MLB 2011 Season

	Alex - You've got to trust your instinct, and let go of regret 03/31/2011 @ 02:33:03 PM
That's 2 opening days in a row for him.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Alex - Who controls the past now controls the future 03/31/2011 @ 04:25:25 PM
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	Scott - 6225 Posts 03/31/2011 @ 08:31:45 PM
First team in over 40 years to begin the season with back to back homeruns. Too bad it means nothing now.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.
Scott screwed with this at 03/31/2011 8:32:05 pm

	Alex - 3619 Posts 03/31/2011 @ 09:14:28 PM
I guess defense does matter. Who knew?		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Jeremy - 9543 Posts 04/01/2011 @ 10:58:31 AM
In its Opening Day lineup, Minnesota will have its fifth second baseman in five years and eighth shortstop in eight years. It also will be the ninth straight year that the starting third baseman is different from the year before.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Alex - You've got to trust your instinct, and let go of regret 04/01/2011 @ 01:28:59 PM
Jeremy Wrote - 02/04/2011 @ 09:51:07 AM In the end it doesn't make total sense, but it's not like it's a team crippling blunder either. It's one of those "Um, ok then" kind of moves. Well, Kotsay is 0-3, I didn't watch the video of the game but apparently it was a horrendous 0-3 because he got pinch hit for. Unless that was a defensive substitution, but then why did Kotsay even start the game if Morgan is better defensively and Almonte is the better offensive option? Why did Kotsay make the roster even? Probably because they signed him to a major league contract and didn't want to then cut him.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Scott - If you aren't enough without it, you'll never be enough with it. 04/02/2011 @ 10:18:28 AM
Jeremy Wrote - Yesterday @ 10:58:31 AM In its Opening Day lineup, Minnesota will have its fifth second baseman in five years and eighth shortstop in eight years. It also will be the ninth straight year that the starting third baseman is different from the year before. It actually is quite amazing that they have still been as good as they have been over the last decade, considering these and other factors. Conventional wisdom says that it is better to have consistency year in and year out, and maybe that is the truth and probably could have contributed to the Twins winning a World Series somewhere during that time. But in spite of that, they have been a contender pretty much every year for a while now. The Brewers have had the same 2nd baseman (accept for injury time) for about 6 years now, only 2 regular third basemen in the last few years (since 2007), and are now on their 3rd shortstop over about a 5 year span (they had hardy for 6 straight years). So they have had some consistency in the there, but it really hasn't gotten them anywhere, not yet anyway.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.
Scott messed with this at 04/02/2011 10:24:03 am

	Scott - On your mark...get set...Terrible! 04/14/2011 @ 07:27:43 AM
How's the view from the bottom, everyone? I have a commanding 2 point fantasy baseball lead. Might as well just give me the cash prize now!		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Matt - Nutcan.com's MBL 05/17/2011 @ 12:40:09 PM
A sad day in Twins Territory as Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew died this morning after battling esophageal cancer. http://1500espn.com/sportswire/Harmon_Killebrew_passes_away_at_home_in_Arizona051711		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Carlos44ec - 2079 Posts 05/23/2011 @ 12:31:47 PM
The Twins suck. At least the Packers won the Superbowl. I'm a sad panda.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Carlos44ec - A Vote for me is a Vote against Terrorism! ...or atleast just wasted. 05/24/2011 @ 11:47:49 AM
No, seriously. What is going on with the Twins? Everything I read says our pitching is deplorable, fielding is bad, injuries are injurious; do we have anything going for us? Fire the management starting with the GM. Need some new direction and some fat wallets.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Jeremy - 9543 Posts 05/24/2011 @ 02:27:07 PM
For a stretch there they were basically the AAA Red Wings. They're also just flat out unlucky. (Opponents near the top in BABIP, they're near the bottom.) They just can't keep runners off the basepaths, and have to be setting some sort of record for putting the lead off man on. They're a pitch to contact team, so a little bad luck and a little bad defense goes a long way. They're coming around on offense at least. The thing that sucks is that our big need if we want back in is bullpen help, but we're in this mess because of so many moves that only netted relief pitching, which is one of the (in theory at least) easiest things to find.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Scott - 6225 Posts 05/24/2011 @ 02:58:47 PM
The Brewers, on the other hand, are starting to turn things around. They've won 11 of their last 14, and have won 7 in a row at home. Their starting pitching has been solid as a rock recently. Hopefully this keeps up a bit longer.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Jeremy - The pig says "My wife is a slut?" 05/24/2011 @ 03:42:19 PM
Twins should have never traded JJ Hardy.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Carlos44ec - "If at first you don't succeed, failure may be your style." 05/25/2011 @ 11:20:46 AM
Very happy for the Brewers, but I am disappointed in the Twins. Big Ups to Blackburn for throwing some good innings!		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Scott - Ma'am, can you make sure your computer is turned on? 05/25/2011 @ 06:22:02 PM
The brewers have more home wins (19) than the Twins have for the entire season (16). Two other teams in baseball only have 19 wins on the season. So....now the Brewers just need to get to .500 on the road.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Matt - 3941 Posts 05/26/2011 @ 12:49:29 AM
Jeremy Wrote - 05/24/2011 @ 02:27:07 PM For a stretch there they were basically the AAA Red Wings. They're also just flat out unlucky. (Opponents near the top in BABIP, they're near the bottom.) Can opponent's BABIP be attributed to luck like other BABIP stats though? I mean if you look at a team's or a player's, then you can assume that it balances out some of the other factors (like defense). When you look at opponents though, the defense is constant, so I would expect that a team with good defense would make more plays on balls than one with a bad defense (like the Twins), and therefore if you have a high opponent's BABIP it could be luck, or it could just be that you have Delmon Young playing LF, or a combination of both.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Jeremy - The pig says "My wife is a slut?" 05/26/2011 @ 09:49:18 AM
It's definitely not 100% luck. I imagine a higher than average BABIP could just mean you're fast, and a team's could be an indicator of good or bad team speed. I think though that the larger the sample size the more things equal out and it's generally considered a good indicator of luck. (It's one of the first stats looked at when trying, for example, to determine "is this guy for real, or will he come crashing back to earth soon?" because it's one of the least sustainable stats.) You could also make the same "it's always the same offense" argument on the other side too.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.
Jeremy edited this at 05/26/2011 9:50:02 am

	Matt - 3941 Posts 05/26/2011 @ 02:53:48 PM
Yeah, I know that, but you usually only see it referred to for comparing individual players year to year...not a team over a quarter of a season.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	jthompto 05/27/2011 @ 07:15:27 AM
The players have not produced, no doubt. But what about the front office? They let 3 of the best arms in the bullpen walk away (Rauch, Crain and Guerrier). They decided to go with an entirely new middle infiled with 2 unproven players. (I thought they could have given Hardy at least one more year.) They also traded away the two best backup catchers and decided Butera was going to be the back up. No plan in case Mauer went down. Now they are stuck with a lot of overprcied talent that isn't producing and not too many MLB ready prospects.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Jeremy - Broadcast in stunning 1080i 05/27/2011 @ 10:51:45 AM
Matt Wrote - Yesterday @ 02:53:48 PM Yeah, I know that, but you usually only see it referred to for comparing individual players year to year...not a team over a quarter of a season. Well it's probably also true that if you look at too large of a sample size, there's probably an alternate explanation, since you'd expect luck to be relatively even over the long run. (Unless you're the Vikings.) My point was only really that it seems that the twins were getting some good knocks and couldn't seem to find a hole, and on the flipside their opponents always just seemed to find an opening, and that feeling is corroborated, to whatever degree, by the data. (If for no other reason because the feeling would obviously be wrong if the data were reversed.)		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Jeremy - 9543 Posts 05/27/2011 @ 11:11:14 AM
jthompto Wrote - Today @ 07:15:27 AM The players have not produced, no doubt. But what about the front office? They let 3 of the best arms in the bullpen walk away (Rauch, Crain and Guerrier). They decided to go with an entirely new middle infiled with 2 unproven players. (I thought they could have given Hardy at least one more year.) They also traded away the two best backup catchers and decided Butera was going to be the back up. No plan in case Mauer went down. Now they are stuck with a lot of overprcied talent that isn't producing and not too many MLB ready prospects. I'm more annoyed about the catchers and the middle infield than the relievers. That was at least an understandable gamble. Morales especially seemed to be traded for the sake of being traded. They'll get about 30 mil to work with next season when Nathan (assuming a buy out), Capps, and Cuddy come off. Of course, that then creates 3 big needs, and Kubel is a free agent. Also, to be fair to the front office, you can make lots of right moves, when you play 20 games where 4 to 8 guys in the lineup were in AAA or AA a few weeks prior, there's not a ton you can do. Things I would have done differently: Keep Hardy: His contract was manageable, Casilla does better in a fill in role anyway. Resign Punto: There's a lot of "haters" out there, but resigning him for next to nothing was a no brainer, and when you add in hindsight, is practically a tragedy. Keep Morales Stop putting guys with an OBP of .190 in the 2 hole, just because they're faster than someone who might actually get on base, or get Span in. We don't steal, and our hit and runs backfire 70% of the time, so there's not a whole lot of difference.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Jeremy - 9543 Posts 05/27/2011 @ 11:22:50 AM
Also, though I like Cuddy and Kubes (who is pretty much solely responsible for half the few wins we do have) the prospect of having actual outfielders (perhaps with DY at DH) in the outfield is intriguing. Personally I'd like to see a signing of some sort as opposed to jumping right to, say Revere and Hicks full time (though I don't know how far out Hicks is from the majors.)		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.
Jeremy edited this 2 times, last at 05/27/2011 11:44:06 am

	Scott - No, I did not change your screen saver settings 05/27/2011 @ 11:55:09 AM
Jeremy Wrote - Today @ 11:11:14 AM and our hit and runs backfire 70% of the time, Is it "hit and runs" or "hits and run"? Kind of like "fathers-in-law" or "runs batted in". On a related note, what's with the redundancy of RBIs. That's sort of like runs batted ins. Maybe, but not really, but maybe.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Jeremy - No one's gay for Moleman 05/27/2011 @ 12:01:52 PM
I think hit and runs makes more sense of those two, since "hit and run" is one, singular, entity, but it might be better as hits and runs. (hit + run)s		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Scott - Ma'am, can you make sure your computer is turned on? 05/27/2011 @ 12:15:20 PM
hits and runs actually does sound better now that I say it a few times. Glad we got that cleared up. Only the tough stories at NutCan.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Carlos44ec - 2079 Posts 05/27/2011 @ 12:18:36 PM
Next, on Nutcan... Peanuts or Sunflower Seeds; The Showdown!		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Scott - Ma'am, can you make sure your computer is turned on? 05/27/2011 @ 12:43:17 PM
both require about the same amount of energy to crack open and eat, but peanuts have the bigger payload.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Carlos44ec - Since 1980! 05/27/2011 @ 12:47:01 PM
I disagree. Sunflower seeds- with some skill- are enjoyed virtually without involving hands.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.
Carlos44ec perfected this at 05/27/2011 12:48:59 pm

	Scott - 6225 Posts 05/27/2011 @ 12:58:58 PM
well, you have to chew the seeds off, and while the seeds, when salted, can be quite enjoyable, you end up picking sunflower seed shells out of your teeth for a week.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Carlos44ec - Tater Salad? 05/27/2011 @ 01:18:23 PM
not me, I brush and floss.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Scott - You're going to have to call your hardware guy. It's not a software issue. 05/27/2011 @ 01:35:33 PM
I always wondered when they would invent a way to remove things from between your teeth. And by "they", I mean the government.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Matt - 3941 Posts 05/27/2011 @ 02:36:31 PM
Jeremy Wrote - Today @ 11:22:50 AM Personally I'd like to see a signing of some sort as opposed to jumping right to, say Revere and Hicks full time (though I don't know how far out Hicks is from the majors.) http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=hicks-001aar He's not exactly tearing it up right now in high-A ball, and you would think that he would at least need to put up solid numbers in AA before making it to the Majors. Things can always change, but I wouldn't count on him starting 2012 in the majors.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Jon - 3443 Posts 05/27/2011 @ 03:09:20 PM
Jeremy Wrote - Today @ 11:11:14 AM Resign Punto: There's a lot of "haters" out there, but resigning him for next to nothing was a no brainer, and when you add in hindsight, is practically a tragedy. I'd have made Punto resign also. Hi-oh! Actually, this season has made me long for Punto, it was just an easy joke. Nutcan resurgence!		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Carlos44ec - You had me at "Hello" 05/28/2011 @ 10:59:04 AM
And then they blow a 5 run lead to lose 6-5? Great year for me to be this far away from Downtown MPLS.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Carlos44ec - 2079 Posts 05/29/2011 @ 09:45:43 PM
So the Brewers look pretty good. I recently discovered that I can watch clips online after 8 pm and before 8 am (they block most outside sites to conserve bandwidth). That Gomez inside-grounder-HR? AWESOME. That leads to the question. Is he really that good in Milwaukee, or is he still the same player plaqued by the same setbacks? I don't hear anything, but now that I can see stats and video again (my job changed over here) my interest level is up again.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Jeremy - 9543 Posts 05/31/2011 @ 10:59:20 AM
Gomez 2011: .224/.280/.359 Career: .244/.292/.350 Pretty much the same, slightly worse if anything.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Scott - 6225 Posts 05/31/2011 @ 01:49:39 PM
He's still frustrating on offense. He strikes out a lot. When he does get on base, he's fast and all, but he's so dumb way too often.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	jthompto 05/31/2011 @ 05:24:04 PM
Jeremy Wrote - 12/31/1969 @ 06:00:00 PM Also, though I like Cuddy and Kubes (who is pretty much solely responsible for half the few wins we do have) the prospect of having actual outfielders (perhaps with DY at DH) in the outfield is intriguing. Personally I'd like to see a signing of some sort as opposed to jumping right to, say Revere and Hicks full time (though I don't know how far out Hicks is from the majors.) I am also fond of Cuddy and Kubel. But Cuddy isn't producing and it might be smart to trade Kubel while he has some value. I think it would be nice to give Revere a chance as an everyday outfielder. He and Span could cover a lot of ground and his bat might pick up.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Jeremy - 9543 Posts 05/31/2011 @ 05:47:55 PM
Scott Wrote - Today @ 01:49:39 PM He's still frustrating on offense. He strikes out a lot. When he does get on base, he's fast and all, but he's so dumb way too often. Yeah, my ex co worker/Guildy/on-again-off-again-lover Craig sends an IM along the lines of "And Gomez with another base running blunder" pretty much weekly.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Carlos44ec - "The tallest blade of grass is the first to be cut by the lawnmower." 06/01/2011 @ 11:18:55 AM
we need an investment on that Mauer kid. Either Gardy doesn't think much of him in other positions or he's too damn stubborn to consider moving him somewhere more useful. Something's gotta give, and not in a Jack Nicholson-Diane Keaton kind of way.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Jeremy - 9543 Posts 06/01/2011 @ 12:31:17 PM
Mauer's extreme value comes from the fact that he's a catcher (and a great one). There aren't many that hit for shit, it's almost another DH. Before this season he actually led catchers in plate appearances since he started, despite being considered a guy that's "always hurt" We'd probably be better off with Mauer as a full time so-so right fielder than an half time gold glove catcher, but almost everyone is sidelined for some period of time in the season. It's probably a bit premature to pull the plug on his catching career, though I don't think the conversation is foolish either. (Not to mention Butera->Mauer is about as dramatic a jump as possible in the majors, and we really have no one I know of lined up as a realistic long term replacement.)		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Matt - 3941 Posts 06/02/2011 @ 12:42:44 AM
Ultimately it comes down to whether this latest problem is really just a fluke thing due to his surgery or if it is (mostly) because of the wear and tear of catching. If everyone really feels that once he's back he can catch full-time for the foreseeable future, then great, do that. However, if they feel that the wear and tear is catching (no pun intended) up to him and will start to nag on him more and more, then at least looking into a new position wouldn't be the worst thing. This doesn't even mean he would have to play left or first full time, you could have him catch 1/2 time and have him DH/LF/1B the other half to keep him fresh.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Jeremy - Pie Racist 06/02/2011 @ 10:22:41 AM
Plus as things stand at the moment, I have to imagine we could throw him in left with zero reps and he'd be an upgrade over Delmon at this point. Twins waited forever, and got one good year out of him, now it's just depressing. He's not good enough at the plate to warrant his crummy fielding. Time to cut bait, IMO. At best I want to see him focused only on hitting with the idea that he'll DH against lefties, and be a spot starter in the field. Your point is a good one though because people talk about this like there has to be some point in time where he goes for our full time catcher, to never wearing the pads again, and there's really no reason that has to be the case.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.
Jeremy screwed with this at 06/02/2011 10:22:51 am

	Scott - 6225 Posts 06/13/2011 @ 12:22:15 PM
So the Brewers are in first place. That'll be fun for a while, at least.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Sarah - 4671 Posts 06/13/2011 @ 06:27:57 PM
Scott Wrote - Today @ 12:22:15 PM So the Brewers are in first place. That'll be fun for a while, at least. I think it'll be more fun after the inevitable...		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Carlos44ec - ...and Bob's your Uncle! 06/26/2011 @ 04:13:44 AM
So what the hell just happened to the Twins? 11-1?????		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Scott - If you aren't enough without it, you'll never be enough with it. 06/26/2011 @ 08:02:54 AM
I'll tell you what happened. Carlos Gomez had a LOST flash where he remembered being on the island and decided he used to know how to hit. #brewersbesthometeaminbaseball.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Carlos44ec - 2079 Posts 06/26/2011 @ 11:19:47 AM
what is this #something and @somethingelse? Being over here makes keeping up with the kids difficult.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Scott - Resident Tech Support 06/27/2011 @ 01:30:30 PM
Carlos44ec Wrote - Yesterday @ 11:19:47 AM what is this #something and @somethingelse? Being over here makes keeping up with the kids difficult. It's twitter jargon. # is for mentioning a concept or something like "#Brewers" would be "I want people searching for brewers to see this." @ is for mentioning someone specifically, like someone's specific twitter account.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.
Scott perfected this at 06/27/2011 1:34:29 pm

	Scott - Get Up! Get outta here! Gone! 06/27/2011 @ 01:34:06 PM
I don't know the historical implications of this, but the Brewers have played 40 home games so far (roughly half the season, since you can't divide 81 games evenly by 2). In the first half of the season, they are the only team in baseball to avoid losing back to back games at home. They have not lost 2 in row at home all season, enroute the highest current home winning percentage in baseball.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Scott - Get Up! Get outta here! Gone! 06/27/2011 @ 02:44:01 PM
Last NL All-Star Ballot Update until the final outcome is announced. Weeks has taken the lead among second basemen. If that holds up (and braun doesn't lose his overall lead), the Brewers would have 2 players voted in as starters for the first time ever. They still have a good chance for Fielder starting in place of Pujols (which will likely come down to the player ballot between Fielder and Votto). 3 Brewers starting would be quite exciting.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Jeremy - 9543 Posts 06/29/2011 @ 02:45:59 PM
Scott Wrote - 06/27/2011 @ 01:34:06 PM I don't know the historical implications of this, but the Brewers have played 40 home games so far (roughly half the season, since you can't divide 81 games evenly by 2). In the first half of the season, they are the only team in baseball to avoid losing back to back games at home. They have not lost 2 in row at home all season, enroute the highest current home winning percentage in baseball. Only the Nationals have lost more road games in the NL, so there's that.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Alex - 3619 Posts 07/01/2011 @ 07:17:08 PM
Rain delay? playa please		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Alex - 3619 Posts 07/10/2011 @ 04:18:22 PM
Bases loaded in a tie game in the bottom of the ninth and the best the Brewers can do is send in a guy who is 0 for his last 28 and clearly should've hung it up after last season, and he comes through with a mid range line drive followed by the most pathetic throw from left field ever in a do or die situation? Yikes. Double yikes for Cordero almost getting decapitated and then "accidentally" returning the favor to Weeks on the very next pitch. Brewers need some short term rentals on the left side of the infield to make it to the playoffs (McGehee = -.6 WAR, Betancourt = -.7 WAR). According to http://mlbcontracts.blogspot.com/2005/01/milwaukee-brewers.html payroll is lower than last year so maybe they can take on some money since they don't have tons of prospects to trade. Or Gamel will have to get it going at the plate and play more 3rd.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Scott - 6225 Posts 07/12/2011 @ 11:14:21 PM
K-Rod to the Brewers. I'm curious what the bullpen will look like now. The Brewers have struggled recently in the 7th and 8th innings, and they have resorted to "setup by committee". I wonder if Axford will become the default setup man. If so, I hope he doesn't see it as a demotion, but rather filling a big need that the Brewers need to fill.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Alex - 3619 Posts 07/12/2011 @ 11:48:23 PM
There goes one pile of cash, hope there's more where that came from. Bullpen did need help though. Sounds like K-Rod has some sort of vesting clause if he finishes enough games and the conclusion from commenters is that will put him squarely in the setup role.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Scott - 6225 Posts 07/13/2011 @ 06:46:28 AM
I was wondering that myself. I also was wondering if the trade is almost to setup another trade. It just seems strange to spend that much for a setup man (who probably wants to be a closer anyway) when you already have a good closer. You are probably right about vesting option making him a setup man, because I would guess the Brewers don't want to be locked into a closer for $17mil. Maybe this frees up a big-time trade of Axford. He is super cheep which would make an interested club very generous I would imagine. Just speculating at this point. But again, that would then bring the vesting option into to play and lock the Brewers into next year.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.
Scott edited this at 07/13/2011 6:54:17 am

	Alex - I was too weak to give in Too strong to lose 07/13/2011 @ 11:07:27 AM
Axford isn't getting traded. I think K-Rod said he was ok with going to a contender and being a setup man this year, so that's what he'll do, the vesting really absolutely has to not take place, the Mets gave the Brewers enough cash to cover the buyout, and he becomes a free agent and can go close somewhere else for big money which makes Boras happy. It will $17mil per year money, but he already gets $3.5mil in the buyout and since he seems to be on the decline a bit, there's a good chance he's better off in the long run by getting into a new multi-year contract next year instead of the year after that.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Scott - 6225 Posts 07/13/2011 @ 12:16:39 PM
I would be shocked if Axford got traded. However, the Brewers have a small window right now. They seem to need some help on the left side of the infield. I would bet that you are 100% correct (and actually we pretty much agreed on everything until I meandered off onto the "maybe they'll trade Axford" rant) about K-Rod becoming the setup man. He hasn't been terrible this year, and that would be a pretty good 8th-9th inning combination.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Alex - 3619 Posts 07/13/2011 @ 01:37:41 PM
Despite a couple writers who've said it wouldn't be disastrous if the option vests, I agree way more with this: http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/in-k-rod-trade-brewers-bet-on-axford/		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Scott - 6225 Posts 07/13/2011 @ 02:06:08 PM
"The Brewers are clearly all-in this year..." I expect more to come before the trade deadline.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Sarah - 4671 Posts 07/14/2011 @ 06:33:25 PM
2nd half begins now! Twins are going to do this thing!		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Alex - 3619 Posts 07/15/2011 @ 07:38:11 PM
For an extra half a mil in the buyout, the option is essentially a moot point and a guaranteed buyout. Which gets rid of the risk of the vesting, and does actually allow some sort of closer by committee, which I'm not sure is really a good thing http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/6773904/milwaukee-brewers-negotiate-francisco-rodriguez-deal-remove-games-finished-clause		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.
Alex edited this at 07/15/2011 7:38:20 pm

	Scott - 6225 Posts 07/15/2011 @ 10:55:49 PM
Closer by committee usually isn't good, because it usually is caused by lack of performance by the guy you want to close. If it is the result of having two top notch closers and aren't sure of which one to use, that's what they call a good problem to have. At least I would think.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Sarah - 4671 Posts 07/16/2011 @ 10:24:20 AM
If you want another closer for your committee, I've got just the guy for you, should be real cheap. #TakeMyCloserPlease		Rate this comment Yours: Total: Rated 1 times.

	Carlos44ec - "Always remember that you are unique. Just like everybody else." 07/16/2011 @ 10:45:50 AM
Can we sell him for ZERO DOLLARS?		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Sarah - How do you use these things? 07/16/2011 @ 12:52:58 PM
Carlos44ec Wrote - Today @ 10:45:50 AM Can we sell him for ZERO DOLLARS? SOLD!		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Scott - 6225 Posts 07/17/2011 @ 07:41:45 AM
I think they call that releasing the guy. Besides, we don't want your sub .500 refuse. The Brewers are so much better than that #hopetheydon'ttotallyblowitthisyear.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Sarah - 4671 Posts 07/18/2011 @ 03:15:54 PM
Scott Wrote - Yesterday @ 07:41:45 AM I think they call that releasing the guy. Besides, we don't want your sub .500 refuse. The Brewers are so much better than that #hopetheydon'ttotallyblowitthisyear. Sarah Wrote - 07/16/2011 @ 12:52:58 PM Carlos44ec Wrote - 07/16/2011 @ 10:45:50 AM Can we sell him for ZERO DOLLARS? SOLD! I would still like to graciously give him to the Brewers, rather than just outright releasing him, because that's the kind of person I am...		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Micah - Shaken not stirred gets you cold water with a dash of gin and dry vermouth 07/21/2011 @ 07:27:41 AM
Everyone see this?		Rate this comment Yours: Total: Rated 2 times.

	Sarah - So's your face 07/21/2011 @ 05:22:57 PM
It's my favorite on so many levels.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Scott - On your mark...get set...Terrible! 07/22/2011 @ 04:58:22 PM
Brewers apparently might be in the running for Carlos Beltran. I'm not sure what it would cost them, but the the way the Mets dealt KRod, it might only cost the Brewers a nice dinner or two.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Scott - 6225 Posts 07/26/2011 @ 07:24:15 AM
Here's the caption of the front page story on Espn.com/mlb this morning: How messed up is the AL Central? The Twins used Michael Cuddyer in relief after the people they pay to pitch gave up 20 runs.		Rate this comment Yours: Total: Rated 1 times.

	Matt - 3941 Posts 07/29/2011 @ 08:27:22 AM
Onion: Twins Shocked To Learn You Can Score 2 Runs In Same Play It's funny 'cause it's true.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Scott - 6225 Posts 08/08/2011 @ 04:52:55 PM
Brewers vs. Cardinals. Here's an interesting read for anyone who new what all went on last week between the Cardinals and Brewers. The best way I can think of to summarize the events goes like this: Tony La Russa accused the Brewers organization of cheating, then had a pitcher throw at Ryan Braun twice in retaliation for something every team on the planet does every time they play the Cardinals, pitch Pujols inside. Here's the best section of the article (or blog post): But is the view of St. Louis baseball on a pedestal, staring down it’s metaphorical nose at the rest of the league shared by anybody besides Joe Buck? If it is, I would certainly question those who still hold this belief after Tuesday night’s farce in Milwaukee, a game which saw a St. Louis team retaliate for nothing and Milwaukee remain calm as their star was the brunt of this false retribution, and a game which saw one of the game’s worst blowups by the catcher of a supposedly classy St. Louis team.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Alex - 3619 Posts 08/09/2011 @ 01:55:26 PM
Alex Wrote - 07/10/2011 @ 04:18:22 PM Brewers need some short term rentals on the left side of the infield to make it to the playoffs (McGehee = -.6 WAR, Betancourt = -.7 WAR). Fangraph's ratings have them both up to .1 WAR. Success!(?) Gallardo still has a higher ISO (power) than McGehee though and Betancourt's fielding makes me want to poke my eyes out.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Scott - 6225 Posts 08/09/2011 @ 05:34:30 PM
For what it's worth, YuniB is .388/.405/.575 since the all-star break, and McGehee is .297/.321/.473. YuniB's average is over 100 points higher in the second half, while McGehee has his average up over 70 points. So at least things have gotten a little better. The real question is whether Yuni is the batter he was in April and May, or the batter he's been since June.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Matt - Washington Bureau Chief 08/09/2011 @ 05:48:06 PM
Betancourt's career line is .271/.295/.393, and this season he is now hitting a very similar .268/.286/.391. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that for the rest of the season, he will hit somewhere around there as well.		Rate this comment Yours: Total: Rated 1 times.

	Jeremy - Pie Racist 08/10/2011 @ 11:51:03 PM
Alex Wrote - Yesterday @ 01:55:26 PM Alex Wrote - 07/10/2011 @ 04:18:22 PM Brewers need some short term rentals on the left side of the infield to make it to the playoffs (McGehee = -.6 WAR, Betancourt = -.7 WAR). Fangraph's ratings have them both up to .1 WAR. Success!(?) Gallardo still has a higher ISO (power) than McGehee though and Betancourt's fielding makes me want to poke my eyes out. There's a reason when people discussed the move in the offseason and would add "and we got Betancourt" I would say "you mean you had to take Betancourt."		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Sarah - 4671 Posts 08/15/2011 @ 05:21:55 PM
No more Delmon, I guess I'll get off the bandwagon and let it careen off a cliff, since apparently I was the only one on it and steering.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Sarah - 4671 Posts 08/15/2011 @ 08:33:04 PM
Congrats to Mr. Jim Thome (our parking ramp buddy) on homerun #600. The dude is awesome!		Rate this comment Yours: Total: Rated 1 times.

	Sarah - 4671 Posts 08/25/2011 @ 08:57:15 PM
Sarah Wrote - 08/15/2011 @ 08:33:04 PM Congrats to Mr. Jim Thome (our parking ramp buddy) on homerun #600. The dude is awesome! I wish he could've gone to the Phillies since they'll actually wind up in the World Series. Goodbye JimJam, gonna miss your mashed taters.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Alex - 3619 Posts 08/26/2011 @ 11:17:58 AM
Sarah Wrote - Yesterday @ 08:57:15 PM I wish he could've gone to the Phillies since they'll actually wind up in the World Series. No.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Sarah - 4671 Posts 08/26/2011 @ 02:40:19 PM
Alex Wrote - Today @ 11:17:58 AM Sarah Wrote - Yesterday @ 08:57:15 PM I wish he could've gone to the Phillies since they'll actually wind up in the World Series. No. Yes.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Scott - 6225 Posts 08/26/2011 @ 03:14:23 PM
The Brewers own the season series over the Phillies by taking two of three games in Philly earlier in the season. Clearly we have strong reason to believe that the Brewers will do nothing other than win the NLCS in 5 games.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Scott - 6225 Posts 09/28/2011 @ 04:41:27 PM
In my opinion, Braun should win the MVP over Matt Kemp. Matt's season has been impressive, no doubt. But now is not the time to make an exception for a player on a non-playoff team to get the MVP vote over a player who helped lead his team to the playoffs. Braun has been playing meaningful baseball right up till tonight game and has matched Kemp step for step. The Dodgers have been no where close to good all season, and were 11 games out of first on September 1. If players in the past have been looked over because their teams weren't good, Matt Kemp should have to accept the same fate. Braun is clearly the best player in the NL this year. Braun leads kemp in Avg, OBP, Slug, OPS, strikeouts, stolen base success percentage, extra base hits. Kemp leads braun in Runs, RBI, HR, and walks. The bottom line is that the Dodgers have been out of the hunt for over a month. That alone should require Kemp to be destroying everyone else to be considered. Since he isn't, the nod has to go to Braun. I suppose the problem is that Braun and Fielder could steal each others' votes, which could jump Kemp ahead of them.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Scott - 6225 Posts 09/28/2011 @ 06:00:27 PM
I wrote what I wrote before I read this, which enhances what I wrote. National League MVP Ryan Braun, LF, Brewers Filling out these MVP ballots is tougher than it looks -- especially this one. The NL MVP debate isn't just academic for me because I have to fill out an actual ballot in the next 48 hours. So I've agonized over this one for weeks, waiting for a beam of light to shoot out of the heavens and tell me the right answer. Uhh, still waiting, I'm afraid. I appreciate that there are so many folks out there trying to tell me how I'm supposed to vote -- and how I'm supposed to think, for that matter. But this is about how I define "valuable," not how anyone else defines it. So for all the people who are sure Matt Kemp is the MVP, I don't blame you. He's had an awesome season. He's the most talented player in the National League, and he's finally played like it from start to finish. Any player who practically wins a Triple Crown, nearly joins the 40-40 club, leads the league in WAR and does it in a lineup that offers him zero protection has an overwhelming MVP case. And it's one that has literally kept me up nights considering its merits. But so has Justin Upton, the most important presence in a Diamondbacks lineup that one scout I know likes to describe as "Upton and seven utility guys." Bet you didn't know, though, that Upton leads all outfielders in the big leagues in errors, even though the defensive metrics will tell you he's a star out there. Now, that doesn't gong him from consideration. After all, his manager (Kirk Gibson) also led NL outfielders in errors the year he won the MVP award (1988). On the other hand, no MVP has led outright at any position since. And so many of Upton's errors are lack-of-concentration glitches; that's an even bigger issue. He's an MVP award waiting to happen -- but not this year. So that brings me to Braun. He could wind up leading the league in hitting, slugging, OPS and extra-base hits. He's going to land in the top five in runs, total bases, on-base percentage, RBIs, doubles and average with men in scoring position. And he's tossed in 30-30 club bonus points for our voting enjoyment. When you add it all together, what do you get? An incredible offensive season. That's what. How many guys hit .335, slug .601, and go 30-30 in the same season? The only two players who have done it are Larry Walker and Ellis Burks, both of whom pulled it off for the pre-humidor Rockies. So don't try to tell us Braun's year pales against Kemp's, OK? FanGraphs tells us he's hit better than Kemp, been a more productive baserunner than Kemp and actually compiled a better ultimate zone rating in the outfield than Kemp. So a big chunk of the reason Kemp leads him in wins above replacement is an adjustment for the importance of the positions they play. I understand that thinking. And I understand that Braun has Prince Fielder hitting behind him. But I also understand this: Kemp's team basically got eliminated from any kind of contention by Father's Day. So if I'm looking at two players who have had very, very, very similar seasons -- and one of them has done what he's done in an atmosphere where every single game mattered -- that's a difference-making ingredient for me. That's how I define "valuable." So that's how I'll vote. But I finally did figure out why that beam of light never arrived with the right answer. Because in this debate, there's no wrong answer. Just different opinions.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.
Scott perfected this 2 times, last at 09/29/2011 9:19:22 pm

	Carlos44ec - Since 1980! 09/28/2011 @ 06:59:26 PM
if they were matched 100% equal I'd still pick the guy who gets to the playoffs. Because it's Braun makes me happy for Wisconsin		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Alex - But let history remember, that as free men, we chose to make it so! 09/28/2011 @ 09:50:27 PM
Crazy baseball tonight! Why do we need more wild card teams?		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Jon - 3443 Posts 09/29/2011 @ 02:37:59 AM
Is it easier to play in meaningful games on a good team with a long term contract or to play in less meaningful games on a bad team who is scraping the bottom of the barrel to make payroll every month? The answer is the square root of oatmeal. Which is also what I would cast my vote for if I thought a team's record had any significance in an MVP vote. For every argument that is made for the award going to a winning team's player, there's an equally valid reason why the lesser team's player's accomplishment is actually more impressive. For instance: Between these two players, you could say that if Kemp had better teammates, he'd have even more RBI and runs scored. Actually, it'd be hard to argue against that; you're adding baserunners ahead of him and more hits and walks behind him. If you want to do the psychological type thing, did Braun do well in "pressure-filled" games or did he have the luxury of playing to an energy-filled crowd? After all, he did a lot better at home. Kemp plays in a place where they arrive late and leave early even when the team is good. Then again, I think the whole thing is largely irrelevant either way. I'll give my opinions on the things that are relevant in an upcoming post. Hopefully by Spring Training.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Alex - I don't need to get steady I know just how I feel 09/29/2011 @ 11:50:44 AM
Jon Wrote - Today @ 02:37:59 AM For instance: Between these two players, you could say that if Kemp had better teammates, he'd have even more RBI and runs scored. Actually, it'd be hard to argue against that; you're adding baserunners ahead of him and more hits and walks behind him. Unless the guy ahead of him clears the bases all the time, then he could actually lose out on RBI opportunities.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Jeremy - Pie Racist 09/29/2011 @ 12:15:55 PM
That could happen, but in aggregate that's a huge advantage to Braun. I've never ever understood the "better team" argument, even a little. For one thing, if anything, it should be a negative. (You're not protected by other good players, and the "games that matter" argument is also, if anything backwards. Kemp did what he did with half a season of coming to the ballpark knowing it was pointless, probably often surrounded by that weeks' AAA experiments. ) For another, many times the better teams have a couple guys. You could make a case Ryan Braun isn't even the Brewers' MVP, and at the very least, that he's hardly the obvious standout on the Brewers. That has to tarnish an argument for NL MVP, especially if you're buying into the "team" nonsense on any level. Fielder had 15% more homers, more RBIs, and walked almost twice as many times. Ryan Braun probably only wins that argument because of the stolen bases. If, and that's a big if, you're going to base anything at all on the "team" as a pro/con, or tie breaker, then shouldn't the criteria of most valuable player in a league be that he's clearly and obviously the best player on his own team? It should be Kemp, it will be Braun. (Not that I think it will be any kind of grave injustice, but you need to give the slight edge to the guy that actually has the slight edge, in the usual stats, and rather sizable edge in WAR)		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.
Jeremy perfected this 5 times, last at 09/29/2011 12:47:22 pm

	Scott - 6225 Posts 09/29/2011 @ 12:50:30 PM
braun is the brewers mvp over fielder. Braun is a more complete player all around. I agree that team success shouldn't matter, but it always has mattered. Either way, I think braun has been equal to kemp all season. Add the pressure of meaningful games and the tie should go to braun.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Jeremy - 9543 Posts 09/29/2011 @ 01:04:24 PM
I suppose I agree in that respect. Stupid or not the standard has been established, and while I suppose to stop doing stupid shit you have to start changing at some point, it's not necessarily fair to pull the stupid rug out from under Braun.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.
Jeremy perfected this at 09/29/2011 1:04:49 pm

	Jeremy - 9543 Posts 09/29/2011 @ 01:18:30 PM
Though again, the "pressure" argument goes both ways. Lets say you were a boss at a company and really rode one of your employees, setup strict, hard deadlines, and that employee performed admirably. Meanwhile you have an employee who you weren't riding that was just as efficient and fruitful to the company, even though he could have slacked off with little or no blow back, then that's a tough call. There's something to be said for performing well when you don't have to. The first employee didn't crack under the pressure, but results of some sort were sort of inevitable. The second employee worked hard even when he didn't have to. You might read clutch into the first guy, but there's a statement about character in there in regards to the second guy.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.
Jeremy perfected this at 09/29/2011 1:19:48 pm

	Alex - 3619 Posts 09/29/2011 @ 01:50:49 PM
Player ABs-Empty RunnersOn ScoringPosition Loaded LeadOff Braun 303 256 148 11 107 Kemp 308 294 155 7 152 Fielder 283 286 156 12 137 Kemp leading off more innings seems like it could be a function of crappier teammates not extending innings, but Kemp actually had more at bats with runners on base and runners in scoring position. Hold up, probably has more to due Kemp getting 466 at bats from the 4 spot in the order. Let's add Fielder and see what that says...hmm...maybe half due to crappier teammates and half due to hitting 4th a lot. At any rate, playing on a so called crappy team clearly did not limit Kemps chances to rack up numbers. Also, it's not like Kemp put up those numbers playing for Houston, the Dodgers won 82 games and Kemp had Either as the other half of his 3-4 spot combo.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Jeremy - 9543 Posts 09/29/2011 @ 02:10:22 PM
To be fair, the crux of the point was that "on a good team" shouldn't matter, and that, if anything, it should be a negative. It not working out that way this one time doesn't really change that, and no one was really making the point Kemp should get the edge for being on a bad team, per se. Plus those aren't really the important numbers anyway. Kemp isn't "protected" like Braun is. Standing at the plate with runners on, especially in "big" situations, and actually being allowed to swing the bat are two different things. Edit: Braun was intentionally walked 2 times. Twins prospect Brian Dinkelman got 2 IBB in his first week, 1 in his first game. (He finished with 0 HR) Nick Punto has 3. So Braun only had the bat taken out of his hand the baseline "the situation would call for it regardless of who the player is" amount of times. Kemp was intentionally walked 24 times, and it's safe to say it wasn't when he was batting bases empty in a no out situation. And that's not even counting non intentional intentional walks.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.
Jeremy perfected this 6 times, last at 09/29/2011 2:32:33 pm

	Scott - 6225 Posts 09/29/2011 @ 08:55:26 PM
Jon Wrote - Today @ 02:37:59 AM After all, he did a lot better at home Braun was somewhat better at home than on the road. He actually had more homers on the road and more stolen bases. He struck out more at home. His home/road splits lean more towards home than Kemp's do, but it isn't like he was a completely different player at home. He was just better at home (still hit .315 on the road). A couple of things that stick out. Kemp struck out 159 times. That's a lot of strikeouts. Braun struck out 93 times. Braun's vs left/vs right splits are a little more evenly split than Kemp's. Scoring Position (ba/obp/slg/ops) Braun: .351 .421 .628 1.049 Kemp: .335 .450 .652 1.102 Scoring position 2 outs Braun: .315 .393 .500 .893 Kemp: .233 .432 .450 .882 So "clutch" times they are fairly even. With two outs Kemp's average plummets. I'm not sure how MLB.com defines this exactly, but they have a stat titled "late/close", which probably means something around "7th inning and later with the score with 3ish runs" I would guess Braun: .373 .433 .610 1.043 Kemp: .298 .437 .596 1.033 Looking at some of this stats, they seem quite evenly matched. If someone is going to say with absolute certainty that one of them is clearly better than the other, I think that person is kidding themselves. Basically, voting for Braun wouldn't exactly be screwing over Kemp simply because Braun is on a good team. Braun had a very good year, as did Kemp. You can make the case for both, but somewhere you have to come up with a tipping point. Guy who hit 3 run homer in 8th in a division championship clinching game seems like an decent point to me.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.
Scott perfected this 2 times, last at 09/29/2011 9:00:32 pm

	Matt - 3941 Posts 09/30/2011 @ 12:45:37 AM
A few thoughts: 1. If you traded Kemp for Braun straight up at the start of the season, both players would most likely play about the same as they did and both teams would finish about where they did as well. You might have some fluctuation, but the Dodgers w/Braun still wouldn't make the playoffs and the Brewers w/Kemp still would. I just don't see how you can justify ignoring a player's performance just because of how good or bad his teammates are. 2. This article is worth reading in full, but I'll quote one part: "Baseball asks you to run out a ground ball even when you're sure you're going to be out. It asks you to put your best effort even if you're team is 50 games out of first place. The sport asks this, for one, because fans and TV networks have been promised this in exchange for their hard-earned money. And because it's a belief that virtually all of us share. Do your best. To then turn around and say that "Oh, by the way, we aren't paying attention to you anymore, so your effort doesn't matter," is nonsensical." 3. What it comes down to for me is who was the better player, and this year it was Matt Kemp. Their offensive numbers are very close and depending on what stats you prefer you could give the edge to either one. Kemp, however, is a centerfielder, and if you give me a choice between two roughly equal hitters, I'm going to go with the one who plays the tougher defensive position almost every time.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.
Matt perfected this at 10/02/2011 7:57:27 am

	Jon - 1 bajillion posts 09/30/2011 @ 01:54:33 AM
OK, back to finish my thoughts. It is a really close call. You could probably call it a coin flip type situation. In fact, it was so close that in some categories, they actually flipped their rankings just by playing game 162. Braun actually led Kemp in OBP by .001 going into 162. At the end of the year, Kemp actually sits .002 above Braun. I'll get to more stats in a second. But first, a disclaimer of sorts. I'm not going to pretend that I'm completely impartial. Braun has always kind of bugged me. Not completely sure why, but he has and still kind of does (though I like some of what he does). Could be a great guy, I really have no idea, but I have no intention of buying his jersey any time soon. But luckily, I don't really care enough to be passionate about it. Plus, I like this debate. And since we've already heard the arguments for Braun, and no one here is impartial anyway, I'll gladly put forth an argument for Kemp. Braun seems to have the slight edge in rate stats while Kemp has an edge in counting stats. As previously mentioned, Kemp narrowly beat Braun in OBP. Braun actually wins slugging by an also tiny .011 margin. These components actually give Braun a "whopping" OPS edge of .008 when the rounding isn't done until the end. So, like I said, Braun seems to have that slight edge in what are considered the important rate stats. Then again, if you want to level the playing field (pun intended), you can instead use OPS+ which adjusts for the ballparks players play in. The final totals for OPS+ have Kemp leading the league at 171 and Braun finishing tied for second with Lance Berkman at 166. (Actually I think Berkman might even edge him out by decimals, but it's a whole number stat and the components were already rounded when I did the calculation, so I can't be sure.) So some would argue that Kemp's OPS numbers were actually better than Braun's, but either way, we can see it's very close. Actually, I think Braun had a decimal-level lead over Kemp in OPS+ at 169 each before the final game. Kemp went 1-4 with a homer and Braun went 0-4 and their numbers went in opposite directions. So, yeah, it's close. But if we're talking about value, there are some value stats out there, and Kemp tops Braun. Whether it's WAR or VORP, he comes out on top. And it's a larger margin than the OBP stats. Jayson Stark downplayed the defensive value boost that Kemp gets, and there may be something to that, but you can't dismiss it that easily. Would the Brewers ever play Braun in centerfield? Only if they absolutely had to. He hasn't played there yet. But Kemp can play all outfield positions. And someone who puts up those numbers and can play centerfield does have more value than a corner outfielder who puts up those numbers. It's rarer. But rather than a next-level stat dissection, let's go all the way back to some of the basic stats we learned as a kid. It's been stated already that the players are virtually equal and that some kind of "tie-breaker" could, or should, be employed to pick the winner. If that's the case, I would propose that you go to the counting stats. HR, H, BB, SB, and Total Bases. Kemp leads Braun in all of them. Even look at RBI if you want. But more than RBI, I would actually include Games, At Bats, and Plate Appearances. It may sound lame to include those, but think about it. If the rate stats conclude that they played at essentially an even level when they played, that means they'd contribute the same amount to your team per plate appearance. But Kemp only missed one game. Braun missed 12. That means that Kemp gave the Dodgers 11 more games of MVP level play than the Brewers got from Braun. That's 7% more games. He accumulated 70 more plate appearances. That's 11% more MVP caliber plate appearances than Braun provided his team. Obviously, you don't like to penalize guys for missing a few games. And it's not the first stat or the second or the third that you go to. It's well down the list. But it is a part of value, is it not? In case you're wondering, the extra games and plate appearances explain some of the leads in the counting stats that Kemp has over Braun. But if you evened those out, Braun would likely still not have caught him in HR, SB, BB, or RBI. Braun probably would have overtaken him in H, TB, and R. (That's the way the numbers break if you look at stats on a per Game or per PA basis.) So in that case, we again see the numbers draw closer. But that's IF they played the same number of games and got to the plate the same amount of times. They didn't. Kemp played more and consequently ended up adding more to his team's season than Braun did.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.
Jon screwed with this 6 times, last at 09/30/2011 2:07:12 am

	Jon - many posts 09/30/2011 @ 02:22:19 AM
Ooh. Forgot to add my prediction. I think Braun will win. Not only does he have the winning team thing, but I think Fielder may actually help him. The voting is done by ranking the players, not just voting for one. If people do the winning team method, they may vote Braun, Fielder, Kemp. In fact I think people will like voting for the two superstars on the playoff team as 1-2. That means Kemp will be 3 on some ballots. The people from the school of thought that puts Kemp first will likely all have Braun second. So Braun isn't going to get many third place votes, if any. But Kemp might. As I said, I think he will. So even if Braun gets fewer first place votes than Kemp, he can still win.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.
Jon perfected this at 09/30/2011 2:23:26 am

	Scott - 6225 Posts 09/30/2011 @ 07:15:13 AM
Jon's argument is well thought out and I agree with most of it. When it comes to voting, you have a bunch of voters who tend to look at how a player affected his team's success. In other words, they give the edge to the guy who's team made the playoffs, because they perceive the value as being related to a team's success. So since the stats are so close, as we have seen, and since voters have seemingly always voted for guys on winning teams, history says that it really should be braun If alex rodriguez didn't win the mvp when he was with texas, kemp shouldn't win it now.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Matt - 3941 Posts 09/30/2011 @ 08:03:27 AM
Actually A-Rod won it in 2003, his last year in Texas. The Rangers finished 71-91, last in the AL West. Also, Andre Dawson famously won the MVP award in 1987 for a last place Cubs team, and there are probably a few others examples of MVP winners on losing teams. I agree though that the winners tend to come from teams that make the playoffs or are at least in the race late in the season. Of course, that doesn't mean that's the way it should always be. Just because voters of the past made mistakes, doesn't mean you have to keep making those same mistakes. All that going by the "MVP should come from a playoff team" rule does is make it so that 5 or 10 years down the line, you look back at the stats and wonder why Player A won the MVP instead of Player B, C, or D. Divorced from the storyline of the pennant races, its easier to go by what actually happened (i.e. the stats) instead of what what the media driven storyline was. Interestingly, it seems like voters are a little more willing to vote for a non-pennant race pitcher for the Cy Young award. Felix Hernandez, Zack Greinke, and Cliff Lee won the last 3 AL Cy Youngs, all on non-winners (61-101, 65-97, 81-81, respectively). Brandon Webb in 2006 won for a 4th place (76-86) Diamondback team, and of course, Steve Carlton had his greatest year and won the Cy Young in 1972 for a 59-97 Phillies team.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.
Matt perfected this 2 times, last at 09/30/2011 8:10:14 am

	Scott - 6225 Posts 09/30/2011 @ 08:23:09 AM
Arod lost to tejada in 02, after arod trounced tejada in every category but batting avg. Amd fielder got a little hosed in 07 thanks in part to team success, or lack of. I just want the brewers to be given the same benefit of the doubt as every other team has in recent years.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.
Scott perfected this at 09/30/2011 8:27:33 am

	Micah - 584 Posts 09/30/2011 @ 09:05:47 AM
Matt Wrote - Today @ 01:45:37 AM Their offensive numbers are very close and depending on what stats you prefer you could give the edge to either one. Kemp, however is a centerfielder, and if you give me a choice between two roughly equal hitters, I'm going to go with the one who plays the tougher defensive position almost every time. This is exactly what I was thinking as I read through all of this. If you look at WAR, its basically a coin flip until you get to positional adjustment. They are both slightly below average fielders at their respective positions, but Kemp plays the more valuable position WAR (Batting, BaseRunning, Fielding, Replacement, Positional) Kemp: 58.6, 2.9, -4.6, 23.0, 2.2 Braun: 59.3, 3.3, -3.8, 21, -6.5 Kemp is 79.9 before a positional adjustment, and Braun is 79.8. That is a ridiculously close call.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Jeremy - Pie Racist 09/30/2011 @ 09:50:39 AM
Scott Wrote - Yesterday @ 08:55:26 PM Guy who hit 3 run homer in 8th in a division championship clinching game seems like an decent point to me. The Brewers would have had a Magic number of 1 for what, like a week/week and a half? That wasn't exactly walking off game 163. And again, I think it needs to be taken into account, things being so close, that Kemps' number are what they are after having the bat taken out of his hands 22 more times. Pick 22 RISP at bats for Braun out of the equation, and who knows where we're at, but since Kemp narrowly edges him out even with that, I think he needs to be the pick. That said, I'm not terribly convinced on the position argument. I guess as a tie breaker it's better than a coin flip. I also realize the implication is that while he's an average center fielder, he'd run circles around Braun as a left fielder, still, seems kind of weird to me to essentially penalize Brain because he doesn't play elsewhere. He can only play as well as he can at the position he's at. (Though, I suppose the flipside of the argument is that if you don't adjust for position, Kemp IS being penalized for the position he's at.)		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.
Jeremy screwed with this 4 times, last at 09/30/2011 9:59:08 am

	Scott - 6225 Posts 09/30/2011 @ 11:58:51 AM
Bleacher Report voted amongst their staff for all the major awards. Of the 58 voters, Braun and Kemp received the exact same number of votes. Is this foreshadowing what's to come? Might we have the first co-MVP's since Keith Hernandez and Willie Stargell shared the honors in 1979? Of course, it looks like these votes were taken before the season was over (by a few days perhaps, or maybe a week).		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Alex - Refactor Mercilessly 09/30/2011 @ 01:30:43 PM
Braun did have an injury, but a few games that he missed were supposedly as much about giving other guys playing time (like Monday when he didn't start) so can you really hold that against him? Benefit to Kemp for lack of team depth maybe? Or props to Kemp because teams are less likely to have a backup cf than lf that needs some at bats?		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Scott - On your mark...get set...Terrible! 10/04/2011 @ 02:54:21 PM
I read a recent tweet by Sarah and I wanted clarification. You think the tropicana field is better than the metrodome? My opinion is that the trop is the worst place I've ever watch a baseball game from, and I would call the rays my second favorite team now. The dome might a close second, but I thought the trop was horrible.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Sarah - How do you use these things? 10/04/2011 @ 05:58:11 PM
Scott Wrote - Today @ 02:54:21 PM I read a recent tweet by Sarah and I wanted clarification. You think the tropicana field is better than the metrodome? My opinion is that the trop is the worst place I've ever watch a baseball game from, and I would call the rays my second favorite team now. The dome might a close second, but I thought the trop was horrible. I didn't think it was as bad as everyone claimed it to be. The seats all faced the field, unlike at the Dome, bathrooms were easily accessible, it looked cool in the concourses and had different activities set up. They really tried to welcome in the fans, it can't be helped that they have no fans, and the ones that they do have ring cowbells non-stop. I even liked the ads that were all over the place. Per some players, the field is terrible and the ceiling sucks. Well, when we were there the Twins won because of that ceiling, so it can't be that bad. I enjoyed the games we took in there. The metrodome isn't exactly baseball friendly, but I love it dearly because of the memories I have from there. I just think that the Trop has some good qualities and that the Metrodome was worse physically than it.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Scott - 6225 Posts 10/04/2011 @ 10:49:21 PM
I guess I've never paid attention to the "under the seats" amenities of a stadium. The Trop did have that hall-of-fame type museum, and other cool things under the seats. But from a game standpoint, one thing that sticks out to me is how obnoxiously loud it was, even when nothing was going on. 5000 fans moving around in their seats could make it sound like a crowded high school pool--in other words, it was very echo-y and gets very loud even when the crowd isn't cheering. Oddly enough about the cowbells, their media guide says noisemakers are not allowed in the stadium, yet the stadium actually sold cowbells--which only added to the "not-putting-me-in-a-baseball-mood" obnoxiousness. The seats are about the smallest I've ever sat in too. I'm not super-tall (about 6 foot), but after sitting in the outfield seats for a whole game, I remember my ham strings just killing me because of the position I had to be in for that long. Anyway, if you liked it that's fine. I thought the Dome was a slight step ahead of the Trop.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Jon - many posts 10/06/2011 @ 11:44:40 PM
Scott Wrote - 10/04/2011 @ 10:49:21 PM I guess I've never paid attention to the "under the seats" amenities of a stadium. The Trop did have that hall-of-fame type museum, and other cool things under the seats. But from a game standpoint, one thing that sticks out to me is how obnoxiously loud it was, even when nothing was going on. 5000 fans moving around in their seats could make it sound like a crowded high school pool--in other words, it was very echo-y and gets very loud even when the crowd isn't cheering. Oddly enough about the cowbells, their media guide says noisemakers are not allowed in the stadium, yet the stadium actually sold cowbells--which only added to the "not-putting-me-in-a-baseball-mood" obnoxiousness. The seats are about the smallest I've ever sat in too. I'm not super-tall (about 6 foot), but after sitting in the outfield seats for a whole game, I remember my ham strings just killing me because of the position I had to be in for that long. Anyway, if you liked it that's fine. I thought the Dome was a slight step ahead of the Trop. Do old people move to Florida or does Florida turn you old? You moved down there, then started complaining about how loud sporting events were. And you got sore from sitting?		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Alex - 3619 Posts 10/07/2011 @ 08:03:41 PM
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Jeremy - Broadcast in stunning 1080i 10/09/2011 @ 12:35:01 AM
Scott Wrote - 10/04/2011 @ 02:54:21 PM I read a recent tweet by Sarah and I wanted clarification. You think the tropicana field is better than the metrodome? My opinion is that the trop is the worst place I've ever watch a baseball game from, and I would call the rays my second favorite team now. The dome might a close second, but I thought the trop was horrible. Well, I think in a way we're reversed biased as well. The Trop was a 2 time adventure on vacation, where as the Dome was the ho-hum dump we went to 20 times a season. That said, it probably depends on what you're looking at. The comments that spawned Sarah's comment were from a ball player about playing ball at the two places. That's quite different from a fan's opinion. Though, even then, you can look at is as a building, or the whole experience. The Trop has wide concourses, (so wide in some areas I'm not even sure that's the correct term for them, and in other areas you had double concourses) you didn't have to sacrifice 2 innings to get a drink or pee (granted, that might just be because there was no one there, but the walk itself was 1/50th the ordeal) , and it was actually made for baseball. The Dome has limited facilities in a 8 foot wide concourse, and the only seats in the place that faced home plate did so incidentally. The sections are massive, and wide, so up to 20 people have to get up for you to begin your death march up or down the stairs. Now, granted, we sat in the "expensive" seats at the Trop, so the upper deck outfield might suffer the same massive/long section issues, and maybe even literally worse seats, but at the Dome everyone is in the same boat. Now, "atmosphere" wise, the Dome might have it beat, cause the Twins probably out drew the Rays having a good year, even on a down year, and the people that ARE there aren't banging cowbells for 3 hours.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.
Jeremy screwed with this 2 times, last at 10/09/2011 12:38:31 am

	Alex - 3619 Posts 10/12/2011 @ 08:52:55 PM
Alex Wrote - 04/01/2011 @ 01:28:59 PM Jeremy Wrote - 02/04/2011 @ 09:51:07 AM In the end it doesn't make total sense, but it's not like it's a team crippling blunder either. It's one of those "Um, ok then" kind of moves. Well, Kotsay is 0-3, I didn't watch the video of the game but apparently it was a horrendous 0-3 because he got pinch hit for. Unless that was a defensive substitution, but then why did Kotsay even start the game if Morgan is better defensively and Almonte is the better offensive option? Why did Kotsay make the roster even? Probably because they signed him to a major league contract and didn't want to then cut him. I don't care that he partially redeemed himself with a home run. I still rue the day. Gomez would have caught the fly ball in the first and probably not have belly-flopped on an attempted slide back to second for an inning ending out on the basepaths.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Scott - 6225 Posts 10/12/2011 @ 09:45:58 PM
Rue what day? Although I'll agree that putting Kotsay in at CF in St. Louis was a disaster waiting to happen with that big centerfield area and all. Gomez would have been the safer option, plus he's been pretty good offensively in the post season.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Micah - 584 Posts 10/13/2011 @ 07:37:51 AM
I never thought I'd hear, "I wish Gomez had been playing so there wouldn't have been as many stupid mistakes."		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Scott - On your mark...get set...Terrible! 10/13/2011 @ 08:32:11 AM
Apparently gomez's speed can make up for his stupidity at times. Kotsay last night made some mistakes that were compounded by the fact that he is rather slow footed.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Scott - If you aren't enough without it, you'll never be enough with it. 10/16/2011 @ 10:58:53 PM
Well, the Brewers playoff run is over, and with it, probably the end of the Prince Fielder era. From a personal side, baseball has always meant more to me than football, and good post-season baseball is like nothing else in sports. I've never experienced post season baseball from a fan's perspective before, and it was well worth the pain of seeing them lose it in the end. The game 5 walk-off win in the NLDS was like nothing else I have ever experienced in sports, Super Bowls included. #sentimentalbaseballmoment.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Sarah - 4671 Posts 10/17/2011 @ 07:05:32 AM
Scott Wrote - Yesterday @ 10:58:53 PM Well, the Brewers playoff run is over, and with it, probably the end of the Prince Fielder era. From a personal side, baseball has always meant more to me than football, and good post-season baseball is like nothing else in sports. I've never experienced post season baseball from a fan's perspec tive before, and it was well worth the pain of seeing them lose it in the end. The game 5 walk-off win in the NLDS was like nothing else I have ever experienced in sports, Super Bowls included. #sentimentalbaseballmoment. Were you and the brewers on a break in 2008? Or did I dream that? Sorry the brewers didn't make it to the world series but they went way further than the Twins h have in the past nine years.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Scott - No, I did not change your screen saver settings 10/17/2011 @ 09:28:28 AM
In in 2008, I think the first two games were day games during the week, I didn't have cable and they were on tbs, and I was out camping for the weekend games, so didn't get to see any of the 2008 playoffs live.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.
Scott screwed with this at 10/17/2011 9:41:11 am

	Scott - You're going to have to call your hardware guy. It's not a software issue. 10/17/2011 @ 06:28:47 PM
‎. . . somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright. The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light, and somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout: But there is no joy in "Brew Town"--the mighty Brewers have struck out . . .		Rate this comment Yours: Total: Rated 1 times.
Scott screwed with this at 10/17/2011 6:45:21 pm

	Alex - 3619 Posts 10/19/2011 @ 12:35:11 PM
I'm still in denial		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Jeremy - Always thinking of, but never about, the children. 10/19/2011 @ 10:55:41 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWeOSPqKem0&feature=youtube_gdata_player		Rate this comment Yours: Total: Rated 1 times.

	Scott - On your mark...get set...Terrible! 10/20/2011 @ 10:55:36 PM
I'll cry you a friggin ocean. The waters are probably approaching Eau Claire pretty soon. #haven'twatchedasingleminuteofthisyearsworldseries. (why did you choose a video that was from a Swedish TV show?)		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Sarah - 4671 Posts 10/21/2011 @ 07:27:21 AM
That hashtag wouldn't work. #fyi		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.
Sarah messed with this at 10/21/2011 7:28:29 am

	Scott - 6225 Posts 10/21/2011 @ 08:08:09 AM
Too long? Or because of the apostrophe?		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Sarah - So's your face 10/21/2011 @ 08:40:26 PM
Scott Wrote - Today @ 08:08:09 AM Too long? Or because of the apostrophe? Apostrophe #ienjoyalonghashtag		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.