Braun in Brewer Blue for a Decade

Didn't see that coming. I suppose I can put all the "we won't appreciate him 'til he's gone" stuff away now. So, tack on $105 mil from '16-'20, with an option for '21.

I found this statement very telling: And it all started, the Brewers say, with a casual chat initiated by Braun himself.
"The first thing you say is, 'Wow, really?'" principal owner Mark Attanasio said. "Especially with a player of his stature. It's a very big idea."

Here's a guy who is probably worth $25mil a year if he was a free agent, yet he WANTS to stay in Milwaukee. Several times he referenced the fans & their support. And, really, what a difference from Fielder. Prince has been counting his days 'til free agency since at least '08, yet Braunie happily signs a long term (and team-friendly) deal, again. Not to slap Fielder for what he deserves, but they're different persona's, different people.

The interesting part is that some of the money is deferred, meaning Braun could be getting paid until 2030 for all we know. His agent referenced that the sides "got creative" & it looks like Ryan is more than willing to take less now, for a chance to win.

I know my wife loves him, but I think, today, my man-crush grew as large as the Grinch's heart, post-Whoville. Thank you, Ryan, for doing what you do, day in & day out. You are a great representation of the Milwaukee Brewers baseball club and a helluva ballplayer.

FSN with a graphic on how good Braun has been since his debut in '07.

I've said it before, WI; we won't appreciate how historically phenomenal he is until he's gone.

As if I needed another reason to despise the "Protectors of the Game of Baseball"... Wow, when they decide to let loose they wear... wait for it... turtlenecks. Jump Back, Loretta!!

Stay cool, St. Loo.

I didn't think I could possibly care less about something until this came along... On the other hand, I've commented on it twice in a couple days, so what the hell do I know.

Has anyone else noticed the explosion in overall channel numbers since the parallel explosion of Celebutards?

Lucroy activated, Reed DFA'd

Interesting move by the Crew... But really not that odd. Almonte, Kotsay, Morgan in the OF as reserves (or starter-in-waiting in Morgan's case). Kottaras is a lefty bat off the bench who can probably pop 15 homers in 100 games played.

Part of roster construction is knowing what roles you have, which makes this a pretty solid move right now. Of course, when Hart comes back in 7-10 days something's gonna have to give. My vote would be getting rid of Kotsay, as he is no more than a 5th outfielder with no power & the Crew really has no use for one of those currently.

Does anyone in The New World really care what spoiled figureheads are doing galavanting around the UK? How is this even news?

I find myself watching Iron Chef: America lately, even though I have no idea what 90% of the cooking terms or dishes are. It's always fun to try & guess the secret ingredient.

Then again, maybe it's because Cat Cora's on the show sometimes... she could cook me cereal & I'd gladly call it world class cuisine.

Good luck to the Pens in the 1st round vs. Tampa. It looks like Crosby is out for this round, but could come back for round two.

Bylsma has done a phenomenal job without his 1-2 punch of Sid & Malkin, tied for 3rd in the NHL with 106 points. Good depth can overcome a lot, but they still need Crosby to make a run.

Thank goodness there's jagoff's like this looking after us... How in the world did I live this long under the direction of my clueless parents?

"I’m still going to continue to challenge him. I know he has success against me. F**k, he’s Ryan Braun, he has success against a lot of guys, you know?"
- Braves starter Tommy Hanson after Thursday's 4-2 loss to Milwaukee


Yes, indeed.

6 innings out of Estrada would be a good victory for the Crew. We'll see if it translates to a real win

That last pitch in the 2nd was filthy... keep the ball DOWN, Marco, and good things happen

Really, Almonte? The guy walks 3, should've been 4, and you swing at the first pitch...

Earnhardt Comes Oh So Close

Surprisingly, another exciting finish of the roundy-rounds yesterday. I don't know, if I hadn't won in 99 races, I probably would've punted the 29 like a football.

I recently got into a discussion with a Gordon fan that absolutely hates Dale Jr. for no particular reason other than who his father was. My reply was, rather sarcastically, that it's easy to hate a driver that is humble, takes blame, rarely whines,and is respectful.

Just look at yesterday. He got the front end in on Busch's rear panel & nudged him out of the way. Then apologized immediately after getting out of the car. He had the opportunity to do the same to Harvick & decided he didn't want to be that guy.

It's a shame the man is measured in wins & sleeps in his daddy's shadow, because he really is one of the great ambassador's of the sport. I have a feeling he's going to be twice the owner he could ever be as a driver.

Crew falls 2-1, Open up at 0-4

Well, that's not the best start to a season... On the other hand, if it was mid-May, it'd be a mini losing streak & no big deal. The season is so insanely long, there's plenty of time to change your fortunes.

I read that Saito had given up only 19 homers in 300 career innings & never 2 in one game, which tells me today's tough loss was another outlier (along with Marcum's 5 walks) & shouldn't be indicative of future performance.

On a positive note, could Rickie Weeks be any hotter to start a season? Goodness gracious, the ball must look like a cantaloupe.

Just remember, if we keep giving up 2 runs a game, we'll win well more than we'll lose. Patience, fellow Crewers, it's a long season.

I'm a rather odd bird as I enjoy cleaning the house, but has anyone else ever noticed this strange phenomena:

Eventually, your vaccuum needs a vaccuuming... somehow Seinfeld could've made this an entire episode.

Brewer channel change

Just an FYI, anyone looking for the Brewer game on FSWisconsin will see the Bucks instead. If you have Charter, they've put the game on channel 87, starting at 6:10.

Crew Falls 7-6 to Reds Late

Alright, so that was a crusher yesterday, but over 162 we'll win our share of those type of games, too. A couple thoughts:

- Axford needs to mix in more than 3 offspeed pitches. Too many straight fastballs isn't good.
- Casey needs to take the easiest out in the ninth. There are only 27 outs and each one is crucial, especially with a three run lead. Outs are premium.
- We signed Kotsay & kept him why? I'd rather have Joe Inglett back. Kotsay's bat just looked slow and, pardon the pun, lumbering.

On a good note, Mr. Braun was impressive at the dish. I don't know, maybe it's gas, but I have this feeling that as good as he's been, he's about to blast off. Age 27, cocky, workout fiend, cocky (did I say that already?). I've said it before WI, you'll never know how good he is until he's not here anymore. Simply special...

Opening Day '11!

This is the day that Abner Doubleday hath made!

...just remember, it's only .6% of the season.

Enjoy!

Brew Crew 2011

Alright, here it is... I'm sure you're all on the edge of your toilet seats waiting for it... Slicky's 2011 Brew Crew State of the Union:

First off, this team has little depth. We have stars (Braun, Fielder, Gallardo, Greinke, et al) and little else. We go as far as they go.

Second, the braintrust is essentially starting two players who have no business starting: Betancourt & Gomez. Trading for Morgan SHOULD push Gomez onto the bench, but I'm guessing it won't before May. As for Yuniesky, part of me thinks we could've gotten Hardy back cheap (at least the Eternal Optimist in me). Cruz elected to go to Texas, which doesn't kill me as he was no-hit, all-glove.. those dudes are a dime a dozen right now.

Third, all I've been hearing is the defense is pathetically under-average. This is a short-sighted view, as the '10 Crew was essentially average. The only newby is Betancourt, and while he is reviled as the worst SS in history, he actually outperformed Escobar last year. Albeit, that doesn't take into account balls Escy got to that Yuny will not. As a moderately talented ballplayer, I love defense... at this point, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt until I see different.

Fourth, we need health by the starters. Average starters needed is about 9 for a season and after our projected 5 we have Estrada, Rogers, maybe McClendon. Mitre? Parra? Can I have some depth!!!!

Lastly, I'm cautiously optimistic (as opposed to Mau's assessment that I'm the Eternal Optimist). We can hammer this Central Division. And it's about time the cards fall in our favor.

You know what, to hell with it, hope springs eternal... Brew Crew all the way in '11!