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Brewers, Hoffman close?

Jim Breen — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 23:37:21 GMT

Tom Haudricourt checks in with more information on Milwaukee's talks with Trevor Hoffman.

Thurman stopped short of saying the Brewers made a concrete offer but said the sides "continued to talk about parameters."

"I told (Melvin) where we want to be (with a contract)," said Thurman. "We both understand more what each side wants."

What Hoffman wants is two years guaranteed, even at age 41. The Brewers might feel more comfortable with one year plus a vesting option for a second year but those are details that can be worked out if the team is to sign baseball's all-time saves leader.

Thurman said he expects to continue negotiations with Melvin on Wednesday.

"We're working towards making him a Brewer," said Thurman, who hedge by saying other teams remain interested as well.

"I think it would be a really good place for him."

If the Brewers do end up signing Trevor Hoffman, I would obviously much prefer a vesting option for 2010 over a guaranteed two-year contract. I will post more on the Trevor Hoffman topic tomorrow.

Jan. 6 picks

Ben Voelkel — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 20:43:55 GMT

Just when it looked like Ohio State would somehow save what little respect the nation has for Big Ten football, Colt McCoy to Quan Cosby happens. The Big Ten manages to go 1-6 for the bowl season and the Buckeyes lose a BCS game for the third year in a row (they were able to keep their dignity this time).

It's times like these we in the Upper Midwest are fortunate to have basketball. If we can't hold our own on the gridiron, at least there's a quality product on the hardwood.

Two games tonight, both should be good ones.

Ohio State at Michigan State (-10) -- 6 p.m., ESPN2

Straight up: Michigan State ATS: Ohio State

Purdue at Penn State (+3) -- 8 p.m. BTN

Straight up: Penn State ATS: Penn State

Season to Date: 6-3, 5-4

Afternoon Delight Jan 6th

Dan Walsh — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 20:15:00 GMT

So next time I'm on the TWC Sports Roundtable, should I rock a turtleneck with a sport coat?

Outstanding job on the caption contest boys, the new guys have really taken it up another notch.

Wayne Larrivee & Tim McCormick will be the TV team for UW-Northwestern tomorrow.

Badger Centric reviews the new Bo Ryan book.

Check out the Brewers Blog Six-Pack

The Madison Mallards have released their 2009 Schedule.

Pat Knight has some unique coaching ideas.

Some Anti-Utes for #1.

Larry Bird: What I've learned.

Gus Frerotte states the obvious.

Can't say I've ever seen this. Best. Product Name. Ever.

Maybe this is why I've never visited Australia before.

Top Ten Daily Drink babe Jennifer Love Hewitt is back on the market.

Random music video: Prong - Snap your fingers, snap your neck!

Time Warner Cable roundtable

Dan Walsh — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 19:17:48 GMT

Here's a look at me battling wits with Lance Allan from TMJ4 on the Time Warner Cable Roundtable show......

And why do I love my readers? Because they send pictures like this.....

Ads place 3 on Candian All-Star Team

Eric W. Kent — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 19:08:00 GMT

Cal O'Reilly, Mike Santorelli, and Cody Franson will represent the Milwaukee Admirals at this month's AHL All-Star Classic.

Although no Admirals were voted to the starting lineup, Milwaukee has placed more players on the Canadian squad than any other AHL team. (You can get the full roster here)

Santorelli was a no-brainer. His 14-game points streak is tops in the league this year. He is tied for second in the league in scoring with 41 pts (13G, 28A).

Cal O'Reilly was another easy selection. He is one of the top playmakers in the AHL (See his 32 assists, which are 2nd in the league).

Cody Franson is 7th in the AHL in points amongst defensemen. He is also a steady presence on the power play.

The closest thing to a snub for the Admirals is their goalies.

Admirals starter Drew MacIntyre, born in Prince Edward Island, is 2nd in the AHL with 16 wins, and has posted a respectable .912 save percentage and 2.59 GAA.

The Vancouver-born Mark Dekanich leads the AHL in GAA with 1.98, and is 5th in the league with a .923 save percentage But it's tough to get an All-Star nod if you're a back-up goaltender.

Plus - it's hard to find fault with the three goalies that were chosen.

The 24-man roster for the PlanetUSA AHL All-Stars, comprising players born outside of Canada, will be announced tomorrow.

The 2009 AHL All-Star Skills Competition is on Sunday, January 25 at 3 pm CST, and the 2009 AHL All-Star Game is on Monday, January 26 at 6pm CST. The event will be televised nationally....although we don't know what channel yet.

Caption Contest Jan 6th

Dan Walsh — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 17:56:56 GMT

Post-it Note Paul wanted a picture of Colt McCoy's girlfriend for today's caption. (you can find some lovely pics of her, right here)

But I chose to go with this one.......

"Dude, I loved you in The Wedding Planner"

Leave your clever caption in the comments.....

Round 'em Up: Tuesday (1/6/08)

Jim Breen — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 17:16:00 GMT

[UPDATE 1:50pm]

Tom Haudricourt talked to Trevor Hoffman's agent, who said the Brewers and Trevor definitely have a mutual interest in each other. TH also suggests the Crew could make a contract offer by the end of the day today. One sticking point could be Hoffman's desire for a two-year deal. Melvin will almost certainly offer an inflated one-year deal if that is the case, but the team could eventually cave and guarantee two. It will be interesting to see the monetary aspect of the offer.

Adam McCalvy talked to Doug Melvin, who said the Brewers are "not in" on Mark Mulder OR Derek Lowe. Melvin said the Brewers are interested in Lowe, but only at a modest price. You can guess how that will turn out. Milwaukee's GM also said the team is not high on Oliver Perez or Jon Garland, but Adam McCalvy said the team could resign Ben Sheets. All music to my ears.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Major League News

The Brewers now have their sights fully on Trevor Hoffman to take over the closer's role in Milwaukee. Doug Melvin says the two sides have talked parameters, but there is no indication that a formal deal has been proposed from the Brewers. Still Hoffman seems to be the best choice for the Brewers to take over the ninth inning duties. Ken Rosenthal and Tim Brown both agree that the interest is mutual. The Dodgers have stepped up in the Hoffman talks, but he will likely have to pitch in the eighth inning in Los Angeles. I would have to believe that gives the Brewers a leg up on the competition.

On the other end of the spectrum, Braden Looper is beginning to look less and less like a viable option for the Milwaukee Brewers. Brew Crew Ball quotes Doug Melvin saying, "I don't think we're going to get him." That leaves a lot of underwhelming names for Milwaukee to target. If the Crew signs Hoffman to a one-year deal, the bullpen is going to be extremely crowded. Could that perhaps pave the way for Seth McClung to begin the season in the starting rotation?

That brings me to my next point. Derek Lowe. The New York Mets seem to believe they have no real competition for Lowe on the open market and are now saying that they do not plan on upping their three-year, $36MM offer to the veteran right-hander. If the Brewers had the available payroll room, this would be the perfect opportunity to offer a one-time deal that capitalizes on the Mets' arrogance here.

The arbitration period has begun, and many of your favorite Milwaukee Brewers will be receiving a raise from their 2008 salary in the coming weeks. Most notably, Prince Fielder will be breaking the bank. Tom Haudricourt believes that he will make at least $6.5MM if the two sides cannot come to an agreement. I believe he should secure about $7MM, perhaps a little over. I will be very interested to see what Dave Bush and J.J. Hardy haul in this winter. Hardy and the Brewers almost went to a hearing last season. Will they have to this winter?

Do you want to hear something sad? Of course you do. Jim Powell may be leaving the Milwaukee Brewers radio broadcast to take over the play-by-play duties for the Atlanta Braves. Sad for Brewers fans. Great opportunity for Jim.

Minor League News

Brew Crew Ball has their Winter League Update posted. Jason Bourgeois hit his second home run in as many days. So much for my joke about him and Jason Kendall being basically identical. Richie Gardner continues to struggle.

Other Baseball News

J.C. Romero of the Philadelphia Phillies is suspended for 50 games under the MLB's drug policy. While he claims he knowingly did nothing wrong, one has to wonder what that actually means..."knowingly" did nothing wrong. Do baseball players blindly take supplements others give them without reading what is in them? If so, he deserves to be suspended for being stupid. Sergio Mitre also is out 50 games for violating the drug policy.

R.J. Anderson of DRaysBay has my favorite post of the day, showing how the Pat Burrell deal is overwhelmingly better than the Raul Ibanez deal. Check it out. It's pretty funny stuff. Keith Law of ESPN also raves over the Pat Burrell signing. I still cannot believe they pulled off a two-year deal at $8MM per for Burrell. That is impressive work by the Tampa GM.

GameDay at the Kohl Center

Dan Walsh — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 16:34:00 GMT

I can't remember if I had posted this before, but we just got the e-mail/press release from the Badgers Athletic Dept.

ESPN Game day is coming to Madison. The Kohl Center was one of eight campuses selected to host the weekly show. Other teams include North Carolina, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Gonzaga, Texas, Cal and West Virginia.

It's for the February 14th game against the Ohio State Buckeyes.

This means Erin Andrews will be back in Madison, right? Awesome.

Here's the full release from the athletic Dept.

Brewers Blog Six Pack (1/6/09)

Jim Breen — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 16:05:00 GMT

Bernie's Crew reached out to some of the biggest Brewers blogs in the blogosphere to tackle some of the biggest questions surrounding the Milwaukee Brewers this offseason. This feature includes some great blogs like Bernie's Crew, Brew Crew Ball, The Brew Town Beat, The Bucky Channel, Chuckie Hacks, and Right Field Bleachers. If all goes well, the Brewers Blog Six Pack should be a bi-weekly series, running every other Tuesday. Be sure to check out each individual blog and give your own opinion in the comments section.

Much has been made of Milwaukee's interest in free agent pitchers like Trevor Hoffman and Braden Looper, yet it seems that Doug Melvin is slow-playing the offseason in an attempt to find January/February bargain deals. The likes Derek Lowe and Manny Ramirez have been discussed ad nauseum the past couple months. Enough about them. Who are a couple under-the-radar players that Brewers fans could be hearing about in the coming month?

Bernie's Crew

Doug Melvin and most of the other GMs have been slow-playing this offseason thus far. They are sitting back, waiting for players to bring down their rather obnoxious demands -- see Randy Wolf and his three-year, $30MM demands. The waiting period appears to be over, however. The outfield market is solidifying now that Pat Burrell and Milton Bradley signed with the Rays and Cubs, respectively. Players are making much less than they originally thought coming into the winter. Now is the time some bargains will be had.

With that said, I do not think Doug Melvin will do much to improve the offense. The likes of Ty Wigginton and Joe Crede are not likely to be manning the hot corner for the Crew next season. Melvin seems content to start the season with a Bill Hall/Mike Lamb platoon. If that does not work in the first couple months, I would expect to see Mat Gamel get a shot to pull a Ryan Braun-esque entrance into the big leagues. Yes, that means a no-glove, great-bat rookie season at third base.

Melvin will, however, address the pitching staff quite a bit in the coming month. Brewers fans have been clamoring for a legitimate closer, and even though I believe Seth McClung or Carlos Villanueva could handle the job, I suspect Doug will bring someone in via free agency. The Crew has long been connected with Trevor Hoffman, but he will likely reconcile with the San Diego Padres now that the team is under new management. Doug Melvin will turn to the likes of Brandon Lyon or Jason Isringhausen.

Lyon will be more expensive than Isringhausen and will probably require a two-year contract, but his peripheral stats suggest he will bounce back big from his mediocre 2008 season. He had an unseemly .355 BABIP, so that will almost certainly regress next season. His home run rates skyrocketed up from 2007 to 2008, jumping from 0.24 HR/9 to 1.06 HR/9. Even 1.06 is not a bad rate at all. His strikeout rate is a fairly average 6.67 K/9, but his control is stellar at 1.97 BB/9. Lyon could be a very nice addition to the back end of the bullpen, and Brewers fans will likely hear his name in the coming weeks.

Isringhausen represents the kind of contract Doug Melvin loves. It would almost certainly be a one-year deal that would allow Izzy to reestablish his success in order to cash in big in 2010. His strikeout rate remained above-average in 2008, but the former Cardinal completely lost his control of the strike zone. His walk rate ballooned to 4.64 BB/9. This is obviously unacceptable for a closer. If Doug Melvin and the Brewers staff decide that Izzy is a good addition to the bullpen, they must see something in his delivery they believe they can alter to improve his control. If not, we could be looking at a lot of walks and blown saves in the ninth inning.

As far as starting pitching goes, Doug Melvin will dive into the bargain bin and perhaps come out with the likes of Odalis Perez, Tim Redding, or a take a major chance on someone like Mark Mulder. He could even grab a reclamation project and bring in someone like Chuck James. Either way, Doug Melvin will have to get creative to round out the back-end of the rotation if Braden Looper decides to sign elsewhere. That is, if he deems that Milwaukee cannot afford to go after pitchers like Randy Wolf, Derek Lowe, or Oliver Perez. Speaking of Oliver Perez, I have a sneaking hunch that he will be available in late January for a short-term deal. His asking price is astronomical and teams are afraid of his inconsistency. He could be the Kyle Lohse of 2009.

Brew Crew Ball

This offseason has been a unique one for the Brewers and Doug Melvin, as his usual approach isn't really necessary anymore. Melvin has used past offseasons to scour the bargain bins and waiver wires and add low-cost role players. Problem is, this Brewer team is pretty well set in that regard.

All eight position players return from 2008, and with Mike Rivera, Mike Lamb, Jason Bourgeois, Brad Nelson, Hernan Iribarren, Casey McGehee and Tony Gwynn, there's already more bench players on the roster than the Brewers have positions for, and that's without Mat Gamel, Alcides Escobar and Angel Salome, all of whom could be in the big leagues full time by opening day 2010.

The bullpen is also full, unless a sure thing closer comes available. There's not much left on the market that fits that role, although the pursuit of Jason Isringhausen is pretty quiet. The Brewers also need to find an established starter to round out their staff, but that's not exactly an "under the radar" proposition.

With that said, though, there's still room to add a player who could contribute in these positions:

Backup shortstop: Assuming Alcides Escobar will open 2009 in AAA, the only two players on the roster with any professional history at shortstop are J.J. Hardy, Bill Hall and Bourgeois, who hasn't been a shortstop since 2002. Unless Doug Melvin has some interest in bringing Omar Vizquel or Angel Berroa in, the Crew's best bet may be to bring Craig Counsell back to fill this role.

Fifth outfielder: The race for the last two outfield spots in camp will be an interesting one. Tony Gwynn is out of options and should get every chance to prove he belongs. Jason Bourgeois, Chris Duffy and Hernan Iribarren can play center, which gives them a bit of an edge, but none have the bat of Brad Nelson. And I'm not sure anyone knows what to expect from Trot Nixon. None of these players are established enough that someone couldn't come in and take a spot away from them. Gabe Kapler is still on the market, plays all three outfield spots and could solidify the position a bit. Mark Kotsay is also still a free agent, although one might expect him to look for an opportunity to start.

Starting pitching depth: Obviously, a front-line starter isn't exactly an "under the radar," but there are occasional guys out there who could provide some AAA depth, and since the current Brewer staff is pretty thin, odds are a starter or two from AAA will make an appearance in the big leagues this season. Any of the group of Chuck James, Rodrigo Lopez or Odalis Perez might be available on a minor league deal. The Brewers are also supposedly monitoring the rehab progress of Mark Mulder.

The Brew Town Beat

I honestly can't get a good read on what Doug Melvin plans on doing. I've said it before and I'll say it again, the Brewers will never come out and say this to the fans but this is clearly a rebuilding year. Despite that however, we keep hearing names like Trevor Hoffman and earlier guys like John Smotlz and Randy Johnson were mentioned as well.

I honestly think Melvin is going to go the Ted Thompson route and not really add anything. I think the team feels their biggest additions won't come from an outsider, but rather from guys like Mat Gamel and Alcides Escobar, should they get the call this year, and from guys like Carlos Villanueva, Manny Parra and Seth McClung, who they will look to to add on what they did last year and continue to improve.

If I were Melvin and looking for "under the radar" types of free agents, some guys I'd have on my speed dial are players like Joe Crede, Chris Burke, Jerry Hairston Jr., Jon Garland and Chuck James,

And while he's not "under the radar", he's essentially gone unnoticed, Ben Sheets. If Sheets continues to draw little interest, I'd get in touch with his agent and offer up a 1 or 2 year incentive laiden deal, but then again the Brewers staff and team doctors may know something about Sheets we don't.

The Bucky Channel

I've said it before and I'll say it again. The Milwaukee Brewers need to sign a big name free agent this offseason. And not someone like an Eric Gagne who is clearly a shell of his former self, but someone who can actually contribute to the team's success next season. While the current roster still shows signs of competitveness, you won't find too many people who will comfortably say the Brewers will have more than 80 wins next season. Thus, it's time to make some moves.

Doug Melvin recently says that free agents begin to get anxious after the New Year, and he's hoping that works in his favor. Whether that's enough of a theory to get a guy like Derek Lowe or Jon Garland remains to be seen. Still, as much as I think we need a big-name guy, Melvin seems to be content bringing in those bargain deal players. He better find something good.

At third base, Joe Crede's name as been mentioned quite often, and he would be a signing I would welcome. Maybe we sign someone unexpected like Nomar Garciaparra or Ty Wiggington, but I doubt it. I wouldn't mind seeing Ray Durham come back cheap next year. I don't really see any infield signings though other than at third base.

As for the outfield, I don't see why we couldn't bring a guy like Gabe Kapler back. Maybe we could grab either Cliff Floyd or Eric Hinske from the Rays. Perhaps Scott Podsednik wants to come up to Brew City? If anything, that would give my brother another reason to wear the jersey shirt I bought of Scotty Po's years ago, if it still fits him.

As far as the pitching staff goes, I think that the longer that Brian Shouse and Ben Sheets go unsigned, the more likely they are to come back to the Brewers. Randy Wolf and Braden Looper have been mentioned, and I would love to see us be the home of the John Smoltz Farewell Tour.

I'm not sure which suggestions my counterparts will come up with, and I'm not sure if Melvin has even thought about some of the guys I have mentioned. But there is one thing that we can all agree on. No matter what you decide to do, Doug, will you please do something soon?

Chuckie Hacks

While there is still a must fill need for the Brewers before the season starts (ie…1 proven starting pitcher), there are a couple other gaps that the Brewers should look to fill. The gaps are bullpen depth, and a backup middle infielder.

First, bullpen depth: what names are you going to hear? Well…you’ve got me. If you press Melvin on relief pitching prospects, he always says something to the effect of: “You can always find relief pitching somewhere.” I tend to agree. Relief pitchers are a dime a dozen. You know Doug is going to invite maybe 1 or 2 free agent relievers to big league camp, giving maybe 10 guys a legitimate shot at snatching 1 or 2 of the last bullpen spots away. One interesting subplot. Pay attention to the treatment of Tim Dillard and Mark DiFelice out of camp. Both these guys logged good innings for the team last year after being brought up at various times in the middle of the year, but depending on their options and what not, they might be sent down to Triple A even if they outperform certain free agent acquisitions in camp (see…Jorge Julio). Those are two guys I’d like to retain for depth if they don’t make the team out of camp.

The other need is some sort of backup middle infielder. I’m a J.J. fan…but you know he’s only play 140-150 games. Same goes for Dick over at 2-bagger. The importance of this backup role cannot be underestimated. We don’t need a young guy here. I want a veteran, a good defender. We’ve had “good” guys here the last couple years in this spot (Graffanino, Counsell, Bull Durham) so lets see what Melvin can do. I’m going to assume Escobar will be getting 1 full year at Triple A (barring injury) and won’t be factored into this equation. One name here: how about Damian Easley? He played under Randolph the last couple years as a Met, so there is the connection there.

The great thing you realize when going through an exercise like this is the strides the Brewers organization has made over the last half of the decade, with rebuilding the CORE of the team. No longer are we looking at worn down veterans to fill in KEY positions, they are there to provide backup at certain spots, which is how competitive teams build playoff teams (besides the Yankees who seem intent on buying the World Series).

Right Field Bleachers

I'd be nice to lock up a high profile free agent like Derek Lowe or Adam Dunn, but it's a lot more likely that the Brewers sign a frew smaller names to round out the roster.

I think Joe Crede would be a nice option at third. He brings good defense and above average offense. Yes, he has a long history of injuries, but the Brewers would have in-house options to replace him if he does get injured again (Bill Hall, Mike Lamb and Mat Gamel) and that injury history will keep his price tag lower. He's worth the risk. And a Crede/Hall platoon looks nice on paper. The stumbling block would be convincing evil agent Scott Boras to allow Crede to sign a reasonable, short-term deal.

The Brewers will also look to bring in a reliever. There are a number of guys out there that could help improve the bullpen. I'd expect at least one of Juan Cruz, Brandon Lyon, Chad Cordero, Luis Ayala, Joe Beimel, Eric Gagne, Guillermo Mota, Jason Isringhausen, Takashi Saito, and Akinori Otsuka to wind up in Milwaukee. They each have pluses and minuses. I don't think the closer job would be handed outright to any of them after a signing, but almost all of them could at least compete for the role. With the calendar turning to 2009 and only six weeks remaining until pitchers and catchers report, Melvin should be able to snag one or two of them at a discount price to help round out the bullpen.

Adding a starter would also help improve the bullpen since Seth McClung would likely get bumped to a relief role and Melvin is reportedly looking at discount starters. My first free agent choice would be bringing Ben Sheets back on an affordable one- or two-year deal and I hope the Brewers are in discussions with his agent. Sheets has received little interest thus far in free agency and could be an outstanding deal (though interest in him will likely go up once Lowe signs). I also like the idea of inking lefty Mark Mulder for an attempted comeback. When healthy, Mulder is a very good pitcher. He battled the injury bug nearly every season after his trade to St. Louis, but he's reportedly healthy and sporting an improved delivery. Plus, he's just 31, has ties to the Midwest, played his best seasons under Ken Macha and would come cheap. I certainly wouldn't bank on him being a big part of the team in 2009, but he'd be fantastic depth to fall back on if he can stay healthy. Braden Looper also seems to be undervalued in this market and would be a nice addition, although Melvin recently said it appears unlikely the sides will be able to agree on a contract.

Prospect #20: Brent Brewer

Jim Breen — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 15:34:11 GMT

This year I be releasing my Top 25 Prospects in conjunction with the people over at Between the Green Pillars, which means the list is going to posted somewhat out of order to match up with what Ryan and Jay have for their Top 25. An up-to-date list of the Bernie's Crew Top 25 can be found at the bottom of each individual post. There will be a new prospect posted each day both here at Bernie's Crew, and also over at Between the Green Pillars. Each prospect overview will have thoughts from both blogs as well. Be sure to check back daily!

Brent Brewer

Born: 12/19/1987
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 190 lbs
Throws: R
Bats: R

Brent Brewer, 21-years old, is all about tools and potential over production. As recently as last season, the young shortstop has been hailed as the "best athlete" in Milwaukee's organization. The Brewers are hoping he could end up displaying the same power/speed combination that has made Hanley Ramirez arguably the best shortstop in the major leagues. A former football standout, Brent has the frame and strength to belt plenty of home runs and the speed to be a real threat on the basepaths. He has become a decent baserunner, but his bat is a work-in-progress.

Brent spun his wheels in West Virginia to begin the season. He struggled to the tune of a .213/.286/.310 offensive line through 47 games with the Power. The power he displayed in 2007 (11 home runs) disappeared completely. Brewer did not belt a single home run with West Virginia, and the Sally League is an offensive player's paradise. To make matters worse, the shortstop still swung with his eyes closed at the plate, posting a 31% strikeout percentage. That is one strikeout for every three plate appearances. Lovely. His walk rate was a solid 9%. That is about all Brent could hang his hat on during his stint with the Power in 2008.

Milwaukee's organization then felt Brent could benefit from a change of scenery, promoting him to Class-A+ Brevard County mid-season. The move helped, but not as much as the Brewers' brass had hoped. He still struggled at the plate, posting a .251/.313/.349 offensive line over 76 games for the Manatees. His walk rate reverted back to about 8% -- which is not surprising for a young player -- but his strikeout percentage plummeted to 20%. He began to see the ball better near the end of the season, and his production increased accordingly. I would like to see him hit for a bit more power, obviously, but Brevard County is not friendly to right-handed hitters. In addition, Brent still swiped his fair share of bags, stealing 15 for the Manatees and 16 for the Power earlier in 2008.

In an organization where Brent is blocked by the likes of J.J. Hardy and Alcides Escobar, his pedestrian 2008 numbers must improve drastically if he even wants to sniff big league action. The transition could have begun this fall in the Arizona Fall League. Brewer hit .300/.344/.700 in only 30 at-bats for Peoria, and Brewers fans began to witness what the young shortstop can bring to the diamond. He belted three home runs and six doubles, while swiping two bags. Sure it is an extremely small sample size, but this late season surge by Brent could be an indication that he is beginning to "get it." He potentially brings loads of speed and power to the offensive side of the game, while displaying large range and a big arm at short. The tools are there, and they are quite impressive. Brent simply needs to refine these tools and begin producing. A .251/.313 split is not going to cut it at the plate. Neither is his horrendous .941 fielding percentage he earned for Brevard County. It is time to get the job done. This upcoming season with Brevard County will be a great indicator for Brewer's future. Does he have big league potential and tools galore, or is he simply a football trying to play the game of baseball? We will see which answer Brent has for us in 2009.

PROJECTED ARRIVAL: Unknown
OVERALL: C+

Jim's Ranking: 20

#25 -- Evan Anundsen
#24 -- Lee Haydel
#23 -- Luis Pena
#22 -- Wily Peralta
#21 -- Tim Dillard
#20 -- Brent Brewer

Jones Earns A Call-Up

Eric W. Kent — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:13:00 GMT

The Nashville Predators have been in dire need of scoring for the past month, and today they apparentlky decided to do something about it.

In advance of tonight's game against the Colorado Avalanche, the Predators have called up Ryan Jones.

Jones had 3 goals and 3 assists in 16 games the first time around in Nashville. Since being reassigned to Milwaukee on November 20th, Jones has tallied 11 goals and 6 assists, and was a main reason for Milwaukee's December surge in the standings.

Now the question is - who takes his spot? Put your hand down, Mark Santorelli...it's probably not going to be you.

Geoff Peters is probably still another week away from returning. (Seriously, Mark, put your hand down)

Activiating Jones puts Nashville at 24 active players...which is a problem. The NHL only allows 23. So someone is going to have to be sent down. The most logical is Antti Philstrom, since he does not need to clear waivers.

~~Whoever they send down is likely to step right into Jones' slot alongside Santorelli on the Admirals' top line.~~

I've double-checked the Preds roster, and according to my math, they now have 23 healthy players on the Active Roster. C Scott Nichol is on IR, so he does not count against the roster limit. However, our sources indicate that Nichol may be ready to return in about a week to 10 days. So the Predators won't need to send anyone down to Milwaukee until then.

Mark Santorelli, your time may have arrived!

Bombs away: Lucky Luke delivers Bucks (& Crazy Luke) from downtown

J.D. Mo — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:06:00 GMT

Why Luke, why?

There was time -- 9, 10 seconds on the shot clock -- when Bucks point guard Luke Ridnour found himself with the ball on the left wing and 6' 10" Raptors forward Chris Bosh stepping out to guard him. The lane was there for the taking and Bosh was nowhere near it.

The Bucks were up by two points, 99-97, inside of 40 seconds to play in the game, needing a bucket to keep the Raptors at least two possessions from the lead. And here Bosh was gangling toward Ridnour 30-feet from the basket, helpless to defend a Ridnour dribble drive.

But Crazy Luke Ridnour pulled up and shot it, a 27-foot jumpshot over 9-feet of Raptors All-star outstretched for the block.

Lucky Luke Ridnour hit the shot. In your face, Chris Bosh.

Ridnour's three-pointer put the Bucks up by five, 102-97, with 34 seconds left and there was little the suddenly cold-shooting Raptors could do the rest of the way but watch Michael Redd shoot free throws.

Whatever the Bucks had going for them at the Bradley Center Monday night against the Raptors, it kicked into high gear just when the crunch time momentum was going the Raptors' way. With the game tied, Michael Redd had missed a layup; with the Raptors up two, Charlie Bell had travelled. A jumper by Will Solomon put the Raptors up by four, 95-91 inside of 3 minutes to go. A foul on Solomon, who was guarding Ridnour, stopped the clock, and ...

Inexplicably, Raptors interim coach Jay Triano called time out. Big mistake. 17 seconds later, Ridnour, who hadn't hit a shot all game (0-5) drained an open three off a feed from Michael Redd. It was the same play Redd and Ridnour ran in San Antonio coming out of a time out, trailing by four in crunch time. Only in San Antonio, it was Scott Skiles who called the timeout. 95-94 Raptors.

Two free throws by Bosh made it a three-point game but the mojo had gone to the Bucks. A bad pass by Charlie V tipped its way over to Charlie Bell who grabbed it as it was headed out of bounds, set himself in the corner and threw in a 3-pointer to tie it. A bucket by Charlie V (25 pts) gave the Bucks the lead, setting up Crazy Luke and Lucky Luke's 3-point heave over Bosh.

A lucky win?: The scrappy defense that the Bucks had been playing up until Saturday's loss to Charlotte was again AWOL, as the Raptors shot 54% for the game, despite missing their last five shots ... which means prior to the last two minutes of the game, the Raptors shot 58.2%. "It was the second straight game our defense was substandard," coach Scott Skiles said, "so it will be nice to get a practice."

Michael Redd: Redd scored a season-high 35 (on just 20 shots) to lead all scorers, 13 in the 3rd quarter, when he shot 3-4 from 3-point-land to push the Bucks to a 74-71 lead. He once again had a quiet 4th, however (1-4 shooting), missing two threes and a layup before icing the game with four free throws. Redd's biggest 4th quarter plays: defensive rebounds and the big assist to Ridnour coming out of the timeout, same script as in San Antonio. Yes, there are other things to do on a basketball court when the shots aren't falling.

20.1 ppg: The Raptors game put Redd's scoring average up over 20 points (20.1) for the first time since early December (he sat out November with an ankle sprain). Do you think that hasn't been on Redd's mind? His scoring average hasn't been under 20 ppg since George Karl was Bucks coach.

The Big Two?: When Redd cooled off in the 4th, Charlie Villanueva kept the Bucks in the game with 13 pts on an assortment of midrange jumpers, a 3-pointer, two putbacks and a jumphook. He finished with 25 for the game on 11-22 shooting. Combined, Redd and Charlie V shot 21 for 42 (50%) and scored 60 pts. Since his horrible game in Houston, Charlie's shot his way to 27-pt, 5-pt, and 25-pt games. Does this mean Charlie's due for four points Wednesday against the Sixers? Charlie's gotta find some consistency in the NBA, somehow.

Bombs away: The Bucks shot 26 three-pointers, the most in a game this season and only the 4th time they've shot 20 or more in a game under Skiles. They made 11, also a season high. While it was great to get the win, wasn't this one eerily similar to the way the Bucks have won games in the past few years? A lot of jumpshooting and not a heckuva lot of defense. The big difference is the clutch play in crunchtime. This starts with Ridnour. Charlie Bell has also played very well lately, and has been the Bucks most consistent player these last five games.

First win without Bogut in 21 months: Center Andrew Bogut sat out with back spasm for the second game in a row. Monday's win was their first this season in five games without Bogut in the lineup. It was the first time Charlie V has ever won in a Bucks uniform without Bogut on the court. The last time the Bucks won with Bogut sidelined was April 16, 2007, and Charlie was sidelined with him.

The latest on Bogut's back is that it's day-to-day, and the Bucks don't know whether he'll be able to play Wednesday against Philly and his nemesis, Sam Dalembert. It doesn't sound good. Bogut now says that in addition to his back spasms, his hip is bothering him too.

The Yao factor: Dalembert and the Sixers face Yao Ming tonight in Philadelphia, then fly to Milwaukee to meet the Bucks Wednesday. Bogut was exhausted by the 4th quarter having played Tim Duncan and Yao on consecutive nights last week. In fact, AB hasn't been the same since. The Sixers played Duncan and the Spurs Sunday, so Dalembert and the Sixers' other tower, Theo Ratcliff should be well worn by the time they get to Milwaukee. .... Also, the Bucks game will be the 8th game during a stretch in which the Sixers play in 8 different cities.

Road weary, Yao-beaten, the Bucks should grab any edge they can against the Sixers, an overtly athletic gang that can't shoot straight -- yet last season exploited the Bucks lack of athleticism better than any other team in the league. They did it again in Philly Dec. 17, Coach Skiles first "really bad taste in the mouth" game.

Scott Skiles: "We had a bunch of guys who looked like they didn't feel like playing from the opening tip. We were just heavy-legged, slow-footed. We couldn't get up and down the floor and had tremendous trouble guarding them. We got exactly what we deserved."

Bogut at least had an excuse: He woke up that morning with severe back pains and learned later in the day that two of his vertabrae were stuck together. Though he's only missed these last two games, Bogut has struggled to get game ready for the last three weeks.

TRADE RUMORS

Bucks request waivers on Austin Croshere: Oh, let the trade speculation fly ... Damon Jones suited up Monday for the first time but did not play. Croshere's salary was not guaranteed, so releasing him is, at first glance, a money-saving move. The Bucks now have 14 players on the roster. With Bogut and reserve forward Malik Allen out with injuries (Malik has missed 13 of 14 games with a rib injury), Jones took the 12th active spot on the Bucks bench.

Steadyrollin' Joe: Big forward Joe Smith is the kind of player that many Bucks fans would like to see return to Milwaukee, even for a few months. Joe is playing out the final year of a $4.5 million contract in Oklahoma City, where he went last August from Cleveland as part of the Mo Williams-Luke Ridnour trade. Two weeks ago, Gery Woelfel of RJT speculated that OK City could be a destination for Charlie V, who doesn't appear to be in the Bucks future plans and guard Tyronn Lue, in exchange for one of the Thunder's power forwards: Smith, Nick Collison or Chris Wilcox. ... But the Bucks aren't the only team interested. Apparently the Celtics had hoped the Thunder would buy out Smith's contract so they could add his good shooting and veteran defense for their playoff run. No go for Joe -- the Thunder prefer things the way they are. The Boston Globe also reports Collison, Wilcox, forward Damien Wilkins and guard Earl Watson are players other teams may make a run at.

45 days until the Feb. 19 trading deadline, and the tradewinds are blowing all over the league. The latest out of Cleveland, from News-Herald columnist Bob Finnan, is that the Cavs, the team that seems to have everything now except a healthy center (Big Z Ilgauskas will most most of this month with an ankle injury), may be looking for a shooting guard after all. Could the Cavs be losing faith in shooter Daniel Gibson off the bench? The Cavs are still very interested in Michael Redd, of course, should the Bucks be in the market for teams with an interest in Redd.

Jermaine O'Neal: Finnan also reports that the Raptors have contacted "at least a half dozen teams" looking for takers for O'Neal, who they acquired last summer in a trade with the Indiana Pacers for T.J. Ford. They had hoped O'Neal would make the Raptors a playoff contender in the East but he can't stay healthy -- and the Raptors knew this before they traded for him. Bucks should stay very far away from any O'Neal offers, unless the Raptors are willing to take Dan Gadzuric for the next two-and-a-half years. Even so, if Bucks GM John Hammond were considering a deal like this, where the Bucks would have to give up multiple players, would he have released Austin Croshere? No.

Jan 6th Morning Coffee

Dan Walsh — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:01:00 GMT

Daily Drink reader Klwillis45 wrote to tell me "You didn't suck" on the TWC roundtable yesterday. He also said "Do you keep that shirt at the time warner studios?" I'll have video posted later this morning.

Bucks started off their 3 game home stand with a nice victory over the Toronto Raptors. Our own Todd Welter was there and filed this postgame report. Win the next two games and the Bucks will finally be back at .500. I was watching the Fiesta bowl so I'll let the highlights tell the story along with the recap from BrewHoop. More love for the Bucks right here.

Still surprised over the report that Scott Skiles is kind of like Shawn Kemp.

Our own Tim Prahl was at the UWM-Valpo game last night and files this report. The victory keeps all four of the D-1 schools in Wisconsin undefeated in conference play.

Lots of talk about Brewers broadcaster Jim Powell heading to Atlanta to replace Skip Caray. While that's not good news for Brewers fans, if you read his post from back in August, you understand his strong connection to the city of Atlanta. Powell is arguably one of the best in the biz, and it would be a big loss to the Brewers radio team, but we wish him the best of luck on a chance to go back home.

I'd say the Fiesta Bowl was entertaining last night. Sorry Buckeyes, but it's still another loss for the Big Ten. The Big Ten hasn't had a winning record in bowl games since 2002. Thanks for playing Texas, but you showed you didn't belong in the national title hunt.

Mack Brown says he's voting his team #1, too bad he can't. Or shouldn't, his team played awful last night.

Another Vote Utah story.

Bart picks an interesting song to tell Jim Powell to stay.

As Jim McKay once said, They're all gone. It appears that Mike Nolan is already picking his assistants.

A must read story on Whitefish Bay Dominican Gary Nolan.

The Dodgers picked up former Brewer Claudio Vargas.

The Big East now has 9 teams ranked in the Top 25: No. 1 Pitt, No. 5 UConn, No. 9 Georgetown, No. 11 Syracuse, No. 13 Notre Dame, No 18 Marquette, No. 19 Villanova, No. 23 Louisville, No. 25 West Virginia.

Wisconsin is currently #14 in the RPI.

Minnesota Twins owner Carl Pohlad passed away.

Should the Bears go after Kurt Warner? And his God-awful drawing skills?

The Cubs are taking a risk with Milton Bradley.

Ouch.

Chris swears he's going to stop watching trashy TV shows.

For no real reason, a link with Jenn Sterger photos.

Today's random music video: Faith No More

Best/worst case scenarios for Packer safeties

Brian Carriveau — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 12:18:22 GMT

Before the season began, we did our annual best and worst case scenarios for the entire Packer training camp roster. It's fun to take a look back and see how we did. It's kind of our version of post-season assessment.

Nick Collins -- Collins has always been a solid but far from spectacular player. He's been a willing tackler but not a fierce hitter. He's been good in pass coverage but fails to make many interceptions. The best case scenario has him putting it all together in his fourth year and really, really breaking out. He has the talent. The worst case scenario has him losing his job to Aaron Rouse. If that happens, he's likely to stick around at least this year as a back-up, but he's unlikely to stick around Green Bay any longer in that type of role.

Collins: Best case. He really had a breakout year after leading the NFC in interceptions and breaking the team record in return yardage. That resulted in a Pro Bowl berth. One thing he can get better on is his tackling, but if he improves next year as much as he did this year, there will be no need to worry.

Atari Bigby -- Bigby has the potential to build off a solid first year as a starting player. There's the possibility he will pick up where he became the NFL's defensive player of the month in December and a huge, huge playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks. Pro Bowl is not out of line if he can play all year like that. Worst case scenario, he struggles in pass coverage but hangs onto his job. With how aggressive he is, I just can't see him losing hold on a starting position.

Bigby: Worst case. It wasn't exactly Bigby's fault he played poorly. Injuries obviously were the main culprit. To see him hobble around the field like he did against the Saints was atrocious. It will be absolutely imperative for him to bounce back next season. The Packers currently have little hope at the safety position behind Collins. Bigby provides at least a glimmer.

Aaron Rouse -- Rouse got the training camp started with a bang when he intercepted an Aaron Rodgers' pass in the end zone during the team's Family Night scrimmage. Rouse can steal the starting job from Nick Collins and lead the team in interceptions. On the other hand, he might the third safety off the bench and special teams contributor if he can't beat out Collins.

Rouse: Worst case. He started a couple games, but it was only because of injury. He showed a knack for making interceptions once again, but every time he takes a step forward he takes two steps back. I keep hearing that he "looks the part" meaning he's big, lengthy, should use his long legs to his advantage, and should be able to lay the wood. But he doesn't do those things. Next year is the crossroads for Rouse.

Charlie Peprah -- Peprah had a good training camp last year and has so far impressed again this year. He had perhaps the best performance of any Packer during the team's annual scrimmage when he was absolutely a ball magnet to add to his kamikaze style hitting. Best case scenario, he sees some time in dime packages and solidifies his spot on the team due to his continued improvement that demands playing time. Worst case scenario, he is on the 53 man roster but is inactive from week to week. I just can't see him not making the team.

Peprah: Somewhere in the middle. He was having a good training camp until he got injured. He did his best to come back from injury but was only really a factor on special teams. He seems like the type of guy that will make the team because he's good on special teams and he can be counted on as a last string backup.

Tyrone Culver -- Culver is a good guy to have around for training camp. He has knowlede of the defense and certainly isn't wasting anyone's time. With only four safeties ahead of him, he's likely only an injury away from making the team. Best case scenario, he makes the team, although it almost definitely will take an injury to do so. Worst case scenario, he's among the first round of cuts.

Culver: Worst case. Tyrone who?

Prospect #20: RJ Seidel

Ryan Topp — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 07:12:00 GMT

This year we’ll be releasing our top 25 list in conjunction with the people over at Bernie’s Crew, which means the list is going to posted somewhat out of order to match up with what Jim has for his Top 25. An up-to-date list of the Between the Green Pillars Top 25 can be found at the bottom of the page.

RJ Seidel / RHP / 6’5” 200 LBS / Born 9/3/87

A La Crosse-area native, RJ Seidel was plucked away from a commitment to the University of Arkansas to sign with the home-state team when the Brewers offered the 16^th rounder 3^rd round money to sign in 2006. After a promising rookie ball campaign in 2007, Seidel moved to Low A West Virginia in 2008. None of the numbers really jump off the page, in either a positive or negative way. 81 strikeouts in 121 1/3 innings is nothing special, neither is a 81:45 K:BB ratio. He does a good job keeping the ball down, which is reflected in a strong GB:FB ratio. It is also somewhat encouraging that he finished 2007 strong with 0.69 ERA over his last 5 starts, but he'll need to build on that for it to be meaningful.

The fact that he just turned 22 and is still a pretty lanky 6’5” leaves room to project that he’ll add some velocity to his high 80’s fastball and Baseball America has rated his changeup as the best in the Brewers system. If his velocity stays where it is, the long term outlook for him is probably a swing starter/long reliever. If, however, he does manage to add to his raw stuff, he could end up a mid rotation starter or possibly a late inning reliever. He’ll be moving to the pitcher haven that is the Florida State League, which is good because this coming season should go a long way towards determining just what sort of prospect Seidel is going to be.

Between the Green Pillars Top 25 Prospects:

# 25: Evan Frederickson

Prince Fielder's Wallet Is About to Match His Waistline

TheRealBrewersGM — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 01:49:00 GMT

It is getting to be the time of year that relationships between players and managements can become a bit strained. The 10-day salary arbitration filing period began on Monday and the Brewers have six players that are expected to file.

Pitchers Dave Bush and Seth McClung will be joined by young guns Prince Fielder, JJ Hardy, Corey Hart and Rickie Weeks. It will be the first time that Fielder, Hart and Weeks are arbitration eligible.

The Brewers current team salaries total just over $50 million at the moment. It is expected that the Brewers will start the season with a total payroll of around $80 million, or about the same payroll as Opening Day 2008.

It is obvious that Prince Fielder is set for the biggest pay raise but let's take a look at all the players' situations and how each will impact the Brewers in 2009.

Dave Bush had an up-and-down season for Milwaukee in 2008. He finished with a 9-10 record and a 4.18 ERA in 29 starts. Bush was sent down to Triple A Nashville for a short time but finished strong and won Game 3 for the Brewers in the Playoffs against the Phillies. Bush made just over $2.5 million last year and should get a nice raise. I expect him to get between $4-5 million to be a middle of the rotation pitcher for the Brewers.

Seth McClung could turn out to be a huge bargain for the Brewers. He finished with a 6-6 record, making 12 starts and pitching big in September out of the bullpen. McClung could very well be the closer for the Brewers in 2009. He has a dominant fastball and an attitude to challenge any hitter in baseball. McClung made only $750 thousand last season and should be had for right around $2-3 million this season.

JJ Hardy is entering his second year of arbitration and is quickly becoming one of the best shortstops in the game. Hardy is a career .270 hitter and has 50 home runs over the last two years. He's also one of the best defensive shortstops in the game. Hardy avoided an arbitration hearing last year and signed for $2.65 million for 2008. He should come close to doubly that for 2009. I think a salary around $6 million for Hardy in 2009 would be just about right.

Rickie Weeks was signed to a Major League contract out of college and now enters arbitration for the first time. Weeks has had a horrible batting average the last two years, never hitting higher than .235. He has improved his defense but is still no where close to being a Gold Glove second baseman. Weeks will draw a ton of walks and score runs when he gets on base. Weeks made just over one million last year and I can't see him getting a huge raise. I think the Brewers get him for no more than $2.5 million for 2009.

Corey Hart may become an ugly case for Brewers' General Manager, Doug Melvin. Hart was voted to his first All-Star game in 2008, but literally did not do anything in the second half of the season. His batting average fell 27 points in 2008 from the .295 he hit in 2007. Hart also hit four less home runs, walked less and had dramatic drop offs in his on-base and slugging percentages. Hart made less than $500 thousand last year. His horrendous second half of 2008 will no doubt affect his salary in 2009. I think Hart could make anywhere between $3-5 million this season.

Prince Fielder has awaited this offseason since he was drafted by the Brewers in 2002. There is no doubt that Prince is going to make a boatload of money this winter. Fielder made $670 thousand last season and will make 10 times that in 2009 easily. Prince has 114 career home runs, including 50 in 2007 in which he became the youngest player ever to hit 50 home runs. Fielder is a .278 career hitter. He is a bad first baseman and that's being kind. I don't think he will equal or surpass Ryan Howard's arbitration number of $10 million. Howard had a better batting average, more home runs, walks, and RBIs. Howard also won Rookie of the Year and an MVP award while Fielder won neither. Prince should command a salary anywhere between $6-9 million for 2009. This may turn out to be the last full season for Prince in Milwaukee.

With raises for those six players, the Brewers are looking at adding anywhere between $23-31 million in payroll. That would bump the payroll up above $73 million but no higher than $81 million. If the number comes out on the low end, the Brewers will have close to $10 million to play with for free agents. If all the players "max-out" then the Brewers won't have much room at all to add salaries.

Although Doug Melvin said that Mike Cameron being dealt to the Yankees is dead, Brian Cashman is only a phone call away to get Cam to New York and give the Brewers more flexibility.

Melvin reportedly has interest in both Braden Looper and Mark Mulder. Each could be had relatively cheap. The Brewers would still be able to field a competitive team to compete in the NL Central. If the Brewers can do that, then owner Mark Attanasio and Melvin could make a move in June or July to bring in more talent for the stretch run.

Slow News Day

Ryan Miller — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 22:23:00 GMT

This is what people in the biz call......a slow news day.

We'll have some all-star game information tomorrow and Wednesday, and we'll hopefully have some Admirals represented there. All-star voting is so unscientific, so it won't surprise me if Mike Santorelli isn't a starter. If he isn't, he shouldn't feel so bad...Alex Ovechkin isn't starting either, for some reason.

But in the interest of easy content on a slow news day....let's make fun of the Iowa Chops media department some more!

The team defeated the Hamilton Bulldogs the other day. Woo-hoo!

Here's the photo from the write-up.

I'm pretty sure that elbow doesn't belong to any of the Hamilton Bulldogs. It's either Hugh Jessiman or Jed Ortmeyer. We're going to go with Hugh.

And the hits keep on coming....try to make sense of some of these sentences...

"The Chops game the game off on the right foot, taking advantage of their first power play of the night as Matt Caruana scored his second goal of the season off a loose rebound in front." Game the game. That's awesome.

"After Josh Green was waived out of an offensive zone face-off, Eric Boguniecki stepped in and won the draw to Matt Beleskey in the high slot and Beleskey's wrist shot beat Lacasse to the blocker side for a 3-2 lead with :36 seconds to go in the game and the eventual game-winning goal." HOLY RUN-ON SENTENCE!

"The Chops finished their stretch of five road games in six nights this week with a 2-2-1 record." Yawn.....Try playing 7 games in 9 nights. And accumulating 13 of a possible 14 points in the standings like the Admirals did. Then you can start patting yourselves on the back.

Afternoon Delight Jan. 5th

Dan Walsh — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 21:32:23 GMT

Make sure to check out the Time Warner Roundtable on channel 32 tonight at 3:30, 4;30, 5:30, 9:30 and 11:30. Plus tomorrow at 5am and 6am. I battle wits with Lance Allan from Today's TMJ4. I don't however, wear a sports coat with a turtleneck. No commercials, no mercy!

I hope this rumor about Jim Powell isn't true.

I'd say Buckhuntr and Rod B had the best entries in the caption contest.

Another reason for a football playoff? Poor TV ratings.

UWGB vs. UWM tv crew on Friday night will be Dave Kaplan and Sedric Toney.

Seriously, the NY Giants go to Applebees way too often.

An early review of the MLB network.

Are reason to watch the Bachelor tonight on ABC? Nope, still not a good reason to watch that garbage.

Today's random music video: Wolfmother

Outfield Market Begins to Take Shape

Jim Breen — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 20:36:00 GMT

[UPDATE 4:30pm]

The outfield market is doing more than taking shape today. It is becoming solidified.

Milton Bradley is reportedly ready to ink a three-year, $30MM contract with the Chicago Cubs. He had a monster year at the plate, hitting .321/.436/.563. The real question marks surround his health and ability to play the field. If he can play 140 games in right field for the Cubs, however, he will give the Cubbies a stabilizing force in the middle of their lineup. $10MM a year is quite a gamble for so many question marks, but he could be huge.

Sources suggest that Jason Giambi will be signing a one-year deal with the Oakland A's within the next week or so. Giambi would be a very nice addition to the Oakland lineup, especially with Matt Holliday providing the power-average combo. Jason will likely take over the DH role for the A's after hitting .247/.373/.502 last season for the New York Yankees. A one-year deal for a power threat like Giambi? You cannot really go wrong with that, unless the salary balloons too high. I doubt it will though. It is Billy Beane, after all.

Turns out that Doug Melvin was correct in saying this week would be much more active than the past few.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Pat Burrell agrees in principle to a two-year, $16MM deal with the Tampa Bay Rays. You have to like this signing for the Rays. According to FanGraphs, Burrell was worth $12.6MM last season. That evaluation also takes into consideration his terrible defense. His value should go up for Tampa now that he will almost strictly be playing DH.

This should start to solidify the left-field market a bit more. It certainly makes it look as if the Phillies overpaid for Raul Ibanez when they gave him a three-year, $31.5MM contract. He does not have as much power, nor does he walk as much. Ibanez also plays horrendous defense.

I wonder what this does for the Adam Dunn market? Would a three-year, $30MM contract get it done?

Caption Contest Jan. 5th

Dan Walsh — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 18:00:35 GMT

You know the drill....leave a clever caption in the comments......