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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lakers Rout Magic 100-75 IN Game 1 of NBA Finals. Penguins tie Red Wings 2-2 in Stanley Cup Finals with 4-2 victory. In baseball Randy Johnson wins 300th victory and Ichiro is almost halfway to Joe Dimaggio with 27 game hitting streak.

Thursday night was a big and historic night in sports. The Lakers led by Kobe Bryant’s 40 point performance in Game One looked very determined to win in a 100-75 shellacking of the Orlando Magic. It’s still early in the series but if the Magic don’t play much better they have a good chance of being swept as they did in their only previous NBA Finals against the Houston Rockets in 1995.  Lakers Head Coach Phil Jackson is also 43-0 in series when winning Game 1 and going for his 10th championship overall. Good luck to Dwight Howard, Coach Stan Van Gundy and the rest of the Magic.

Meanwhile in the Stanley Cup Finals the Pittsburgh Penguins have tied their series with the Detroit Red Wings at 2-2 after a couple of 4-2 victories in Games 3 and 4 on their home ice in Pittsburgh. Game 5 is Saturday in Detroit so we’ll see where it goes from here as the team with home ice has won every game so far and Detroit has the home ice advantage for the series. I’m pulling for the Penguins who are playing better but Detroit is still the champions as they attempt to repeat and win their 5th championship in the last 13 years.

In baseball there are a couple of historic moments happening.  45 year old Randy Johnson who now pitches for the San Fransisco Giants won the 300th game of his career with a 5-1 victory over the Washington Nationals. This feat might not be done again for awhile as the pitcher with the next best shot age wise in my opinion, 36 year old Yankees picher Andy Pettite currently has 220 victories and we’ll see how long he and others pitch to reach this milestone.  Meanwhile steady hitting Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners has a 27 game hitting streak which is about the time most players start getting attention with a long hitting streak as they try to go after legendary Joe DiMaggio’s 56 game hitting streak in 1941. Ichiro who has had several 200 hit seasons is a very disciplined hitter from Japan who doesn’t speak much English and those could be factors which could lead him possibly to a long hitting streak in the 30s, 40s and maybe a possible shot at DiMaggio’s record which he’ll be halfway to at 28 games with a hit Friday at home in Seattle against the Minnesota Twins.  It’s a long shot for Ichiro to break Joe D’s legendary record but he has the talent and temparment to go after it so good luck Ichiro.

In my next blog we’ll see where the NBA and Stanley Cup Finals are, Ichiro’s hitting streak and other baseball accomplishments and finally can Roger Federer win his long elusive French Open tennis title now that Rafael Nadal is out and win his 14th Grand Slam tying Pete Sampras overall as Federer heads to Wimbledon this summer where he is usually the king of the grass court. As always we’ll sse what happens and talk soon. Thanks for reading. Best wishes. badgerbratwurst

NBA Finals: Magic vs Lakers, Good Night Lebron James and Cleveland. NHL Stanley Cup Finals, Red Wings lead Penguins 2-0. Brewers currently in first place by one game over Cardinals.

Another exciting weekend in sports. The NBA Finals are set as the Orlando Magic led by star forward Dwight Howard and head coach Stan Van Gundy take on Kobe Bryant, head coach Phil Jackson and the Los Angeles Lakers. And then there’s who we won’t see in the NBA Finals besides the Denver Nuggets of course who were eliminated by the Lakers. Media and fan favorite Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. I feel sorry for the city of Cleveland which has now gone 45 years without a major sports championship. But I don’t feel sorry for the multi-millionare superstar Lebron James who showed poor sportsmanship after the Cavaliers lost to the Magic by not congratulating the other team or addressing the media. That was very poor judgement for a superstar player of his magnitude. I also don’t feel sorry for the media which constantly hype’s big name teams and superstars and had Kobe vs Lebron puppets in ads before the finals were even determined. I guess they’ll have to settle for Kobe Bryant and the Lakers vs Superman Dwight Howard and his Orlando Magic Teammates starting this Thursday night in Los Angeles.

Meanwhile in the NHL Stanley Cup Finals it’s a rematch of last years final between the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins. And after two games in Detroit this past weekend the Red Wings again lead the Penguins 2-0 winning both games by a score of 3-1. The Penguins are playing better this year but are still not getting enough production from Sidney Crosby who has yet to have a goal in the series heading back to Pittsburgh for Games 3 and 4 this Tuesday and Thursday. At this point the Red Wings who are going for their fifth Stanley Cup in 13 years, just look more like a championship team again. Personally I hope the Penguins can come back and make a good series of it if not win altogether.

As for Baseball, teams I like such as the Milwaukee Brewers, Boston Red Sox and Texas Rangers are all still in first place at the start of June, beginning the third month of the season. There’s a long way to go in the season and we don’t know what will happen in the end but it’s nice to see some new and fresh teams competing in baseball along with the traditional favorite and power teams that we usually see like the Yankees, Red Sox, Mets and Dodgers among others.  Better competition gives us all hope in baseball a sport that doesn’t have a salary cap.

Take care, talk soon, keep in touch and thanks for reading always. Best wishes, badgerbratwurst