The Unnecessary Death Of A Minor League Franchise?

 Got a note recently from one of those friends that it seems like you've known forever.

Well, 40+ years can seem like forever, doesn't it Ted Tornow? Ted, a multi-sport guy from Menasha, Wisconsin (Go Bluejays!) enters his 23rd year as general manager in Clinton and will have been involved with pro baseball teams for 38 years in all with additional stops in Green Bay, WI; Memphis, TN; Huntsville, AL; Jackson, MS and Butte, MT.

 It wasn't a typical Christmas/New Year's Letter. It was a press release, confirming unthinkable news.

The death of the Clinton LumberKings, the only remaining charter member of the Midwest League, part of Major League Baseball's minor league system. Well, MLB killed off some 42 teams last week. Maybe killed isn't the right term, as some will survive by hooking on in other ways, with Independent Leagues or wood-bat leagues that feature college players (the successful Madison Mallards of the Northwoods League being one of those.)

But many may not survive. That's a shame, as MLB issued "invitations" to 120 of 162 teams to remain affiliated with a professional franchise. Cities like Appleton, WI, home to the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, were invited to remain part of the Milwaukee Brewers' organization. Appleton is also a Midwest League member, at one time known as the Appleton Foxes.

For the LumberKings, it's more than being part of a league. It's being part of a community. In this case, the 'Kings have been playing baseball in Clinton, Iowa as part of the Midwest League since 1954 -- and has been playing ball at a stadium built in 1937 as a project of the Works Progress Administration.

A community-owned team like the 'Kings brings jobs to the area as well as millions of dollars in impact. That's the kind of impact that 42 cities are trying to absorb.

Tornow will not let the LumberKings, who over the years were affiliated with 16 different MLB franchises, go gently into that good night. He has vowed to the community, to ownership, to the politicians, that there will be baseball at Nelson Corp. Field in 2021. This despite the fact that, once the 'Kings lost their MLB affiliation, the current lease with the city was terminated.

It may not be baseball affiliated with a Major League team, as it has in the past, but it will be baseball. Tornow is very optimistic.

"We've talked with the Frontier League, the Prospect League and the Northwoods League," explains Tornow. "The Frontier is an Independent League, and the team pays their players, so that's probably not in the cards for us. The Prospect and Northwoods are college wood bats league. They play 60 or 70 games a year and the college guys aren't paid."

MLB has assured the LumberKings, as well as the 42 other "orphans" that it will assist entry into others leagues.

"They (MLB) said they won't leave us hanging," said Tornow. "They promised our senators, our governor, our mayor all of that. We (the LumberKings) will have a board meeting and move from there, determining which league to join."

Clinton could well go two routes, joining the Prospect League as well as forming an additional league with other orphans.

Proud Of Area High School Athletes

Saw this in the Wisconsin State Journal on Saturday, and I was both pleased and surprised.

 It was a photo of a Friday night high school boy's basketball game (Lodi hosting New Glarus) and in the photos the paper ran, players from both teams are wearing their face masks during game action. 

Good for you, I say! Especially since the state of Wisconsin has seen numbers rise to near 450,000 cases as well as over 4,000 deaths. While Dane County schools haven't allowed high school games yet, perhaps the powers that be will take another look at their policy.

A Florida Gator defensive player drew a penalty late in Saturday's game with the LSU Tigers when he threw a shoe he had pulled off the running back he had just tackled. Oops! Th penalty allowed the Tigers to kick a game-winning field, a big upset as LSShoe was a 23-point underdog.

This probably few under your radar, as it did mine.

Seems that with last week's win, the Green Bay Packers became the first NFL franchise to win 800 games. That's a pretty amazing statistic.

And while we're talking about the newly-crowned champions of the North, thanks to a 31-24 win over the Detroit Lions, let's all hoist one in salute of kicker Mason Crosby. He talked Coach Matt LaFleur into letting him try a 57-yard field goal late in the game, and nailed it. Crosby is 15-for-15 in field goals this year and 47 of 50 in PAT kicks.

Glad the Pack resigned Crosby in the offseason. We need to have this guy play his entire career in Green Bay.

And hopefully that will apply to a certain quarterback having an MVP year in the Green & Gold!

By the way, Green Bay will host the Carolina Panthers on Saturday, a game flexed from Sunday. Kickoff will be 7:15 p.m. Saturday, but if you don't have the NFL Network or live in a Milwaukee or Green Bay television market, you won't see it.

That's gonna hit the Madison area hard, as well as the rest of Wisconsin, Wausau and Eau Claire for example.

Charlie Pride, 86, passed away over the weekend due to Covid-19. I bring him up not because he was the first Black Country-Western signing star, inducted into that hall of fame. I was a big fan of him in the 1960s and '70s.

But I didn't know he was a pitcher/outfielder for the Memphis Red Sox in the Negro American League. Seems he was a pretty good ballplayer. Put in some time in Montana in the Pioneer League as well, then had a tryout with the New York Mets before landing a recording contract in Nashville.

The Cleveland Indians of the American League have announced they will DROP the name "Indians" after the 2021 season. Will they add a name? Or go without, like the Washington Football Team is doing this season?

Rodgers Would Trade Records For Another Super Bowl Win

 Like many fans, I watched Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers throw his 400th career touchdown Sunday.

The nine-yarder to Davante Adams was the clincher record-setter in just 193 games, faster than any other NFL quarterback in history. Adams also snagged Rogers' 200th TD as well.

I'm willing to bet that Rodgers would trade this, and all the records he has or will have, for another Super Bowl championship. And thus far in this weird 2020 season, isn't Rodgers the logical pick for NFL Most Valuable Player?

I mean, seriously, isn't No. 12 the reason the Packers sit at 9-3? Beyond Adams and running back Aaron Jones, just who are the game-changers on that Green Bay offense? Certainly not any of the other wide receivers. Allen Lazard is developing, but he's not there yet. Certainly not Marquez Valdes-Scantling, a player who from time to time amazes us with his speed and a great catch -- but just as often we smack our forehead with a miscue.

No, Rodgers is the difference-maker. You could take Patrick Mahomes out of the Kansas City lineup and the Chiefs, with a TON of big-play guys, would still be winning. But put Rodgers on the sideline and, well, Green Bay is lucky to be mediocre.

He's playing his best football of the season, having fun and is comfortable with second-year head coach Matt LaFleur and his system. Here's hoping the roll continues!

WOULD SOMEONE please teach J.K. Scott how to at least try and make a tackle? Sunday's game featured another punt return for a touchdown by a Packer foe, and another game in which Scott found himself posterized by the football equivalent of the dunk.

Would expect more from a guy who played at one of college football's professional program, Alabama.

THAT SIGN OF relief you heard Tuesday morning was coming from the 1972 Miami Dolphins, the last team to go unbeaten in an NFL season. Am sure the surviving members of the Dolphins were calling one another to celebrate after the Washington Whatevers knocked off the previously unbeaten Pittsburgh Steelers.

HOPING AGAINST HOPE that the Big Ten has the good sense to pair Wisconsin and Minnesota in a rescheduled Axe Game in two weeks. All teams were to be playing their division opposite during the Big Ten Championship Game weekend. But I expect the Big Ten to change things around and schedule the Gophers-Badgers to keep the longest-running rivalry in college football rolling.

And in that Championship Game, you can bet the conference will do it's best to get THE Ohio State Buckeyes into the game, and maybe in college football's final four title chase. It's better for the Big Ten's coffers to have OSU in that discussion (of course, all the Big Ten teams would share in the money that comes in!)

Random Thoughts On A Cool December Day

Was out walking Homer the Malamute this week, listening to sports talk radio to help fill the time. This day, it's Colin Cowherd talking with Dave Wannstedt. Among other topics, the pair are discussing Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and how the team didn't draft any help for him.

True. But then Wannstedt says "and I thought they would at least go after a free agent, but they didn't". His view might be a bit jaded, as he put up a 1-11 record against the Packers while head man of the Chicago Bears.

Hold on there, Dave. Green Bay DID sign a free agent, picking up wide receiver Devin Funchess, a 6-4, 225-pound former second round draft pick by the Carolina Panthers. In his career, he had 164 receptions for 2,265 yards and 21 touchdowns.

But when Covid-19 reared it's ugly head, Funchess chose to sit out the season for personal reasons. Can't fault that. He put family first, but in his Instagram post at the time, indicated he was looking forward to being part of the team in 2021.

So much for helping the Pack via free agency. Still, I do agree with the talking heads when they opine that the Packers should have helped their poor run defense OR grabbed a quality wide receiver with their first pick, not quarterback Jordan Love.

SPEAKING OF Rodgers, he celebrated his 37th birthday this week (fun fact, two other state MVPs, Christian Yelich of the Milwaukee Brewers and Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks both celebrate birthdays this week as well).

But back to Rodgers, who during his mid-week chat with the media, expressed hope that he would be a Green Bay Packer until he retires. Easy to agree with him on that one, as the guy is playing some of his best football this season after getting more comfortable with Coach Matt LaFleur's offense.

SEEMS ODD to be watching NFL football on a Wednesday afternoon (though NBC is promoting it as Sunday Night Football LOL).

The NFL muffed this one, and continues to do so in their reaction to Covid-19. Seems The Shield is just plain determined to get this season in by hook or by crook.

IRONIC THAT Green Bay Packers kicker Mason Crosby has missed two extra points, but not a field goal. Of course he's had more PAT attempts (42) than field goal tries (13), putting up 79 points for a Green Bay team that leads the NFL in scoring with 349 points, an average of 31.73 per game. That's a good thing, since defensively they're allowing 25.73.

That defense might not get them very far in the playoffs.

SO LONG Corey Knebel, and thanks for the memories. Once the stopper on the Milwaukee Brewers pitching staff, Knebel was shipped to the Los Angeles Dodgers for either a player to be named later OR cash.

Hope this means that there will be more money to keep closer Josh Hader in the fold.

And speaking of contracts,  shortstop Orlando Arcia and catchers Omar Narvaez and Manny Pina took pay cuts.

More money to get a quality free agent or two?

After Skinning The Bears, Packers Eye A Strong Stretch Run

 Green Bay's Packers moved to 8-3 on the season Sunday, skinning the Chicago Bears in the process with a 41-25 win.

That's the 100th Packer victory in this, the oldest continuous rivalry in the National Football League. And the two clubs will wrap up this rather strange 2020 season with the final game of the year in Chicago, the 200th meeting.

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers led a balanced Green Bay attack, throwing for 211 yards and four touchdowns (all to different receivers) while running backs Aaron Jones and Jamal Williams ran for 90 and 73 yards respectively.

Still, Packer fans, don't get too excited. This was a beat-up Bears team and on-again, off-again quarterback Mitch Trubisky (known as 'Mitch Biscuits' around our house) gave up a pair of interceptions along with a fumble that Green Bay's Preston Smith returned for a touchdown.

Why the concern? Because Green Bay continues to struggle trying to stop the run. Chicago's David Montgomery rushed for 103 yards on 11 carries -- including a 57-yard run in the first quarter that put the Bears in the red zone, where the Packer defense finally stiffened to yield just a field goal. Down big by halftime, Chicago had to turn away from the run or the numbers might have been worse.

With five games remaining on the schedule, and  three of those at Lambeau Field, I think the best the Pack can do is 4-1. That's because, in the next-to-last game, the Tennessee Titans come to town.

If Green Bay's run defense hasn't been able corral the likes of Minnesota's Delvin Cook, for example, what do we think the chances of stopping the Titans' Derrick Henry are? This 250-pounder ran all over a pretty solid Indianapolis defense this week for 178 yards and three touchdowns. And he just gets tougher and tougher to stop as the weather gets colder.

Just being a realist here.

Still, if the Packers can down Philadelphia, Detroit and Carolina to go to 11-3, a blip against Tennessee will be forgiven. The team holds a three-game advantage on both Chicago and Minnesota going into this week.

If all goes as it should, that finale in Chicago will be a moot point for the playoff-bound Packers.

AT LEAST the Packers have a stadium to call home! Seems that the San Francisco 49ers will be forced to abandon their home field and relocate to Arizona for the final five weeks -- because of country restrictions. The 49ers will share the Cardinals' stadium.

But, hey, it's not like home crowds factor in to games this Covid-19 season.

Oshkosh's Bauer Wraps Successful Career

A topsy-turvy high school football season wrapped, and here's hoping the preps never go through a season like 2020 again.

Many teams never walked onto the field due to local Covid-19 restrictions. Others tried to get a season in. Some were successful in managing to play as many as nine games, others got to maybe four games, some less.

Still, a couple of bright spots did emerge, without a lot of fanfare. Granted, geeks who follow this will look on the net and find the stories. That's why I'm here, I guess.

Joshua Bauer of Oshkosh Lourdes Academy led Wisconsin in passing. The senior hit 146 of 213 passes for 2,469 yards -- along with 34 TDs and only seven interceptions.

Bauer had a solid career for the Knights. He completed 62.2% of his passes (350 of 563) for 5,704 yards, 76 TDs and only 15 interceptions. Plus Bauer rushed 282 times for 1,775 yards and another 32 TDs. So all told, he leaves Lourdes Academy after producing 7,479 total yardage and 108 scores.

But his passing totals don't crack the top five career totals in the state. The career passing leader is Ben Hempel of Franklin (2001-2004) with 9,508 yards.

Tanner Marsh of Mondovi emerged as the state's top rusher, piling up 2,043 yards on 242 carries with 27 touchdowns in 27 games. He wrapped up his career playing in 35 games, rushing for 4,563 yards on 606 carries and 60 TDs. The state career leader, by the way, is Tyler Tenner of Racine Lutheran. Tenner played 2016-2019 and gained 6,932 yards.

Long Time Between All-Senior Starting Fives At Wisconsin

 Recently noted that this year's Wisconsin Badger men's basketball team is regularly starting five seniors and wondered when the last time that happened in program history -- not counting, of course, senior night games.

Well, you need to go back to the 2000-2001 season for it, when seniors Mike Kelley, Roy Boone, Maurice Linton, Andy Kowske and Mark Vershaw. That was Dick Bennett's sixth season with the Badgers, and he left after the third game due to burnout, saying he "simply was drained."

Brad Soderberg coached the final 26 games and the club (which included sophomore Kirk Penney from New Zealand, along with freshmen Freddie Owens and Mike Wilkinson) finished 18-11 on the season, 9-7 in the Big Ten; qualified for the tournament but fell to Georgia State, 50-49, in the opening round.

Bo Ryan got the head coaching job the next season and, well, the rest is history. A very successful history from Bo to Greg Gard. Let's face it, Badger fans, we're pretty spoiled!

The Detroit Lions dropped the axe on Coach Matt Patricia right after the team was embarrassed yet again in a Thanksgiving Day game. Also hitting the unemployment line was General Manager Bob Quinn. This franchise hasn't been all that relevant in years.

Last time Detroit won an NFL Championship? Go back to 1957, when they knocked off San Francisco in the Western Conference playoff (31-27) and then mauled the Cleveland Browns, 59-14, for the title. Since then? Nada. Zip. Zilch. In fact, only one playoff victory, and that came in 1992.

I was a bit surprised Detroit pulled the plug before the end of the season, but at least it gives Wisconsin Badger alum Darrell Bevell his first shot as a head coach, even if "interim" is part of the title.

So, The Ohio State Buckeyes had another Big Ten football game cancelled due to Covid-19, their second. Three strikes and they won't have enough games to qualify for the Big Ten title.

Or not.

Seems the Big Ten has a new proposal in mind, something about the average of games played, the full moon and maybe UFOs? No, seriously, they have a plan in place to adjust from the original -- one that will, no doubt, assure Ohio State of a place in the Title tilt.

Giving Thanks For What Sports We Have

 As we pass the turkey or ham or turducken around the table, where we have less family and guests than in the past due to Covid-19, let's think about a few things.

Sad that Marquez Valdes-Scantling received death threats on social media after his untimely overtime fumble cost his Green Bay Packers in the 34-31 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

Seriously, people, we have much more pressing things to concern ourselves with. It's easy to throw darts and hate when you can hide on the internet. Not the best image for Packer fans to put forth. We're better than that!

That was a tough loss, but it's not fair to put all the blame on MVS. When a team has a 28-14 halftime lead, then runs only 6 plays in the third quarter, something's wrong. The shuffle of players in the offensive line after center Corey Linsley's injury may have had some influence.

Elgton Jenkins moved over from guard (the versatile second-year man has played every O-Line position except for right guard) and rookie John Runyan (sixth rounder from Michigan) took over at left guard for Jenkins. Thank you Elgton, for being the most versatile O-Lineman in recent memory, Here's hoping that, in a blowout, you get a couple of snaps at right guard.

Still, did those changes force Coach Matt LaFleur into a couple of pass plays on third-and-one and fourth-and-one? 

Let's fact it, those are the times to let your big guys up front get physical and move the pile. Instead, incomplete passes and missed opportunities.

Charles Woodson, LeRoy Butler are among the 25 finalists for the NFL Hall of Fame. Both are deserving, but will the voters put in two Packers together?

Saturday's Battle For The Axe at Madison's Camp Randall has been cancelled by Covid-19, as the Minnesota Gophers have had big numbers this week. This ends the longest uninterrupted college football series at 113 years, stretching back to 1906. Bucky won the Axe back last year, now holds a 61-60-8 record in the series.

The cancellation, by the way, means that Wisconsin has had as many games called by Covid-19 (three) as the team has played. This also means that the Badgers are no longer eligible to play in the Big Ten Championship game. This might not be a bad thing, since The Ohio State will take it's season of frustrations out on, probably, Northwestern's Wildcats.

The Wisconsin Badger men's basketball started five seniors on Wednesday in their season opener. When was the last time a Badger team, or anyone nationally for that matter, started five seniors on a regular basis?

Was looking over the recent NBA draft, held very late this year due to C-19, etc. The regular season is set to start in, what, another month or so? Doesn't give rookies much time to get acclimated. Anyway, one of the things that jumped out at me was the draft of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Unusual in the fact that all three of their picks are Euros (from teams in Greece, France and Spain). Is this because these three hopefuls won't have a clue as to where Oklahoma is and, therefore, will jump at the chance to be in the NBA? Just wondering.

Speaking of the NBA, hoping that all the moves the Milwaukee Bucks have made are enough to convince Giannis to sign that max deal and stay with the club through 2026.

When the WIAA completed it's abbreviated two round football postseason, 42% of the final games (19) were won by forfeit. Here's hoping that we can get back to some normal high school sports soon.

Congrats to the Knights of Oshkosh Lourdes Academy, finishing second to Edgar in the final Small School rankings. I still have a soft spot in my heat for LA, a club I covered for several years while with the Oshkosh Daily Northwestern, highlighted by their 1974 state championship, Happy to continue to be in touch with several members of that squad, along with other athletes from some very memorable years.

Happy Thanksgiving all! And thanks for following me!

These Aren't Your Pre-Covid Milwaukee Bucks!

 When the National Basketball Association starts up in December, fans of the Milwaukee Bucks are really going to need a program.

This week, as the NBA went into the trade season (prior to tonight's draft), the Bucks were moving players left and right.

Gone are Eric Bledsoe, Donte DiVencenzo, George Hill, Ersan Illysaova and D.J. Wilson via trade. Out the door as a free agent is Wes Matthews (though he could come back on a team-friendly deal). Also exiting will be Kyle Korvar and Robin Lopez. 

That's eight members of the club that were on last fall's training camp roster. Of all of them, I think only DiVencenzo will truly be missed, as he was a young player showing promise. Bledsoe was a decent point guard but tended to disappear during crunch time.

So, what do the Bucks have coming in? 

• Point guard Jrue Holiday from the New Orleans Pelicans (for players, three first round draft picks -- 2020, 2025 and 2027 -- as well as swapping first round spots in 2024 and 2026). Let's face it, if Milwaukee camps in the playoffs and wins a title, those first round picks are deep in the round, and not as important as those in the NFL. Holiday is a leader, a good scorer and a top-notch defender. A GREAT replacement for Bledsoe.
• Shooting guard/forward Bodgan Bogdanovic, a third-year pro, is a good, solid player. But the trade can't be finalized until Sunday because he's a restricted free agent, so the deal will be a sign-and-trade. UNFORTUNATELY, a day after writing this, the trade has apparently fallen apart. Stay tuned...

It's pretty clear that ownership is pushing all the chips to the center of the table in Milwaukee, loading up with quality to prove to superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo that the franchise is serious about winning. The Greek Freak is coming off a second straight MVP season, but only has one year left on his contract.

With luck, the Bucks will get Giannis to sign a supermax contract, a deal worth $228 million that would keep him in Milwaukee until 2026.

That's a lot of money, but when you want to bag a trophy Buck, you have to make some moves.

After all, doesn't the state's gun deer season start this weekend? Perfect timing for Milwaukee ownership.

Maybe A High School Football Playoff Wasn't Such A Great Idea

 The first of two rounds of Wisconsin high school football playoffs finished last night.

Maybe this wasn't the best idea in the world, based on the current state of things in Cheesehead country.

Of the 90 games scheduled, 30 were decided by forfeit -- that's 33%!  Ouch...

The state had a record 7,777 cases of Covid-19 on game day, bringing the state total to over 301,000. We have 5.8 million people here in Wisconsin. In Canada, with a population of 38 million, they have had just over 280,000 cases.

Something's wrong here, folks.

Wear a mask, keep your distance and please STAY SAFE!