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.

A message to all my friends and readers of this blog.

Hello friends and readers of my blog,

Those of you who know me well and read my blogs know I have written on a couple of different blog sites. On the other one some of you have told me it is harder to comment unless you are a member of the site. I know this blog is a little easier to comment on and I get some comments from other people as well but it is not as much a sports related blog even though they have that category here.

I want to get the comments from sports fans mostly and I seem to get more comments on my other blog. However I hope to hear from you whenever you wish to comment and I want to make it as easy as possible so I would like your input especially from my readers on my mailing list. This is mainly trying to decide how much I should keep writing on this blog which has been great to write on as well but I want to write mostly where it is most beneficial to me and you as well. I appreciate your support and I am happy when you just read or keep allowing me to send you my blogs. I also appreciate it when you send me comments in my personal e-mail as well. Take care and talk soon and keep reading my blogs when you can or are interested. I appreciate that so much. Best wishes. bratman

A tribute to the man who started my dream of writing in sports. My late Uncle Paul

For no special reason other than to give tribute I’d like to mention my Uncle Paul which happens to be my real name as well as the person who got me really started watching and following sports. I didn’t get to know him a great uncle as well as I would of liked and he had a stroke and later died almost 20 years ago.

But Uncle Paul was a sportswriter in Minneapolis and he saw I was interested in sports at a young age. He encouraged me to collect as many sports articles and information as I could. He encouraged me to watch and listen to sports as often as I liked and could and he inspired me to talk and write about sports as much as I could as well.

I have thought of him a lot over the years as I continue to pursue my dream in whatever way it turns out. I would like to be a writer specifically about sports although I enjoy writing in general whatever I write about.

Writing has changed a lot from his days and others who wrote for newspapers and long before the instant writing and blogging we can do on the Internet today.

I wish I could thank him today for helping me with that early start in writing. Similar to me he was a man with a slight disability who didn’t play a lot of sports but always had a love and passion for it. I wish he could see me writing today and give me more advice and help as I go along but I write this today to honor his memory and say Thanks Uncle Paul.

I’ve met a few other writers over the years including another man from Duluth Minnesota who was a newspaper sportswriter as well despite having two stubs for arms. So you never know what you can do. You just have to keep trying. So I thank all the great people in my life family and friends and others who have inspired me to keep my dreams going past, present and future. We’ll see what happens but I’ll always keep my dream going thanks to those who have helped me.

 Best wishes and thanks always for reading. Paul/badgerbratman

What did Brett Favre lose and Jenn Sterger gain in this investigation of inappropriate behavior?

This week after 3 months the NFL investigation of the Brett Favre and Jenn Sterger innapropriate texts and pictures from 2008 when both were employed by the Jets was concluded. In the end Brett Favre was fined $50,000 for not completely cooperating with the investigation but for a multi million dollar NFL quarterback that’s just a slap on the hand and a write off.

Jenn Sterger and her lawyer said they were disappointed with the findings and called the NFL a good old boys league which is ridiculous because Roger Goodell the NFL Commisioner has been clamping down on personal behavior issues since he took the job even if a player hasn’t been charged or arrested. In this case with Favre and Sterger, Goodell said he and the NFL couldn’t find positive proof that the inappropriate pictures were of Favre so he could only give Favre a $50,000 fine which I said is hardly anything other than a little damaged reputation to a well paid NFL player.

So what did Jenn Sterger really get out of this? Other than 15 minutes of fame and wasting three months of our time. She and her lawyer weren’t able to get positive proof of the pictures and allegations, Brett Favre who’s injured and retiring wasn’t suspended and the case went until the last week of the season. And Sterger isn’t getting any money or damages out of this. So in conclusion I don’t get the reason for the investigation other than publicity which may pay off in other ways for her in the future and no positive proof  in this case eliminates further talk about this and the waste of our time proved nothing other than athletes are well paid, have good lawyers and the NFL isn’t going to do anything further unless there is absolute positive proof in the investigation and case. So case closed and good day to Jenn Sterger. Brett Favre will retire, go home and mow his tractor or whatever form of publicity he wants to engage us in next. Best wishes. badger bratman

89 Wins in a row for the Connecticut women’s basketball team. Wow what a record surprassing the UCLA mens team 88 game winning streak for UCLA from 1971-1974.

Unbelievable and Amazing. The University of Connecticut Womens basketball team won their 89th game in a row with a 93-62 win over Florida State in Hartford, Connecticut on Tuesday night. They surprass the UCLA mens 88 game winning streak from 1971-1974 for John Wooden’s amazing UCLA teams that won 7 titles in a row and 10 out of 12 championships between 1964-1975.

Of course you cant compare teams, records and era’s and they are different because they are men’s and women’s sports. But they are human beings competing against other competing human beings and they beat the best the competition has to offer and that’s amazing and deserves your respect and admiration.

89 wins in a row no matter what the sport or teams involved is amazing and the streak isn’t over yet. Next up is Stanford the last team to beat UConn at the Women’s Final Four in April 2008. That would be 90 wins in a row. Ahead is possibly 100 wins in a row and if they were to unbelievably run the table at 39-0 for a third straight year that would be 117 wins. But maybe as we’re seeing it isn’t unbelievable because this team is making us believe.

Lets see where head coach Geno Auerriema whose Connecticut team won 70 games in a row in another streak earlier this decade can get this team to along with senior All American Maya Moore who has experienced all these wins and the last UConn loss vs Stanford as a freshman back in 2008.

So good luck UConn and as I said in an earlier blog, this streak makes women’s basketball more interesting for the casual fan. Best of luck, Merry Christmas and thanks always for reading. badgerbratman

Cam Newton wins the Heisman Trophy, The College Football Bowl Schedule and 3 NCAA Football Championship Games this weekend

It’s the middle of December when in college football it’s the time in between the regular season and the college bowls slated to begin this Saturday December 18th. Cam Newton the Auburn quarterback won the Heisman Trophy in a landslide and there will actually be three NCAA Championship Football Games in the smaller divisions. Imagine that a playoff system something they haven’t figured out in major college football.

+ and – for bowl picks

So here’s the bowl schedule and my picks for the winners including the three championship games this weekend in FCS, Division 2 and Division 3 levels.

Saturday December 18th

FCS Division 1A Villanova at Eastern Washington: Eastern Washington +

Division 2 Minnesota Duluth vs Delta State:   Minnesota Duluth + 20-17

Division 3 Mount Union vs Wisconsin_Whitewater:  Wisconsin Whitewater (these two teams have played in the last 6 championship games vs each other) + 31-21

College Bowl Schedule

December 18th

New Mexico Bowl:  BYU vs UTEP:  UTEP – BYU 52 Utep 24 (0-1)

Humanitarian Bowl: Northern Illinois vs Fresno State: Fresno State – Northern Illinois 40 Fresno State 17 (0-2)

New Orleans Bowl: Troy vs Ohio: Troy + Troy 48 Ohio 21 (1-2)

St Petersberg( Beef O Bradys) Bowl: Louisville vs Southern Mississippi:  Southern Mississippi – Louisville 31 Southern Miss 28 (1-3)

Wednesday December 22

Las Vegas Bowl: Utah vs Boise State; Boise State (What a drop for Boise State!) + Boise State 26 Utah 3 (2-3)

Thursday December 23

Pointsettia Bowl: San Diego State vs Navy: Navy – 35-14 San Diego State  (2-4)

Friday December 24

Hawaii Bowl: Tulsa vs Hawaii: Hawaii– Tulsa 62 Hawaii 35  (2-5)

Sunday December 26

Little Ceasers Pizza Bowl:  Toledo vs Florida International: Toledo– Florida International 34 Toledo 32 (2-6)

Monday December 27

Independence Bowl: Georgia Tech vs Air Force: Georgia Tech–Air Force 14 Georgia Tech 7 (2-7)

Tuesday December 28

Champs Sports Bowl: North Carolina State vs West Virginia: West Virginia– North Carolina State 23 West Virginia 7

(2-8)

Insight Bowl: Iowa vs Missouri: Missouri– Iowa 27 Missouri 24 (2-9)

WednesdayDecember 29

 Eagle Bank Bowl: Maryland vs East Carolina: Maryland + Maryland 51 East Carolina 20 (3-9)

Texas Bowl: Illnois vs Baylor: Baylor– Illinois 38 Baylor 14 (3-10)

Alamo Bowl: Oklahoma State vs Arizona:  Oklahoma State + Oklahoma State 36 Arizona 10 (4-10)

Thursday December 30

Armed Forces Bowl: SMU vs Army: SMU–Army 16 SMU 14 (4-11)

Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium: Syracuse vs Kansas State: Syracuse + Syracuse 36 Kansas State 34 (5-11)

Music City Bowl: North Carolina vs Tennessee: Tennessee– North Carolina 30 Tennessee 27 2ot (5-12)

Holiday Bowl: Washington vs Nebraska: Nebraska vs 6-6 Washington are you kidding me!– Washington 19 Nebraska 7 (5-13) I am stunned and i’m not kidding over Washington’s win but with a 5-13 bowl record I can’t pick them very well!

Friday December 31

Meineke Car Care Bowl: Clemson vs South Florida: Clemson–South Florida 31 Clemson 26 (5-14)

Sun Bowl: Notre Dame vs Miami: Miami (For the first time in 20 years this heated rivalry is played again. Remember the fight in the tunnel before the game in the 1980s.)– Notre Dame 33 Miami 17  (5-15)

Liberty Bowl: Central Florida vs Georgia; Georgia– Central Florida 10 Georgia 6  (5-16)

Chick FilA Bowl; Florida State vs South Carolina; South Carolina. (South Carolina beat Alabama and got to the SEC Championship Game, Nice season)– Florida State 26 South Carolina 17  (5-17)

Saturday January 1

Dallas Football Classic: Northwestern vs Texas Tech: Texas Tech + Texas Tech 45 Northwestern 38 (6-17)

Outback (Tampa) Bowl: Penn State vs Florida; Florida (46 Year old Florida Coach Urban Meyer retires against 84 year old Joe Paterno who will still coach some more years!) + Florida 37 Penn State 24 (7-17)

Capital One (Orlando) Bowl Michigan State vs Alabama: Michigan State in a mild upset here. Alabama has struggled at times.– Alabama 49 Michigan State 7 Boy was I wrong!! (7-18)

Gator Bowl( Jacksonville) Michigan vs Mississippi State: Mississippi State + Mississippi State 52 Michigan 14 ( 8-18) Hope it doesnt cost Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez his job. It did Rich Rod Out as Michigan Coach

Other non BCS Bowls after January 1st

Thursday January 6

Godaddy.com bowl Miami Ohio vs Middle Tennessee State: Miami Ohio. (Does Danica Patrick drive in for an appearance at halftime?)+ Miami Ohio 35 Middle Tennessee State 21 (12-19)

Friday January 7th

Cotton Bowl: Texas A&M  vs LSU: LSU (Les Miles the Mad Hatter Coach finds a way to pull games out)+ LSU 41 Texas A&M 24 (13-19)

Saturday January 8th

Birmingham Bowl: Pittsburgh vs Kentucky; Pittsburgh+ Pittsburgh 27 Kentucky 10 (14-19)

Sunday January 9th

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl: Nevada vs Boston College: Nevada (one of the better teams that few have heard enough about) 11-1 after big win over Boise State. + Nevada 20 Boston College 13 (15-19)

BCS Bowls; The Big Boy Big Money Bowls

Saturday January 1st

Rose Bowl at Pasadena, California: Wisconsin vs TCU: Wisconsin (Did you expect me to say anything but On Wisconsin?) TCU is undefeated and has speed but they havent beat a Wisconsin team that can score and is more powerful than any Badgers team I’ve seen before) Go Badgers–TCU 21 Wisconsin 19. Boo Hoo. A disappointment for me as a Badgers fan but happy for non BCS team TCU. Congratulations on a fine win and undefeated season. (8-19)

Fiesta Bowl at Glendale, Arizona: Oklahoma vs Connecticut. Is there possibly a bigger rout in the BCS games. Oklahoma rolls over a 4 loss Connecticut Big East Champion in this game. + Oklahoma 48 Connecticut 20 (9-19)

Monday January 3

Orange Bowl: Miami, Florida; Virginia Tech vs Stanford. Stanford (Watch out Virginia Tech. A good Stanford team is coming accross the counrty to beat you) + Stanford 40 Virginia Tech 12 (10-19)

Tuesday January 4

Sugar Bowl: New Orleans, Louisiana:  Arkansas vs Ohio State. Ohio State. (Two pretty good teams that missed out on a bigger game especially Ohio State who wanted a Rose Bowl or national championship) + Ohio State 31 Arkansas 26

(11-19) Ohio State was previously 0-9 against SEC in bowl games.         

BCS National Title Game

Monday January 10

Glendale Arizona;  #1 .Auburn vs #2 Oregon. Auburn (Oregon is very good but they havent played a team with Auburn’s speed or Auburn qb and Heisman Trophy winner’s talent.  Auburn wins the crystal ball. + Auburn 22 Oregon 19 (16-19) Congratulations Auburn on the national championship. A 11-2 finish in my picks for me after New Years Day when I was 5-17 in my picks

So there are all my picks of the 38 college football bowl games. The 35 bowl games plus the three championship games this weekend in the lower levels where they actually have a playoff system.

Finally a friend notified me that Temple (8-4) who actually beat Connecticut who is playing in a BCS bowl was not invited to a bowl along with 6-6 Western Michigan and 6-6 Arizona State. His suggestion was that the play a Freezer Bowl somwhere in Alaska. Perhaps the North Pole. Congratlations to those teams that made a game whether they deserved it or not. Personally I don’t like 6-6 teams making a bowl because if they lose the bowl they have a losing record and they don’t have a winning record to begin with. Best wishes, talk soon and enjoy the games especially if you have a team involved. Happy Holidays! badgerbratman

Oregon and Auburn set for the BCS National Championship Game. Why I’m more excited about Wisconsin and TCU in the Rose Bowl

Oregon and Auburn won handily Saturday to set up their BCS National Championship Game on January 10 at the Fiesta Bowl site in Glendale, Arizona. Congratulations to them on their accomplishment and they deserve it although major college football is the only sport without a playoff to decide a champion so it doesn’t mean as much personally to me.

Meanwhile the Rose Bowl goes back 108 years to 1902 and growing up in the cold Midwest it was always a treat to watch the Big Ten teams play often the Pac 10 in sunny southern Pasadena, California although that’s sometimes different now partly due to this stupid BCS setup. but this year I’m happy to see my favorite college team Wisconsin back in the game after 11 years and they get to play a deserving non BCS conference team, and it will be a fun game to see Wisconsin’s power against TCU’s speed.

What do the othe BCS games mean without a playoff system? A bigger payout to those universities and their presidents who dont want a playoff and absolutely nothing else to you and me the fans. Enjoy the bowl games and have a happy holiday season. Best wishes. badgerbratman

Badgerbratwursts picks for week of Dec 2-6 in pro and college football

Hello football fans. The season has reached December and the action is heating up as the weather gets cooler. So lets get to my picks for this week.

Houston Texans at Philadelphia Eagles Thursday night Eagles bounce back from loss to Bears with 31-21 win.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens Sunday night. A grudge match in the AFC North for the division lead. Steelers 24-20

New York Jets at New England Patriots Monday night. The Patriots are back and a good Jets team will find that out in prime time on the road Patriots 24-14

Now some other NFL games this weekend not all but so so.

Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Falcons show the young improved Bucs that they’re better in Tampa 27-21

St Louis Rams at Arizona Cardinals The Rams at 5-6 are tied for the NFC division lead with the Seahawks and a game over the 4-7 49ers. Disgruntled quarterback Derek Anderson in the Cardinals have slumped back to 3-8  two years after the Super Bowl. Rams win 20-10

Oakland Raiders at San Diego Chargers. Remember the Raiders won vs San Diego earlier this season. The Chargers are playing better and haven’t lost in December in three years. And the Raiders are struggling lately. Chargers win 35-17

San Fransisco 49ers at Green Bay Packers. The 4-7 49ers head to Lambeau Field to face a good Packers team coming off a tough loss. What do you think? I think Packers win 28-20.

Dallas Cowboys at Indianapolis Colts. This was supposed to be my Super Bowl matchup. My pick and tune-up for the big game. Well maybe not this year on second look but could there be an upset here this week. Jason Garrett the Cowboys new coach has had three good games and a tough loss to the Saints. Go Cowboys against a struggling, injured Colts team 24-17. It’s an upset but I dont like the way Peyton Manning and the Colts are playing so we’ll see.

Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions. This was the opening game with the Calvin Johnson of the Lions game winning touchdown that wasn’t allowed. And look at the springboard it’s given the much improved 8-3 Bears. They still aren’t the best but very good especially defensively and qb Jay Cutler is getting better. Bears win 31-20 against Lions.

Now a look at the college football weekend as we head to the last weekend before the BCS and other college bowls are announced.

Arizona State at Arizona  Arizona State could become bowl eligible with a win and have played good at times this year.  Arizona has been ranked and should spoil Arizona State’s hopes 31-24 at home in this rivalry game.

#2 Oregon at Oregon State Oregon is playing for the national championship game in this Civil War rivalry game. I like Oregon 35-24 in this game.

Washington at Washington State. For the Apple Cup in Washington state and 5-6 Washington could become bowl eligible win a win for senior qb NFL prospect Jake Locker. I like the Washington Huskies 45-28 to get to a bowl game.

Connecticut at South Florida. If  UConn wins they win the Big east and get the BCS bid. I like Conn in this game 34-27 to get the BCS bid.

Rutgers at West Virginia. If UConn stumbles at West Virginia wins then the Mountaineers get a BCS bid with a win. I like the Mountaineers to win 28-17.

Florida State vs Virginia Tech for the ACC Championship Another BCS bid on the line and a good close matchup. I’m going to go Florida State 24-21 in this one.

Nebraska at Oklahoma for the BIG 12 Championship. Could there be a better matchup for the final BIG 12 Championship game before Nebraska leaves for the BIG 10 which actually have 12 teams while this conference will have 10. Oklahoma beats Nebraska 27-24  in this great old matchup of Big 8 rivals.

#1 Auburn at #14 South Carolina in the SEc Championship Game Will Auburn win the SEC Championship and get into the national championship game. Or will Steve Spurrier the Old Ball Coach get the upset for South Carolina. It will be a good exciting game but Auburn has pulled these games out all year and will this time 38-27.

Well enjoy the games and your holiday season and we’ll talk soon to discuss the games more. Thanks for reading always and best wishes. badgerbratman

The Wisconsin Badgers football team appears headed to another Rose Bowl or other BCS bowl and a share of the Big Ten title after a 70-23 win over Northwestern and an 11-1 season.

Wow!  The Wisconsin Badgers have some kind of offense this season after scoring over 70 or 80 points for the third time this season. Sign these players up for the basketball team LOL. Seriously the Badgers have claimed a share of the Big Ten title after beating Northwestern in the season finale 70-23 at Madison, Wisconsin Camp Randall Stadium home of the Badgers.

Wisconsin finished the regular season with an 11-1 season. Ohio State also had an 11-1 record but Wisconsin beat them in Madison in October. The Michigan State Spartans also had an 11-1 record and handed Wisconsin their only loss at Michigan State on October 2nd. But Michigan State’s only loss was to Iowa who Wisconsin beat by a point and Ohio State beat in the final minute of their game a few weeks ago.

So even though Wisconsin lost to Michigan State and all three teams had the same record , the Badgers got the likely BCS and Rose Bowl bid because they were ranked highest in the BCS standings of the three Big Ten teams. The Badgers beat Ohio State and I think the reason they were ranked ahead of Michigan State despite their loss there was because of Michigan State’s bad loss to Iowa.

Style points count unofficially in college football without a playoff system and I think Wisconsin’s impressive amount of points scored has helped them. Winning impressively and having an all around game offensively, defensively and special teams has helped in their success both in winning and overall rankings and image.

Wisconsin has been to and won Rose Bowl’s before in 1993, 1998 and 1999 when running back Ron Dayne became the all time NCAA leading rusher and Heisman Trophy winner at Wisconsin.

Those Badger teams won a lot on ball control offense, running and a bend but dont break defense under then head coach Barry Alvarez who is now Wisconsin’s athletic director. Barry Alvarez was coach from 1990-2005 when he moved to become Wisconsin’s athletic director. He handed over the coaching duties to a then 36 year old coaching assistant Brett Bielema. Bielema went 12-1 in his first year in 2006 with a lot of Alvarez players. A couple years ago in 2008 the Badgers struggled to a 7-6 record and I questioned if Bielema was still the best head coach in my blog.

Boy has he proved me and others wrong. Last year the Badgers finished 10-3 and beat Miami of Florida in the Champs Sports Bowl 20-14. This year Bielema has the Badgers 11-1 so far and it looks like they’ll be back in the Rose Bowl unless they find their way into the national championship game but that seems a long shot as Auburn, Oregon and TCU are undefeated and LSU’s only loss is to Auburn in the tough SEC conference.

With no playoff system in college football I am just as pleased to see Wisconsin make another Rose Bowl which is called the grandaddy of all the bowl games having been played several years since 1902. It is in Pasedena, California and in one of the most beautiful and traditional bowl sites of all the different bowl games. It is popular with Big Ten fans, Pac 10 fans and fans of other conferences in recent years. There have been two national championship games at the Rose Bowl the past decade. The best one was in 2005 when Qb Vince Young and the Texas Longhorns scored a last minute touchdown to beat the USC Trojans 41-38. Texas also won a Rose Bowl on a last second field goal over Michigan in 2004 and lost the national title game 37-21 to Alabama last year after qb Colt McCoy got injured. The Badgers and Texas are two of my favorite college teams and they’ve had some exciting success in the Rose Bowl along with a lot of other great teams over the years. That’s one of the reasons it’s my favorite bowl game and I’m just as pleased to see teams play there instead of the national championship game that is decided without a playoff system.

Anyway good luck to the Badgers and we’ll see how things shake out in college football after the conference championship games and final BCS standings before all the bowls are announced next week. Thanks for reading and talk to you soon. Best wishes. badger bratman

P.S. Since I wrote this I have learned that LSU has been beaten by Arkansas for their second loss. Boise State was stunned by Nevada 34-31 in overtime knocking them from ther unbeatens and likely out of BCS contention since they play in a weaker conference, the WAC. Auburn came from 24-0 down to beat Alabama their in state rival 28-27. Oregon beat Arizona 48-29. Oklahoma and Oklahoma State are currently in proggress and the winner wins the Big South and plays the Big 12 North winner in the Big 12 Championship game. Wouldn’t it be something if it were Nebraska and Oklahoma one more time. We’ll see what happens and talk to you soon. badgerbrat

Monday Night Hockey: The Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Dallas Stars 4-1 in Toronto in a matchup between two of my favorite NHL teams.

Monday night in Toronto the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Dallas Stars 4-1 in a matchup of two of my favorite NHL teams, Toronto being a little more my favorite team. Both teams got off to 4-0 starts this year and were the last two unbeaten teams at the start of the season.

But both teams have struggled lately. The Leafs had an eight game losing streak recently but now have won three straight home games against the Nashvillle Predators, New Jersey Devils and the Dallas Stars. They also had a 2-0 loss last Saturday night in Montreal against their long time Canadian rivals, the Montreal Canadiens.

But the Leafs are playing a little better lately and its a long season so we’ll see where they go for here. It’s always difficult for me as a fan when two teams I like play each other in sports. Stars vs Leafs, Penguins or Capitals is one example. I like the Steelers vs the Packers, Vikings or Bears, the Spurs vs the Bucks and the rare occasions when the Red Sox play the Brewers or Cubs or Rangers. In college I would have to say Wisconsin vs Texas would be my favorite matchup growing up in Wisconsin and living in Texas now.

Best wishes, talk soon and Have a Happy Thanksgiving. badgerbratman

My NFL and college picks for the week of Nov 18-22

Well it’s time for my football picks of the week and hopefully you aren’t taking them too seriously or going to the bank with them. Still here goes for this week. And for the next time we talk I’ll be wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving. For this week I picked 8 college and 8 pro games.

Pro football:

Chicago Bears at Miami Dolphins Thursday Night. The Bears could be one of the surprise teams in the league and we havent figured them out even at 6-3. Both the Bears and Dolphins play kind of ugly and struggle. Dolphins 17-14

Detroit Lions at Dallas Cowboys Speaking of ugly football what will we see here or is this the new and improved Jason Garrett coached Cowboys we saw in a 33-20 win at the New York Giants last week. I like the Cowboys 28-17

Oakland Raiders at Pittsburgh Steelers. The Raiders are improved this year and even beat Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh last year. But last year the Steelers had injuries and a five game losing streak. This week they’re mad after losing to the Patriots. Steelers win 35-24

Cleveland Browns at Jacksonville Jaguars. Two of the hot and interesting teams in the league. The Browns beat the Patriots a few weeks ago and the Jaguars beat the Texans on a Hail Mary last week. Neither team makes the playoffs I think.  The Browns win a crazy game this week like 31-28 maybe on a hail mary themselves.

Washington Redskins at Tennessee Titans. If the Redskins lay another egg this week after losses to the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles then it’s curtains for them especially in Tennessee. I like the Titans at home 31-14.

Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings. This will likely be the last time we see Brett Favre against the Green Bay Packers. The 6-3 Packers will give Favre and the 3-6 Vikings a parting goodbye. Packers win 31-21 but look for a Brett miracle finish so dont be surprised there if it happens, it’s his old team.

Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots The Colts have won here in the regular season a few times with Peyton Manning but the Patriots are awake now and playeing inspired at 7-2 after beating the Steelers. I’ll pick the Patriots 34-24.

New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles Sunday Night. Watch out New York Giants secondary here comes Michael Vick after a 6 touchdown performance against the Redskins. The Giants got picked apart by the 2-7 Cowboys. Eagles win 24-14.

College football;

#7 Wisconsin at Michigan The Badgers are playing for a Big Ten Championship and scored 83 points. Michigan beat Illinois 67-65 in 3ot a few weeks ago. We could have a high score here. Denard Robinson is an exciting qb for Michigan. The Badgers have a better team. Badgers win 42-31

#9 Ohio State at #20 Iowa Ohio State hasn’t lost since losing to Wisconsin. Iowa is reeling a bit after losing to Northwestern and earlier to Wisconsin and Arizona as well. I like Ohio State 45-28 here over a struggling Iowa team.

Fresno State at #4 Boise State Boise State is playing for national title hopes and respect. Down on the blue Boise carpet Fresno. Boise looks for BCS and national votes with a 56-31 win.

#6 Stanford at Cal. The Game. The Rivarly. The most crazy ending ever when the band ran on the field giving Cal the victory in 1982. In 2010 Stanford is better and  wins 34-14

#8 Nebraska at Texas A&M A good old fashioned Big 12 game as Nebraska says goodbye to another Big 12 opponent before leaving for the Big 1o next year. Nebraska wins  a wild game 38-28 here in College Station home of the Aggies.

#11 Oklahoma at Baylor. Baylor has been an improved and surprise team but has fallen back a bit with losses to Oklahoma State and Texas A&M the last few weeks. I like Oklahoma here 41-28.

#16 Virginia Tech at #24 Miami Florida. I haven’t talked a lot about the ACC and Big East and wonder if some of the western teams from smaller conferences are better. Boise State defeated Virginia Tech in the opener and TCU, Utah could play with these teams. Still a competitive game and Virginia Tech beats Miami unheard of in the old days 27-17.

#13 Arkansas at #21 Mississippi State. Another SEC matchup between two pretty good ranked teams in a conference with better teams than them. I think Miss State wins at home here 28-17.

Well I hope you’re keeping track of my picks because truth be told I haven’t . It’s hard picking scores, I don’t know everything and I just try to throw my thoughts and gut feelings at these picks. Take them for what they are and sometimes I surprise myself and get them right. Best wishes and thanks always for reading. badger bratman.