Little Slide Rooter

For the time being, his name is the least sexy thing about him.

The name Aramis Fan suggests that he's for the other team. Where is Aramis anyway?

I'm really, really curious to see if there's any pressure on his job by the end of the year. My guess is no, but who knows? Theo's not stupid, he knows there's nothing Dale can too with this team. I can't say there's a great deal of things Dale does that I disagree with, which is better than I can say for any of his predecessors that I've followed. My theory is that Dale is essentially a prospect. They know that at this stage in his career, he's far from a great manager. However, they like his ideals and philosophy enough that they're willing to let him grow with the team and perhaps grow into a great manager. The type of on the job training teams will give a prospect or reclamation type when there's no better option available, and they know that at this point they know that the team is not in a position to spend on a higher profile replacement, or even replace him for the sake of replacing him, when the next guy likely won't be any better. Truth be told, far too many first time managers seem to be let go after a few poor seasons, and sometimes it's simply not fair because they really have nothing to work with.

If Kevin Goldstein were back in his old gig, I'm guessing that he's already be cursing the name Rock Shoulders.

Does NSBB still have a Brewer fan faction, or did they all pretty much stomp off and slam the door behind them during Braungate?

Do Loosen and Jokisch profile as anything more than depth? How do they compare with depth guys like Coleman, Raley, and Rusin when they were at the same levels?

To be honest, it would be great if he were more than a back end guy, but regardless, I really hope that the plan isn't for him to be our 2 starter. I think that a realistic rotation for 2015 and beyond would be: Price (trade), Shark, 2013 1st Rounder, Jackson(could be traded by then), Wood/Vizcaino/Cabrera/Loux and further down the road sprinkle in whichever of Paniaqua/Wells/Maples/Peralta/Pierce Johnson/Underwood/Blackburn/other 2013 picks pan out; and if enough of these guys don't pan out to be at least mid rotation starters by 2016, then we're doing something very wrong. There's always the possibility that one or more of Struck/Beeler/Jokisch/Loosen/Cates/Rhee end up as slightly more than depth, though I wouldn't put money on it. I like Wood, but he could also be very tradeable.

Except for that whole not getting on base thing, I guess. That's why I said projects as, not is. If he can get on base more often, that touch of power he seems to have could make him a much cheaper Michael Bourn. What part of a career .324 OBP projects to a good leadoff man? We're talking an incredibly small sample size. Michael Bourn is a few notches up at .339 which netted him a 48MM deal. Like Bourn and unlike the Campanas and Gathrights of the world, Borbon isn't just a guy who hits singles. I'm not saying that Borbon will be Michael Bourn, just that it's the best case scenario, and if all we're giving up is a roster spot which was previously occupied by spare parts, I like the move.

Barrett Loux finally has a decent one: 5 IP, 0 R 3H, 1/6 BB/K And the Ian-O-Meter has yet to crack .000, but he had a pair of walks.

Steve Trachsel in 2007 was so insanely weird. Let's not forget John Liebers 2008 return.

Only the Cubs Brewers. Seriously, that has to rank somewhere in the top 10 list of WTFiest plays ever.

You know when players leave a team and they take out an add in a local paper thanking the fans? When Kevin Gregg is inevitably cut, his will simply read "What, did you think that I somehow wouldn't suck anymore?"

(again) It really is surreal I havn't been particularly bothered by the signing, but then actually seeing him in a Cubs uniform on the mound did make me throw up in my mouth a bit.

Not one of Shark's finer moments, but there's something to be said for a guy who has a 1st inning as rough as his and then comes back to pitch 6 more strong ones.

This could certainly be going better.

Except for that whole not getting on base thing, I guess. That's why I said projects as, not is. If he can get on base more often, that touch of power he seems to have could make him a much cheaper Michael Bourn.

They probably want to collect as many decent OFers as they can for if/when they trade Soriano and/or DeJesus. My guess is that until DeJesus is traded, he'll basically be treated as a Rule 5 pick in that they'll be sacrificing a roster spot for the purpose of storage. Can't say I don't like the move. He recently turned 27 and projects as that mythical prototypical leadoff hitter.

I'm really not concerned about Wood. Again, he won;t be a sub 2.00 ERA pitcher, but if last year is any indication, we could do a lot worse for a 4-5 starter, especially since he's under control through 2017.

Despite the 2-3 W/L recors over the past 7 games, we'vehad some great ofensive numbers from virtually all regulars aside from Rizzo and the 2B dead-weight. Over that stretch, Valbuena has hit .273 with an OPS in the mid/high .700s, something that I'd gladly take and run from our cumulative 3B. Obviously, Castillo and Schierhotlz are hitting well above their heads, but I think they can be productive beyond that. Rizzo should heat up. Soriano's been on a tear and Castro's looking great. We've had 3 quality starts, as well as the one from Jackson in which he looked like Justin Verlander for 5 innings and Chris Volstad for 1. Get Garza in that mix, and our rotation looks good, depending on who's spot he takes. I'd like to think that Feldman as the odd man out would be a no brainer, but due to the bullpen struggles and Villanueva's history as a swing man, I have to wonder if they move him. I really hope not. I don't expect a sub 2.00 ERA from him all season, but as a guy who's always been a spot starter or swingman throughout his career, I'd be very interested to see what he can do with a full season as a starter. There's the obvious issue of the pen. Marmol is said to be "working his way back" to closer, but if that doesn't happen, a plan B would be nice. I really don't mind a middle relief core of Camp, Bowden, Rondon and Russell as a 7th-8th inning guy. We just need that closer. And some power off the bench would be nice. Hairston is supposed to be just that, but needless to say, it hasn't worked out early on. Cody Ransom has yet to see action, but I don't expect much more production when he does. We could always cycle through Sweeney and Bogusevic, left handed or not and bring up Stewart to replace Ransom or Gonzalez. As brutal as he's been early on for Iowa, I can't imagine him being much worse than the alternatives. When Garza returns and Rizzo heats up, this could be a watchable team. I wouldn't make plans to watch them in October, but if going game by game as I did when I was younger, I could actually have fun watching them. What's more is that there are a lot of guys that should be viable options beyond 2014. Soriano, DeJesus, and Marmol could all be traded between now and next winter. Hairston and Camp arent likely to be around beyond 2013, and could be traded as well even if it is for a tin of expired Skoal. Garza could still be extended, and side from the spare parts shop that makes up the bench,everyone else could potentially be a useful part of the future on some level. Granted, this alone may not make for an exciting future, but it could cetainly leave plenty of money to add some imapct players through FA or trade, depedning whan the New Breed begin funneling through.

He was a pretty significant overslot as I recall, so he's not just another Justin Bour or Rebel Ridling.

I'm slowly becoming a Brun-Liever.

Very true. I don't think that anyone out there expects that Castillo will be hitting .400 or Schierholtz OPSing 1.000 for much longer, but when Garza returns, and if Wood and Villanueva continue to be a formidable back end, this team might just watching for something other than draft position. Needless to say, it would help if somebody were to step up as a reliable closer.

DeJesus trade value is what we should be exploring. And here's to hoping that Schierholtz can have a DeRosa-esque breakout and we cash him in July or the Winter.

Hopefully the weather holds up long enough to make this one official, but not long enough for the bullpen to factor into it.

Surely a few people remember this guy.