Macha Finally Showing Emotion

Brewer fans have plenty of reason to be frustrated with this season. After all, it's not gone well, and for every step forward, the team takes two steps back.

Through it all, manager Ken Macha has continued to show virtually no emotion, even though he did manage an ejection during a game at Colorado last month. That was his first ejection in nearly 300 as Brewers manager, something that took predecessor Ned Yost about 20 minutes.

We've also seen Macha refuse to properly deal with underperforming veteran pitchers, and we've seen his complete lack of emotion during games.

Saturday night, Macha came as close to snapping as he's come in his tenure with Milwaukee.

The Brewers were in the midst of a comfortable 6-3 win over the Atlanta Braves Saturday, when first baseman Prince Fielder came to the plate in the eighth inning. Apparently, he looked at pitcher Johnny Venters wrong, because the first pitch went over Fielder's head, and the second one hit him right in the middle of the back. Since the home-plate umpire had issued a warning between the pitches, Venters was ejected -- along with Braves manager Bobby Cox, who actually knows how to be thrown out of a ballgame, unlike Macha. Fielder threw his bat down, clearly pissed at what went down, but chose not to charge the mound.

After the game, Macha was livid.

Well, livid by Macha standards.

“I don't know what's going on there,” ... Macha said before saying Major League Baseball should get involved. “(Vice President of rules and on-field operations) Bob Watson ought to take a look at it. Braun hits a home run, they drill (Fielder). He hits a home run, his next at-bat they drill him. That's evidence enough for me for some guys to get suspended for quite a bit. “Now if they're just wild, tell them to get the ball over the plate. We're respecting what's going on. Hit the ball, run around the bases. … Apparently they want to pitch Prince inside but in the middle of the back? That's a little more than inside.”

(By the way, Venters and Cox think we're all morons, because neither would admit to any intent, even though this is far from the first time a Brewer hitter has been beaned by an Atlanta pitcher while the Braves are getting beat.)

Cox and Macha met before Sunday's game, probably because Cox knew Manny Parra was pitching for the Brewers, and that made the game virtually a lost cause. If the Brewers wanted to retaliate, wouldn't this be the perfect time to do it?

Fielder handled the situation with class, as he did in the spring when he took a beaning from San Francisco's Barry Zito, and completely unlike his meltdown in Los Angeles last summer.

Now, it's time for the Braves to fess up. Quit playing dumb, and admit that you have some sort of a problem with Prince Fielder. After all, you never know. He might be your teammate soon.

Face it, Brewers Fans: Boras is Right About Prince Fielder

The baseball All-Star break has started. You know what that means.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Baseball's All-Star Game isn't what it used to be. There is way too much showmanship before the start of the game, and it often runs past midnight in the Eastern time zone. I'm not one to use the tired "Kids can't watch the game!" line on the All-Star Game because I don't think there's any way to make kids care about such a spectacle.

The game itself is rarely newsworthy, unless something bad -- a tie, for example -- were to happen.

Instead, the news is often made off the field, as we usually get a lot of trade deadline banter, to go along with agents talking about how great their clients are.

One agent notorious for the latter is Scott Boras. The superagent is a master of manipulating teams in negotiations, and maximizing the return for his clients. There's a reason the top young prospects and established veterans all seemingly flock to Boras for representation.

He's good. That's why.

Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder is a Boras client. He's not an All-Star, but Boras is in Anaheim for the game Tuesday, and he spoke to Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writer Tom Haudricourt Monday about the Brewers' efforts to re-sign Fielder.

Let's just say those efforts aren't going well.

Boras said he views Fielder as a “rare, rare commodity” for what the Brewers’ slugger accomplished by age 25. Fielder, who turned 26 in May, already has accumulated 181 home runs in 764 major-league games.

Every other player that has that by his age is a Hall of Famer,” said Boras, in attendance at the all-star interview sessions for players from both leagues.

The Brewers opened talks with Boras earlier this year on an extension for Fielder, who can be a free agent after the 2011 season. Word among agents attending the All-Star Game is that the Brewers made an initial offer of five years at just over $100 million.

Boras must have let the Brewers know that wouldn’t be nearly enough because talks broke off and nothing has happened for weeks. Boras declined to categorize the nature of those talks but made it clear that he considers Fielder a top-dollar player.

“We sat down and talked about exploratory elements of the process of free agency,” said Boras. “To suggest anyone is putting deadlines or timelines on it is wrong.

“With any slugger, three things are always certain. One is they are coveted. Two is they are either signed or subject to being traded. The third one is that regardless of where he’s at or will be, the rarity of their performance make them dramatically impactful to the system.

“Those number of players are less than 10 in baseball, from the offensive side, and Prince is one of them.”

Boras noted that Fielder is a more accomplished power hitter and younger than another of his clients, first baseman Mark Teixeira, who signed an eight-year, $180-million free-agent deal with the New York Yankees prior to the 2009 season.

“When you have a player that performs like Mark Teixeira, you have to look at Prince Fielder’s performance in comparison,” said Boras. “You want to know the value of a player? Take a look at it.

“Prince is a home-run hitter. He’s 70 home runs ahead of Teixeira at that point (of his career). Prince has much more power. This is how you (gauge) performance and age and production. You have to ask in the market place how many players can do this?”

This isn't a case involving a player who could be on the verge of a serious decline. People rag on Fielder for his weight, but the slugger continues to hit, he has plenty of power, he's still young, and there is no sign of his weight dragging him down. Despite the lines people try to feed you, he's not a butcher defensively, and he's not a cancer in the clubhouse.

Reality is that Fielder will deserve the payday he's going to get. He'll make sure he puts up the numbers to warrant it, and Boras will make damn sure he gets it.

That's what he does best.

And in this case, he should. Fielder is young enough that this might not be his only big payday, but you can't plan that way. The Brewers might be able to make a competitive offer, but it seems unlikely that they'll be able to keep Fielder if there is any interest in him on the open market.

Remember, it only takes one deep-pocketed team to break the bank on Fielder, and the Brewers are left with extra draft picks and a huge hole at first base.

What should they do?

Does general manager Doug Melvin just throw in the towel on this season, deal Fielder before July 31, and hope that the "under contract for next season" carrot is enough to inspire some serious offers?

Should he wait until the winter to deal him? There is a theory in baseball that position players get you more in return if you deal them during the offseason.

The other option is to wait until next summer. Of course, if the Brewers somehow become a contender, you can't go off trading your best player for -- at best -- sixty cents on the dollar. Then you're stuck getting nothing for him in free agency. That would go over like a lead balloon in Milwaukee.

The best option is probably to trade him this year, when you can sell teams on the idea of having him for the stretch run this year, and then the entire 2011 season. It's going to suck for the people of Milwaukee, and it might drive some fans to the newsstand to grab a football preview and read up on the Packers.

But it's best for the franchise. Look at other examples around sports. You can't just let prominent players walk as free agents with no compensation. If you do, it makes your franchise look worse than trading them ahead of time does.

Brewers Say Talks Ongoing With Prince

Outside of the season starting and all the hoopla that comes along with it, the big story in Milwaukee is something that doesn't happen until after the 2011 season.

First baseman Prince Fielder has two years left on his current contract, but the fact that he can walk after next season already has Brewer fans nervous.

If they had their way, the big man would have been signed to an extension sometime last month. Instead, the Brewers and Fielder are still talking about the potential for a new contract. Given that Fielder is represented by super-agent Scott Boras, it just doesn't seem too terribly likely that Milwaukee will have a lot of success buying Prince out of free agency, unless they can make him a bank-breaking offer.

Any low likelihood of Prince signing won't stop the Brewers from trying. After all, the worst he can say is "No."

Well, the worst thing he could say "(Bleep) you," but that doesn't seem too likely, even from the ultra-intense Prince.

Anyway, the Brewers say talks have kicked off, and they won't be updating us regularly.

Fielder can be a free agent after the 2011 season but the Brewers are trying to tie him up with a long-term extension before he gets to that stage. Melvin and Attanasio met in Los Angeles during spring training with Fielder's agent, Scott Boras, to get the ball rolling.

"One of the things we've said is we're not going to give a moment-to-moment handicap of where things are at, so that it looks like a stock chart," Attanasio said.

"Discussions are ongoing. Most importantly, I think Prince is relaxed. I saw him in the clubhouse this morning. What we don't want is for this to be a distraction to him. One of the reasons we're not going to give day-to-day or weekly reports on this is we don't want it to distract Prince. We don't think it's a distraction now.

"We'll continue the conversations and we'll see where it goes."

Attanasio said he perfectly understood why fans are nervous about Fielder leaving via free agency.

"He's a great player," said Attanasio. "He and Ryan (Braun) have pretty much become the face of our team. He hit 46 home runs and drove in 141 runs last year. I can see why everybody is interested. Doug and I are interested, too. But it's very complex.

"When you talk about $100 million type contracts, it's nine figures. Those are complex transactions. They don't get done with a quick conversation and a handshake. Everything has to line up to make it work. Having said that, there's a mutual intent on both sides to try to make it work. We'll see if we can make it work."

Nothing too huge here, but it's news.

A lot of this hinges on how willing Prince is to commit long-term to the Brewers. Yes, Boras has a reputation for being, well, an ass, but the reality is that he works for Prince, and his job is to do what Prince wants him to do.

If Prince wants to stay with the Brewers, and their offer is in the range he's looking for, he'll sign. If he wants more than the club offers him, there's no question that he will at least test the market after the 2011 season.

If he's still a Brewer by then.

Those Insane Mauer-Fielder Comparisons Likely to Continue

Joe Mauer was set to be a free agent after the 2010 season. The 27-year-old opted to instead sign an eight-year deal with the Minnesota Twins for $184 million.

He's a great hitter, having already won three American League batting titles. Last year, the power people promised we would see finally showed up, as Mauer socked 28 home runs in just over 600 at-bats.

More significantly, Mauer is a great hitter, who will only get better as he continues to harness his power, but he's also a great defensive player who has drawn raves for his ability to handle a pitching staff.

As most baseball fans know, Mauer is a highly valuable player because of his two-way -- so to speak -- ability. There simply aren't a lot of perennial .320 hitters who can hit for power and also play superb defense at that position.

While Twins fans celebrate Mauer's long-term contract, fans across the border are left to wonder how this will impact their soon-to-be free-agent star.

Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder will be a free agent after the 2011 season. He turns 27 that season, and since he has Scott Boras as an agent, it makes sense that the Brewers face an uphill battle if they want to buy Fielder's free agent years.

Fielder's power has never been in question. What's nice to see is that his defense has improved since he became a big-leaguer, and he finally has found a way to get on base when people aren't pitching to him.

His power? Well, yeah. Youngest to 50 home runs in a season. 141 RBI last year to go along with 46 home runs. He would have been the highest-profile player in the NL if not for that damn Pujols guy.

.299/.412/.602 is probably the peak of his offensive abilitites, and that's just fine. He's a Hall of Famer if he can find a way to keep doing that.

Their VORP numbers are almost identical (77.5 for Mauer, 75.6 for Fielder). Their star power in these cities is enormous.

So why is it so idiotic to think that they're worth similar contracts? It's something that you're going to read a lot about, and it's already kind of started.

The Brewers would like to keep Fielder off the free-agent market as well, and have an extra year to do so. Mauer, who was eligible for free agency after the 2010 season, signed an eight-year, $184 million deal Sunday to remain with the Twins.

That deal was very close to the eight-year, $180 million deal Mark Teixeira got from the New York Yankees as a free agent prior to the 2009 season. Teixeira’s agent is Scott Boras, who also represents Fielder.

Asked about Mauer’s deal, Fielder said, “It's great. It's beautiful. I'm very happy for him.

“Any time you see another player (get a big deal), you feel good for him. I just want the best for any player in the game.”

... Whether the Brewers would offer Fielder that kind of money remains to be seen. Melvin said talks were ongoing but declined to categorize them as both sides adhere to the agreement to keep details confidential.

For starters, the Twins signed Mauer out of desperation. Yes, he's good and deserving. But the Twins were desperate to buy his free agent years and pay him through his prime, because they knew they couldn't be taken seriously as a franchise if they didn't get his guy re-signed.

Meanwhile, the Brewers already outsmarted the system, buying star outfielder Ryan Braun out of his arbitration years and the start of his free agent clock. They would really like to re-sign Fielder, but they know they already have a fanbase and they don't have to worry about being the laughingstock of the sport if they let Fielder go.

Much less pressure, and that's great, because the Brewers don't have the backing of the 15th-largest media market in the country like the Twins do.

(Yes, 15th. But keep calling the Twins small market. That's accurate. You know what other baseball franchise is small market? The Dodgers. Just write it a few times, and morons will start believing it.)

Not only that, but what's harder to find? A great defensive catcher who can hit, or a fat first baseman who socks home runs, takes walks, and is around average defensively?

Mauer might not be a better overall player than Fielder, but suggesting Fielder is worth $23 million per year because Mauer got it is laughable. Fielder is worth more than the $120 million over seven years that Matt Holliday got from St. Louis, and he's worth less than what Mauer got.

Of course, what reality dictates and what Boras thinks are often two totally different things. Boras is well-known for getting everything he can possibly get for his clients, and it's unlikely he'll let Fielder settle for what he thinks is a deal even $1 below market value.

Fielder Takes Beaning Like a Man

When the Milwaukee Brewers got together with the San Francisco Giants Thursday in Arizona, many thought there was a plunking coming.

Last year, Brewers' first baseman Prince Fielder celebrated a walk-off home run with an obviously choreographed celebration. His teammates pretended to be bowling pins when Fielder jumped on home plate.

It was kind of funny, but not really all that cool because of the code of baseball. It's just not something you do, and while the criticism might have been overblown, it was somewhat justified and understandable.

Thursday was the first time the two teams had met since, and Barry Zito had "the honors."

Fielder picked up the ball and flipped it back to Zito, then jogged to first base without incident. Zito said that home plate umpire Ted Barrett issued a warning to both clubs, but Fielder said that wasn't the case.

After the game, Fielder acted like a guy who knew and understood what he had coming. Zito tried to play dumb.

"I've always said, 'I play the game hard. I run hard. And after that, I don't care what anybody thinks,' " Fielder said. "If that's what they've gotta do, that's what they've gotta do. Let them hit me once, and if that makes them feel better, that's awesome. Now we can just play baseball."

Zito, who pitched 1 2/3 innings in his first outing of the spring, denied trying to send a message with the pitch.

"We were just trying to go in there hard [with fastballs]," Zito said. "It's not something that was thought about for months and months."

This isn't 1994. No one is that dumb, Barry.

Fielder got heat last summer for charging at the Dodgers' clubhouse after a beaning. As free agency looms after this season, Fielder is at least talking like someone prepared to turn over a bit of a new leaf.

"Everytime somebody does something to me, I'm the one being videotaped," Fielder said, "so I'm trying to be a good guy. When kids see me getting crazy ... I'm trying to maintain [composure].

"Unfortunately people like to test it sometimes, but I'm working on it. I'm tired of being the bad guy all the time. I'm trying to work on growing up, I guess."

You have to salute Fielder for handling things the way he did. It's not easy to stand in the box and let a guy -- even if it's the notoriously soft-tossing Zito -- throw a fastball at you. Fielder's handling of this in spring training means it won't hang over both teams when they meet in the regular season.

For that matter, you have to salute the Giants. They followed baseball's code, in that they got the situation over with, didn't let it escalate, and didn't make more if it than it needed to be. It might be stupid stuff to many, but the honor code of a sport is very important, and it was well-followed in this instance.