Total Collapse In Chicago Is Disappointing Finish

Will admit I'm an optimist in most things, including our Wisconsin sports scene.

But the fiasco in Chicago, a 31-27 loss in the wild card round of the NFL playoffs (AGAIN) tries even the patience in this household. That means the Green Bay Packers wrapped up the season with a five-game losing streak -- will forgive that season-ending loss at Minnesota, when Clayton True was thrust into a starting quarterback role along with a plethora of second- and third-teamers.

The third meeting between the Bears and Packers in just over a month. Tough to pull off any surprises.

Dare I say it is time to move on from Coach Matt LaFleur? Yes. The Green Bay Packers of 2025 suffered numerous injuries, some season-ending that totally changed the complexion of what was on the field. The loss of Micha Parsons is first and foremost there. But this team gave away six games with late-game collapses, resulting in the 9-8-1 final record.

In game adjustments by LaFleur are an issue. As creative as the play-calling was in the first half, leading to a 21-3 halftime lead, he seemed to go timid & conservative in the second half. There's only so many times Josh Jacobs can be stuffed in the middle of the line before somebody says enough is enough. Start the second half with four possessions that led to punts means your defense has no time to rest. Lucky punter Daniel Whelan, who went three weeks  with only a single punt, was up to the task.

Too bad return coverage couldn't support him.

Did Jordan Love make some stupid mistakes in the second half. For sure. Yet there was plenty of blame to go around. Poor pass coverage, no answer for Chicago tight end Colston Loveland, failure to stop or contain quarterback Caleb Williams. (While we're at it, will someone explain how the Bears could go the entire game without an offensive holding call? Their O-Line is good, but it ain't THAT good.....sorry, sour grapes.)

Not-So-Special Teams coach Rich Bisaccia has to shown the door for sure. Will keep LaFleur around, putting him on a very hot seat in a lame duck 2026 season, but Bisaccia? His "we-fense" was the weak link in many games. Missed field goals and extra points (costing the Packers 7 key points against the Bears in the playoff loss), poor coverage on punts and kickoffs.

There's gotta be some changes coming as 1265 Lombardi Avenue. The extent of those? We will see.

Tiger Woods turned 50 on December 30th, that makes him eligible for the PGA Tour Champions, the senior tour if you will. Woods could ride in a cart in these tournaments (John Daly does). And with his multiple injuries and surgeries, taking a ride might be the best thing for Woods.

Bringing this up because, while he may not take advantage of the Tour Champions circuit, an appearance at the American Family Insurance Championship is not a far fetched notion.

Woods and AmFam organizer Steve Stricker are good friends. Wouldn't surprise me at all if Tiger did his friend a solid and stopped into Madison.

Packer Defensive Coordinator Jeff Hafley has been getting looks for one of the many head coach openings around the league. The collapses in the three Chicago games, two leading to defeats, notwithstanding, Hafley has done a good job in his two Green Bay seasons.

Don't think he will leave, but it remains a strong possibility. The question is, how many of the openings will go to re-treads and how many to teams thinking a bit out of the box.

Green Bay saw a front office member leave, when the Miami Dolphins picked vice president of player personnel, Jon-Eric Sullivan, to be their new general manager. Packer GM Brian Gutekunst was quoted as saying he was happy when his guys got an opportunity to move up.

Don't like the trend of NFL TV analysts working for front offices around the league. Fox's Tom Brady started it with his ownership/management of the Las Vegas Raiders. Seems to me there's a bit of a conflict of interest here. Of course, the NFL seems to ignore that...it is, after all, Tom Brady! 

Troy Aikman of ESPN is helping  Miami find a GM and keeping his TV day job while from CBS, Matt Ryan has become part of the front office with the Atlanta Falcons. Not sure if he gets to stay with the analyst gig or not.

What's Up With NFL Officiating?

Don't think I have ever seen such a rash of poor officiating in the National Football League that we have as of late. The guys and gals in the zebra shirts seem to have gotten worse at their jobs, week after week.

What's up with that?

Yes, there's holding on pretty much every play in the offensive line. But come on...when a uniform is pulled away from a defender in the middle of the field, is that or is that not holding? Or the blatant tackle of a New England wide receiver that does NOT result in pass interference. Could go on and on, but you get the drift.

Maybe the officials are hesitant, hoping the replay people in New York will get it right. But to do that, a flag's gotta be thrown in the first place. THEN we can all wait breathlessly while viewing said play from every angle possible.

The NFL just has to address this in the off-season.

The Kansas City Chiefs join the list of teams pushing for new stadiums. Team announced yesterday they will leave Arrowhead stadium, where weather has always been a home field advantage, and cross the border from Missouri to Kansas. It's said a brand-new, shiny DOMED stadium will be ready 2031.

Forgive my skepticism, but the whole thing seems like a ploy. No different from Da Bears saying they will leave for Gary, Indiana -- despite the fact the team bought the old Arlington Park race track in Arlington Heights with an eye on building a stadium.

Think Da Bears are just using the Gary, Indiana thing as leverage to get better concessions in Arlington. Using that site is perfect, as it is right on the metro line, making it easy for fans to come and go.

Am so tired of East Coast media and loud mouths like Colin Cowherd bitching that our Greek freak, Giannis, has got to leave our small market Milwaukee Bucks for the bright lights of, well, New York City and the Knicks.

Big trades seldom happen in the NBA these days, and the Knicks probably don't have enough capital to swing a deal. And if they did send some quality players and draft picks to the Bucks, would Giannis still have enough talent around him to win?

Bucks are struggling, yes. Giannis is out with an injury and the team just can't get the train back on the rails.

But the NBA season is a marathon, not a sprint. Many feel the real season doesn't start until Christmas.

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf had a very expensive temper tantrum Sunday. Being taunted by a fan behind the Steelers' bench (the n-word and the c-word may or may not have been used; he-said, he-said applies), Metcalf confronted the fan, took a swing and found himself with a two-game suspension from the NFL.

Not only does he lose game day salaries (around $500,000), he forfeits his guaranteed money of $40 million. He doesn't lose it, mind you, it's just no longer guaranteed. He'll have to earn it back.

Packer M*A*S*H Unit Has Tough Road ahead

 A common phrase in sports is "next man up!" Men's or women's sports, doesn't matter. Injuries come, sometimes in bunches, and the stand-in becomes the focal point.

That's the case for the Green Bay Packers, hit with a multitude of injuries of late, like losing wide receiver Christian Watson, edge rusher Micha Parsons and tackle Zach Tom in last week's loss in Denver. The wounded join a long list of players out of action or playing through various hurts.

And lined up to face Green Bay down the stretch are the Chicago Bears, the Baltimore Ravens and the Minnesota Vikings. The games with the Bears (road) and Ravens (home) have both been flexed to Saturday night starts. Now word yet on the Vikings road game.

The rest of the NFL won't shed tears for the Pack, though. Look around the league and a LOT of stars are out. Top quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes, lost to an ACL (knee) injury for the rest of the year in Kansas City, comes to mind. According to the NFLPA, 309 players have been placed on the Injured reserve through 15 weeks of regular-season action, slightly down from 319 in 2024 but higher than the 274 through the same point in 2023.

Some 59 players have been shelved with knee injuries, another 11 by a popped Achilles tendon.

These totals make it hard to justify the 18-game schedule that the NFL is pushing. If worried about player health, then stay at 17 if you must but get rid of the Thursday game!  Give players enough time to at least come close to healing.

Speaking the ACL and knee injuries, let's talk about Parsons. He went down on a non-contact knee injury. One can argue he's the heart and soul of the Packer defense, the engine that pulls the train. It's not necessarily reflected in his stats each game, but his impact is huge.

Through 15 weeks, according to NFL Pro, Parsons was tied in sacks with 12.5, first in total quarterback pressures (83) and first in pressure percentage (20.7). 

What's amazing are those numbers come despite being double-teamed 56.68 percent of the time and TRIPLE teamed 12. 09 percent, a higher rate than any other edge rusher in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus.

Seems like the rest of the defense, guys like Rashan Gary, Quay Walker, Lukas Van Ness, Isiah McDuffie and....and....well, pretty much everybody, will need to take their play up a notch.

The All-American teams were announced, and the Big Ten had 9 players on the first team, 8 on the second. That's 17 from the 18-team conference, a pretty solid showing. But will that carry over to a national championship? We'll see. 

Curious about the how much of a big business college athletics has become? In addition to the ridiculous salaries being doled out to head coaches, how about the money spent by football teams in this year's playoff, topped by Alabama's $112.2 million, compared to a revenue of $138.7 million.

'Bama's spending was $30 million better than Texas A&M, $33.6 million above Ohio State. Of the dozen CFP teams, looks like poor little Tulane is dead last, putting $13 million into the Green Wave.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL...AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!

Housecleaning, Rambling & Packer Observations

Have a good friend dating back to our high school days. We've managed to stay in touch over the years, even as he followed up his Navy career with another, heading the IT department with a Florida university. He's maintained his Green Bay Packer loyalty, and we text during games.

He emailed after the Packers tamed the Chicago Bears, commenting how gassed the defense looked in the second half (they were) and wondered how the elevation at Denver's Mile High Stadium would factor in.

While the Broncos are a respectable team, let's consider that during this 10 game winning streak (nine won in comeback fashion ). Let's also consider WHO they played -- Cincinnati (4-9), Jets (3-10), Giants (2-11), Las Vegas (2-11), Washington (3-10) and Las Vegas again. Teams that are combined 15-51.  Hardly a murderer's row. The other wins were against a struggling Philly team, a Jekyll-Hyde Dallas team, Houston, and a Kansas City Chiefs squad that is REALLY struggling after four straight Super Bowl appearances, sitting at 6-7.

Denver lacks the strong running game the Bears brought in. Think if Green Bay can limit the stupid mistakes and penalties (looking at you here, Keisean Nixon) and control the ball, the Packers could be in good shape. And is it asking too much of the men and women in stripes to call a game that gives Micha Parsons the respect he deserves?

Was skimming through the paper -- online, as we let our high-cost physical subscription lapse -- and saw a reference to the Super Bowl. Seems there are those who want the NFL to move the game to the weekend before the President's Day federal holiday, thus giving more people a day off to recover.

Wouldn't it be just as simple to move the game from Sunday to Saturday? Or has that idea escaped all of those deep thinkers?

Happy for Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy for winning well-deserved back-to-back NL Manager of The Year awards -- the first to do so since Bobby Cox of the Atlanta Braves in 2004 and 2005.

The Indianapolis Colts, decimated at quarterback, have turned to 44-year old father of 10 (and grandfather of one) Philip Rivers. He's what, five years removed from the NFL? What, was Slingin' Sammy Baugh not available?

Lived down on the Louisiana bayous for a couple a couple of years, and still follow the fortunes of the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (I knew them as the University of Southwest Louisiana, USL), Southern, Grambling and, of course, the LSU Tigers.

Is there a better soap opera than the one playing in Baton Rouge? The Tigers fire Brian Kelly as football coach -- at the behest of the governor, who got mad that the school had to Kelly $54 million to go away. THEN they go over to playoff-bound Ole Miss and hire away Lane Kiffin for seven years at $98 million (with a buyout said to be 80%).

And Kiffin has effectively been run out of town from pretty much every pro and college job he's held -- including being dismissed as Alabama's offensive coordinator just on the cusp of the 2017 title game because he had taken the Ole Miss job.

Oh, and not only did he say adios to Ole Miss, he asked if he couldn't please stay on and coach the team in the post season. That takes balls...

As they say, WTF!!??  

From Milwaukee To Madison To Green Bay -- Extremes In Wisconsin Sports

The World Series starts this week, without our Milwaukee Brewers, as they were unceremoniously swept out by the Los Angeles Dodgers. This only reinforced the old baseball adage "good pitching beats good hitting."

There's been a lot of lamenting this fact. Brewer fans are quick to forget this was a 97-win team, best in franchise history and best in baseball. This ignores the fact that most every national publication predicted a .500 or sub-.500 season for Milwaukee. This young team gave us all a helluva ride during the season and a lot to be grateful for. ESPECIALLY that satisfying win over the Chicago Cubs in the first round of the playoffs.

Take a good look at this roster and all you see is an upside for Manager Pat Murphy, who could (and should) be given his second straight NL Manager Of The Year award. This team is anchored by Bryce Turang, William Conteras, Sal Frelick, Blake Perkins, Joey Ortiz and Jackson Chourio -- who put up his second straight 20/20 season despite missing a month with an injury.

Factor in rookies Caleb Durbin and Isaac Collins, plus pitchers Chad Patrick and Jacob Misiorowski, to name a few, and the future looks bright. And speaking of Misiorowski, this 23-year-old fireballer looked like a veteran on the mound against LA, giving the Brewers six strong innings, mixing his pitches well. Every time he throws a fastball in the 103-104 mph range, you shake your head and just have to hope that he stays healthy.

There are questions, to be sure. Brandon Woodruff is sure to be gone. Freddy Peralta could well find himself traded. The pitching staff will be vastly different in 2026. Milwaukee General Manager Matt Arnold will have to meet some challenges in crafting a roster. 

TO BE HONEST, the only way to balance things out in the NLCS would have been to make the Dodgers carry their bank books or money bags during play. LA is a red-hot team with amazing pitching....but come on, baseball, isn't it time to balance things out with a salary cap. When a team has a $350 million payroll, with a pitch making as much as Milwaukee's entire staff, things need to adjust.

Shohei Otani, who had a performance in game four against Milwaukee that we will probably never see again, was signed for $700 million with a lot of the money pushed down the road. Can teams in Kansas City or Pittsburgh come even close to to something like that?

The defending World Series champions are poised to spend a record $509.5 MILLION in payroll and projected luxury tax. The Brewers play in the smallest market in the big leagues, and their entire payroll of $124.8 million doesn't even approach Los Angeles' projected luxury tax bill of nearly $168 million.

Come on, MLB. Let's get a salary cap in place so the haves -- teams in LA, Boston, New York and Chicago -- can't gobble up all the talent.

UP IN GREEN BAY, the Packers are once again the youngest team in the NFL. Only one player has over 10 years in the league. That's injured kicker Brandon McManus, a 12-year veteran. Closest to him? Several players are seven year vets.

McManus has been subbed by free agent Luke Havrisik, who is currently four-for-four in field goals, including a jaw-dropping franchise record 61-yarder against Arizona. Packer legend Mason Crosby held the previous mark at 58 yards.

Gotta thank Packer management for pulling the trigger and getting edge rusher Micah Parsons from the Dallas Cowboys. This helps the team grow in a number of ways.

WHAT'S HAPPENING IN MADISON? Not a whole lot where the Wisconsin Badger football team is concerned, and that's causing a LOT of angst around the campus and the state.

After last week's embarrassing 37-0 loss to Ohio State, Bucky has fallen to 0-4 in the Bigger Ten (averaging a lusty 5 points per game)  and just 2-4 on the season. Take a good, hard look at the remaining schedule and a 2-9 finish.

The Ohio State loss came on a 34-0 shutout by Iowa. That's the first time since the John Jardine Badgers was shut out in back-to-back games since 1977. That woeful team managed to score just 22 points in its final six games....this year's team could well challenge that. Wisconsin hasn’t been blanked in three consecutive games since 1968.

Both Badger Head Coach Luke Fickell and Athletic Director Chris McIntosh are sitting on seats that are getting hotter and hotter by the week. Another shutout loss this week against the sixth-ranked Oregon Ducks, currently 6-1, could well fuel the flames for firings -- large payouts be damned. 

This 'N That As We Head Into The NFL Season

 

Rookie wide receiver Matthew Golden put a target on his back heading into the regular season.

The first WR taken in the first round by Green Bay in over two decades swapped numbers, from the 22 he wore in the preseason to "0". He's the first Packer to wear that, as the NFL ruled in 2023 that players could use it.

That follows the announcement that new edge rusher/defensive end Micah Parsons will switch from the 11 he wore in Dallas to "1". No Packer has worn that since Curley Lambeau in 1925-26. But then, early on the NFL wasn't all that concerned about players wearing numbers on their jerseys.

And let's not forget that, while we have Lambeau to thank for establishing the Packers, he did at one point think about moving the franchise.

The Milwaukee Brewers went 9-10 on that brutal 19 games in 18 days stretch. Between that and a raft of injuries, they still hold a six game lead on the Chicago Cubs with 22 games to play, and 10 of those are at AmFam Field.

Meanwhile, Brewers manager Pat Murphy and pitching coach Chris Hook need to figure out something to do with relief pitcher Nick Mears. Several games this season, like Monday's loss to the Phillies, he has carried a can of gasoline with him to the mound, leading to a defeat.

Injuries have again factored into the bullpen, as D.L. Hall is out, as is ace closer Trevor Mcgill (though word is he won't be gone for long). And newly acquired Shelby Miller suffered an injury Monday that landed him on the 15 day IL.

Murphy will have some decisions to make when 1B/DH Rhys Hoskins returns from his stint on the IL. He has a few days left until eligible, which might explain why current 1B Andrew Vaughn has seen some work at third base -- although after a red-hot start for Milwaukee when he came over from the Chicago White Sox, he's cooled off considerably.

The Madison Mallards once again topped the collegiate Northwoods League in attendance. Handily, one might add.

Madison drew 212,610 fans, an average of 5,906. Second place was the Traverse City Pit Spitters at 88,912/2,470. The Mallards' total is slightly down from last season (217,070/6,202) as was Traverse City (81,741/2,548).

Mallards are a well-run organization that make their games solid, affordable family entertainment.

Ever wonder what the Packers, the only community-owned professional team in the states, is valued at?

The Dallas Cowboys, who generously traded Green Bay a disgruntled Micah Parsons, are valued at $12.8B  --  yes that's Billion -- just ahead of the Los Angeles Rams ($10.43B) and New York Giants ($10.25B). Of the 32 National Football League teams, Green bay ranks 18th at $6.48B -- $3B behind the Pittsburgh Steelers and just ahead ($6.47B) the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Dead last? The Cincinnati Bengals at $5.5B).

Graphic by The Athletic

Getting Crowded On The Brewer, Packer Bandwagons

 Back four games into the current Major League Baseball season, the naysayers were out in force. The Milwaukee Brewers had been beaten, no CRUSHED, by the New York Yankees and the Kansas City Royals, setting a record for pathetic pitching performances. After dropping the opener 4-2, the Crew lost games 20-9, 12-3 and 11-1.

Woe is us! The sky is falling! were the cries heard from many Brewers fans.

Cautioned all then that the season is a marathon and not a sprint. Just 132 games later, Milwaukee rebounded from that start to post a 85-52 record -- well, 85-47 if you drop that start. That's as of the last day in August, the BEST record in baseball!

This is a special bunch, as I have noted before. Young team with the right amount of veterans sprinkled in, a team having fun, enjoys playing together and is being led by a manager, Pat Murphy, who seems to be the perfect leader.

Milwaukee fans are responding in large numbers. Note the string of sellouts and near-sellouts, 8 of the last 9 games by my count. And that includes a recent Friday night game, followed by the Alumni Home Run Derby, that drew 43,469 fans.

People, AmFam Field seats 41,900! That's an awful lot of standing room tickets. Team is currently averaging just over 32,000 a game -- 13th in the MLB. If they keep at the current average, that would put them at about 2.6 million fans. No reason to think the sell-outs won't continue in many of the remaining 12 home games.

Still, there's a number of fatalistic fans not totally enjoying the ride. You know the ones. They talk about flaming out down the stretch or in the playoffs, etc.

Had drinks with a STAUNCH Chicago Cubs fan -- yes, there was gloating involved on the current standings. Mike noted that he just didn't understand that fatalistic approach to a successful season. Have to admit, neither do I. He said long-suffering Cubs fans have learned to enjoy the ride.

He also couldn't understand the animosity Milwaukee fans have for former manager, Craig Counsell. That's an easy one, Mike. He could have gone to any other team and things would have been fine. But, NOOOOO, he had to go to the hated Cubbies, our fierce rivals.

Enjoy the season, fans. Don't worry too much about the future.

Green Bay Packer fans are beside themselves, literally dancing in the streets, after the team pulled off the steal...er, trade...for All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons, age 26. So unlike the Green & Gold to go after a deal like this involving draft picks.

The Pack sent first round picks in 2026 and '27, to the Dallas Cowboys along with defensive tackle Kenny Clark (age 29) to bring the Parsons to Title Town. A long drawn-out contract dispute between Parsons and owner/general manager Jerry Jones was at the bottom of this. Jerra didn't want to negotiate a deal with Parsons' agent, just with Parsons, and the rift began.

With Green Bay, Parsons inked a four-year contract extension worth $188 million with over $130 million in guaranteed money, making him the highest paid non-quarterback in the league. He is a defensive force and will make those around him better.

Putting out that kind of cheddar is unusual in Green Bay. The downside is we now have about 35% of our salary cap invested in two guys, Parsons and quarterback Jordan Love.

Better hope they both stay healthy.

By The Way, Parsons wore number 11 in Dallas, but that number belongs to wide receiver Jayden Reed. Instead, Green Bay with break with tradition and issue jersey #1. That's a number last worn by team founder Curley Lambeau in 1925-26. It was never official retired, just not issued. The same is true of #5 worn by Paul Hornung. That number is unofficially retired. 

Hell, so many numbers from that dynasty could have been retired. But then, you start running out of jersey numbers!

Learned that Vaughn Karvala, the first-team all-state basketball player from Oregon, will NOT be returning for his senior year. Not an unexpected move. He's headed to an academy in Arizona to face higher caliber competition.

Highly sought after since his freshman year -- Wisconsin's Greg Gard and Marquette's Shaka Smart extended scholarship offers early -- it will be interesting to see if one of those state schools can reel in a big fish like Karvala.

No surprise that Aaron Rodgers, 41, returned for another NFL season. He is currently fifth in career touchdown passes at 503, just five behind Brett Favre. With his ego, Rodgers will want to pass Favre -- and still give Green Bay two of the top five in touchdown passes.

Colten Bartholomew is the beat reporter for the Wisconsin State Journal, covering Wisconsin Badger football. He's insightful, gives a good look into the program. Always enjoy reading his stuff.

He recently talked about a freshman offensive lineman, a kid from my home town (gotta stay loyal to those Wautoma Hornets!) who grew up a farm near the one I grew up on...

Here's what Bartholomew wrote after an August practice open to the media:

"Michael Roeske, a Wautoma product, showed his potential to be a big factor on the line at some point. He showed good flexibility and low pads during his work with the third offense. He gives great effort in run blocking despite not possessing outstanding strength, and his feet constantly move. He’s somehow a lean-looking 322 pounds, so the way in which he works his body this offseason will be interesting."

The fact that someone 6-8, 322 pounds is not ready for Big Ten competition doesn't surprise me. Roeske is going to have to get stronger, no necessarily bigger, before he can be a factor. Am sure he will wear the "Red Shirt" this season, though he could appear in a couple of games and still keep his four-year eligibility.

Michael Roeske, a Wautoma product, showed his potential to be a big factor on the line at some point. He showed good flexibility and low pads during his work with the third offense. He gives great effort in run blocking despite not possessing outstanding strength, and his feet constantly move. He’s somehow a lean-looking 322 pounds, so the way in which he works his body this offseason will be interesting.

Michael Roeske, a Wautoma product, showed his potential to be a big factor on the line at some point. He sh

Graphic by The Athletic

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.