General, Uncategorized

Box of Money

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I’ve been off from work this week so I can invest a little extra time toward completing the writing I need to finish on my thesis.  I’m writing a lot about my late middle school/early high school years and some of the things that my friends and I used to do together.  This led me invariably back to my brief but serious comic book phase.

X-Men #25

I remembered how we enjoyed collecting and reading comics (especially all those Marvel mutant titles), but 1991-1993 was also a sort of hey-day for treating comics like commodities or investments.  We were mesmerized month after month by the pricing guides as much as we were by the books we were reading, and the publishing companies obviously took advantage of that, will an endless parade of limited editions, special #1’s, hologram covers, foil embossing, and can’t-miss crossovers (like the Death of Superman, and the Valiant “Unity” series).  I can’t remember if we were just ignorant to the fact that they were printing so damned many copies of every issue that they would never be worth anything, or if we just didn’t care.  Either way, it’s probably best I got off the train when I did, about halfway through my freshman year of high school.

Nevertheless, it is nice to pull these things out once in a while and give them another read.  No matter what a waste of time and money our parents thought it was, there was some decent writing and compelling characters in some of these comics…

General, Uncategorized

Stressful

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Watching the 2nd presidential debate right now.  I feel sorry for Tom Brokaw– he’s trying to keep both these candidates within the time constraints they agreed to, and it’s virtually impossible.  Not that it matters much, as neither one is doing much to address the actual quesitons that are being asked (by my non-scientific count, in the first hour I’ve seen Obama give what could be considered a direct answer twice, and McCain twice once-and-a-half).

You know what I would like to see in the next presidential election cycle?  ACTUAL DEBATES.  These charades are basically just 120-minute ads with the candidates bickering and shouldering each other for the most time.  If you’ve taken the time to read up on the candidates, done some independent research, you can totally skip these things.

OK, now next question.  Next QUESTION.  NEXT QUESTION!!!!!!

Sports, Uncategorized

The Fates of Forty Men

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Briefly, my thoughts on the Brewers playoff games from this past weekend: it was great.  Tons of fun both days, and you’ve never seen a crowd at a Milwaukee baseball game more excited or more glued to the action.  Check out the Milwaukee gallery for the photo evidence.

So if you follow sports, you know that what happens immediately after a season ends is the speculation; the build-up to next year; the assessment of where the team ended up, and what you possibly do to make things better.  Less than 24 hours removed from the last playoff game, then, is my personal opinion on what should (and what will) happen to players currently on the Brewers 40-man roster.  I hope you like your explanations quick and dirty, because that’s the way I do it.

For some explanation on terminology, take a look at the MLB Players’ Association site, most notably the “Basic” Collective Bargaining Agreement (only 241 pages), or the FAQs on when a player is eligible for salary arbitration, and when a player is eligible for free agency.  The Wikipedia article on Major League baseball transactions is pretty useful, too.

* – denotes a player I think is a lock for the 25-man roster on Opening Day 2009

** – a good bet to be on the 25-man roster

PITCHERS

  • Dave Bush* – He’ll be back, and in the starting rotation once again.  If I’m not mistaken, he has a year or two of arbitration left before becoming a free agent.  If he has a slow start in ’09 like he did this year, his chances of hanging on to that starting job will depend on who his manager is…
  • Chris Capuano** – Spring Training will mean everything for Cappy.  After two Tommy John surgeries, his days as a starting pitcher are probably over.  He was never overpowering to begin with, though, and if he can command a variety of pitches, he could remake himself as a versatile lefty specialist.  I’m thinking he’ll make it.
  • Todd Coffey** – He sure looked like a great waiver pickup in the second half of September after spending most of the year at AAA in the Reds organization.  Still arbitration eligible, a power-armed right hander will be in the Brewers bullpen in 2009.
  • Mark DiFelice – Did a serviceable job when called upon at certain times this season, but if this 32-year-old rookie is on the 25-man out of training camp, that’s probably not a good sign for the ’09 Brewers.
  • Tim Dillard – He’s in for another season at AAA Nashville, and could see a call-up here or there if the big league team has some injuries.
  • Eric Gagne – Gone.
  • Yovanni Gallardo* – In the Brewers’ best-case scenario for their 2009 rotation, Yovanni will be the #2 starter.  In their worst-case, he is the ace.  This kid is a stud and will be poised for a big year in 2009.  I’m thinking all-star appearance…
  • Seth McClung* – After serving in mop-up duty in 2007, where his most notable appearance came on the day he was tossed for intentionally plunking Albert Pujols, Big Red pitched surprisingly well when forced into the starting rotation this year.  Even after The Coming of CC and his relegation back to the bullpen, McClung had a very nice season, overall.  The question here will not be “will he make the team in ’09?” but rather, “what will his role be?”  Is he a starter?  A long relief guy?  Could he possibly make it as a closer?
  • Guillermo Mota** – I’m sure the Brewers would like him back.  Chances of a return are probably tied to what he’ll look for in a new contract.  One of the things that Doug Melvin did last year in the off-season was to acquire experienced, veteran players that he felt would steady the team over the length of the season.  He also made sure that the majority of those players came in with either expiring or 1-year contracts, affording the team as much flexibility as they could ask for heading in to ’09.  Will Mota be willing to hang for another 3-4 million per year?  If so, I say bring him back, but not for more than 2 years at a crack.
  • Manny Parra* – Some people got down on Manny over the last month of the season, but I think his problems were more about fatigue than they were mental.  In the last week of the regular season and then into the Division Series, he pitched some good innings.  He’ll be #2 or #3 in the starting rotation next year, and he’ll be out to prove he’s got the stamina for a full season.
  • Luis Pena – The Nashville Sounds closer for the last 2 seasons has shown promise at times, but has never been up with the Brewers because he’s so erratic– take a look at his 6.93 ERA in 52 appearances in 2008 if you have any doubt.  Seems like this guy is sort of a Jose Capellan who just never made it to the majors.  Lot of potential, but mostly a tease.  Won’t make the team, might not be on the 40-man anymore next year.
  • David Riske* – He’ll be back.  Has 2 years left on a 3-year deal he signed last winter.  Hopefully he’ll be healthy in 2009…
  • CC Sabathia – That’s the 150-million-dollar question, no?  I think the Journal-Sentinel made a lot out of some non-binding comments from CC in the locker room immediately following the Brewers playoff ouster on Sunday.  Hey– there’s no doubt that CC, the other players, and the city of Milwaukee had a great summer together.  And I also have no doubt that if the Brewers could match a contract offer from the Yankees or the Dodgers, the big guy would probably stay.  But let’s get serious.  Odds are not in the favor of one of MLB’s smallest cities.  I will be very interested to see how creative Doug Melvin and Mark Attanasio can get with their offer.  But, the more days pass between the end of the season and a new contract signing, the more those warm fuzzies of the Miller Park atmosphere in October will fade.  It’s highly unlikely he’ll be back.
  • Ben Sheets – It really is too bad that Sheeter’s best years were some of the lowest in the history of the franchise.  If the 2004 incarnation of Ben Sheets could have pitched for the ’08 Brewers, we might’ve made a run at the Series.  Someone will pay him too much, but be thankful it won’t be the Brewers.
  • Brian Shouse** – Kind of a tough call.  He just turned 40, but he hasn’t really shown any signs of age, despite morphing from a lefty-only specialist to a late-inning stopper over the last season-and-a-half.  I think that Mitch Stetter and Chris Capuano could have some impact on whether we see Shouse return in 2009.
  • Mitch Stetter* – See above.  Like so many pitchers, consistency is the key here.  If Stetter could become as steady as Shouse, there’s no doubt he would be the #1 left-handed option out of the bullpen.  I have a feeling he’ll make it.
  • Jeff Suppan* – *sigh* He’ll be back.  Probably as a 4th or 5th starter, because there’s really nothing else you can do with him.  You wanna release the guy?  Try to trade him?  Good luck.  No matter what, you’re still paying him.  DAYS UNTIL SUPPAN’S CONTRACT EXPIRES: 726.
  • Solomon Torres* – Has a VERY cheap club option for 2009 (3.75 million), so he’ll be back.  I’m sure they’d prefer to have a more prototypical closer, but Torres showed his versatility this year, which is why they got him to begin with.
  • Carlos Villanueva* – He’s probably settled in to a role as a long reliever now.  Can make a spot start here or there.  He’ll be a fixture on the staff for the foreseeable future.

CATCHERS

  • Jason Kendall* – I think it’s funny how catchers are almost becoming like a second speciality position in baseball– just like pitchers are not expected to do anything but pitch, catchers are barely expected to be competent with a bat.  With that in mind, Kendall did exactly what the Brewers wanted/expected this year: he was a steadying force for the pitching staff, rarely took a day off, and dramatically improved his stats gunning down runners.  The club will definitely pick up his option for 2009, particularly with no other viable options coming up through the ranks in the minors.
  • Mike Rivera** – A fine backup catcher, and should probably be retained.  He sure bitched a lot about never playing, but I don’t think he’s going to do any better anywhere else.
  • Vinny Rottino – A hometown boy who saw some limited appearances in the majors in 2006 and 2007 as a “super-utility” guy worked exclusively behind the dish for Nashville in 2008.  Results were mixed.  If for some reason Rivera isn’t back, Rottino could probably step up to being the backup catcher for the Brewers.  More likely you’ll see him at AAA again in ’09, but then again, there is…
  • Angel Salome – He was one of the “superstars” at AA for the Brewers this season, leading that team in batting average at .360.  I think you’d have to guess they want to move some, if not all, of those guys up to Nashville this year.  So in a way, the fate of Salome could directly affect Mike Rivera, because if this kid starts the year at AAA, it won’t be to back up Vinny Rottino.

INFIELDERS

  • Russell Branyan – The Brewers took advantage of his hot streak early this summer, but what you saw in June was “The Muscle”s maximum output.  If he’s back, it’s on a minor league deal because he happens to live in Nashville.
  • Craig Counsell* – reliable backup all across the infield.  Affordable club option for 2009 will be picked up.
  • Joe Dillon – Probably saw his best shot to stick on a big league roster in 2008.  Kinda like Counsell, but without the years of service or defensive versatility (CANNOT play the middle of the infield).  He’s gone.
  • Ray Durham – Too expensive, too old.  Gone.
  • Alcides Escobar** – AMAZING defensive prospect, and he had a great offensive season at Huntsville, too (he hit .328).  Probably the most likely of all the Brewers prospects to make a jump from AA all the way to the majors next season, but I would be less surprised if he started 2009 at Nashville, and saw a call up in May or early June, ala Braun in 2007.  If he does get the call, the Brewers need to have somewhere to put him, and that probably means moving JJ Hardy.
  • Prince Fielder** – Enters the off-season as the Young Brewers Stud Most Likely to Be Traded.  His stats fell off a little from 2007, when he hit .288 with 50 homers and slugged .618 (to .276, 34, and .507, respectively).  He also looks like he somehow managed to pack MORE AND MORE meat onto that 5’11” frame as the season wore on.  The thing that will make him tough to move is that every other team in baseball is fully aware that the Brewers will ask for pitching and would prefer to send him to the AL, where he can DH.  Combine this with the reputation of his agent, Scott Boras, and the reality is that the Brewers will have a hard time getting the sort of pitcher they think Prince is worth.  Peter “Cryptkeeper” Gammons’s ridiculous rumor about Prince and JJ Hardy for Matt Cain is laughably one-sided.  That will never happen, and while there might be a ton of rumors this winter, I predict Prince will be back in 2009.  Let’s just hope he can shed some pounds.  Holy hell.  If he shows a little more consistency and patience at the plate in 2009, let’s say hitting about .280 with 35-40 homers, the Crew could get a lot more for him NEXT winter (at which point they might be looking for a position for Mat Gamel on the big league roster).
  • Bill Hall** – That 4-year contract seemed like a good idea at the time, but now Hall is just a grumpy, overpaid utility guy.  Do you realize he’s going to make 6.8 million next season?  This is one player that I think the Brewers will unload no matter what, even if it means eating a ton of his salary.  Take what you can get for him.  We don’t need him back.
  • J.J. Hardy* – Proved to be a model of consistency at the plate on a team that hacked at a lot of pitches (actually improved in batting average and OBP from 2007), and he’s great with his glove.  The only x-factor here is in relation to Alcides Escobar– if he is ready to be an opening day starter in 2009, Hardy will have to move, either to second or third base.  My money is on the latter.
  • Hernan Iribarren – Supposedly one of those more consistent-hitting prospects in the Brewers system.  They had moved him to the outfield at Nashville this year, but he is listed as an infielder on the Brewers roster.  Read into that what you will, but I think he’ll get an audition at 2nd base in spring training.
  • Mike Lamb** – late-season waiver pickup from Minnesota, where it sounds like it was just a bad fit for him.  Lamb’s got another year at 3 million on his contract, so I look at him as a Bill Hall-type guy at a substantially more reasonable price.  That, and he’s left-handed.
  • Brad Nelson – His fate is tied to that of the Prince.  If they trade Fielder, Nelson seems like the next reasonable choice from within the organization to play first base.
  • Rickie Weeks** – I think you can say for sure that Rickie is a bust.  The guy hit .473 in college and has a lifetime average of .245 in 445 major league games.  What the hell happened?  Potential only takes you so far, but the Brewers have been uber-patient with this guy.  For that reason, I have a feeling he’ll be back.  Unless someone comes along with an amazing trade proposal, management won’t be able to stomach giving up on him.  Melvin is sitting in his office right now wringing his hands and saying, “What if Ned wouldn’t have kept batting him in that leadoff spot the past 2 and a half years…?”

OUTFIELDERS

  • Ryan Braun* – Duh.  After signing an 8-year contract in May that ties him up through his first 3 free agent years, and following up his Rookie of the Year season with his first All-Star appearance, Braun is this generation’s Yount.  His biggest weakness right now is probably his own arrogance; if he gets a hitting coach to convince him that by playing within his own abilities he could have Pujols-like numbers, Braun will also be a perennial MVP-candidate.
  • Mike Cameron** – Toughest part of deciding what to do with Cameron is looking beneath him on the organizational depth chart.  Is 10 million too much to pay for a 36-year-old outfielder who will struggle to hit .250?  Yes.  Do you have a good alternative?  ……. I’m not sure, either.  If the Brewers lose both Sabathia and Sheets and can’t replace them with a free agent pitcher, I think they let Cameron go, too.  The thinking there would be that 2009 becomes a “rebuilding” year, and you let someone else give it a shot in center.
  • Tony Gwynn** – Maybe you give that shot to Tony Gwynn, regardless?  Here’s a guy who projects as a leadoff hitter, and whose best skills have always been in the field.  The Brewers haven’t have a legit leadoff hitter since Fernando Vina, so they certainly can’t do worse than they have been.  The biggest knock you hear on Gwynn is that the organization doesn’t seem to have any confidence in him, but I challenge you to find someone that can explain why that is.  Even as I sat here writing this, my gut instinct was to write him off, because management has been doing that for 2 years.  But when I think about it reasonably, there’s just not a good reason to do so.  I honestly feel that over the course of 162 games, Gwynn would be as good in center as Mike Cameron at this point in his career, and he’d give you something different at the plate anyway.  I grant you that he’s got no power, but he does have speed, and if he could hit .275 while getting on base at around .360, you’d have a fine leadoff guy, no matter how few homeruns he would hit.
  • Corey Hart* – Had an All-Star first half, although you never would have guessed it, the way the season ended up.  He hit just .239 after the break, dragging his season average to under .270.  The worst part, in my mind, was that by September, Hart just looked lost at the plate.  If a pitch was coming, he was swinging flailing at it.  Hopefully, the second-half struggles are something that some time off and a fresh start will cure.  There’s no way Corey will be supplanted in right field in the off-season, but if his 2008 swoon were to eek into ’09, he would need to start watching his back.
  • Gabe Kapler** – Last December, he was a footnote-type free agent signing.  It was an interesting story, just because he was coming out of a 1-season retirement to play for the Brewers.  This season, Kapler definitely proved he has value as a backup outfielder.  He can play all three positions, and he’s baseball smart.  I don’t think he’ll ever be even a part-time starter (unless somebody is hurt), but it would be dumb not to hang on to a very good 4th outfielder.

Well, I had a LOT more to say about that than I thought.  Enjoy the rest of the post-season!  I’m rooting for Tampa, myself.  Should be a good ALCS.  The NL matchup is interesting, too.  And now, there’s just 17 weeks left until spring training…

General, Uncategorized

Hedging My Bets

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I don’t know if I’ve just become hyper-aware of it, or if everybody that I know really IS on Facebook, but all of them seem to have moved there in the last 6 months.  I am still a part of the resistence, but I’m not sure how long I can hold out.  My chief lieutenant in this struggle, Michelle, has waffled a bit in recent weeks.  There are times I catch her trying to reason out why she SHOULD be on this thing.  So far, we’ve managed to stay the course.

I have justified my non-participation in this social networking phenomenon in a variety of ways:

  1. I have struggled for 10 years now to limit the contact I have with old high school classmates to a select few, and I don’t want to flush all that good work down the toilet.
  2. The people I’ve spoken to that get really caught up in Facebook once they start makes this website sound a little like heroin; they spend hours and hours online and really get nothing accomplished.  At least the countless hours I spend here result in an increase in (mostly useless) knowledge, or some entertainment for you in this webspace.  I don’t need another web-based addiction, whether it’s parking wars, or Facebook commodity trading, or whatever.
  3. I think the truth came out recently from my mom, who reminded me that “[I] don’t really like people.”  True enough.  The number of people that I dislike vastly outnumbers those that I DO like or CAN tolerate.  I prefer my Internet experience to be a one-way street.  Not that I’m discouraging your comments by any means, but let’s be honest: I am 100% in control of which ones get published and when…

Despite all this, when SO MANY PEOPLE that you know are talking about something this much, you sort of feel like you need to get out there and understand what it’s about.  For someone as net-savvy as myself, it’s rare (to the point of disturbing) that I should have absolutely no experience with such a pervasive Internet entity.  I guess that strict lack of knowledge is what’s bothering me here; definitely not feeling an intense desire to stop emailing and start “facebooking” people, or whatever the hell they might call it.

I wonder if the K-Bear ever gets this sort of feeling in relation to our cell phone bet…

Sports, Uncategorized

Replacement Prognostication, Week 5

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Wow, this is not easy for someone that’s really not that interested in what’s happening in the NFL season at this point.  Kind of got beat up on the predictions last week, but after a month of the season, you start to get a feel for which teams are going to do what.  But, let’s be honest.  I don’t care that much about the record, and just have a good excuse for a Friday post until January.

Packers #1 QB will probably not make the start this week.  Soooo… previous QB’s streak: 275 games.  New QB’s streak: 4 games.  Ouch.  On to Week 5.

SEASON RECORD: 8-9

  • Packers – lose
  • Bears – win
  • Lions – lose
  • Vikings – lose
  • Chiefs – lose
  • Dolphins – lose
  • Seahawks – lose

And a bonus pick– Brewers, Saturday: win.  Brewers Sunday: lose.

General, Uncategorized

Going Fishing

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Just wanted to pass along this brief and somewhat interesting link that I got from the AP today.  Looks like the GOP is looking for excuses on why Sarah Palin lost will lose the VP debate before it’s even happened:

Gwen Ifill’s impartiality questioned

Personally, I have a feeling that Biden will perform better, but Palin probably won’t come off as quite the Quaylian* dufus that a lot of lefties think she is…

* – adjective coined by DH Schrubbe, to the best of my knowledge

Sports, Uncategorized

"Where Were You In '82?" Doesn't Matter Anymore

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Let me ask a new question: Wasn’t it great in 2008?

Being in the stands on Sunday afternoon when the Brewers clinched the Wild Card and their first trip to the post-season in 26 years was nothing short of amazing.  I have seen some very exciting games in a number of different sports, and I was there for every home game when the Milwaukee Bucks nearly made the Finals in 2001.  But I think this was probably better, or at least, more surreal.

When I got to the park at about 20 minutes to 12 on Sunday, I just wanted to take some time mill around and soak up the atmosphere on what I knew could be the last day of the season.  I listened to or attended almost every game in 2008, and overall, it was a great time to be a fan; I wanted to cement some things in my memory, regardless of what the day’s outcome would be.

I watched the Brewers take batting practice for a while from a number of different vantage points– I tried to push my way toward the field near homeplate.  I stopped for a few minutes in right field and stood with the kids flexing and patting their gloves, waiting for a ball to fly out.  I slowly made my way all the way around the stadium, and as I recall now, I had no thoughts of the team moving on at all.  I’ve never seen it.  I had no idea what to even imagine.

Dave and I settled in to our seats, and for the first 6 innings of the game, I didn’t have a lot of confidence.  How can you when it’s been so long, and you’ve been thrilled but ultimately disappointed by this team so many times over the years?  Sitting amongst a swath of fans from Chicago, who always seem to know just how to condecendingly twist the knife never helps.

Then it was the 7th, and we realized that CC had gone from laboring to dominating.  It was a 1-run game, and nobody was going to pile up a bunch of hits.  If we could manage to push a couple across, I started to like our chances.  They tied it at 1 with PATIENCE AT THE PLATE, and after 161 games and 7 innings, the season was down to the last 6 outs.

When we got to the bottom of the 8th, one of the Cubs faithful in front of me said something like, “Aww, not Homerun Howry!”  And he turned out to be absolutely right.  Braun blasted that 2-run shot after Mike Cameron had singled, and the stadium exploded as the dreams of 40,000 people began to come into focus.  A scoreboard check showed that the Brewers were up, and the Mets were down.  If both could hang on for a couple more innings, it was going to happen.

I wasn’t nervous during most of the game.  I had sort of resigned myself to the notion that we would either not make it, or at best not have our fate decided that day– quite honestly, I felt like Milwaukee would be traveling to Shea Stadium on Monday for a head-to-head matchup with New York.  But once they got the lead, I broke into a cold sweat.  The Cubs remained a great team, and they were only down by 2 runs.  I needn’t remind the Brewers faithful of what had happened just 10 days before.  They were up, but not quite in.

The difference on this day was CC.  What an amazing performance to cap such a remarkable season!  If the Brewers go anywhere in October, it will be because of this guy.  And if he leaves for greener, lu$her pa$tures after it’s done, I know that I’m one fan who won’t blame him.  I’ll just hang on to the memories of this glorious summer of baseball that finally pushed through to fall.

So now it’s time to shake off those unflappable monkeys that are the 1982 Brewers– it’s true, this incarnation hasn’t won a league championship yet, but they have a chance every bit as good as that group did 26 years ago.  The stories of these current players are no less compelling.  The fever around the city is no less severe.  Like Favre and White and Holmgren finally silenced the ghosts of Starr, Hornung, and Lombardi up in Green Bay 12 years ago, so can these players do for the Brewers.  Not because anyone wants to forget the great days in the past, but because we want to believe they’ll be here again.

Sports, Uncategorized

161 Down, 1 (or maybe 2) to Go

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What a baseball week.  Today, I will attending my 5th of 6 games on this final Brewers homestand.  It’s been a helluva ride this year, and now it all comes down to today– the Crew is tied with the New York Mets for the NL wild card.  If one team wins today, and the other loses, the winner makes the playoffs.  If both win or both lose, there will be a 1-game playoff in New York tomorrow.

It’s hard to imagine things being more tense and exciting at Miller Park than they have been over the last few days.  We’ve seen Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder hit walk-off homeruns in extra inning games.  We watched Jeff Suppan and Seth McClung combine to pitch a fantastic game against the Cubs.  We cheered as loudly as we could watching Ben Sheets try to gut one out, and the team rallying from a 3-run deficit on Saturday afternoon, only to finally succumb in the 9th.

I imagine the playoffs would be better, if only because the Miller Park faithful could relax.  Everyone in the stands understands what’s going on, and what a tragic waste it would be for this team to miss the post-season.  Still, only one can make it, and no matter what, it’s been an amazing week of baseball.

See you at the park, for at least one more day.

firing from the hip since 2002