hello Cats and Kittens, it's your friendly, light-posting San Diego resident Brewers fan. Unfortunately for me, my brother, and cousin (who are in town for a craft beer conference), we actually paid money to attend that stinker of a game at PETCO Park yesterday. About 15,000 other people did too, although I'm willing to wager barely more than a third of them actually came through the turnstiles.

Speaking of turnstiles, as we were entering the stadium before yesterday's game, my cousin (who was behind me) says "There's Trevor Hoffman." I of course look up at the pictures of players hanging from light poles, and say something like "Of course they have a picture of him. He's a legend here!" My cousin then says "No... the guy who just walked through the turnstile.... that's Trevor Hoffman." Already having a couple of beers in me, my response was the rather articulate "Holy shit... that IS Trevor Hoffman!" Mr. Hoffman, having heard me, turned around and gives me a little wave. After getting through the turnstile, I jog over to him and shake his hand and blather something to the effect of "Congratulations on your 601." I guess I should've asked him why in the world he was coming through the turnstile like us common folk, and not through the VIP entrance a few steps away. I mean, Trevor doesn't get his tickets comped?

So I'd love to expunge the memory of the ballgame from my brain, but at least there was SOMETHING worth remembering that happened. Hopefully when I see the Brewers at Dodger Stadium on Memorial Day they'll play a little better and, you know, not lose to Jeff Suppan.

Have you all gotten a load of how amazing that guy Nelson Cruz is for the Rangers?  Man, I wish the Brewers had a player like him!

What's that?   Traded.... no kidding?  For Kevin Mench and Layce Nix?  Well now you're just trying to hurt my feelings.....

(this tongue-in-cheek post is operating under the assumption that Carlos Lee was traded even-up for Francisco Cordero, and therefore Cruz was traded for the other guys.  oh well.... I guess I take a small consolation in Lee's bloated contract bogging down the Astros)

Hello my BCB friends.  It's your light-posting member from San Diego.  I just wanted to take a moment to share with you my personal story of Game 5 on Friday night.

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certainly most if not all of you have a list such as this one saved on your computers, but here's the one that I put together just in case.  I welcome your input or corrections of dates, etc I may have gotten wrong.

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Milwaukee Brewers 40-man Roster (including Disabled List)

Pitchers

John Axford (minor league FA, 2008)

Zach Braddock (2005 draft, 18th rd)

Yovani Gallardo (2004 draft, 2nd round)

Sean Green (FA 2010)

Zack Greinke (trade 4)

LaTroy Hawkins (FA 2010)

Justin James (waivers, Oak, 2010)

Brandon Kintzler (FA – Indy League – 2009)

Kameron Loe (FA 2009)

Shaun Marcum (trade 3)

Mike McClendon (2006 draft, 10th round)

Dan Merklinger  (2007 draft, 6th round)

Sergio Mitre (trade 2A)

Chris Narveson (minor league FA, 2007)

Manny Parra (2001 draft, 26th round)

Wily Peralta (undrafted FA, 2005)

Amaury Rivas (amateur FA, 2005)

Mark Rodgers (2004 draft, 1st rd)

Takashi Saito (FA 2011)

Cody Scarpetta (2007 draft, 11th rd)

Mitch Stetter (2003 draft, 16th round)

Randy Wolf (FA 2010)

Catchers

George Kottaras (waivers, BOS 2009)

Jonathan Lucroy (2007 draft, 3rd rd)

Martin Maldonado (minor league FA, 2009)

Wil Nieves (FA 2010)

Infielders

Erick Almonte (minor league FA, 2009)

Yuniesky Betancourt (trade 4)

Craig Counsell (FA, 2007 – orig. part of trade 1)

Eric Farris (2007 draft, 4th round)

Prince Fielder (2002 draft, 1st round)

Mat Gamel (2005 draft,  4th round)

Mark Kotsay (FA 2011)

Casey McGhehee (waivers, CHC 2008)

Rickie Weeks (2003 draft, 1st round)

Outfielders

Ryan Braun (2005 draft, 1st round)

Carlos Gomez (trade 1)

Corey Hart (2000 draft, 11th round)

Nyjer Morgan (trade 5)

Jeremy Reed (minor league FA, 2011)

Trades

1. C. Gomez from MIN for J. Hardy (2001 draft, 2nd rd)
2. C. Dickerson from CIN for J. Edmonds  (FA, 2010)

2A.  S. Mitre from NYY for C. Dickerson

1. S. Marcum from TOR for B. Lawrie (1st round,  )
2. Z. Greinke, Y. Betancourt from KC for A. Escobar (non-draft FA, 2003), L. Cain (2004 draft, 17th rd – draft and follow), J. Odorizzi (sup 1st round, 2008), J. Jeffress  (1st round, 2006)
3. N. Morgan from WAS for C. Dykstra (2nd round, 2008)

Semi-related previous trades

S. Linebrink from SD for W. Inman, S. Garrison, J. Thatcher

R. Durham from SF for OF D. Ford (18th round, ’04), RHP S. Hammond

C. Gillepspie, R. Mercedes (AAA) for F. Lopez (ARZ)

J. Gerut from SD for T. Gwynn (2nd rd.)

K. Mench, L. Nix, from TEX for C. Lee [gotten from CWS for S. Podsednik (waivers) and L. Vizcaino (traded for J. Pena)] and N. Cruz (traded from OAK for K. Ginter – see Trade 3).

L. Overbay, C. Capuano, J. de la Rossa from ARZ for R. Sexon, S. Nance, N. Varner (Nance from LAD for T. Houston, Varner from DET for A. Sanchez, who was gotten on waivers).

A.  G. Gross, D. Bush, Z. Jackson from TOR for L. Overbay.

B.  CC Sabathia from CLE for Z. Jackson, M. LaPorta, R. Bryson

1C. Josh Butler (AAA) from TB for G. Gross

C. Vargas, J. Estrada, G. Aquino from ARZ for D. Davis (gotten on waivers), D. Krynzell, D. Eveland.

2A.  G. Mota from NYM for J. Estrada

C. Villanueva from SF for W. Franklin (gotten from HOU w/ K. Ginter for M. Loretta).

3A.  ________ from TOR for C Villanueva

AAA players previously on 40-man roster

Josh Butler (trade with TB for G. Gross)

Alex Periard (2004 draft, 16th rd)

Marco Estrada (waivers, WAS 2010)

Angel Salome (2004 draft, 5th round)

Brandon Boggs (FA 2010)

As everyone is aware, there is a Lombardi Ave running next to the stadium.  After the Packers won Super Bowl XXXI, the Ashwaubenon section of Gross St. became "Holmgren Way".  It stands to reason, therefore, that there will soon be a McCarthy Ave (street, road, boulevard, etc).  Has anything been mentioned?  If not, does anybody have a guess or a suggestion as to which street should get renamed?  Personally, I'm going with Potts Avenue.  It is relatively near the stadium, right?  (I moved to San Diego years ago, so my memory of street names isn't so good.  I need a local to help me out here...)

and here are some more random thoughts about the Super Bowl:

Personally, this one was more satisfying than SB 31.  That one was awesome since it had been so long since the last championship (and well before my time), but the Packers were heavy favorites to win pretty much all year, and more or less dominated.  It was sort of expected that they would win it all.  This season, while they started out as pre-season favorites, injuries and some losses made it look as though it just wasn't our year.  Beginning with the Giants game, having to win 5 consecutive weeks or be eliminated from the playoffs just to GET TO the big game, and then win it, was pretty spectacular.

I wonder if Nick McDonald is going to go the way of Lindsay Knapp from the '96 team - play 3 or so years as a backup, then go off and get a "real" job, but always be able to say he is a Super Bowl champion, and have the ring to prove it!

Matty Flynn now has TWO championship rings! (LSU and SB 45).

Howard Green is an enormous man... and it must feel pretty damn sweet to have gotten cut by the Jets, only to get picked up by the Packers and get immediate revenge on the Jets, and then wind up with a ring.

In 2000 a cab driver in Las Vegas told me Charlie Batch was going to wind up being a better pro quarterback than Peyton Manning.  that is relevant to nothing, except I recall seeing a shot of Charlie holding the clipboard on the sideline and thought "wow.... he's still in the league?"

a waitress at the Packer bar in San Diego I was at was rocking a Ken Ruettgers jersey (and it might have been signed), which trumped my Don Beebe jersey

and finally, Evan Dietrich-Smith was signed in LATE DECEMBER, and not only got to participate in the SB, but gets a ring!  Dellenbach played for about half the season and playoffs for the '96 team and was an old veteran, but I still found the similarities noteworthy

Now to be clear, I am IN NO WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM SAYING THAT ANYTHING IS A GIVEN, and thereby not jinxing any player or team (especially the Packers).  This post is merely for my own curiosity - but since I know the Packers best, I use them as an example.

That said....

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after the ViQueens' desperation move to re-acquire Randy "plays when I feel like it" Moss, I dusted off something I wrote several years back, and updated it a bit.

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Trevor Hoffman, that is.

OK, we all know the 'Crew is in a bit of a pickle with the all-time saves leader.  Trevor is 4 saves away from the nice round number of 600 career saves, yet recently - when given the opportunity - has failed to get any closer to that goal.  There are myriad suggestions of what can or should be done about this, ranging from cutting him loose and letting him be somebody else's problem (but thereby missing the chance for any promotional benefits when/if he reaches 600), to having a "devil may care" attitude and throw him out there when we have a 9th inning lead and HOPE he manages not to blow it.

After consulting the rulebook, I am proposing another option that will benefit all parties - Trevor because he can (hopefully) get the 4 more saves he needs for 600, and the Brewers because they don't have to A) remove Axford from the closer's role, and B) make it look like they're not doing everything they can to win games by putting in a slumping pitcher just so he gets the milestone.  The rulebook states a pitcher is credited with the save in the following scenarios:

He is the finishing pitcher in a game won by his team;

He is not the winning pitcher;

He is credited with at least ⅓ of an inning pitched; and

He satisfies one of the following conditions:

1.  He enters the game with a lead of no more than three runs and pitches for at least one inning

2.  He enters the game, regardless of the count, with the potential tying run either on base, at bat or on deck

3.  He pitches for at least three innings

OK, so criterion #1 has thus far not worked out so great this season.  #2 would be a little obvious that the 'Crew is only trying to get him his stats if, for example, Trevor was put in with an 0-2 count on a batter with 2 outs in the 9th and the potential tying run waiting on deck.  So that brings us to criterion #3.

What if, assuming the Brewers are on the winning end of a few more laughers this year like the 20-0 drubbing of the Pirates a while back, Trevor is put in to pitch the 7th, 8th, and 9th?  Assuming the Brewers have a seemingly-insurmountable lead by the 5th or 6th inning, the starting pitcher would get his win, and Trevor would get the save despite the final margin of victory being much more than the traditional 3 runs or less.  So long as Trevor finishes the game which the Brewers win and pitches at least 3 innings, he could theoretically "save" a 15-3 game.  And if he gives up 10+ runs and loses the game for us?  Well... then I guess he's just a lost cause.

As a Brewers fan living in San Diego, I get more Padres information than I could ever need or want. That said, after reading the "Fire Doug Melvin" post calling for us to (natch) fire Doug Melvin, I couldn't help but think the former GM of San Diego who was let go last season - Kevin Towers - might be a good choice to replace DM. Naysayers will point to the several awful seasons of Padres baseball under KT's watch, but I believe that's a bit unfair. The Padres did go to the World Series in 1998, and also made the playoffs a couple of times since. San Diego and Milwaukee have quite a bit in common with their market size and payroll. San Diego will always be the "little brother" to LA, the way Milwaukee is (like it or not) to Chicago. Given the mentioned restrictions, I think KT did pretty well as the General Manager. The only reason he got run out of town was because of an ownership change and a desire for the new regime's "own guy." Certainly KT would give up is current job of "special assignment scout" for the Yankees if the Brewers came calling, and I think Doug Melvin has taken us as far as he's going to. Several more seasons with DM means several more seasons of treading water, in my humble opinion. So thanks for 2008, Doug, but I think it's time for some new blood. And I respectfully submit Kevin Towers for your consideration.

This is hardly the first posting here on the topic, but I wanted to provide a couple of personal stories to further move the statement "Vikings fans are obnoxious jerks" from the column marked OPINION to the one titled FACT.

I was in a bar at MSP airport circa 1999.  A guy sitting at a table full of Vikings fans (based on their garb) asked me where I was from, and I said Green Bay.  The guys at the table all start clapping, and one says "How about those Broncos!"  The Packers Super Bowl loss was well over a year in the past at that point, but I simply replied "How about those Falcons?"  Suddenly their frat-boy smiles disappeared, and were replaced by expressions which appeared akin to one which might follow being told by your girlfriend she's leaving you....for another girl.  These guys seemed content with hurling stones, while never once bothering to notice they lived in a glass house.  Had they FORGOTTEN that their heavily-favored Vikings had choked away a Super Bowl berth just a couple months earlier?

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