The Last One

This is kind of a sad blog, as it will be the last one I do for this class. I just want to say thank you for everyone and anyone who took the time to read my blog even if it was just because you needed to post a comment. In the end it is irrelevent, and just good that at least my thoughts were not distributed to nobody.
For my last blog post however, I want to talk Brewers one more time. I've been scouting the farm system looking for pitching talent recently, and I found two guys in the Brewers A system in Appleton. The first is a guy by the name of Tyler Thornberg who was a 3rd round draft pick for the crew in 2010. So far the 5'11 righty with an electric fastball is 2-0 with a 2.10 ERA for the Timberratlers this season. Many say his stuff is similar to Tim Lincecum, the ace of the defending champion San Francisco Giants. If Thornberg ever lives up to that, the Brewers have something special.
The second player I scouted was a 6'2 200 pound righty out of LSU who Milwaukee drafted in the 8th round of the 2010 draft. His name is Austin Ross. Ross' fastball is not special as it maxes out at 92-93 mph, however he has a couple good pitches with pin point accuracy. To me he looks alot like Brewer's starter Shawn Marcum. Ross is 4-1 with a 1.85 ERA for the Timberratlers this season, and speculation is that he wont remain with them long. I hope to see both of these guys up with Milwaukee within the next 3-4 years. Thanks for reading everybody and God bless you!!

I'm still Behind you Yo

I wrote a blog after Yovani Gallardo threw his complete game in his second start of the season. I wrote about how Yovani was a great young pitcher and how he was a great person in general. After four really bad starts in a row nothing has changed. Yovani is going through a rough stretch but he will be ok.
Guys like Yo deserve faith. The Brewers fan base needs to stick behind him. I for one know I will. I predict he will still have a great year. He just has to figure out whats wrong and make adjustments. The Brewers as a team need to do the same as they just pushed their losing streak to 6 games. Zack Greinke just came back from his rib injury but got lit up.
The season is early so it isn't time to push the panic button yet. That being said things are getting very frusterating for Yo-yo and the the rest of the team. I'll write back later, hopefully after a few victories.

THE NFL DRAFT

The 2011 NFL Draft kicked off on Thursday night. I was going to write my blog before the draft to analyze what I though would occur. In the end I decided it would be better to just analyze the draft once it had occurred. After 5 rounds, the Packers have made their team better. This has been a solid draft in which I give it a B+.

1(23)- Derek Sherrod- OT Mississippi St.
The heir aparent to either Chad Clifton or Mark Tauscher, Derek Sherrod will line up opposite Bryan Bulaga for the next decade. A big player at 6-5 321 pounds, Sherrod will keep Aaron Rodgers upright, thus allowing him to use his weapons and give the Packers a shot at multiple championships.

2(64)-Randall Cobb-WR Kentucky
A versatile wideout, Cobb will likely be a no.5 if James Jones returns or a 4 if he does not. Either way he projects well in the future. Also Cobb heads in to camp as the likely favorite to return kicks and punts. He is a great athlete and will also play third string QB, just meaning that if Rodgers and Flynn go down he can step in.

3(96)-Alex Green-RB Hawaii
A large back at 6'0 225 pounds, Green is a powerful runner with decent speed. A JUCO transfer (ironically from the same JUCO as Aaron Rodgers), Green is a bit inexperienced. He projects as a good pass catching back at the very least.

4(131)-Davon House-CB New Mexico St.
A good sized corner who was projected as a 2-3 rounder, House falls to Green Bay in the 4th round. He will fit in nicely with the young corners Green Bay already has in Shields and Williams, and could be a 2 or 3 when Charles Woodson retires in a few years.

5(141)-DJ Williams-TE Arkansas
Another good athlete, Williams is another weapon for Aaron Rodgers. As a 3rd tight end, Williams provides versatility for the Champs.

All-Time Milwaukee Brewers Rotation

In spirit of the 2011 Brewers season being well underway, I figured I'd chime in with my personal pick of the Brewers all time pitching rotation. It must be noted that I am picking only from players who have recorded 500 or more innings for the Brewers. Guys such as CC Sabathia, Sean Marcum, and Zack Greinke will not be on this list only for that reason.

1. Teddy Higuera (94-64 3.61 ERA 1,380 IP 1,081 SO)
The ace of my staff, Higuera is arguably the best pitcher in Brewers history. Playing for some good teams early in his career, and some bad teams later on in it, Higuera posted a career record of 30 wins over .500. He also has the third lowest ERA in team history, as well as being the former leader in strikeouts for the Crew, a record he is now second in only because Ben Sheets dethroned him.

2. Ben Sheets (86-83 3.72 ERA 1,428 IP 1,206 SO)
My second pitcher is the for mentioned Ben Sheets. For many years Sheets was the only bright spot on Brewer teams that quit frankly couldn't beat many AAA affiliates. Amazingly he had an above .500 record with these terrible teams and also has set Brewers strikeout records for a single season (264) and career with 1,206. He is only the second Brewer in history to reach 1,000 strikeouts.

3. Yovani Gallardo (37-25 3.72 ERA 530.1 IP 538 SO) *still active
At only 25 years old, Yovani Gallardo is destined to be the ace of this staff if I'd remake the list in 5 years. For now however he is the young gun who is shooting to take down all records that are Milwaukee Brewers pitching. Gallardo is a co-ace on a Brewers staff that looks to return the franchise to the prominence and success of the 1980's. Time will tell how he climbes this rotation. Best of luck Yoyo!!

4. Pete Vuckovich (40-26 3.88 ERA 533 IP 266 SO)
Vuckovich's attitude alone almost landed him on this list. A no nonsence kind of guy, Vuckovich was an instrumental part of a Brewers squad that lost in 7 games in the 1982 World Series. He won the coveted American League Cy Young Award that year as well. Though his tenure in Milwaukee was short (5 seasons) "Vuck" has just enough innings to qualify for this list.

5. Jim Slaton (117-121 3.86 ERA 2,025.1 IP 929 SO)
Slaton by far has the most innings of service of any pitcher the Brewers have ever had. He is #1 and the only pitcher in Brewers history to surpass 2,000 IP with 2,025.1. His other career numbers also justify his position on this list as he had a career 3.86 ERA and ranks first all time in Brewers history in wins with 117. He is by far not a bad #5 starter.

Brew Crew Catching up

What a difference a week can make. The Milwaukee Brewers started the season 0-4 after being swept by the Reds and losing the first game of a 4 game series to the Atlanta Braves. Though many Brewers fans did not let on to their worry, it seemed as if everybody held their breath hoping and praying that the team didn't get off to such a bad start that they couldnt recover. A little more than a week later, and after winning 5 of their last 6, the Brewers are looking better than ever.
To start, the team is now 5-5 and only 2.5 games behind the first place Reds. They have done this without co-ace Zack Greinke who should be back in a few weeks, as well as without catcher Jonathan Lucroy and out fielder Corey Hart. Lucroy is scheduled to play tonight in Pittsburgh and Hart isn't far behind, scheduled to play on the team's next homestand.
Now that the Crew is healthy, what can we expect? My opinion is a whole lotta wins. What some people don't understand is that this is a good team without Lucroy, Greinke, and Hart. With them, this team is a legitimate World Series Contender. The rotation has been very good (minus Randy Wolf) and surprise lefty Chris Narveson is in double digit innings without giving up a run. Offensively they have scored routinely, something that the feast or famine styled team didnt do last season.
I will write again in a week or two about how they are doing, but for now be happy Brewer fans! We got ourselves a contender again.

Yovani Gallardo: A player who should be appreciated

This blog comes at the best of times and the worst of times. On one hand Brewers co-Ace Yovani Gallardo threw a 2 hit shutout last night only needed 111 pitches to accomplish the feat. That in itself is a reason to write this blog because it shows the kind of player Gallardo is and what he could/will be. The Brewers are very lucky to have him. It is also the worst of times because it makes me look like I'm a band wagon jumper, which i most certainly am not.
In my defense I have been following Gallardo since his arrival in the big leagues on 6/28/2007 when he debuted against the Giants. I've watched through the season ending injury in 2008, and the back to back 200 strikeout season in 2009 and 2010. I would imagine that I know alot more about Gallardo than the average person.
Again, as I've gotten sidetracked, this is not the point of my article. The point is that Gallardo is not only a great player (37-24 3.60 ERA 520 IP 531K) but a great person/ clubhouse leader. Gallardo is one of those rare good guys in any field that you can fully cheer for on the marit of his personality. Though he will go through ups and downs, Gallardo is a guy that both teammates and fans alike will stick with and be behind no matter what.
It is for all of these reasons that I not only consider Gallardo as my favorite current player, but my favorite of all time. If you love baseball and you are looking for a player to follow who is an all around good player and person, look no further. Yovani Gallardo is your man, he's our man.

Brewers 3, Reds 2

Tomorrow is the Milwaukee Brewers season opener in Cincinnati. After the Zack Greinke injury, co-ace Yovani Gallardo will get the start for the crew against Edinson Volquez of the Reds. Using my phycic ability (which is only about 52% accurate) I will now predict the game.
In the first inning Rickie Weeks hits a lead-off homer before Volquez retires the side. Gallardo comes out and retires all Reds for the first three innings. Meanwhile Volquez give up one more run on an RBI double by the Prince, driving in Braun. In the fourth Joey Votto hits a two run shot against Yovani, tying the game at 2. Yovani pitches 2 more solid innings leaving with 6 IP, 2 ER, 6 K, and 3 BB. His pitch count is 107. Meanwhile Volquez gives up a home run to Gallardo in the bottom of the fifth.
The Brewers bullpen turns the ball to Sean Green and then Takashi Saito who both turn in run-free innings. The offense also is shut down by Aroldis Chapman for the 7th and 8th innings. In the 9th Axford closes the door and Brewer fans are happy as Yovani celebrates his 37th career victory as Casey McGehee pies him in the face.
Wheather or not my prediction is correct, I just hope they win. Everybody can feel free to comment on this, however your opinion is null and void after the game starts. It is not fair to "predict" a game that has already occured.