Thank you Doug Melvin, Ned Yost and the Brewers front office.
Yes! Finally a trade for the Brewers that turned out well. It doesn't happen often. Remember Gary Sheffield? Ah yes, he started with the Crew. Jeff Cirillo? Same. BJ Surhoff? Yessirree. And alas...Richie Sexson.
So Richie Rich....how is Arizona treating you? Enjoying the sun, are ya? Enjoying all the extra amenities Phoenix has that Milwaukee does not? Good, glad to hear it, because since you left the Brewers we have become a much, much better baseball team. Im sure you are on target to hit .300, drive in 120 RBI's and hit 50 dingers right? Thought you were going to be playing for a ring this year, didn't you? Ouch, thats right. You are on the disabled list for the rest of year. I really feel bad, honestly I do.
Lyle in action....
Thank you Arizona for starting first baseman Lyle Overbay (batting .339 with 27 doubles), starting second baseman Junior Spivey (younger and sharper than the aging Eric Young was last year), a solid starting catcher (Chad Moeller), Craig Counsel (Wisconsin native playing well back home) and Jorge DeLaRosa (good prospect at AAA Indianapolis). Not to mention a 31-29 record in mid-June. When was the last time that happened in Brew town? I cant remember. How are the D-backs doing? Well under .500 and struggggg-lin. Will it stay this way for the rest of the season? Who knows. But I, along with every other Brewer fan, am loving it until it does all collapse....again. On to the list...
My Top 8 Best/Worst Trades...depending on the team you root for.
1. Brett Favre from the Falcons to the Packers for 2 Pinto's and a chilito from Taco Bell. Remember folks....this is MY Top 8 Trades....I'm in Wisconsin....I love the deal...It's #1. Favre won us a championship and played a HUGE part in 'There's Something About Mary.'
2. Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings for....well how about 3 Superbowl rings. The Cowboys got 6 players and 12 draft picks (including Emmitt Smith and Darren Woodson). Again...I'm in Wisconsin, we hate the Vikings....the Vikings stunk for 10 years after this deal....makes it #2 on my list.
3. Scottie Pippen to the Bulls for Olden Polynice. This doesn't have to be explained, but I'll explain it anyways...bluntly. Six rings in Chicago for Scottie...nothing in return for the Blazers. Then again...if Michael doesn't retire the first time, they win 8 straight.
4. Reds trade Frank Robinson to the Orioles for the Milt Pappas, Jack Baldschun and outfielder Dick Simpson. In Robinson's first year with the Orioles, he won the Triple Crown and was named MVP of the ALCS and the World Series as Baltimore won its first championship. Four more World Series trips over the next six years. Not bad.
5. Dodgers send Pedro Martinez to the Red Sox for Delino Deshields. Wow. Looked like an even deal in '93. Today? Not so much.
6. Kobe for Vlade straight up. Good deal...for the Lakers. Kobe wins 3 rings in LA....so far. Vlade, well, nothing in Charlotte...still looking for a ring in Sactown. The personal side of Kobe is another story, something that has already been discussed.
7. Chicago Blackhawks send Dominik Hasek to the Sabres for backup goalie Stéphane Beauregard and a fourth-round draft pick. You know...I'm not the biggest hockey fan in the world but I sure know that Chicago could have used the Dominator between the posts for the last 15 years.
8. Celtics get the 'Chief' Robert Parish and the #3 pick, Kevin McHale, from the Warriors. Not a bad twosome....only helped win 3 titles for the Celtics along with Larry Bird. I haven't seen a positive out of the Warriors...well...ever.
Just missing out on the Top 8? Boston sending Jeff Bagwell to the Astros for Larry Anderson. Ah yes, Boston got the better of this deal. Anderson went on to win the Cy Young....haha, right. Bagwell wins NL Rookie of the Year in '91. Anderson, well he took the Sox to the playoffs only to be swept by the A's.
Got some help....but this is MY list.
http://sports.espn.go.com/page2/s/list/trades/010716.html
6 comments:
Melvin traded for guys that he knew would be appreciated in a blue-collar town like the Brew City. The guys show up, work hard and whatever happens happens. They do their best and hopefully it's enough for a .500 record.
That's what is missing out of this sport: more guys with attitudes like the entire Brewers coaching staff and players. It's all about working hard and letting the rest take care of itself.
They filled so many holes with that trade, got a prospect too. And dumped a guy that would have left at the end of the year anyway. That's brilliant stuff by Melvin. Hope he stays on for awhile.
Man, Favre was really something in "There's Something About Mary!"
As a fellow Cheesehead who grew up less than an hour from the hallowed Lambeau Field and has watched game after game alongside my parents and 83-year-old grandfather (who ALL suffered thru nearly 3 DECADES of mediocre (and just plain pathetically POOR play by the Pack in the 70's, 80's, and early 90's!) I can truly appreciate what we got when we got Favre.
Things have been what you might call up-and-down since the Super Bowl seasons XXXI and XXXII, but this year I watched in amazement as we slowly saw the OLD Brett Favre come out to play towards the end of the season and into the playoffs, fearless and touched by a confidence I think we've been missing of late. Maybe, as some said, the product of something other-worldly??? Maybe the memory or the spirit of his deceased father, Irv????:-) At any rate, he pulled the Pack back together at Oakland this year...and I know I was actually STUNNED (for the first time in YEARS!) when they finally did lose a few rounds into the playoffs.
This morning I heard that Tim Couch has decided to sign a 1-year contract as one of Favre's back-ups. At this point there's a ton of speculation about whether he'll become the "heir apparent." It irritates me when people naturally assume Favre's time is up. No matter what others say...he CAN still play. It's just a matter of, does he WANT to do more than just show up for the games?!!? And does he have the motivation to motivate his teammates? Because the only way they have the belief is w/HIM in the driver's seat, ONE HUNDRED PERCENT. We witnessed it here this past season.
And speaking of MOTIVATION...Mike McKenzie, GET YOUR A#@ TO CAMP!
Thank you!
Nice article! As a Brewer's fan I love to see the team doing a lot better this season. I have to say that I really hope that it doesn't continue over this weekend as I am a Twins fan as well (gotta love interleague play....hmmm....maybe an idea for yet another article!) As a packer-hater I would love to disagree with your #1 trade, although I feel it fair to agree. I would however choose to move the Kobe trade higher even if the Lakers lost. He may have a horrible game off the court, but you need to give the boy credit for the seasons he has had with the Lakers.
Excellent entry. What a trade for the Brew Crew. As for your list of the top 8 best/worst trades ever... what about the 1990 trade of Glenn Davis to Baltimore for Curt Schilling, Steve Finley and Pete Harnisch? Davis went on to hit 24 HR over 3 seasons in B'more, and the other three went on to All-Star-to-Hall-of-Fame-caliber careers.
Good entry! What a hard decision for the Brewers, but it turned out to be a great trade. It is nice to see them actually winning. (Even though it means that the traded their best and HOTTEST player!!) GOOOO BREW CREW!!!
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