How Good is Milwaukee?
The NL Central is a hodge podge mess right now. There are 4 teams who could win that bad boy. My guess is that The Brewers will be the team to win it in the end. Marcum is a stud but he’s dealt with a myriad of minor physical issues this year. If he’s not feeling ouchy tonight he could be tough…..
The question I have for all of you is this: We’re more than half way through the year and we’ve got some guys who have passed *scuffling* and entered *bad year* zone. Torres, Huff and Tejada are all off from last year. I would include Ross but he’s not that far off from 2010. Of these three guys, who is most likely to rise above the dregs of their sh!t year and start leading this team so desperate for offensive output.
A Place To Talk About Giants Baseball 
Good question, Craig. I don’t know who it will be, but it needs to be Torres. It ain’t gonna be Tejada, and it would be great but at this point surprising if it’s Huff…
This was in yesterday’s NY Post (written by Kevin Kernan):
The Giants are central to the Beltran trade puzzle. They have young pitching to spare, and though they say they will not trade Zach Wheeler, the sixth pick of the 2009 draft, anything is possible. The Giants lost 1-0 to the Dodgers yesterday, again showing why they need Beltran’s offensive punch. Unlike the Mets, their future is now.
For Alderson, it’s always about pitching.
The Giants need Beltran more than any other team and after numerous conversations with Bruce Bochy at the All-Star Game in Phoenix, I am convinced he is going to push general manager Brian Sabean as far as he can in an effort to acquire Beltran, but Sabean is stubborn.
Bochy desperately wants to drop Beltran into his outfield to give the Giants more firepower that could lift the team to its second straight World Series title.
Yes, it’s really more than just which of these 3 or 4 guys will finally step up but also what changes will be made to improve the team, as the team did so very well last year in the second half. And even though this group as is would win the division, as many here have said, they do need more for the playoffs. No question Beltran would help, I’d welcome him, as long as Sabean pulls another heist and doesn’t get heisted. That would also probably create another outfield move (trade, release). Interested to see what Keppinger does as well, especially against lefties.
Giants can get along without Beltran. Sure he would be a nice addition but not at a huge cost to pitching and or prospects. If the Mets demand top dollar forget. Let someone else pay the price.
After the great postseason, I think the G’s were hoping to see more of the power Ross showed in 08,09 when he hit 20 and 24 hrs respectively. Still hitting .260, but his .415 slugging is down from a career .460.
It’ll be interesting to see how this Beltran deal plays out. If teams like the Giants, Phillies and Red Sox are smart, they know they’re the ones with the hammer, not the Mets, especially since all three are going to the playoffs with or without Beltran. The closer it gets to the deadline, the more desperate the Mets become to make a deal and get something in return, even if it’s only mid-level prospects, rather than get nothing at all if they don’t trade him.
I can’t put my finger on it, but I’m not that excited about Beltran. Totally fine with letting that deal die if the price is too high.
I think all 3 of those guys are going to hit better down the stretch. Torres and Miggy have already been showing signs of snapping out of it in recent weeks. Tejada is up to .242 now. On this team, if your average is over .240, you are in the upper echelon.
I didn’t know Jeff Keppinger from Don Kessinger a week ago, but here’s hoping he can come in and provide some offense. Funny that his stance looks just like Hall’s and they both were on the ‘stros. I’m especially pulling for him since he is wearing my #8 jersey. Tough shoes to fill when you realize guys like Velez and my boy Yamid Haad have worn that number.
Nipper—a serious post—way to keep us on our toes—I like it!
It’s idiotic for a blogger, let alone a sports writer, to claim that getting shut out by Kershaw proves the need for Beltran. You can make a better case that it proved how important Pablo is…anyway, if your team got shut out by Halladay or Weaver this year,get your dumbass GM on the line with the Mets…
As to the poll, I spoke in depth about Huff before the season, he figured to have a down year but not to this extent.A good sign is that he’s traditionally better in the second half for his career. Torres has shown signs but then falls back. He’s the most important simply because, more than any other player, they have no adequate replacement, here or in the sytstem. Miggy? No idea. Forgotten is Mr. MVP. I give Huff or Torres a much better chance to rebound than I give Nate to continue his year. He’s the best argument for Beltran..
Well, the one thing the Giants have is ready money. They can pay more of Beltran’s contract at the cost of prospects. Since the Mets are cash-poor, and as Mac says, the G’s do have the hammer, throw a lot of money and a couple mid-level guys.
Supposedly, the Mets want the top prospect(s) and are willing to pay most or all of Beltran’s contract ($6 million).
Then another team will get him. Our system got it’s very high rating when Buster and MadBum were still in the minors. We don’t have the blue chippers now. Only Belt and Wheeler qualify and they’re a step down from Posey and Bumgarner, who’s already a #! on most teams( including, arguably, ours). And again, you don’t build a perennial contender by trading top prospects for rentals. There will be other pieces for less as the deadline nears.
Then yeah, if they don’t want the G’s to pick up a hefty part of the contract, forget it.
Any trade that happens will be for someone not a 3 month rental. They’ll pick up low-level deadline deals otherwise.
I’m off to Long Beach for some golf with my Dodger fan friends who I’ve not seen in a long time. I’m rocking the SFG hat, LOUD orange shirt and WS Champs pin on the golf bag. Other than that, I’m taking an understated approach. Lunch first at Joe Jost’s in LB. One of my favorite bars anywhere—Schooners of Busch on tap, they roast their own peanuts with an old school machine, great polish sausage, and pickled eggs served on a bed of stick pretzels. I’m guessing a few of you know the place even though most are Nortenos.
Watched the Brew Crew last night. Fielder is in the midst of a 1 for 18 run–or something like that.
I’m in deep envy.
When they’re not on hunger strike, the Nortenos get better chow than that at Pelican Bay…
Like I might ever eat an egg that isn’t pickled and served on a bed of stick pretzels…
Just from gut feeling rather than any empirical substantiation, I think Tejada has potential (inre: today’s poll question) to be “last year’s Renteria”. IOW, shit for the season, and suddenly the post-season veteran adrenaline kicks in for October play.
DeRosa is 3 for 7 with a couple RBI in his Fresno rehab, after going 2-5 at San Jose. Don’t know if he’s driving the ball or not. They aren’t doing rehab for drill so that’s at least interesting to see how it plays out…
Dirrty pitches for Fresno tonight, BTW.
Twin, I might go see Augusta this weekend in their visit to NJ. Any prospects from the Green Jackets worth keeping an eye on?
Don’t know a lot about the Low-A kids. Bochy’s son has some great numbers in relief, and there’s an 11th round kid, third baseman Adam Duvall, with 20 HR and .900+ OPS- and 25 errors. The prize prospect there is Rafael Rodriguez, the OFer they signed at 16 YO out of the DR. Not hitting yet but only 19. He’s rated one of their top 10 prospects…
Great, thanx!
Sad but true- Miggy has the highest OPS of the 3 SS candidates this winter- Miggy, Juan, and Edgar.
I see they’ve arrested two new suspects for the Stow assualt. Exoneration for Ramirez probable.
And on Beltran, I think Sabean already said he’s willing to part with money, not prospects.
Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.
LAPD was under a lot of pressure to bust someone. Maybe they got it right this time. Meanwhile, after they figured out he wasn’t the guy, they put him on ice for 10 months with the help of a friendly judge to make the stink go away while they looked harder for the real perps. Luckily, the first guy is a bad dude to begin with, so his future lawsuit against LA won’t have to be settled for too much…
Please say that the innocent party being a “bad dude” doesn’t mean you approve of putting him “on ice”…
I just don’t think Beltran is happening. I think Sabean is in the bidding only to drive the price up. The only way I see Beltran happening is if SF is where he really wants to be, and forces the trade in that direction, which I find doubtful.
Our outfield is not producing, but it is deep. If we were as depleted in the outfield the way we have been in the infield this season, I would say, hell yes, sell the farm to get somebody. But Beltran’s numbers just aren’t good enough, he would be a definite improvement in the OF, but doesn’t give such a hugh improvement that it would be worth it.
SN, I nominate you for POTD, maybe POTW.
“Our outfield is not producing, but it is deep”.
Fantastic. Both true and puzzling, at the same time…
Actually, with Ross and Nate, two of the three OF positions have been reasonably productive, middle of the pack by OPS. Pablo is once again the best hitting third baseman in the game. After the surprising production from Whitey, it’s lower third after those 4 positions. Huff has been the worst in the NL at his position…
The Zoo, through paid hitman Sam Singer, essentially tried to frame the victims of that tiger attack because they were “bad dudes”.
Still, it doesn’t mean that the didn’t deserve it . . . Mess around with mother nature, sometimes she strikes back . . .
sometimes I start reading the threads here and I have no idea what is being talked about, The Zoo, a Hitman, and a Tiger attack. I tried to reference baseball with those topics and came up with nada.
You’re not the “Lone Ranger” Kevin.
I think it happened on Christmas Day or some other holiday, a few years ago. Some guys snuck into the Zoo somehow and threw stuff at the tiger. It all went downhill from there.
Gentlemen, allow me to give you a frame of reference. You see Ramirez, the original prime suspect in the Stow assault, is in jail for a parole violation which was alluded to “keeping him on ice” until the real culprits could be obtained. It was inferred they were able to keep him in custody because he was not a “very nice fellow”. In a manner, this mind set corresponds to a deadly tiger attack at the San Francisco Zoo on Christmas day a few years back in which 3 you men taunted the tiger which thusly escaped, killed one, mauled another. The zoo’s “hitman”crisis controller, in crisis mode, inferred the attack was somewhat justified as these three, too, were not “very nice fellows”. Does that help?
If taunting animals at the Zoo were prosecuted, at least there wouldn’t be annoying teenagers cluttering up the roads.
Or on my lawn!!!
This was definitely the ” Gomez Affair”
If I’m trading for Beltran, I’d offer Ishi or Pill and Kroon or Otero. My reasoning is that Ishi or Pill could probably start at First and the Mets could move Murphy back into a utility role (or if it was Pill they could look at him at second, not sure how high they are on Turner). Kroon could take over their closer position now or Otero could be a gamble for a future closer for them. Ishi is arb eligible next year but won’t be able to demand much and the rest would be at a major league minimum if they made the club. The Giants can take on Beltran’s remaining salary and win the WS. Ta Dah. Now Loo, go get Alderson all liquored up and get this ball a rolling.
Ishi? Are you the one that’s liquored up?
Travis is out for the year with shoulder surgery. His value is zero.And I’d have to wonder about the value of Pill since they traded for Keppinger. I don’t see the Mets taking any of that group, save possibly Otero.If they would, hell yeah, none of them will ever play for us anyway ( again,except maybe Otero)
My point (and not a very good one), is I still don’t want to give up much for Beltran (rental). I still think (yup, I could be wrong as hell) we can win the whole damn thing, pretty much as we are.
Yes Zum, I have been drinking, but even in my sober moments, I still say this team could kick the Phils ass (I’m actually more concerned about the Braves).
Drunk or not, this has been one exciting season so far, yeah there has been some games that the last two hairs on my head almost came out. But, there has also been some of the best games I’ve ever seen (outside of Opening day, all have been on the puter/tv this year, so I know they don’t rank with a live one). I’d like to see Sabes do a tweak or two but I also want to follow some of these kids up to the big club.
OK, I might be out of my mind (probably not a big debate there), but if we pay attention, we just might be seeing one of the greatest teams ever. Yeah, yeah, the stats aren’t there but you know what, the wins are.
Blah blah blah, BUT, what if this drunken clown is right?
(I didn’t know Ishi was out for the year, still think he could of worked well in some trades, contract wise)
Everyone here goes off topic all the time, but here are a lot of baseball posts to discuss. But tiger attacks are a helluva lot more interesting than the 2345th post about the offense..IMFHO
Tiger attacks maybe, but their lineups aren’t much better. The zookeeper has the Siberian hitting in front of the Bengal. That’s just ridiculous…
I’ve told of the catered affair we did at the Zoo. If barbecuing whole New York strips in front of the tiger cages ain’t taunting, nothing is.
Speaking of catered affairs, it just occurred to me that we have all these walking dead movies where they eat the flesh (or in some cases just brains) of the living but if you think about it in the original NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, they only ate folks that had also died. The brother after getting his head bashed in at the graveyard, the young couple after the truck blows up, the mom after she’s stabbed…
They were chasing the living. Weren’t they killing and eating the living and the newly dead? In the process of being eaten alive, they died as well? That’s the case in Dawn of the Dead anyway . . . The elevator scene is a doozy . . .
Speaking of stupid human tricks, there’s been a rash of foolish people falling off of waterfalls, sucked into blowholes, and rammed into river vortexes (Vorticies?). All the while climbing over fences and ignoring the myriad signage . . .
No you’re right.I’m just saying they at least took chunks out of the still living in all the other movies, just not the first
Ted, only because Romero had a $114,000.00 budget . . . Actually, per Wiki, “The initial budget was $6,000 with the ten members of the production company investing $600 each for a share of the profits. When it was found that another $6,000 was required another ten investors were found but this was also soon found to be inadequate. Image Ten (production company) eventually raised approximately $114,000 for the budget.”
In short, they could only afford to eat the dead . . .
I don’t know. They could have tried harder 😉
I always liked the one where they (normies) barricaded themselves in a mall. Loved that music while they were bashing the living dead with baseball bats, shotguns, etc.
Oh wait . . . I also liked the part where they stopped to gas up their helicopter and that one undead dude got a “haircut” by the chopper blades. Very cool special effects for early 70s.
Yup. Dawn of the Dead. Saw that at the Redwood City drive-in when it came out . . .
I saw it at the Coliseum in San Francisco. The guy who did all the make-up special effects, Tom Savini, also played one of the bikers in DAWN. He’s still working every once in awhile. He played Sex Machine in FROM DUSK TILL DAWN and most recently played an assassin in MACHETE
“Machete don’t text!!”
Sex Machine? Was that the guy with the derringer in his crotch and kung fu moves?
That’s the guy, yup
Talk about a weird movie. From Dusk Til Down is like 2 half-movies rolled into one. A kidnapping/road trip deal that turns into a vampire freakshow.
Haven’t seen Machete yet.
MACHETE is a piece of shit. Really, idiotic mesh of comedy/soft porn/action/political immigration stances…
Needless to say, I really enjoyed it
In Dodger meltdown news, the judge denied McCourts preferred hedge fun DIP financing. The nail in the coffin was the testimony revealing that McCourt was going to get a 5.25 mil$ debt exchange kickback from the hedge fund. Basically he was totally willing to stick the club with terrible financing terms in order to get some debt erased from one of his non-dodger related properties. The guy is a POS.
Now MLB will provide operating financing during bankruptcy. The judge ordered MLB not to attach any strings to the financing that would allow them to take over the club. That is a small victory for McCourt. But the fact that the judge shot down one of his moves to pull even more capital out of the club for his personal benefit is huge. He is circling the drain from a capital standpoint, and the judge has taken away his lifeline. It is a merely a matter of time now.
TF, I know we go off topic all the time, my work computer does not have the Sarcasm font like my home one does. and yes the kazillion posts about the Giants lack of offense, line up, and the possible trades that coulda shoulda happened do get tiresome. so with that said, the other night after the Giants game, I was channel surfing and low and behold, the movie Bullit was on and I tuned in right during the car chase scene of the Charger and the Mustang. Which car would you boys want to own?
No one understands me either 😉
Or maybe the problem is that they do. Either way..
Neither, I would prefer a 65 Shelby AC Cobra or a 59 Vette.
So who is enjoying the weather in the mid west and eastern sea board?? I see it is a cool 112 degrees in NY. Lets go to a Mets or Yankees game.
As Rush Limbaugh* pointed out, that’s the “bogus” government heat index, not the actual temperature. Uhh huh.
*Yes, I think he is an idiot.
Also of note in the Night of the Living Dodgers saga, the Judge rejected McCourts claim that MLB has it in for the Dodgers. The Judge:
“It is clear that Baseball needs and wants the Dodgers to succeed, and the debtors are best served by maintaining Baseball’s good will and contributing to the important and profitable franchise group under the commissioner’s leadership,”
Translation: “Frank, MLB loves the Dodgers and wants them to succeed. You, on the other hand…”
More on first Living Dead movie . . . No wonder they didn’t eat the living too.
Props and special effects were fairly simple and limited by the budget. The blood, for example, was Bosco Chocolate Syrup drizzled over cast members’ bodies. Consumed flesh was roasted ham and entrails donated by one of the actors who also owned a chain of butcher shops. Costumes consisted of second-hand clothing from cast members and Goodwill. Zombie makeup varied during the film. Initially makeup was limited to “Raccoon” faces, white skin with blackened eyes, but as filming progressed mortician’s wax was used to simulate wounds and decay to make the zombies more frightening. As filming was not linear, the “Raccoon” faces appear sporadically.
Play ball! Ha.
At the time it was said to be one of the finest films ever shot in western Pennsylvania 😉
Still may be
Am I alone in hoping that guy breaks his neck in three places this time? Yeah, I probably am..an orange casket would be nice…
I was bummed that “Ben”, the star of “Night of the..”,was killed at the end. The actor, Duane Jones, died young in real life. It seems he had quite an accomplished career in black theater. I’ll go check on him, he’s out by the pond pumps…
Romero was asked if he hired Duane Jones, an African American, for political purposes. He said “No. He had the best audition”. Subsequently, however, the heroes in both DAWN and DAY are also black
Only one Brandon tonight
Kevin, as per the Bullitt question, I’ve always been a Ford kind of guy, so the Mustang, definitely. ’67 fastback, right? Or is it a ’68?
Although a friend of mine had a black ’68 charger. Wicked fast, but it didn’t handle as well as the Stang.
As they say, I wouldn’t kick either of them out of my garage . . .
——-
The funny (ironic, whatever) thing about NOTLD is the movie was given big props for having a black guy as the hero. They weren’t thinking “oooh, let’s be controversial and put a black guy in the lead, he was just the most experienced actor of the group.
Ahhhh, didn’t see yer 4:24 Ted.
That’s okay. I figured.
Back in the late ’70’s the brother of a friend of mine had a red ’68 Charger with yellow stripes that he used to race on the Great Highway. I don’t know a lot about cars but this thing was so souped up he *only* drove it for racing. One time I was in the passenger seat with him and when he floored it, you could actually see the needle on the gas gauge going down.
You could see the Gas get used up in all the muscle cars of the late 60’s earlyu 70’s. of course at 32 cents a gallon it was no big deal. even at 50 cents it was no big deal.
I’m sure you’re right. but it was the first and last time *I* ever saw it. Pretty sweet
That was back in the day when the gallon gage spun faster that the dollar and cents gage.
So the morning sports talk guys in Houston are fully prepared to receive “second tier” prospects in exchange for Pence…Funny how we’re fretting about giving up too much and their welcoming the likes of Culberson and Neal…I guess when your a last place team on pace for 100 plus losses, you will take what you can get.
Happy 34th Birthday to Ryan Vogelsong!
Hanley Ramirez last 20 games: 6/21/.356
I still haven’t given up completely on that one.
I think there are less than 2,500 people in the stands in Florida.
Many have mentioned Sabean’s involvment in the Beltran sweepstakes as him “trying to drive up the price.” Is that really possible?
So the negotiations go something like this:
Mets: Brian, just wanted to let you know the Phillies are offering Chuck and Xoot
Sabean: I will give you Loo, Dennis , and Nipper but that’s my final offer
Mets: Brian, I countered your offer with the Phillies…They say no way are they giving up Twin..However they will ante up Pawlie, Snarkk and Paulinasia…Balls in your court Sabes…Unless you can top that, I gotta go with Philly.
Brian: Tell Philly, Beltran is theirs
(Sabean hangs up the phone, smiles, and walks hurriedly to Baer’s office)
Brian: Yep, yep, yep…
Pence is much the better choice anyway. I think he’s not a FA until 2014.
Thanks, Joe. I get to stay in Philly, I get sick of Cheese steaks just thinking about them..
Xoot’s coming with me? Shit, I’m invoking my ‘no-trade’ clause . . .
IF you can wade your way through a couple lulu types who post there pretty constantly, one guy over at Baggs site linked a Chicago Sun Times article bemoaning the state of the Chisox and suggested that they would happily swap Carlos Quentin for a starter. He suggested Drrrty. In other news over there with the Mercs, the lineup of Huff back at cleanup with Belt not starting drew flak from the first ten posters. Couple guys pointed out that Aubrey has hit Marcum pretty well. Sometimes Bochy’s hunches work out, other times… After calling Belt up i wish he would at least have been posted in LF. Personally, i can live with Huff starting, though preferably not at McCovey Cove and definitely not in the cleanup position. He may lead the team in RBIs, but he must also rate pretty high in RLISP.
I’ll go with the real manager of the World Champs. Huff and Belt will both get plenty of starts, If Belt shines and Aubrey continues to struggle, Huff will get less. If both hit well, an OFer will lose some time. In the meantime, we’ll have a badly needed LH bat off the bench.
Bruce would’ve made a pretty good shrink.
I wouldn’t put Huff in the outfield again unless it was absolutely necessary.
Nice to see another .300 average in the lineup…
He had trouble in RF, he’s fine in left…
Matt the Horseshit this inning. And WTF didn’t Whitey catch that throw in front of the plate?
He had none chance sitting back there.
And Pablo shoulda went to the bag on that ball. The one time I want him to go to third, and he throws to the bag…
It’s all Huff’s fault.
This game went “bleh” rather quickly.
No shit. I have a bad feeling about this .. .
Does Joe West have a man-love thing going on with Marcum?
Yeah, he’s giving him high and low and both corners
Maybe that 1800 Tequila guy can be under the tree when shithead falls.
Yer right Mike. Sometimes I have no idea what the hell yer talking about.
How bout that!
Nice audition for Minute Maid!
😉
Come on. Let’s get something going here . . .
Panda’s went farther than Rowand’s
Row-Row!
What a night. I’m lingering at work watching the Giants because my other option is returning to a house without power in near-100 degree temps, thanks to some asshole in a pickup who crashed into a nearby power pole earlier today.
Loved all the Dawn of the Dead posts. Man, I haven’t seen that one in at least 30 years. Anyone know why it never gets shown on the cable channels?
Latest on Beltran:
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/san_francisco_giants/
Much better for Dirty- 5 IP 3 hits 2 runs 2 BB 8K
Sucks to be that guy…Reminds me of the time, I knocked over my date trying to grab a ball at the Stick…Worst part was that the ball landed two sections left of me.
WTF was up with all that shit by Morgan?
How does Kuiper know that Morgan “started it”?
I think its great! Let the fucker have it…He’s giving it back, but giving the finger will cost him.
Morgan has flipped before-really flipped. He’s not a punk, he’s mentally ill.
Well, he’s a mentally ill punk.
Your right Twin…I just looked up the other shit he pulled last year against Florida.
The canes were raining down from the bleachers..
Geez, you’d think they’d get the trainer out if only to give Lucroy some more time and look in his eyes, That was some shot.
Seems like Craig Counsell’s been around for 30 years…
He has . . .
Wooooo. Go for it, Panda . . .
Well, at least Colo is up 8-4 on the D Backs.
OMG< only 9 up on Colo!
Turns out Nyjger is big fan of the flap…http://tinyurl.com/4xs9rto
Who gives a fuck
Goodnight
I was in the club level over third base when Pablo made that weird play in the second inning. It made no sense at all. The bobble was a problem, but he could’ve beaten Fielder to third easily. Get out of that inning, and . . . . Good thing the IPAs were cold and the wind was light.
So, how good IS Milwaukee?
good question. last time we saw them was in their hot streak, which soon ended after we left town. They are great at home/shits on the road at 21-33.
Betancourt is despised by every team’s fans he plays for, their Cs aren’t very good, and couple hitters are disappointing (Mac and Hart mostly), and without Braun, Kotsay’s is in the LU. But they are back on top.
Some thiink hitting is the only part of the game, so they declare the Brewer’s better. Sure, we’ll lose a few well pitched games, but still discounted by the B Squad is that the Giants have the shutdown pitching at home (2.75 ERA) and are the third best hitting team( NL) on the road. Because of those splits, and we saw it in the postseason last year, the Giants are not the perceived “one and out” against anybody…