Question about Mark A now that the Crew failed to make playoffs (Latest 10/10: Roenicke will return, Johnny Narron and Iorg gone)

[Bombers]

trwi7 - I should clarify. I meant bright in, I still believe Mark A is a great Owner, our marketing dept is still phenomenal, and our prospects in the lower system do have a lot of intrigue. Our future looks bright in terms of future revenue. As for prospects, yes, in the immediate future - not so bright in terms of who we have knocking on the door to get onto the big league club. (Crickets) Thus why I would say, roll the die one more time for 2015 and if we are bad mid-year, sell off all those expiring contracts in trades. But either way, I don't see Mark A firing Melvin. Maybe RRR goes, which I honestly could go either way with - but I don't see Melvin getting canned. Just as I don't see Ted getting canned either. (He has made the playoffs for 5 straight seasons and 6 of 7 going back to the 07 season.) While Melvin clearly doesn't have the track record of Ted, he has put together winning teams and ultimately a profit.

[Bombers]

have I seen enough of this regime? Do I want to head in a completely different direction?

 

Yes and yes.

 

And interesting analogy with the Packers, because it's time for a change there as well. I'm a big believer in regime change in pro sports, unless someone is just doing an incredibly good job that can't be argued. Otherwise things get stagnant. Give it another year. Try replacing the coaches below the Manager/ Head Caach...ok that buys another year.

 

No, pull the band-aid off in one rip, and start over. It doesn't mean DM is a horrible GM, or even that RR is a horrible manager. Sometimes it's just best to bring in new people with new ideas and approach, and I think this one of those times. Of course, none of that will happen, just saying what I WANT to see.

I am just not in favor of regime changes unless things hit bottom of the barrel. To me regime changes are for complete 180's and I do not think either franchise needs one. In 2001 the Lions wanted a regime change after making the playoffs 6 times out of 12 years under Chuck Schmidt. The brought in Matt Millen which kicked off a decade of suckatude. They are still wringing their hands of the failure that Millen was. As I said, buyer beware, the grass isn't always greener when you clean house.

 

I do like the thought of new idea's and approach's and why a more likely option is RRR being tossed out. (Especially with us needing a replacement for the late Bruce Seid, Doug being sent packing seems unrealistic to me.)

[TheCrew07]

Some more food for thought.

 

In November 2009, the Packers dropped to 4-4 losing to the Tampa Bay Buccs. The same bucs who hadn't won a game since November 2008. The same Buccaneers, who hadn't scored more than 21 points in a game that season, tallied 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter alone. The GB fans were calling for Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy's head like no other. Fire them ALL!

 

I get what you're trying to say here, but I see the situations as apples and oranges. The Packers actually are competitive every year, continually turn over their roster, and for the most part invest their money wisely. (I'm no fan of AJ Hawk or Brad Jones). I'm no McCarthy fan on game day, I think he's an excellent motivator but his play calling drives me insane, but that was a regime which was just getting started at that time. DM has been at the helm now over 10 years and we have 1 NLCS loss to hang our hat on in that time frame.

 

The Brewers have been a roller coaster in that we've had some nice up years with too many down years in between. I also understand that attendance is important but winning is the most important aspect of attendance. I think many years Brewer fans are duped by moves that may look good on paper for names they recognize and bring some measure of hope, but the return on the field just hasn't been there. 2008 was following by horrible years in 2009 and 2010, 2011 followed by 2012 and 2013, and 2014 is shaping up to be a huge disappoint as well. Yes I know in 2012 they were slightly over .500 and we'll likely be over .500 this year, but have the been Brewers been truly competitive in any year outside of 2011?

 

I don't give a damn about attendance, I do care about an aging and expensive MLB roster, as I view attendance as function of what happens on the field of play, not the other way around, I believe that in the end winning drives attendance. Yes fans like the high profile acquisitions, deadline moves, and most of what DM and MA have done, but what has the ultimate result of all that been on the field? At some point don't we need to take a step back and take stock looking at the big picture? The vast majority of the "win now" moves haven't helped the team in the short or long term, it hasn't been "working" by any measure but attendance and I'm not a fan to make the ownership group more money, which is why I haven't made the trip down to Miller Park in 3 or 4 years now. I buy some gear here and there, but I've spent far more on the T-Rats than I have on the Brewers because that's really the only way I can voice my disapproval.

 

Maybe we've set the bar too low, as a fan base we seem to be happy just to be above .500 and have a shot at the playoffs. Personally I've always been aiming higher than that, I didn't believe the 2014 Brewers were a legit contender when they were healthy to start the year and I certainly don't feel any better about them now.

 

I don't dislike the front office on a personal level, in fact DM and MA seem like very good people, and both are loyal which is a trait I hold in high esteem, I just have major issues with the way the franchise has been operating. I never believed their business model would lead to sustainable excellence on the field and they've done nothing to prove me wrong over the years. If the Packers were going 8-8 or 9-7 every year with a high water mark of 12-4 and a loss in the NFC championship game you bet people would be calling for heads, because 9-7 with a potential WC isn't an acceptable bar for the Packers. Lambeau would still be sold out but fan base would be extremely restless.

 

I have a hard believing most Brewer fans feel good about the state of the franchise at this point in time but I don't think that being over .500 and competing for a WC should be an acceptable bar for the Brewers either. In 2006 or 2007 as our first wave was maturing before our eyes sure that would have been acceptable, but it shouldn't be acceptable any longer.

[Bombers]

All good comments TheCrew. I agree, the Brewers have been a complete roller coaster. and I agree, I as a fan want them to operate like the packers and say nothing but Championships is acceptable. I do think we as Brewers fans have a low bar. It isn't anything like the Packers. But in the end, it all comes down to if Mark A wants to take that gamble. Maybe he does. Maybe he wants more, but it is his pocket book.

 

And on a side note, maybe the Packers should have canned TT and MM in 2009. At the conclusion of that year John Schneider left the Packers front office and took over as GM of the Seahawks and Pete Carroll was brought in. So maybe if they listened to the fans, we would have Schneider and Carroll at the helm. Just saying.

 

As for starting a new regime, I can't sit here and say I know who is an up and coming GM or a good GM who will be available this off season. I am just saying, a GM change seems unrealistic coming from Mark A. (But who knows - maybe he will surprise us and start over.)

[FVBrewerFan]

I am just not in favor of regime changes unless things hit bottom of the barrel. To me regime changes are for complete 180's and I do not think either franchise needs one. In 2001 the Lions wanted a regime change after making the playoffs 6 times out of 12 years under Chuck Schmidt.

 

Well, the Lions made a bad choice. Hiring Matt Millen doesn't prove regime change is a bad idea, it proves Lions ownership made a horrible decision. One of many.

 

Why would you want to wait for things to hit bottom of the barrel? Heck, you just said so yourself. If the Packers canned Thompson back in 2009, you can Schneider. Who it turn would have brought Carroll. You tell me, how has that worked out for both sides?

 

Finally, regime change doesn't always mean a complete 180 on everything an organization is doing. If you wait hit bottom, it takes that much longer to get to the top- especially in baseball.

 

The Brewers need a GM from a team that has pitching in it's DNA. Someone who can build a staff that can identify, draft, and develop pitching talent. That's it. That's the only hope the BRewers have to win a World Series, unless they have a "perfect storm" one year and get incredibly lucky/hot in the playoffs. While that's one way to do it, I'll take option A- a GM that will build the Brewers into a pitching organization. (And move the walls back at Miller Park.)

[danzig6767]

Some more food for thought.

 

In November 2009, the Packers dropped to 4-4 losing to the Tampa Bay Buccs. The same bucs who hadn't won a game since November 2008. The same Buccaneers, who hadn't scored more than 21 points in a game that season, tallied 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter alone. The GB fans were calling for Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy's head like no other. Fire them ALL! That was a common thought. But for what? Why would they throw it all away and start over. (And in GB you are dealing with a president and a board of directors - no owner) ... But I still knew no one was getting fired. Not after just making it to the NFC Championship in 2007. Drastic decisions are for desperate times. The Packers were not desperate then and the Brewers are not desperate now. Our future as an organization still looks bright.

 

Now we all know the Packers went on and won the Super Bowl the next year (not saying the Brewers are winning it all in 2015) - but sometimes you have to take a step back as a fan and put yourself in the shoes of the decision makers and ask yourself - have I seen enough of this regime? Do I want to head in a completely different direction?

 

The NFL is a completely different sport from baseball though.

 

In football, if you have an elite QB, that team has a near free ride to the playoffs almost every year so long as that QB stays healthy. Go look through the Packers history with Favre and now Rodgers, they only missed the playoffs a few times over two decades and only finished under .500 i believe twice. Same for guys like Peyton Manning and Brady. It's like having a major superstar in the NBA, those teams with one make the playoffs most of the time.

 

Baseball is a very different animal. You need a good 25 man roster to win. When Texas got A-Rod in his prime, he was the LeBron of baseball, yet the Rangers never made the playoffs with Rodriguez because the roster around him was not good enough.

 

Melvin is a solid GM and not someone who i think has to go like some terrible GM's needed to, but i am at the point where i'd like to see a change. Sure, a new GM could end up doing worse than Doug has, but a new GM could also end up doing better. Sometimes a sports franchise needs to try reaching higher than just solid performance, even if there is a chance that the replacement ends up being a bad hire. Small market teams in baseball generally need an upper tier GM to consistently win and i wouldn't put Melvin at that level.

[Bombers]

I am just not in favor of regime changes unless things hit bottom of the barrel. To me regime changes are for complete 180's and I do not think either franchise needs one. In 2001 the Lions wanted a regime change after making the playoffs 6 times out of 12 years under Chuck Schmidt.

 

Well, the Lions made a bad choice. Hiring Matt Millen doesn't prove regime change is a bad idea, it proves Lions ownership made a horrible decision. One of many.

 

Why would you want to wait for things to hit bottom of the barrel? Heck, you just said so yourself. If the Packers canned Thompson back in 2009, you can Schneider. Who it turn would have brought Carroll. You tell me, how has that worked out for both sides?

 

Finally, regime change doesn't always mean a complete 180 on everything an organization is doing. If you wait hit bottom, it takes that much longer to get to the top- especially in baseball.

 

The Brewers need a GM from a team that has pitching in it's DNA. Someone who can build a staff that can identify, draft, and develop pitching talent. That's it. That's the only hope the BRewers have to win a World Series, unless they have a "perfect storm" one year and get incredibly lucky/hot in the playoffs. While that's one way to do it, I'll take option A- a GM that will build the Brewers into a pitching organization. (And move the walls back at Miller Park.)

I wasn't accurate in my post. Regime changes can be successful even if you are not at the bottom of the barrel. They can be successful with teams who are having success. (Look at the Packers with the change from Sherman to Thompson. Sherman made the playoffs a lot and then had one horrible year.) Maybe 2015 is setting up like that, maybe the Brewers should foresee the collapse coming and just end Melvin's tenure now. Try and turn this around while you still can. I shouldn't have gave the notion that it won't work. That was wrong. It can work. And in a little over 3 weeks we will see what Mark A's thoughts are too.

[danzig6767]

 

The Brewers need a GM from a team that has pitching in it's DNA. Someone who can build a staff that can identify, draft, and develop pitching talent. That's it. That's the only hope the BRewers have to win a World Series, unless they have a "perfect storm" one year and get incredibly lucky/hot in the playoffs. While that's one way to do it, I'll take option A- a GM that will build the Brewers into a pitching organization. (And move the walls back at Miller Park.)

 

I don't agree with this. You can win with great hitting so long as your pitching is at least solid.

 

Look at the Angels this year. They have the best record in baseball even though their pitching is only solid, but they lead the league in runs scored. Two years ago the Cardinals won a World Series even though in the playoffs their rotation struggled a lot, but their offense was fabulous. Last year the Red Sox lead the league in runs scored, but their pitching was only solid.

 

On the flip side, Seattle, Oakland, and Tampa have the best three ERA numbers in the AL, yet none of them could end up in the playoffs.

 

FWIW, i'm not dismissing the importance of pitching, but scoring runs wins games as preventing runs does. You need both, not mainly just one of the two. If Melvin were to be replaced, the Brewers simply need to hire a smart overall GM, not a pitching centric GM.

[brewcrewdue80]

Some more food for thought.

 

In November 2009, the Packers dropped to 4-4 losing to the Tampa Bay Buccs. The same bucs who hadn't won a game since November 2008. The same Buccaneers, who hadn't scored more than 21 points in a game that season, tallied 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter alone. The GB fans were calling for Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy's head like no other. Fire them ALL! That was a common thought. But for what? Why would they throw it all away and start over. (And in GB you are dealing with a president and a board of directors - no owner) ... But I still knew no one was getting fired. The Packers were not desperate then and the Brewers are not desperate now. Our future as an organization still looks bright.

 

Hold on. That comparison is of the halfway point in a football season 4-4 and you're looking at that being of use to the Brewers Current situation? GB finished 11-5! Hell beating Dallas the very next week most likely squashed any and all Fire TT/McCarthy just because the team beat Dallas.

 

The Brewers are Desperate now. Trading for Broxton shown that Aug 31st. Putting in countless numbers of RP claims in Aug was desperate.

 

They've gone from virtual Playoff lock(97%+) I believe in a predictor before this collapse began. To now being as close to picking 12th again as they are winning the division.

 

The Brewers are dangerously close, now, after this epic collapse, to taking a huge step backwards with the fan base.

If they bring back this same roster, essentially, with the same GM & same manager, it is going to be an extremely difficult sell to the fans. The Brewers could lose a significant amount of money next year.

I see Mark A as having 2 choices: wholesale changes in the player roster including unprecedented dips into free agency, or cleaning house with the front office.

The fans need to see that the 2015 Brewers won't be the "same old Brewers"

 

What 3&2 said is absolutely correct. For the same reason in 2013 I was optimistic in 2014 this Brewer team can compete is going to be the exact reason why I have zero faith they'll compete in 2015. It's the Same team, that finished with the 11th worst record in 2013 and is heading for the 12-14th worst record in 2014 by adding just Matt Garza/Davis/Gennett

 

The only way this team succeeds next season is to be rid of 2 of the Swinging 1st pitch hitters Gomez,Braun,ARam, and Segura. 2 of them must be gone to start 2015. Now the Fan's answer is easy, get rid of Braun/Segura as they are by far the biggest disappointments of the 4. But the GM in me says, Gomez/ARam are the ones that can be traded/ that will be wanted.

 

Or MA makes the cleaning house of the FO decision.

Now I look at the FA landscape and this becomes my prediction. Gallardo's option isn't picked up. ARam's is. No FO changes. Mike Morse is given a 1year 10-14mil contract solving 1b for next season. Braun is forced to have surgery. The team adds a RP with Closing experience to be the 8th in guy behind Broxton as Closer.

 

The team either wins early like this season to then make a major addition trade to win in 2015 or is completely torn apart before July 31st taking with it Roenicke then, and Melvin at the end of the season. Say bye-bye in that scenario to Gomez,Braun,Aram,Lohse, Garza, Broxton, Morse. The team gives Lucroy an extension then with it's newfound payroll along with Peralta. Waives Segura after the season. And 2016 we see Taylor/Arcia/Lara/Davis/Gennett with 1b remaining a black hole. As being the core to build upon awaiting Harrison/Medeiros/Gatewood to arrive.

[monty57]

I think the direction of the franchise has been set by Attanasio, and Melvin has done as good a job as anyone at following that directive. The flaw has been in the overall plan apparently set by the owner, not the person who made the day-to-day moves. Therefore, changing the GM will do nothing unless Attanasio also changes his stance.

 

It was fun following the Brewers starting in the Dean Taylor years as a plan was drawn up and talent started entering the lower level of the system. Even though the MLB teams were pretty bad, I found joy in knowing that better days were ahead. It's been harder to get excited over the past few years because the moves made during our "window" of 2008-2011 made us less talented for the future. I had fun in 2011, when we had a good team that played to its ability, but it was pretty obvious that the future would not be as bright. That's why even though I was pleasantly surprised that this year's team was in first place, I couldn't get as excited as I used to get, because I went the whole season waiting for the balloon to burst. I hoped it wouldn't, but I figured it would. Unfortunately for me, the last three seasons have been spent hoping I was wrong.

 

We've had collapses each of the past three years. Maybe this collapse coming at the end of the year rather than the beginning of the year will be the kick in the pants that will show Attanasio that the strategy he's implemented isn't well suited for a medium/small market. But, firing Roenicke and/or Melvin will do nothing. In my opinion, they would be much better off keeping Roenicke and Melvin and changing the direction which is set by the owner.

 

I think the poster who mentioned attendance hit the nail on the head. Attanasio is very afraid of alienating the fan base and losing revenue/attendance, so I doubt his stance will change. Therefore, while the best strategy may be to trade off some guys like Lohse, Gallardo and Broxton and letting the young players play, I can't see it happening. More likely is that Roenicke will get the axe, another second-tier "name" player or two will be signed in free agency, and we will continue to turn ourselves back into the Brewers of the mid-90s.

 

Sorry for the negativity, but I don't see any reason Ramirez will exercise his option, opening up another big hole in the roster. We have no one in the upper minors ready to step in and even with money to spend, we won't be able to fill all the holes through free agency, and we don't have many marketable prospects to bring back MLB talent. We probably won't even be a .500 talent team going into next year, and then we'll lose much of our rotation going into 2016. Seems like a broken record, but what do we do this offseason; go with an expensive team that probably won't make the playoffs, or trade a few wins "today" for the hopes of more wins "tomorrow"? If history is any indicator, we'll do the former.

[adambr2]

What Mark A needs is a GM that has a vision like this:

 

"Mark, I can't promise you that we'll play competitive baseball next year, or even the year after. I can't promise that I'm going to go for it if I see a hint of a window opening up. What I can promise you is the long-term goal and vision for this organization is to bring a World Series to Milwaukee, and everything I do will be with the focus of that long-term goal in mind. I'm going to dedicate every resource necessary to scouting and development. My MO as general manager will be getting the most out of every dollar we spend on this team, avoiding wasteful spending and exercising patience. I am going to work tirelessly to find us a manager that fits that vision and can maximize the talents of each of our players. I'm only the right man for this if you're willing to have patience, but I can promise you that your patience will be rewarded."

[jerichoholicninja]

What Mark A needs is a GM that has a vision like this:

 

"Mark, I can't promise you that we'll play competitive baseball next year, or even the year after. I can't promise that I'm going to go for it if I see a hint of a window opening up. What I can promise you is the long-term goal and vision for this organization is to bring a World Series to Milwaukee, and everything I do will be with the focus of that long-term goal in mind. I'm going to dedicate every resource necessary to scouting and development. My MO as general manager will be getting the most out of every dollar we spend on this team, avoiding wasteful spending and exercising patience. I am going to work tirelessly to find us a manager that fits that vision and can maximize the talents of each of our players. I'm only the right man for this if you're willing to have patience, but I can promise you that your patience will be rewarded."

 

I don't think that's the guy Mark wants though.

[nate82]

I hate making these absolute statements but there is no chance at all that Melvin is fired. Melvin is here until he retires which maybe sooner than later. Roenicke has at least one more year as the manager of this team. The only guarantee is that there will be some changes like the hitting coach being replaced but that may not even happen.

 

I do not see Mark A making a drastic change at all. This forum is probably going to blow up when this happens though.

[TURBO]

I agree with you nate. MA is going to roll at least one more year with the current set-up. RRR is safe, and to be honest, I don't think it matters if they lose every game the rest of the season.

[brewmann04]

I am still of the other school with a hugh collaspe Mark A will make changes within this team.

[Pugger]

Has Mark A been around Miller Park during this home stretch?

[DocLuna7]

Has Mark A been around Miller Park during this home stretch?

 

I purposely looked to his seats to see if he was there tonight and noticed that they were empty.

[The stache]

The Brewers are going to make money because we were playing much better than we were expected to play. But this team has tanked, and Mark shouldn't expect the same kind of home attendance numbers next year unless changes are made. And I mean serious changes.

 

With the money Melvin had at his disposal, we shouldn't be rolling out spare parts at first base. Yet this is now two years in a row the position has been an unmitigated disaster.

 

 

The Brewers are going to make money again this year. So what is the incentive for Mark A to say, lets change this up. As a fan, sure we want change - it isn't our money - roll the die - let the heads roll. Change up every spot in the organization. But we are fans, fanatics, not owners. And sometimes the grass isn't always greener on the other side.

 

[logan82]

If we had to miss the playoffs and have a barely above .500 record I am glad we tanked in the second half instead of starting bad and having a late season surge. Hopefully this will dampen enthusiasm enough for next year we see some meaningful changes to how the Brewers operate. I was more upset with the Brewers surge at the end of last year than I am with their collapse this year. This whole season I have been waiting for the other shoe to drop. I didn't expect the shoe to be made out of cement.

[Bombers]

So after reading everyone's comments; my question now is; so if Mark A doesn't make a change - do you want a new owner? Because if you don't make a change this offseason, then when will you?

 

My take is - Mark is in it for the profit thus I don't see any way Melvin gets canned. Maybe he will surprise me, but I just don't see him making a move to can Melvin. Melvin should can RRR for just making horrible decisions and basically wasting a season away that you were in first place near the end of August.

[monty57]

The Brewers are going to make money because we were playing much better than we were expected to play. But this team has tanked, and Mark shouldn't expect the same kind of home attendance numbers next year unless changes are made. And I mean serious changes.

 

Because of how this season has played out, ticket sales will be slow this offseason. Attanasio knows this, and that will be what spurs him to action. The past two offseasons, his action has been to ignore Melvin and sign a second-tier, aging pitcher to a multi-year contract. We'll have to see what he does this year.

 

so if Mark A doesn't make a change - do you want a new owner?

 

I hope Attanasio gets introspective and realizes that his interference is a big part of the reason that we're in the shape we're in, causing him to listen to the "baseball guy" in the room (Melvin), but we're not getting a new owner. Attanasio was a serious contender for commissioner, so he's highly regarded among other owners, and he still seems to be liked by most fans due both to his likable nature and his willingness to spend money on the team. He seems to be a smart guy, so I hope he can realize that there are other ways to do things, and that his fondness for over-the-hill, expensive "name" players and his seeming belief that the main purpose of the farm is to breed trade chips probably aren't long-term beneficial to the franchise.

 

He's commented multiple times on the need to weigh today versus tomorrow and has always put more weight on "today." After a decade or so of this thinking, tomorrow is here. Really, it has been for a few years, but maybe the front office will start to realize it. The problem is that if he finally starts thinking about "tomorrow" now, "tomorrow" is probably a long ways away. It's getting slimmer, but we still have a shot at the playoffs this season. I hope we make it, because the next few seasons probably won't be really pretty, especially if Attanasio once again decides to "go for it" next year.

[Point Beer Is Best]

In regards to whether or not Melvin is on the hot seat, I think you'd have to ask the question, "Whose idea was it to 'go for it' on multiple occasions?"

 

Whose idea was it to sign Suppan? Did Doug Melvin really think that was a smart baseball move knowing they were a couple of years away from really contending, or was that Mark wanting to make a splash to show that things were going to be different?

 

Whose idea was it to trade for Sabathia? Obviously the merits of this move have long been debated and both have valid points.

 

Whose idea was it to trade away the future for 2 years of Marcum & Greinke and then let Fielder walk, rather than trade Fielder and add to an already strong farm system that was just about to bear fruit?

 

We don't really know the answer to those questions. But we know that the combination of Mark & Melvin right now is generally a recipe that will produce a mediocre product with short-term fixes because it's pretty evident that the team is avoiding any sort of complete rebuild that would impact ticket & merchandise sales.

[MJLiverock]

So what is this magical play for tomorrow formula supposed to yield? And who is doing it with great success? The A's? Twins? Rays? Royals? Pirates? haven't seen them win any WS of late and frankly have been hit or miss on being decent to poor with few occurrences of being great, pretty much like the Brewers of the last 6 or 7 years. These small market teams aren't going to be multi year WS winners and put together dynasties because eventually the flipping for prospects misses a few times, no matter how good the scouting department is, and suddenly an air pocket develops in the talent pool to make up for FA's that can't be kept. Remember how stacked the Brewers Huntsville team seemed a few years back? Have any of them made an impact at the ML level? Michael Brantley, I guess would be the best and he wasn't that highly thought of in comparison to the rest.

 

I have no problem with any of the trades the Brewers have made to make a couple playoff pushes in the past 6 years. This team this year pushing like it has is a surprise to almost everyone, the collapse is disappointing, but it isn't like they mortgaged the future this year in anyway either. I can't imagine how ticked some of you would be if you were an A's fan and facing missing the playoffs after all the trades that supposedly made them a lock.

 

I don't want to be continually playing for the future and watching the AA team hoping by some miracle all the hyped players make it the big leagues and produce. Sure it is fun when the big league team stinks and after two decades of seeing no improvement it is all anyone is left with. Sometimes I wonder if some fans have an obsession with delaying gratification with the desire to constantly be building for some future date that never comes or only if everything lines up perfectly then and only then consider it a go for it year. I think the minor league system is weak but it isn't as bad as after the last period of being a playoff or near caliber team of the early 80's when the ML roster was old and there was nothing coming. I am not against prospects or being judicious in spending money but I also don't believe every prospect traded away is damaging the long term success of the team or that every vet traded for a prospect would have netted the Brewers the next Adam Wainwright either: Partially because the scouting department has been missing a lot more than some of the better teams, and partially because baseball scouting in really hard and everyone misses a lot. Because of the low hit rates on prospects I don't to constantly place all my bets on them panning out at the expense of the near term higher chance of success of a good major league roster, which is why the go for it years have been fine in my view.

[DuWayne Steurer]

The Brewers aren't like the A's or the Rays or the Pirates though. The Brewers are smack in the middle of the league in payroll. If the Brewers were consistently developing good talent, we wouldn't have to do what the Rays do which is continuously turn over their roster. The Brewers can afford to hold onto guys when they see fit, if it doesn't break the bank. They CAN afford to bring in a guy as they see fit. The Rays and A's and Royals etc, can't operate that way.

[dlk9s]

lol at even maybe, possibly, hypothetical thinking of wanting a new owner. I mean, holy crap at that idea.