To buy, or to sell: That is the question
Now that we are a month away from the MLB trade deadline, it’s a time we take a look at the Brewers and what kind of role they will take during this year’s trade season. With Milwaukee 10 1/2 games out of the division and wild card, it would seem that the second half of this season would be used to gear up everyone for the next. According to Jeff Fletcher in this article (click it!) the trio of Weeks, Fielder, and Hart are on the trading block. But I ask you, why? Here are three reasons why the Brewers should NOT make a trade before the deadline this season.
Reason 1: There are no quick fixes out there that will help this team this year.
The Brewers have many holes on their team this year. Pitching, defense, and timely hitting are the ones that make the short list. This is a team that Doug Melvin put together to outhit all other opponents and get by with veteran pitching. This equation did not work in Texas, and is not going to work here in Milwaukee. One of the strongest things about the Brewers organization has been the ability to draft and develop players. All three guys that Fletcher writes about are the result of this. But you can’t tell me that there is any team out there in a playoff hunt willing to give the Brewers what they deserve. And the truth is, it won’t really matter what they give us! A good starting pitcher here, a solid outfieder there, won’t make this the team that it needs to be this year or the years to come. If we sit back for a moment, swallow our pride, and agree that we need to trade for players who can help us for next season and the years after that, it would be hard to find that player or players that teams are willing to trade. Which brings me to m next point that…
Reason 2: They are all under contract for another year!
The thought of trading for a player who still has years left on their contract is intriguing, but it doesn’t mean that the Brewers MUST sell by July 31 or they will never get anything in return. Winter meetings are always a source of trades being made, and all of next season if the Brewers are not doing what they need to to be contenders, they can find plenty of suitors for their players. While Hart’s stock might be the highest it’s ever been right now, Weeks and Fielder are not making themselves very tradeable. Weeks started off very hot and has done nothing but disappoint both at the plate and in the field. Fielder is a microcosm of himself in the last few years. I think what the Brewers need to do is try to fix their problems and try one more time at this thing next year. Keeping those three players might be vital, as some of our younger prospects are still a few years away. Trading those players this year ensures that we don’t even need to think about the playoffs for the next 4 years.
Reason 3: I don’t really trust Doug Melvin to make a move this big.
Yes, Doug Melvin has made some good moves in the past and has put us in place to make a run at it. Getting Cordero, trading away Overbay, and letting us have C.C. for half a year for a kid who hasn’t panned out have all been really good plays. But Doug has other people around him, including Mike Maddux as pitching coach, Bill Castro as bullpen coach, and Jack Zduriencik as lead scout. The Brewers miss him more than anyone would want to admit, and we have not been able to replace him. I feel that Attanasio is going to clean house this offseason, which includes Melvin, Macha, and the staff.
Random thought of the day:
Thank goodness that Cliff Lee didn’t go to the Yankees. Do we need any more reason to hate them? The Yankees are very good this year, at least now they won’t sweep themselves to the World Series.
-Ben
Brewers Grumblings
Well Brewers fans, it’s been a while but the Beer Mug Blog is back from sabbatical. There has been a lot going on with the Brewers, some good some bad. I have found several nice articles that touch on some subjects, and I will throw my own 2 cents in. If you have time, I urge you to read these articles, or at least the part about the Brewers.
Topic 1: Is Hoffman done? Is Axford the man?
Click here for a background story of Axford.
Well, a couple of blogs ago I suggested that you keep an eye out for a pitcher named John Axford, who might be replacing Trevor Time by the end of the year. And sure enough, it has happened. After his 2nd consecutive save against the Twins, Axford is now 6 for 6. He has good stuff, including a very high (consistently 97 mph) fastball. Now, JS Online is reporting that Macha is suggesting Trevor is not done as the closer and could come back at any time. But why? Why screw things up? Macha is known for giving his players every opportunity to play themselves out of the lineup, but why not go with the hot hand? I say Axford is the present and the future of our bullpen, keep him in there! Plus, he has a sweet mustache!
Topic 2: It finally happened! We got rid of Suppan!
Don’t worry, it’s a very short article!
Well, we finally got rid of Suppan and he almost immediately got signed by the Cardinals, the team he was with before the Brewers. So far, he has started twice, gone 4.2 and 4 innings, and gave upa total of 11 hits and 3 runs. It seems as though the Cardinals are helping him strengthen his arm since he was in the bullpen to start the season. It could be that they know he does better as a starter, but can’t go more than 5 innings. So, he is almost like a reliever who starts a game. Anyways, we have a series with the Cardinals coming up, and I hope to goodness we face him.
Topic 3: Braun leads in All-Star votes!
While there are lot of things to grumble about in Brewer country, one thing for sure is that the Hebrew Hammer is loved by everyone, not just cheeseheads. MLB.Com has the numbers here.
I think Braun is the only one that really deserves to go to the All-Star game from Milwaukee because he has been the most consistent. I think McGehee will get in as well, due to the fact that he is getting all his hits with runners on base Prince couldn’t get in himself. As far as pitchers go, I think Yovanni has an outside shot, but no one else. Not a great first half as a team for the Brewers, but I don’t think it’s time to worry yet because…
Topic 4: The Brewers just need to follow the Yellow Brick Road!
While the Brewers have not battled the storm very well, here is an article by fantasy baseball writer Tristan Cockcroft. In the article he talks about how the 2nd half of the schedule is filled with teams with very low OPS, which will be good for our pitchers and our team as a whole. Click here for the entire article. If the Brewers can get a head of steam going into All-Star break, who knows what can happen in the 2nd half? Our starting pitching is starting to work itself out, and our role players are beginning to find their roles. Prince is the key. He needs to get going so A) We have a chance to actually compete and B) He has some trade value.
Topic 5: Fredi Gonzalez Fired by the Marlins after falling 6 games out of 1st.
Gonzalez was let go for doing a lot better than Macha…..
Could this be in the cards for Macha?
Well, that’s all for now. There is a lot of baseball left, and a lot of Brewers Blogs to be written. But the Brewers just won two in a row against the Twins, and in the words of famous Coach Lou Brown, “Good job. Ok, guys. We’ve won two games in a row. If we win tonight, its called a winning streak. IT HAS HAPPENED BEFORE.”
Random Thought of the Day
So far, Yost is 17-20 with the Royals, after their old Skip took them to 12-23 before getting canned. I say give Yost 2 more years before he gets fired a week before the playoffs.
-Ben
Melvin’s Offseason Moves
It’s unbelievable how fast time flies by, doesn’t it? In only 5 short weeks the Nationals will take on the Americans for the All-Star game, getting us to the halfway-point of the season. Then, only 2 weeks after that the trade deadlines appears. And less than six months ago, Doug Melvin was busy making moves to make the 2010 Brewers playoff contenders. Being this far in the season, let’s take a look at how those moves have fared out so far. I will look at the signings of Greg Zaun, Doug Davis, and Randy Wolf as well as the partings of Mike Cameron, Jason Kendall, and Braden Looper.
Parting ways with Jason Kendall to sign Greg Zaun to a 1 year deal/2nd year club option.
There was one thing for sure that Kendall was that Zaun is not-reliable and durable. Kendall started over 130 games both years he was with us. In 2009, he started over 150 games! That’s pretty unheard of for a catcher. However, his pitchers had one of the worst ERA’s in the the league, he didn’t throw out runners, and he couldn’t hit for the same high average that he had done previously. Something wasn’t working, and there definately needed to be a switch. In steps Zaun, a switch hitting catcher who cost $2 million more, but could do all the same things Kendall could do with a little better bat. We were fooled on opening day when he threw out the first runner who tried to steal on him. We hoped he would break out of his early-season slump. But I think most Brewer fans were not too hurt to see him go to the DL. Kottaras has a lot of talent, and we were already to see Lucroy make the big jump to the majors. The kid just seems like a ball player. Like he is supposed to be there.
The harsh truth of the matter is, Kendall and Zaun both do nothing well. Kendall played in more games, but maybe that’s not such a good thing in hindsight. Our young guys are getting a chance to step up and prove themselves. I’m going to call this one a good move not based on Zaun being better, but that it has given our young guys a chance to play.
Signing Doug Davis and Randy Wolf
The Brewers definately needed some pitching, but it was not a year for the pitcher on the free agent market. Of course Melvin holds the wild card for trades with Fielder in his back pocket, but it might be too early to play that one. It’s no mystery that Doug Davis builds teams around hitting and doesn’t either know a lot about pitching, or doesn’t care about it. As we have in times past (Francisco Cordero) Melvin brought in a pitcher he has previously known, and Davis fits that mold perfectly. Davis and Melvin go all the way back to Texas before the obvious match up of being in Milwaukee together for 4 years. But there were a lot of other pitchers out there, most notably Jarrod Washburn, who is still out there! A hometime guy who had said he wanted to go to Minnesota or Milwaukee, never got a chance in his hometown. Maybe he was asking too much money, or maybe it wa something I don’t even know about. Someone we did get was Randy Wolf.
I know the numbers don’t back me up, but I like Randy Wolf. I like him a lot because he reminds me of a sort of anti-Jeff Suppan. Follow me on this for a second: Wolf- a lefty, Suppan- a right. But that is just the obvious one. Wolf is a hard working, blue collar kind of guy. Suppan was on Young and the Restless. But my favorite differance is ownership. When Wolf pitches a bad game, he blame it on HIMSELF and talks about how he needs to do better, even when he wins! He’s a Milwaukee kind of guy and he works hard to gain respect. Suppan on the other hand makes up excuse after excuse. This was a quote Suppan had last Sunday after he blew it against the Mets.
“”Basically it was a matter of execution. I was just up in the zone.
That first inning I was trying to get a ground ball, got it, but it’s
up the middle (on Castillo’s hit). With the home run (by Pagan), it was
a changeup, first pitch, but it was just middle, middle.”
It was just middle, middle?!?!!?!?!?!?!?!?! JUST?!?!?!?!?! That means it’s a terrible pitch Jeff! Seriously, sometimes I feel like I am taking crazy pills!
Anyways, I would say that the Wolf pick was good and the Davis pick marginal at best. I still think we should go after Washburn.
Not going after Cameron, or Looper
The casual fan looks at Looper stats and says wow! He won the most games of any pitcher for the Brewers in 2009. He MUST be good. And the rest of us would say, have you ever watched a game? It’s surprising that Looper wasn’t on the DL with neck inflammation after turning his head so many times to watch the ball leaving the ball park. The guy wasn’t that good, gave up a league leading amount of homeruns, but got crazy run support. Not going after Looper was a good move.
Time will tell if Gomez is the centerfielder of the future. He seems to be a little too streaky and injury prone, but we needed to get some kind of value for Hardy since Escobar was on the way up. I think we got pretty fair value, and Gerut and Edmonds have filled in nicely when Gomez has been injured. Having Cameron would of created a dead spot in our line up, but most importantly would of cost way too much to keep him. I consider this a great move.
Random Thought of the Week
I’m sick of hearing how the one hitter thrown by Galarraga should be overturned and it should go in the record books as a no-no. That’s why you play the game and that’s why we have umpires. What about all the times that umpires call the guy out at first after a super sweet play in the hole by the short stop even though he was obviously safe? Better yet, what about 2 years ago when C.C. Sabathia threw a one hitter against the Pirates, even though the one hit came on a comebacker that C.C. dropped and should have been an error? Stuff like this happens all the time, and that’s the beauty of baseball-the human element. Unlike NFL and their replay, baseball is in the moment, under the lights, with millions watching. And you only get one chance to make the call.
Breaking down the pitching stats
The Brewers pitching is not the best, there is no real debate there. For this blog however, I decided to look at some pitching stats that are not always posted in the morning box score. I wanted to answer the following question: Even though the pitching staff is bad, how bad can we be and still make the playoffs???? To answer this, I looked at past seasons of playoff contenders, and what their team ERA looked like, as well as run differential (runs scored versus runs against). So let’s take a look at the numbers. The 4 teams that make the playoffs last year in the National League were the Phillies, the Dodgers, the Rockies, and the Cardinals. On June 1st of 2009, the team lines looked like this:
Team Record Place Games Back Team ERA Run Differential
Phillies 28-20 1st – 5.01 +. 45/game
Dodgers 35-17 1st – 3.72 +1.67/game
Rockies 20-29 5th 13.5 4.84 -.34/game
Cardinals 29-21 2nd 1 3.33 +. 66/game
Brewers 30-20 1st – 2.04 +. 48/game
This tells us a couple of things. First, it doesn’t really matter what your record is on June 1. You could be in first or fifth. I think this should give us some hope in Wisconsin. We can also see that Team ERA is not as important as run differential. The Phillies had an absurd 5.01 ERA and still in first with 28 wins. The Rockies however, had a lower ERA but 8 less wins. They did have a -.34 runs per game differential, which seems to make all the difference. So, in the short term, ERA is not as important. Let’s look at the team ERA’s at the end of the season:
Team Team ERA Rank in NL
Cardinals 3.66 4th
Phillies 4.16 6th
Dodgers 3.41 1st
Rockies 4.22 8th
Brewers 4 .83 15th
As you can see, it pays to have a good team ERA over the course of the season. But how important is it to have a team ERA? Does this happen every year, or was last year an anomaly? To find this answer to this, I went back all the way to 2000 and looked at the 4 NL playoff teams and their NL ERA rank. It is as follows:
2008 Team Rank
PHI 4
LAD 1
CHC 3
MIL 2
2007 Team Rank
COL 8
ARI 4
PHI 13
CHC 2
2006 Team Rank
STL 9
NYM 3
SDP 2
LAD 4
2005 Team Rank
HOU 2
STL 1
ATL 6
SDP 7
2004 Team Rank
STL 2
HOU 6
LAD 4
ATL 1
2003 Team Rank
FLA 7
CHC 3
SFG 2
ATL 9
2002 Team Rank
SFG 2
STL 4
ATL 1
ARI 6
2001 Team Rank
ARI 2
ATL 1
HOU 10
STL 3
2000 Team Rank
NYM 3
STL 7
SFG 4
ATL 1
The highest ERA in the last 10 years to make the playoffs was 4.73, which was held by the 2007 Phillies. They also had one of the most potent offenses in the league, as well as some clutch playoff pitching from their starters. As of Tuesday, May 18, before the Brewers/Reds game, Milwaukee posted a 5.24 Team ERA, ranking us 14th in the National League. It seems that the Brewers need to reduce their ERA to at least 1 run less a game (4.24).
Numbers rarely lie, and I have to believe that the Brewers chances of making the playoffs depends on their pitching staffs ability to lower their ERA. There are many good teams in the NL this year, and it seems as though it might be easier to win the NL Central than it is to win the Wild Card. How far can they get it down? I hope to a reasonable number by the all star break, or else we might be seeing a whole bunch of changes, from Doug Melvin to Macha, to major, major trades.
-Ben
Random Thought of the Day
Recently, Jody Gerut hit for the cycle for the Brewers. I understand that it is hard to hit a single, a double a triple, and a homerun all in one game. The odds aren’t in your favor. But there are lots of box scores that are not in your favor and hard to do. Why should a cycle be the coolest one? Is a cycle better than 2 doubles and 2 home runs? They don’t keep records of who hits 2 triples and a double and a home run in a game? It just makes me think that if someone has a chance to get a cycle and they need a single to cinch it, they might not try to stretch it into a second double and stop at first. Which, in all seriousness, is ridiculous.
Still Trevor Time?
Trevor Hoffman is clearly struggling this year. His change-up still looks but he just can’t seem to get guys to chase it. His fastball hasn’t been fast for a number of years now but he’s been placing it on a tee for hitter thus far. People have been saying for years that his age is going to eventually catch up to him and this might actually be the year. Hoffmann is a warrior and answers questions honestly after each outing and I love that about him. He owns up to his struggles and is humble in his successes. I do not believe it is quite time to give up on him this season. He’s a future hall of famer and he deserves a longer leash.
But…..
We might want to start thinking about other options. The Brewers do not have much of a back-up plan to Hoffman. They do not have a young arm they’ve been grooming as a future closer. I think it’s time they start to think about that. You look at some of the better closers over the last 10 years and they were all groomed as setup men before they were named the teams closer. Broxton worked behind Gange and Saito, Lidge worked behind Wagner, K-Rod behind Percival, Heath Bell behind Hoffman, and even the great Mariano Rivera worked behind John Wetteland.
So looking at the Brewers right now who is the best option? My opinion is Manny Parra. I don’t want to make this seem like I’m giving up on him as a starter but more that he can be better used and a future closer. Parra will be 28 at the end of this year so he’s not old by any means. At the same time he’s at the age where this is all he’s going to be. Parra’s window to break in and be successful is starting to close. If we move him to a potential closer now he could be there for several years.
The Brewers should start to consider moving him to the back of the pen. Let him start working some 7th and 8th innings to get a feel for that. Of course if they want to do this they will have to bring Stetter back up and drop someone off the roster. I don’t see who that could be at this point but we’ll look past that for now. The Brewers should also make it mandatory that Parra sits next to and rooms with Hoffmann for every road trip and during every game. Let Hoffman start to mentor him and see what he’s capable of doing.
Parra has been criticized in the past for not being mentally tough enough. This is not something you want as a question mark for your closer. Yet Parra has shown flashes that he can be great and has the stuff the get anyone out. With some seasoning and time he can be taught to harness that into one inning 3 or 4 times a week. He won’t need to bear down for to hours coming in and out of the game every 20 minutes.
Plus his stuff is good enough to be a front line starter so he’d be lights out as a closer. All closers are failed starters at some point in their career. Weather they made the move in college, the minors, or in the majors most pitchers don’t set out to be closers. Eckersley, Hoffmann, Pappelbon, and Gagne were all supposed to be starters at some point in their career. Derrick Lowe and John Smotlz were great closers at one point in their career. Parra would be able to let lo
ose on his fastball and probably clock out in the mid 90′s. You mix that in with his slider and then have Hoffman refine his change-up and Parra could be dominant in that position.
If he’s successful he provides the Brewers with a young closer that could hold down the fort for years. The Brewers won’t need to fill the void each year with an old closer that’ll only be around for a couple of years. Plus Parra should come at a cheaper price and we can then to spend that money elsewhere (maybe on Prince or a starter).
It’s not the ideal situation but at least it’s a plan. Right now we are counting on Hawkins and Hoffman to shut teams down at the end of the game. Both have struggled this year and we know aren’t going to be around for years to come. We need to start looking to move some youth into the back end of the pen. Parra would be a great start to that transition. He makes the most sense as well. His stuff is clearly good enough to get guys out and miss bats. Plus he has a good amount off major league experience. I’d rather have a guy in that position whos pitched in the majors under that pressure over a guy who’s pitching in the minors.
-Ross
Random Baseball Thought
I just saw the Lastings Milledge highlight where he was tagged out after he thought he hit a grand slam and failed to run the bases. What the hell is wrong with players? How hard is it to just run hard out of the box and then once it goes over the wall slow down. It’s a joke and if John Russell does not bench Milledge for multiple games he should be fired. There is no excuse to not run out a ball that you hit. To hustle takes zero talent, it’s all about effort. If you lack the effort to run out a ball then you don’t deserve to play for a few games.
Time to close the books
A closer is a very specific and specialized job in baseball these days. It used to be guys would come in for 6 out saves, or even 9 outs. But these days, the closers job is to come in for the 9th inning and shut out the opponent every night there is a lead to protect. Trevor Hoffman for years has been this man- menacing, overpowering, and effective. It seems, however, that at 43 years old Hoffman’s Hall Of Fame career is coming to a close. A fastball that is neither fast or accurate enough has proven to be the downfall of the all time saves leader.
So what do we do now? The Brewers seem to be at a crossroads. Leaving Hoffman in does 2 things-it shows that we might not be serious about competing this year. Showing that we are not serious shows we are seller, not buyers on the trade market. It shows we are looking to next year, or the year after that. That means that Prince might be more tradeable then we thought at the beginning of the year. But it also means that we cannot groom our closer of the future- someone who might already be on the roster. There are 3 legit contenders for the closing role next year in AAA right now- Zach Braddock (11.1 IP, 22 K’s, .081 Batting Average Against), Mitch Stetter (7.2, 8, .185), and John Axford (9, 13, .265). These 3 pitchers all have the ability to throw hard and get batters out.
I will be watching these 3 pitchers over the course of the season to see how they improve and grow. Don’t be surprised if you see one or more of these guys wear a Brewers jersey by the end of the year. Personally, I do not think Hoffman will be able to get us to the playoffs, for the reasons listed above. While I appreciate all he has done for the Brew Crew, I got the taste of the playoffs 2 years ago and need to experience that again. Trevor, your time has come to an end.
-Ben
Random Thought of the Day
Angel Salome is taking an extended break from baseball following the birth of his child. He says he doesn’t feel “right”, so he will be reporting to Arizona to work some things out. I understand that it can be tough to be away from the family for a period of time, and baseball is 90% mental, but if any average Joe tried to pull the same thing, they would be canned in a minute! Either you want to play, or you don’t. And if you really have to think about it, you probably don’t want to.
Tune In
So we’ve all been to games and heard the players different walk up music either as they come up to bat or go to the mound to star their game. Most of the time the music seems to fit the player pretty well but at times you have to ask if they really picked the music or not. Today I’m going to breakdown 5 players songs they have chosen as their entrance music. For each player I’ll also pick my own song I think might be more fitting.
Now before I get into the meat and potatoes of this blog I’m going to toss up a bit of a warning. I have a pretty limited genre of music I listen to. I do not listen to country or any type of hip-hop at all. I realize there are probably going to be some very god choices from those genre’s for the players I’m going to look at but I wouldn’t even know here to start to find those songs. I’m really going to go off what I have on my Ipod and stick to what I know. So with that out of the way here we go.
Rickie Weeks
Song- Drop the World by Lil Wayne
So I’m listening to this song as I write this and I have to imagine that the Brewers either use the edited version to this song or decided not to use the vocals. I don’t know Weeks on a personal basis but I have a feeling this is one of his favorite songs. I think this song is fitting for him too. It’s a song about overcoming big odds and ignoring the pressure that is on you. Weeks has been a lightning rod since he joined the Brewers. All the talent in the world but hasn’t put it together or can’t stay healthy. Yet he keeps doing everything he needs to do and works hard to be the player we want him to be and just ignores all the negative press around him. Anyone who knows me knows that Weeks has been my favorite Brewer for a long time now and I’ve defended him till I’m blue in the face. I’m extremely happy to see him finally putting it al together.
My Song- Firestarter by Prodigy
As a leadoff hitter Weeks is the spark plug to the offense. He starts everyone off and sets the tone to start the game. In my opinion Weeks is the most exciting hitter to watch on the Brewers. You just never know what he’s going to do. Weeks has such a quick bat that you not always sure when he’s actually going to swing. We’ve all seen it where the pitch looks like it’s by him and then just a quick flick of the wrists and it’s a liner in the gap and he’s flying around the bases for a double or a triple. Next time he could just as easily turn on one and knock it out of the park. This sing is really fitting. It’s a high-energy heavy based song. The beat and the lyrics work perfectly to not only get him going for his at-bat but also pump up the rest of the team.
Ryan Braun
Song- All the Way, Turnt Up by Roscoe Dash
So I just proved how not hip I am as I wrote the title to this song. When I saw the title on the Brewers website written the way it was I just figured it was a typo and it was supposed to be titled “All the Way, Turn it Up”, not Turnt Up. So yeah, I’m an idiot. Beside the point this is a pretty good song that fits well with Braun. I like Braun a lot but he walks that fine line of very confidant and being cocky quite well. He has every right to be cocky with what he’s done so far in his career so I’m not going to knock him for that. This song has a good beat it’s a great song to not only get him going but also get the fans into it. When you have arguably you’re best player coming to bat you want some energy in the crowd. This is a song that should aid in providing that energy for the player and the crowd.
My Song- Re-Education (Through Labor) by Rise Against
I LOVE this song. Just the introduction is enough to get my up and off my feet (hell I just listen to it for this blog and I very quickly got up due to the energy this song brings, only to realize I stood up to fast and go that light headed feeling so I sat back down). This song has a lot of energy and I could just see Miller Park going nuts to hear this song come on in the bottom of the 9th with 2 outs and 2 on down by 2. I’ll admit this song needs to go for a bit to really get the full effect so Braun may need to adjust his gloves and shin guard and maybe toss in a few extra of those flex the elbows up move he does before his at bats (anyone have any idea what I’m talking about?).
Crain Counsell
Song- All Along the Watch Tower by Jimi Hendrix
So as one of the elder statesmen on the team Counsell goes classic rock with Hendrix. Great song by a great musician. I’m not going to knock the song and Counsell has earned the right to do whatever he wants. The fans love him and he’s a hometown guy so he can really do no wrong. I do really like this song but not as a baseball song this really just doesn’t do it for me. This song doesn’t make me want to get up and cheer when Counsell comes up for that clutch at bat at the end of the game.
My Song- Paranoid by Ozzy Osbourne
So I liked the idea of classic rock for Counsell, it’s fitting. I decided to go with something a bit more high energy. This song has a great start and it’s a song the fans can really get behind. I think the only issue with this song is fans love to sing along with songs they recognize. Most people have at some point heard this song and think they know the words to this song. Ozzy is hard to understand just talking better yet screaming into a microphone. Toss in the fact that a good chunk of people at Miller Park may have participated in the consumption of alcoholic beverages before and during the game, which may impair their speech volume and ability. If this song was used you may be the victim of some god awful signing in the seats behind you.
Randy Wolf
Song- Bottom by Tool
So I really like Tool but I do not think its good baseball music. It’s a bit too dark and long to be a good baseball song. To be honest I’ve never realized starting pitchers had entrance music. I know relievers do but I’ve never actually paid attention to starters entering. I would have never guessed this type of music for a guy like Wolf either. I guess I just view him as a more laid back, easy going type of guy who might pick something a bit more livelily. It’s another song I really like but just not as a baseball song.
My Song- Dashboard by Modest Mouse
So this lighter, yet higher energy song. As a starter it’s important to keep your emotions in check and maintain your focus as you take the mound. You don’t want to get too amped up and start over throwing the ball but you need good energy to start the game and set the tone. This is a faster paced song that stay that way throughout but is not a heavy song that might get someone too amped up. Plus I like this song and think it’s a fun song to hear inside Miller Park.
Jeff Suppan
Song- Baba O’Riley by The Who
I’m not a big fan of The Who, I personally think they’re a bit overrated and over-used. As far as classic rock goes I just don’t think The Who brings a lot to the table. Anytime I hear The Who on the radio I get a little happy because I know the song, we’ve all heard their hits at some point, but very soon into the song I get tired of it and just turn it off. This song is the same way. It starts off real nice and you think “Yeah! I know this song, I like this song” but it just ends up disapointing and eventually you’ll turn it off. The song just tends to drag on and get worse and worse as it goes. With all that being said it’s a perfect song for Jeff Suppan. He’s overrated and over priced. You have that hope that his next start will be the start that gets him on track. Yet 3 or 4 innings into the game you’ll realize that it’s the same Suppan as always and the Brewers are down by 5 runs.
My Song- Shame, Shame, Shame by Kenny Wayne Shepherd
I think all you need to know about this song is the title and it’s a blues song. Essentially every time I’ll look back on Jeff Suppans career in Milwaukee I’ll hear this song in my head. I’ll be honest and say I liked the move when it was first made. I knew at the time we overpaid for him but I thought it was worth it. I looked at his career numbers and just figured he’d give us that solid veteran pitcher we needed to eat up innings and help mentor some of our younger pitchers. I never thought he’d an all-star or a top end starter but a really solid three. First two years he was pretty good but the last two he’s just been awful. If he were just a bad pitcher I wouldn’t have so much angst towards him. It’s that he just won’t own up to the fact that he’s struggling or pitching poorly. I can’t count the amount of times I saw his interviews after a horrid outing and he just appeared like he didn’t care. I’m sure he cares but I’d just like to see him act like it once in awhile.
-Ross
Random Baseball Thought
So I saw what happened to Chris Jakubauskas yesterday and I just cringe every time I see something like that. I also become an instant fan of that player and just really hope he can make it all the way back. I heard Tim Kurkjian talk about a pitcher that had a similar experience (for the life of me I cannot remember his name) and he just never made it back. Kurkjian talked about how he was flinching a lot during his delivery and would pull off his curve balls so he could get set to field the ball. For me that’s just a sick feeling to even think about. I really hope Jakabauskas can not only comeback but have a solid career, its always a great story to see guys comeback from that.
Turn it up!
As we have talked about on this blog several times, the baseball season is a rather long one, and it is WAY too early to start worrying. Thank goodness there are many other things to talk about and argue than just the game itself. Today’s topic: Entrance music. The tradition of having “your song” being played as you come up to the plate is something young baseball players talk about all the time. The idea was idolized in the movie “Major League” when Ricky Vaughn came out to Wild Thing and the whole crowd got up and started jumping and dancing.
Today, let’s look at 5 players and their walk up music. I will also pick a song that I think better suits them than the song they picked.
Jim Edmonds – Crown of the Valley by Jets to Brazil.
Ok, I listened to this song on YouTube, and it is really stupid. It reminds me of U2. The words really don’t make any sense at all, and the melody is ho-hum, feel good music. C’mon Jimmy! I know your getting up in age and your a family man now, but you don’t need to soften this much! I don’t see how the crowd OR Edmonds could get get psyched for a big at-bat in the middle of the game.
New Song- Mama Said Knock You Out, LL Cool J
Start the song, right at the beginning, when LL yells ” Don’t call it a come back, I’ve been here for years”. Doesn’t this sum up Edmonds perfectly??? A lot of Edmonds haters thinks he is washed up and can’t play anymore. This song sticks it right to them. It’s fast tempo, gets you in focus, and tells a little bit about where you are coming from. Pefect.
Casey McGehee- Simple Man, Shinedown
Originally by Lynyrd Skynyrd, this remake is a slow rock song with a strong message. I get it: McGehee hears this song and it helps clear his head. Maybe he heard it before a big game and hit a homerun. I don’t know. I do know this: McGehee is settling down, has a kid, and is becoming a family man. He also gets no love from ANYBODY! Last year, he steps in at third when no one else can get it done and does awesome. This year everyone wants Gamel to start, but he doesn’t know how to warm up correctly and McGehee is given the spot by default. And McGehee has done an awesome job again this year! It seems he has to prove himself every single day, or he might lose his job. Because of these things, I picked the following for him:
New Song- ‘Til I Collapse- Eminem
The chorus of the song starts like this:
Till my legs give out, can’t shut my mouth.
Prince Fielder- Women Lie Men Lie, Yo Gotti F
. Lil’ Wayne
I really don’t get this one at all. Prince Fielder is the biggest hitter on the team, he was on thecover of a video game last year, and should really have a song more fitting. I listened to this song several times and didn’t see any connections. Maybe it has deeper meaning, I don’t know. What I do know is that there IS a song that is perfect for him and he needs to use:
New Song- Heir to the Throne (Prince), Prote-J
To watch the video, click here. Prote-J is a good family friend of the Fielders, and decided to make a song for Prince. He even let Prince pick the beat! I’m sorry, but if a rapper makes a song specifically for you, you need to have it as your walk up song. The song is actually pretty sweet, and is very catchy. Why haven’t we heard this on the radio yet???
Todd Coffey- Unstable, Ultimate Warrior Theme Song
Good song for Coffey because it’s fast paced and exciting. If it was good enough for the Ultimate Warrior, it should be good enough for Coffey. I think, however, that there should be a song for Coffey that symbolizes his run out to the mound. I don’t know if people in Milwaukee know this, but Coffey is known around the league as “The big red head who sprints like a mad man from the bull pen to the mound”. So with that said…
New Song- Through the Fire and Flames, Dragon Force
Made famous as the bonus song on Guitar Hero, this song is super duper fast and crazy-just like our main man. That’s really all I got. If you don’t know the song, go search for it on YouTube and watch it. Better yet, click this link.
Trevor Hoffman- Hells Bells, AC/DC
There’s not much that I can say bad about this song. It is awesome. It gets the crowd fired up. That gong at the beginning of the song is sweet. I think that we need to look at the current situation. Hoffman is 43 years old, and needs to make some tweaks to his routine in order to still be successful. He needs to feel young again, like a kid. And he still needs his rock. So, let’s puts kids and rock together and get…
New Song- Bawitdaba, Kid Rock
I’m not saying Hoffman SHOULD switch songs, but if he did I think this song fits. It has the big build up right at the beginning, good base, and sounds good when it’s played loud. I went through lots and lots of songs for this choice, and I think this one fits best.
So, what do you think? Agree, disagree? Do you have better choices? Probably not, but I’d still love to hear them!
-Ben
Random Baseball Thought
My thoughts are still with music, so for you Brewer fans (which I know you are!)…
Brewers, Keep Turnin’ Up the Heat!
Milwaukee Who???
With the current downward spiral the Brewers are in, it’s time to look elsewhere around the league for enjoyment. I’m not saying that I’m giving up on the Brewers because I’ve been with them my whole life and a couple losses isn’t really going to make me change my mind. But sometimes you just want to enjoy watching good baseball. There are 2 times that I like to follow other than the Brewers, and they are as follows:
American League: Minnesota Twins
It’s funny because I think Viking fans are the worst. I probably get along the least with Viking
vans than any other fans in the world, and that includes Cubs fans. It seems, however, that Twins fans and Brewers fans have a different kind of relationship. I can root for the Twins 156 games of the year. The only time I can’t stand them is during interleague play, when they play the Brew Crew. The twins play good team ball, they have a stud catcher (most important position player on the field), an underrated pitching staff, and a nice new field. Every year, they find ways to make it to the playoffs, even with out Hunter and Santana.
I also remember watching the Twins World Series and seeing all of the “Homer Hankies” in the stands. They had some great guys back then: Puckett, Jack Morris, Kent Hrbeck, Dan Gladden. Those guys were sweet. Twins fans aren’t cocky, or jerks, and are actually kind of fun to tailgate with. All in all, good people.
National League- New York Mets
It’s hard for me to ‘root’ for anyone in the National League, but the reason I pick the New York Mets is one reason and one reason only: David Wright. He might be the most fun player to watch. He is a great infielder, and a super clutch hitter from the right side. If there was a David Wright Cam, that just followed him arround during a game, I would probably watch that. The man is phenomenal, and he doesn’t get a big head or act like a prima donna, even playing in New York. David Wright plays the game the right way and he never complains-at least not in front of the media. And, the Mets loss 2 years ago let the Brewers make the playoffs, so GO METS!
Random Thought of the Day: Not baseball related, but I heard the other day that they will be playing the Superbowl in 2 years in New York. This is ridiculous. New York, in the middle of winter?!?!!?? I just hope that the Packers are in it then, because they would have a HUGE advantage. But, I don’t think this would be fun for a lot of fans to sit through.
-Ben
If I Wasn’t a Brewers Fan, I’d Cheer For…..
So Ben and I were talking the other day and we started talking about other teams. I don’t remember who said it but the question came up, “What other teams do you watch?”. We both thought that was a great subject to blog on. Normally I’ll watch my Brewers and maybe catch whatever game is on TV. I’ll always check the box scores and see how my fantasy players did each night (with the amount of teams I have this year I’m pretty much looking at ever player) and that’s about it. I really have no allegiance to another team but there are a some teams out there I don’t mind. So to answer the question here are the two teams I’d watch if it wasn’t for the Brewers.
National League- Houston Astros
I know, I know, how could I like a team that competes with the Brewers in the central? Well I’ll explain. I really just don’t like the teams out East. Nationals, what’s the point? I won’t cheer for New York teams, never have and never will and same thing with Philly. I like a lot of players on those teams but just have a hard time cheering for them, great, smart fans though. Florida
never has the same team for more then 3 years and Atlanta just annoyed me growing up. Out West I never see them play. When they are on TV it’s as I’m falling asleep. So that just leaves the central. The Astros were just a fun team to watch growing up. I really liked Bagwell and Biggio. I’ve always been a fan of Berkman and Oswalt might be one of my favorite pitchers in the league, just a lot of fun to watch. When the Brewers were a bad team at the end of the 90′s and early 2000′s I always wanted to see the Astros go all the way. I never understood how a team with their talent never seemed to put it together in October.
Another thing I really like about this team is every year they just seem to get it figured out towards the end of the year. Yes, as a Brewers fans it’s annoying, but it’s a great thing for a fan. I like a team that plays hard till the end of the year and keeps playing for their fans. I’ve never seen the Astros just give up towards the end of the year. They’re always fighting till the end. Of course as a Brewers fan it was unfortunate to see them go another direction when they fired Cooper. I wish he was still there and they still had that Brewers tie to them. They did for a while have one of my favorite coaches of all-time in Phil Garner. I was born in 1983 and always loved baseball but I don’t remember a lot before the early 90′s. That was of course when Garner was the coach. 1992 is a year I’ll never forget. I know they didn’t make the playoffs but it was one of my favorite seasons. It was Molitor’s last year and the year Yount got his 3,000 hit. Garner was the coach that year and the team really took to his scrappy style. The Astros were the same way under him and it brought back some memories for me of that year. I’ll never be happy to see the Astros beat the Brewers or finish ahead but I won’t mind it as much.
American League- Seattle Mariners
This was a no brainer for me. Of course I was a Brewers fan growing up and nothing else but my favorite player was Ken Griffey Jr. I loved the way he played the game and how he just seemed to have so much fun doing it. Any chance I got I would watch the Mariners play just so I could see Griffey bat or make a great play in the field. Plus he just had one of the greates
t swings I have ever seen. It was almost perfect to watch. I was also a fan of Jay Buhner and Edger Martinez and Randy Johnson was great to watch but really thanks to Griffey I’ll always check the Mariners scores. I’ve always said that Griffey, in his prime, was the greatest player I’ve ever seen. Pujols is making his case and might make me change my mind some day. I really wish Griffey never had the injuries he had because it would have been great to see him chase down Hank Aarons record. It would have been such a great story to see him break it as Bonds chased it at the same time, just think of the storylines??? I was really happy to see Seattle pick Griffey up to wind down his career.
Of course Ichiro might be one of the most entertaining players in the game to watch. He’ll definitely go down as one of the greatest hitters I’ve ever seen. He’s a great outfielder and his arm is worth the price of admission. I really like what I’ve seen out of Franklin Gutierrez and think he’ll be a lot of fun to watch. Of course it helps that Jack Zduriencik is now the GM. Jack Z did great things for the Brewers and it was a shame we lost him but it was bound to happen. I really hope he can turn that team around and see him succeed in his new position.
Now I really don’t go out of my way to watch the Mariners or Astros. I like them but I wouldn’t say I’m a fan of them. At the end of the day there are really only two teams I’ll stand up and cheer for on a regular basis. That would be the Brewers, of course, and then whoever is playing the Cubs.
-Ross
Random Baseball Thought
Say what you want about Bud Selig. Most people seem to have a love/hate feeling towards him. I really don’t have a big opinion either way. I think he was the owner during some awful years for the Brewers but I don’t blame him for that. I love he took us to the NL and I like he’s making the effort to clean the game up, might have been a little late at doing so though. At the end of the day his I’ll remember that he made April 15th Jackie Robinson Day. It is a great way to keep his legacy alive till as long as Baseball is being played. Jackie Robinson will be talked about every year and each year we’ll get to hear about what he had to go through and how he overcame everything. Selig definitely got this one right and it’s a great tribute to Jackie Robinson.
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