Klements Bratwurst

I just saw this posted on NSBB cubs site. Still nothing real official other than a few posters who have heard it on the Score and now on WGN radio.

I saw this too. After getting the bejeebus smashed out of him with the fastball, he did throw a nasty slider that made Schumacker look really bad. Oh where oh where did our T-Bow go?

Some guys down on NSBB are saying that they heard on the Score 670AM that Eric Patterson has been called up and Soriano has been placed on the 15 day DL. No word on what the MRI read that was taken today. Some posters were even wondering if the delay in getting out the results to the public has to do with the fact that they have to tell all of Soriano's next of kin before telling of a major issue with the calf. Oh, and Matt Murton should've been called up, they say...... Amazing, a few years ago, I read on there that some were saying Matt Murton and a prospect should have netted them Yo Gallardo. (Crazy, I know). Boy, has his star fallen....

Did I just read somewhere Sunday, that Roberts is now on the DL for a considerable amount of time??? Agreed this was the best non signing of the Melvin era.

Gord Ash did say last week that Turnbow has slight knee tendonitis. Nothing major, but they are being slow to work him in. I think though this might not be a bad thing given that his arm will be much more fresh if he is given limited innings for the rest of April. He was worked hard last April.

Great game for the Crew now a loss by the Cubs and Cards will make Miller Time even better tonight!! Sheets has been dominate this year......

I love this analogy of the 60-60-42. I try in my own mind to kind of not think who is going to win ahead of time but during the game, kind of take a look at it and decide what kind of game it is. I feel that at any time you have a given favorable pitching matchup you should win, but goofy things can happen and it obviously doesn't turn out that way. (I.E.- Sheets pitching against a AA callup from Birmingham- Sheets should win, but I let the game play out before categorizing it) I think the opening game against the Cubs certainly qualifies as one of those "42" games in that the game could go either way. It swung in the Brewers favor. So continuing: Game 1- One of the "42" Brewers 1-0 in these important games Game 2- One of the Brewers 60 wins (smashing Lilly to an easy 8-2 win) Game 3- Bush blows, wasn't effective walking a bazillion- one of the 60 losses Game 4- Opening Day- an easy one of the 60 wins. Game 5- Closer nip and tuck game, Kevin Corriea battles Parra well, Gagne saves it-inferior competition- tough call -but 60 win category Game 6- Easy 7-0 Shutout- one of 60 wins Game 7- Cueto is nasty, Hall homers to put us ahead, blown in the ninth, won in the tenth - this is one of the "42" Brewers 2-0 Game 8- Reds smash Bush and Bullpen, sloppy game (Hart and Braun defense)- one of the 60 losses despite Fogg pitching Game 9- Great game until late when a dominant Villy gives up 4 runs in an instant- this I am afraid is one of the "42" Brewers 2-1 To recap- They are 2-1 in my eyes in the "Other 42". I just take the game as it is going and try to determine how it is going at the time to base a decision on which category to place it in. This sometimes keeps me from jumping off the bridge with every 8-4 loss or something like that. You jump off the bridge if the Brewers lose the opening game to the Cubs, and other games like that. The games that have you jumping for joy with your heart racing generally end up in the "42" category. The games that make you want to ralph because of that burning pain in your gut generally fall into that "42" category. A 13-4 pasting game that is a win, just means the Crew is awesome as expected and everything is right with the world. The main thing is though as you stated Pedro, is that having a beer is must when you sit and figure this out.

Memo to all talk radio call in sports fans: The reason the Brewers have struggled is Prince and his .650 OPS, JJ and his .450 OPS, Braun and his .750 OPS, etc, etc. If anyone thinks that the lineup needs to be changed greatly, it is too early to do that yet. Prince is not going to put up a .650 OPS for the season. Using the logic I heard on WSSP 1250 AM yesterday, Prince should be hitting eighth, because the numbers say so. The good news is the Crew is 6-3 with our big guys basically sucking out loud lately. Weeks is already stinging the ball without the results, and you bet Prince is mad. I would hope for a 2-1 series win and the team starting to show some maturity over last years early season trip out east.....

According to the callers on WSSP 1250 yesterday after the 4-1 loss to the Reds, these are the changes that need to be made to the lineup: -Weeks needs to be sent down to AAA to get his stroke back, just like last year. Just a couple of weeks down there will get him "right" - Gross is a bum. He can't hit and his stats show (.150BA) that he shouldn't be in the lineup let alone batting SECOND! - Fielder needs to concentrate more when guys are on base because he ONLY hits his homers with no one on base or when the team is up by 10 runs - Kendall should bat leadoff - The pitcher shouldn't be hitting 8th. - Kapler should play against everyone, he is hitting .450. Yost is playing the splits too much!! - Put Dillon in Center and hit him second. Anything is better than Gross. That is pretty much the response of part of a fan base of a team that is 6-3, third in the league in runs scored, and your main guys in Weeks, Fielder, Braun, Hart, and Hardy haven't really hit much yet and Mike Cameron hasn't played yet. I thought the Cubs fans were crazy......

I don't think Hernan can play Centerfield better than Gross at this point, due to the fact that he is making a Billy Hall'esqe position change. However, I must say that Gross is NOT a very good centerfielder at all, so it won't take much for him to at least match Gabe's defensive non production. I think Hernan is just up to be that pinch hitter/speed guy for the next week. I can't see him starting out there for 2-3 games. I think it will just be the "Gabe" show in center for the mean time. Is it April 29th yet? http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/embarassed.gif

pirates tie it up 4-4 on LaRoche homer!

Gagne actually mentioned that in the post game conference, that he was wrong in shaking off Kendall last night. He said something to the effect that the guy behind the plate has an "x" amount of years of calling pitches and knows what to do, but rather he threw what he wanted to throw instead based on his own experience. He basically praised Kendall and said something that sounded like he wouldn't be shaking off Jason much in the near future. It just seems from what we have heard about Kendall with pieces like this and from others, that having him behind the plate calling games instead of Estrada as your main number one catcher is certainly a major upgrade despite the fact that offensively they will probably put up similar OPS numbers.

I wonder what Turnbow has been doing with all his spare time this year? Gord Ash said on WSSP pregame today that T-Bow has slight tendonitis in his knee. I think Ned is not only resting his arm, but with the knee being troublesome, I suppose only using T-Bow when needed at this point in the season is what probably makes the most sense.

Going to the opener. You've got to like the Crew's chances against a frosh lefty at home in front of the excited opening day crowd! Go Crew!! As mentioned in other threads, I like the Crews chances this series by missing Cain and Lincecum. I just hope Brawny's groin tweak is just that, a minor tweak, nothing more. Glad that he played through it today, but didn't look good at the plate today.....

This is what he meant, kind of like how Bill Hall's "arby-buy out"contract was "tens of millions of dollars" in 4/$25ish million. He wasn't insinuating yet that the contract was for $10+ million per year for every year up until a complete buyout of one year of free agency plus an option year after that.

Outstanding start to the season. Beating your division rival two times straight to start the season is great! Every game is important but these are that much more fun. The pressure is off for tomorrow now, then the big home opener and the rest of the homestand that follows provides the Crew a chance to get off to another good start. Kudos to Sheets and Suppan for eating some innings. Riske looks nice too in the pen. The offense really isn't clicking that well yet, but I think you just saw a microcosm of what Kendall does for your team versus Estrada. The OPS numbers at the end of a season may be similar, but the intangibles Kendall provides really pushes it into his favor. Speed, not sloth, out of the catcher's spot is nice to see!

I saw Jenkins in his European made sports car, with a single scoop of ice cream in his hand waiting to turn left at a stop light near the Brookfield Kopp's Frozen Custard. I was at the light first in the far most left hand lane and then he pulled up next to me. I said to my wife sitting in the backseat with my infant son, hey, that is Geoff Jenkins over there. He promptly rolled up his darkened window on his car.

I think JJ is fine, he ended spring on a torrid pace. Unless something is written somewhere, then I will be worried, but not yet.

You don't have to imagine. You can go back and watch that ugly start that he had out there late last summer. Ned told him to eat innings, and it wasn't pretty if I remember.... http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

Does anyone have a feeling that Derek Lee will significantly regress? I don't know what it is but he is on the wrong side of 30, hasn't hit a lick in Spring (not a big deal), and he really has seen his power numbers drop after that broken wrist. The Cubs fans just think that Lee and Ramirez will be back to their norms next year, but again even Ramirez had a barking back (last year) and couldn't throw for part of this camp. I'm just saying, that their big "guns" might have less pop than everyone might realize. Of course Pie and Soto could pick up the slack, but who knows? The just got Reed Johnson to take at bats away from Pie.

I say let all the "experts" pick the Cubs. It will be even more glorious, when their regressing players in Lee, Zambrano, and an 85% Soriano quad, fall well short of the media and Cub fans expectations and thus lose out to a young and hungry group of budding Stars in Weeks, Braun, Fielder, Hart, Hardy, Hall, etc. (See Cleveland Indians, circa 2007) I guess if you add a Japanese player to your roster who has never played an inning of major league baseball, it means you have done the necessary things required to rid yourself of the curse of the goat. I remember, the Mets thought Kaz Matsui was going to be the next great thing, and that really didn't work out well for them did it? You never know until a player plays some games. The point being is yes, there are some good Japanese players as Ichiro and Hideki turned out pretty good, but considering the production the Cubs got out of the RF slot last year, adding Fukudome isn't like adding a Babe Ruth who is replacing Jon Vander Wal. Go get em Crew!

I posted this on the Vargas transaction thread, but I think it now belongs better in this thread as it brings up my concerns with this move. I wonder if there isn't something else cooking for Melvin that we don't know about? Possibly, but I doubt it. "The big question that I have is how is Manny Parra going to pitch into October if we are blessed with playing that long? I wonder if they have a plan for that? Yo goes into the rotation when he returns and then what for Parra? Sheets Gallardo Suppan Villy Bush Parra to AAA to keep innings down? Or Parra continues to pitch in the rotation with one of the other starters going to the pen (Bush or Villy) and then mid year the Brewers move Parra to the bullpen for a mid summer rest before moving him back to the rotation for the stretch run??? If my math serves me right, Parra can only go 160 innings this year. " Anyone else worried about relying on all of this youth in the rotation for a possible playoff run? I am a bit worried, but I do agree this is the best 5 starters we have, bar none.

The big question that I have is how is Manny Parra going to pitch into October if we are blessed with playing that long? I wonder if they have a plan for that? Yo goes into the rotation when he returns and then what for Parra? Sheets Gallardo Suppan Villy Bush Parra to AAA to keep innings down? Or Parra continues to pitch in the rotation with one of the other starters going to the pen (Bush or Villy) and then mid year the Brewers move Parra to the bullpen for a mid summer rest before moving him back to the rotation for the stretch run??? If my math serves me right, Parra can only go 160 innings this year.

I didn't know that Rob Neyer is a tool!

The Cubs will be marginally better until Dempster, Marquis, or Hill blow up and need to be taken out of the rotation. Then they only have one additional piece to throw into the rotation in Lieber, because they traded all their pitching depth to get a slight upgrade over DeRosa at second base. Never mind the fact that DeRosa will turn into a cancer on the North Side.