Brew Crew Ball: FanPosts

dudes, i was at the dodgers phillies game last night.

Jamie in LA — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 19:55:52 -0000

super fun. my awesome neighbor and huge phillies fan, missy and i went to the game. it was an electric atmosphere. it has surprised me every time ive been there how much more intense the energy is than at the beginning of the season. i have gone to about 35 games this season; and the acquisition of manny; love him or hate him has been huge for this team both on the field and in the stands. wish the brewers were playing. at least i got to see a matt stairs home run; which is a lot like watching a brewer victory... i posted a few pics from the game

What to wear during the winter

KLSnow — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 15:35:51 -0000

So it's getting colder outside, and the days are getting shorter. Plus, the Brewers don't play again until spring training games start in March. So what does one wear for the next few months, while we wait for pitchers and catchers to report?

Well, you can't wear your Peoria Javelinas gear, because the MLB.com AFL shop only has a hat for one team, and it's not yours.

Thankfully, Hawaii Winter Baseball comes through. Check out the logo for the West Oahu Canefires:

via shop.hawaiiwinterbaseball.com

Now there's a hat I would wear. And since I've been bartending Frosty Mugs all season, consider this your subtle hint for a tip. :-) I have no idea what size I'd need, so I figure an XL seems safe. My head's gotten a little bigger since I made Sports Illustrated.

From a Twins fan

FrozenTed9 — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 19:02:48 -0000

Just wondering what a brewers fan would want for JJ Hardy. There has been a good amount fo talk about targeting him from a fan perpective. Deals from our end have ranged from Perkins and a lower level guy to people saying we don't have the guys to get him.

I always feel like fans think guys will get you more and cost you less to get then they do so it would be nice to have a prepective from the other side.

Thanks Ted.

A position-by-position analysis

PagsBrewCrew — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 19:02:35 -0000

Well, it's officially the post-season now for the Brewers faithful. As selfish homers, those like me can safely ignore what happens from here on out in the playoffs, as none of those teams include the Brewers (or for that matter, the Cubs).

In any case, I thought I'd get together a Post to sort out where I think we stand as well as to open it up to discussion for other BrewCrewBall'ers.

I'll go through this discussion position-by-position (rather than individual-by-individual).

Who do you think will be back next season? Who do you think we should sign off the free-agent market? Who should we trade away and trade for? Who should we unceremoniously toss by the side of the road, existing contract to be paid and all?

Please reply in the thread under each position.

A Brewers bottom line question

WSB Chris — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 14:28:47 -0000

Right before the playoffs there was talk in some quarters that if the Brewers did not make the playoffs they would come up about 10 million short.

Since they made the playoffs how did that effect getting back to even or even into the black?

I know they said when they got CC it might put them into the red but does hitting 3 million in attendence and making the playoffs counter that.

Not looking forward must wondering if they lost money this year.

Keep Your Head Held High or How I Learned to Get Yesterday's Game Off My Mind and Love the 2008 Brewers)

ZTK Always on Vacation — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 13:41:53 -0000

To be honest, I was a bit down yesterday after the game (the Packers and the Badgers didn't help much either). But this morning, I woke up, took a shower, and put on my favorite Brewers shirt with a smile. Why?

Because of Ryan Braun's home run in St. Louis followed by Torres icing the sweep.
Because I finally kept a New Years Resolution, to make it to five Brewers games, and they won all five.
Because One of those was C.C.'s first in Milwaukee.
Because it's now only been one day since the Brewers have been in the playoffs, and for the Cubs it's been two.
Because of J.J.'s defense in the Cubs series when everything else was cover your eyes awful.
Because I'm pretty sure my sister was crying when she told me Ryan Braun hit a three run homer on the last day of the season.
Because I sat watching Gameday in suspence and anticipation for a Mets-Marlins game.
Because Prince Fielder flat out mashed the last home run of the season.
Because we got to see Dave Bush come up huge in game three after being jerked around by Ned Yost.
Because I had a reason to call Craig Counsell C.C. Jr.
Because of the thought of Craig Counsell trying on Prince Fielder's uniform.
Because out of nowhere, Russell Branyan carried this team.
Because of the number 3 million.
Because of the number 90 million.
Because at the end of the day, if all signs point to a job well done, I will untuck my shirt.

Thanks for 2008, now make 2009 even better.

Some (future) Brewers Are Still Playing

TheJay — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 06:47:42 -0000

No, I'm not referring to any guys the team might pick up off the six remaining playoff teams. Instead, I'm talking about Brewers farmhands who are toiling away in the hot, hot sun of Arizona and Hawai'i. You've really got to feel for those unfortunate kids, huh?

Anyway, the Hawai'i Winter Baseball league kicked off the 2008 season on September 27. The Brewers assigned some players to the West Oahu CaneFires, a terrifying sounding team if ever I've heard one. Just look at the team logo:

Sizzlin'! Get your hats and T-shirts now!

Five members of the Brewers organization are scorching the Oahu sugar fields, led by Brevard County Manatees turned CaneFires manager Mike Guerrero. The Brewers players that traveled to Hawai'i with Guerrero are Aussie jazz pianist, professional wrestler, and sometimes lefthanded pitcher Chris Cody, outfielder Caleb Gindl, suggestively named lefthanded pitcher Mike Ramlow, and outfielder Logan Schafer. While in Hawai'i, the outfielders will benefit from the hitting tutelage of ex-major leaguer Chris Truby. He may not have his own wallpaper online like Gindl and Schafer's last hitting coach, but I'm sure he's a fine coach nevertheless. The pitchers will be coached by Blaine Beatty, another ex-major leaguer, who spends his summers in the same role with the Orioles A-ball affiliate Frederick Keys.

As you may have noticed by clicking on each player's name, their Hawai'i stats are available on baseball-reference.com. That's not the only place that has them, however. You can also find scores, stats, and even MLB GameDay coverage of the Hawai'i Winter Baseball games at the Hawai'i Winter Baseball page of mlb.com. Pretty cool. Honolulu beat our boys yesterday, but the CaneFires still hold a comfy 2.5 game lead over the North Shore Honu in the HWB West Division with 32 to play. Magic number: 31.

But the real exciting postseason prospect showcase is about to kick off in Arizona. On Tuesday, the Arizona Fall League starts play and some of baseball's top prospects compete for bragging rights and kind scouting reports. Brewers players get to show their stuff in a Peoria Javelinas uniform this year. I guess there's worse things than being a scary peccary:

If you feel like going all-out in your Javelinas fandom, I've got a hat for you. If you're a normal person, I've got a roster for you. The Brewers on the roster are, in alphabetical order:

Omar Aguilar, RHP
Lorenzo Cain, OF (as noted by battlekow)
~~Mat Gamel, 3B~~ (replaced by Taylor Green, 3B, as noted by battlekow)
Jeremy Jeffress, RHP
Lou Palmisano, C
Alexandre Periard, RHP
Angel Salome, C
David Welch, LHP
Brae Wright, LHP

Those names should be familiar to you. I'm sure battlekow's upcoming prospect list update will talk about them and you can see what he said about them (and the two Hawai'i outfielders) back in July by clicking here.

The Javelinas are skippered by Daren Brown, the manager of Seattle AAA affiliate Tacoma and one-time manager of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. Helping Gamel, Palmisano, and Salome make sweet, sweet wood bat music are coaches Henry Cotto (from the Everett AquaSox, another Mariners affiliate) and Ozzie Timmons of Tampa Bay's A ball affiliate, the Columbus Catfish. The pitchers will benefit from the tutelage of Louisville Bats (Cincinnati - AAA) pitching coach Ted Power and Trenton Thunder (NY Yankees - AA) pitching coach Scott Aldred.

The Peoria Javelinas start their season with a game against the Surprise Rafters. I'm not sure why someone would want to be surprised while rafting, but then I'm not the one who names the teams anyway. The game starts at 12:35 Mountain Standard Time, or 2:35 Central Daylight Time. Thanks for the confusion, Arizona. If Hawai'i Winter Baseball has Gameday for its game, I'm sure the AFL does, too. Just like that, you've got something to do on Tuesday when there is no MLB baseball!

While you're waiting for the game to begin, reflect on the bullet dodged by our Hawai'i contingent. Can you imagine playing for a team with this logo?

Mmm. Strapping.

Go CaneFires! Go Javelinas! Make Jack Zduriencik proud!

Hair of the Rally Lobster: Your Sunday Frosty Mug

roguejim — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 13:52:27 -0000

Yesterday, the NL Central was in pretty dire straits: although it boasted two of its teams in the 2008 postseason, both of them were down two games to none in a best-of-three series. One was the Cubs, winners of 97 games in the regular season --- the best in the NL, second only to the Angels in the whole major leagues. They had Rich Harden on the mound, who in his 12 games as a Cub posted a Sabathian 1.77 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, and .157 BAA. The other was our home-town Brewers, who fired their manager 150 games into a 162-game season and needed last-second heroics to take out Jack Wilson's Pie-rats in Miller Park just to get here.

And when the dust cleared...

We're. Still. Here.

Game 1 Win Probability Graph

Game 1 BR Box Score

Game 2 Win Probability Graph

Game 2 BR Box Score

Game 3 Win Probability Graph

Game 3 BR Box Score

(A brief note to visiting Cub fans: we know you're upset, and we can't blame you. Today's Frosty Mug is not here to bury you, but to praise you: although bowing out of the playoffs this way was, well, shocking, for most of the season, your team was the class of the National League, hands down. The Cubs' performance this year has been the envy of just about every other team in baseball. Congratulations on a very fine season.)

A few notes on last night's Cream City Crushers/Phillies game:

Since the All-Star Break, Dave Bush has been, well, pretty outstanding, with a quiet 3.91 ERA in 12 regular season starts.
Jamie Moyer has been pitching in the majors for 22 seasons, and he turns 46 next month. Yet, he posted a 3.71 ERA this season for the Phillies. His contract expires after this season --- I hope he gets a long-term deal with someone, so he's pitching when he's 50. (Mark A., if you're reading this, I don't mean us, TYVM.)
Rickie Weeks left last night's game in the third inning after spraining his knee while batting in the second. CBS Sportsline says he's questionable to play tonight.
Mike Cameron's wife, JaBreka, had an emergency c-section on Friday. Lilo was born on 2:54 ET on Friday. Though Cam wasn't there to see it, he did get an assist from Mark Attanasio, who chartered a flight for to get to Atlanta. (Hat tip, TheJay.) Mike was in the lineup last night, and scored two runs. Curious side note: it was fortunate that Lilo made her appearance on an offday: if she arrived on a game day, the Brewers would have had to either play a man short or replace him --- making him ineligible for playing in the NLCS, if we get there.
Jamie Moyer's 34 first-inning pitches last night were the most he'd thrown to start off a game all season.
Shame Shane Victorino says that his attempt to break up last night's double-play in the 9th wasn't dirty. Note when he posted that --- 1:14 a.m. Having trouble sleeping, Shane?

Reasons for optimism for today's game? As a certain vice-presidential candidate might say, you betcha:

MLB.com says there's a 42.6% chance that one of the four 2008 playoff teams who were down two games to none will come back to win the series. Already we're in elite company: going into yesterday, in the 16 NLDS games where a team had been down 2-0, 13 times they lost game 3.
The Phillies have never won a NLDS. Never. Not once. In the storied history of National League Divisional Series, the Phillies have always LOST. I know there are a lot of math-type people here, so I'll put it in an equation: Philadelphia Phillies + NLDS = 0.
If the Phillies lose today (PP+NLDS=0), we go back to Philadelphia with momentum and a rested CC Sabathia pitching. I think we might actually be favored to win that game, which makes today's game a must-win for Philadelphia. No pressure, guys. [***wiggles fingers to suggest putting the Whammy on the Phillies.***]
Big-game pitcher Jeff Suppan is starting today's game. Jeff Suppan doesn't pitch in small games --- if it's only one game out of 162, he can't be bothered. He saves his "good" stuff for the postseason, like Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS against the Mets (7 innings, 1 run). That one game is probably the biggest reason why we signed him. In his last start on September 26 against the Cubs, he gave up 1 run in 5 innings against the Cubs. He's also made adjustments on his fastball, so watch out!
As Friday's BTTW Frosty Mug noted, the last time the Brewers were down 0-2 in a best of 5 series, they won the final three against the Angels in the 1982 ALCS.
Of course, we have the Rally Lobster.

A funny scene from yesterday's game:

"We've got two games at Miller Park, and we've got CC Sabathia in Game 5," Tooke said, snapping back to the present day. Just then, he looked up to see a fan, dressed in a suit of armor made entirely from empty beer cartons, march past.

"And we've got people like that," he said.

HOTRL trivia: which 2008 Brewer has played for the greatest number of teams in his major-league career? The answer, well, when I post it in a game thread later.

Today's game is at 12:07 Central time, on TBS (very funny). Bud Selig is throwing out the first pitch. Here's your MLB preview to tide you over until the game thread.

BrewCrew can do it!

Kyguy922 — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 20:53:15 -0000

If you look at the situation the Brewers are in it may not be pretty, but we are not out of our league with the Phillies, even though our record would indicate that thus far. In the 8th and 9th innings the last two games the winning or tying run came to the plate, and if you could call a pitch to Myers a K and catch a fly ball, the series might be a sweep the other way. But the Brewers are down 2-0 and nothing can change that.

What the Brewers do need to win three in a row and there is no way around that. I went through the schedule and looked to see how many streaks they had of three or more wins. The Brewers had quite a few times where they got on a roll (and quite a few where they couldn't stop losing).

If I tabulated correctly the Brewers had 12 streaks of 3 or more wins during the season. Two of those streaks were 8 game win streaks. Many were against the likes of Cincinatti or Washington I know, but this team can get hot, especially at home.

If you looked at a 4 game win streak as one three game win streak for games 1-3 and another 3 game win streak from games 2-4 the Brewers had 35 points of their schedule this year where they won three games in a row. So it is not like it hasn't happened this season. If the Brewers win the first two, and take it back to Philadelphia with CC on "long" rest, we would be in good shape.

If Prince gets some RBIs on this weekend, Bush shows signs of his 13 strike out or 2 hit performance and Suppan returns to playoff form (the reason we signed him) it's doable. A lot of hypotheticals I know, but crazier things have happened. I still don't think it is likely, and not going to bring out the Cubs mantra of "It's gonna happen" - but it could happen!

How long has it REALLY been?

baldy492 — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 16:53:31 -0000

We know 1982 was a long time ago, but how long really?

1982 (Sept) Knight Rider premiers, one month before last Brewers playoff game

1982 (Oct) Brewers last playoff game

1982 (Nov) Micheal Jackson relaeases Thriller

1983 The 1st Nintendo Entertainment System is sold in Japan. In US 2 years later.

1984 The Cosby Show premiered

1985 New Coke is introduced

1985 Wrestlemania I (Hogan slammed Andre 2 years later)

I don't know about you, but it's hard for me to fathom that Thriller and NES are most recent events in the world than a Milwaukee playoff game.

One Day More!

kirbir — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 19:43:24 -0000

For some reason, all this post-season stuff I'm reading keeps giving me goosebumps. Could it be because the most important men in my life are obsessed with the Brewers? That I've had to hear countless stories and opinions about how the Brewers have blown past chances? Or that I'm interested in a potential MVP and a potential Cy Young award recipient?

Whatever the case may be, Milwaukee is ablaze with Brewer fever. A rally was held yesterday at Summerfest grounds and over 14,000 people attended. I am so glad that I couldn't go - yikes! I think this is the best part of the article:

As Braun took the microphone, fans chanted, “MVP, MVP.”

They got even louder when Sabathia said he would start Game 2 on Thursday.

Brewers closer Salomon Torres continued working the crowd into a frenzy when he took his turn at the microphone.

“What’s up, Milwaukee?” he yelled. “I said, what’s up Milwaukee? Twenty-six years you’ve been waiting. Twenty-six years! You can wait no more!”

After thanking Brewers fans for their support, Torres acknowledged that the road to the playoffs wasn’t a smooth one.

“I know it’s been a very, very hard season for all of us,” he said. “At times, a lot of people thought, ‘We’re not going to make it.’ ”

Torres paused. The crowd rumbled.

“But we’re here!” he yelled. The crowd erupted.

AND in case you've been hiding underneath a rock, Gallardo is starting game one of the series against the Phillies. With him pitching, here's the confirmed lineup:

1. Mike Cameron CF
2. Bill Hall 3B
3. Ryan Braun LF
4. Prince Fielder 1B
5. J.J. Hardy SS
6. Corey Hart RF
7. Rickie Weeks 2B
8. Jason Kendall C
9. Yovani Gallardo RHP

It's pretty much business as usual, just with more at stake.

Imagine how crazy this could all get if we beat the Phillies... or if we don't. Either way, it'll be a circus, but the fans here crave vindication - we need this. All we've heard about the past few years is how good the team is gonna be and how far they'll get. I can honestly say though that, although I hoped that we'd get to this point, I wasn't sure we could do it until we got Sabathia. And even then, I knew it'd be close. But for me, faith in the team was renewed when Ryan Braun stepped up to the plate Thursday night with the bases loaded. Right then I knew he'd hit a grand slam and win us the game. With the loss on Saturday, my hopes dipped a bit, but I knew we could blow the opposition away on Sunday with CC on the mound.

And now, with Yoga taking the mound in game one, I'm confident that we can win it. The confidence grows with CC pitching game two.

The future brings with not only hope, but the true test of the Milwaukee Brewers - can they follow through with their plans? Do they have the determination? I'd like to think so.

Sleep well Milwaukee - dream about the glory that tomorrow brings.

Prediction contest results

KLSnow — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 19:29:06 -0000

So in this morning's Mug I mentioned needing to compile results from our over-under contests this season. Well, as it turns out I've got other things I'm trying to avoid doing so...ta-da! It actually happened today.

The first set of results is from this over-under contest I posted on April 1, which asked seven questions about the Brewers. Here's how we did as a community, first of all:

14 of the 17 voters correctly predicted that Ben Sheets would pitch more than 150 innings this season.
15 of 17 voters correctly predicted that 3 or fewer Brewers would hit 30 HR (actual total: 2).
5 of 17 voters correctly predicted that Prince Fielder would hit fewer than 42.5 HR.
10 of 17 voters correctly predicted that Eric Gagne would record fewer than 30 saves.
13 of 17 voters correctly predicted that another Brewer would save more than 10 games.
12 of 17 voters correctly predicted that Manny Parra would make more than 20 starts.
15 of 17 voters correctly predicted that the Brewers would win 88 or more games.

Five predictors tied for the lead in this contest, each with 6 correct answers, and since I didn't include a tiebreaker they'll all have to settle for being co-champions:

Grobbins
DaleCoop14
TAPMoney
MadJimiBrewha
Stoa

Congratulations to our winners.

Now, I also have this contest, where I asked everyone to pick five overrated and five underrated teams, based on the Vegas over/under lines for wins in 2008. There were a total of 30 points possible, here are our top 5 scorers:

1) Jcirillo received 8 points for picking winners and 13 points for picking losers, for 21 points.
2) ILostMy4thFinger received 14 points for picking winners and 6 points for picking losers, for 20 points.
3) MolitorFan received 13 points for picking winners and 7 points for picking losers, for 20 points.
4) Griswald received 12 points for picking winners and 6 points for picking losers, for 18 points.
5) Michael received 10 points for picking winners and 7 points for picking losers, for 17 points.

Worth noting, because I like to whine, TheJay and I both had 16 points, and if the Giants and Blue Jays had each lost one more time, we each would have had 21.

For what it's worth, the Rays (+23.5), Twins (+15.5), Marlins (+15.5), Astros (+13.5) and Cubs (+9.5) were the biggest overachievers, and the Mariners (-25.5), Padres (-21.5), Tigers (-19.5), Braves (-12.5) and Nationals (-11.5) were the biggest underachievers.

At any rate, if you're one of the winners listed above, you didn't actually win anything tangible, but congrats anyway!

Game 1 Lineup announced

Scooter82 — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 18:40:27 -0000

Brewers.com Article

Mike Cameron CF
Bill Hall 3B
Ryan Braun LF
Prince Fielder 1B
JJ Hardy SS
Corey Hart RF
Rickie Weeks 2B
Jason Kendall C
Yovani Gallardo P

I'm not sure what Sveum's affection to Corey Hart is lately, I think the guy needs a day off, how many crushing bases loades strikeouts must we endure!!! That said GO GALLARDO!! GO BREWERS!! Let's jump out on top in this series, I want to clinch this thing this weekend!!

Mike Cameron CF

Bill Hall 3B

Critical Arms Race: Brewers Set Staff for NLDS

bleacher10 — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 18:07:18 -0000

Here's a very in-depth article I wrote detailing the Brewer's rotation, and likely pitcher for game 3. Gallardo must give us a solid 5-6 innings..If we win game 1, I LOVE LOVE our chances in the series. What do you think??? Please leave feedback if you aren't already a member of Bleacher Report signup!

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/63292-critical-arms-race-the-brewers-put-together-staff-for-phils

Thanks for the reads and comments!

Ode to C.C.

roguejim — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 02:13:24 -0000

A lot has been made about all he's given to the team in the second half of this season, how important he has been to the Brewers' unexpected late-season surge into the playoffs. Still, I feel his contributions have been ignored, if not belittled.

It's time we show some love to the man we affectionately call "C.C."

Craig.

Counsell.

Counsell is nothing more than a low-end reserve for the Brewers and the deepest of NL-only leagues at this point in his career. Don't use him in the final Fantasy Week 26 (Sept. 22-28). --- CBS Sportsline

At first glance, his stats don't jump out at you. But dig a little deeper...and they're still pretty bad. If you dig REALLY deep, though, you can see and appreciate the total awesomeness that is Craig Counsell.

* July OBP: .286, 4 BBs in 14 games

* August OBP: .333, 10 BBs in 22 games

* September OBP: .450, 16 BBs in 20 games

In the 12 games since we were deYosted!, Craiggers has walked 10 times. It's like he's pushing the ball out of the strike zone with his mind.

New Brewers manager Dale Sveum has made Ray Durham and Craig Counsell regulars since taking over. Durham ended up having a nice series against the Cubs, but Counsell went 2-for-12 with no RBI and one run scored. He has an absurd total of 12 RBI in 233 at-bats this season. That'd be hideous even if he were hitting leadoff, but less than one-quarter of his at-bats have come with him batting behind the pitcher. We're all for not playing Bill Hall, but if the Brewers were going to make a switch, it should have been to Mike Lamb, who at least has some upside. --- Rotoworld

You may look at his season OBP of .355 and still not be overly impressed. Nonsense, I say.

* In the playoff-clinching win, who knocked in the tying run with a bases-loaded walk? Craig Counsell --- right after Corey Hart struck out on three pitches, I might add.

* Who was on base when Ryan Braun blasted his 10th inning grand slam against the Pirates? Yup --- Counsell.

* Who scored the tying run in the series-opening win against the Pirates? CC, of course.

* The go-ahead run to salvage a much-needed win against the Reds on the 21st, keeping our playoff hopes alive? You know it, dawg.

"That moment is perfect for him," Hardy said. "It's just awesome. You can't say enough about him or about CC. What those guys did today, it's downright ridiculous. It's the most fun I've ever had." --- JJ Hardy

He's a big-game walker, and I daresay as valuable to the team as the "other" CC. He may not get the $150 million free agent bonanza next season, he may be overlooked when we start playing around with the 2009 lineups, and his fansite may not have been updated in almost 2 years, but when you need someone to keep the inning alive without risking a broken bat, Craig's your guy. When passing around the accolades and high-fives, don't forget the player from Whitefish Bay whose walk got the pitcher out of the way the inning before to set up the late-game heroics. He's just doing his job.

Craig Counsell...thank you.

How to pass the time on Monday

Marty McSuperFly — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 17:41:27 -0000

How about if we see how well we know Dale? According to a headline which points to the always-broken JS blogs, the postseason roster should be announced today. So, let's put forth some guesses!

Disclaimer - I don't know nearly as much about playoff roster rules as some other people. I'm assuming Dale can insert Stetter by taking advantage of someone's spot on the DL.

Position players

C Kendall
C Rivera
IF Counsell
IF Dillon
IF Durham
IF Fielder
IF Hall
IF Hardy
IF Weeks
OF Braun
OF Cameron
OF Hart
OF Gwynn

Pitchers

Bush
Gagne
Gallardo
McClung
Mota
Parra
Sabathia
Shouse
Stetter
Suppan
Torres
Villanueva

Celebration Photos (and Rally Monday info)!

TheJay — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 02:50:12 -0000

These come from the ESPN photo gallery, but since they're all AP photos by Morry Gash they'll be pretty much everywhere.

First up, Prince bathes in champagne:

Before they could shower Prince, however, they had another game to watch. Find Stoic Joe Dillon:

Sometimes a friendly hug from your boss isn't harrassment:

Something in this next photo doesn't seem right.

Yep, Guillermo Mota (right) is doing something other than looking mean and unapproachable! Finally, let's all take a moment and remember the eighth inning moment got us here:

BRAUN SMASH!

Celebrate!

For those that haven't heard the details, tomorrow (Monday) there is a rally from 4-8pm at the Summerfest grounds. Current and former players will be talking to fans and there will be giveaways. More info here.

Rockies fan here to support ya

Silverblood — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 21:09:13 -0000

Hey Brew Crew Ball! Hope you're feeling damn good about clinching that wild card on the last day of the season (I know we were, last year....) Rockies Nation, however, will never forget the instrumental part that you guys played in beating the Padres twice to force our epic playoff, and it seems as if our team felt the same way (I know they wanted to send victory cigars and champagne to Gwynn Jr., but thought the Players' Association might frown on that). I've developed a bit of a liking for the Brewers based on how much our teams seemed to be proud of their joint effort, and now that our season has ended in, um, less than rousing fashion, I come to offer my hat at your service for the soon-to-be-commenced postseason. The Mets did a typical Mets, and you recovered from your early September swoon to pop up on the last day and get that last playoff spot. (Playoff tiebreakers are an awful lot of fun, but murder on your heart). You also got to fire your manager, for which we are all very jealous.

And so, since I do not have a team in this postseason, I'll take the Rays from the AL and be a Brewers backer for the NL. (I think we can all agree that absolutely nobody wants the Cubs in there). I am a friendly and oftentimes odd person who means no harm, with a rather dark sense of humor, and should you allow, would be happy to join you for the '08 postseason.

The Final Seven Days' Pitching Matchups (Updatedx6)

MooseHaas — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 21:10:47 -0000

(** Updated Saturday with the Guzman news..)

Mets Probables, Rest of Season

Cubs @ Shea
9/22: Jason Marquis, RHP (10-9, 4.39) vs. Jonathon Niese, LHP (1-0, 4.09) (Mets L, 9-5, +1 in WC)
9/23: Sean Marshall, LHP (3-4, 3.62) vs. Johan Santana, LHP (14-7, 2.65) (Mets W, 6-2, +1 in WC)
9/24: Carlos Zambrano, RHP (14-6, 3.77) vs. Oliver Perez, LHP (10-7, 4.10) (Mets L, 9-6, Even in WC)
9/25: Rich Harden, RHP (10-2, 2.03) vs. Pedro Martinez, RHP (5-6, 5.50) (Mets W, 7-6, Even in WC)

Marlins @ Shea
9/26: Chris Volstad, RHP (5-3, 3.07) vs. Mike Pelfrey, RHP (13-10, 3.70) (Mets L, 6-1, -1 in WC)
9/27: Ricky Nolasco, RHP (15-7, 3.52) vs. Johan Santana, LHP (15-7, 2.64) (Mets W, 2-0, Even in WC)
9/28: Scott Olsen, LHP (8-10, 4.20) vs. Oliver Perez, LHP

Brewers Probables, Rest of Season

Pirates @ Miller
9/23 Jeff Karstens, RHP (2-6, 4.37) vs. Dave Bush, RHP (9-10, 4.22) (Brewers W, 7-5, -1 in WC)
9/24: Paul Maholm, LHP (9-8, 3.68) vs. CC Sabathia, LHP (9-2, 1.81) (Brewers W, 4-2, Even in WC)
9/25: Zach Duke, LHP (5-14, 4.96) vs. Yovani Gallardo, RHP (0-0, 1.88) (Brewers W, 5-1, Even in WC)

Cubs @ Miller
9/26: Ryan Dempster, RHP (16-6, 3.02) vs. Jeff Suppan, RHP (10-10, 5.06) (Brewers win, 5-1, +1 in WC)
9/27: Ted Lilly, LHP (16-9, 4.17) vs. Ben Sheets, RHP (13-8, 2.98) (Brewers FAIL, Even in WC)
9/28: Angel Guzman, RHP (Bad) vs. CC Sabathia, LHP (Good)

It Could Be About Us

TheJay — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 18:24:32 -0000

While looking around the Internets this morning I came across this article from the NYC newspaper Newsday. In it, writer Jim Baumbach suggests the Shea Stadium faithful ease up on the booing of the hometown nine. After all, he asks, "if you're not going to completely support your team at this juncture of the season, why bother supporting them at all?"

Now, I don't really get the point of booing Brewers players for hitting a hard liner right at someone or, really, most of the time during a game. I'll get upset when Bill Hall strikes out for the third time in the game or Corey Hart fails to deliver again with runners in scoring position for the thousandth (note: possible exaggeration) time in September, but whether I'm at the game or at home, I don't feel the need to boo. But other people do. And you know what? That's fine. Hopefully it doesn't wind up making Milwaukee crowds seem like Philly crowds, but if people want to boo, let them. If the team doesn't like it -- well, good teams don't bitch about booing fans or blown calls by umpires or not getting other breaks...they just go out and win.

In his article, Baumbach suggests that Mets fans shouldn't boo the Mets because they're still in an advantageous position in the standings and (seriously) they've got some castoff players in their bullpen that "deserve more rope from their home fans." To be fair, he also brings up how it's understandable that Mets fans are frustrated and angry with their team before arguing that the team should get more slack. As I was reading, it struck me that the exact same thing could've been written by Tom H or Anthony Witrado or some other Milwaukee writer. Dave Sveum has already produced the requisite "if you were told at the beginning of the season you'd be a game back with five to play, you'd take it" type of quote himself. The late innings crew in the bullpen has been cobbled together on a wing and a prayer, and the current rotation is in shambles (who's starting tomorrow? Suppan? Not if he gets called into the game tonight by Starter Shufflin' Sveum).

Here's part of Baumbach's article that highlights what I mean:

Look at exactly who you are booing. The relievers the Mets used last night were Duaner Sanchez, Joe Smith, Ricardo Rincon, Brian Stokes, Bobby Parnell and Luis Ayala, and there were grumblings from the crowd seemingly every few pitches by each guy.

But what do you expect?

A few weeks ago Rincon was in the Mexican League. Stokes is a Rays castoff from when their bullpen was the worst. Parnell posted a 4.62 ERA in Double-A and Triple-A this season. And Ayala was buried on the Nationals before becoming the Mets closer.

That doesn't mean they get a pass if they don't make the playoffs. Not at all. But it should mean these guys deserve more rope from their home fans instead of hearing boos when they fall behind a hitter 2-and-0 in a tie game (which happened to Parnell in the eighth).

So is the idea that fans are supposed to blindly support whoever is put on the mound until the team doesn't make the playoffs? It's true that Rincon (Riske - blahblahhurtnotLHbutstill), Stokes (Mota), Parnell (Gagne), and Ayala (Coffey) aren't at fault for being both not very good and the core of a bullpen fighting for a playoff spot. But fans are supposed to sit back and watch these guys who aren't all that good and have failed repeatedly without saying anything until after the fact? Should fans start cheering on 2-0 pitches?

To me that makes no sense. Your favorite team has had a bad bullpen that's been blowing games all season (and last!) but they still deserve some leash before you get upset? I'm sorry, but (to bring this back to the Brewers) all the cheering or booing in the world isn't going to keep a crappy Gagne pitch from being hit 450 feet. It's not going to keep Riske's elbow spur-free and make him great. It's not going to make Todd Coffey into the next dominant reliever (his first games with the crew notwithstanding). It's not going to keep Mota from hanging sliders.

I guess what really gets me mad is the idea that fans who boo these guys don't support their team enough. The end of Baumbach's article is particularly annoying: he blasts Mets fans for not filling Shea Stadium to the brim during a playoff hunt. So not only do the fans who support their team enough to buy tickets to go to the game to watch the "no-relief bullpen" not treat the decent, hardworking players nicely enough, Mets fans in general apparently don't support their team properly by filling up the stadium. I'd hate to see more fans support the team by buying tickets so they can not support their team by booing.

Can't you just see the same sort of thing being written in Milwaukee? You've got the fans who are upset at seeing their team blow what was a big lead in the standings over the past few weeks. You've got the fans that can't stand seeing the main guys in the bullpen take the mound. You've got those bullpen guys who are just pitching their hearts out without being very good. You've got the "if you knew in March you'd be here in September you'd take it" quote. You've got empty seats in Miller Park on Tuesday and Wednesday and (who knows) maybe even tonight. You've even got (or Doug, Ned, and Dale will say you've got) a closer who didn't pan out, just like the Mets lost their closer.

So, if the team blows the game tonight and you're in the stands, don't boo: you just might get called out in the morning papers.