The Wisconsin Sports Rant

Only this fucking pathetic debacle of a football team could have possibly lost the game the way the Packers lost tonight.  I forsee a loss to the Detroit Lions next week, and deservedly so.  To you Packers, you are truly one of the most pathetic sports teams I have ever had the displeasure to watch.  Even worse than the 4-12 2005 team, you are the epitome of horrendousness.  You should all take your salaries and donate them to charity because not one of you deserves to be paid a fucking penny.  If Mike McCarthy is employed within 100 miles of Green Bay next season I may consider stop watching football altogether.  Ever heard the definition of insanity is “doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results”?  Well get this Mike…your unbelievable lack of ability to craft any semblance of offense in the second half and Bob “Why the FUCK do I have a job” Sanders’ defensive strategy of “fold when it counts” was displayed AGAIN!  And to no one’s surprise at all, you lost…AGAIN!  And, did both Aaron Rodgers AND Mason Crosby take lessons on how NOT to play late in the 4th quarter?  Mason might have even taken the follow up class on choking!  I don’t understand how you have not one, but TWO kicks blocked tonight.  Crosby has PERSONALLY cost the team 2 games this year (maybe three…)  The Packers have truly polluted my life over the last 5 months, and I cannot wait to be released from the hell that these heartless losers have created.  Absolutely disgusting, inexcusable, and gut wrenching.  This team will long be remembered as a complete waste; one that found losses where no other team possibly could.  And in a finale that would be a prefect fairy tale ending to this season of garbage, the Packers should lose like this next week:

Up 26-20 with the ball and 45 seconds left, Aaron Rodgers attempts to kneel on the ball, but drops the snap…picks it up…tries to throw it away…gets it picked off, and the Lions score the game tying touchdown.  On the ensuing extra point, the Packers block the kick, but the Lions recover and run it in for a 2 point conversion for their first win of the season.

Yeah…that would be about right.

As if I needed to add to my comments from last week, I think that there are a few more things that are worth stating.  Today added more credence as to why I believe the coaching staff should go.  The team regressed both from last year to this one, as well as during the season itself.  The fact that they have lost the same way week after week without making any corrections at all speaks volumes about how inept this staff is.  Take today’s loss to Jacksonville.  If there was one play that makes a perfect example, it was the 4th and 1 handoff to the fullback.  Once again, it simply didn’t get the job done.  I don’t understand what it is about that play the McCarthy finds so appealing.  It never works, yet he continues to keep it in his playbook.  As for the big picture, the formula for the game was simple, and the same as it has been over the last two months.  Packers play a close game.  When they have an opportunity to pull away with a TD, even in the red zone, their drive stalls (mostly because of the poor play calling or a lack of preparation), and they only come away with 3 if anything at all.  They have to then hope that the defense can hold the opponent one last time.  But as has been proven all year long, that kind of faith is clearly misplaced.  This defense has absolutely no heart when it counts, and simply cannot do their job.  Thus, the opponent drives the length of the field, late in the game, and comes away with the winning score.  The formula then differs only in whether or not the Packer offense has one last chance for Rodgers to throw a game ending interception.  It has been a complete failure of a season; one that started out with the poor handling of the Favre situation, and ends with the poor handling of the team itself.  I am not sure the results justify that those in charge deserve to keep their jobs.  Even if they do, they should be on the hottest of seats next year.  Anything less than a return to the playoffs should automatically end in their removal (Thompson on down).  As for the final two useless games, I predict losses in both, with the grand finale resulting in the Lions getting that elusive 1st win of the season.  It really would be a fitting end.  Then again, this team is incapable of fitting ends (see: 2007 NFC Championship Game).  When do pitchers and catchers report?

It’s been a long time, and I have been too busy and too uninterested to post for the last few months, but today seemed like as good a day as any to make an appearance. It is with the final nail in the Packers coffin that I write this. Ted Thompson is a moron. Mike McCarthy is an idiot. Bob Sanders is a joke. This brain trust has taken a 13-3 team, and destroyed it. Brett Favre will be (and should be) having a big laugh tonight when he looks at the standings and sees that the Packers are done. Rodgers may be an ok player, but the results have spoken for themselves. From NFC Championship to non-winning season. Ted, Mike and Sanders all need to go before they do any further damage. Great job guys!

So why have I not posted in a month?  Well, besides being extremely busy, I knew that despite the fact that the Brewers had a superb August, that the same old shit would happen again.  Go back to either of the last two years of posts in this time frame, and you will undoubtedly see that I could really copy my writing almost verbatim (just change a player name here and there).  Again, the Brewers are falling apart when it matters.  Again this playoff-deficient franchise is finding a way to piss off its fans, and look absolutely ridiculous at the same time.  My dear friend who hosts a certain radio program in Milwaukee had a topic one day during the Favre debacle earlier this summer.  The question to the listeners was “Would you rather see Favre starting for the Packers, or the Brewers in the playoffs”.  There were a lot of differing opinions.  Some people were adamant about Favre.  Some people leaned towards the Brewers.  Seems to me that it all may be one huge moot point as when October 1st rolls around Favre will be winning with the Jets and the Brewers will be where they are EVERY SINGLE YEAR - DONE.

It’s late.  I am tired.  I can’t pull myself away from the TV because I keep hoping this horror I am seeing on ESPN is all terribly wrong.  But, I fear that in the morning, nothing will be different.  So now the Packers truly begin life after Favre, for better or worse (actually, just for worse).  You know from my previous post my feelings on the football side of this decision (it is just plain wrong), but now I can also reflect on my thoughts on the non-football side.  In short, the Packers made a franchise-damaging decision.  They managed to alienate their star who sells more jerseys and garners (or garnerED) more positive attention for the team than any other player.  Brett was reason alone for the Packers to receive 4-5 nationally televised games a season.  So business-wise, this was a mistake.

Next, this situation has injured the franchise’s relationship with its fans.  I cannot speak for all of them out there, but personally, it has really hurt the fan in me to watch this unfold as it has.  It has tempered my excitement for the upcoming season a great deal, which should never be the case when your team returns most of its players from a highly successful 14-4 season.  I should be looking forward to this 2008 season with great anticipation, but right now, I am just not interested.  I am numb to the whole thing.  It took a few weeks to digest Brett’s “retirement” in March, but once I did, I was ready to watch the Packers in 2008 with Aaron Rodgers.  I was (and really still am) optimistic that Rodgers can be an excellent NFL QB.  But right now I just don’t care.  It is also extremely frustrating to see a proud franchise treat the best player in their history this way.  Now don’t get me wrong, I think Brett handled this situation poorly as well, and really came off as kind of a baby at the end when he couldn’t put things behind him, but even that is subject to interpretation, and which side you believe is telling the truth.

In retrospect, I am baffled as to how this all happened.  This saga really started in March, but publicly, Favre made known his desire to play at the end of June.  That should have been plenty of time for Favre to reaclimate himself to the team.  How do the Packers simply shut him out and never really give him the opportunity to play for them again?  I simply don’t understand, and maybe never will.  What I will close with tonight is this:  Ted Thompson may build a Super Bowl champion, and Mike McCarthy may coach it, and I will definitely be happy if that happens.  But these two men will forever be the guys responsible for getting rid of Brett Favre.  They didn’t speak for the fans.  They likely didn’t speak for the board of directors, or the shareholders.  They spoke for their arrogant, selfish, egotistical selves.  When all is said and done, these guys got what they wanted.  The Packers are certainly THEIR team now, and not Favre’s or anyone else’s.  I can’t imagine this ever happening with Bob Harlan still the CEO, or Ron Wolf, Mike Holmgren, or even Mike Sherman still being associated with management of the franchise.  No, this debacle is squarely these two guys’ responsibility.

And despite what may or may not occur during their tenures, I will NEVER respect what they have done here today.

Are we all not forgetting perhaps the most pertinent piece of information in this outlandish Brett Favre mess?  Should Favre play, he is subject to the most feared curse that can befall a professional athlete.  No, the Sports Illustrated Cover Curse comes in second to this.  At the top of that list is the EA Sports Cover Curse.  You all should know it well.  A large number of those who appear on the cover of one of their annual sports games have gone on to incur serious injury or some other event that ended their seasons prematurely.  Such examples include Shaun Alexander, Michael Vick, and Gilbert Arenas.  Should Favre end up playing, the question may not only be for which team, but more importantly, for how long.

Yep…I admit it.  One definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over and expect a different outcome.  By that rational I truly am nuts.  Again I actually believed this Brewers team was different; that they would be a playoff team and play like one against the division leading Chicago Cubs this week.  Instead, this entire homestand has become an outright disaster.  I encourage you to re-read this post from last season:  I am continually fooled by this pathetic franchise.  I can’t believe this is the same team that won 8 in a row to grab a share of first place in the NL Central.  What a difference a week makes.  This group of players along with Neddy Yost should feel embarrassed, and realize that they are far less of a team than they thought they were last Friday morning.  I appreciate Melvin making the huge trade to get a bona fide Cy Young pitcher in to help push for the playoffs.  It is the first sign management has shown that they believe this team can win now.  But when this Brewers club falters as they have this week, they turn believers back into the skeptics.  To treat the nearly 300,000 fans that will have passed through the turnstiles this week to this kind of baseball borders on criminal.  I just don’t understand how a supposedly good team can fall apart so horribly in front of the fans that are buying their tickets in record numbers.  I know there are still 2 months left in the season, but a week like this simply terminates any belief I harbored that the Brewers would be in the playoffs.  I have been ranting about this for two years now.  I’ll believe it when I see it.  Until then, this franchise is and always has been, a LOSER.

I haven’t posted much, if anything, about Brett Favre since that day in March that he “retired”.  This has been purposeful because I had made peace with the idea of the Packers sans Favre, and, much like the organization’s line right now, felt like I had moved on as a Packers fan.  Still, things change, and now that the Packers (specifically Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy ) are faced with the unenviable task of pissing off no less than one of their QB’s and any number of fans, it’s time to think about what is absolutely the best thing for the team and organization.  My take on this has changed a great deal since the reports started surfacing that number 4 was not ready to hang up the helmet just yet.  Initially I took Favre at his text message…thinking it was all just a non-story that got blown way out of proportion because he mentioned to one guy somewhere that he kinda missed playing.  Seems that it was more than a rumor Brett (so I guess Thompson isn’t the only one saying one thing to the public but another behind closed doors).  My feeling then became that the Packers should just do what they were doing at the time…don’t trade him, don’t cut him, let him either come back and sit, or just retire gracefully.  This would prevent the unthinkable…seeing Brett starting on Monday Night Football on September 8th in a hideous purple uniform (or other similar scenario).  I was more on the “side” of the Packers.  As the situations continued to spiral towards a pit of ugliness not seen in Green Bay since…well…2005 I guess, I felt more and more like Favre was tarnishing both his legacy, and the Packers image by doing what he was doing.

But then, last night, I really had a change of mind.  The thing that keeps going through my head is what Ted Thompson has said repeatedly…that he must do what is in the best interest of the team.  When I really considered this, I came to the conclusion that there is only one choice that is best for the team…

Let Favre Play.  In Green Bay.  As the starting Quarterback.

Now this may sound like it is coming from some crazed Favre fanatic that can’t let go, or some stupid fan that is not considering anything past his own nostalgia for 1996.  While the latter point may be somewhat true (well all but the stupid part), I can honestly say that these are not factors in my opinion.  Let’s take a look at what we are talking about when we say “what is best for the Green Bay Packers”.

There are two points of view from which you must approach this problem.  The first is on the field.  How do you build the best team?  What pieces do you need to reach the ultimate goal of winning a Super Bowl?  The second is with regards to the integrity and legacy of your franchise, especially in regards to the fan base (which in this case are your shareholders and paying customers rolled into one).  I don’t want to dwell on the latter piece here because I would surmise that anyone reading this blog has a pretty good understanding of this portion.  Favre is a legend.  To see him play for another franchise would be painful, but if it were a division rival, it may even border on intolerable.  The thought that someone as revered as Brett Favre can make the statement that he doesn’t feel wanted by a franchise for which he was the face for the last 16 years is frustrating to say the least.  From the perspective of what I would guess would be a majority of the fans (I am sure there are plenty that would disagree), I would say that this is not true.  There is a difference between not wanting Favre back and having moved on since Favre had stated that his services would no longer be available.  In any case, if you asked any fan what their ideal scenario would be for this whole situation, it would almost certainly end with Favre retiring a Green Bay Packer (whether it be this year, next year, in five years, whenever) never having donned another team’s uniform.

It is the part about assembling the best team possible that really caused me to change my mind about this whole mess.  First of all, just for a moment, forget that this is Brett Favre, and forget all the non-football related stuff that surrounds this circus.  You are the general manager of a football team that was very nearly a Super Bowl participant the preceding season.  Were it not for an other-worldly performance by one other guy in the league, your quarterback would have been the MVP.  You have the guy still under contract, despite the fact that he had already announced his retirement.  On the other hand, you have a possible rising talent who very well could be an all-pro at some point in his career, but is totally unproven over any length of time, and even has shown signs of being injury-prone.  When you look at it from this perspective, I just don’t really see how you can make any other choice than but to go with the perennially proven talent.  MVP or unproven yet promising player?  Ok, now we can bring back into the picture who we are talking about here.  I have heard all the talk about shattering Aaron Rodgers’ confidence if you allow Favre to return as a starter, and frankly, I think that is absurd.  The man is a professional football player.  He should be of the toughest mental mold.  I realize how frustrating this may feel…to have a huge opportunity given to you, and then to have it instantly thrown into jeopardy.  Still, it’s not like he won’t have a chance at some point (if not in 2008, he is a free agent and can sign anywhere he likes).  The Packers have let a good number of better than average quarterbacks leave during Favre’s tenure, and may have some waiting in the wings again.  The point is, when you were a play away from being in the Super Bowl (yes, I know the irony is that it was a Favre play away), you must seize the opportunity that is present, because you are never guaranteed the ability to reach that point again.  You have an MVP caliber quarterback that wants to play.  You have a roster very much unchanged from the 14-4 season of a year ago.  To me, the decision is clear.  You take the proven talent and go for it.  Now.

I am not of the illusion that there are dozens of other arguments and positions to take on this saga.  I also understand that there are several factors at play here that may make some of my points less black and white, and more shades of gray.  Still, my biggest desire as a fan is to see the Green Bay Packers win the Super Bowl, and I feel that Brett Favre gives them the best chance to accomplish that feat in 2008.

I know, I know…long time no post. Well, today seemed as good a day as any to make a comeback (right Brett?). After seeing that Corey Hart made the All-Star team today, I took a moment to sit back and realize what this says about baseball in Milwaukee. Through all the years of futility we have endured as Brewers fans, we are a tremendously forgiving and enthusiastic bunch.  We have the distinction of having used incredible grass-roots campaigning to get not one, but TWO players voted onto the NL team.  In the week before Ryan Braun made the team as a starter, and this partial week of Final Vote voting, Brewers fans turned out in massive numbers. This is a huge accomplishment for the organization, which did a great job of using creative methods to get people to vote, and the fans, who sat in front of computer screens at home, at work, on their mobile phone, and even at Summerfest to ensure their guys got in. When you think about “small market” Milwaukee, and how we are going to put over 3,000,000 butts in the seats this year, and how we can out-vote the fans of MUCH larger markets such as New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia, you have to say we have some of the best fans in the league. While I didn’t post about it last week, the statement management made by acquiring CC Sebathia shows that this franchise now means business, and they are going to do what it takes to put a playoff team out on the field. It truly is a great time for Brewers fans, and hopefully we will all be rewarded with the first whiff of October baseball (outside of the first three days) since 1982.

Roll Out The Barrel!

It’s been a busy spring for the Ranter - his baby boy’s first birthday approaches, his beautiful little girl does something new and hilarious every day, and Skype 4.0 just came out.  So with the actual start of summer right around the corner, I, Mighty Gosling, thought I’d offer a few summer thoughts:

-  Three months into the season and we’ve seen three different Brewer teams - the team that went 0 for Boston including an embarassing appearance on national TV, that team’s mirror opposite by going 8-1 on a recent homestand, and then everything in between.  Never the less, the team is clearly a wild-card contender especially if the line-up stabilizes.  I love Hart up top and who in America isn’t falling in love with Russell Branyan all over again? 

- Salomon Torres, or SalTor as i affectionately refer to him, is earning Gagne’s $10 million salary.  I’d propose having them swap contracts but i found out SalTor actually makes $3.3 mil and Gagne doesn’t deserve that.

- As i’m writing this, Russell the Muscle just went yard against the Jays.  He’s probably the greatest Russell ever to play in the majors.  

- Sheets and Braun are obvious All-Stars.  But keep your eye on Jason Kendall to wind up in NY.  Why not?

-  I really tried to like Indiana Jones 4 but come on.   The Ark cameo was the best part.

-  The Bucks should go crazy this summer.  Keep Yi, Bogut, and Ramon Sessions.  Everyone else should be on the table. 

-  You’re still trying to figure out another major leaguer named Russell, aren’t you?

-  Javon Walker - $100k in ice?  Really?  And I thought I was accessorizing with my recently purchased pocket square.

- Kudos to Lindsay Schwartz, Watertown’s volleyball and track star, who took home the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s area female athlete of the year.  Go Goslings!

- I hate the Cubs.