mattlantz

Tim McCarver is an Idiot

Just wanted to say that.  He's calling the national telecast of the Brewers-Red Sox game today.

Prince in the NY Times

The NY Times has an article on Prince becoming a vegetarian.  It's a decent article.

Prince HR Online Tool

This thing from JS Online is pretty cool.  It's a database with information about each of Prince Fielder's home runs.

This Story Ain't Going Away

Prince still isn't happy, but that might be a good thing for this season.

So Fielder led the National League in dingers, finished third in the MVP voting and finished second in the NL All-Star Game balloting. Pick a category -- RBIs, slugging percentage, extra-base hits, runs, walks, total bases -- and Fielder's numbers were among the league's best. And by the way, Milwaukee manager Ned Yost calls him "the heart and soul" of the Brewers and says he's "feared" by other teams.

At 23.

"There's only a few hitters in the league that really intimidate teams and managers, [where] you're looking to see when this guy gets up," Yost said. "And he's one of them."

But business is business, which is why the Brewers renewed the first baseman's contract for $670K. This is like bidding $39 for a Priceline room and getting the presidential suite at the Waldorf. It's a steal -- or as Fielder sees it, an insult.

Fielder's Not Happy

This isn't good.  Prince is not happy with his contract renewal at $670,000.  The Brewers have an incentive-based system for determining the salaries of players before they reach arbitration eligibility.  But Prince expected to be paid at least what Ryan Howard got last year; $900,000.  I think they should have talked to Prince's a-hole agent Scott Boras and found out what Prince wanted.  I'm pretty sure that Prince is the kind of guy who holds a grudge.  Plus he's probably pissed off because he's hungry!

Brewers: Serious Contenders or "Not Quite Yet"

Jerry Crasnick has a Brewers preview on ESPN.com.

The Brewers were on their way to becoming a national story last year when they were done in by inferior defense, underperforming veterans and a failure to win on the road. Their 83 victories were the franchise's highest total since 1992, but after leading the National League Central by 8½ games on June 23, they were left with a nagging sense that they'd blown a major opportunity. To the Cubs, no less.

Little T!

This is a great article on espn.com by Tom Friend about Anthony Gwynn, Jr. and the triple he hit off Trevor Hoffman in the second to last game of the 2007 season.

The most intriguing at-bat of 2007 is leaking into 2008. You can sense it by the way a 25-year-old wannabe struts through his February workouts. You can sense it by the way a 40-year-old shoulder shrugs at the line of questioning. You can sense it by the way a Hall of Famer is uncomfortably stuck in the middle. And you can sense it by the way a filthy rich man stares into space.

Brewers Fantasy Team Preview

Eric Karabell doesn't think the Brewers can overtake the Cubs this year.  Obviously, I disagree.

Meet your 2008 Milwaukee Brewers. As "The Who" once yelled, "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss." Just insert the word "Brewers" for "boss."

Tennis Scandal

I think Davydenko is in trouble - from ESPN.com.

The Phillips report states that between September 2005, when the "RustER" account opened, and April 2007, the account's average bet was just $814. But on Aug. 2, with the Sopot match even, the "RustEr" account wagered $253,833 on Vassallo Argeullo to win, backing him, at one point, as an overwhelming 1-11 favorite.

Ryan Braun on ESPN.com

Jayson Stark’s column talks about Ryan Braun’s move to left field.  It turns out that Braun is alone in baseball history as a rookie of the year who plays a totally different position the next year.