Have lost 4 of last 6

Ryan Braun tosses his bat after striking out.

The Milwaukee Brewers’ slumping bats continued to depress Brewers fans at Miller Park Wednesday afternoon as the Brewers dropped a game behind the Cardinals for the division lead, losing 3-2. Since Rickie Weeks has gone down the Brewers have had almost no swagger at the plate. It’s like it took the wind out of their sails. The Brewers went from 11 games over to 7 games over. It may not seem like a lot, but in a two week span, it’s a huge dive. The Brewers had a three game lead over the Cardinals following their previous series, but once Weeks went out, the Brewers hitting ways came to a screeching halt. It really comes to show how the leadoff spot trickles down through the lineup. It also shows how vital Weeks has been to this ball club, only a year after the Brewers brought Ray Durham in to assist him with his development.

The Cardinals struck early, scoring a run in the 1st and 3rd innings. But the Brewers rallied off of newcomer Frank Catalanotto’s 2 RBI triple in the fourth. The Brewers gave up the final run in the 6th off of a Jason LaRue singled to right center scoring Nick Stavinoha. Milwaukee put batters on in numerous innings after the fourth, but were never able to get a run around to score.

The Brewers finally have a day off tomorrow, then start a 3 game series against the Reds on Friday where Braden Looper (4-3) takes the mound.

Bill Hall Trumps Slump with Walk-off RBI Single

Hall hits walk-off single

Over the weekend the Brewers had nothing going for them. They could not muster anything up against the Twins. It seems like the yearly interleague meeting with the Twins always finds a way to break the Brewers strides. This year was no different, with the Twins sweeping up the Brewers in three games.

Monday, however, began a new series against co-division leading St. Louis. Coming into today’s game, the Brewers are 12-2 in their last 14 meetings against the Cardinals, going back to April 17, 2008. The Cardinals brought their best pitcher, Chris Carpenter, while the Brewers started their ace, Yovani Gallardo and both pitchers lived up to this title, each giving up only two hits. The Brewers needed extra innings to get a man in scoring position and with two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning. Bill Hall, pinch hitting for Mat Gamel, hit a long fly ball to right-center and once he touched first immediately ran off the field in celebration.

The win puts the Brew Crew (27-18) one game up on the division. The Brewers will play on the ESPN main stage again tomorrow night when Jeff Suppan (3-3) goes at it against another Cardinals (26-19) pitching wiz, Adam Wainwright (4-2) at Miller Park at 7:05 PM CT (8:05 PM ET). This is a rematch from May 16th when Suppan went 7 scoreless innings and Wainwright went 8 innings with 1 ER. The Brewers won the game, 1-0, and then went on to sweep the series winning the next two as well.

Brewers looking to break slump

Brewers battle Cardinals for division lead

With the Brewers short a 2nd Basemen (Rickie Weeks out for the year) and Shortstop JJ Hardy missing a couple games with a sore back, the Brewers have been in a pinch to find replacements in the lineup. Craig Counsell has been solid, however Macha doesn’t want him to start everyday. Casey McGehee is fairly short on the experience, but has been doing alright. However, with Bill Hall in a major slump, and seemingly the rest of the lineup heading that way, the Brewers are struggling to put runners on and, more importantly, in scoring position.

The Brewers, thus far, are not showing interest in signing veterans, such as Ray Durham, the 2B the Brewers traded for last season, who is available, yet would need a little work to get up to speed. There are others available on the market as well. The Brewers also seem unwilling to look into trade ventures at this time, however, if the slump continues through the upcoming series with the Cardinals, I wouldn’t doubt they look into some help. The pitching staff isn’t helping out either. The Brewers are 1-4 in their last five games and haven’t had a win from starting pitching since Dave Bush secured a 4-2 victory in Houston on May 19th. Since then, Yovani Gallardo, Manny Parra, Braden Looper and Bush have all lost, with Suppan being the only of the rotation to escape that stat line. The Brewers will rely on Gallardo and a return to Miller Park tonight to help them resume play against the co-division leader St. Louis Cardinals. Tomorrow, it will be Jeff Suppan in a second ESPN night appearance in 3 days. Manny Parra closes the series on Wednesday. Thursday will be the Brewers first official day off since May 11th. The rest may do them well, but they must as least salvage a game or two against St. Louis.

GM dismisses ’speculation’ that Milwaukee has sweetened deal

By Adam McCalvy / MLB.com

LAS VEGAS — After a short face-to-face meeting with CC Sabathia’s representatives, Brewers general manager Doug Melvin didn’t hesitate when asked whether Milwaukee was still in the running for the free agent left-hander.

“Yes,” Melvin said after a 30-minute sit-down that Sabathia did not attend. “Until we’re told we’re no longer involved, then I take it as we still have a chance. Other teams can drop out, too.”

Melvin and assistant GM Gord Ash traveled the few blocks from the Bellagio to the Wynn for a late-morning meeting with Sabathia reps Greg Genske, Brian Peters and Scott Parker. Both sides agreed to meet again before the close of the Winter Meetings on Thursday, but the Brewers didn’t get any better sense of when Sabathia will make his choice.

Club officials did apparently try to gauge Sabathia’s interest in returning. He’s a California native, and Dodgers GM Ned Colletti told reporters on Monday that Sabathia told him flat-out on Sunday that he wants to be a Dodger.

So the Brewers did their best to ask whether Sabathia was seriously considering a coming back to Milwaukee.

“I asked [Genske] if there were any other issues outside of money that we needed to discuss,” Ash said. “Makeup of the club going forward. The staff changes that we had. He said he was very familiar with our club and satisfied with all of those issues. That really was a short discussion. We gave a very direct opportunity to ask those questions, and it wasn’t addressed.”

Melvin said he has offered to travel to California for a face-to-face meeting with the pitcher along with L.A.-based Brewers owner Mark Attanasio. Genske declined.

“They didn’t think it was necessary,” Melvin said.

Added Ash: “He’s been around our club long enough to not have those kinds of questions that a free agent might.”

And Melvin again: “It’s not a matter of us having to recruit him. It’s probably a matter regarding the contract.”

Meaning, the Brewers might just not be bidding enough. But Melvin said Genske did not specifically ask the team to up its offer during Monday’s meeting, though Genske did “have some questions for us that we weren’t prepared to answer.”

Melvin declined to enumerate those issues and continued his stance Monday of not commenting on Milwaukee’s proposal. He did say the Brewers “got a feel” from Sabathia’s reps about how their offer stacks up.

Melvin wouldn’t even say whether the Brewers in any way had increased their initial contract proposal. Earlier in the day, Melvin dismissed as “speculation” reports that the Brewers were preparing to sweeten their own offer for Sabathia.

Those reports appeared in several outlets Monday and quoted unnamed sources saying the Brewers were preparing to or had already added a sixth year to their initial five-year proposal, and that the Brewers were willing to include a clause that would allow Sabathia to opt out of the deal after two or three seasons.

“[Those sources] haven’t talked to me,” Melvin said. “I haven’t talked to Mark about that.”

Attanasio leaves baseball matters to Melvin but would have to be consulted before the Brewers could extend their already club-record offer to Sabathia. The biggest contract in club history belongs to outfielder Ryan Braun, who signed a seven-year extension that will pay $45-$51 million. The offer to Sabathia reportedly was for five years and about $100 million.

Melvin is not philosophically opposed to the idea of opt-outs. He was the Rangers’ general manager when Alex Rodriguez signed his record, $252 million contract that included an opt-out seven years into the deal. Rodriguez famously exercised that right during Game 4 of the 2007 World Series.

So far, only the Brewers and Yankees have publicly acknowledged making an offer to Sabathia.

Adam McCalvy is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

So tonight I studied with galpal Stacey for an interview that I will be having between Tuesday and Wednesday at work. I am convinced that the job is perfect for me! I have been studying and practicing my skills the past 2 months in preparation for the opportunity to interview, and now it’s here. I pray for a great interview!

By Buster Olney
ESPN The Magazine
(Archive)

Updated: October 18, 2008, 7:52 PM ET

Doug Melvin, who agreed to a three-year extension this week to remain as general manager of the Milwaukee Brewers, said Saturday that the Brewers will make an offer to pitcher CC Sabathia, who will be eligible for free agency after the World Series.

The Brewers traded for Sabathia in early July, and Sabathia helped lift Milwaukee to its first postseason appearance since 1982.

At the time the Brewers traded for Sabathia, there was no expectation that he would re-sign with them this fall. But Sabathia spoke about how he greatly enjoyed his time with the Brewers, and the city responded to the pitcher, filling seats at Miller Park on the days he pitched.

“At least we have a chance,” Melvin said in a conference call with reporters, “whereas before, we wouldn’t have any chance with a pitcher of CC’s caliber. I do feel we will make him an offer, and at that point, it will be in his court.”

The expectation within the industry is that Sabathia will seriously consider offers from teams in his home state of California, as well as a massive overture which is expected to come from the Yankees, who are trying to fill two spots in their rotation.

League sources say they expect Mark Attanasio, the Brewers’ owner, to make a strong effort to retain Sabathia.

“It’s hard to handicap our chances,” Attanasio said during a conference call Saturday. “We’ve had a couple of things to deal with in front of player personnel, one being Doug and the second being the manager situation.”

On Friday, Melvin informed Dale Sveum, the Brewers’ interim manager for the final 12 games of the season and the playoffs, that he will not be retained as manager. Melvin says he is looking at “maybe five candidates” for the job — and he made it clear he wants his next manager to have had experience and success in previous jobs.

Melvin would not say whom he has spoken with, but speculation in Milwaukee is that Melvin’s list includes Bob Brenly, the manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks when they won the World Series in 2001; Buck Showalter, formerly the manager of the Yankees, Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers and currently an analyst with ESPN; former Oakland manager Ken Macha; and Jim Tracy, formerly the manager of the Dodgers and Pirates.

The Brewers’ players reportedly liked Sveum, for whom Melvin had kind words — “I liked Dale, I admired Dale,” Melvin said.

But he believes the Brewers might benefit from having someone outside the organization come in “to give us a different viewpoint, a different perspective.”

“I think the players have to adjust to the manager as much as the manager needs to adjust to the players,” Melvin said.

The GM intends to personally speak to Ben Sheets — another Milwaukee pitcher who is eligible for free agency — to gauge Sheets’ intent. Melvin’s intention also is to try to give the Brewers more left-handed hitting to balance what has been a predominantly right-handed hitting lineup.

Melvin and Attanasio had disagreed about the decision to fire Ned Yost as manager with just two weeks to go in the regular season, and there was some talk within baseball that Melvin, whose previous contract ran through the 2009 season, might seek work elsewhere, such as in Seattle.

But Melvin said that when he asked Attanasio about an extension, the Brewers’ owner indicated he wanted to keep Melvin, and put together an offer within a week. For Melvin, this was confirmation that he was wanted.

Buster Olney is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Outfielder says deal can be done

By TOM HAUDRICOURT
thaudricourt@journalsentinel.com

Posted: Oct. 5, 2008

Ryan Braun thinks the Milwaukee Brewers have a good shot at retaining CC Sabathia.

Unfortunately, Braun is not Sabathia’s agent.

Based on things Sabathia has said in the clubhouse, Braun said Sunday afternoon that he thinks the Brewers might be able to keep the player most responsible for ending the club’s 26-year playoff drought. The common line of thinking throughout baseball is that Milwaukee has no chance of paying what it will take.

“I’m not going to tell you what he said specifically but I know he enjoyed it here,” Braun said. “He likes the guys on the team. He recognizes that we’re going to be good for a while, too.

“I don’t think he’ll take a discount financially but he might take less years for the same amount of money, which makes it less risk, less commitment from the organization.”

Of course, closer Francisco Cordero said similar things at the end of last season about liking it in Milwaukee, then spurned the Brewers’ four-year, $42 million offer to take $46 million from Cincinnati. In other words, money usually talks, especially with elite free agents.

“If anybody ever deserves it, it’s him,” Braun said. “Just the fact that he’s young, he’s durable, what he did for us, recognizing the type of money that was on the line for him, throwing on three days’ rest four times in a row. You just don’t see guys do that these days.

“Ultimately, the player earns that type of money. It’s difficult to turn down an extra two or three million dollars. It’s a big difference. He has earned the right to maximize his money. Now, it’s up to him to decide what the major factors are, whether it’s location, money or opportunity to win.

“I know he will listen. He said the Brewers will have the first opportunity to negotiate with him. I know he wants to get it over with quickly.”

Sabathia, 28, who went 11-2 with a 1.65 earned run average and seven complete games in 17 starts after coming in a trade with Cleveland in early July, pitched a four-hitter the previous Sunday against Chicago to put the Brewers in the playoffs. He confirmed that he’s willing to give the Brewers first shot at signing him, though many in the industry think the bidding will start at six years and $137.5 million, the deal the New York Mets gave to Johan Santana last winter.

“I’d be lying if I didn’t say this was one of the better times of my career and my life,” Sabathia said. “Coming here and meeting these guys and making some new friends. That will all factor into my decision this winter.

“I wouldn’t (mind coming back). I enjoyed my time here. These guys are great, this clubhouse is awesome. This is an ideal environment. A young, talented team, great clubhouse. The guys get along, have fun.

“I enjoyed my time here. We accomplished a lot. I’ll sit back this off-season and make the best decision for me and my family.”

Owner Mark Attanasio indicated that he would make an honest attempt to keep Sabathia. He also made it clear that he understood the economic realities of paying huge money to one player with the payroll limitations created by the revenue in this market.

“Sure, (Sabathia’s interest) is encouraging,” Attanasio said. “With free agents and everybody employed in major-league baseball, it’s a two-way street. If he weren’t interested, there wouldn’t be much for us to talk about at any price.

“I think this community has really embraced him. He has become, very quickly, a symbol for this team. I’m encouraged that he would listen to something. (General manager) Doug (Melvin) and I will go to work on that.

“(The money) is where you want to be realistic. Who can say? This guy has had a season like no pitcher I can think of. I don’t mean to be talking his price up but he’s just been phenomenal. He put this team on his back. Words we heard from some of his teammates were ‘superhuman,’ ‘superstar.’

“Whatever he gets, he deserves it. Some of the numbers you hear for a player like CC start to approach what we paid for the team ($223 million). We’ll have to look at what our budget is, what we think we’d have to pay, whether there are constructive ways to structure a deal.”

Before getting to Sabathia, the Brewers must decide whether to keep interim manager Dale Sveum for next year and beyond, or look for another option. Attanasio said Melvin would ultimately make that decision.

Many players already have come out in support of keeping Sveum, which Attanasio said would factor into the equation.

“If the players would like to have him as manager, I’m sure that’s something Doug would consider important as part of his decision,” Attanasio said.

Melvin has one year left on his contract and Attanasio said a top priority this winter would be to extend that deal.

“We definitely want to keep Doug Melvin,” Attanasio said. “That’s something I’m sure we’ll address in the off-season.”

Free-agent-to-be ace lefty has enjoyed tenure in Milwaukee

By Joe Frisaro / MLB.com

MILWAUKEE — It didn’t sound like a farewell when CC Sabathia prepared to exit Miller Park on Sunday afternoon after the

Brewers were eliminated from the National League Division Series by the Phillies.

In fact, the 28-year-old left-hander, who did so much to help carry the Brewers into the postseason, left the door open about a possible return to Milwaukee.

Would Sabathia, who will file for free agency after the World Series, welcome a return to the Brewers?

“No doubt. I enjoyed my time here,” said Sabathia, who got into Sunday’s 6-2 loss to the Phillies as a pinch-hitter in the third inning. “We accomplished a lot. I’ll sit back in the offseason and make the best decision for me and my family.

“I was pretty excited that I got a chance to hit today. Who knows? Maybe it will not be my last experience. We’ll see.”

Had the Brewers forced a decisive fifth game in the best-of-five NLDS, Sabathia would have made the start on Tuesday in Philadelphia against Cole Hamels. That ideal pitching matchup will not take place now that the Phillies have clinched the series, 3-1.

Acquired by the Brewers from the Indians on July 7, Sabathia projects to be the biggest name on the free-agent market. His contract demands will rival, or perhaps surpass, the six-year, $137.5 million deal Johan Santana inked with the Mets before the 2008 season.

“I haven’t even gotten that far yet and thought about that,” Sabathia said of what his future holds. “It’s still stinging a little bit, losing the series. I’ll go home this winter and make my decision.”

The money will be there for Sabathia regardless of where he signs. The mere fact that he has said the Brewers could be in the mix is encouraging.

As a Brewer, the lefty went 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA in 17 starts since the trade.

“Is it encouraging? Sure it’s encouraging,” Brewers chairman and principal owner Mark Attanasio said, when told of Sabathia’s possible interest to return. “With free agents, and everybody who is employed in baseball, it’s a two-way street. If he weren’t interested, then there wouldn’t be much for us to talk about.”

In three months, Sabathia has developed a special bond with the Brewers. One of the most dominant pitchers in the game, he stepped up down the stretch, making four consecutive starts at the end of the season on three days’ rest.

Counting his 122 1/3 innings with the Indians before he was traded to Milwaukee, Sabathia logged 253 innings this season.

In Game 2 of the NLDS with the Phillies, however, he did labor, giving up five runs in 3 2/3 innings at Citizens Bank Park last Thursday. Sabathia was tagged for a grand slam by Shane Victorino, as he allowed five runs.

Sabathia entered Sunday in the third inning as a pinch-hitter for Jeff Suppan. With one out, he went down swinging against Joe Blanton.

Still, at the plate, Sabathia hit a respectable .235 with two home runs and seven RBIs in 51 at-bats.

The crowd showed its appreciation to Sabathia, giving him a tremendous ovation as he headed back to the dugout in what may be his final game with the Brewers.

“I think the community has really embraced him,” Attanasio said. “Very quickly, he’s become a symbol for this team.”

Along with money, Sabathia will be seeking happiness with whomever he signs. In that regard, there is no doubting that he fits in well and enjoys wearing a Brewers uniform.

“It was fun. I had a good time,” he said. “I’d be lying if I didn’t say this is one of the better times I’ve had in my career. Meeting these guys and being on this team, it was a good experience.

“Environment-wise — this is a young, talented team. Great clubhouse. Guys get along and have fun. Like I said, I really enjoyed my time here. I think that was my thing even in Cleveland. I want to have fun. I like to play this game. I like to be around people I enjoy. You’ve got to be around them eight months out of a year. That will all factor in.”

Sabathia has had a taste of both leagues, and he enjoys hitting. But that doesn’t mean he is ruling out playing in the American League, where there is the designated hitter.

“It was definitely fun to put my cleats on every day, and having the chance to be in every game,” Sabathia said of the prospect of hitting. “I definitely enjoyed my time in the National League. I’ll just have to see what happens. I wouldn’t say it eliminates [the American League], but I definitely enjoy hitting.”

And Milwaukee certainly has enjoyed its time with Sabathia.

“He’s just been phenomenal. He’s put this team on his back,” Attanasio said. “Words said by his teammates were ’superhuman’ and ’superstar.’ A superhuman superstar. We’ll have to take a look at the [dollar] numbers.”

So it’s been a super busy month it it just keeps looking to stay more and more busy!

Last night, my friend and I saw John Mayer (and OneRepublic) in Tampa. I have been wanting to see Alicia Keys and John Mayer for some time now, but missed Alicia. Mayer posted the following set list on his site:

* Belief
* Good Love is On the Way
* I Don’t Trust Myself (With Loving You)
* Daughters ‘74
* Crossroads
* Slow Dancing in a Burning Room
* Free Falling
* Mercy
* Bigger Than My Body
* No Such Thing into Why Georgia
* Wheel
* Vultures
* Gravity

Encore:
* Waiting on the World to Change
* Say

In Fantasy Football news, after a disaster year in fantasy last year. We set up a new shop and it looks to have made a 1000% improvement on top of that. This year in my league I drafted:

QB Derek Anderson – Browns
RB Stephen Jackson – Rams
RB Joseph Addai – Colts
WR Brandon Marshall – Broncos
WR Greg Jennings – Packers
TE Chris Cooley – Redskins
PK Nick Folk – Cowboys
DST Seahawks

Bench:
QB Donovan McNabb & Marc Bulger
RB Felix Jones
WR Lee Evans & Joey Galloway

Hot shit! The Dude got a raise and will be making more money. Not that its a lot, but now I can afford those chiclets I’ve always really wanted but my mom told me were out of my budget! Thats very exciting news. I now am up from .03 cents a day to .07 cents an hour! Thats pretty friggin’ huge!