Sunday, January 31, 2010

Badgers Camp Randall Classic

Base ice is down, boards are up and graphics went down today!












Thursday, January 28, 2010

Camp Randall Badger Hockey Classic forecast

Early forecast for the Camp Randall Badger Hockey Classic, from weather.com:

Sat Feb 6
Snow Shower 40%
32°F

I couldn’t have asked for a better day if that’s what we get. I was hoping for 30’s and we can only hope it’s pretty, fluffy, makes for great pictures, looks like we’re in a snowglobe snow!

I am seriously hyped now.

Monday, January 25, 2010

It was a big weekend for the Wisconsin Badger men’s hockey team as they took three points from the #1 team in the country.

After the teams tied on Friday night, I was super excited to be at the Kohl Center for Saturday night’s game and I wasn’t the only one. The crowd was really hyped and loud and it was one of the more electric crowds I’ve seen over the past few seasons. Every hit or stolen puck in the first few minute elicited a large cheer.

It was also one of the most exciting, heart-attack inducing hockey games I’ve ever seen. Both teams had more than a few “coulda-should-woulda” plays with pucks sitting in front of the net or bouncing off the metal. The Badgers out-shot Denver 15-4 in the first period and it felt like the Badgers having not capitalized more than once was destined to come back to bite them.

Once again the penalty kill and power play were unbalanced. Denver was 2-5 on PP while the Badgers went 0-for-5. The Pioneers made up more than half their shooting deficit on a PP at the beginning of the second period.

Michael Davis was dominant, adding a goal and an assist, putting him over 100 points for his career. He has an incredible 24 points over the last 12 games.

The most spectacular play of the night goes to Jordy Murray who took a puck down and around the net and put the puck in on a wraparound, all while halfway falling to the ground. It was gorgeous and the look on Murray’s face was part “hell yeah” and part “I can’t believe I just did that.”

The three points on the weekend didn’t really affect the Badgers standings or their Pairwise Rankings.

Make sure you check out the breakdown on 60 minutes, No Alibis, No Regrets about how this weekend’s points could help the Badgers in the future and also their mock bracketology tournament draw.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

This is so cool!

No pun intended, but construction is beginning on the outdoor hockey rink at Camp Randall and there is a live camera trained on it so you can see the progress. How awesome is that?

Check in here over the next few days to see the rink as it's put together for the Feb. 6 games!

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Seth McClung oFficially out as a Brewer?

From: @73_MC
Sent: Jan 23, 2010 3:35p

Macha told me he was going 2 decide between me and another pitcher 2 sign for next year. Well its not me they decided 2 go with Kenny Powers

sent via Tweetie
On Twitter: http://twitter.com/73_MC/status/8124645921

Badgerific

There are 23 Varsity sports played at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and 11 of them are competing this weekend, which is pretty cool.

Men's and Women's Basketball
Men's and Women's Hockey
Men's and Women's Tennis
Men's and Women's Indoor Track and Field
Men's and Women's Swimming
and
Wrestling

are all competing on campus this weekend.

In my opinion the biggest matchup is #4 Wisconsin men's hockey facing #1 Denver.
Tonight, they skated to a 3-3 tie.
The Badgers were down 2-0 entering the third period and scored three straight goals to hold a 3-2 lead until the final two minutes, when Denver tied the game.

The Badgers haven't beat Denver at the Kohl Center in five years. Including tonight's game, the Badgers had been scoreless against the Pioneers in 8 straight periods. Coach Mike Eaves is 2-9 against Denver at home.

Fans should be incredibly happy with a tie.

This just means the game I'm attending tomorrow night will be even more exciting!

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

No Soup for You?!

With the signing on Doug Davis, the Brewers now have six starting pitchers on their roster - Dave Bush, Davis, Yovani Gallardo, Manny Parra, Jeff Suppan and Randy Wolf. Since the rotation is only give guys, someone clearly has to go.

Does this mean we're finally clear of the dreaded Soup-start?

According to Adam McCalvy, GM Doug Melvin said, "Players help make these decisions." I assume Melvin's saying their performances will help determine who makes the starting rotation.

The biggest variable and the guy standing in the way of a Soup-less existance is Parra. He's been so eradic that there's no way you can put his name permanently in the rotation.

The other problem is that I find it hard to believe that Soup's large contract will allow the Brewers to let him ride the pine. He's notorious for needing an inning or two to warm, so I don't see how we can trust him to come out of the bullpen.

Don't forget, too, that the Brewers went into Spring Training two years ago with seven (I think) SP on the roster and injuries brought them down to the needed five. Soup is basically our protection in case of injury or a Turnbow-style breakdown by Parra.

Brewers sign Doug Davis, pending physical

The deal is one-year for $4.25 million base salary. There's a mutual option for $6.5 million in 2011 with a $1 million buyout and $1 million in incentives each season, per Adam McCalvy.

Brewers announce 40th anniversary plans - and some uni news



From Brewers.com:

The Milwaukee Brewers will celebrate their 40th Anniversary season with numerous special events and promotions to mark the milestone.

The Brewers will host four "Retro Weekends" during the 2010 season, designating one decade to each weekend to highlight that specific era in Brewers history. The first of the four Retro Weekends will honor the 1970s Brewers teams during the weekend of May 14 - 16 when the Brewers take on the Philadelphia Phillies at Miller Park. The following month, when the Brewers face the Seattle Mariners over the weekend of June 25 - 27, the Brewers will look back to the 1980s. Then, throughout the weekend of July 23 - 25 when the Brewers play the Washington Nationals, the team will honor the Brewers of the 1990s. The celebration will culminate when the team recognizes the 2000s during the weekend of August 27 - 29 as the Brewers play the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Each weekend will feature the return of alumni from those decades, and on the first three Fridays, the current Brewers will don retro Brewers uniforms from the celebrated era. On each Sunday of the Retro Weekend, all fans will receive a Bobblehead representing one of the greatest moments in the Club's history. To supplement the special uniforms and all-fan giveaways, the in-game experience during those Retro Weekends will include trivia, music and costume contests reflective of the particular decade.



But the better, more exciting news for Uni-Nerds like myself is that the Brewers may cease being one of the few major league teams to not have their city name on their away jersey.

From John Okray, fellow uni-nerd, came the message that he commented on the Brewers Facebook fan page about the 40th Anniversary logo, saying:

“Love the logo. you guys do a great job at the marketing department! Is this logo going to be a patch on the uniforms? Also, is “Milwaukee” going to be on the away uniforms this year? The city name has not been on the away uniform since the transition to Miller Park.”

To my huge surprise, the admin. of the Brewers fan page messaged back and said:
“John – The patch will be on all uniforms this year. Also, stay tuned for some “Milwaukee” uniform news. Your wish might come true.”


John thinks this was the Brewers’ way of saying yes without giving anything away.

He has given me some other “insider” type information that will be used in my Monday and Tuesday posts over at BrewCrewBall.com. Make sure you check the site both afternoons for lots and lots of uni talk.

_____

I didn't see this initially, but there's already a breakdown of unis that will be worn, alumni who will be there and the bobbles that will be given away.

1970s Retro Weekend
· May 14 – Brewers will wear reproductions of the home 1972-77 uniforms with "BREWERS" in royal blue block letters on the jersey front and the yellow "M" logo on the cap. The Phillies will wear light blue '70s road uniforms. Alumni Gorman Thomas and Jim Colborn are scheduled to attend and participate in a pre-game autograph session.
· May 16 – All Fan Bobblehead Giveaway, courtesy of the Milk Marketing Board: Hank Aaron hitting his 755th and final home run as a member of the Brewers.
· "40 Years/40 Moments" – Brewers Greatest Moments of the 1970s will be revealed throughout the weekend on FS Wisconsin.
1980s Retro Weekend
· June 25 – Brewers to wear reproductions of the home 1978-89 uniforms, highlighted by pinstripes with "BREWERS" block letters on the front and a ball & glove logo hat. The Mariners will wear light blue road uniforms worn from '81 to '84. Alumni Robin Yount and Paul Molitor are scheduled to attend and participate in a pre-game autograph session.
· June 27 – All Fan Bobblehead Giveaway, courtesy of Red Prairie: Cecil Cooper's base hit to drive home the winning runs in Game Five of the 1982 ALCS.
· "40 Years/40 Moments" – Brewers Greatest Moments of the 1980s will be revealed throughout the weekend on FS Wisconsin.
1990s Retro Weekend
· July 23 – Brewers to wear reproductions of the home 1997-99 uniforms, featuring "BREWERS" in block letters on the front, while the cap features an "MB" logo. The Nationals will be wearing their current uniforms. Alumni Greg Vaughn and Jeff Cirillo are scheduled to attend and participate in a pre-game autograph session.
· July 25 – All Fan Bobblehead Giveaway: Robin Yount recording his 3000th career base hit.
· "40 Years/40 Moments" – Brewers Greatest Moments of the 1990s will be revealed throughout the weekend on FS Wisconsin.
2000s Retro Weekend
· August 27 – Brewers and Pirates to wear current uniforms. Alumni Geoff Jenkins and Bob Wickman are scheduled to attend and participate in a pre-game autograph session.
· August 29 – All Fan Bobblehead Giveaway, courtesy of Palermo's: CC Sabathia securing the final out of the final regular season, playoff-clinching game in 2008.
· "40 Years/40 Moments" – Brewers Greatest Moments of the 2000s will be revealed throughout the weekend on FS Wisconsin.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Rickie Weeks, Carlos Gomez avoid arbitration

Rickie Weeks received a $300,000 dollar raise when he signed a one-year, $2.75 million contract today to avoid arbitration, according to Tom Haudricourt.

Carlos Gomez also signed a one-year contract, but the terms have not yet been released.

Jody Gerut signed a one year, $2 million contract yesterday to avoid arby.

That leaves Dave Bush, Corey Hart, Carlos Villanueva and Todd Coffey as the only arbitration-eligible players the Brewers have left.

By the way, it usually happens that the player submits a figure they think they're worth, usually a little on the high side. The club submits a figure they want to pay, usually on the low side. They tend to split the difference and that's what the player is paid.

Jody Gerut made $1.775 last season and signed for $2 million this season. If they met in the middle, it's pretty obvious the Brewers offered him less than he made last season. Wonder if that will effect his play/attitude. (idea via BrewCrewBall)

Vikings vs Saints for NFC Championship



This is the front page of Monday's New Orleans Times-Picayune.

I spent six years in New Orleans and I have a lot of friends who are Saints fans and frankly, they’ve been absolutely unbearable this season. I avoid Facebook and Twitter like the plague on game day because I can’t stand the “Who Dat” cheers.

Saints fans have quintupled in number since this season began and suddenly everyone thinks this is the team of destiny and it’s totally annoying me.

I admit that it’s a totally personal reaction and that the Saints are a good team. Hell, I’m glad Green Bay lost in the first week of the playoffs because I think they’d have been dismantled by the Saints and that would have been embarrassing.

I’m having this totally visceral reaction to the Saints fans and it’s making me want them to lose.

The problem is, they’re playing the Vikings. And while I’m annoyed by the Saints and their fans, I despise the Vikings, Brett Favre and the gratuitous attention they’ve received this season.

It’s a good thing I have a good, old, crappy box TV, because if I have to see one more side-by-side of Favre as a Packer in the Super Bowl running around the field next to him running last weekend, I might just throw the thing.

I don’t want either of these teams to win this game.

I’m admittedly disdainful of Favre. I have irrational amounts of hate for him. I hate every reporter, pre-game show and ESPN segment that has been a redundant cycle of idolatry and hype. I turned off the first Packers/Vikings game because I couldn’t stand the unreasonable blathering of the announcers.

I just don’t think Favre deserves it. I’d be pissed to see him in another Super Bowl.

I don’t have respect for his methods and I would think that other players should be upset that he seems to have rewritten the rules for himself and has gotten rewarded for it. He retired twice in a little over a year and managed to miss two pre-seasons/training camps in the process. It just irks me that he’s been allowed to dictate and everyone has fallen all over themselves to accommodate him and now it’s working out. That’s dangerous precedent.

All this is in addition to my long-standing hate of all things Minnesota – Vikings included. It’s a state rivalry thing and it just breaks my heart for the Vikings to have success.

Moral of the story – I hope the Colts dismantle the winner of this game in the Super Bowl.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

The Internets had died

At least they are at my house. We haven’t had internet since Saturday. The repair man supposedly came out on Tuesday at the exact same time I came home. Claims he was outside and left a door tag. I drove past the front of the house, we wasn’t out there and there was no tag.

He’s supposed to come again tonight. We’ll see what happens.

I have tons to write about and pictures to download and upload from both the men’s and women’s hockey games I attended last week, plus the Marquette bball game. I promise I’m not being lazy – I just can’t access those pesky interwebs. Hell, I’m typing this on my BlackBerry.

Bear with me folks. My apologies for the absence.

Monday, January 11, 2010

From MSNBC.com - Upon Further Review, Packers got screwed!

After further review, Packers got screwed
Posted by Mike Florio on January 11, 2010 7:50 AM ET
We've received more than a few e-mails in the aftermath of Sunday night's for-the-ages battle between the Packers and the Cardinals regarding the non-call on the play that delivered victory for the home team via a sack, fumble/interception, and 17-yard sprint for a score.

At first, the words "tuck rule" dominated the discussion.

Then, the focal point became the blow to the head and the yanking of the facemask that Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers endured as Arizona defensive back Michael Adams collided into Rodgers.

Here's the video.

As one league source said via e-mail, "It should have been a personal foul grabbing the face mask and 15-yard penalty and a first down for Green Bay."

And we agree, completely. The incidental facemask call disappeared a couple of years ago, replaced by a rule that even a minor grab of the bars attached to the helmet triggers the major infraction.

Moreover, we've routinely seen quarterbacks take minor blows to the head and draw flags for roughing the passer.

So what happened? Though the tuck rule didn't matter because the ball bounced off Rodgers' foot before it was caught by Cardinals linebacker Karlos Dansby, the official undoubtedly was watching Rodgers' arm and the ball for any evidence of the convoluted mechanical process that makes a fumble not a fumble when the quarterback was in the process of moving his arm forward but hadn't released the ball before having the ball knocked out.

The bigger problem is that the FOX announcers and the folks talking into their ears didn't bother to delve into the question of whether not one but two penalties had occurred. Joe Buck said "Rodgers gets a hand to the face" during the live call, but Buck and his producer(s) blew an excellent opportunity to explain first that the tuck rule didn't matter in this case and second that what did matter was the failure of the men in black and white to see that Adams had not only hit Rodgers in the head but also had grabbed and tugged his facemask.

So, yes, Packers fans, you have every right to be upset.

Then again, watch the video. Adams didn't get a free release from Rodgers' blind side. He had to cut in front of an underneath receiver before circling into the backfield, and Rodgers could have (and should have) seen Adams coming.

By our count, Rodgers had the ball in his hands for three full seconds before getting hit.

When Rodgers was getting thrown around like a rag doll in the first half of the season, he quietly was being criticized within the locker room for holding the ball too long. And that's the biggest thing that the Packers need to address this offseason in order to make Rodgers into a guy who can deliver consistently in the clutch.

Friday, January 08, 2010

Wisconsin Football, Present and Past

Two quick things - The Wisconsin Badgers finished the season ranked 16 in the nation. Congratulations Badgers!

Also, former Badger Jim Leonhard has joined the Twitterverse - follow him @jimleonhard

Elvis' 75th Birthday

My brother lives in Memphis, so it's pretty difficult for him, and by extension, us, to avoid all things Elvis.

For Christmas, I bought him and his girlfriend some "dates" and this weekend they'll be heading to Elvis Night at the Mississippi River Kings hockey game. (Can't wait for the pictures.)

I was reading through a slideshow on MSNBC.com about places to celebrate the King's birthday and was surprised that Milwaukee made the list because of a celebration at the Harley-Davidson Museum.

from the site: Milwaukee

From Jan. 7-31, the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin is celebrating Elvis Presley’s 75th birthday with a special exhibit featuring Elvis’ red and white 1956 Model KH Harley-Davidson motorcycle and photos taken during Presley’s 1968"Comeback" television special.

Throughout the month, visitors are invited to leave a birthday message for Presley, and anyone sporting Elvis-style sideburns and glasses will get a discount on museum admission. The museum’s Motor Bar & Restaurant will also be serving some of Presley’s favorite dishes, including peanut butter and banana sandwiches.

Check out the whole slide show here.

Thursday, January 07, 2010

Marquette beats Georgetown, I was there

We went to the Marquette/Georgetown game last night and were rewarded with the Golden Eagles finally managing to pull out a close game against a ranked opponent.

Marquette was picked in the preseason to finish 12th in the Big East, so the fact that they were even in these games was a bit of a win, but really, there’s nothing to make you feel good about losing out on two big upsets by a total of three points.

The game was fun to be at – the crowd was jazzed and the university had done a good job of getting tickets sold despite the fact that school is on winter break.

The big winner from last night’s game was David Cubillan. Those of us who have watched Marquette over the past few seasons know that Cubi can either be very hot or very cold and there doesn’t seem to be an in between. He’s a shorter guy who can be deadly from beyond the three point arc but who can frustrate when he’s cold from back there and spends the whole game putting up bricks.

But Cubi’s impressive 6-for-6 from three point land led the Golden Eagles and kept them in the game when they were unable to get penetration or points in the paint.

Georgetown’s zone defense had Marquette puzzled. Georgetown is a rather tall team and they had a considerable size advantage on the Golden Eagles. Marquette’s lack of size made it impossible for them to get under the hoop and allowed Georgetown to outscore Marquette 32-6 in the paint. However, despite the size disadvantage, the Golden Eagles out-rebounded the Hoyas 31-28.

From the Washington Post’s coverage of the game:
“…with a dazzling display of long-range shooting…For the Hoyas, it was death by a thousand three-pointers with five Marquette players combining to hit 12 shots from beyond the arc.

The star among them was David Cubillan, who was 6 for 6 from three-point range while muzzling Georgetown’s most potent scorer, Chris Wright, on defense.”

Sadly for Georgetown, in the post-game news conference junior Austin Freeman said the Hoyas’ game plan was to stop Marquette from shooting the three.

Not only did the Golden Eagles take 26 threes, but they made 12 of them.

Though his effort don’t show up in terms of points, assists or rebounds, the other hero of the night was Lazar Hayward, whose defense of Greg Monroe was as much a difference in the game as Cubillan’s threes. Monroe was only able to muster 10 points while turning the ball over 4 times.

The atmosphere inside the Bradley Center was some of the best I’ve experienced in person. Early on it was obvious this was going to be another close fight. With every made three, the fans got louder and more pumped.

Tuesday, January 05, 2010

wanted to post pics from Team USA game

But its not working. Check out my twitter for live updates tonight. @tristarscoop

What are you doing tonight?

What? You have no plans?
Then head to the Kohl Center in Madison to see the defending National Champion Badgers take on the U.S. Olympic Hockey team.

Seriously, how cool does that sound?

Tickets are just $5 ($1 for military, police, et al as they are honoring service folk/heroes)

You will not find better entertainment for your dollar and you’ll be watching world class athletes on both sides of the puck.

There are multiple former and two current Badgers on the Olympic Squad including last year’s Patty Kazmeier Award winner (MVP) goalie Jessie Vetter. She is joined by alums Erika Lawler, Jinelle Zaugg-Siergiej, Kerry Weiland and Molly Engstromad current Badgers Hilary Knight and Meghan Duggan. Badger coach Mark Johnson is the Olympic coach.

That’s right – two of our current collegians are good enough to play in the Olympics – and two more just barely missed the cut. We’re talking high-quality hockey here.

As they said over on 60, parents, take your kids. Where else can you instill in them a sense of Amerian Pride as well as show them 30 or so role models. Parents of little girls should be all over this – multiple of the team members are blogging on both the Badger site and the US Olympic and Qwest Tour sites. Get your kid involved on a personal level with these amazing young women – most are between 20 and 30 years old.

The Badger women’s hockey program gets short shrift and they’ve been playing at an advanced level for multiple years. They were excited when 2,000 people showed up for the playoff games last season while men’s teams generally draw 8,000 – 10,000 for a regular weekend game.

Their should a lot of Badger Pride – both the university and the state – for the girls on the ice tonight and for a short ride and a cheap ticket you can be as excited as I clearly am.

Don’t miss out.

Friday, January 01, 2010

Live blogging the day

I'm not going to upload live blogging software, but I will be using this post a bit like Twitter, without all the annoyance of my tweeting 1800 things today!

*Kind of football'd out. This Rose Bowl game just isn't keeping my interest.

*Will there ever be an end to Brent Musberger's attempt to sound smart by being overly verbose?





*This picture of Brandon Jennings was on the front page of ESPN.com along with this tag line: Downsizing often has negative implications, but in the NBA it has been an end-of-the-decade breath of fresh air.

*there was some nap time in there - thus the pause

*three former #Badgers make the Us Men's Olympic team! Congratulations Brian Rafalski, Joe Pavelski and Ryan Suter. Madison native Phil Kessel also made it.

*LSU/PSU playing in soup. so much for game plans. Plus there's already been a Brandon "LaFell" pun.

*Turf in Orlando was questionable three days ago when Wisconsin played there. Add a few days of rain and it's positively tore up and soupy. Punt just died in a spray of water and turf.

*Northwestern QB just threw his 2nd INT in the endzone. Way to kill yourself, Wildcats. Apparently he had 7 INTs all season and 3 today, though one wasn't his fault.

*Hey, this is pretty cool. I just found this on UniWatch of all places. Apparently Packer's Coach Mike McCarthy's red challenge flag has a message written on it in sharpie. The piece is some detective work by the Green Bay newspaper's photog who got the pics in the first place. The consensus seems to be its a message from McCarthy's wife. It's a mystery so far and the answer does not appear to be "ask the coach what it says and why."

*Did you know that on January 1st, 1937 the first Cotton Bowl was played in Dallas? Texas Christian University (T.C.U.) beat Marquette, 16-6.

*Really just waiting for the Northwestern/Auburn game to end - really want to watch LSU/PSU. Interesting fact from Les Miles' Twitter feed: LSU will be after its 100th win this decade when they face Penn St LSU is tied w/ Florida for most wins in the SEC this decade

*Auburn's QB throwing some floating, wobbling ducks here at the Outback.

*They just put up a graphic about Texas Tech's bowl. Texas Tech has the Leach debacle and Michigan State has 11 players suspended from an on-campus fight. What a winner of a game. NCAA must love PR games like that.