October 11
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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At his Web site, baseball analyst Bill James was asked by a Milwaukee Brewers fan "who would get the better of the deal when a superstar hitter is traded for a superstar pitcher?" The fan provided a hypothetical: Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder for Toronto Blue Jay right-hander Roy Halladay. "I'd say the team that gets the non-pitcher will win 65% of the time, because hitting is more stable and predictable than pitching," James answered. "Many pitchers have 15-year careers which include five-year phases in which they are superior performers, but 10 or more years in which they are ordinary. Position players virtually never have this combination. "If you are assuming that the pitcher is ..."
October 8
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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The Milwaukee Brewers are willing to do most anything this winter to improve their pitching staff. Anything except trade Prince Fielder or Ryan Braun. Despite continuing speculation - mostly from national pundits - that the Brewers will have to trade one of their two sluggers to acquire a quality starting pitcher, general manager Doug Melvin made it clear Wednesday he isn't entertaining such thoughts. At his annual season-review news conference at Miller Park, Melvin said he might have to sacrifice some offense to improve his woeful starting pitching. Melvin then was asked if that meant sacrificing either Fielder or Braun. "That would be a tough one," said Melvin. "I didn't mean it that ..."
October 1
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Ryan Braun is rapping at the door of the greats. And he knows it. The Milwaukee Brewers' leftfielder is close to becoming just the fourth player in franchise history to reach 200 hits in a season, needing four over his final four games to reach the milestone. Also within his grasp is the National League lead in hits this season, which if achieved would make him the third Brewer to lead their respective league in hits. Robin Yount (1982) and Paul Molitor (1991) did it while in the American League. Both of those players also had 200 hits in a season, Molitor twice, along with Cecil Cooper, who did it three times in his career with the Brewers. Braun entered Wednesday with 194 hits, two ..."
July 8
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Ryan Braun speaks with passion, sometimes to a fault. He says what he feels, sometimes without a filter. He rarely holds back, which was cause for a sit-down meeting between him and Milwaukee Brewers general manager Doug Melvin on Tuesday afternoon in the first-base dugout at Miller Park. The Brewers' all-star leftfielder cleared the air with Melvin after Braun lit up the team's starting pitchers after the four-game series against the Chicago Cubs last weekend by saying, "We've got to find a way to throw the ball a little bit better for us to have success. When you're constantly behind in games, it's not easy and not fun." Braun also said he wanted Melvin to make a trade. Melvin, on ..."
July 7
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Milwaukee Brewers general manager Doug Melvin says it is "uncharacteristic" of him to publicly criticize a player but leftfielder Ryan Braun obviously struck a nerve Sunday afternoon. "It was inappropriate for him to say what he said, and I'm not happy about it," an upset Melvin said Monday in a telephone interview. "To make the statements he made and also get on his teammates like that, it was irresponsible on his part. It just ticked me off." After the Brewers lost, 8-2, Sunday to the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field tothree of four games there, Braun implored Melvin to make a trade for a pitcher as soon as possible. He also said Chicago's starting pitchers were "a lot better than ours." ..."
July 6
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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nsidering the explosive 1-2 punch that Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder have formed in the middle of the Milwaukee Brewers' lineup, it would have been unfair to send one to the All-Star Game without the other. Now, that won't happen. Fielder was added to the National League all-star roster Sunday by Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel, joining Braun as the Brewers' representatives in St. Louis. Braun was the leading vote-getter among NL outfielders in fan balloting and becomes the first Milwaukee player to start in consecutive games since Robin Yount in 1982 and '83. There was some sentiment that closer Trevor Hoffman and right-hander Yovani Gallardo deserved nods but they were bypassed as ..."
June 19
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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With the team enjoying an off day Thursday in Detroit and club personnel scattered about, Milwaukee Brewers assistant general manager Gord Ash said he did not speak with head trainer Roger Caplinger. But Ash did speak after the game Wednesday night in Cleveland with Caplinger, who said he didn't consider Ryan Braun's lower-back tightness "anything serious." Braun left that game in the eighth inning after experiencing the tightness. The Brewers' leftfielder has been plagued with back/side issues in the past but had problems swinging the bat during those periods. Braun had no such issues in the three-game sweep in Cleveland, collecting six hits in 13 at-bats (.462) with a home run and six ..."
June 2
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Brewers leftfielder Ryan Braun continues to lead National League outfielders in balloting for the all-star team. Braun ranks third overall in National League voting results with 908,745 votes, trailing only St. Louis first baseman Albert Pujols (1,240,395) and Philadelphia second baseman Chase Utley (1,111,963). Shortstop J.J. Hardy, who was first among shortstops after the first round of balloting, now is third. First baseman Prince Fielder (527,165) and catcher Jason Kendall (471,557) maintained their second place standings. Third baseman Bill Hall and second baseman Rickie Weeks (out for the season) rank third at their positions, while outfielders Mike Cameron and Corey Hart rank sixth ..."
May 21
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Leftfielder Ryan Braun is the only member of the Milwaukee Brewers to be named to Sporting News' list of the 50 greatest current players in baseball. Braun ranks No. 32 on the list, which includes both position players and pitchers. What gives weight to this list is the panel of 100 baseball people Sporting News polled to arrive at its choices. Many of the panelists are members of the Baseball Hall of Fame and winners of major baseball awards. Among the voters with Brewers connections are former players Gorman Thomas and Rollie Fingers and former managers Tom Trebelhorn and Phil Garner. St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols was chosen as the greatest current player in baseball, ..."
May 13
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Ryan Braun's theme song should be changed to Frank Sinatra's "My Way." Despite antagonizing opponents for "admiring" home runs - and paying for it by being thrown at - the Milwaukee Brewers leftfielder said Tuesday that he had no intention of changing the way he plays the game. "That's how I live my life," said Braun, who was honored Monday as the National League player of the week. "I live my life in the moment and I think you should enjoy those times. "I don't think I'm doing anything wrong. I'm not going to admire a home run unless it's a big situation. If we're up by a lot or down by a lot, it's not something I'm going to do. "It's an emotional thing, a passionate thing. It's not a ..."
May 7
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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The game needed a 46-minute delay before it could start. And it needed even less time than that before it was finished. In what resembled a slow-pitch softball game for the first hour, the Milwaukee Brewers demolished the Cincinnati Reds with a few quick flips of the bat before an inning and a half had been completed Wednesday night. When the drubbing, delayed by rain at the start, was complete, the Brewers walked out of Great American Ball Park with a 15-3 victory, their fourth in a row and 12th in 15 games. The 15 runs scored are a season high. The Brewers cemented those numbers quickly. By the time they made their sixth out, they already had nine runs on eight hits, had drawn five ..."
May 5
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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It's early May and Ryan Braun already has undergone two MRIs. Can that be good? The answer seemed to be a definite no before the start of the Milwaukee Brewers' game Monday night against Pittsburgh. By the end of the evening, however, the story had changed considerably. Braun wasn't on the premises at PNC Park when the game began. The all-star leftfielder stayed behind in Milwaukee to have an MRI performed on his ailing back after he missed two games. That test was negative, ruling out structural damage. But Braun did not miss the entire game. He arrived at the ballpark in time to pinch-hit in the eighth inning with the bases loaded and two out, and blooped a two-run double to right that ..."
April 30
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Milwaukee Brewers All-Star outfielder Ryan Braun, who publicly griped about being plunked by Pirates pitcher Jeff Karstens in the series opener, didn't fare well against Pirates starter Ian Snell on Wednesday. Snell became the first pitcher to strikeout Braun three times in one game since the Arizona Diamondbacks' Brandon Webb accomplished the feat Aug. 22, 2007. Braun has been outspoken in recent days, saying that Karstens hit him intentionally in a post-home run at-bat Monday. "We've been hearing all types of mess," Snell said of Braun. "I know he doesn't mean anything by it. He's a great person. Maybe he was a little fired up. But you shouldn't say stuff like that. Keep it to yourself. ..."
April 19
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Ryan Braun is happy he plays his home games at Miller Park instead of Citi Field. "I wouldn't be overly excited about playing 81 games here as a hitter," said the Brewers' leftfielder. The New York Mets' new ballpark is in its infancy, but it does appear to favor pitchers more than hitters. It's 384 feet to left-center field, and except for in the very corner, the leftfield wall is 16 feet high. The ballpark is deeper to right center (415 feet) than straightaway center (408). The rightfield wall also drops back for several feet and is elevated in that area to 19 feet as a promotion for a local sporting goods store. "There aren't going to be many home runs to the middle of the field," said ..."
April 16
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Speculation has been rampant, but Milwaukee Brewers leftfielder Ryan Braun assured inquiring minds that he is 100% healthy. The strained intercostal muscle that sidelined him in spring training is fine. He blamed his slow start - a .200 average, no home runs and two runs batted in going into Wednesday - on his swing. Manager Ken Macha even gave Braun the option of taking Wednesday's game off. He played and doubled in his first at-bat. "I'm just still trying to find my timing and rhythm a little bit," Braun said. "Physically I feel good, but the swing is not where it needs to be yet. It's not mechanical as much as it is timing. I'm getting pitches to drive that I'm not doing anything with. ..."
March 28
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Milwaukee Brewers leftfielder Ryan Braun will test his ailing right side Saturday by playing in a minor-league exhibition game. The Brewers are playing Braun in the minors because they can control the conditions and keep intact their right to backdate time on the disabled list the maximum allowable days entering the season. "We'll have an assessment made and proceed from there," manager Ken Macha said. It remains to be seen how many times the Brewers will ask Braun to test the tightness in his right intercostal muscles in minor-league games before they trust his health enough to play in big-league exhibition games. "We'll take it day by day," assistant general manager Gord Ash said. Teams ..."
March 27
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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The Milwaukee Brewers received some measure of comfort Thursday when an MRI revealed no structural damage in the ailing right side of leftfielder Ryan Braun. Now, the Brewers and Braun know for sure that he has nothing more than tightness in his intercostal muscles on that side. No cracked rib, no tears of any kind. "It's pretty much what the player and the doctor from last week told us," assistant general manager Gord Ash said. "We didn't think it was anything serious but any time a player continues to have stiffness, you want to get to the bottom of it. "The MRI certainly gives us some comfort. We know it's nothing structural." Braun was listed as "day to day" with tightness of the ..."
March 17
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Milwaukee Brewers all-star leftfielder Ryan Braun strained his right intercostal Sunday night in Team USA's game in the World Baseball Classic. It is the same injury that kept him out of six games in the second half of last season and caused a dramaticin offensive production. There was talk that Braun might leave the team and return to Arizona to be examined by the Brewers' trainers and doctors, but that plan has been nixed. Braun will stay with Team USA in Miami as it plays in the second round of the WBC. The Brewers will check with Braun and Team USA doctors Tuesday to determine whether any further action needs to be taken. Braun's status is officially day-to-day and he didn't work out ..."
July 3
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Ryan Braun, who has been closing fast on a berth on the National League all-star team, hasn't been playing like an all-star of late. With Braun in a deep slump and his ailing right hand not helping matters, Milwaukee Brewers manager Ned Yost removed him from the starting lineup Wednesday night. Yost said he might also sit Braun today in the series finale against Arizona."