The Yost Infection

Russell Branyan, Greatest Hits Edition

2008-12-03T20:57:00.008-06:00

A very sad day today for Brewer fans, as Russell the Muscle has moved on to the Pacific Coast. In honor of his second tour of duty with the Brewers I humbly present to you a countdown of Russell Branyan's greatest Brewer (and Brewer related) moments.

These are largely from memory so there will a pretty big bias towards this past year, since details of the 2004 and 2005 Brewer seasons are a little fuzzy. Please feel free to add any of your own in the comments section.

1. June 14th, 2008 (vs. Minnesota)- Branyan's 9th inning, pitch hit, 2 out HR sends the game to extras. Though the Brewers would ultimately lose this game, you got the sense when he came to the plate he could do something dramatic, and he did.

(This game carries extra significance for me. I was teetering in and out of consciousness at a friend's wedding and am quite sure I reacted like this was the best thing to ever happen to me, while I watched the end of the game at the hotel bar).

2. May 16h, 2008 - Branyan, playing for Nashville puts up a 4-5, 3 HRs, 6 RBI game. This spawned a flurry of emails amongst my friends that still brings a smile to my face. Before this game there was plenty of talk about bringing him up, but this performance cemented it. Nine days later Russ was back in the majors.

3. February 20th, 2008 - In a move that barely garnered any attention amongst Brewer fans, Melvin signs Branyan to a minor league contract.

4. July 27th, 2004 (vs. Chicago) - Sporting his trademark shades (just a guess), Branyan takes Greg Maddux deep for his first HR as a Brewer.

5. Sometime in 2004 - Russ hits the longest HR in Miller Park history, a 480 foot bomb.

6. May 17th, 2007- Branyan's wife gives birth to a son, which they name Cash Branyan. Awesome. The next day Branyan hits a 428 foot HR.

7. June 27, 2008 (vs. Twins) - Branyan hits another HR to cap off a absolutely torrid 30 day stretch in which he carried the Brewers. His line during that 30 days: 11 HRs, 1.21 OPS.

8. May 31st, 2008 (vs. Astros) - Branyan takes a Brian Moehler pitch about 465 feet to the Dew Deck in right. FSN cameras don't catch it...the ball may still be in the air.

9. June 16, 2007 - As a member of the Padres, Branyan breaks up a 1 hit shutout by Carlos Zambrano with a solo shot in the 9th, leading the Padres to a 1-0 victory. I have no idea why I remember this so well, I guess it just points to the power of Russell "The Muscle" Branyan.

Best of luck in Seattle Russ. Long live 3TO.

I blame Fire Joe Morgan

2008-11-17T20:43:00.005-06:00

So days after one of the top sports blogs calls its quits, our very own Tom Haudricourt simply blows away the field with not only his MVP vote, but his rationale behind it. A quick search of FJM.com reveals Mr. Haudricourt failed to make an appearance. This would have been his chance to join Plaschke, Paigie, Hat Guy, and all the other amazing writers of America.

I really don't like Mr. Pujols, but how a member of the BBWAA can rank him as low as #7 boggles the mind (its no coincidence that no other writer ranked him lower than 4).

I really can't critique this little blog post, because frankly, Haudricourt does this all on his own in explaining it. I will be relieved if tomorrow we find out that it was all a big joke played on all by Michael Hunt.

The full text below, preserved for all eternity.

Original link

St. Louis first baseman Albert Pujols claimed his second NL MVP award today, collecting 18 of 32 first-place votes in balloting by the Baseball Writers Association of America.

Philadelphia's Ryan Howard, with 12 first-place votes, finished second in the balloting, with 308 points to Pujols' 369 points. A player is awarded 14 points for a first-place vote, 9 for second, 8 for third, etc.

Brewers leftfielder Ryan Braun was third in the balloting with 139 points, one point ahead of Los Angeles left-fielder Manny Ramirez. Left-hander CC Sabathia was sixth with 121 despite playing only half a season with Milwaukee.

Philadelphia closer Brad Lidge, who didn't blow a save all year, claimed the other two first-place votes and finished eighth in the voting.

Pujols, who won even though St. Louis finished fourth in the NL Central, finished second in the NL with a .357 batting average to go with 37 homers, 116 RBI, 104 walks, a .462 on-base percentage, .653 slugging percentage and only 54 strikeouts in 633 plate appearances.

Howard led the majors with 46 homers and 146 RBI but also batted just .251 and struck out 199 times, second in the NL.

I had an MVP ballot and voted for Howard first because he almost single-handedly carried the Phillies to the playoffs by batting .352 with 11 homers and 32 RBI in September. I like to weight my voting to teams in the playoff hunt because I think that puts more pressure on players and separates the men from the boys. There's little pressure on players having big years if their teams aren't playing for anything at the end.

With the Cardinals finishing fourth, I voted Pujols seventh on my ballot. I don't consider MVP to be "the most outstanding player" award and therefore don't just go by who had the best stats. I like to credit players for lifting their teams to the post-season or at least keeping them in the race until the very end.

I understand that the Cardinals would not have been even close to the wild-card berth without Pujols, but I still like players who elevate their game in crunch time and lift their teams to new heights. And I thought Ryan Ludwick had just as much to do with keeping the Cards in the hunt as Pujols did. St. Louis did stay in the wild card race until mid-September, but mainly because the Brewers and Mets were gagging at the time.

It's a subjective vote and every writer has his own preferences. That's why I voted for Sabathia second and Ramirez third because even though they played in the league only half a season they were primarily responsible for putting their teams in the playoffs.

Here's the way I voted:

1. Ryan Howard, Phil

2. CC Sabathia, Mil

3. Manny Ramirez, LA

4. Carlos Delgado, NY

5. Aramis Ramirez, Chi

6. Prince Fielder, Mil

7. Albert Pujols, Stl

8. Ryan Ludwick, Stl

9. Ryan Braun, Mil

10. David Wright, NY

I voted Fielder higher than Braun because Fielder had a much better September when the Brewers were clawing to get in the playoffs. Braun was ailing, as we discovered, and did have the homer that put the Brewers in the playoffs, but I just felt Fielder did more down the stretch.

This is an inexact science. With 10 names on the ballot, you could move guys around and drive yourself nuts putting them in the spot you feel is best. But that's the way I voted. In sheer offensive numbers, Pujols certainly is tough to beat, which is why it's understandable that he got so much support.

This blows my mind

2008-11-05T15:14:00.006-06:00

JSOnline has a poll up on their website asking the general public whether they agreed with the Brewers' decision to pick up Mike Cameron's option. Right now with almost 6,000 votes, the "No's" are leading with 60% of the vote.

This blows my mind.

Now, while I will argue with anyone that the signing of Mike Cameron was the right call, I also realize there are arguments against it:

Some are plausible and can make sense - the signing may hurt the chances of the Brewers signing bullpen/pitching help this offseason.

Some leave me confused- he strikes out too much (yeah, but he also had an OPS + of 110 last year).

Some are laughable - he is blocking Tony Gwynn Jr.

While you're never going to have a majority opinion on anything (even some people worried the Brewers were rushing to give Braun his long term deal) there should be at least a strong majority of people who would be in favor of bringing back an above average hitting and fielding outfielder....right?

Even my cat hates Corey Hart

2008-10-06T21:53:00.003-05:00

Got home from work today to find that my cat decided she had enough of Corey Hart as well. 5 bobbleheads to choose from (including such luminaries as Fielder, Weeks, Hall and the Polish), and Corey got the axe.

Karma is a bitch.

Though loss

2008-10-01T21:14:00.002-05:00

How to deal with a tough loss? Do what I do, and think back to August 28th, when baseball's moral authority pontificated:

And I guess he (Carlos Villanueva) did us a favor because he woke up a sleeping giant. - Albert Pujols

Still waiting Albie, still waiting.

(As for the Brewers- get a win tomorrow and all will be fine heading into the weekend).

Speechless

2008-09-28T21:02:00.002-05:00

Wow.

Amazing.

Speechless.

An unreal game/day, after an disaster of a Saturday.

Things I won't forget (in no order whatsoever):

Braun's HR. Possibly the biggest HR in Brewer history?
CC's bare hand stab in the 8th
Derek "Warning track power" Lee ending the game with a DP.
30,000 fans watching the Marlins take care of business.
The pure silence from Cub fans in attendance. Thanks for spending $100 for those Stub Hub tickets to witness the biggest Brewer game in 26 years, and a completely meaningless Cub game. It is appreciated. Next time try not to pick fights in the stands, no one is impressed and frankly it was cringe worthy for all who had to witness it.
A giddy Mike Cameron and Guillermo Mota spraying cheap champagne into the front row.
Rickie Weeks sprinting to the Doorman and giving the most visible fan over the past few years a keepsake empty bottle.
The goosebumps I get listening to Bob Uecker's call of Braun's HR (about half way through)
Ben Sheets deciding he was healthy enough for the celebration
Joe S. giving up his tickets to attend a bike race

There are many more moments, these are just the first 10 that entered my mind. The next two days are much needed to let everyone (by "everyone" I mean myself, I'm exhausted) catch their breath and attempt to take a game on the road this week.

Yup

2008-09-15T10:24:00.000-05:00

You don't get it

2008-08-28T08:08:00.007-05:00

Bernie Miklasz is getting upset!

One more thing: I don’t understand the Brewers. I just don’t.

Not surprisingly, the majority of Americans don't understand the Cardinals. What is with the creepy vigils for Daryl Kile? Why can't you admit that Josh Hancock was a douche and endangered lives by his drunk and stoned driving? Why can Pujols stand and admire home runs while also being the person who gets to decide how other players should act? Why does no one care that Pujols is probably older than Miguel Tejada? Why do you ignore that Mark McGwire was one of the biggest abusers of steriods in the modern era (Big Mac land....still???)?

Really, I admire that team and its talent. Doug Melvin is one of the best guys in the game and an excellent GM. There are so many good players on that roster. But why do the Brewers always have to pull stunts?

Stunts like throwing at Fielder (2007) or Braun (2008)? Stunts like your biggest showboater starting screaming arguments with pitchers? Stunts like your manager getting in screaming matches with other managers? Oh, those stunts are ok.

Is it a coincidence that the only people who have had problems thus far with "stunts" are the team that has lost 10 of 15 against the alleged arrogant team?

Why do they have to go knucklehead on us so often? What’s up with yanking their shirts out of their pants on the field as soon as they win a game, which, despite what they claim, really is an insult to the other team?

Since as a journalist its your job to know the facts, shouldn't you know that untucking their jersey was started by Mike Cameron as a tribute to his father? I don't get it anyways, game is over -- who actually cares? And why do you care?

Haven't heard about it from many other teams.

What’s up with some of the showboat HR trots?

Yeah, I don't know why Pujols stares, walks to first, points to the sky, occasionally jumps with two feet on home plate.

Oh, we're talking about the Brewers. Braun "Pujolsing" (err...I meant to say admiring a home run but for some reason that is what came up) on a game winner last month? What else is he talking about? Just because David Eckstein ran 100 mph on his occasional HR doesn't mean every other team has to.

What’s up with a journeyman like Villanueva gesturing wildly and cursing in the direction of the STL dugout?

Journeyman = Todd Wellemeyer, and most of the Cards pitching staff. Villanueva was traded to the Brewers as a 19 year old minor leaguer for a major league player. By your logic, Hanley Ramirez and Joe Nathan are both journeymen.

I don’t understand why this talented team feels that it needs to act up like NBA bad boy Ron Artest, or something.

Ron Artest ran into the stands and attacked fans. The Brewers have well... upset Albert Pujols by saying something...or not running hard enough...or untucking a piece of clothing? Jeez, hide the women and children.

All I know is that on camera you can clearly see the moral authority himself yelling "Shut the fuck up, go back to the bench you stupid piece of shit."

What about the children Bernie? Do you really want them looking up to someone like that? I'm disgusted.

I don’t understand why this Milwaukee team feels the need to be controversial.

Here is the thing Bernie, they don't. They have downplayed every incident and have rarely talked. They have little to no problems with any other teams. I can't remember the last time they got in any sort of fight, well, besides the ones in their own dugout. The St. Louis media (always pretty much run by LaRussa) has made it a controversy.

I don’t understand the arrogance, considering that the Brewers have won NOTHING since 1982.

And here is where Bernie runs out of material. Seriously, in an article complaining about the Brewers being arrogant, you pull out this arrogant statement...really? How dare the Brewers upset the Cardinals...how dare they!

And I don’t understand how Yost continues to allow it to happen. The Brewers will probably make the playoffs. They are that good.

You asked a question and then answered it in the next sentence. Yost's job is to WIN, not please the Cardinals. I repeat, Yost's job is to WIN, not please the Cardinals.

One more time - Ned Yost's job is to WIN, not to please the Cardinals.

But we must ask: can you fellas at least hold off on the showboating until you actually win something?

Man, tough times in St. Louis. I feel like Bernie actually shed a tear while writing the last sentence.

Witrado learning baseball, part 1

2008-08-20T21:17:00.011-05:00

Anthony Witrado is starting to make Michael Hunt look like Buster Olney.

Last week we learned that he didn't know that MLB teams can't trade draft picks- I appreciate his honesty in bringing this up again, I guess my main question is why the MJS give a beat writing assignment to someone who is still learning the rules?

With his mailbags starting to read like Joe Morgan chat transcripts, lets take a look at some gems from this week.

My favorite parts:

Q: Spaulding of Omaha, NE - What are the chances, with Rickie Weeks still playing absolutely horribly and now reinjuring his thumb...(blah blah blah)

A: (Apologizes for last week)...Again, I will try to be more informed when answering these questions. Now for this week's bag... I think people in the organization see that Weeks has hurt the team but Ned Yost will stay loyal to his second baseman, this I have no doubt about. It seems that Yost is going to be Stubborn on this one, and I don't know why. Everyone in the press box is sort of baffled by this one.

Ok, so you want to be more informed? Great. Let me point you to a pretty good site. Its called Baseball-Reference.com. Its really pretty cool -- pretty much tells you everything. Spaulding in Omaha might want to check out this site as well. (is this a bad Caddyshack reference or is it over my head? Wasn't Danny Noonan going to school in Nebraska while Spaulding was living off Judge Smails the rest of this life?)

One thing you can check out is how a player has been playing lately. Take for instance, Rickie Weeks in the second half. These stats aren't updated with today's game, so they are slightly off - but Weeks has been good for a .273/.369/.432 line. That's not all bad.

So, I'm going to give you two options as to why Weeks is playing.

Different people in the organization take a look at what Weeks did last year (OPS+ of 108) as a barometer of what he is capable of. They also look at his recent numbers to see how he is trending. Scouts look at his swing, see if he is lost or if he is still showing good signs. Yost gives his thoughts, how he feels about how Weeks has played, how is skills will fit in his lineup....and together they decide Weeks should get about 4 starts a week and Durham fills in every once in a while.
All of the above people decide that Weeks is horrible and shouldn't play, but Yost says, "you know what? Screw it he's playing."

Witrado goes with #2. Sigh.
......

Q: Stuart of Minneapolis - Why doe JJ Hardy take the first pitch on every AB? Wouldn't it be advantageous to suprise the pitcher and take a swing every now and then?

A: Brewers Mailbag - Considering Rickie Weeks is so aggressive, I think Hardy should try to see some pitches before the middle of the order comes up. Although, that would make some sense since he is a career .347 hitter when hitting the first pitch into play

Couple things here. Weeks is second on the team in walks and also strikes out a lot. I would guess that he sees a lot of pitches.

That's just a guess. It would be nice if there was a stat that measured how many pitches a player sees per plate appearance. NO WAY. There is! Weeks is 7th in the NL in pitches seen per PA. Not too surprising due to all the walks/Ks. Doesn't that by definition make him patient, maybe to a fault because he is watching too many hittable strikes go by?

But hey, why not make up an imaginary slam on Weeks in a question about JJ Hardy?

Q: dave of green bay - what do the brewers honestly see in laynce nix? the guy is 3 for his last 50.. and hasnt ever shown anything in the big leagues.. wouldnt someone like tony gywn be a better fit??

A: Brewers Mailbag - Tony's father asked the same question when we were in San Diego. And so did I. It seems that Gwynn can bring more to the table than Nix at this point. But Nix was hot in Nashville so they brought him up.

A better mailbag question, and I would LOVE to get an answer for this: What does Gwynn bring to the table...at all? (well besides a .630 OPS(!) in AAA). In 235 big league ABs he has a .607 OPS.

I'm not even really sticking up for Nix, but arguing him or Gwynn for the 25th spot is like arguing whether the Nationals are better than the Padres. For someone who gets paid to cover the Brewers for a living to think that Gwynn brings anything to the table blows my mind.

Will the MJS keep letting these mailbags continue or will they just let him type up game summaries? I think that would be better for all involved.

Ladies and Gentlemen, this is our beat reporter

2008-08-14T08:52:00.004-05:00

Q: Jon C of Eau Claire - Hey Tom/Anthony, I was reading something about prospects/draft picks and it made me think....why don't MLB teams trade players for draft picks like they do in the NFL/NBA. you NEVER hear about a team trading a given draft pick, just for prospects that they already have in their farm system. Thanks

A: (Anthony Witrado): Brewers Mailbag - Because draft picks of so coveted, and I imagine most teams would like a prospect instead of a draft pick that might never pan out. Trading away picks is bad for teams because then how else do they replenish the farm?

I'm speechless. The correct answer is "unlike other sports, MLB teams are not allowed to trade draft picks."

Its one thing to read stupid things in the "Comments" section of the JS Online blog. Its another to read stupid and factually incorrect things from the team beat reporter.

Yes Please

2008-07-06T18:24:00.002-05:00

So predictable

2008-06-29T10:22:00.007-05:00

Last Monday after Ben Sheets dominated the Atlanta Braves, I sent an email to my brother, that read something like "When do you think Michael Hunt will find out that Ben Sheets is going to be a free agent." Both of us speculated that it would be sometime around the trading deadline, or maybe the upcoming winter when he had nothing else to write about.

Well, rest assured - the Michael Hunt take on Ben Sheets came on June 29th, 2008.

There are many things that ought to surprise us daily in this volatile world, but Ben Sheets reaffirming that he would test free agency this off-season should not be among them.

Sheets saying that last week was like the forecast from the late, great George Carlin's hippie-dippie weatherman:

"Tonight, dark. Continued darkness throughout most of the evening, with some widely scattered light toward morning."

Wow. To be honest, I hadn't bothered to read Hunt's "take" on the Brewers. I really missed his intros.

And Sheets could declare he wouldn't negotiate during the season and not come off as the bad guy because the Milwaukee Brewers have taken the same position. If you're Mark Attanasio or Doug Melvin, what else could you do?

If another medical oddity were visited upon Sheets, why would the Brewers want him back? And if he continues to pitch like this - Sheets is in the top four in the majors in winning percentage, victories, earned run average and complete games - the Brewers could not afford to re-sign him, anyway.

Ok. Though overly wordy, this pretty much sums up what the situation was coming into the year. Its almost like I read this before:

If the 29-year-old right-hander finally has a healthy season and puts up impressive numbers, the Brewers would be hard-pressed to meet his asking price on what has been a runaway pitching market in recent years.

And, should Sheets break down again and turns his four-year, $38.5 million contract into a complete boondoggle, the Brewers would be taken to task for giving him another chance.

-Tom Haudricourt, March 29th

Welcome to the party Mr. Hunt.

The only certainty would be a trade if the Brewers fell from contention, but that's not likely in a season where the National League wild card finally seems accessible from the Central Division. The Brewers' best hope is their ace stays healthy enough to pitch them into the playoffs, and worry about his contract later.

So for those of you counting at home, that was 211 words spent on rehashing the fact that Ben Sheets is a free agent.

Now, the Michael Hunt plan.

But when later comes, what should Attanasio do?

Make your best pitch. Make it very public. And if another team drops Johan Santana or Barry Zito money on Sheets, only the most unrealistic in this town would complain.

Listen. Sometime in the last few years, the Brewers became an actual baseball team. They actually have a plan. They don't make Chuckie Carr type deals anymore. And most importantly, they will spend money.

Most fans realize that if the Brewers don't spend a ton of money on an injury plagued pitcher its not because the Seligs are cheap, its because it isn't in the teams best interest to be competitive long term.

So yeah, make it public, but Milwaukee fans aren't idiots. If Sheets walks they are still going to show up to the games.

Its one thing for fans to perpetuate the myth that the Brewers trade/let go of anyone who is in line to make money, its another for the Journal-Sentinel columnist to do this.

With revenue sharing that increases annually and the chance to draw 3 million at Miller Park this season, the Brewers can occasionally behave like a big-market team. The mutually beneficial $45 million Ryan Braun contract was an example, but a 20-victory pitcher is a whole 'nother tax bracket.

This just baffles me. Signing Braun to that deal is exactly what small market teams do (see Sizemore, Grady; Longoria, Evan; and Tulowitski, Troy; for further examples).

Santana got $137.5 million over six years from the New York Mets. Zito, who is 3-11 with a 5.91 ERA, got $126 million over seven from San Francisco. The Mets and Giants can absorb potentially horrendous contracts with their market size. The Brewers are competitive with an $82 million payroll, but it's doubtful, with the debt service Attanasio inherited and the economy, that it would ever break through $100 million.

So I'm no economics professor, but unless we are entering the great depression (maybe we are?) I have a hard time connecting the poor housing market and rising gas prices with how a major league baseball operates.

The Brewers payroll now is almost double what it was a few years ago, dismissing a $100 million payroll a few years from now if the Brewers continue to be successful is foolish.

Fans don't want to hear that, and, yes, the Brewers should make a reasonable run at Sheets if he stays healthy. There will be financial leeway when Eric Gagné's $10 million contract mercifully expires at the end of the season. And if Prince Fielder doesn't pick it up, he won't hurt the Brewers nearly as much as they thought in arbitration.

Very true, but the issue with Sheets has never been "can they pay him next year" its always been can they afford to pay him $18 million in 2012?

Yovani Gallardo will be back, but can he remain injury free? The other problem is a farm system rich in position players but poor in legitimate pitchers. Meanwhile, this is not a rotation that projects well for 2009 and beyond without Sheets.

Here is where I get totally lost.

Gallardo had a freak injury that had nothing to do with his arm. You might as well ask "can Jeff Suppan remain injury free" because he is just as likely to get hurt as Gallardo.

The Brewers rotation projects fine thank you very much. Assuming the Brewers make no free agent signings to replace Sheets (big assumption) they will still have Parra and Gallardo at the top, Suppan in the middle and other possibilities at 4/5 (Villy, McClung, and maybe even Bush). The poor pitching in the minors may exist in the upper levels, but the talent in the lower levels will probably be making a move up to the big league squad in 2010/2011.

(I realize the above paragraph might not be the biggest relief to Brewer fans, but with an improving Parra and Gallardo at the top of the rotation combined with at least one new pitcher aquired in free agency or a trade, it might already be better than the Cubs or Cards in 2009/10).

So what's reasonable? The Brewers thought $48 million over four was about right for Carlos Lee, until Houston put an absurd $100 million in his pocket. For a healthy Sheets, it's doubtful the Brewers could afford more than $60 million over four. Beyond being unrealistic for a premium starter in his prime, it could be the biggest mistake this franchise ever made if the unreliable Sheets broke down again. Even a half-price Zito-type mistake would be disastrous here.

Actually kind of agree with this. Am I losing my mind?

It's possible the economy could put a drag on the free-agent lunacy and keep Sheets here. More likely, he won't be back because baseball still doesn't have a salary cap.

Mind back. I think I'm just an idiot and don't understand how the economy effects the size of Sheets' contract. Wouldn't what teams are interested, and what other players go for have more of an effect? Anyone? Bueller?

An impractical Brewers fan might be furious if Sheets finally realized his potential in a contract year. A healthier perspective would be to enjoy the ride while it lasts.

Love how he ties it back together....but seriously? If Sheets throws lights out the rest of the year and people are furious let me know, I will punch them in the face (actually pay someone else to do it since I don't venture outside much).

Hey Tom

2008-05-19T11:33:00.003-05:00

I talked to my source* and he said the Brewers are firing Yost this afternoon.

Go ahead and put that on the website.

*my dog

Cubs Sign Edmonds, send Pie down

2008-05-13T14:33:00.007-05:00

TYI Reaction: hahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahahah
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The Time has Come

2008-05-08T08:04:00.003-05:00

Ned has got to go.

In saying this I realize that the majority of the current problems are out of his control.

Prince's inability to hit for power, or hit any pitch on the outside half of the plate
Braun's complete lack of plate discipline
Hart's absence of power
Hall's.......well you could say a lot of things. I'll just say "inability to hit"
Hardy and Weeks' embarrassingly low averages
Gagne
(insert pitcher here)'s ability to work past the 5th or 6th

I could obviously go on.

I found myself defending Yost a lot over the past couple years. I felt that a lot of Milwaukee baseball fans were too quick to blame the manager for everything. I've thought (and still do to a point) that Brewer fans overestimate the ability of some of the younger players. I thought it was almost lazy of Brewer fans to blame Yost instead of actually looking deeper into the problems of this team.

I've understood that Yost can't make the bullpen pitch well. He can't force the pitching staff to get through the 6th. Was he ever a "great" manager? Probably not, but he was never the chief problem with this team.

However, the time has come for a change, and it might not even be Yost's fault. If this is just the case of Yost taking the heat for 25 guys not doing their job....well than that is what needs to happen. Lets face it, as much as we'd like to replace Hall/Weeks/Hardy/etc. with some players who can actually hit - its not going to be done this year.

I don't want to put Yost down too much - I appreciate what he has done with this franchise the past few years, but lets face it, the Brewers wouldn't be letting go of a coaching legend, or even an established manager with a track record for success. This isn't like if the Cubs fired Pinella. After six years, Yost is still an unproven manager in the major leagues.

At this point, I don't see how replacing Yost as manager could hurt the Brewer's 2008 chances. I'm assuming that this order will need to come from Mark A. as I don't see Melving making a move. Lets hope that Mark A's perspective (and money) is the one that wins out in the next few weeks.

Awesome Game Yesterday

2008-05-02T08:18:00.001-05:00

Victory

2008-04-21T16:16:00.000-05:00

Thanks for answering my question guys....

Q: Andy of Chicago - Tom/Anthony, I've heard that Ned Yost is quite the fan of coffee. As a coffee connoisseur myself, I'm curious as to the type of coffee he drinks, and how many cups per day he usually downs. Thanks guys and keep up the good work!

A: Brewers Mailbag - I know he frequents Starbucks quite often. Not sure what he's got in the pot in his office. I'd say he drinks around 12 cups a day. And that might be a conservative estimate.

Couple Things

2008-04-18T12:35:00.005-05:00

1) A quick follow up to the "Hory Kow" shirt - the Sun Times, not surprisingly, absolutely slammed the guy who makes them while working in some diggs on all Cubs fans.

Great read, my favorite part:

Regardless, it's not funny. The image feeds not only ugly, arrogant and ignorant Japanese stereotypes, but also the stereotype of the obnoxious, profane, drunken, booing, garbage-throwing Cubs fan.

How much truth is there in either image? And how funny is either one?

Kolbusz said he's ''indifferent'' to the image on the shirt.
''I'm making money,'' he said. ''It doesn't offend me. If other people are offended by it, it's just a silly T-shirt. Nobody is trying to offend anybody.''

Which is probably true -- and, if so, sadly ignorant.

2) As you have probably noticed, there haven't been any updates on the blog lately. Unfortunately that is probably the outlook for the foreseeable future. Between my daily routine of working/commuting 11 hours and spending over 3 hours watching the Brewers (on my laptop no less) there hasn't been enough time or motivation to write new material for TYI outside of analyzing each individual game (done much better by sites like RightFieldBleachers.com and BrewCrewBall.com).

This may change later in the year so feel free to check back periodically. Meanwhile thanks to everyone who has read/commented/emailed/linked TYI the past few months.

Draw your own conclusion

2008-04-11T17:16:00.001-05:00

An actual shirt they are selling outside of Wrigley in honor of Fukudome.

Keep it classy Cubs fans.

Prince doesn't eat meat? No way!

2008-04-10T22:19:00.006-05:00

Its never been clear what Mike Hunt's obsession with Prince Fielder has been about (or my obsession with Mike Hunt - but thats another article). He wrote about his contract situation (albeit a little late), he covered his new diet, and now - he uses his platform at the Journal Sentinel to write about Prince's "struggles" through 9 games this season.

We examine below....

It might be somewhat impractical to point out that a baseball player has begun a season without a home run in his first nine games.

I agree - very impractical to point this out. In fact if you were to point this out on Brewerfan you'd be shouted down by a lot of other rational people...but...wait....you....write for....a newspaper with a huge circulation....and...you....are...pointing this very issue...out...right now!

But this is Prince Fielder, who averaged one majestic blast for roughly every three games he played last season, we're talking about here.

Just you - you're the person talking about his lack of power after 9 games.

This isn't exactly what you'd call an issue, not yet, no matter if the Carnivores of Southeastern Wisconsin are planning to hold their next meeting in front of the big guy's locker in hopes of a relapse.

And we begin Mike Hunt's obsession with Prince Fielder's eating habits.

Its almost like he has covered this before.....

Fielder was 0 for 11 in the series the Brewers just dropped to the Cincinnati Reds. Except for a double he hit off the base of the center-field wall against San Francisco a few days earlier, Fielder hasn't made real solid contact yet. He's batting .242 with more strikeouts (six) than RBI (five).

Since joining the lineup for good in 2006, he has never gone this long without going yard, the last one coming on Sept. 25, 2007.

But it is early, ridiculously early for anyone to be worrying about Prince Fielder's swing.

EXCEPT YOU -- AND YOUR JOURNAL SENTINEL COLUMN-- JUST SPENT TWO PARAGRAPHS WORRYING ABOUT PRINCE FIELDER'S SWING.

Prince was also batting like .350 before the Reds series - why are we even talking about batting average after 9 games?

Anyone, that is, except for Fielder himself.

(And you...Mike Hunt)

"Come on, man," Fielder said Thursday after another 0-fer in the 4-1 loss to the Reds. "What do you think? No, I'm not OK with (my swing). It's god-awful. If I'm going to be in the middle of the lineup I've got to be a little better. Just got to keep going up there and swinging hard."

And you expected him to reply, "Nah man - my swing is fine." I'm assuming Hunt only actually watches games and interviews players if its a day game - so job well done.

Fielder has been through this before. Two years ago, not long after the Brewers traded doubles machine Lyle Overbay to make way for such power, Fielder began his career in earnest 0 for 11 with seven strikeouts. Since then, bleacher seats all over baseball have taken a beating.

I bet I could pull numerous 11 at-bat streaks where Prince has struggled (obviously way to lazy to do this).

Last year, at 23, Fielder became the youngest player to hit 50 home runs in a single season.

This off-season, Fielder became a vegetarian, so, of course, he will hear it now, especially this weekend when the Brewers are in New York:

Hey, Prince, have a cheeseburger.

He may here it from random fans wherever he goes. I'm assuming by his body size he's been hearing remarks like that since he started elementary school.

One place he is hearing talk about his eating habits? The Journal Sentinel.

But, really, does Fielder look any weaker to you? I asked him if he felt weaker.

"No, man," he said.

Again - nice job with the locker room access. I'm STUNNED that Prince didn't think he was weaker.

Fielder complained during spring training when the Brewers assigned him a $670,000 salary after such a season, but that doesn't mean he is under any more pressure to produce. He may hear about it more if he doesn't hit soon, but hit he will. He's too good a hitter, and not just a home-run hitter, to stay down long.

Remember when Mike found out about Prince's contract - 12 days too late? I do.

And the long ball?

"I just want to hit the ball hard first," Fielder said. "You can't worry about home runs until you make contact. I'll just try to hit the ball hard and see what happens. I'm just not getting the job done."

Great questions elicit great answers.

It's been said that Fielder plays best when he is challenged. If the Brewers didn't know it before, they know now that the National League Central is a little better than anyone thought. Fielder is the undisputed leader, the one who has shown the way with his bat.

Now we reach the point in the article where we are just filling space. Hunt went over his two main points:

Prince is struggling. We should be worried and he is going to use Milwaukee's newspaper to call attention to it.
Prince may have lost strength because he stopped eating meat. He will bring this up, and uses his locker room access to ask Prince about this.

The only thing left to fill space is maybe a game summary, some quotes and a good line that ties the article together by finishing the thought of the first paragraph.

Miller Park might've come down had Fielder connected in the ninth against Francisco Cordero, who was enthusiastically booed before he even left the Reds bullpen. Instead, Fielder fouled out.

Getting there...

Earlier against Aaron Harang, "He got a pitch that he just missed," manager Ned Yost said. "He just got under it and skied it straight to right field. We're talking a half an inch or a quarter of an inch more and that ball is in the seats. So there's no concern."

Almost there......

No, there's not. Not yet.

(Thanks Mike)

Very Off Topic

2008-04-10T16:03:00.002-05:00

But this is too good.....

This has to be some sort of record right?

2008-04-10T11:06:00.004-05:00

Yesterday Brewer pitching walked 9 guys - not good. Even worse - they walked 9 guys on a team managed by Mr. Clogging the Bases himself.

This has to approach some sort of single game record against a Dusty Baker managed team (though Bonds probably skews everything).

Lets hope we can keep the walks to a minimum today - though wasn't it enjoyable to see Bush strike out Dunn then throw 8 straight balls?

Grindy Update

2008-04-09T10:21:00.004-05:00

Creepy Cardinal Nation (CCN) is back!

So I was reading FJM's pretty funny reaction to a Toronto Star beat writer's overreaction to an innocent question. I of course read the comments to this mailbag and stumbled across the best defense of David Eckstein I have read on the internet. CCN back at it again.

Most rational humans (non-CCN) see Eckstein for what he is - an average shortstop with little power with decent (not great) OBP throughout his career. This guy....not so much.

The full comment below (I've broken in up into paragraphs to make it easier to read) - my favorite parts in bold.

I have been following Eckstein since 2002 no matter what team he his on. I will grant that Eckstein may not provide as strong as arm as most shortstops and make the defensive stops that Ozzie did, but he is one solid player and has proven his defensive and offensive ability.

Why have a SS that has a stronger arm less offensive output when Eck might make 3 less outs per 100 attempts? He does not make mental miscues and gives 110% ever day he is out there. Look at his work ethic. Toronto fans will have an opportunity to watch him on a daily basis.

He is one of the first at the park to prepare and will work harder than most if not all of the other players. This is the reason for his success. He has been on successful teams whereever he has gone. Most people cite is stature and say he "has just enough" That is crazy. He has more than most. He has shown he has the talent to be there (two World Championships and 1 World Series MVP).

Some would say he is lucky. I would say they don't know what they are talking about. If you follow him daily has I do (and as you all will have the chance to), you will find out why the Blue Jays have opted to have Eckstein. I will enoy watching him bring the Blue Birds to the post season as he was a major factor for the Red Birds.

I'm tempted to think that this is simply a FJM reader having a little fun with the comments section, but because of the terrible logic and utter disregard for any sort of proper grammar (like TYI) - all signs point to a native of both Missouri and CCN.

Thoughts?

Your new closer

2008-04-08T22:06:00.003-05:00

Amen!

2008-04-07T15:50:00.008-05:00

From Journal Sentinal on Friday (also linked on Deadspin and many other national blogs now), a pretty thought provoking article about the parking lot situation at Miller Park.

The article documents some of the "interesting" ideas people have used to avoid the 45 minute wait to use the port-a-johns in the parking lots.

"Three people told me they were wearing Depends diapers," Loche said.

Some, meanwhile, simply urinated on the asphalt. And many flocked to the makeshift businesses that sprouted on the lots.

One man set up a plywood screen around a large plastic barrel and charged $1 per use. By about 2:15 p.m. the entrepreneur had gone to the game, and the barrel was one-third filled.
A nearby competitor was reportedly charging $3 per visit for a crude toilet surrounded by a shower curtain.

Most elaborate was the operation of Brenden Augustine of Waukesha in a parking lot east of the stadium. He mounted a rented portable toilet on the back of a pickup truck and charged $5 a visit, or $10 for all-day access. Augustine said he and his buddies started the day charging $1 and $5, but raised the rates when long lines began to form.

"Demand went up," he said, "and once demand goes up, you've got to start charging more."

This article raises a very good point. WHY AREN'T THERE MORE PORT-A-JOHNS IN THE PARKING LOT????? YOU'RE A CORPORATION WORTH HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS THAT CHARGES $7 FOR A GODDAMN CUP OF BEER - WHY WON'T YOU PAY MORE MONEY SO I DON'T HAVE TO FILL UP EMPTY VITAMIN WATER BOTTLES AND LEAVE THEM ALL OVER THE PARKING LOT (true story)???

I spent 5 minutes on Google and found new port-a-john for $600. I'm assuming that if the Brewers bought in bulk they could get that price down to at least $450-$500.

What is preventing this from happening? Do we need to write letters? This is not just an opening day problem- this happens every game all year 'round. I'm assuming Miller Park personal (while not confiscating perfectly legal t-shirts that say Yost Infection on them) noticed that there were hour long lines to use a disgusting port-a-john?

I'm glad the national media is picking up on this. Its been years of this crap (whoa!)....get it done Mark A.