Who ARE These Guys? Baseball World Shocked

 A week into August, the Milwaukee Brewers lead ALL of baseball with an amazing 70-44 record.

Many around the country are probably asking "Who are those guys?" That's the line uttered by the character of Butch Cassidy, played by Paul Newman, in the movie "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." The pair is being pursued by a relentless posse, and the line is used throughout the film, even at the finale.

Back in early April, at the season's start, I cautioned patience for Brewer fans. The squad was off to a staggeringly slow start, getting out-scored 47-15 in their first four games and, let's face it, the pitching staff was a disaster. My how things change. Since July 1st alone, the team has gone 23-7. Seems like they really believe, every time they take the field, that their gonna win. 

Pat Murphy, coming off a manager-of-the-year season, kept quiet early and just did his job. A young team responded, young pitchers developed, injured players returned, smart moves were made by the front office.

The last couple of months have seen the Brew Crew steadily improve, the young guys develop. This team is having FUN, and that seems important. While they don't mash home runs like Harvey's Wallbangers did in 1982, in a lot of ways this squad reminds me of the atmosphere that team had.

Major League Baseball finally got around to putting a female umpire on the field. Doubt if Jen Pawol can do any worse than some of the home plate umps I've seen calling games this season. Just be consistent, Jen, for both teams. If it's a strike in the first inning, it's a strike in the eighth. That's all we ask.

The "robo-ump" tried out in the All-Star game, has been in use in the minors for a season or two, and will be coming to a major league ballpark near you sooner rather than later.

Wasn't sure about this one, folks, but do like the speed of it all. No turning to the dugout, no hemming and hawing while New York makes a decision. After the pitch, the hitter/catcher/pitcher tap their helmet and the call is reviewed. Just like that.

Still like the human factor behind the plate, though. Recalling the emphatic way that Dutch Rennert, the ump from Oshkosh, would make calls. He was a character, to be sure. If you were in the nosebleed seats, you STILL knew what the call was. And he never hesitated.

The National Football League is back in force. Green Bay gets under way against the New York Jets at Lambeau Field, and most starters might make a cameo appearance before giving way to guys fighting for jobs.

Expect the next CBA with the players to find ownership pushing for an 18-game schedule and reduce the pre-season to a pair of games. That sort of schedule would include two bye weeks per team, a move getting more and more serious attention as The Shield branches out to more games outside the continental US.

HOF For Shoeless Joe...And Maybe That Other Guy?

Been thinking about this for awhile now, now MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred opened the doors to the Hall of Fame for those players with a lifetime ban.

Since lifetime indicates, at least to me, a living player...well, it's about time. Most of the players who received that lifetime ban included Shoeless Joe Jackson and others from the 1919 Black Sox gambling scandal. And they have been deceased for quite some time. In all 17 former players, coaches and owners are affected by this move.

"Obviously, a person no longer with us cannot represent a threat to the integrity of the game," said Manfred. "Moreover, it is hard to conceive of a penalty that has more deterrent effect than one that lasts a lifetime with no reprieve."

The passing of MLB  Pete Rose last September may have finally put this ban back on a front burner. Hard to justify having the guy with the most hits (4,192) in the game not in the hall. Of course, if Ichiro Suzuki's total of hits while playing professionally in Japan were factored in with his MLB total, he would have 4,367 hits.

Have said for years -- and my friends will back me up -- that I had no problem with Pete Rose going into the HOF after his death. He gambled on baseball games, as a player and as a manager, and knew sit was forbidden. But now, as long as he doesn't benefit from a HOF selection financially (and let's face it, Pete would do anything for a buck)...well, let him in.

The guy who truly benefits from this is Shoeless Joe Jackson. He hit above .300 in the 1919 World Series and clearly wasn't throwing the games. He was know to be illiterate, so having him read and sign any sort of "confession" was bogus.

But having the ban lifted doesn't immediately mean these players will go in. They won't be eligible until 2028 and must be approved by a special committee.

Laughing at the Pittsburgh Steelers, as they endure a will he/won't he situation with quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Seems they want him, but does he want them? Only time will tell.

Enjoy the upcoming NFL season, folks, as the end of the current CBA between owners and players will expire in March of 2031. Doesn't seem that far away, but anyone who has been involved in union disputes knows that negotiations take time.

Speaking of the NFL season, dear friend Charlie wondered what I thought of the Green Bay Packers and their success, or lack of it, in the upcoming season. Took some time to look it over, pondered what the Pack might or might not be able to accomplish. Thinking 12-5 or 11-6 if all goes according to plan with health, offensive development and defensive improvement.

Team was better against the run in 2024 but needs to improve the pass rush and in the defensive backfield. Will say that keeping Jaire Alexander on the field for 17 games would be helpful.

Green Bay Was Golden In More Ways Than One

 Saw that they are still doing clean-up in Green Bay following last week's NFL draft. Thought the Packers came out strong with taking wide receiver Matthew Golden with their first pick.

Seems like Green Bay -- and the Fox Valley as well as the state -- was golden thanks to the spending of the 600,000 fans who attended the three-day event. Mild Bill, from his perch in Sonoma, CA, wondered if there were enough hotel rooms in Green Bay to accommodate the masses. I pointed out that the whole Fox Valley was booked. Hotel rooms within a 60 mile radius were probably filled, and I saw that there were shuttle busses running from Wausau, Minoqua and Appleton...

The opening day crowd of 205,000 exceeded all expectations. Hell, the TOTAL for the three days was expected to be 250,000. Weather helped snap that easily.

Had no desire to head to Lambeau Field myself, mind you. A friend (and neighbor) and his son, big on the draft, drove up for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

"It was amazing," noted Chad. "But they severely underestimated the number of porta potties they needed. It was like an hour-long wait no matter where you went.

"Parking was at a premium. We paid $60 to park at a school a mile away and walked over, but I heard people say they paid $100 to $150 to park in people's driveways and on lawns. We got up there about 11 in the morning (the first round started at 7 p.m.) and by the time we left, my legs were killing me from standing that long on concrete.

"But I wouldn't trade it. Cael and I had a great time being part of something we'll probably never experience again. People were great, everyone was having a good time and enjoying it. Presented Green Bay and the Packers in a great light."

Speaking of the draft, Green Bay broke with "tradition" in taking a wide receiver with the first pick, the first since 2002. And taking two in the first three rounds? Unreal, but necessary. Yes, the Packers have some talent in the wide receiver room, but keep in mind that Christian Watson is coming off knee surgery and may or may not get back this season, while Romeo Dobbs has had concussion issues that might shorten his career.

Can't have too many weapons over there for quarterback Jordan Love to play with.

The Milwaukee Bucks are done for this season, suffering a heart-breaking overtime loss to Indiana and getting bounced out of the playoffs in the first round yet again.

Losing guard Damian Lillard to a torn achilles' in game three didn't help. Injuries just seem to cripple (no pun intended) this team come playoff time. Last year it was Giannis, the year before Khris Middleton. Lillard could well be out until March of 2026, IF he comes back at all. A 34-year-old athlete bouncing back from this severe injury won't be easy. His surgery was deemed successful, so not it's a matter of time.

The big question, from pundits to fans, is whether the Bucks should trade Giannis and get lots of players & draft picks for him, or keep him for the next three years of his contract even though the team can't afford to put much talent around him.

Think you keep one of the best players on the planet, a guy who WANTS to be in Milwaukee, for as long as you can.

So Wisconsin high schools have voted to support NIL (Name-Image-Likeness) money for Wisconsin athletes. Of the 513 WIAA members, nearly 70% voted in favor the move, according to executive director Stephanie Hauser. Caught her being interviewed on a local sports talk show recently.

Seems like WIAA members are trying to get out front of the NIL issue and have some say and control in the measure -- unlike the NCAA at the college level.

The issue will likely be more challenging for rural high school athletes. We'll have to wait and see.

Slow Start Not Time For Panic In Milwaukee

 Let's keep in mind that a 162-game season is a marathon, not a sprint.

That said, the staggeringly slow start by the Milwaukee Brewers has more than a few in BrewerNation shaking their heads in disbelief.

After all, getting out-scored 47-15 in the first four games -- matches a National League record set by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1954 -- is enough to make even the most optimistic fan start to have doubts.

An 0-4 start in the NFL's 17-game season would pretty much doom a team with playoff hopes. In baseball, it's a glitch. 

Granted, Milwaukee didn't have a four-game skid in ALL of 2024. But that was then, this is now with a team operating a pitching staff that resembles a M*A*S*H unit. Something like 16 players are on the Injured List. Through the first four games, the pitching staff had a 12.27 Earned Run Average. It was so dire that, as we watched the slaughter in Monday's home opener (an 11-1 stomping), I kept waiting for the text to "warm up" to appear on my phone. Desperate times call for desperate measures, but a 71-year-old knucklerballer might be a little too much!

Doesn't help the team when your top four hitters (Jackson Chourio, Christian Yelich, William Contreras and Rhys Hoskins) start the year five for 55 with 20 strikeouts. As a team, the squad was batting .231 but had only 11 walks against 43 strikeouts. Not going to win a lot of games with that many bad at-bats.

Luckily, the Brewers found their first win yesterday, a 5-0 win over Kansas City. Still, until some legitimate pitching shows up, look for more downs than ups.

FINALLY! Meaningful Baseball Is Here

 The Milwaukee Brewers open the 2025 season today in New York against the Damn Yankees (well, that's what Uncle Doc called them, and for years I thought that was the actual team name!)

The home opener for the Crew will be Monday, and I will be in attendance for, I think, the 39th time. For my eldest, our tradition continues. Think this will number 29 or 30 with him. And, of course, Stevie Wonder will come down from Oshkosh to join us -- another tradition!

It's a totally different Brewer team from last year's Central Division champs, unceremoniously dumped in the first round of the playoffs when ace reliever Devin Williams served up an uncharacteristic gopher ball to Pete Alonso of the New York Mets.

Questions remain in Milwaukee at shortstop and third base. Joey Ortiz moves over to short, and a cadre of hopefuls appear lined up at third. Pitching, once healthy, should be okay for the Brewers. The rotation has some injury issues at the moment, but expect the bullpen to be strong.

Thinking an 88-74 finish for Milwaukee. That might not be good enough to win the division with Cincinnati and Chicago improving, but should get them into the wild card.

Hats off to the women's hockey team, as the Wisconsin Badgers notched national title No. Eight -- and second in three seasons -- this past weekend in dramatic fashion, tying the game with seconds left, then stopping Ohio State 4-3 in overtime. Coach Mark Johnson, national coach of the year, guided the team to a 38-1-2 record.

Now, if the women's basketball program could just get it's act together as yet ANOTHER coach comes to town to "turn the program around". 

My NCAA bracket has a lot of red on it, as am sure many do. Disappointed with the Badgers' loss to BYU in the second round, but thought Coach Greg Gard and his team had a solid season, exceeding expectations.

With so many senior players leaving, the test for Bucky comes with rebuilding with young people and through the transfer portal.

The REAL Sign That Spring Has Arrived

Don't put my trust in groundhogs to tell me what the weather will or won't be. They are just vermin, after all, and have no university degree to back them up as they prognosticate.

The true sign of spring? When Major League Baseball players return to Florida and Arizona. When the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues are in full bloom. Now THAT'S a sure sign that spring is right around the corner.

Pitchers and catchers reported last week, but spring training began in earnest this week with full squads reporting.

Was in for an eye appointment this week and Doctor Timmy asked what I thought of the Milwaukee Brewers upcoming season while we waited for my eyes to dilate.  Strong core of Jackson Chourio, Garrett Mitchell, William Contreras, Brice Turang, Christian Yelich (if healthy after his back surgery). Pitching needs to come through (doesn't everybodies?). So my verdict? Optimistic but with questionmarks.

• Left side of the infield. With Willie Adames gone, who takes over at shortstop? Would be a BIG mistake to move a Gold Glove (hell, he won a Platinum Glove) secondbaseman like Brice Turang over. Shift Joey Ortiz from third? Maybe. He came up as a shortstop, as did Turang. But then you have a hole at third that needs filling. Ahhh. Decisions. Decisions. Decisions.
• And regardless of what you do at short and third, can you get the kind of home run power there that you had with Adames?
• Not totally sold across the infield, either. Rhys Hoskins had better produce, especially for the money he's making.
• Where are the free agent signings to strengthen a squad that has made the playoffs 5 of the last 6 seasons? Owner Mark Attanasio has kept the purse strings pretty tight. This despite the fact that the value of the franchise has grown from the $223 million he paid in 2005 to Forbes saying the team is worth $1.605 billion as of March 2024.

But I don't fault Attanasio for being a little bit frugal. Keep this in mind, Brewer fans. He stepped in, bought the team and kept it in Milwaukee. And thanks to a big deal with the state, the team will stay here at least until 2050. 

MLB needs to get it's head out of it's ass before it kills itself. This is a soapbox I've jumped on before. Am referring to salaries and the need, though it will be ignored, for a salary cap.

The New York Mets threw $765 MILLION dollars at Juan Soto in the offseason. A lot of that money is deferred, yet the Mets have a team salary of  $321,700,000 this season, tops in baseball and just ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers at $313,351,665. Lots of salary on this team is kicked down the road as well, north of a billion bucks in all. Signing Otani is part of it, but then in the off-season the Dodgers seemed to be bent on signing every big star they could and win the World Series in May.

Philadelphia heads a group of five teams in the $200M-$300M range with $279,332,617. Next up those hated New York Yankees at $275,626,666 -- of course the Yankees' payroll would end in 666, the mark of the beast!

Five more teams are in the $190M-$200M bracket.

And where are the Milwaukee Brewers? Back in 23rd at $99,958,000. Hell, even a couple other small market teams (Kansas City, Minnesota) are above them. 

Down in the cellar, you find Miami dead last at 47,130,000. Just above them the Athletics at $55,250,000.

Can MLB survive being that top-heavy, and throwing around that much money? I hope so.

It's no coincidence that the teams with the lowest payrolls do the worst at the ticket window. The Athletics averaged 11,528 as a lame duck team in the Oakland Coliseum. They will mark time in Sacramento at a Triple-A facility that seats 14,000 while their new home in Las Vegas is built. Probably should change the name from Athletics to Travelers...

Likewise Tampa Bay, 26th of 30 teams in attendance, will move over to the spring training facility of the New York Yankees for the regular season. The largest stadium in the Grapefruit league seats 11,076 -- quite a comedown from the 42,735 capacity stadium the Tampa Bay Rays call home. Unfortunately, that home was severely damaged during hurricane season, forcing the move.

But the Rays only averaged 16,515 per game and should feel right at home.

Speaking of attendance, the Green Bay Packers have not had that issue for 65 years. Hell, they have sold out every home game since 1960.

There are professional franchises in many sports that would kill for a streak like that.

Rename The Lomdardi Trophy? Don't Think So!

Bill Belichick suggests the Lombardi trophy, awarded to the Super Bowl winner, be renamed to say, honor Tom Brady.

WTF?

Don't think so Billy Boy. Yes, you were a successful NFL coach yourself -- with, shall we say, several questionable moves. Moves that got you fined, the New England Patriots fined and cost the team draft picks as well. And Tommy Boy? Well, there's Inflategate, the infamous football tuck rule and, to be honest, the smug entitlement that comes across.

Vince Lombardi was hired to be Coach and General Manager of the Packers on Feb. 2, 1959. All he did in the 1960s was win, going 9-1 in the playoffs and winning titles in five of seven seasons. His Packers won three straight NFL titles (1965-66-67), the last team to threepeat -- and the only other team to do so were the Packers (1929-30-31).

In Lombardi's era, players were paid a pittance and often worked off-season jobs.

No, Belichick, I doubt if your suggestion to rename the trophy will hold water. Today's players, and today's NFL, stands on the shoulders of giants named Lombardi, George Halas, Lamar Hunt and Pete Rozelle, to name a few.

And I keep wondering how objective Brady can be as a color man on Fox. After all, he's now part-owner of the Las Vegas Raiders and, from all reports, has been key to getting Pete Carroll to come on board and coach the franchise. Do we really think he can be critical of the league if the situation calls for it?

Doubt that Super Bowl LIX -- 59 for those of you challenged by Roman Numerals -- will be boring.

On the one hand, there's the hard-charging Philadelphia Eagles led by a strong running game. On the other are the Kansas City Chiefs, winners of a remarkable 17 straight one-score games.

Happen to be suffering from a bit of Kansas City fatigue. Nothing against Coach Andy Reid or quarterback Patrick Mahomes, etc. Have liked KC since their AFL games, and have a personal letter from Coach Hank Stram after the Chiefs won Super Bowl IV (beating the Vikings 23-7, no less). Just tired of seeing them in the marquee title game over and over again. Five of the last six, for example.

Well, that and the fact that it seems EVERY friggin' officials' call seems to fall KC's way.

Kansas City is going for three straight Super Bowl wins, a feat no other team has done in the Super Bowl era -- though I will argue the Packers could have done that had they met the AFL Champion Buffalo Bills in 1965. At that point, the Bills had won their second straight AFL title and would fall to Kansas City going for a third.

The EAGLES are going to block that threepeat try,, winning 36-31. Philadelphia is a talented squad and, I think, has the horsepower to notch the win. Thinking of super fans Jack & Theresa, whom we met on on vacation last November, here.

The Baseball Hall of Fame welcomed Ichiro Suzuki, the first Japanese player to be inducted. He was not unanimous, and I questions how one voter failed to check his name!. He finished his MLB career with 3,089 hits. Add in another 1 ,278 from the Nippon Professional Baseball league and that's good for a total for 4,367 -- well past the 4,192 hits the late Pete Rose got to lead the MLB.

We saw Ichiro get his 2,000th MLB hit while attending a game at the Oakland Coliseum on 9-6-09. We were visiting San Francisco and took the BART under the bay to Oakland. The BART ended right at the Coliseum, so it was a brief walk to the stadium. In his first at-bat that day, Ichiro stroked a double down the right field line for a stand-up double, becoming the second-fastest player to get to 2,000 hits in MLB history.

An addendum to my weather story a few days ago. Just months after moving to Louisiana, a squall came through and produced sneaux flurries, total accumulation maybe an inch. EVERYBODY at the newspaper was gathered at the windows, watching it sneaux and commenting. As I walked by I said something like "people, this isn't snow, this is a dusting. My Dad would call this 'three flakes to the acre' kind of snow."

Worrying About Mon Amis In Weird Southern Weather

I can't believe! was a common expression when we called Opelousas, Louisiana home in the mid-1980s while serving as sports editor for The Opelousas Daily World.

Am sure that phrase is being uttered over and over again by our Cajun friends in Lafayette, Opelousas, Port Barre, Mamou, Eunice and all points around the area known as Acadiana.

Snow....well, more accurately for Cajuns, sneaux, is a rare thing in the bayous. My thoughts are with mon amis (my friends) as they face this.

Ulysse reports Opelousas tied a record with 9 inches of the white stuff. And this morning, the temperature there was 2 above, also matching a record. Rich in Port Barre wonders how us Yankees survive year after year. And Tom said he's got to hunker down in Lafayette, perhaps for days, noting that Vermillion Parish (their version of counties) was without power affecting over 2,000 people.

Trust me, the houses down that way are NOT set up for that kind of cold. Lots of folks had pipes burst when we saw temps drop to single digits back in 1985. Am sure more will follow that. Plus folks desperate to heat their homes have been known to bring their grills into the house for a heat source. NOT a good idea.

Meanwhile, here at home we're nearly 20 inches BEHIND a normal snow fall, though we are getting a bit this morning. At least the severe cold is behind us for now. When you own an Alaskan Malamute who loves the cold and walking in it, those trips out in sub, sub zero temps (and wind chills in the -20 and -30 range) prove a challenge no matter how bundled up one gets.

Let's Face It, We Packer Fans Are Spoiled

Waited a bit to put the wraps on another Green Bay Packer season, one that ended with a frustrating three-game losing streak that included being bounced from the playoffs by the Philadelphia Eagles, 22-10.

We're spoiled here in PackerNation. We expect to be in the playoffs, challenging for a Super Bowl berth, year in and year out. The franchise has made 37 post-season appearances, the most in the NFL, along with it's 13 league championships.

This team was, for the second straight season, the YOUNGEST in the NFL. It's time to get off that merry-go-round and have some veteran stability -- despite the strength of two recent drafts.

Let's see. The team went 0-7 (counting playoffs) against the Eagles-Lions-Vikings. Their six regular season losses on the way to an 11-6 record were by a total of 24 points, Toss out the ugly 10-point loss to Detroit in early November, and that's five defeats by just 14 points.

In every game, it seems, but not quite good enough to hold on.

With the Packers finally having some cap space room, this may well be the year they go heavy in the free agent market. They added two crucial pieces last year in running back Josh Jacobs and free safety Xavier McKinney. Both made the All-Pro team and added leadership on both sides of the ball.

Areas to shop in? Wide receiver, defensive back and defensive line.

Why wide receiver? Christian Watson, talented as all get-out, can't stay on the field. He tore up a knee in the last regular season game and will be on the shelf, probably all of 2025, the last year of his current four-year rookie deal. Defensive back? Jaire Alexander is another talented guy who can't stay on the field. Time to move on from him as well.

For those who have jumped off the bandwagon and called for Coach Matt Lafleur to be fired and quarterback Jordan Love to be benched....well, a hearty Bronx Cheer goes your way. All Lafleur has done is get the team to the playoffs in five of six seasons, winning well over 60 games in the process. 

Playoff success will come with a team more seasoned and ready to go.

And perhaps with Love, our expectations got a little too high after last season's playoff run down the stretch. He might be a fifth-year pro, but still only has two seasons as a starter. Jury is still out on him. And a healthy Love will make a difference. Was no secret he was nicked up through much of the year.

The college national championship game is tonight, with Notre Dame taking on THE Ohio State. Not a fan of either squad, truth be told. Have hated the Whining Irish since the 1960s, for various reasons. Hoping for a good game, but think Ohio State is the more talented squad and should win -- if Coach Ryan Day can get out of his own way, that is. The OSU head man has a tendency to muck it up in big games. Will this be one of them?

As for the NFL conference title games: would like to see Buffalo stop Kansas City (if only the officials let normal play go and treat KC quarterback Patrick Mahomes like the 31 other league QBs). Also think Philadelphia holds home court and stops the Commanders.

That brings about a Bills-Eagles matchup in Super Bowl LIX. Should be entertaining

Saying Goodbye To A Wisconsin Treasure

 Got the news this morning that Mr. Baseball, Bob Uecker, had passed away at age 90.

Doesn't seem possible. Thought he would just keep going forever.

Milwaukee Brewer baseball broadcasts will never be the same. Uecker called games since 1971, through the bad times and the good times and everything in between. Granted, he reduced his workload to home games, and last summer occasional  home games. But he was still entertaining us with stories to the end of the season.

Maybe he didn't give the score as often as you wanted. Maybe you wondered the purpose of the stories. But it was pure Uecker each and every game.

He built a national audience via 100 appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. He had a successful run with six seasons on an ABC comedy ("Mr. Belvedere"). He stole the show as Harry Doyle in the movie "Major League" -- set in Cleveland but filmed in Milwaukee.

Uecker had many opportunities to leave, but CHOSE to stay in Wisconsin, working in his home town.

We all have Uecker stories or memories. When you could still do it, got him a note while at the old Metropolitan Stadium in Minneapolis requesting a shout-out to my Grandpa Otto, who always listened to the games. Grandpa was thrilled by it, telling people that he sometimes nodded off during the games, but was awake when he heard his name "from the ballpark!"

Picked up a paperback copy of Uecker's autobiography, Catcher In The Wry, while in college. Years (and years) later, mailed it to him to be signed and thought I would never see it again. Yet it came back with his autograph.

Brewer fans, and even non-fans, lost a Wisconsin treasure today. There will simply never be another like him.

RIP, Ueck. Thanks for the memories