So Brett Favre is back. Frankly, I don't think anyone finds this to be a shocker. I'm not even sure it's much of a story. This horse was beaten so much in the past year, that I'm fairly certain most anyone outside (and many of us inside) Wisconsin don't care to hear any more about it.
Clearly, the Packers and the state of Wisconsin are elated. I'll admit to being among the happy, but my reason is purely that I find him to be less of many evils. Brett may not be spectacular anymore, but he's by far the best we've got. Aaron Rogers failed to prove himself in the one chance he did get this season, falling over even before anyone huffed or puffed. And while this lady really, really likes Ingle Martin, the rest of us don't even know who he is.
Additionally, there isn't a person around who can tell you who the Packers are without Brett Favre. I can only assume that when Brett does retire that the Packers (and the state of Wisconsin) will react much like one does after a breakup. You don't really know who you are without that person. Going from "we" to "I" is not going to be easy for Packers fans and I'm certain it won't be pretty. People thought 2005 was a rough "re-building" season, but I can assure you that no one is prepared for like post-Brett. Brett Favre IS the Packers. He's the entire identity of the organization.
While some teams manage to make the break-up transition smoothly (see Montana to Young) teams like Miami still haven't figured out who they are without their BF, I mean QB.
Thus far, the Packer front office has failed to show that they are willing and able to make a move to bring in our Steve Young-style transition guy. We must hit the free agent market to find our rebound guy (PS, it's not TIM COUCH!)
Finally, apparently this guy really doesn't like Brett.
Friday, February 02, 2007
Strangely, losing is what finally got us respect.
This is an absolutely stellar column by Pat Forde that is front and center on ESPN.com right now.
photo illustration from ESPN.com
Despite it being Super Bowl weekend, despite the fact that we lost this past weekend, the University of Wisconsin men's basketball program is the top story on ESPN tonight.
I was just going to link to the column, but I think it's fabulous, so I'm posting the whole thing here.
This is a must read for any Badger fan and, I think, a must-read for any b-ball fan. Basically, you don't have to be a "big name" program to make it. You don't have to only bring in talented freshman who you know will leave for the NBA next year.
Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, the Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team...
_______________________
Badgers lack basketball tradition, but not skill
by Pat Forde, ESPN.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Bo Ryan unconvincingly insisted that he didn't notice thousands of Indiana students spilling wildly onto the Assembly Hall floor Wednesday night.
That's about as likely as not noticing a colonoscopy. But on the 1 percent chance Ryan was telling the truth, it's too bad the Wisconsin Badgers' coach missed the mayhem.
Because in defeat, his program entered a new realm of respect.
Given the long-term stature of Indiana and Wisconsin, this is like Lance Armstrong going all euphoric after outpedaling a neighborhood kid on a big wheel. Not only do the Hoosiers have all the history and tradition the Badgers lack, but they have absolutely owned the head-to-head matchup for more than half a century. Since 1950, Indiana leads the series 79-19, including a 31-game winning streak from 1980 to '96.
"You just can't imagine the irony of us watching Indiana fans storm the court after beating Wisconsin," said Badgers senior associate athletic director Vince Sweeney, who goes back to the 1950s with Badgers basketball.
But this isn't just about Indiana. Sweeney doesn't think anyone has stormed the court after beating Wisconsin. Ever.
"I can't ever recall that happening," he said.
Should the Badgers lose any of their four remaining road games, it could happen again. This is life in the spotlight, where opposing teams can't wait to give you their best shot and opposing fans can't wait to dance on the rare instances when you fall.
"It shows a lot of respect," said splendid forward Alando Tucker, whose national player of the year candidacy was not hurt by his 23-point, six-rebound performance. "It shows what we've done as a program."
What No. 2-ranked Wisconsin has done is inject itself into a Final Forecast debate alongside bluebloods like North Carolina and UCLA, and defending national champion Florida.
Read those names and ask yourself: Which one of these is not like the others?
Wave your paw, Bucky Badger.
Even the nouveau riche Gators have a better track record as a basketball power than the Badgers. They've been to three Final Fours between 1994 and 2006 (trumping Wisconsin's 2000 appearance), and have been ranked No. 1 several times this century.
Wisconsin has never been ranked No. 1, not even for a week. Prior to this season, it had never been ranked in the AP top five. The previous program high was a week at No. 6 in 1962.
There is an NCAA Tournament title nestled deep in Wisconsin's past. The year was 1941, the third year of the tourney's existence, and the team picture shows a bunch of guys wearing knee pads and socks with four thick stripes on each. Between 1947 and '94, the Badgers never went to the NCAA Tournament.
But historic ineptitude has given way to impressive consistency in recent times, and fan interest has followed.
Sweeney remembers well the sparsely attended games in the old UW Field House, a structure that opened in 1931 and served as the Badgers' home court until 1998.
"At the old field house, we had what we called the 'Faithful 5,000,' " Sweeney said. "We joked about going down there to unlock the door, turn on the lights and pop the popcorn at 5:30.
"Now, the last three seasons, all our tickets are sold out in advance in a 17,000-seat arena [the Kohl Center]. It's just a whole other ballgame."
The school that went 47 years without seeing the inside of the Big Dance will make its ninth straight trip this March. In Big Ten play, Michigan State and Wisconsin are the only teams without a losing league record each of the past eight seasons -- and at 4-4 this season, the Spartans' streak is in jeopardy while the Badgers are 7-1.
And no offense to the kneepad-wearing bunch from '41, but this might be the best team in school history.
Ryan has built his squad like a football program: Players redshirt routinely. Wisconsin has two fifth-year seniors and two fourth-year juniors, and two more freshmen are redshirting this season. In the future-is-now world of college basketball, it's difficult to find talented players who are willing to sit out a year and develop, but Ryan has benefited from it.
The starting lineup features three seniors and two juniors, a luxury by elite modern standards. Only one freshman is in the top nine in Ryan's rotation.
Given that level of experience, it perhaps shouldn't be surprising to see the Badgers running Ryan's patient, logic-based swing offense so well. A premium is put on getting the best shots available: Free throws are great, then field goals close to the basket, then perimeter shots.
Prior to the Indiana game, Wisconsin was shooting 27 free throws a game -- by far the most in the Big Ten. Seventy-two percent of the Badgers' field goal attempts were coming inside the arc, second-most in the league to Michigan State. And they take care of the ball so well (just 11.5 turnovers per game) that they get plenty of quality shots.
Defensively, the Badgers give up almost nothing cheap. They don't reach or slap and get in foul trouble (opponents shoot just 15.5 free throws per game). They play position defense between the man and the basket and don't gamble excessively. Most baskets must be earned.
"When you're playing Wisconsin, you see exactly how they win," Indiana coach Kelvin Sampson said. "Their discipline, their shot selection, how tough they are."
The one thing Wisconsin has that pushes it beyond solid and into championship contender status is Tucker. He's nowhere near his listed 6-6, but he's still a dangerous scorer despite shooting less than 30 percent from 3-point range and less than 67 percent from the foul line. The key is versatility and an ability to get off (and make) an array of shots while tightly guarded.
"He's tough and strong like a bull," Indiana guard A.J. Ratliff said, after trying to guard Tucker much of the second half Wednesday night. "He makes plays around the basket, and it seemed like every time they needed a basket, the ball was in his hands. He's probably the hardest person in the country to guard right now. He has a post game, he drives and he finishes."
Now we'll see how Tucker and his teammates digest a loss. The bitter aftertaste can be a powerful motivator.
"Don't forget it," guard Michael Flowers said. "Don't forget the feeling when they rushed the court. Don't forget the excitement in the air when they knew they were going to win. That hurt. I really don't want to feel that again."
The previous time Wisconsin tasted defeat was Thanksgiving weekend, when the Badgers were beaten by two points on South Padre Island, Texas, by Missouri State.
"After our last loss we won, what, 15 in a row?" Flowers asked.
Actually it was 17. And if Wisconsin should put together another 17-game winning streak, that would be exactly enough to win the national championship: eight more regular-season games, three in the Big Ten tournament and six in the Big Dance.
"I would take that," Flowers said with a small smile.
Pat Forde is a senior writer for ESPN.com. He can be reached at ESPN4D@aol.com.
Breaking News!
Brett Favre told the Biloxi Sun Herald that he will be returning to the Packers next year.
Full story here.
Full story here.
Monday, January 29, 2007
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Giants tell Eli they don't trust him, hire him a nanny
After having a very large mouth and declaring how utterly fabulous and important he was during the 2004 draft, baby Manning has failed to deliver. Standing in the shadow of his daddy, Eli and Archie wrote a nice fat check that Eli's behind has been unable to cash.
Deciding he was past the age of changing diapers, Tom Coughlin hired Chris Palmer to take over the job of holding Eli's hand.
"I look forward to feeding, burping and otherwise mothering Eli," said Palmer. "I have experience in such matters, having worked with Tim Couch in the past."
Upon hearing the news Eli only had one thing to say: "I want my daddy."
Palmer said that Eli's days will be much like any other kindergartener. He will have to learn to read, write and play catch. The advanced curriculum will include learning how not to talk about people, not to be envious of what your brother has and learning how to be "the baby" of the family, though Palmer thinks that last thing is something they won't have to spend much time on.
Palmer will also be in charge of Eli's diet, to which he said he plans to add a of lot fiber. "Eli's so inconsistent in everything he does, I think the only recourse is to get him regular. Then we'll build from there."
Finally, Palmer said that much of Eli's day will be devoted to teaching Eli how to play well with others. "Clearly this is a fundamental problem. Many young children have a hard time understanding that they aren't the only person that they need to worry about."
Deciding he was past the age of changing diapers, Tom Coughlin hired Chris Palmer to take over the job of holding Eli's hand.
"I look forward to feeding, burping and otherwise mothering Eli," said Palmer. "I have experience in such matters, having worked with Tim Couch in the past."
Upon hearing the news Eli only had one thing to say: "I want my daddy."
Palmer said that Eli's days will be much like any other kindergartener. He will have to learn to read, write and play catch. The advanced curriculum will include learning how not to talk about people, not to be envious of what your brother has and learning how to be "the baby" of the family, though Palmer thinks that last thing is something they won't have to spend much time on.
Palmer will also be in charge of Eli's diet, to which he said he plans to add a of lot fiber. "Eli's so inconsistent in everything he does, I think the only recourse is to get him regular. Then we'll build from there."
Finally, Palmer said that much of Eli's day will be devoted to teaching Eli how to play well with others. "Clearly this is a fundamental problem. Many young children have a hard time understanding that they aren't the only person that they need to worry about."
Alando Tucker, Player of the Year?
Though the jury is very clearly still out, views are starting to narrow and Alando Tucker is sitting pretty at the top of the list of prospects for Player of the Year.At the beginning of the season, Marquette's Dominic James was in discussion for this award. A case could be made for about four different players on Florida, though that very fact will prove to be all of their downfall.
Most disturbing picture EVER!
Tucker's averaging 19 points and 5 rebounds, shooting 48% from the field. His numbers from the charity stripe and beyond the three point arc are less impressive, but for anyone who's watched any of Wisconsin's big games can see the Tucker's impact is much more than the numbers he puts up.
And though you may say to yourself that the numbers are not too impressive, remember, too, that Alando put up more than 20 points against Florida State, Winthrop and Marquette, as well as 32 points against Pitt and 29 at Georgia.
Clearly, we've still got a lot of season left and I think that much of Tucker's chances depend on how Wisconsin fares down the stretch.
We still have to travel to Columbus to play Ohio State at home and after Oden's performance here, I'd have to imagine he knows he's got to put up or shut up.
The media is (barely) talking about this as a National Championship team, which means anything less will mean we're considered a failure team who didn't live up to their hype.
Being the team leader, Alando's status will be make-or-break on how the team handles this final stretch as well as how they perform in the conference tournament.
And if that's not enough to convince you, I ask you, which other candidate has a remade ABBA song extolling their virtues?
Check out "Alando", a Madison radio station's ode to Tucker set to ABBA's "Fernando"
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
MU back in the top 15
Wisconsin held it's #3 spot in the AP poll, while Marquette climbed to #15 on the back of 4 straight Big East wins, including an upset of #6 Pitt.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
#24 Marquette upsets #6 Pitt
In an absolutely phenomenal game that no one saw because it was on CBS during the Bears/Saints game, Marquette beat Pitt 77-74 in OT.
Pitt only led once in regular time. Marquette's lead varied, from as many as 11 points to as few as 2. On numerous occasions, MU tried to give the game away, especially down the stretch.
After racking up a 9-0 run, the Golden Eagles promptly allowed an 11-2 run by Pitt. In the final two minutes, Marquette gave the ball away twice, instead of putting the ballgame out of reach.
Three big things that were key to this win:
Pitt only led once in regular time. Marquette's lead varied, from as many as 11 points to as few as 2. On numerous occasions, MU tried to give the game away, especially down the stretch.
After racking up a 9-0 run, the Golden Eagles promptly allowed an 11-2 run by Pitt. In the final two minutes, Marquette gave the ball away twice, instead of putting the ballgame out of reach.
Three big things that were key to this win:
- Dan Fitzgerald actually hit some of the crazy three pointers that he throws up all game long. As you can tell, I'm no Fitz fan. It seems like he's throwing up 3s like they're going out of style and he is rarely even close to hitting them. Today, he couldn't miss.
- The defense of Ousmane Barro.
- Marquette's free throw percentage. As they reminded us throughout the game, on the year, MU is shooting about 65% from the charity stripe. Today that percentage was 77%, including 11 straight to end regulation and into overtime
Have your King Cake and Eat it too!
Ok, so I'm a bit behind on this, but I'd like to welcome everyone, officially, to Mardi Gras season.
See, despite the boob-flashing, bead wearing pictures you see on TV, Mardi Gras isn't just one weekend of drunken debauchery.
The brief history lesson is that Mardi Gras celebrates the season between the feast of the Epiphany on Twelfth Night and Ash Wednesday. The party is meant to be a pre-Easter Lenten extravaganza. As the date of Easter changes from year-to-year, so does the date of Mardi Gras.
Technically speaking, Mardi Gras translates to Fat Tuesday, so Mardi Gras is the day before Ash Wednesday. But only real sticklers will ever correct you on that, so use Mardi Gras to refer to the whole season.
Go here to see a list of FAQ about Mardi Gras. And here for all kinds of info, from flambeaux to balls.
This year will be the first time in 7 years that I have not attended Mardi Gras. It's been 2 years since I've left my beloved city of New Orleans.
So this year I'm doing the house up (a bit) in Mardi Gras style, strutting the official colors of purple, green and gold.
But in order to officially be Mardi Gras, you have to have some King Cake (which is pictured above.) The long history of King Cake is here. All you need to know is that it's more bread-like than cake, the traditional flavor is just the cake and cinnamon, though you can get them filled, they're fabulous and it's not Mardi Gras until you've had your first King Cake.
You can order King Cake online from any number of places. This one was my favorite when I lived there.
Ordering is fine and dandy, but I'm broke and I figured, why not make my own. There are any number of recipes out there, but many required a stand mixer, which I don't have, so this is the recipe I went with. Many of the recipes I found by Google search were for filled King Cakes, but I wanted the Traditional.
Anyway, they turned out fabulous and I'd suggest it to anyone . It's a great way to bring Mardi Gras wherever you are.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Badgers up to #2, MU ranked again
The Wisconsin Badgers Men's Basketball team moved up to the #2 spot in the AP poll this week, while remaining #3 in the Coaches Poll.
Marquette moved back into the rankings after three straight Big East wins. They're #24.
Marquette moved back into the rankings after three straight Big East wins. They're #24.
Three Packers named to All-Rookie Team
Wide receiver Greg Jennings, guard Daryn Colledge and linebacker A.J. Hawk were all named to the only league recognized All-Rookie team this past week.
Team team is chosen by the Pro Football Writers of America in conjunction with Pro Football Weekly.
Congrats!
Team team is chosen by the Pro Football Writers of America in conjunction with Pro Football Weekly.
Congrats!
Brewers news
Since the season is actually on the horizon, with under 3 months to go, I thought it was time for a Brew Crew update.
Today the Crew signed pitcher Chris Capuano to a one-year, $3.25 million dollar deal. Last year, Cappy made $450,000. The new deal is part of arbitration, with the number coming in the middle of what Cappy asked for and what the Brewers put on the table.
Last year's stats look like this:
69 starts, a 29-24 record and 4.01 ERA
He was also named a NL All-Star.
Earlier in the week, the Brewers avoided arbitration with Kevin Mench by signing him to a one-year $3.4 million dollar deal.
Mench was a bit of a disappointment when when came here in the Carlos Lee trade, hitting .230 with one homerun and 18 RBI in 40 games.
The deal is a raise from last year's salary of $2.8 million.
Finally, the Brewers TV play-by-play guy, Daron Sutton left the team in a bit of shadiness. He left without having another job lined up, but is now slated to work for the Diamondbacks. The buzz is that he and on-screen partner Bill Schroeder did not get along.
Brian Anderson of the Golf Channel has been hired to replace Sutton.
Today the Crew signed pitcher Chris Capuano to a one-year, $3.25 million dollar deal. Last year, Cappy made $450,000. The new deal is part of arbitration, with the number coming in the middle of what Cappy asked for and what the Brewers put on the table.
Last year's stats look like this:
69 starts, a 29-24 record and 4.01 ERA
He was also named a NL All-Star.
Earlier in the week, the Brewers avoided arbitration with Kevin Mench by signing him to a one-year $3.4 million dollar deal.
Mench was a bit of a disappointment when when came here in the Carlos Lee trade, hitting .230 with one homerun and 18 RBI in 40 games.
The deal is a raise from last year's salary of $2.8 million.
Finally, the Brewers TV play-by-play guy, Daron Sutton left the team in a bit of shadiness. He left without having another job lined up, but is now slated to work for the Diamondbacks. The buzz is that he and on-screen partner Bill Schroeder did not get along.
Brian Anderson of the Golf Channel has been hired to replace Sutton.
Monday, January 15, 2007
UW Player gets Big Ten Player of the Week
Kammron Taylor received his first ever honor as Big Ten Player of the Week today.
from jsonline.com:
Taylor, a 6-foot-2 point guard, averaged 18.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in victories over Ohio State and Northwestern last week.
He needed just eight shots to score a season-high 25 points in a 72-69 victory over fifth-ranked Ohio State on Tuesday. He made five of eight attempts, including three of six from three-point range, and made 12 of 16 free throws. Taylor scored 12 points in a 56-50 victory over Northwestern Saturday, sealing the victory with two free throws with 19.6 seconds left.
Taylor is the Badgers' second-leading scorer with 13.2 points per game. In Big Ten play, he leads the team with an average of 16.7 points per game.
from jsonline.com:
Taylor, a 6-foot-2 point guard, averaged 18.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in victories over Ohio State and Northwestern last week.
He needed just eight shots to score a season-high 25 points in a 72-69 victory over fifth-ranked Ohio State on Tuesday. He made five of eight attempts, including three of six from three-point range, and made 12 of 16 free throws. Taylor scored 12 points in a 56-50 victory over Northwestern Saturday, sealing the victory with two free throws with 19.6 seconds left.
Taylor is the Badgers' second-leading scorer with 13.2 points per game. In Big Ten play, he leads the team with an average of 16.7 points per game.
Marquette picks up the speed
After lackluster losses to Syracuse and Providence, things weren't looking so hot for the Golden Eagles. There was little to be seen in those losses that mirrored the team that beat Duke early this season.
But Marquette served notice Saturday that they should not be counted out when they rolled past (then #21) Big East foe West Virginia 81-63.
Dominic James, Jerel McNeal, Wesley Matthews, and David Cubillan all scored in double digits.
The game changing stat is Marquette's 24 fast break points.
Despite starting 0-2 in conference, Marquette showed that they are definitely not out when they beat UConn earlier this week 73-69.
But Marquette served notice Saturday that they should not be counted out when they rolled past (then #21) Big East foe West Virginia 81-63.
Dominic James, Jerel McNeal, Wesley Matthews, and David Cubillan all scored in double digits.
The game changing stat is Marquette's 24 fast break points.
Despite starting 0-2 in conference, Marquette showed that they are definitely not out when they beat UConn earlier this week 73-69.
Robbie Earl's (not-so-) triumphant return to the Bradley Center
So yesterday afternoon I took in a rare (for me) Sunday hockey game to see University of Wisconsin alum Robbie Earl, who was in town with the Toronto Marlies playing the Milwaukee Admirals.
The game was beyond crazy, with the puck flying back and forth. For a large poriton of the 2nd period, the Admirals seemed to never actually possess the puck in their own zone.
It seemed as though no one could handle the puck and passes were going awry. Shots were being deflected and neither goalie was able to control rebounds. Both teams had the puck sitting in front of the net, but was unable to ever put it away.
The break for the Admirals came mid 3rd period, when Robbie Earl was called for hooking. Shortly into that power play, the Ads scored the only goal of the game.
Sorry, Robbie, but this wasn't your most shining moment at the Bradley Center.
On the plus side, though, Robbie saw lots of playing time and we saw a lot less of the diving that marked his career as a Badger. I'd think it's not long before Robbie finds himself skating in the NHL.
Though Robbie was the biggest profile departure from last year's team, his teammate Joe Pavelski has already found himself on a roster in the NHL with the San Jose Sharks.
I read this profile on him in the USA Today right before Christmas, but never linked to it. Read it here.
The game was beyond crazy, with the puck flying back and forth. For a large poriton of the 2nd period, the Admirals seemed to never actually possess the puck in their own zone.
It seemed as though no one could handle the puck and passes were going awry. Shots were being deflected and neither goalie was able to control rebounds. Both teams had the puck sitting in front of the net, but was unable to ever put it away.
The break for the Admirals came mid 3rd period, when Robbie Earl was called for hooking. Shortly into that power play, the Ads scored the only goal of the game.
Sorry, Robbie, but this wasn't your most shining moment at the Bradley Center.
On the plus side, though, Robbie saw lots of playing time and we saw a lot less of the diving that marked his career as a Badger. I'd think it's not long before Robbie finds himself skating in the NHL.
Though Robbie was the biggest profile departure from last year's team, his teammate Joe Pavelski has already found himself on a roster in the NHL with the San Jose Sharks.
I read this profile on him in the USA Today right before Christmas, but never linked to it. Read it here.
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Beckham won't play for Real again
It's being reported that Real Madrid coach Fabio Capello has said that Becks will not play another minute.
"He will practice, but he is not going to play," Capello said Saturday at a news conference.
Beckham's contract with Real Madrid expires in June. The 31-year-old player would "continue to give his full commitment and professionalism to the club," Beckham spokesman Simon Oliveira said.
"David is surprised at the quotes from Fabio Capello, as nobody from the club has informed him of their intentions," Oliveira added. "As far as David is aware, he has a contract for the remainder of the season and he remains dedicated to the club and its supporters."
A nice win and a big upset
Last night the Wisconsin Badger men's hockey team ended the University of Minnesota's 22 game winning streak by winning 2-1 at the Kohl Center.
Minnesota is the overwhelming favorite to win it all this year. They're number 1 overall and, obviously, number 1 in the WCHA.
Coming into last night, many a Badger fan was nervous as to how bad a bloodbath we would endure.
Wisconsin has proved a distinct inability to stop the power play and an inability to put goals away, meaning this could have been a long and painful night.
Instead, Wisconsin excelled on both ends of the power play, with Ross Carlson scoring two power play goals.
In addition to being spectacular and totally unexpected, the win was the University of Wisconsin's 1000th as a program.
From a JSOnline.com article:
Minnesota is the overwhelming favorite to win it all this year. They're number 1 overall and, obviously, number 1 in the WCHA.
Coming into last night, many a Badger fan was nervous as to how bad a bloodbath we would endure.
Wisconsin has proved a distinct inability to stop the power play and an inability to put goals away, meaning this could have been a long and painful night.
Instead, Wisconsin excelled on both ends of the power play, with Ross Carlson scoring two power play goals.
In addition to being spectacular and totally unexpected, the win was the University of Wisconsin's 1000th as a program.
From a JSOnline.com article:
"Everyone is back and it feels good to look around the locker room and see all the faces," said Skille, one of three UW players who missed the last four games while playing for Team USA in the World Junior Championship. "We didn't even play our best tonight."
That is a sobering possibility for the Gophers and the rest of the WCHA.
UW is just 7-7-1 in the WCHA and 10-11-2 overall. However, the Badgers are 6-2-0 in their last eight games and handed Minnesota (19-2-3, 11-1-3) its first loss since the season opener against Maine on Oct. 6.
To say I'm excited about this win would be an understatement. I have the full game on DVR and will be watching it tonight, since tonight's game doesn't appear to be on. The boyfriend will be going to the game with the boys from work. I'm not jealous at all!
All I can say is "let's go red!"
Friday, January 12, 2007
Packer Sighting
For lunch today I had a sub, with a side of Ahman Green.
So this afternoon I went out to lunch with a co-worker, as is my normal Friday routine. She's not a local and therefore she's not a Packer fan.
Anyway, we're eating at Quizno's and we're finishing up and this guy and his wife walk in. He's a little bit bigger guy and he's wearing this stellar throwback Gayle Sayes jersey and Under Armour and I'm looking at him and I'm like, he looks familiar.
So I'm trying to be all covert and I ask my friend if it's him. But she doesn't know, because she's not a fan. So they check out and they walk past us and I'm trying to check him out, to get some clues as to whether this could be a professional athlete. And he's got on an absolutely ginormous watch on and some other bracelets and such. My friend said that she actually looked at him, and he kind of smiles and he totally knows we know who he is.
So he walks outside and gets into a pimped out Caddy and at this point, we're like "OK, this has to be him."
There were some Coast Guard guys in the store and we're like, "did you just see that guy?" Which of course, they had no idea. So we're sitting there and looking out the window and the Caddy's still there, but we're thinking "what are we supposed to do, go knock on his car window?"
So we finish up and we're still talking about it and we get up to leave and to exit the store you have to cross the driveway in and out of the parking lot. As we step out, they pull out of their parking spot. We stop, so as to not walk right in front of a moving car and they wave us on. At this point, we've decided we have to do something, so my co-worker gives a little wave and he rolls down the driver's side window.
Being the non-Packer Fan that she is, she asks "Are you a football player?" and he said yes, so we asked for his autograph and he said yes, as long as we had a pen and then he said we needed to be quick because he was on the way to catch a plane (we were right next to the airport). All I had in my purse was my grocery list and a purple pen, which we apologized for. He was really nice and we apologized for interrupting them and got our autographs and said thanks and off he went.
So that's my story. In case you can't tell, I'm super excited!
I do have a pic of the autograph, but I'm thinking I don't want to post it because I don't want plaguerizers or the like to have it in their dirty little mandibles. But, trust me, I have it.
So this afternoon I went out to lunch with a co-worker, as is my normal Friday routine. She's not a local and therefore she's not a Packer fan.
Anyway, we're eating at Quizno's and we're finishing up and this guy and his wife walk in. He's a little bit bigger guy and he's wearing this stellar throwback Gayle Sayes jersey and Under Armour and I'm looking at him and I'm like, he looks familiar.
So I'm trying to be all covert and I ask my friend if it's him. But she doesn't know, because she's not a fan. So they check out and they walk past us and I'm trying to check him out, to get some clues as to whether this could be a professional athlete. And he's got on an absolutely ginormous watch on and some other bracelets and such. My friend said that she actually looked at him, and he kind of smiles and he totally knows we know who he is.
So he walks outside and gets into a pimped out Caddy and at this point, we're like "OK, this has to be him."
There were some Coast Guard guys in the store and we're like, "did you just see that guy?" Which of course, they had no idea. So we're sitting there and looking out the window and the Caddy's still there, but we're thinking "what are we supposed to do, go knock on his car window?"
So we finish up and we're still talking about it and we get up to leave and to exit the store you have to cross the driveway in and out of the parking lot. As we step out, they pull out of their parking spot. We stop, so as to not walk right in front of a moving car and they wave us on. At this point, we've decided we have to do something, so my co-worker gives a little wave and he rolls down the driver's side window.
Being the non-Packer Fan that she is, she asks "Are you a football player?" and he said yes, so we asked for his autograph and he said yes, as long as we had a pen and then he said we needed to be quick because he was on the way to catch a plane (we were right next to the airport). All I had in my purse was my grocery list and a purple pen, which we apologized for. He was really nice and we apologized for interrupting them and got our autographs and said thanks and off he went.
So that's my story. In case you can't tell, I'm super excited!
I do have a pic of the autograph, but I'm thinking I don't want to post it because I don't want plaguerizers or the like to have it in their dirty little mandibles. But, trust me, I have it.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Apocolypse Now
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
To Watch Tonight
Tonight will complete the Ohio State collapse when the #5 Buckeyes Men's Basketball team travels to Madison and the Kohl Center to play #4 Wisconsin.
This should be a superb matchup. Numbers wise, the two teams couldn't be closer, with the biggest margin come in PPG, where the difference is 3 points.
The biggest concern is how well UW will handle big man Greg Oden. Sure, we've got a couple of big guys, but they're mostly doofy looking white dudes who could very easily be overmatched.
Wisconsin is a team that looks to exploit mismatches, and I'm not sure how many they'll find tonight.
Surely the "name recognition" players couldn't be more different. Oden's a guy people can't miss. At 7 foot, he's not someone any team will be able to look past. He's averaging 14.4 ppg and, not surprisingly, 9.5 rpg.
Alando Tucker's a big less obvious. He's 6-6. Until this year, he wasn't a household, or even a SportsCenter name. But he's averaging over 20 points a game, along with 4.6 boards per game.
What should be key to the matchup is whether it's Alando's advantage in ppg or Oden's advantage in rpg that play the biggest role.
I'm going to argue that this game is most important to the Badgers. We're still the team with something to prove. Everyone knew Ohio State was going to be here, but coming into the season, UW was ranked in the teens.
This game should be the difference maker in terms of conference championships. But, as this article argues, this game has a lot of perception implications for the Big Ten. Everyone's down on the Big Ten, saying it's having an uninspiring and not-so-prolific year. And while that may be true, tonight's matchup pits two likely Final Four teams.
Today's odd fact that may actually affect tonight's game: Since Bo Ryan became head coach, the Badgers are 39-2 at the Kohl Center, losing only to Illinois each of the last two seasons.
Here We Go Badgers, Here We Go!
(I was going to say Go Big Red, but that wouldn't really narrow it down, would it?)
This should be a superb matchup. Numbers wise, the two teams couldn't be closer, with the biggest margin come in PPG, where the difference is 3 points.
The biggest concern is how well UW will handle big man Greg Oden. Sure, we've got a couple of big guys, but they're mostly doofy looking white dudes who could very easily be overmatched.
Wisconsin is a team that looks to exploit mismatches, and I'm not sure how many they'll find tonight.
Surely the "name recognition" players couldn't be more different. Oden's a guy people can't miss. At 7 foot, he's not someone any team will be able to look past. He's averaging 14.4 ppg and, not surprisingly, 9.5 rpg.
Alando Tucker's a big less obvious. He's 6-6. Until this year, he wasn't a household, or even a SportsCenter name. But he's averaging over 20 points a game, along with 4.6 boards per game.
What should be key to the matchup is whether it's Alando's advantage in ppg or Oden's advantage in rpg that play the biggest role.
I'm going to argue that this game is most important to the Badgers. We're still the team with something to prove. Everyone knew Ohio State was going to be here, but coming into the season, UW was ranked in the teens.
This game should be the difference maker in terms of conference championships. But, as this article argues, this game has a lot of perception implications for the Big Ten. Everyone's down on the Big Ten, saying it's having an uninspiring and not-so-prolific year. And while that may be true, tonight's matchup pits two likely Final Four teams.
Today's odd fact that may actually affect tonight's game: Since Bo Ryan became head coach, the Badgers are 39-2 at the Kohl Center, losing only to Illinois each of the last two seasons.
Here We Go Badgers, Here We Go!
(I was going to say Go Big Red, but that wouldn't really narrow it down, would it?)
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Woe is Marquette
I went to the Marquette game tonight as part of the partial season ticket package I have and wow is this team currently, spectacularly bad!
It's late and there's lots to say, so I'm not going into details til tomorrow.
Let me just whet your appetite with the stats.
Marquette was 24-64 on field goals, for a whopping 38%. We were 6-15 from the line, 40% and 4-21 from 3 point land, 19%!
Syracuse was actually comparably bad, but they were actually able to make their free throws (and get rebounds) which was the difference maker here.
It's late and there's lots to say, so I'm not going into details til tomorrow.
Let me just whet your appetite with the stats.
Marquette was 24-64 on field goals, for a whopping 38%. We were 6-15 from the line, 40% and 4-21 from 3 point land, 19%!
Syracuse was actually comparably bad, but they were actually able to make their free throws (and get rebounds) which was the difference maker here.
Milwaukee Admirals Action
As part of a spectacular date night I went to the Ads game last night. I'm still not over the disgusting uniform and logo change, but that's another rant for another time.
The hated rival Chicago Wolves were in town and had brought with them a sizable fan base. There was a crowd of 9,000 at the game, which is about triple the number of fans that were there when the team was deep in post-season play last April and May.
So there was a lot of energy and we were expecting a lot of fighting, which surprisingly didn't happen.
The best play of the night occurred in the final minute or so. Chicago was down 3-2 and played much of the last few minutes without their goalie. Sheldon Brookbank was assessed a silly penalty and Milwaukee was playing, effectively, two men down. The defense was packed in and a shot was pushed through the center. Rich Peverley deftly intercepted the pass and pushed it straight back down ice for a short-handed open net goal. The beauty was in the handling of the shot, where Peverley cradled the puck, keeping it from bouncing off his stick and was able to shoot in one smooth motion. Beautiful hockey!
Earlier in the season we had gone to a pre-season Ads game and it could not have been sloppier. The team couldn't pass, couldn't put together plays and their puck handling skills were as smooth as freshman on his first date.
That was not the same team that took the ice last night. The passes were crisp and on point and the Ads finally looked more like the team that we watched go to the Calder Cup last season.
Football and college hockey have definitely taken my attention, so I had no idea that so many names were gone from this team. I understand that this is the life of a minor league team, but I was still aware that I recognized two names on the ice, and one was now playing for the other team.
Anyway, I won't do a big breakdown because I'm sure you don't care that much, but I will say that the Ads are worth the price of admission. I'm thinking they got a new marketing person this year because there are a lot more promotions and specials. It's a cheap night out for the family, there really isn't that much fighting and I really think it's worth it.
The hated rival Chicago Wolves were in town and had brought with them a sizable fan base. There was a crowd of 9,000 at the game, which is about triple the number of fans that were there when the team was deep in post-season play last April and May.
So there was a lot of energy and we were expecting a lot of fighting, which surprisingly didn't happen.
The best play of the night occurred in the final minute or so. Chicago was down 3-2 and played much of the last few minutes without their goalie. Sheldon Brookbank was assessed a silly penalty and Milwaukee was playing, effectively, two men down. The defense was packed in and a shot was pushed through the center. Rich Peverley deftly intercepted the pass and pushed it straight back down ice for a short-handed open net goal. The beauty was in the handling of the shot, where Peverley cradled the puck, keeping it from bouncing off his stick and was able to shoot in one smooth motion. Beautiful hockey!
Earlier in the season we had gone to a pre-season Ads game and it could not have been sloppier. The team couldn't pass, couldn't put together plays and their puck handling skills were as smooth as freshman on his first date.
That was not the same team that took the ice last night. The passes were crisp and on point and the Ads finally looked more like the team that we watched go to the Calder Cup last season.
Football and college hockey have definitely taken my attention, so I had no idea that so many names were gone from this team. I understand that this is the life of a minor league team, but I was still aware that I recognized two names on the ice, and one was now playing for the other team.
Anyway, I won't do a big breakdown because I'm sure you don't care that much, but I will say that the Ads are worth the price of admission. I'm thinking they got a new marketing person this year because there are a lot more promotions and specials. It's a cheap night out for the family, there really isn't that much fighting and I really think it's worth it.
600 Posts...
First things first, since it's the oldest, is that I finally got to watch some Badger hockey again this weekend and frankly, I'm not sure what to take away from it.
The Badgers were in Denver taking on WCHA opponent the Pioneers. After this weekend's play, the conference looks like this (with overall points totals):
So we split the weekend series with DU, losing Friday night 3-2 and winning Saturday night 4-0.
For Friday's game, UW was still missing the 3 players that were playing for the US Under 20 team in Sweden. (They won, so much congrats to Skille, Geoffrion and McBain) The team seemed to sorely miss these guys, as they're return in time for Saturday's game appeared to be a difference maker.
Friday night the Badgers out-shot DU 35-23, but were pathetic in penalty kills. All 3 DU goals came on the power-play, leaving them 3-9 on man advantage situations for the night.
If Friday night was a lesson in penalty killing futility, then Saturday night was a showcase for the talent this team does have. Four different Badgers scored goals and the team killed 7 DU penalties, including a 5 on 3 situation near the end of the second period in which Brian Elliot was simply spectacular.
Ben Street scored within the first minute of the game. Tom Gorowsky and Matt Ford each scored on a Power Play in the second period. Andy Brandt added an empty netter to put the game away in the final period.
This team seems to have a hard time finding a rhythm and it's clear they still haven't found a go-to goal scorer (I read the other day that UW has 16 power play goals and 8 of them have been scored by Jake Dowell) But there are definitely glimmers of hope that break out.
It will be interesting to see which UW team shows up at home against league leading Minnesota this coming weekend. If the boys don't get up for this game, the bloodbath could be long and flowing.
The Badgers were in Denver taking on WCHA opponent the Pioneers. After this weekend's play, the conference looks like this (with overall points totals):
1 Minnesota 25
2 Denver 20
3 St. Cloud State 19
4 Colorado College 18
5 Wisconsin 13
North Dakota 13
7 Alaska Anchorage 12
Michigan Tech 12
9 Minnesota Duluth 10
Minnesota State 10
So we split the weekend series with DU, losing Friday night 3-2 and winning Saturday night 4-0.
For Friday's game, UW was still missing the 3 players that were playing for the US Under 20 team in Sweden. (They won, so much congrats to Skille, Geoffrion and McBain) The team seemed to sorely miss these guys, as they're return in time for Saturday's game appeared to be a difference maker.
Friday night the Badgers out-shot DU 35-23, but were pathetic in penalty kills. All 3 DU goals came on the power-play, leaving them 3-9 on man advantage situations for the night.
If Friday night was a lesson in penalty killing futility, then Saturday night was a showcase for the talent this team does have. Four different Badgers scored goals and the team killed 7 DU penalties, including a 5 on 3 situation near the end of the second period in which Brian Elliot was simply spectacular.
Ben Street scored within the first minute of the game. Tom Gorowsky and Matt Ford each scored on a Power Play in the second period. Andy Brandt added an empty netter to put the game away in the final period.
This team seems to have a hard time finding a rhythm and it's clear they still haven't found a go-to goal scorer (I read the other day that UW has 16 power play goals and 8 of them have been scored by Jake Dowell) But there are definitely glimmers of hope that break out.
It will be interesting to see which UW team shows up at home against league leading Minnesota this coming weekend. If the boys don't get up for this game, the bloodbath could be long and flowing.
Friday, January 05, 2007
UW paper applauds Marquette fans
This column, from one of UW's student papers, The Daily Cardinal, is actually about a month old. But I found the link to it here and decided to pass it on.
This UW student was incredibly impressed by the Marquette student section at the Marquette/UW game. As he points out, Marquette has a general admission policy for all men's home basketball games, which creates an amazing atmosphere in the Bradley Center.
The BC can be kind of big and impersonal for events that don't fill the seats. The upstairs kind of feels like the boonies and you lack that "close" feeling that even the slightly smaller Kohl Center manages to carry off.
However, I've been to two Marquette games so far this season and I have to tell you that having the students fill one entire end of the court, from floor to ceiling, is a sight to see.
Marquette's not a huge school, and while I'll admit that Men's BBall is the only thing going on there during the cold Wisconsin winter, the point is that, generally, you don't go to the Jesuit schools for their athletic programs, you know?
Anyway, read the column, it'll take you two minutes. Find out why Marquette (and Tom Crean) are some of the classiest folks around.
This UW student was incredibly impressed by the Marquette student section at the Marquette/UW game. As he points out, Marquette has a general admission policy for all men's home basketball games, which creates an amazing atmosphere in the Bradley Center.
The BC can be kind of big and impersonal for events that don't fill the seats. The upstairs kind of feels like the boonies and you lack that "close" feeling that even the slightly smaller Kohl Center manages to carry off.
However, I've been to two Marquette games so far this season and I have to tell you that having the students fill one entire end of the court, from floor to ceiling, is a sight to see.
Marquette's not a huge school, and while I'll admit that Men's BBall is the only thing going on there during the cold Wisconsin winter, the point is that, generally, you don't go to the Jesuit schools for their athletic programs, you know?
Anyway, read the column, it'll take you two minutes. Find out why Marquette (and Tom Crean) are some of the classiest folks around.
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Saban at Bama?
I've avoided the Bama coaching debacle like the plague because:
A) My friends are from Bama and they'd yell at me
B) It's about as pointless as the Favre debate. We'll know when we know, you know?
C) It's more of a circus than P.T. Barnum ever had
among other reasons, but a lot of the recent talk about Saban and the contract he was offered is about how he'll be the highest paid coach in college football.
A tidbit I'd forgotten, until Todd brought it up here, is that Saban was already the highest paid coach in all of college football - in 2005.
His contract allowed that if he were to win a national championship, his salary would top the highest paid coach's by $1. There was much talk about this "funny" clause shortly after LSU won the championship in 2004.
So the nay-sayers need to find a new bone to chew, this one's all used up...
A) My friends are from Bama and they'd yell at me
B) It's about as pointless as the Favre debate. We'll know when we know, you know?
C) It's more of a circus than P.T. Barnum ever had
among other reasons, but a lot of the recent talk about Saban and the contract he was offered is about how he'll be the highest paid coach in college football.
A tidbit I'd forgotten, until Todd brought it up here, is that Saban was already the highest paid coach in all of college football - in 2005.
His contract allowed that if he were to win a national championship, his salary would top the highest paid coach's by $1. There was much talk about this "funny" clause shortly after LSU won the championship in 2004.
So the nay-sayers need to find a new bone to chew, this one's all used up...
Finally, some respect
A kindly commenter left this link in an earlier post, but I'm bumping it up to the main event because I think it's worth a read...
from the Daytona Beach News-Journal
from the Daytona Beach News-Journal
ORLANDO -- The Big Ten Conference is slow. The Southeastern Conference has faster athletes.
The SEC is the toughest conference in the country. Wisconsin hasn't played anybody.
Scoring is tough in the SEC because teams have so much speed on defense.
The Wisconsin Badgers had heard all of the above and more, not only this season as they prepped to play SEC runner-up Arkansas in Monday's Capital One Bowl, but last year before whipping Auburn 24-10 at the Florida Citrus Bowl in the New Year's Day bowl game.
Well guess what? They play defense in the Big Ten, too.
I don't know how many times Heisman runner-up Darren McFadden was tracked down from behind and tackled while sprinting toward the end zone this season in the SEC. But Badgers cornerback Jack Ikegwuonu did just that when he closed a gap and took down the Razorbacks tailback at the 9-yard line after a 45-yard rush down the middle of the field.
That tackle on the opening possession of the game proved even bigger when Wisconsin's defense held and Arkansas kicker Jeremy Davis missed a 30-yard field goal attempt. That was a big difference in Wisconsin's 17-14 victory over Arkansas.
"Maybe he's an SEC player playing in the Big Ten," Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema quipped about Ikegwuonu's speed. "I know that McFadden is a very fast football player. For Jack Ikegwuonu to track him down, pull him down, and then for us to put ourselves in position to have success and have them miss the field goal -- that one play changed the whole landscape of this game."
It certainly was a huge factor in the outcome of Wisconsin's school-record 12th win of the season. The Badgers' only loss: a 27-13 setback at Michigan.
"They think we're slow," exclaimed senior defensive lineman Joe Monty in an on-field celebration. "We just beat the fastest team in the SEC."
GO BIG TEN
The Badgers had heard many pro-SEC pundits during the Florida-or-Michigan BCS controversy and they heard all they cared to hear about SEC supremacy. Maybe the Big Ten's third straight Capital One Bowl win over the SEC will calm that chatter a bit. Bielema, Wisconsin's first-year head coach, even used a clip from an Arkansas television station that belittled the Badgers' accomplishments to motivate his team.
"I'm just so tired of hearing that stuff," said Wisconsin quarterback John Stocco, who was named the game's most valuable player for his two TD passes and ability to avoid Arkansas' fierce pass rush. "You hear it every year. We go out and beat Auburn last year and everyone says they didn't come out to play."
We didn't need to beat this team to validate to us that we're a great team. We knew we could beat these guys. We're not worried about what people say because they're probably going to keep on saying the same things."
Not only were the Badgers happy to win here, but during the game some of the players had happily taken note of Penn State's 20-10 win over Tennessee at the Outback Bowl in Tampa.
An Ohio State victory over Florida in the BCS National Championship game will make the Big Ten 3-0 vs. the SEC this bowl season.
RESPECT
Wisconsin had to earn its way up through the rankings and still their 11-1 regular-season record was only good enough for the seventh spot in the BCS poll. As for individual honors, only senior offensive lineman Joe Thomas made an overall All-America team. That is, if you don't count Bucky Badger -- the university's mascot who was named to the Capital One All-America Mascot Team.
But after beating an SEC team, the question is will Wisconsin move up a spot or more in the final polls?
"I think we should be moving up in the polls because we won," Thomas said.
Especially after beating the runner-up from the almighty SEC.
Monday, January 01, 2007
Bits on the Capital One Bowl
This is going to be quick....
We were fairly unprepared for the two running backs for about the first 10 minutes of the game, but did an absolutely amazing job of adjusting. Other than the three big runs in the beginning of the game, Arkansas was unable to get their banner running game going.
Biggest play of the game was Ken DeBauche's absolute heads-up handling of the blocked punt. He could have tried to punt it again, which would have left Arkansas with great field position. Instead, he threw a pass (not a bad one at that) and received a measly 5 yard penalty and a re-kick. Forget John Stocco, I think that play right there should have made DeBauche the MVP. The play absolutely had an effect on the tone and momentum of the game.
The biggest thing I took away from this game was the dichotomy of what happened when each team's running game was shut down. Both Wisconsin and Arkansas relied heavily on star running backs to carry them through this season. When Wisconsin frustrated the Arkansas backs and kept them in check, Arkansas' game was over. When Stocco was continuously getting pressure and getting sacked and P.J. Hill couldn't gain more than a yard at a time, Wisconsin was able to take to the air and make some plays and they made all the difference in the game.
Arkansas' two QB's and the Wildcat formation failed to produce any sort of passing game, effectively eliminating Arkansas from the game. McFadden threw for 3TDs out of the Wildcat this season, but never even looked to pass this game. Neither Dick or Mustain could manage anything through the air.
If nothing else, I think Wisconsin proved that they could handle a hyped team, with a Heisman candidate. It took us a bit to get used to the Wildcat and to watching for both backs, but we did get into a groove and neither of the backs were able to go for long gains after that. A great job of coaching and preparing by Bielema and the staff...
That and our field goal kicker absolutely showing-up theirs!
Some thoughts on today's game....
"Congrats to Bret Bielema and Wisconsin for a quality win against Arkansas. Bielema's 12-1 finish in his first year as a head coach is a remarkable feat. Arkansas had a good year; it's always tough when you lost your last three games, but LSU, Florida and Wisconsin will all finish in the top five or six in the final poll. Quarterback John Stocco had a good passing game in the first half, especially with the pressure the Hogs were putting on him. The Razorbacks lost a little steam early in the game when McFadden was tackled on a long run and they missed a field-goal opportunity that would have given them the lead. Both teams did a good job tackling and containing the run game. Arkansas had too many penalties, and both teams had a number of turnovers. Wisconsin did a good job of getting a head start on Arkansas and played smart football.-- Jim Donnan"
ESPN's recap here
SI's recap here
We were fairly unprepared for the two running backs for about the first 10 minutes of the game, but did an absolutely amazing job of adjusting. Other than the three big runs in the beginning of the game, Arkansas was unable to get their banner running game going.
Biggest play of the game was Ken DeBauche's absolute heads-up handling of the blocked punt. He could have tried to punt it again, which would have left Arkansas with great field position. Instead, he threw a pass (not a bad one at that) and received a measly 5 yard penalty and a re-kick. Forget John Stocco, I think that play right there should have made DeBauche the MVP. The play absolutely had an effect on the tone and momentum of the game.
The biggest thing I took away from this game was the dichotomy of what happened when each team's running game was shut down. Both Wisconsin and Arkansas relied heavily on star running backs to carry them through this season. When Wisconsin frustrated the Arkansas backs and kept them in check, Arkansas' game was over. When Stocco was continuously getting pressure and getting sacked and P.J. Hill couldn't gain more than a yard at a time, Wisconsin was able to take to the air and make some plays and they made all the difference in the game.
Arkansas' two QB's and the Wildcat formation failed to produce any sort of passing game, effectively eliminating Arkansas from the game. McFadden threw for 3TDs out of the Wildcat this season, but never even looked to pass this game. Neither Dick or Mustain could manage anything through the air.
If nothing else, I think Wisconsin proved that they could handle a hyped team, with a Heisman candidate. It took us a bit to get used to the Wildcat and to watching for both backs, but we did get into a groove and neither of the backs were able to go for long gains after that. A great job of coaching and preparing by Bielema and the staff...
That and our field goal kicker absolutely showing-up theirs!
Some thoughts on today's game....
"Congrats to Bret Bielema and Wisconsin for a quality win against Arkansas. Bielema's 12-1 finish in his first year as a head coach is a remarkable feat. Arkansas had a good year; it's always tough when you lost your last three games, but LSU, Florida and Wisconsin will all finish in the top five or six in the final poll. Quarterback John Stocco had a good passing game in the first half, especially with the pressure the Hogs were putting on him. The Razorbacks lost a little steam early in the game when McFadden was tackled on a long run and they missed a field-goal opportunity that would have given them the lead. Both teams did a good job tackling and containing the run game. Arkansas had too many penalties, and both teams had a number of turnovers. Wisconsin did a good job of getting a head start on Arkansas and played smart football.-- Jim Donnan"
ESPN's recap here
SI's recap here
Do it again Sam: Brett Favre, will he or won't he?
A fabulous sense of Deja Vu has settled over the Cute Sports house as the state of Wisconsin's football season has officially ended and we now move into the ever present off-season question of whether or not Favre will retire.
ESPN.com is already all over this story, with two separate articles having been published on the subject today.
Gene Wojciechowski says that he thinks Favre's tears in last night's post-game interview mean Favre is walking away.
In another article, Aaron Rodgers and William Henderson both said they think Brett's coming back.
I refuse to get into the will he/won't he debate because it stretched on for entirely to long last year. I'll say this once that I think he'll come back because he needs just one decent season to make a whole lot of records and I do think that Favre is nothing if not conscious of his legacy.
There were clearly signs for both camps last night and so I think it's fairly worthless to try and read anything into any of last night's actions.
That being said, I'm afraid Aaron Rodgers is a creampuff in the Matt Leinart vein, so I guess I'm hoping for a Favre return because I just really don't like our other options. If not, come on Ingle Martin!!!
ESPN.com is already all over this story, with two separate articles having been published on the subject today.
Gene Wojciechowski says that he thinks Favre's tears in last night's post-game interview mean Favre is walking away.
In another article, Aaron Rodgers and William Henderson both said they think Brett's coming back.
I refuse to get into the will he/won't he debate because it stretched on for entirely to long last year. I'll say this once that I think he'll come back because he needs just one decent season to make a whole lot of records and I do think that Favre is nothing if not conscious of his legacy.
There were clearly signs for both camps last night and so I think it's fairly worthless to try and read anything into any of last night's actions.
That being said, I'm afraid Aaron Rodgers is a creampuff in the Matt Leinart vein, so I guess I'm hoping for a Favre return because I just really don't like our other options. If not, come on Ingle Martin!!!
Oh Rexy, You're so Sexy!
I'm fairly certain I'm one of about 17 people who actually gave up their New Year's to watch last night's Packers/ Bears game, but it was absolutely worth it.
Not only did the Pack outplay the Bears, but they made them look a little silly. We were one big play from the game ending with the exact same final score our first game of the season ended, 26-0, only with us on the winning end.
Say what you will about the Bears not caring about last night's game - they were there to win, same as we were.
And, embarrassingly, Rex Grossman had to be benched in favor of Brian Griese after a first half worse than any other QB had played this season. Of all the Bears, Grossman most needed last night's tune-up and Lovie couldn't bear to leave him in.
One extremely interesting stat stood out during last night's game. Rex Grossman is tied for the most games played this year where his passer rating was over 100. He also holds the record this season for most games played where his passer rating was below 40.
Not exactly the awe-inspiring beacon of strength and consistency you want leading your team. If the Bears don't make the SuperBowl, Rex Grossman is absolutely to blame.
Not only did the Pack outplay the Bears, but they made them look a little silly. We were one big play from the game ending with the exact same final score our first game of the season ended, 26-0, only with us on the winning end.
Say what you will about the Bears not caring about last night's game - they were there to win, same as we were.
And, embarrassingly, Rex Grossman had to be benched in favor of Brian Griese after a first half worse than any other QB had played this season. Of all the Bears, Grossman most needed last night's tune-up and Lovie couldn't bear to leave him in.
One extremely interesting stat stood out during last night's game. Rex Grossman is tied for the most games played this year where his passer rating was over 100. He also holds the record this season for most games played where his passer rating was below 40.
Not exactly the awe-inspiring beacon of strength and consistency you want leading your team. If the Bears don't make the SuperBowl, Rex Grossman is absolutely to blame.
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Capital One Bowl
Tomorrow's matchup between Wisconsin and Arkansas could prove to be an interesting one. Wisconsin managed to hold two good run teams to minimum yardage (Michigan and Penn State)
Despite being a theif, Jack Ikegwuonu has proved himself at DB. Joe Thomas should give the Arkansas Dline fits and allow P.J. Hill room to run. We shall have to wait and see whick McFadden shows up to play. UW also needs to remember that the Hogs have used McFadden as an effective QB (3 passing TDs) as well as a receiver. Stopping the run game isn't the only thing we need to watch out for.
Part of me feels like we should be nervous for this game, but I'm just not there yet. I was much more nervous about the Auburn team we meet last year. At the time, I feel Wisconsin was a weaker team than the one that will hit the field tomorrow and Auburn and Kenny Irons were a better team then the Hogs we're supposed to see tomorrow.
That being said, I'm not looking past this game. As with the rest of the season, special teams will play a big part in the game. If we can't get our guys to hold on to the ball or provide some decent coverage, Arkansas could be starting with crazy good field position all day long. I know we can win this game if we keep them on a long field, but putting our defense on the field over and over and giving McFadden short yardage to go could prove to make things very difficult for the Badgers.
Finally, I'm super excited to see Arkansas punter Jacob Skinner as much as humanly possible during tomorrow's game. Not only will it mean that we're holding their offense, but I can't get enough of that kid's yoga/martial arts/whatever you want to call it lining up. Makes me happy!
Some of the salient points of the bowls picks:
ESPN.com - Arkansas 24, Wisconsin 20
"Interesting matchup of the nation's best sophomore running back (Razorbacks' Darren McFadden) against the nation's best freshman running back (Badgers' P.J. Hill). Hogs are in trouble if they have to throw, but Wisconsin remains an unconvincing 11-1."
SI.com - Wisconsin 24, Arkansas 21 This is a huge write-up and well worth the full read.
"While Arkansas is a known commodity -- a big-game-tested, run-happy power from the nation's toughest conference -- the jury is still out on Wisconsin. The Badgers finished 11-1 but played only one ranked team, Michigan (losing 27-17), and coasted through a non-conference cakewalk of Bowling Green, Western Illinois, San Diego State and Buffalo. Will Wisconsin not be ready for prime time, or will it deliver an inspired performance to prove its doubters wrong? I favor the latter. The Capital One is more of a consolation prize for the Razorbacks, who had the Sugar Bowl in their clutches, whereas for the Badgers, it's their one and only chance to validate their status among the national elite."
Stewart Mandel - Wisconsin 30, Arkansas 28
Despite being a theif, Jack Ikegwuonu has proved himself at DB. Joe Thomas should give the Arkansas Dline fits and allow P.J. Hill room to run. We shall have to wait and see whick McFadden shows up to play. UW also needs to remember that the Hogs have used McFadden as an effective QB (3 passing TDs) as well as a receiver. Stopping the run game isn't the only thing we need to watch out for.
Part of me feels like we should be nervous for this game, but I'm just not there yet. I was much more nervous about the Auburn team we meet last year. At the time, I feel Wisconsin was a weaker team than the one that will hit the field tomorrow and Auburn and Kenny Irons were a better team then the Hogs we're supposed to see tomorrow.
That being said, I'm not looking past this game. As with the rest of the season, special teams will play a big part in the game. If we can't get our guys to hold on to the ball or provide some decent coverage, Arkansas could be starting with crazy good field position all day long. I know we can win this game if we keep them on a long field, but putting our defense on the field over and over and giving McFadden short yardage to go could prove to make things very difficult for the Badgers.
Finally, I'm super excited to see Arkansas punter Jacob Skinner as much as humanly possible during tomorrow's game. Not only will it mean that we're holding their offense, but I can't get enough of that kid's yoga/martial arts/whatever you want to call it lining up. Makes me happy!
Some of the salient points of the bowls picks:
ESPN.com - Arkansas 24, Wisconsin 20
"Interesting matchup of the nation's best sophomore running back (Razorbacks' Darren McFadden) against the nation's best freshman running back (Badgers' P.J. Hill). Hogs are in trouble if they have to throw, but Wisconsin remains an unconvincing 11-1."
SI.com - Wisconsin 24, Arkansas 21 This is a huge write-up and well worth the full read.
"While Arkansas is a known commodity -- a big-game-tested, run-happy power from the nation's toughest conference -- the jury is still out on Wisconsin. The Badgers finished 11-1 but played only one ranked team, Michigan (losing 27-17), and coasted through a non-conference cakewalk of Bowling Green, Western Illinois, San Diego State and Buffalo. Will Wisconsin not be ready for prime time, or will it deliver an inspired performance to prove its doubters wrong? I favor the latter. The Capital One is more of a consolation prize for the Razorbacks, who had the Sugar Bowl in their clutches, whereas for the Badgers, it's their one and only chance to validate their status among the national elite."
Stewart Mandel - Wisconsin 30, Arkansas 28
"Bret Bielema was an accomplished defensive coordinator at Kansas State and Wisconsin. The 36-year-old had the smarts to lead his team to an 11-1 record in his first season as a head coach. He's probably figured this out by now, but just in case, a helpful hint: MAKE ARKANSAS PASS."
SI On Campus - Arkansas
Scout.com - multiple people pick, the number next to the pick is their confidence level. The higher the number, the more confidence they have
CBSSportsline.com has a chart, with 3 of 5, including the computer, picking Wisconsin
SI On Campus - Arkansas
Scout.com - multiple people pick, the number next to the pick is their confidence level. The higher the number, the more confidence they have
UW (21) | AR (3) | UW (22) | AR (6) | UW (7) | |
CBSSportsline.com has a chart, with 3 of 5, including the computer, picking Wisconsin
JaMarcus Russell - legitimate QB
This is a pretty nice writeup from espn.com about JaMarcus Russell and his rising stock. Basically, a good performance in the Sugar Bowl could mean he'll be the #2 QB taken (Before Heisman Winner Troy Smith) - IF he decides to come out early
From infant to toddler
Or Happy First Birthday Cute Sports!
I'm actually two days late on this. I was all on the ball with this a week or so ago, right when I got the computer and I was ready and waiting to make my one year post.
Now I totally fell behind. How bad is it when you forget your own birthday?!
But seriously, it's been a year since I started this thing and I'm not sure exactly what it is I have to show for it. I guess, technically, it turned into a paying gig, since I'm now doing the exact same thing for a local newspaper's website.
Frankly, I never really imagined anyone would read any of my ramblings and despite the fact that my content is predominately about Wisconsin sports, most of my readers reside in Alabama....
But there you go, Cute Sports is a whole year old. Here's hoping we pick up some readers and some notice in '07.
If not that, let's hope the Packers try to suck less, the Badger basketball team continues their stellar run this season, the football team is able to hold on to P.J. Hill, attempt to replace John Stocco and Joe Thomas, and basically prove to everyone that this season was no fluke of scheduling. May Marquette quietly climb their way back up the standings and cement their place among Big East elite.
And may I find a job that relates to writing or sports in some way, shape, or form....
Happy New Year everyone. Have fun, watch lots of football and be safe.
I'm actually two days late on this. I was all on the ball with this a week or so ago, right when I got the computer and I was ready and waiting to make my one year post.
Now I totally fell behind. How bad is it when you forget your own birthday?!
But seriously, it's been a year since I started this thing and I'm not sure exactly what it is I have to show for it. I guess, technically, it turned into a paying gig, since I'm now doing the exact same thing for a local newspaper's website.
Frankly, I never really imagined anyone would read any of my ramblings and despite the fact that my content is predominately about Wisconsin sports, most of my readers reside in Alabama....
But there you go, Cute Sports is a whole year old. Here's hoping we pick up some readers and some notice in '07.
If not that, let's hope the Packers try to suck less, the Badger basketball team continues their stellar run this season, the football team is able to hold on to P.J. Hill, attempt to replace John Stocco and Joe Thomas, and basically prove to everyone that this season was no fluke of scheduling. May Marquette quietly climb their way back up the standings and cement their place among Big East elite.
And may I find a job that relates to writing or sports in some way, shape, or form....
Happy New Year everyone. Have fun, watch lots of football and be safe.
Friday, December 29, 2006
Sportsmoron of the year
The sports world never fails to bring us a nice share of idiots, dolts, morons, boneheads and dumb asses and this year was no different ....
There were the repeat offenders (calling T.O. and Mike Tyson) and new tidbits to keep us shaking our heads...
So who was the Sportsmoron of the Year?
Was it T.O. and his absolutely inept PR team for the was-it-or-wasn't-it- suicide/pill overdose?
Was it the media for the absolute overkill of Barbaro injury updates?
Was it Zinedine Zidane's headbutt of Marco Materazzi that was as unbelievable and inexplicable as it was over-the-top? Remember that this was Zidane's last ever International match. (click here for video)
What about Mike Tyson? The reasons are too numerous to mention, but we can always go with the latest arrest for DUI and felony cocaine possession in which he openly admitted he's an addict.
What about the disgruntled backup punter at Northern Colorado who stabbed the starter? (and how desperate must you be to need to stab someone to be the starter and NORTHERN COLORADO?)
What about OHCO CINCO himself, Chad Johnson and his many, many hijinks?
What about Ben Roethlisberger, with the motorcycle accident, the appendicitis and the concussions?
Could it be the Houston Texans for passing on Reggie Bush and taking Mario Williams instead?.
Now I know next to nothing about the NBA, but even I know naming Isiah Thomas as head coach is a bad idea.
Finally, a homer pick, but I'd be remiss not to put the BCS on this list, for their ridiculous rules and once again having a controversy over that NC game, not to mention Wisconsin being shafted and Notre Dame getting the Sugar Bowl. It's never good when everyone's anticipating the Rose Bowl more than the NC.
So what do we think, who wins the title of Sportsmoron of the Year?
(and did I leave any deserving folks off the list?)
There were the repeat offenders (calling T.O. and Mike Tyson) and new tidbits to keep us shaking our heads...
So who was the Sportsmoron of the Year?
Was it T.O. and his absolutely inept PR team for the was-it-or-wasn't-it- suicide/pill overdose?
Was it the media for the absolute overkill of Barbaro injury updates?
Was it Zinedine Zidane's headbutt of Marco Materazzi that was as unbelievable and inexplicable as it was over-the-top? Remember that this was Zidane's last ever International match. (click here for video)
What about Mike Tyson? The reasons are too numerous to mention, but we can always go with the latest arrest for DUI and felony cocaine possession in which he openly admitted he's an addict.
What about the disgruntled backup punter at Northern Colorado who stabbed the starter? (and how desperate must you be to need to stab someone to be the starter and NORTHERN COLORADO?)
What about OHCO CINCO himself, Chad Johnson and his many, many hijinks?
What about Ben Roethlisberger, with the motorcycle accident, the appendicitis and the concussions?
Could it be the Houston Texans for passing on Reggie Bush and taking Mario Williams instead?.
Now I know next to nothing about the NBA, but even I know naming Isiah Thomas as head coach is a bad idea.
Finally, a homer pick, but I'd be remiss not to put the BCS on this list, for their ridiculous rules and once again having a controversy over that NC game, not to mention Wisconsin being shafted and Notre Dame getting the Sugar Bowl. It's never good when everyone's anticipating the Rose Bowl more than the NC.
So what do we think, who wins the title of Sportsmoron of the Year?
(and did I leave any deserving folks off the list?)
Badger Hockey back in action..
This weekend the Badgers host the Badger Hockey showdown. The four team tournament features #15 Clarkson, #18 Lake Superior State and Providence. At first glance of those teams, you'd think it's a puff tournament, but with both Clarkson and LSS being ranked, this is no easy skate.
Add to that Badgers Jake Skille, Blake Geoffrion and Jaime McBain will be off representing Team USA at the 2007 IIHF World Junior Championship in Sweden, and we're talking no easy feat for the Badgers to take the crown at the our tournament, as they usually do.
The thing with these holiday tournaments these days is that any team worth their mettle hosts their own tournament, thus vastly narrowing the competitive pool. The Badger Hockey Showdown used to be fairly big and it used to take place in Milwaukee. I actually went to the Showdown once or twice in high school, when I knew nothing about hockey, just because it was a big deal and it was when we were out of school.
The tournament's back in Madison now and rarely features any recognizable hockey powerhouses. In fact, I'd call it a cakewalk most years, but clearly this year could be (embarrassingly) different.
Add to that Badgers Jake Skille, Blake Geoffrion and Jaime McBain will be off representing Team USA at the 2007 IIHF World Junior Championship in Sweden, and we're talking no easy feat for the Badgers to take the crown at the our tournament, as they usually do.
The thing with these holiday tournaments these days is that any team worth their mettle hosts their own tournament, thus vastly narrowing the competitive pool. The Badger Hockey Showdown used to be fairly big and it used to take place in Milwaukee. I actually went to the Showdown once or twice in high school, when I knew nothing about hockey, just because it was a big deal and it was when we were out of school.
The tournament's back in Madison now and rarely features any recognizable hockey powerhouses. In fact, I'd call it a cakewalk most years, but clearly this year could be (embarrassingly) different.
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Packer Playoff Picture
First things first, if you haven't heard, your New Year's Eve plans have gone down the tubes since the Packers kickoff time has been pushed from noon to 7:15 pm CST.
Secondly, the playoff scenario is actually clearer than it was a few days ago, but still pretty complicated. The official word from the NFL says:
1. Packers victory PLUS Giants victory PLUS GB clinches strength of victory tiebreaker over NYG
2. Packers victory PLUS Giants loss or tie PLUS Rams loss or tie
3. Packers victory PLUS Giants loss or tie PLUS Panthers victory
4. Packers victory PLUS Giants loss or tie PLUS Falcons victory
5. Packers tie PLUS Giants loss PLUS Rams loss PLUS Falcons loss or tie PLUS Panthers loss or tie
Now, the trickiest part is the tie breaker that comes into play with the Giants. According to the NFL, ALL of the following have to occur in order to clinch the tiebreaker:
Arizona wins at San Diego
Detroit wins at Dallas
Miami wins at Indianapolis
Minnesota beats St. Louis
San Francisco wins at Denver
Carolina loses at New Orleans
Houston loses to Cleveland
Tampa Bay loses to Seattle
Secondly, the playoff scenario is actually clearer than it was a few days ago, but still pretty complicated. The official word from the NFL says:
1. Packers victory PLUS Giants victory PLUS GB clinches strength of victory tiebreaker over NYG
2. Packers victory PLUS Giants loss or tie PLUS Rams loss or tie
3. Packers victory PLUS Giants loss or tie PLUS Panthers victory
4. Packers victory PLUS Giants loss or tie PLUS Falcons victory
5. Packers tie PLUS Giants loss PLUS Rams loss PLUS Falcons loss or tie PLUS Panthers loss or tie
Now, the trickiest part is the tie breaker that comes into play with the Giants. According to the NFL, ALL of the following have to occur in order to clinch the tiebreaker:
Arizona wins at San Diego
Detroit wins at Dallas
Miami wins at Indianapolis
Minnesota beats St. Louis
San Francisco wins at Denver
Carolina loses at New Orleans
Houston loses to Cleveland
Tampa Bay loses to Seattle
Christmas goodies
Let's see, other than the fabulousness of the new computer, Christmas was pretty chill and only moderately sports related ....
A couple of DVD's, the best being:
Also, The Devil Wears Prada and the Disney animated version of Robin Hood, Pirates of the Caribbean 2, Capote and March of the Penguins
A Marquette sweatshirt, University of Wisconsin flip flops and UW crocs.
A couple of DVD's, the best being:
Also, The Devil Wears Prada and the Disney animated version of Robin Hood, Pirates of the Caribbean 2, Capote and March of the Penguins
A Marquette sweatshirt, University of Wisconsin flip flops and UW crocs.
Monday, December 25, 2006
Mini Mexico may see time against the Jets Monday night
It appears Nick Saban and the Dolphins have officially hit rock bottom, as it's being reported that Marcus Vick is scheduled to see some time at WR Monday night.
Felicitaciones Mini Mexico!
Felicitaciones Mini Mexico!
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Brewers reach agreement with Jeff Suppan
Merry Christmas Brewers fans...
from jsonline.com
The Brewers reached agreement Sunday with Suppan, a free-agent right-hander, on a four-year deal plus a club option. Terms of the deal were not announced but a source told the Journal Sentinel it guaranteed Suppan $42 million.
Suppan, who will be 32 on Jan. 2, has to pass a physical later in the week for the deal to be official but that is not expected to be a problem for the workhorse pitcher.
The deal is the largest in club history, surpassing the four-year, $38.5 million contract extension the Brewers gave right-hander Ben Sheets in the spring of 2005.
from jsonline.com
Brewers reach agreement with Suppan
Christmas came a day early for the Milwaukee Brewers and Jeff Suppan.The Brewers reached agreement Sunday with Suppan, a free-agent right-hander, on a four-year deal plus a club option. Terms of the deal were not announced but a source told the Journal Sentinel it guaranteed Suppan $42 million.
Suppan, who will be 32 on Jan. 2, has to pass a physical later in the week for the deal to be official but that is not expected to be a problem for the workhorse pitcher.
The deal is the largest in club history, surpassing the four-year, $38.5 million contract extension the Brewers gave right-hander Ben Sheets in the spring of 2005.
Have a very Houndie Christmas!
Since I'm a hound slave, I thought I'd pass on some houndie Christmas love
Merry Christmas, ya'll.
the Cute Sports clan celebrates Christmas today, so I'll be off family-ing it up. Hope everyone has a great holiday, no matter what you celebrate!
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Really late post about Packers vs. Vikings 12/21/06
Since I just got the computer yesterday, I have been remiss in my posting about the Packer game that most of you didn't see on Thursday night because it was on the NFL Network.
First off, let me just say that you didn't miss much, since the final score was Packers 9, Vikings 7.
That's not to say that the Packers didn't far out-gain the Vikings, but more that we failed to capitalize in the Red Zone - at all!
Sloppy, wet conditions led to kicker Dave Rayner (a rookie) slid and fell on one attempt and knocked one off the goalpost on another attempt.
There was that one TD, but Bubba Franks, who had a nightmare of a game, was called for holding and the Ahman Green run was called back. Earlier in the game, Franks fumbled the ball at the 1/2 yard line.
Basically, Bubba Franks should be buying Dave Rayner a new house, a new car and steak dinners for life for making sure the Franks didn't hand away Thursday's game.
First off, let me just say that you didn't miss much, since the final score was Packers 9, Vikings 7.
That's not to say that the Packers didn't far out-gain the Vikings, but more that we failed to capitalize in the Red Zone - at all!
Sloppy, wet conditions led to kicker Dave Rayner (a rookie) slid and fell on one attempt and knocked one off the goalpost on another attempt.
There was that one TD, but Bubba Franks, who had a nightmare of a game, was called for holding and the Ahman Green run was called back. Earlier in the game, Franks fumbled the ball at the 1/2 yard line.
Basically, Bubba Franks should be buying Dave Rayner a new house, a new car and steak dinners for life for making sure the Franks didn't hand away Thursday's game.
We have liftoff.
I'm finally out of the dark ages and have a nice shiny new computer sitting here. So I will welcome myself back and I promise to actually post things now!
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Brewers confirm they've made an offer for Suppan
from jsonline.com reports:
Milwaukee Brewers general manager Doug Melvin confirmed this morning that he made a four-year offer to free-agent pitcher Jeff Suppan during a meeting earlier in the week in Los Angeles with Suppan and his agent, Scott Leventhal.
That meeting was held at the home of Brewers owner Mark Attanasio, who took part in the discussions.
Melvin wouldn't reveal details of the Brewers' offer but based on the market for free-agent pitchers this winter, it probably included yearly salaries in the $10 million neighborhood.
"I feel good about our offer," said Melvin. "I'm not saying we'll get him but I feel we made a competitive offer. We'll wait to hear back from them."
Melvin, manager Ned Yost and Attanasio met for five hours Tuesday with Suppan and Leventhal at Attanasio's house in Los Angeles. Melvin then had lunch with Leventhal on Wednesday to finalize the club's offer.
"We had a good meeting," said Melvin. "Mark, Ned and I got to know Jeff a little bit. We had dinner and everything went well."
Melvin tried to convince Leventhal and Suppan that the Brewers are focused exclusively on signing the 31-year-old right-hander who pitched for St. Louis the past three seasons. Leventhal and Suppan also met with a contingent from the New York Mets, who are trying to sign left-hander Barry Zito, considered the top pitcher on the free agent market.Suppan is believed to be Plan B for the Mets if they do not sign Zito.
Melvin said he hopes to hear back from Leventhal on Friday with a response to the club's offer. But Melvin conceded that Leventhal might wait until Zito signs, which would leave Suppan as the top pitcher on the market.
"That's probably what will happen," said Melvin. "We can't do anything about that. All we can do is make what we feel is a legitimate offer and take care of things from our end."
Suppan went 12-7 with a 4.12 ERA in 32 starts for St. Louis last season. He was named most valuable player of the NLCS after holding the Mets to one run in 15 innings in his two starts.
...
A source familiar with the negotiations confirmed Wednesday night that Milwaukee Brewers owner Mark Attanasio and club officials met Tuesday in Los Angeles with Scott Leventhal, the representative for free agent pitcher Jeff Suppan.
Neither Attanasio, who lives and works in Los Angeles, nor general manager Doug Melvin was available for comment Wednesday night. Tyler Barnes, the club's vice president for communications, said he could not comment on whether the meeting took place.
Melvin, who originally stated his interest in Suppan last week, said on Monday he was contemplating putting an offer together for Suppan, a veteran right-hander who pitched the past three seasons for the St. Louis Cardinals.
The fact that Attanasio took part in the meeting with Leventhal indicates the Brewers are serious about signing Suppan. In all likelihood, the club made its initial offer at that meeting.
ESPN.com reported that Suppan has two four-year offers on the table - one from the Brewers and another from an undisclosed club. That club could be Pittsburgh, which has stated strong interest in Suppan, but the San Francisco Giants, Houston Astros, Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Royals and New York Mets also are in the picture.
ESPN.com also reported that Levanthal met in Southern California with a front-office contingent from the Mets. That group included team president Jeff Wilpon and general manager Omar Minaya.
The Mets' contingent originally traveled to California to meet with Scott Boras, the representative for left-hander Barry Zito, considered the top free agent pitcher on the market. The Mets are making a strong push to sign Zito but apparently have interest in Suppan as Plan B.
Levanthal told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch last week he didn't think Suppan would sign until Zito strikes a deal, leaving Suppan as the top pitcher on the free agent market.
Suppan, who will be 32 on Jan. 2, was 12-7 with a 4.12 ERA in 32 starts for the Cardinals last season. He allowed one run in 15 innings in two starts against the Mets in the NLCS, including the decisive Game 7, and was named most valuable player in that series.
Leventhal did not return telephone messages but is believed to be seeking a deal for at least four years for Suppan. Taking into account contracts signed by free agent pitchers Gil Meche (five years, $55 million with Kansas City) and Ted Lilly (four years, $40 million with the Chicago Cubs), Suppan probably will command a yearly salary in the neighborhood of $10 million.
The Brewers have an open spot in their starting rotation behind Ben Sheets, Chris Capuano, Dave Bush and Claudio Vargas. Suppan compiled a 44-26 record over the past three years and has averaged 203 innings per season since 1999.
Melvin said in his early discussions with Leventhal that Suppan was receptive to coming to Milwaukee.
Milwaukee Brewers general manager Doug Melvin confirmed this morning that he made a four-year offer to free-agent pitcher Jeff Suppan during a meeting earlier in the week in Los Angeles with Suppan and his agent, Scott Leventhal.
That meeting was held at the home of Brewers owner Mark Attanasio, who took part in the discussions.
Melvin wouldn't reveal details of the Brewers' offer but based on the market for free-agent pitchers this winter, it probably included yearly salaries in the $10 million neighborhood.
"I feel good about our offer," said Melvin. "I'm not saying we'll get him but I feel we made a competitive offer. We'll wait to hear back from them."
Melvin, manager Ned Yost and Attanasio met for five hours Tuesday with Suppan and Leventhal at Attanasio's house in Los Angeles. Melvin then had lunch with Leventhal on Wednesday to finalize the club's offer.
"We had a good meeting," said Melvin. "Mark, Ned and I got to know Jeff a little bit. We had dinner and everything went well."
Melvin tried to convince Leventhal and Suppan that the Brewers are focused exclusively on signing the 31-year-old right-hander who pitched for St. Louis the past three seasons. Leventhal and Suppan also met with a contingent from the New York Mets, who are trying to sign left-hander Barry Zito, considered the top pitcher on the free agent market.Suppan is believed to be Plan B for the Mets if they do not sign Zito.
Melvin said he hopes to hear back from Leventhal on Friday with a response to the club's offer. But Melvin conceded that Leventhal might wait until Zito signs, which would leave Suppan as the top pitcher on the market.
"That's probably what will happen," said Melvin. "We can't do anything about that. All we can do is make what we feel is a legitimate offer and take care of things from our end."
Suppan went 12-7 with a 4.12 ERA in 32 starts for St. Louis last season. He was named most valuable player of the NLCS after holding the Mets to one run in 15 innings in his two starts.
...
A source familiar with the negotiations confirmed Wednesday night that Milwaukee Brewers owner Mark Attanasio and club officials met Tuesday in Los Angeles with Scott Leventhal, the representative for free agent pitcher Jeff Suppan.
Neither Attanasio, who lives and works in Los Angeles, nor general manager Doug Melvin was available for comment Wednesday night. Tyler Barnes, the club's vice president for communications, said he could not comment on whether the meeting took place.
Melvin, who originally stated his interest in Suppan last week, said on Monday he was contemplating putting an offer together for Suppan, a veteran right-hander who pitched the past three seasons for the St. Louis Cardinals.
The fact that Attanasio took part in the meeting with Leventhal indicates the Brewers are serious about signing Suppan. In all likelihood, the club made its initial offer at that meeting.
ESPN.com reported that Suppan has two four-year offers on the table - one from the Brewers and another from an undisclosed club. That club could be Pittsburgh, which has stated strong interest in Suppan, but the San Francisco Giants, Houston Astros, Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Royals and New York Mets also are in the picture.
ESPN.com also reported that Levanthal met in Southern California with a front-office contingent from the Mets. That group included team president Jeff Wilpon and general manager Omar Minaya.
The Mets' contingent originally traveled to California to meet with Scott Boras, the representative for left-hander Barry Zito, considered the top free agent pitcher on the market. The Mets are making a strong push to sign Zito but apparently have interest in Suppan as Plan B.
Levanthal told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch last week he didn't think Suppan would sign until Zito strikes a deal, leaving Suppan as the top pitcher on the free agent market.
Suppan, who will be 32 on Jan. 2, was 12-7 with a 4.12 ERA in 32 starts for the Cardinals last season. He allowed one run in 15 innings in two starts against the Mets in the NLCS, including the decisive Game 7, and was named most valuable player in that series.
Leventhal did not return telephone messages but is believed to be seeking a deal for at least four years for Suppan. Taking into account contracts signed by free agent pitchers Gil Meche (five years, $55 million with Kansas City) and Ted Lilly (four years, $40 million with the Chicago Cubs), Suppan probably will command a yearly salary in the neighborhood of $10 million.
The Brewers have an open spot in their starting rotation behind Ben Sheets, Chris Capuano, Dave Bush and Claudio Vargas. Suppan compiled a 44-26 record over the past three years and has averaged 203 innings per season since 1999.
Melvin said in his early discussions with Leventhal that Suppan was receptive to coming to Milwaukee.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Packers Offensive Coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski to become Boston College coach
from jsonline.com
Green Bay - Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski has been offered the head coaching job at the Boston College, and is expected to be announced as the team's head coach on Wednesday.The Boston Globe and Boston Herald both reported today that school sources indicated Jagodzinski was offered the job in the last 24 hours and the school was prepared to introduce him as successor to former Eagles coach Tom O'Brien.
Packers coach Mike McCarthy refused to confirm Jagodzinski was offered or had accepted the job. He said Jagodzinski was in the Packers' offices "all day" and would be there through the team's game Thursday night against Minnesota at Lambeau Field.
Jagodzinski, who worked on O'Brien's staff before becoming an NFL assistant with the Packers in 1999, interviewed for the position at BC last week. The other top candidate was Pittsburgh Steelers quarterbacks coach Mark Whipple, who also interviewed last week.
Jagodzinski has yet to make his committment to the school official, according to the two newspapers, but it appears it is just a formality. Neither Jagodzinski nor Packers coach Mike McCarthy were available for comment, but McCarthy has a news conference scheduled for 3:45 p.m.
If Jagodzinski leaves as expected, the Packers will be in the market for a new offensive coordinator who can continue to direct the zone blocking system Jagodzinski brought with him from the Atlanta Falcons. Jagodzinski is expected to finish out the season with the Packers, but if the team does make the playoffs he might have to take part in some recruiting calls.
Jagodzinski will also have to start assembling his staff. It's unlikely he'll take any full-time assistants from the Packers.It's unclear if McCarthy will promote from within for the offensive coordinator's position - possibly offensive line coach Joe Philbin -- or if he'll hire from outside. Philbin has experience in the zone-blocking system and has worked closely with Jagodzinski on its implementation in Green Bay.
Green Bay - Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski has been offered the head coaching job at the Boston College, and is expected to be announced as the team's head coach on Wednesday.The Boston Globe and Boston Herald both reported today that school sources indicated Jagodzinski was offered the job in the last 24 hours and the school was prepared to introduce him as successor to former Eagles coach Tom O'Brien.
Packers coach Mike McCarthy refused to confirm Jagodzinski was offered or had accepted the job. He said Jagodzinski was in the Packers' offices "all day" and would be there through the team's game Thursday night against Minnesota at Lambeau Field.
Jagodzinski, who worked on O'Brien's staff before becoming an NFL assistant with the Packers in 1999, interviewed for the position at BC last week. The other top candidate was Pittsburgh Steelers quarterbacks coach Mark Whipple, who also interviewed last week.
Jagodzinski has yet to make his committment to the school official, according to the two newspapers, but it appears it is just a formality. Neither Jagodzinski nor Packers coach Mike McCarthy were available for comment, but McCarthy has a news conference scheduled for 3:45 p.m.
If Jagodzinski leaves as expected, the Packers will be in the market for a new offensive coordinator who can continue to direct the zone blocking system Jagodzinski brought with him from the Atlanta Falcons. Jagodzinski is expected to finish out the season with the Packers, but if the team does make the playoffs he might have to take part in some recruiting calls.
Jagodzinski will also have to start assembling his staff. It's unlikely he'll take any full-time assistants from the Packers.It's unclear if McCarthy will promote from within for the offensive coordinator's position - possibly offensive line coach Joe Philbin -- or if he'll hire from outside. Philbin has experience in the zone-blocking system and has worked closely with Jagodzinski on its implementation in Green Bay.
Brewers trade Cirillo
I'm a bit late on this, but it was reported on the 11th that the Brewers traded Jeff Cirillo to the Minnesota Twins to open up some more room in the infield.
This article said that GM Doug Melvin told Cirillo that he couldn't guarantee how much actual playing time Rillo would receive.
Interesting because if he wasn't getting time on a mediocre team like the Brewers, I wonder what he'll do with the Twinkies.
In other Brewers news I missed, we did absolutely nothing at MLB meetings held at the Disney resorts earlier this month. This article reports: "We didn't necessarily get accomplished what we wanted to," said Melvin, who hoped to trade one or both of two outfielders, Kevin Mench and Geoff Jenkins, for starting pitching, before the meetings ended Thursday.
"But we got enough information to know what can and can't be done. I thought there would have been more activity but I think the problem is the free agency thing still dragged on."
This article said that GM Doug Melvin told Cirillo that he couldn't guarantee how much actual playing time Rillo would receive.
Interesting because if he wasn't getting time on a mediocre team like the Brewers, I wonder what he'll do with the Twinkies.
In other Brewers news I missed, we did absolutely nothing at MLB meetings held at the Disney resorts earlier this month. This article reports: "We didn't necessarily get accomplished what we wanted to," said Melvin, who hoped to trade one or both of two outfielders, Kevin Mench and Geoff Jenkins, for starting pitching, before the meetings ended Thursday.
"But we got enough information to know what can and can't be done. I thought there would have been more activity but I think the problem is the free agency thing still dragged on."
Badger Basketball garnering lots of attention
Check here to see Alando Tucker named Player of the Week and Brian Butch named Five You Should Know.
Wisconsin is named team of the week.
This is a College Basketball front page story and the intro blurb said "Despite a light schedule, last week offered a lot. But even with a 47-point game, Greg Oden's homecoming and Butler doing it again, nothing could keep Wisconsin from more top billing"
Way to go, guys!
Wisconsin is named team of the week.
This is a College Basketball front page story and the intro blurb said "Despite a light schedule, last week offered a lot. But even with a 47-point game, Greg Oden's homecoming and Butler doing it again, nothing could keep Wisconsin from more top billing"
Way to go, guys!
Capital Bowl "one to watch"
So I heard this on the radio this morning, but I couldn't find the link, so technically it's heresay.
But apparently MSNBC (clearly the foremost thought on College Football) broke down the whole bowl schedule into what to watch and what to merely have on as background noise, among others.
But, according to them, the top 5 bowls to watch this season are
1. The Rose Bowl - Michigan v. USC
2. The National Championship
3. The Hawaii Bowl - Hawaii v. Arizona State - likely to be a big shootout
4. The Fiesta Bowl - Oklahoma v. Boise State
5. The Capital One Bowl - Wisconsin v. Arkansas
At least we're getting some respect now.....
But apparently MSNBC (clearly the foremost thought on College Football) broke down the whole bowl schedule into what to watch and what to merely have on as background noise, among others.
But, according to them, the top 5 bowls to watch this season are
1. The Rose Bowl - Michigan v. USC
2. The National Championship
3. The Hawaii Bowl - Hawaii v. Arizona State - likely to be a big shootout
4. The Fiesta Bowl - Oklahoma v. Boise State
5. The Capital One Bowl - Wisconsin v. Arkansas
At least we're getting some respect now.....
Monday, December 18, 2006
#7 Wisconsin 89, #2 Pitt 75
In a span of a week, the Badgers rolled over Marquette, easily downed UWM and then schooled the number 2 team in the country in Pittsburgh.
Not a bad week's work.
Thanks to their efforts, the Badgers have reached their highest ever ranking, coming in at #4 in today's just released polls.
Alando Tucker and Brian Butch had career games and put up amazing numbers.
Tucker was 10-17 on FGs with 32 points and 10 rebounds. That performance is becoming normal for Tucker, but Brian Butch put up numbers we may never see from him again in his lifetime, scoring 27 points and nabbing 11 boards.
Kammron Taylor got hot in the second half, helping UW to pull comfortably away from a Pitt team that allowed a few streaks, but mostly kept the game close in the first half.
From jsonline.com:
"It was an across-the-board victory for Wisconsin, which led by as many as 18 points. The Badgers shot a higher percentage, especially from three-point range, where the Badgers were 8 for 16 (50%) and Pitt was 6 for 18 (33.3%). They out-rebounded Pittsburgh, 41-31. They got to the free-throw line a season-high 44 times, and with their 31 free throws made one more than the Panthers attempted. Wisconsin also posted more assists (14-12) and fewer turnovers (8-10)."
Not a bad week's work.
Thanks to their efforts, the Badgers have reached their highest ever ranking, coming in at #4 in today's just released polls.
Alando Tucker and Brian Butch had career games and put up amazing numbers.
Tucker was 10-17 on FGs with 32 points and 10 rebounds. That performance is becoming normal for Tucker, but Brian Butch put up numbers we may never see from him again in his lifetime, scoring 27 points and nabbing 11 boards.
Kammron Taylor got hot in the second half, helping UW to pull comfortably away from a Pitt team that allowed a few streaks, but mostly kept the game close in the first half.
From jsonline.com:
"It was an across-the-board victory for Wisconsin, which led by as many as 18 points. The Badgers shot a higher percentage, especially from three-point range, where the Badgers were 8 for 16 (50%) and Pitt was 6 for 18 (33.3%). They out-rebounded Pittsburgh, 41-31. They got to the free-throw line a season-high 44 times, and with their 31 free throws made one more than the Panthers attempted. Wisconsin also posted more assists (14-12) and fewer turnovers (8-10)."
A Packers comeback?
Ok, I'm the first to admit that this is a mediocre team at best. But I'm also the first to defend them around the office because, well, they suck a lot less than they did last year. A LOT LESS!
Plus, it's a young, young team. If they media hype is to be believed, we're already on our way back up and in a year or two, these young guys are taking this team somewhere. One or two years of down time is nothing. Do you all remember the 80s? Do you remember "The Magic Man" Don Majikowski?
So clearly I'm a Packer optimist.
But all during yesterday's game and the subsequent local newscasts, the Packer hype was unbearable.
Doncha know that all we have to do it win out to make it to the playoffs? (This is the part where they fail to mention that to win out we have to beat Minnesota and Chicago.)
Basically, I'm sayin' don't hold your breath. And also, I'm wondering why everyone is so keen on making the playoffs. Our first round loss would be embarassing and it's really just one more week in which key players could become seriously injured. I refuse to believe that anyone is enough of a crazy, homer, optmistic Packer fan that they think we could actually get somewhere in the playoffs. In which case, what's the point?
I feel like we should be happy with the season we pulled out. It's a big step up from lest season, which everyone is so quick to forget.
Last season at this time, Favre had thrown 10 more interceptions than he has this year.
People, this has been a successful season, relatively. Let's be happy with what we have, instead of risking Charles Woodson's shoulder, among other things, against some team that will walk all over us.
Plus, it's a young, young team. If they media hype is to be believed, we're already on our way back up and in a year or two, these young guys are taking this team somewhere. One or two years of down time is nothing. Do you all remember the 80s? Do you remember "The Magic Man" Don Majikowski?
So clearly I'm a Packer optimist.
But all during yesterday's game and the subsequent local newscasts, the Packer hype was unbearable.
Doncha know that all we have to do it win out to make it to the playoffs? (This is the part where they fail to mention that to win out we have to beat Minnesota and Chicago.)
Basically, I'm sayin' don't hold your breath. And also, I'm wondering why everyone is so keen on making the playoffs. Our first round loss would be embarassing and it's really just one more week in which key players could become seriously injured. I refuse to believe that anyone is enough of a crazy, homer, optmistic Packer fan that they think we could actually get somewhere in the playoffs. In which case, what's the point?
I feel like we should be happy with the season we pulled out. It's a big step up from lest season, which everyone is so quick to forget.
Last season at this time, Favre had thrown 10 more interceptions than he has this year.
People, this has been a successful season, relatively. Let's be happy with what we have, instead of risking Charles Woodson's shoulder, among other things, against some team that will walk all over us.
WHAT?!
Todd just said he heard Bret Bielema's name was being listed among the candidates for the Alabama job.
I know 784,687 people have been talked about for this job, but has anyone heard anything more about this rumor?
I know 784,687 people have been talked about for this job, but has anyone heard anything more about this rumor?
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Joe Thomas is the man
Last week he won the Outland Trophy as the nation's best interior lineman.
This week, he's named an AP All-American.
Congrats, Joe!
This week, he's named an AP All-American.
Congrats, Joe!
UW vs. UWM
Last night's game wasn't as much of a blood bath as I would have predicted, but a 19 point defeat is never a good thing.
It looks like young teams with a "just you wait" attitude are de rigeur around Wisconsin this year, as that's all the announcers could say about UWM last night. First the Packers, now the Panthers.
It will be interesting to see how the "new" UWM pans out. The team last year was still left over from Bruce Pearl. This new group are the guys that Rob Jeter recruited himself. It seems the next two years will really be setting the tone for his tenure and likely decide whether or not he has a tenure for very long.
I stopped paying complete attention to the game pretty early, so I'm not sure if the third and fourth stringers were in, but turnovers continued to be a big problem for UW. If they can't hold on to the ball against a 2-10 team, how are they going to fare this Saturday against #2 ranked Pitt?
It looks like young teams with a "just you wait" attitude are de rigeur around Wisconsin this year, as that's all the announcers could say about UWM last night. First the Packers, now the Panthers.
It will be interesting to see how the "new" UWM pans out. The team last year was still left over from Bruce Pearl. This new group are the guys that Rob Jeter recruited himself. It seems the next two years will really be setting the tone for his tenure and likely decide whether or not he has a tenure for very long.
I stopped paying complete attention to the game pretty early, so I'm not sure if the third and fourth stringers were in, but turnovers continued to be a big problem for UW. If they can't hold on to the ball against a 2-10 team, how are they going to fare this Saturday against #2 ranked Pitt?
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Drrrrty South Cute Sports
I've officially harkened back to my days living in the Deep South, as I now drive a pick-up truck similar to this one.
Monday, December 11, 2006
Marquette vs. Wisconsin
There's a lot I want to say about this and I don't have much time, so don't be surprised if there are more posts on this game.
In fact, today, let's just go with quick thoughts:
* Marquette's focus on stealing the ball and playing "playground" ball really gave UW fits. UW averages a high 9 turnovers a game - in Saturday's game, they had 9 turnovers at half.
*UW can pass the ball like no other team I've ever seen live. They were squeezing passes through tight spaces and created a bunch of points based purely on being able to get the ball to the guy on the post. I was extremely impressed.
*Neither team looked particularly good and they're both lucky that the other team played sub-par as well.
*In both the Marquette games I've been to, it has seemed like Marquette is getting good looks and the ball just refuses to fall. If this continues, I'll begin to wonder about the shots their taking, but for now, it just seems absolutely unlucky.
*The refs controlled entirely too much of the game. Fortunately for the teams, the players figured it out quickly and they took advantage and I don't think you can fault them for that. I applaud the refs for wanting to keep the players in check, but they took too much control. There were dives galore and bad calls all around.
In fact, today, let's just go with quick thoughts:
* Marquette's focus on stealing the ball and playing "playground" ball really gave UW fits. UW averages a high 9 turnovers a game - in Saturday's game, they had 9 turnovers at half.
*UW can pass the ball like no other team I've ever seen live. They were squeezing passes through tight spaces and created a bunch of points based purely on being able to get the ball to the guy on the post. I was extremely impressed.
*Neither team looked particularly good and they're both lucky that the other team played sub-par as well.
*In both the Marquette games I've been to, it has seemed like Marquette is getting good looks and the ball just refuses to fall. If this continues, I'll begin to wonder about the shots their taking, but for now, it just seems absolutely unlucky.
*The refs controlled entirely too much of the game. Fortunately for the teams, the players figured it out quickly and they took advantage and I don't think you can fault them for that. I applaud the refs for wanting to keep the players in check, but they took too much control. There were dives galore and bad calls all around.
Resurgent UW Men's Hockey team
This past weekend the Badgers swept the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux 4-3, 4-2. The sweep marks the first time in program that the Badgers swept the Sioux in Grand Forks in consecutive years.
Jake Dowell and Ross Carlson really stepped up on Saturday, scoring two goals apiece. Carlson also assissted each of Dowell's goals, giving him a four point night.
The games give the Badgers a three game winning streak heading into the semester/holiday break. The boys usually perform well in the oft-padded schedule that comes with the Badger Hockey Showdown, so we could looking at a team with a legitimate winning streak heading into the new year.
Jake Dowell and Ross Carlson really stepped up on Saturday, scoring two goals apiece. Carlson also assissted each of Dowell's goals, giving him a four point night.
The games give the Badgers a three game winning streak heading into the semester/holiday break. The boys usually perform well in the oft-padded schedule that comes with the Badger Hockey Showdown, so we could looking at a team with a legitimate winning streak heading into the new year.
CuteSports MIA
Ok, so my computer finally gave up the ghost. I'm going to try to do some posting from work, but I'm not sure how long I'll be able to that.
The most fabulous boyfriend(tm) has already let the cat out of the bag that he's getting me a computer for Christmas, so with all hope, this is a short term problem.
So never fear, you four readers, I haven't abandoned you. My computer abandoned me. But we'll get through this, I promise!
The most fabulous boyfriend(tm) has already let the cat out of the bag that he's getting me a computer for Christmas, so with all hope, this is a short term problem.
So never fear, you four readers, I haven't abandoned you. My computer abandoned me. But we'll get through this, I promise!
Monday, December 04, 2006
UW Men's Bball
Career Night From Flowers Lifts UW Past Winthrop
MADISON, Wis.-
Wisconsin guard Michael Flowers scored a career-high 21 points, including the field goal that forced overtime, as the 11th-ranked Badgers beat Winthrop 82-79 Monday at the Kohl Center.
Alando Tucker also scored 21 points for Wisconsin, who survived a Kohl Center-record 15 3-pointers from the Eagles and a 31-point performance by Torrell Martin.
The Badgers (8-1) have won four in a row and improved to 4-2 in overtime games under head coach Bo Ryan. They also became the first team to score more than 73 points against Winthrop this season. The Eagles (6-3) were only allowing 56 points per game heading into tonight’s contest.
Flowers hit two free throws with 6:52 remaining in the second half to give Wisconsin a 57-46 lead. But Winthrop hit five 3-pointers down the stretch to close the gap. Michael Jenkins hit three of his five 3-pointers in the final six minutes of regulation. His third gave Winthrop a 65-63 lead with 54 seconds remaining.
Wisconsin guard Kammron Taylor missed a 3 with 33 seconds left, but the ball bounced off a Winthrop player and rolled out-of-bounds. Tucker had two open looks to tie the game, but missed. Flowers rebounded Tucker’s second attempt in the lane and scored high off the glass with his left hand to tie the game at 65-65.
Martin had a wide-open look from outside the three-point line as time expired, but his attempt bounced off the front of the rim.
Flowers hit a 3 on UW’s opening possession of overtime to give Wisconsin a two-point lead. Brian Butch hit a jumper and Tucker hit a 3 from the corner that extended the lead to 73-67 with two minutes left to play.
The Badgers led by nine with 45 seconds left and held on in the closing seconds to secure the win.
Winthrop finished 15-of-25 from 3-point range, but were outrebounded 40-18 in the contest. Wisconsin was 24-of-34 from the free-throw line to counter the Eagles’ long-range attack. Winthrop was only 6-of-10.
Martin scored the first 11 points scored by Winthrop and finished one point shy of his career high of 32 set against Liberty last season. He was 11-of-18 from the field, including 7-of-11 from beyond the arc.
Butch finished one rebound shy of his fifth career double-double. He had 17 points. Wisconsin made five of its six field goals in overtime and shot 64 percent from inside the arc. The Badgers were 6-of-25 from three-point range.
Post-Game Notes
•This was the first meeting between the two schools.
•Tonight’s attendance was 17,190 – the 59th consecutive sellout crowd at the Kohl Center.
•Winthrop is the first team to ever hit 15 3-pointers against Wisconsin. The Eagles set a new Kohl Center record and Torrell Martin tied the Kohl Center individual mark by hitting seven 3-pointers.
•Wisconsin is the first team to score more than 73 points against Winthrop this season.
•Wisconsin played overtime for the first time since Nov. 19, 2005, when UW beat Eastern Kentucky 95-89 in double overtime of the championship game of the Paradise Jam.
•Wisconsin is 4-2 in overtime under Bo Ryan
•Torrell Martin scored Winthrop’s first 11 points and had 18 in the first half. He finished with a season-high 31 points, one shy of his career high set against Liberty Feb. 20, 2006.
•UW led 34-31 at halftime, the eighth time Wisconsin has led at the half this season (nine games).
•Wisconsin scored on its first six possessions of the second half, outscoring Winthrop 12-2.
•Alando Tucker scored 10 or more points for the 31st time in his last 32 games. He’s scored 20 or more points 33 times in his career.
•Tucker recorded his 600th career field goal. He has 604 total, good for fifth all-time at Wisconsin.
•Brian Butch picked up his 300th career rebound. He has 307 for his career.
•Michael Flowers scored his 300th career point. He has 310 for his career.
•UW has won 10 consecutive games at home dating back to last season and is 79-5 at the Kohl Center since 2001.
•Wisconsin made more free throws (24) than its opponent attempted (10) for the fifth time this season.
•Wisconsin is 4-0 against teams currently in the Big South Conference.
•Winthrop has made six NCAA tournament appearances in eight seasons under head coach Gregg Marshall.
Wisconsin Head Coach Bo Ryan Post-Game Quotes
On Michael Flowers’ shot with 10.6 seconds left in regulation: “It wasn’t just that one, in order for him to get that opportunity we had to fight for the other ones. They were scrapping, we were scrapping, we get a couple offensive rebounds, one ball goes off of them last, he gets the opportunity. He’s an opportunistic young man. Plays hard, plays smart, he’s improved every year and we think he’s got a lot more improvement coming.”
On overcoming a poor shooting percentage: “I tried to say this last year at the North Dakota State game for example. We shoot 20-some percent but we get hustle opportunities. What won that game tonight, was not field goal percentage but hustle opportunities. We touched the post, off of those offensive rebounds, how many foul shots did we get? And if you can get to the line that many times by hustle … What are you going to do if the shots aren’t going down? We had some pretty good looks against that zone, then we started missing, then it compounds itself but we continued to make them have to play defense so that they didn’t get away with playing the zone, not working and then having a lot of legs down at the other end. If we’d have been taking quick, bad shots, they would have beaten us by 20. But by us being patient, changing sides of the floor, they were packing it in, taking some passing lanes away and they were doing exactly what they needed to do. And we needed to hit some outside shots if they were going to stay that tight but we still touched the post. We still attacked and that’s the only way you get to the free-throw line. I coached at other places where people are always complaining about how many free throws we shot, and the other teams are taking more jump shots than us. We touch the paint, we try to. If you touch the paint, that’s how you can get to the free throw line. But they have such good three-point shooters, they can sting. They had a couple runs where we tried to give ourselves some space, but they come right back and get them. That’s 45 points on 25 shots. That’s pretty good points per possession.”
On his expectations of Winthrop: “You can tell by the way both teams were playing, there wasn’t any lack of respect for one another. That was a hard-fought, toe-to-toe, December game that hopefully for both of us, will help us in conference play.”
Winthrop Head Coach Gregg Marshall Post-Game Quotes
On whether the loss stings more knowing Torrell Martin and Michael Jenkins combined to score 58 points: “Oh it stings. It stings. Torrell Martin, I thought, was the best player on the floor tonight. He just was terrific. Michael Jenkins really shot it beautifully. Craig Bradshaw did not play well and he knows that. He can play much better, so I mean 10 points for him in 39 minutes in not that good. He can play better. But those three guys scoring the points is insignificant. It’s just the fact that I thought we played very well, and had every right to win the game.”
On the rebound disparity: “That’s the part that we’ve got to work on. That’s the part that disappoints me the most. I’m certainly not upset with my team, but if there was anything that I could go back to change and win the game going away, we’d rebound better. We didn’t rebound well for most of the night. And our bigs have to do better. Our guards in the zone have to find guys and rebound better. But still, we will pick that apart and will coach the crap out of them when we get back. The bottom line is I’m not going to in any way, right now, diminish the effort and the poise and just the overall game that we played. And that would be something that would lend itself to some criticism, and I will certainly get into that at the appropriate time.”
On the end of the game when Wisconsin got three shots off: “We just couldn’t get a rebound. We couldn’t get a rebound and the ball hit the floor a couple times and they kept coming up with it, so a credit to them. That was a big-time effort by them and they got the shot that they needed and finally put it in the basket.”
MADISON, Wis.-
Wisconsin guard Michael Flowers scored a career-high 21 points, including the field goal that forced overtime, as the 11th-ranked Badgers beat Winthrop 82-79 Monday at the Kohl Center.
Alando Tucker also scored 21 points for Wisconsin, who survived a Kohl Center-record 15 3-pointers from the Eagles and a 31-point performance by Torrell Martin.
The Badgers (8-1) have won four in a row and improved to 4-2 in overtime games under head coach Bo Ryan. They also became the first team to score more than 73 points against Winthrop this season. The Eagles (6-3) were only allowing 56 points per game heading into tonight’s contest.
Flowers hit two free throws with 6:52 remaining in the second half to give Wisconsin a 57-46 lead. But Winthrop hit five 3-pointers down the stretch to close the gap. Michael Jenkins hit three of his five 3-pointers in the final six minutes of regulation. His third gave Winthrop a 65-63 lead with 54 seconds remaining.
Wisconsin guard Kammron Taylor missed a 3 with 33 seconds left, but the ball bounced off a Winthrop player and rolled out-of-bounds. Tucker had two open looks to tie the game, but missed. Flowers rebounded Tucker’s second attempt in the lane and scored high off the glass with his left hand to tie the game at 65-65.
Martin had a wide-open look from outside the three-point line as time expired, but his attempt bounced off the front of the rim.
Flowers hit a 3 on UW’s opening possession of overtime to give Wisconsin a two-point lead. Brian Butch hit a jumper and Tucker hit a 3 from the corner that extended the lead to 73-67 with two minutes left to play.
The Badgers led by nine with 45 seconds left and held on in the closing seconds to secure the win.
Winthrop finished 15-of-25 from 3-point range, but were outrebounded 40-18 in the contest. Wisconsin was 24-of-34 from the free-throw line to counter the Eagles’ long-range attack. Winthrop was only 6-of-10.
Martin scored the first 11 points scored by Winthrop and finished one point shy of his career high of 32 set against Liberty last season. He was 11-of-18 from the field, including 7-of-11 from beyond the arc.
Butch finished one rebound shy of his fifth career double-double. He had 17 points. Wisconsin made five of its six field goals in overtime and shot 64 percent from inside the arc. The Badgers were 6-of-25 from three-point range.
Post-Game Notes
•This was the first meeting between the two schools.
•Tonight’s attendance was 17,190 – the 59th consecutive sellout crowd at the Kohl Center.
•Winthrop is the first team to ever hit 15 3-pointers against Wisconsin. The Eagles set a new Kohl Center record and Torrell Martin tied the Kohl Center individual mark by hitting seven 3-pointers.
•Wisconsin is the first team to score more than 73 points against Winthrop this season.
•Wisconsin played overtime for the first time since Nov. 19, 2005, when UW beat Eastern Kentucky 95-89 in double overtime of the championship game of the Paradise Jam.
•Wisconsin is 4-2 in overtime under Bo Ryan
•Torrell Martin scored Winthrop’s first 11 points and had 18 in the first half. He finished with a season-high 31 points, one shy of his career high set against Liberty Feb. 20, 2006.
•UW led 34-31 at halftime, the eighth time Wisconsin has led at the half this season (nine games).
•Wisconsin scored on its first six possessions of the second half, outscoring Winthrop 12-2.
•Alando Tucker scored 10 or more points for the 31st time in his last 32 games. He’s scored 20 or more points 33 times in his career.
•Tucker recorded his 600th career field goal. He has 604 total, good for fifth all-time at Wisconsin.
•Brian Butch picked up his 300th career rebound. He has 307 for his career.
•Michael Flowers scored his 300th career point. He has 310 for his career.
•UW has won 10 consecutive games at home dating back to last season and is 79-5 at the Kohl Center since 2001.
•Wisconsin made more free throws (24) than its opponent attempted (10) for the fifth time this season.
•Wisconsin is 4-0 against teams currently in the Big South Conference.
•Winthrop has made six NCAA tournament appearances in eight seasons under head coach Gregg Marshall.
Wisconsin Head Coach Bo Ryan Post-Game Quotes
On Michael Flowers’ shot with 10.6 seconds left in regulation: “It wasn’t just that one, in order for him to get that opportunity we had to fight for the other ones. They were scrapping, we were scrapping, we get a couple offensive rebounds, one ball goes off of them last, he gets the opportunity. He’s an opportunistic young man. Plays hard, plays smart, he’s improved every year and we think he’s got a lot more improvement coming.”
On overcoming a poor shooting percentage: “I tried to say this last year at the North Dakota State game for example. We shoot 20-some percent but we get hustle opportunities. What won that game tonight, was not field goal percentage but hustle opportunities. We touched the post, off of those offensive rebounds, how many foul shots did we get? And if you can get to the line that many times by hustle … What are you going to do if the shots aren’t going down? We had some pretty good looks against that zone, then we started missing, then it compounds itself but we continued to make them have to play defense so that they didn’t get away with playing the zone, not working and then having a lot of legs down at the other end. If we’d have been taking quick, bad shots, they would have beaten us by 20. But by us being patient, changing sides of the floor, they were packing it in, taking some passing lanes away and they were doing exactly what they needed to do. And we needed to hit some outside shots if they were going to stay that tight but we still touched the post. We still attacked and that’s the only way you get to the free-throw line. I coached at other places where people are always complaining about how many free throws we shot, and the other teams are taking more jump shots than us. We touch the paint, we try to. If you touch the paint, that’s how you can get to the free throw line. But they have such good three-point shooters, they can sting. They had a couple runs where we tried to give ourselves some space, but they come right back and get them. That’s 45 points on 25 shots. That’s pretty good points per possession.”
On his expectations of Winthrop: “You can tell by the way both teams were playing, there wasn’t any lack of respect for one another. That was a hard-fought, toe-to-toe, December game that hopefully for both of us, will help us in conference play.”
Winthrop Head Coach Gregg Marshall Post-Game Quotes
On whether the loss stings more knowing Torrell Martin and Michael Jenkins combined to score 58 points: “Oh it stings. It stings. Torrell Martin, I thought, was the best player on the floor tonight. He just was terrific. Michael Jenkins really shot it beautifully. Craig Bradshaw did not play well and he knows that. He can play much better, so I mean 10 points for him in 39 minutes in not that good. He can play better. But those three guys scoring the points is insignificant. It’s just the fact that I thought we played very well, and had every right to win the game.”
On the rebound disparity: “That’s the part that we’ve got to work on. That’s the part that disappoints me the most. I’m certainly not upset with my team, but if there was anything that I could go back to change and win the game going away, we’d rebound better. We didn’t rebound well for most of the night. And our bigs have to do better. Our guards in the zone have to find guys and rebound better. But still, we will pick that apart and will coach the crap out of them when we get back. The bottom line is I’m not going to in any way, right now, diminish the effort and the poise and just the overall game that we played. And that would be something that would lend itself to some criticism, and I will certainly get into that at the appropriate time.”
On the end of the game when Wisconsin got three shots off: “We just couldn’t get a rebound. We couldn’t get a rebound and the ball hit the floor a couple times and they kept coming up with it, so a credit to them. That was a big-time effort by them and they got the shot that they needed and finally put it in the basket.”
Sunday, December 03, 2006
Florida and LSU in BCS, so we get the Hogs...
Razorbacks, Badgers to meet for first time since 1912
Associated Press
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Arkansas received a bid to the Capital One Bowl on Sunday, a day after losing the Southeastern Conference championship game 38-28 to Florida.
The No. 12 Razorbacks will face No. 6 Wisconsin on Jan. 1 in Orlando, Fla.
The Capital One Bowl has first pick among SEC teams not in a BCS bowl. Arkansas (10-3) won the SEC West this year, but there was speculation the Razorbacks could fall to the Cotton Bowl.
Instead, they were picked to play in the Capital One Bowl. Arkansas last appeared in that game in 1999, when it was still called the Citrus Bowl. The Razorbacks lost to Tom Brady and Michigan 45-31.
Arkansas has played Wisconsin (11-1) once before. The Razorbacks lost 64-7 at Wisconsin in 1912.
Arkansas hasn't played in a bowl since beating Missouri in the Independence Bowl in December 2003. The Razorbacks haven't played in a New Year's Day bowl since losing to Oklahoma in the 2002 Cotton Bowl.
Associated Press
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Arkansas received a bid to the Capital One Bowl on Sunday, a day after losing the Southeastern Conference championship game 38-28 to Florida.
The No. 12 Razorbacks will face No. 6 Wisconsin on Jan. 1 in Orlando, Fla.
The Capital One Bowl has first pick among SEC teams not in a BCS bowl. Arkansas (10-3) won the SEC West this year, but there was speculation the Razorbacks could fall to the Cotton Bowl.
Instead, they were picked to play in the Capital One Bowl. Arkansas last appeared in that game in 1999, when it was still called the Citrus Bowl. The Razorbacks lost to Tom Brady and Michigan 45-31.
Arkansas has played Wisconsin (11-1) once before. The Razorbacks lost 64-7 at Wisconsin in 1912.
Arkansas hasn't played in a bowl since beating Missouri in the Independence Bowl in December 2003. The Razorbacks haven't played in a New Year's Day bowl since losing to Oklahoma in the 2002 Cotton Bowl.
Wisconsin shafted, as we all knew we would be
Ok, I've refrained from discussing Wisconsin's place in the polls and a lack of BCS bid, because, for the most part, I understand. And I'm actually not too bitter. We weren't expecting anything out of this season, so really, anything after 3 wins was a bonus.
But I do think that we got held back by a really punitive rule. I'm not sure what purpose the rule preventing more than 2 teams per conference is meant to accomplish in terms of making the BCS seem valid.
Yes, some years the SEC or the Big Ten or the Big 12 might be holding half the spots in the BCS, but if the BCS is touted as having the best teams in the land, I'm not sure how you can validate holding teams out.
How does it make sense to punish a team who's conference is exceptionally talented that year? I'm actually quite surprised that this rule hasn't become an issue before.
For that matter, if the BCS is as exhalted as they'd like us to believe, I'm unsure how there can ever be a question. Shouldn't we have 1 v. 2, 3 v. 4, 5 v. 6 and 7 v. 8? Done and done?
I'm sure this sounds like sour grapes, but really, I guess I just don't understand the point of all the voting, calculating, etc... if in the end, the final rankings do not matter.
Is Wisconsin a better team then Notre Dame? I honestly don't know. I know that they're a two loss team, including a big loss (20+ point) at home to Michigan and that near implosion at Michigan State (Michigan State!?!?)
I guess in the end I'm just disappointed because a final ranking of #7 isn't run-of-the-mill for Wisconsin. A final ranking that high should be reason to celebrate. Instead, we're heading to the ho-hum Capital One Bowl (again).
And I'm not the only one who thinks we got a little screwed on details. This Fox Sports columnist thinks so too, though he's not so articulate about it.
But I do think that we got held back by a really punitive rule. I'm not sure what purpose the rule preventing more than 2 teams per conference is meant to accomplish in terms of making the BCS seem valid.
Yes, some years the SEC or the Big Ten or the Big 12 might be holding half the spots in the BCS, but if the BCS is touted as having the best teams in the land, I'm not sure how you can validate holding teams out.
How does it make sense to punish a team who's conference is exceptionally talented that year? I'm actually quite surprised that this rule hasn't become an issue before.
For that matter, if the BCS is as exhalted as they'd like us to believe, I'm unsure how there can ever be a question. Shouldn't we have 1 v. 2, 3 v. 4, 5 v. 6 and 7 v. 8? Done and done?
I'm sure this sounds like sour grapes, but really, I guess I just don't understand the point of all the voting, calculating, etc... if in the end, the final rankings do not matter.
Is Wisconsin a better team then Notre Dame? I honestly don't know. I know that they're a two loss team, including a big loss (20+ point) at home to Michigan and that near implosion at Michigan State (Michigan State!?!?)
I guess in the end I'm just disappointed because a final ranking of #7 isn't run-of-the-mill for Wisconsin. A final ranking that high should be reason to celebrate. Instead, we're heading to the ho-hum Capital One Bowl (again).
And I'm not the only one who thinks we got a little screwed on details. This Fox Sports columnist thinks so too, though he's not so articulate about it.
Friday, December 01, 2006
Go bama?
So I'm driving home from work earlier this week and it's pouring rain. I'm heading right into downtown and get cut off by this monstrosity of a big white conversion van. An ugly, ugly vehicle. I'm about to beep at this guy when I realize there are big, sparkly gothic style letters in his back back window that say "ROLL TIDE"
Stay classy, Alabama
Stay classy, Alabama
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