JOHN AXFORD led the National League with 46 saves but since accomplished something more impressive. The Ontario native was named the 2011 Mustached American of the Year by the American Mustache Institute. We knew the 'stache was powerful, but good enough for a Canadian to win an American award? Yes!
Showing posts with label Milwaukee Brewers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Milwaukee Brewers. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Chris Carpenter focused on Game 1
I had a really nice talk with Chris Carpenter's dad, Bob, and his high school coach, Eddie Poisson, while working on this feature story. It's amazing how much focus young Carp showed at an early age:
“Let me tell you a story,” said Bob Carpenter, who coach Chris through Little League and into Babe Ruth. “He got invited to a Brockton (Mass.) invitational as a senior and pitched against juniors and seniors in college. There were people and scouts everywhere. After the game, I said, ‘Can you believe how many people were watching you?
“He said, ‘I never saw them. All I saw was the glove. I didn't even know who was hitting.' That's when it donned on me, when I realized how he goes about pitching.”
You know how the Brewers have tried agitating Carp? They failed. Zack Greinke said “a lot of guys on our team don't like Carpenter.” Last month, Nyjer Morgan tossed a wad of chewing tobacco in Carpenter's direction, inciting a bench-clearing incident.
“(The Brewers) tried to chirp and chirp and get to him, but he's too focused to get the out. None of that other stuff matters,” the father said.
“(The Brewers) tried to chirp and chirp and get to him, but he's too focused to get the out. None of that other stuff matters,” the father said.
In 2003, an assortment of elbow and shoulder injuries nearly ended Carpenter's career. Released by the Blue Jays, he signed a minor-league contract with the Cardinals and spent the entire season on a comeback mission.
“It goes back to his determination and drive,” Poisson said, in the New Hampshire Union Leader. “After the Blue Jays let him go, he sat down with his wife and cried and said, ‘What's the next step?' Next thing you know, the Cardinals gave him one more shot.”
“It goes back to his determination and drive,” Poisson said, in the New Hampshire Union Leader. “After the Blue Jays let him go, he sat down with his wife and cried and said, ‘What's the next step?' Next thing you know, the Cardinals gave him one more shot.”
Monday, October 17, 2011
Milwaukee says goodbye to Prince
Great moment as Milwaukee fans gave a standing ovation to Prince Fielder in his final at-bat with the Brewers before moving on to free agency. The Brewers simply can't compete with baseball's large-market teams that will shell out perhaps $200 million on Fielder's next contract.
Asked about taking off Milwaukee jersey for perhaps the last time, Fielder showed real emotion:
"I had to clear the throat once, but it was all right. I love these guys. I've been playing with most of them since I was 18. So this organization has been great to me. Yeah, man, it's just been good. It's been real," said Fielder, who added more reflection on his time in Milwaukee: "It's been cool. I've kind of grown up a little bit. My kids have gotten older. That's about it, really. Just gotten older. Every year has been a learning experience. I don't know, it's been cool, man. Hopefully I'm here for more years to come. But if not, it's been cool."
It's not. Scott Boras will make sure of that.
Asked about taking off Milwaukee jersey for perhaps the last time, Fielder showed real emotion:
"I had to clear the throat once, but it was all right. I love these guys. I've been playing with most of them since I was 18. So this organization has been great to me. Yeah, man, it's just been good. It's been real," said Fielder, who added more reflection on his time in Milwaukee: "It's been cool. I've kind of grown up a little bit. My kids have gotten older. That's about it, really. Just gotten older. Every year has been a learning experience. I don't know, it's been cool, man. Hopefully I'm here for more years to come. But if not, it's been cool."
It's not. Scott Boras will make sure of that.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Can Shaun Marcum save the season?
FEAST MODE. That's how opposing teams have felt when facing Milwaukee righty Shaun Marcum lately. Now the Brew Crew turns to Marcum in a in a do-or-die Game 6 of the NLCS.
In his past six starts, the Missouri native posted an 8.18 ERA and gave up some memorable homers to Paul Goldschmidt (a granny) and Albert Pujols.
Today at Miller Park, reporters pressed Marcum for his thoughts about his struggles. They questioned his confidence. He didn't crack.
"I feel great, actually. My arm feels good, body feels good. Just a matter of going out there, keeping the ball down, throwing strikes and trying to get ahead of these hitters," said Marcum, a former Blue Jays starter. "Being in the American League East, I was used to getting beat up every now and again ... Confidence is still as high as it's ever been. It's just a matter of going out there and making pitches and locating them and trying to get some outs."
One more interesting note: Ryan Braun has 22 all-time hits in the postseason, tying him with Robin Yount for the club record.
In his past six starts, the Missouri native posted an 8.18 ERA and gave up some memorable homers to Paul Goldschmidt (a granny) and Albert Pujols.
Today at Miller Park, reporters pressed Marcum for his thoughts about his struggles. They questioned his confidence. He didn't crack.
"I feel great, actually. My arm feels good, body feels good. Just a matter of going out there, keeping the ball down, throwing strikes and trying to get ahead of these hitters," said Marcum, a former Blue Jays starter. "Being in the American League East, I was used to getting beat up every now and again ... Confidence is still as high as it's ever been. It's just a matter of going out there and making pitches and locating them and trying to get some outs."
One more interesting note: Ryan Braun has 22 all-time hits in the postseason, tying him with Robin Yount for the club record.
NLCS Game 5: Fear the Squirrel
ST. LOUIS -- WEIRD, WACKY things happened at Busch Stadium for NLCS Games 3, 4 and 5. Towering fly balls down the line that were supposed to curl foul (hello, Matt Holliday) stayed fair.
Milwaukee's running game was zapped to a halt, and its defense was atrocious in Game 5 as the Cardinals smoked the Brew Crew, 7-1, before a red sea of 46,904 fans.
Edwin Jackson takes the ball for Game 6 in Milwaukee as the Cards go for their 18th National League pennant. Former New Hampshire Fisher Cats starter Shaun Marcum goes to the bump for Milwaukee.
How about Marc Rzepczynski? The St. Louis reliever once again silenced Prince Fielder as the Brewers rallied in the eighth inning. Big Prince is has gone 0-for-4 with 4 Ks against Zep, who I caught up with at Busch.
Matt Holliday went 3-for-5 and is batting .444 in the NLCS. "We kept getting runners out there and eventually break through," he said.
Love the rally towels and T-shirts in St. Louis and the squirrel tails dangling from fans' hats. Might've even seen the Snorg T-shirt girl.
Milwaukee's running game was zapped to a halt, and its defense was atrocious in Game 5 as the Cardinals smoked the Brew Crew, 7-1, before a red sea of 46,904 fans.
Edwin Jackson takes the ball for Game 6 in Milwaukee as the Cards go for their 18th National League pennant. Former New Hampshire Fisher Cats starter Shaun Marcum goes to the bump for Milwaukee.
How about Marc Rzepczynski? The St. Louis reliever once again silenced Prince Fielder as the Brewers rallied in the eighth inning. Big Prince is has gone 0-for-4 with 4 Ks against Zep, who I caught up with at Busch.
Matt Holliday went 3-for-5 and is batting .444 in the NLCS. "We kept getting runners out there and eventually break through," he said.
Love the rally towels and T-shirts in St. Louis and the squirrel tails dangling from fans' hats. Might've even seen the Snorg T-shirt girl.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
NLCS Game 4: T-Plush makes a splash
ST. LOUIS -- They booed him. He beat them. Milwaukee outfielder Nyjer Morgan was back in the lineup for Game 4, and pesky "Tony Plush" had two hits and scored the go-ahead run in the fifth. Brew Crew wins, 4-2, behind Randy Wolf's seven strong innings at Busch Stadium.
The best-of-seven series is knotted at 2-apiece, meaning the NLCS will return to Milwaukee.
For once, the Cardinals didn't score in the first inning, but they did take a 2-0 lead, thanks in part to Matt Holliday's solo cheapie to RF in the second inning.
Ryan Braun singled home T-Dot in the fifth -- and the Brew Crew was back in Beast Mode.
Morgan was not available for comment after the game, saying, "No dice" to reporters.
The Ax Man closed it out in the ninth, despite allowing a single by pinch-hitter Lance Berkman.
The best-of-seven series is knotted at 2-apiece, meaning the NLCS will return to Milwaukee.
For once, the Cardinals didn't score in the first inning, but they did take a 2-0 lead, thanks in part to Matt Holliday's solo cheapie to RF in the second inning.
Ryan Braun singled home T-Dot in the fifth -- and the Brew Crew was back in Beast Mode.
Morgan was not available for comment after the game, saying, "No dice" to reporters.
The Ax Man closed it out in the ninth, despite allowing a single by pinch-hitter Lance Berkman.
Shaun Marcum on T-Plush: "He's a mess."
ST. LOUIS -- So now I'm funding my NLCS trip with gambling winnings from last night. Bumped into Brewers starter Yovani Gallardo at the craps table, and the 17-game winner won me 50 bucks by rolling a hard 10!
Great interview with Shaun Marcum today. On playing for the Brewers:
"There’s nothing wrong withToronto ilwaukee and St. Louis
We talked a lot about the Red Sox, a hot topic these days, and Marcum said there is nothing shocking about Boston starters watching team games from the clubhouse. But the beer?
"Starting pitchers like to go inside, even when I was inToronto
Marcum is under contract for one more year with the Brewers before reaching free agency.
"I’d love to stay inMilwaukee Milwaukee
And, naturally, we needed a sound bite about Nyjer Morgan.
“Oh, he’s a mess – in a good way. He’s a lot fun," Marcum said. "
Great interview with Shaun Marcum today. On playing for the Brewers:
"There’s nothing wrong with
We talked a lot about the Red Sox, a hot topic these days, and Marcum said there is nothing shocking about Boston starters watching team games from the clubhouse. But the beer?
"Starting pitchers like to go inside, even when I was in
Marcum is under contract for one more year with the Brewers before reaching free agency.
"I’d love to stay in
And, naturally, we needed a sound bite about Nyjer Morgan.
“Oh, he’s a mess – in a good way. He’s a lot fun," Marcum said. "
"He’s definitely misunderstood. Some people feel like they have to do that to have an edge. He's the kind of guy you definitely want on your team with the way he brings energy."
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
NLCS Game 3: Carpenter matches Gibson
CARDINALS ace Chris Carpenter, making his 12th postseason start, nailed down another win Wednesday night as the Redbirds took the upper-hand of the NLCS, winning Game 3 at Busch Stadium, 4-3.
The Brewers, likewise, sent their ace to the mound, but Yovani Gallardo gave up all four runs. Carpenter passed Matt Morris for the most starts by a St. Louis pitcher in the postseason. He also picked up his 7th postseason win, tying the great Bob Gibson.
"When people talk about you in the same sentence as Bob Gibson, it's pretty neat. And Bob Gibson, he's a Hall of Fame guy that's a super stud. I've done OK, but I'm not Bob Gibson," said Carpenter, who labored for five innings, allowing three runs on six hits.
Just yesterday, Carpenter was saying how much he needs to enjoy the moment, referencing to the epic NLDS do-or-die matchup against Roy Halladay.
"That's what's so fun about this game and pitching. You got out there, you have guys on the other side grinding out at-bats, pressuring you all night long. You have a few infield hits, a couple broken bats, and the next thing you know, you're in trouble every single inning. You never know."
For the record, Gibson made nine postseason starts compared to Carpenter's dozen. Gibson went 7-2 (1.89 ERA) in the postseason, and now Carpenter stands at 7-2 (3.10 ERA).
"When people talk about you in the same sentence as Bob Gibson, it's pretty neat. And Bob Gibson, he's a Hall of Fame guy that's a super stud. I've done OK, but I'm not Bob Gibson," said Carpenter, who labored for five innings, allowing three runs on six hits.
Just yesterday, Carpenter was saying how much he needs to enjoy the moment, referencing to the epic NLDS do-or-die matchup against Roy Halladay.
"That's what's so fun about this game and pitching. You got out there, you have guys on the other side grinding out at-bats, pressuring you all night long. You have a few infield hits, a couple broken bats, and the next thing you know, you're in trouble every single inning. You never know."
For the record, Gibson made nine postseason starts compared to Carpenter's dozen. Gibson went 7-2 (1.89 ERA) in the postseason, and now Carpenter stands at 7-2 (3.10 ERA).
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
NLCS Game 3 Primer: plenty of bad blood
ST. LOUIS -- The latest verbal arrow in the Brewers-Cardinals rivalry was fired by Zack Greinke, who basically called Chris Carpenter a phony."I think his presence, his attitude out there sometimes is like a phony attitude. And then he yells at people. He just stares people down and stuff," Greinke said. "A lot of our guys don't like Carpenter."
Carpenter, who's already gone back and forth with "Tony Plush" on this topic, offered a response to Greinke during Tuesday's NLCS Workout Day at Busch Stadium. "Why Zack thinks there’s a problem, I’m not sure," Carpenter said.
The most telling moment of the interview session came when Carpenter, a Trinity High of Manchester graduate, wouldn't take the Brewers' bait.
"I know what they're saying. They can do what they want, they can say what they want. I don't care. I'm not concerning myself with that. It's called playing the game the right way. It's called being professional."
Yowzers, this is getting good.
When the New Hampshire native last pitched against the Brewers, Carpenter struck out Nyjer Morgan in the ninth and said some things. This prompted Morgan to chuck his wad of chewing tobacco in the pitcher's direction. Said Morgan, "He felt like he had to say something. But as soon as he said it, he turns his back and runs away."
During postgame, Carpenter tried to avoid the issue but couldn't hold back when asked about the Brewers' agitator:"He was yelling at me at second base. The whole game he's screaming and yelling at me. I don't know if he's trying to get guys out of their game, but I'm not going to allow it to bother me. He's a serious talent. He just plays the game in a different way," Carpenter said. "There's a certain way to compete. There's a certain way not to compete. It's unfortunate because it takes away from how good a player he is."
Get ready to drop the gloves for Game 3. The teams are even fighting over the family seating at Busch Stadium as Amy K. Nelson reports.
--KG
Carpenter, who's already gone back and forth with "Tony Plush" on this topic, offered a response to Greinke during Tuesday's NLCS Workout Day at Busch Stadium. "Why Zack thinks there’s a problem, I’m not sure," Carpenter said.
The most telling moment of the interview session came when Carpenter, a Trinity High of Manchester graduate, wouldn't take the Brewers' bait.
"I know what they're saying. They can do what they want, they can say what they want. I don't care. I'm not concerning myself with that. It's called playing the game the right way. It's called being professional."
Yowzers, this is getting good.
When the New Hampshire native last pitched against the Brewers, Carpenter struck out Nyjer Morgan in the ninth and said some things. This prompted Morgan to chuck his wad of chewing tobacco in the pitcher's direction. Said Morgan, "He felt like he had to say something. But as soon as he said it, he turns his back and runs away."
During postgame, Carpenter tried to avoid the issue but couldn't hold back when asked about the Brewers' agitator:"He was yelling at me at second base. The whole game he's screaming and yelling at me. I don't know if he's trying to get guys out of their game, but I'm not going to allow it to bother me. He's a serious talent. He just plays the game in a different way," Carpenter said. "There's a certain way to compete. There's a certain way not to compete. It's unfortunate because it takes away from how good a player he is."
Get ready to drop the gloves for Game 3. The teams are even fighting over the family seating at Busch Stadium as Amy K. Nelson reports.
--KG
Monday, October 10, 2011
My son pretends to be "Tony Plush"
My 7-year-old has heard me talking so much about "Tony Plush" that pretended to be Nyjer on the Wii tonight ...
NLCS Game 3: Tony Plush vs. Carpenter
Who could forget the last time Nyjer Morgan faced Chris Carpenter? "Tony Plush" struck out in the ninth inning and incited a bench-clearing mini-brawl after tossing his wad of chew at Carpenter.
The Brewers and Cardinals later exchanged verbal barbs, with Morgan saying Carpenter was swearing at him following the strikeout. The St. Louis ace said Morgan was "yelling and screaming" at him all game. Have a listen from my radio show, "The Life," that can be heard in New Hampshire:
They meet again in Game 3 of the NLCS at Busch Stadium on Wednesday night. I'll be there!
The Brewers and Cardinals later exchanged verbal barbs, with Morgan saying Carpenter was swearing at him following the strikeout. The St. Louis ace said Morgan was "yelling and screaming" at him all game. Have a listen from my radio show, "The Life," that can be heard in New Hampshire:
They meet again in Game 3 of the NLCS at Busch Stadium on Wednesday night. I'll be there!
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