No Longer Calling Houston Home, Where Will J.J. End Up?

 The Houston Texans let the face of their franchise, defensive end J.J. Watt, walk away from the club recently, letting him become free to sign with whichever NFL franchise appeals to him.

That appeal isn't just with a pay day, mind you, but a good chance at a championship ring as well.

Seeing the headline speculating about Watt returning to Wisconsin -- where he starred as a Badger -- to ply his trade with the Green Bay Packers, my significant other of nearly 37 years said "well, has anyone ASKED Watt if he wants to come to the Packers?"

Gotta say, that's a GREAT question. We can talk all we want about team-friendly contracts, salary cap issues and the like, but in the end, somebody needs to ask J.J. if he's interested.

I would say his answer would be yes. After all, in addition to being a former UW Badger, Watt was one of those kids hugging the fence during summer camps in Green Bay, hoping for an autograph from a Packer...any Packer.

BUT if he's smart, and playing his cards close, he won't say where he wants to play, just that he wants to play.

SAW THAT Lew Krausse, who threw the first pitch in Milwaukee Brewers history on April 7, 1970, passed away at the age of 77.

Pitchers & Catchers Set To Report For Baseball

It's a great time of year, this stretch of mid-February, when pitches & catchers report to their Major League spring training camps. The Milwaukee Brewers did so today.

Even in this Covid-19 era, one can't help but feel hopeful with the start of baseball. Hopeful enough to MAYBE believe we can get into the American Family Ballpark (still think of it as Miller Park....) for the home opener April 1st against the Minnesota Twins.

What kind of season will the BrewCrew have? Well, Christian Yelich HAS to return to his MVP-caliber playing and show that last year's disappointing season. I'll put much of that on that broken kneecap he suffered at the end of the 2019 season. Yeli will be back with a vengeance this year, as will Lorenzo Cain, who said out the season.

Another veteran presence who probably won't be missed is Ryan Braun, who reported recently "he's just not feeling it" for playing again. This after Milwaukee paid him $4 million to buy out the remaining year of his contract. I interpret Braun's feelings two ways; 1) he needs to see where Covid-19 will take the team and the season -- will there be DH in the National League, for example and 2) no teams are kicking down my door and offering me the kind of money I was hoping for.

Despite picking up Kolton Wong to help solidify the infield at second base, the team could still use some power at the corners. Keston Hiura, moving over to first base, won't supply that. Nor will Luis Urias do so at third. Stay tuned, as Milwaukee auditions several candidates.

The club signed pitcher Jordan Zimmerman, pride of Auburndale, WI, and UW-Stevens Point, to a minor league contract. We'll see if the veteran has anything left in the tank.

Another player signing a minor league deal was Jonathan Lucroy, former Brewer catcher. Lucroy spent six productive seasons with the Brewers, left after the 2015 season and has played with eight different teams since. A career .274 hitter, Lucroy signed on with the Chicago White Sox, giving the Pale Hose a matching pair of ex-Brewers behind the plate, since Yasmani Grandall joined the Southsiders as a free agent prior to the 2020 season.

Post-Super Bowl Thoughts

 We can officially put the wraps on this Covid-19 NFL season, a season that challenged fans and players alike.

When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers held up the Lombardi Trophy for winning Super Bowl LV, it capped a ho-hum, disappointing game that failed to live up the the hype. (Felt my own Super Bowl food choice of home-made crawfish & chicken gumbo was far better than the actual game, but I digress.)

Put the blame for that  boring game on the Buc defense and the injury-plagued offensive line. Poor Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes, it is said, ran for over 400 yards while doing his best Fran Tarkenton impression in trying to avoid Tampa's relentless pass rush. Am still marveling at his ability to escape, and that throw -- while parallel to the turf -- of 30 yards that hit his receiver in the hands!

Because that defense was so dominant, I felt the Bucs defense (or defensive coordinator Todd Bowles deserved the MVP, not quarterback Tom Brady.

When you look at the past 55 Super Bowls, a total of 31 MVP awards have gone to quarterbacks (Brady has five in his seven wins -- in 10 games played). Running backs and wide receivers have won seven each, a kick returner once (Desmond Howard in the Green Bay win in 1997) along with nine defensive players. That's actually 10, since Randy White and Harvey Martin shared the award for the Dallas Cowboys in 1978.

As an aside, while Bart Starr won the MVP award in the first two games (technically the NFL-AFL Championship Game) as the Green Bay Packers won, he should have at least shared the first one with wide receiver Max McGee. McGee wasn't expected to play, came in for an injured teammate and, hung over, caught seven passes for 138 yards and both of Starr's touchdowns.

By the way, in case you were wondering, the NFC has now won 27 of 55 games. The NFL split with the AFL prior to the merger of the two leagues, with Green Bay winning the first two, the New York Jets and the Kansas City Chiefs winning the next two.

Lagniappe During Super Bowl Week

On the eve of Super Bowl LV, and because I'm fixing a crawfish & chicken gumbo for game day (my homage to my Louisiana days and my Cajun friends) here's a little lagniappe.

That's Cajun for "a little extra".

Picking the Kansas City Chiefs to win, 36-24. They're favored by three, with the over/under at 36. I think the Chiefs cover both.

And speaking of the Chiefs, saw an editorial in the Kansas City Star calling for the Chiefs to change their name. In these politically-correct times, the Star feels the name should go.

Not in agreement on this one. I agree that the "tomahawk chop" should be retired, but as for the name and the logo? Nothing wrong with an arrowhead. Have been a fan of this team since their AFL days, when the Green Bay NBC TV affiliate carried games as part of the regional package. Heck, even have a personal letter from their coach at the time, Hank Stram, when the Chiefs knocked off the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IV.

Speaking of names, there was a letter to the editor recently in the Wisconsin State Journal suggesting that the home of the Milwaukee Brewers should be renamed "Hank Aaron Field" instead of American Family Field. He cites Lambeau Field and Camp Randall as examples to follow.

Clearly, the writer doesn't understand the concept of corporate naming rights. We go from Miller Park (thank you Miller brewing, but since they are no longer locally owned, they got outbid) to American Family Field.

 Now, perhaps somebody at American Family Insurance will take a look at this and decide that we could live with Hank Aaron Diamond at American Family Field, or some such. 

The Wisconsin Badgers may be preparing for a new defensive coordinator, since the current DC, Jimmy Leonard, is among those interviewing for the position with the Green Bay Packers. I would rather lose Leonard to the Packers than to another college team -- and of course, he can always come back to the Badgers as head coach down the road.

The Brewers signed free agent second baseman Kolton Wong away from the St. Louis Cardinals. The 30-year-old Wong, always a thorn in the side of the Brewers, inked a two-year contract worth $18 million.

It's a good addition for Milwaukee, as the three-time gold glove-winning Wong (a career .261 hitter) improves the defense over third-year pro Keston Huria, who will probably move over to first base to keep his bat in the lineup.

Brewers still need to upgrade with power, but this is a step in the right direction.