STRIKE OUTS, PRODUCTIVE OUTS AND WHATNOT
Buster Olney of ESPN.com wrote this article about what are termed "productive outs".

There is this myth that the "Moneyball" style of play that Oakland started doesn't think productive outs are important, that somehow striking out is no different than any other out. Many SABRquixotics will make statements like "how is a ground out different than a strike out?". The answer is simple. You have no chance of getting on-base when you strike out (unless you're banking on the strike out+wild pitch/passed ball combo to get on first, but even then that only works when first is unoccupied or there are two outs).

This quote, from the SABRmetricians bible Moneyball (page 171), proves the point.

"...The strike out was the most expensive thing a hitter routinely could do. There had been a lie at the heart of the system to train A's minor league hitters. To persuade young men to be patient, to work the count, to draw walks, to wait for the pitcher to make a mistake that they could drive out of the park, the A's hitting coaches had to drill into hitters' heads the idea that there was nothing especially bad about striking out. "For a long time I think they believed that a strike out was no different from making any other out," said Paul [DePodesta]. But it is." Ideally what you wanted was for the hitter neither to strike out, nor to adjust his approach to the task at hand simply to avoid striking out."

There have been studies done by Rob Neyer and others about how pitchers have no control over balls that are hit in play. Here is one part of Neyer's research.

Bill James and a guy named Vorus McCracken actually first came across the idea that pitchers might not have any control over a ball once it is put in play. Of course that also is covered in Moneyball.

Anyway, I am getting away from my point. Strike outs are the worst thing a hitter can do, because even if you ground out weakly or hit a soft-fly you have somechance of getting on-base. Watch a game and see how many jam-shot singles there are. Not every hit is a line-drive. Strike outs are an evil byproduct of drawing walks, because just by nature the more pitches you see the more times you're going to hit with two strikes. So strikeouts aren't as bad as old-school baseball guys may have believed, but they are still probably a lot worse than many SABRmetricians or SABRquixotics or whatever you want to call them believe.

PITTSBURGH (9-11) AT MILWAUKEE (12-10) SERIES PREVIEW
The Pittsburgh Pirates seem to have the Brewers number the past few years. They have a notorious Brewer-killer in Jack Wilson. Kip Wells has also had a lot of success against the Crew, but took the loss yesterday against Houston. But this is a new era, these are the new-age of Brewers...I hope

PROBABLE STARTERS
C- Jason Kendall
1B-Craig Wilson
2B-Jose Castillo
SS-Jack Wilson (Brewer killer)
3B-Chris Stynes
LF- Raul Mondesi
CF- Tike Redman
RF- JJ Davis

Pitching Matchups
Friday, 7:05pm CDT
PIT- Kris Benson (2-1, 3.91 ERA)
MIL- Ben Sheets (3-1, 3.21 ERA)

Saturday, 6:05pm CDT
PIT- Oliver Perez (1-3, 9.00 ERA)
MIL- Wes Obermueller (1-1, 6.64 ERA)

Sunday, 1:05pm CDT
PIT- Ryan Vogelsong (1-3, 9.00 ERA)
MIL- Doug Davis (1-2, 5.46 ERA)

FRIDAY EMAIL RESPONSES
Bryan,
I know you joked about Craig Wilson's hair before, but can you do it again? Would he look better if he wore his hair in a pony-tail?
Kevin, Santa Barbara

Kevin, thanks for the email. Let me make one thing perfectly clear...No man has ever looked good in a pony-tail ever. You can't name one, it's just not possible. The way his hair is now I think CW looks a lot like a professional wrestler. When you're in a sport that's actually respectable, I don't think that is a look somebody should go for.

Hey,
What did you think of Michael Vick proclaiming his heterosexuality on the radio?
Mitch Berry in the ATL

The best part of Michael Vick's statement was when he said "people who know me, they know how I get down." I think that this is a troubling trend that is taking form in professional sports. First Mike Piazza, then Jeff Garcia, now Michael Vick. It goes back to my "any jackass with a pulse and a computer can post things on the internet" theory. Somebody starts a rumor that some mega-star athlete is gay. It puts the athlete in a predicament because if you ignore the rumors people will think that they are true, but if you respond to them and proclaim your heterosexuality it sends the message that there is something wrong with being a homosexual. I don't really have a solution to the problem other than maybe people should have a little integrity and class and not post wild rumors on-line. Stick to something factual, like that time that I broke the story that John Elway and his Martian mistress had two secret alien babies. It's all about class, people.

Bryan,
Did you see Larry Brown in the post-game press conference last night?
Colin, Milwaukee

I'm guessing that you are referring to the "Charles Rogers jersey over the collared-shirt and tie" combo that coach Brown was going for. Yeah, I don't think that the Jersey/collared shirt combo is the best look for anybody, especially an 65 year old NBA coach. Whatever, at least it gave me a much-needed laugh after the Bucks got run out of the playoffs.

Bryan,
Thanks for the entertainment, Against the Grain is awesome. Do you think there is any possibility of the Brewers trading Ben Sheets?
Adam, La Crosse

Thanks for the email. I don't think they will this season. I just don't see how they could get a better value than a front-of-the-rotation type pitcher for 2.4 million. He's only 25 and still getting better. I read that there were rumors that the Yankees were interested in him, not the management, just the NY media. I don't know if that means anything, but Doug Melvin has said that he doesn't "feel motivated" to trade Sheets at this time.

Thanks to everybody who sent emails, I hope that the consolation prize of having me respond to them when I don't answer them on ATG is enough motivation to keep you writing. Thanks again, everybody.

FUNNIEST EBAY ITEM EVER
Props to Joe Duellman for sending me this link. The real question is why the hell was he looking at wedding dresses in the first place? I mean I know he likes to wear women's garments, but I thought he just stuck to woman's underwear.

Here's the link...

GIANTS THROW UP 9-SPOT AGAINST ATLANTA
San Francisco scored 9 in the 4th, seven of which counted against former Giant ace RUSS ORTIZ. The Braves battled back, but still the Giants held on to win 10-7. BARRY BONDS was 1-3 with two intentional walks. A lot of the Giants who had been slumping managed to get a few base knocks. Michael Tucker went 3-5 in the lead-off spot and AJ PIERZYNSKI went 2-5, raising his average to .221.

One of my friends mentioned to me that the Giants scored "hella runs" in the 4th. This reminded me of the difference between nor cal and so cal.

When I first moved out here like two years ago I was informed about how people from nor cal use "hella" constantly, but nobody from so cal does. It sounds so much like a stereotype that just got out of hand. Well 'til this day I have yet to hear anybody from southern California say "hella" but everybody I know from northern CA says "hella" all the time. It's pretty strange.

DEREK JETER'S HITLESS STREAK REACHES 32 ABs
For those of you who have never suffered from a slump at the plate, consider yourself lucky. Although if you ever played baseball, you have at one time or another suffered from a slump. I went through an 0-18 this year and it's amazing what it does to your pysche. The ball seems like it's coming so much faster, you walk up to the plate and look out to the field and thoughts like "there is no way I'm going to get a hit" enter your mind. No matter how confident or how great of a player you are, you will always start to suffer from self-doubt.

The thing about an 0-32 is, do you realize how difficult it is to do that? Pitchers don't go 0-32. You have to be hitting poorly AND have really bad luck. The thing about Jeter's slump is that it doesn't even seem like he's hitting the ball hard at all. From the highlights I've seen if just seems like he's missing pitches he usually handles. Since he's not hitting the ball hard he is most likely suffering from some sort of mechanical flaw right now, not just bad luck. Jeter has tied one of my all-time favorites JIMMY WYNN (aka the TOY CANNON) for the longest hitless streak under STEINBRENNER in New York.

Derek Jeter is hitting .161 right now with a .247 OBP and 0 homeruns. Thanks to the "projected" stats on ESPN.com I can now know that if Jeter keeps up this pace his season will look like this...
.161/.247/.191 with 0 HR, 39 RBI...108 hits in 671 ABs. I have a feeling he'll end up a little better than that.

RICHIE SEXSON INJURED
RICHIE SEXSON played every inning last season for the Milwaukee Brewers. Although first base isn't necessarily a high-intensity position like catcher, it still is an amazing feat.

Last night against the Cubs, Sexson fell to one knee and grabbed his shoulder in obvious pain after he checked his swing with one out in the eighth inning.

The team doctor said that it's preferable that Sexson's own muscles caused the injury as opposed to a shoulder being injured in a collision. I found that interesting because I've never heard that before.

Sexson's injury might be serious enough to land him on the 15-day DL. This may throw a wrench into my "Richie Sexson will hit 50 homeruns" claim from the beginning of the season.

Arizona, who I still feel will finish 3rd or 4th in the NL West, will really be hurting without Sexson. He is the middle of their lineup and plays solid defense at firstbase. The DBacks will probably move SHEA HILLENBRAND to first, which should open up more playing time for CHAD TRACY, who I think will be a really good player once he gets an opportunity.

Read the full article here.

FORMER BREWER DOUG HENRY INVOLVED IN BRAWL
Doug Henry, who was with the Brewers from 1991-1994, is being investigated for throwing a punch during a UW-Whitewater vs. UW-Oshkosh brawl last Saturday. Henry is serving his first year as pitching coach for UW-Whitewater.

The benches cleared after a player was hit in the head during an 11-0 game and during the fray Henry punched a member of the UW-Oshkosh staff in the face, breaking his nose. Very classy, Doug.

The DA of Winnebago County will sort out the details and decide on whether or not to pursuit criminal charges.

This reminded me of my only encounter with Doug Henry. When I was about 8 or 9 I was in the basement area of County Stadium and I saw Doug Henry walking to the Brewers bullpen when this conversation took place...
me: Hey, Doug, could you autograph my ball for me?
DH: Sorry, kid, I really have to get to the bullpen
me: But you're the closer and it's the second inning
DH: Sorry, I can't right now.
me: You're lucky I even knew who you are.

Henry may not have heard my last comment. That smartass attitude was instilled in me at a very young age. Stories like this are probably why so many people have the perception that professional athletes are such dicks. I was like 8 years old and I asked some relief pitcher on the Milwaukee Brewers for an autograph when it was just me and him and he denied me. I hope the punishment for assault and battery in Winnebago County is death.

BREWERS 10, REDS 9 IN IMPROBABLE COMEBACK
The Reds, who completely melted down in the ninth inning last night in the 9-8 Brewers win had a hell of an encore tonight at Miller Park by blowing their largest lead since 1930. The Reds jumped out to a 9-0 lead, largely in part to the mashing of starter MATT KINNEY. Did the Brewers fold? Hell no. These are the 2004 Brewers, and at least so far this season, they fight until the end. The Brewers scored one in the 4th, three in the 6th, two in the 7th, and three in the eight to tie it up and eventually plated the winning run in the bottom of the tenth to complete the two-game sweep of Cincinnati.

MATT KINNEY, in his 2 1/3 IP, gave up 7 H, 6 R (all earned) walked two and struck out one. Kinney threw well in his last start but has struggled so far this year (8.61 ERA) and has pitched poorly in at least two of his starts so far. With JORGE DE LA ROSA and BEN HENDRICKSON throwing well in the minor leagues, it wouldn't be surprising to see Kinney be moved out of the rotation. My bet would be that Kinney would become the long man (since he is out of options) and either BEN FORD or VICTOR SANTOS would be sent down. One of those two will be sent down when CHRIS CAPUANO returns from the DL (which is estimated to be May 6th). ADRIAN HERNANDEZ won't be going on the DL anytime soon as he pitched tonight for the first time since taking a line-drive off of the leg the other day. Hernandez pitched 1 2/3 tonight but wasn't very effective, giving up three runs (two earned) on three hits with one walk and two strikeouts. Hernandez' ERA is at 10.08 right now, so he could be in the "next pitcher to Indianapolis" sweepstakes right now too. He also threw a wild-pitch tonight. BROOKS KIESCHNICK threw 3 shutout innings and has his ERA at 1.80 right now. Obviously Kiesch isn't a 1.80 ERA type pitcher, but it's nice to see him off to such a good start. He only walked one and gave up no hits while striking out three in his outing. DAN KOLB threw one shutout inning in the ninth. It would still appear that KOLB is dealing with some soreness because of how seldomly he has been used. DAVE BURBA has his ERA at 0.64 (!!!) and picked up his second win of the year in tonight's game.

PAUL WILSON didn't pitch too bad, allowing four runs in 6 innings of work. I was pleased to see homophobic reliever TODD JONES give up 3 runs in 1/3 of an inning. I was frustrated to see that his ERA is at 4.72. I really hope to see his ERA get back to where Jones is more comfortable, up in that 7+ range.

Now to the offense. CHAD MOELLER, fresh off the heals of his 4-5 with a cycle last night got the day off since he usually doesn't catch for Kinney. I'm guessing that if Moeller could pick the guy he didn't have to catch, at this point it probably would be Kinney. As a team the Brewers had 16 hits and 5 walks, and struck out six times. LYLE OVERBAY went 3-5 with a double and 3 RBI. BEN GRIEVE snapped out of his season long slump at least for one night with a 1-3 with a HR, 2 RBI and 2 walks. GEOFF JENKINS went 2-3 with a double, RBI and two walks. WES HELMS continues to slump as he went 0-5 with a strikeout. SCOTT PODSEDNIK went 4-5 and has his average at a slick .309. The real hero, for the second night in a row was utility infielder BILL HALL. Last night Hall hit a walk-off homer to left-center that was an absolute BIZZLE. Tonight he got the start at short in place of the struggling CRAIG COUNSELL and went 3-6 with 4 RBI, including a bases-clearing double in the 8th to tie the game at 9, and of course the winning RBI on a suicide squeeze bunt in the bottom of the tenth to win the game for the Brewers. Maybe Billy Hall will have to be added soon into the "this guy needs more ABs" group along with Keith Ginter.

The Brewers are now 12-10 and 1.5 out of first in a tie with Houston. Cincinnati is 12-9 and 1 game behind the Cubs who won tonight in Arizona. The entire NL Central is only separated by three games.

The Brewers have tomorrow off before hosting the Pittsburgh Pirates in a weekend series. The Pirates seem to always play the Brewers tough, and don't be surprised if Jack Wilson goes ahead and hits 5 homeruns this weekend or something.

AROUND THE LEAGUE
Now that we are a few weeks into the season team's disabled lists seem to be adding new members every day. Here are a few notable injuries around the league.

BOS- ELLIS BURKS - Will miss six weeks because of knee surgery. BRIAN DAUBACH, who is in his second tour of duty with the Red Sox, has been called up to replace Burks.

CHC- MARK PRIOR - threw a 50 pitch bullpen session on Tuesday. He threw all of his pitches in what was supposed to be a simulated two-innings. Still no time-table has been set for Prior's return. It's interesting that he is healthy enough to have been throwing off the mound a few times but not healthy enough to have a rough estimate of his return scheduled. I'm sure the Cubs are going to do everything they can to make sure that Prior doesn't rush back from his injury, and perhaps not setting a possible return date is part of the plan.

CIN- AUSTIN KEARNS - broke his forearm when he was hit with a pitch and is said to be out indefinitely. Kearns was injured last season and only played in 82 games. This could be bad for Cincinnati because you know it is only a matter of time before Griffey, Jr goes down with some sort of freak injury.

KC- KEVIN APPIER - strained muscle, could be out 4-6 weeks. Appier is the only right-hander in the KC rotation. Tony Pena said that he may be replaced by lefty Dennys Reyes. The Royals have struggled out of the gates so far in 2004.

MIL- CHRIS CAPUANO - The rookie lefthander has been out because of a strained left-thigh. He is scheduled to return to the mound May 6th. He threw off the mount on Sunday and will do so again today. Capuano will take PFPs (pitchers' fielding practice) on Friday and if he feels right will make a rehab start in the minor leagues on Saturday.

TEX- BRIAN JORDAN - After going 2-14 on a rehab assignment at AA Frisco he has been activated by the Rangers. Jordan was put on the DL March 27 when he sprained a knee ligament during spring training.

TEX- MARK TEIXIERA - Still on the DL, has been assigned to AA Frisco for a rehab stay, which means he should be back up with the big club pretty soon. The Rangers have been mashing without him, so he will definitely be a nice addition to that lineup.

TOR- GREG MYERS - sprained left ankle. The Blue Jays purchased the contract of Gregg Zaun to replace Myers in the short term. Myers set career highs in AVG, HR and RBI in 2003 at the age of 37.

IGNORANCE ABOUT PITCHING
It never ceases to amaze me how little people know about pitching. Specifically, how little people who write about baseball know about pitching. It all goes along with my theory of "all you need to have in order to write a weblog is a pulse and a computer".

I've heard it stated a lot lately that "oh no tomorrow's starter was warming up in the pen! He's going to struggle to throw five-innings tomorrow and will probably get rocked". It is obvious that people who have said this have never pitched before. Pitchers play catch every day in baseball. The starters throw off of the mound in-between starts. This usually is somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 to 40 pitches. On the days that they play catch they usually do what is called "flat ground work", which is when somebody acts as the catcher and crouches about 40 or 45 feet away in the outfield or where ever the pitcher is playing catch. This is a way for a pitcher to work on his mechanics while not putting a lot of stess on his arm.

The reason I wrote this is that I think there is this myth out there that starting pitchers throw their game and then sit around for four days and only play a little catch until it is their day to start again. That simply isn't true. These guys do a hell of a lot of throwing, so warming up the day before a start isn't going to mean that the pitcher has no chance to be successful the next day.

BREWERS WIN 9-8 OVER CINCY IN DRAMATIC FASHION
The Brewers pulled off one of the more thrilling victories in recent history tonight by scoring three in the bottom of the ninth to defeat the Reds 9-8 at Miller Park.

The Brewers trailed 8-6 going into the bottom of the ninth. Then the Reds had a classic meltdown. Speedy WES HELMS reached on an infield single and then advanced to second on a wild pitch by gas-can relief pitcher DANNY GRAVES. Helms then advanced to third on a throwing error by catcher Jason LaRue. With two outs CHAD MOELLER grounded to third baseman BRANDON LARSON who threw wildly to first allowing a run to score, making it 8-7 Reds. BILL HALL then came to the plate as a pinch-hitter and promptly sent the smallest crowd in Miller Park history home happy with a two-run walk-off jack to make it a 9-8 Brewers victory.

On the game the Reds made 5 errors. Brandon Larson and Jason LaRue made two errors each while D'Angelo Jiminez made one. The Reds also had one wild-pitch by Graves in the ninth. Graves blew his third save opportunity of the season.

The Crew had a strong day offensively highlighted by a few individual performances. As a team the Brewers had 11 hits and drew 6 walks. Chad Moeller became the first Brewer to hit for the cycle since PAUL MOLITOR in 1991. Moeller was 3 for his last 24 and was batting .200 at the start of tonight's game. JUNIOR SPIVEY continues to swing a hot bat as he went 1-3 with a homerun and two walks. KEITH GINTER got the start in rightfield tonight and was replaced by BRADY CLARK in a defensive substitution later in the game. It was nice to see NED YOST try to get Ginter some more at-bats. KG went 0-2 with two walks on the night.

DOUG DAVIS got the start and his line looked like this: 5 IP, 4 H, 3 R (all earned), 4 BB and 5 K. I know it is early but so far Davis has been walking far too many batters. He has walked 15 in 28 innings of work. The bullpen all struggled with the exception of JEFF BENNETT. BEN FORD looks like he'll be on one of the next buses back to Indianapolis after having another rough outing (2/3 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 HRA). Both VICTOR SANTOS and LUIS VIZCAINO gave up one earned run in 1 2/3 IP with two walks. Jeff Bennett (1-0) picked up the win by throwing a perfect 1/3 of an inning. I cannot stress how perfect his 1/3 of an inning was.

SEXSON TIED FOR MAJORS LEAD IN HOMERUNS
Richie Sexson hit an absolute bomb last night in the DBacks win over the Cubs. It was estimated at 503 feet to straight-away centerfield, the longest homerun in Bank One Ballpark history. Richie Sexson said "That's the furthest one I've ever hit. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't".

After getting off to a slow start Sexson now finds himself tied with Bonds in the homerun race. I predicted that Sexson would hit 50 homeruns this year and I still see no reason why he won't. Sexson has been a notorious slow starter so to check the box scores and see him hitting at about a .190 clip after the first two weeks wasn't a surprise but now he seems to have his timing down.

GAMES TONIGHT
Oakland and the struggling New York Yankees play tonight. Tim Hudson (3-0, 2.15) will face Mike Mussina (1-4, 6.67) who is off to a slow start. Of course as many of you are aware, Derek Jeter is 0 for his last 25. Alex Rodriguez is starting to swing the bat better but now all the pressure of a slow start seems to have shifted to the shoulders of DJ. With the Yankees off to a slow start I think everybody is waiting for Big Stein to lose his cool. Rob Neyer wrote this article about how the Yankees starting pitcher (save KBrown and Vazquez) has been horrendous. Something I predicted when I heard they were counting on Contreras and Jon Lieber (who hasn't pitched yet) to be the back of their rotation.

Staying out on the west coast, the Dodgers host the New York Mets tonight. Tom Glavine who is off to a fantastic start (2-1, 1.00) faces Hideo Nomo (3-1, 6.55). Los Angeles is off to a great start and will look to take advantage of a struggling club.

CINCINNATI AT MILWAUKEE SERIES PREVIEW
The Reds, who have been playing good baseball, travel to Miller Park for a quick two-game series Tuesday and Wednesday night. Cincinnati will finish up a four game set with Pittsburgh tonight. So far in the series the Reds have taken two of three from the Pirates. The Reds enter tonight with a record of 11-7 while the Brewers are at 10-10.

Probable Starters for Cincinnati
C-Jason LaRue
1B-Sean Casey
2B-D'Angelo Jiminez
SS-Barry Larkin
3B-Ryan Freel
LF-Adam Dunn
CF-Ken Griffey Jr
RF-Austin Kearns

Pitching matchups
Tuesday, 7:05 CDT
CIN-Corey Lidle (2-1, 4.13)
MIL-Doug Davis (1-2, 5.48)

Wednesday, 7:05 CDT
CIN-Paul Wilson (3-0, 4.13)
MIL-Wes Obermueller (1-1, 6.98)

NBA PLAYOFFS
The first round is still going on and I seem to be one of the seventeen people on the planet have been paying any attention.

I think that the world is a better place now that the two sub-.500 teams in the playoffs, Boston and New York have been eliminated. The faster the NBA can sweep the fact that two teams that lost more than they won made the playoffs under the rug, the better.

The Houston Rockets are trailing Los Angeles 3-1. The Rockets realistically should be up 3-1, after blowing Game 1 and Game 4, but now have no chance at advancing to the second round. San Antonio is awaiting the Lakers in the Semi-Finals so that should be a good series.

The Milwaukee Bucks are down 2-1 to Detroit and are hosting the Pistons in Game 4 tonight. In the first round if a team goes down 3-1 the series is over. There is no way that the Bucks can lose tonight and then steal three in a row, with two being in Dtown.

NFL DRAFT COMMENTS
Where do they find the fans who go to the NFL Draft? I can't imagine a more boring sporting even (aside from a soccer game or WNBA game). The first round takes about five hours long, and people complain about baseball games taking too long. At least something is happening in a three-hour baseball game.

I have a theory that Mel Kiper, Jr. is just a man-made robot of some type that they just dust off around draft time, now they can put him back into the basement at ESPN. Has anybody ever seen Mel Kiper, Jr around except for in the month of April? It's weird when you think about it.

THE 1991 PITTSBURGH PIRATES
I was watching the "Francisco Cabrera Game" on ESPN Classic the other night, the game where third-string catcher Francisco Cabrera hit a single to left to score led-footed Sid Bream from second when Barry Bonds couldn't throw out the slow-moving firstbaseman with bad knees from deep-shortstop.

One thing struck me about the '91 Pirates...This team had to have had the most mullets in MLB History. Also, I'm sure they were up there in mullet/'stache combinations.

C- Mike LaVallier (FAT 'stache)
1B-Orlando Merced ('stache)
2B-Jose Lind ('stache)
SS-Jay Bell
3B-Jeff King (FAT 'stache)
LF-Barry Bonds ('stache, fro-llet)
CF-Andy Van Slyke
RF-Bobby Bonilla ('stache)

Pitchers
Doug Drabek (curly mullet, FAT 'stache)
Zane Smith (stringy mullet)
John Smiley (mullet)
Bob Walk (mullet)

If I am forgetting anybody please let me know, because bad fashions from the early 90's need to be accurately reported so that we don't repeat our mistakes again.

MORE ON THE BALCO INVESTIGATION
The circumstantial evidence against Barry Bonds, Gary Sheffield and Jason Giambi just a little more troubling for the three baseball sluggers. It has been reported that Victor Conte has admitted to supplying 27 different athletes with performance enhancing drugs.

This is from the ESPN.com article...
"According to the Mercury News, Conte, in the report by IRS agent Jeff Novitzky and co-signed by San Mateo County Narcotics Task Force officer Jon Columbet, is quoted as saying:

Bonds' trainer, Greg Anderson, brought Bonds and several other baseball players to BALCO to obtain drugs at the beginning of the 2003 season. The steroids were the allegedly giving to Bonds in exchange for his endorsement of Conte's legal supplement, ZMA -- a zinc- and magnesium-based, legal nutritional product."

As Barry Bonds continues to dominate on the baseball field it becomes more and more evident that this BALCO investigation and the steroid scandal surrounding Major League Baseball will not just go away. As Bonds closes in on Babe Ruth and when he eventually passes Hank Aaron to possess the most prestigious career record in all of sports, it will be completely tainted because of Bonds' association with BALCO. No matter whether or not he is innocent, it won't matter, because there is always going to be the cloud of the BALCO investigation surrounding him and his legacy.

BREWERS TAKE 2 OF 3 FROM CARDS, SERIES REVIEW
Despite losing to St. Louis 5-2 on Sunday, the Brewers did win another series against the Cardinals. If you would have told me that the Brewers would be over .500 after their first 19 games against St. Louis, Houston, San Francisco and Arizona I would have been very pleased with that. Here the Brewers are at 10-9 and playing solid baseball.

Ben Sheets, despite taking the loss Sunday did not walk a batter again. The last time he walked a batter was his first start of the season on opening day. Chris Saenz made his MLB debut Saturday afternoon and spun 6 1/3 of shutout ball to get his first win.

Keith Ginter hit a homerun Sunday. This guy has got to get into the lineup on a regular basis. I know he would be a liability defensively in RF, so that probably isn't an option. Junior Spivey played some CF last year so I would guess that playing RF wouldn't be too much of a stretch, but is still something that the Brewers aren't probably going to consider. Hopefully Ben Grieve starts swinging the bat a little and then the need for another bat in the lineup won't be so strong.

Cincinnati comes to town for three games now. The Reds got rained out today but have been playing good baseball. I'll have the series preview for everybody tomorrow.

LONG WEEKEND
I've been out all weekend so I'm going to start updating the site tonight. I'm sorry to all of those who were anxiously awaiting my updates on this here website.

ST. LOUIS @ MILWAUKEE PREVIEW

St. Louis (9-7, tied for 3rd) vs. Milwaukee (8-9, 6th place)

Probable Lineup
C- Mike Matheny (Brewer Killer)
1B- Albert Pujols
2B- Marlon Anderson
SS- Edgar Renteria
3B- Scott Rolen
LF- Ray Lankford
CF- Jim Edmonds
RF- Reggie Sanders

Pitching Matchups
Friday, 7:05 CDT
STL: Chris Carpenter (1-1, 6.43)
MIL: Matt Kinney (0-2, 7.85)

Saturday, 1:05 CDT
STL: Woody Williams (0-1, 7.98)
MIL: Chris Capuano (1-2, 3.46)

Sunday, 1:05 CDT
STL: Jeff Suppan (1-2, 4.76)
MIL: Ben Sheets (3-0, 3.10)

FORMER NFL PLAYER TILLMAN KILLED IN AFGHANISTAN
Some of you may remember Pat Tillman, the Arizona safety that turned down a 3-year 3.6 million dollar NFL contract to join the armed forces. The full article is here.

As the frequent readers of ATG know, I don't like to bring up political things here because this is a sports blog, but I thought this was well worth mentioning. Anybody who believes enough in any cause to risk (and ultimately to lose) his life instead of taking millions of dollars to play in the NFL deserves to be discussed.

No matter where you come out on the political aspects of the war effort, I think everybody can respect somebody for putting everything on the line for a cause.

This also reminded me of how in World War I, World War II and the Korean War that athletes all took part in combat. Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson and others fought in WWI and numerous players like Ted Williams, Willie Mays, and Joe DiMaggio lost years in their prime to fight for their country.

FRIDAY EMAIL CHECK
Bryan,
It seems like you're sympathetic to Bonds. Sure he's great but who knows how much of it is because of his talent and how much of it is because of illegal substances? Bonds obviously took something because you don't just add that much muscle at his age in a year or two.

Kevin
Simi Valley, CA

Thanks for the email. I guess I should clarify my position on this topic. We don't know that Bonds did anything illegal. Certainly there is an awful lot of circumstantial evidence and I don't think that can be ignored, but at the same time he hasn't been proven guilty of anything. There is no way for us to know (at least right now) that Bonds took steroids or anything else that is illegal. My point in my last post was that no matter what you take, no drug allows a player have such a perfect swing and to have such incredible plate discipline. Bonds is now, in my opinion, the greatest offensive weapon in baseball history.

Bryan,
This might be a stupid question, but why do power-hitters strikeout so much? Is it is simple as they swing harder so they miss more pitches?

Jose Gonzalez, Miami

Thanks for writing, Jose. The simple answer would be that, yes they swing harder. The more in-depth answer would be that to be a power-hitter you have to be able to wait for a pitch to drive, which is why (in general) power-hitters have more walks and more strikeouts. They take more pitches that are boarder-line because they are looking for that pitch up in the zone that they can take out of the park. Another contributing factor could be that they do not make any two-strike adjustments (meaning they don't choke up and just try to put the ball in play).

Bryan,
We think Johnny Damon's hair and beard is awesome and doesn't look bad at all.

Sincerely,
The homeless

I'm not really sure how the homeless could send me an email, but thanks anyway. I wonder why "the homeless" would have internet access but not have a place to live.

Bryan,
Do you think the Bucks have a chance against Detroit?

Jim, Green Bay

My mind says 'no' but my heart says 'yes'. They played great (despite the almost monumental collapse) in Game 2 and if they can find a way to out rebound Detroit again they have a good chance. I still think that Detroit has too much for the Bucks to be able to hang with them in the best-of-seven. It will be huge for the Bucks to win Game 3, and at the very least get a split at home.

Thanks to everybody for their emails. It sure makes this a lot easier when I can just respond to them instead of coming up with my own subject matter every day. Keep the emails flowing, it's great to hear what everybody has to say.

KURKJIAN ARTICLE ON PODSEDNIK
Tim Kurkjian wrote an article for ESPN.com about Brewers' leadoff man and centerfielder Scott Podsednik. My first question was "where was this article last year when Pods needed some publicity so he could get the Rookie of the Year award he deserved?" but oh well, better late than never I suppose.

Kurkjian proposes the question of whether Podsednik is the best leadoff hitter in the National League. Just to have him mentioned as one of the top leadoff hitters in the NL is nice to hear. Podsednik's story is great. He was a decent player in the minors and then least season barely made the big league club as a fourth or fifth outfielder, then he goes on to hit .314, score over 100 runs and steal more than 40 bases (the fourth rookie in baseball history to do so, Jimmy Barrett, Joe Jackson, Ichiro Suzuki, and SCOTT PODSEDNIK!).

Doug Melvin said that he believes players with speed develop later than normal. I'm going to try to see if I can find an answer to that theory tonight.

CHEF KILLS DRINKING BUDDY, TRIES TO TURN HIM INTO TAMALES
Read the full story here.

A Mexican cook killed his drinking buddy, cut up his body and boiled him in herbs, according to police who fear he may have been turning him into tamales.

Isn't that the worst? When you're enjoying a few beers with a friend and he does the whole "hey, man, mind if I cut you up and try turning you into tamales?" thing? I mean this happens to me at least once every weekend and I always have give the same "no, I decided to throw a few back with you because I wanted to have a good time, not because I wanted you to kill me and turn me into a mexican delicacy."

"We saw the flesh and the tamales, and our first impression was that he was making tamales with the flesh of the deceased, although it has yet to be confirmed," Lorena Cortes, a spokeswoman for Michoacan state prosecutors, said.

But she also told Reuters by telephone that Machuca, 56, may just have been trying to dispose of the body. Police say he stabbed the man through the heart in a fight after they had drunk together.

I'm sure it was all just a coincidence that he happened to be making tamales in one part of the kitchen and letting the body parts of the guy he just murdered simmer in aluminum sauce pans. I'd like to thank this guy for freaking me out and making sure that I now will never eat a tamale ever again because of the fear that the cook might have chopped up his drinking buddy and used him to flavor the tamales. Thanks a lot, Carlos Machuca.

TIM THOMAS CALLS OUT KENYON MARTIN
Tim Thomas needs to remember that he's Tim Thomas. The Knicks are down 0-2 to the defending Eastern Conference champions and have been embarrassed in both games. Tim Thomas was injured in Game 1 when Kenyon Martin committed a flagrant foul against Thomas while he was going up for a layup. Yesterday Thomas just went off to the media about Kenyon Martin.

"Just knowing his character, he's a fugazy guy. I read a comment that Jason Richardson said nobody wants to mess with a pit bull, but I've never seen a pit bull who picks and chooses who he wants to bite."

"He's fugazy as far as the whole tough guy role. You get techs and you get fines and that makes you tough? Because your game is wild and crazy, that makes you tough? When a scuffle breaks out, you have 13 guys that can protect you. When it's you and someone else, what happens then?"

"Somebody call Don King and hook it up for us."

I think that fight I'll take Kenyon Martin over the 6'10'' 185 pound Thomas. Thomas has been accused of being soft his entire NBA career. He settles for fade away jumpers rather than driving to the basket and despite being 6'10'' has very little presence on the boards.

Thomas said this about his possible return in the series.

"My goal is just to get back out there on the court before this series is over so I can go hit somebody. That's it. That's all I'm looking forward to. What's been done to me is going to be done to them. It's very simple."

Thomas better get healthy quickly because there are only going to be two more games in this series.

BREWERS 10, ARIZONA 6
The Brewers headed into the bottom of the 7th trailing Arizona 4-2 with Randy Johnson on the hill. By the time the Crew went out to the field in the top of the 8th they had sent 13 batters to the plate, scored 8 runs and chased the future Hall-of-Famer as well as Randy Choate.

Doug Davis and his super-imposed facial hair went 6 1/3 and got a no-decision. He allowed 5 hits, 3 ER, 2 BB and 6 Ks. Ben Ford came in with a 2-1 lead and served up a three-run homer to Danny Bautista (the runners on base were charged to Davis). Rule V pick Jeff Bennett came in and walked the first two batters he faced, recorded an out and then gave up a hit before being lifted for Luis Vizcaino. Vizcaino threw well and recorded the final 5 outs and struck out 2, bringing his ERA to 1.35.

This was the Brewers first time facing a left-handed starter this season, so it wasn't surprising to see Ben Grieve and Lyle Overbay get the night off. Junior Spivey continues to swing a hot bat, going 2-4 with a HR, 2 RBI and a walk. Keith Ginter and Brady Clark continue to do well in limited ABs. Ginter went 2-4 with a HR, 2B and 2 RBI while Clark went 2-3. Chad Moeller went 1-2 with two walks. Overall the Crew had 10 hits and walked six times.

The Brewers try to go for the sweep tomorrow afternoon when Wes Obermueller faces NL Rookie of the Year runner-up Brandon Webb.

RAVENS' FULLER CHARGED FOR GAMBLING
Baltimore Ravens' cornerback Corey Fuller was charged with hosting high-stakes card games at his house. What a team in Baltimore, too bad TO didn't want to stick around. Murder charges (Ray Lewis), gambling charges (Corey Fuller), drug charges (Jamal Lewis) and there could have been a bitching player to boot.


Florida state law allows gamblers to wager up to $10 a hand. Reportedly Fuller's card games were several times a week and worth tens of thousands of dollars. If you walk into any card game in America I can guarantee that there is more than $10 a hand on the line almost all of the time. I don't think this is all that big of a deal, but can't these guys find a casino or something?

GERMAN ARMY TO LIFT BAN ON SEX IN BARRACKS
You can read the entire article here.

I think this is a great idea. Imagine how high enrollment is going to be in the German army now. If back when I was in high school and those military recruiter guys were calling my house saying "oh yeah by the way it's a huge orgy in the barracks" I would've signed up instantly.

I think every male can recall the time when the military recruiter would call there house. I have a feeling many were like me and felt bad for telling the recruiter that you weren't interested in catching bullets on the front-line. It took me at least three or four phone calls to let him off. He acted like a jealous ex-girlfriend or something. Every week or so I'd get a "so have you made your decision yet? You really should join the army" kind of call. Finally I had to give him the "It's not you, it's me" speech in order to get him to stop calling.

Back to the main point...What else is the German army going to do anyway? It's not like they've been involved in any war since that whole attempt to take over the world about sixty-five years ago.

Said one official...
"I am not aware of any country that allows free-for-all sex in the barracks," he said. "You can't have people going around the barracks having sex everywhere. It's ludicrous."

My response to that is...
"Hey, that's just like your opinion, man."-The Dude (from The Big Lebowski)

BARRY BONDS
Barry Bonds has homered in seven straight games, which is one short of the ML record. Don Mattingly, Dale Long and Ken Griffey, Jr. each homered in eight straight. Barry Bonds is closing in on 40 and is not showing any sign of slowing down. I know Bonds' legacy will always be tainted because of the alleged steroid use and his tie with the BALCO investigation, but one thing is for certain: What Bonds is doing is not just because of performance enhancing substances. There are obviously many other players who have taken steroids or other performance enhancers, but none of those players are assaulting the record books like Bonds is doing. Bonds is the greatest offensive weapon in baseball history, and when he retires will also be known as the game's all-time Homerun King. He may not be a nice guy, he may have a cloud of suspicion surrounding him, but nobody can deny what he has done and what he will eventually do.

EMAIL QUESTION
Bryan,
I just stumbled across your website via Honest Wagner. You made me a daily reader because of your joke about USA Today.

"...Don't you love how USA Today can boil everything down to a paragraph and a pie chart? War in Iraq, Gay Marriage, 9/11 Commission, all condensed into one paragraph and a pie chart..."

That is classic.

I wanted to know what you thought about the rumor that Barry Zito is going to be the next "Bachelor" on ABC. Judging from your site, I figured you'd have something to say on the subject matter.

Thank you and keep up the good work,
Adam

Nothing gets your email published faster than sucking up to me. Adam, you must have a nice corporate job where you just tell the boss how smart he is and keep getting promoted up the latter. I'm just kidding of course, thanks for the email.

I did hear those rumors on the radio today and was not very pleased. I think that Jesse Palmer being the "Bachelor" is stupid enough. Realistically though, Palmer probably has more of a career going for him in the reality TV circuit than in the NFL. He's a no-name backup, so aside from having pride (which he obviously doesn't have) there really isn't that big of a risk in appearing in some stupid TV show.

Barry Zito on the other hand is an All-Star and a Cy Young winner. Plus, if you've ever heard an interview with him, he is a cool guy. Anybody that signs an autograph "IV Rocks" is an awesome guy (for those of you who know about Isla Vista, which is near UC-Santa Barbara). I know I'll probably get a few "how can you not like reality TV?" emails, but please save them. I'm not crossing over to the dark side of television. I don't get it, but apparently everybody else does, and that's fine. Just keep the reality TV actors to unemployed losers and has-been celebrities, not Cy Young quality pitchers.

BREWERS 4, DBACKS 2
Ben Sheets (3-0) was solid for six innings tonight before being lifted for a pinch hitter in the bottom of the sixth. Sheets' line: 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 K, 0 BB. Sheets hasn't walked a batter in his last three outings. I did predict that Sheets was going to finally have his breakout year in 2004, and he is definitely off to a great start.

Dave Burba and Luis Vizcaino each picked up a hold working in the setup role tonight. Burba has an ERA of 0.82, while Vizcy is at 1.80. Dan Kolb picked up his fourth save of the season and has an ERA of 1.50

Offensively the Crew pounded out 10 hits. Lyle Overbay seems to be snapping out of his slump, as he went 3-4 with 2 RBI and now has his average up to .254. Junior Spivey went 3-4 and has his average at .294. Geoff Jenkins went 1-3 with a HR and a walk. Chad Moeller continues to struggle and went 1-4 with a hat trick of strikeouts. He is hitting .212.

In his return to Miller Park, Richie Sexson went 0-4 with a run and two strikeouts. Richie is hitting only .212 so far, although he has been known to be a slow starter so far in his career. The fans gave him a nice ovation, which I was happy to see.

BOX SCORE

MLB ATTENDANCE AT RECORD HIGH AFTER TWO WEEKS
I read this article on ESPN.com just now. MLB's attendance is the highest ever after two weeks, just eclipsing the previous record set in 1993.

This article is short but offers up some reasons why the numbers might be skewed because of the big early season matchups (New York @ Boston) and Bonds' pursuit of 660. It's an interesting point, but I think a stronger argument could be made saying that the numbers should actually be higher.

Fenway Park only holds about 35,000 or whatever and would be sold out or at least close to it no matter who played there. Most of the stadiums that are being built now hold less than 45,000, so imagine what some of the opening day attendance figures would have been like it places like San Diego, Houston, Detroit, Cincinnati, and other new parks that sold out would be able to hold five to ten-thousand more like they did in the older stadiums.

Needless to say though, it is nice to see that interest in baseball is returning. It took ten years but the lingering effects of the 1994 strike seem to finally be diminished.

GAMES OF INTEREST TONIGHT
...Boston and Toronto features Pedro Martinez (1-1, 4.82) vs. Roy Halladay (1-2, 3.57). In Pedro's last start he got roughed up by Baltimore. Roy Halladay, after having a rocky start threw a CG against Detroit in his last start and looked like the pitcher that won the Cy Young Award in 2003. Toronto is 0-6 at home so far this season.

...Florida visits Philadelphia tonight. These two teams battled for the NL Wild-Card last season, which ultimately saw Florida take care of Philly a few times in September and make the playoffs on the way to a World Series title. Dontrelle Willis (2-0, 0.00) faces Vicente Padilla (0-1, 4.91). After starting 1-6, the Phillies are now 5-6. Florida got swept in Atlanta this week, so they see their record at 8-4. I'm going to go far out on a limb and predict that after tonight the Dtrain's ERA will be above 0.00 and his average will be below 1.000.

...Richie Sexson returns to Milwaukee for the first (and only time) this season. Ben Sheets (2-0, 3.14) squares off against Elmer Dessens (0-1, 8.71). Dessens has dominated the Brewers in the past, so don't let his early season numbers throw you off. It will be interesting to see how the Milwaukee fans welcome back Richie Sexson. I hope that they give him a warm ovation, but unfortunately Milwaukee fans have a bad history of randomly booing players that return for no apparent reason other than the fact that they are no longer in a Brewer uniform. Craig Counsell, Junior Spivey, Lyle Overbay, and Chad Moeller will all make their debuts against their former teams in this series as well.

NEW LIGHT SHED ON THE WAR IN IRAQ
I usually don't bring up political stuff on this website because I don't think it really has a place here, but I had to mention this. Whether you are for or against the war effort in Iraq, one scholar has spoke up about the U.S Government's involvement over seas. That man: Jermaine Jackson.

Why on Earth would anybody ask Jermaine Jackson about his opinion on anything? And speaking of the Jacksons, isn't it about time that Michael gets back in the news by doing something crazy? He usually is good for some sort of freakish action at least once a month.

RECAP OF HOUSTON SERIES, DBACKS @ BREWERS PREVIEW
My apologies for not recapping the final two games of the Brewers/Astros series. It was a combination of the Brewers getting beat pretty badly and me being busy. I'll recap the games now since the Crew has an off-day before welcoming the Arizona Diamondbacks to Miller Park on Tuesday.

I'm going USA Today style with the recaps. Don't you love how USA Today can boil everything down to a paragraph and a pie chart? War in Iraq, Gay Marriage, 9/11 Commission, all condensed into one paragraph and a pie chart...I love it.

Saturday: Houston 14, Milwaukee 5
This game was just an abortion. The Brewers made four errors, walked 10 batters, threw two wild pitches and had a passed ball. To sum it up in one statement: The Brewers went little league against Houston. They weren't throwing strikes, they were kicking the ball around the yard, just an ugly, ugly, performance. It's one thing to lose, but when it is a disaster like it hurts a little more. Luckily, they play 162 games and even great teams will have a game like this once and a while (although probably not nearly as embarrassing as this one).

Sunday: Houston 6, Milwaukee 1
Roger Clemens reminded everybody why at the age of 41 he is just a freak. Clemens (3-0) went 7 IP, gave up 1 ER with 7 K, 1 BB and 4 HA. His ERA actually went up from 0.66 to 0.81. The Astros also pounded out 16 hits. Chris Capuano injured his groin while running out a groundball in the second and came out of the game. The Astros took 3 of 4 from the Crew. Milwaukee is at 6-8 and is returning for the start of an eleven game homestand that will see Arizona, St. Louis, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh all make their first trips of 2004 to Brew City.

ARIZONA STARTING LINEUP
C- Bobby Estalella/Brent Mayne
1B- Richie Sexson
2B- Roberto Alomar/Matt Kata
SS- Alex Cintron
3B- Shea Hillenbrand
LF- Luis Gonzalez
CF- Steve Finley
RF- Danny Bautista

Pitching Matchups
Tuesday, 7:05 CDT
ARZ- Dessens (0-1, 8.71)
MIL - Sheets (2-0, 3.14)

Wednesday, 7:05 CDT
ARZ - Johnson (1-1, 3.27)
MIL - Davis (1-2, 5.94)

Thursday, 12:05 CDT
ARZ - Undetermined
MIL - Undetermined

MCGWIRE ON STEROID CONTROVERSY
Here is the story from ESPN.com.

Mark McGwire was asked what he thought about the steroid controversy in Major League Baseball and offered up these comments...

"Well, I'm really not in touch with any of that stuff because I usually hear it from friends and stuff, and I tell them I don't want to really hear about any of that stuff," McGwire said Saturday. "I don't really have any opinion on any of that stuff. It's just very unfortunate."

First off, do you think he could've at least prepared a response on his way to the ballpark or something? He had to have known that somebody would ask him about the most pressing issue in baseball today. To offer up a response with "stuff" used not twice, or three, but four times is embarrassing for any adult of even average intelligence. Come on Big Mac.

Second, for McGwire to take the high ground and state "I don't want to really hear about any of that stuff" is such a cop out. McGwire, who admitted to using androstenedione is a big part of why things are the way they are in Major League Baseball today. Androstenedione was banned by the NFL at the time he took it as well as by the IOC. When it's all said and done and two of the top five homerun hitters of all time are 'roided up freaks (allegedly), what will that say about game of baseball for future generations?

SMALL MARKET EMAIL QUESTION
Bryan,
As a Dodgers fan it's interesting to hear what fans of small market teams have to say about the topic of competitive balance in Major League Baseball. What do you think of the success of Oakland and Minnesota, two teams that are "small market" but have maintained success for the past few seasons.

Ray
Los Angeles

Thanks for the email, Ray. Watching Oakland and Minnesota succeed is kind of like a double-edged sword. I think many fans of other small-market teams like Milwaukee, Kansas City, Pittsburgh and Montreal (well okay they don't have fans) might share this feeling. On one hand, it's great to see a team that is strapped for cash winning because it gives you hope, but at the same time it sucks because you fear that it might set back a stronger salary cap or something because people will always say "look at ____. They are successful and they have the 28th payroll in baseball". It's kind of like when you see an ugly guy with a really hot girl. Part of you thinks "if he can get somebody like her, so can I" but the other part of you thinks "damn it, I hate him" because you're jealous.

It is possible to have success with a low payroll, Oakland and Minnesota are definitely examples of that. I do think, however, that it is bad for the sport to have player movement so rampant. When it's an 11th pitcher or utility infielder switching teams it's not that big of a deal, but when it is a star player (Jason Giambi, Richie Sexson, Brian Giles) it alienates fans and creates a negative environment around the entire sport.

My feelings on the salary structure of Major League Baseball is that something has to be done. I don't think I'd like to see a "hard cap" like the NFL has, but maybe something similar to the NBA's salary structure.

NBA PLAYOFFS
The NBA Playoffs got underway yesterday. No upsets in the Association, although the Rockets did give the Lake Show a scare.

My beloved Milwaukee Bucks, who lost their last three regular season games, find themselves as the six-seed facing Detroit instead of having homecourt and facing either New Orleans or Miami like they should have been. Detroit won the regular season series 3-1, and needless to say expectations for the Bucks are quite low.

I'm not going to spend too much time on the NBA Playoffs because they'll be going on like four months from now, so I don't want to blow out with NBA Playoff coverage in the first weekend.

PRIOR COULD BE OUT FOR THE SEASON
Despite throwing off the mound for the second time in three days, the Cubs have began to brace for the possibility that they will be without Mark Prior for all of 2004.

Prior has tenderness in his elbow and his achilles. The Cubs have made it clear that they will not rush Prior back. This could be another example of a young pitcher logging lots of innings early in his career and then breaking down. The same thing happened to Kerry Wood after the 1998 season. Wood threw 166 innings in 1998 and then missed all of 1999. Brewers fans might remember the same situation with Cal Eldred. It seems like time and again pitchers under 22 or so that throw more than 150 innings or so end up having some major arm problems down the road.

TWO PORN "STARS" HAVE HIV
I know this is quite shocking to many people. Apparently two c-list porn "stars", Darren James and Lara Roxx (I wonder if that's her real name) tested positive for the virus. The full story is here. Members of the porn industry are tested every three weeks for HIV, but obviously that isn't enough. When you're having sex with multiple people by day and sharing needles by night, I wouldn't imagine that once every three weeks is enough. Some people had suggested that the industry be put on hold while everybody gets tested again, which led to this awesome quote...

"This business doesn't shut down on Christmas. Why is it going to shut down for two isolated HIV infections?" -- Dr. Elizabeth Mitchell of the Adult Industry Medical Healthcare (AIM) Foundation in Los Angeles.

The porn industry...Working 365 days a year to bring you quality entertainment like "Face Jam", "Shaving Ryan's Privates", and "Sperminator".

ASTROS 2, BREWERS 0
Roy Oswalt absolutely dominated the Brewers tonight. He threw a complete game shutout, allowed only 3 hits, struck out 10 and didn't walk a batter. Oswalt did all of this on only 94 pitches.

Doug Davis threw well for the Brewers. I was a little worried based on his past history after he got hit pretty hard in his first two outings. Davis went 6 IP, gave up 5 hits, 4 walks, struck out three and only allowed one run. He still seems to be walking too many batters. If you're a pitcher that is going to strike out less than 5 batters per nine, you better be around the plate and not allow any free baserunners.

Scott Podsednik had two of the three hits for the Brewers. Pods also stole 2nd and 3rd tonight. He is now 9-for-9 in stollen base opps this year. Lyle Overbay had the Brewers' only other hit.

The game finished in an hour and fifty-eight minutes.

BOX SCORE

OLD BASEBALL GUYS
One of the best things about baseball is hearing former players talk about it. Willie Mays was just interviewed before the Dodgers/Giants game by Vin Scully. I don't know what it is, but I really enjoy old baseball guys telling stories. Former Milwaukee Braves shortstop Johnny Logan is now an area scout with the Milwaukee Brewers so I'd see him down at old County Stadium and now at Miller Park. It's always such a thrill to sit down next to him and hear him talk about baseball in "the old days".

This reminds me of the book "The Glory of Their Times" by Lawrence S. Ritter. This book is awesome. The concept of the book is that Ritter interviewed players from pre-1940 and just let them talk about what baseball was like back when they played. He doesn't ask any questions, he just lets the players talk about whatever they want. It's a really interesting read.

EMAIL RESPONSES
I've been hoarding some of these email questions because I wanted to answer them all on here at once. Maybe this will become a Friday tradition.

Bryan,
The Brewers have gotten off to a decent start at 6-5. When I look at the roster I think that this team could finish .500, do you think that's a possibility? Thanks, I read your site everyday.
Al, Kenosha

Thanks for the email, Al. The Crew is definitely better than last season, but I don't know if they can finish .500. 1/3 of their schedule is against Houston, St. Louis and Chicago, which are three pretty strong clubs. I think they have an outside chance at .500, but I would think something in the low-to-mid 70's range in wins is probably more likely.

Bryan,
When do you expect the Brewers to be competitive again? With all the talent they have in the minor leagues will it be a year, two or more? It seems like they have a few parts at the Major League level that could help them be a good ballclub.

Thanks for your time,
Jason, Madison

Thanks for the question, Jason. The first wave of top prospects in the Brewers organization (JJ Hardy, Brad Nelson, Corey Hart, Rickie Weeks) will probably get to the bigs by the end of this season or sometime next year. One would figure that it would take them a season or two to get acclimated, but I could see the Brewers fielding a solid team (meaning .500 or better) by 2006 and maybe even making a run at a division title then or in 2007. I know it's frustrating having to wait a year or two more after enduring all the losing so far, but hopefully it'll be worth it.

Bryan,
How ridiculous is Johnny Damon's hair?

Mike DeMarini
Providence, Rhode Island

The answer is "very". I can't believe that a professional organization lets him look like that. I don't think that all the guys should be crew-cut and clean shaven like in the 1950's, but I also don't think it is unrealistic to have some sort of limits on to how ridiculous a member of your organization looks. When your leadoff hitter comes to the plate looking like the caddy in Happy Gilmore, that can't be a good thing for an organization. I do find it interesting how contrasting the appearance of Red Sox players look compared to members of the Yankees.

Bryan,
Do you think that this Boston/New York series is being overhyped just a bit? Usually TV networks aren't even pleased having to air MLB playoff games in primetime, now they want to air a regular season game in April?
Kent

That's a good question, Kent. It sure is interesting seeing what a little drama and a few story lines can do to a rivalry. The way Game 7 of the ALCS ended last year and the competitive off-seasons that both of these teams had sure has added fuel to the fire. People were sleeping overnight to get tickets to the first spring-training game between these two clubs. I think it's great for baseball, and I'm happy to see the game getting so much positive publicity.

Okay that's all I have time for this week. Thanks to everybody who writes emails, keep them coming.

Out.

PADRES CAMOUFLAGE UNIFORMS
These things have to go. They are the ugliest jerseys in the history of baseball. How can they wear those? This is the fifth season they've been wearing them and I seriously think they get worse every time I see them. On all the days to wear them, how could they wear them on Jackie Robinson Day? I mean how could they wear them on the day they were playing a Major League Baseball game, but especially today.

The worst part about these camouflage uniforms is that the San Diego players keep disappearing. The camouflage is really doing the trick. Alex Cora hit a double to right and I thought that it was going to be an in-the-park-homerun because I didn't see Brian Giles in rightfield at first. Then I noticed shoes and a glove moving after the ball, then I really focused and saw Giles. Doesn't this give the Padres an unfair advantage? Paul Lo Duca has enough problems throwing out runners, now he has to deal with runners that aren't visible to the naked eye? That's not fair.

JACKIE ROBINSON DAY IN MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
ESPN has an article about today Jackie Robinson Day here.

For all of the flack that Bud Selig gets, this again is something that he has done that was outstanding and he has been given no credit at all for it. He retired Jackie Robinson's number throughout all of Major League Baseball and is reserving today, the anniversary of Robinson's debut, to honor him for years to come. I understand that Selig has made some poor decisions as commissioner, I personally have not been a fan of some of his initiatives. Nevertheless, he has done many good things for the game and this is another one.

Just from reading some of the quotes in the ESPN article you get a sense of how important Jackie Robinson was to minorities in America. More than that, Robinson was an outstanding ballplayer. His speed on the bases began to sow the seeds of the running game that was so dominant in the 1960's.

It is great that Major League Baseball is doing everything it can to make sure that the legacy of Robinson is not forgotten. While nobody can do anything to change the segregated past of baseball and America, this certainly is a great move by Selig and he should be commended for taking this initiative.

BREWERS 6, ASTROS 2
The Brewers took the opening game of the series at Houston tonight. Ben Sheets was solid in five innings of work (4 H, 2 ER, 3 K, 0 BB, 1 HRA), but left after the fifth because of lower-back stiffness, which is something that has bothered him from time-to-time.

Scott Podsednik went 0-3 but drew two walks and stole his seventh base of the season. He is seven-for-seven in stolen base opps this year. With the emphasis on offense in the game today, I could see a good basestealer, like a Podsednik, Juan Pierre or Carl Crawford stealing 80 or so bags. With guys like Piazza, Lieberthal and others who are stuck behind the plate because they are adequate but swing a big stick, it might be closer to a reality than you think.

BOX SCORE

MILWAUKEE AT HOUSTON SERIES PREVIEW
The Brewers and Astros start their second series of the season, with the first game of a four game set getting underway at 7pm Central tonight.

HOUSTON PROBABLE STARTERS
C- Brad Ausmus
1B- Jeff Bagwell
2B- Jeff Kent
SS- Adam Everett
3B- Morgan Ensberg
LF- Lance Berkman
CF- Craig Biggio
RF- Richard Hidalgo

Series matchups...
Thursday, 7:05pm CDT
MIL: Sheets (1-0, 2.89 ERA)
HOU: Redding (0-1, 5.40 ERA)

Friday, 7:05pm CDT
MIL: Davis (1-1, 8.44 ERA)
HOU: Oswalt (1-0, 4.05 ERA)

Saturday, 6:05 CDT
MIL: Kinney (0-1, 7.15 ERA)
HOU: Jared Fernandez (0-0, 54.00 ERA)

Sunday, 1:05 CDT
MIL: Capuano (1-1, 3.27 ERA)
HOU: Clemens (2-0, 0.66 ERA)

Series analysis...
The Brewers catch a break with missing Wade Miller this time, who has this amazing ability to turn into the 1968 version of Bob Gibson whenever he faces the Crew. Ben Sheets is making his first start after his dominant 6-inning outing against Houston Saturday at Miller Park, when he set a career high with 10 strikeouts. With Andy Pettitte hurt, Jared Fernandez and his 54.00 earned run average will get a start against the Brewers Saturday night. I think a split in Houston is a realistic expectation for the Brewers, but of course I wouldn't mind a 4-game sweep either.

RAY KING QUOTE
Ray King is a good guy. While with Milwaukee in 2001-2002 I had many conversations with the left-handed reliever. King spent '03 with Atlanta last season and was traded to the Cardinals in the JD Drew trade this offseason. Anyway, I saw this quote of his after his rocky outing against Milwaukee opening day and laughed. Opening Day in St. Louis featured President Bush throwing out the first pitch...

"The president threw one more strike than I did."

- Ray King

MAN IN HOSPITAL CALLS PROSTITUTE AND GETS ROBBED
Read the story in it's entirety here.

A man laid up in hospital with multiple fractures telephoned out for a prostitute to help him end weeks of sexual frustration.

If he had the ability to dial a telephone you think he could've taken care of his sexual frustration by himself. Sorry for putting that image into all of your minds.

But it ended up costing more than he bargained for, police said on Wednesday; unable to walk, he gave the woman his bank card to collect her fee and she helped herself to his cash.

Wait you can't trust your bank card to a prostitute? What is this world coming to?

The 47-year-old car crash victim had asked the woman, described in her newspaper ad as "Blonde Angel, aged 18," to take 150 euros ($185) from his bank account.

This is the best part...

Only later did he discover she had taken 2,000 euros -- all the more expensive since he had taken cold feet for fear of getting caught and had sent the woman away without having sex.

So the guy paid a prostitute more than $2000 to not have sex with him. Isn't this how prostitution works in the bizarro world? I mean I've heard of paying a woman to not have sex with you, like for instance taking her out to dinner and not even getting a kiss goodnight. But 2 grand? I can't even think of how many items off of the Jack in the Box value menu can be purchased for you and a lady friend with that kind of bank roll. But then again, if you met the woman that wanted to buy two-thousand dollars worth of food from Jack in the Box, you probably wouldn't want to sleep with her anyway I'm guessing. The moral of the story here is not only don't pay prostitutes to have sex with you, but certainly don't pay them to not have sex with you.

DONTRELLE WILLIS IS PERFECT IN 2004
Dontrelle Willis (2-0) pitched five shutout innings and went 3-3 (HR, 2B, 3 RBI) in the Marlins 9-0 win over the Expos today. Willis threw 7 2/3 shutout innings in his first start and went 3-3 in that game as well. In case you're keeping track, that means that for the season Dontrelle's ERA and batting average are as follows...
1.000 AVG, 0.00 ERA

What is this little league? Even in little league the big kid that throws gas will lineout somewhere or somehow make an out. Even in little league the big stud will give up at least an earned run every now and then. I know the Expos draw less than some little league teams, but they still are a Major League franchise. What Dontrelle Willis has done in his first two starts is just plain stupid. Willis has had hits in seven consecutive ABs dating back to last season. Dontrelle Willis is 22 years-old, the reigning Rookie of the Year in the NL (though it should've been Scott Podsednik) and has won a World Series ring. Now he starts off his sophomore season with a 2-0 record, 0.00 ERA and a 1.000 AVG.

I said this last night but my pre-season predictions had FLA barely finishing over .500. Now after reconsidering with the pitching staff this team has and they still have a solid offense. With Philadelphia stumbling out of the gate, Atlanta appearing to be mediocre at best, the Marlins are in pretty good shape to win the NL East in 2004.

AROUND THE LEAGUE
...Mike Piazza made his first error of the season at firstbase. I think he needs to become a DH or go back to catching because he looks incredibly uncomfortable at first. He moves around the bag like he's on rollerskates.

...The absence of Mike MacDougal may have cost KC a win today. The Royals scored four runs in the top of the ninth to take a 9-8 lead but Curtis Leskanic had a flashback to his last season closing for the Brewers and walked the first two hitters. Then Mendy Lopez booted a ball to load the bases. Paul Konerko then hit a single to left and the White Sox plated two and won 10-9.

...Kyle Farnsworth threw an inning in the Cubs victory over the Pirates today and got hit hard. In 1 IP he allowed three hits, 3 runs (all earned), walked one and gave up a homerun. Farnsworth, despite a nasty slider and the ability to throw a 95+ mph fastball he still hasn't become a dependable reliever. Currently he is sporting an 8.31 ERA and I wouldn't be surprised if he hovered around 4.50 to 5.00 this season.

...The Detroit Tigers are 6-2. I'm so shocked I don't know what to say other than that.

...Henry Blanco is swinging the bat like he's Johnny Bench. Since rookie Joe Mauer and then Matthew LeCroy went down the Twins have been going with Henry Blanco and he has been taking advantage of his opportunity. He went 4-4 today with a homerun and three RBI. So far this season Blanco is hitting .364 with 3 HR. He even got caught stealing today. You know Henry has to be just bubbling over with confidence to try to swipe a bag. Easy there big guy.

MILWAUKEE 3, SAN FRANCISCO 0
The Brewers avoided a sweep today at SBC Park behind a strong outing from Wes Obermueller. Obermueller rebounded from a rough first-start and threw 6 2/3 IP allowing 0 runs on 3 hits, 1 walk and had 3 strikeouts . He recorded the first 11 batters of the game, gave up back-to-back singles and then recorded nine more.

The key moment of the game came in the seventh with two out. With the Brewers leading 2-0, Obermueller walked AJ Pierzynski, then gave up a bloop-single to Michael Tucker. Felipe Alou sent Barry Bonds out as a pinch-hitter but the Brewers learned their lesson from Monday and intentionally walked the slugger to face pinch-hitter Edgardo Alfonzo. Alfonzo flew out to center and the rally was stopped.

At the plate the Brewers had only six hits but drew five walks while striking out only twice. Geoff Jenkins hit his first homerun of the season. Wes Obermueller, who didn't become a pitching until his senior year of college, added an RBI single. Wes Helms started at first in place of the struggling Lyle Overbay and Brady Clark made the start in right for Ben Grieve. Gary Bennett started behind the plate and went 1-3 with a walk and an RBI.

The Giants have tomorrow off and welcome the Dodgers to SBC Park for a weekend series. The Brewers travel to Houston for a four-game set starting tomorrow night. I'll have a series preview tonight or tomorrow sometime.

BOX SCORE

AROUND THE LEAGUE
...Roger Clemens turned in another strong start. After two starts Clemens is 2-0 with an 0.66 ERA. 13 2/3 IP, 3 H, 12 K, 6 BB, with an OPP AVG of .071 and WHIP of 0.66.

...Florida has the best record in baseball at 6-1. The Marlins beat Montreal 5-0 last night behind two homeruns from Miguel Cabrera. Maybe the fish won't be so bad after all, although I still think it will be difficult for them to make the playoffs.

...Jeff Weaver finally looked like Jeff Weaver in his start at San Diego last night. He went 3 2/3 IP, allowing 8 hits and 6 earned runs, which brings his ERA after two starts to a more familiar 5.71.

...Anaheim beat Seattle in the Angels home-opener last night. If you didn't get to see Vlad's HR it was classic Guerrero. The pitch was at about the middle of his shin and he golfed it out of the yard. The Angels had Guerrero DH last night and let Salmon play RF. Troy Glaus is banged up (I know, big surprised) so Shane Halter got the start at third. Last night the Angels welcomed back former Halo Scott Spiezio by playing footage of his dramatic Game 6 homerun in the World Series and the fans gave him a standing ovation. Spiezio signed with the Mariners in the off-season. No word on whether or not they played any music from Spiezio's band "Sandfrog", or as Tim McCarver kept saying during the 2002 playoffs "The Sandfrogs".

SAN FRANCISCO 4, MILWAUKEE 2; BONDS HITS 661
Barry Bonds passed Willie Mays Tuesday night with a massive shot into McCovey's Cove. Personally I think that Bonds' accomplishments have been somewhat anticlimactic, and that is a direct result of his involvement with the BALCO investigation and alleged steroid use. Whether or not there will ever be concrete evidence of Bonds using performance enhancing drugs remains to be seen, but nevertheless his legacy will always be tarnished.

Chris Capuano turned in a decent start. 5 innings, 3 runs (all earned), 3 walks, 5 strikeouts and two homeruns allowed to former Brewer Marquis Grissom. Ben Ford allowed one run in two innings and Luis Vizcaino threw a scoreless frame in the 8th.

The Brewers had seven hits and two walks but only managed two runs. They had no extra-base hits which can most likely be blamed for their lack of production. Keith Ginter got the start at thirdbase and went 1-4. Lyle Overbay and Ben Grieve each went 0-4 and both of them are off to a slow start, hitting .195 and .200 respectively.

The Brewers will try to get back to .500 and avoid a series sweep Wednesday afternoon.

ARIZONA BULLPEN MELTSDOWN IN COLORADO
Pitching staffs have a tendency to blow up in the thin-air of Coors Field. This time, it can't be blamed on the altitutde. The Colorado Rockies scored four runs in the seventh inning on one hit.

Colorado was trailing Arizona 4-3, heading into the bottom of the seventh. Aaron Miles hit a leadoff single off of DBacks reliever Mike Koplove. Koplove then walked back-to-back hitters to load the bases. Jeromy Burnitz walked to force in a run. With the score 4-4 and the bases loaded with nobody out, enter Jose Valverde.

The first pitch from Valverde found its way into the back of Charles Johnson, forcing in a run (5-4 Rockies). His second pitch went to the backstop (6-4 Rockies). After throwing the ball in the general vicinity of the plate for a few pitches, Valverde uncorked his third wild pitch of the inning, scoring Burnitz and making it 7-4 Colorado.

Interesting enough, Koplove had four runs charged to him while Valverde didn't have a run score that was charged to him. Koplove went 1/3 IP, 4 ER, 1 H, 3 BB, and threw seven of twenty-two pitches for strikes. Valverde ended up going 1 2/3 IP, allowing 3 BB and no runs.

TYLER HOUSTON CALLS OUT LARRY BOWA AGAIN
You may remember last season year during the final months of the season when Phillies reserve infielder Tyler Houston and manager Larry Bowa had words in the media which eventually led to Houston's release. With the Phillies off to a bad start in 2004, well, they are back at it again.

After being released by the Yankees in spring training and now out of baseball, Houston is writing a column for his hometown paper the Las Vegas Review Journal. Sunday he wrote a column in which he said that the Phillies have enough talent to win this season but will "choke" because:

"one thing the Phillies lack is a man for a manager. Larry Bowa does not know how to treat his players with respect. These are grown men playing this game, and it's about time he realizes that. He has a little man's complex that constantly has players hating him and talking behind his back."

"Until they get rid of this sideshow, the Phillies will not reach their full potential. That's a shame for the people in Philadelphia and their new stadium."

Larry Bowa, who called Tyler Houston a "loser" last season at least attempted to take the high road, offering up only these comments...

"The only thing I'll say is, you see he's not playing baseball. Everybody can't be wrong."

Bowa does make an interesting claim. Here are Houston's career numbers...
.265/.312/.423 with 63 HR, only 116 walks and 408 strikeouts.

Houston has the ability to play a few positions, but none of them particularity well. He probably would be best suited to play firstbase. Unfortunately for Houston, the minor leagues are filled with players that strikeout about four times as much as they walk, have marginal power, a low OBP, and are a liability in the field. Throw in the fact that Houston is now viewed by many as a clubhouse cancer, and it wouldn't be too surprising if his days in the big leagues are over.

FRIDAY GIGS AGAINST MADONNA'S RELIGION
Madonna has announced that on her upcoming tour (yes, apparently she still tours) she won't be playing any Friday tour dates because the teaching of the Kabbalah forbids it. She will respect the Jewish practice of Shabbat, the religion's sabbath, by dining with her close family every Friday rather than working.

No word on whether or not butchering a classic song like American Pie or sleeping with half the NBA is against her religion.

BOBBY SURA "EARNS" HIS 3RD CONSECUTIVE TRIPLE-DOUBLE
Surprisingly, the most amazing part of this story is not that Bobby Sura has just recorded three consecutive triple-doubles. The way he earned his third one last night while Atlanta hosted New Jersey was embarrassing. Needing one rebound to accomplish the feat, the Hawks threw a cross-court pass in the waning seconds of their 129-107 win over New Jersey to Sura, who intentionally missed a layup in order to record his 10th rebound, which was all he needed for the triple-double.

You may remember that Ricky Davis attempted to do this last year, but failed to get the 10th rebound when he intentionally missed a shot on Utah's basket. The Cavs fined and suspended him for his actions, but it doesn't appear that the Atlanta Hawks are going to take any such action.

The main thing to remember here is that the Atlanta Hawks are a bunch of losers playing in the worst sports town in America. I hope Bobby Sura's three consecutive triple-doubles will be something the Hawks organization can reflect on over the spring and summer while 16 teams will be going to the NBA Playoffs.

UPDATE: The NBA announced that they are not going to count the 10th rebound for Sura last night, thus not giving him a triple-double. The NBA cited the rule that states "A field goal attempt is a player's attempt to shoot the ball into the basket for a field goal."

Now Sura looks like a jackass and didn't get his third consecutive triple-double.

AROUND THE LEAGUE
I think I've been focusing on the Brewers a little too much lately. The Crew's 4-2 start got me all fired up and now that they're back to .500, I'm going to shift gears a bit here.

...Mike Hampton got rocked for his second straight start. I am biased, I like Mike Hampton. He is the closest player in MLB that resembles my body type, throws left and hits righty, used to wear number 10 like I used to, and just in general seems like a cool guy, so it hurts me to see him struggle. Hampton after two starts is 0-1 with a 16.20 ERA. In 6 2/3 IP, Hampton has allowed 13 runs on 18 hits. He has struck out 4 and walked 4. His 3.30 WHIP would be good if it was his ERA. Opponents are hitting .474 off of him. I know it is only two starts, but I'm sure that the Braves are a little nervous, given Hampton's complete breakdown from after the second-half of 2001 until last season. Hampton struggled because of poor mechanics and a loss of movement on his sinker, not to mention a complete lack of confidence. For those reasons I don't think it is impossible for him to return to his Coors Field form.

...Craig Wilson has been my favorite "why isn't this guy getting more ABs" player, just ahead of Keith Ginter of the Milwaukee Brewers, not to mention I've drafted him on every Stratomatic team I have. So far this season Wilson has been hitting .370/.433/.704. He is a bit of a liability in the field (especially behind the dish), but is versatile and absolutely hammers left-handed pitching. I hope that Wilson performs adequately against right-handers when given a chance, because if he struggles like he has in the past he'll return to being nothing more than a platoon/pinch-hitter.

...The Angels lost with Jarrod Washburn on the hill tonight. The prevailing thought has been that the Angels need to win when Colon, Escobar and Washburn start because they'll be scrapping when Ramon Ortiz and John Lackey take the hill. Still, Ortiz and Lackey aren't two back-of-the-rotation type guys. Plus with the Angels bats, Glendon Rusch probably would've went 14-4 pitching for this team instead of 1 and whatever for Milwaukee last season.

...Ken Griffey, Jr. is off to a good start (318/.423/.682) so far this season. For the fourth year in a row let me ask the question, "is this the year Griffey finally returns to form?". Griffey was swinging the bat a lot better last season right at the time he hurt his foot which caused him to miss the rest of the season.

...The Phillies are 1-6 and all ready the "fire Larry Bowa" campaigns have started up. The Phillies bats have gotten off to a slow start. Marlon Byrd (.200), Bobby Abreu (.120), Mike Lieberthal (.083), Jimmy Rollins (.160). No matter who the manager is, nobody can take an offense like that and make them win. The Phillies struggled with runners in scoring position last season so it'll be interesting to see whether or not that was just a case of bad luck or if some of the Phillies hitters actually do change their approach with runners on base.

GIANTS 7, BREWERS 5...BONDS HITS 660
The Brewers lost to the Giants this afternoon before a sellout crowd in San Francisco. The biggest play of the game is also the worst managerial decision made in Ned Yost's year-plus at the helm. With two outs and runners on 2nd and 3rd, the Brewers decided to pitch to Barry Bonds. With the Brewers up 4-2 at the time, that was a questionable decision. What really was amazing is that when Matt Kinney went 3-0 to Barry Bonds, rather than give him an open base and take their chances with AJ Pierzynski, Kinney tried to sneak two high fastballs by Bonds. The first time he did. The second time, Bonds gave the Giants the lead and tied his Godfather Willie Mays for third all-time in career homeruns.

Usually I'll talk about the pitching staff and the offense in this part of the game review, but I'm so pissed/frustrated/confused that Ned Yost would chose to pitch to Bonds in that situation that I'm going to bitch about it more.

I don't think I would pitch to Bonds in that situation with any pitcher in Major League Baseball. Not Prior, not Beckett, not Colon, and certainly not Matt Kinney. I know the rationale for the decision will be "we didn't want to put the leading run on base", but I'd rather put the leading run on base than let the leading run cross the plate. Those old baseball axioms were designed pre-Barry Bonds. When a power-hitter was a guy that hit 15 or 20 homeruns (sometimes less) a season. When a power-hitter homers about every 8 at-bats, it significantly changes the strategy for managing a game. I like Ned Yost, and I'm not going to use this site as a "question the manager every time something goes wrong" type atmosphere. It's unfair, and frankly uninteresting. But I will call him out when I feel it is necessary, and this is one of those times. I respect going after a guy and challenging a hitter, but there is a time and a place for that. A 3-0 count with one of the greatest (if not the greatest) hitters of all time representing the leading run is not that time and it cost the Brewers a chance at victory today.

BOX SCORE

DRUNK MAN APPLIES FOR JOB WITH POLICE, THEN GETS ARRESTED FOR DRUNK DRIVING
Here is the full story...

"A man who stopped by Washington State Patrol headquarters to ask about a job didn't get what he wanted — but he did find out how a hand-held alcohol tester works.

Robert Gulley, an unemployed radio technician, was ticketed for alleged drunken driving as he drove away from the patrol office in this city near Vancouver. He had asked for a job application.

"I guess it was a bad time to go there," Gulley, 25, of nearby Sifton, told The Columbian newspaper. "It was a bad judgment call.""

"A bad time to go there"? Yeah I would imagine being drunk would be a bad time to go to any job interview, let alone a job interview at the police department.

When she told him it wasn't a good idea to apply to be a trooper while intoxicated, Gulley denied drinking, another trooper said.

Isn't this typical of a drunk? I never understood why when people drink they deny how drunk they are or whether or not they had drank at all.

But after leaving the office and pacing back and forth on a nearby side street for 10 minutes, Gulley got into his car and drove away, troopers said.

He was promptly pulled over and ticketed. Gulley was given two more alcohol-breath tests, which both gave readings of slightly over 0.08, Trooper Garvin March said.

Ha ha. I don't know what to say to that.

I actually still want to join the police department," Gulley said. "Those guys are doing their job keeping the roads safe."

They sure are, way to test the system. Keep the roads safe? Yeah, keep the roads safe from idiots like you. You sure made their job a hell of a lot easier by driving to the station.

"I guarantee he's not going to get a job with us," March said. "We've arrested drunks in unexpected ways and places before, but this one just blew me away."

The police won't hire a man who shows up drunk for an interview? Isn't this some sort of discrimination? What kind of country is this where you can't have a few drinks to loosen up before a job interview?

MILWAUKEE AT SAN FRANCISCO PREVIEW
The Giants open up SBC Park against the Brewers this afternoon. The real story though is Barry Bonds' pursuit of Willie Mays. Entering the series, Bonds has 659 HR, one shy of his godfather. A lot of people have been saying that Bonds is slumping. While he has missed a few pitches that he normally hits out of the yard, he still is hitting .316/.500/.632. I know he only has one HR so far, but it's not like he's hitting below .250. Harold Reynolds of ESPN said that he felt Bonds could hit .400 this season. I never really gave it that much thought, but it really is a strong possibility. Bonds was 12 hits shy of .400 last year. With his plate-discipline and the amount of times he's going to walk, he has as good of a shot as anybody has had in recent years.

Monday, 3:05 CDT
MIL: Kinney (0-0, 4.50)
SF: J. Williams (0-1, 7.50)

Tuesday, 5:05 CDT
MIL: Capuano (1-0, 1.50)
SF: Hermanson (0-0, 1.50)

Wednesday, 2:35 CDT
MIL: Obermueller (0-1, 8.44)
SF: Franklin (0-0, 0.00)

SF Probable Starters
C: AJ Pierzynski
1B: JT Snow
2B: Ray Durham
SS: Neifi Perez
3B: Edgardo Alfonzo
LF: Barry Bonds
CF: Marquis Grissom
RF: Michael Tucker

For the first week of the season the Giants were hitting Michael Tucker third ahead of Bonds, to which my first reaction was "what?!?!?!". Last night the Giants switched it up and put Grissom in the three-spot, where he hit .300 last season (don't pay attention to his .322 OBP). Grissom went 4 for 5 last night so I would suspect that is where he'll hit again this afternoon. Jeffrey Hammonds will probably get the start in RF tomorrow against left-hander Chris Capuano. (Insert "Jeffrey Hammonds sucked in Milwaukee joke here".)

HOUSTON 7, MILWAUKEE 4
Doug Davis got hit hard as the Milwaukee Brewers lost Sunday at Miller Park. Davis (1-1, 8.44 ERA) gave up 6 hits, 6 runs (all earned), 4 Ks and 4 BB as well as two HRA in 4 1/3 IP. Ben Ford, Dave Burba and Dan Kolb each threw well, combining for 4 2/3 IP, 3 H, 3 K, 0 BB and one unearned run.

Junior Spivey went 4-4 with 3 2B and a walk. He also drove in two runs. The Brewers had 10 hits and drew 5 walks, but combined to strand 11 baserunners. If the Brewers can continue to get on base at this type of clip their offense will be pretty solid.

The Brewers travel to beautiful Pac Bell (errr) SBC Park for the Giants home opener tomorrow afternoon. I'll have a series preview tonight or tomorrow morning.

BOX SCORE

MILWAUKEE 6, HOUSTON 1
The Milwaukee Brewers got their first win of the season behind 6 masterful innings from staff-ace Ben Sheets. Sheets dazzled the Astros with a career-high 10 strikeouts, 0 walks, 4 hits and 0 runs. It was nice to see Sheets pitch well after a rough spring training and poor opening start vs. St. Louis on Monday.

Jeff Bennett allowed an unearned run (Scott Podsednik's 3-base error) in two innings of work and Luis Vizcaino threw up a zero in the ninth.

Offensively the Brewers hammered out 10 hits and drew 5 walks with 1 hit batter. Wes Helms went 2-4 with a three-run homerun in the fifth. Lyle Overbay went 2-4 with an RBI and Geoff Jenkins went 2-3 with a walk. The Brewers are going to score some runs this year, I don't think there is any question about that.

Tomorrow the Brewers will send Doug Davis to the hill against Roy Oswalt. The Brewers will have an opportunity to win their second straight series to open up the season.

BOX SCORE

HOUSTON 13, MILWAUKEE 7
The Brewers lost their home-opener for the second-straight season. I remember when you could always count on the Brewers winning the home-opener. It was like clockwork. What has happened?

Wes Obermueller pitched well but ended up getting 5 runs charged to him in 5 1/3 IP when reliever Ben Ford came in, gas-can in hand, and proceeded to ignite the Houston rally. Ford didn't record an out and left with all five hitters he faced scoring. Ford's ERA is now at 31.50. Brooks Kieschnick tried to bail Ford out of a bases-loaded jam but gave up a grandslam to Jeff Bagwell in a nine-run Houston 6th. Adrian Hernandez gave up 2 earned runs. He threw 51 pitches in his two innings of work.

Offensively, the Brewers were baffled by Wade Miller. Miller continued his dominance over the Crew, improving his record to 11-1. Miller went 6 innings and allowed 2 runs to score, both earned. The Houston pen got hit hard by the Brewers, giving up 5 runs in 3 innings of work.

Lyle Overbay went 2-5 with a HR and 2B. Keith Ginter got one at-bat and singled (so he's hitting .750). Spivey went 0-4 with 3 Ks. Spivey is hitting .143 early on. Don't be surprised to see Ginter getting some more ABs if Spivey continues to struggle.

The Brewers will try to get the first win of the season at Miller Park when Ben Sheets faces Roy Oswalt tomorrow afternoon.

BOX SCORE

RESPONSES TO SABRQUIXOTICS
I got a huge email response to yesterday's post titled "SABRquixotics (Old School vs. SABRmetrics). My post actually inspired the Pirates blog Honest Wagner to ponder the issue of taking pitches (click here).

This is what Rowdy at Honest Wagner said...
"Say your team is facing a club with strong starting pitching but a wretched bullpen. Say that bullpen was often used (maybe in extra inning games) in that team's previous series. So, they are bad and tired.

Would it make sense to open the series taking pitches for the sake of taking pitches with the goal of knocking the starter out in the fifth or sixth inning? Then you get to three or four innings to be aggressive against the bullpen. Maybe it's not a wise strategy for a single game, but could it be one for a series? "Let's take a ton of pitches tonight, get the starter out of the game and get to their overworked bullpen. Tomorrow and Sunday they'll have nothing in the pen that can protect a lead." It could make even more sense if you did this against a hated division rival that was scheduled to face a non-threatening out-of-division doormat in their next series. Not only could you take a ton of pitches to face a battered bullpen tonight, tomorrow, and Sunday, you could also take a ton of pitches with the goal of softening the hated division rival for the non-threatening doormat to increase the chances the rival would lose that series.

... In a pregame interview, Brady Clark just talked about how the whole Brewer lineup goes to the plate with the goal of "working the count," "seeing pitches," and "getting the opposing pitcher to throw as many pitches as he can.""

First off let me say that this is an excellent topic. I'm sure that there are many different view points that can each have a sound argument in its favor.

The idea of "taking pitches for the sake of taking pitches" (I need to come up with a shorter term, lets call it "automatic takes") is almost always a bad strategy. While it does force the pitcher to throw a few pitches extra, in the long run it can make a pitch-count lower because when every batter starts out 0-1, that begins to put the hitter on the defensive. Now if he can get a strike with the next pitch and the count falls to 0-2 the hitter has basically turned into a sub .200 hitter.

With certain pitchers it might be wise to try the automatic take strategy against (Kaz Ishii, Ryan Dempster, other pitchers who tend to be wild). But even then it's not always the best idea, because when you take the 'selective aggressive' approach at the plate you only swing at whatever you feel is your pitch. In an at-bat if you are only going to see three or four pitches, what is the sense of letting a fastball right down the middle go by? There is none.

The idea of "getting to the bullpen" is a good strategy. I don't think that automatic taking is the best one, however. The way you make a pitcher throw more pitches is by getting hits. This will make the pitcher weary of throwing a strike on the first pitch, because he knows that if its a hanging breaking ball or a get-me-over fastball it's going to be hit well.

Brady Clark said that the Brewers approach at the plate is for "working the count," "seeing pitches," and "getting the opposing pitcher to throw as many pitches as he can."

I think I should define some of the baseball-terms used here...

"working the count" doesn't mean "automatic take". What it means is to wait for your pitch. If that is the first-pitch, or the fourth-pitch in your at-bat you see it and attack.

"seeing pitches" again doesn't necessarily mean "automatic take". "Seeing pitches" is another way of saying to "be patient". Being patient is the first part in the title "selective aggressive". Don't hack at a first pitch low slider when you're looking for a fastball middle-in.

"making the pitcher throw as many pitches as he can". There are many ways to do this. Again, I'm not sure that automatic taking is the best strategy. If you're getting the pitches early in the count the hitters should attack them. If a starting pitcher has given up 9 hits and 7 runs through 3 innings, I don't think the manager is going to be looking at his pitch-count when deciding whether or not to take him out.

People will interpret Clark's comments differently. The selective aggressive approach promotes "working the count", "seeing pitches" and "getting the opposing pitcher to throw as many pitches as he can". Again, being aggressive at the plate doesn't mean swinging at a decent pitch early in the count, it means swinging at the fattest pitch you see in an at-bat. The most consistent approach at the plate is one that sets the hitter up for success. I'll put it to you another way...

Charlie Lau, Jr in his book "The Art of Hitting .300" poses this questions to those who feel you should always take a strike (and I'm paraphrasing). "What if they changed the rules in baseball and said that every hitter had to start off with an 0-1 count? Would any hitter agree to that?"

A hitter doesn't go up to the plate looking to walk. At least a good one doesn't. A hitter with a solid offensive approach would rather walk than make an out. It is impossible to get the best results when going up to the plate being passive. Selective aggressiveness (as I've stated the previous 900,000 times) is the key.

I feel the SABRquixotics over emphasize the importance of high pitch counts. Obviously you would rather have a hitter make an out seeing 9 pitches than seeing 1. That isn't the trade-off. The object is to get on-base. Automatic taking doesn't increase your chances of reaching base (if anything it decreases them). The most successful and consistent plate approach is the selective aggressive approach. I've said all I can on this subject now for a while. Thanks for reading.