Brew Crew Ball: FanShots

So What Is Frank Kremblas Doing These Days?

TheJay — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 05:30:29 -0000

So What Is Frank Kremblas Doing These Days?

It turns out the erstwhile Sounds manager is now skippering the Caracas Lions of the Venezuelan Winter League (link goes to team roster). He'll be reacquainted with former Brewers farmhand Ben Hendrickson and get his first chance to manage Matt LaPorta. What a lucky guy!

"I loved it here. It's one of the most fun times I've had in my life. It was definitely a blessing...

battlekow — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 03:10:11 -0000

"I loved it here. It's one of the most fun times I've had in my life. It was definitely a blessing to be traded here."

CC Sabathia

Pretty good year, huh? And the bidding for CC starts at...

Jeff Sackmann — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 20:04:00 -0000

Pretty good year, huh?

And the bidding for CC starts at...

Corey Hart On The Catch That Got Away

TheJay — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 16:44:27 -0000

Corey Hart On The Catch That Got Away

"I saw it fine. Any time you hit the wall, it's going to jar you. When I caught it in my web, as soon as I hit the pole, it knocked me back," Hart said. "My hand kind of opened up, and it kind of rolled down my palm. I was trying to squeeze the ball while I was flipping."

Tonight was probably the first night that I've ever understood how home-field advantage is pretty...

battlekow — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 06:00:47 -0000

Tonight was probably the first night that I've ever understood how home-field advantage is pretty important, because those fans were awesome for us.

J.J. Hardy

Mark A Helps Mike Cameron Visit His Newborn Daughter

TheJay — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 04:24:19 -0000

Mark A Helps Mike Cameron Visit His Newborn Daughter

Pretty nice move for Mark Attanasio to step in and help Cameron get down to Atlanta and spend as much time as possible with his family and newborn daughter Lilo.

Bush. Dave Bush.

Jeff Sackmann — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 03:19:38 -0000

Bush.

Dave Bush.

Baseball Continues to Get More Popular

TheJay — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 17:58:03 -0000

Baseball Continues to Get More Popular

Apparently there are surging numbers of [rival and/or despised team] fans!

Wes Helms: The Marlins and Brewers Thank You

Jeff Sackmann — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 03:59:04 -0000

Wes Helms: The Marlins and Brewers Thank You

"Marlins agreed to terms with infielder Wes Helms on a two-year, $1.8 million contract through 2010."

No truth to the rumors that Attanasio kicked in $500k of that to make sure Helms would keep facing the Phillies and Mets late in the season.

Brantley completes Sabathia deal

SRB — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 18:12:38 -0000

Brantley completes Sabathia deal

Nothing really new here, I think it's been pretty clear for a while that Brantley would be selected as the PTBNL.

Haudricourt finally confirms.

[sigh --- roguejim]

Anyone Need A New Shirt?

TheJay — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 14:45:18 -0000

Anyone Need A New Shirt?

It'll help keep you warm during those long, cold winter nights. I'm sure it burns well in a fire.

Sports Illustrated Magazine Mentions BCB

jihad — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 02:27:47 -0000

Sports Illustrated Magazine Mentions BCB

I still get a Sports Illustrated subscription, and even though most of the articles are just full of cliche and little analysis, there's occasionally some interesting stuff. The column that replaced Reilly on the back page is now a rotating group of writers that write "The Point After". I was pretty surprised to read this week's edition, dated October 6th, 2008:

"Cubs fans, who, let's face it, have a right to be edgy about these things, were equally irked when they saw their third baseman, Aramis Ramirez, gracing the cover of SPORTS ILLUSTRATED last week, bringing the supposed SI jinx into play. MDBNIU wrote on bleedcubbieblue.com, "Thanks jackass New York--based editorial board of Sports Illustrated." Sorry about that, MDBNIU. How about we send you a fleece and call it even?"

"...But most fan rituals are about bringing good karma rather than warding off bad. "I made a pumpkin pie from scratch yesterday ... and the Brewers won," KLSnow blogged on brewcrewball.com. "I'm going to need a lot more pumpkins."

Nice to see the site get a mention in a national magazine, and I like how it portrays the Cubs fans as asshats and us as the nice, American guys. Congrats, KL. Nice conspiracy theory, guy who comes here and taunts us when the Cubs win.

Rob Bryson to have shoulder surgery

battlekow — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 15:57:30 -0000

Rob Bryson to have shoulder surgery

"As for the rest of Bryson's year, he joined Cleveland's low Class A team, Lake County (Ohio). He pitched 121¼3 innings in seven games and was diagnosed with a torn labrum. He will have surgery Wednesday.

Bryson spent time on the disabled list in August, rehabilitating the arm, but did pitch as late as Aug. 29, striking out two in one inning.

'My first day back on the mound everything felt fine,' Bryson said. 'But in the days after that, I felt pretty sore.'"

(h/t Let's Go Tribe)

How the Brewers Really Celebrated

TheJay — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 15:43:16 -0000

How the Brewers Really Celebrated

I guess J.J. Hardy is gutting it out this series after all.

Indians reportedly select Brantley as PTBNL

battlekow — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 03:15:00 -0000

Indians reportedly select Brantley as PTBNL

Uncited, but it's been rumored for a long time now that Brantley was the Indians' preference, so I don't see any reason not to believe it.

Sums up the game pretty well.

battlekow — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 21:47:22 -0000

Sums up the game pretty well.

Why the Brewers Will Beat the Phillies -- The Hardball Times

Jeff Sackmann — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 06:47:25 -0000

Why the Brewers Will Beat the Phillies -- The Hardball Times

Big suprise: Sackmann is rooting for the Brewers.

I tried to do something a little different with the series preview. Hope you like it. You can also read a pair of THTers explain why the Phillies will win, if you're into that sort of thing.

Brad Nelson made the postseason roster

KLSnow — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 22:18:07 -0000

Brad Nelson made the postseason roster

Joe Dillon and Russell Branyan are off. Full roster at the link above.

Know Thy Enemy: Q&A with Jeff Sackmann - The Good Phight

Jeff Sackmann — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 21:18:47 -0000

Know Thy Enemy: Q&A with Jeff Sackmann - The Good Phight

Here's one of the q&a's I did with a Phillies blogger.

And hey look--here's another, at Balls, Sticks, and Stuff.

Rivera Snubbed Again!

TheJay — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 18:42:55 -0000

Rivera Snubbed Again!

Despite bouncing back from a disastrous .215/.270/.421 campaign in Nashville in 2007 to bat over .300 with an OPS over .800 in Milwaukee this season, Mike Rivera shockingly did not win the prestigious Comeback Player of the Year Award.

Instead, Brad Lidge dispels the notion you have to be terrible the year before you win the award. He won for going 41-for-41 in save opportunities a year after blowing 8 of 27 opportunities but still pitching pretty well.