Brewers First Half Pitching Grades

This is an annual post here with SnoTap industries where we grade the Brewers offense and their pitching staff.  I would like to think I am a fair grader and some think I am a little too nice to people. If you missed the offense grades earlier this afternoon, check em out.   

Kyle Lohse - Personally, I feel he is the best pitcher on the team thus far. Lohse has been the most consistent Brewer of the bunch. Every now and again, he blows up, yet there have been some stellar performances including a complete game shutout against Chicago. Lohse's career in the last five years or so have been really unbelievable if you think about it, great consistency from him. GRADE: A

Francisco Rodriguez - The return of K-Rod. He probably takes Milwaukee's Cy Young because they had no idea who would close games for Milwaukee. Rodriguez closed the first game, and he continued for the rest of the first half of the season with no signs of slowing down. Most of Frankie's runs have came in non-save situations with only three blown saves on the season. The only thing to worry about a little bit is the amount of home runs he has given up in the past couple months. GRADE: A
G only allowed one run in the last two months and only allowed 15 hits in that timespan as well. He's been as good as anyone in the bullpen. Truly impressive performance from Duke. GRADE: A

Will Smith - It is really hard to be critical of Smith because of a bad month recently with the Brewers. Smith pitched so well for the first three months of the season. He looked like an All-Star for a long-time during the season and then Smith hit the regression wall. It happens to a great deal of players in baseball. If anyone needed the All-Star Break, it was Smith. Hopefully, the two appearances against St. Louis where he pitched two scoreless innings is the step in the right direction. GRADE: A-

Wily Peralta - This has been a breakout season for Wily. The numbers don't really show what Wily did for the 'first half' of the season. He had a real strong start to the season with his ERA getting as low as 2.12 by late May. Peralta had an average month of June despite him winning all five starts, but the glimmer of hope came in final start in a stellar start against St. Louis where he pitched seven innings giving up no runs and three hits. GRADE: B

Matt Garza - What a turnaround for him. Many people were ready to bring out the pitchforks for Garza after struggling for his first two months of the season. Yes, he cannot field his position to save his soul, but Garza is pitching his ass off right now. He had a strong June with having an ERA under three for the month along with some strong outings against Minnesota, Arizona and Cincinnati (Terrible defense from him but whatever). The first two starts in July for Garza, he only allowed five total hits with two runs. If he becomes a front-line starter for the second half, it will be like Milwaukee had made a trade for a pitcher. GRADE: B

Yovani Gallardo - This first half has sort of defined Yovani Gallardo's career. He had some great starts including a strong sart to his season and then he fell apart for awhile then bounced back a little bit. Gallardo's inconsistency continuing to be frustrating for Brewers fans because you see the potential in some starts then it all goes to shit in another one. GRADE B-

Tyler Thornburg - You kind of forget about him because he hasn't played in over a month and a half with his last start being against Pittsburgh in late May. Thornburg came out blazing in the first month of the season proving everyone right when they said 'You know Thornburg could be a great reliever.' He then scuffled in the month of May. Who knows what Throny we will get when he comes back. GRADE: C+

Rob Wooten - It is hard to really judge Wooten's season right now. The reliever's ERA is abnormally high because one blowup appearance against Cincinnati in June. If he can whatever he had in May where Wooten had an ERA of 0.71, that would be ideal. He is not a bad reliever where you worry when he comes in, but Wooten needs to be a little more solid. GRADE:C+

Brandon Kintzler - Here's where my frustration with Kintzler. He seems to choke it up in big, clutch moments. This worries me as we get closer and closer to the month of October plus need clutch outings in August and September. I know this paragraph sounds a little JS Comments-like but he has been on the losing end of a walk-off four times this season already. GRADE: C-

Marco Estrada - It has not been a good year for Marco. He gave up 27 home runs in the first half of the season. What honestly did him to lose his starting position was the month of June. He gave up 24 runs, 30 hits and seven home runs leading to a 7.45 ERA. Estrada could have a totally different second half as the Brewers long relief pitcher. GRADE: D+

Wei-Chung Wang - It is honestly hard to talk about him because it really isn't fair to talk about how he's done so far this season. I am extremely surprised he is still on a MLB roster. GRADE: Incomplete.

Charlie.

Highlights-Lowlights: Brewers-Blue Jays (7/1-7/2)

This is SnoTap's version of recap of the two, three or four game series Milwaukee Brewers will play this season. We focus on the positives and negatives with topics about the game and topics that were nowhere near close to part of the game

Highlights
Ryan Braun - The mild hot streak for Braun continued north of the border. Braun came through with two strong games with driving in the only run on Tuesday with a 2-out RBI double, and then Wednesday, he delivered again with a two-run triple. If Braun's tear continues this weekend, he could be back to .300 for the first time since June 11th.

Zach Duke - Two really good appearances from him. On Wednesday, he inherited a jam with two runners on with no out in the seventh innings in a tied game, and Duke got completely out of it. He forced a double play on a weak bunt attempt and struck out Dionner Navarro to end the inning. He also pitched a scoreless frame on Tuesday afternoon with another solid outing.

Marco Estrada - Yes, he did take a loss in the game against the Jays and inevitably, he gave up two home runs yet they were both solo shots. Estrada looked good again in his second straight start, and this isn't an easy lineup to deal with no matter whose the pitcher. Estrada obviously responded to the pressure when everyone called for his head. He just didn't get the run support.

Edwin Encarnacion - It is hard not to be impressed with the Blue Jays third baseman. I wrote about the Jays earlier this season. I think he will be a bonafide MVP candidate at the end of the season, and he hurt the Brewers dearly on Wednesday as Encarnacion took Brandon Kintzler deep in the ninth for a three-run walk off home run.

Jose Bautista - Oh Joey Bats is hurt? Oh he is?  Someone didn't tell Jose 'Don't call me bah-tista' Bautista. He mashed two first inning home runs in Milwaukee short trip to Milwaukee. I am happy this lineup is nowhere near the National League.  

Lowlights
Brandon Kintzler - Uhhhh.... We need to talk a little bit about Brandon. He isn't the same pitcher he was last season. It appears there is something missing from his game right now. Who knows the status of Jim Henderson, but if he could come back, it would be ideal for this team. Kintzler cannot handle big game situations like last night. The bright lights seem to get him. Kintzler's ERA has almost went a full run in under two weeks.

Jean Segura - Bad times for Seggy at the plate. It seemed like he was fixed earlier this season, but Segura struggled mightily in the past five days. In those games, Segura only has one hit in his last 15 at-bats. This dropped his average to .239, the lowest its been since April 29th. For the month of June, Segura only hit .196. Who knows what the issues are at the plate, but it is evident he is dealing with the sophomore slump.

Wily Peralta - Not a great outing from Peralta. Milwaukee gave him the lead twice, and twice, he gave up home runs. In the first, Bautisita sent a big fly out and then after the Brewers gave him a three-run advantage, Peralta gave up a two-run homer in the fourth from former Brewer Juan Francisco. This one is on Peralta. Sure, the offense probably needs more than four runs to beat the Jays, but that's all they needed last team if Peralta was strong.

Rob Wooten - Someone enjoyed Outkast a little too much on Sunday. I only jest with Wooten whom attended the concert. He hurt the lifeless Brewers chances on Tuesday as they were only down a run before Wooten gave up two runs in the eighth. For whatever it's worth, Wooten had five straight scoreless appearances after his five-run meltdown against Cincinnati before Tuesday happened,.

Highlights-Lowlights: Brewers vs. Rockies (6/20-6/22)

This is SnoTap's version of recap of the two, three or four game series Milwaukee Brewers will play this season. We focus on the positives and negatives with topics about the game and topics that were nowhere near close to part of the game

Highlights
Jean Segura - This is more for his Friday than anything else he did over the weekend, but Segura came into Coors Field with a bang. He doubled his home run total with two dingers, his first multi-homer game of his career. They were important home runs too as Segura hit the first one after Colorado added two runs to pull the Rockies within one early on. Segura's second home run broke a tie and brought the Brewers back from trailing 6-4. He also added an RBI single in the next at-bat to complete the day. Segura can start building off this piece by piece he could get going again on offense.

Wily Peralta - Most people would look at a start where the pitcher gave up four runs and scoff he didn't really do his job, yet I disagree with how Coors Field been playing this season. Peralta went into the eighth inning with full control of the game. One of the things Brewers coaches have been trying to do more with Wily is him pitching to contact versus trying to get the strikeout every time out. He only had two strikeouts and really settled in after a tough first inning. Wily isn't yet an ace, but games like these where he needs to have a different approach shows ace-like abilities.

Aramis Ramirez - RED HOT. HOT HOT HOT. Rami usually does this in June and it is a sight to see really. He added a home run in the last two games, and his average has went from .261 10 games ago to .297. In his last eleven games, Ramirez is hitting .463 with nine extra-base hits. Further in the last four games, Ramirez has at least two hits. This is when the Brewers can really start cooking as Ramirez becomes damn near unpitchable and can win a game nearly by himself.

Scooter Gennett/Rickie Weeks - Good weekend to be a Brewers second basemen. Gennett got it going on Friday night with three hits including two doubles plus scoring on all three hits. The lead-off spot is paying off dividends as Scooter's average is up to .310 on the season. Weeks took over the spot over the weekend and added an RBI triple Saturday plus a two-hit game on Sunday. It will be interesting to see if Weeks gets a third straight start as Milwaukee faces another lefty or if Ron Roenicke will give Scooter a chance against a left-handed pitcher.

Carlos Gomez - The hitting and the on-base streak continue as Gomez pushes it out to 18 games with 35 straight on-base. He had multi-hit games on both Friday and Saturday along with driving in a run on Friday. Gomez continues to be one of the best Brewers on the team and continues to prove why he needs to start in the All-Star Game this coming July.

Lowlights
Colorado's Wild Pitch - Since MLB's videos do not want to work on Blogger, watch it here if you haven't already, but it is straight Micky Mouse silliness from the Rockies. I don't know how that happens. It feels like a computer glitch in MVP Baseball or something. It sums up the weekend though for Colorado's pitching staff whom gave up 28 runs over the weekend. These teams will meet again for four games this weekend in Milwaukee.

Marco Estrada - I am still not wild about anything Marco Estrada is doing right now for this team. He gave up seven earned runs on Friday and only three of them came from the home run. He shockingly got the win in the game against the Rockies, but there is really no reason for Estrada to be starting for this team. Estrada is the one problem for this team and Ron Roenicke will not believe it for reasons I cannot explain.

Francisco Rodriguez - Not the best Sunday for Frankie. Milwaukee held a two-run lead, and would have blown the save if it were not for a baserunning error by Corey Dickerson. Even though this was nerve-wracking, it is important for Rodriguez to have these kind of outings every now and again. I realize that sounds like flawed logic, but K-Rod cannot rest on his laurels knowing improvements are always needed.

Brandon Kintzler - Once again, not a great weekend for him. He battled through Sunday's outing with giving up three hits but finding a way out of the inning. Friday, he gave up a run which would make back-to-back outings. Hopefully, we are not going through another dip for Kintzler because it hurts how Milwaukee manages their bullpen.

Charlie.

Highlights-Lowlights: Brewers-D'Backs (6/16-6/19)

This is SnoTap's version of recap of the two, three or four game series Milwaukee Brewers will play this season. We focus on the positives and negatives with topics about the game and topics that were nowhere near close to part of the game

Highlights
Aramis Ramirez - It is going a little under the radar but Aramis is starting to turn the corner like he usually does in the summer. In the last seven days, Ramirez is hitting .370 with 10 hits, three doubles and two home runs. He had quite the series in Arizona as well with three hit day on Monday night driving in two runs breaking the 3-3 tie in the eighth. Ramirez added a towering solo home run on Tuesday and sparked the Brewers scoring on Thursday. If Rami gets hot with how this team is already playing, look out National League. It might not be pretty for the rest of them.

Elian Herrera - Got to give Elian some love for the series. He had a good series starting in three out of the four starts. Many people were concerned about Herrera filling in for Carlos Gomez in the first two games, but he did just fine out there. Additionally, Herrera delivered at the plate with two runs driven in plus having a two-hit night on Monday. It really never made sense why the Brewers kept sending him back down to Nashville. He has a pulse at the plate, and he knows how to play multiple positions. Herrera might not be the best option, but he is a quality bench player for this team. Yeah I said it.

Yovani Gallardo - In the last three starts, Gallardo has pitched 21 innings with only giving up two runs. At the beginning of the month, Gallardo's ERA was a little over four and now it is down to 3.34, basically two-thirds of a run in a mere three games. Gallardo had everything working on Thursday as he pitched more to contact than trying to get Diamondbacks strikeouts. If Gallardo pitches this way for Milwaukee, they will be very hard to beat. They do not need to have an actual ace, but if they have pitchers who have ace-like runs for a month, that will pay off in a major way.

Matt Garza - In the last series, Garza made the lowlights, and much of that reason was his horrid defense. But only one run was earned for Garza in that game. He pitched well again on Wednesday giving two earned runs in nearly eight innings of work. It is the first game all season where Garza didn't walk a batter. In fact, he has only one total batter in the last two starts. I don't know whether it was a comfort thing for Garza, or he is finally used to Jonathan Lucroy/Martin Maldonado calling the game. But he has been much improved this month.

Khris Davis - Did you know Khris Davis is from Arizona? I swear I heard that at least 10 times over four games. He had a good series back in his home state with a big three-run homer on Wednesday night providing the only offense for the Brewers. Davis also added two RBIs in Monday's win. He keeps playing his ass for the team. Davis is currently on pace for .261 with 26 home runs this season. Pretty strong first season debut for him. .

Lowlights
Brandon Kintzler - I don't know how upset I want to be at Kintzler. At one point, he has only given up two runs since May 23rd which is pretty damn good given he had a rough start to begin the month of May. But the other part of it is it appears Kintzler struggles when put into tight situations. He blew the game against Cincinnati and Arizona earlier this season in back-to-back outings, nearly lost the game against New York earlier this month and struggled again on Wednesday night. I easily get the most nervous when Kintzler heads to the mound in late-game situations.

Brewers bats against Wade Miley - I don't know what I want to blame on this for the Brewers. They struck out eight times against Miley and couldn't figure out that the home plate umpire Alfonso Marquez was calling the inside corner every damn time. Miley always got a big strikeout when he needed it as he dealt with baserunners all night. Brewers just couldn't figure out the inside pitch which seems to be a bugaboo a little bit for this team.

Crybaby Diamondbacks - All this team does is bitch and moan about everything. We already talked about the whole hitting Ryan Braun thing and why it's stupid, but you should read if you haven't. But seriously, they acted like every strike three was a ball or if a call on the mound didn't go their way, they seemed to be so shocked a call could go against them. Grow up.

Will Smith's 1/3 inning - We need to figure out what happened here. Will Smith, a possible All-Star, basically comes in like he was Ray King or Brian Shouse instead of being the pitcher he has been this season. What made it even more puzzling is Arizona had two left-handers up in the next inning meaning Smith could have easily handled them. The only defense of Smith not pitching an extra inning is the fact he pitched three straight games along with four of the last five.

Charlie.

Reds-Brewers Preview (6/13-6/15)

Brewers previews to get you ready for the series where we have five things to watch, pitching matchups and prediction. We add a YouTube video in the mix, it could be really anything.   

Pitching Matchups 

Friday: Homer Bailey (7-3 4.60) vs. Matt Garza (4-4 4.42)       7:10 pm FSNWI

Saturday: Mat Latos (0-0 0.00) vs. Yovani Gallardo (4-4 3.71) 6:15 pm FOX

Sunday: Mike Leake (3-6 3.61) vs. Marco Estrada (5-3 4.56)   1:10 pm FSNWI

Five Things To Watch 

1.) Ryan Braun - It seems like we talk about this topic every two weeks. Braun goes hot for a little bit then cools off and it has become a theme of the season thus far. Braun struggled in the last road trip, but he has good success against Bailey plus he had a home run off Leake in the past. I mentioned in Highlights-Lowlights earlier this afternoon, I think Braun needs to get back to playing at hitter-friendly parks. I think he does well this weekend. 

2.) Matt Garza's Solid June - All of the sudden, Garza has seen his ERA dip about a half of run in the last two starts. He is quietly pitching well for the Brewers. He handled Minnesota nicely and did an adequate job in Pittsburgh.  Garza will be up against a tough Cincinnati lineup whose handled him well in the past. Garza needs to keep staying the course and not try to do too much.  

3.) Return of Mat Latos - He makes his first start of the season on Saturday night. He struggled mightily against the Brewers last season with nearly six runs given up in three starts, the highest ERA against an NL Central team. He had two starts at Miller Park which one he didn't get any run support and the other was brutal for him. First starts are always tricky because they could feature the best a pitcher has to open their year or just a disaster. 

4.) Mike Leake's problems... Dodgers and Giants-related or nah? - In the last two starts, Mike Leake has given up a total of 10 runs. But the opponents he faced where both Los Angeles and San Francisco, two of the stronger offensive teams in Major League Baseball. He also getting little run support with six of his last eight starts, the Reds have put up three or less runs. Brewers had one of those in a 2-0 victory in early May. 

5.) Bullpen adjustment - Milwaukee used their bullpen a lot in the last couple of days. Brandon Kintzler is probably not playing tonight after throwing 40 pitches last night. Will Smith might be a shaky one with pitching in the last two games. It is nice to have Mike Fiers there in case Garza doesn't have it tonight or Milwaukee needs multiple innings. 

Appropriate YouTube Video 

In honor of Father's Day, we are going with a montage HBO put together for the Game of Thrones finale about how bad Fathers have been in the show. 

Prediction 

Brewers will take two of three games. It would be nice for them to actually win the first one because I am there tonight. Reds always make me nervous. 

Charlie. 

Highlights-Lowlights: Brewers-Mets (6/10-6/12)

This is SnoTap's version of recap of the two, three or four game series Milwaukee Brewers will play this season. We focus on the positives and negatives with topics about the game and topics that were nowhere near close to part of the game.

Highlights
Jonathan Lucroy - Is this guy real life right now? Johnny Luc had another big series to cap off a fantastic eight-game road trip. He hit a two-run homer on Thursday night to break a 1-1 tie in the 13th inning as well added a run in on Tuesday night. Lucroy is currently hitting .336, but he had his average at .341 yesterday. No matter what happens with the All-Star game, Lucroy needs to be under consideration for the National League MVP right now. He is near the top of every offensive category other than home runs, but others have shown us in this era, home runs don't really matter in an MVP conversation. Lucroy handled this pitching staff perfectly and done a great job offensively.

Aramis Ramirez- Quietly, Aramis has came back pretty nicely for this Brewers team. He broke their home run drought comparable to my experiences on Tinder on Thursday night with a second-inning homer plus he added two more hits last night. In the first eight games back, Ramirez has six hits along with two home runs moving his average up to .261. I don't know if Ramirez will get warm here, but if he does, watch out. He's been known to just obliterate the baseball for a couple weeks.

Carlos Gomez - Does anyone know Gomez is on a 10 game hitting streak? Maybe, I am just a Luddite and missed this whole thing yet Gomey is playing pretty prettay well. He had hit in every game of the road trip. Gomez had multiple hits in three of these games including back-to-back games with runs driven in on Monday and Tuesday. He is in the starters group for the All-Star Game and he deserves it. The last time Gomez had an average under .300 was May 21st. Oddly enough, the last time he wasn't hitting in the cleanup position.

Wily Peralta - Milwaukee's manager Ron Roenicke asked Peralta to pitch more to contact and not try to strike out everybody in attempt to avoid his pitch count rising up. He did that on Wednesday night only striking out three batters. Peralta only allowed four hits through six and third inning with only one run allowed. Even though it was only three runs, Peralta actually had some run support to work with this game instead of Milwaukee putting up only one or two runs.

Brandon Kintzler - Is it really a highlight even when you have 40 pitches in two innings with four walks? I am going with yes because no runs were allowed in those two innings. Kintzler bridged the gap in two big innings, and he found a way to get it done. Sure, they were two Claudio Vargas-like innings and he got a favorable strike three at the very end, but still, a needed performance. Hopefully, he will figure out a bit because Kintzler will not always get this lucky all the time.

Lowlights
Ryan Braun - He does have hits and a run scored in the last two games, but Braun has seen his average dip to .294. It is a little flawed because he went one for seven last night in a 13 inning game. The more alarming thing is the amount of strikeouts. Braun has struck out at least once in the last six games and struck out three times last night. It could be the stadiums, and Braun needs some Miller Park love then heading to two hitter-friendly ballparks after it.

Marco Estrada - Another bad start for Marco as his home run and walk totals continue to rise at troublesome rates. Estrada gave up six runs on Tuesday night including a grand slam to Taylor Teagarden. We can argue all day if Ron Roenicke left him too long, but the fact remains Estrada cannot be giving up home runs to guys like that plus having all four walks score is never a good thing. The drum for Jimmy Nelson or Mike Fiers will continue to get louder.

Jean Segura - He is playing some great defense right now, and he did drive in a run on Wednesday night yet Segura is still struggling at the plate. In the last seven days, Segura is hitting .154 with only four hits in 26 at-bats. Granted, he added two of those last night, but hopefully, he will break out of his slump soon. I am curious to see where his spot in the order will be at the end of the day. It seems like like eighth or seventh when it is all said and done.

RISP problems - Once again, this has been a problem for the Brewers. On Tuesday night, they started to mount a comeback with runners on second and third with one out before both Aramis Ramirez and Khris Davis struck out. They would do the exact same thing on Wednesday night in the first inning. Too many men are getting left on-base right now. It is hard to complain with wins in four of the last five games, but still, Milwaukee needs to be a little more productive when runners are on third or second.

Charlie.

Highlights-Lowlights: D'Backs-Brewers

This is SnoTap's version of recap of the two, three or four game series Milwaukee Brewers will play this season. We focus on the positives and negatives with topics about the game and topics that were nowhere near close to part of the game.

Highlights
Carlos Gomez - He had one of his best offensive games of the year on Monday night. He went 2 for 2 with a home run and three runs driven in. He set the tone with a home run to lead off the game, and then drove in a big two-run single to help break open the game a bit. Additionally, he drew two walks where he had to work the count in a major way.  Wednesday showed the versatility of Gomez as he had two hits again, but this time they were both bunts.

Jean Segura's defense - The offensive numbers might not be there for Segura yet, but his defense has come around in a major way. Segura made three highlight reel plays over the three games, and maybe he is more than just a guy that will 'end up at second base in five years' like a lot of the critics believe will happen at some point. Segura might not be a Gold Glove shortstop, but he looks more than average out there.

Rickie Weeks - All the sudden, he has become a halfway decent pinch hitter. Weeks has three hits in his last four games when he came in to pinch hit plus he scored two runs in the process as well. Weeks probably deserves a start on Saturday night when C.C. Sabathia is on the hill.  Hopefully, this is the start of something strong for Weeks so he can become real solid tradebait for the Brewers in the coming month.

Martin Maldonado - He has only played 10 games this season, but Maldy is really contributing on the
offense end. He finished the year only hitting .169 in 2013, and so far, Maldonado bounced back nicely with a .350 average including his first home run of the year on Monday night putting the exclamation point on the Brewers win.  This could be short-lived, but if Maldy can add this sort of offense, I will wonder what his role becomes on the bench.

Lowlights
Brandon Kintzler - All relievers are going to struggle in the full grind of the 162 game season. But when it gets worrisome is when they are giving up big hits with the struggle. Kintzler has now given up two home runs in the last two appearances which is not a good thing at all. And here's the problem with Wei-Chung Wang in the bullpen, you cannot hide Kintzler. At some point, Kintzler  needs to go out there and cannot get work in only blowouts. Hopefully, he will rite the ship soon.

Lyle Overbay's error - This was an absolute killer yesterday. Overbay makes the error allowing the run in that ended up being the difference in a 3-2 game. But let's be honest, the whole Wednesday game was a dumpster fire. Four double plays hit into, a wild pitch that led to the runner being on third, BRONSON ARROYO getting said hit and dominating the Crew. It almost sucked worse than Tuesday.

Marco Estrada - It is weird for Marco because he doesn't give up many hits but he finds a way to give up runs which leads us to the problem... Home runs. Estrada is known for giving up home runs because of the way he pitches which isn't a problem when it is just a solo home run shot. But the problem is Estrada has given up six home runs in three games plus allowing 10 runs in his last three games. Estrada is probably coming down to earth a bit, but he needs to find a way to give up less home runs.

Aramis Ramirez - Obviously, Aramis didn't have a song called "Wake me up when June arrives." He is in a 3-44 slump. I think it is time for Ron Roenicke to do the usual move Rami down in the order for a month to get him right for awhile. I am totally okay with a lineup looking like Gennett-Segura-Gomez-Lucroy-Ramirez-Overbay/Reynolds-Davis-Schafer.  He needs to go back to what worked in the first month of the year. Or his elbow could be really bad which wouldn't be good.

Me - I thought Brian Anderson was back this week but apparently, he is doing the second round as well in the NBA.  Cue the music.



Charlie.