According to this article (though who would know since it wasn't televised here) the UW football team finally took the field with some intensity yesterday.
It's about damn time.
Jonathan Casillas, among others, say in the article that the fire was missing from the team in the past few weeks.
That fire has been missing all season, but I'm happy that it may be there against N. Illinois in week 8.
Nobody knew for sure what happened, how the Badgers
(6-2) lost their way, only that it was clear from the sidelines during the second half of last week's loss to Penn State that something needed to change.
"If you look at our sideline last week, there wasn't too much intensity, wasn't too much passion (or) enthusiasm," linebacker Jonathan Casillas said.
That changed in this game. A defense that looked tentative for most of the season suddenly looked like it knew what it was doing.
Northern Illinois (1-7) started the game with six straight three-and-outs, and the Badgers built a 31-0 halftime lead. The Huskies only had two first downs in the first half and finished with 99 total yards.
"I think everybody was alignment and assignment sound (Saturday)," strong safety Aubrey Pleasant said. "I think overall we played very well."
UW quarterback Tyler Donovan noticed the difference in the defense, too.
"It was emotion," he said. "They played with high intensity. They kind of wanted to (make) a statement. They did that."
We apparently decided to stick with what we know and run the ball and the line finally showed up enough to let us do so. Donovan attempted just 19 passes all game.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
New BCS out
Beware Boston Collge of the curse of #2
1. Ohio St.
2. Boston College
3. LSU
4. Arizona St.
6. Oklahoma
7. West Virginia
8. Virginia Tech
9. Kansas
10. South Florida
11. Florida
12. USC
13. Missouri
14. Kentucky
15. Virginia
16. South Carolina
17. Hawaii
18. Georgia
20. Michigan
21. Cal
22. Auburn
23. Connecticut
24. Alabama
25. Penn State
1. Ohio St.
2. Boston College
3. LSU
4. Arizona St.
6. Oklahoma
7. West Virginia
8. Virginia Tech
9. Kansas
10. South Florida
11. Florida
12. USC
13. Missouri
14. Kentucky
15. Virginia
16. South Carolina
17. Hawaii
18. Georgia
20. Michigan
21. Cal
22. Auburn
23. Connecticut
24. Alabama
25. Penn State
Seven Different Badgers Score in Wisconsin Victory
Madison, Wis. (from UWBadgers.com)
The Wisconsin men’s hockey team advanced to 3-1-0, as seven different Badgers scored in an 8-2 victory over Robert Morris (2-2-0), Saturday at the Kohl Center. Three freshmen recorded their first career goals in the win.
The first of Wisconsin’s eight goals came just four minutes into the game, as sophomore Blake Geoffrion (Brentwood, Tenn.) slid the puck past Colonial goaltender Wes Russell. Podge Turnbull (Hayward, Wis.) and Patrick Johnson (Madison, Wis.) collected assists on the play.
Two freshmen tallied two additional goals in the first period for the Badgers. Kyle Turris (New Westminster, B.C.) scored his fifth goal of the season on a power-play pass from Kyle Klubertanz (Sun Prairie, Wis.) and Geoffrion. Turris tallied one goal and three assists in tonight’s match-up. Johnson scored his first goal for Wisconsin to put the Badgers up 3-0. Johnson’s 13th minute goal was assisted by freshman Ryan McDonagh (Arden Hills, Minn.) and Geoffrion. Geoffrion had one goal and four assists on the night.
The Colonial’s were able to score back-to-back goals on freshman goalie Scott Gudmanson in his first career start for the Badgers. J.C. Velasquez and Ryan Cruthers each found the back of the net, cutting the Wisconsin lead to 3-2 by early in the second stanza.
From there, the Badgers scored five unanswered goals to score the win and sweep Robert Morris in the season's first series at the Kohl Center. Turnbull scored his first career goal in the second period, with assists to Geoffrion and Tom Gorowsky (Lino Lakes, Minn.). Michael Davies (Chesterfield, Mo.) scored two goals on Russell and collected an additional assist. Klubertanz scored his second goal of the season, while freshman Brendan Smith (Mimico, Ontario) picked up his first career goal.
Gudmanson (Sherwood Park, Alberta) stopped 25 of Robert Morris’ shots in his debut game. He is now 1-0-0 in the net. The Badgers fired 49 shots at Russell, who ended the night with 41 saves.
Wisconsin was 4-for-8 on the power play and stopped the Colonials on all four of their power-play attempts.
Turris now has twelve points in his first four games as a Badger. Geoffrion picked up an additional five points in Saturday’s win, while Davies and Johnson each tallied three points.
Nine different Badgers scored in the series versus the Colonials, picking up 15 goals while only allowing three.
The Badgers, who are off next weekend, will resume play on Nov. 2 and 3 with a series versus Michigan Tech at the Kohl Center. Game time is set for 7 p.m. both nights.
The Wisconsin men’s hockey team advanced to 3-1-0, as seven different Badgers scored in an 8-2 victory over Robert Morris (2-2-0), Saturday at the Kohl Center. Three freshmen recorded their first career goals in the win.
The first of Wisconsin’s eight goals came just four minutes into the game, as sophomore Blake Geoffrion (Brentwood, Tenn.) slid the puck past Colonial goaltender Wes Russell. Podge Turnbull (Hayward, Wis.) and Patrick Johnson (Madison, Wis.) collected assists on the play.
Two freshmen tallied two additional goals in the first period for the Badgers. Kyle Turris (New Westminster, B.C.) scored his fifth goal of the season on a power-play pass from Kyle Klubertanz (Sun Prairie, Wis.) and Geoffrion. Turris tallied one goal and three assists in tonight’s match-up. Johnson scored his first goal for Wisconsin to put the Badgers up 3-0. Johnson’s 13th minute goal was assisted by freshman Ryan McDonagh (Arden Hills, Minn.) and Geoffrion. Geoffrion had one goal and four assists on the night.
The Colonial’s were able to score back-to-back goals on freshman goalie Scott Gudmanson in his first career start for the Badgers. J.C. Velasquez and Ryan Cruthers each found the back of the net, cutting the Wisconsin lead to 3-2 by early in the second stanza.
From there, the Badgers scored five unanswered goals to score the win and sweep Robert Morris in the season's first series at the Kohl Center. Turnbull scored his first career goal in the second period, with assists to Geoffrion and Tom Gorowsky (Lino Lakes, Minn.). Michael Davies (Chesterfield, Mo.) scored two goals on Russell and collected an additional assist. Klubertanz scored his second goal of the season, while freshman Brendan Smith (Mimico, Ontario) picked up his first career goal.
Gudmanson (Sherwood Park, Alberta) stopped 25 of Robert Morris’ shots in his debut game. He is now 1-0-0 in the net. The Badgers fired 49 shots at Russell, who ended the night with 41 saves.
Wisconsin was 4-for-8 on the power play and stopped the Colonials on all four of their power-play attempts.
Turris now has twelve points in his first four games as a Badger. Geoffrion picked up an additional five points in Saturday’s win, while Davies and Johnson each tallied three points.
Nine different Badgers scored in the series versus the Colonials, picking up 15 goals while only allowing three.
The Badgers, who are off next weekend, will resume play on Nov. 2 and 3 with a series versus Michigan Tech at the Kohl Center. Game time is set for 7 p.m. both nights.
Street, Turris Help Badgers Down Robert Morris, 7-2
Madison, Wis. (from UWBadgers.com)
Two Badgers scored two goals each, as the University of Wisconsin men’s hockey team toppled Robert Morris, 7-2, in their home-opener on Friday at the Kohl Center. Ben Street (Coquitlam, B.C.) and Kyle Turris (New Westminster, B.C.) both tallied two goals and two assists in the Badger win, earning four points apiece.
Wisconsin jumped to an early lead with Street’s first goal coming less than thirty seconds into the game. Kyle Klubertanz (Sun Prarie, Wis.) and Turris tallied assists on that goal, bringing the Badgers up 1-0. The Badgers slipped two more pucks past Colonial goaltender Christian Boucher in the first period, both on the power play. Klubertanz scored his ninth goal as a Badger, which was assisted by Patrick Johnson (Madison, Wis.) and Cody Goloubef (Oakville, Ontario). Freshman Ryan McDonagh (Arden Hills, Minn.) scored his first career goal for Wisconsin with eight minutes left in the first. Street and Jamie McBain (Fairbult, Minn.) colleted assists on McDonagh’s goal. Wisconsin entered the first intermission with a 3-0 lead.
The second period was a physical battle as twelve penalties were called. Another two goals were scored in that period. Robert Morris’s Jason Towsely cut the Badger’s lead to 3-1, with an assist from Nathan Longpre. The stanza was highlighted by a goal from Turris with less than four seconds left to play. The freshman took a slap-shot from the right boards as he was skating down the wing, sending the puck over Boucher’s right shoulder. Brendan Smith (Mimico, Ontario) earned the assist on Turris’ goal, which brought the Badgers up 4-1.
An additional four goals were scored in the final period of play. Turris and Street recorded their second goals of the night, in addition to a goal by sophomore Blake Geoffrion (Brentwood, Tenn.). Robert Morris scored the final goal of the game with a 5-on-3 advantage.
Both Turris and Street collected four points in the Badger’s home-opener. Klubertanz earned three points against the Colonials. Notably, all six Wisconsin defenders tallied a point in the match-up. Turris now has four career goals in only three games. The freshman also has six assists on the season.
Badger goaltender Shane Connelly stopped 24 shots, while Boucher stopped 22 for Robert Morris. Wes Russell, who protected the Colonial’s net for the third period, made an additional nine saves.
Wisconsin was 4-for-9 on the power play and killed off 12 of its 13 penalties.
Two Badgers scored two goals each, as the University of Wisconsin men’s hockey team toppled Robert Morris, 7-2, in their home-opener on Friday at the Kohl Center. Ben Street (Coquitlam, B.C.) and Kyle Turris (New Westminster, B.C.) both tallied two goals and two assists in the Badger win, earning four points apiece.
Wisconsin jumped to an early lead with Street’s first goal coming less than thirty seconds into the game. Kyle Klubertanz (Sun Prarie, Wis.) and Turris tallied assists on that goal, bringing the Badgers up 1-0. The Badgers slipped two more pucks past Colonial goaltender Christian Boucher in the first period, both on the power play. Klubertanz scored his ninth goal as a Badger, which was assisted by Patrick Johnson (Madison, Wis.) and Cody Goloubef (Oakville, Ontario). Freshman Ryan McDonagh (Arden Hills, Minn.) scored his first career goal for Wisconsin with eight minutes left in the first. Street and Jamie McBain (Fairbult, Minn.) colleted assists on McDonagh’s goal. Wisconsin entered the first intermission with a 3-0 lead.
The second period was a physical battle as twelve penalties were called. Another two goals were scored in that period. Robert Morris’s Jason Towsely cut the Badger’s lead to 3-1, with an assist from Nathan Longpre. The stanza was highlighted by a goal from Turris with less than four seconds left to play. The freshman took a slap-shot from the right boards as he was skating down the wing, sending the puck over Boucher’s right shoulder. Brendan Smith (Mimico, Ontario) earned the assist on Turris’ goal, which brought the Badgers up 4-1.
An additional four goals were scored in the final period of play. Turris and Street recorded their second goals of the night, in addition to a goal by sophomore Blake Geoffrion (Brentwood, Tenn.). Robert Morris scored the final goal of the game with a 5-on-3 advantage.
Both Turris and Street collected four points in the Badger’s home-opener. Klubertanz earned three points against the Colonials. Notably, all six Wisconsin defenders tallied a point in the match-up. Turris now has four career goals in only three games. The freshman also has six assists on the season.
Badger goaltender Shane Connelly stopped 24 shots, while Boucher stopped 22 for Robert Morris. Wes Russell, who protected the Colonial’s net for the third period, made an additional nine saves.
Wisconsin was 4-for-9 on the power play and killed off 12 of its 13 penalties.
Wisconsin Hockey Night
A couple of weekends ago we traveled to Madison for Hockey Night at the Kohl Center. I heard from one of the players that this event had happened last year, though it was a much smaller scale.
Essentially, it was an open invitation for fans to come catch an inside glimpse at the men’s hockey team and be able to take in a women’s game. For $15, you were admitted to watch the men’s team’s first practice of the season (more on this later), then you were served dinner, where the team was individually introduced and both Mike Eaves (men’s coach) and Mark Johnson (women’s coach) addressed the audience. The members of the men’s teams each sat at the tables with the attendees, which was a very cool chance for the kids to interact with the players. The ticket then admitted you to the women’s game against Robert Morris (which the won 3-1).
Ok, so we were a little late, as I had some iPod buying misadventures, so we didn’t catch much of the practice. But though I knew it in advance and it’s now been 4 more days, I still can’t believe that Saturday was their first practice. The team will be playing in a preseason tournament this weekend and I just can’t believe they are allowed only one week of practice. I know that the NCAA sanctions all of that and there were likely “captains practices” prior to this, but I am just flabbergasted that officially they are given (I think) two weeks before the season starts. If anyone knows more on this, please let me know. Admittedly, my hockey knowledge is basic at best.
Ultimately, I think the intent of the evening was child oriented – offering them a chance to get up-close and personal to the players, but I got a whole lot of information about the players and it was pretty cool to get a chance to just casually converse with a couple of the guys.
Sophomore Jamie McBain was at our table and he was immediately befriended by the youngest child at our table – who, by the way, was hilarious. He was incredibly inquisitive and outgoing. His older brother seemed more “starstuck” but the little guy had a rapid-fire set of questions for Jamie, who was both entertained and little overwhelmed, I think. The little guy took us all aback, because he was so gregarious and talkative.
When Jamie told him his name, the little guy told him that there was a James in his class. He paused, then told Jamie that the James he knew was REALLY naughty. Little Guy’s mom told him he couldn’t talk to Jamie while he was signing autographs, but he was so anxious he had to put some fingers in his mouth to keep it occupied!
Jamie’s from Minnesota and I asked him how choosing Wisconsin went over at home. He laughed and said he didn’t get too much crap, but that he had grown up playing with most of the guys on Minnesota’s team, so the rivalry was especially fierce for him. The boyfriend then asked if the rivalry was really, actually strong on the ice, or if it was just between the fans. Jamie said the guys are up for it just as much as the fans – even saying the guys all circle that weekend on the calendar.
The other player sitting next to us was freshman goalie Scott Goodmanson. Scott’s from Canada and actually took a year off between high school and college because of Brian Elliot. He said had Elliot left early, he would have entered right away, but when Elliot decided to stay for his senior year, Scott took the year off to save his eligibility for when he knew he had a fighting chance at the netminder spot.
Both Mark Johnson, women's coach, and Mike Eaves, men's coach, addressed the group. Before they were introduced the emcee had some stats
Last season the men averaged 14,335 in attendance, which is a record for the University and and was the NCAA high. That average attendance is better than 5 NHL teams.
Mark Johnson went to talk about the women's team, which at the time had won 29 straight dating back to last season. They were 3-0 to start the season and had yet to allow a goal. (At time of publish, the girls had improved to 6-1-1)
He also added that they had graduated 7 seniors and brought in 7 freshman. Though the team's composition had changed, Johnson urged the hockey fans to "give us an opportunity. Come see the product."
The men's team had a rough season after graduating and losing to the pros so many of the members of their national championship winning team. However, they did go 8-3-2 over the last few weeks of the season to finish strong.
They also had the #1 recruiting class in the country this year. Their new class includes 9 NHL draft picks, including the 3rd overall and 12th overall picks.
Of the 26 guys on this year's roster, 17 are underclassmen. It's the youngest team Wisconsin has fielded in 26 years.
This year's new class includes:
#12 Tom Vargas, a transfer from St. Lawrence, where he spent one season.
#16 Sean Dolan, a 6'3" forward. He was a member of the US Under-18 Junior Select Team at 2006 Viking Cup in Camrose, Alberta. He played 2006-07 season for the Chicago Steel of the USHL where he scored 22 goals, 40 points and 76 penalty minutes in 59 games played, before adding two goals and four points in five playoff games
#27 Cody Goloubef, a defensemen. He scored 10 goals and 42 points in 49 games with the Milton Ice Hawks of the OPJHL in 05-06 and was named the team's Rookie of the Year.
#1 Scott Gudmandson, goalie. Finished 2006–07 season with the Salmon Arm Silverbacks of the BCHL, after beginning year with Omaha of the USHL. He posted a 15-8-0 mark with a 2.84 goals-against average, .912 save percentage and two shutouts in 24 games played with Salmon Arm. He posted an 18-8-5 mark with a 2.10 goals-against average and .925 save percentage with the Drayton Valley Thunder of the AJHL in 2004–05 to earn recognition as the 2005 AJHL Rookie of the Year
#3 Craig Johnson, defense. Played for the Fairbanks Ice Dogs of the NAHL where he posted eight goals and 34 points in 60 contests to lead the team’s defensemen in 2006–07. He was also second on the team with four game-winning goals. He is from Waupaca.
#10 Patrick Johnson. Son of Women's coach Mark Johnson. He spent most of 2006–07 season skating with the Lincoln Stars of the USHL where he posted 11 goals and 27 points in 47 games with the Stars. He also scored two short-handed goals and 11 power-play points.
#17 Ryan McDonough. 2007 Minnesota Mr. Hockey, Ryan was the #12 overall pick in this year's NHL draft. He won silver with Team USA at the 2007 IIHF World Championships. He was a member of the silver medal winning U.S. Under-18 Select Team at the 2006 Under-18 Junior World Cup in Slovakia and the Czech Republic. He was a member of the 2005 United States Under-17 Select Team that took first place at the 2005 Five Nations Cup in Huttwil, Switzerland
#7 Brendan Smith, defense. Skated two seasons with the St. Michael’s Buzzers of the OPHJL where in 2006–07, posted 12 goals, 36 points and 90 penalty minutes in 39 games played to lead team’s defensemen. He was selected to play in the 2006 Canadian Junior A Hockey League All-Star Game ... won a silver medal with Canada East in the 2006 World Junior A Challenge. He was the 27th overall draft pick by the Detroit Red Wings.
#8 Joshus "Podge" Turnbull, forward. Skated 2006–07 for the Waterloo Blackhawks of the USHL where he was named team rookie of the year after collecting 27 goals and 54 points in 60 games played. He was also voted by Waterloo fans as the inaugural winner of the Fan’s Choice Award. We was the team's Rookie of the Year and was a 5th round draft pick of the LA Kings.
#19 Kyle Turris. Chosen 3rd overall by the Phoenix Coyotes. Named RBC Financial Group Canadian Junior A Player of the Year for 2006-07. He played for Team Canada in 2006-07, including two stints with Canada’s National Under-18 Team - the 2006 Junior World Cup in the Czech Republic and the 2007 IIHF World Under-18 Championship in Finland. He played a major role in Canada West’s gold medal triumph at the 2007 World Junior A Challenge in Yorkton, Saskachewan, scoring his team’s first four goals in a tournament-opening win over Russia on his way to the tournament’s MVP award. He collected a BCHL-high 66 goals for the Burnaby Express, 15 goals more than the closest skater. He posted 121 points in 53 games played to rank second in league scoring during the regular season. He also posted a league-high 19-game point-scoring streak. He tied for the league lead in playoff scoring with 26 points (12 goals, 14 assists) despite playing one less postseason round than the rest of the top 10 scorers
Essentially, it was an open invitation for fans to come catch an inside glimpse at the men’s hockey team and be able to take in a women’s game. For $15, you were admitted to watch the men’s team’s first practice of the season (more on this later), then you were served dinner, where the team was individually introduced and both Mike Eaves (men’s coach) and Mark Johnson (women’s coach) addressed the audience. The members of the men’s teams each sat at the tables with the attendees, which was a very cool chance for the kids to interact with the players. The ticket then admitted you to the women’s game against Robert Morris (which the won 3-1).
Ok, so we were a little late, as I had some iPod buying misadventures, so we didn’t catch much of the practice. But though I knew it in advance and it’s now been 4 more days, I still can’t believe that Saturday was their first practice. The team will be playing in a preseason tournament this weekend and I just can’t believe they are allowed only one week of practice. I know that the NCAA sanctions all of that and there were likely “captains practices” prior to this, but I am just flabbergasted that officially they are given (I think) two weeks before the season starts. If anyone knows more on this, please let me know. Admittedly, my hockey knowledge is basic at best.
Ultimately, I think the intent of the evening was child oriented – offering them a chance to get up-close and personal to the players, but I got a whole lot of information about the players and it was pretty cool to get a chance to just casually converse with a couple of the guys.
Sophomore Jamie McBain was at our table and he was immediately befriended by the youngest child at our table – who, by the way, was hilarious. He was incredibly inquisitive and outgoing. His older brother seemed more “starstuck” but the little guy had a rapid-fire set of questions for Jamie, who was both entertained and little overwhelmed, I think. The little guy took us all aback, because he was so gregarious and talkative.
When Jamie told him his name, the little guy told him that there was a James in his class. He paused, then told Jamie that the James he knew was REALLY naughty. Little Guy’s mom told him he couldn’t talk to Jamie while he was signing autographs, but he was so anxious he had to put some fingers in his mouth to keep it occupied!
Jamie’s from Minnesota and I asked him how choosing Wisconsin went over at home. He laughed and said he didn’t get too much crap, but that he had grown up playing with most of the guys on Minnesota’s team, so the rivalry was especially fierce for him. The boyfriend then asked if the rivalry was really, actually strong on the ice, or if it was just between the fans. Jamie said the guys are up for it just as much as the fans – even saying the guys all circle that weekend on the calendar.
The other player sitting next to us was freshman goalie Scott Goodmanson. Scott’s from Canada and actually took a year off between high school and college because of Brian Elliot. He said had Elliot left early, he would have entered right away, but when Elliot decided to stay for his senior year, Scott took the year off to save his eligibility for when he knew he had a fighting chance at the netminder spot.
Both Mark Johnson, women's coach, and Mike Eaves, men's coach, addressed the group. Before they were introduced the emcee had some stats
Last season the men averaged 14,335 in attendance, which is a record for the University and and was the NCAA high. That average attendance is better than 5 NHL teams.
Mark Johnson went to talk about the women's team, which at the time had won 29 straight dating back to last season. They were 3-0 to start the season and had yet to allow a goal. (At time of publish, the girls had improved to 6-1-1)
He also added that they had graduated 7 seniors and brought in 7 freshman. Though the team's composition had changed, Johnson urged the hockey fans to "give us an opportunity. Come see the product."
The men's team had a rough season after graduating and losing to the pros so many of the members of their national championship winning team. However, they did go 8-3-2 over the last few weeks of the season to finish strong.
They also had the #1 recruiting class in the country this year. Their new class includes 9 NHL draft picks, including the 3rd overall and 12th overall picks.
Of the 26 guys on this year's roster, 17 are underclassmen. It's the youngest team Wisconsin has fielded in 26 years.
This year's new class includes:
#12 Tom Vargas, a transfer from St. Lawrence, where he spent one season.
#16 Sean Dolan, a 6'3" forward. He was a member of the US Under-18 Junior Select Team at 2006 Viking Cup in Camrose, Alberta. He played 2006-07 season for the Chicago Steel of the USHL where he scored 22 goals, 40 points and 76 penalty minutes in 59 games played, before adding two goals and four points in five playoff games
#27 Cody Goloubef, a defensemen. He scored 10 goals and 42 points in 49 games with the Milton Ice Hawks of the OPJHL in 05-06 and was named the team's Rookie of the Year.
#1 Scott Gudmandson, goalie. Finished 2006–07 season with the Salmon Arm Silverbacks of the BCHL, after beginning year with Omaha of the USHL. He posted a 15-8-0 mark with a 2.84 goals-against average, .912 save percentage and two shutouts in 24 games played with Salmon Arm. He posted an 18-8-5 mark with a 2.10 goals-against average and .925 save percentage with the Drayton Valley Thunder of the AJHL in 2004–05 to earn recognition as the 2005 AJHL Rookie of the Year
#3 Craig Johnson, defense. Played for the Fairbanks Ice Dogs of the NAHL where he posted eight goals and 34 points in 60 contests to lead the team’s defensemen in 2006–07. He was also second on the team with four game-winning goals. He is from Waupaca.
#10 Patrick Johnson. Son of Women's coach Mark Johnson. He spent most of 2006–07 season skating with the Lincoln Stars of the USHL where he posted 11 goals and 27 points in 47 games with the Stars. He also scored two short-handed goals and 11 power-play points.
#17 Ryan McDonough. 2007 Minnesota Mr. Hockey, Ryan was the #12 overall pick in this year's NHL draft. He won silver with Team USA at the 2007 IIHF World Championships. He was a member of the silver medal winning U.S. Under-18 Select Team at the 2006 Under-18 Junior World Cup in Slovakia and the Czech Republic. He was a member of the 2005 United States Under-17 Select Team that took first place at the 2005 Five Nations Cup in Huttwil, Switzerland
#7 Brendan Smith, defense. Skated two seasons with the St. Michael’s Buzzers of the OPHJL where in 2006–07, posted 12 goals, 36 points and 90 penalty minutes in 39 games played to lead team’s defensemen. He was selected to play in the 2006 Canadian Junior A Hockey League All-Star Game ... won a silver medal with Canada East in the 2006 World Junior A Challenge. He was the 27th overall draft pick by the Detroit Red Wings.
#8 Joshus "Podge" Turnbull, forward. Skated 2006–07 for the Waterloo Blackhawks of the USHL where he was named team rookie of the year after collecting 27 goals and 54 points in 60 games played. He was also voted by Waterloo fans as the inaugural winner of the Fan’s Choice Award. We was the team's Rookie of the Year and was a 5th round draft pick of the LA Kings.
#19 Kyle Turris. Chosen 3rd overall by the Phoenix Coyotes. Named RBC Financial Group Canadian Junior A Player of the Year for 2006-07. He played for Team Canada in 2006-07, including two stints with Canada’s National Under-18 Team - the 2006 Junior World Cup in the Czech Republic and the 2007 IIHF World Under-18 Championship in Finland. He played a major role in Canada West’s gold medal triumph at the 2007 World Junior A Challenge in Yorkton, Saskachewan, scoring his team’s first four goals in a tournament-opening win over Russia on his way to the tournament’s MVP award. He collected a BCHL-high 66 goals for the Burnaby Express, 15 goals more than the closest skater. He posted 121 points in 53 games played to rank second in league scoring during the regular season. He also posted a league-high 19-game point-scoring streak. He tied for the league lead in playoff scoring with 26 points (12 goals, 14 assists) despite playing one less postseason round than the rest of the top 10 scorers
Former Packer great Max McGee dies
Former Green Bay receiver Max McGee dies (from AP.org)
By STEVE KARNOWSKI
Associated Press Writer
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Max McGee, the unexpected hero of the first Super Bowl and a long-time challenge for Hall of Fame coach Vince Lombardi, died Saturday after falling from the roof of his home, police confirmed. He was 75.
Police were called to the former Green Bay receiver's Deephaven home around 5:20 p.m., Sgt. Chris Whiteside said. Efforts to resuscitate McGee were unsuccessful.
McGee was blowing leaves off the roof when he fell, according to news reports. A phone message left at a number listed for an M. McGee wasn't immediately returned.
"I just lost my best friend," former teammate Paul Hornung told the St. Paul Pioneer Press. "(His wife) Denise was away from the house. She'd warned him not to get up there. He shouldn't have been up there. He knew better than that."
Inserted into Packers' lineup when Boyd Dowler was sidelined by a shoulder injury, McGee went on to catch the first touchdown pass in Super Bowl history in Green Bay's 35-10 victory over Kansas City in January 1967. Still hung over from a night on the town, McGee caught seven passes for 138 yards and two TDs.
"Now he'll be the answer to one of the great trivia questions: Who scored the first touchdown in Super Bowl history?" Hornung said. "Vince knew he could count on him. ... He was a great athlete. He could do anything with his hands."
Though an admirer of Lombardi, McGee time and again pushed the tough-as-nails coach to the breaking point.
McGee - remembered for saying: "When it's third-and-10, you can take the milk drinkers and I'll take the whiskey drinkers every time." - put Lombardi to the ultimate test prior to the first Super Bowl.
McGee had caught only four passes for 91 yards during the 1966 regular season and, not expecting to play against the Chiefs, violated the team's curfew and spent the night before the game partying.
Reportedly, the next morning he told Dowler: "I hope you don't get hurt. I'm not in very good shape."
Dowler went down with a separated shoulder on the Packers' second drive, and McGee had to borrow a helmet because he left his in the locker room. A few plays later, McGee made a one-handed reception of a pass from Bart Starr and ran 37 yards to score.
"He had a delightful sense of humor and had a knack for coming up with big plays when you least expected it to happen," Packers historian Lee Remmel said. "He had a great sense of timing."
Remmel said McGee once teased Lombardi when the coach showed the team a football on their first meeting and said, "Gentlemen, this is a football."
"McGee said, 'Not so fast, not so fast,'" Remmel said. "That gives you an index to the kind of humor that he served up regularly."
McGee was a running back at Tulane and the nation's top kick returner in 1953.
Selected by the Packers in the fifth round of the 1954 draft, McGee spent two years in the Air Force as a pilot following his rookie year before returning in 1957 to play 11 more seasons. He finished his career with 345 receptions for 6,346 yards - an 18.4-yard average - and scored 51 touchdowns and 306 points.
After retiring from football, he became a major partner in developing the popular Chi-Chi's chain of Mexican restaurants. In 1979, he became an announcer for the Packer Radio Network with Jim Irwin until retiring in 1998.
McGee and wife Denise founded the Max McGee National Research Center for Juvenile Diabetes at the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee in 1999.
According to the center's Web site, his brother fought diabetes in his lifetime, and Max and Denise's youngest son, Dallas, lives with the disease.
McGee is survived by his wife, four children and several grandchildren.
Funeral arrangements were pending.
By STEVE KARNOWSKI
Associated Press Writer
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Max McGee, the unexpected hero of the first Super Bowl and a long-time challenge for Hall of Fame coach Vince Lombardi, died Saturday after falling from the roof of his home, police confirmed. He was 75.
Police were called to the former Green Bay receiver's Deephaven home around 5:20 p.m., Sgt. Chris Whiteside said. Efforts to resuscitate McGee were unsuccessful.
McGee was blowing leaves off the roof when he fell, according to news reports. A phone message left at a number listed for an M. McGee wasn't immediately returned.
"I just lost my best friend," former teammate Paul Hornung told the St. Paul Pioneer Press. "(His wife) Denise was away from the house. She'd warned him not to get up there. He shouldn't have been up there. He knew better than that."
Inserted into Packers' lineup when Boyd Dowler was sidelined by a shoulder injury, McGee went on to catch the first touchdown pass in Super Bowl history in Green Bay's 35-10 victory over Kansas City in January 1967. Still hung over from a night on the town, McGee caught seven passes for 138 yards and two TDs.
"Now he'll be the answer to one of the great trivia questions: Who scored the first touchdown in Super Bowl history?" Hornung said. "Vince knew he could count on him. ... He was a great athlete. He could do anything with his hands."
Though an admirer of Lombardi, McGee time and again pushed the tough-as-nails coach to the breaking point.
McGee - remembered for saying: "When it's third-and-10, you can take the milk drinkers and I'll take the whiskey drinkers every time." - put Lombardi to the ultimate test prior to the first Super Bowl.
McGee had caught only four passes for 91 yards during the 1966 regular season and, not expecting to play against the Chiefs, violated the team's curfew and spent the night before the game partying.
Reportedly, the next morning he told Dowler: "I hope you don't get hurt. I'm not in very good shape."
Dowler went down with a separated shoulder on the Packers' second drive, and McGee had to borrow a helmet because he left his in the locker room. A few plays later, McGee made a one-handed reception of a pass from Bart Starr and ran 37 yards to score.
"He had a delightful sense of humor and had a knack for coming up with big plays when you least expected it to happen," Packers historian Lee Remmel said. "He had a great sense of timing."
Remmel said McGee once teased Lombardi when the coach showed the team a football on their first meeting and said, "Gentlemen, this is a football."
"McGee said, 'Not so fast, not so fast,'" Remmel said. "That gives you an index to the kind of humor that he served up regularly."
McGee was a running back at Tulane and the nation's top kick returner in 1953.
Selected by the Packers in the fifth round of the 1954 draft, McGee spent two years in the Air Force as a pilot following his rookie year before returning in 1957 to play 11 more seasons. He finished his career with 345 receptions for 6,346 yards - an 18.4-yard average - and scored 51 touchdowns and 306 points.
After retiring from football, he became a major partner in developing the popular Chi-Chi's chain of Mexican restaurants. In 1979, he became an announcer for the Packer Radio Network with Jim Irwin until retiring in 1998.
McGee and wife Denise founded the Max McGee National Research Center for Juvenile Diabetes at the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee in 1999.
According to the center's Web site, his brother fought diabetes in his lifetime, and Max and Denise's youngest son, Dallas, lives with the disease.
McGee is survived by his wife, four children and several grandchildren.
Funeral arrangements were pending.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Packer Problems
It may have been ugly, but the Packers managed to remain on top of the NFC North yesterday with a win over the Redskins.
As ugly as the game was, I’m going to contend that 2 or 3 really poor calls made a major difference in the game and made it a squeaker when it should have been closer to a blowout.
There is literally no one that could argue that the no-call on the Bubba Franks touchdown was the right call. He was pushed and he still got one foot down. The announcers spent the few minutes right after the call talking about pass interference, but I don’t think that was the point. We went to commercial and came back and then they started talking about a push out and I couldn't believe it took them that long to talk about the obviously missed call.
There’s no question that if Franks isn’t touched that he comes down in the endzone with that ball. Period. The argument that it’s a ref’s judgment call just irks me. You can review the spot of the ball, which often times is the ref’s judgment call, but you can’t review a scoring play? I find this logic faulty. You can review a whole host of things in football, so I contend that any play involving possible points should be reviewable. You simply cannot allow human error to decide the outcome of a game. Everything I’ve heard uses the term judgment call, but isn’t the whole game a judgment call for the refs? Aren’t they deciding if something is a foul or not based on what they see? That’s a catchy phrase that tries to let the refs off the hook.
The other two questionable calls can certainly be argued for or against. The hold that called the touchdown back bothers me on the basis that if we’re going to call that, a flag should thrown on just about every play of the game.
While there were certainly times that the flag was justified, I wondered at some of the illegal contact flags that were thrown on Charles Woodson. There were times I felt like I was watching a basketball game where the whistle is blown every time two players touch each other. It’s impossible that two guys who aren’t looking at each other or at where they’re going aren’t going to touch each other.
That being said, Charles Woodson needs to learn to adjust and stop getting so many of those damn flags. Whether or not you agree with it, the fouls were getting called. You have to adjust your game in order to stop hurting your team.
There was a portion of the game where it felt like if we weren’t giving up a penalty for illegal contact then the receiver was all by his lonesome. Are these really the only two options the Packers secondary can handle? Either we leave a guy all alone or we maul him?
It’s hard to believe that we won this game without Favre throwing a TD pass. Our ground game sucks. I am just amazed that we scored on defense.
I guess we just take the win and be happy with it, but yesterday just seemed to put a spotlight on the things any team we play exploit.
As ugly as the game was, I’m going to contend that 2 or 3 really poor calls made a major difference in the game and made it a squeaker when it should have been closer to a blowout.
There is literally no one that could argue that the no-call on the Bubba Franks touchdown was the right call. He was pushed and he still got one foot down. The announcers spent the few minutes right after the call talking about pass interference, but I don’t think that was the point. We went to commercial and came back and then they started talking about a push out and I couldn't believe it took them that long to talk about the obviously missed call.
There’s no question that if Franks isn’t touched that he comes down in the endzone with that ball. Period. The argument that it’s a ref’s judgment call just irks me. You can review the spot of the ball, which often times is the ref’s judgment call, but you can’t review a scoring play? I find this logic faulty. You can review a whole host of things in football, so I contend that any play involving possible points should be reviewable. You simply cannot allow human error to decide the outcome of a game. Everything I’ve heard uses the term judgment call, but isn’t the whole game a judgment call for the refs? Aren’t they deciding if something is a foul or not based on what they see? That’s a catchy phrase that tries to let the refs off the hook.
The other two questionable calls can certainly be argued for or against. The hold that called the touchdown back bothers me on the basis that if we’re going to call that, a flag should thrown on just about every play of the game.
While there were certainly times that the flag was justified, I wondered at some of the illegal contact flags that were thrown on Charles Woodson. There were times I felt like I was watching a basketball game where the whistle is blown every time two players touch each other. It’s impossible that two guys who aren’t looking at each other or at where they’re going aren’t going to touch each other.
That being said, Charles Woodson needs to learn to adjust and stop getting so many of those damn flags. Whether or not you agree with it, the fouls were getting called. You have to adjust your game in order to stop hurting your team.
There was a portion of the game where it felt like if we weren’t giving up a penalty for illegal contact then the receiver was all by his lonesome. Are these really the only two options the Packers secondary can handle? Either we leave a guy all alone or we maul him?
It’s hard to believe that we won this game without Favre throwing a TD pass. Our ground game sucks. I am just amazed that we scored on defense.
I guess we just take the win and be happy with it, but yesterday just seemed to put a spotlight on the things any team we play exploit.
BCS is out.
If ever there were a question about what kind of topsy-turvy upside down, wild college football season we're having, the BCS rankings that came out yesterday confirm it.
We've got two one-loss teams in the top 5. Ohio State, who was not even in any Big Ten championship conversations to start the year is the #1 team. South Florida (who?) is the #2 team.There are a half-dozen two-loss teams on the list. USC is #14. Last year's champion is #15.
Michigan, who were on the losing side of the biggest upset in many, many years, is #25.
BCS Standings
1. Ohio State
2. South Florida
3. Boston College
4. LSU
5. Oklahoma
6. South Carolina
7. Kentucky
8. Arizona State
9. West Virginia
10. Oregon
11. Virginia Tech
12. Cal
13. Kansas
14. USC
15. Florida
16. Missouri
17. Auburn
18. Hawaii
19. Virginia
20. Georgia
21. Tennessee
22. Texas
23. Cincinnati
24. Texas Tech
25. Michigan
We've got two one-loss teams in the top 5. Ohio State, who was not even in any Big Ten championship conversations to start the year is the #1 team. South Florida (who?) is the #2 team.There are a half-dozen two-loss teams on the list. USC is #14. Last year's champion is #15.
Michigan, who were on the losing side of the biggest upset in many, many years, is #25.
BCS Standings
1. Ohio State
2. South Florida
3. Boston College
4. LSU
5. Oklahoma
6. South Carolina
7. Kentucky
8. Arizona State
9. West Virginia
10. Oregon
11. Virginia Tech
12. Cal
13. Kansas
14. USC
15. Florida
16. Missouri
17. Auburn
18. Hawaii
19. Virginia
20. Georgia
21. Tennessee
22. Texas
23. Cincinnati
24. Texas Tech
25. Michigan
Friday, October 12, 2007
I totally forgot
To put up my first ever Friday Random Ten. You put your iPod on shuffle and list the first ten songs that come up. No cheating! I can assure you that this will be very embarassing for me at some point, but today I come off looking ok:
1 - Keith Urban "Tonight I Wanna Cry"
2 - Garth Brooks "Do What you Gotta Do"
3 - The Temptations "My Girl"
4 - Marvin Gaye "Keep on Dancin"
5 - Cowboy Mouth "How Do You Tell Someone"
6 - Blessid Union of Stars "Humble Star"
7 - Dave Matthews Band "Bartender"
8 - The Offspring "Something to Believe In"
9 - The Muppets "Happiness Hotel"
10 - David Grey "Please Forgive Me"
Feel free to list yours in the comments.
1 - Keith Urban "Tonight I Wanna Cry"
2 - Garth Brooks "Do What you Gotta Do"
3 - The Temptations "My Girl"
4 - Marvin Gaye "Keep on Dancin"
5 - Cowboy Mouth "How Do You Tell Someone"
6 - Blessid Union of Stars "Humble Star"
7 - Dave Matthews Band "Bartender"
8 - The Offspring "Something to Believe In"
9 - The Muppets "Happiness Hotel"
10 - David Grey "Please Forgive Me"
Feel free to list yours in the comments.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Brian Elliot notches win in NHL debut
Brian Elliot made his debut last night with the Ottawa Senators. And he did it while wearing his University of Wisconsin goalie mask.
Elliot allowed just one goal and made 27 saves.
From the Senators website: Elliott, the 291st overall pick in the 2003 entry draft, claimed a spot on the Ottawa roster while Ray Emery recovers from off-season wrist surgery. The rookie watched Martin Gerber put up a 1.73 goals-against average in the first four games, then finally got his shot.
He admitted to a case of pre-game nerves, but Elliott savoured his first NHL start and win."You're nervous and it's your first game, and obviously you're playing in the NHL," he said. "It's the game you've prepared your whole life for, so that's how I went into it. I was prepared, and knowing how I play my game, I just needed to do that and everything would be all right."
Elliott stopped 27 shots, including a brilliant save on Alexei Zhitnik about a minute after Vermette's goal. The Thrashers defenceman got free at the side of the net on a give-and-go pass, but Elliott sprawled back with his right pad to keep the puck out.
A little behind..
I've been less than diligent about blogging this week and it's because I finally joined the technological age and got an ipod. This means that I do nothing from the time I get home from work until the time I go to bed but download cds.
I'm not even close to being done, but I've got the good stuff, so I promise I'll be back more this weekend.
I'm not even close to being done, but I've got the good stuff, so I promise I'll be back more this weekend.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Bucks win!
I don't pay a whole lot of attention to the NBA, but I did see that the Bucks beat the Bulls in a pre-season game. I don't have many expectations for the Bucks going into any season, so I can't see this one being any different.
All the talking heads are proclaiming Yi as the second coming, but I remember hearing the same thing about Andrew Bogut and countless others, so the hype does nothing to change my opinion on their chances. I'll believe it when I see it.
Besides, the guy fouled out in 11 minutes last night. That's right, he had 6 fouls in 11 minutes last night. What a spectacular debut!!
It's been like a week since Yi's been here and he's already saying the pressure is getting to him and reports say Bulls rookie Joakim Noah was the guy who won the spotlight in the game, not Yi.
I can't promise tons of Bucks coverage, but I'll do my best to stay on the ball and keep track of the progress this season.
Game recap here.
All the talking heads are proclaiming Yi as the second coming, but I remember hearing the same thing about Andrew Bogut and countless others, so the hype does nothing to change my opinion on their chances. I'll believe it when I see it.
Besides, the guy fouled out in 11 minutes last night. That's right, he had 6 fouls in 11 minutes last night. What a spectacular debut!!
It's been like a week since Yi's been here and he's already saying the pressure is getting to him and reports say Bulls rookie Joakim Noah was the guy who won the spotlight in the game, not Yi.
I can't promise tons of Bucks coverage, but I'll do my best to stay on the ball and keep track of the progress this season.
Game recap here.
Sunday, October 07, 2007
The agony of defeat
The oh-so-righteous Cubs were swept right out of the playoffs and Babes Love Baseball decided that a pictorial tribute was much more appropriate than mere words
Check it out here. It's enough to warm any Brewers' fan's heart.
Check it out here. It's enough to warm any Brewers' fan's heart.
Ding Dong the Witch is Dead
The Wicked Witch of the West is dead.
Sadly, I didn't see it, but USC lost to Stanford tonight.
I missed a lot of good action, but I will have plenty to report on Wisconsin Hockey tomorrow. (and also, that game that happened at 11am who's existence I'm in denial about)
In the meantime, let's just revel in all that is USC having lost. GEAUX TIGERS! GEAUX LSU!
Sadly, I didn't see it, but USC lost to Stanford tonight.
I missed a lot of good action, but I will have plenty to report on Wisconsin Hockey tomorrow. (and also, that game that happened at 11am who's existence I'm in denial about)
In the meantime, let's just revel in all that is USC having lost. GEAUX TIGERS! GEAUX LSU!
Monday, October 01, 2007
Big Ten Football doesn't suck as much your conference does
Ohio State is #4. Wisconsin is #5. Purdue is #23.
I'm not so stupid as to not recognize that this is less about us being great and more about other teams sucking. However, my team's don't suck more than your conference's teams!
In all seriousness, for all the crap that we took in the first few weeks due to Michigan's loss, I'd say we've rebounded rather nicely. There isn't another conference with two teams in the top 5. edit: Sorry, I was wrong. Pac-10 too. My bad!
It's a long season and people are just way too quick to jump on the bandwagon.
When was the last time you remember being in the 5th week of the season and having two one-loss teams in the top 10? There are 12 one-loss teams in the top 25.
I'm not so stupid as to not recognize that this is less about us being great and more about other teams sucking. However, my team's don't suck more than your conference's teams!
In all seriousness, for all the crap that we took in the first few weeks due to Michigan's loss, I'd say we've rebounded rather nicely. There isn't another conference with two teams in the top 5. edit: Sorry, I was wrong. Pac-10 too. My bad!
It's a long season and people are just way too quick to jump on the bandwagon.
When was the last time you remember being in the 5th week of the season and having two one-loss teams in the top 10? There are 12 one-loss teams in the top 25.
LSU is #1
And while I'm doubly happy, both because LSU is #1 and because stinkin' USC finally isn't, the whole makes me a little bitter.
For weeks Wisconsin has lost ground in the polls because of lackluster performances against bad teams.
Now LSU goes into halftime against Tulane (frickin' Tulane!)* leading 10-9 and jumps into first place.
I feel this is a little unfair.
* I can't express for you my dislike of all things Tulane. My small little Jesuit school in New Orleans shared a fence with Tulane, along with a bitter dislike of each other. The hate is palpable and very, very junvenile, but what can you do?
For weeks Wisconsin has lost ground in the polls because of lackluster performances against bad teams.
Now LSU goes into halftime against Tulane (frickin' Tulane!)* leading 10-9 and jumps into first place.
I feel this is a little unfair.
* I can't express for you my dislike of all things Tulane. My small little Jesuit school in New Orleans shared a fence with Tulane, along with a bitter dislike of each other. The hate is palpable and very, very junvenile, but what can you do?
Brett Favre madness
I've kept away from blogging on the entity that is Brett Favre because even those living under rocks have heard that he broke the record yesterday.
However, what kind of fan would I be if I didn't at least mark the occasion.
First things first, this is a spectacular database that the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel put together to start of this season. I should have linked to it earlier, but it fell between the cracks. You can search through every TD he's thrown by
yards, receiver, opponent, stadium ... etc.
Any breakdown you want to see, it's here.
ESPN.com's game recap, and here
Len Pasquarelli's column
ESPN.com's breakdown of where Favre ranks among the best.
Another column
Some picture galleries here, here, here and here.
Don Banks' column on SI.com
Monday Morning QB
CBSports.com's recap
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Wisconsin Women's Hockey
This post is as much a reminder for myself as it is informative for you. I want to come back and do a much more in depth post, but for now I'll just link up.
The two-time defending National Champion Wisconsin Women's Hockey team has opened their season, picking up right where they left off.
They began the season ranked as the pre-season #1 for the third straight year. They received all 19 first place votes.
I absolutely didn't realize that they had started yet, so I'm way behind the times on getting the kickoff information to you.
from UWBadgers.com
Senior Emily Morris recorded a goal and three assists as the No. 1 Wisconsin women’s hockey team extended its unbeaten streak to 28 games with an 11-0 victory over Union College Saturday night at Messa Rink.
...
Also, Sara Bauer, who finished her career with UW last season, has been named one of 30 semifinalists for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award. Good luck Sara!
The two-time defending National Champion Wisconsin Women's Hockey team has opened their season, picking up right where they left off.
They began the season ranked as the pre-season #1 for the third straight year. They received all 19 first place votes.
I absolutely didn't realize that they had started yet, so I'm way behind the times on getting the kickoff information to you.
from UWBadgers.com
Senior Emily Morris recorded a goal and three assists as the No. 1 Wisconsin women’s hockey team extended its unbeaten streak to 28 games with an 11-0 victory over Union College Saturday night at Messa Rink.
...
The Badgers return to Madison to play host to Robert Morris Oct. 5-6 at the Kohl Center. Faceoff for both games is set for 7:07 p.m. Prior to Friday’s game, fans are invited to join the Badgers as they unveil their 2007 NCAA championship banner.
Saturday’s game will be the final portion of Wisconsin Hockey Night at the Rink, which also includes the first official men’s hockey practice of the season. Following practice, attendees can interact with the team during a casual, buffet-style dinner in the Nicholas Johnson Pavilion. At 6 p.m., Brian Posick, the “Voice of Badger Hockey”, will emcee a hockey season preview program featuring women’s head coach Mark Johnson, and men’s head coach Mike Eaves.
Also, Sara Bauer, who finished her career with UW last season, has been named one of 30 semifinalists for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award. Good luck Sara!
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Prince Fielder for MVP
"There might not be a single other candidate whose fate is so intertwined with the fate of his team as the Prince of Milwaukee. "
I can't remember where I read this sentence (or a reasonable facsimilie thereof) a week or two ago, but I remember reading it as a negative on Prince's resume - that basically the reason Prince wouldn't get MVP is that the Brewers started to fall out of contention.
I'd like to argue that the fact that the Brewers fate is so closely tied to Prince is the reason he should be MVP. Not only should the MVP have the stats, but he has to be a guy that leads his team - a guy without whom the team would be struggling.
I'm not sure a better case can be made for a guy taking a team to the next level than with Prince and the Brewers.
Leads the league in: Home runs, slugging, at-bats per home run
Top five in: OPS, total bases, RBI runs created per 27 outs
This guy agrees with me.
Jayson Stark at ESPN.com has this to say:
Fielder Leads the league in: Home runs, extra-base hits (tied), slugging
Top five in: RBIs, intentional walksScoring position: 27 for 107, .252 (50 RBIs in 143 RISP plate appearances)
There might not be a single other candidate whose fate is so intertwined with the fate of his team as the Prince of Milwaukee. If the Brewers bumble out of this race, there are so many stellar candidates that voters could easily overlook Fielder's power numbers and focus on other stuff -- such as the fact that he has just 27 hits all year with men in scoring position. If the Brewers have a fun little comeback story in them, on the other hand, those same voters will focus on the fact that Fielder has a shot at Mark McGwire's all-time record for most homers by a 23-year-old (49). And that he's almost certainly going to break Robin Yount's record for most extra-base hits by a Brewer (82). And, maybe most importantly, that Fielder has grown into a formidable on-field and off-field presence on a team with very little postseason experience -- or experience, period. So it's a big, big month for this fellow -- and all his fellow Brew Crew-ers.
ESPN.com also has fan voting. Since midseason, Prince has been in first place all but two times, with David Wright taking the top spot those two weeks.
___
More thoughts on this later....
I can't remember where I read this sentence (or a reasonable facsimilie thereof) a week or two ago, but I remember reading it as a negative on Prince's resume - that basically the reason Prince wouldn't get MVP is that the Brewers started to fall out of contention.
I'd like to argue that the fact that the Brewers fate is so closely tied to Prince is the reason he should be MVP. Not only should the MVP have the stats, but he has to be a guy that leads his team - a guy without whom the team would be struggling.
I'm not sure a better case can be made for a guy taking a team to the next level than with Prince and the Brewers.
Leads the league in: Home runs, slugging, at-bats per home run
Top five in: OPS, total bases, RBI runs created per 27 outs
This guy agrees with me.
Jayson Stark at ESPN.com has this to say:
Fielder Leads the league in: Home runs, extra-base hits (tied), slugging
Top five in: RBIs, intentional walksScoring position: 27 for 107, .252 (50 RBIs in 143 RISP plate appearances)
There might not be a single other candidate whose fate is so intertwined with the fate of his team as the Prince of Milwaukee. If the Brewers bumble out of this race, there are so many stellar candidates that voters could easily overlook Fielder's power numbers and focus on other stuff -- such as the fact that he has just 27 hits all year with men in scoring position. If the Brewers have a fun little comeback story in them, on the other hand, those same voters will focus on the fact that Fielder has a shot at Mark McGwire's all-time record for most homers by a 23-year-old (49). And that he's almost certainly going to break Robin Yount's record for most extra-base hits by a Brewer (82). And, maybe most importantly, that Fielder has grown into a formidable on-field and off-field presence on a team with very little postseason experience -- or experience, period. So it's a big, big month for this fellow -- and all his fellow Brew Crew-ers.
ESPN.com also has fan voting. Since midseason, Prince has been in first place all but two times, with David Wright taking the top spot those two weeks.
___
More thoughts on this later....
Prince hits # 50, kind of doesn't care
This article contains these rather telling remarks:
Prince Fielder didn't really want to keep his 50th home run ball as a souvenir.
The one he really wants is No. 52. And while he's at it, he wouldn't mind winning an MVP award - all in the name of sticking it to his estranged father. And he isn't kidding. "No," Fielder said. "That's serious."
Fielder's reaction to becoming the youngest player ever to hit 50 homers in a season - a feat he accomplished with two home runs in the Milwaukee Brewers' 9-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday - provided a telling glimpse into his fractured relationship with his father, former major leaguer Cecil Fielder.
Fielder said he wants to hit 52 homers in a season and win the MVP because his father never accomplished either. Doing that, Prince Fielder said, would "shut him up."
"That's why I'm so passionate about playing," Fielder said. "I don't mind them comparing me, but I'm totally a different player. Hopefully one day, whenever they mention my name, they won't have to mention his."
Prince Fielder didn't really want to keep his 50th home run ball as a souvenir.
The one he really wants is No. 52. And while he's at it, he wouldn't mind winning an MVP award - all in the name of sticking it to his estranged father. And he isn't kidding. "No," Fielder said. "That's serious."
Fielder's reaction to becoming the youngest player ever to hit 50 homers in a season - a feat he accomplished with two home runs in the Milwaukee Brewers' 9-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday - provided a telling glimpse into his fractured relationship with his father, former major leaguer Cecil Fielder.
Fielder said he wants to hit 52 homers in a season and win the MVP because his father never accomplished either. Doing that, Prince Fielder said, would "shut him up."
"That's why I'm so passionate about playing," Fielder said. "I don't mind them comparing me, but I'm totally a different player. Hopefully one day, whenever they mention my name, they won't have to mention his."
Monday, September 24, 2007
Funny stuff
Found this poem just now here, thought I'd pass it on.
The season is over, sad but true,
Ned Yost and his decisions killed our beloved Brew Crew.
Gone is the pennant, lost to the Cubs,
lost to some bitches who piss in big tubs.
Burned by our '06 all-star, broken by our fragile ace,
Buried by our big signings, who took the dough and put stand-ins in their place.
So we'll take our bright spots, our ROY and our MVP,
leave Ned at the bus station, and hire Joe Girardi,
Send Jenkins packing, let Estrada jog his fat-ass somewhere else,
We'll be back in '08 to take the NL Central Pennant, like a mafioso cartel.
It's official.
WE HAVE BEEN YOSTED.
The season is over, sad but true,
Ned Yost and his decisions killed our beloved Brew Crew.
Gone is the pennant, lost to the Cubs,
lost to some bitches who piss in big tubs.
Burned by our '06 all-star, broken by our fragile ace,
Buried by our big signings, who took the dough and put stand-ins in their place.
So we'll take our bright spots, our ROY and our MVP,
leave Ned at the bus station, and hire Joe Girardi,
Send Jenkins packing, let Estrada jog his fat-ass somewhere else,
We'll be back in '08 to take the NL Central Pennant, like a mafioso cartel.
It's official.
WE HAVE BEEN YOSTED.
However, the Pack doesn't suck
As I said in the previous post, I had low expectations out of the green and gold this season. I'm sure most Packer fans will agree with that sentiment.
No way did I (or anyone, really) expect us to open the season 3-0 (against 3 of last years playoff teams)
Nor did I think that the general agreement would be that the Packers will be NFC North champs.
Yet here we are, with what is without a doubt the worst rushing attack in the pros ... and we're 3-0. I'm certain there's no other 3-0 team out there that would feel they should throw on every down when it's 1st and goal from the one.
As this SI.com article states, the Packers are one of the great surprises to start the season.
""No one gave us a shot to be 3-0 right now,'' Favre told me Sunday evening, "including me.''
Let's start there, on the list of the things we never thought we'd see when the leaves started to turn:
1. Favre's under control, Green Bay's won seven in a row, and the Pack is one of five unbeaten teams in football. And there's that record thing. "Wow,'' Favre said an hour or so after the Packers beat the Chargers 31-24. "It's been a long time since we played a big game and we said 'wow' at the end.''
Favre turns 38 in two weeks, and it's like he can see the end of the line from here. He sounds so happy, so appreciative of having one last shot to be really good.
"I'm studying like I've never studied, preparing like I haven't prepared,'' he said. "The video guys have loaded all the tape on my computer, and I'm looking at it at home more than I ever have. This week, I was up 'til 11 o'clock working on the Chargers.''
His coaches told him last spring to be less Favrian, less daring, and he's doing that. Against the physically imposing Chargers, he had two negative plays -- two sacks, no interceptions -- while throwing for 369 yards and three touchdowns.
"There may come a time when I think out of the box, but that time's not now because things are working too well,'' he said. "Now, dumping it off and letting guys run after the catch is working. It's great.''
As for tying Dan Marino's record of 420 touchdown passes, Favre was properly deferential to Marino on Sunday -- "I could throw for 600 and not be in his class," he said -- but he consistently lets it be known the numbers are fairly meaningless to him. He wants one more shot at January football.
"
No way did I (or anyone, really) expect us to open the season 3-0 (against 3 of last years playoff teams)
Nor did I think that the general agreement would be that the Packers will be NFC North champs.
Yet here we are, with what is without a doubt the worst rushing attack in the pros ... and we're 3-0. I'm certain there's no other 3-0 team out there that would feel they should throw on every down when it's 1st and goal from the one.
As this SI.com article states, the Packers are one of the great surprises to start the season.
""No one gave us a shot to be 3-0 right now,'' Favre told me Sunday evening, "including me.''
Let's start there, on the list of the things we never thought we'd see when the leaves started to turn:
1. Favre's under control, Green Bay's won seven in a row, and the Pack is one of five unbeaten teams in football. And there's that record thing. "Wow,'' Favre said an hour or so after the Packers beat the Chargers 31-24. "It's been a long time since we played a big game and we said 'wow' at the end.''
Favre turns 38 in two weeks, and it's like he can see the end of the line from here. He sounds so happy, so appreciative of having one last shot to be really good.
"I'm studying like I've never studied, preparing like I haven't prepared,'' he said. "The video guys have loaded all the tape on my computer, and I'm looking at it at home more than I ever have. This week, I was up 'til 11 o'clock working on the Chargers.''
His coaches told him last spring to be less Favrian, less daring, and he's doing that. Against the physically imposing Chargers, he had two negative plays -- two sacks, no interceptions -- while throwing for 369 yards and three touchdowns.
"There may come a time when I think out of the box, but that time's not now because things are working too well,'' he said. "Now, dumping it off and letting guys run after the catch is working. It's great.''
As for tying Dan Marino's record of 420 touchdown passes, Favre was properly deferential to Marino on Sunday -- "I could throw for 600 and not be in his class," he said -- but he consistently lets it be known the numbers are fairly meaningless to him. He wants one more shot at January football.
"
So tired...
I'll be honest. The Brewers posts have been fewer and farther between lately because I'm just plain tired of saying the same thing. I'm tired of watching this team and I'm tired of waiting for that big thing to happen and always being let down.
Truth be told, I'm thrilled the roller coaster is over and I'm thrilled the Packers are over-acheiving. My expectations of the Packers are realy slim, so all of this winning is nothing but a bonus.
As for the Brewers, you're not needing to read here to see how they've spectacularly and miserably failed in the past week. We've lost 5 of 6 and we've lost 6 straight against the Cards, who come into Miller Park tonight.
So let's move forward. The brightest spot I've seen so far is the talk of buying out of Geoff Junkins' contract.
This article discusses how this is likely Jenkins' last home stand. However, it doesn't say much else.
This article looks at how GM Doug Melvin is hoping to get a longer contract on Francisco Cordero.
Truth be told, I'm thrilled the roller coaster is over and I'm thrilled the Packers are over-acheiving. My expectations of the Packers are realy slim, so all of this winning is nothing but a bonus.
As for the Brewers, you're not needing to read here to see how they've spectacularly and miserably failed in the past week. We've lost 5 of 6 and we've lost 6 straight against the Cards, who come into Miller Park tonight.
So let's move forward. The brightest spot I've seen so far is the talk of buying out of Geoff Junkins' contract.
This article discusses how this is likely Jenkins' last home stand. However, it doesn't say much else.
This article looks at how GM Doug Melvin is hoping to get a longer contract on Francisco Cordero.
Flatliners
The Brewers finally gave up the ghost yesterday. There are 7 games left in the season and we're 3.5 games back. I'm calling it here. Yesterday was the official time of death.
I'm not sure anyone's particularly surprised, but I'm pretty disappointed.
I'm not sure anyone's particularly surprised, but I'm pretty disappointed.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Being a Brewer fan is torture
I've been agonizing for weeks and it turns out, I'm not alone. Two articles emerged yesterday, both equally capturing the pure agony and ecstasy of being a Brewers fan this season.
This one is from the Journal Sentinel and holds my favorite line of the two:
"You're barely savoring any of this. You hear the name Matt Wise and break into a cold sweat."
This one is from SI and opens with this paragraph:
"Here we are, 152 games into the Brewers' stomach-spinning ride of a season and I, for one, have a hard time figuring out what to make of this team. I know I'm not alone, either. A good portion of Milwaukee's baseball-loving populace wavers wildly between blind optimism about the Brew Crew's postseason possibilities and ready-to-leap desperation at their latest predicament. And that's just in the seventh inning of any given game."
This one is from the Journal Sentinel and holds my favorite line of the two:
"You're barely savoring any of this. You hear the name Matt Wise and break into a cold sweat."
This one is from SI and opens with this paragraph:
"Here we are, 152 games into the Brewers' stomach-spinning ride of a season and I, for one, have a hard time figuring out what to make of this team. I know I'm not alone, either. A good portion of Milwaukee's baseball-loving populace wavers wildly between blind optimism about the Brew Crew's postseason possibilities and ready-to-leap desperation at their latest predicament. And that's just in the seventh inning of any given game."
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
More questionable bullpen decisions
"And the struggles continue for Matt Wise."
The sentence uttered by Brian Anderson as the winning run for the Astros crossed home plate in extra innings tonight illustrates quite plainly why the ball should never have been put in Matt Wise's hands in such a clutch situation.
The kid's had issues since he hit the batter and I can understand that he needs time to put that behind him, but the 10th inning in the second to last week of the season isn't the time for him to be figuring them out. Besides, I'm certain the statute of limitations on that excuse expired weeks ago. If, in fact, he is that messed up in his head about it - after this long, it's going to take more than a few "good" outings to right him. If he's messed up, that sucks - but let's get him the help he needs and let's not try and do it at the expense of the rest of the team.
I'm feel like I'm starting to sound like a broken record in which you could have a fill-in-the-blank for the pitchers name and say that ____________ isn't able to handle the pressure and never should have been used in such a clutch situation.
There isn't a game, an inning, an out or a strike that isn't clutch at this point. Every single play, every single decision is important and I just don't feel like Ned Yost is making the decisions we need to win this game.
At this point, what I'm saying isn't even about Monday morning quarterbacking - it's common knowledge. And you can bet that if a 26 year old woman in Milwaukee can make these observations, the clubs we're facing knew them long ago.
Case in point:
It's a known fact that Derrick Turnbow CANNOT handle inherited runners. I would assume it's a mental issue and I won't presume to know the exact cause or reasons, but clearly the nerves and the pressure are too much. I wish I had the stats at hand, but I would lay some money down saying that DBow has not had a game where he stranded all of his inherited runners.
The problem in tonight's game was not the putting of Turnbow in the game, but the leaving of Shouse in the game. I actually don't question putting Derrick in, I just think he should have been put in for the whole inning. He frankly couldn't have done worse than Shouse and I just don't see how Ned can overlook Turnbow's history with inherited runners. When Shouse goes in and puts guys on the base, Ned needs to get someone else up in the pen and someone other than DBow needs to take the mound.
All facetiousness aside, I'm pretty sure you could have put a pitcher at the plate and Derrick would have given up a hit (and consequently, a run). You have only to look to his inattention to the base runners to see that his head is not all in it when he has the pressure of those inherited runners. The man on second all but walked to third base. He took off from the bag a good three counts before Derrick went into his stretch and Derrick didn't have a clue.
The sentence uttered by Brian Anderson as the winning run for the Astros crossed home plate in extra innings tonight illustrates quite plainly why the ball should never have been put in Matt Wise's hands in such a clutch situation.
The kid's had issues since he hit the batter and I can understand that he needs time to put that behind him, but the 10th inning in the second to last week of the season isn't the time for him to be figuring them out. Besides, I'm certain the statute of limitations on that excuse expired weeks ago. If, in fact, he is that messed up in his head about it - after this long, it's going to take more than a few "good" outings to right him. If he's messed up, that sucks - but let's get him the help he needs and let's not try and do it at the expense of the rest of the team.
I'm feel like I'm starting to sound like a broken record in which you could have a fill-in-the-blank for the pitchers name and say that ____________ isn't able to handle the pressure and never should have been used in such a clutch situation.
There isn't a game, an inning, an out or a strike that isn't clutch at this point. Every single play, every single decision is important and I just don't feel like Ned Yost is making the decisions we need to win this game.
At this point, what I'm saying isn't even about Monday morning quarterbacking - it's common knowledge. And you can bet that if a 26 year old woman in Milwaukee can make these observations, the clubs we're facing knew them long ago.
Case in point:
It's a known fact that Derrick Turnbow CANNOT handle inherited runners. I would assume it's a mental issue and I won't presume to know the exact cause or reasons, but clearly the nerves and the pressure are too much. I wish I had the stats at hand, but I would lay some money down saying that DBow has not had a game where he stranded all of his inherited runners.
The problem in tonight's game was not the putting of Turnbow in the game, but the leaving of Shouse in the game. I actually don't question putting Derrick in, I just think he should have been put in for the whole inning. He frankly couldn't have done worse than Shouse and I just don't see how Ned can overlook Turnbow's history with inherited runners. When Shouse goes in and puts guys on the base, Ned needs to get someone else up in the pen and someone other than DBow needs to take the mound.
All facetiousness aside, I'm pretty sure you could have put a pitcher at the plate and Derrick would have given up a hit (and consequently, a run). You have only to look to his inattention to the base runners to see that his head is not all in it when he has the pressure of those inherited runners. The man on second all but walked to third base. He took off from the bag a good three counts before Derrick went into his stretch and Derrick didn't have a clue.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Another good sports weekend
It was another great sports weekend in the state of Wisconsin as the Badgers and Packers won and the Brewers took 2 of 3 from the Reds.
We’ll take them team by team:
Packers – Thus far, I’m thinking they are one of the big surprises of the NFL season, though much of the NFL is upside down. The Lions, Redskins and Texans all started 2-0 and the Eagles and Saints are 0-2.
Certainly things aren’t going as many thought they would and I think because of that, the Packers are running under the radar. This weekend’s San Diego game will obviously show more of the chinks in the Packers’ armor, but might not be the beatdown everyone has been expecting. LT hasn’t had a breakout game yet, but with the way our defense looked on Sunday, I can’t imagine he won’t stack up the yards against us.
Clearly, the Packers have to find a run game. Though there were the occasional glimmers of hope (heck, I’m trying to claim DeShawn Wynn off waivers in my fantasy football league) I think the running game (or lack thereof) is what’s going to cause some major stumbles.
Brett Favre passed Dan Marino and now holds the record for most career wins. He is just one away from the record for more interceptions and three away from the record for most TDs. We’d all love to see him break the TD record first, but I’m sure that’s just wishful thinking.
Speaking of TDs, Favre threw his first TD pass in a very long time. And Bubba Franks scored his first TD since (I think it was) the 2003 season. It’s nice to see that Green Bay remembered they had TEs this week.
Badgers – Once again that Badgers failed to impress anyone and lost ground in the rankings. I’ve been thinking on it for days now and I can’t seem to put my finger on what seems to be the problem with this team.
The QB question was answered, as Tyler Donovan has been more than stellar in his first three starts of the season. His accuracy is on, he’s proven he has the arm and he’s the most mobile QB Wisconsin has seen in a long time.
Luke Swann has certainly been the go to receiver, which I found a bit surprising after all the pre-season hype surrounding Travis Beckum. Now that we’re getting into a meatier part of the schedule, I’d like to see if Beckum’s getting double-teamed and that’s leaving Swann et,al open. If that’s the case, well I’ll take it. Sure, Beckum has a lot of hype, but if his hype means other guys are open and those guys are stepping up, I’m all for it.
I didn’t sweat the Citadel game as much as I did the UNLV game. I didn’t really doubt that we were going to wear them down and be able to outlast them. That’s part of Wisconsin’s MO and it’s something we’ll be working on doing to teams all season long. I’m not sure this past game was as discouraging as people would like you to believe. Everyone is pointing to the fact that the game was tied at half, but I think that’s something Badger fans need to get used to seeing. This isn’t a team that’s going to blowout it’s opponents.
Obviously everyone is looking to the Penn State game, but I have a feeling this week’s game at home vs. Iowa isn’t going to be a walk in the park. Iowa’s going to be pissed about the loss to Iowa State (go Iowa State!) and there’s the whole Bret Bielema connection. I think non-technical factors are going to be the issue here. It isn’t going to be the team that performs their plays the best that wins, but the one that goes out there the most fired up, I think. That sounds cliché, but with the vulnerability Wisconsin has shown in the first two games, I think everyone coming into Camp Randall is hoping to play Giant Killer.
Though I don’t think it’s the only issue, I think passion is something this team’s been missing. They’ve looked flat and lackluster at times and it isn’t from lack of talent. Every time Citadel made a stop or a completion, everyone of their sideline was going nuts and jumping up and down. Clearly, I don’t want us to be celebrating every little play, but it was be nice to see some enthusiasm. UNLV came out pumped for their game and we looked like we were asleep.
Brewers – This team is making itself hard to ignore. I’ve been trying to distract myself with football, but I can’t help being excited and waiting to see what will happen with our division race. I’m fairly certain this can only end in heartache for me, but really, I just can’t stay away. It’s like a train wreck. I just keep staring.
Last night the Brewers should have been able to tie things back up with the Cubs, but the Cubs scored in the bottom of the 9th to win their game, leaving the standings exactly as they were heading into yesterday.
There’s still two weeks of baseball left and it’s obvious that we are going to be biting our nails on this down to the very last game. I’m too afraid of eating my words or jinxing things to say which way I see this going. Clearly, it’s going to be an exciting September.
We’ll take them team by team:
Packers – Thus far, I’m thinking they are one of the big surprises of the NFL season, though much of the NFL is upside down. The Lions, Redskins and Texans all started 2-0 and the Eagles and Saints are 0-2.
Certainly things aren’t going as many thought they would and I think because of that, the Packers are running under the radar. This weekend’s San Diego game will obviously show more of the chinks in the Packers’ armor, but might not be the beatdown everyone has been expecting. LT hasn’t had a breakout game yet, but with the way our defense looked on Sunday, I can’t imagine he won’t stack up the yards against us.
Clearly, the Packers have to find a run game. Though there were the occasional glimmers of hope (heck, I’m trying to claim DeShawn Wynn off waivers in my fantasy football league) I think the running game (or lack thereof) is what’s going to cause some major stumbles.
Brett Favre passed Dan Marino and now holds the record for most career wins. He is just one away from the record for more interceptions and three away from the record for most TDs. We’d all love to see him break the TD record first, but I’m sure that’s just wishful thinking.
Speaking of TDs, Favre threw his first TD pass in a very long time. And Bubba Franks scored his first TD since (I think it was) the 2003 season. It’s nice to see that Green Bay remembered they had TEs this week.
Badgers – Once again that Badgers failed to impress anyone and lost ground in the rankings. I’ve been thinking on it for days now and I can’t seem to put my finger on what seems to be the problem with this team.
The QB question was answered, as Tyler Donovan has been more than stellar in his first three starts of the season. His accuracy is on, he’s proven he has the arm and he’s the most mobile QB Wisconsin has seen in a long time.
Luke Swann has certainly been the go to receiver, which I found a bit surprising after all the pre-season hype surrounding Travis Beckum. Now that we’re getting into a meatier part of the schedule, I’d like to see if Beckum’s getting double-teamed and that’s leaving Swann et,al open. If that’s the case, well I’ll take it. Sure, Beckum has a lot of hype, but if his hype means other guys are open and those guys are stepping up, I’m all for it.
I didn’t sweat the Citadel game as much as I did the UNLV game. I didn’t really doubt that we were going to wear them down and be able to outlast them. That’s part of Wisconsin’s MO and it’s something we’ll be working on doing to teams all season long. I’m not sure this past game was as discouraging as people would like you to believe. Everyone is pointing to the fact that the game was tied at half, but I think that’s something Badger fans need to get used to seeing. This isn’t a team that’s going to blowout it’s opponents.
Obviously everyone is looking to the Penn State game, but I have a feeling this week’s game at home vs. Iowa isn’t going to be a walk in the park. Iowa’s going to be pissed about the loss to Iowa State (go Iowa State!) and there’s the whole Bret Bielema connection. I think non-technical factors are going to be the issue here. It isn’t going to be the team that performs their plays the best that wins, but the one that goes out there the most fired up, I think. That sounds cliché, but with the vulnerability Wisconsin has shown in the first two games, I think everyone coming into Camp Randall is hoping to play Giant Killer.
Though I don’t think it’s the only issue, I think passion is something this team’s been missing. They’ve looked flat and lackluster at times and it isn’t from lack of talent. Every time Citadel made a stop or a completion, everyone of their sideline was going nuts and jumping up and down. Clearly, I don’t want us to be celebrating every little play, but it was be nice to see some enthusiasm. UNLV came out pumped for their game and we looked like we were asleep.
Brewers – This team is making itself hard to ignore. I’ve been trying to distract myself with football, but I can’t help being excited and waiting to see what will happen with our division race. I’m fairly certain this can only end in heartache for me, but really, I just can’t stay away. It’s like a train wreck. I just keep staring.
Last night the Brewers should have been able to tie things back up with the Cubs, but the Cubs scored in the bottom of the 9th to win their game, leaving the standings exactly as they were heading into yesterday.
There’s still two weeks of baseball left and it’s obvious that we are going to be biting our nails on this down to the very last game. I’m too afraid of eating my words or jinxing things to say which way I see this going. Clearly, it’s going to be an exciting September.
Lambeau Field
So Saturday we took the tour at Lambeau, and I have to say it's a must for any Packer fan. It's $11 and takes an hour, but you get a view of the stadium you'd never otherwise get. Even if you're a season ticket holder (lucky dog), I'd say this is worth it. You get to go to a luxury box and up on the "legends" level - where Paul Hornung's Heisman is on display.
The best part, by far, was getting to walk down the tunnel that the players use to enter the field. There wasn't a person in our tour group that didn't have goosebumps.
I'm trying to get these uploaded quick before I start work, so they aren't in the best order, my apologies.
A picture from outside the Hall of Fame
View from the luxury box
Down on the field
More HOF
I just liked these gates. I want some!
Statue of Vince
Quick story. The entrance tunnel was moved from one area to another during the 2003 renovation. Because the team has so much history, some huge names had run down that tunnel onto Lambeau Field. Aware of the history, when they moved the tunnel, they took some of the slabs of concrete and laid them in the new tunnel so that the current Packers are literally running over the same place all these greats had run. This plaque is on the wall commemorating it.
Curly Lambeau
The best part, by far, was getting to walk down the tunnel that the players use to enter the field. There wasn't a person in our tour group that didn't have goosebumps.
I'm trying to get these uploaded quick before I start work, so they aren't in the best order, my apologies.
A picture from outside the Hall of Fame
View from the luxury box
Down on the field
More HOF
I just liked these gates. I want some!
Statue of Vince
Quick story. The entrance tunnel was moved from one area to another during the 2003 renovation. Because the team has so much history, some huge names had run down that tunnel onto Lambeau Field. Aware of the history, when they moved the tunnel, they took some of the slabs of concrete and laid them in the new tunnel so that the current Packers are literally running over the same place all these greats had run. This plaque is on the wall commemorating it.
Curly Lambeau
Sunday, September 16, 2007
More posts to come
I suppose I should have put this up before I left, but I spent the weekend in Green Bay for my anniversary.
My boyfriend is the luckiest ever, because we spent most of our weekend doing sports related things that include going to a sports bar for the Badger game, watching the Brewer game before we went to dinner last night and going to a sports bar for lunch to watch the Packer game today. Also, we did the Lambeau Field tour, mostly so I could get good pictures to put up today. *
So it was another great weekend for Wisconsin sports teams, and I'll get to writing them up either tonight or tomorrow.
*(just a reminder, for our anniversary last year, we went to a Badger game)
My boyfriend is the luckiest ever, because we spent most of our weekend doing sports related things that include going to a sports bar for the Badger game, watching the Brewer game before we went to dinner last night and going to a sports bar for lunch to watch the Packer game today. Also, we did the Lambeau Field tour, mostly so I could get good pictures to put up today. *
So it was another great weekend for Wisconsin sports teams, and I'll get to writing them up either tonight or tomorrow.
*(just a reminder, for our anniversary last year, we went to a Badger game)
Friday, September 14, 2007
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
An open letter from a Brewers fan...
Ok, I’ve refrained from being a bandwagon basher all season. I’ve tried to keep my frustration at manageable levels and I was desperate to not be one of those over-the-top fans that calls for this after their team goes on one losing streak ---- in May.
But the time has come to say the words: Fire Ned Yost and Mike Maddux.
As far as I’m concerned, there are no excuses for what happened today. You can explain away pitching difficulties all season, but today, to me, is symbolic of all the times Yost left pitchers in too long this season.
Every time he’s done so, we’ve all let it go. We, as fans, have deferred to his judgment and in our heads though “there’s plenty of time.”
But time’s running out. There are 17 games left in the season.
I just can’t wrap my mind around it. You’re Ned Yost and your team blew a large division lead. You are now fighting tooth and nail for every win and every game up in the division standings. Your team came from behind to tie the game in the 8th inning. You put in a reliever who can be described as unreliable and spotty, at best. He gets an out. He walks a man.
I honestly believe that this is where Turnbow should have been pulled. I can’t understand why he would have any kind of leash at this point in the season. Each game is entirely too important to take any risks. You have a full bullpen and a day of rest tomorrow. I brook no arguments, this is where you pull him.
But hypothetically, let’s say you leave him in. He walks the next guy. Whatever excuse you had for leaving him in after the first walk is now gone.
So why isn’t he pulled now?
He gives up a hit the next batter and the bases are now loaded with one out. You are a coach that believes in averages and matchups and past situations. The past has proven that Turnbow CANNOT handle the pressure of having guys on the bases.
Yet you leave him in. He throws two straight balls. The count’s 2-0.
WHY DON’T YOU PULL HIM HERE?
At my count that’s 4 different times that Yost could have and should have pulled Turnbow before he gives up the 3 RBI hit that puts the game completely out of reach.
___
This whole thing is so incredibly frustrating for me because I have tried my best to not be a Brewer Basher all season long. I know that all us fans have gone through years of disappointment and many of us just love to hear ourselves complain. We like to armchair QB and we like to second guess.
But at this point, I think Doug Melvin and Mark Attanasio have a lot to answer for.
Coming into this season, there as nothing but hype surrounding the pitching staff and they have more than failed to meet the expectations.
Besides the obvious disappointment of Chris Capuano and the instability of Derrick Turnbow and Matt Wise. I think the Ben Sheets question has to be raised.
Nothing tells the story better than looking at the team’s record when Sheets was in the rotation vs. when he was not.
So great, he’s crucial to our success and to our lineup. The problem is, he’s perpetually injured. In order to be crucial to the lineup, he actually has to BE in the lineup. The Man of Glass has missed portions of the past however many seasons due to injury.
So I ask, what goods an ace who can’t stay healthy for more than a few months?
So is Mike Maddux to blame? I can’t imagine how the pitching coach’s head isn’t on the block when his staff performs like our pitchers have this season.
___
If I’m a field player on this team, I would be up to my eyeballs in frustration, disappointment and aggravation. Certainly, at times, the hitting and fielding have been to blame for losses. But too many losses this year can be hung at the door of the pitching.
How incredibly pissy it must make the rest of the team to go out there and do everything they are meant to do, only to have the control of the game taken out of their hands by horrendous pitching and mismanagement.
Never forget that we’re talking about a team with an MVP candidate and a guy who’s a shoo-in for Rookie of the Year. Prince leads the NL in homeruns and slugging % and is near the top in RBIs and extra base hits. Corey Hart should finish the season hitting above .300.
With a talent level like this team possesses and the lack of depth the rest of the division has, this season should have been a given. I’m not saying we should have taken the cake, no problems, no questions ask. But no one else has the team we have. We got out to an amazing start and we should have been able to never look back. At two points this season we were 14 games above .500.
So our incredibly talented team that was mostly untouched by injury failed to meet the expectations laid our for them this season.
Who else is there to blame but the coach?
But the time has come to say the words: Fire Ned Yost and Mike Maddux.
As far as I’m concerned, there are no excuses for what happened today. You can explain away pitching difficulties all season, but today, to me, is symbolic of all the times Yost left pitchers in too long this season.
Every time he’s done so, we’ve all let it go. We, as fans, have deferred to his judgment and in our heads though “there’s plenty of time.”
But time’s running out. There are 17 games left in the season.
I just can’t wrap my mind around it. You’re Ned Yost and your team blew a large division lead. You are now fighting tooth and nail for every win and every game up in the division standings. Your team came from behind to tie the game in the 8th inning. You put in a reliever who can be described as unreliable and spotty, at best. He gets an out. He walks a man.
I honestly believe that this is where Turnbow should have been pulled. I can’t understand why he would have any kind of leash at this point in the season. Each game is entirely too important to take any risks. You have a full bullpen and a day of rest tomorrow. I brook no arguments, this is where you pull him.
But hypothetically, let’s say you leave him in. He walks the next guy. Whatever excuse you had for leaving him in after the first walk is now gone.
So why isn’t he pulled now?
He gives up a hit the next batter and the bases are now loaded with one out. You are a coach that believes in averages and matchups and past situations. The past has proven that Turnbow CANNOT handle the pressure of having guys on the bases.
Yet you leave him in. He throws two straight balls. The count’s 2-0.
WHY DON’T YOU PULL HIM HERE?
At my count that’s 4 different times that Yost could have and should have pulled Turnbow before he gives up the 3 RBI hit that puts the game completely out of reach.
___
This whole thing is so incredibly frustrating for me because I have tried my best to not be a Brewer Basher all season long. I know that all us fans have gone through years of disappointment and many of us just love to hear ourselves complain. We like to armchair QB and we like to second guess.
But at this point, I think Doug Melvin and Mark Attanasio have a lot to answer for.
Coming into this season, there as nothing but hype surrounding the pitching staff and they have more than failed to meet the expectations.
Besides the obvious disappointment of Chris Capuano and the instability of Derrick Turnbow and Matt Wise. I think the Ben Sheets question has to be raised.
Nothing tells the story better than looking at the team’s record when Sheets was in the rotation vs. when he was not.
So great, he’s crucial to our success and to our lineup. The problem is, he’s perpetually injured. In order to be crucial to the lineup, he actually has to BE in the lineup. The Man of Glass has missed portions of the past however many seasons due to injury.
So I ask, what goods an ace who can’t stay healthy for more than a few months?
So is Mike Maddux to blame? I can’t imagine how the pitching coach’s head isn’t on the block when his staff performs like our pitchers have this season.
___
If I’m a field player on this team, I would be up to my eyeballs in frustration, disappointment and aggravation. Certainly, at times, the hitting and fielding have been to blame for losses. But too many losses this year can be hung at the door of the pitching.
How incredibly pissy it must make the rest of the team to go out there and do everything they are meant to do, only to have the control of the game taken out of their hands by horrendous pitching and mismanagement.
Never forget that we’re talking about a team with an MVP candidate and a guy who’s a shoo-in for Rookie of the Year. Prince leads the NL in homeruns and slugging % and is near the top in RBIs and extra base hits. Corey Hart should finish the season hitting above .300.
With a talent level like this team possesses and the lack of depth the rest of the division has, this season should have been a given. I’m not saying we should have taken the cake, no problems, no questions ask. But no one else has the team we have. We got out to an amazing start and we should have been able to never look back. At two points this season we were 14 games above .500.
So our incredibly talented team that was mostly untouched by injury failed to meet the expectations laid our for them this season.
Who else is there to blame but the coach?
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Happy Birthday Todd!
Since he's regularly given me birthday shout-outs, I thought it was time for some reciprocation.
So Happy Birthday Todd..
McPhee's looking a little naughty/a little nice just for you
Sunday, September 09, 2007
Brewers make a comeback
In last night's game, the Brewers game up 3 runs in the second, putting themselves in a whole any Brewers fan who's been around this season despaired of them getting out of.
The Brewers aren't a team that comes from behind. They aren't a team that wins on the road. They are absolutely not a team that comes from behind on the road.
That changed last night. The Crew played really pretty baseball, holding the Reds to only those second inning runs and putting themselves on the board one hit at a time. Prince homered, but the other two runs were the result of some very impressive small ball. One of the runs was scored by the pitcher! Rickie Weeks hit a 9th inning triple to score Craig Counsell and the Brewers won 4-3.
The Brewers aren't a team that comes from behind. They aren't a team that wins on the road. They are absolutely not a team that comes from behind on the road.
That changed last night. The Crew played really pretty baseball, holding the Reds to only those second inning runs and putting themselves on the board one hit at a time. Prince homered, but the other two runs were the result of some very impressive small ball. One of the runs was scored by the pitcher! Rickie Weeks hit a 9th inning triple to score Craig Counsell and the Brewers won 4-3.
Go Pack Go!
I'll be the first to admit that we looked pretty ugly today, but since the end result was a completely unexpected win, I'll take it.
I'm sure it will be a refrain all year, but don't forget that the Packers are the youngest team in the NFL.
I'm fairly certain not one "expert" picked us to win today's game and everyone in the postgame recaps have been kind and impressed.
The most impressive part of today's game was newbie kicker Mason Crosby. Early on he proved why we kept him instead of Dave Rayner when he hit a 53 yarder into the wind. Of course, for a guy who hit 60 yarders in college, this was a cupcake. He then hit the game winning 42 yarder with seconds left.
The kid's set his own bar pretty high, so here's hoping he lives up.
Brett Favre was prototypical today, throwing while he's halfway to the ground and shoveling a pass off that turned into big gain. He also tied John Elway's record for career victories by a starting quarterback with 148
Also impressive today was the Packers' DLine. The Eagles were able to post just 103 yards rushing and had pressure on Donovan McNabb all afternoon, keeping him at 15/33 for 184. yards with one TD and one INT. That's a passer rating of just 60.7.
I'm sure it will be a refrain all year, but don't forget that the Packers are the youngest team in the NFL.
I'm fairly certain not one "expert" picked us to win today's game and everyone in the postgame recaps have been kind and impressed.
The most impressive part of today's game was newbie kicker Mason Crosby. Early on he proved why we kept him instead of Dave Rayner when he hit a 53 yarder into the wind. Of course, for a guy who hit 60 yarders in college, this was a cupcake. He then hit the game winning 42 yarder with seconds left.
The kid's set his own bar pretty high, so here's hoping he lives up.
Brett Favre was prototypical today, throwing while he's halfway to the ground and shoveling a pass off that turned into big gain. He also tied John Elway's record for career victories by a starting quarterback with 148
Also impressive today was the Packers' DLine. The Eagles were able to post just 103 yards rushing and had pressure on Donovan McNabb all afternoon, keeping him at 15/33 for 184. yards with one TD and one INT. That's a passer rating of just 60.7.
Badgers win, don't look so great
Ok, my homerism is going to come out here, but I'm going to admit it up front, which is the first step to recovery.
I guess I just never looked at last night as a big upset bid. I'm not sure why. I think it's mostly that I can't get in my head that (at the time) we're a #5 team. I'm just not buying it. I've seen this team. It's not better than last year's team. Last year's team had a hard time cracking the top 25.
That being said, when we came out of halftime looking just as flat as we did in the first half, I lost some faith. There's no doubt that UNLV was hyped up during that game and we were not. Had we lost, that, for me, would have been the biggest factor.
I certainly don't think we strolled in there expecting to walk in and walk out with a win. Which is actually more scary than if we had. If we lost because we were cocky, I would have been pissed, but that's better than losing because your team hasn't looked like they're at all ready for this season or deserving of their ranking.
And Wisconsin, for 2 weeks now, has looked like they barely deserving #25, much less #5.
That's more disturbing than anything. There's no way this team can take the field against Penn State looking like they have.
And finally, I'd like to point out once again the Special Teams issue. Certainly it was better this week, than last. But that muffed extra point was damn near to being the deciding factor.
I guess I just never looked at last night as a big upset bid. I'm not sure why. I think it's mostly that I can't get in my head that (at the time) we're a #5 team. I'm just not buying it. I've seen this team. It's not better than last year's team. Last year's team had a hard time cracking the top 25.
That being said, when we came out of halftime looking just as flat as we did in the first half, I lost some faith. There's no doubt that UNLV was hyped up during that game and we were not. Had we lost, that, for me, would have been the biggest factor.
I certainly don't think we strolled in there expecting to walk in and walk out with a win. Which is actually more scary than if we had. If we lost because we were cocky, I would have been pissed, but that's better than losing because your team hasn't looked like they're at all ready for this season or deserving of their ranking.
And Wisconsin, for 2 weeks now, has looked like they barely deserving #25, much less #5.
That's more disturbing than anything. There's no way this team can take the field against Penn State looking like they have.
And finally, I'd like to point out once again the Special Teams issue. Certainly it was better this week, than last. But that muffed extra point was damn near to being the deciding factor.
Holy college football craziness, batman!
Since I had a pretty chill weekend, we decided to head out to a sports bar type restaurant last night as the Brewers were on at 6, LSU was on at 8:15 and the Badgers were on at 9.
Little did we know that we picked such a great night to have every game imaginable on.
First off, the SEC had a really rough night.
I wish I could have seen more of the Auburn/USF game, but that was the TV turned a bit away from me.
Turns out Auburn's lucky they were even still in the game to make it to OT, as they gave up 5 turnovers. USF helped them hang around as they were 2 for 6 on field goals.
I saw someone pick USF in this game and thought they were nuts, but some research shows USF beat ranked West Virginia and Louisville in the past two seasons.
The other game I would have liked to see was the crazy back and forth between Hawaii and Louisiana Tech. Hawaii scored a TD on the first possession of OT, but LA Tech answered. And decided to go for the win with a 2 point conversion. They were stopped and Hawaii wins.
I'd like to say that I fully support the 2 point conversion decision by LA Tech. Go big or go home. LA Tech isn't going to a bowl. They aren't even going to win their conference. In the end, whether this game was a win or loss on their record mattered little. So they went for the glory of knocking off a ranked team. I applaud the coach for putting his butt on the line and for the crap he's probably taking all day today. But the loss means nothing and the win means a ton. Good for them.
The South Carolina/Georgia game ended in upset, but I can't say it kept my attention. Steve Spurrier as a defensive mastermind? Now you know this football season is upside down.
App. State clearly set a standard that we're hoping to see every week. I was more than a little disappointed that most of the upsets that seemed to be brewing yesterday ended up without any fireworks.
Little did we know that we picked such a great night to have every game imaginable on.
First off, the SEC had a really rough night.
I wish I could have seen more of the Auburn/USF game, but that was the TV turned a bit away from me.
Turns out Auburn's lucky they were even still in the game to make it to OT, as they gave up 5 turnovers. USF helped them hang around as they were 2 for 6 on field goals.
I saw someone pick USF in this game and thought they were nuts, but some research shows USF beat ranked West Virginia and Louisville in the past two seasons.
The other game I would have liked to see was the crazy back and forth between Hawaii and Louisiana Tech. Hawaii scored a TD on the first possession of OT, but LA Tech answered. And decided to go for the win with a 2 point conversion. They were stopped and Hawaii wins.
I'd like to say that I fully support the 2 point conversion decision by LA Tech. Go big or go home. LA Tech isn't going to a bowl. They aren't even going to win their conference. In the end, whether this game was a win or loss on their record mattered little. So they went for the glory of knocking off a ranked team. I applaud the coach for putting his butt on the line and for the crap he's probably taking all day today. But the loss means nothing and the win means a ton. Good for them.
The South Carolina/Georgia game ended in upset, but I can't say it kept my attention. Steve Spurrier as a defensive mastermind? Now you know this football season is upside down.
App. State clearly set a standard that we're hoping to see every week. I was more than a little disappointed that most of the upsets that seemed to be brewing yesterday ended up without any fireworks.
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Some Packer pics
My brother was at last week's Packer preseason game in Nashville. Here are some of his pics:
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Just a 1/2 game back
Despite the killer defeat Monday in which we gave up 5 runs in the final two innings (stupid, stupid pitching decisions and stupid, stupid bullpen), the Brewers showed up last night and now are just a 1/2 game back of the Cubs, who lost to the Dodgers.
Carlos Villanueva showed that being sent to the minors didn't affect him as he put in 6 solid innings of pitching.
Ryan Braun hit another homerun and the Crew played some serious small ball to eke out runs and top the Astros 5-3.
ESPN.com story here
Lastly, let's hope that JJ Hardy's horrible performance at the plate Monday is not a sign of things to come. JJ grounded out, then grounded into a double play at his next two at-bats, then, with runners on 2nd and 3rd and one out, he popped up a foul ball behind homeplate. Ouch.
Carlos Villanueva showed that being sent to the minors didn't affect him as he put in 6 solid innings of pitching.
Ryan Braun hit another homerun and the Crew played some serious small ball to eke out runs and top the Astros 5-3.
ESPN.com story here
Lastly, let's hope that JJ Hardy's horrible performance at the plate Monday is not a sign of things to come. JJ grounded out, then grounded into a double play at his next two at-bats, then, with runners on 2nd and 3rd and one out, he popped up a foul ball behind homeplate. Ouch.
Monday, September 03, 2007
Badgers 42, Washington State 21
Some observations on this game.
First and foremost is special teams. Our punt and kickoff coverage units were some of the worst special teams. Thus far, I'm not impressed. All three of Washington State's TDs were a direct result of piss-poor plays on special teams.
We blocked a punt early on, only to have the kicker get the ball right back and gain 20 yards, giving his team the first down and allowing them to continue the drive and score a TD.
Luke Swann just plain dropped a punt return, giving them the ball back at midfield.
Ken DeBauche tried to pooch a punt, failed pretty miserably and had it go about 10 yards and bounce right back at him. He then scooped it forward, which is a 15 yard penalty. We'd have been better off going for it on 4th down and losing a few yards.
Other than that, despite taking a little time to really find the running game, the rest of the team was pretty impressive. The first half seems like a bit of a wash because Washington State was able to hang in and it seems like we didn't do what we were supposed to do. But we did hang 21 points in the first half.
Tyler Donovan was extremely impressive. I'm certain I'm not the only one who was apprehensive about the QB situation, and he's still untried against any "real" competition, but Donovan had great stats. He missed like 2 passes the entire first half. He showed the ability to scramble and wait for an open receiver. He had a few keepers where he gained 5 yards or so. He was moblie, which is not something Wisconsin QBs are known for.
I'm off to the Brewer game in 15 minutes, so any further discussion will have to wait. In the meantime, some pictures from Saturday.
I love this tradition. After halftime various sections of the marching band go around the stadium and play to each of the sections.
One of Luke Swann's stellar catches
Tyler Donovan dropping back
Kickoff
As the team entered the field. I really, really, really hate the all red unis.
The Blackhawk helicopters that did a flyover
A few minutes before gametime
Walking up Regent to Camp Randall
First and foremost is special teams. Our punt and kickoff coverage units were some of the worst special teams. Thus far, I'm not impressed. All three of Washington State's TDs were a direct result of piss-poor plays on special teams.
We blocked a punt early on, only to have the kicker get the ball right back and gain 20 yards, giving his team the first down and allowing them to continue the drive and score a TD.
Luke Swann just plain dropped a punt return, giving them the ball back at midfield.
Ken DeBauche tried to pooch a punt, failed pretty miserably and had it go about 10 yards and bounce right back at him. He then scooped it forward, which is a 15 yard penalty. We'd have been better off going for it on 4th down and losing a few yards.
Other than that, despite taking a little time to really find the running game, the rest of the team was pretty impressive. The first half seems like a bit of a wash because Washington State was able to hang in and it seems like we didn't do what we were supposed to do. But we did hang 21 points in the first half.
Tyler Donovan was extremely impressive. I'm certain I'm not the only one who was apprehensive about the QB situation, and he's still untried against any "real" competition, but Donovan had great stats. He missed like 2 passes the entire first half. He showed the ability to scramble and wait for an open receiver. He had a few keepers where he gained 5 yards or so. He was moblie, which is not something Wisconsin QBs are known for.
I'm off to the Brewer game in 15 minutes, so any further discussion will have to wait. In the meantime, some pictures from Saturday.
I love this tradition. After halftime various sections of the marching band go around the stadium and play to each of the sections.
One of Luke Swann's stellar catches
Tyler Donovan dropping back
Kickoff
As the team entered the field. I really, really, really hate the all red unis.
The Blackhawk helicopters that did a flyover
A few minutes before gametime
Walking up Regent to Camp Randall
Sunday, September 02, 2007
Congratulations Clay Buchholz
Finally, another no-hitter so we can stop talking about how the Brewers were no hit!
But seriously, this kid looks about 16 and he just threw and absolutely spectacular game last night. Even in the 9th, his pitches were unbelievable. His curve ball is just plain nasty.
Congrats kid. Now good luck actually making it in the majors!
Saturday, September 01, 2007
Holy crap Appalachain State!
Unless you're dead, you've heard all about the fact that App. State went into Ann Arbor (is a whore) and led Michigan all game and then blocked a last second field goal to win.
And you've heard that this is the first time a D1-AA team has beat a ranked D1 team.
ESPN.com's coverage here.
The part of this story you won't see on TV?
This game wasn't televised anywhere near Boone, North Carolina (where App. State is located) unless you have Dish Network and have access to the Big Ten Network.
Dirty.
And you've heard that this is the first time a D1-AA team has beat a ranked D1 team.
ESPN.com's coverage here.
The part of this story you won't see on TV?
This game wasn't televised anywhere near Boone, North Carolina (where App. State is located) unless you have Dish Network and have access to the Big Ten Network.
Dirty.
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