More on Bill Hall

In last night's game, Bill Hall was booed when he was at-bat and the questioned is begged - Is it right to boo him?

I think I fall on the side of feeling the booing is legitimate. The guy is hitting horribly and rightfully got benched because of it. I feel this is akin to when Braun got say earlier in the season when he was swinging at anything thrown his way. He was pissed about it and took it to the media, which many feel is unprofessional.

I feel like Hall's handling of the situation is similar to a kid on the playground getting mad and saying "I'm taking my ball and going home." It's so petty and childish to get mad and then have your agent go to the media and ask for a trade.

I find the situation sad because Bill has been nothing but class with this organization and I feel this move is beneath him.

It seems the organization isn't a big fan of this move either, though they are talking a bit around it.
From JSonline.com:

Bross said if Hall had to platoon, it would be best for him and the team if Hall was dealt to another club.

But general manager Doug Melvin is nowhere near ready to make a deal.

"I'm not really motivated to do that," Melvin said. "I'm motivated to make this club the best club I can; to make the postseason, and right now he's a part of that."

...

"Everybody wants to play every single day," Yost said. "The way you do that is you get out there and you produce and get the job done. If it doesn't (happen), we have to find ways to insert people that will do it.

"Does that mean I don't think Billy can get the job done? Absolutely (not), but it doesn't matter what I think until he starts producing against right-handed pitching."

Russell the Muscle

I will fully admit to some major love for Russell "The Muscle" Branyan. The Man, The Myth, The Legend. The Brewers have been 8-2 since his call up. Coincidence? I think not.

I went to 4 games over the past week: Tuesday 5/27, Friday 5/30, Sunday 6/1 and Monday 6/2, and then team won all 4 games. I was ready to proclaim myself the good luck charm, suggest the team gets me into every game and have my legend solidified - and then I realized, it's not me. My status is no match for that of "The Muscle."

Only he can be credited with the resurgence of this team. His gleaming sun glasses have been the harbinger of a new season for this team.

Possible pitching ideas

Despite good starts recently from Bush, Parra and McClung, the Brewers starting pitching situation is precarious at best. While it would be great if this was a signal of the pitchers settling in and finding their rhythm, I'm skeptical. McClung had a great outing last night, but the outing before that couldn't have been worse. Bush and Parra are getting past the 5th inning, which had previously been the killer. So let's say we can't assume that all those troubles mysteriously disappeared.

Looking at the Brewers schedule for June shows that the off days would allow us to skip the #5 spot in the rotation all but two times this month. Should we move to a 4 man rotation that ensure that no-matter what, Ben Sheets pitches every 5th day? Ben's been the only constant and is holding up much better than any of us were willing to hope he would.

Conversely, if we pitch him consistently every 5 days, are we playing with fire and exposing him to what many consider the inevitable injury?

Switching to the 4-man rotation would allow us to get the pitching situation straightened out before July, in which our only off-days are the All-Star Break.

Yost has had a much tighter leash on the pitchers this year, which I've been a big fan of. I'm no Yost-lover, but I can applaud the way he handled Ben Sheets on Saturday. It was completely appropriate to let him try for the complete game and completely appropriate to pull him after the 11-pitch walk to Lance Berkman in the 9th. 111 pitches with one out to get is one thing. 122 with a man on first is another. Don't tempt fate or risk Sheets' arm. I have often felt Ned is on the wrong side of the window to pull pitchers. He either pulls them too soon or leaves them in too long, so I was happy to see the right amount of leeway with Sheets.

ASG clarification

I actually only vote to get the raffle tickets at the games at Miller Park to try to get one of the autographed items. My theory is that I'm turning in those ballots either way, so I'll vote for our guys and if networking with other sites gets our guys more votes, all the better.

I don't imagine it as people who don't normally vote go out and just go crazy voting for Brewers and Royals, but more like, if you're voting anyway, may as well make them count.

Rumor Mill

The rumor mill is churning this morning with renewed vigor on the possibility of a Tony Gwynn for Greg Maddux trade with the Padres.

It's no secret that Gwynn would like to be playing full time and the Gwynn's are royalty in San Diego.

It's also no secret that the Brewers are in desperate need of starting pitching.

The trade rumors surrounding Greg Maddux reach far and wide and include pretty much every NL team there is. Maddux has a full no-trade clause, so he'll be a part of whatever decision is made. Conventional wisdom would say an aging pitcher would prefer sunny California to Milwaukee, but you never know.

Maddux clearly has a big contract and is on the down side of his career arc, but I can't imagine we'd be able to get him for just Tony Gwynn and I'm not sure how many guys we should be willing to give up in order to have Maddux for the rest of the season.


This writer thinks Maddux is staying put:

Maddux isn't going far, if anywhere, in a trade

Posted: May 30, 2008

It's still spring, but it sure seems that hope has long left Petco Park in San Diego. The team is suffering through one of those meltdown seasons in which the best player (in this case, Jake Peavy) gets hurt, the elder stalwart (Trevor Hoffman) finally breaks down and the big gambles (Jim Edmonds and Tadahito Iguchi) fail to pay off.

This sort of thing always attracts the attention of the rumor mill because the thought is that the team in the midst of a hopeless year would be best off looking to deal any of today's useful parts in exchange for more hope tomorrow.

The Padres happen to have one of the most useful parts in baseball history -- 350-game winner Greg Maddux, who, at age 42, still has a mastery of the strike zone and is carrying himself like a guy 15 years younger. He still slides that sharp-moving fastball around the corners, and umpires still give him the benefit of the doubt. As long as he has those positives, he is useful in the big leagues and a target for the many pitching-starved clubs vying for playoff spots.

But, a scout says, there are two things keeping Maddux from being elsewhere at this point.

First is Maddux himself. He is happy in Southern California and has little desire to leave -- which is important because Maddux would have to waive his no-trade clause in order to be traded. At this point, he is willing to suffer with the Padres rather than pack up and head for, say, Philadelphia or Houston. Or even to the Cubs, for that matter. He won't go to the American League, so the West Coast is not exactly teeming with possibilities. If he wants to play for a California N.L. team with a shot at a World Series, the only choice would be a return to the Dodgers.

The second thing keeping Maddux in San Diego is the Padres. They would certainly move Maddux, especially if he expressed eagerness to go. But, absent a bidding war, teams are not going to give up much for a 42-year-old corner painter, no matter the resume. In this case, because Maddux can be a free agent after the season, the Padres would be better off letting him leave then (they would get a compensatory draft pick) than taking a middling prospect.

According to the rumor mill, that means Maddux should be in one of two places come August: still pitching for San Diego or up the road, working in Dodger blue.

Bill Hall wants to be traded

As you can see from the timestamp, this was just put up on the JSOnline.com Brewers blog.

Hall wants a trade

By Tom Haudricourt

Monday, Jun 2 2008, 10:43 PM

Bill Hall wants out.

Hall's agent, Terry Bross, told me tonight that he believes it would be best for both the Brewers and his client if Hall is traded to another club where he could play regularly.

Hall made no qualms about being unhappy when the Brewers called up Russell Branyan from Class AAA Nashville on May 24 to platoon at third base. The right-handed hitting Hall was batting .158 against right-handed pitchers at the time, prompting the Brewers to summon the left-handed-hitting Branyan to share the position.

Hall felt unfairly singled out because he had switched positions several times in past years at the club's bequest and was a .262 career hitter against right-handed pitchers prior to 2008. Manager Ned Yost stopped short of calling it a strict platoon but Hall has not started against a right-handed pitcher since Branyan arrived.

"If Billy's not going to be an everyday player, it's probably best for him and the team to be traded," said Bross. "They could get a pitcher for him that would really help the team. I'm sure there are some teams out there that could use a third baseman or shortstop."

Bross said he had not formerly requested a trade from Brewers general manager Doug Melvin. Hall said he preferred to be moved to another club but left it to Bross to do the talking on that subject.

"(Bross) knows how I feel," said Hall.

Melvin said he spoke with Bross after Branyan was called up but did not discuss the possibility of a trade.

"I didn't get the impression then that he wanted a trade," said Melvin. "I don't look at it (like Hall should be traded). Billy's still a very helpful player on the club against left-handed pitching. We haven't talked about (a possible trade)."

Hall, 28, filled in for injured shortstop J.J. Hardy in 2006 and had his best season, slugging 35 homers and driving in 85 runs, earning team MVP honors. After agreeing to move to centerfield last year, Hall was given a four-year, $24 million contract, at the time the biggest deal in club history for an everyday player.

Hall focused on that position switch and his offense suffered. He slipped to a .254 batting average with 14 homers and 63 RBI.

Hall was under the impression he would be the centerfielder for years to come. But the Brewers signed free-agent centerfielder Mike Cameron over the winter and moved Hall to third base, paving the way to shift error-prone Ryan Braun to left field.

It was that willingness by Hall to move around the diamond that particularly irked him when he lost his everyday status at third base. At the time, he was batting .220 with nine homers and 22 RBI.

"It's not like he was the only guy struggling in the lineup at the time," said Bross. "Billy's done everything asked of him. He's thankful to them for signing him to a multi-year contract but I think it's probably time for a change of scenery.

"If you were the Brewers, why wouldn't you move him? I would think it would be in both Billy's best interests and the team's best interests."

Hall was back in the lineup tonight against Arizona lefty Doug Davis and should start Tuesday, also, against left-hander Randy Johnson.

Let's Talk Football

I'm so not yet in the football mindset, but I wanted to check out the Badgers road schedule this season and found this press release

Athlon Sports Ranks Wisconsin No. 12
MADISON, Wis.

Athlon Sports, publisher of the No. 1 selling college football magazine, named Wisconsin as its preseason 12th-ranked team on Tuesday. Travis Beckum, UW’s All-American tight end, is featured on the cover of the regional magazine this season. Click here for the complete story.

Bret Bielema's Wisconsin Badgers grabbed the No. 12 position with 14 players selected as All-Big Ten performers. Athlon Sports predicts Wisconsin to finish second in the Big Ten Conference. In 2007, the Badgers ended the season with a 5-3 mark in the conference finishing in fourth place.

Athlon Sports has picked the following players to receive postseason accolades; Tight end Travis Beckum is named First-Team All-America and First-Team All-Big Ten, while kick returner David Gilreath is named Third-Team All-America and First Team All-Big Ten. Offensive lineman Kraig Urbik and defensive lineman Matt Shaughnessy are named First-Team All-Big Ten, while running back P.J. Hill, offensive linemen Gabe Carimi and Andy Kemp, defensive lineman Mike Newkirk and safety Shane Carter are named Second-Team All-Big Ten. Tight end Garrett Graham, center John Moffitt, offensive lineman Eric Vanden Heuvel, linebacker DeAndre Levy and cornerback Allen Langford join the All-Big Ten Third Team.

The 2008 College Football Preview Issues will hit newsstands on June 3.

The Nashville, Tenn.-based Athlon Sports is a 41-year-old integrated media company. It remains a leader in sports prediction accuracy and creating the most sought-after preseason content online and in magazines at newsstand. Athlon Sports exports its brands internationally in 33 countries.

An All Star Game voting proposition

While filling out my ballots for the All Star Game this weekend I realized that I don't really care about the AL team and since I was filling out multiple ballots to get my raffle tickets, I was just arbitrarily punching the AL side of the ballot.

I sent this email to a few Royals bloggers and they're on deck with it, so now I'm trying to get other Brewers fans involved.

I'm not sure about your ballclub, but the Brewers go all out trying to push the All-Star voting by their fans. I've literally seen kids walk out of the stadium carrying boxes of unpunched ballots (3000 or so to a box). They offer incentives for every 10 ballots turned in with raffles of autographed merchandise.

I realized that I punch in all my Brewers and then arbitrarily vote for members of the AL. If I feel like reading over it, I try not to punch any Yankees or Red Sox, but for the most part, I just go right down the line. I don't care who's on the AL team.

If my theory is correct, AL voters feel the same way and I do about voting for the NL team, especially if they're voting in mass quantity.

So I propose we two fan bases tie together and agree to vote together. All your NL votes go to Brewers, all our AL votes go to Royals.

We're both small market teams with limited coastal media exposure and a long shot at getting more than one guy on the All-Star roster. As all our "opposite league" votes are just throw aways, why don't we start a campaign of "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours."

We involve other team blogs, spread the word, and make a difference.

I've thought about possible detractors, and I don't see any. I can only speak from this side, but since they're handing out ballots 3000 at a time, I don't think the Brewers have any problem with stuffing the ballot boxes. If we're doing it anyway for our guys, why don't we help each other out.

What do you think? I know it's a bit late for the idea, but we do have 6 weeks til the game and I really think that it we can get this going, we could make it a yearly tie-together and get some midwestern love for our little teams that could.

So you can check out Minda's blog here. She's a Royals blogger and a writer on Ladies... and she'll be passing along the info to her Royals blogger friends.

So let's bond up together for the greater good of our two teams. Pass the word on, Brewers fans.

More looks at the management of the Brewers

Did you know that of the 17 managers who managed in the big leagues prior to 2006, only two have failed to take their team to the postseason: Ned Yost and John Gibbons. Gibbons has the excuse that he plays in the same league as the Yankees and Red Sox. What's Ned got? Tons of homegrown, young talent? Support and money from a new owner?

That detail about Yost was in a column in the Denver Post by Woody Paige where the local sports media is calling for the firing of Rockies manager Clint Hurdle. This in the season following a World Series appearance. It includes this line: "He has problems with in-game management, handling of pitchers and snippiness with those he believes are not as baseball-wise as he is. " Sound familiar?

Of course, those of us fed up with Ned are told to quiet down, it's not Ned's fault despite the fact that he's had 6 years to give us a playoff team.

While searching the Denver Post webiste for the link to that column, I came across this comment on another Rockies tidbit. Replace Hurdle's name with Ned's and the comment still resonates in Milwaukee - maybe more-so.

Clint Hurdle is a care-taker, not a MLB manager. He has no fire or passion and can't make adjustments when the team loses. His pitching staff is a joke and his team can't hit. When the Tigers started the season off bad, Jim Leyland was screaming and yelling at his players to improve. They did and now they win more games. Clint Hurdle shrugs his shoulders, smiles, and walks out of the locker room after the Rocks get pounded.. If the Rockies want to be a consistently good club, they need to hire people with fire and passion for the game.

___

Of course, it's becoming abundantly clear that Ned's not the only member of Brewer's management who warrants a good look. Have we moved past the point where we can blindly think that Ned's the only one responsible for the shape of the team?

I've been a pretty blind Melvin supporter, but we're in the third year of a serious pitching shortage. Why hasn't the front office realized the lack of sustainable starting pitching is going to be a detriment to our post-season hopes?

And isn't this on Melvin, not Ned? I mean, Ned's not out there with the ball and he's certainly not coaching the pitchers. He's working with what he's got, right? So why isn't what he's got a better core? In terms of starting pitching in the past three years, we've made one major move: acquiring Jeff Suppan.

Can we really argue that as a positive handling of the starting pitching situation? Sure, we had a dearth of starters at the beginning of the season, but that doesn't mean they were good, just that we had a lot of them. Should we really follow unquestionably a GM who is pushing this as the
"now-or-never" team when it rides on the shoulders of a injury-plagued ace, an aging #2 and #3-5 that have consistently underperformed?

Sure, the defense has improved, but I think we'll see that level off. Rickie will always be Rickie. Prince isn't suddenly going to become 6'3". There are limits to these guys and what they can do.

I don't know about anyone else, but I'm ready for the media and fans around here to be as up in arms over the mediocrity of this ballclub.

I'm not sure what Doug Melvin, Gord Ash and Mark Attanasio are waiting for. We're at the point where no one would accuse them of acting too hastily. They've shown patience in abundance.

I think fans want and deserve a change. They've been sold on a playoff team this year by management and that team simply hasn't been getting it done in spite of the talent level, just like last year.

____

Finally, a discussion of the game 9th inning on Sunday came up over at Brewerfan.net and the following argument was made:


It didn't end up figuring in the result due to Mota's wild pitch, but can someone please explain Yost's 9th inning defensive strategy to me?

1 out, men on the corners, tie game. And you bring the infield in? WHY?

The only way you gun down the runner at home is if someone hits a ball right at an infielder...if that happens, why would you not be playing for a double play?

Maybe I'm missing something here, someone please explain this. Many people defend Yost and say the players are responsbile...not here. It's overlooked because it didn't matter, but I don't get it at all.

Another thing about this strategy: The Brewers weren't holding the man on first, so as Mota delivered the fateful pitch, the runner on first broke for second and would have arrived easily.

After the first pitch, the Nats would have had 2nd and 3rd with one out. I would imagine that Yost would have walked the batter to load the bases to set up a force at every base. So, the pitch that Mota threw was a meaningless pitch. Nice call, Ned.

Hall demoted to platooning

Hall falls into platoon at hot corner

Milwaukee (22-24) at Pittsburgh (21-25), Thursday, 6:05 p.m. CT

By Adam McCalvy / MLB.com

PITTSBURGH -- The numbers finally got the best of Bill Hall this week, with manager Ned Yost opting for an informal platoon at third base between Hall and Craig Counsell.

Hall, a right-handed hitter, was hitting .371 against left-handed pitchers through Tuesday but only .163 against right-handers. With righty Ian Snell on the mound Wednesday night, Yost started the left-handed-hitting Counsell at the hot corner.

"I'm going to have to do it a little more until some of these numbers come up for Billy," Yost said. "His left-handed numbers are as good as you can dream of ... but his right-handed numbers are about as low as they go."

The upcoming schedule is favorable to Hall. The Pirates will field a left-handed starter for Thursday's series finale at PNC Park, followed by two Nationals left-handers to begin a four-game series in Washington.

Entering the season, Hall was a career .270 hitter against left-handers and .262 against right-handers. But the split started to emerge last season, when he hit .270 against lefties and .246 against righties.

Yost was surprised to note how dramatically the gap has changed. In 2004, Hall's first full season, he hit only .190 against left-handed pitchers and .256 against right-handers.

"When you're struggling to score some runs, you're going to have to find ways to improve a little but here and there," Yost said. "It's not something I enjoy doing, but we have to do it right now.

"I think we are at a point where we can't get any deeper into this. You try to find every little bit of offense we can get here."

Pitching matchup
MIL: RHP Dave Bush (1-4, 6.05 ERA)
Bush has had some trouble of late getting the third out. All five Red Sox runs against him in Game 2 of a doubleheader on Saturday scored with two outs, though one was unearned. Bush surrendered a two-out, two-run double to Mike Lowell on a curveball down and away in the first inning, then misplaced a fastball to Lowell in the third and saw it go for a two-out, two-run home run. Thirteen of the 28 earned runs that Bush has surrendered this season have scored with two outs.

PIT: LHP Tom Gorzelanny (3-4, 6.64 ERA)
Mercifully, Gorzelanny won't be facing a club with 'Chicago' laced across the front of its uniform. Take away the left-hander's woes against the Cubs this season (three starts, 11 total innings, 21 runs), and Gorzelanny's numbers aren't so bad. His command has only sporadically matched that which he showed a year ago, however, his fastball still clocks in about two to three mph slower than it did in 2007. The lefty needs to get his pitches down, and his next test in doing so will come against a Milwaukee team that he has never faced before.

Tidbits
Yost and Brewers general manager Doug Melvin, like all Major League managers and GMs, participated in a conference call with league officials on Wednesday regarding efforts to speed the pace of games. MLB advised clubs that umpires will be more vigilant in enforcing rules like 6.02 and 8.04, which pertain to batters taking too much time getting into the box and pitchers exceeding the 12-second limit between pitches. Umpires will also be more active in shortening coaches' visits to the mound. ... Yost said catcher Jason Kendall's outstanding throwing numbers this season (he had thrown out 12 of 30 basestealers entering Wednesday's game, or 40 percent) are the result of changes to Kendall's throwing mechanics, and not necessarily related to pitchers' efforts to be quicker to the plate. Last year, Kendall threw out 13 of 124 runners, or 10.5 percent. ... By winning the first two games of the series, the Brewers ensured their first series win at PNC Park since August 2006 and moved to within a win of their first-ever series sweep here.

UEFA Champions League Final

I have this Tivoing at home and was going to try and avoid the score til I could get home and watch it, but I figured that's futile. Then I discovered I can watch the live feed on ESPN360.com, which is killer!

It's Manchester United vs Chelsea, an all-English final from Russia. We're in extra time right now, 1-1 and Chelsea has hit the woodwork twice since I started watching with about 15 minutes left in regulation.

Come on you Blues!

Elvis is in the building

Introducing the third (temporary) CuteSports puppy, Elvis! (Velvet) Elvis was rescued from a breeder who was mistreating his dogs. Elvis is so emaciated that he's not able to be neutered until he puts on more weight. He is clearly a slighter build than my Flash, but at 33 pounds, he's still entirely too small. But he's full of love and has done nothing but cuddle since we got him on Saturday. He's available for adoption from Basset Buddies. Check out their website here.

Blog reports through unconfirmed source that Ned is getting fired today

Source: Ned Yost to be relieved of his duties Monday

While BadgerBlogger can not independently confirm this, sources close to the Milwaukee Brewers organization tell BadgerBlogger late this evening, in the midst of another horrid road trip, and on the heels of a sweep by the Boston Red Sox, that Brewers manager Ned Yost will be relieved of his duties during the team’s off day Monday, and replaced on an “interim” basis by team bench coach Ted Simmons.

Many baseball insiders routinely refer to Simmons as one of the “best minds in baseball“; perhaps his new role will provide the direction and leadership this team has been so badly lacking.
Bruce J Redenz

Braun signs 7 year extension worth $45 million

from MilwaukeeBrewers.com
MILWAUKEE -- The Brewers announced a record contract extension for left fielder Ryan Braun on Thursday that sets the standard for players with zero to three years of Major League experience.

The contract is for eight years and $45 million, exceeding the six-year, $31 million contract signed by Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, who would have been eligible for salary arbitration one year earlier than Braun. Braun's deal blows away the six-year, $17.5 million guaranteed to Rays third baseman Evan Longoria, who like Braun falls into the "zero-plus" category of service time.

"It's a very good contract for both the ballclub and Ryan," general manager Doug Melvin said at a press conference at Miller Park.

Braun hit .324 with 34 home runs last season last season and edged Tulowitzki in a close National League Rookie of the Year vote. Because he was not promoted to the Majors until late May, Braun would not have been eligible for arbitration until the 2010-11 offseason and for free agency until 2013-14.
___

The deal is for 8 years because it includes this season and wraps Braun up for the first two years of his free agency.

As far as I'm concerned, this is a great step. Not only is it great to see Brewers management being free with money (Attanasio also said he's willing to spend for a new starting pitcher if the need arises this year) but I'd much rather be tied to Braun than Fielder at this point. It would be great if we could have both, but I don't think this is a franchise that can support two franchise players and I think between Prince's weight and the money his agent Scott Boras is going to want, Braun's the best option of the two.

It had to happen!

The Brewers drinking game! The past few games have been on the upswing, but before that, we all needed the liquor to get through the games! This version is from the Brew Town Beat blog:

It's early May and it's come to this, a legit Brewers drinking game. I'm hoping for some feedback on this one, but for now, while watching a game do the following, but first, prior to the the game, pick up a copy of a newspaper:

PREGAME
DRINK 1 for each quote in which a struggling player says "It's early" when questioned about their lack of production.
DRINK 3 for each quote in which Ned Yost refers to it "being early."
DRINK 10 (beers) for each time Ned Yost refers to a scuffling player as an All Star despite them being over a full year removed (at the least) from being in the All Star Game.


GAMETIME
DRINK 1 for each time the Brewers bat a player batting less than .210 leadoff
DRINK 3 for each time the Brewers bat a player batting under the Mendoza Line leadoff.
DRINK 3 for each scoreless frame the Brewers offense produces.
DRINK 6 if the opposing team scores first.
DRINK 1 for each time a no-doubt bunting situation arises and Ned lets them swing away.
DRINK 1 for each Brewer that strikes out.
DRINK 2 for each Brewer that strikes out vs. a pitcher with an ERA higher than 5.00.
DRINK 6 each time the Brewers have a runner in scoring position with nobody out and fail to plate the run.
DRINK 3 each time the Brewers have a runner in scoring position with one out and fail to plate the run.
DRINK 1 for each walk a Brewers pitcher gives up.
DRINK 6 if the Brewers starting pitcher is chased before pitching 6 innings.
DRINK 6 each time Yost trots out to remove the starter immediately AFTER the heavy damage has been done.
DRINK 3 each time the Brewers have a runner on third with less than two outs and fail to score the run.
DRINK 1 for each dinger served up by a Brewers pitcher.
DRINK 4 for each time a Brewers pitcher cannot execute a bunt.
DRINK 1 for each inning pitched that the Brewers pitcher on the hill has an ERA over 5.00.
DRINK 6 for each blown save the Brewers, ah-hem, closer serves up.
DRINK 4 if the Brewers have to use more than three bullpen arms in a game.
DRINK 1 CASE if a Brewers pitcher has to a leave a game after 2.3 scoreless innings or less with a rather unusual injury.
DRINK 6 for each time the Brewers score less than five runs.
DRINK 5 each time the opposing pitcher sets a new career strikeout high.
DRINK 10 each time a former pathetic Brewers player comes through with a big hit vs. the current team.
_______

And while Googling that, I found the Brewers Bob Uecker radio broadcast Drinking Game. Spectacular!

Bob Uecker Brewers Radio Broadcast Drinking Game:

• Drink once every time he says, "Heeeeee struck him out!"
• Drink once every time he says, "Change of pace, and a dandy"
• Drink once every time he says, "He ... just ... walked ... another ..."
• Drink twice every time he calls a player by the wrong name
• 1 shot each time he starts his home run calls then the ball is caught
• 1 shot every time Ueck makes Jim Powell laugh so hard he can't talk about baseball
• 2 shots every time he tells a story in which he is clearly lying (i.e.,"planting cans," etc.)
• 2 shots if he says, "No, I like him, I really do" when he clearly does not
• Chug any time 20 or more consecutive seconds of dead air transpire during an inning
• Chug while Ueck makes fun of a Brewers Radio Network sponsor
• Chug while he makes fun of the Internet

A Gagne explanation?

Did Gagne blow all those games because he was tipping his pitches to the other team?

According to this article, in not so many words, Ned Yost says yes.

Yost said the Brewers noticed a flaw in Gagne's recent outings, particularly on Saturday, but the manager would not go into detail.

Had Gagne been tipping pitches?

"I'm not telling you guys what it was," Yost said. "It was very obvious. That's why I think he was totally upset."

Well hello, Ryan Braun

The Rookie of the Year is back after whiffing at pretty much anything thrown at him to start the season. I don't think there was a pitcher out there who didn't know that if they pitched it down and away, Ryan was swinging for the fences.

Luckily for us, Braun found his swing. Near the end of tonight's game Braun was 4-5 with a 4 home runs and a walk in his last six plate appearances.

The Brewers won tonight 8-3 on the shoulders of Braun's two homers and a 5-run third inning that featured Mike Cameron's first hit and RBI at home.

We had a 6-game losing streak heading into this series and looking at the schedule we had 4 against the division leading Cards, 3 at the Dodgers and 3 at Boston. It was looking grim.

Instead, we pulled out of our slump with Braun leading the way and took 3 of 4 from the Cardinals and are now back at .500. We're just 4 games back of the also-streaking Cubs who have won 4-in-a-row.

Me and the Brewers: Back on!

Last week, I was telling people that the Brewers and I were “on a break” as though we were dating and I needed some time off. The more I talked about it, the more I realized that being a fan of such a roller coaster team is a lot like being in an unhealthy relationship.

The Brewers are like that guy that you put up with while he yanks you around and just when you’re sick of putting up with his crap and break up with him, he does something like Friday night’s win 2-out 9th inning win against the Cardinals. And then you’re pulled in all over again, convinced this time it will be different.

I was way too involved in the first month of the series and I was taking every loss and every blown save too much to heart, so over the past two weeks I made a marked attempt to distance myself. Otherwise it would have been an awfully long season and no matter how the season ended, I think my fandom would have suffered from the stress of it all and I would have hated the entire team by the time September rolled around.

So last week I flipped the games on occasionally to see the scores, but I refused to get upset. I stayed away from game-threads on message boards and I generally allowed the week to happen without me. Certainly the team didn’t need me, as they kept playing. The world kept spinning and the Brewers spun further off their axis.

I teased mid-week that the team was making a feeble attempt to win my love back as many of the players wore high socks. But even that would not get be parked in front of a game.

My self-imposed exile ended Friday night when a relative of the CuteSports Boyfriend gave us tickets to the game. They were great seats right in front of Uecker and we couldn’t turn them down.

Boy, did the team reward me.

I can only think of two other times in my life that I had as good of a time at a sporting event as I did during the ninth inning of Friday’s Brewer game:

1. When I worked for the Milwaukee Wave and they won their first Championship
2. Being at the 2006 Frozen Four when Wisconsin won the semi-final at the Bradley Center (the final had little suspense)

But as the Brewers continued to get hits with two outs, you could feel the electricity in the crowd. We were all biting our knuckles, wishing and hoping, but not letting ourselves get our hopes too high, since this team has been so good at dashing them this year. It was such a crazy, united feeling of “what if” while all of us wondered if we were nuts for trying to have faith that this team could pull out the victory at the last minute. One moment you were thinking to yourself how a big win at the end could be a turning point for this team that’s floundering and the next you were cursing yourself for being idiot enough to think that they could.

It was spectacular and nerve-wracking and everything that is great about sports and it was for a middlin’ team in the second month of the season!

Gagne out as closer - for now

This is what I get for not checking the news before I head to the ballpark.
CuteSports took Mama CuteSports (also known as Judy Buzzkill) to the game today and we had a great time. We were in the first row of the second deck in right field and we loved the seats. Add dollar hot dogs, some great defense and an offense that didn't just disappear after scoring two runs and it was a great day at the ballpark.

Imagine my surprise, however, when Salomon Torres is entering the game to start the 9th inning. So I called the CuteSportsBoyfriend and he informed me that before the game Ned Yost announced we were closing by committee.

On the plus side, it was Gagne himself who called it out and said he'd been horrible. Not, I'm sure, coincidentally, the day before, the Cardinals' closer, Jason Isringhausen pulled himself from the closer's role.

On the negative side, why was it necessary for Gagne to yank himself?

From The FanHouse:
Eric Gagne Does What Ned Yost Couldn't
Our NL Central man-about-town, Pat Lackey, has long voiced every baseball fan's collective wonder: Just how in the name of everything holy is Eric Gagne still closing baseball games? It's been clear for over a year that the man is not the Eric Gagne of old, but Brewers manager Ned Yost seems to be the only one not paying attention. Four or five blown saves later, and Yost still won't take the man out of the ninth inning spot.

So guess what? Eric Gagne did it himself:

"I don't sit here and make decisions five minutes after a tough loss," Yost said after watching Gagne saddle the Brewers with a defeat that never should have happened.

Minutes later, Gagne took his manager completely off the hook with a pronouncement that was evident to anybody who has watched his work of late. "I don't deserve that ninth inning right now. It's very simple," said Gagne, who surrendered two ninth-inning runs that allowed St. Louis to pull out a 5-3 victory at Miller Park. "It's embarrassing."

Ah, embarassing indeed, but who should be more embarassed? Gagne, whose tools are just clearly not there anymore? Or Yost, whose tools are supposed to involve proper decision-making and talent management? Who's done a worse job?

JSOnline.com coverage

ESPN.com article

Good lord...

In this article on MilwaukeeBrewers.com entertainingly titled "Brewers hitters aim to become All-Stars" there is tidbit:

"The upcoming homestand also features the return of the team's 'Spring Madness' campaign, which includes discounted tickets and $1 hot dogs and small sodas throughout the Cardinals series.

That means the stands will be packed all weekend, and maybe that's what it will take to spark the sluggish Brewers. Things hit something of a low point on Wednesday, when manager Ned Yost called a rare team meeting to clear the air.

Generally, Yost is not a fan of team meetings.

'I think you hold team meetings if guys aren't hustling, or guys aren't mentally focused and prepared to go out and compete," Yost said. "Our guys are never there. They always hustle. They always go out and compete. There's no need to hold a meeting.'"

There was another article about the lineup changes where Yost insists that his team doesn't need a "shakeup."

This was not a "shakeup," Brewers manager Ned Yost said on Thursday, when he rested his three regular players with the highest on-base percentages.

But the lineup will change if the current configuration continues to slump.

"A shakeup wasn't intended," Yost said. "If this continues, obviously, we're going to have to shake the lineup up a little bit. We're going to have to move some guys around. I'm not ready to do that yet."

He might be ready if things don't improve against the Cardinals this weekend. After his club lost its sixth straight game and manufactured just two runs with nine hits, Yost said he would re-examine the issue on Monday if the Brewers don't have a breakout game or two.

"Then, maybe," he said. "But not right now."