Random Thoughts To Welcome 2022

There's been a lot of debate about which NFL player deserves the MVP for this season. Is it Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers? Tom Brady of Tampa Bay? Outside favorite Jonathan Taylor, the talented running back of the Indianapolis Colts?

Brady gets love for having the numbers (for for being Tom Brady), but let's compare him with Rogers:

• Brady's team is 11-4. He's thrown for 4580 yards , 422 of  632 passes (66.8%) with 37 TDs,  11 INTs and a passer rating of 100.2.
• Rodgers is 12-2 (while the team is an NFL-best 12-3). He's thrown for 3689 yards, completing 323 of 475 (68%) with 33 TDs and only 4 INTs, a passer rating of 110.8.

For Brady, that's 157 more attempts, 99 more completions, 891 more yards but only 4 more TDs and 7 more INTs.

To be fair, former Wisconsin Badger running back Taylor has had a monster year for Indianapolis. Going into this week, he's rushed 297 times for 1,626 yards (5.5 average) and 17 touchdowns. He's added another 336 on pass receptions for 1,967 yards from scrimmage and 19 scores.

Should Rodgers stay hot in the final two games, he's certainly deserving of the MVP. As is Taylor.

Wouldn't mind seeing co-MVPs this year, which would be a win-win for Wisconsin fans!

We lost Betty White this week (and John Madden, Boston Celtic great Sam Jones and Dan Reeves as well; seems like celebrities always go in bunches). Betty, weeks away from turning 100, had a strong Midwest connection. Not only was she from Oak Park, IL but her late husband, Allen Ludden, had a Wisconsin connection I wasn't aware of -- born in Mineral Point and buried there after his death from stomach cancer at the age of 63.

A show of hands needed here: How many stayed up to the bitter end and watched the Wisconsin Badgers knock off Arizona State, 20-13, in the Las Vegas Bowl this past week? 

What an epic way to end the game, controlling the ball for nearly 10 minutes to "run out the clock." And I thought it was classy of Coach Paul Chryst to not stick in one more meaningless score when the club was inside the five with just over two minutes to play.

A lot of college coaches would have gone for the score. Glad we have a better mindset at Wisconsin.

Speaking of Chryst, after taking the Badgers to a 9-4 record this year (this after the team started 1-3), he is now 6-1 in bowl game appearances and has a Badger record of 65-23 (73.86%). Still, he and the Badgers are going to need better quarterbacking if they are to challenge for a national championship.

In it's run of 20 straight bowl games, Wisconsin is 11-9.

So, it's a pair of SEC teams (Alabama, Georgia) playing for another national championship in college football. Again.

Yawn. ('nough said)

Welcome To Parity

I've been thinking back to the early 1970s, just after the National Football League and the American Football League merged.

At the time, then Commissioner Pete Rozelle touted the mantra of "On Any Given Sunday..."

Meaning, of course, that any team could get a win against any opponent.

It may have taken decades, and Covid, but those days have arrived. Going into today's games on this Boxing Day 2021, there were 21 of the 32 NFL teams with a record of .500 or better. That's 65.6% of the league -- and two other teams were right on the cusp at 6-8 and 7-8!

After setting the team record for touchdown passes thrown, passing HOFer Brett Favre, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers sure sounded pretty humble as he looked at his place in the history of this 102-year-old franchise.

What's truly amazing with this record is, when you take a deeper dive into the numbers, you see that Favre had 286 interceptions (lord, didn't he break our hearts trying to make big plays, especially in the playoffs?)

Rodgers only has 93 picks in his time with Green Bay.

And based on the success with the team, and the affection Packer fans are showing him despite the ugly times this past summer, it would NOT surprise me if Rodgers and the front office make up and he stays in the Green & Gold for another few seasons. This could mean they trade Jordan Love and end that experiment to keep him happy, of course. And it would mean coming up with a lotta bucks to ink All-Everything wide receiver Davante Adams.

But, hey, stranger things have happened!

If Green Bay can hold onto home field advantage and the Road To The Super Bowl runs through Lambeau Field, I like the team's chances.

Yes, things need to be tightened up on defense. And the Not-So-Special Teams need to be, while not spectacular, at least mistake-free.

Is there any doubt that Coach Matt Lafleur should be the NFL's Coach Of The Year? No other coach in his first three years has won at least 10 games a season AND three division crowns. There's been ups and downs, but the work that has been done to repair and replace the offensive line, a group that has been operating without a starter for weeks should be rewarded.

Same for GM Brian Gutekunst, who has found some pretty good players from the waiver wire and trades (where would the team be without defensive back Rasul Douglas?) 

Thinking that  the Wisconsin Badgers will fare pretty well out in Las Vegas this week against Arizona State. The school will play in it's 20th straight bowl game.

Enjoy that, Badger fans. There's not a whole lot of schools that have enjoyed this kind of success, year in and year out.

What About That "Not-So-Special" Team?

 Those of us who follow the Green & Gold were not doubt aghast by the pitiful performance Monday night at Lambeau Field

Who the hell is coaching the Special Teams, anyway? The Keystone Cops?? Thought the Packers could drop no farther into the depths of mediocrity after watching the Not-So-Special Teams week after week.

Thought wrong.

Head Coach Matt Lafleur and his staff had better get things sorted out and soon with the group. This area is clearly the Achilles Heel of the Pack and could doom them in a Super Bowl Run.

Looking for thoughts on last minute Christmas gifts for the sports minded? Here's a couple of suggestions.

* The Baseball 100 by Joe Posnanski. It's a great read for a baseball fan! Filled with information, stories and facts, this 800-plus page effort deals with greats you've heard of and players you only wish you had seem in person.

* The Greatest Story in Sports: Green Bay Packer 1919-2019 by Cliff Christl. A massive four-volume set feature history, stories and photos of the Green and Gold. I've know Cliff since the early 1970s when our paths crossed covering high school sports in the Fox Valley. Another UW-O grad, he's been the go-to historian voice for the Packers for several years, following in the footsteps of longtime public relations man, Lee Remmel.

Saw that Covid continues to rear it's ugly head in both the NFL and the NBA. No surprise there. Think this is with us for a long, long time.

This Little Piggy, Wisconsin Version

All around Green Bay Packer Nation, there's no bigger game right now than This Little Piggy...since the little piggy in question is on the left foot of Packer quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

We've all been anxious as Rodgers plays through the injury. We've all wondered whether he'll have surgery or not. And how will it affect his performance.

As Rodgers & his toe goes, so go the Packers. At least that's how it seems as Green Bay heads into the final five games of the regular season, taking a 9-3 record with it. Thankfully, three of those are at home and the finale is against the woeful Detroit Lions.

So Packer fans, join me in saying This Little Piggy Went Wee Wee Wee...all the way to the Super Bowl.

It's about time! Baseball has finally corrected an injustice and is putting Buck O'Neil in the Hall Of Fame. This great from the Negro Leagues, never given a chance to play in Major League Baseball because of the color barrier, should have been named a HOFer when he was still alive and could savor the moment.

Having read a lot about the Negro Leagues, and O'Neil, I continue to admire the men who played then. Some pretty amazing athletes. And you gotta hand it to O'Neil. He could have been bitter about the fact that he never got the opportunity, but never was. As a manager and scout, he helped guys like Ernie Banks and Willie Mays take the giant step he was never allowed to take.

In the later stages of his life, O'Neil was pretty much a constant presence at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, ready to talk baseball and tell stories to anyone and everyone.  And if you're a true baseball fan, you have to make this trip and visit it.

So, prior to the end of baseball's current CBA, there were a LOT of free agent signings and movement. Milwaukee Brewers outfielder, Avi Garcia, for example, inked a deal with the Miami Marlins.

Good for Avi, I say. Hope it works out for him and he enjoys the quiet and solitude in Marlins Park.

Quiet and solitude, you ask. Well, the Marlins don't draw flies when it comes to attendance. Since 2018, they have averaged 10,000 or less -- this past season, just 7,934 per game. The Brewers, on the other hand, averaged over 22,000 fans. And keep in mind that, for much of the season, they were limited to numbers due to Covid. For example, only about 11,000 of us got to attend opening day for a game that usually sells out to over 42,000!

In 15 of the last 16 seasons, Miami has ranked dead last in the National League in attendance. So Garcia will have a lot of quiet time to think during games.

Minnesota Gold Gophers quarterback Tanner Morgan is coming back for his SIXTH college season, Perhaps he should change his name to Tenure??

This past weekend, week 13 for the NFL, Green Bay had it's bye week. Pretty late, for sure, and I pictured millions of Packer fans shuffling around Wisconsin, feeling out of place and out of sorts without their Green & Gold heroes in action.

Putting Braelon Allen In Perspective

I ranted about this a bit my last time on the soapbox, but it bears repeating.

I don't fault freshman Braelon Allen, the uber-talented 17-year-old running back who was held to 47 yards -- after seven straight 100+ games. The kid is just that, a kid. He's nicked up, beat up and has been playing full-contact football for six of the last nine months. That's because Fond du Lac High School, like many state schools, played a six-week schedule in the spring because of Covid.

He played seven high school games in the spring. He rushed 71 times for 1,047 yards and 21 touchdowns. He caught four passes for 135 yards and two more TDs. And, he was playing defense as well! Once that season ended, he turned around in May and started training again.

It's been well-documented that, coming into Wisconsin, the coaching staff wasn't quite sure where he would end up. Would it be safety? Would it be linebacker? Seems like running back was an afterthought.

I think they got it right.

Wisconsin fans are spoiled. I'm right there, too. Twenty straight seasons of bowl games does that. Remember the decades if futility? The Don Morton years? Playing with Morton's "explosive veer offense" over 40,000 fans disguised as empty seats attended games at The Camp. And a half-full Camp Randall led to budget deficits that cost us a college baseball program, among others.

Let's face it. The Badgers are NOT a program on a par with the likes of Ohio State, Michigan or Penn State. Sure, every now and then Bucky can put together a season to compete -- and beat -- those teams. But season after season after season? Probably not.

So enjoy the bowl games, the success in the Big Ten West and all the rest. I remember the dark days -- and trust me, we don't want to go back to them

That guy knocked over on the sidelines Sunday in the Packer-Rams game, the one that Davante Adams helped put the stocking cap back on?

That was Green Bay's physician, Dr. Pat Mckenzie -- the pride of Oshkosh Lourdes Academy. I knew Pat when covering Lourdes in the mid-1970s, and trust me when I say that as a three-sport athlete (football, basketball and tennis, if my memory serves) he was much more nimble and light on his feet back then.

Speaking of the Rams-Packers game, I saw a couple of interesting stats pop up on the NFL RedZone channel: Rams quarterback Matt Stafford entered the game 0-16 when facing teams that were at least five games over .500, while Packers QB Aaron Rodgers was 3-0 against Rams teams when he faced them in Wisconsin.

Some things just don't change.

Thanksgiving Leftovers

 I'm not adverse to the National Football League sticking with a bit of history when it comes to Thanksgiving Day games. 

After all, the Detroit Lions have been a Thanksgiving fixture since they started playing the game in 1934. And the Dallas Cowboys? They've hosted since 1966.

Detroit's game wasn't always such a turkey, though the team has lost the last five and, in truth, hasn't really been relevant since winning it's last NFL title in 1957. Heck, since 1960 the Lions have only made the playoffs 12 times. They are one of three teams (Cleveland and Jacksonville are the others) to have never played in a Super Bowl!

Did you know that, for a stretch from 1951 to 1963, Detroit's opponent was ALWAYS the Green Bay Packers? Coach Vince Lombardi hated playing the game, and starting 1964, opponents were rotated.

This was an odd year in that not one home team put up a victory. Still, despite the cry from those around the NFL to stop giving Detroit the game, I'm fine with the Lions hosting.

There is something to be said for tradition.

SAW NUMBERS FROM the opening weekend of Wisconsin's gun deer season that, while over 85,000 deer were taken, the total was down some 14% from 2020. Lot of factors there, I think, but the article went on to note that some 179,000 deer had been killed if the other seasons (bow, etc.) that came prior to the nine-day gun season.

I have friends who hunt, and in their opinion all the additional seasons aren't helping the traditional gun season.

Will be interested to see what the final totals are for 2021.

SO THE BADGERS failed to bring the axe home from Minnesota. Well, those pesky Gophers had a great game plan, played exceptional defense and befuddled Coach Paul Chryst. Wisconsin made a TON of mistakes. Self-inflicted wounds from penalties, missed opportunities and the like didn't help. Nor did a number of questionable calls by the officials.

There will be those who will no doubt lay the blame at the feet of the offense, and rightfully so. When Minnesota blunted Wisconsin's running game (hey folks, that's a pretty damn good defense there) it forced the Badgers to win through the air.

Wisconsin wasn't good enough to do that.

I don't fault freshman Braelon Allen, the uber-talented 17-year-old running back who was held to 47 yards -- after seven straight 100+ games. The kid is just that, a kid. He's nicked up, beat up and has been playing full-contact football for six of the last nine months. That's because Fond du Lac High School, like many state schools, played a six-week schedule in the spring because of Covid.

So let's see how the Badgers do in their bowl game once the team gets healthy before we rush to judgement.

Some Pre-Thanksgiving Thoughts

 Watched a bit of the high school football title games last week. Franklin, led by UW recruit quarterback Myles Burkett, topped Sun Prairie, 38-17 in D-1.

This is the last time Sun Prairie will be in the state playoff per se, as next year the city splits into two high schools. Will be interesting to see which schools are powers in which sports.

The G.O.A.T of Wisconsin high school football coaches can be found in Fond du Lac. Bob Hyland just wrapped up his 51st season (yes, you read that right) leading the St. Mary's Springs Ledgers. Though Colby stopped Hyland's run of three straight state titles, 22-7, Hyland still stands atop the state with a record of 492-113-2.

That's a winning percentage of over 81%, folks.

Will the 76-year-old Hyland come back for a run at 500 wins? We'll see.

I would recommend "The Baseball 100" by Joe Posnanski as a great Christmas gift for the serious, or even casual, baseball fan. The book is more than just statistics. It goes into detail on each player that is sure to give more than one "Wow? I didn't know that..." moment.

Anyone's list of anything is always so open to discussion. That's what Posnanski wants, as he includes players from baseball's past and present as well as those from the Negro Leagues -- denied the chance to compete in the Major Leagues before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947-- and Japan's Sadaharu Oh.

Why Oh?  Well, all he did in the Japanese League was hit 868 home runs. The major leaguers who saw him play or played against him in exhibitions all agree he would have had great success in the U.S. That's good enough for me.

By the way, my all-time favorite Chicago Cub, pitcher Fergie Jenkins, came in at No. 81. Fergie is the only Canadian-born pitcher in baseball's Hall of Fame. When the Cubs traded Fergie, I gave up on them and have held that grudge for over 50 years!

Happy Thanksgiving to all! Safe travels.

"Next Man Up" Rings True For Packers

 With quarterback Aaron Rodgers sidelined with the covid kerfuffle, it's time for the next man up to step in. Jordan Love will be sorely tested by the Kansas City Chiefs, but I think the Green Bay Packers rally 'round their young QB and get the job done.

As to Rodgers, am sure many Packer fans share his feelings on covid and vaccinations. And are probably willing to forgive him at this point in the year.

But make no mistake about it, had this arisen during the playoffs and cost the Packers a Super Bowl shot, the torches and pitchforks would have come out of storage in a hurry. Remember, this is the fan base that, in the early 1970s, killed head coach Dan Devine's dog when the team fell into mediocrity!

The Wisconsin Badgers made short work or Rutgers yesterday, with the defense helping to force a 52-3 route. Bucky is now bowl-eligible for a 20th straight season. Those of us of a certain age recall when all Wisconsin fans did was dream about a bowl game. Any bowl game.

Those were the days of Greg "Grape Juice" Johnson and Rufus "The Road Runner" Ferguson toting the ball for Bucky. When Wisconsin was normally drubbed by any and all Big Ten foes.

What ever happened to really cool nicknames for football players? Gotta come up with something sweet for Fond du Lac freshman Braelon Allen, who now has five straight 100-yard games. The 17-year-old running back won't turn 18 until January. We need to give him a classy moniker.

No surprise that Avi Garcia of the Milwaukee Brewers is testing the free agent market. If he gives Milwaukee a home-town deal, fine. Otherwise, look for the Brewers to be aggressive in the free agent market as they have salary to work with and a solid base of starting pitching to build on. The club was 19th in MLB with a payroll just over $99 million -- below the league average of $128 million.

Tops in baseball? Those Los Angeles Dodgers at over $271 million. Two other clubs, the New York Yankees and the New York Mets, topped the $200 million mark.

Congrats to the Oregon High School boys soccer team, capping a 22-0-3 season by winning the Division 2 state championship, beating Whitefish Bay 3-1. For my local high school, this is a fourth state title and the first since 2018.

Oh, Mr. Rodgers!

 From time to time, I serve as a volunteer driver for the local senior center, dropping off noon meals around the village and the area.

Other than a "Hi, are you doing okay?" exchange with the folks I am dropping off to, there's not much else said.

But Thursday, an older gentleman took the meal from me, noted my Green Bay Packers stocking cap and asked "So, what do you think about (Aaron) Rodgers?"

Certainly, that's been the main topic of concern for Packer fans everywhere, as our Hall of Fame quarterback contracts Covid-19 and will, per NFL protocols, be out for at least one game and possibly two, starting with this week's contest with the Kansas City Chiefs.

My response to the question? "Stupid, stupid move by Aaron. Selfish. But it's the next man up and we'll see what Jordan Love can do. Seems to me there was a guy named Zeke Bratkowski who used to fill in when Bart Starr was injured. And things worked out pretty well..."

Not that Jordan Love is Zeke, mind you, but you get the drift. If a man goes down, the next man steps up and the team rallies around him. And let's not forget that Coach Matt LaFleur has been pretty darn successful in the early stages of his career. Gotta trust that he and his staff will taper the game plan to take advantage of Love's strengths...and probably rely heavily on running backs Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon to help carry the load.

They won't get a ribbon or a partipacipation trophy for it, but note that the Milwaukee Brewers were playoff victims of the last three World Series Champions. So close, people, so close! 

Congrats to the Atlanta Braves for winning the World Series, 4-2 over the TrashCan Bangers from Houston.

The WIAA high school football quarterfinal games are this week. There's many a familiar name listed on the schedule, teams like Kimberly and Franklin to name a couple. But down there in Division 6 is Fond du Lac St. Mary's Springs, coached by the 75-year-old Bob Hyland. This is Hyland's 50th season (yes, you read that right) with Springs, having started in 1971. His squad is 9-2 going into a game with top-seed Kenosha St. Joseph. Hyland is the winningest coach in state history with a record that stands at 487-109-2. Should he come back for a 51st year, he could top the 500 mark.

I will say that our paths crossed in the early 1970s while I was covering Oshkosh Lourdes Academy, a conference foe of Springs. And Hyland's sideline presence scared the crap out of me then, I wasn't even playing!

World Series 2021: Trashcan Bangers Vs. Choppers

 The World Series is upon us starting today. I don't really have a dog in this fight, so it's hard to root for any of the teams.

On the one hand, you have a squad that started in the National League as the Colt .45s (can you get a more Texas nickname?), became the Astros and later migrated the the American League. Their most recent claim to fame? Stealing signs, banging on trash cans to alert hitters and, essentially, cheating their way to the 2017 World Series title.

Houston, we have a problem. Just can't root for these cheaters. Especially since the players who did the misdeed were not punished. Major League Baseball should have stripped them of the '17 title.

On the other hand, we have a team that's in it's third city. Once the Boston Braves, in 1953 the club moved to Milwaukee and was embraced by Wisconsin. Fans loved guys like Eddie Matthews, Hammerin' Hank Aaron, Warren Spahn ... even Bob Uecker! The squad won a World Series and just missed out on another, then packed up their bags and moved to Atlanta in 1966.

The move broke hearts throughout Wisconsin, gave the Chicago Cubs inroads thanks to WGN television and, eventually, led to Bud Selig snagging the bankrupt Seattle Pilots and creating the Milwaukee Brewers.

I have, essentially forgiven the Braves for skipping town. Most of us have. But I sure wish they would 86 the tomahawk chop (and while we're at it, maybe the Kansas City Chiefs of the NFL could do the same?)

In picking the lesser of two evils, let's pull for Atlanta to win this Fall Classic.