Why Is Everyone Picking The Milwaukee Brewers At The Bottom Of Their Division?

 The Milwaukee Brewers the last few years have been the model of consistency. Each year making a respectable showing many times winning the division outright. Fast forward to 2024 and it seems all the hard work the Brewers have done is now be taken granted for these days. Why is is that? Let's take a closer look at Milwaukee in 2024.

I can understand why everyone believes Milwaukee will struggling to be a team about the .500 level. They traded away Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff is gone for the season and Devin Williams will be out extended time. These are very good reasons to think Milwaukee will struggle all season long. I think it will not be as bad as people may think.

Devin Williams will be out around 3 to 4 months and then he will be back. The bullpen Milwaukee has right now should be able to hold it together until he gets back. The starting pitching is something that worries me a little. Once you get past Freddy Peralta it really gets sketchy.

There are guys who have pitched for other teams were brought in and a few young arms also will be sprinkled in as well. Milwaukee has been known to get the most out of their pitchers and 2024 won't be any different as well. As far as scoring Milwaukee has plenty of youth and veterans to add punch to the lineup. Toss in Gary Sanchez and Rhys Hoskins and the Brewers should be able to score runs.

I think Milwaukee will surprise a lot of people in 2024 and be contending again for a playoff berth or division title. Milwaukee loves winning the division, so do not count them out for that either.

March Madness Is Must See Television For Sports Fans

Years ago March Madness was so much different. When you created brackets you knew most №1 seeds had an excellent chance of making the Finals. Now you cannot even make that claim aymore. Even a №16 seed could upset a Top-Ranked team in this tournament.

It has become where almost anyone can win a game in this tournament. Twenty years ago that was a rare thing indeed. This has made March Madness a must see anymore. You never know now who will win or lose a game. This means even the smaller schools have a chance to win some games in the tournament.

Does this mean we will see a smaller school win this tournament soon. I do not forecast that for awhile, but we are getting closer to that point. Players are choosing smaller colleges to play for where before that was taboo. As smaller colleges start getting better players the field will even out even more.

I enjoy the more level playing field in college basketball. March Madness for me now becomes a must watch for every round. Years ago it just wasn’t that way so I’m glad for this closer then ever playing field.

Brewers Fans Cant Stand The Process To Win A Championship Milwaukee Uses

 Many Brewers fans hate the process and approach that the Brewers as a team take. No matter what approach you take the fans want to see a World Series championship year after year. Now I do agree with that thinking some factors play into why that may not be possible in Milwaukee. Let's take a closer look what fans should expect from the Brewers year after year.

The first thing people look at is payroll and Milwaukee does not have one of the highest ones because ownership cannot afford it. Milwaukee is a dollars and sense organization if they want to compete in Major League Baseball. They watch what they spend and the players they offer long-term contracts too. I do not blame them and for the last five or six years this way has worked well for the Brewers.

Fans love rooting for players and want to see players long-term in Milwaukee and that will only happen to one or two players who are very talented. Milwaukee will always be about putting a winning team on the field with the least cost possible. Fans can like it or hate, but that will not change Milwaukee's approach to winning a championship. Can Milwaukee ever win a World Series? Let's take a closer look at this right now.

For the Brewers to win a World Series everything must fall into place. The main reason for this thinking is because the Brewers have to high of a turnover rate in players. Milwaukee will keep trying for the fans even if they hate the approach. The only thing Brewers fans can really do is cheer for whose on the field and hope one day they can break through.

Brewers Ship Corbin Burnes To Orioles For Prospects In Major Move

 The Milwaukee Brewers surprised many people including me when they shipped Corbin Burnes to the Baltimore Orioles for some very good prospects. Milwaukee has never been a team to pay their players and the model continues under GM Matt Arnold. Milwaukee has always been a franchise that keeps players and develops them as long as they can before they trade them away. Fans get upset seeing some of their favorite players get traded, but thats the model that has been succesful for the Milwaukee Brewers over time.

The prospects will help the Brewers out and probably play right away. For Milwaukee to stay competitive they have to keep using this model. Over the years Milwaukee has seen many good players get traded or leave. It's about money and unfortunately baseball will not fix the revenue model they have right now for teams. This means Milwaukee will be limited on what they can do.

Now I will miss Corbin Burnes as he was a very important part of the Brewers rotation. Burnes didn't really lose out. He will be able to show everyone what he can do and earn a big fat contract in 2025. Burnes will get paid alot as long as he stays healthy and pitches at a high level. Milwaukee will now count on Freddy Peralta to be the ace of the staff. It's a role that Peralta should excel at in the future.

Milwaukee has made major changes to their pitching staff from 2023 so will be interesting to see what players step up for them. Milwaukee has always learned to adapt and 2024 will be no different as well. I can't wait for the season to start so I can see how well we will do.

Baker Mayfield Will Get Fat Contract In Off-Season Is He Worth It

 Baker Mayfield has had a rollercoaster NFL career so far and he still is very young by NFL standards. Mayfield was drafted No.1 by the Cleveland Browns and has bounced around four teams so far. In 2023 he signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hoping to launch his career once again in the NFL. Many people thought he would be great in Cleveland and there it was a rollercoaster for him in Cleveland. Two other stops in Carolina and Los Angeles did show he still has something left in the tank.

In Tampa Bay it looks like Baker Mayfield has found a home. He signed a cap friendly deal with the Buccaneers hoping for a long-term deal in Tampa or somewhere else. Mayfield played at a high-level throwing for over 4000 yards and leading the Buccaneers to another divisional title and playoff appearance. It could not go any better for Baker Mayfield and along the way he collected incentives that he reached.

Now the Buccaneers must pay Mayfield for his services as many other teams in March will be contacting Mayfield as well. Mayfield could see a long-term deal worth over 100 million dollars. Baker has indicated that he wants to stay In Tampa, so that does bode well for the Buccaneers. Sometimes it takes players sometime to mature in the NFL to be really good. In the coming years we will see if that is Baker Mayfield's case as well.

Milwaukee Brewers Have Pocketbook Zipped Closed This Off-Season

 

Many people are wondering what is going on with the Milwaukee Brewers and free agency. It's really simple nothing is going on at all. Milwaukee has decided not to spend and it leaves many Brewers fans scratching their heads. Being a long-time Brewers fan this has been the norm for as long as I can remember. Management has never been big spenders and that will not change anytime soon.

Fans continue to wonder why they won't spend and the reality is this franchise traditionally has never been big spenders. Their philosophy has always been to build through the draft or trades and that will not change anytime soon. Every now and then they will spend some money, but for the most part, they will not part with big money in free agency.

Over the years I have learned to enjoy Brewers baseball the way it is now and that won't change. Enjoy the players while they play in Milwaukee and do not get upset when they leave or get traded away. It's the system right now the Brewers have always believed in and don't look for it to change.

What can Brewers fans look forward to in 2023? Now as a Brewers fan, this season should be a good one for a few reasons. Milwaukee plans on bringing along some of their top prospects this season. To Brewer's credit, they have not rushed them and I think fans will enjoy what they see from them. The only thing I wished the Brewers would not have done is trade away Kolten Wong but understood why the deal was made.

2023 should be a growing year for the Brewers and getting mad about the free agency budget does not good as it will never change. Some new young stars will have their first taste of Major League Baseball, so hopefully they will excel and the Brewers once again will make the playoffs. No matter what fans would like to see the Brewers open the checkbook once in awhile. Just looks like it won't be this year.

Win Or Lose The Super Bowl Tom Brady Has Already Won

 When Tom Brady decided to leave New England many people felt Brady was making  a mistake after all, could he actually win without Coach Bill. Brady was betting on himself when he went into free at agency. Eventually, Brady ended up in Tampa Bay a team that hasn't sniffed the playoffs in a number of years. Brady thought he was the missing piece this talented Buccaneers needed to be a winner.

Brady went through growing pains as he tried to get his teammates to understand  what it takes to be a winner. During a stretch Brady and the Bucs struggled but he kept preaching  patience and commitment to the process. Slowly, the Buccaneers started to gel  and his dream of another Super Bowl was a plausible reality. Once the Buccaneers got into the playoffs Brady knew anything was possible.

Winning three road games would not be easy but we are talking about Tom Brady. After Brady completed the win over the Packers Brady could feel a sense of accomplishment as he now completed  part of the mission. Getting to a Super Bowl is tough and winning it is even harder. We are talking about Tom Brady so nothing should  surprise us anymore.

Did The Saints Make A Mistake In The Way Brees Got The Record?

Drew Brees has always been about team first and this time the team help him get an elusive record. Brees set the NFL mark for yards passing in a season, breaking a record Dan Marino held for 27 years, and New Orleans wrapped up the NFC South title with a 45-16 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. Now I am glad that Drew Brees got the record, but the way he got it may come into question down the road.

Breaking records are great and nothing wrong with them when they are done the right way. Routing the Falcons to just get the record was something that should have been avoided. Bress still had another game to play and could have gotten the record next week. To keep Brees in to get the record and run up the score I cannot agree with. The interesting thing about this game is both Atlanta and New Orleans could meet on the playoffs. If that happens you can be sure they will remember how the Saints decided to run the score up on them.

Japan Stuns U.S. Claims 1st World Cup Title

No matter how you look at it, you have to give the ladies from Japan credit as they fought back and never quit. Even when down they found a way to win and claim their first ever World Cup Title in Soccer. The Japanese women won in a penalty shootout 3-1 to claim the title. The United States have no one to blame but themselves for this loss.

They let the Japanese  fight back into the game twice. The United States had plenty of chances to close them out, but could never get the job done. When that happens it usually comes back to haunt you and that is what happen to the United States women's soccer team. Give the United States women credit they did well, but this loss will be a bitter pill to swallow. On the other side Japan got the job done and deserves to be called World Cup Champions.

Tennesse Titans Have Quarterback Issues This Season

When Vince Young was let go the Tennessee Titans had no idea that Jeff Fischer was going to leave or Kerry Collins their starting quarterback would either. This has put the Tennessee Titans in a real bad position when the strike is settled. Right now the Titans are looking at Chris Simms and Rusty Smith as their quarterbacks. This has to send shivers now the fans of the Titans right now.

With the strike going on the Tennessee Titans cannot really do anything, so there hands are tied right now. It is a possibility they could talk Collins out of retirement, but you just do not know. Getting rid of Vince Young really put this team in a bad spot. With the strike about ready to end it looks like the Titans have a lot of work to do. One of the main things to do is find a quarterback, but there are other teams whom have the same idea. It will be interesting to see how this plays out for the Tennessee Titans.

Has Barry Bonds And Roger Clemens Beat The System?

It seems Major League Baseball and the Feds had a clear cut case against Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens when it comes to using steroids. Most baseball observers believe they have used them, but proving that in court has been another whole issue. The Federal government has struggled to get convictions and Clemens was just awarded a mistrial, so you do not know where it is headed that's for sure.

Now even if both players walk away free men it really does not change the opinion of the public as a whole. Most   everyone agrees they both used steroids and that opinion will never change no matter of the court outcome. Just as Mark McGwire has come clean it's time these two players do as well. If not they will always be considered cheaters in the public eye. Admitting they did steroids will still brand them cheaters, but at least the public will have some respect for them. The way it stands right now they are just two guys the public would rather hear nothing about.

MLB Schedule July 17, 2011

Chi White Sox
Detroit
1:05pm ET

NY Yankees
Toronto
1:07pm ET

St. Louis
Cincinnati
1:10pm ET

Philadelphia
NY Mets
1:10pm ET

Cleveland
Baltimore
1:35pm ET

Washington
Atlanta
1:35pm ET

Pittsburgh
Houston
2:05pm ET

Kansas City
Minnesota
2:10pm ET

Florida
Chi Cubs
2:20pm ET

Milwaukee
Colorado
3:10pm ET

LA Angels
Oakland
4:05pm ET

San Francisco
San Diego
4:05pm ET

Texas
Seattle
4:10pm ET

LA Dodgers
Arizona
4:10pm ET

Boston
Tampa Bay
8:05pm ET

MLB Scores July 16, 2011

Florida 13
Chi Cubs 3
Final

NY Yankees 4
Toronto 1
Final

Chi White Sox 5
Detroit 0
Final

Boston 9
Tampa Bay 5
Final

Philadelphia 2
NY Mets 11
Final

LA Angels 4
Oakland 2
Final

LA Angels 3
Oakland 4
Final 10

Pittsburgh 4
Houston 6
Final

Cleveland 5
Baltimore 6
Final

Washington 5
Atlanta 2
Final

Kansas City 3
Minnesota 4
Final

St. Louis 4
Cincinnati 1
Final

Milwaukee 8
Colorado 7
Final

LA Dodgers 2
Arizona 3
Final

San Francisco 3
San Diego 11
Final

Texas 5
Seattle 1
Final

Ohio State As Much To Blame As Tressel For Compliance Issues

Even though Jim Tressel has become the guy everyone blames for the Ohio State Buckeyes free fall, the Ohio State University must take equal blame as well. It seems that years ago their were compliance issues with Jim Tressel and the school did little about it. All that was done was drafting a letter telling Tressel he is doing a poor job in the compliance area, and put in his file.

This means that the Ohio State University knew their were problems in this area, but never really fully addressed it apparently. Ohio State was winning football games and going for Big Ten and National Championships, so people did not care. Yes, the University was not happy about it, but they turned the other cheek when they could have put their foot down. If they would have the Ohio State football program would not be where it is at right now. Sure Jim Tressel had a big hand in it, but you must also blame the University as well for having a blind eye to it.

Kyle Busch Grabs 100th Win In Nascar As He Wins In New Hampshire

Kyle Busch just continues to win as he took his 100th career Nascar win Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Busch has won a 100 total races in the Truck, Nationwide, and Cup series. Busch and Harvick almost got into another dust-up, but Nascar warned Harvick if he did they would park his car.  Busch has 22 wins in Sprint Cup and 29 in the Trucks Series.


Richard Petty is NASCAR's career leader with 200 wins and David Pearson is second with 106. Petty won all of his races at the Cup level. Pearson won 105 races in Cup and one in Nationwide. Busch has 100 wins spread over NASCAR's top three national series. Busch is just 26 years old and has many years ahead of him. If he stays healthy and drivers for a competitive owner there is really no telling how many wins Kyle Busch could end up with. Like him or hate him you have to give him credit he does win Nascar races no matter what series he races in.

Joe Girardi Thinks Toronto Maybe Stealing Signs Who Doesn't These Days

New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi thinks that Toronto may have some system that is letting them steal signs from the Yankees. After two straight losses, you could probably hear the frustration in his comments as the Blue Jays had their way with the Yankees in the first two games of the series. Now with C.C. Sabathia shuting down the Blue Jays today, I doubt we will hear about sign stealing at Girardi's news conference.

The truth is it would not come much of a surprise to me if every team in baseball stole signs somehow. No matter what any team tells you they will take whatever advantage they can get. If you do not think so, your sadly mistaken. I am sure the Yankees do it just as much as any other Major League ball club does. It is something that is not suppose to happen, but it does all the time. People just do not talk about it much unless they get burnt by it. Guess Girardi felt a little burnt by it.

It's Official! Deron Williams Signs To Play In Turkey

Well it's official if there is an NBA lockout Deron Williams will be playing basketball in Turkey. Williams' contract with Besiktas is worth $5 million, sources told ESPN.com's Chris Broussard. Sources told ESPN.com's Marc Stein last week that Williams would not be required to report to the Turkish club before the end of August or early September and that his deal with them would include an immediate out that allows him to return to the NBA as soon as the work stoppage ends.


Now by signing with the Turkey ball club Williams knows he will have a paycheck coming and playing basketball if there is a stoppage. He also has a clause that let's him come back in case they settle the lockout quickly. It would not surprise me to see more NBA players doing the same thing. You cannot blame them they love to play the game and this is one way to keep in shape. It also could help the players move ownership to a deal quicker as well. The NBA does not want to lose their talent outside the United States, but that is what could happen.

Is The NFL Strike Nearing The End?

NFL Football fans are hoping the NFL strike is winding down as both sides seem poised to settle it. Many people thought that it would end close to this time and I was one of them as well. The NFL and it's owners stand to lose a lot of money along with the players if they do not reach a deal. It's sad that it even came to this and the NFL fans had to sit through this, but hopefully it is about over.

It will be good to talk about football once again with the season basically only a few months away. The Hall Of Fame game is in August and that really is not too far away. If the NFL wants a pre-season they will need to settle by next week. Maybe soon we can start writing and talking about NFL football instead of the strike. There are really no winners in the strike and having NFL football again is what everyone wants anyways.

Whoa! Pirates Tied For First Place!

The Pittsburgh Pirates have been the laughing stock of baseball for much of the last 15 years, but that is not the case anymore. When the Pirates decided on Clint Hurdle you knew things would be changing, but no one thought they would change this fast. Right now, the Pirates are tied for first place and they have a lot of confidence in what they can do.


Jeff Karstens threw a five-hitter and Andrew McCutchen tripled and drove in two runs as the surging Pirates opened the second half of the season with a 4-0 victory over the Astros on Friday night. Andrew McCutchen has played well for the Pirates, but it has been the pitching that has carried the Pirates all season long. As long as the Pirates get good pitching and timely hitting it looks like Clint Hurdle has his ball club in for the long haul. Losing seasons seem to be a thing of the past now for Pirates fans.

MLB Schedule July 16, 2011

Florida
Chi Cubs
1:05pm ET

NY Yankees
Toronto
1:07pm ET

Chi White Sox
Detroit
4:10pm ET

Boston
Tampa Bay
4:10pm ET

Philadelphia
NY Mets
4:10pm ET

LA Angels
Oakland
4:10pm ET

LA Angels
Oakland
2nd Game

Pittsburgh
Houston
7:05pm ET

Cleveland
Baltimore
7:05pm ET

Washington
Atlanta
7:10pm ET

Kansas City
Minnesota
7:10pm ET

St. Louis
Cincinnati
7:10pm ET

Milwaukee
Colorado
8:10pm ET

LA Dodgers
Arizona
8:10pm ET

San Francisco
San Diego
8:35pm ET

Texas
Seattle
10:10pm ET