Will 2020 Be Ryan Braun's Last With Milwaukee?

 As the Milwaukee Brewers wrap up the regular season week, still with a shot at post-season play, you have to wonder if we've seen the last of Ryan Braun.

Granted, the 37-year-old had a stellar final three games at Miller Park (it will ALWAYS be Miller Park to me, no matter which corporate sponsor has naming rights). In the three-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals, Braun was at his vintage best.

The truth is, he ain't what he used to be. There's not a home for him in the outfield on a regular basis, and limited time at first base just won't justify the salary. Yes, his contract is up after this season. But he and the club hold an option for an additional $15 million for 2021.

Unless the National League adopts the Designated Hitter rule, after implementing it during this Covid-19 shortened season, I just can't see the club exercising the option. Yes, Braunie is great in the lockerroom, and would be a fine DH for the Brewers. But an every day player? Or a bench player? Probably not.

How To Improve Professional Golf

Caught some of the US Open yesterday from Winged Foot, won by a bulked-up Bryson DeChambeau (the only golfer on Sunday to shoot a sub-par round for the day).

On a 170-yard par 3, for example, DeChambeau hit the green with a friggin' pitching wedge!

And drives of waaaay over 300 yards are become routine for these young guns.

Tired of seeing some of this, as technology changes the game? Here's my suggestion: for at least one tournament, have these guys use the same equipment that Jack and Arnie used.

Wouldn't that be entertaining?

Reading The (Dollar) Signs, Big Ten Shoulders On

 I thought back when it happened that the Big Ten was a little too quick to pull the plug on the season.

Despite all the confusion their on-again off-again thoughts have created, the move to start up college football at the Midwest's major universities is the right move. Although not necessarily for the right reason.

It's clear the Big Ten was swayed by the dollars being left on the table. An Estimated $55 million per school for nearly  $800 to the conference has that effect. Am sure that, with the SEC, Big 12 and ACC playing, the threat (led, no doubt, by THE Ohio State)  that missing the fall would also have an impact on future recruiting had to weigh heavily.

Now, of the remaining Power 5 conferences, the cheese -- in this case, the Pac 12 -- stands alone. Only a matter of time before the Western schools decide that maybe fall football isn't such a bad idea after all.

The proposed Big Ten schedule calls for an 8+1 format. Gotta say, I like it! Eight schedule games, then a final that will pit West Division and East Division against one another (One vs. One, Two vs. Two, etc.), at sites yet to be determined.

Maybe the Big 10 should have come up with this a LONG time ago!

Also, I can see the hesitation coming from Madison officials (likely being echoed in all Big Ten cities) cautioning fans NOT to gather in groups to tailgate, group view, etc., games. Cooler heads need to prevail.

Go Bucky! And On Wisconsin.

Pump The Brakes, Packer Fans

I'm as much a homer when it comes to the Green Bay Packers as the next guy. Even hold a share of stock in team.

So despite the glee that came from besting the hated purple, those Minnesota Vikings, by a 43-34 score, I just have to call for caution (for several reasons).

First off, no preseason games, which leads to a number of questions about schemes, young players and the like.

It was clear that quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Coach Matt LaFleur  were on the same page Sunday. Rodgers was flawless running the offense, his second year in LaFleur's system. Mixing the run with the pass, moving the ball around to multiple receivers. Taking advantage of young Viking defensive backs.

Green Bay will need all of that, and more, this week when the Detroit Lions come to town. You can bet the visitors will do more to take Davante Adams (he of the 14 catches, two for touchdowns, and 156 yards) out of the mix. That means Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Allen Lazard will have to continue to step up.

But. But. But, the defense allowed 34 points and seemed to ease up once the Pack had a big lead. This team, in today's NFL, simply cannot afford to take their boot off the neck of an opponent. The gamble by Jaire Alexander, blitzing to score a safety when the blitz had not been called, paid dividends. But taking chances like that on a regular basis are gonna burn you more times than not.

Losing offensive lineman Lane Taylor for the season (again) doesn't help Green Bay. It will force rookie Jon Runyan from Michigan to step up his growth, again without the benefit of off-season camps or preseason games. Runyan was an eighth grader when the quarterback he is being called on to protect was leading the Pack to the Super Bowl Championship in 2011.

This is Rodgers' 16th season with Green Bay, a franchise that has been blessed in that regard, since Hall of Famers Bart Starr and Brett Favre also put in 16 years in the Green&Gold.

Best line from the opening NFL weekend came from an unusual source, Coach Bill Belicheck of the New England Patriots. In a lengthy question (to paraphrase "you've seen a football in your years, have you ever seen anything like with with no fans?")

Known more for terse, colorless comments, Belicheck replied "Practice".

Damn, Bill, nice mic drop!

Musings On A Rainy Day

After the Giannis-less Milwaukee Bucks were unceremoniously ejected from the NBA playoff bubble, most pundits around the country started to ask that haunting question: Will Gannis Antetokounmpo forced his way out of Milwaukee, or will the Bucks be able to re-sign their star?

Trust me, if I knew the answer to that question, I would make a lot of money in Vegas!

But, seriously, I think Giannis (aka The Greek Freak) will remain in a Bucks uniform. Granted, Milwaukee was not the same team in the bubble that it was during the pre-Covid season. And having their star injured to the point of missing the final game didn't help the Bucks.

Giannis may well be a back-to-back MVP selection. He certainly is deserving. And from my observations, he doesn't seem like the type of guy that needs to be in a New York or Los Angeles. He has said over and over that he's happy in Milwaukee, and Milwaukee has loved him back.

In order to help the process, though, the Bucks may need to bring in another piece to their puzzle. Sorry, I'm just not all that sold on Khris Middleton or Eric Bledsoe. I'm hearing the name Chris Paul being linked to Milwaukee. Wouldn't be a bad fit. Here's Robin to Giannis' Batman.

WILL THEY or won't they complete the NFL season? It kicks off tonight in Kansas City, and the Green Bay Packers head to Minnesota on Sunday to face the Vikings in a quieter stadium (only 22% capacity or thereabouts).

As much as I WANT the NFL season to go the distance, I just have my concerns that the league can pull it off. But then, I'm surprised baseball has managed to get this far into it's abbreviated season.

AS FOR COLLEGE FOOTBALL, well let's just say that's a different beast. While NFL players are working for pretty hefty salaries and know what's on the line for them, college players are still kids who will party, gather and enjoy college life.

Yes, I know the SEC, ACC and Big 12 have said  they'll play this fall. Truth is, while Covid-19 continues to ramp up around the country, I still have my doubts it will happen for a full season.

Lessons From A Reading List

Following up a recent post, dealing with summer reading, just finished one that seems to ring pretty true based on today's atmosphere.

The book, Satchel: The Life and Times of an American Legend by Larry Tye, is a very in-depth biography on Negro Leagues pitcher Leroy "Satchel" Paige. Even a non-baseball fan would find this an interesting read. Paige growing up in the south, dealing with Jim Crow laws and prejudice. It's a worthy biography written on a guy who was clearly larger-than-life in his heyday.

Born in 1906, Paige pretty much pitched 12 months a year for most of his career, which amazingly wrapped up in his 60s. Loved by the minority he represented, Paige was larger-than-life and denied the ability to compete against the white stars of his day until he was signed, at age 42, by the Cleveland Indians. By his estimation (and keep in mind records and newspaper coverage was spotty at best), Paige says he pitched in over 2,500 games (keep in mind he often pitched 4 innings or less as team owners would rent him out for a game just to help boost attendance), winning 2,000 or so. He said he played for 250 teams and threw 250 shutouts.

I'd believe that, since he played all year around,  heading out to California for winter leagues; playing in Bismark, North Dakota (on a mixed white/Black team long before Blacks were allowed into the MLB. And without issue, it should be noted); playing in Cuba, Puerto Rico...well, all over. Baseball was his job and he did it well.

Throughout the years, he had barnstormed against white stars like Dizzy Dean, Ted Williams, Bob Feller and the like, earning their respect along the way.

But the door to the Majors remained shut. Over and over he heard "If you were white..."