State Roads Give Me An Axe To Grind

Veering off the sports road, I'm headed to a column on a topic that is driving me crazy.

The state, or lack thereof, of Wisconsin roads -- and the crap flowing from the powers-that-be as to how to pay for repairs.

One side says hey, let's charge MORE to state drivers via higher registration and titles. Seems to me that's a tax on Wisconsin citizens, hidden in the term "fees". And all the folks who come to enjoy our state don't pay a dime.

The other side says let's raise the gas tax, thereby having not only Wisconsin citizens, but those wonderful visitors from Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota & Michigan help improve our infrastructure.

OH NO! says the other side, that's a tax and we can't raise taxes.

Seriously? It amounts to probably two bucks a week. That's pretty much the price of a cup of coffee...or a scratch-off card.

I think we could all absorb that.

One-Third Of The Way Through Milwaukee's Season

I was at the health club the other morning (yes, it's true!) and as I paused during the workout, one of the guys who works there stopped by to chat.

Tony is built like an up-right freezer with legs -- not the look I'm shooting for but a nice guy none the less.

He stopped by the machine I was on, paused and said "So, what's wrong with the Brewers? I don't follow baseball much, but I see them losing a lot. You went to Opening Day, right? Thought I would ask you ..."

Well, Tony, Milwaukee is a a little over a third of the way through the season, posting a 38-28 record. That mark is good enough to put them in a tie for the Central Division lead with the hated Chicago Cubs.

That's not a bad record, all things considered. Being 10 games above .500 after the very tough opening schedule, one that featured a LOT of Cardinals, Cubs and Dodgers. I'm satisfied with that, despite the up-and-down pitching the team has shown.

Still, pitching seems to be a bit of a sore spot. Granted, most EVERY team wants better pitching. But Milwaukee needs better pitching. Beyond the surprising seasons that Brandon Woodruff (8-1, 3.87 ERA) and Zach Davies (7-0, 2.41 ERA), the staff has been a bit shaky. Jhoulys Chacin, currently on the Injured List, has struggled and while he was good over the weekend, Chase Anderson....yes, indeed...chase him off the mound and right out of Milwaukee.

Gio Gonzalaz was signed to eat up innings, but is on the IL as well. And Jimmy Nelson just returned to the mound after 21 months since his injury -- he's getting his sea legs again.

Milwaukee missed on free agents Craig Kimbrel (Chicago Cubs) and Dallas Keuchel (Atlanta Braves), but when you consider their price tags, it may have been a smart decision. The Cubs overpaid for save specialist Kimbrel (three years at $43 million) and Keuchel took a one-year deal with the Braves for $13 million.

The Brewers are already paying $120 million in salary this season. General Manager David Stearns is wise to bide his time and make a trade or two with teams like Toronto, Baltimore or Kansas City -- teams that may be looking for an influx of more young talent.

And, of course, Milwaukee could dangle Eric Thames as bait, since his numbers are more attractive now than struggling Jesus Aguilar.

Expect a move or two to strengthen the starting pitching and the bullpen. But all in all, this Brewer offense is good enough to take Milwaukee to another trip to the post-season.

Hey Bucks Fans -- Focus On The Positives

It seems that, when it comes to the NBA playoffs, teams gotta learn to walk before they can run. After all, didn't Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls struggle for several seasons to get past the roadblock that the Detroit Pistons provided.

I think it worked out pretty well for Mike. Six titles (two threepeats there). He may well have had eight if he hadn't left to play baseball. Of course, that self-imposed exile is still a tad questionable...

So it's no surprise to me that the Milwaukee Bucks came up short of playing for the NBA championship this season. Yes, the Giannis Antetokounmpo-fueled squad won a league-best 60 games this season. And yes, they won topped Detroit and Boston in the playoffs. Still, there are those who are SEVERELY disappointed that the squad won't get a chance to take on the Golden State Warriors.

Seriously? To many Bucks fans, just getting a series win in the playoffs was great. Everything after that was house money.

When the Bucks, two years in existence, made the playoffs and lost in the conference finals (4-1 to the New York Knicks), they did so led by rookie hall-of-fame center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then known as Lew Alcindor).

Over the course of five Jabbar's five seasons (1970-1974), Milwaukee made the conference finals four times, won a title in 1971 and lost to the Boston Celtics in the 1974 finals (4-3).

After that season, the Bucks traded Jabbar -- who wanted out of the city -- to the Los Angeles Lakers for a boatload of draft picks and players.

While Milwaukee may or may not have that long a run with The Greek Freak, enjoy this season and those that follow.

The Bucks will need to make some difficult decisions in the coming weeks -- whether to resign Brooks Lopez, Khris Middleton and Malcolm Brogdon for example. It's best to look at this with a practical eye, as Giannis will become a free agent in 2021.














giannis antetokounmpo

Packers' Royalty Passes Away

With great sadness, I learned today of the passing of Bryan Bartlett Starr. Sad to think that this all-time great will never again get a chance to walk onto Lambeau Field.

Starr, the Hall of Fame quarterback who, like his peers, called his own plays and ran the offense his way -- after building that playbook with Lombardi. This wasn't the era of passers throwing for 4,000 yards a season. This was an era of game control; for Green Bay, that was Jimmy Taylor and Paul Hornung on the Packer Sweep, turning the corner behind guards Fuzzy Thurston and Jerry Kramer.

Starr and his wife of 65 years, Cherry, are probably the closest thing to royalty that Wisconsin has ever seen. The Starrs, in 1965, were involved in starting the  Rawhide Boys Ranch to give back to the community. Based in New London, it continues today to offer at-risk youth programs, programs that help reshape lives and provide counseling services for boys, girls, adults and families.

For years, and on his own, Starr would call Green Bay draft picks and welcome them to the Packer family. Not even an ill-advised stint as head coach could dim the shine on this Starr. Without any coaching experience, he responded when the franchise asked him to come in as head coach -- because of the loyalty he felt to the Green Bay Packers. From 1975-83, he directed the Packers to a 53-77-3 record (he was 1-1 in the playoffs).

Despite that lack of success as a coach, Starr is beloved by Packer fans. Whenever he returned to Lambeau Field for Packer Alumni reunions, no one received a bigger ovation than Bart Starr, no matter who shared the field with him.

Remember when former persona non grata Brett Favre returned to be honored and mend fences, Packer faithful forgave him because Bart Starr, attending Favre's special evening despite health issues that included a couple of strokes.

RIP Bart. Gone, but never forgotten by Packer Nation.

Funding A Shot Clock For Wisconsin High School Basketball

The Final Four is this weekend, and you've got to admit that the speed of the game is, by and large, amazing. That's thanks to the three-point shot and the shot clock -- those of us that are a of a certain age will recall the boring games that North Carolina's four-corner (lack of) offense brought us.

Thank the basketball gods for the shot clock.

It's just a matter of time before high school basketball in Wisconsin sees the addition of a shot clock.

Coaches are all for it, many other states already have moved that direction. It would seem the cost factor to various school districts big and small might be the major obstacle.

There's a simple solution -- sponsorship.

Would it be a slam-dunk public relations move for the Milwaukee Bucks to step up and fund this for the 529 teams, schools that range in enrollment from 2,529 down to 29. Of the 529 teams, 38 play an independent schedule while the rest find home in 62 conferences (some of which are divided into two or three divisions).

There are other corporate possibilities as well, and perhaps a "team effort" from one or many would make sense. Candidates based in the state, or with state ties, could include Kwik-Trip, American Family Insurance, Rural Insurance, Johnsonville, the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, Palmero's, Orv's, Jack's or Tombstone.

Hell, I would even throw the Green Bay Packers into the mix, based on their state-wide support and recognition. Or how about a Bucks-Packers-Brewers combo for funding the effort?

Granted, I don't have cost figures on what it would take to put shot clocks in every high school gym in Wisconsin. But I'm sure that sponsorship would help ease the burden for most school districts.

And it makes more sense to bring in a state-based business as opposed to the typical Coke/Pepsi backing.

Brewers Off To Hot Start

Made my annual pilgrimage to Milwaukee for the Brewers' home opener. I think this was my 28th (posting a record of 17-11)...probably the 27th in a row.

Gotta say this was probably the most exciting, and memorable, home opener in my experience. From Christian Yelich and his three-run home run to that incredible game-saving catch from Lorenzo Cain, it was a great day for the crowd of 45,304. Miller's capacity is 41,900 -- so another GREAT day for attendance.

What stood out to me more than Cain's catch was his exuberance, his sheer joy, afterwards, running towards Ryan Braun, hurling the ball towards the Miller Park roof, huge smile on his face. I love to see this group of players enjoying the game and each other. I'm not sure where that ball came down, if it ever did.

National projections for this edition have the defending NL Central champions winning 86.5 games. Last year, counting the one-game playoff to win the Central, the BrewCrew notched 96 wins -- I had projected an 89-73 record. This year, the pesky St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs are better. And while the Brewers improved their every-day lineup, their pitching remains a question -- especially in light of closer Corey Knebel being out for the season with Tommy John surgery.

I see Milwaukee's 89 wins giving the squad the NL Central title again. That everyday lineup should be good enough to get the Brewers to the World Series. After the club won 5-4 Sunday, taking the opening series from the Cardinals, 3 games to 1, I'm even more encouraged.

By the way, the Brewers will celebrate 50 years in Milwaukee next season -- though the team technically met that mark this year, as the Seattle Pilots entered the league in 1969 for a one season run before relocating to Milwaukee.

Happ Deserves Thanks For His UW Career

Take a moment to thank Ethan Happ for his four-years in a University of Wisconsin Badger uniform.

He logged 4,115 minutes of playing time in his career. He finishes as the program's all-time leader in rebounds (1,217) and blocked shots (154) -- was second second in steals (217), third in points (2,130) and third in assists (423).

About the only thing Happ didn't do was develop a consistent outside shot or find success at the free throw line. His struggles in the latter were well-documented. He only shot 54.1% from the foul line. Had he even been in the low 70s we might be looking at his career a little differently.

Happ won't be appearing on an NBA court next season. He may not even make a G-League squad, but for sure will earn some money playing overseas.

As a team, Wisconsin did make the NCAA tourney for the 21st time in 22 years. A good step forward, but next season will be crucial for Coach Greg Gard. Replacing the size that Happ gave up front may come from other places, as Gard kicks the tires on JuCo transfers or the transfer portal. The guard play will have to step up and show more consistency shooting the basketball. Nate Reuvers made a big jump this year, and another year in the weight room will increase that development.

A Little Bit Of This 'N That

Just tying up a few loose ends, things I've been thinking about lately.

ICHIRO Suzuki retired from baseball this week. The 45-year-old outfield, easily the most successful Japanese player to be in the Major Leagues, called it quits after the second game of a two-game series in his home country of Japan.

When you look at his numbers, you just shake your head. He played nine seasons in Japan before coming to MLB's Seattle Mariners, with a .353 batting average. He hit 118 home runs, had 1,278 hits, drove in 529 runs and drew 384 walks.

With 19 years in the Majors, he batted .311 with 3,089 hits, had 117 home runs, stole 509 bases, drew 647 walks and drove in 780 runs. AND he was a 10-time All-Star with 10 Golden Gloves.

So, in 28 seasons (3,603 games), he hit .322, had an On Base Percentage of .434, totaled 4,367 hits, stole 708 bases, hit 235 homers and drove in 1,309 runs.

I happened to be in the Oakland Coliseum on Sunday, Sept. 6, 2009 when Ichiro got his 2,000th hit. Nothing beats being on hand for sports history! (Have been at the game when 6-foot, 10-inch pitcher Randy Johnson hit his ONLY career home run, against Milwaukee as well as in San Francisco when Barry Bonds of the Giants passed Babe Ruth on the all-time home run list.)

MATTHEWS & COBB  -- not surprised when the Green Bay Packers let this pair walk. Cobb, who had an injury-plagued career in Green Bay, inked a one-year deal with the Dallas Cowboys. Matthews, 32, had clearly lost more than a step in Green Bay. He got a two-year deal with the Los Angeles Rams, and that's a good place for him. The Rams will use him in situations, limit his playing time. And with a very, very good defensive line in front of him, Matthews should excel.

Thanks to both of them for their Green Bay years of service, and I wish them the best.

Sizing Up The NCAA Tournament

A severe outbreak of March Madness has been noted by the Center for Disease Control.

Offices and work places all across America grind to a halt this week. Especially so Thursday and Friday -- when a lot of basketball fans either take the days off legitimately OR call in sick.

This a great time of year. You have people filling out brackets who are total fanatics. They study lineups, matchups and stats with more intensity than they do their own tax forms. And you have people filling out brackets who do so based on team colors or mascots.

The latter group seems to win more often than not.

The Big Ten has the most teams in the tourney with eight (Wisconsin, Michigan State, Purdue, Michigan, Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio State and Maryland), while the SEC and ACC both have seven -- tho the ACC has three of the four number one seeds in Duke, North Carolina and Virginia.

Wisconsin's Badgers stumble into the tourney, having lost three of their final nine and misplaced their offense. Wisconsin did play a tough schedule, and was 7-8 against tournament teams. If the Badgers can somehow find their offense again, giving some scoring help to senior Ethan Happ, they should reach the Sweet Sixteen. BUT the Badger chances drop off if Happ is at the foul line. The hack-a-Happ strategy pays off, so Coach Greg Gard has to hope that some of his young Badgers can step up.

Best nickname in the tournament? The University of California-Irvine Anteaters. I rank that name right up there with the Banana Slugs of UC-Santa Cruz.

My Final Four? Depends on which of my brackets you let me post! (Hey, I only did four). But like most of the country, I think Duke will win the National Championship.

State Championships Run In This Wisconsin Family

The stretch between state champions in the Rohde family spans 41 years. Still, a pair of state titles in one family is pretty cool. One came on the Kohl Center court, the other at the Field House.

When Brookfield Central downed Sun Prairie Saturday, 69-52, to win the D-1 title, one of the contributors was a freshman guard named Andrew Rohde. He hit a three-point basket in the win, and scored 9 points in the 61-47 semi-final win over Neenah.

The irony here is that, 41 years ago, his dad, Kevin, was a member of the Neenah Rocket team that finished the year 26-0 with a 58-49 win over Beloit Memorial.

They're not the first father-son pairing to play on state champs, for sure, but still it's a rare instance.
Kevin played for legendary coach Ron Einerson, who took 10 Neenah teams to state and won titles in 1975 and 1978 on the way to a 556-235 career record.

That same year the Neenah girls team finished 25-1, winning the state title by beating Beloit 49-38. Coach Jean Kessler took six Neenah teams to state, finishing runner-up twice on her way to a 176-47 career record.

I was covering sports in the Fox Valley then, and Kevin was a three-sport standout (football-basketball-baseball). You might even count that as four, as he was a pretty solid soccer player before getting his kicks at football. His success there led to a two-year stint as kicker for the Wisconsin Badgers (1982 & 1983). His best season was '83, when he hit 45 of 48 extra points and six of nine field goals to finish with 63 points. He ended his Badger career with 86 points, successful on 95.2% of his extra points and 64.3% on field goals.

Still, Andrew can talk smack at the dinner table. He scored 12 points in a state tournament and Dad was shut out.

And since a pair of sophomores combined for 30 of Brookfield Central's points in the championship game, the younger Rohde -- and his family -- just might make regular trips to Madison.