Macha To Be New Skipper

According to two sources on ESPN.COM, Ken Macha will be named later today as the new Brewers manager. Not my first choice (Brenly), but Macha is a solid guy. He won multiple AL West Division Titles while in Oakland. I'll give the guy a chance. He needs to bring discipline, and new hitting coach! Anything is better than Yost, so this is a plus in my mind. Like Sveum, think he's a good guy, but they couldn't hire him as they needed someone from the outside coming in to rewrite the ship.

1st Rounder to Play?

Former 1st round draft pick Justin Harrell is as healthy as he's been in the past year and is set to be activated from the PUP list sometime soon. It may even be for the upcoming week vs. the Titans.
Some people have already labeled him a bust. I'm not willing to go there yet. I think that before you can be a bust, you have to be healthy and play. He quite frankly hasn't played enough. He did play sparingly last year and recorded 16 tackles. I think if he can stay healthy, and stay in that D-Line rotation, this could be a solid addition for the Packers defense. Obviously stopping the run has been an issue thus far, and getting a 6'4" 310 lb. speciman like Harrell has to help. He's got a huge upside, but has to prove he can stay healthy and give the Packers some solid play.

Brett Gets Booed

The Jets fans seem to be getting restless with the ol' gunslinger. On Sunday, he was booed on numberous occasions after some horrible passes that were picked by the Chiefs. One was returned for a touchdown. The lowly Chiefs D was picking Brett all day! Favre now leads the NFL in interceptions. Wierd!!

Off to the Hospital

I know it's all sports on here, but I thought I'd let you all know, we're heading in to the hospital this morning as Kristine is going to get induced. The whole process begins around 8:00. I'll keep you posted and try to post some pictures later tonight when I come home. So wierd thinking Braeden is going to be a big brother soon. Talk to you soon!

You Make Melvin's Decision

If it is true that it's down to Bob Brenly, Willie Randolph and Ken Macha, who do you want and why? My vote would be 1-Brenly, 2-Randolph and 3-Macha. However, I have a strange feeling the Melvin is in love with Macha as he was offered it the first time around before we got Yost.

Favre Guilty of Calling Lions?

A story broke today by foxsports.com and Jay Glazer stating the Brett called the Lions prior to Week #2 of the NFL season trying to give them any help possible to beat the Packers. You know that if he called Detroit, he certainly tried to help Minnesota as well. If this comes to be true at all, i'm officially done with this guy and hope nobody in Wisconsin ever cheers for this clown again. And that includes when they retire his jersey. You're either with us or against us as I've previously said, this asshole is clearly against the Packers. Good riddance Brett!
Look for more on this story in the coming days.

Sveum Will Not Return

Just in, the Brewers will look elsewhere for managerial job. I feel bad for Sveum as he was devastated I guess, but I think it's a good move. They need someone to come in and give them experience and discipline. Jim Skaalen, the hitting coach is out as well, thank the freaking lord. That guy should have been gone long before Ned!

Sveum or someone else?

Rumor has it GM Doug Melvin is considering a "short list" of candidates for the managerial position in Milwaukee. I like Dale Sveum, but I wasn't that impressed with his moves or lack there of in his 16 games at the helm. I hated Mike Cameron in the leadoff spot, and hated even worse that he wouldn't give anyone a chance in RF over Corey Hart. Now I think Hart is a decent player, but down the stretch you all know what he was like.
Evidently the "short list" includes former Oakland A's manager Ken Macha, who was Melvin's original choice, but he took Oakland and we hired Ned. Also, is former D-back World Series winning manager Bob Brenly (MY CHOICE!) and former Yankee, Ranger and current ESPN analyst Buck Showalter. I also heard former Met manger and now managing in Japan, Bobby Valentine. I say if this is Melvin's list, it's a no brainer. Go with Brenly and get some good experience and try to lead this roster in the right direction.
What do you guys think?

Favre vs. Rodgers

Stats through week #6
Favre 87-124 935 yards 12 TD 4 Int 110.8 rating
Rodgers 103-163 1274 yards 9 TD 4 Int 95.5 rating (3 rushing TD's)

Packers are 3-3 and the Jets are 3-2. Who would you rather have at QB? With the rash of injuries on defense, would the Packers have a better record at this point with Brett?

Bucky is Sucky!

What is going on? These aren't the Badgers we've been used to watching the past 15 years since Barry Alvarez put them on the map! I'm usually the supporter of my teams coaches to a fault, but this is getting ridiculous. What is Bielema doing? Allan Evridge may not be able to start for UWSP. I haven't been to a game this year, but several of my friends have been and they've cited that the crowd is getting restless. Especially last night! Penn State took the Badgers behind the woodshed and beat their ass. I believe they have to make a change at QB. There is no chance to make a bowl game if they keep running Evridge out there. No Bowl Game?!?!? That would be the first time in a long time! And lastly, my friend Rutta has been calling for this from the start, but JOHN CLAY needs more carries. This kid is unreal and wasn't the biggest recruit in Wisconsin for nothing. He was courted by ALL the big schools, and he can't get reps behind PJ Hill? PJ's done very well for UW, but the bottom line is he's just not as talented as Mr. Clay. Every series Clay gets, something good happens. The only two TD drives vs. Ohio State were John Clay drives!
Joe Paterno said it best in the paper. He said, "I think they let Michigan off the hook and I think they did the same last week with Ohio State. We just hope not to get on the hook." Well, Joe I think you're on to something, and you weren't even close to nibbling on the hook last night.

Fantasy Football Is A Crap Shoot

Well, I feel the need to address the fantasy football season thus far. Fantasy Football is part knowledge, and part flat ass luck. And the part that is luck is about 90% and knowledge is 10%. It's a bit like poker, but you can have more control in poker. You can't chase a gut shot straight all the time as you'll go broke. You also can't draft bums early or you'll go broke too. However, as in poker, sometimes these clowns just get there. You just have to smile and know that in the long run, it'll all work out.
I had a pretty darn good draft. I don't care what anyone says, it was good. I prepared for this draft more than any other, and it worked out pretty much to the way I wanted. Guys were reaching for suspect players and I let certain guys fall into my lap that I was high on. And not just me, but the so called experts were too. Hell, I got the #1 point scorer in our league right now (Jay Cutler) in the 8th round as some of these "good" teams in my league took Philip Rivers, Derek Anderson, Matt Hasselbeck, Carson Palmer and Eli "3rd round" Manning before Mr. Cutler. I saw more information before this draft than anyone in our league. I did over 50 Mock Drafts online and I knew where certain guys would go. I was prepared more than anyone in my league. There was one other guy (Rutta, who's 1-4) who probably knew as much as I going in. It boils down to this. You can try to control your destiny by studying up and giving yourself a leg up, but sometimes (and more in fantasy football than poker), it's just plain dumb luck.
Here are some interesting stats I've found for players that have played against me this year. The averages are for the games they've played against other teams.
Week #1 (Lost 133 - 80.5)

• Donovan McNabb 38 Points - Avg. 18.6/game
• Randy Moss 23 Points - Avg. 18.1/game
• Thomas Jones 22.5 Points - Avg. 6.2/game
• Calvin Johnson 18.5 Points - Avg. 10/game

Week #2 (Lost 121.5 - 101)

• Greg Jennings 24 Points - Avg. 19.1/game
• Marion Barber 25 Points - Avg. 15.5/game
• Tony Scheffler 21 Points - Avg. 5.25/game

Week #3 (Lost 123-115)

• Carson Palmer 21 Points - Avg. 7.6/game
• Michael Turner 33 Points - Avg. 18.1/game
• Julius Jones 25.5 Points - Avg. 9.75/game

Week #4 (Lost 101-98)

• Kurt Warner 26 Points -Avg. 23/game
• Kevin Walter 23 Points - Avg. 6.2/game
• Adrian Peterson 22 Points - Avg. 14.5/game

Week #5 (Lost 103-92)

• Hines Ward 18.5 Points - Avg. 9.1/game
• Jason Witten 17 Points - Avg. 14.7/game
• Larry Fitzgerald 20.5 - Avg. 19.75/game

In all honesty, I got whooped the first two weeks. That's fine. I accept it. But these numbers don't lie. Every one of these guys has scored more vs. me than the average. And in some cases (Kevin Walter, Tony Scheffler, Julius Jones, Hines Ward, Carson Palmer and Thomas Jones) it isn't even close! But there is no way with my team, I should be 5-0. My core starters are:

QB - Jay Cuter RB - Joseph Addai RB - Ryan Grant WR - Plaxico Burress WR - TJ Housmanzadeh TE - Kellen Winslow WR/RB - Dwayne Bowe, Torry Holt or Jonathan Stewart

Don't get me wrong, I love fantasy football, but in some cases, you can do nothing to guard against dumb luck. I should be 3-2 or at worst 2-3, but I'm not. Oh well, I'll still keep plugging along. Besides, the #1 and #2 seeds better hope I don't squeak into the playoffs!

My Playoff Experience

Well, it was quite a day yesterday for me. I got about five hours of sleep Saturday night in anticipation for my first ever playoff experience (in person) involving the Brewers. Well, I must admit, I did stay up a tad late making sure the Cubs completed their colossal collapse vs. the Dodgers.
The day started about 5:15 a.m. I got up and ready pretty quickly. I headed to McDonalds only to find it closed. This should have been my first clue that Sunday was going to be disappointing. I was on HWY 39 by 6:00 a.m. sharp and headed to Madison to meet my friends. We met and were off about 8:15 from Madtown. We met the last of our group near the State Park and were off to Miller Park. We started to tailgate about 9:30 and had our first bloody gone by 10:00. Nothing like communion on Sunday morning at Miller Park. After some refreshments and food we headed in to the park. Once in, it was great. It was loud and full of excitement. Every time a Brewer came out to stretch in pre-game, the crowd cheered loudly. We all had THUNDERSTICKS and they were very thunderous. Once the game began, it was time to win this one and get the ball to CC. Well, from the first batter, I knew this was going to be a bad day. Jimmy Rollins led off with a bomb to right and that was just the start. After a Ryan Braun hit in the 1st, the bats were once again quiet. Then in the 3rd, the Phillies had a runner on 3rd with two outs. I said right away, "Put Howard on." and they did exactly that. I however, then said, "A three-run bomb would be killer right here." The words had barely left my mouth when Pat Burrell crushed our dreams of another game. You could have heard a pin drop in Miller Park when he delivered the blow. The back to back didn't help either. I was up in the bathroom by the time Jayson Werth delivered the next shot however. The Brewers mounted a few runs, but just didn't have the firepower to come back in this one. I new this was going to be a bad day. We thought about heading for the exits, but one in our group said no. He wanted to stay to the end to cheer them as they left the field. I thought that was a good idea and was happy we did as the crowd gave them a great ovation even though all in the stadium were disappointed as they watched the Phillies celebrate on our field.
Once back in Madison, I found a dead battery in my car as the headlights were left on all day. Jumped and ready to go, I found a half flat tire. As I drove about 25 m.p.h. into Sun Prairie to get air, I thought back to that McDonalds being closed. I new this was going to be a bad day. All in all it was a great day. I got to witness the first playoff series ever in Miller Park. And besides, I could have stayed home and watched the Packers.
I just hope I get to experience another day like this sometime soon. As a car near us in the stadium parking lot was pulling away and we exchanged goodbyes, one of the guys said to me, "See you in 26 years." God I hope not.

So You're Saying There's A Chance?

Well, it appears all of our hopes are resting on the arm of Jeff Suppan tomorrow. I just hope Supe can get through 5 innnings with the lead. If were in position, we should be fine. The Brewers bullpen surprisingly has been great in the NLDS with the exception of Torres tonight.
I will be on hand for the game tomorrow, so let's go Brewers.

On another note, the Badgers lost their 2nd game in a row that they shouldn't have lost. Sat in the prevent defense in the last drive and let OSU march right down the field. Then Evridge throws a terrible pass to seal the loss. Very average QB play and an average defense = a very below average bowl game. With those two qualities they ought to run John Clay about 40 times a night. The two drives he was in on were the two drives that UW scored touchdowns. I can't believe he doesn't get more touches.

Stick a Fork In Them

They're done. There is absolutely no way they can win this series. If they continue to hit like this, they can't win. Their pitching can't keep them in every game. One of the announcers put it best when he said, "CC's had their backs the entire season, it's about time the hitters bail him out once." Yeah, good one. These guys can't hit period. I'm sorry, but Sveum doesn't get a free pass anymore either. What the hell are you continually starting Corey Hart for? Give Tony Gwynn Jr. a chance. I know that Kapler would be starting for sure if he wasn't hurt.
As for this series, I believe it's over. They'd have to win twice in Milwaukee to have CC go again on 3 days rest in a ballpark where it looks like the Brewers can't beat a little league team. I hope they can miraculously pull one out Saturday so I can say I at least went to a playoff game in my life.

Life Of Reilly: Cubs Buzzkill

Check this out. It's great! Cubs are losing tonight too!
"Hey Chicago, what do you say, the Cubs are going to choke today!"
http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?videoId=3619714

Frustrating, But Yet Okay

That was a frustrating Brewer game today. The media is making Cole Hamels sound like the 2nd coming. He was good, but he didn't even outpitch the Brewers today. The Brewers and Hamels had identical lines of four hits given up. The Brewers did walk six to Hamels four, but the game came down to bad defense once again.

I watch the replay several times and it came down to a number of things on that bunt. Bill Hall bobbled the ball or he was going to 2nd to get the lead runner. After he bobbled, he went to first and threw a ball to first that first appeared fine, but I think it was low. Now, obviously Rickie Weeks dropped the damn thing and was given the error. This was horrible. This is just inexcuseable for a professional in the playoffs to drop that ball. After that, Chase Utley's double should have been caught, no doubt about it. I rewound the tivo and Mike Cameron takes a really bad first step and angle and causes himself to drop it. Now, he is normally very good in CF, but that was a bad play as well.

All in all, it is frustrating, but okay, as tomorrow we have the best pitcher in baseball going to get us a split on the road, which is all you can ask for in the playoffs. Let's hope Rickie has a nice seat to watch this one tomorrow though. I think he would have today, but Durham is obviously struggling with the hamstring issue. Otherwise, he probably would have scored easily on the double by Braun in the 9th. I know his run doesn't mean a lot there and you can't make an out at home, but he still should have scored standing up. Durham in the lineup means no Bildo Hall batting 2nd either. Thank goodness! Down 0-1, but a long way to go!

Go Dodgers.

Weeks Error Puts Brewers in Hole

Rickie Weeks' error in the 3rd inning just killed the Brewers. You can play bad defense and win in the postseason. The way Cole Hamels is dominating early, it appears the Brewers could be in for a long day.

The Time Has Arrived!!!

Let's Go Brewers!!! Lots of great coverage on www.jsonline.com/ today. Check it out! Will be on here later!