Does Prince Have That Prototypical Slugger Physique?

Our friends at Wrigleyville23 have rolled out their Jump to Conclusions Mat in one of the more ridiculous posts I've read on that generally fine blog.

The post talks about Ryan Braun's comments regarding Alex Rodriguez and thinly veiled insinuations that Braun's willingness to jump into the Rodriguez fray and his association with Rodriguez makes Braun a suspected steroid user too.

Brewers slugger (who doesn't necessarily have that prototypical slugger physique) readily jumped to the defense of Alex Rodriguez today. Interesting.

Ha. As opposed, to, say, Alfonso Soriano and his prototypical slugger physique?

Not that I for a second think that Braun is a user, but when thinking about this logically, if Braun had anything to be worried about with respect to PEDs, I'm pretty sure he'd prefer to give the old "no comment" to any questions on the subject (so as to avoid the Katie Couric moment that A Rod is currently dealing with) rather than answering the questions, which will inevitably lead to the question - have you done it, or were you ever tempted to do it?

And, naturally, the story went there. And as usual, I loved Braun's answer:

"It's never something that I sought," Braun said before showing a flash of his sense of humor and his well-documented self-confidence. "I would never do it because if I took steroids, I would hit 60 or 70 home runs."

Long live Ryan Braun.

Obviously.

Deuling HS Posts

This post was the inspiration for this. Which inspired this post, which did the same for the following:

Best Wisconsin Born Baseball Players.

C - Bob Uecker, Milwaukee. 1962-67. Had to do it. You don't want to know the numbers.

1B - Fred Merkle, Watertown. 1907-26. Infamously known for "Merkle's Boner." No, not a porn flick but a base running gaffe which helped the Cubs win the 1908 WS. He was the Bill Buckner of his day, times 10. A good player, though. Twice finished top 20 in MVP voting.

2B - Mark Grudzielanek, Milwaukee. , 1995-Current. What? No Jim Ganter?? Love Gumby, but Grudzy was better. Better numbers, won a Gold Glove, and played in an All Star game. .290/.332/.395.

SS - Tony Kubek, Milwaukee. 1957-65. More known for announcing the "Game of the Week" back in the day. Played in 6 World Series and 3 All Star games.

3B - Lave Cross, Milwaukee. 1887-1907. Never heard of him. Had four 90+ RBI seasons back when scoring runs was tougher than a two dollar steak (adjusted for inflation). Career .292 hitter with 1327 RBI

OF - Al Simmons, Milwaukee. 1924-44. Best ever from Wiscy. Top 10 in MVP voting 6 times, with two other 11th place finishes. A whopping 11 straight 100+ RBI seasons and a crazy .334/.380/.535 line and two batting titles. Hall of Famer.

OF - Andy Pafko, Boyceville. 1943-59. Five time all star with 213 HRs, 976 RBI, and .285/.350/.449

OF - Chet Laabs, Milwaukee. 1937-1947. One of the best St. Louis Browns ever, for whatever that's worth. One time all star. .262/.346/.452

SP. Burleigh Grimes, Emerald. 1916-1934. 270-212, 3.53 ERA. I'll let this post elaborate.

SP. Addie Joss, Juneau. 1902-1910. Unknown to me until attending a wedding at the Juneau Community Center a few months ago. Oh, it was a hoot. I was pretty drunk but remember a little shrine to Joss. I guess he was a stud until dying of pneumonia at the age of 30. All-time career leader in WHIP (.9678) and 2nd in ERA (1.89). How'd you like those numbers on your fantasy squad? 169-97 record, is in the Hall of Fame.

SP. Kid Nichols, Madison. 1890-1906. 361-208, 2.95 ERA. 7th on the all-time wins list. Hall of Famer.

SP. Brad Radke, Eau Claire. 1995-2006. Solid pitcher, that's about it.

SP. Couldn't make that tough decision between Jarred Washburn (LaCrosse) and Zane Smith (Madison).

CL. Bob Wickman, Green Bay. 1992-Current. Two all-star games, top 10 in saves 4 times.


Hmmm...that was a lot of research with not very great results. Especially post-WWII.

One Man's Rankings of the Cubs Playoff Failures

Wrigleyville23 ranks his disappointment in the 2008 Cubs among prior playoff disappointments (presumably in his lifetime).

The results are indicative of the level of disappointment that the Cubs have inflicted on their fans.

The 2008 squad only ranks as the 3rd most disappointing team, behind the teams in 2003 and 1984. Even though the 2008 version was his favorite team of the bunch. And the 2008 version entered the playoffs as the prohibitive favorite to win the pennant but barely showed up in getting swept by the Dodgers.

That's a lot of disappointment. Ah well, there's always next year I suppose. I wonder if there will be any shakeup on that roster? The Cubs, as presently constructed, appear built for winning the NL Central but not built for winning any playoff games.

Playoff Rotation Set

Dale Svuem announces the playoff rotation for the Brewers.

With a lefty-heavy lineup in Philly, I like this rotation.

Wrigleyville23: Week In Review

Identifies Brewers sarcasm.

Reads the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Ponders whether Yovani Gallardo can start.

Considers what the Brewers should do with their starting rotation.

Wonders whether a playoff berth by the Brewers is preferable for the Cubs.

Updates everyone on how tired CC is.

I think we have some competition from a new Brewers blog called Wrigleyville23.