Trevor Hoffman Agrees to Deal With Brewers

While it's good news the Brewers have apparently signed all-time MLB saves leader Trevor Hoffman, don't go planning your World Series tailgate parties just yet. No longer the hard thrower he once was, Hoffman now relies on a nasty changeup to get the job done. He should help, but there is a lot more work needed before the Brewers become real contenders.

According to ESPN, Hoffman has signed a one-year deal rumored to be for $6 million, with an option for the second year. Hoffman, who saved 30 games last year for San Diego and has accumulated a record 554 saves is no longer considered an elite closer, probably not even top ten. However, his addition should provide some comfort to fans and players. Last year, even with the arrival of Salomon Torres in the closer role, the ninth inning often resulted in bleeding fingertips as leads disappeared faster than $6 beers. The failed $10 million Eric Gagne experiment (a shame because Gagne was a class act) nearly contributed to the Brewers missing the playoffs, so the money ponied up for Hoffman looks like a deal.

But let's look at the numbers to gauge whether this is a good pickup, or a panicky grab.

It is troubling that Hoffman only pitched 45 inings last year. As relievers have become more specialized in their roles, the number of innings that the designated closer pitched has decreased. But not that much. Forty-five innings means that maybe Hoffman is reliable every other day. He'll need to pitch more innings. Plus he's 41-years old and relies almost entirely on guile to succeed. One has to wonder if the league doesn't eventually catch on -- lefties did beat Hoffman up a bit in 2008. They hit .291 and slugged at a .532 clip.

Hoffman also suffered a serious injury as recently as 2007 so it's not a stretch to question his stamina and ability to pitch more than every other game. Given the sorry state of the Brewers' bullpen – come on, they've only signed Jorge Julio – Hoffman may be needed a lot.

People often look at a pitcher's earned run average (ERA) to determine how the pitcher fared. Hoffman's ERA in 2008 was a career-high 3.77. Not good – however, I did some checking and found if you took away one unfortunate outing April 2, his ERA dropped to a more respectable 3.02. I point this out to show that ERA is not really a reliable number for determining effectiveness because there is a lot still impressive about Hoffman's numbers.

What is impressive about Hoffman? Well, he allowed only one baserunner per inning (1.04) and he only walked 9 batters all year while striking out 46 in 45 innings. Contrast this with Torres who allowed 1.35 baserunners per inning, walked 33 and struck out only 51 in 80 innings of work. This is not a slander of Torres, he helped save the Brewers' season, but it does just how much more efficient Hoffman was.

Interestingly enough, Hoffman yielded seven of his eight homeruns at San Diego's Petco Park, one of the stingiest places to hit a ball out of the park. It's probably a statistical anomaly.

It appears the Brewers are willing to go with a starting rotation of Yovani Gallardo, Manny Parra, Dave Bush, Jeff Suppan (ouch) and the Unknown Comic. Actually, they'll probably go with Seth McClung or Carlos Villanueva in the fourth or fifth spot. Using either one of them however, will weaken an already suspect bullpen. Hoffman only pitches the ninth. The Brewers will have to find reliable setup relievers to protect the lead until then.

Hoffman is a nice, inexpensive pickup and if he performs at last year's numbers with a few innings added and a better performance against lefties, the Brewers will have done well. Don't discount the added effect of having the all-time saves leader as your closer. Last year there was palpable fear on the field and in the stands when the ninth rolled around with any sort of lead. Here's hoping that hearing AC/DC's Hells Bells when Hoffman jogs in to finish games is good for indigestion, relieves nail-biting and helps send the Brewers to another playoff match. Don't count on it if acquiring Hoffman is all the Brewers accomplish.

Cross-posted at The Other Side Of My Mouth

Zoning? We have something called zoning?

Darryl Enriquez for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is reporting a proposed shelter has been delayed because of something called "zoning."

Bernie Juno, executive director of the Hebron House of Hospitality, just said that plans to open a shelter for single men at St. Matthias Episcopal Church, 111 Main St., are now on hold until it can get a zoning variance from the city.

Apparently, there's no zoning that allows shelters, so Hebron House must present its plans to the Board of Zoning Appeals on Jan. 14, she said.

I wonder what is this "variance" of which Darryl speaks. Does the city council know about it?

Next somebody will tell me we actually have a definition in this "zoning" for parkland. Wouldn't that be neat?

In brief with the mayor last night

After last night's candidate forum I had a chance to ask Waukesha Mayor Larry Nelson a couple of questions.

First, the mayor offered a nit to pick with me. In this column, I referred to the mayor's statement during his campaign for election, "You can fight city hall." The mayor believes he only said that during his victory speech. I believe he said it during his debate with Ann Nischke, too. However, since neither of us are absolutely sure, I thought I would share. He also said he never claimed we could win, just that when we fight City Hall we'll be treated with respect. He pointed to the Frame Park debate as the example.

Speaking of which, Nelson also pointed out that shortly after I received word from Steve Edlund that he was suspending his campaign against the Frame Park baseball stadium, Nelson received the fifth open records request from Edlund looking for the verbal opinion of the city attorney in writing that no zoning issues are involved in the building of the stadium at Frame Park.

(Just for the record, Edlund's group is still opposing the stadium and has distributed some yard signs. I'm told how the zoning proceeds will determine if there's a lawsuit to stop the stadium.)

And if you want to see the funniest expression on Darryl Enriquez's face, ask the mayor to explain why "ballpark" and "stadium" are both acceptable terms. I suggest we change it to the proposed Frame Park enhanced entertainment complex, retail center and office park skyscraper. Starbucks at the park, anyone?

The Mayor is hoping construction can begin at Frame Park before the snow falls but after everything has been approved. The final agreement between the city and Chad Bauer's investment group should be on the agenda for the November 6th meeting.

Finally, the mayor passed along some interesting info about leaf pick up (hey, this is Waukesha). Nelson explained that the additional leaf pick up (pick up #3) has to be in bags (clear plastic or paper) not just because of the potential for snow but also because the leaf trucks will already be converted over to snow plow use.

And we all know, after the first snow storm during Nelson's term in office, he has been sensitive to the issue ever since. There's no way he would ask to have the retrofitting of the trucks wait until after the extra leaf pick up. Besides, as the mayor points out, the bags will be visible in the inevitable snow piles.

Nelson also pointed out this is the first year that crews will be picking up leaves from two aldermanic districts on the same day, speeding up the process. (The aldermanic district order rotates from year-to-year.)

Today's baseball at Frame Park update

Darryl Enriquez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says the report on the financial impact of a baseball stadium at Frame Park will be available Friday for your weekend reading pleasure. I would hope the city would post it on-line (hint-hint) as well as have paper copies. Either way, I'll be in line Friday with red pencil in hand to give you an analysis by Monday.

Things we can safely expect that will not be in the report: the anticipated costs of litigation, the future cost of people thinking twice before leaving anything to the city in their wills, the number of Waukesha residents that will not be conceived because the green space has been wiped out by an endlessly expanding stadium and parking needs (hey, I didn't want to know this last one either).

I'm also curious what the impact will be on the police department's bottom line. If I remember correctly, at the presentation it was predicted the impact would be negligible, but we'll see if they include that in the report.

Meanwhile, will zoning be the chink in the stadium's armor? Whatever else Northwoods baseball is, it is a for-profit business. Chad Bauer may be a nice guy, and I'm sure his investors are all nice guys (whomever they may be), but they'll be running a business on land that is not designated as commercial. We'll see if the Common Council really wants to attach their names to changing the zoning of Frame Park from "park" to "commercial." And would the zoning change be in violation of the regulations concerning the federal money used to restore Frame Park? How about the bequest from Dr. Frame and those deed restrictions?

Finally, I did mention this once before and it is worth considering. Given the nature of the project and the permanent change it represents, Waukesha aldermen may want to consider putting the idea up for referendum on the September primary ballot. After all, we're not just talking about a one-time improvement to the baseball field. We are talking about a generational commitment to baseball, complete with further expansion of the stadium if the franchise is successful. Perhaps the aldermen should get an actual feel for this community's long-term commitment to making baseball a success at Frame Park.

Who knows? We may just save Chad Bauer and his investors a whole lotta money.

Bread and circuses

I didn't know it was the Park and Rec committee's job to find cheaper alternatives to the Milwaukee Brewers. I thought it was to be steward of the parks in Waukesha.

Kris Owens, a board member, said she agonized over the issue, but it was the phone calls she received in favor of the family friendly entertainment baseball can provide that helped her make her decision.

“People with children are finding it too expensive to take them to a Brewers game,” she said.

ht: Spring City

RIP Skip Caray

Steve Prestegard has a great obituary today for Skip Caray, longtime Atlanta Braves announcer, who died on Sunday. Included is a bunch of Caray's one-liners including a poke at political correctness.

During a period where Turner prohibited CNN announcers from using the word “foreign,” mandating “international” instead, a batter called time out and stepped out of the batter’s box because, Caray explained, “he had an international object in his eye.”

SOmewhere in Heaven there's a baseball game with Skip and his father Harry doing the commentary.

Shhh, it's a secret (part VII)

During the Q & A in the Waukesha Common Council last night, Alderman Francoeur too quickly conceded to Chad Bauer that he does not have to reveal publicly who his investors might be for the proposed baseball franchise to play at the proposed new stadium at Frame Park. She then asked if Bauer would be willing to tell the mayor and a few others in private who the investors might be to assure the Council of the organization's sound financial status.

Surely Alderman Francoeur does not believe the use of taxpayer-supported land should just be given away to "secret investors"? When we're considering making a substantial change to the very character of the most prized public space in Waukesha, the people of Waukesha has the right to know to whose benefit. That she would even consider that this information should be reserved to a few mandarins in city hall rather than trusted to her constituents is just outrageous, and she should be ashamed she made the suggestion.

25 Years Today...

America found out what pine tar exactly was.


It's a pity Major League Baseball has such a tight lid on this video, otherwise there would be a YouTube of this classic moment in human rage.

All-Star break

Gotta love it. Tonight's the Home Run Derby, starting at 7:00 PM Central. Ryan Braun from the Milwaukee Brewers is competing for the National League, along with Lance Berkman from Houston, Florida's Dan Uggla and Philadelphia's Chase Utley. The American League contestants are Tampa Bay rookie Evan Longoria, Texas' Josh Hamilton, Cleveland's Grady Sizemore, and Minnesota's Justin Morneau. Unfortunately, the home run derby will be on ESPN again which likely means Joe Morgan and Chris Berman will be the announcers.

Meanwhile, Milwaukee's Ben Sheets has been selected as the National League starting pitcher for tomorrow night. Here are the starting line-ups for tomorrow night's game:
AL starting lineup:

1: Ichiro Suzuki, RF, Mariners
2: Derek Jeter, SS, Yankees
3: Josh Hamilton, CF, Rangers
4: Alex Rodriguez, 3B, Yankees
5: Manny Ramirez, LF, Red Sox
6: Milton Bradley, DH, Rangers
7: Kevin Youkilis, 1B, Red Sox
8: Joe Mauer, C, Twins
9: Dustin Pedroia, 2B, Red Sox

SP: Cliff Lee, Indians

NL starting lineup:

1: Hanley Ramirez, SS, Marlins
2: Chase Utley, 2B, Phillies
3: Lance Berkman, 1B, Astros
4: Albert Pujols, DH, Cardinals
5: Chipper Jones, 3B, Braves
6: Matt Holliday, RF, Rockies
7: Ryan Braun, LF, Brewers
8: Kosuke Fukudome, CF, Cubs
9: Geovany Soto, C, Cubs

SP: Ben Sheets, Brewers

Corey Hart for the All Star Team

At the top of the blog is a widget where you can go to vote for Corey Hart to be on the National League All-Star team. You can tell Commissioner Selig is a Democrat, because you can vote early, vote often, all without showing an id!!!

So what are you waiting for?

Then I must be wrong

When the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Laurel Walker and I agree that something is a bad idea, then there's a 50-50 chance it really is a bad idea.

I'll let that joke sink in for a minute.

Seriously though, she echoes some of my concerns.

The narrow riverside ribbon of parkland and walkways could be easily overrun by this new private enterprise, which will greatly expand park activity. Not only would it put some parkland on a fee-for-use basis (tickets would be $5 to $10), but the frequent games, lights and noise would undeniably affect other park users, like it or not.

Then there's the matter of inadequate parking for such large crowds. That in itself could be a deal breaker.

The Waukesha Common Council Tuesday night gave Mayor Larry Nelson the go-ahead to appoint an ad hoc committee to research the proposal and answer all the questions. Fair enough.

But, boy, do we have questions.

Parking? Conflicts with existing ball teams that play there - high schools, Land O'Lakes, youth teams? Conflicts with the peace and serenity of the riverwalk, the toddler park, the formal garden? The very looks of the stadium to be built? The cost of maintenance, and whose cost?

Is this a forever arrangement, or just an almost-forever deal? What, really, is in it for the city's residents? Is it realistic to think that game-goers who load up on hot dogs and beer will then walk to downtown Waukesha for a nightcap at a local pub?

Supposedly Bauer wants an answer by August. If he doesn't get an answer, will he go elsewhere? And why does he keep coming back to Frame Park? Is it because nobody else in the area is even willing to listen to him?

Strangle this bad baseball idea in its crib - again

Didn't we just reject this really bad idea a couple of years ago? Of course we did. Yet some city officials didn't get the message then, and they're considering building a semi-pro baseball stadium in Frame Park in Waukesha.

Waukesha - An amateur baseball league is seeking to build a $1 million stadium in Frame Park to host a franchise as soon as the summer of 2009, city and league officials said.

The Northwoods League fields teams of top college players competing in minor-league-style settings in Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, Minnesota and Canada.

A Waukesha team would be the first Milwaukee-area team for the league, which has Wisconsin clubs with the Eau Claire Express, La Crosse Loggers, Madison Mallards, Green Bay Bullfrogs and Wisconsin Woodchucks in Wausau.

This is the third effort since 2004 to bring baseball to Waukesha.

Two proposals struck out because aldermen did not want Frame Park altered to accommodate an expected fan base and expanded facilities for players and support staff.

There also was doubt over the fiscal responsibility that would have been placed on the city.

Absolutely, positively not. Has anyone involved in this idea even looked at Frame Park? Let's run through the problems one at a time.

1. Where are you going to expand the stadium? Into the river? Close the street?
   
2. Where are they going to park? The parking lot gets full with people visiting the playground on a typical warm day. Are they going to build a parking structure?
   
3. If the hoped-for crowds materialize, how will those streets handle the traffic?
   
4. Are they going to re-route the train?
   
5. Not to sound like a tree-hugger, but why would you destroy Frame Park?
   
6. There's a professional baseball team 15 minutes away that already bends over backwards to make baseball affordable. They're called the Milwaukee Brewers.
   
7. Who is going to pay for the necessary structural improvements for a new stadium?
   
8. Why is Mayor Nelson proposing the creation of an exploratory committee when this was already rejected twice before?

The Spring City Chronicle suggests an alternative site, the Lloyd Owens Field at the Waukesha County Technical College. I would object that even in Pewaukee the site is too close, and putting this on the grounds of a taxing authority with no accountability is just a formula for disaster.

No, if we're going to have a new stadium in Waukesha County, why not send it out to Pabst Farms where nothing else is going on?

(Past coverage of attempts to build a stadium in Waukesha here, here and here.)

Ned Yost, gone?

A source told Bruce at Badger Blogger to expect Ned Yost to be replaced as manager on Monday by Ted Simmons.

Update! Tom Haudricourt pits his anonymous source against the anonymous source at Badger Blogger. Haudricourt's use of an anonymous source makes him more responsible than the Badger Blogger using an anonymous source, because Tom Haudricourt is an accredited journalist. But because Haudricourt is a responsible accredited journalist, he can quote the Badger Blogger without linking to it while making fun of it. Of course, I've offered my opinion of accredited sports journalists before.

Meanwhile, Dan Lamonthe reports on this titanic struggle between blog and newspaper.

-- If BadgerBlogger is wrong, how much does it feed in to the premise that we bloggers are a bunch of gossipy, insufferable fanboys?
-- When should other media outlets -- and mainstream media, in particular -- pick up something like this? Already, the report has spread to Wisconsin sports radio, and it only figures that it'll snowball from there.

-- If the report is not true, does it have any impact on Yost's job security?

The other Journal Communications property, WTMJ-AM, is also following the story. So is the blog Right Field Bleachers.

Here come the feds, Barry

The Associated Press is reporting, "Barry Bonds charged by United States in new indictment with 14 counts of lying and one count of obstruction of justice."

What happened to a diet of hot dogs and beer?

Babe Ruth could never play for this New York Yankees team:

You can't get a Baby Ruth in the clubhouse that was home to Babe Ruth. New York Yankees Manager Joe Girardi has banned candy and ice cream in an effort to create a more healthy diet.

Furthermore, the Journal News of Westchester County reported that the Yankees asked opposing teams to remove the offending items from the visitors' clubhouse before the team arrives. In Tampa Bay, the candy was replaced with nuts, dried fruit and granola, hardly an inspiring rhyme scheme for "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" ( . . . Buy me some peanuts, dried fruit and granola, I don't care if I ever go hoo-ma?).

Do the Yankees understand the history behind the fabled pinstripes? First Prince Fielder becomes a vegetarian. Now the Yankees are having their diets planned by Richard Simmons. They might as well all be playing soccer.

Unindicted co-conspirator

The same day Bonds was indicted on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice that stemmed from his denying in front of a grand jury that he ever knowingly used performance-enhancing drugs, Selig announced Major League Baseball has set new records for attendance and revenue during the 2007 season. - Josh Peter, Yahoo Sports

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Guess he won't have to worry about showing up for the ceremony

Barry Bonds told the Baseball Hall of Fame it was either him or the asterisk baseball. Well, unless the ball was juiced, too, and lied to the grand jury, I'm betting the ball makes it to Cooperstown before Bonds.

Barry Bonds, the former Giants star and baseball's career home run king, was indicted by a federal grand jury today on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice in connection with the BALCO sports steroid scandal.

Bonds was indicted for allegedly making false statements to the grand jury that investigated the BALCO steroids distribution ring, the U.S. attorney's office in San Francisco said. Bonds is accused of four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice.

What will Commissioner Bud Selig do? Probably nothing, since he's been willing to do nothing in the face of overwhelming evidence. One of Selig's predecessors is not so willfully blind,

Former baseball Commissioner Fay Vincent called the prospect of Bonds' indictment "a terrific blow to the game," more troubling than the Rose scandal.

Rose was "one guy betting on baseball," Vincent told The Chronicle last year. Bonds' indictment, he said, reflects a problem that strikes "right at the heart and the gut of baseball" - the sudden rise in the use of steroids and human growth hormone.

Vincent likened the Bonds case to the worst scandal in baseball history: the 1919 "Black Sox" affair, in which Chicago White Sox hitting star "Shoeless Joe" Jackson and seven teammates were indicted for conspiring with gamblers to fix the World Series.

The players were acquitted at trial, but baseball Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis, a former judge who had been hired to clean up the game, banned them all for life anyway.

I wonder who will be hired to clean up this mess.

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Record needle

Taking the day off, Barry Bonds did not tie or break Hank Aaron's career home run record yesterday in Milwaukee. Unfortunately it's almost inevitable that Bonds will break the record in the near future, possibly against the Atlanta Braves. Baseball commissioner Bud Selig probably will not be at the game when the record is broken.

Selig's presence here in Milwaukee was a farcical middle course. Had he not been here the last three days in his hometown, it would have been clearly seen as a snub of Bonds. If he follows Bonds to San Francisco it will be seen as one more sign of Selig's acquiescence to the "steroid era" of Major League Baseball.

Selig should have chosen to stay away, even though that would've only raised more questions. But those questions are legitimate. Given what we already know about Bonds, why is Bonds still being allowed to play?

Of course Anderson's primary job, and the real reason he was hired, was to provide Bonds with performance-enhancing drugs and to track his regimen. Anderson obtained the drugs and administered them. In file folders, and on his computer, he kept calendars of Bonds's use of the substances, recording the drugs, dosages and cycles.

But Anderson didn't think of himself as Bonds's drug dealer. When Bonds paid him, he liked to think it was for weight training. As far as supplying drugs, Anderson thought of his role as "middleman." In San Francisco he knew AIDS patients who had prescriptions for testosterone and human growth hormone and were willing to sell their drugs for cash. Anderson bought and resold them virtually at cost to clients who wanted them for their anabolic effects. Likewise, Anderson knew many sources of conventional bodybuilders' steroids like Deca-Durabolin and Winstrol. He resold those at almost no markup as well. Bonds was keenly interested in performance-enhancing drugs. He asked their pharmaceutical names and then sought, through third parties, medical advice about the drugs. The medical advice was negative. You shouldn't take the drugs, he was told, but Anderson said those concerns were overblown, and Bonds ignored the advice he had sought.

Certainly the program Anderson devised worked. In the years after he linked up with Anderson, Bonds completely remade his body, and the results of Anderson's drug regime are now reflected in the record books. At an age when his father's baseball skills had begun to erode badly, Bonds's drug use would make him a better hitter than he had been at any time in his career -- and, perhaps, the best hitter of all time.

Why is Selig continuing to allow Bonds to pursue a record considered one of the most hallowed in the game? Ruth... Aaron... Bonds?

The New York Daily News is reporting that federal investigators hope to indict Barry Bonds this fall as a result of the Balco steroid case.

The grand jury investigating Barry Bonds has been extended for another six months, several sources familiar with the government's case have told the Daily News, and the U.S. Attorney's office in San Francisco is confident it will have enough evidence to secure an indictment once it resumes in September.

"They seem to feel they have a strong case," said one source, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

Another source said he believed prosecutors could secure an indictment if they sought one now, but that they would rather take the additional time to strengthen it. The grand jurors have not met for at least three weeks and have been instructed that they will not reconvene until September. Bonds is being investigated for perjury and tax evasion.

As Tony Soprano's lawyer famously advised him, the feds have spent a lot of time and money investigating. "They're going to want a return on that investment."

Sports agent Scott Boras recently opined the spectacle of the World Series is so great that it should be extended to nine games. This October, the greater baseball spectacle may take place off the field in the Trial of Barry Bonds. Will the fans see Major League Baseball as the unindicted co-conspirator?

Good thing Bart Giamatti was Commissioner when Pete Rose was discovered betting on baseball.

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Zing, boom, tarrerel

Brian Fraley has started an online petition drive to bring back the Beer Mug and the giant keg to Milwaukee Brewers baseball. It's Miller Park, not Noah's Ark Waterpark. Bring back the beer mug!

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Tom McMahon doesn't believe in combining baseball with existentialism

Tom McMahon may not have the answer for my six year old, but he has an opinion: Ever Since The PC Police Stole His Beer Stein Bernie Brewer Looks Like An Idiot On That Stupid Yellow Slide. Meanwhile Ken in Seattle has a fond memory of the old beer stein at County Stadium.

So when Jeromy Burnitz stepped to the plate with nobody on and two outs and proceeded to crush the ball over the centerfield fence, My Baby and I couldn't contain our excitement. We screamed at the top of our lungs, hugged, jumped up and down in each other's arms, and enjoyed every moment of Bernie's slide. It was at least a few full minutes later before we noticed everybody else in the stands watching us quizzically as we celebrated what was now a 10-1 game.

Somehow I don't think anyone is going to remember fondly a Bernie Brewer slide in a game the team lost 10-1 seventeen years later. Either get rid of the slide, or bring back the mug of beer.

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