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.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
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.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Follow the Money
I'm disgusted with Mark Tiexiera. I'm disgusted with the Yankees. I am also disgusted with baseball.
Following Mark Tiexiera's greedy decision to take every single dollar he could possible scrounge, the Yankees racked up their offseason total to 441 million dollars. Plus the 1.3 billion dollars they spent on a new stadium this year too. Well, wait, nevermind, the idiot taxpayers of New York are ponying up the money for that so that Yankees can continue to overspend for anyone and everyone. It's ridiculous, and bad for baseball. It's also bad for America. While far too many Americans battle through the recession, lose their jobs, struggle to make ends meet, the Yankees keep spending and spending and spending, and spending....
Their argument? We have to pay a luxury tax on our salaries so we're punished for it. Punished? If the New York Yankees had a living room, that 30 million was in their couch cushions.
Tiexiera could have gotten equal dollars from any number of teams. Teams he grew up rooting for, teams near his family and friends, but instead he followed the money to NYC. If I felt at all like he wanted to live and play in New York, I would be fine with it, but it's all about the money and if you don't believe that, get a life. The fact of the matter is, he will never see millions 100-180 anyway, but his great, great, grandchildren will reap the benefits. Instead of being the wholesome, guy who had a chance to change baseball for the better, Tiexiera helped bridge a bigger gap between the rich and poor among franchises, and drive away fans who are sick of seeing teams like the Yankees try to buy Championships. It will make it more fun when A-Rod bats .180 in the postseason and CC loses game 5 of the ALCS without getting out of the 2nd inning, while Tiexiera sits on the bench with a pulled hammy. At least we can hope we see that.
Following Mark Tiexiera's greedy decision to take every single dollar he could possible scrounge, the Yankees racked up their offseason total to 441 million dollars. Plus the 1.3 billion dollars they spent on a new stadium this year too. Well, wait, nevermind, the idiot taxpayers of New York are ponying up the money for that so that Yankees can continue to overspend for anyone and everyone. It's ridiculous, and bad for baseball. It's also bad for America. While far too many Americans battle through the recession, lose their jobs, struggle to make ends meet, the Yankees keep spending and spending and spending, and spending....
Their argument? We have to pay a luxury tax on our salaries so we're punished for it. Punished? If the New York Yankees had a living room, that 30 million was in their couch cushions.
Tiexiera could have gotten equal dollars from any number of teams. Teams he grew up rooting for, teams near his family and friends, but instead he followed the money to NYC. If I felt at all like he wanted to live and play in New York, I would be fine with it, but it's all about the money and if you don't believe that, get a life. The fact of the matter is, he will never see millions 100-180 anyway, but his great, great, grandchildren will reap the benefits. Instead of being the wholesome, guy who had a chance to change baseball for the better, Tiexiera helped bridge a bigger gap between the rich and poor among franchises, and drive away fans who are sick of seeing teams like the Yankees try to buy Championships. It will make it more fun when A-Rod bats .180 in the postseason and CC loses game 5 of the ALCS without getting out of the 2nd inning, while Tiexiera sits on the bench with a pulled hammy. At least we can hope we see that.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Ridiculous
The Packers did a fantastic job of one thing tonight... keeping the Bears in it. That should have been a blowout in the first half. The Bears are absolutely putrid. The fact that they are a playoff contender is a joke. They beat the Colts in Week 1 when Peyton was playing on one leg and in his first action of the year. They also beat the Eagles, the Lions twice, Vikings, Rams, Jaguars and Saints. That is not exactly a who's who of NFL Royalty this year. Kyle Orton has got to be the worst quarterback in the league, or at least darn close. Their coach, Lovie Smith, is maybe the most useless head coach in football. He is never doing anything when they show him on TV. Seriously, he is tucked so far into his hat and facemask that he probably can't even talk into his headset. He never changes his expression and rarely ever paces. He doesn't call the offensive plays, doesn't call the defensive plays and has guys in the booth tell him when to challenge a play. I guess he throws the challenge flag, so at least that's something. The Packers just couldn't make the play to knock the Bears out, and low and behold, in the fourth quarter, the predictable defensive breakdown allowed a big play for the Bears, and then the ability to make a stop allowed the Bears to tie it up again. So of course, if we follow the script, the next step would be a 4th quarter interception by Aaron Rodgers. But what did we get...
Probably the stupidest penalty I've seen in a while. A horse collar/late hit, whatever you want to call it after a nice return by Will Blackman. Honestly, how can you not resist from doing that? You should get fined for that kind of stupidity. Or cut. Or arrested. On another note, I have absolutely no idea why teams still believe this little squib kick thing is a good idea. I can't even really dream up a reason to believe why they think it is beneficial. The Bears were burnt on it, making it the 24th straight time I've watched that fail.
Then the Pack really decided to show that they weren't going to repeat earlier mistakes when they settled for a 52 yard field goal attempt that was missed, by throwing 3 consectutive passes taking it down to the two minute warning. It worked as they picked up a first down. Then they did the right thing by forcing the Bears to use their last time out by running the ball. I can't complain at all about the clock management in this game. So it's all set up, the script has been changed, there was no interception, so what do we get instead.... a blocked field goal!!! You have got to be kidding me. Hey at least they found a different way to blow this one. I was getting sort of sick of watching them lose the same way every week.
And what ends up really costing the Packers, well, what else would you guess.... A PENALTY!!! A stupid penalty at that. You just watched your opponent get called for the same thing, so why not go try it out yourself. Absolutely genius football players on this team. If that wasn't bad enough, let's have our two defenders crash into each other, fall down, and give up another big play. Wow.
I'm done. I want that 4 hours of my life back.
Go Lions.
Probably the stupidest penalty I've seen in a while. A horse collar/late hit, whatever you want to call it after a nice return by Will Blackman. Honestly, how can you not resist from doing that? You should get fined for that kind of stupidity. Or cut. Or arrested. On another note, I have absolutely no idea why teams still believe this little squib kick thing is a good idea. I can't even really dream up a reason to believe why they think it is beneficial. The Bears were burnt on it, making it the 24th straight time I've watched that fail.
Then the Pack really decided to show that they weren't going to repeat earlier mistakes when they settled for a 52 yard field goal attempt that was missed, by throwing 3 consectutive passes taking it down to the two minute warning. It worked as they picked up a first down. Then they did the right thing by forcing the Bears to use their last time out by running the ball. I can't complain at all about the clock management in this game. So it's all set up, the script has been changed, there was no interception, so what do we get instead.... a blocked field goal!!! You have got to be kidding me. Hey at least they found a different way to blow this one. I was getting sort of sick of watching them lose the same way every week.
And what ends up really costing the Packers, well, what else would you guess.... A PENALTY!!! A stupid penalty at that. You just watched your opponent get called for the same thing, so why not go try it out yourself. Absolutely genius football players on this team. If that wasn't bad enough, let's have our two defenders crash into each other, fall down, and give up another big play. Wow.
I'm done. I want that 4 hours of my life back.
Go Lions.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Newest Brewer?
Reports are starting to surface that the Brewers are close to a deal with former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Braden Looper. I've silently wondered why the Brewers weren't looking at Looper as he seems like a cost efficient and effective pitching options for the Crew. His career 3.96 ERA looks promising and at 12-14 with a 4.16 ERA, definately qualifies for a solid back of the rotation starter
I'm wondering though, if the Brewers are looking at him as a closer rather a starter. He emerged as a closer for the Marlins back in 2002 and 2003, then had two solid seasons in that role for the Mets in 2004 and 2005 before he was replaced by Billy Wagner. He had a career high 108 strikeouts last year in 199 innings pitched. The Brewers never seem to lack creativity in what they sign guys for, or ask of their players, so I'm just venturing a guess on this, but it's an intriguing possibility. He could be had for much less that the 20-30 million that Brian Fuentes is going to get, and the Brewers wouldn't have to give up one of their coveted draft picks. I'd guess Looper can be had in a 2 year deal for around 12-15 million which is on the cheap for a pitcher nowadays.
I'm wondering though, if the Brewers are looking at him as a closer rather a starter. He emerged as a closer for the Marlins back in 2002 and 2003, then had two solid seasons in that role for the Mets in 2004 and 2005 before he was replaced by Billy Wagner. He had a career high 108 strikeouts last year in 199 innings pitched. The Brewers never seem to lack creativity in what they sign guys for, or ask of their players, so I'm just venturing a guess on this, but it's an intriguing possibility. He could be had for much less that the 20-30 million that Brian Fuentes is going to get, and the Brewers wouldn't have to give up one of their coveted draft picks. I'd guess Looper can be had in a 2 year deal for around 12-15 million which is on the cheap for a pitcher nowadays.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Trail Blazer
Mark Tiexera has the chance to help the Milwaukee Brewers in the future. Not on the baseball field with his play but with his free agent choice. Tiexera is being offered similar money by the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals as he is by powerhouses in the Boston Red Sox, Anaheim Angels and New York Yankees.
He is from the Baltimore area and has said all along that he would like to play close to home (where have we heard that before?). If he chooses to go play in a place he feels comfortable, he could change the face of one of the those perpetual losing franchises. All of a sudden, that team becomes instantly credible in the eyes of the media and in the eyes of other free agents.
Maybe, just maybe, by Tiexera shunning the big guns, it would show others that they have choices in which franchises they go to. They can see that they have choices other than chasing the ultimate marketing buck in the big city. He has the opportunity to show that it is ok to go to a place that makes you happy or makes you feel comfortable. Like Baltimore or Washington, or for someone someday, Milwaukee.
Here's to hoping he makes the right decision.
He is from the Baltimore area and has said all along that he would like to play close to home (where have we heard that before?). If he chooses to go play in a place he feels comfortable, he could change the face of one of the those perpetual losing franchises. All of a sudden, that team becomes instantly credible in the eyes of the media and in the eyes of other free agents.
Maybe, just maybe, by Tiexera shunning the big guns, it would show others that they have choices in which franchises they go to. They can see that they have choices other than chasing the ultimate marketing buck in the big city. He has the opportunity to show that it is ok to go to a place that makes you happy or makes you feel comfortable. Like Baltimore or Washington, or for someone someday, Milwaukee.
Here's to hoping he makes the right decision.
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