Just in case you haven't seen THIS video yet, take a look.
It's one of the more ridiculous things I've seen in quite some time. This guy should definitely be punished. The worst part is, it appears that his teammates give him a five and they smile about it at the end of the video. It's disgusting. If I were coaching him, I'm not sure he would see the floor again. What an embarrassment to the Houston Cougars program. If they don't see it that way, then they are an embarrassment.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Ben Sheets
It's no secret that Doug Melvin and the Brewers love their draft picks. And that's great, a lot of them have been used to create a deep, pretty talented organization. But I think it's ridiculous to let Ben Sheets go with the compensation looking like it will be nothing better than a secound round pick, possible a 4th rounder if the Yankees step back in and sign him to be their 5th starter... Sheets is becoming a bargain on the free agent market. The Brewers could step in and sign him either to a one year deal or a very affordable 2 year deal in the 16-18 range. Remeber 2 years ago they had to pony up 48 million to sign Jeff Suppan. I mean are you kidding me. Take advantage of it. Get Ben Sheets back. If they need to free up some salary to make it happen, revisit the Cameron trade talks. Take a bit less back from the Yankees, maybe just Cabrera, or even a mid level prospect or two. I think the Brewers would be far better with Sheets and no Cameron then with Cameron and no Sheets. Even if they had to pay some of Cameron's salary, I think it would be worth it. I would rather them have Sheets for 8 and pay 4 of Cameron's deal for a total of 12, then to not have sheets and 10 million wrapped up in Cameron. Just my idea, who knows if the Yankees would even do it with the pleothora of outfielders they have. But to me, they still don't seem to be settled in centerfield.
Thoughts on Michael Redd Injury
Michael Redd has been lost to the Milwaukee Bucks for the remainder of this season with a torn ACL and MCL is his knee. It's obvious that this is a crushing blow to the team's tenuous playoff run this year. It's possible that they can sneak into the 8 spot still, but not likely. But I think the injury has deeper ramifications that this season's playoff chase.
An injury like this can cripple an entire franchise. John Hammond has started to make substantial roster changes for the better in Milwaukee, and I still think that trading Michael Redd was in the plans. Well, scrap that idea. Not only can it not happen now, but not in the next two years either. No one will want to take a risk on a guy who comes back from reconstructive surgery. The Bucks will be stuck with his contract. It would be tolerable if he was playing but for a year and a half of it at least, he won't even be on the court.
Just when things were looking like they were turning around in Milwaukee, there couldn't have been a more devastating blow. If Bogut doesn't get healthy, this year could turn real ugly fast. And the future once again looks bleak.
An injury like this can cripple an entire franchise. John Hammond has started to make substantial roster changes for the better in Milwaukee, and I still think that trading Michael Redd was in the plans. Well, scrap that idea. Not only can it not happen now, but not in the next two years either. No one will want to take a risk on a guy who comes back from reconstructive surgery. The Bucks will be stuck with his contract. It would be tolerable if he was playing but for a year and a half of it at least, he won't even be on the court.
Just when things were looking like they were turning around in Milwaukee, there couldn't have been a more devastating blow. If Bogut doesn't get healthy, this year could turn real ugly fast. And the future once again looks bleak.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Brewers Status Check
Well, it hasn't really been the most exciting of off-seasons for the Milwaukee Brewers. I think that I read too many rumors and got too many thoughts cluttered in my little brain and felt let down as every one of them passed without coming to fruiton. It's probably my own fault if I feel like the Brewers didn't do anything because I set my sights so high. But let's be honest, there isn't always going to be acquistions the magnitude of a CC Sabathia. So the big question remains... Did the Brewers, sans a blockbuster move, make themselves better? Let's take a look.
Starting Lineup - The starting lineup looks to have very few, if any changes from the one that took the field last year. The outfield will again be Ryan Braun, Mike Cameron and Corey Hart. I guess you can't say that the same guys are better or worse than themselves, but you would hope that Braun and Hart would continue to develop and get better. If they do, then you'd have to say it's better. Around the horn the Crew will be Bill Hall, JJ Hardy, Rickie Weeks, Prince Fielder. At least until Hall loses his job. I would think that Casey Mcgehee who they picked up off waivers from the Cubs will get a shot at the job along with Mike Lamb. Otherwise Lamb will be a solid left handed option off of the bench. One intriguing option out there still available is joe Crede. Sounds like he is willing to sign a one year deal to prove himself. That should perk the ears of the Brewers brass and maybe bring him in for a look. Maybe this will be the year that Rickie Weeks breaks out. Sort of like last year was supposed to be the year. Or maybe it's next year. In my opinion, it's now or never for Rickie. I like to believe it's now. Hardy will be solid again, Prince will be Prince. Say what you will but at 24 he's hit 86 home runs in the last two years. That's good. Jason Kendall is annoyingly powerless at the plate and isn't really that good at anything else in that department, but apparently we have to love him because of his work behind the plate. Whatever. He'll do until one of the kids are ready. But I don't really know if he's going to be any better as he continues to get older. Going him with again is a step backwards. In my opinion, you might as well take a step back with a young guy who will develop like a Angel Salome. Put Mike Rivera with him and I think the two of them could handle the job.
Bench - We've already mentioned Lamb and outside of him, you have Mike Rivera. Tony Gwynn stands right now as the fourth outfielder. And for all of you out there who still think he should be the starting CF, I will say this... You're wrong. He will never be and he should be traded to anyone who thinks he might have value. Word is starting to surface the Brewers are working on bringing back Craig Counsell as their utility infielder. That burns me to my very core. I thought he was useless and washed up last year and was so excited that the Brewers seemed to show no interest in bringing him back, until today! There's only so many washed up old, "veteran influence" guys you should have on your team, and I think the Brewers are dangerously close to crossing that line. I hope the bench includes Brad Nelson. I think he could be a solid backup guy if there is a second position he could play.
On position players alone, unless guys take a step forward this year, I can't say they've gotten any better. It's impossible to know which Corey Hart might show up, how much Prince might weigh or if JJ or Braun can stay healthy. If those are all postivies than I think they can still compete.
Later, pitching staff.
UPDATE: Since the last post, the Brewers have officially signed Craig Counsell and I have offically been disappointed once again. I understand he's good defensively and good in the clubhouse, but it'd be nice to sign someone who bats higher than .220. Yes, you could come back with, well, his OBP is .330 or something like that, but imagine if they looked for someone who batted around .260... imagine that OBP. You don't have to settle for him just because he's from the area. How many "veteran influence" guys do you need in one clubhouse. If Cameron and Kendall are as good as they say they are in that role, you don't need more. Talent wins, managers help build clubhouses. Get more talent. Bring up Escobar or something. Good God man.
Starting Lineup - The starting lineup looks to have very few, if any changes from the one that took the field last year. The outfield will again be Ryan Braun, Mike Cameron and Corey Hart. I guess you can't say that the same guys are better or worse than themselves, but you would hope that Braun and Hart would continue to develop and get better. If they do, then you'd have to say it's better. Around the horn the Crew will be Bill Hall, JJ Hardy, Rickie Weeks, Prince Fielder. At least until Hall loses his job. I would think that Casey Mcgehee who they picked up off waivers from the Cubs will get a shot at the job along with Mike Lamb. Otherwise Lamb will be a solid left handed option off of the bench. One intriguing option out there still available is joe Crede. Sounds like he is willing to sign a one year deal to prove himself. That should perk the ears of the Brewers brass and maybe bring him in for a look. Maybe this will be the year that Rickie Weeks breaks out. Sort of like last year was supposed to be the year. Or maybe it's next year. In my opinion, it's now or never for Rickie. I like to believe it's now. Hardy will be solid again, Prince will be Prince. Say what you will but at 24 he's hit 86 home runs in the last two years. That's good. Jason Kendall is annoyingly powerless at the plate and isn't really that good at anything else in that department, but apparently we have to love him because of his work behind the plate. Whatever. He'll do until one of the kids are ready. But I don't really know if he's going to be any better as he continues to get older. Going him with again is a step backwards. In my opinion, you might as well take a step back with a young guy who will develop like a Angel Salome. Put Mike Rivera with him and I think the two of them could handle the job.
Bench - We've already mentioned Lamb and outside of him, you have Mike Rivera. Tony Gwynn stands right now as the fourth outfielder. And for all of you out there who still think he should be the starting CF, I will say this... You're wrong. He will never be and he should be traded to anyone who thinks he might have value. Word is starting to surface the Brewers are working on bringing back Craig Counsell as their utility infielder. That burns me to my very core. I thought he was useless and washed up last year and was so excited that the Brewers seemed to show no interest in bringing him back, until today! There's only so many washed up old, "veteran influence" guys you should have on your team, and I think the Brewers are dangerously close to crossing that line. I hope the bench includes Brad Nelson. I think he could be a solid backup guy if there is a second position he could play.
On position players alone, unless guys take a step forward this year, I can't say they've gotten any better. It's impossible to know which Corey Hart might show up, how much Prince might weigh or if JJ or Braun can stay healthy. If those are all postivies than I think they can still compete.
Later, pitching staff.
UPDATE: Since the last post, the Brewers have officially signed Craig Counsell and I have offically been disappointed once again. I understand he's good defensively and good in the clubhouse, but it'd be nice to sign someone who bats higher than .220. Yes, you could come back with, well, his OBP is .330 or something like that, but imagine if they looked for someone who batted around .260... imagine that OBP. You don't have to settle for him just because he's from the area. How many "veteran influence" guys do you need in one clubhouse. If Cameron and Kendall are as good as they say they are in that role, you don't need more. Talent wins, managers help build clubhouses. Get more talent. Bring up Escobar or something. Good God man.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Uncharacteristic Badgers
I haven't seen a ton of bad losses by the Badgers under Bo Ryan, but this past week they suffered one of the worst. Two things made it as bad as it was. Number one, it was poised to be a very big win. A chance to establish themselves in the upper echelon of the Big Ten this year. It was a chance to slow down the juggernaut being formed by our neighbors to the west. But that all fell by the wayside.
The second thing that made it so bad was the way that they lost. The Badgers pride themselves on being solid in several areas, team defense, taking care of the ball, making free throws and making good decisions. All four were absent down the stretch. They, led by Trevon Hughes, did not take care of the ball against the Gophers press at all. They tried to beat it with the dribble and after countless unsuccessful tries, their lead slipt away. I have no idea why Jason Bohannan even attempted to shoot that lay-up up by 4 points and 25 seconds left. He should have dribbled out of it and ran 5-10 seconds off of the clock and trusted his ability at the free throw line. He could have made it a six point game 10 seconds later than that layup would have done. It's just not smart basketball.
It just wasn't smart basketball. Which is what the Badgers have been about for the last decade plus. Hopefully it was an abberation and not an identity for this year's team.
The second thing that made it so bad was the way that they lost. The Badgers pride themselves on being solid in several areas, team defense, taking care of the ball, making free throws and making good decisions. All four were absent down the stretch. They, led by Trevon Hughes, did not take care of the ball against the Gophers press at all. They tried to beat it with the dribble and after countless unsuccessful tries, their lead slipt away. I have no idea why Jason Bohannan even attempted to shoot that lay-up up by 4 points and 25 seconds left. He should have dribbled out of it and ran 5-10 seconds off of the clock and trusted his ability at the free throw line. He could have made it a six point game 10 seconds later than that layup would have done. It's just not smart basketball.
It just wasn't smart basketball. Which is what the Badgers have been about for the last decade plus. Hopefully it was an abberation and not an identity for this year's team.
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