That was a no hitter

Sorry Pirates score keeper, but you're wrong. CC Sabathia just tossed a no-no. The important thing is the victory for the Crew, but a no-no is something special, really special and you cost a team and sport a major celebration. A no-hitter isn't just special in baseball, it's something that transcends sports. Mark down a BTB first, a 100% agreement with Ned Yost who offered the following:

"That wasn't even close, whoever the score keeper was, absolutely denied Major League Baseball a nice no-hitter right there."

Do the right thing MLB and change the scoring. I just fear that it won't be done because having a game changed to a no-no is so unheard of. It will instantly become the most talked about no-no in history.

Packers make final cuts

Here are the final cuts announced today by the Green Bay Packers to get them down to their 53 man roster. From the looks of it, they'll make a few moves, since they released several reserve interior defensive lineman and placed long snapper J.J. Jansen on IR.

WR Jake Allen
CB Scorpio Babers
DT Conrad Bolston
C Brennen Carvalho
S Tyrone Culver
LB Spencer Havner
TE Joey Haynos
RB Noah Herron
G Ryan Keenan
LB Danny Lansanah
DT Alfred Malone
RB Vernand Morency
DT Daniel Muir
CB Joe Porter
WR Johnny Quinn
WR Taj Smith
WR Brett Swain
T Orrin Thompson
FB Corey White

Truthfully, the only stories in this are that both Herron and Morency got cut while undrafted rookie free agent from Georgia, Kregg Lumpkin made the team. It's the right move too. I thought Morency offered that speed dynamic as a third down back that Herron lacked, but Lumpkin looks like a tough, hard charging RB that could be a real luxury to have to carry the mail late in a game when a defense is gassed. Other than that, I was a little surprised to see Daniel Muir let go, but that's why I'm lead to believe they will scoop up someone that was released by another team or flip a late draft pick for someone buried on another squad's depth chart.

Someone else will have to be cut to make way for a new long snapper as the team won't enter the season with Johnny Jolly handling the main long snapping duties, as he's currently at the top of the depth chart at that position. Any guesses who will be chopped? My prime candidates: LB Tracy White, CB Jarrett Bush or TE Tory Humphery.

Pujols probably not happy with the Big Puma

Take a look at the photographic evidence yourself folks...it clearly shows Lance Berkman celebrating voraciously with teammates after blasting a walk-off home run while Pujols was on the field. Shit, it even looks like the top few buttons of Puma's jersey were undone, which is like spitting in Pujols's face. Berkman shows an utter lack of respect for the game by not trotting around the bases, knifing through his teammates waiting for him at the plate and heading straight to the dugout (shirt tucked in) to the locker room.

Lambeau Blog II

Well, Todd doesn't want to be alone, so I figured I'd throw in a few comments from time to time. That way I don't have to listen to him either.

Who the f are these boneheads. Looks like Adam Sandler and the green machine's first practice as far as the offense is concerned.

This may be the worst offensive performance I have ever seen. I wonder if the 200 people at the game actually paid for this stuff.

Brian Brohm looking for Bobby Petrino, couldn't find him, forced to call a timeout.

Michael Montgomery, Abdul Hodge, Desmond Bishop all showing at least a little something so far in the first half. Packers have a tough call at LB if they keep only five. That would leave Bishop, Hodge, Chillar, and White battling for a spot. Obviously, White is limited to special teams work, but he's a stud there, Chillar was given the signing bonus and the recognition as the only FA Thompson signed this offseason, Hodge is finally healthy making plays, and Bishop is playing like the guy who had a ton of tackles in college. Curious to see where this one goes.

Junius "Juice" Coston will not return to the game or the team ever again after a knee injury. Todd says this is good news.

If the game shall go into overtime, I think the Packers should defer. Their offense may be worse than ever imagined.

69,744 paid to see this game. I'd hate to work at the customer service window when people come back with their receipts for a refund.

Nice job for the defense setting up the offensive TD. Nice pass by Flynn. Not that it was an indicator of much of anything really, but there's no way this guy would slip through waivers. Packers have to keep him regardless if they would bring in a veteran.

Abdul Hodge looking damn good so far. It will be something new for the team to have LB depth.

With every pass Brohm throws it's increasingly clear that he has no confidence whatsoever. Hard to be any good when it looks like all you're doing is sulking. For more on Mr. Brohm, check out his website. http://www.brianbrohmonline.com/BrianBrohmBio.php
So is that what he does on his free time?

Is there any reason to watch this game right now? Just wondering.

Jon Ryan...Are u kidding me? That guy can motor. It would have been disaster if the punter had gotten hurt halfway through the fourth qtr of the 4th preseason game. If nothing else, he could be the third TE.

Green Bay v. Tennessee -- Live from the Lee Remmel Press Box

After a wholly crappy drive up from Milwaukee, we're live from the press box here at Lambeau. Not doing opposing team radio today. It's a Gold package game, meaning it's the Milwaukee fans. Here we go:

That was fast, Aaron Rodgers hit Greg Jennings on an out pass over a CB who made an interception attempt and failed as Rodgers split the CB and S perfectly. It was all open road after that. One play, one Rodgers to Jennings touchdown. I think they'll keep the starters in for more than just one play however.

It should be noted that this is the smallest crowd I've seen at Lambeau Field. Ever.

Justin McCareins just torched Nick Collins for a 50 yard completion. Uh, Aaron Rouse for starter?

And I was wrong as Aaron Rodgers day is finished after one pass, Brian Brohm is in the game at QB.

Tramon Williams just locked his position as the nickel back with a nice play on a Vince Young ball.

One of the better defensive plays of the preseason so far: Jason Hunter gets to Young, who barely gets a pass away, but Abdul Hodge is all over the running back for a five yard loss. I'll tell you that Hodge appears to finally be the player they drafted two years ago. He's having an incredible preseason.

All the o line starters are out with 7:16 left in the first quarter.

Desmond Bishop and Hodge have both looked VERY solid in relief of the starters.

Flynn already has his helmet on and is taking snaps from some guy named Brennen Carvalho on the sidelines as the first quarter comes to a close. Brohm has yet to lead the team to a first down.

And Flynn is in at QB already with 14:43 remaining in the 2nd quarter. He's going to have a TON of time to bypass Brohm as the number 2 QB on this roster.

Noah "The Clobberer" Herron is making a case for himself to stay on the roster by churning out a couple of nice runs in successive plays.

Jevan Kearse just recovered a Flynn fumble. Remember him?

Or is just me or do Titans fans have a bit to be worried about? Their first team offense is struggling mightily to score points against the Pack's second and third string defense. So much so to the point that they just used a fake punt to get their first touchdown.

We're switching over to fellow BTBers game blog if we can stay awake for the duration of this thing.

Hey St. Louis, Take A Good Look

Wahhh, the opposing pitcher showed emotion after getting out of a bases loaded jam in a 3-1 game. Wahhh. What an a-hole.

The St. Louis Post Dispatch's Bernie Miklasz provided some nice analysis of the game last night. Where to begin with this douche. Well, I guess we could start with his labeling of Carlos Villanueva as a "journeyman". Yeah, unfamiliar with the term, aren't you Bernie. No, see when you say journeyman, some other names come to mind - not a guy who has been with two organizations in his career and only on one major league squad - names come to mind like:

• Kyle Loshe
• Ron Villone
• Joel Pineiro
• Ryan Franklin
• Cesar Izturis
• Aaron Miles
• Felipe Lopez
• and yes....Ryan Ludwick...gasp

Those are journeymen guys Bernie.

Another thing I like, and numerous people have touched on this, is him feeling the need to provide us with the transcripts of what Albert Pujols had to say ON TV, after the game.  Thanks Bernard.

My favorite part though...

I respect the way they play the game. And when you see a guy disrespecting the game – obviously they pretty much beat us all year long. You don’t have to do a stupid thing like that to disrespect this game. I let him know I didn’t appreciate it. He was still yelling and talking crap and running away. I wanted him to stop and face me. I respect this game. And I didn’t appreciate the way he disrespected us. I didn’t care if he yelled, but when you start pointing into the dugout, that;s not professional right there.”

Oh where, oh where to begin with this one. We may not have seen everything, but on the broadcast I saw Villanueva never once "pointed to the dugout". Did he "flex" as it was put, yeah he flexed and pumped his fists, but not once did he point to the Cardinals bullpen. Running away? I didn't see that either. I saw Villanueva celebrate, walk towards the dugout, get into a yelling match with you, stop and "face you" before Prince stepped in, so get some facts straight Al.

I also like how he "respects the game" and yet his teammates and members of the STL media are crying foul on Ryan Braun for doing something that Albert Pujols made famous, and continues to do...stand at the plate, hold the bat and admire a home run. I actually like Albert Pujols. Thanks to a former media related job, I was afforded the opportunity to meet and speak with him quite a few times in the Brewers pathetic era (2002-2004), and he comes off as a really down to earth, genuine guy. But c'mon Albert. You have to admit what you do is just as bad. I also like him taking the high road in the interview by saying "he said something in Spanish that I don't want to say to you guys". Gee, thanks Al. God forbid we hear what he said in Spanish after we read your lips last night when you told him to "STFU" and go "Sit the fu@k down".

You know, I really, really hate Cardinals fans. Oh I'm sorry, I'm not allowed to say that because they're the greatest fans on earth. They're so knowledgeable and informed. They show up all the time...well, apparently except in the midst of a pennant race when they're playing the team they trail by 3.5 games. Cardinal fans are overrated babies. Hey St. Louis, your beer tastes worse than piss and your fans are crybabies who overvalue the players on the team. I hate to say it, but they're a lot like Packer fans.

So far, great work by Bernard, but he clearly goes out on top with this nugget...

One more thing: I don’t understand the Brewers. I just don’t. Really, I admire that team and its talent. Doug Melvin is one of the best guys in the game and an excellent GM. There are so many good players on that roster. But why do the Brewers always have to pull stunts? Why do they have to go knucklehead on us so often? What’s up with yanking their shirts out of their pants on the field as soon as they win a game, which, despite what they claim, really is an insult to the other team? What’s up with some of the showboat HR trots? What’s up with a journeyman like Villanueva gesturing wildly and cursing in the direction of the STL dugout? I don’t understand why this talented team feels that it needs to act up like NBA bad boy Ron Artest, or something. I don’t understand why this Milwaukee team feels the need to be controversial. I don’t understand the arrogance, considering that the Brewers have won NOTHING since 1982. And I don’t understand how Yost continues to allow it to happen. The Brewers will probably make the playoffs. They are that good. But we must ask: can you fellas at least hold off on the showboating until you actually win something

And there we have it. Nice Bernard. Yeah, those Brewers and their stunts. I was just thinking the other day, man the Brewers remind me a lot of those 60's and 70's Raider teams. You know, full of bad dudes you didn't want to mess with and pulled a bunch of stunts. Then I thought, you know, they kind of remind me of the Pistons in the 80's as well and all those stunts that they pulled. The similarities between the Brewers and those squads are definitely there. Think about it, the Brewers:

• Untuck their jerseys after the game has ended (BASTARDS!)
• Show emotion after a pitcher gets out of a tight jam
• Admire clutch home runs (NOT every homer like Albert Pujols)
• Sell out nearly every home game
• Have a manager that doesn't make it his personal mission to pick up DUI's

What a bunch of dicks.  Seriously Bernard, explain to me how untucking your jersey, AFTER THE GAME HAS COMPLETED, is an insult?  Along those lines, it's completely insulting to opposing batters when a pitchers jersey comes untucked after a pitch.

I'm not even going to touch the Ron Artest comparison (Chuckie Hacks did a great job at that), that just shows his true ignorance.

If the Brewers really are this rag-tag bunch of "Knuckleheads" then why has no one other than the whining Cardinals taken an issue with this?

And the "haven't won anything since 1982" was priceless.  There it is, didn't see that coming.  I'll say this though, we can't argue with him on it.  You may be right Bernard, we haven't won anything since 1982, but at the same token you'd think the Cardinals have won 19 of the last 27 World Series the way the columnists and fans talk about them.  No, we haven't made the playoffs in 26 years, until now.  Have fun watching us win something for the first time since 1982 this year while you guys are all watching from home and Tony LaRusa is watching from some pub...shortly before driving home.  Douche Bag.

Oh and seriously, I'm offended by this:

How dare Troy Glaus show us up by pretending to be an umpire. Dick head.

YUCK!

Are You Retarded?

I can't even begin to express how off the mark this guy is. I'm flabbergasted. Seriously?

Check out his reasoning why he left Sabathia off his list of most impactful In-Season acquisitions:

I intentionally left Sabathia out for a couple of reasons. First, I believe the acquisition of Sabathia mirrors the Angels pick-up of Teixeira. They didn’t make the move to pick-up a postseason spot, as they likely would have been a PS team anyway, it was to pick-up a ring.

At the time of the trade, the Brewers were 12 games over .500, they are now 22. The Brewers are 8 games over in Sabathia’s starts, making them two games over in games started by everyone else. Quite frankly, they are struggling, and big time.

From two games behind in the wild card to three games ahead is fine, but they arguably could have made up that gap without Sabathia. And the change in the standings is more a reflection of how poorly the other wild card contenders have played during the same time frame, it’s not just because of what CC has contributed. Actually, when looking at it, the Brewers are FARTHER behind the Cubs now than on the trade date, and, to me, that’s is why it was made in the first place. To reach first place.

I think, like John feels the Yankees should have done, the Brewers would have been better off going after a position player. They are a terrible defensive team, picking up a Joe Crede/Hank Blalock to solidify third base, an admitted weakness, would have done more for the Brewers IN THE PLAYOFFS than a pitcher would, Cy Young contender or not.

I’m of the opinion that a failure to reach the World Series, combined with the likelihood Sabathia walks after the season, would make this the worst in-season move, not the most impactful.

Seriously, how dumb is he?  Anyone that has watched this team knows they were by no means a lock to make the playoffs before he was added.  First off, they weren't 12 above .500, they were 49-39 when the trade was made.  

We're they above .500 before he arrived, yeah but look at the impact he's made.  Do you honestly think this team is 22 over .500 and up 4.5 in the wild card with a rotation of Sheets (who's struggled big time), Parra, Bush, Suppan and McClung?

They didn't make this trade to go to the World Series like the Angels did with Texiera, they did it to get into the playoffs.  Look at the impact this guy has had on the team.  Look at the impact he's had period.  8-0 with a sub 2 era and all of those complete games?  And you're going to say with a straight face Adam Dunn has been the best acquisition?  

Sabathia has been dominant, and given the Brewers a swagger.  Adam Dunn has been, well, Adam Dunn.  2 dingers and 9 RBI since he joined the team and lead them to a 8-6 record, thats 2 games above .500 Chuck.

Yes, they were 3.5 back of the Cubs when the trade was made and are now 5 back, but you're failing to mention they were also a game behind the Cardinals, and the Cubs have been just as hot as we have.

His best nugget, where he officially revealed himself to be retarded, was when he said the team would have been better off to go after Joe Crede or Hank Blalock.  Then stresses it would have benefited them in...wait for it...the PLAYOFFS.  Really?  Reeeeallllllly?  Hank Blalock, who is just coming back from an injury by the way, idiot, would have helped the Brewers a lot more in the post season where pitching wins games than CC Sabathia?  Joe Crede would have been more important in game 7 of the NLCS, the same game 7 where Jeff Suppan takes his gas can out to the mound because there is no Sabathia to turn to, than would Sabathia?

He then states, failure to make the World Series, coupled with Sabathia leaving in the off season makes this the worst in-season acquisition.  Just when I thought one couldn't be dumber.  Yes Chuck, reaching the playoffs but not world series, for the first time in 26 years, stimulating the economy by "52" jersey sales, raising interest in the team and drawing over 3 million fans and setting sell-out records, and getting two compensatory picks really makes this the worst in-season acquisition.

Seriously Chuck, you've got to be retarded.

MVP, MVP, MVP!

I really can't believe just how much Ryan Braun has flown under the radar when it comes to MVP talk.

Chase Utley, David Wright, Albert Pujols and to an extent Lance (non-gay spelling) Berkman are getting all the pub, with no one even mentioning Braun's name in passing.

ESPN's Rob Neyer recently did a chat where he debated who should win the NL MVP award, and only made cases for Utley, Wright, Pujols and...CC Sabathia. Here are some interesting nuggets from Neyer's chat:

Chris (Milwaukee, WI): What about Ryan Braun? His numbers are up there in every category with the leaders, he also seems to step up when in a big spot. The number of 0-2 home runs he has is outstanding!

Rob Neyer: Well, he'd have to come back quickly from his current injury *and* someone would have propagate some quick shorthand for his clutch performance. If you have a dark horse candidate like him, you've got to be able to make his case in about three seconds.

Here's the case in three seconds Rob, he's carried this team offensively this year, his numbers are equal to or better than Wright, Utley, Pujols and Berkman, his team has the second best record in the NL, he started the All-Star game and he's doing all of this in just his second year, after switching positions in the off season. Good enough?

Here's another one:

John (Watertown, SD): I don't know how you can make an argument that Braun would deserve the MVP over Chase Utley. Utley's OPS is almost identical, but he sports almost 30 points of OBP over Braun. This is while he is a better defender at a more difficult position. I don't see how you can argue that Braun is more valuable than Utley.

Rob Neyer: Right. That was my point. Braun does have a lot of big clutch hits this year, but unless they become a big part of the narrative it's not going to help his MVP candidacy. Which means he needs a few more big ones down the stretch.

Here's how I make the argument John, look at Utley and Brauny's numbers again, they're nearly identical. Matter of fact, as of this morning, Braun has better numbers than Utley in nearly all statistical categories (Utley has more walks and a higher OBP). Plus, Utley's numbers have been product of a monster March-May. Don't believe me, take a look.

While Utley Stormed out of the gates, Braun struggled but has come on strong since May. Voters are historic for their what have you done for me lately mentality. Couple that with all of the aspects brought up earlier (2nd best record in baseball, Braun offensively carrying this team at points, Brewers poised to make the playoffs) and the award should be Brauns. Neyer and John both point to defense. Is Chase Utley a better defender? Yes, I'll give them that, but Braun has by no means been a liability like he was last year. In an off-season's time he learned a new position and adjusted well. He hasn't been a superb defender, but he hasn't cost them out there, so I don't but the defensive argument for one minute.

Voters usually look for three things: Did the players team make the playoffs? Did the player have a milestone or record setting year? How did the player perform from August on?

Braun's team looks like they'll make the playoffs, Braun is keeping pace with his record setting rookie year, and so far he's performed well down the stretch. If the Brewers hold serve and win the wild card, finishing with the second best record in the NL, and Braun keeps this pace up, I don't see how he's not the MVP.

Milwaukee: Superior to St. Louis in Beer and Baseball

The Brewers absolutely own the Cardinals this year, especially away from home.  I'm convinced Tony LaRusa made a deal with the Devil in order for the Cardinals to win the World Series a few years ago.  That deal, you win the World Series, but at the cost of becoming Ned Yost's personal whipping boy.  Apparently Tony took the deal.

The Brewers are 10-4 against the Cardinals this year, 6-2 on the road.  Unreal.  In fact, the Brewers have won their last 7 against the Cardinals.  If thats not putting the final nails in the casket, I don't know what is.

Did you know, the Brewers have scored 68 runs against the Cards this year?  Care to venture a guess as to how many of those have come after the sixth inning?  32, or roughly half.  Yeah, that Cardinals bullpen is awful.  Tonight was no different, as the Brewers erupted for nine after the sixth, with seven coming in the ninth.  

But of all the Brewers, one has truly dominated the Cardinals this season, that Brewer...Ryan Braun.  

Brauny is just mashing against the Cardinals, batting .544 with 7 homers and 13 RBI in 13 games against the (d)red(ful) birds this season.  Why are they even pitching to him? 

Just as you can look at the Cubs and say they are a better team than the Brewers and should win the division, you can look to the Brewers and say they're a far, far better team than St. Louis and should win the wild card.   Only, the gap between the Brewers and Cubs is much smaller than the gap between the Brewers and Cardinals.

Rest in Peace Cardinals, we just collectively ended your season.

Brauny's Oh-fer

The Brew Town Beat is on red alert, lock down, crisis mode. Ryan Braun came up to bat on Sunday at Miller Park to some new song I could probably get into if it was 1:15 a.m. downtown on a Saturday, but was pure crap when compared to his usual batting music, Young Jeezy-Go Getta.

The good news is that his worst day ever as a hitter wasn't because of a lingering intercostal injury, just an unexplained switch in batting music. It can and will be easily switched back to Go Getta. We don't refer to him as Young Jeezy around these parts for nothing.



And just in case you need some extra motivation to shake that 0-5, I'll toss up the ole Ball U. flag for you to. Now go whack some Cardinals.

Cammy

Mike Cameron is white hot. It's not a quiet happening any longer. I recall just about a week ago when a great deal of the Corey Hart becoming a 20/20 player for the second year news broke, I observed to fellow BTBer, Justin that Cammy needs a handful of stolen bases, but he should have a 20/20 season as well. It's incredibly impressive when you consider he missed essentially the entire month of April. He has his average up to .257, and is tearing the cover off the ball. Even though he missed April, it's not easy to drastically raise a batting average at this time of the year, yet it wasn't long ago when he was mired in a Dick Weeks'esque .220 season.

While it took a career best 5-5 day to get his average to .257, when you look at his total offensive numbers, 23 dingers, 58 RBI's and 14 stolen bases along with .345 OBP and a .528 slugging, he's piecing together a nice season. We all know his glove doesn't take a night off. Baseball America recently rated him as the second best defensive outfielder in the NL behind Carlos Beltran. That got me thinking, Beltran garners a ton of news, much of it because of the outrageous contract he signed with the Mets, but he's not an Albert Pujols or even David Wright at the dish.

Through Sunday's games, here's Beltran's numbers:
.270 BA, 19 HR, 86 RBI, 17 SB, .365 OBP, .469 slugging.

Beltran's offensive numbers are better throughout, most noticeably in the large discrepancy in RBI's. Beltran has also only struck out 77 times, to Cammy's 106.

But consider that Beltran is generally considered the best total center fielder in the NL and Cammy more than holds his own with him after his recent tear. He has actually launched more homers despite over 100 less at bats, as well as a higher slugging percentage and OBPS. Their average's are very similar as well as SB's and OBP. Considering Cammy's high penchant to strike out looking, having a similar OBP is impressive in and of itself. The biggest difference to me is the 28 more RBI's that Beltran has, but he's a number three hitter, providing him with many more opportunities to knock in base runners than a seventh (now sixth) hitter.

It has been exciting watching Cammy bring great baseball to both the field and the plate in the recent weeks, providing the Crew with a much needed lift at the bottom of the order. We'll re-examine how Beltran and Cammy compare after the regular season concludes, but in the meantime, no recording artist named "Bel'Tran" ever cut a lick as great as this by Cam'Ron...I'm hoping he comes to bat to it during the next homestand.

BTB Interview: Steven Braun

Recent addition to the Brewers system, Steven Braun recently took some time to answers some questions we had for him. Braun, an undrafted free agent infielder/outfielder out of Maryland is most know for his defense and versatility...and yes, he is the younger brother of Brewer left fielder Ryan Braun. From the sounds of it, he's the exact opposite type of player the Brewers currently have and attract (plays defense, knows how to bunt, hits for average more than power) so here's to him joining the big league club sometime soon.

BTB: How have things been going in Helena so far?
SB: Things are good here in Helena! I’m enjoying being back on the field and competing everyday. Since I signed late as a free agent the first couple of weeks I was getting back in shape and getting adjusted to the schedule and daily routine. I’m feeling good now and working on getting better everyday while trying to help the team out in whatever way possible.

BTB: Any players on the team you knew before you joined the Brew Crew?
SB: I played against David Fonseca in High School in California so it was nice to know someone while joining the team here in Helena.


BTB: You were originally drafted by the A's in 05, but elected not to sign, correct?
SB: Yes, I was drafted by the A’s in the 35th round of the 05 draft but elected to go to the University of Maryland.

BTB: As you mentioned, you eventually wound up at Maryland. Describe your time there, and what it was like going from California all the way out to the other coast.
SB: It was most definitely a climate shock, going from the warm weather to the extremes of the East Coast. It snowed the very first series while at Maryland so that was a drastic shock for me in terms of playing conditions, considering it had only snowed once in my entire life in Southern California. I always want to challenge myself both academically and athletically and I felt like Maryland gave me that opportunity with its excellent academic tradition as well as the athletic competition from the ACC.

BTB: Did any teams other than the Brewers show a strong interest in bringing you in as an undrafted free agent?
SB: Yes I had been talking to several other teams about signing as a free agent but I’m glad to have signed with such a great organization as the Milwaukee Brewers.

BTB: What was it like going from not being drafted, to being signed by the team that your brother plays for?
SB: It was a roller coaster of emotions for me going from not being drafted to signing with the Brewers. I was definitely disappointed at first about not being drafted because I am very confident in my abilities and all I wanted was the opportunity. Having said that I am very grateful and appreciative that the Brewers gave me that opportunity and I am going to give it everything I have day in and day out to continue to improve on a daily basis with my ultimate goal being able to one day play along side my brother. I use the fact that I wasn’t drafted as motivation to work harder everyday and prove people wrong.

BTB: You've played center, third, second and short. What position are you most comfortable at/enjoy the most, and where have the Brewers indicated they'd like you to play?
SB: I am most comfortable at second but I am very versatile and can play any infield and outfield position. I take pride in my ability to be versatile because the more positions I can play the more valuable I am to the team and organization. As of right now I have been playing both short and second.



BTB: What past or present major leaguer do you think your style of play most resembles?
SB: My style of play doesn’t resemble one particular player. I am a very aggressive player on the bases, I always look to make things happen and put pressure on the defense by looking to take the extra base. No matter what, I always play hard because that is the one thing I can always control. I never take any days for granted and my style of play dictates that. I am a gap to gap type hitter who uses the whole field. I am ver y confident in my defensive ability. I try to make adjustments in the field and at the plate from play to play or at bat to at bat.

BTB: Does your brother offer a lot of advice to you about being successful as a pro baseball player while honing your tools in the minors?
SB: Yes I am very fortunate to be able to get advice from my brother on a daily basis. We talk a lot about working hard and trying to get better everyday. He has told me about the season being a grind and staying confident and consistent with what I do because there are obviously going to be ups and downs throughout the season. We talk about only focusing on things we can control, such as mental and physical preparation as well as effort and let the rest take care of itself. We try to focus on staying in the present and focusing on one pitch at a time, one ab at a time, and so on and so forth.

BTB: What's the best aspect of your game? What do you think you need to work on most to make it to the majors?
SB: The best aspect of my game would have to be my work ethic and determination. This has been a life long dream of mine and I am going to do anything and everything I can do to one day make it. I am always looking to improve upon all aspects of my game. I am going to take advantage of having the opportunity to learn from such knowledgeable coaches.

BTB: You were known as one of the best bunters at Maryland. What are the keys to laying down a good bunt, and why do you think so many current players struggle at it so much?
SB: I honestly feel like you have to be fully committed to laying down a bunt in order for it to be successful. You have to have the fundamentals down such as where to position yourself in the batters box, bat angle and bat position as well as seeing the ball down before you leave the box.

BTB: Have you spent much time in Milwaukee? What do you like about it?
SB: I have been to Milwaukee on several different occasions and I’ve loved it. It’s a beautiful city with great fans.

Thanks for taking the time out of your schedule to answer these questions Steven. Best of luck in Helena and hopefully we'll see you in Milwaukee soon.

Anyone else thrilled about the Pirates trades?

Remember Jason Bay Mr. Suppan? I do, because I've never witnessed a ball hit harder at Miller Park jump out over the fence farther than on July 6, 2008. 440 feet later, Bay's blast bashed off the M&I Bank sign on the scoreboard. Yikes. The good news is that the Brewers won that game in a good ole fashioned shootout fashion. But with Soup Pitched Great scheduled to take the hill on Saturday, I'm sleeping a bit better this weekend knowing Canada's second favorite (Brett Lawrie is clearly the favorite) is no longer a member of the Bucs.

Even though Sheets won't pitch this weekend, I'm also quite pleased that the Ben Sheets Slayer, Xavier Nady is no longer with the NL Central foe either. As I wrote yesterday, the Crew, Cubs and Cardinals all square off against bottom dwelling opponents this weekend, so with the Pirates being weak and getting weaker, that's just fine by me.

For as far as Bay clubbed that shot in July, let's all just take a moment to remember than Russell "3TO" Branyan has the farthest dinger in the history of our beautiful ballpark. 480 feet.

Pack Your Bags Laynce

How is this man still on the team? Seriously, what did Tony Gwynn Jr. do to Ned or Doug? Run over their dog? Sleep with one of their wives? This guy gets the call up and starts against the San Diego Padres over TGJ?

Laynce Nix is like a mix of Bill Hall, Mike Cameron, Dick Weeks and Gabe Gross, all rolled into one. To you and I, aka the knowledgeable fan, that sounds pretty shitty. To Ned Yost, that sounds like "The Prototype."

God help us.

I'm Speechless...

With a win yesterday, it has become mathematically impossible for Ned to lead his squad to a sub .500 August! For the second time under his watch, the Brewers will have a winning record in the month of August. That being said, he still has a 69-87 career mark during the month (going 13-6 this month really makes that mark look a lot better than what it was).

This weekend...

Stay hot Brew Crew. A quick glance at the schedules of the NL Central shows the Pirates in the Brew Town, while the Cubs are playing the horrendous Nationals and the Cardinals squaring off against the throwing in the towel Braves. No time for a mini-home-series-weekend slump.

ESPN back on its game

Finally! The Worldwide Leader has uncovered a Brett Favre story with one of its cavalry of Favre apologists reporters.

Favre says Mike Tannenbaum doing a great job, "adding the type of weapons I lacked in Green Bay that I'll need to win another Super Bowl." Check it out here.

And the Crew can REALLY take off!

Goodbye Dick Weeks! WAAAAAAA, WAAAAAAAA, Dick and all of his 5-tool potential is hurt, I'm so upset, whatever will the Brewers do? FALSE! I am NOT upset. This team will win two additional games by having this moron out of the lineup.

Holy phucking shit!

Michael Phelps is a man. We here at the Brew Town Beat pause for a moment to respect our country. Eight gold medals in one Olympic Games? Guess what kids? You'll never see this again. Ever. I hope you watched Phelps, because it's impossible for an Olympian to snag nine golds in one games. It'll never, ever, ever, happen again. This Beijing Olympiad was historic. I'm not a swimmer, but I'll fully admit I was 400% behind USA Swimming this year.

My cousin is the director of PR for USA Swimming and quite frankly, she's having a banner week, and exhausted at the same time. The Water Cube will forever be remembered for what Phelps did in 2008. You've made a believer out of all of us, and you're the best thing to come out of Baltimore since Camden Yards. Chant it with me...USA! USA! USA!

I'm a man, and I'm 40

Tom Haudricourt, beat writer for our beloved Milwaukee Brewers may be pissed off, but you would never know it. Tom is the regular contributor for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's popular Milwaukee Brewers blog. Apparently, someone who goes by the screen name of "Adam" took it upon himself to go straight to the top of the company ladder of the Journal Sentinel to complain about hurt feelings. Adam, this is a big boy league, and if you have hurt feelings, you may want to start following blogs dedicated to the Jonas Brothers, or Hannah Montana, because it is always 70 degrees and sunny in their publications. Why in the eff, would someone cry to upper management of the JS regarding words exchanged on a blog? This disgusts me. I am not a strong follower of Tom Haudricourt, but for phuck sakes, he covers your local team, give him a damn break.

ESPN just struggling

Brett Favre is irate with the Jets management and administration because he vouched for the team to sign safety John Lynch, but the Patriots inked him first.

"First the Packers wouldn't resign Marco Rivera when I wanted him around. Then they let Mike Wahle sign for bookend left tackle money with the Panthers. I couldn't believe Mooch wasn't my coach, er the coach of the Pack and now I'm a Jet and I say I want John Lynch to bolster this teams defense and they let him sign with a divisional rival? You've got to be kidding me."

Al Jones was not available to write a column as he was covering a local bake sale in Hattiesburg outside of Drrty, Drrty Elementary School.

The Boogeyman

Remember this play? Trevor Hoffman and all of San Diego does.


September 27th, 2007. Padres looking to wrap up the wild card. San Diego's favorite son's son, Tony Gwynn Jr. rips a pinch-hit game tying triple off Hoffman, eventually winning the game and forcing the Pad's into a one game playoff with the Rockies.

Flash forward then to yesterday. Padres up 3-2 with two outs in the ninth. All of a sudden, Trevor Hoffman hears he'll have to face a pinch hitting outfielder from the Brewers...gulp.

(Hoffman , with nightmares of TGJ getting to him fresh in his head, upon hearing a pinch-hitting outfielder has been summoned.)

Fortunately for Hoffman, and San Diego, the Brewers called up Laynce Nix, NOT Tony Gwynn Jr. Hoffman is suddenly relieved.

(Hoffman's reaction upon seeing Gabe Kapler stroll into the batters box, NOT TGJ)

With a new lease on life, Hoffman digs deep, finding that extra gear allowing him to blow his 71 mph heat past Gabe Kapler. Padres win, Hoffman gets to fall asleep without being greeted by the Boogeyman.

(Hoffman lives to see another day. Padres win, yay)

I think it's clear we can put the blame for this loss on Doug Melvin.

Really Doug? Really Ned? Laynce Nix?

The photo above tells you all you need to know about how bad he is. Seriously bro, those are the groupies you're pulling? Doesn't he look like Isaac from the Real World Sydney? Just go do look-alike conventions and stop patrolling the bench and/or left field in Milwaukee.

What has Laynce Nix done to warrant his this promotion, rather than being the personal pet of Doug Melvin's, the man who drafted him in Texas. I realize he was on a relative tear right before his call up and had 23 home runs, but come on.

Laynce Nix has sucked his whole career. It's not as though he hasn't been given any shots either, this is his sixth year in the major leagues and yesterday was his 261st career game. Hardly a prospect.

In his career, Nix is batting .236 with 29 homers and 244 STRIKEOUTS! He's a high strike out guy with the potential to hit a homer once every 30 at-bats, while batting .230 or below. I think we've cornered the market on those guys, don't you Doug?

Oh, and you just knew Nix was getting the start yesterday. Ned's "Managing Games/Lineups For Dummies" manual told him so:

• Recent call-up from AAA - CHECK
• Career .240 or lower hitter - CHECK
• High career strike out totals in limited action - CHECK
• Reigning NL Cy Young on the mound - CHECK
• Plays left field - CHECK

All things point towards playing him, and the last one means he has to bat third.

I won't totally bash the guy though, in fairness he did make one heck of a defensive play in yesterdays game.

I'm not sure why I do this to myself, since the team clearly hates him, but why do they not see value in Tony Gwynn Jr?  It's got to be one of the following:

• Speed
• Defense
• Lack of Power
• Hits higher than .230
• Draws walks
• Ability to steal bases
• Vaule as a late inning pinch runner

Clearly, all those traits suck.  We'd much rather field a softball team.

ESPN still chasing The Beat!

Rachel Nichols must have been taking a snooze. Or maybe she was sending off a text message when the story broke, but for the second consecutive day, The Brew Town Beat has scooped ESPN on yet another Brett Favre story. Shut the bar down, Favre is on the Worldwide leader!

Scott Favre says Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum not doing everything in his arsenal to make Brett feel welcome in training camp.

Laynce Nix

Please cut this man. This guy is worse than Dick Weeks. He's like the Brewers batting version of Ben Hendrickson. For those scoring at home, that's not a good comparison. His .000 batting average last year needs to get off this teams roster now. When my 2008 media guide informs me that he has a career .238 BA in the Bigs and a .170 BA with the Brewers that's pretty telling. I guarantee you he popped out to the SS in the above photo.

Great idea Ned, by the way, to play him against the NLs reigning Cy Young Award winner.

B-U-L-L-P-E-N Spells Relief

The production the Brewers have been getting from their starters is getting all the praise as of late, but the work put in by the bullpen certainly should not be overlooked.

The entire bullpen has been fantastic as of late. Gagne has looked extremely solid with the exception of two meltdowns (Sunday's game and July 12). Take those two out of the equation and he has a 0.96 era since his return from the disabled list.

Much like Gagne, Guillermo Mota has for the most part been solid, with a few hiccups here and there.

David Riske has started to settle down, and really seems to be at his best when he takes over in games for his good friend CC Sabathia, although those instances are few and far between.

The real bullpen story however revolves around two guys.

Salomon Torres has been as lock-down as they come. Since being named the team's closer, Torres has logged 32.1 innings, posting a 2.22 era and converting 23 of 25 save opportunities.

As good as Torres has been this year, one man has outdone him. That man...


Carlos Villanueva. You know, the guy that some punk suggested has the stuff to be a closer and should take over that role next season. What did that idiot know.

Since Villanueva was taken out of the rotation and placed in the bullpen, he's been automatic.

• 23 games
• 38 IP
• 38 Ks
• 6 BBs
• 3 HRs
• 1 Save
• 7 Holds
• 1.66 era

As good as those numbers have been though, there is one stat that is totally unreal.  One stat that is going to blow your mind.  Quite frankly, it's arguably the most important statistic when it comes to relievers.  Inherited runners, or InR.

Villanueva's InR thus far is 15.  His InS (Inherited Runners Scored) is 1 (93.3% success rate).  So, of all the times he's entered a game mid inning with a guy on base, he's only allowed one of those guys to score.  (That one time was the Cubs series when he entered the game with Theriot on third and one out).

Carlos is clearly the second best, if not the best relief pitcher on this staff.  I think it's time for Ned to either start using him in the eighth inning as Torres' setup guy, or inserting him into the game whenever there's a jam with runners on late in the game (something you could argue he's doing now).

My only complaint with the way Yost has used him thus far is that I don't think he gets enough use.  There are times when Yost will go to Carlos in the 7th and he'll cruise through the inning, then the eighth comes and Ned lifts him.  Why?  Let him go the 7th and 8th in those cases.  I get you don't want to overwork the guy because of his value as a setup guy, middle reliever and longman, but theoretically, can't McClung fill all those roles too?

I realize it is a catch 22 though. Where do you use Villanueva, when it's the 5th or 6th inning of a 3-1 game with runners on 1st and 2nd, or do you hope you get out of that jam without him and wait until the 7th or 8th and use him as your setup guy?

Tough call, but so far Ned has seemingly pushed the right buttons.

It's clear to any reader of this blog that I'm obviously the President of the Carlos Villanueva Fan Club, but seriously, he's got to be the most under-appreciated reliever on this team and one of the most under-appreciated in all of baseball.

Scooped!

ESPN is fuming that one of the 24 employees it surrounds Brett Favre with completely missed this story. Apparently the reporter it had in Favre's sock drawer was also fatigued like his right arm and was taking a nap. But the BTB claims the scoop!

Favre sees pigeon, mistakes it for seagull

The Road Warriors

OK, seriously, 13 of 15 on the road? 34-28 overall on the road this season?
Who is this team and what have you done with our usual Brewers.

34 road wins on August 13 is nothing short of amazing for this team. Look at their previous road marks under Ned Yost:

2007: 32-59
2006: 27-54
2005: 35-46
2004: 36-45
2003: 31-50

By the way, the last time the Brewers finished above .500 on the road was 1999 (42-39). Check out the turds filling out that team.

"What do yooou think about the Bucks trade?"

Trade connoisseur
Basketball genius
Aldi bag enthusiast

Gimme Mo

It's Maurice Bitch...

I jack it up like theres no one around
I keep on shootin' (I keep shootin')
I keep on shootin'

Teammates are open while I'm getting mine
I keep on shootin' (I keep shootin')
Keep shootin'
Feels like the crowd is saying

Gimme Gimme Mo
Gimmie Mo
Gimme Gimme Mo

The Bucks pulled off another deal today, pulling the trigger on the much rumored three way deal involving the Cavs and Oklahoma City team.

Can you tell I won't miss Mo Williams?

In the deal, the Bucks have acquired point guard Luke Ridnour from Oklahoma City and Damon Jones from Cleveland. Remember Damon Jones, the self-professed greatest shooter on the planet? Jones spent time in Milwaukee back in 2003 I believe, and actually wasn't that bad. He was a favorite of mine.

Oklahoma City gets Joe Smith and former Buck/Seattle Sonic Desmond "Cowboy" Mason. Man, somebody check on Jim Paschke, he's got to be on the brink of suicide after hearing this.

Cleveland gets Mo Williams.

Personally, I would have rather gotten Damon Jones and Joe Smith, but I'll take this.

So in this offseason, new GM John Hammond has shed us of Bobby Simmons and Mo Williams awful deals, shipped a highly overrated lottery pick (Yi) out of town and shipped away a declining wing man (Cowboy). Not bad work so far.

Cowboy had an expiring deal worth a little over $5 million, while Mo was crippling us with his remaining 4 years on the deal, all at over $8 million a year. Yikes.

The incoming contracts are nothing more than cap relief. Damon Jones has an expiring deal worth about $4.5 million and Ridnour 2 years and $13 million left on his deal.

As of now, the Bucks rotation looks like this:

Ridnour/Sessions/Lue
Redd/Bell/Jones
Jefferson/Mbah a Moute/Alexander
Villanueva/Alexander/Allen
Bogut/Gadzuric

I hate the idea of them playing Alexander at the 4, I just picture him getting destroyed by the likes of Dwight Howard, Chris Bosh, Elton Brand, Rasheed Wallace, Garnett, etc. but they seem OK with it.

P.S. I believe we've officially scooped the Journal Sentinel. Nice job Gary D. Howard, solid paper you're running there. I take it Tom Enlund and Charles Gardner are on vacation?

The Brewers Still Hate Tony Gwynn Jr.

Al from Al's Ramblings reports the Brewers have placed Russell Branyan on the DL with a muscle strain. In his place, they have apparently called up OF Laynce Nix.

Nix has performed well in AAA this year but hasn't done anything EVER in the majors. TGJ haters will be quick to point out that neither has Gwynn, but Nix has been given more chances than TGJ and Nix is the exact type of player the Brewers don't need right now. He has potential for high power numbers, but he strikes out a lot. Sound familiar? Sound like, gee I don't know....six or seven guys in our current line up?

With Braun out doesn't this scream Gwynn? Play him in left, bat him leadoff or second and slide Corey, JJ or even Rickie to the three hole for the time being.

Again, Rickie Weeks gets all this rope to hang himself with and yet they don't even give Gwynn an inch of that same rope. I don't get it.

Back to the Brewers

First off, in case you didn't notice, we have officially lost the "dot blogspot" from our domain. Yes, that's right, our accountant signed off on spending 10 bucks to buy the domain "brewtownbeat.com." We're excited about it and at the very least, it makes it easier for you to plug it into your web browser.

And now we return to the Brewers after a slew of Packers posts. Quite an exciting time to be a sports fanatic in the Brew Town, but I swear I was saying the same thing last year at this time and even into September. But anyway, after the Nationals series, the most significant thing I took away was Ben Sheets finally putting up an ace caliber outing after CC put one together yet again in back to back nights. So it got me to thinking about how the Crew has fared on the year in all of the series they've played, from opening day at Wrigley Field through the past Nats series:

Series won: 21
Series lost: 12
Series split: 5

None too shabby.

And since this game is currently only in the 8th inning, with the Crew leading 5-2, I'll be damned if I chalk this up as a W yet, so I'll toss in some random Crew thoughts instead.

-Did 3TO and Bill Hall collaborate and stand up Ned's daughter at the Summer Send-Off Dance? Counsell is getting an awful lot of PT at 3B. My main thought is that after the Cubs series Ned realized the importance of having a player that works the count, even if he isn't getting on base very often.
-The girl the camera showed in the bottom of the 8th inning vs. the Padres was the hottest we've seen on FSN all year.
-The Crew should call up TGJR for this series, just to strike the fear of God into the Padres.

Not my best stuff tonight, but I haven't switched my biological clock to the Pacific Time Zone yet.

From the Press Box: Pack v. Bengals wrap

I wanted to offer up more insight than the following, but I helped the Bengals Radio Network during this game and wasn't able to provide any sort of updates throughout the duration of the game. I'll go out of my way to say the Bengals play-by-play voice, Brad Johansen and color analyst, Dave Lapham are a great tandem. Terrific insight and fluid and extremely nice guys. Lapham is in his 23rd season as analyst for 'Nati, and it shows. He's a wealth of football knowledge.

So with that, you can either agree, disagree or not care about the following observations:
-By my count driving into Lambeau and watching people shuffle by the Associated Bank Gate before the game, it was 17-1 Rodgers jerseys to Jets crap.
-The Packers defense was introduced and this probably wasn't an accident.
-James Jones actually got rang pretty good on his highlight reel catch and run for a tudder. He actually said that he was just glad he ran in the right direction. Crazy.
-Tory Humphrey said it just felt good to get back out there again after missing all of last season with an injury. He said he's just about back up to "game speed." He's someone to keep an eye on.
-After a short dump off pass for about 4 yards in the first quarter, Lapham offered up this input: "This is the West Coast Offense. When a defense holds an offense to a four yard pass, they think they did well. When a running back pops off a four yard run, they start pointing fingers. But it's all the same in the end and if they're going to give you four yards via the pass, why not take it?"
-Nearly the entire second half, for both teams, was played "outside the Red Zone." A result of both offenses playing as vanilla as possible at that point.

Packers/Bengals Live Blog

Who is this Farve (sp?) guy Rodgers is replacing?

I see quite a few Rodgers signs and jerseys in the crowd, and he gets a standing O. Good sign so far.

Rodgers completes a pass, gets smoked on a blindside rush and then shows good pocket poise and nearly converts on a third and long. Not a total disaster so far...

The defense holds and forces a three and out. Who cares though, lets see more Rodgers.

So far the offensive line has looked pedestrian and when they did create a hole, Brandon Jackson didn't find it.

Rodgers shows good pocket presence again and converts on a third and long.

Just as I say that, Jackson ducks under a defender and breaks off a big gainers and a delayed handoff.

Rodgers shows something we haven't seen in roughly 10 years...mobility. Nice bootleg to Driver.

And there's the first Rodgers pick. Very Favre-esque, a bullet over the middle that was deflected and snared by a defender. Not his fault.

Overall, Rodgers looks pretty good. I did cringe on one of the hits he took though. Definitely not used to seeing our quarterback take a hit.

Defense forces another three and out. Again, who cares.

McCarthy calling pretty safe plays thus far for Rodgers.

Rodgers misses a wide open James Jones. Not a bad deep ball, but the throw had to be better. Rushed the throw a bit due to pressure.

A-Rodg follows up with a nice deep ball to Ruvell Martin for a big gainer.

Mason the leg drills a 37 yarder. 3-0 Packers.

Another three and out forced by the defense. D-line hasn't looked bad so far and Tramon Williams and AJ Hawk each made nice plays on the ball.

The booth talks about Hawk and how there is a large number of AJ Hawk jerseys around the stadium. They also comment that you'd hope Hawk steps up a bit this year. While that is true, he's not asked to be a playmaker in this defense. That role is reserved for Barnett.

More comparisons of Rodgers to Favre, this time about the facial hair. If this is what each telecast this year will be like, kill me now.

More conservative play calls for Rodgers (extremely smart). Driver shakes out of another tackle (no one in the league is better) and lays out Marvin White on his way to the sidelines.

WOW. Rodgers kind of hangs James Jones out to dry, he takes a big hit, holds on, loses his helment and scampers into the endzone. Jones is the guy to watch this year, had a very similar season to that of Greg Jennings in his rookie year, does he make the progress Jennings did in his second season?

Rodgers numbers in the first quarter, 9-15 for 117 yards, a TD and INT a piece.

I wonder if Rodgers is done. Jaws suggests he should play the entire half, I'd agree.

Kenny Watson and Chris Perry are starting to shred this defensive line as the Bengals move deep into GB territory.

Ben Utecht gets wide open and scores. Gee, at tight end doing damage against our defense? No way.

It looks like Barnett blew the coverage on that one.

Rodgers is done. Overall, I thought he looked pretty good. His pocket presence was a lot better than what we've seen in the past, and he showed off his arm a few times. The ability to make plays on the run out of the pocket was something Favre did on ocassion, but Rodgers is definitely more mobile than Favre was.

It should be interesting to see how Brohm looks. There's a lot of pressure on him too, if he looks shaky the Packers HAVE to go get a veteran to back up Rodgers.

Good start for Brohm. 1-1, interception. Oh boy, regardless of how Brohm plays tonight, I still think going into the season with him as the backup is an awful idea.

The pick turns costly, Chris Perry bulls his way into the endzone. 14-10 Bungles.

Brohm has looked awful tonight, Rodgers is done, I'm pulling the plug on this thing.

Game day inactives

Today's inactives from Lambeau:

Charles Woodson
Ryan Grant
Charlie Peprah
Al Harris
Desmond Bishop
Scott Wells
Orrin Thompson
Ryan Pickett
Greg Jennings
Justin Harrell (duh)
KGB
Johnny Jolly

Bengals:

Jeremi Johnson
Rudi Johnson
Chinedum Ndukwe
Ethan Kilmer
Herana-Daze Jones
Dan Howell
T.J. Houshmandzadeh
Rashad Jeanty
Antwan Odom

And So It Begins...

The Aaron Rodgers era is officially upon us. Even though this is just the pre-season, you still can't deny this is kind of a big deal. I'll be doing a live blog of at least the early action tonight, and we hope to post some tidbits from the press box.

Favre reunited with Grabby Smurf

Did anyone else see this? Ahmad "Grabby Smurf" Carroll (hat tip to Chuckie Hacks) was picked up by the Jets. Maybe he and Favre can talk about his magical rookie season of 2004 and how he was the bread of butter of the best draft class in Packers history including himself, Joey Thomas, B.J. Sander and Donnell Washington.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'm convinced that Mike Sherman forgot the draft actually lasted two days and was at home taking a dump when the team picked Corey Williams and Scott Wells in the 5th and 7th rounds, respectively.

Top 10 D'Bag sports brothers

I know I should be writing about the oozing man crush I have on CC Sabathia, but it's pretty obvious that Mad Dog and Nedder did some successful Googling and have him programed to pitch complete game victories every time out. He already leads the NL in complete games. Incredible.

But instead of more CC chatter, I'll spice up the weekend reading with a fresh Top 10 List, this one of the biggest D'bag brothers from sports.

1. Michael and Marcus Vick - Duh. I'll hand it to Michael though, who would have thought that his actions would make his "metal cleats stomped into a lineman's leg" brother's antics look tame.

2. Jose and Ozzie Canseco - If it weren't for the Vick's, who set the bar so high it will never be reached, these two d'bags would be seated high above the rest. Instead of spelling out everything, just look at Ozzie's wiki page.

3. Dmitri and Delmon Young - Delmon tossed a freaking bat at an ump as a minor leaguer and Dmitri not only looks like a cook at George Webb's, but has many a paternal suits against him.

4. Bill and Martin Gramatica - Will a kicker ever be as hated as one of these turds? I could watch Bill tear his ACL celebrating a chip shot field all day long.

5. Ryan and Brady Leaf - Admittedly, this tandem is carried by Ryan being a pure jackass bust and Brady blowing Oregon's chances of the National Championship last season. Oregon got what they deserved though, inviting Ryan down onto the sidelines. This would be like if Ahmad Carroll was allowed down onto the stadium sideline of his little brother's uber important SEC game.

6. Peyton and Eli Manning - Who doesn't hate these weiners?

7. Sterling and Shannon Sharpe - Pains me to put one of my favorite Packers of all time on here, but both were just d'bags with the media (Sterling) and obnoxious to opponents (Shannon).

7. Jack and Bill Ikeguownu - Aside from having the oddest combination of first names when paired with their last name, they stole an Xbox. Yeah, that's what I thought too, just play the one's that every...single...teammate has.

8. Brook and Robin Lopez - Robin is going to struggle in the NBA when he gets that excited about a 3-footer in the first half and I hope he'll find his name being battle rapped by Shaq shortly thereafter.

9. Bennie and Brian Blades - Bennie had to have lead the league in personal fouls a few times. Brian is guilty by association.

10. B.J. and Justin Upton - They're actually not D'bags at all, but now that both are on successful teams, I'm predicting that they'll start getting into scraps with the law or strippers or both.

High on Life

Many of the Miller Park Faithful are questioning how Dick Weeks not only went 4-5 in Wednesday's victory over the Reds, but how he also committed NO errors. According to unspecified reports, Dick Weeks hired a consulting firm to conduct life coaching exercises with him. I'm sure many of you have heard the stories FSN routinely slams down the throats of its viewing audience about how Dick Weeks is the only three time, back to back to back, practice player of the year in Brewers history. Ned Yost has mentioned a time or two about how Dick is the most gifted hitter in the cage, and how hard he works before the games and so on. Hopefully the group of extrordinary gentleman pictured above will harness his ability to play baseball and cure him of his iniquities.

Ryan Braun for Wisconsin in 08!

Officially, here is your new sports icon Wisconsinites:



Some of his dingers have not landed yet.

If you ever swallow poison and need to induce vomiting...

just stare at this for about 3 seconds.

F-U-C-K! BUTTS! BUTTS! BUTTS!

Uncle Brett is gone. Traded to the New York Jets. Instead of rambling on saying, "Really Brett? This is how you want to go out? Getting squashed twice a year by a guy that has all of your signals on tape since the Clinton Administration while winning maybe 8 games?" I'll say goodbye to a legend. I'll say goodbye to a guy that made a believer out of every Packers fan every time he took the field. I'll say that Brett Favre being in Green, (but not that Green) and White (instead of Gold) might be the worst looking thing I've ever seen. Say hello to Bubba for all of us out there Country. I'm not sure you're a New York type of guy, and you'll find out quickly in NYC that no player is bigger than a team or city. Just ask that ARod (Not ARodg) guy. But Fuck, I wish it didn't have to end like this.

Play the following video on repeat all day long until the Bears or Vikings fan next to you at work physically tries to make you stop playing it, then beat the tar out of them.



And because this song would fill the bowl of Lambeau after so many 90's victories.

I Can't Believe It's Really Over

Why did this have to happen? I'm glad it's the Jets and not the Bucs, but why did this happen? Why did he waffle so much? Why did we get into a pissing match with him? Why were both parties so headstrong?

I can't believe this ended so badly. Rather than sulk, for the time being I'm just going to remember the fond memories of our general, Uncle Brett. So long Brett, thanks for the memories.

Hell Has Frozen Over

How else can you explain Brett Favre no longer being welcomed in Green Bay and Dick Weeks getting 4 hits in one game?

The Maytag Man

I think Jason Kendall is fast approaching he who shall not be named's career record of 275 consecutive starts. Ridiculous. Once again, Kendall is in the lineup again today. What does Mike Rivera have to do to get some playing time?

Kendall has looked awful at the plate since July 1 and looks fatigued behind the plate. Rivera meanwhile has hit each time he's been inserted in the lineup, granted it's a small sample size, but still.

Dear Ned,

Jason Kendall is going to die behind the plate. Stop starting him every single day, especially when we're playing in the dirty south heat like Atlanta and the humid Cincinnati. Stop playing him day games after night games, and start giving him at least one day off a week. Kendall is currently third among all catcher in games caught, only behind LA's Russell Martin and the douche bag Geovany Soto.

Here's the difference between our situation and those two:

Dodgers have no backup catcher, they were using Gary Bennett for a while, so Martin is clearly their only option
Soto is an All-Star and having a tremendous year, plus I've actually seen Hank White getting quite a bit of playing time lately, so Lou knows something about not running guys into the ground and resting regulars, something Nedly is familiar with.

I'm convinced the only reason Ned didn't discipline Prince for attacking Manny Parra on Monday wasn't because it wasn't a big deal, but rather he knew if he suspended Fielder he'd have to start Rivera in his place.

Here's a fun game for anyone going to any of the games against the Nationals this weekend, survey the crowd around you and ask them who the Brewers backup catcher is. I can almost guarantee most will say Damian Miller.

The Crew's penchant for solo dingers

Both myself and Justin at the BTB have wondered if the Brewers are going to shatter the single season record for solo dingers. With an offense so reliant on the long ball, the Brewers go yard a lot with nobody on base. I asked our friends at Stats, Inc. and here's the answer:

The most solo home runs hit in a season since 1988 were hit by the 2001 Texas Rangers when they hit 161 solo home runs.

This season, through Tuesday's games, the Milwaukee Brewers rank third in the majors with 87 solo home runs.

The Chicago White Sox are first with 92, and the Philadelphia Phillies are second with 89.

So the answer is no, the Brewers will most definitely NOT break the 2001 Rangers record of 161 solo shots by blasting 74 more solo homers through the remainder of August and September. They do have a fantastic chance of leading the league or the NL this season, but truthfully, one could spin that to be a good thing just as easily as it can be labeled a bad trait, reflective of a team with a poor OBP.

Ice, Ice Corey

What's up with the lines Corey Hart shaved into his head? I mean those things are cool, I remember when I had my mom do the same thing to my hair when I was in sixth grade, but why did Corey do it?

Apparently, he was watching VH1 and saw something about Vanilla Ice - probably that "I Love the 80's" show that runs seemingly every other day - and decided it would be a good idea to mimic the look. Hart discussed the look on the Brewers postgame show on WSSP and said something to the effect of, "he had a lot of hits with it, and I needed to get some hits."

God I love Corey Hart. I hope he starts using Ice, Ice Baby as his plate entrance music. How awesome would that be? Maybe even work out some cool dance routine to go along with it. Miller Park would be rocking.

A Plea To Packers Fans

Please don't hold Aaron Rodgers accountable for this. Rodgers has nothing to do with Favre not quarterbacking the Green and Gold. Let's give him a fair shot. As if he didn't face an uphill battle already, he now has to be the guy who not only replaced Brett Favre, but replaced him when "Favre wanted to play for the Packers again."

There's so much to this whole thing that none of us can even begin to act like we know of. Rodgers is caught in the middle of it. Lets not blame him for this mess. Favre is gone, Rodgers is our quarterback now. Don't boo him when he throws an incomplete pass, and don't show up to practice with you "Bring Back Brett" signs.

Rodgers is our quarterback now, give him a fair shot. If he fails, then by all means boo him, but lets give him a chance to succeed first.

Here Comes the Nedtastic Second Half Swoon

Is Ned Yost retarded? We know Dr. Ned isn't, but his evil twin Plain Old Ned sucks. This team has looked absolutely awful since the sweep of the Cardinals and now they had a dugout blowup. Interestingly enough, it was nearly one year to the day of the Johnny "Slow Turd" Estrada and Tony Graffanino scuffle last year (August 3, 2007).

I love Ned's comment too, basically downplaying it and accusing us of being rude for wanting to know what it was about.

"It's a little bit rude when your neighbors are fighting next door to go knock on the door and ask what happened."

-Ned Yost

No Ned, I don't go over there and snoop around, I CALL THE COPS. 

Since the second half tank job is on the horizon, I'll give you a few tips on how to avoid it Ned

1. Don't play Rickie Weeks so much.  He sucks.  Seriously Ned, your leadoff hitter is batting .221 and is a human error machine.
2. Don't start Rickie Weeks ever again
3. Manage your pitching staff.  If a guy looks like he's running into trouble, do something about it.  Don't wait for them to work their way out of the jam, and give up five runs in the process.
4. Play the hot bat.  Counsell looks keyed in at the plate, keep starting him until he cools off.
5. Give Jason Kendall a freaking day off.  Seriously Ned.  Are you serioius?
6. Hold players accountable.  You clearly don't.
7. When your players get into a fight, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!  Don't just sit there and let them take control of the situation.
8. Don't use your stupid plug and play lineups.  Just because a guy is filling in for a regular, that doesn't mean you bat him in that guys slot in the order.  WHY THE F IS CRAIG COUNSELL BATTING SIXTH IN THE LINEUP WHILE DICK WEEKS CONTINUES TO LEADOFF YOU F*&KING IDIOT!
9. Manage your starters better.  I realize we intend on getting all we can out of Sabathia, but have you ever heard of resting guys for the postseason?  WHY THE F DO WE CONTINUE TO TROT HIM OUT THERE FOR COMPLETE GAMES?!?!?
10. Stop talking to us like we're idiots and you're much smarter than us.  You're clearly an idiot.  You're not a smarter baseball man than me because you played professionally.  You sucked as a backup catcher and you suck as a manager.  Bring you twin brother Dr. Ned back, you're retarded.

There Ned.  Please start doing some of these things.  

I can't even begin to express how pathetic it was that he just sat back during that fight as if nothing happened.  You wonder why guys on this team regress and continue to suck?  Ned lets them do what they want and continues to downplay any negativity on the horizon.  

Oh and for those scoring at home, Ned's career record in August is now 56-81.  Oh dear god, I'm really preparing myself for another letdown.

Is there anyway Doug can realistically not fire Ned after another Nedtarded second half means we miss the playoffs again this year?

Dear Prince

Let me help you with a short list of photos of guys to clobber instead of the team's number three starting pitcher you moron: (search "Manny Parra" and you'll get the video if it isn't linking correctly)

The Ramblings...

My Mac is back up and running! BING!

Really Corey Hart? Really? So let me get this straight, Corey Hart speaks out against the fans "not showing up" during the Cubs series. Well Corey, first off, it happens every time they come to town, how does this shock you. Secondly, maybe there would have been far more Brewers fans in the stands (there was monday night) if you and you teammates...WOULD HAVE ACTUALLY DONE SOMETHING AND GIVEN THEN A REASON TO SHOW UP! Stop chasing breaking balls low and away, stop striking out, start getting hits, and stop looking like a defensive liability in the field and then we'll talk Corey. It's not too smart to call out a fan base who went out of their way to vote you into the All-Star game when you were arguably the least deserving of the five players on the list.

Send Rickie Weeks down to AAA and call up Tony Gwynn. After you've done that, Platoon Counsell and Durham at second, and give Counsell more starts at third, and then give Gwynn more starts in center. Mike Cameron has been a massive bust. Is he what we thought we were getting? Sure, I guess, although he is batting 30 points lower than his career average, but I never wanted him in the first place. This lineup has too many guys that strike out a ton and hit in the .220s.

Why have we given Rickie Weeks all this rope to hang himself, yet Tony Gwynn never gets a fair shot at winning a job? Is it because he doesn't fit our softball player/homerun hitting team mentality?

Jorge Campillo owns the Brewers

Ben Sheets has looked like an above average pitcher since the acquisition of CC Sabathia. Is he masking an injury? Either way, it looks like once again Ben may not surpass the 12 win total.

Speaking of Ben Sheets, I have a hard time justifying giving a guy like Sheets huge money when he can't win more than 12 games, spends too much time on the DL when it's not a contract year, and looks more and more like a very good pitcher on a bad staff, not an ace. Somebody will overpay him though.

Tim Hudson is going to miss most of 2009 with Tommy John surgery. The Braves are rebuilding, but have a ton of free money to spend. Do they try and lure Ben Sheets down south?

Ryan Grant reached agreement with the Pack. $40 million? Really? I must say I'm shocked. I don't like this deal, and I'm stunned they caved so quickly, considering the team had all the leverage. Grant was an undrafted free agent with the Giants who the Packers obtained for 6th round pick. He did all of his damage in half a season of work. Prove to me it wasn't a fluke and then we'll talk contract Ryan. I don't like it because we threw a lot of money at a guy for 10 games of work and it always seems like when a guy holds out, no matter how short the hold out is, something bad happens. Yikes.

So Brett Favre is back. John Madden just got a boner somewhere. I like how all of the national media who were "sick of Favre" and thought he was "overrated" are now fully back on his side. Nice. I like how Favre kept reiterating he didn't want to be a distraction, while arriving via private jet last night during the scrimmage and showing up to his box. Riiiiiiight, if that was the case, why not show up this morning, or Sunday morning, or...here's a thought, WHY NOT SEND IN YOUR LETTER MUCH EARLIER AND REPORT TO CAMP RIGHT AWAY! Can we take anything he says seriously anymore? The thing that never gets mentioned is this, he's back now, lets say he wins the job in camp (don't kid yourself, he already has) and then decides "I don't want to play anymore" one week before the season. Thanks Brett, now we've got to scramble to get Rodgers ready again. If you think this is not possible, don't kid yourself. He was reportedly siding towards taking the marketing deal saturday night and then reported sunday. How can he say he's 100% committed?

Speaking of the marketing deal, can we please stop calling it a bribe? It was offered months ago, and once Favre retires and signs the paperwork, the Packers can't market his likeness anymore. It was a business move, not a bribe.

To all of those that say cut him. He's done so much for us, give him what he wants and let him go. Are you that stupid? The Packers have rights here too. They've been held hostage by Favre for years, handled him with kid gloves, gave him special treatment, and covered up numerous missteps of his and now he wants to continue to play them for fools? Uh yeah, I don't think we owe anything to Brett.

I am a Favre fan, not a Favre fanatic. Favre fanatics are those guys you saw waiting for his plane to land last night, wearing jean shorts or Zubaz, Favre jerseys and sporting mulletts. They think Thompson is the devil and is wrong and is a terrible GM. I've seen countless Favre fanatics try and say Thompson should be fired for this because of how he's handled it (I'll admit he hasn't handled it well) and because he's done a poor job of building a team and the success is all because of Favre. Really? That's why Favre looked so bad the last two or three years until McCarthy showed up? Thompson is so bad that all he's done is find Ryan Grant, Greg Jennings, Atari Bigby, sign Pickett and Woodson, rebuild the offensive line...etc. Yeah, he's done an awful job.

How long before Aaron Rodgers requests a trade?

Oh and happy birthday shout out to my pops today. 55 years old, god I hope I don't live that long.