The Wisconsin Sports Rant

We have all probably read/seen a lot about the two most obvious Wisconsin connections to the NBA finals — Devin Harris and Dwayne Wade. But what about the other ones that are not in the spotlight? Some of these connections prove how unfair the sports landscape is. Let me briefly touch on them:

• June 24, 1998 - The Milwaukee Bucks, picking two spots after the Dallas Mavericks, have them pick Robert Traylor, and they have us puck Dirk Nowitzki to facilitate a trade. This was not a trade. This was highway robbery. This was a clear case of one team’s scouting department being light years ahead of another’s. Of course, the coach/scout team of that Dallas club? Don and Donn Nelson…which brings us to, well, connection number two
• This Mavs team is largely the creation of a Don/Donn Nelson and Dell Harris (who is still there) creation, the brains behind the highly successful (but never quite successful enough) Milwaukee Bucks teams of the 1980s.
• Keith Van Horn. Sure, we traded crap for crap in getting him, and then unloaded him for more crap (Anyone remember Alan Henderson and Calvin Booth in the lovely Milwaukee purple?). But hey…it is a connection.
• Last, but certainly not anywhere near least, Gary “^@%#@” Payton. This is the POS we traded away our best shooting guard (possibly ever) for simply to try and make a run in the playoffs in a year where we had ABSOLUTELY NO CHANCE of advancing even past the first round! What they f*&k was Ernie Grunfeld thinking? We got a player who had no desire to be in Milwaukee for a good 2 1/2 months in exchange for the best shooter in the league. That was REALLY smart. Oh, we did get a swingman who we promptly traded for a latter-day Anthony Mason so again, we are left with nothing.

Meanwhile, as both of these teams are first-time participants in the NBA Finals, one will also be a first time NBA World Champion, which is as many as the Bucks have in their 38 year history, and more than I have seen in my lifetime. At least whichever that team ends up being will have one player that I admired in college.

“Every team goes through streaks like this” –Jeff Cirillo

No, Jeff, not every team goes through this. Have the Tigers lost 7 in a row this year? Have the White Sox? How about the Cardinals? Maybe the Reds? Let me fix Jeff’s statement:

“Every BREWERS team goes through streaks like this.”

It’s ridiculous. 40,000+ fans, a lead in the 9th, and your “closer” comes in. Turnbow has turned for the worse. Everyone who was worried several weeks ago because he couldn’t close a game without making it interesting is being proven right to worry. At 26-30, in the NL Central, it is looking bleak already because of injury, because of how good two of the teams above us are, and mostly because we all know Brewers history. But hey…at least we aren’t the Kansas City Royals.

When was the last time the Brewers allowed less than 10 runs?  Wow this is getting ugly.

Mighty Gosling pointed me to this morning’s JSOnline article about new uniforms for the Bucks next season.  I say it’s about time, but will it help?

Interesting afternoon.  First, Zach Goldberg echoed my thoughts when he pointed out how our 2001 season included a sweep at the hands of the Pittsburgh Pirates.  That happened again today.  I do recall that we came into Pittsburgh in 2001 with high hopes, as we had just swept the Cubs who had a superb Sammy Sosa still playing for them.  It is quite the same today, although we didn’t sweep the Cubs last week.  Nope, we got swept by the lowly Pirates all by ourselves.

It is also funny that Mitch said on air the same thing I did when the sweep was complete: SOB - Same old Brewers.  At this point in the season, I believe it is fair to pass judgment, and while I wouldn’t count the Brewers out yet, they seem to be doing everything they can to get there.  Being swept by the Pirates is simply an unacceptable outcome for a playoff team, and right now, playoffs are once again an elusive goal that seems unlikely to be reached.