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.

Brat Predictions and Reviews for week past of Nov 7-9 and week ahead Nov 14-16.

Well I had a pretty good week with my Brat predictions as I picked Northwestern to upset Iowa, Stanford to upset Oregon and on Sunday night the Dallas Cowboys shocked the Philadelphia Eagles as I said in my last blog 20-16 in Philadelphia. On Monday night, my favorite team the Pittsburgh Steelers kicked the Denver Broncos around like a can winning 28-10 in Denver.

Next weekend in college football I’m picking #4 ranked TCU at home to beat #14 Utah in a big matchup of non BCS conference contenders. In the Big Ten I think #10 Ohio State will beat #15 Iowa in a matchup that could determine the Big Ten title although I’m not really impressed with the Big Ten nationally this year. I also think #21 Wisconsin needs to beat Michigan in Madison, beat Northwestern on the road next week and then go to Hawaii in a few weeks and win there. That would give them 10 wins a shot at a New Years Day bowl and an outside shot at a BCS game although they would need Ohio State and Iowa the only teams that beat them this year to lose.

In pro football I am picking three games. My Pittsburgh Steelers are playing well and have a big game at home against the Cincinatti Bengals who beat them earlier this season for first place in the AFC North division. Go Steelers. Also the first place Dallas Cowboys in their division the NFC East  travel to Green Bay to play the Packers who are struggling at 4-4. Sorry Packer fans I like the Cowboys in this game. Finally on Sunday night in a battle of the two best two AFC powers besides the Steelers it will be the New England Patriots and  Tom Brady against  the Indianapolis Colts and Peyton Manning who are two if not the best quarterbacks in the league with four Super Bowls wins between them.  In this hard fought game as usual I like the Colts to stay undefeated winning on a last second field goal 30-27 over the Patriots. We’ll see what happens and talk soon. Best wishes and take care. badgerbratmanintexas

Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings come to Green Bay and beat the Packers 38-26. BOO!!

It was a spooky Halloween weekend in Green Bay as former Packers quarterback Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings came to Green Bay and beat the Packers 38-26. In the pregame and for much of the game Brett Favre got loudly booed. And to think Favre played in Green Bay, won them a Super Bowl, played in another, had 15 of 16 winning seasons and numerous passing records. How quickly fans disregard that when Favre plays for the rival and hated Minnesota Vikings. Shame on these fans somewhat. I understand their bitterness as I have seen favorite players go to play for rival teams before, but shouldn’t they have concentrated on the Packers failures on special teams & defense and lack of a red zone offense for most of the game when it counted before they got some late points to make the score more respectable. That is what I would have booed most Packers fans before booing Favre. No matter what you think of Favre’s decisions on where and when to play remember that he is playing remarkably at age 40 when he should be retired. The Vikings are 7-1 and Favre threw 7 touchdowns and no intereceptions against his former team the Packers which did let him go last summer. I understand and appreciate the Packers tradition and so does Favre for that matter. But I would like to see him win another Super Bowl if they don’t play the Steelers who are my favorite team. Minnesota has never won a Super Bowl. The Packers have won three Super Bowls and twelve World Championships overall. That is why it would be sweet to see Favre help the Vikings win a Lombardi Trophy another reference to former Packers coach Vince Lombardi that Packers fans would not like to see Favre and the Vikings get. But congratulations to Favre for beating the Packers twice. Love or hate Favre I think you have to admire and respect Favre as an athlete and cheer him for that. Best wishes and thanks for reading. badgerbratintexas

Texas High School Football: Tyler, Texas Rose City Rivalry-John Tyler vs Tyler Robert E. Lee.

About a year ago I wrote a blog about my high school Homestead High in Mequon, Wisconsin winning another state title. At the same time I’ve been starting to follow high school football in Texas. No disrespect to Wisconsin or some other states, but Texas is among the best high school football states in the country so I’ve been checking it out the last few years. Players and teams are nationally ranked and many players go on to major colleges or the pros.

In Tyler the best player ever was running back Earl Campbell, nicknamed the Tyler Rose. He won a state championship at John Tyler in 1973, won the Heisman Trophy at Texas in 1977 and had a great career with the Houston Oilers mostly and the New Orleans Saints before retiring due to injuries.

Now the stadium in Tyler is called Rose Stadium and Earl Campbell Field. This year I made it to the Rose City Rivalry game between John Tyler and cross town rival Tyler Robert E. Lee. This year John Tyler came into the game 8-0 and Tyler Lee was 3-5 after a tough non district schedule. But on this night Tyler Lee had John Tyler’s number. They ran back the opening kickoff, led 21-0 and went on to a 28-17 victory over a nationally ranked John Tyler team. It proves you never no what will happen when rivals meet, Tyler Lee’s record was underrated because of their tough competition and it shows the passion and talent in Texas’s high school football system. The next time you watch a game see if a player comes from a powerful high school state like Texas, California, Florida, Pennslyvania or Ohio. There is good football in other states like Wisconsin and other places but when you hear about more great players coming out of a state like Texas you know the action is good. Check it out. I’ll keep you informed and keep in touch. Best wishes. badgerbratwurstintexas

Brett Favre and Vikings return to Lambeau Field this weekend, Bucks begin NBA season and Badgers vs Purdue in college football at Camp Randall Stadium.

It will be a busy weekend in Wisconsin sports this weekend as well as elsewhere as Brett Favre finally returns to Lambaeu Field in Green Bay with the Packers division rivals, the Minnesota Vikings. That should be interesting from the mixed reception for Favre, the Vikings division leading 6-1 against the 4-2 Packers and the comparisons between Favre and the quarter back who followed him in green Bay Aaron Rodgers. Favre and the Vikings won the first matchup between the teams 30-23 on October 5 in Minnesota

Meanwhile the Wisconsin Badgers at 5-2 try to get back on the winning track after two consecutive losses against the Purdue Boilermakers. Purdue upset Ohio State 26-18 a couple weeks ago after the Badgers lost to the Buckeyes 31-13  the week before. And then Purdue beat Illinois 24-14 last week when the Badgers were off and they are a suddenly hot team at 3-5 while the Badgers try to get back on track. So we’ll see what happens.

Finally the Milwaukee Bucks begin their 41st NBA season and the NBA schedulemakers don’t think too much of the Bucks who while improved last year finished last in the NBA Central Dvision with a 34-48 record even though they contended for a playoff spot in the weaker Eastern Conference for much of the season. And to show some disinterest in the Bucks the NBA has scheduled them as the last NBA team to start their season on Friday night at Philadelphia on the fourth night of the season. All the other teams have a game or two the first three nights of the season. The Bucks open at home on Halloween night, Saturday against Detroit.

So that’s this weekend’s Wisconsin sports update as we change the clocks one hour back and head into November on Sunday. Best wishes and thanks for reading. badgerbratintexas

Should the Wisconsin Badgers Head Coach Bret Bielema be concerned about getting fired as Badgers head coach?

No I don’t know any information and this is just my curiousity and disappointment in recent Badgers games the last few years but I am beginning to wonder if Brett Bielema is the best long term choice head coach for the Wisconsin Badgers football team since he was appointed as the succesor to fomer Badgers coach and current athletic director Barry Alvarez in 2006.

Bielema’s first couple years were great. He finished 12-1 in 2006 and beat Arkansas in the New Years Day in the Capital One Bowl. In 2007 he had another good season playing in the slightly lower tier Outback Bowl New Years Day game and losing in the last minute to Tennessee. Then in 2008 the Badgers struggled more and finished 7-6 with a blowout loss to a mediocre Florida State team 42-13 in a lower non New Years Day bowl the Champs Bowl.

The first few years Bielema benefited from Alvarez’s recruits and had very good records. But as time has gone on Bielema’s record has become more medocre around .500. The Badgers can beat mediocre and bad teams but they are struggling against the Big Ten’s better teams like Ohio State, Iowa, Penn State and even lost to a 3-9 Michigan team last year.  They also rarely play strong non conference opponents in season such as USC, Notre Dame, Big 12 or SEC opponents among other national power teams.

I think this all hurts the Badgers as they try to become one of the nation’s elite teams again which they became in the 1990’s under then coach Barry Alvarez winning three Rose Bowls, and running back Ron Dayne became the all time NCAA rushing leader and Heisman Trophy winner in 1999.

I wish the Badgers luck as they try to find their way back and coach Bielema is a good coach and good guy. And while it isn’t all the head coaches fault I wonder if he is the right guy to coach the Badgers team long term. Please let me know what you think. Take care and best wishes. badgerbratwurst in Texas and a frustrated Badgers fan!

Brat Predictions for October 17-19 College and Pro Games.

Hi football Fans,

In this weeks Brat Predictions I’m picking three college and three pro games. In college football I’m picking Iowa over Wisconsin at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, USC over Notre Dame at South Bend and Texas over Oklahoma in the Red River Shhotout in Dallas.

In pro football I’m picking the undefeated Giants over the undefeated Saints, the Vikings over the Ravens in a good matchup and in a close pick em game I’ll take the Falcons over the Bears by a field goal in Atlanta.

As always we’ll see what happens and I’m often wrong so don’t likely go and bet the house. As always we’ll keep in touch and thanks for reading. best wishes. badgerbratwurst

Minnesota Twins win an exciting AL Central play-in game 6-5 over the Detroit Tigers in 12 innings but I’m still not as excited about the baseball playoffs as I used to be. I’ll explain.

Tonight the Minnesota Twins beat the Detroit Tigers 6-5 in twelve innings to win the AL Central in a play-in to the playoffs game. It was an exciting game at the Metrodome in Minneapolis and I’m happy for the Twins who trailed the Tigers by seven games a month ago. But I’m not happy with baseball because there is no salary cap and uneven competition between the richer have money teams like the Yankees and Red Sox and teams like the Pirates and Royals among others who were competitive 20 years ago, but are priced out now in competition due to the ridiculous salary increases in baseball since the strike that canceled the World Series in 1994. 

Yes I’ve heard of the luxury tax which creates some revenue sharing and the smarter small market teams have found a way to compete on a shorter term basis like the Twins, the Brewers last year and the Rays who went all the way to the World Series. These teams can compete on a short term basis, but it is very hard to compete salary wise with the major have money teams like the Yankees and Red Sox. I am a Red Sox fan as well, but I don’t like to see unfair competition and somewhat watered down championships against weaker competition. I wish commisioner Bud Selig, the owners and the stubborn players union would get this but it is a business and they are looking out for money before the fans and that’s sad. Football could head down the same road without a salary cap if they don’t get a new collective barganing agreement. Hockey lost a year of it’s schedule to a lockout in 2004-2005 but came back with a new salary cap. Basketball had a lockout about 10 years ago as well and hasn’t been the same game to me since as well.

So in conclusion, while we love our sports and can’t do much to control the business side of it, we can tune it out somehat when we can. I’m not going to watch as much of the postseason this year. I know it won’t do that much in the big picture but if enough fans stopped watching baseball and other sports would have to take notice. It still might not change much but we have to try to stand up as fans and try to get the games back that we once and still love. Otherwise we fans are just as much have nots as the smaller market teams who have trouble competing and we’re being taken advantage of as well. All I can do is write and ask these miilionare players and owners to share their money. Good luck with that and maybe I’ve given you a little perspective why I’ll have trouble enjoying ther playoffs until they change the salary system in baseball. I still enjoy going to and watching the games between April and September when every team plays. It’s just the closing act and overall product that needs fixing. Please let me know what you think. Best wishes. badgerbratwurst

Badgers win 34-31 over Fresno State in 2 OT and Packers beat Bears 21-15 in Wisconsin Sports Action.

The Badgers won another exciting game against Fresno State 34-31 in 2 OT while the Packers got off to an impressive start in the 2009 NFL season with a 21-15 win over the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field Sunday night.

The Badger victory showed some flaws defensively falling behind by 14 points in the first half, but for the second week in a row they found a way to pull it out and get a win. Even though Fresno State is a mid major non BCS team they have played the Badgers tough over the years including a victory against the Badgers back in 2001. So while it might not get the style points of beating USC, it’s still a very nice victory and the Badgers are 2-0 with one more non conference game against Wofford next week before beginning the Big Ten conference schedule against Michigan State.

The Packers were impressive in beating the Bears as quarterback Aaron Rodgers had a solid game and new Bears quarterback Jay Cutler did not after throwing 4 interceptions in the 21-15 loss at Lambeau Field in Green Bay. We’ll see how things go in the exciting NFC North race as new Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre and the Vikings beat the Cleveland Browns 34-20 in Cleveland. Stay tuned and talk soon. Best wishes badgerbratwurstintexas

Badgers beat Northern Illinois 28-20 and Prince Fielder has a walkoff 12th inning home run to beat Giants Sunday.

It was a pretty exciting weekend in Wisconsin sports as the Wisconsin Badgers Saturday night opened their 2009 college football season with a 28-20 win over Northern Illinois. On Sunday afternoon Prince Fielder hit a 12th inning walkoff homer to lead the Brewers who are out of the playoff race over the San Fransisco Giants who are in the NL Wildcard race and fell two games behind the Colorado Rockies with the loss.

The Badgers won their game but that isn’t always enough in college football. First the Badgers had a 28-6 lead in the third quarter, but had to hang on to win 28-20 against a  mediocre opponent Northern Illinois. However, College football and the BCS system is about who you play strength of schedule wise and how well you play against them and unfortunately sometimes a win isn’t enough. However I am one who is happy with just winning and improvement in the team so the Badgers season opening victory was good with Fresno State coming to Madison next week.

As for the Brewers game the victory doesn’t mean much with the team out of the playoff race. But it is nice to see them play hard and play spoiler against the Giants who are in playoff contention. It was also nice to see Prince Fielder hit a game winning walkoff homer. Three weeks ago I was in Milwaukee at the game vs the Astros and Fielder flied out to deep right to end the game while trying to tie it with a home run.  Oh well. However I did see former Brewer Bill Hall hit a walkoff home run against the Padres in 2006 so I did have that experience.

Anyway have a great Labor Day holiday, take care, stay safe and talk soon. Best wishes. badgerbratwurst

Baseball Fans:Watch out for the NL Wildcard race as well.

Last week in a blog I wrote I mentioned that the AL Wildcard race between the Red Sox, Rangers and Rays was one of the most exciting races in baseball. But then a friend mentioned that I should mention the NL Wildcard race which is now currently tied between the Colorado Rockies and San Fransico Giants who are also both fighting with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the NL West division title as well. Also the Atlanta Braves, Florida Marlins and Chicago Cubs entered September within 6 games of the wildcard lead. These leads can get close, change and go down to the last few games of the season so stay tuned. Best wishes and take care. badgerbratwurst