Goodbye Carlos

I loved the dependable offensive juggernaut that Carlos Lee was as a Milwaukee Brewer. We’ll all miss him, but he was going to leave anyway. The team didn’t fail to resign him for a lack of trying. Who knows the Brewers could still resign him in the off season, anything is possible. The Brewers couldn’t NOT trade the guy and settle for draft picks when he signs elsewhere. Trading him was the right thing, especially when your GM is the Ron Wolf of baseball. Doug Melvin is a genius. He’s done it again. Francisco Cordero is a proven closer. Kevin Mench has been a guy on the verge of a break out season for a couple of years. He looked really good earlier in the season. Laynce Nix will be an everyday player too eventually. I don’t know much about Julian Cordero, but what team couldn’t use another pitching prospect? We get all of these guys for a top prospect and a guy who was gone in two months anyway. Not too shabby, Doug.

Posted by chuck at July 28, 2006 11:42 AM

Comments

I was nodding my head in agreement, but then I saw that I mis-read your statement: “Francisco Cordero is a proven closer”

I thought you said “LOSER”.

Maybe I’ll go to a game next year, Chuck.

Posted by: Bryan Buchs at July 28, 2006 12:45 PM

Here’s where I disagree:

“We get all of these guys for a top prospect and a guy who was gone in two months anyway. Not too shabby, Doug.”

F__K That!!!!!!!!!!!

Why was he gone definitively in two months anyway? It’s a small way to think or gauge expectations as a Brewer Fan, and that broadstroke attitude of unworthiness and “we’re too small to have those expensive guys” as a foregone conclusion is why the Brewers Suck and will never compete.

It blows my mind. Why can’t we sign Lee, and then sign 3 other Lees? The fact that that doesn’t even come into our heads or that we don’t demand we sign him and 5 others that blows my mind! I don’t know Doug Melvin well, and I don’t know how to correctly estimate Baseball GM-ing, but I am taking him as wearing the “boo hoo” “small market, waaah waaah” handcuffs the Brewers always unleash as excuses to their loyal fans.

We will never compete economically in Baseball in Milwaukee unless we sack up and really start spending and behaving in a relative economic culture as successful MLB teams.

I hate to break it to all the nice Police baseball card loving, Brookfield Chorizo fans, but Baseball’s economic basis is built on inequality through and through and it sucks and its’not fair, and in turn we may never win ever. How is that relatable to the psychology and cultural comfort level of Milwaukee’s fans? It almost fuels our inferiority complex more. Why would a hard working family man get behind Brewer tix, with his family, knowing it’s a moot point dead end? It’s all exhibition and a chance to see Pujols or Lee on the Rangers. The Brewers are irrelevant ultimately. Why is that popular to MKE’s middle class, it’s like dangling a carrot in front of a starving horse and yanking it away at the last second.

God bless em, I guess, that people haven’t turned their back on the Crew, but when does it end and when is our time and will we even be able to sign Cappy, Weeks, Fielder, Hart and on and on all at once?

It may never happen.

Attanasio is sharper than selig, and 57 mill or whatever is better than Selig’s 30 Million payroll, but when you look down the line and see the MAJOR LEAGUE teams at around 90 Million it breaks your heart that the sausage race and Bernie’s slide, and our place as the Bronx’s Farm team is just all in vain.

Man, we should have signed him outright just to send the message that they are getting for real.

Reeks of conservative, Chicken, Selig-like culture. Mark Selig is his lifetime name with me until he drops 85 Million. Period. It’s better, don’t get me wrong, but that’s like saying you had Aids and the Aids went away and it got replaced with herpes. You still have an STD,……and no Playoffs in MKE.

Get Real Brewers! No more prospects and question marks! Load it up and roll!

…….JUST SPEND.

Damnit they need to fix baseball………. if only for those 2.2 million Brewer psychologically Battered fans that come through the gates at Miller park.

I do know this though:

The Bucks have the same amount of money to spend each year as the Lakers and Knicks.

If that was the case in MLB, we could see how smart Doug Melvin really was with a level playing field. Until then, he’s racing in the Indy 500 with a Toyota Prius Hybrid Car and expecting to win.

Posted by: Andy at July 28, 2006 5:16 PM

From the Journal story: “Melvin placed that call to Lee’s agent, Adam Katz. He made what he and owner Mark Attanasio considered a serious, competitive offer, which Melvin said approached the four-year, $52 million deal the Boston Red Sox gave slugger David Ortiz in April.”

That’s a great offer. Lee just didn’t want to sign with the Brewers. He has his heart set on being a free agent.

Also, We’re NOT too small to have those expensive guys. We had the money to sign Lee. Attanasio seems to be willing to shell out for guys that deserve the money.

Melvin choices: We either get the best we can for him now or get close to nothing for him if we don’t resign him in the offseason.

The Brewers have proved their commitment to the fans by giving Sheets a big contract.

Mench is going to be a great fit with the team. Cordero is much needed pitching help. This is a good deal. Who knows, the team could still resign Lee this winter. Melvin is a smart guy. He did a great job considering the situation.

Posted by: chuck at July 29, 2006 1:25 PM

Sorry Andy, but I have to agree with Chuck.

Carlos Lee is a typical American League player, adn if you watch, will sign with an American League team in free agency. He wants a five year deal, no less.

The Brewers offered him four years, which is more than what he can play on a day-to-day basis. Face it, he is getting older and would be a PERFECT DH. Too bad the National League doesn’t have the DH rule…the Brewers could have utilized his bat in a different way. (Don’t get me wrong, Lee is a great fielding player, but his bat is way more important than his fielding).

I don’t care what anyone says about the Brewers…Baseball is fun once again in Milwaukee!!!! Bud/Wendy aka Bud Jr. Selig would have held on to Lee saying, “He is an important part of Milwaukee and we need him.” Then shown up in free agency and offered Lee a 2 year $15 million deal. Mark A. and Melvin TRIED to keep Lee. Lee and his agent, along with pressure from the players association, wanted to hold out so the could get more money and drive up the market for free agents. Plain and simple…it came down to money!!!!!

If you want to fix the disparity in baseball, put in a salary cap and start profit sharing. IT’S THAT SIMPLE.

Posted by: The Other Dan at August 1, 2006 8:55 AM

bah.

Posted by: Bryan Buchs at August 1, 2006 12:14 PM

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