Some months ago, I wrote a piece titled '29 Years, 29 Keys To A Division Championship'. The point was to show that many things factor into the equation of winning AND losing. The 2012 Milwaukee Brewers are certainly not playing up to expectations, and like last year, there are reasons for the slow start. Let's take a look at some of them:
*The following is listed in no particular order
-Ryan Braun's challenging off season-- The impact of Braun's situation is hard to measure just how it has affected the team, but it's kind of hard to believe that it helped in any way.
-A slow offensive start for Ricky Weeks-- We all know that Weeks will hit better than he has so far. This will certainly help win games.
-The exit of Prince Fielder-- Just how much has it affected the crew's offense? We'll re-visit this once the Brewers start hitting. However, we can all agree it has a huge impact, but just how big?
-The loss of hitting coach Dale Sveum-- Although we wish Dale well, but not too well. I guess this bullet point depends on what a hitting coach means to you.
-Mat Gamel's injury-- Gamel was poised to have a productive year. Considering what they have replaced him with, this has hurt in 2012.
-The loss of bullpen relievers Hawkins and Saito-- One can look at this, and agree that they were BIG reasons why K Rod and Ax had the years that they did. Can Loe and Veras be the new Saito and Hawkins? Let's find out.
-Injury to shortstop Alex Gonzalez-- Finally the crew gets a 'plus' defensive shortstop. This has stabilized that position. Izturis and Maysonet?
-K Rod's performance early this season-- Not only hurting the crew from game to game, but begs the question, is he lowering his trade value, in case, the Brewers try to trade him?
-Slow start for Aramis Ramirez-- Any clean-up hitter needs to knock in runs. Aramis needs to start doing that, right now, he is not.
-Injury to Chris Narveson-- In 2012 the crew used only 6 starting pitchers, can it possibly happen again?
-Lack of depth within the organization-- The Brewers knew this coming into the season. With performance issues, and injuries, the rest of the way will lean heavily on depth. Will it step up?
-Minus "Tony Plush"-- The personality of Morgan has not been seen to the extent it was last year. Production aside, can "Plush" make his return.
-Carlos Gomez injury-- Although the least serious, seems the crew misses him.
Each year, each team in baseball is challenged with many things. Can the crew overcome the above? Let's have some fun finding out. Smile Milwaukee, the world will smile back!
After hearing about Junior Seau's death, and then reading George Koonce's doctorial dissertation on the transition to regular life after the end of a football career, brought back memories of how I was not prepared to deal with the "real world" after I finished playing. This was probably the most depressing time of my life because I had no life skills to move on and find direction. When I was released by the Detroit Lions, I tried to hook on with the Indianapolis Colts, only to flunk my physical due to a knee injury while in Detroit. The flight home from Indianapolis to Milwaukee was truly a low point in my life. I remember sitting around for almost a year, rehabbing my knee, and hoping that some NFL team would still give me a chance. It never happened. After that I decided to give Jerry Fishbain, the recruiting coordinator at UW-Madison during my days there and still affiliated with the university, a call. He asked that I drive to Madison so that we could talk. As we were talking, I told him I needed a job, something to do. He told me to go back to school, which I did not want to do. He proceeded to ask me "what do you want to do?" I honestly had no idea. He asked if I would be interested in coaching football at the high school level, which I was. He made some phone calls to Jack Charlesworth, Athletic Director at Brookfield East and Central High School. That was my first post-NFL job. I progressed to being a Vice President at Big Brothers Big Sisters. However, I still felt a void in my life. After talking with Alan Zussman, academic advisor at Madison, I chose to go back to school and get my degree at age 40. That has brought me to my current career at 1250 WSSP. Unfortunately, too many players get so consumed with the sport of football that they do not see past it. They are then not prepared for life in the "regular" work force and what they are cable of becoming. The NFL and Colleges need to offer more training or guidance for the transition to life after football. I was fortunate to still have the support and guidance from Jerry Fishbain and Alan Zussman.
The SoundOff line has been part of SportsRadio 1250 for a long time. Ever since i came to 1250 in 2007, it's been my job to compile the best calls that come in, add a little entertainment, and churn out a SoundOff line. Sometimes they're better than others. Sometimes the calls are better. Sometimes the calls are just awful. I've been doing this for over 5 years now, so I've made over 1,000 SoundOff lines, (it's actually closer to 1,300) so I think I know what I'm talking about.
I often get asked how many calls we get on a daily basis. That's easy. What happened to the local team? If the Packers lose, I can guarantee I'll get nearly 100 calls. If the Brewers win? I'll get around 20, but only about 3 will be about The Crew. The rest will be about what was said on 1250 that day. Hey, it's an industry based on negativity. Your teams are SUPPOSED to win. Lose and we all have the answers, right?
Some people don't like calling the live shows and that's just fine. That's what the Soundoff Line is for!
I've been thinking of writing this blog for a long time. I've got mixed feelings about it's purpose. Part of me wants you to know how to get your SoundOff line calls on air more frequently. Part of me wants some of you to learn why your calls AREN'T getting on. Part of me wants some of you to learn about the phone calls i get every day. Here are a few SoundOff line tips.
Here's the 1st tip: I'M THE ONLY ONE THAT HEARS YOUR CALLS. Insult/Scream at Bill? He's likely not going to hear it. Hate Sparky? I'll hear you. Sparky won't. Miss an old show? Angry with the Program Director? Cool. I thank you for that....so with that...here's some advice:
-Quality vs. Quantity. Yes, I know you some of you call a lot. (Again, I've made +1000 of these). I'd recommend that you drop your call volume per day. Usually, I'll hear one of the regulars voices and not even listen to their 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th (you get the point) call. And if your 1st call was no good, then you're out of luck.
-What makes a good call? A lot. Background, fact, reasonable explanation to your point
-Get to the point. I have a LOT to do during the day. The SoundOff line takes about 1 ½ - 2 hours to make. If your call is longer than 30 seconds: A) there's a good shot I'm not listening to all of it...B) There's a SLIM chance all of it will get aired.
-I will absolutely not tolerate racist phone calls. Keep it to yourself.
-Mix it up. Some of you give me the same calls over and over, day in and day out. I get it. You don't like Packers GM Ted Thompson. No need to tell me 4 days in a row.
-Remember to have fun: This is sports talk. As some call it: the toy department of broadcasting.
-Swearing does not help your cause. As a matter of fact, should I hear you cursing, I'll most likely delete your call immediately.
-Give me a time check! If you hear something during one of the shows and you call about it (like Garyoke, or a Tim Allen rant) please tell me what time you heard it. This makes it easier for me to find the argument, bit, etc. I can't listen all day. If you say "wickett, did you hear what Sparky said about the Bucks?" The odds are I did not. Every show is recorded. An approximate time helps me out a TON.
-Do you really think I'll let you rip a sponsor on the air? Nope.
-I want YOUR opinion. Not a report of what you watched on the NFL Network or SportsCenter last night. What do YOU think of what the morning show said? What do YOU think the Badgers need to do?
-I will absolutely not tolerate hate filled phone calls. Keep it to yourself.
-Don't like a host's opinion? That's fine. No worries. Tell me why...But "Hey, ____ ______, you suck. You're terrible. How do you have a job?" is most likely NOT getting on air.
-This is not your personal voice mail to me.
-Call during a game. Love to get your opinion on what's going on at the BC, Miller Park or Lambeau. Especially BEFORE it happens! WARNING: you may be wrong...welcome to our world.
-414-448-2162 <-------save it in your phone.
Hope some of this helps. Not sure the kind of reaction I'm going to get from this. I hope it enhances the SoundOff line. I WANT you to call. I want you to enjoy the calls from other 1250 listeners. I hope this all helps!
Who says golf is a relaxing game??.. Not for me .Golf has to be one of the most frustrating things to try to get good at.. I have been doing it for 10 years and still the frustrations linger...Everytime I think I have turned the corner, I run into a roadblock...Hitting off the tee with a driver is probably the most difficult. But in the last two times, i have been solid off the tee. But then there is trying to hit from 190 out with a hybrid is a major problem ... The short game.. My distance always seems to be an issue.. Too much club? not enough? None-the-less, it never is the right choice..and I havent even got to putting or chipping from the fringe, or pitching from 60 yards out.. throw in sand shots..So many things to practice, no wonder nobody ever gets good at this game.. Even though its such a frustrating game, so many of us are right back out there because of those few good shots each round that keep us coming back..
My Mom has never been big on burgers. I'd probably call her taste in food downright dainty. That is until she tried Roberts' Specialty Meats' beef brisket burger. She liked those so much in fact, that she asked for that to be her Mother's Day Dinner. And what Mama wants, Mama gets on her special day...
Ingredients:
(Portions obviously depend on how many people you're feeding. This is less of a recipe and more of a suggestion of things you could have in your "Burger Bar". Feel free to be creative and make some of your own additions.)
Fresh italian bread, medium sliced
Roberts' beef brisket burgers, grilled
shredded cheddar cheese
shredded pepperjack cheese
shreedded mozzerella cheese
crumbled blue cheese
Bacon, cooked
Pepperoni
grilled onions
sliced bell peppers
jalapenos
pizza sauce
salsa
steak sauce
ketchup
mustard
sliced tomatoes
iceberg lettuce leaves
Directions:
Preheat grill to high heat.
Put the burger and desired toppings in between 2 slices of bread. Brush the outside with olive oil. Place sandwiches on the grill and cover with a brick (or other heavy grill-safe object). Grill on each side for 2-3 minutes until cheeese melts and bread starts to brown and get crunchy.
A few suggestions:
Combine bacon, grilled onions, blue cheese. and steak sauce for a steakhouse burger or...
Pizza sauce, onions, peppers, and mozzerrella for a pizza burger (my favorite) or...
Salsa, jalapenos, cheddar, and pepperjack for a taco-style burger.
I've decided to just write random thoughts swirling around in my big old melon….
1. I don't understand why the Brewers continue to play Ryan Braun when he continues to suffer from a sore Achilles. I'm going to assume that the training staff for the Brewers know what they are doing however I'm still extremely nervous about it.
2. The Milwaukee Bucks need to consider JaVale McGee from the Denver Nuggets, if they are going to try and be playoff contenders. McGee would fit nicely as that human eraser behind the offensive minded first guards on the team.
3. As we get closer to the NBA Draft Lottery coming up on May 30th, I am starting to ramp up for the draft. At the end of the season, I said I really liked two players in this year's draft where the Bucks should be drafting. I haven't changed my mind, I'm still hoping they select a shooting guard and Terrence Ross from Washington or Jeremy Lamb from Connecticut would be the prospects I'd want at pick number twelve.
4. I really like a couple of running backs coming back from injuries last year in the NFL to be productive fantasy players this year. Ryan Williams of the Arizona Cardinals is reportedly already running and cutting and could be a steal in the middle of a fantasy draft. Mikel Leshoure is another running back that might slip under the radar going into drafts this year as he rebounds from injury with the Detroit Lions. Both of these backs would have been rookies last year, so plenty of upside with both of them, especially if you are drafting in a "keeper" league.
5. I'm not sure if cowboy hats look good on everybody or not.
6. I'm also conflicted about going full "cowboy" and buying boots too. I just don't think short guys with no type of physique should be wearing them. I would fall into that category.
7. While I realize I'm the "half empty" type of guy, people on twitter are "glass is empty" type of people. I see about a ten to one ratio of negative tweets compared to positive tweets. It seems like it's become a forum for people to complain and make fun of people more than anything else.
8. I miss doing the Spare Time Bowling Show already! Can't wait for October to get started back up again. Really can't wait to head to the PBA World Series of Bowling in Las Vegas in November.
9. Tony Stewart is a race team owner and race car driver. His post race antics after the Talladega race had me laughing out loud, however, that doesn't mean that NASCAR is very happy about it. I think Tony making fun of fans and what they want might have crossed the line with the average "Joe". Will owner Tony have to pay for what driver Tony said after the race?
10. Kid Rock is one of the best music artists of my generation.
1) I LOVE that Jarrod Uthoff is looking at Marquette. Not that I want Badgers fans to get upset with me, but I'd love to talk about this story on the air. Sometimes the broadcaster in me has a greater interest in a story than the sports fan in me. So many dynamics to address in this one. What does Bo think? Was Buzz interested in Jarrod before the fiasco with Uthoff/Ryan? Can he play in the MU system? What about the trip back to Madison in 2 years when Vander Blue is a senior and Uthoff is a sophomore? Oh, there are sooo many more!!
2) Does anybody feel like Senator Herb Kohl got behind this "We NEED a new building" thing a bit late? I don't know how much time anyone on this planet has left, and I certainly want to see the Senator around for a while. But at his age...PLUS, will the Bucks be a viable enough product, long enough to get support for the new BC? Will a new owner emerge? I don't know how long this whole process takes, but i just feel like we'd be a LOT further along had Senator Kohl begun campaigning for this in 2007...perhaps we'd be close to home. And speaking of the Bucks...
3) The anti-nba fans can drop the "nobody cares about the Bucks" line at ANY TIME. Guess what? You're dead wrong...for several reasons: A) I was there at the Playoff games in 2010. It was PACKED. B) The passion shown on SportsRadio 1250 WSSP via email, calls, social media, etc proves to me that there are LOTS of Bucks fans in this town. They just haven't had much to cheer about lately. C) You're not the only sports fan in town. Just because YOU don't care for the NBA game, doesn't mean NOBODY cares for it.
And please don't tell me you'd be fine if the Bucks left town. You don't really want that, and the city of Milwaukee sure wouldn't either. And don't get me started on getting an NHL team...the last league that needs to expand is the NHL...and they sure aren't expanding to a city with a 25 year old building, within 100 miles of another NHL team. .
I sure hate to give up on repeating as NL Central Division champs in early May but the St Louis Cardinals are going to be awfully difficult to catch from the early "Freimund Eye Test" The Cardinals are showing they didnt need Pujols as thier offense is clicking at the high rate I still think the Brewers can find their way to 90 wins but the Cardinals are on such a run to start the season,they proving they are one of the best teams in baseball. I just hope a 5 and half game lead on the Brewers doesnt grow too much and turn into 10 by the All Star Break or sooner..
You have to hand it to the WWE for knowing how to handle talent in 2012. The writers of the WWE can't figure out how to write good storyline's to promote their young talent, so they go back to the "old" guys for Wrestlemania. It worked, lots of people bought the pay per view to watch the Rock wrestle Cena. I'd have to say for the most part it turned out to be a good match.
However, they realized that once the Rock went away AGAIN, that they would be left holding the bag again. So in true WWE fashion they went back into the past and pulled out Brock Lesner. Which continues to point toward the writers not being any good or Vince realizing that his talent isn't as good as he thought it was. Lesner brings fans to the WWE from UFC, which isn't a bad thing, except Lesner apparently doesn't know the difference himself.
The last pay per view for the WWE was on Sunday night and Lesner's match with Cena was better than advertised. Once the match was over, Cena appeared to have realized that Lesner more than likely broke his arm when he addressed the crowd. His face was covered in blood and he looked like he was just in a UFC match more than he was a "scripted" WWE match. I don't have a problem with how "real" the match appeared, but I do have a problem with Lesner hurting Cena by being over aggressive. Now Cena claims there isn't anything broken and after the attack on RAW, I hope for his sake that nothing is still broken.
Speaking of Monday Night RAW, Lesner apparently decided to continue to try and take out people one by one as he assaulted Triple H. I'm pretty sure Triple H broke his arm when Lesner put him in that submission maneuver and then yanked on it. If they allow Lesner back after that fiasco, then somebody should have their head examined at WWE. He is wreck-less and totally out of control and has no respect for anybody around him.
So assuming that the WWE does the right thing and terminates him, what will be the next move made by Vince?
Could the first two days of the NFL Draft have been any better for the Packers. Ted Thompson moved up twice and got three players,who at one time of another were mentioned as first round picks. Thompson improved all levels of his team's defense. The Packers can build a good young defense around those three along with Matthews and Raji. The defense was so bad last year,it has no where to go but up. The Packers says Hayward will be a corner,so it will be interesting to see if he is impressive enough to earn a starter's spot,which would mean moving Woodson to safety.
