Just Crown Pat Murphy NL Manager Of The Year And Be Done With It

 Sunday's wild come-from-behind 10-9 win over Arizona just showed once again that this group of Milwaukee Brewers has no quit in them.

This is the only team in Major League Baseball that has not lost four games in a row. That streak could have ended yesterday when the team was down 8-0 after three innings. And with the playoffs sown up, the Brewers could have shrugged and said "it's not our day, fellas, let's head home."

But quit? Not in Milwaukee.

That attitude starts from the top with manager Pat Murphy.

And let's just end the suspense and name Murph the NL Manager Of The Year today. With all the injuries, with all the pitching changes, Murphy has the Brewers in the playoffs for the sixth time in seven season. The team is 89-67 and clinched it's third NL Central title in four years early. Craig Counsell and his Chicago Cubs have had sore necks all season, looking up at Milwaukee in the standings.

This, by the way, is the first back-to-back division titles since the 1981 & 1982 seasons. Let's not forget that from 1983 to 2017, the Brewers only made the playoffs TWICE.

Green Bay gets a much-needed 30-14 win in Tennessee behind back-up quarterback Malik Willis. Not sure if Jordan Love will be ready for Minnesota this week, but Willis has done a stand-up job in back-to-back wins.

Lot of good things to focus on in the win, highlighted by the defense getting eight quarterback sacks and three turnovers, including a pick six interception.

But let's not overlook the 10 penalties the team had, and the continued struggles (and penalties) from left tackle Rasheed Walker. Dude is in danger of playing himself out of a job. Every time a penalty flag was dropped Sunday, I fully expected it to be on Walker -- and it often was.

And the Red Zone offense has got to get better. Settling for short field goals instead of touchdowns will not get you many wins. 

Have to feel a bit for Chicago White Sox fans. The club has matched the post-1900 record of 120 losses (those expansion New York Mets of 1962). May be time for new ownership on the south side of Chicago.

They have six games remaining, so the Sox won't catch the 1899 Cleveland Spiders who lost 139 games, and have already surpassed the 2003 Detroit Tigers (119) with the most losses in American League history

Peaks And Valleys For Wisconsin Sports Teams

The last two weeks have not been kind, all in all, to Wisconsin sports fans. The beloved Green Bay Packers lose a game, and their 220 Million Dollar Man quarterback, in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The Wisconsin Badgers, in the friendly confines of Camp Randall, get slapped around by an uber-talented Alabama football team.

Things got a little bit better when Malik "Been In Town Three Weeks" Willis played about as good a game as he could at quarterback on Sunday, leading the Packers to a 16-10 win. Shouldn't have been that close, folks, as by and large, the other 52 guys on the Green Bay roster played their hearts out before the home crowd.

The collective sign of relief around Wisconsin was long and loud.

Let's digress a bit to that season-opening game in Sao Paulo, a 34-29 loss to Philadelphia. Could well have been a win there for GB. But, for certain, this game was NOT a shining moment for the National Football League. Start with the slippery field that befuddled both teams. Go to the REALLY terrible effort by Peacock to broadcast the game.

Speaking of Peacock, my BFF, Charlie, is tech savvy as all get-out. That was the career he built on with 25 years in the Navy (yes, it was OURS) and later at Jacksonville University, running their IT department. Not spending the extra for Peacock, he figured a way around it -- says he watched it via a Canadian television feed. So, to break that down, here's a guy in Jacksonville, Florida, using Canadian TV to watch American football from Brazil.

If The Shield, as the NFL is often called, wanted to put it's best foot forward and grow the international game, it failed.

And by the way, announcers, the stadium where the Packers and Eagles met was already a football stadium one where soccer (football as it is known to the rest of the world) is played. Nit-picking, yes, but how many others caught that?

You can blame Ol' 61 for all this. Recently met up with Ol' 61 who said I should be blogging more. Be careful what you wish for!

Gotta love the season the Milwaukee Brewers are putting together. As this is written, the team is 23 games above .500 and hold a double-digit lead in the Central Division. The Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals both have sore necks from looking up at Milwaukee.

The Brewers' 87 wins passes what I predicted (86) for them back in late March. Will be happy to see them north of 90 wins -- though today starts a big series with Philadelphia, the team with the best record in the National League.

Had the opportunity to attend festivities last week in Oshkosh at Titan Stadium (or J.J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium as it is now known). Oshkosh Lourdes Academy honored the 50th anniversary of the school's first, and only to this point, state football championship. The 1974 Lourdes Academy Knights shocked the WISAA world with a junior-heavy squad that knocked off powerhouse Green Bay Premontre 15-14, then repeated the score against Marshfield Columbus. Columbus had beaten the Milwaukee Thomas Moore to reach the finals.

In addition to the players, the game's MVP was on hand -- the right upright, as a potential game-winning Marshfield field goal doinked off of it as time expired, giving Lourdes the win.

A dozen or so players from that squad attended, from all over the Fox Valley, Wisconsin and beyond. When I started college at UW-Oshkosh, working part-time for the Oshkosh Daily Northwestern, I was assigned to Lourdes Academy as my beat, and remained there for five years or so. Met some great people, made some life-long friends and appreciate being included in their "football family" during the festivities.

Rounding Up A Few Thoughts As Summer Draws To A Close

 Summer is a good time for stepping away and recharging. Time to clear the desk of some thoughts that have been bubbling on the back burner for awhile.

Take those amazin' Milwaukee Brewers, for example. Fresh off a 7-3 homestand and in the midst of a five-game winning streak after sweeping Cleveland, despite losing two of three to St. Louis to start the road trip, Milwaukee stands at 74-54 -- that's just a couple of games game back of  Los Angeles for the BEST record in the National League. And an 10-game lead over St. Louis and Chicago.

Was at last the recent game with the LA Dodgers that wrapped up the four-game series.. That 8th inning rally for the win was amazing in something of a playoff atmosphere and a crowd of 40,447 -- for a Thursday day game, no less!

Those young Brewers just continue to amaze. Jackson Chourio has been on a tear since the All-Star break and is on the cusp of being a member of the 20-20 club (home runs and stolen bases). He's only 20 years old, and could be the great-grandson of venerable announcer Bob Uecker (92).

Milwaukee averaging 31,428 per game (1,948,593), about middle of the pack in MLB. The could add another 600,00 or so before the regular season is done. Getting to 2.5+ million fans is a great accomplishment for a small market team like the Brewers.

Speaking of clubs, baseball's unicorn, Shohei Otani, joined the 40-40 club on Friday -- getting both his 40th homer and 40th stolen base in the same game. Guy is an amazing talent.

Hats off to the Oregon High School girls soccer team, state champs again. And recently, the coach of the highly successful boys program at Oregon was named the girls coach as well. How well will that work out for both programs? We'll wait and see.

The proposal to add a shot clock to high school basketball was voted down by the WIAA powers that be, 6-4. I think about the cost to small schools around the state and wonder if, say, the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks (and maybe the Packers and Brewers) could get together and pick up the slack.

Good news out of Oshkosh this week, as it seems the Oshkosh Arena's financial woes are being addressed AND there's a handshake deal with the Bucks to keep the Wisconsin Herd in the facility.

Brewers, Youngsters Off To Strong Start

 We're nine games into the MLB season and those young Milwaukee Brewers are doing themselves proud.

Led by second-year player Brice Turang, along with rookies Jackson Chourio and Owen Dunn, the Brew Crew is off to a solid start with a 6-2 record.

• Chourio just turned 20 a few weeks ago, but he doesn't look it in uniform, in the outfield or at the plate. Already has a pair of home runs to go along with his sterling defense. This past week marked the 50th anniversary of 18-year-old Robin Yount in the majors in 1974. If Chourio accomplishes just three-quarters of what Rockin' Robin brought to the franchise, it's great.
• Turang, who made the team last year based on his defense alone, seems to have figured things out at the plate with timely hitting. He's currently at the .360 range and, to be honest, if he hits at a .270 clip or so all season, that's excellent production at second base.
• Dunn has been a surprise with his defense at third base and his bat, contributing his first home run in Friday's 10-inning win.

Took in Tuesday's Opening Day as our tradition continues. Was there with my eldest, Garrett, giving him around 26 OD games, and Dennis, a friend making his second. Would have been joined by long-time friend and baseball companion, Stevie Wonder from Oshkosh, but the snowy weather kept him home. 

Was an amazing Opending Day 3-2 win highlighted by Christian Yelich swatting a 423-foot solo home run and some stellar defensive plays late in the game to preserve the win. Dunn snagged an amazing line drive in the eighth, while in the ninth newcomer Jake Bauers started a 3-6-1 double play with 23-year-old relief pitcher Abner Uribe making a stellar stretch at first to get the out. 

The win sent 41,659 home happy. Well, that WAS the reported attendance. From our seats, saw a lot of empty spots as I'm sure the weather kept some folks home. Still, Milwaukee saw a game being played. Something that wouldn't have happened had the opponent, the Minnesota Twins, been at home in Minneapolis. Still not quite sure of the logic involved with our neighbors to the west when it came to putting a retractable roof on their ballpark. Or not, which is the route they went.

The victory, by the way, was the fourth straight home opening win for Milwaukee and brings my personal record to 20-16.

Bob Uecker, 90-years young, is back behind the mic for his 54th season with the Brewers. Ueck doesn't know how many home games he'll do. Says he's taking it dayb-by-day. A rousing standing ovation was sent his way Opening Day.

Seems like every time Brewers newcomer Rhys Hoskins steps tot he plate, there are runners in scoring position and Hoskins comes up empty. Still, he's at least hitting the ball hard -- just right at people. Those will start dropping and his RBI total will increase.

Knew the Brewer offense would be better than it was in 2023 (that wouldn't take much!) but certainly didn't expect this sort of production up and down the lineup. Yes, bats tend to cool off over time, but let's enjoy this while we can.

It is still unreal to see Craig Counsell in that damn Chicago Cubs uniform. Don't blame him for leaving, mind you, but don't want to see the Cubbies win EVER.

Excitement Brewing in Milwaukee

 As the keys clatter this chilly noon, the Milwaukee Brewers are preparing to open the 2024 season on Thursday in New York against the Mets. That's IF the weatherman cooperates, and it doesn't look like he will. If that's the case, Opening Day gets pushed back to Friday.

Doesn't matter. For those of us in Wisconsin, the REAL Opening Day comes on Tuesday April 2nd, when the Brew Crew hosts those pesky Minnesota Twins in a 3:10p home opener. Got my tickets and parking pass (am Old School. Like to have physical tickets for a scrapbook, plus I currently don't have a cell phone. So those electronic tickets aren't an option).

This is a young, young team that first time manager Pat Murphy will lead. He knows these players well, and they know him, since he served as bench coach for Craig Counsell, now managing the hated Chicago Cubs.

Led by 20-year-old Jackson Chourio, who will no doubt be our Opening Day centerfielder (after Garrett Mitchell went on the injured list with a broken bone in his hand), the Brewers, by my count, only have three of their top 11 every day players above the age of 29 -- Christian Yelich (33), newcomer Rhys Hoskins (31) and Willy Adames (29). The average age of the rest? 24.75 years. That's a group that includes Chourio, William Contreras, Bryce Turang, Sal Frelich, Joey Ortiz, Mitchell, Andruw Monasterio and Joey Weimer. Eight guys who, with the exception of catcher Contreras, don't have a whole lot of big league playing time behind them.

And that group of every day players doesn't factor in young pitching, which, with the loss of premiere closer Devin Williams for several months, will be counted on even more to help carry the load.

This might be one of the best groups to "come up together" since the Prince Fielder group.

Murphy says they'll play hard, and I don't doubt it. It will certainly be an exciting group to watch grow up in 2024.  Because they don't know any better, the "kids" may just play themselves into wild card contention in a somewhat weak NL Central.

My thoughts? An 86-76 record would be great. Playing meaningful baseball in September? Even better.

The National Football League is seldom away from the headlines for very long. This week, tweaking the rules made the news as the NFL outlawed a couple of tackles (next up, flag football??) and changed the way we will see kickoffs in 2024. Won't go into the lengthy details, but in essence The Shield wants to bring more player safety to kickoffs while getting more returns in the deal. Will it work? It might for the Packers, who resigned kick returner ace Keisean Nixon.

Green Bay is also bringing in former Minnesota Vikings kicker Greg Joseph to provide competition for second-year man Anders Carlson, who struggled mightily in his final 10 games but still has the potential to be The Man in Green Bay.

What does the future hold for Wisconsin Badger men's basketball coach Greg Gard? Good question. After the team's meltdown in the opening round of the NCAA tournament, an unforgivable performance against James Madison University, the chair Gard is sitting on is getting pretty warm and the ice it is on thinner and thinner. Gard hasn't gotten the Badgers out of the first round since 2017, and that run was with Bo's guys.

Add in the transfer portal (already three guards have entered it) and the NBA draft (bye bye A.J. Storr) and you see a program that is on the rocks. Athletic Director Chris McIntosh has some interesting questions to ponder. Is Wisconsin just content to be competitive in the Big Ten? Do fans want to challenge for a national title? Does the department save money and keep Gard since the buy-out would be costly?

We're all waiting to hear.

Fixing The WIAA Basketball Tournaments

 How can we fix both the boys and girls basketball tournaments? Well, I'm glad you asked -- even if you didn't.

Watched some of the very entertaining tournaments. Was especially taken by that 4OT game between Neenah (in a state-high 30th trip to the tourney) and Hartland Arrowhead. A shame either team had to lose.  Arrowhead posted a 99-95 win, combing with Neenah to set a state tournament scoring record with 194 points. The previous record? Set back in 1967 in the Class A quarterfinals when Milwaukee Lincoln topped La Crosse Central 109-71. Lincoln (25-1) would beat Wausau (23-2) for the championship 61-56.

But back to fixing the state tournaments. Growing up in rural Wisconsin, attending a small high school (only one class of enrollment back then, soon to expand to three and, ultimately, to the five now) -- well, it was an us against them mentality in high school sports.

Now for rural schools it's an us against THEM situation. Or rather, public schools jockeying for position against private schools that can recruit the best area talent and stack the deck. In the boys tournament, eight of the 20 competing teams were private schools, with six of those in the smaller divisions (D-5, D-4 and D-3). And with the exception of Mineral Point winning in D-4, every other champion crowned represented a private school.

The numbers weren't quite as bad in the girls tourney, where only five of the 20 teams was a private school, and only one (Madison Edgewood, beating Appleton Xavier) claimed a title.

Just how fair is that for the small, rural schools of Wisconsin to go against schools that can recruit? Take a team from the neck of the woods where I grew up, Almond-Bancroft, making its first ever trip to the state tournament. This might well be the best collection of area athletes they will ever assemble, while Madison Abundant Life will be able to recruit from Madison and Dane County.

My solution? While the divisions are based on enrollment, I would bump the private schools up one division when it comes to playoffs. Leveling the playing field, so to speak, for small rural schools and giving them a better chance to at least make it to Madison (and Green Bay, for the girls tourney).

While we're at it, let's expand the D-1 back to eight teams from four and make it more interesting the the Big Guys. Winning three games in three days is tough to do. Hell, playing a 4-Overtime game on Friday night, then turning around and playing Saturday night, had to be very challenging for Arrowhead. It showed in their loss to Milwaukee Marquette.

Speaking of making it interesting, the WIAA did just that for eventual D-2 champion Wisconsin Lutheran, didn't it? Shipping some schools over to the Madison Sectional, the WIAA split up conference foes Wisconsin Lutheran and Pewaukee. Both met in the title game, with Lutheran winning, but certainly giving them a little bit better path to Madison.

Former LSU coach Dale Brown, who succeeded Press Maravich in 1972 and led the Tigers for 25 years, once reportedly charted every shot Maravich took in college and found that had there been a 3-point line, Maravich would have averaged 57 points per game.

So another publisher has bought Sports Illustrated and intends to continue with the print magazine. Happy to hear it, but how much the subscription for six issues or so will be remains to be seen.

Farewell To "Wisconsin Royalty"

 The news that Cherry Starr, 89, passed away following a long battle with cancer last week saddened me. I consider her and her late husband, Green Bay Packers quarterback Bart Starr, to be the closest thing we had to royalty here in Wisconsin.

Bart, who died in 2019, may have enhanced his reputation with five NFL championships in seven seasons for those great Vince Lombardi teams, but Cherry was just as instrumental as she "quarterbacked" giving back to the Wisconsin community in a big way.

In the 1960s, the Starrs help found the Rawhide Boys Ranch to help at-risk and troubled youth. It still thrives today. We've donated cars to Rawhide over the years, and I know others who have as well.

The Starrs were beloved in Wisconsin for many reasons, and loved the Green Bay Packers. For years, Bart would phone (on his own) the players the team had drafted, to welcome them to "the family". I've heard that Cherry was doing the same after Bart's passing. They were proud members of the Green & Gold.

Many times, NFL teams will honor fallen members of the organization with their initials on a helmet or jersey throughout the season. If anyone deserves that honor, it's Cherry Starr. There are currently 147 members of the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame, and I can't think of non-player more deserving of that honor than Cherry Starr.

RIP Cherry. You and Bart were one of a kind, and real ambassadors for the Green & Gold and the state of Wisconsin.

Caitlin Clark is doing the right thing, passing up on a fifth season at Iowa to turn pro. Beyond padding her stats and possibly chasing a national championship, what else does the leading scorer in NCAA women's basketball history have to accomplish? Glad to see that, as a purist, her scoring record will be established in four years of college ball.

Learned this week that here NIL (Name-Image-Likeness) money has been negotiated for her by an agent and is not coming from the Iowa collective. Most colleges has a collective that is paying NIL to it's athletes, and those contracts terminate when the player leaves the school.

For Clark, that's a different story. Her NIL money will follow her to the WNBA, where her rookie contract is limited to $70,000 a season. She'll make a LOT more than that in endorsements alone, and will make that money up on her next contract. She's a Larry Bird-esque talent and a great draw for the WNBA.

She also passed Pistol Pete Maravich as the all-time leading scorer in NCAA basketball history, though the marvelous scorer from LSU will remain the men's leader. Maravich did his damage in just 83 games, while thus far Clark has played in 130.

It's a darn shame that the top three teams in Wisconsin girls basketball for Division 1, Verona, Hartland Arrowhead and Oregon, all were funneled into the same WIAA sectional.

For Oregon, a team that won 27 games in a row, the marvelous season ended with a loss to Arrowhead. That's still an historic season here, despite not finishing with a trip to Green Bay for the girls' state tournament.

Just seems like maybe the WIAA powers that be could have figured out a better system.

Although, if a recent piece in the Wisconsin State Journal is accurate, they did so on the boys' side, moving several teams over to the Madison Sectional, freeing up a path for Wisconsin Lutheran -- what gives with that, WIAA?

Caitlin Clark: College Basketball's New Scoring Queen

Hats off to the amazing Caitlin Clark of Iowa, nailing a "logo three" to become the new top scorer in college women's basketball history this past week.

The West Des Moines start scored Iowa's first eight points in the game to pass Kelsey Plum'sNCAA-recognized total of 3,527 points.

Clark is just 80 points shy of the career mark of Lynette Woodward (3,646) set in 1981, which pre-dates the NCAA women's era.

On top of that, she's 98 points away from "Pistol" Pete Maravich's men's college basketball record of 3,667 points, a record Maravich will retain.

Let's put that whole Maravich thing in a little more perspective.

• Clark has played four years (and has the option for a fifth COVID season, but we'll circle back around to that) while Maravich (like Lew Alcindor/Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) played in an era that prevented freshmen from varsity competition. On the freshmen team, which had larger-crowds than the varsity (like Alcindor at UCLA), Maravich averaged 43.6 points.
• Once on the varsity, Maravich averaged 43.8, 44.2 and 44.5 points per season.
• Unlike Clark, Maravich didn't benefit from a three-point line.

Not taking anything away from Clark, mind you. This lady is a real talent with range, ability and crowd appeal.

But let's talk about that extra season. You can bet the WNBA is just drooling, waiting to get Clark on their courts -- increasing television viewship and game attendance. She's a drawing card, for sure. The question is, for her, a financial one. Can she make MORE money from college NIL (Name-Image-Likeness) or from the WNBA? If I was in charge of the pro league, I'd be working on a financial package that would include incentives from attendance and the like. Anything to get her to turn pro.

And if she comes back for a fifth college season, the NCAA needs to put an asterisk by her scoring mark. Odds are pretty good no other player will ever get that five-year bump. And, frankly, her totals won't need it.

Sloppy Super Bowl Still Satisfying

 If you were hoping for a pristine, high-scoring game in the 58th version of the Super Bowl, you were sadly disappointed.

Seven fumbles, three lost (including a punt off a San Francisco return team member's foot that Kansas City turned into a touchdown), plus an interception and untimely penalties led to a low-scoring affair.

However, if you like a Super Bowl with drama, then Kansas City's 25-22 overtime win against those San Francisco 49ers had to be satisfying. You just can't bet against quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who won the game with his feet, his arm and his heart. Mahomes is 9-2 in postseason games when trailing by seven points. NEVER bet against Patrick!

Not a good look for KC tight end Travis Kelce, though. His outburst on the sideline, bumping Head Coach Andy Reid and bitchin' about not being in the game at a crucial time? Disappointing. I understand the frustration from alpha males and all, but really, Travis? Is this the image you want to project to all those Swifties who tuned in to see their hero watch you play football?

In case YOU weren't keeping score, I was. Those CBS cameras found Taylor Swift a baker's dozen during the game telecast. Yes, that much. Was thinking that, with the cool $1 million paid for the stadium suite (allegedly), came a TV contract as well.

The priceless look on Taylor's face, though, while Kelce was belting out his version of "Viva Las Vegas"? That look said "Don't. Ever.  EVER. Sing. Around. Me. Again. I. Mean. It."

Speaking of Kelce, in 13 playoff games he's caught about 130 passes for over 1,300 yards and 13 touchdowns. Definitely has been the security blanket for Mahomes.

And if the Kansas City Chiefs can now be considered a dynasty, having won three of the last five Super Bowls (and played in four of them), I have less of an issue with them as opposed to the Tom Brady/Bill Belichick led New England Patriots. Brady was just annoying, while Mahomes seems like a good dude you could root for. And comparing Andy Reid with grumpy ol' Belichick? No contest. I'll hang with Andy, once a Green Bay Packer coach, every time.

Seems that over 123 MILLION people watched Super Bowl LVIII. Wonder how many "Swifties" tuned in.

Happy to see Jimmy Leonard is headed to an NFL coaching staff, as he takes over defensive backs in Denver. Leonard spent a season as a player towards the end of his career with Denver. Think this is a good stepping stone to a Defensive Coordinator spot down the road.

A GREAT Weekend Ahead -- Baseball Comes Back

Pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training this coming week, making Super Bowl LVIII (58 for those not inclined to memorize Roman Numerals) weekend just that much sweeter. And speaking of that Super Bowl, am picking the Kansas City Chiefs to win this one -- and hoping that my pool numbers pay off!

But back to baseball. I Consider players gathering for Spring Training to be more a harbinger of spring than seeing that first robin. Means Opening Day is on the near horizon.

Some Milwaukee Brewer fans, meanwhile, need to silence their "THE SKY IS FALLING!!!" cries in light of the recent trade that sent pitcher Corbin Burns to the Baltimore Orioles for a pair of MLB-ready prospects and a draft pick.

Let's consider this trade. Here's Burns, the ace of the Brewer staff and a Cy Young winner, in the last year of his contract. At the end of the season, some big market team is going to back up a Brinks truck to Corbin's house and unload a LOT of money. That's money a small market team like Milwaukee just can't compete with. And if you think they can, I have swamp property or a bridge in New York City to sell you.

Milwaukee's options? It's sorta like the stock market with three factors. 1) Trade Burns now, while market value is high. 2) Wait until closer to the trade deadline to see if the team is in contention, but this means potential trade partners, knowing the clock is ticking, will low-ball on the offer. 3) Keep Burns through the season, then get NOTHING but a compensatory draft pick when he leaves.

Teams like Milwaukee need young pieces to compete, so getting a pair of 25-year-olds they can control for six years: left-handed pitcher DL Hall and Joey Ortiz, who can play multiple infield positions. A trade like this makes the most sense.

Don't think the Brewers are done making moves, either. They signed a starting pitcher earlier this week and word has it have agreed with 32-year-old catcher Gary Sanchez. Could be a good backup for William Contreras, who had a solid first season with the club. Brewers had signed Eric Haase to compete as well, and there's a top-rated prospect in Jeferson Quero on deck. 

Got an email from Doctor Bob, a good friend and golfing companion in Eagle River. To sum up, the good Doctor went off on the hiring of Jeff Hafley as defensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers. "Who the hell is this guy?! Are the Packers going on the cheap to save money? I don't get it..."

Suggested to the good Doc that he chill out. To me, the hiring is just like drafting a player or signing a free agent -- it needs time to determine if it is good or not. Hafley comes to Green Bay with solid credentials and experience of working with some pretty good D-Coordinators in his time (Tarek Salah comes to mind, though he's struggled as head coach of the New York Jets).

Packer Nation is right to wonder about the hiring, though. Had thought they might go with more experience, but in the end was happy the Packers didn't recycle somebody else's castoff. Thought they did that when Joe Barry was hired, a guy with poor-to-mediocre results on his coaching resume.

As noted, let's give it some time.