Brewers P Chris Narveson: Out for the Year (Rotator Cuff)
After his last unsuccessful start, Milwaukee Brewers left-handed pitcher Chris Narveson knew something was wrong. Medical tests by Brewers team doctor William Raasch confirmed that Narveson had a partially torn rotator cuff; Raasch told Narveson the best option was arthroscopic surgery, but Narveson hoped a second opinion would tell him that he wouldn’t have to have season-ending surgery.
Unfortunately, the second opinion by specialist doctor Lewis Yocum merely confirmed the first assessment, which is why Narveson is now on the 60-day disabled list and is out for the year. Here’s a link to the story at the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel:
http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/148756125.html
And a relevant quote:
“Yocum said we could try to rehab it but there’s no guarantee that it wouldn’t tear more,” said Narveson. “He was confident that by having the surgery I can be ready for next year.”
Narveson’s season ends with a 1-1 record, a 7.00 earned run average (ERA), 5 strikeouts, 4 walks, and 9 innings pitched.
Now, as for my analysis? I think Narveson is a good pitcher with a gritty attitude; in some ways, he reminds me of former Brewers pitcher Chris Capuano, especially in how he approaches the game. Because Narveson’s such a steady player, it’s possible that his loss may be underrated by professional scribes — in fact, I’ve already heard on Milwaukee radio that this could be something akin to a “blessing in disguise” because free-agent pitcher Roy Oswalt is available — and Oswalt was always a huge Brewers-killer.
Look. When someone who is a reliable and steady player like Narveson ends up going on the season-ending DL after three weeks of play, that’s not a blessing. Instead, it’s a problem — one that Narveson himself hopes to minimize by staying around the team (as his plans, right now, are to rehab his injury in Milwaukee).
Whether the Brewers are able to tempt Oswalt or not, the fact is that we now have four reliable starters — that is, if Randy Wolf can get back on his game tonight, as so far he has yet to throw well — not five. We do have several guys on the roster who have the skill to be starters, with the two I thought of right away being Marco Estrada and Manny Parra. Both are strikeout pitchers when they’re on. And Parra, being a lefty like Narveson, has added value.
For the moment, the fifth starter’s job is Estrada’s to lose. But it’s anyone’s guess if the Brewers will leave Estrada in that position long-term, especially considering the fact that Brewers manager Ron Roenicke seems to like Estrada in the role of spot-starter and long reliever.
No matter what the Brewers do, though, the fact remains that Narveson is out for the season. Now, it’s up to the 2012 Brewers as a team to figure out how they’re going to respond to the loss of Narveson’s steady on-the-field presence.
Just Reviewed Julia London’s “The Revenge of Count Eberlin” at SBR
Tonight, I reviewed Julia London’s THE REVENGE OF LORD EBERLIN at SBR; here’s a few of my further thoughts about the book.
Folks, if you’re looking for a good way to spend a few hours amidst two star-crossed lovers in a 19th century English milieu, look no further than Julia London’s THE REVENGE OF LORD EBERLIN. This is a good story with excellent characterization and depth that hangs on one, thin strand: when Lily Beaudine was eight years old, she saw Joseph Scott, a carpenter, leaving Ashwood Manor at a very late hour. That was the evening the Ashwood jewels were reported stolen; Joesph Scott, who was innocent of that crime, went to the gallows. And Tobin Scott, Lily’s oft-companion (who was then only thirteen), lost his father. This embittered Tobin and he vowed revenge.
Now, it’s 1808. Tobin’s become Count Eberlin of Denmark, a purchased title as he’s become an incredibly wealthy man due to gun-running and the like. And Lily has become the Countess of Ashwood in her own right. But Tobin still blames Lily for his father’s death, and is hell-bent on ruining Lily and Ashwood alike.
Of course, as this is a romance, the two of them have an undeniable connection despite Tobin’s initial antipathy. And over the course of THE REVENGE OF COUNT EBERLIN, we find out why Lily’s Aunt Althea (then Countess of Ashwood through marriage) didn’t speak up to save Joseph Scott’s life, we find out that Lily may not be the last Ashwood heir (or heiress) after all, and we find out that Tobin and Lily can still talk with one another better than anyone else, even though it’s been years and Tobin would rather not.
This is a near-perfect romance that’s marred only because there was never any doubt of Joseph Scott’s innocence; had there been some doubt left there, or had Ms. London set up the novel a little differently so it was possible to see the actions of Joseph Scott and Aunt Althea through Lily’s eight-year-old eyes, this would’ve been flawless. Still, it’s a very good novel that I enjoyed thoroughly; it’s one that you will, too, if you enjoy English historical romance and/or star-crossed lover tales.
Here’s the link:
http://shinybookreview.wordpress.com/2012/04/21/julia-londons-eberlin-revenge-english-style/
Enjoy!
Just reviewed “Lawyers in Hell” at SBR
The “Heroes in Hell” anthology series, created by Janet and Chris Morris, is back after a twenty-five year hiatus with LAWYERS IN HELL. As this was one of my favorite shared world anthology series (seria?), I was pleased to be able to obtain a copy and review it at Shiny Book Review.
As I said at SBR, all twenty-two stories are competent, but I enjoyed some of them more than others. Along with the three stories the Morrises wrote, I highlighted five others that I particularly enjoyed, along with three that either disappointed me or annoyed me. (Just remember that in this case, “worst” stories is a relative term, as none of the stories are bad.)
This is a series that still has a great deal of life left to it, which is why I urge you to read my review, then go grab the book!
Here’s the link:
http://shinybookreview.wordpress.com/2012/04/20/lawyers-in-hell-back-into-hell/
Enjoy!
WI Recalls and Redistricting, 2012 Edition
Tonight, Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen (R) has appealed the largely-favorable ruling the three-judge federal panel gave regarding the 2012 redistricting process to the United States Supreme Court (otherwise known as SCOTUS). Van Hollen did this despite saying last month that the federal judges had “vindicated” the 2010 maps, which were drawn by the WI GOP in a highly partisan and divisive process.
But tonight, Van Hollen is singing a different tune. His pro-appeal reasoning, as given by tonight’s Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel article, is this:
“While some view the adverse portion of the district court decision as being inconsequential, I disagree,” Van Hollen said in a statement. “Any time a federal court rejects a state redistricting statute, and decides to redraw or adjust a legislative district, it is a serious matter and appropriate for appellate review.”
Um, excuse me?
Don’t you realize that by appealing this order, this allows the whole ruling to be appealed? Meaning the Democrats could, theoretically, still prevail?
Well, even if Van Hollen doesn’t get it, the Democrats in Wisconsin sure do. Doug Poland, an attorney for the Democrats who filed suit, said last month that if the state was silly enough to appeal the ruling, he would do whatever he could to get the entire ruling overturned in order to obtain a better outcome. (He said it in a much gentler fashion, and he didn’t say the appeal by Van Hollen was “silly.” I did, and am, because it is.)
Mind you, Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca (D-Kenosha) understands that this is a frivolous waste of time; he says in tonight’s Journal-Sentinel article (the first one referenced above) that:
“Does their appetite for wasting taxpayer money on protecting their own political interests ever end?” Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca (D-Kenosha) said in a statement. “It must be the first time in history anyone has appealed their ‘vindication’ to the Supreme Court.”
Then, the Journal-Sentinel pointed out how much this redistricting court case has already cost the state of Wisconsin:
Republican lawmakers have committed $400,000 in taxpayer money to Michael Best & Friedrich and the Troupis Law Office for their work on redistricting. Separately, Gov. Scott Walker hired Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren to assist the Department of Justice with the litigation. That firm’s contract with the state caps its fees at $925,000; as of February, it had billed the state $288,000.
In addition, the plaintiffs are seeking about $690,000 in attorneys’ fees and costs from the state because they prevailed on their argument on Assembly Districts 8 and 9. The panel has not yet said whether it would award those fees.
So, did you get all that? The WI GOP won, but they’re not happy; they want it all, or they’ll take their ball and go home. (Me, I just wish they’d leave the ball and stay home.) That’s why they’re appealing this ruling, which largely went their way, to SCOTUS.
My take? I find this shameful, as it’s a shocking waste of money (in a state soon-to-be-former Governor Scott Walker says is “broke”). I also echo the often-made comments of political commentator John Nichols, when he’s said on MSNBC’s “The Ed Show” (and elsewhere) that the WI GOP are comprised of “very bad winners.” (My best paraphrase, that.) And I firmly agree with Rep. Barca; what on earth is wrong with these people? They win and still don’t like it?
Otherwise, there’s a hint of good news amidst a lot of bad regarding the four state Senate recalls. Here’s the link to that Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel article, written by long-time political analyst Craig Gilbert:
http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/news/147967755.html
Gilbert states that only former Senator John Lehman (D-Racine) is within striking distance of his opponent, current Senator Van Wanggaard (R-Racine). (Lehman appears to be within the margin of error, as the recent poll Gilbert used said that Wanggaard leads, 48-46.) The other three Senate districts, including the district vacated by Pam Galloway, have Republicans leading the Democratic challengers by wide margins. (See this link to the Daily Kos article that references this data for further information.)
Due to former Senator Galloway’s abrupt resignation (possibly to get a stronger candidate in there as she would’ve lost her recall race), the WI Senate is currently divided equally, 16-16. That means if Lehman can beat Wanggaard, the Ds will control the state Senate, 17-16; further elections in 2012 should help the Dems cement their lead.
And as I’ve said here before, we have recalled a Republican before in district 21, so it’s certainly not uncharted territory for us to recall another one.
2012 Brewers Pluses, Minuses, and Oddities thus far
Folks, so far 2012 is shaping up to be a very strange year for the Milwaukee Brewers.
For example, if I had to grade the starters right now, I’d say they’re a net minus for the team. (This when they were expected to be a major strength.)
Consider, please, that the ace of the staff right now is #4 starter Shaun Marcum. Marcum’s current ERA is 3.46, his record is 1-1, he’s pitched 13 innings thus far and he has 12 strikeouts. The aces we’re supposed to be able to depend on, Yovani Gallardo and Zack Greinke, have each had one good game and one bad game thus far — they, too, are 1-1, and Greinke has 12 Ks right along with Marcum to lead the team thus far. But it gets murky after that — Gallardo’s ERA is 5.91 while Greinke’s is even worse at 6.75. Both have pitched exactly 10 2/3 innings, while Gallardo has somehow walked 7 men thus far (Greinke has only walked 1, but that’s not much of a comfort when almost every other statistic he has is abysmal).
And as for #3 starter Randy Wolf, he’s has had two bad outings thus far, which is why his ERA is a whopping 10.61 in only 9 1/3 innings. Wolf said he “stunk” a few days ago, and that he will do better; he’s a proud man, and I’m well aware that no professional baseball player ever goes out on to the field and wants to do so poorly — especially to start the season. But this just isn’t good.
And #5 starter Chris Narveson, who pitched so well in his first start, pitched poorly today; he now stands with an ERA of 7.00 with 9 innings pitched, 5 Ks and 4 walks. While he’s not expected to be a shining light (as he is the #5 starter), he is expected to be competent; Narveson most likely will improve right along with Wolf and the others, but this is a most inauspicious start to the 2012 for the entire starting rotation.
As for the relief pitching, here we’re looking at oddities instead; while there are some minuses (John Axford’s had two bad outings, though he does have two saves, while Francisco Rodriguez has had one bad outing), there are two big pluses thus far — the pitching of Manny Parra, coming back after being out all last season with back and arm issues, and the pitching of Kameron Loe. Both of them have sub-3 ERAs; Loe has consistently gotten the ground-ball outs he needs to get to be a successful pitcher, while Parra has 8 Ks thus far (better than some of the starters).
And the rest of the relievers have been pretty good, too; Jose Veras has pitched well thus far, as has Marco Estrada; even Tim Dillard has done surprisingly well (don’t let his ERA of 7.11 fool you, as that’s due to one, bad outing). So the guys expected to do well — Axford and K-Rod — mostly haven’t, but the rest of ’em have. I’d rank that an oddity.
Now, we get to the fielding, which is just plain awful and is a huge net minus for the team. Ryan Braun, who’s hitting pretty well, has already made an unusual throwing error (he was off-balance the other day against Atlanta, threw to third base, was off the mark, and a run scored), while Carlos Gomez, probably the best fielding outfielder on the team, has already made two errors.
But the infielders have been by far worse; Alex Gonzales, who’s supposed to be such a good defender, has three errors already (though one wasn’t his fault as Mat Gamel wasn’t where he was supposed to be; really, Gonzales shouldn’t have had to be charged with that as that’s where the “team error” stat should come into play — which is why MLB needs to adopt that rule, stat). Rickie Weeks at second base has one, while Mat Gamel has two . . . and Aramis Ramirez has one.
So the team defense so far has lacked quite a bit.
As for the hitting, only one regular player is doing very well and being productive, and that’s Corey Hart. He’s hitting .321 thus far with 4 homers, 8 RBI, and 3 doubles. Ryan Braun has done the best otherwise, as he’s hitting .343 with 1 HR, 4 RBI, 2 stolen bases and 4 doubles.
The biggest net plus when it comes to this team thus far is the catching tandem of Jonathan Lucroy and George Kottaras. Lucroy is hitting .364 with 2 HR and 6 RBI, while Kottaras is also hitting .364 (a statistical anomaly, that) with 3 HR and 6 RBI.
But there’s still some real problems with the hitting; the team as a whole is only batting .228, while Weeks and Ramirez are batting below .200. (Ramirez in particular has been terrible, as he’s batting only .114.)
This is why I call the hitting an oddity thus far; there are some people hitting, a few you’d expect to do well (Hart and Braun), a few you wouldn’t who are doing well (the catchers), and a few you expect to do well who aren’t (Weeks and Ramirez.
All of this adds up to a 4-6 record and a highly unpredictable and frustrating season thus far.
Just Reviewed “Confessions of an Improper Bride” at SBR
Folks, CONFESSIONS OF AN IMPROPER BRIDE is the second romance novel I’ve read by Jennifer Haymore and reviewed at Shiny Book Review (SBR); it is by far better than the previous novel reviewed (the iffy A SEASON OF SEDUCTION). I enjoyed this emotionally complex tale of regret, grief, pathos, and (paradoxically) joy — one of the best romances I’ve read this year.
Go take a look at my review:
Enjoy!
Just Reviewed Sprunk’s “Shadow’s Master” at SBR
Folks, if you want a dark sword and sorcery epic, you should seriously consider reading Jon Sprunk’s SHADOW’S MASTER, the third and final book in his “Shadow Saga.” I called it an “intelligent, violent” sword and sorcery epic, and complimented Sprunk on his characterization and plot construction — of course, me being me, I also had to point out the flaws that I really didn’t understand (such as the two female characters, who are in a “love triangle” of sorts with Caim, refusing to tell Caim the important information he would need if he really were to settle down with either one of them).
That said, this is a good story, well-told. I enjoyed it even though dark fantasy, much less dark sword and sorcery, isn’t exactly my cup of tea; this is why I think men will find far more appealing than I did. (To turn a phrase, I said, “. . . the younger, the better,” but that’s mostly because younger men seem more attracted to violent TV shows and movies than most women. Not trying to be sexist, honest.) There’s much to admire about Sprunk’s writing, so even if you’re like me and would rather read something a bit less violent, you should enjoy SHADOW’S MASTER.
Please go here to read my review, then go find Sprunk’s book and read it for yourself. You’ll be glad you did.
Gubernatorial Candidate Kathleen Vinehout Visits Racine
Yesterday, I heard Wisconsin Democratic candidate for Governor Kathleen Vinehout speak at the Labor Center in Racine, WI. Vinehout is one of four candidates running to oppose incumbent Gov. Scott Walker (R) in a well-publicized recall election; Vinehout is probably the least-known Democratic candidate, as she represents Alma in the state Senate (a small border town in western Wisconsin).
While Vinehout may be little-known, she’s a woman of accomplishment; she’s been a state Senator since 2006, was a dairy farmer for ten years, and taught at a university for ten years. This means she has ability in both the public and private sector, something we badly need in Wisconsin; she also is articulate, friendly, and knowledgable.
Vinehout is the first candidate aside from Tom Barrett (mayor of Milwaukee, who ran against Walker in 2010 and lost) to visit Racine as far as I’m aware; former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk sent her husband to represent her, but she, herself, has not visited Racine, nor has current Secretary of State Douglas Lafollette. Vinehout being willing to come to Racine when it’s at the southern end of the state — very far from her home in Alma — showed a lot about her character and willingness to get to know every aspect of the state she wishes to represent as Governor.
I was impressed by what I heard from Vinehout; she believes she can roll back the worst of what Walker and the radical Republicans in our state house have wrought, and the way she speaks makes it clear that a razor-sharp intellect is behind her friendly, capable exterior.
To my mind, Vinehout has everything the next Governor of Wisconsin needs. She understands what’s going on in Racine — we need economic development, we need more money for our public schools, and we need, most of all, hope and optimism. And it seems to me that Vinehout, despite being the least-well funded of all four candidates, is willing to “go to the mat” for Wisconsin’s people, which also is a very big plus; we know this because she’s a member of the “Wisconsin Fourteen” who stood up to Walker and the radical Rs last year and because she’s visiting as many areas of the state as she can despite being a “grass-roots candidate” (meaning she has passion behind her, but not a lot of money).
I’d encourage anyone who believes in progressive principles to seriously look at Kathleen Vinehout’s candidacy. Check out her home page at http://kathleenvinehout.org/, or look her up at Facebook — you’ll be glad you did.
Milwaukee Brewers 2012: Off to Another Slow Start
The Milwaukee Brewers, 2012 edition, do not seem to be firing upon all thrusters.
Now, you might be wondering, “Why say that, Barb? After all, there’s only three games in the books, and yesterday’s game was excellent!”
Indeed, it was; Zack Greinke pitched brilliantly, then the Brewers bullpen shut the Cardinals down for a 6-0 win.
But Opening Day — Friday — was a bust; Yovani Gallardo didn’t have it, gave up six earned runs (mostly because manager Ron Roenicke didn’t take him out soon enough), including four home runs, in only 3 2/3 innings. This is the main reason the Brewers lost, 11-5; the only reason the score looks even that good is because George Kottaras hit a 3-run pinch-hit HR in the bottom of the 9th.
And then, what about today? The Brewers lost again, 9-3; HRs by Corey Hart (who’s off to a fast start with 3 HRs already) and Braun weren’t able to do anything except perhaps salvage a teensy bit of pride for the hitters, as Randy Wolf, the game’s starter, didn’t have it, and neither did any of his replacements from the bullpen.
Tomorrow, the Brewers play the Chicago Cubs, managed by ex-Brewer Dale Sveum. It’s anyone’s guess as to what will happen at Wrigley Field (home of the Cubs), mostly because records mean very little this early (my carping aside). Usually, these games devolve into a slugfest of one sort or another, but as off as the Brewers have looked thus far, perhaps this year I should prepare for a pitcher’s duel.
Mind you, this is a bit of a stretch as the Brewers will start Shaun Marcum; he hasn’t looked very good thus far. But you never know in baseball, which is why it’s so endlessly entertaining.
See you at the game. (Or at least in front of the TV.)
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