Memphis Tigers Basketball:Vacating a season doesn’t vacate the memories

I disagree somewhat with vacating a season or performance that has already happened as what happened when the NCAA vacated Memphis 2008 season and Final Four appearance which ended with an overtime loss to the Kansas Jayhawks who won the national championship. But what can they really do besides vacating the season?

Memphis led that game by nine points late in the game and could have easily won the championship if they had hit their free throws. then what would the NCAA done if they had to vacate a Memphis championship? This vacation of the season has to do with Derrick Rose their then star freshman point guard having someone else take his SAT test before the season which would have made him ineligeble if found out. The head coach of Memphis team at the time John Calapari is now of course the new coach of the Kentucky Wildcats while Derrick Rose went pro after one year and now plays for the Chicago Bulls.

So how should these after the fact allegations and findings of wrongdoing be taken care of? First of all the memories can’t be taken away even if the record books are vacated. And to punish the Memphis program now hurts kids and coaches that had nothing to do with the wrongdoing. That happened to the Michigan program after some allegations and findings with the FAB 5 team in the 1990’s came out. I remember a high school team in Wisconsin when I was growing up from Wausau I believe that had to vacate a runner up performance as well because of an ineligeble player.

In conclusion someone in these athletic programs in this case Memphis is not doing their homework, job and duty of making sure the process is done right and that nobody is cheating. Because like with steroids in baseball for example we are all cheated when the final result comes out. I don’t know the solution, it is a black eye for the sport. Vacating the season is what the NCAA can do but it will never take away our memories. Take care and best wishes. badgerbratwurstintexas P.S. Should there be legal allegations in Congress as there were with the baseball proceedings and hearings for performance enhancing drugs? Please let me know your thoughts and thanks always for reading.

Brett Favre is back in Minnesota Vikings Purple and Gold; Get used to it Green Bay Packers and NFL Fans sick of it. Bring it on because Favre’s BAA-CK!!!

Brett Favre is back and I love it! Of course I’m a Pittsburgh Steelers fan so I’m a somewhat impartial observer compared to Green Bay Packers fans. But I’m also sick of what he put the fans and media through, however I somewhat understand his constant waffling and his overall desire to continue to play.

Packer fans and others can think it’s revenge and that may be so, but the Packers let him go last year and Favre still wants to play. So that’s great for NFL fans and everyone who wants to see him still play. He had 16 great years in Green Bay, won a Super Bowl, took them to another and was an intercepted pass of almost taking them to a third Super Bowl.

I think true Packers fans will remember this in the long run, but hurt feelings and bruised feelings will take awhile. My advice is Get Over It. Brett Favre did and he’s not coming back to Green Bay except in a Vikings uniform. Try to remember him for who he was and is and respect him for the opponent that he is now.

That should ease the difficulty of the situation. On November 1st at Lambaeu Field in Green Bay Packers fans should give him a standing ovation although there  although there will be some boos of course. Then go out and try to beat him as the Packers would do against the Vikings or any opponent anyway. Then give him a standing ovation when he leaves the field again win or lose. Of course this is the perfect and fantasy reaction to this although this would be what the Packers fans should really do. Honor him for who he is and what he did and remember that he is a Packer legend who had his best years in Green Bay no matter what he does with the Minnesota Vikings.

Brett Favre will be remembered as a Green Bay Packer first in Canton, Ohio when he finally does go into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

In conclusion I hope this season with the Vikings does go well for Brett Favre and that the rotator cuff injury to his shoulder won’t affect him and he can play his best even at 40 years old. There’s nothing sadder in sports than a legend that has gone too far. We’ll see what happens with Brett Favre. Good luck and we’ll be watching as NFL football fans. Best wishes and take care. badgerbratwurstintexas.

Brewers lost to Astros 8-5 in a game I went to. Other sports news. Tiger Woods loses PGA to an Asian golfer Y.E. Yeng. Also AL Baseball wildcard race, NFL Preseason and the return of Michael Vick to the Eagles

It’s been a busy sports weekend as usual for me and overall. First I got to go see the Brewers play the Astros Sunday at Miller Park in Milwaukee. On a day when the Brewers were going for a weekend sweep they came up short losing 8-5. Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun hit home runs but Fielder flied out deep to right field with two outs in the ninth as he was trying to hit the tying home run. It was fun to go to the game with a friend of mine though.

In other baseball action important to me the Red Sox and Rangers concluded their weekend series as the Rangers won two of three in Texas to take over the wildcard lead by a half game over the Red Sox. I like both teams so this should be an exciting race to the finish as neither team appears likely to win their divisions behind the Angels and Yankees respectively.

Also Sunday Tiger Woods blew a lead in the final round of a major and lost to Asian golfer Y.E. Yang by three strokes at the PGA Championship. It was the first time Tiger had lost a major after leading in the final round and also the first time an Asian golfer had won a major championship. Tiger Woods also failed to win a major championship in 2009.

Finally the NFL Preseason has started but even Tom Brady’s return from injury and other teams performances have been overshadowed by the return of Michael Vick who was given a two year contract by the Philadelphia Eagles after being jailed for almost two years for dogfighting crimes and issues.

This is certain to raise controversy and debate no matter what people think, but it has happened, his return to the NFL, and we will follow where it goes from here. As always thanks for reading and please let me know what you think. Best wishes and talk soon. badgerbratwurstintexas

David Ortiz “Big Papi” Steroid Allegations. It just doesn’t surprise or affect us the same anymore. Lets just release all the users names and get on with it please

Well David Ortiz, “Big Papi” of the Boston Red Sox is the latest player to be named on the list of steroids and performance enhancing users. I am neither surprised or affected in the same way that I used to be about these users. Major League Baseball let it happen, I’ve been thinking about it so we shouldn’t totally blame all these players because well morally wrong it was legal for these players to be taking these substances at least as far as the game was concerned. I dont care if it was 2003, 1998 or any other date they are mentioning.

It happened, the game of baseball let it happen and we should get on with it. But of course we won’t with legal proceedings and media coverage. I like Hank Aaron’s comments that we should put asteriks on these players accomplishments. As for the Hall of Fame instead of five years make it 10, 15 or 20 years or more before these players are eligible depending on their remorse and the severity of their individual cases. In other words make them beg to the Hall of Fame and Baseball’s mercy. Pete Rose has certainly had to do this since being banned for gambling in the late 1980’s and Shoeless Joe Jackson’s legacy is still being looked at all the way back to the infamous 1919 Black Sox Scandal.

So in conclusion lets just remember that baseball allowed all these players to perform on performance enhancing drugs so it isn’t all the players fault. The Pittsburgh Steelers of the 1970’s had a lot of players suspected of steroids in the NFL but few people talk about degrading their legacy so why are they doing it with baseball championships, records etc? Because the media talks about it more and baseball records are held more sacred than other sports. Also another point the 2003 list which a lot of these names are coming from was supposed to be an anonomous test so these names shouldn’t have come out to begin with. In the end it’s pretty much the same sad, pathetic and overtalked about stories. Lets get on with it please.

Let me know your thoughts and talk soon. Best wishes. badgerbratwurstintexas

Brett Favre turns down Vikings and RETIRES Again? Maybe for good. We’ll see. Stay Tuned.

Well Brett Favre has temporarily or possibly permanently ended his latest comeback attempt with the Vikings. Of course we are never completely sure with Brett Favre but this time I think Father Time tells us it’s probably the end and that’s sad. Injury to his shoulder despite surgery and the fact that he will be 40 years old in October are major factors even to someone with Brett Favre’s heart and durability.

And to tell you the truth even though I think he’s right in his decision and hope he isn’t wafffling us with his decision, I’m still sad looking back on a great Hall of Fame to be career and that he didn’t get to go out the way he wanted either with a championship or playing for or against the Packers which he wanted to do with the Vikings.

I hope Brett Favre finds peace with his decision even though injury and/or age have caught up with him like every other athlete. I hope he realizes what a great career he had and how much he is loved and admired by Packers and most NFL fans. I hope he finds something satisfying to do outside of playing football and I hope we’re done hearing about him changing his mind.  Even if he’s retired I wouldn’t be surprised if he found something to keep our attention and keep him in the news. We just don’t know what it is yet but past history shows he will tell us when it happens. Stay tuned.

In conclusion congratulations #4 on a great career and hopefully soon he’ll get his number retired by the Packers and eventually join the Pro Football Hall of Fame in five years.  Best wishes, take care and thanks always for reading. badgerbratwurstintexas

Oh Tom Watson: So close to a British Open Championship at age 59.

It was a remarkable weekend at the British Open golf tournament as Tiger Woods missed the cut and 59 year old legendary golfer Tom Watson came within a missed 8-9 foot putt on the 18th green before losing to fellow American golfer 36 year old Stewart Cink in a four hole playoff. Congratulations to Stewart Cink on winning the British Open and his first major title but the story of the weekend was Tom Watson. Watson at age 59 1/2 was going for his 6th British Open victory and 9th major title at Turnberry, Scotland where Watson beat fellow legend Jack Nickalus by one stroke in 1977, 32 years ago in a legendary golf match called the Duel in the Sun because the weather was unusually good in windy and cool Scotland and the two golfers dueled and beat the rest of the field by more than ten strokes before Watson finally beat Nickalus by one.

So how remarkable was it to see Tom Watson 32 years later battling golfers who were 20, 30 and sometimes 40 years younger than him and competing to win? Not at the Senior British Open but at the regular British Open against golfers in their prime including current legend Tiger Woods who didn’t even make the cut. But there was Watson a 1000-1 shot at the start of the tournament coming within a makeable 9 foot putt on the 18th green before losing in a playoff.

It was a remarkable performance by a man at his age of 59 that we may not see again. He was victorious in defeat in a way we often don’t see in those who win with remakable chararcter, perserverance and confidence when facing adversity. I think his performance was even better than 53 year old Greg Norman who led last year at the British Open after three rounds, but lost down the stretch as he had so often unfortunately in his career. But Watson is a winner and hung right in there until the end and we all admire him for that whether he won or not.

So congratulations Tom Watson and good luck as he keeps competing in his 60s if he so chooses. If not we have this remarkable memory to highlight his legendary career.  Finally on the same weekend as the British Open was the US Bank Classic formerly the Greater Milwaukee Open the PGA event at Brown Deer Park in Milwaukee. Unfortunately it is the same weekend as the British Open so it usually attracts second tier professional golfers and older golfers who don’t make or go to the British Open. But it is the pro golf tournament in my old hometown of Milwaukee so I wanted to mention it and enjoyed watching some of that after the British Open even though I’m not a huge golf fan other than the major tournaments.

Take care, best wishes and I’ll be talking to you soon again. Thanks for reading always. badgerbratwurstinTexas

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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