Thoughts On A Summer Day

 It's been so nice lately, I've spent a lot of time on the front porch reading, keeping Homer, our Alaskan Malamute mix, company.

You know the kind of days I'm talking about. The kind you just want to package and put away until those January or February days when it's so cold you crack when you go outside. On days like that, opening a nice breath of summer would be SO amazing. But I digress.

Homer's not much of a talker, but does a great job listening while I ponder various things, like...

THOSE FOLKS who attended the Wisconsin State Fair on the first Monday evening were shocked, and pleased, to see Giannis Antetokounmpo strolling around, carrying something very precious on his shoulders. No, wasn't the NBA Championship trophy or the NBA Finals MVP trophy.

Instead, Giannis was taking things in with something even more important, his child. Nice to see Giannis take such an interest and delight in his Wisconsin home!

CRAIG COUNSELL really, REALLY deserves to be Manager Of The Year in the National League. As I write this, he has taken the Milwaukee Brewers to 25 games above .500 and a 9 1/2 game lead in the NL Central.

San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler will no doubt get his fair share of love from the voters. For good reason, with his squad sitting atop the NL West, ahead of the heavy pre-season favorite Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres.

Will the Giants be there at the end? Don't think so, as I see the Dodgers running them down. 

But Milwaukee? Have total faith in the Brewers getting it done with a FOURTH STRAIGHT post-season appearance. And those four are all on Counsell.

So, he much deserves some national recognition for the job he's been doing for the Brewers.

WILL HE OR WON'T HE come back in 2022? "He" of course refers to Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers. 

In his 17th season as a Green&Gold quarterback -- passing the mark of 16 years set by Bart Starr and matched by Brett Favre -- Rodgers seems content enough as the Pack works through a three-game pre-season slate. All the acrimony of the previous months seems to be in the rear-view mirror.

Rodgers knows that Green Bay is his best shot at getting back to, and winning, a Super Bowl. The team, with one or two question-marks remaining, is set up for the run. And barring any injury bug, should be playing on Feb. 13, 2022.

Jogging The Memory In Milton, Wisconsin

 Our friends from the "Left Coast" happened to be in the Midwest recently, a gathering of their clan of sorts in Illinois. So Sally and I made arrangements to meet up for dinner with Mild Bill and Tina in Milton, saving them some windshield time in the process.

This got me thinking about the pride of defunct Milton College (which closed it's doors in 1982), quarterback Dave Kreig, one of two Milton College alumni to ever make it to the NFL. (The other, in case you're wondering, is Dave Kraayeveld, who played defensive end and defensive tackle for Seattle in 1978.)

Kreig of Iola, Wisconsin (and D.C. Everest High School, Schofield), made Seattle as an undrafted free agent. He spent 12 of his 19 NFL seasons with the Seahawks (and is part of their Ring of Honor). He also played with Kansas City, Detroit, Arizona, Chicago and Tennessee, finishing his career with 261 touchdowns, over 38,000 yards and leading the way to 98 wins.

As a college freshman in 1976, he entered a game in mop-up duty and completed four passes, three for touchdowns. He graduated in 1980 -- which brings me to "the rest of the story".

As a sportswriter in the Fox Valley, then with the Neenah-Menasha office of the Oshkosh Daily Northwestern, I covered a lot of sports, and athletes, in the two cities. I got to be pretty close with several of the Menasha High School guys, from football to basketball to baseball. Was sorta adopted by several of them, and we remain friends years (and years!) later.

Anyhow, we're in Milton. I'm thinking of the college and Kreig and then it seemed to me that one of the Menasha guys, Randy "Raps" Ropella started off at Milton College before finishing at my alma mater, UW-Oshkosh.

So I reached out to Raps on facebook. Lo and behold, I was right. In fact, Raps wrote "1979 season Milton College. (I) started the last game of his (Kreig's) career at center. So I had his hands on my butt to end his college career. You still have a great memory. (I) left for UW-O 1980-81-82 seasons."

Bucks And Brewers...And Rodgers? OH MY!

WOW! What a great week it has been with the Milwaukee Bucks winning the NBA Championship, just the second in 50 years.

I'm old enough to remember the excitement of the state when Milwaukee landed the franchise. And the winning coin flip that got the team Lew Alcindor (before his Kareem Abdul Jabbar name change), then the trade that brought in Oscar Robertson to join him, Bobby Dandridge, Greg Smith and the rest for that championship team in 1971.

I just marvel at Giannis Antetokounmpo's athletic ability, skill level and fantastic personality. Here's a guy who signed a five-year, $228 million extension to STAY in Milwaukee when all the pundits on both coasts were wringing their hands and saying how bad it was for him to walk away from joining a super team.

His response?

"Coming back, I was like, this is my city," said Atetokounmpo. "They trust me, believe in me, they believed in us. Even when we lost, the city was still on our side. Obviously I wanted to get the job done. But that's my stubborn side. It's easy to go somewhere and win a championship with somebody else. I could go to a super team and just do my part and win a championship. But this is the hard way to do it..."

"And we did it. We (expletive) did it."

It's more than a lLittle refreshing to hear a super star athlete talk about loyalty to a city/state/fan base. Think that message might sink into a certain quarterback who happens to be a minority owner in the Bucks?

SPEAKING OF GIANNIS, I doubt he will join Jake from State Farm commercial (with Suns' Chris Paul one of their spokesmen) anytime soon -- but for sure, we will see him featured as a national spokesman for more than one company. Won't surprise me if it's Chick-fil-a. That's because, mid-morning the day after winning the title, Giannis pulled through a drive-thru and ordered 50 nuggets ("not 51, not 49," he told them) and a large half-lemonade, half-Sprite ("no ice"). Hey, I'm not making this up. AND he had the trophies with him (the Larry O'Brien championship trophy and the Bill Russell Series MVP.

I mean, just how likeable is this guy? Asked after Game 4 why he had to leave for a bit in the first quarter, he didn't give a pat answer, but honestly said "I had to tinkle..." Geez, is the guy nice and humble and just a GREAT representative for the Milwaukee Bucks -- and the city as well as the state of Wisconsin.

DEVIN BOOKER of the Phoenix Suns is a talented player. But he whines waaaaaay too much. Seems like every call had him complaining to the referees. He got away with several non-calls AND should have been given a technical foul in Game 6 -- for actions similar to those that got Milwaukee's Bobby Portis T'ed up.

Part of the US Olympic Basketball team, Booker is headed to Tokoyo on a private flight with NBA Champions Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday. That's gotta be a long and strange 19-hour flight!

THE MILWAUKEE BREWERS led the NL Central at the All-Star Break, the so-called half-way point of the season. Most times, this bodes well as the teams in front at that point do end up winning. Despite closing out the first half with a stumble, dropping three to the second-place Cincinnati Reds (which cut the lead to four games), Milwaukee game out of the break with a three-game sweep in Cincinnati that pushed the lead back up.

And while the Brewers stubbed their toes this week by dropping two straight to the lowly Kansas City Royals (playing down to their opponents, perhaps?), look for the Crew to still win the division. It's pretty clear that's the only way to make the playoffs, since the two wild card teams will no doubt come from the NL West where San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego are the frontrunners.

WHAT'S UP WITH AARON? Training camp starts soon for the Green Bay Packers, and the soap opera that is will he-won't he for quarterback Aaron Rodgers continues.

Let's get this straight. He hasn't said shit about any of this. Reports of his unhappiness, wanting to be traded, sitting out the season, etc., have ONLY come from others. Speculation, not fact.

Come on, Aaron, just tell us what you want. Let's face it, you're losing the support of the fan base. Just be a stand-up guy.

Hell, be like GIANNIS!

Where Have All The Hitters Gone?

Was talking to Mild Bill the other day, my contact for all things sports (and others) on the West Coast.

Mild Bill and I go back quite a ways, to 1984 and the Opelousas (LA) Daily World, where I took a job as sports editor and he was the staff photographer -- always, at the insistence of our managing editor, to be on the lookout for a shot of "a pretty girl and a flower". (And I'm serious on that count, right Bill?)

We managed to cover the Chicago Bears' Super Bowl win over New England back then, a 24-hour-day. Mild Bill was a big Bears fan back then -- Cubs fan, too. He's gotten over both faults now, pulling for the San Francisco 49ers and the San Francisco Giants.

Anyhow, we were talking about the lack of hitting in Major League Baseball, and I joked that I thought there should be pictures of baseball bats on milk cartons in MLB cities with the plea "HAVE YOU SEEN ME? PLEASE CALL..."

When the Milwaukee Brewers, currently tied for first in the National League Central, are hitting an NL-last .213, you know you're in trouble.

The overall league-wide average is around .237. That's 17 points lower than in 2015 and the absolute LOWEST SINCE 1968! That's when baseball, trying to put some offense back into the game, lowered the mound from 15 inches to 10 because pitchers were seen as too dominant.

As Mild Bill pointed out, at least in 1968 there were 6,567 more hits than strikeouts. This year, the hit-to-strikeout ratio is 13,862 to 15,886.

And why is that?

I think we can trace it to two factors. First, hitters encouraged to go after that over-used launch angle and try for home runs. Second, the over-use of the defensive shift, with an infielder playing like a rover from softball.

Granted, the shift has been around forever. Babe Ruth faced it during his heyday, and when asked why he just didn't go the other way for the base hit, replied "I could and hit .600, but that's not what I'm getting paid for..."

Until hitters decide to take advantage of that shift and go the opposite field OR baseball figures out a way to modify the rule (limit the use or specify where on the field players may line up) we're still going to face this issue.

In Green Bay, "The Wheel Of Cheese Gets Moldy!"

 Was chatting with Rocky, my brother-from-another-mother, over the Memorial Day Weekend. We didn't solve the world's problems, but we sure talked about a lot of them.

At one point, Rock asks "So, what do you think is going to happen with (Aaron) Rodgers?"

I said that I think he's still going to be the quarterback of the Green Bay Packers in 2021, that there's blame on both sides for all this kerfuffle, and that, I'm sure, there's a lot of talking going on in background. While there's not much being said by either party, I think that's a good thing. And keep in mind, y'all, that Aaron has NOT come out and publically said TRADE ME!!! All the speculation is generated by people who are ONLY offering opinions, not facts.

His comment? "Well, the sports talking heads have to have something to rail about. I think they're the ones who keep blowing this up over and over."

True. True. True.

 

Tracking The Baseball Season

 So here we are at Mill....er, American Family Field.  Recently made a second trip to see the Milwaukee Brewers in this young season.

Crowds are still limited to under 12,000. But they make up for it with passion and noise, sounding like a much larger gathering.

Okay, so there are advantages to having these Covid 19-influenced games. Takes less time on the highway to get to the parking lot (no, I don't miss the slow-moving nose-to-tail traffic games on the Interstate, from beyond State Fair Park to the stadium turnoff).

Can park a lot closer to AmFam itself, and it takes less time to get in for the game. Though, to be honest, we do miss parking in Darrell's driveway on Story Parkway.

Food lines are shorter, as are the restroom lines. And, once the game is over, sure takes less time to exit the parking lot -- though for day games, that traffic heading west is, well, challenging.

And, hey, it's baseball in person!

Adrian Houser did something in Miami recently that NO other Milwaukee Brewer pitcher has ever done before: struck out 10, walked none AND hit a home run (in a Milwaukee win). And since 1900, only 17 pitchers have accomplished that feat. Pretty awesome.

The Brewers bump their attendance to 50% capacity today, and will go to 100% end then of June. Good news, baseball fans!

"The Wheel Of Cheese Keeps Turning!"

Can I just be honest here and state emphatically that I'm tired of the national sports talk folks -- and the state ones as well -- delving into the Aaron Rodgers-Green Bay Packers rift.

Talk and speculation is cheap. None of us are in the room or privy to what is being said.

As a proud stockholder, I humbly offer my services as "marriage counselor" in this whole situation. Am only taking this on because Doctor Phil's schedule is booked. True, I lack any real experience in this area...although, I think 37 years of marriage sorta helps!

Am sure as hell not gonna call in Adam Schefter, the national talking head who started up his rumor and innuendo mill on draft day -- but said he was "hearing from league sources". Yeah, right. And I've got some swampland to sell as well.

Hey, even Brett Favre is weighing on this via his podcast. And among Packer alumni, who knows more about messy divorces with the team than Favre? His on-again-off-again retirement gig got stale, and when Green Bay moved on to Rodgers, things got ugly. Heck, it wasn't until Packer legend, and Wisconsin royalty, Bart Starr gave his blessing that most fans welcomed Favre back to the family.

Favre's gut tells him that, if not traded, Rodgers is willing to sit out the season. But, Favre adds, "You don't want to go out this way, whether it's sit out or play somewhere else."

But on to my "counseling".

Advice to Green Bay's front office: Suck it up, pay the man and find a way to keep this guy in the Green&Gold. And while you're at it, the organization needs to move on from team president Mark Murphy. I don't think this guy is doing the best for the team that he can. Stayed with Coach Mike McCarthy too long. Hasn't he learned from the Favre situation. Hasn't kept his franchise quarterback happy.

Advice to Rodgers: Please please please just tell us what you want! Want to be given a bit of a voice with the team? Fine. Want an extension to know you're going to be THE quarterback for the next three or four years? Fine. And if you end up being traded, don't be surprised if it isn't necessarily to the destination you want. Just sayin'

But, Aaron, the National Football League is a business. And unless you've purchased the team (and we haven't heard about it!), you need to let the team conduct business.

I will say this. It has been VERY VERY quiet this week in both camps. This tells me that the parties involved are getting something done.

And Now, On "As The Wheel Of Cheese Turns"...

God lord, can we please get MORE drama in Green Bay?

So, the Green Bay Packers were preparing for yesterday's opening round in the draft (rounds two, three and four today, the rest tomorrow) when BAM! long-time quarterback Aaron Rodgers says he just can't play in Green Bay any more and wants out.

Coincidence? I think not.

Things have been salty between the organization and their MVP quarterback ever since the team took a first-round shot on another quarterback, Jordan Love. Feeling disrespected (and how can you with the kind of money he's making?), Rodgers has pouted about it. Wants a contract extension, then doesn't, etc.

What better way to embarrass the Packers than to have this all blow just hours before the draft?

I thought we learned a lesson from the Brett Favre I'm-gonna-retire-no-I'm-not-yes-I-am fiasco.

Apparently not.

Come on already. Do you want to win Aaron? Then Green Bay is your best shot at doing so. Do the Packers want to win? Then Aaron Rodgers is your best quarterback to do so.

Settle your differences, boys, and play nice.

Keep in mind, Aaron, IF the team does trade you, it won't necessarily be to the team you want to go to.

Let's Get Back To Attending Sporting Events

Want to return to normal?

Want to go to a sporting event that actually has a full, rowdy house pulling for the home team? A full Camp Randall or Lambeau Field or American Family Field?

Want to see crowds at high school football games or small colleges this fall? At fall and winter sports in general?

There's an easy way to accomplish this.....

Get your damn shots!

It's not the typical sports take, but really, all this vaccine business really DOES impact the world of sports. If we want herd immunity and a return to something that resembles normal, then getting the shots is the right move, not just for you but for all of us.

Checking today's paper, it looks like just north of 42% of all of us here in Wisconsin have had at least one shot, and nearly 32% have had both. Doesn't mean any of us can let our guard down, though. And yes, I am as tired of all of this crap as anyone.

But we gotta do what we gotta do.

Stay safe! 

Opening Day 2021 Recap

 Well, we're three games into the 2021 MLB season. And after a memorable 6-5 come-from-behind Opening Day victory, the Milwaukee Brewers are scuffling along with a 1-2 record.

Being at Opening Day, being part of the rowdy crowd of 11,740, was amazing. Seemed so great to actually BE in the ballpark again.

Some thoughts on that game...

A PRE-RECORDED Sausage Race?!?! That was pretty lame. And also generated the loudest boos of the day.

MASKS WERE required in the stands, in the concourse, in line for food. Pretty much everywhere. Judging from the fans in our section, it's safe to say the crowds were probably 98% in compliance.

DISTANCED SEATING was well-executed by the Brewer organization. Seats were sold in pods of two to six, and unused seats were zip-tagged to prevent 'cheating'.

ON THE FIELD, we have to have better pace in games! Thursday's Opening Day tilt took 4 hours, 14 minutes to complete, for goodness sake! All that time to play 10 innings? And the extra inning started with a runner at second base (do like this wrinkle, by the way). But the game featured 13 pitchers, 26 walks (17 issued by Milwaukee pitchers alone!) and 22 hits. 

Come on, MLB, pick it up a little! Saturday's "old school" game, a 2-0 loss to the Minnesota Twins in a pitcher's duel, only went 2:36! But then, when there's only three total walks, that makes a difference.

WITH THE SMALLER crowds, getting to the parking lot, entering AmFam Field, and getting out of the parking lot after the game was a snap. Waits in line for food were not that big a deal, either.