. Gotta think the first team to demonstrate any type of fundamental skill and mental toughness will win this thing.

Valverde perparing to blow a save. Just like clockwork.

Considering that the Brewers front office was nearly on par with that of the Clippers in terms of being on of the worst run organizations in all of sports prior to Melvin coming on board, I'm not ready to pile on Melvin yet. Rebuilding what had become a very poor minor league system (after being one of the best in the 80s) buys Melvin a lot of credit in my book, as that is not an easy process in ANY time frame. Even with a small amout of revenue sharing, it's tough to be GM in Milwaukee or Minnesota or Pittsburgh. I have no trouble in playing your hand for the future right now, and taking minor risks (like the linebrink deal) when warranted, which is what I think Melvin is doing.

Am I completely offbase in thinking that Jeff Cirillo, who just worked Howry for an 8-pitch, 2-out walk, would have been worth his weight in gold to this team this season (an not primarliy for his on field performance)?

In terms of the loss column, Milwaukee is now the 10th place team in the National League. Keep turnin' up the heat.

Just how bad has this really been? A survey of the carnage: At the end of business on June 30, the Brewers sat at 46-32--- the best record in the National League and one of the top 3 records in the major leagues. They led the Cubs by 7.5 games and the Cards by 10.5 games. Since that date the Brewers are 19-32. Where the Brewers once stood atop the National League, there are now more opposing NL teams with better records than the Crew there are worse. They now trail the Cubs by 1.5 games, a net swing of 9 games in the standings. The Cards have also gained exactly 9 games in the standings. In fact, every team in the Central division has gained ground on the Brewers, including the Pirates who have picked up over 4 games on the Brewers. It is, at present, now more appropriate to compare the Brewersto the Devil Rays and Marlins than the top teams in baseball. Since June 30, Tampa Bay is 17-35. Congratulations Brewers, someone has won even less game than you in the past 7 weeks. But that's it, that's the list. The Marlins have a better record at 20-29. The Nats have played have played .500 ball since then, and the Rangers and Royals have played just one game under that mark. Even the free-falling White Sox, who play in a much better division in the better AL, have only gone 22-30 in that time. The Brewers have only had two extended streaks of really good baseball this season: the 24-10 start and the 9-1 homestand which propelled them back to 14 games over .500 for a second time this season. When they haven't been "hot", they've been 32-53. I'm not arguing that we ignore the hot streaks, but I am arguing that perhaps it is the hot streaks that are farther from the 'norm' than the baseball we've seen in much of the rest of the season. I'm still a die-hard, and I'll still have the TV tuned to FSN or the radio to the BRN every night (as my wife will attest), but the time when I start missing games is rapidly approaching as the kids' school year and at least the hope of a more interesting football season approach. I'm praying that somehow, some way, the Brewers can find a way to rekindle the excitement and carry me into October, but hard-headed realism is giving skepticism a real edge in the battle with faith right now. It will be very interesting to see the fan reaction when the Brewers open their next homestand. Even with the nosedive they've taken, all the Crew needs to do is put on a good push over the next four games, and I beleive Brewer fans will still out in positive force when Pittsburgh comes to town. If the boys fall flat on thier faces today and in Chicago, it could be ugly the first time Pittsburgh takes a lead on Friday night. The ultimate insult, though, will be if people actually start just not going, despite having bought tickets for what was expected, not so long ago, to be a September coronation. No matter what happens, it appears that Miller Park will host some meaningful games in late September. I just hope they're as meaningful to the Brewers as they are to the Cards and Padres.

.500 on the line tomorrow against a guy who simply dominated the Crew last time out, while the Brewers pitching would have trouble getting outs against a good A-ball roster right now. What could posibly go wrong?

It's beginning to look like the 2007 baseball postseason is the current Brewers fantasy camp.