Wisconsin sports fan in Texas

Hello I am a new blogger to this site and as I said in my intro I am a sports fan of many teams who grew up in Wisconsin and lives now in Texas. While I am a fan of many teams both in and out of Wisconsin, I want to give an objective view on teams whether they are my favorite teams or not and I will always be willing to talk sports.

In Wisconsin sports my favorite teams are the Wisconsin Badgers, hence the nickname badger bratwurst which is my favorite Wisconsin food. I also like the Brewers(I’m a Red Sox and partial Cubs fan as well although I wish they didn’t compete in the same division and league as the Brewers). I was pleased with the Brewers run to the playoffs this past year with the wildcard spot and glad they won at least a game in the playoffs. While I know they are a small market team I think they are on the right track hiring Ken Macha as their manager and we’ll see if they can make a decent enough offer to keep CC Sabathia and others in Milwaukee. Either way Doug Melvin has them on the right track and hopefully they’ll stay competitive.

As for the Packers, they aren’t my favorite team personally I’m a Steelers fan first, but I like and respect the Packers great tradition and think they are on the right path with Aaron Rodgers taking over for Brett Favre at quarterback but he has to create his own niche and can’t replace a legend like Brett Favre who is continuing his legacy as an aging veteran quarterback in New York. We’ll see what happens on both ends.

As for Wisconsin’s other major pro sports team the Milwaukee Bucks I think they still need a lot of work to compete. Besides Michael Redd they really don’t have an All Star caliber player and I think they continue to make poor drafting choices. I would have prefered center Brook Lopez from Stanford over forward Joe Alexander from West Virginia. Also Andrew Bogut isn’t an All Star or MVP caliber player for a number 1 pick as he was in 2005. The Bucks could have had a player like All Star Chris Paul or Deron Williams who were both available in that draft. At least the Bucks traded away Yi Jinilian from China who wasn’t happy and an average player in his first year in Milwaukee. The Bucks got Richard Jefferson from the Nets for Yi and he is a solid veteran who along with Michael Redd could make a nice combo in Milwaukee. But we’ll see if Bogut can make it a nice big three for the Bucks which is the trend in the NBA these days that has won championships in Boston and San Antonio lately. I like the Spurs my favorite team and admire what the Celtics did last year. I would like to see the Bucks get back to that level someday.

Anyway it’s nice to talk with you and I’ll be back here commenting on Wisconsin sports as I see it from Texas and sports in general. Best wishes and take care. Talk soon and have a good day.

Badgers, Packers, Bucks: Wisconsin Sports Failure to Execute

It was another rough weekend for Wisconsin’s sports teams.

The Wisconsin Badgers lost 25-24 on a last second field goal to Michigan State in a game they dominated statistically and should have won easily on the field. The loss put their record at 4-5 and puts their hopes for a minor bowl in serious jeopardy not just because of their record but more because of their inconsistent play. Their remaining games are at Indiana who beat 7-2 Northwestern who beat 7-2 Minnesota. Then the Badgers play at home against Minnesota who could be in contention for a major bowl this year and the Paul Bunyan’s Axe, the reward for the Minnesota-Wisconsin game could be in jeopardy for the Badgers. Finally they close with Cal Poly. The Badgers need two or three wins to qualify for a minor bowl and I don’t know if they can even get that the way they’re playing now, inconsistently.

The Packers lost 19-16 in overtime to the Tennessee Titans the only undefeated team left in the NFL at 8-0. The Packers have also been inconsistent. Sometimes they have looked really good and Aaron Rodgers has been an inpressive new quarterback for the Packers since he took over this season for Brett Favre who now starts for the New York Jets in case you’ve been living in a cave the last several months. Over the weekend the Packers gave Rodgers at contact extension until 2014, but in no way does that mean he’s going to be the successful heir apparent to Brett Favre. Only time will tell that and there is still too much of the book to be written as we’re only in the first couple chapters of his first season  

The Milwaukee Bucks started their NBA season this week and at this point they are 2-2 . They lost decisively to the Bulls on opening night in Chicago. Then they went to Oklahoma City where they beat the relocated from Seattle team now called the Thunder and they aren’t a very good team. Then the Bucks lost 91-87 to Chris Bosh and the Toronto Raptors who made the playoffs last year in the East in the Bucks home opener. Finally on Sunday the Bucks went to New York and beat the Knicks who haven’t been good for years 94-86.  So at this point the Bucks play competively sometimes, beat bad or mediocre teams and lose to good ones most of the time. Until they find a way to play consistently or inconsistently which has been the theme of the Wisconsin sports teams lately, then they won’t usually win. Even the Brewers struggled down the stretch this past season in September and then only won one game when they made the playoffs.

Finally on a small positive note for a Wisconsin team I want to mention the University of Wisconsin Whitewater Warhawks who won the Division 3 national championship in football last year and are undefeated and looking good to go far in the Division 3 playoffs again where they actually have a playoff system and national championship game so Go Warhawks in Whitewater where I used to go to school for 4 years.

So in summary, hopefully things will improve in Wisconsin sports soon and teams will not only find more talent and better success,  but they will also find the execution and consistency to do it on a regular basis. That is when they will have more winning teams in Wisconsin. Best wishes and talk soon.

Mark Cuban isn’t allowed to own the Cubs by MLB. Why???

There was a report today by an unnamed baseball source that says multi billionare owner Mark Cuban who already owns the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, has been denied and has zero chance of being allowed a chance to purchase the Chicago Cubs by commissioner Bud Selig and Major league baseball and my question is why is Cuban being denied?

Mark Cuban is a passionate, flamboyant, controversial owner who often gets fined by the NBA for outbursts defending his team. He is an owner who is hands on and sits courtside at most of the games cheering instead of just writing the checks and sitting in an owners box unseen. Occasionaly he has come out on the court to protest a call or been fined for things he has said.

While things like that should justify a fine or suspension occasionally, it should not however justify a clear cut reason why Cuban a billionare owner shouldn’t be allowed to purchase a great franchise like the Chicago Cubs. There are other owners who own more than one sports team. Tom Hicks and Bill Davidson come to mind, but that isn’t the reason Cuban is being kept out of consideration by Major League Baseball to own the Cubs.

Baseball and commisioner Bud Selig dont want a controversial and flamboyant owner who might upstage them.  But besides that theory why else would baseball keep Cuban out of consideration to own the Cubs?  He definetely has the money as a billionare, and while his actions and words may be outspoken and controversial, they alsoaren’t without passion or breaking the rules of the game except the possible ego and reputation of major league baseball.

The Cubs have gone over 100 years now without a World Series title and they have had playoff failures the last two years. So why not let Mark Cuban who is not only a passionate owner but also a fan of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks who he has helped to lead to the NBA Finals once and consistent playoff contenders in the Western Conference of the NBA.

So I want to know a legitimate reason besides a possible bruised ego and strike to their reputation why Mark Cuban shouldn’t be further considered for ownership of a major league baseball team. It would be interesting, people would talk more about baseball and possibly bring more interest to the game.  As long as he hasn’t done anything wrong against the rules of baseball, Mark Cuban should be allowed to have a fair chance to own a baseball team if he wishes. Otherwise there is some kind of discrimination and that is not fair or playing by the rules. So please do the right thing baseball and give Mark Cuban a chance or give a legitimate reason why he shouldn’t. Thank you, take care and best wishes.

Badgers need a win vs Gophers for bowl hopes this season

The Wisconsin Badgers won at Indiana last Saturday to even their season record at 5-5 with a 2-5 Big Ten record. If they want to continue their string of 13 bowls in the last 15 seasons they’ll likely have to win their big rivalry game Saturday vs Minnesota at Camp Randall Stadium, the Badgers home field. They need a quality win against a big opponent and while Minnesota has lost their last two games they are still 7-3 and in line for a major New Years Day bowl.

The Badgers meanwhile just want to get to a bowl and likely need to beat Minnesota and then Cal Poly who the Badgers play at home in the season finale the following week. Even if it’s just a minor bowl, I think it’s important for the Badgers to continue to establish their reputation as a teams that plays in bowls every year. I remember as recently as 1982 when it was a big deal that they won the Independence Bowl that season which was their first bowl win in school history.

But Barry Alvarez and three Rose Bowl wins in the 1990s and numerous other bowl apperances since 1993 have changed that. So it’s up to current coach Brett Bielema and his staff to continue that job. So far he’s been off to a great start going to two New Years Day bowls the last two seasons. This season won’t be that great unfortunately but it can still be a bowl season and that is not only good for the reward of playing a bowl game but also for recruiting and extra practice. That is why it’s important that they don’t miss out on going to a bowl game if possible. But they’ll have to beat Minnesota likely to do that and I think the Badgers have a good chance if they play their best. Minnesota wont be easy especially this year but they have lost their last two games at home to Michigan and Northwestern so we’ll see what happens Saturday.

If the Badgers don’t get to a bowl in football it will be disappointing, and we can concentrate on the basketball and hockey seasons at Wisconsin. Bo Ryan has another good team back which should contend in the NCAA tournament and Wisconsin hockey is always there having won several national titles over the year on both the mens and womens side.

So best of luck to the Wisconsin sports program this weekend and over the next few months. A winning tradition has been established and maintained in Madison, Wisconsin especially over the last 15 years or so in all sports and it needs to keep going.  Go Badgers!!!

Badgers, Packers, Bucks, Warhawks: November 10-16 Update

Hello,

This is my Wisconsin sports update for the week of November 10-16 featuring the Wisconsin Badgers, Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Bucks and the Division 3 Whitewater Warhawks.

The Badgers had an exciting come from behind win against their Big Ten and border rivals the Minnesota Golden Gophers 35-32 after trailing 21-7 in the second half. They not only secured the game’s trophy, the Paul Bunyan’s Axe but also kept their bowl hopes alive with a record of 6-5 which makes them bowl eligible with one more regular season game this week against Cal Poly.

The Green Bay Packers had a big 37-3 win against their hated rivals the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field in Green Bay Sunday. The Packers win was convincing as they raised their record to 5-5 and a three way tie in the NFC North with the Bears and Vikings. Also the Packers currently hold the complicated tiebraker spot for the lead in the division.

The Milwaukee Bucks are currently 5-6 in the young NBA season and this weeks highlight was an 82-78 victory at home against the San Antonio Spurs who were undermanned without their star players Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli. However the Bucks also lost twice this week to the NBA Champion Boston Celtics and they need more victories against great teams like these before they are considered a serious playoff contender.

The Division 3 Warhawks from Whitewater, where I used to go to school had a couple of good or interesting moments this week. Their top ten ranked football team won again to move to 8-1 overall as they pursue another national championship which they won last year. Also the Warhawk mens basketball team got a rare opportunity to play at Division 1 state school and power Wisconsin coached by Bo Ryan and the Warhawks actually  gave the Badgers a game in the exhibition matchup before losing 64-47.

This concludes my wrapup of Wisconsin sports for the week of November 10-16. See you soon and best wishes.

CC Sabathia’s $140 million dollar offer to the rich New York Yankees. Baseball needs a change in it’s economic system, but how and why??

Baseball has had a problem, actually they’ve had several over the last several years that they haven’t quite been able to solve for the game and the fans such as steroids, strikes and the salary cap.

The last few years they’ve been working on the steroid and performance enhancing issues trying to clean up the game and they’re doing a pretty good job with that although the tainted baseball records they left behind like Barry Bonds single season and all time home run marks will always be questioned.

There is also the issue of salary cap’s and an incompetitive balance structure which includes the richest teams like the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Angels and Dodgers and some others.

And then there are the smaller market teams like the Milwaukee Brewers who were able to obtain and basically rent star pitcher CC Sabathia for their stretch run last year which the Brewers were able to make the playoffs for the first time since 1982. but because of the incompetitive balance in the economic balance of baseball without a salary cap the small market Brewers had little to no chance of keeping and paying a star player like Sabathia to be on their team for the long term.

To basically sum this up, there have been 8 strikes in baseball since 1972 and there has been basically nothing accomplished as far as as salary cap in baseball. They can say baseball has a tough players union as it does led by Donald Fehr,  They can also say they have a luxury tax which taxes the higher payroll teams like the Yankees and gives revenue to the lower revenue teams like the Brewers. But this is basically a write off to the higher market teams who are doing nothing wrong and just playing by the current system which balances in their favor.

There is a salary cap in every other major sport. Professional football, basketball and hockey after a year’s lockout finally instituted a salary cap. The overpaid players weren’t happy of course but it makes it a better and more competitive game for all involved. How much longer are we going to put up with this non competive situation in baseball? And as long as fans keep coming, the gates will be open,  ticket prices will rise and we’ll have incompetitive balance in a competive sport.  It will hurt the great game of baseball in long run. People won’t care about it as much overall and they’ll go away until the system improves. Or will they?  Probably not and that is why the baseball system will stay the same until necessary changes are made by those within the game to improve it. We’ll see when that happens. Take care and best wishes.

My high school: Mequon Homestead won the Wisconsin Division 1 State Football Championship 13-11 over Hartland Arrowhead

Tonight Friday November 21st I found out over the Internet that my high school in Wisconsin, Mequon Homestead won its third high school football title in the last ten years and it’s second title in the last three years defeating Hartland Arrowhead 13-11,  who they had defeated in the 2006 state final and lost to last year in the state final. In other words it was the two schools third straight meeting in the state championship game (2006-2008) in the Division 1 round for Wisconsin High school football.  Homestead’s first title had occured back in 1999.

I  was living in Wisconsin when they won that first title and have lived in Texas where high school is much bigger and more popular so it is exciting to hear that my high school is doing so well now. They weren’t a very good team when I was back in high school in the 1980s.

In Texas, high school football is extremely popular as I said. In the area I live near in Texas they have produced NFL stars such as Hall of Famer rb Earl Campbell and current players such as cb Aaron Ross of the Giants,  de Tim Crowder of the Broncos and also the Packers rookie backup quarterback Matt Flynn among many other players who have come from Texas to play in college and the NFL.

Wisconsin high school football will never be as big, popular or produce the overall talent that the state of Texas does, but I am still very proud to see and know that my high school in Wisconsin is doing so well and winning state championships especially when I have been exposed to an area of the country where high school football is so good and popular as it is in Texas.

I have been to a couple high school games here in Texas and you never know when you’ll see a great player with all the talent around here. I saw a quarterback this fall who played in Wichita Falls, Texas and his name was Sherodrick Beaver sp? He is headed to Michigan after this year and I saw him run 70 yards for a touchdown late in the game so watch out Wisconsin and Big Ten fans. A great player like that may help turn Michigan and new coach Rich Rodriguez fortunes around after a season of losing nine games.

In summary I have tried to point out a few differences between Wisconsin and Texas high school football and once again congratulations to Homestead for winning another state football championship!

Badger State Sports update thru week ending Monday November 24

It was another good, bad and ugly weekend in Wisconsin sports which often seems to be a theme with their sports teams.

It started off on a good note for me last Friday as I reported in my last blog that my Wisconsin high school Mequon Homestead won its third state championship in  the last ten years by beating Hartland Arrowhead 13-11.

On Saturday in Madison the Wisconsin Badgers football team won a close overime game 36-35 against surprisingly tough Cal Poly to finish the regular season ay 7-5 and they are now awaiting a possible bowl bid which is good for the program even if it wasn’t as great a year for the recent standard of success in winning for the Badgers.

Also on Saturday my old college, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater continued their quest for a repeat of their national championship in Division 3 with a 37-7 win over St John’s of Minnesota in the first round of the NCAA tournament in Whitewater. Playoffs!!! Anyone in major college football listening??? What an idea!!!!!

Finally Monday night the Green Bay Packers went to New Orleans to play the Saints. The game was a 21-21 tie in the second quarter before things fell apart. Aaron Rodgers threw a few costly interceptions and the Packers were outscored 30-8 the rest of the way to lose 51-29 to the Saints. The defense and inconsistency on offense needs to improve if the now 5-6 Packers are to make the playoffs as they now trail the Bears and Vikings by one game in the NFC North in a division where there will likely only be one playoff spot for the division winner.

So as I said to start it was a good, bad and ugly weekend for Wisconsin sports along with inconsistent and you can throw the Milwaukee Bucks 7-9 record to start the NBA season in with that. In weeks to come we’ll be following college basketball and hockey as well.

Until then have a Happy Thanksgiving and along with counting our blessings lets look for more consistency in Wisconsin sports. Until next time enjoy the action and best wishes.

Wisconsin sports have had their title droughts, but they could have it worse like Detroit Lions, Chicago Cubs or Northwestern sports to name a few long suffering teams and fans.

I hope you had a good Thanksgiving. As far as sports fans go I’m sure you had a better day than the Detroit Lions football team which lost 47-10 to the Tennessee Titans to have their season record fall to 0-12.

Or you could talk about Chicago Cubs fans in baseball who haven’t won a World Series in 100 years and havent won their last nine playoff games dating back to the 2003 playoffs and the infamous Steve Bartman ball. If you need further explanation just ask any Cubs or sports fan. Also  Northwestern football hasn’t won a Rose Bowl or been to the NCAA basketball tournament ever.

These are just a few examples of long suffering sports teams in pro and college sports.  Wisconsin teams have had a few droughts of their own when it comes to sports and championships. The Packers went 29 years between Super Bowls between 1968-1996. The Brewers made the playoffs last year after 26 years since 1982, and Milwaukee hasn’t had a World Series title since the old Milwaukee Braves beat the New York Yankees in 1957.  That also ironically was the last year the Detroit Lions won an NFL title and they’ve only won one playoff game since then

The Milwaukee Bucks havent won an NBA Championship since their only one in 1971 with Kareem Abdual Jabbar and Oscar Robertson.  In college sports it took the Wisconsin Badgers 31 years between Rose Bowl apperances, 1962-1993 and their mens basketball team went 59 years between 1941-2000 to reach a Final Four. Marquette mens basketball won the NCAA title in 1977 for Al McGuire and didn’t go back to the Final Four until 2003.

In my lifetime 41 years, the only major sports championships have been the Packers in 1996, Marquette in 1977 and the Bucks in 1971.  If you don’t count Wisconsin’s men’s and womens hockey championships over the years, those are the only major sports championships for Wisconsin in my lifetime although I like to count Wisconsin’s three Rose Bowl wins in the 1990’s since it is the oldest and grandaddy of all the bowls and unless someone can find a way to make a playoff system in major college football we have to go with the best of what is currently out there which is major bowl wins, with all offense to the ridiculous BCS system which doesn’t produce a true champion.

In summary I am trying to say is that as sports fans we are helpless and at the mercy of the teams we root for. Either way we love the games and our teams or otherwise we wouldn’t be watching. We want our teams to win a championship and are often miserable when they don’t in a sports sense. But we keep watching and hoping that next year will be a better year with the right breaks.  So in a sense we love our teams and watching the games more than the actual winning. Think about it because otherwise Chicago Cubs, Detroit Lions and other long suffering fans would have given up hope a long time ago.

But long suffering teams like the Boston Red Sox winning the World Series in 2004 after 86 years since 1918, give us all hope. So don’t give up Wisconsin and other sports fans. Keep watching and enjoying the games/sports even if your team doesn’t win. There are far worse things to worry about in the real world. Take care, best wishes and talk soon.

Wisconsin sports update and other national sports action for week ending Monday December 1

Hello. This is my Wisconsin and national sports report for the week ending Monday December 1st. It was another tough weekend for Wisconsin’s sports teams mostly as the Packers lost to the Carolina 35-31 Sunday on a last minute touchdown dropping their season record to 5-7 and putting a big dent in their playoff hopes as they fall two games behind the division leading Minnestota Vikings with four regular season games to play.

The Milwaukee Bucks continue to struggle or play mediocre at best losing to Cleveland over the weekend  and their record so far is 7-12. The Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball team did win an exciting game Monday Night beating Virginia Tech on the road on a last second jumper 74-72 in their ACC/Big Ten Challenge game.

In Wisconsin college football as the Badgers continue to await a postseason bowl bid, the UW-Whitewater Warhawks continued to win,  30-27 at Williamette in Salem, Oregon in the second round of the Division 3 playoffs. They will advance to play Wartburg College in the quarterfinal round at Whitewater this Saturday.

In national sports news there were three big stories that caught my interest. As I said in my first blog, I am a Pittsburgh Steelers fan and they beat the New England Patriots 33-10 in New England. The Steelers have a 9-3 record against the toughest schedule in the league this year and the number one rated defense. Next up for the Steelers is the Dallas Cowboys in Pittsburgh this Sunday. It should be fun to watch.

I didn’t agree with the results in the BCS and the Big 12 South as Oklahoma got the chance to play in the Big 12 Championship game against Missouri over Texas even though Texas beat Oklahoma 45-35 in a head to head matchup in October.  I also wish the Big 12 went with the top two teams instead of by divisions so Texas and Oklahoma could play for the Big 12 Championship instead of a 3 loss Missouri team which won the weaker Big 12 North.

Finally what was New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress thinking when he carried a gun in his pants to a New York City nightclub and accidently shot himself in his leg. He wasn’t hurt bad fortunately, but what he did was a felony carrying a gun in a public place wihout a permit. I know several NFL players have been shot or killed the last few years in public, but Mr Burress needed to think about the consequences of his actions and there are always other alternatives when it comes to a person’s decisions and actions. It was a poor choice for Plaxico Burress and he might be in a lot more trouble such as facing years of jail time than he probably ever thought about in the first place.

In summary it was a good and interesting week as always in Wisconsin and national sports and we’ll see what happens next week. Until then take care and best wishes and have a joyous holiday season.

American League wins All Star Game 4-3, Baseball gets ready for the second half and one kind of error I diasgree with and why.

Tuesday night in St Louis the American League defeated the National League 4-3 to win the All Star Game for the 12th time in the last 13 years with one tie. With the current and debated rules the American League gets home field for the World Series by winning the All Star Game. That came about after the controversial tie game in 2002 when Commisioner Bud Selig decided the game needed to mean something more than an exhibition game which it still really is despite deciding home field advantage. In the 80th All Star Game the American League cut the National League series advantage to 40-38-2. In a series of streaks the American League won 12 of the first 16 games and the National League had a stretch where they won 22 of 24 games. Still it is the most exciting All Star Game to watch because each team has a representative and the players play in  their team uniforms. Also congratulations to the Milwaukee Brewers slugger Prince Fielder for winning the Home Run Derby.

That leads us to the second half of the season where the Dodgers, Cardinals and Phiilies lead the divisions in the National League and the Red Sox, Tigers and Angels lead their divisions in the American League. The Yankees(American League) and the Giants(National League) currently lead the wildcard and all but about 6-8 teams still have a decent chance for playoff contention which is good for baseball.

Finally their is one type of error that drives me crazy because of it’s inconsitency and that’s when a ground ball is hit to an infielder, he bobbles it and cant get it out of his glove. For example in Jonathon Sanchez’s no hitter for the Giants last week it was called an error and he got the no hitter. Last year CC Sabathia lost a no hitter on a similar play when they called it a hit. I also saw Alex Rodriguez once lose a chance for a cycle when they called an infield bobbler an error. In my opinion an error is a dropped popup, a ball that goes through the legs or a throwaway error. A grounder that eats up an infielder can happen when a ball takes a funny bounce and doesn’t always have to to with his position, lack of hustle or concentration. Remember how unfairly Bill Buckner of the Red Sox was blamed for that in the 1986 World Series against the Mets.

Anyway as always I welcome your thoughts and opinions and thank you for reading. Best wishes. badgerbratwurst

Sad and tragic death for former NFL quarterback Steve McNair; Wimbledon Champions and baseball update.

It was a sad and shocking 4th of July in the world of sports when it was learned that former NFL quarterback Steve McNair most well known from his years with the Tennessee Titans, was killed along with a female companion by a gunshot to his head in a Nashville, Tennessee apartment. McNair who played 13 years in the NFL with the Titans/Oilers and the last couple years with the Baltimore Ravens was best known for being a good passer and runner and a durable player who led the Titans to the 1999 Super Bowl season when they were defeated by the St Louis Rams 23-16 when McNair’s last second pass came up one yard short of the tying touchdown. It all makes his death seem so senseless similar to when the Redskins cornerback Sean Taylor was killed in his home in Miami last year. All our thoughts and prayers go out to the McNair family as we learn more about the tragedy.

At Wimbledon, over the weekend Serena Williams beat sister Venus Williams in another all Williams final and Sunday Roger Federer regained his Wimbledon crown against tough luck American Andy Roddick, and earned his record setting 15th major title with a 4:15 minute, five set 5-7, 7-6, 7-6, 3-6, (16-14) yes in games with no tiebreak 5th set. Federer regained his Wimbledon crown after last years tough five set loss to Rafael Nadal who couldn’t make this years tournament because of a knee injury. Federer also won his 6th Wimbledon title and his record setting 15th overall major title with Pete Sampras in attendance who held the previous record of 14 titles, and who flew to to Wimbledon to watch the final along with other past champions such as Bjorn Borg, Rod Laver, John McEnroe and Boris Becker.

In baseball the Brewers lost 3 of 4 to the Cubs this weekend and trail the Cardinals by one game in the NL Cenrtal. Also the Red Sox lead the Yankees by one game in the AL East, the Rangers and Angels fight it out atop the AL West and Manny Ramirez of the Dodgers returned from his 50 game suspension and hit a homer just like Alex Rodriguez did when he returned to the Yankees. Life and baseball go on along with sports and once again we were sadly reminded how short life is with Steve McNair’s untimely passing.

Take care and best wishes to all of you. Thanks for reading and talk to you soon again. badgerbratwurst

USA Soccer loses Confederations Cup Final 3-2 to Brazil: Also Wimbledon and Baseball as we head towards July.

July is a fairly slow month in sports as football training camps don’t start for another few weeks, the basketball and hockey playoffs are over and baseball is in the middle of the season meaning the All Star Game. You have your summer sports like tennis and Wimbledon, golf with the British Open and auto racing/NASCAR for those who watch that.

So it’s not surprising that the most fascinating sporting event this weekend came from a soccer, a sport that most non fanatics usually don’t care about most of the time. But Sunday at the Confederations Cup In South Africa which is a precursor to next summers 2010 World Cup, The USA Mens Soccer team an upstart and underdog team had a 2-0 lead in the first half in the final game. But then reality set in and the Brazil team came back to win 3-2, winning the Confederation Cup.  It wasnt a Miracle on Field like the Miracle on Ice when the USA hockey team upset the Russians and went on to win the gold medal at the 1980 Winter Olympics. But it was good for USA mens soccer to have some success like this and we’ll see where they go from here. In reality I think we should just enjoy the moment of this past week before we start thinking the USA men can consistently be one of the best teams in the world.

Wimbledon enters its second week as Roger Federer and the Williams sisters pursue more Wimbledon titles and a young 17 year old Georgia teenager Melanie Oudin won a few matches including one against Jelena Jankovic the number one player in the world, but then Oudin lost in the next round, but she looks to be an exciting young American tennis player when we are looking for more success from both women’s and men’s American players.

Finally baseball heads towards the All Star Break soon and the Brewers and Cardinals continue to lead the NL Central by two games. Other division leaders include the Phillies and Dodgers in the National League and the Red Sox, Angels and Tigers in the American League. As always with baseball’s long season we’ll see where it goes from here.

Best wishes, take care and have a happy and safe 4th of July if I don’t talk to you before then. And remember the great freedom that is a part of our country. Talk soon. badgerbratwurst

Bucks and Spurs make trade: Richard Jefferson to Spurs for Bruce Bowen, Fabricio Oberto and Kurt Thomas.

If you read my recent blog of my favorite teams I mentioned that my favorite teams in the NBA were the San Antonio Spurs and Milwaukee Bucks. They were the only two basketball teams on my list. So it was with great interest when I heard my two favorite teams had made a trade on Tuesday with the Bucks sending forward Richard Jefferson to the Spurs for guard Bruce Bowen, Center Fabricio Oberto and journeyman forward Kurt Thomas. 

First of all the trade was made by the Bucks mainly for financial reasons in anticipation for the big 2010 free agent chase after next season and the Bucks needed to get some salary cap room so they got the Spurs players whose contracts expire affter next season. And then they sent Oberto to Detroit for 22 year old forward Amir Johnson who’s been in the league for four seasons.

I like the trade personally for both sides. The Spurs get Richard Jefferson who is a powerful athletic forward and is seen as a player who can help get the Spurs back in the mix as a championship pedigree type of team. Richard Jefferson had a nice season in Milwaukee after coming over from New Jersey where he had played for several years on some finals teams earlier this decade. He helped to improve Milwaukee who faded down the stretch due to injuries and inexperience but improved and was in the playoff hunt under first year head coach Scott Skiles until the last month of the season.

As for the impact on the trade for the Bucks I think it is a good one. Besides the salary move, if they keep Bruce Bowen and Kurt Thomas they add some much needed veteran leadership and in Bruce Bowen’s case a member of three championship teams and excellent defensive player and a man who could hit a clutch three pointer when necessary.  He will be missed in San Antonio because he was an enforcer type of player who was a menace defensively to other teams top scorers. And he was a leader. At championship parades he was always announcing and joking about the players for the crowd.

In conclusion I think the trade is good for both teams because it gets the Spurs back to a championship level possibly and it improves the Bucks defensively with Bowen and Thomas. I dont know much about Amir Johnson of Detroit, but these moves also bring athleticism and a veteran and championship leadership to the Bucks if they decide to keep these players. If not the Bucks will make more moves and we’ll see what they do with the NBA Draft on Thursday. As always we’ll follow it and talk soon. Best wishes and have a great day. badgerbratwurst

Lucas Glover wins the US Open, Wimbledon is underway and the USA reaches the semifinals in soccer’s Confederation Cup

The US Open Golf Tournament at Bethpage Black on Long Island New York finally concluded Monday after several rain delays and the winner was Lucas Glover, a qualifier into the US Open who had never made the cut there before and only won one PGA event in his career. So much for Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson who’s wife Amy is battling breast cancer and wanted the silver trophy in her room to help her recover.

Whether it’s Tiger and Phil, Kobe and Lebron, Federer and Nadal in tennis or the Williams sisters, the Manning brothers in football among others, the media and sports always wants the most popular and best athletes/stories to win for ratings, and are somewhat disappointed when an unknown like Lucas Glover wins. But he is the champion of the competition/US Open and should be given good coverage by the media even if his name isn’t Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson.

Meanwhile Wimbledon is starting this week as Roger Federer fresh off his historic French Open win goes for his 15th record setting major title. And he hopes to do it at Wimbledon where he won 5 titles in a row from 2003-2007 on grass his best surface until he was beaten there by Rafael Nadal last year in a terrific five set match that went into darkness almost literally. Unfortunately Nadal wont be able to defend his title because he has tendinitis in his knees and needs rest and recovery. Perhaps Nadal will be at the US Open in September where he’ll go for his own career Grand Slam.

Finally I don’t talk about or like soccer much, but I have been following the Confederations Cup in South Africa which is a precursor to next years World Cup in 2010. The United States is overmatched by a lot of other countries but they will play Spain on Wednesday in the semifinals after beating Egypt 3-0 and when Italy lost to Brazil 3-0. The USA got into the semifinals based on a total goals tiebreaker number of 4-3 over Italy so the USA gets the semifinal spot. Good luck USA.

Anyway take care and best wishes. We’ll talk soon and check up on the baseball races as they head towards the All Star break in July and also Wimbledon or any other breaking news. Have a great day. badgerbratwurst

Sweet 16: My 16 favorite pro sports teams and why.

I like to write lists and think of my favorite and unfavorite things and like many I’m often changing them. Today I’m going to write my current and favorite teams in sports. But like a power ranking or popularity I have been known to change my mind occasionaly although I usually have my personal reasons and don’t call myself a fairweatherfan or bandwagonfan . So here’s my list.

16: Milwaukee Bucks- I’ve been a fan for thirty years but the team’s performance has suffered the last thirty years and I don’t love watching basketball as much as I used to.

15-Chicago Bears-Growing up in Wisconsin, a rival of the Packers though not a die hard Packers fan and I like the Packers, Bears, Vikings and cuddly bear Lions rivalry. Sorry Detroit your team needs improvement.

14-Texas Rangers- Living in Texas the past 10 years, this team has grown on me watching them everyday, going to their ballpark even though it’s enormously hot in the summer and they’ve improved the last ten years. Kind of the Southern Cubs, lovable loser wannabe winner mentality. They’ve improved this year so far. Go Rangers

13-Washington Capitals- Another long suffering hockey franchise. Went to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1998 and got swept by the Detroit Red Wings. Now they have Alex Ovechkin, the Hart Trophy/MVP winner and they’re my best friend from college Jeff’s team. Go Caps.

12/11 Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames: Another great hockey rivalry from hockey mad Alberta, Canada. Wayne Gretzky won 4 Stanley Cups in Edmonton and the Flames won in 1989. Recently both teams lost in the Stanley Cup Finals. The Flames in 2004 and the Oilers in 2006. I’d like to see the Stanley Cup go back to a Canadian City where the passion  for hockey is biggest.

10-Minnesota Vikings- The Vikings lost four Super Bowls in the 1970’s and my mother and grandparents on her side grew up there. And I still have a few friends there including my friend Eric. So going on that Packers, Bears Vikings rivarly in the Black and Blue Division. Go Vikings.

9-Pittsburgh Penguins-The 2009 Stanley Cup Champions with star player Sidney Crosby and owner Mario Lemieux who won two Stanley cups in the early 1990s as a player with the Penguins. I’ve always liked Pittsburgh since my grandparents lived there when I was a young boy. Congrats Penguins.  

8-Dallas Stars-Since moving to Texas they’ve become my local hockey team to watch and I got to go to a game once in Dallas. And they’ve had a pretty good team and were the 1999 Stanley Cup Champions. Go Stars.

7-Chicago Cubs- Ah the lovable Cubs who havent won a championship since 1908 or 101 years now in 2009. Wrigley Field and good old daytime baseball  even though they play a lot at night there now and the late Harry Caray singing Take Me Out to the BallGame. Go Cubs Go

6-Green Bay Packers- Moving into the top 6 although not high enough for my Wisconsin family and friends. The Packers didn’t win much when I was growing up in the 1970’s and 1980’s but they have a strong tradition with 12 NFL Championships and revitalized it in the 1990s with quarterback Brett Favre and coach Mike Holmgren. GO Pack GO

5-Toronto Maple Leafs- My favorite NHL team which is Canadian where the tradition and passion of hockey is highest especially in Toronto and Montreal. The Leafs haven’t won a Stanley Cup since 1967 the year I was born. It’s about time Leafs to bring a Stanley Cup back to Toronto the home of the Hockey Hall of Fame and 11 Stanley Cups.

4-San Antonio Spurs- 4 NBA Championships since 1999, warm weather and a Mexican Culture in San Antonio. I loved visiting the city and I have become a big Spursfan through the years from George “IceMan” Gervin, David the Admiral Robinson to Tim 4 Championship winner Duncan along with current head coach Gregg Popovich. Go Spurs and looking for a fifth NBA championship.

3-Boston Red Sox- My great grandmother’s favorite baseball team and an 86 year curse withought a championship from 1918-2004 including  four 7th game losses in the World Series and Bucky Bleepin Dent’s homer for the rival Yankees in the 1978 playoff against the Red Sox. How could I not love them when they finally won in 2004 and again in 2007.

2-Milwaukee Brewers-My favorite sports team in Wisconsin and one I’ve always loved unconditionally since first going to a game in my hometown in 1977. They haven’t always been good but I cheered when they went to the World Series in 1982 and again when they made the playoffs after a 26 year absence in 2008. And I’ll go to a game there in Milwaukee when I’m there this summer. Go Bernie Brewer and slide down your chute after a Brewers home run.

1-Pittsburgh Steelers- If you know me you know no other team is number one on my sports list of favorite teams. I first watched the Steelers when I was eight years old in the 1970’s as they were starting their dynasty of 4 Super Bowl titles. And after 26 years they have won two more Super Bowls this decade in 2005 and last year in 2008.  I’m looking forward to a seventh Super Bowl win soon again.

Well that’s my narsasisstic and nostalgic look at my favorite teams in pro sports. I’ll try to do one sometime for my favorite college or most my most disliked teams sometime. Anyway thanks for reading and best wishes. badgerbratwurst.

Sammy Sosa is listed on the steroids list: As the old Phil Collins song says “I don’t care anymore”.

Well the latest New York Times report says Sammy Sosa is the second name on the list of 104 players to be named for steroids and performance enhancing drugs list. And we’re surprised and shocked. No. Sosa lied just like he did with the corked bat and when he told the Cubs he cared about them at least in his actions before walking out on them in the final game of the baseball season in 2004.

Now don’t get me wrong. I’m disappointed and appaled like anyone else that he and others like Bonds, Clemens, Palmiero, McGuire, A-Rod and most recently Manny Ramirez have used these drugs to cheat the game of baseball and their reputations as great players in the game. I’m happy major league baseball is trying to clean up the game by taking stronger actions like suspending Manny Ramirez for 50 games and so forth.

But on the flip side as fans, if we’re going to be appaled by these players then should we also eliminate all the memories that these players gave us like the 1998 Sosa-McGuire home run chase and other memories. It was good for baseball then and helped put fans back in the seats after the 1994 strike which canceled that year’s World Series. I often ask if it was an honor to have seen these players perform and while there’s no definite answer to that question, I think if you enjoyed yourself and got your money’s worth at the time then it was worth it. For example Barry Bonds went through his pursuit and passing of Hank Aaron’s home run record under the steroid and purgery cloud, but we still watched. Now with Bonds we conveiently said we didn’t like it because of his surly attitude. But with Sosa, Clemens and McGuire A-rod, Manny etc we all liked them because they were popular until we found out they were cheaters and then our attitudes changed.

But that gets me to my final point of should their tainted records stand and should they go into the Hall of Fame. And I answer yes and yes to those questions. If a player has been linked to using steroids of better words as these players have then they should asteriks next to their records and we should honor the Hank Aaron’s, Roger Maris, Babe Ruth and others who never used steroids in breaking their records. As for the Hall of Fame let them in but not for 10-20 years depending on the remorse or accounting of their usage of these drugs. Hear that McGuire, Clemens, Bonds and now Sosa and someday A-Rod and Manny. I want some kind of baseball and legal court trial before these players are let in. Look at what it’s done to Pete Rose a clean player on the field, but a gambler off of it which led to a current lifetime ban from the Hall of fame for him. Why isn’t steroid use treated with the same lack of integrity as gambling when it comes to how we judge the integrity of the game?

Let me know your thoughts and thanks always for reading. Best wishes. Badgerbratwurst

Lakers win NBA Title, Penguins win Stanley Cup, Interleague Baseball.

It was a championship weekend for the major professional winter sports (basketball and hockey) as the Los Angeles Lakers won their 15th NBA Title and the Pittsburgh Penguins won their third Stanley Cup in hockey. Also it was the beginning of the next week and a half of interleague play in baseball.

For the Lakers who beat the Orlando Magic 4-1 in a series that was closer than the final result,(the Lakers just had more experience) and they have further validated the career of head coach Phil Jackson who won his record setting 10th NBA Championship as a head coach passing the Celtics legendary Red Auerbach who won nine championships as a coach. Also Kobe Bryant, the Lakers superstar and one of the biggest faces in basketball and sports finally won his fourth title and his first without Shaquille O’ Neal who teased Kobe that he couldn’t win a title without him and now both have won a title (Shaq, Miami 2006) without the other after winning three together with the Lakers earlier this decade between 2000-2002.

Meanwhile the Pittsburgh Penguins surprised the hockey world by winning Game 7, 2-1 on the road against the powerful and defending champion Detroit Red Wings who were heavily favored to win the Stanley Cup again. But Penguins Captain Sidney Crosby and the main face of hockey had other ideas. And Crosby got injured in the second period of Game 7 and the Penguins relied on two goals from Maxime Talbot, excellent goaltending from Marc Andre Fluery who had a shutout going until 6 minutes were left in the game and excellent defense which carried the Penguins to their first Stanley Cup since 1991 and 1992 when Pittsburgh won back to back Cups behind their star player Mario Lemieux who is now the owner of the team and Crosby’s mentor. The Penguins win also made Pittsburgh the City of Champions again after the Steelers won the Super Bowl in January. 30 years ago in 1979 the Steelers and baseball’s Pirates won the championship. Congratulations Pittsburgh.

Finally in baseball another round of interleague play stated this weekend. Highlights included the Yankees beating the Mets two out of three, one on a blown popup which scored two game winning runs and the other by a winning score of 15-0 for the Yankees. The Red Sox took two of three from the Phillies to maintain their AL East lead. The Dodgers beat the Rangers in the Texas heat two out of three in a battle of division leaders. The Brewers still lead the NL Central by a half game over the Cardinals despite losing two of three games to the White Sox and the Cubs lost two of three to the Twins and remain 2 1/2 back of the Brewers.

So in conclusion now we’re left with baseball and other summer sports until football starts their regular season in September. Enjoy your summer vacation and it’s been three years blogging total for me beween this and my last blog. I enjoy talking to you very much and thanks for reading always. Best wishes. badgerbratwurst

Penguins win forces Game 7 in Stanley Cup Finals, Magic close Lakers lead to 2-1 in NBA Finals, Historic Win for Roger Federer at French Open and Tiger Woods gets ready for US Open with win. Baseball recap as well.

On a busy Tuesday June 9 night in sports, the Pittsburgh Penguins forced a seventh game in the Stanley Cup Finals with a 2-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings which is great for hockey and the ratings with Game 7 in Detroit on Friday night. Meanwhile in Orlando the Magic closed the LA Lakers series lead to 2-1 with a hard fought 106-102 victory which got Orlando back in the series and was also the Magic’s first Finals game win in 7 games dating back to 1995.

This past Sunday in the French Open Grand Slam tennis tournament Roger Federer finally won that event to complete a career Grand Slam and also tie Pete Sampras record of 14 majors with Wimbledon upcoming in a few weeks which is Federer’s best surface on grass. Also Tiger Woods got ready for the US Open in golf with a come from behind victory at the Memorial on a course designed by Jack Nickalus who Tiger is chasing in major victories where Nickalus had 18 and Tiger currently has 14.

In baseball news involving teams I like, David Ortiz “Big Papi” who has been slumping this year hit his third homer of the season a two run shot as the Boston Red Sox beat their main rivals the New York Yankees 7-0 in Boston at Fenway Park and the Red Sox are currently 6-0 against the Yankees this season as they battle once again for first place in the AL East. The Brewers have dropped 2 in a row after a tough 3-2 loss to the Colorado Rockies in Milwaukee but they still lead the NL Central by 2 1/2-3 games over the St Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs and Cincinatti Reds. Also the Texas Rangers have lost a couple games in a row but continue to lead their division the AL West as well for now.

So I’m looking forward to the Penguins and Red Wings in Hockeytown Detroit on Friday Night for Game 7 in the Stanley Cup Finals. Detroit will be favored at home, but remember Pittsburgh sports fans, the Steelers won their fifth Super Bowl in Detroit a few years ago. But they weren’t playing a team that has the distinct home ice advantage of the Red Wings. We’ll see what happens there as well as the progress of the NBA Finals between the Magic and Lakers where I still expect Kobe Bryant, coach Phil Jackson and the Lakers to win the NBA Title. I’ll also keep track of the baseball action and other sports news as well.

Once again thanks for reading my blogs which I’m informally calling a Dagwood Sandwich because I pack a lot of sports information into a filling blog with information and tasty opinions much like a great sandwich. Best wishes and talk soon. badgerbratwurst

Like a Dagwood sandwich I want my blogs filling with information and tasty with lots of spicy thoughts and opinions.

Like a Dagwood Sandwich I want a blog that’s filling but not overstuffing and tasty to read with lots of spicy thoughts and opinions. Enjoy my blogs and thanks for reading them always. Best wishes. badgerbratwurstintexas