Best/Worst Wisconsin Sports Announcers

Deserves it's own post...Wisconsin Sports Announcers:

Best?
Worst?
Overrated?
Underrated?

I'll go with:
Best: Larravee and McCarren
Worst: Homer and Jimmy Mac
Overrated: Lucas and Lepay
Underrated: Ted Davis

Fun with Numbers on a Friday

Pop Quiz for all the loyal CH readers:

The subject is Mr. Chad Fox. Former Brewer reliever and standard MLB journeyman. Guy is/was hurt constantly.

How much cash do you think over the course of his career he made per inning?

No cheating. The numbers are pulled from his baseball reference page. I find it somewhat laughable if you think about in the grand scheme of things.

Who Could Pound The Most Beer?

• Todd Coffey
• Big Red McClung
• Brooks Kieschnick
• Rock Schroeder
• Big Burrito Quevedo
• Dave Parker
• Danny Kolb

Is Ben Sheets the "Best" Brewer pitcher of all time?

I was planning on writing this post some time ago after Ben Sheets declined arbitration from the Brewers (assuming he was indeed gone) but as time went on and he didn't sign with anybody, the odds of him coming back to the Crew seemed to be increasing by the day. But with his elbow injuring knocking him out for an extended period of time, I figured its time to take a look at Sheets' Brewers' career and compare him to some of the other pitchers in Brewers history.

This will be more of a subjective view than objective (That's what I mean when I say "best"), but I still think it's a good topic of discussion. I also will be ignoring some guys who only played with the Crew for a brief period of time...for purposes of this argument (Obviously, we could just say Don Sutton or CC Sabathia were the best pitchers to ever wear a Brewer uniform...I'll be ignoring Rollie Fingers as well).

Ben Sheets

Definitely the overall best pitcher of the last 20 years for the team. Golden Boy. 1st round draft pick. Olympic gold medalist. Power fastball with a deadly curve. When he was on, he was unhittable. Pitched over 1400 innings over the last 8 years. Career strikeout-to-walk ratio of 4-1. ERA of 3.72. Even though he got hurt AGAIN down the stretch last year, he still was the 2nd most important pitcher on the first playoff team in 26 years (3 shutouts over 31 starts). His 2004 season was just an absolutely sick statistical season (as I've stated before). If he weren't pitching for one of the worst teams in baseball his W-L record would have shown it. 237 innings, 264 K's v. 32 walks (EGAD!!), ERA of 2.70 and a sub-1 WHIP. Dude was a force to be reckoned with. He fell out of favor with some fans the last few years (I'll include myself in that boat somewhat) with some of his fluky injuries, but even with his injuries he still pitched each year effectively when he was on the mound. The least amount of starts he made was 17 back in 2006.

Teddy Higuera

Best Brewer starting pitcher in the late 80's. Probably the best pitcher to have come from Los Mochis, Mexico (although I did no research to back that claim up). Came STORMING out of the gates in his MLB career with 4 straight years of 200+ innings, sub-4 ERA (two of those sub-3), and minimum of 15 wins (1 year was a 20 game winner). After that, injuries derailed him. People always complain that Sheets didn't earn his money after getting his 4 year deal. Hey...at least Sheets pitched over half the time. Higuera got 13 Million after the 1990 season, then proceeded to tear his rotator cuff and only won 5 games in 4 years after he got his money.
Moose Haas

Moose was before my time, but he's one of those guys your Dad or Uncle brings up when talking about the early 80's ("Moose?? Oh yeah...solid pitcher"). Pitched 8 full seasons for the crew. I'll give him the "solid" tag, but was definitely below stud level. He won Game 4 of the 82 ALCS...so...I don't know...he's got that going for him. For whatever reason, he strikes me as a kind of Dave Bush type pitcher (always just sort of there...4th starter type stuff...consistent), but obviously right now Moose had a better career then Bush.
Mike Caldwell

Probably the guy you could make the strongest case for "best" Brewer pitcher besides Sheets. Not a homegrown Brewer, but still played 7+ seasons with the team. Ace of staff. Pitched a RIDICULOUS 293 innings in 1978 with a 2.36 ERA but didn't get a single Cy Young vote (Hey...tough break...check out the season of the guy who won it...good god). While were on the topic of accolades, according to his baseball reference page, Caldwell was never an all-star!? Is this possible? Caldwell's got the postseason experience to boot. Won 2 games in the 82 World Series. I would imagine all the old-school Brewer fans would say he is the best no question. Not sure I could argue it.
Jim Slaton

Longest tenured Brewer pitcher with 12 seasons under his belt. Another "solid" guy. Close to Moose Haas' level. Had some control issues his entire career (1004 walks v 1191 K's).

From looking through this exercise, I would have to say it comes down to Sheets vs Caldwell...

Go on record in the comments section with your guy. My stance is this, if I needed to throw one of these guys out on the hill for 1 game (height of their careers with no injury problems) I'm taking Sheets. Not sure if that makes him the "best..."

Weekly Bucks Report - Unofficial Chuckie Hacks Poll Edition!

The Weekly Bucks Report is posted every Monday or Tuesday or whenever I have time at work during the Bucks season. It's written by CH Correspondent Two Name.

Please note Two Name throws up an Unofficial Chuckie Hacks Poll topic...so go on record in the comments section on whether or not you think the Bucks will make the Playoffs this season.

Will they or won’t they?
Let’s conduct a quick, unofficial poll as Milwaukee heads into the final two months of the season. Do you see the Bucks holding onto the eighth and final spot – or moving up, for that matter – and earning a trip to the Eastern Conference playoffs?
I know there’s a mixed reaction as far as whether or not it’s good for the team to face Boston or Cleveland in Round 1, instead of entering the lottery. I, for one, think any playoff experience would be great for this team and the city, but I know a lot of people disagree with that premise. Regardless if you want the Bucks to make the playoffs or not, do you actually see it happening?
I’m going to say, yes. I think the Bucks are playing well enough in a putrid conference to earn a trip to the postseason. Plus, I don’t think the squads behind Milwaukee are good enough to put together any kind of significant run at the final playoff spot. The Bulls appear to be the likely candidate since they made what appeared to be a decent trade last week – acquiring Brad Miller and John Salmons – but New Jersey and Charlotte (yes, the Bobcats) are close behind as well.
The most encouraging sign for Milwaukee is the amount of home games remaining. The Bucks will play 12 of their final 20 games at the Bradley Center. Bad news is many of those games are against strong opponents. The Lakers, Celtics and Portland all come to town, and Orlando visits the BC twice. I still think the Bucks, despite the quality of opponents remaining, will earn the final spot in the East.
As far as moving up in the playoff standings, Milwaukee is two games behind the Sixers, who reside in the sixth spot. Ideally, the Bucks would get out of the seventh and eighth spots – avoiding Boston and Cleveland – but they haven’t been consistent enough to make that kind of run. No matter where they end up, I do think there will be playoff basketball in Milwaukee this year.
What do you guys think?

Skiles COY: I know it seems crazy that any coach running a team with a sub-.500 record should win any kind of reward, but Scott Skiles should be considered for coach of the year honors. The award typically goes to coaches whose teams own the best records in the league, but what Skiles is doing requires more recognition that Mike Brown in Cleveland or Phil Jackson in L.A. I would like to see Phil or Doc Rivers coach a team with the talent level of the Bucks, instead of managing a core group of superstars. Rivers did that in Boston three years ago before acquiring the Big 3, and he won 18 games. Saturday night’s game against Washington is an example of one coach who doesn’t have the command of his players and one who does. Ed Tapscott took over for the fired Eddie Jordan in Washington, and his team owns the worst record in the Eastern Conference. Tapscott still has Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison, and they showed no interest in playing hard Saturday night. Skiles lost his two best players to injury, but his team looked far and away better than Washington in an easy victory on Saturday.

Friday’s fight: I stopped watching Friday night’s game against New Orleans in about the third quarter, and I missed all that transpired in the last four minutes. Milwaukee overcame a 17-point deficit and nearly pulled out a ridiculous win against the Hornets. Tyson Chandler’s prayer tip-in saved face for New Orleans, but it was good to see the Bucks fight back after playing so poorly for the first 44 minutes of the game.

Player of the week: If Charlie Bell could play like he did before the contract situation a couple years back, it would be a nice boost for Milwaukee the rest of the season. He played well this week, including sparking that comeback against the Hornets with 21 points and five 3-pointers. Bell also scored 19 points in Dallas Wednesday, putting together a decent week.

This week: New Jersey, Cleveland, Chicago and Golden State comprise a busy week for the Bucks. New Jersey and Chicago are important games, as they are the two teams directly behind the Bucks in the playoff race. I see the Bucks going 3-1 this week.

Mount Rushmore Of Wisconsin Sports

Sorry BrewTownBeat, I had to steal your post idea. I apoligize. Remember ESPN's stupid attempt to find "Titletown USA?" Yeah, that was retarded. They made up for it (sort of) by starting a series finding the "Mount Rushmore of Sports" for each state. Yup, the 4 people that would define sports in each state. My votes:

Vince Lombardi: Argulbly the best coach ever. When you win the Super Bowl, what do you get? The Vince Lombardi Trophy. That says it all.

Hank Aaron: Yount is the greatest Brewer ever, but Aaron gets the nod. A WS ring, the "true" home run champ, all time RBI king, and maybe the best baseball player ever.

Pat Richter: Not only did he win 9 letters at UW (All American football player twice, College football HOF) but he completely transformed the UW athletic department into top flight status by hiring the likes of Barry Alvarez, Dick Bennett, Bo Ryan, and Mike Eaves.

Reggie White: The Favre-ites are going crazy. Although he didn't stay in GB long, he's the real reason the Packers won the Super Bowl. He made signing with Green Bay fashionable for the black athlete as NE Wisconsin might as well been Yellowknife, Yukon before White got there. If Reggie doen't sign with GB, neither does Sean Jones, Santana Dotson, Desmond Howard, Andre Rison, Keith Jackson (doesnt accept the trade), and Eugene Robinson. Without these guys - No Super Bowl.

Who's on your Wisconsin Sports Mt Rushmore?

Vote: Adam Dunn or Corey Hart?

MLB.com talks about the Brewers interest in free agent Adam Dunn. Apparently, that interest is over:

But with Cameron and his $10 million salary in the fold, and Ryan Braun a franchise cornerstone in left field, the only way for the Brewers to fit a hitter like Dunn into the outfield would be trading right fielder Corey Hart. Melvin is not willing to do so.

I have to ask, who would you rather have - Dunn or Hart? Notes: Dunn would be more expensive, worse on the base paths and bad in the outfield....but...Hart was terrible in the 2nd half , and a general douchebag with the fans- will his downfall continue into this year?

Dunn: 40 bombs, 100 RBI, .386 on-base, .513 slugging

Hart: 20 bombs, 91 RBI, .300 on-base, .459 slugging.

College Football Questionnaire

1) How much (include estimates remaining games) College Football Bowl action did you watch?

2) If one existed, how much of a 16 game playoff would you watch?

3) If a 16 team playoff existed, how would it effect your interest in the C-Football regular season? Would you watch: more, less, or the same amount as you do now?

4) Who's your favorite Bucks center of all time: Randy Breuer, Paul Mokeski, Ervin Johnson, or Dan Gadzuric?


My answers:
1) Approximately a combine 15 quarters
2) I would try to watch every single snap of every playoff game
3) Same
4) Mokeski

Run, Johnny, Run

Because Badger fans and alumni Matt and Goldy refused to post about Badger football all year, I will.

Can someone please explain why PJ Hill continues to get more carries than Johnny Clay? Every time I watch, Clay seems faster, more explosive, makes better reads, and is generally a better running back. Am I wrong here? Yet, Hill always ends up with more carries. Why?

PJ Hill - 211 carries, 1021 yards, 4.8 ypc
Clay - 144 carries, 845 yards, 5.9 ypc

The bigger question deals with Bielema. The "Fire Bielema" chants are loud and clear in certain pockets of Madison. It's not that Bucky's lost games - an off year will happen - rather how they've lost. Badger fans are steamed they're losing because of mismanagement and coaching, rather than sheer lack of talent (they did return like 16 starters, 11 of them seniors). Bad clock management, dumb penalties, a bad QB decision to start the year, disorganization at times (see, OSU TD run), and a certain "softness" are the reasons for the disappointing year…and can all be a reflection of the coach.

What do you think of Bielema?

A) He's our guy for the long haul
B) If next year is 7-5, ax him
C) The program is getting worse, not better. Fire him now
D) This guy's a lunkhead, bring back Don Morton

Filling the Void

I have lots of great post ideas but no time to follow through right now. Stupid economy. To fill the void, I'll leave you with this Unofficial Chuckie Hacks poll:

What are you most excited about right now, and why? Please limit your reasoning to 6 words or less.

A. 5-5 Packers and their prospects for the remainder of the season
B. Badgers basketball season underway
C. Ditto Marquette
D. The Bucks
E. Pitchers and catchers reporting in Maryvale
F. Texas Tech/Oklahoma tomorrow night

My answer? E.

But Doug better start doing something.

Mike Cameron or Melky Cabrera (LOL)

Time to go on record in the comment section bitches!

Ignore money, future ability, and other miscellaneous variables.

Unofficial Chuckie Hacks poll:

Who would you rather see roaming CF for the 2009 Milwaukee Brewers? Mike Cameron or Melky Cabrera?

Since we're a blog, I can give 2 points to help you decide which some may consider "biased."
Mike Cameron is an ok baseball player.
Melky Cabrera fucking sucks.

Go on record. My vote is for Cameron.

Managers: Do They Matter?

With the Brewers searching for a skipper, wanted to have an informal poll: Do Managers Matter? Here's an argument for both sides.

1) Managers Don't Matter.

Over a 162 game grind, the day in, day out decisions of a manager will even itself out. The teams with better players will eventually end up with a better record. This was the biggest defense for Ned Yost supporters: "The players have to step up and do their jobs. Ned's not the one striking out, making errors, and serving up meatballs." After all, this is a huge theory of Billy Beane's in Oakland. The manager is basically a figurehead who should sit stoically in the dugout and do exactly what the "Moneyball" theroies say. Hell, if it was acceptable, Beane would probably stick a "Johnny 5"-like robot in the dugout to call a game. You know what? It's worked for Oakland. They've been to the playoffs multiple times using this system with serious payroll restraints.

Joe Torre is a sure-fire hall of famer. He's been in the playoffs and World Series more often than Jimmy Carter took liver pills. BUT, he was a losing manager in his 15 seasons before reaping the benefits of George Stienbrenner's wallet. Then, he goes to Las Angeles. He's guiding the Dodgers to a pretty mediocre season and...BOOM. They trade for Manny Ramirez. He goes apeshit, the Dodgers get hot, roll into the NLCS and Torre looks smart again. Is Torre a great manager, or just lucky to have good players?

2) Managers DO Matter.
Take your 2008 Milwaukee Brewers, for instance. They were rolling, hit a brutal skid in September, replaced Yost with Dale Sveum, won 6 of their last 7 games, got in the playoffs. Would they have finished 6-1 with Ned still at the helm? We will never know, but even the biggest Ned supporters wouldn't have bet their own money of it.

Of course they matter. Why is it when Lou Pinella, Jim Leyland, and Tony LaRussa, Joe Girardi were available, they got a dozen phone calls the next day? Same thing will happen when Mike Scioscia, Ron Gardenhire, and Joe Maddon eventually go on the market. Meanwhile, how many calls have Davy Lopes, Tony Muser, Jerry Royster, and Lloyd McClendon received with managing opportunities lately?

I've already heard plenty of discussion from Brewer fans saying "Keep Sveum." At the end of the day, does it really matter who they bring in?

Vote now, vote often.

The FIRE NED YOST POLL

All right Ladies and Gents...time to go on record...

DO YOU LIKE THE TIMING OF THE FIRING OF NED YOST (12 games left to go).

Go on record in the comments section.

My react: Basically, why the hell not. He wasn't going to be here next year anyway...might as well not let him bask in the glory should they make it with the Wild Card.

So it Begins

USA Today ran a story this morning as every major publication is beginning to highlight the NFL season which starts tonight. It's one of those "10 questions to be answered" type of articles.

And of course (get used to it), here is question #1:

1. Who winds up with more wins this season, Brett Favre or Aaron Rodgers?

The answer is obvious...but I'm still going to throw this up to a poll.

Go on record in the comment section.

Vote Now, Vote Often

Which of the following best characterises why the Cubs are running roughshod over the Brewers...pick one:

1) The Brewers youngsters lack of big game experience

2) Just a little rough patch common in a baseball season

3) The Brewers mashing style of offense is ill suited for playoff-type games

4) Pressure games like this means "Nervious" Ned has to use his brain

5) The Cubs are just better

Who is DH Tonight?

With the DH in effect at Minnesota, and a right hander on the bump for the Twins, who is going to serve as the DH tonight?

And by that, I mean who is the "extra" hitter in the lineup (i.e. if Prince serves as DH, I'm looking for who is playing 1B in his place).

Your votes?

By the way, I hear that Eric Gagne is set to return to the bullpen tonight. Super.

Quick Poll

If you were the Brewers GM, would you sign Ben Sheets at the end of this year to a 5 year, $88 Million dollar guaranteed money deal?

Would you? Go ahead and go on record.

Jose Valentin is tough, scares teammates into playing better

A little nugget in the Jayson Stark column starting a little email correspondence amongst this blog's contributors this morning.

• Unhappy Valentin's Day: It may sound crazy, but the ex-Met we keep hearing that his old team misses most is Jose Valentin. "Not having Jose Valentin might be the biggest difference between this team and the 2006 team," said one baseball man. "He not only played well. He's a tough guy. He kept other players in line. And he added to the toughness and the winning attitude of that team. You look around that clubhouse now, and there's not one guy like that."

First of all...let's all just LOL here. Do it again. LOL. In your cubicle. Do it. LOL.

I'd like to know who this "one baseball man" is. I guarantee he literally is the ONE guy who would make such a ridiculous statement. I'm sure Jose Valentin fits the term "tough." I really do. But come on dude...like he's the difference between 2006 & now??? Come on...

We all remember when Jose Valentin was here. He was serviceable. I feel like he broke his thumb like 8 times, but still serviceable. That time period was the beginning of the phase coined by Matt as the "Dark Ages" of Brewer baseball. Perhaps one of the only bright spots of that time period was the infamous "Double-V threat" of Jose Valentin & Fernando Vina leading off. NOW THAT WAS A TOUGH TOP OF THE LINEUP.

Unofficial Chuckie Hacks poll:
Who would you rather have leading off?:
-Vina & Valentin
-Dick Weeks & Mike Cameron