The Wisconsin Sports Rant

Honestly, the 2008 Outback Bowl was a highly entertaining game. It was fairly evenly matched, and could have gone either way. However, this being The Rant and all, I have to point out the negatives. As I saw it there were two major reasons the Badgers lost the game. First, the inability for the defense to stop Tennessee on 3rd and 4th downs. They looked excellent on 1st and 2nd downs for the entire second half. They just could not close the deal on 3rd and 4th. The other reason they lost, and I never thought I would say this about this team after last season, was the coaching. Here are the most egregious mistakes I saw:

• It is inexcusable to burn two timeouts early in the second half because your guys can’t line up properly.
• The play calls on the set of downs after P.J. Hill’s long run late in the 4th quarter were perhaps some of the worst I have ever seen, and that is saying something. A run wide to the left? Going for it on 4th and 2 when all you need is to kick the field goal with plenty of time left to get the ball back and only need another field goal instead of a touchdown? And when you do make the poor decision to go for it there, could you come up with a better play?
• The defense seemed out of position constantly on Tennessee’s touchdown drives, particularly the secondary. While I acknowledge the injuries to the starters at some of those positions, your backups should be prepared. They did not seem to be in the first half.

All in all, the Badgers were still in a position at the end of the game to have a decent shot at winning. If Donovan makes a better throw, the final pass of his collegiate career may have been a game-winning touchdown instead of a game-losing interception.

Sorry for the lack of posting lately. Time has been scarce to work on the blog lately. Still, that doesn’t mean I haven’t been basking in the amazing season Brett Favre and the Packers are having right now. It is very exciting to see the 38 year old Hall of Fame QB perform like an MVP. It will be hard to beat out Tom Brady with the numbers he is putting up, but honestly, is there a player that is more valuable to his team right now? I am not suggesting that Brady is not valuable, or Peyton Manning for that matter. Still, Favre is the reason for all but one of the Packers’ wins this season, and that is the true measure of an MVP. The Pats and Colts very well could have 5 or 6 wins without their star QBs. That being said, I don’t really care to debate the issue anyway. The bottom line is the winning is such a pleasure to watch, that any accolades for the players really don’t matter. The time left in Favre’s career is an unknown, and though he is playing some amazing football right now, it is still unreasonable to expect that he will have that many more chances to win another Super Bowl ring. The last best chance was blown in 2003, but with a weak NFC, and a team that has made major mistakes and still has managed to accumulate 6 wins against 1 loss, this year presents as good an opportunity as any. All you have to do is make it there, and if you are peaking at the right time…who knows how far they can go. I just love that the Packers are relevant again!

Moving on to quick topics:

• The Badger football team really proved they were terribly overrated earlier this year. They can really get back to a respectable team by knocking off the Buckeyes this weekend, but if I were a betting man I would wager heavily against that possibility.
• The Bucks opened the season tonight in Orlando. Does anyone really care? I have been such a huge Bucks fan in the past, but I just have a very hard time getting excited about this team, Yi or otherwise. Besides, tonight, it was a tie game in the third quarter when I stepped away to take care of a few things. When I returned just before the end of the period, the Bucks deficit had ballooned to 23 points. Nice.
• I wanted to post this when the regular season ended, but does anyone else find it interesting that of the 4 expansion teams to enter the league since the Brewers last winning season, 3 of them have reached the World Series, and 2 of them have actually won the whole thing (the Marlins even did it twice). Also, most teams wore pullovers and elastic-waist pants the last time the Brewers played in the post season. Ouch.

Hopefully I will be able to return to a regular posting schedule shortly. With NCAA basketball right around the corner, I will have to anyway.

I guess last week’s post came at the right time, because that was the last time I would have been able to post it. It just wouldn’t be a sports season for Wisconsin fans if there wasn’t a disappointing loss in there. It’s been a vicious seven month cycle. Badger Basketball ends abruptly with a bad loss….to the Brewers slow and painful self destruction…to today’s reality check in Champaign. It just doesn’t end. We can’t get through a season without a deflating defeat of some sort. Let’s hope the Packers buck the trend.

There are a couple of things that really piss me off about this loss today. First of all, to where has this team’s defense disappeared? In all honesty, they have won games this year in spite of, not because of this defensive unit. This was the side of the ball that was supposed to carry us through the year. Instead we watch a team run for a ridiculous amount of yardage against us. Way to go D! Another thing that annoyed me was the lack of carries for PJ Hill. Now I will admit, I did not get to watch the entire game, but from what I did see at the end of the first half through most of the second, they were throwing the ball almost every time. I just don’t understand that. There was plenty of time to keep the running game going, but they seemed to have abandoned it early. This team should rely on the run, not the pass. Case in point. At the end of the first half, when the Badgers got inside the 10 on the catch by Luke Swan, why not try a run or two? The had the time but they didn’t call a running play. The third thing that annoys me is losing by way of the turnover. The Badgers got knocked down early, and trailed by a good bit in the first half. Yet they maintained their poise and came almost all the way back. But to beat yourself with the interceptions is just frustrating as hell. We are all very aware of how interceptions can kill you, as we have watched the soon-to-be king of the INT during the lean times. You just can’t afford to make those mistakes when you have the chance to climb back into a game. Tyler Donovan has done more good than bad in his short career as starter, but you just can’t give the game away like that.

So where does this put the Badgers? Unlike Michigan, whose losses came against non-conference foes, we now have a loss that knocks us out of the national title picture, but also deals a serious blow to our conference hopes. We will need to basically win out (including wins at Ohio State and at Penn State) and hope Illinois loses a couple of games. This scenario is unlikely to happen. Thus, the endgame for the 2007 Badgers will probably be at some minor bowl game that will make us yearn for a trip to Orlando once again. Last season, shitty rules prevented the Badgers from having a chance to play in a truly meaningful bowl game. This season, when UW “controlled their own destiny” since they started so highly ranked, they threw it away. It’s too bad that the winning streak couldn’t cover an entire single season instead of spanning parts of two. but I suppose that is too much to ask for.

It won’t last forever, so now is the time to take a step back and think about how good we have it with regards to the gridiron right now. That’s right…this mostly grouchy Ranter experiences a moment of sports Zen every once in a while, and after a weekend like we just had, you all should as well. Let’s start with the Badgers. Say what you will about this team. They play ugly…their defense is not living up to its potential…PJ Hill is not getting enough carries…the injuries are insurmountable. It doesn’t really matter what you say. There is one truth, and it is the only truth…the Badgers are undefeated. Look at all of the so-called “elite” teams that lost this weekend, including Texas, West Virginia, Oklahoma, and of course, Florida. Each suffered a devastating defeat with Texas and Florida adding insult to injury by doing so at home. Meanwhile, the Badgers went about their business, and while not delivering the knockout blow until the very end, still came out with the win. Michigan State is no cupcake either. They had been undefeated coming in, and we all know how the Spartans treated Wisconsin last time they played (for those of you who need the refresher, back in 2004 we were 9-0 going in and got dismantled 49-14). Still, it was a game we were supposed to win, and did. Now unfortunately, since this is college football, and the B(C)S rules, I can’t really say that winning is the only thing that matters, but I can say that winning is the ultimate goal every time you take the field. So in that respect, the Badgers have done nothing but since the visit to Ann Arbor last season. They belong in the top 5, as they are ranked this week, because that’s what they do…WIN.

Moving on to the pro ranks, it seems as though the Green Bay Packers didn’t get the memo about how they were only supposed to go about .500 again this year. Obviously they could still end up that way (or worse), but the odds at this point are quite good that they will surpass the 8 wins they recorded a season ago. Why? Dare I tempt the football deities, but Brett Favre is playing like an MVP, and the defense is doing what it needs to do to win games. Just like the aforementioned Badgers, this football team is far from perfect. They made some ghastly errors at the Metrodome this weekend, highlighted by a fumble at the end that evoked memories of a Badger loss to Northwestern a decade ago. However, unlike Packers teams of the last two seasons, they were able to overcome these mistakes and come out of a dogfight (pardon the term Mr. Vick) with a beautiful 4-0 record. Green Bay has posted wins in four of the last five trips to Minneapolis, so this is getting eerily familiar, but it is still a historically challenging place for Favre and his mates to win. This game, however, was all about Brett. By now, only the most sports-averse persons in the USA are unaware of the records number 4 set under the Teflon ceiling, and without getting closer to the interception record to boot. Favre stated ad nauseam that the win was the real story of the game, not the records, and Green Bay fans are no dummies either. I truly believe that all of us wanted that win more than we wanted to see him set the record, but the fact that both occurred against our bitter rivals to the West makes them all the more sweet. In fact, I can’t believe I am going to say this, but I was actually impressed at the classiness of the Vikings fans to stand and cheer when Brett set the record. However, that didn’t make me feel any empathy for them when Atari Bigsby (what a great name by the way…maybe he should change his last name to 2600) picked off Kelly Holcomb’s final pass to seal the win. It put the exclamation point on the football weekend for fans across the state.

So I remind all of you, that in the 9 pigskin contests we have witnessed this season so far, coming out on top in all of them is something to truly appreciate. Who knows when that first loss will come for either team; but chances are, it will come, and when it does, it will not feel good. So take that step back…reflect on how it feels to be at the top…and hope they don’t have blasters.

And now the football season is really underway! The Milwaukee Brewers officially screwed the pooch this weekend, and unless a miracle occurs, will complete one of the most amazing collapses in their pathetic history. As they have every single year, save for 1982, they will complete their season without a trip to the playoffs. Ben “Tissue Paper” Sheets can now go and get his legs waxed and eyelashes permed since he won’t have to pitch anymore this year. Francisco Cordero can go reflect on all the great saves he had while realizing that when they really needed him to get the job done, he didn’t. And the rest of the pitching staff can all worry about their jobs too, since really, none of them have proven they can play an entire season without a severe decline in performance. All in all, an expected end for this miserable franchise that can do no right.

Now, on to the real teams in our fair state! How about them Packers?? Brett Favre was absolutely brilliant today, completing tough passes all over the place. For the first time in several seasons, I was not worried about him throwing a bad pick at the end. I really felt like he was either making the pass, or putting it somewhere where it wouldn’t be picked off. Quite frankly, I am a little shocked that the Packers are 3-0 with a running game straight out of 1991. Everyone knew the pass was coming all day long, and the offense was still able to make plays. I love James Jones, and of course, Donald Driver continues to prove he is an All-Pro receiver. Greg Jennings’ return to the field proved critical, as he outran the defense for the game winning touchdown. The defense was a bit shaky with regards to the pass rush, but you cannot fault a unit that held the reigning league MVP in check. All in all, a very successful afternoon. To beat three straight playoff teams from last season to start this one is truly a remarkable feat. I think Packer fans everywhere are probably a little higher on the team than perhaps they should be, but I do believe the Packers are for real.

Last, but certainly not least, are the Wisconsin Badgers. Say what you will, they have now won 13 straight football games.  Think about that for a moment.  13 straight wins.  This game was a battle, and could very well have gone the Hawkeyes’ way, but the bottom line is that the Badgers found a way to win, as they have in almost every game of Coach Bielema’s short tenure. Kirk “I hate the Badgers” Herbstreit stated throughout the game that Iowa’s defensive speed up front was beating Wisconsin’s size on the offensive line, and for a long while that may have been true. But as Bielema said at the end of the game, it is a 4 quarter game (actually 5 at Wisconsin home games, but who’s counting?). In the end, the Badgers’ power allowed them to prevail. Now it’s on to a matchup with the rising Michigan State Spartans. This game should never be taken for granted. Wisconsin seems to struggle mightily against the Spartans, especially when it appears to be a lopsided matchup in their favor. 2004 anyone? Still, you have to believe that since each victory has come with a struggle, the Badgers are preparing for each game without arrogance.

Next week should prove to be one for the ages, as Favre looks to become the all-time career touchdown leader. More importantly, the Packers look to move to 4-0, something they didn’t even do in either of their two Super Bowl seasons in the 90’s. Football rules supreme in Wisconsin, and if the first month of the season is any indication, things are going to be very interesting indeed!

The 2006 edition of the Wisconsin Badgers Football team was 11-1 before their bowl game, and was barred from the BCS bowl bonanza because of two things. One, a bullshit rule about the number of teams per conference allowed into the BCS, and two, the fact that they began the season unranked. Fast forward to 2007. The Badgers are 3-0, and after a rough first half yesterday, ended up dismantling The Citadel handily in the second. Still, they fell 3 spots in the AP poll today. The Badgers just can’t win. If this had been Ohio State or Florida struggling with a “lesser” opponent, they surely would not have dropped as significantly as Wisconsin did. It is all about perceived “elite-ness” (yeah…I just coined a new term) in college sports. I find it ridiculous that a top ten team that wins by a two touchdown margin can drop, no matter the opponent. You may think this doesn’t matter right now, but it might. We have seen that when there are several teams in a logjam at the top, it is the polls that contribute most to the mystical BCS formula that determines who plays in the big game. Losing ground with a victory just doesn’t make sense. Then again, neither does not having a playoff.

You couldn’t ask for a better weekend, really. I will excuse the Brewer loss on Friday (although not Monday’s drubbing in Pittsburgh as it was not part of the weekend), and Steve Stricker gave it his best. Yet we saw the Brewers move back into first place with a pair of excellent wins in Cincinnati, and the Packers and Badgers eke out victories that define the phrase “A win’s a win”.

Wisconsin travelled to Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, site of the infamous Blackout Bowl, and looked like they may suffer a Michigan-like defeat. Unlike their Big Ten brethren, however, they were able to pull out the win with a huge 29 yard TD run by Tyler Donovan. It was a very strange game. Looking at the score, you would think the defense played a great game; but watching it did not support that claim. I felt like UNLV moved the ball fairly well on the Badgers throughout most of the game. They simply couldn’t capitalize on it. On the other side, Wisconsin’s offense definitely suffered without Paul Hubbard. Now that he will be out for an extended period of time, someone had better step up and fill the void. With one game left to tune up for the Big Ten season, they better do it soon too.

The Packers continued the weekend of football close calls with a nailbiter-victory over the Eagles on Sunday. I must say, with the number of losses at the hands of the Eagles over the past few years, and the way we lost a couple of them, I was ecstatic with the win, regardless of aesthetics. The Eagles put the gift-wrapped opportunity in the Packers’ hands, and they seized it. So, even though the offense was putrid (all stemming from a very poor performance by the offensive line), they found out they have a real kicker who could put the game away when called upon. Getting this key conference victory may prove to be quite handy down the road as well.

All in all, it was great to look back on the Wisconsin sporting scene Sunday night.  It may not be like this again this fall, so savor it all week.

We have reached the end of July, and by losing last night, I believe the Cubs may have given the Brewers a karmic break. Now, the worst that could happen by the conclusion of July would be a tie for the division lead. This would still be utterly disappointing considering where they were a month ago, and wouldn’t be the least bit surprising. I do see the irony in the fact that had you told any of us that the Brewers would even be in a tie for first place this late in the season, we would have been very excited. However, it’s all about perspective, and seeing how they got to this point kind of changes the way I feel about where they are now. No matter. The Brewers now have to play a 2 month season. The pitching absolutely MUST be stabilized if they have any chance of rescuing themselves from the sea of losing in which they are currently drowning.

On to the Packers. I love the way they closed the 2006 season. I love that Favre is back. I love that their defense is improving. I hate to think what their running game will look like. Can anyone say “Vince Workman”? Not only do they not have a real running back, their main guy, Vernand Morency, is now down for two weeks! We all know how important it is to be ready for training camp, and frankly, I am a bit scared. I see a lot of cover-2’s, nickels, and dimes in Favre’s future. Don’t look for that his interception count to go down any.

Finally, we turn to Badgers football. Today, at the Big Ten Media Day, the Badgers were picked to finish second to good ol’ Michigan. That is quite flattering…for Michigan. I think the Badgers have an excellent chance to place first, especially when we crush the Wolverines at Camp Randall. Yes, they have to play at Ohio State and Penn State. I am not saying they will finish undefeated. But things are going to work out well for the Badgers this year. Should they lose at Ohio State it will be the Wolverines knocking off Ohio State in the Big Game that lifts the Badgers to the conference title. It would be nice if they pave their own way to a BCS bowl (which I still think they will), but at least they won’t get caught in any political bullshit like they did in 2006.

It wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t what we had become accustomed to this year, except for the outcome of course. The Wisconsin Badgers completed one of the best (and win-wise THE best) seasons in their history with a 17-14 victory of Arkansas in the Capital One Bowl on January 1st. Arkansas was an SEC power this year, and played one of the tougher schedules in the country, having faced USC in addition to their familiar SEC foes. Wisconsin, on the other hand, played only one top 25 team, and lost. Still, Wisconsin showed that schedules and conference ratings don’t mean anything once you get on the football field. The offensive line, and really, the entire offensive unit saved their poorest half of football of the season for their last. Still, the defense picked them up when they had to, and as a result, the Badgers sported a 12 win season for the first time. It was sweet to see, regardless of the ugly football for the last thirty minutes. Seeing the team celebrate on the field, and douse first-year coach Bret Bielema with the Gatorade bucket was truly special. It helped ease some of the lingering bitterness I felt at having been excluded from the BCS party. It also went a long way towards validating that bitterness, as I believe Wisconsin proved that they could have held their own against most of the BCS teams. Simply put, the Badgers just won this year. Think about that for a moment. Remember 2004 when they were 9-0? What heppened? They fell off and lost their last three games. Last year, they again limped to the finish line before stunning everyone with the “Send Barry out in style” performance at the very same bowl they won this year. The point is, they could have slipped up against Iowa, or Purdue, or Penn State, and no one would have been surprised. But they didn’t. The one time they did lose, they played a valiant half of football on the road against one of the best teams in the country, before succumbing to Michigan’s tough defense. Every other game they just won. Some they won big, some, like the bowl, they won close. But they won. I was looking for an 8-4 season and a berth in an Alamo Bowl-like game, so I consider 2006 a monster success. John Stocco evolved into a QB and MVP that few saw coming when he first took the field several years ago. People will not talk about him as an NFL star in the making, but I do believe he will be on a roster somewhere next year. You can laugh, but you know what? This guy is just a winner, and it never hurts to have a winner in your locker room. I can go on and on about other players, like Joe Thomas, or Travis Beckham, or PJ Hill (despite the crappy performance in the bowl game), but I will leave that to the traditional media outlets. Simply put, 2006 was a welcome surprise of a season for the Badgers, and one that in any other year, would have ended in a BCS berth. Looking at the 2007 schedule, it will be tough to replicate 12 wins, but Bielema has earned my respect and faith, and I believe the Badgers can achieve great things under him. I look forward to 2007 with much enthusiasm and high hopes.

Well, it has been a few days since the BCS selections were announced, and I have a few things I would like to throw out there.

Thought #1:
we all know the arguments for and against the BCS. The two biggest reasons for not moving to a playoff right away are the money the bowls generate, and the perceived “tradition” of the college football bowls. These are both faulty arguments. The money would be inordinate in a college football playoff. If you think the BCS generates a lot of cash, imagine what a couple of extra weeks and a playoff would do for revenue! As for the tradition of the Bowls…Ha! Tradition? TRADITION? Are you telling me that there is a long and storied history behind such games as the Music City Bowl, or the Poinsettia Bowl? The bowls that have been around for a long time no longer have festive or fruity names like Hall of Fame or Citrus, supplanting them with Outback and Capital One. Heck, even the corporate-sponsored bowls have changed so often that you can’t keep them straight?

Quick quiz: What is the current name of the original Blockbuster Bowl?
Answer: The Champs Sports Bowl
Extra Credit: One point for each of the four names it had in between.

Thought #2:
My dear readers all now by now how I feel the B(C)S has treated the Wisconsin Badgers. So I ask you this. What would have happened if Michigan had beaten Ohio State? Now I realize that because the Badgers scheduled a Division 1-AA team (Western Illinois), that they technically only have 10 wins according to the tie breaker system, and thus, would have lost out to OSU. However, from a practical perspective, you would have had two 11-1 Big Ten teams tied for 2nd place in the conference, that didn’t play each other and only lost to the #1 team in the nation. I understand this is an exercise in futility for Wisconsin fans, but I think it is an important point to make. It is part of the overall problem with the system; that things are not decided on the field, where they should be.

Thought #3:
This one is of the negative, pessimistic variety. It is one that no one wants to talk about. What if Wisconsin loses to Arkansas? Would this nullify all of the arguments we have been making about how it is unfair for Wisconsin to be excluded? I think not, but it sure gives it a lot less credence. We have seen this happen time and again; where teams that feel they have gotten the BCScrew under-perform in their bowl game. Remember when Wisconsin beat UCLA in the 1999 Rose Bowl? UCLA had been ranked at the top all year, but then lost to Miami in the makeup game at the end of the year. They felt that the timing of the game caused them to lose out on a chance for a national championship. The game originally had been scheduled for the beginning of the season, but was delayed until the end due to a hurricane. The loss at the beginning of the year would have been far less damaging to their chances, which is another problem built into the system. Thus, when UCLA “slipped” down into the Rose Bowl, they were less motivated, and ultimately got beat by an underrated Wisconsin team (if you can be underrated at #6 or whatever they were). We shall see. Arkansas is by no means a slouch of a team. And I am sure Bielema will have his Badgers more than ready to play. I just hope that should they suffer the loss that the arguments we have been making for their inclusion in the BCS are not dismissed.

So there you have it. My BCS thoughts for today. When all is said and done, the Bowls are still a lot of fun to watch, even if they don’t always provide a true NCAA Division 1 Football Champion.