Packers News of the Day!

Just a couple of quick hits from the day that was the first day of the NFL Free Agency season.

*On Thursday, Packers signed former Dolphins offensive tackle Joe Toledo. I dont know who he is either, but the last time I said, "Who the hell is that?" he turned out to be Ryan Grant.

* Apparently, there were Corey Williams for Jason Taylor rumors, and I guess there still are Jason Taylor rumors. Seems to just be Green Bay sports talk radio rumors, nothing concrete. Nevertheless, the Packers got the 56th overall pick for Williams. They also have the 60th pick.

* As b2 said in the comments, Farewell Carlyle Holliday!

* Lions DE Corey Smith is going to visit the Pack.

* The Packers are among several teams interested in LB Brandon Chillar, of the St. Louis Rams.

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A's 11, Brewers 4

The A's had 14 hits and the Brewers had 12, but Oakland managed to put up seven more runs than the crew, winning today 11-4. The story Brewers fans will be taking away from this one is the rough outing from three pitchers under the microscope this Spring Training. Dave Bush earns the loss, giving up four hits and four runs in two innings. Turnbow gave up two hits and two runs in one inning, and Eric Gagne struggled in his Brewers debut with 1 IP, 4H, and 3 ER. Oh well, it's only Spring Training, right! Honestly though, I don't know how much we're supposed to read into these games. Sure Eric Gagne struggled against an inferior A's lineup, but there's no way I'm going to judge him after three outs.

Offensively, Gabriel Gross knocked in a solo home run, and Corey Hart was 2 for 3 with 2 RBI's. UW - La Crosse grad Vinny Rottino went 1 for 2 after spelling for Prince at 1st.

Box Score.

TBC's Player of the Game: Corey Hart

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Farewell, Corey Williams

Corey Williams is off to the Dawg Pound, according to the Washington Post. It will effectively be an NFL version of a sign and trade. Williams will likely been signed to a long-term deal, then be shipped to Cleveland for a second round pick. This gives the Browns no Saturday picks for the 2008 NFL Draft.

I was high on Ted Thompson for putting the franchise tag on Williams last week, and I'm not going to complain about this move either. The defensive line is a strength for Green Bay, and all they are essentially doing is trading away one of their rotating lineman (albeit a very good one) for a high draft pick. Last year the second round brought us Brandon Jackson and James Jones, who knows what it will bring us this year!

The move will likely take place sometime after midnight, when the NFL Free Agency period officially begins.

Update, Friday 10:17 am: John Clayton of ESPN.com says, "The Packers traded franchise defensive tackle Corey Williams to the Browns for a second-round choice. Williams is expected to sign a six-year, $38 million contract. "

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Badgers Continue to Roll

Their toughest test on paper until the Big Ten tournament wasn't a problem tonight for the Wisconsin Badgers. After a tight first half, Bucky cruised the rest of the way for a 57-42 point victory. Pretty impressive game for Wisconsin tonight in their victory against another highly ranked opponent. Brian Butch (how bad do I want to be him right now?) hit 4 three pointers, and even had Brent Musberger shouting how he wanted to be his agent to score him a contract in Europe, because of how much they would love him over there. Butch finished with 16 on the night.

Joe Krabbenhoft will be the answer to a trivia question after tonight. He was the only Badger to turn the ball over tonight. And just once. This was another physical, aggressive Big Ten matchup, and the Badgers only turned the ball over once! That's got to be some kind of record (it is)!

The Badgers are now 1/2 game ahead in the Big Ten, and will now host Penn State and then head to Northwestern before the Big Ten Tournament. Indiana still has Michigan State, Minnesota, and Penn State. Purdue still has to knock off Northwestern, Ohio State, and Michigan.

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Bucks Continue to Play Jekyll and Hyde

I'm not sure what to believe anymore. In the last week, the Bucks have knocked over quality opponents in Detroit, Cleveland, and Denver. Then in go into New Jersey and lose a stinker like they did tonight. Darn? You know what, I'm going to give the Bucks a free pass on this one. Yeah, games like this are vital to win if they are going to even sniff the playoffs, but they weren't on TV tonight, so what do I know?

In tonight's 120-106 loss to the Nets, the bench once against barely contributed, putting up only 8 points. Redd put up 33 points for the Bucks, Mo Williams added 24. Bogut continued having a great year with 22 points and 15 boards. God, Bogut is awesome.

And how about the game from former Badger and future Buck, Devin Harris. And not future as in Chauncey Billups future, but future in that it's been his lifelong dream future. Hey Bill Simmons, think you can make that happen?

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Review: Lost (Season 4, Episode 5)

Well, that was horribly confusing, brotha.

It's hard for me to imagine that four seasons ago when Oceanic Flight 815 crashed, the writers and producers had this time travel theory in mind. I hope they did, and I guess it would make sense. Season one, realize Island is weird. Season two, find a hatch. Season three, meet the Others. Season four, bring in time travel.

Is Lost nothing more than a story about time travel? It's something I would have never guessed when it first started. And as much as I love time travel, I dont know if this where I was hoping the show would go. I mean, I love the Desmond episodes, but this was a completely different Lost than we've seen in previous weeks, wasn't it? And I did enjoy the episode, but now my brain is just spinning.

So we find out what has happened in the ride back on the helicopter, and the ride seems to be too much for ol' Des. When Desmond is transported from the chopper to his army barracks, we're lead to assume it's just another flashback. But unlike any previous episode, the character is going from flashback to present along with the viewer (I'd like to mention that my roommate watched Lost for the first time tonight. What a terrible episode to start on! Especially because this was an episode that only focuses on three or four characters.)

Desmond Hume is traveling from 1996 to 2004 in a way that would make Dan Vasser's head spin. What I don't understand, one of the many things about this episode I guess, is how Desmond all of a sudden thinks he's in 1996, and nothing in 2004 is familiar to him. Could this be some sort of parallel universe? Desmond is able to talk to Dan Faraday, my favorite of the four newbies this season. He explains to him in 2004 that when he goes back to 1996 he should try to contact him. He gives him a few codes to help him out, and Desmond is set to make the journey to Oxford.

Back in 1996, Faraday is already experimenting with time travel with a rat, who later dies after the travel becomes too much for the rat. You see, it's because there is no constant. There is no way for the rat to connect the future and the past because she doesn't have something familiar to her in both worlds. For Desmond, that constant is Penelope Widmore. Penny has been in Lost sporadically, but she may end up being the most important character when all is said and done.

Desmond is able to track down father Widmore, which leads him to Penny. The two have just broken up (remember the episode where Desmond left her) and she doesn't want to see him. I have to admit, I was literally yelling "GIVE HIM THE NUMBER!!!" when Desmond was begging for the digits to her phone, and also not to change it for eight years. She finally does, and he leaves.

Back in 2004, there was another man in the sick bay, Ray, who was also going through what Desmond was going through. When they reach the communication room however, he dies similiar to the way the rat did eight years ago. Desmond is worried the same will happen to him, which is what makes the phone call to Penny so important. Penny answers, remembers the conversation, so it seems like we are still in the same universe as far as time goes.

So as I write this an hour after the episode has aired, I still can't wrap my head around what transpired in that episode. I'm trying to recall the previous Desmond episodes. What about the time he met Charlie? What about his premontions that Charlie was going to die? How do they play into this? What about the person who first suggested time travel to him at an English pub? What the hell is going on around here!

I really did enjoy the episode, and it definitely followed the trend of season four. Which to me is, "We're not answering anything, we're just going to make this show more confusing and twisted than it ever was." Watching Lost at this point is like putting together a 500 piece puzzle, except you are missing about 400 pieces.

I was strolling around the ABC.com message boards during the show, and here are some of the theories I wanted to pass along from other fans:

huntnroots2 has a theory about Jacob: ...someone who is lost in the space/time transfer and has not materialized completely physically into the house on the island...in otherwords caught in a two dimensional glitch somewhere....hence the "invisible" thing we heard say "help me" to Locke, and that was causing things to fly around the room as if some invisible person was tossing things about in anger?

timewarpsexist has an interesting theory about Mr. Widmore, and what we saw at the auction: After the orchid videos and all the evidence the producers have been leaving us, after all of the time warp theories, multiple universe theories, i wont bore you with something old.

The producers gave us key information tonight that no one is pointing out.

In 1996 we see Mr. Widmore, at an auction, buying a diary storing the events of a ship that gets lost out to sea called the Black Rock, whose previous owner belongs to the Hanso Family. This boat is Mr. Widmores boat, it's how they were capable of getting the picture of desmond and penny, it's why penny phones the boat and no one is allowed to answer, Mr. Widmore is behind this all.

mrsbrooks118 says this about the crash: i bet desmond ends up stopping the crash because he goes back in time and regains all his memories at some point

and lostfanatic18 as a theory about time travel: The island is a 'snow globe' thats surrounded by time. At the beginning of the series the island was 108 minutes off from regular outside world time. when locke blew up the hatch it took 77 minutes off leaving a 31 minute difference. hence one of the shows titled 'enter 77'. But anyway if you get off course of the island it can put you into two paralell dimensions.

As for my own theories, I have none. Way too confused. Time travel is definetly a bigger factor than we thought, but how does that explain the weird mysteries of the Island. Doesn't it seem like Lost is four different shows disguised as one sometimes? What a payoff this will be in three years when the show has ended it's run, but until then there is just way too much going on.

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Brewers 7, A's 1

We're going to keep the updates short and sweet during Spring Training. The Brewers start 2008 off right with a 7-1 victory over the Oakland A's. Claudio Vargas picks up the win with two innings of clean work, and Ryan Braun led the offense with a 2 run home run. And if you didn't see it, Bill Hall made a great catch at 3rd. Were only one game into Spring Training, but so far, everything's coming up Milhouse!

Box Score.

TBC's Player of the Game: Ryan Braun

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Bill Simmons to GM the Bucks??

Well not really, but here's a great article that Bill Simmons wrote that will be featured in the next edition of ESPN the Magazine. I don't really know what the ramifications of this would actually be, but as a long time Bill Simmons fan I say, what the hell.

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Review: Gauntlet III (RW/RR Sea.15/Eps.6)

We left off last week as once again the Veterans beating the tar out of the Rookies with a 7-2 score over all, leaving 14 Veterans and 9 Rookie players. Action is heating up as many of the Veteran player realize that they have to throw girl missions as well as understanding that eventually the rookies may win a few guy missions to even things out a bit. Well both of those two scenarios took interesting turns this week.

Knowing that the first mission was a female gauntlet mission you could right off the bat see who were the choices to be thrown in. Little bit of Tori and Brad and some Melinda and Danny, who apparently are engaged..... congrats I guess. Some pre-show bickering between the engaged couple leads into a hugely disadvantaged gauntlet for the Rookies. The Push 'O' War also messed up the Veteran guys plan to throw mission because having 7 guys get pushed out by 4 would look awful. Go figure, Veterans win and are now up 8-2. The Veterans put Melinda in which makes Danny irate, which I'll have more on in a bit. Melinda wants Jillian in per the agreement made in the first show that gauntleters get to choose who they go in against. Well thanks to a dumb-ass rant by Melinda about backstabbing, the Rookies get pissed and put in Tori, who is probably the best girl on their team. After a bit of grand-standing Tori goes into the gauntlet and wins. Rookies down to 8 players.

The next mission is a good one. The first good mission of the season, it reminded me of a Fear Factor type game. Let it be known, I would freak out being buried alive. I think I would be able to do it with 300K on the line though. This mission also gave the Rookies a huge advantage since it was a race and they had 6 less players. Well Nehemiah had some issues with the trivia questions and somehow the Veterans won a challenge they weren't supposed to. 9-2 Veterans. The Vets throw in Frank and the team puts in MJ.... ARRRRR??? Interesting choice I didn't really get why they did unless they, like me, are sick of Frank. But in the upset of the century Frank beats MJ, in a physical gauntlet. Seriously, is this bigger than the Giants beating NE? Honestly who saw that coming? The super couple Frank and Jillian are 6-0 combined in the gauntlet and im 6-0 in the disappointment column. Wow.

I wonder if these Challengers in the case of a hook up are contractually obligated to whine, beg and bitch for their significant other in order to create drama. I mean really, a challenge happens everyday. That means that these people (at the end of this show) have been there for 12 days. In that short time people are crying and whining about some guy or girl they hooked up with leaving. Really? Brad was so happy that Tori is sticking around. They've known each other for 12 days. That's why these guys on this show are really dumb. You have a chance to win 300K and yet you would rather to keep to some chick around you just hooked up. I'm sure these guys get ass all the time from E-List star chasers. Living in Madison, I've seen girls flock to Landon when he came back from the Real World Philadelphia season. Hell I've seen straight guys flock to Landon (C.C. West). So to me it just doesn't make sense. Sure I get why Danny was mad even though I thought he went from being reasonably upset to acting like the meat head he really is. Brooke and Ev acted like one of them was dying when Brooke left and they met 4 days before that. Ridiculous. I'm done.

I'm gonna play a game called things I think I could beat my buddy Travis in. Generally I own this kid in various portions of life, but when I come to a physical competition we tend to compete against each other. Usually an alcoholic beverage or two or keg is involved, but in the past we've had an impromptu footrace, chugging contest, a break-through and conquer type thing, pretty much anything goes. This ankle breaker gauntlet, is something I'm pretty sure I'd beat him in. I'm about 6'5", 300 pounds and in not really in any kind of great shape but its not like I'm uncoordinated. Think Eric only a bit taller. Travis runs about 5'9" 200 and plays some semi-pro football in Chicago. Strong kid, but I would definitely win in this Ankle Breaker format. Once I dug into that sand, there is no way hes dragging my ass to his finish line. Plus I have probably a twice as long as a reach as him. So I would have a better chance of getting to that rope. I don't even think this would be close. Bear 1, Travis 0. I'll go over the other gauntlet games against Travis in future columns.

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Um......

Found this little item on ProFootballTalk.com today. And as they explain, while this no mention of it yet on Packers.com, Favre is either about to retire or they've created a page just in case he does. And as I was just about to link to it, they have restricted access to it. But because Print Screen is the best key ever, here's what it looked like:



Talk amongst yourselves.

Update from Packers PR:

"As most media outlets have done, Packers.com each year prepares its web site to handle the traffic in case Brett Favre does retire. The URL for this "Breaking News" page, which also was used last year when Brett announced his return, was accidently posted as live, when it should have been disabled until needed, if needed at all."

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The Run to the World Series Starts Today

Here we go kids. The much anticipated 2008 season of the Milwaukee Brewers is finally here. I say not only because how jacked up we all are because of last season, but because about three or four years ago, don't you remember saying, "Dude, we're gonna be awesome in like three or four years." Well guess what? We are awesome.

The road to the Series starts today with the first game of Spring Training against the Oakland Athletics. Claudio Vargas and Joe Blanton are starting on the hill, which first pitch scheduled for 1:05pm.

You can listen live if you buy MLB's Gameday Audio, or you can come back to the Bucky Channel later for a box score!

Go Brewers!

(update: lineups are posted!)

Oakland Athletics (0-0)
RF Travis Buck
2B Mark Ellis
1B Daric Barton
LF Emil Brown
DH Dan Johnson
SS Bobby Crosby
3B Jack Hannahan
CF Chris Denorfia
C Justin Knoedler
SP Joe Blanton (not batting)

Milwaukee Brewers (0-0)
2B Rickie Weeks
CF Mike Cameron
1B Prince Fielder
LF Ryan Braun
RF Corey Hart
3B Bill Hall
SS J.J. Hardy
DH Gabe Gross
C Jason Kendall
SP Claudio Vargas (not batting)

Looks legit. The real question is, is that really the A's lineup???

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I've Added Widgets

I didn't know what these were until a few days ago, but I've added them to the site. This is an example, and you will always be able to find this at the bottom of the page. On the right, I have added the NBA Standings. Let me know what you think, if you like them, or if you think I should move them.

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I Like Posting Game Winning Shots

Michael Redd erases a season of disappointment with one shot.

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We Need A Logo!

While we do have a few loyal readers in just a month's time, we're still very green, and very much a new kid on the blogosphere block. We've had a blast covering all that is Wisconsin sports, and then some, in the last 30 days, but one thing has been missing from our site!

A logo!

That's where we are asking for your help. We'll take either ideas, or actual creations from you. I'm not sure this is a contest, but I'll try to throw something nice in for the winner. Maybe 10 bucks? Or will forever being linked to a barely read blog be good enough? We'll think about it.

In the meantime, we hope to get a logo on here for the end of March. It may have only been a month, but we're already past the "fad" part of this and have been re-affirmed this is something we love doing. But we can't go any further without a logo! (of course, having Bucky Badger in would make sense, but we're unsure of copyright issues)

Email any suggestions or logos to winks@thebuckychannel.com.

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Braun to be on Sports Illustrated

I can't remember the last time a Brewer has been on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Was the last time really 21 years ago with Rob Deer? There's no way. Whatever the case may be, I'll now have a new Sports Illustrated to put in the frame I had originally bought for a Packers Super Bowl Preview cover. Yikes.

Ryan Braun, along with Troy Tulowitzki and Justin Upton will be on the 2008 Baseball Preview Issue to be released sometime in March. Braun is meeting the two other young stars in Tucson on March 13th.

I know I know, everyone is worried about "The Jinx", but it's not like Brett Favre was on the cover of SI the week before the NFC Championship Game. Oh wait.

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Brewers 18-1 Odds to Win Series

The latest Vegas odds have the Crew not that long of a shot, but still long enough that you might want to slap down some money on them. The sports gods in Vegas also have the Brewers predicted for 2nd in the NL Central at about 84-78.

You can read more over at Brew Crew Review (In Mark, Doug, and Ned We Trust). I'd also like to point you there to read GJW's NL Central Position rankings, in which he's ranking the starters from all six of the division's teams, by positions of course.

It's another great site for any fan of the Brewers, and I recommend it.

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TBS Likes the Brewers, too.

I know if you're a Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs, or like watching the team Barry Bonds is on, having your favorite team on national TV isn't a big deal for you. But if you've been rooting for a team like the Brewers for all of your life (except the year or two after the strike when you hated baseball, I'm sorry, I have to admit it, that broke my heart), it's a huge deal. The latest national appearance for the Crew is on the new TBS baseball schedule, which no longers focuses on just the Braves. The Brewers are scheduled for a Sunday, May 18 game at Boston, with first pitch at 12:30pm. The day before, their matchup will be on FOX. Hooray for national exposure!

(For a list of their games on FOX, click here)

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I'm Done Calling Out Michael Redd

This is the way I envisioned this season to go back in October. The Bucks playing well at home, the Bradley (for now) Center on their feet, and just good all around basketball. It may be too little too late, but the Bucks are now showing the kind of fight they were lacking for much of the season. The Bucks are now 3-1 since the All-Star break, with wins over Detroit, Denver, and Cleveland. Not bad.

The Bucks traded leads with the Cavs for awhile, until the final minutes of the 4th quarter when they were doing everything they could to try to put the Cavs away. Cleveland kept fighting though, even when LeBron was off the court, as their bench outscored Milwaukee 37-6. And just when it looked like the Bucks would wrap it up, former Buck Damon Jones pushed a shot in from behind the arc.

And then with the score tied at 102, with 1.7 seconds left, Michael Redd through up a contested three point shot that somehow found the back of the net, winning the games for the Bucks 105-102. It's been hard in the last week with the Bucks playing so well to forget that they are 22-35, but damn if they aren't putting on a good show to close out the season, and perhaps stumble upon a playoff berth.

Also for the Bucks, each starter was in double digits in the points category, including 37 from Mo Williams, and 25 from Redd. Big win for the Bucks, we'll see if they can keep it up against the B-Squad of the Mavericks, the New Jersey Nets.

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All of China Turns to Yi

Yao Ming is a rock star in China. He's got songs dedicated to him. He is a leading vote getter in the All-Star game every year. He is the face of a nation, playing in the NBA.

But he's hurt. Out for the year. He has a stress fracture in his left foot and the Rockets are likely to announce he will have season-ending surgery.

So who do the millions of Chinese basketball fans turn to? Who will be their new hero? Well don't fret Chinese Hooters girls. China, if you haven't caught Yi Jianlian fever yet, now is the time! Jump on over to the Bucks bandwagon and cheer on a team just 3 1/2 games out of the playoffs!!!

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We (are) Marquette!

Ok, let's try this again. I need to stop trying to post things at three in the morning. Anyways, Marquette continues their hot streak with a 85-75 win over Villanova Monday night. Dominic James led the way for the Golden Eagles, hitting 5 three pointers as part of his 25 point night. The Eagles are playing well in a tough Big East, and they seem to be gaining confidence with every win. After the win, Tom Crean said they may not yet be ready to go far in the NCAA Tournament, but they are getting there. Marquette is tied for fourth in the Big East, with the top five looking like this (the rankings are according to the ESPN / USA Today poll).

1. Georgetown (#10) 12-3
2. Louisville (#18) 12-3
3. Notre Dame (#17) 11-3
4. UConn (#16) 10-4
4. Marquette (#21) 11-5

Marquette's next game is a huge matchup against Big East frontrunner Georgetown at 1pm (all times on this blog are central times, remember) Saturday on CBS.

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Wisconsin, Marquette, Rise in the Polls

Have the Associated Press, USA Today, and ESPN ever talked about combining their polls? I've never understood why there are two different versions of the rankings. Maybe I'll have to play on Wikipedia later...

In the AP poll, Tennesse is the new leader, while the Badgers have moved up one spot to 10th. They are the highest ranked Big Ten team, followed by Indiana (12th), Purdue (16th), and Michigan State (19th). Marquette has moved up four spots to 21st.

In the ESPN / USA Today edition, Tennessee is the unamious number one as well. The Badgers moved up one spot, they are now 9th. Indiana is 12th in this poll as well, but Michigan State (15th) and Purdue (19th) swapped positions. Marquette is 21st in this one as well.

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Kendall Won't Bat Ninth

It's always fun in this day and age to see something start out as a blog rumor and then turn into a story that is picked up by the Associated Press. If you see an article today claiming that Brewers manager Ned Yost is going to be batting Jason Kendall in the 9th spot, and have a pitcher bat 8th, ignore it. No way in hell this happens.

You may remember Tony LaRussa doing a similar thing last year with the St. Louis Cardinals, but don't expect Ned to actually do the same thing. The "pitcher batting 8th" is a move managers resort to when they overthink themselves. The success rate of this move has to be quite low (although I think I remember a game last year where it paid off against Milwaukee, someone help me out on that).

As the JSOnline blog post reads, the move would be to give Ryan Braun more men on base if he were to bat from the two spot. Ned's Nine will surely go through some changes this year, but don't expect this to be one of them.

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Brewers Talking Extension with Braun

Only because I haven't made this clear yet, but I love Mark Attanasio. Every time you see him, it's like he still can't believe he owns a Major League Baseball team. Doug Melvin has done a great job assembling this team, but it's a lot easier to do that when you have an owner that's willing to give you cash to make things happen.

During the winter months, we've heard a lot about the Brewers trying to lock up their young guys for the future. I know there are a lot of people who feel the Brewers have a 2-3 year window before all of the guys head over to New York or Boston. That's why I'm loving the aggressive approach Attanasio is taking in trying to sign the young kids now.

The latest conversations have been with our new left-fielder Ryan Braun. Braun could already be eligible for arbitration after the 2010 season. He would likely be offered a similar to deal to that of Colorado Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, who received a 6 year deal for $31 million.

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You Thought it was Loud During the Game...

I was chatting with my brother earlier today about how good the crowd was at last night's Bucks game. But I don't think they were any louder than they were during the Seniors version of the Engeree dance team.

(The crowd erupts for Soulja Boy at 55 seconds in the clip)

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They Can't All be Pretty

Hey, a win is a win, right? The Badgers find themselves back in the Big Ten lead after a 58-53 victory at Ohio State. As of Sunday, they are a slim 1/2 game ahead of Indiana and Purdue. Credit the Badgers for winning games they are supposed to be winning, even though they did come into Ohio State as the underdog, according to Vegas. But the Badgers truly did grit one out to come away with the victory.

The Badgers fell behind early, in part because Brian Butch was in foul trouble right away. They would trial the Buckeyes most of the game until late in the 2nd half. Jason Bohannon continued his hot streak, scoring 16 points off the bench.

I say the win was ugly because at many times it seemed the Badgers not only had problem with Ohio State's zone defense, but also creating shots. The last three minutes of this one were nothing to marvel at. The Badgers were up three, and were using all 35 of the shot clock on their possessions. Not a bad strategy, but they rarely had a good look at the bucket and kept missing. Ohio State, however, never was able to convert, and this sequence went on for a few possessions.

The Badgers then scored with about 12 seconds left and Ohio State was now down five points. The game still wasn't over by any means, but Ohio State must have thought it was. The Buckeyes lead a very unorganized and inspiring effort to try to win the game in the final seconds, after playing well against Wisconsin for the other 39 1/2 minutes of the game.

But, as I said a win is a win, and the Badgers are now 13-2 in the Big Ten, and hoping for a Purdue loss.

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ESPN Previews the Brewers

Wanted to pass along a good article that previews the Brewers this weekend and questions if the Brewers really are "for real" this season. ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick talks about the rotation, the bullpen, Mike Cameron, Ryan Braun, and Rickie Weeks.

New faces, position changes for Brewers this spring

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We'll Take It!

Look how shocked Michael Redd is in that picture. Not even he can believe the Bucks came back from a 23 point decifit last night to top the Denver Nuggets, 115-109. What's more shocking is that he lead the comeback, scoring a season high 42 points. I know I've been saying a lot that the Bucks need a true leader, and I still don't think Redd is that guy, but you have to give him credit for the performance he and his teammates put on in the 2nd half of last night. It was so incredible, a source within the Bucks organization called it "one of the most amazing sporting events he's been to". Okay, it was my bro, but I just wanted to have a source for once.

I watched the first half of this one sporadically at a bar, and joked with Bear about just how bad this Bucks team was. At the time, they were down some 20 points. We then focused our attention on the Tennessee / Memphis game (Bruce Pearl!). The next time we were able to catch a glimpse of the Bucks game, they were somehow down just four points in the fourth quarter. From there, we watched the Bucks complete their improbable comeback. And as much as I was impressed by Redd, I was just as impressed with Andrew Bogut's night of 20 rebounds.

Man, if only the Bucks could play this inspired every night. Maybe not every night, but at least 42 of them. A losing record is going to get you a spot in the Eastern Conference Playoffs this year, and I still don't think the Bucks will get there, but I'd much rather see them play well like this than try to tank for a better odds at a decent lottery pick.

I'm not sure what to make of the Bucks since the All-Star break. First, they were able to earn a victory over the Pistons. Then they lost to the same Pistons two night later by 27. And last night they somehow found a way to crawl back from a major decifit and earn their second win in three games, a huge feat for this team. Their next five are Cleveland, at New Jersey, San Antonio, at Indiana, and Seattle. I'd say the Bucks need to win four of the five if they are going to put a little run together.

Just when I think you've done something stupid Milwaukee, you pull out a victory like this and totally redeem yourselves!

(and in other Milwaukee basketball news, Marquette destroyed Rutgers 78-48)

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Review: Lost (Season 4, Episode 4)

Well, it took me a while to find some time to write this week's review, but better late than never, right?

Over the weekend I've read a few mixed reviews on the fourth episode of the fourth season of Lost. Many of the critics still use the old adage "A bad episode of Lost is still better than a good episode of anything else..." when they say they weren't as wowed by this episode as in week's past. Many of the more negative reviews I've read centered around the fact that it was a Kate-centric episode, and although every one loves Evangeline Lilly, the Kate episodes aren't their favorite. I really did like this episode, although I did see the "twist" coming, but lets recap it a bit first.

On the Island, Kate was still with Locke's camp, bunking up with Claire and Aaron, and later catching a snuggle with Sawyer. Kate and Sawyer talked a lot about the possibility of Kate being preggers, although she denied that she was. When the two were getting along in this episode, it was when Sawyer used his old con man ways on Locke, to buy some time for Kate to arrange a meeting between Ben and Miles.

I did like the scene between Miles and Ben, although I wish more would have been said. The whole "I know who you are!" dynamic between the two of them is interesting, but I'd like to know soon just who Miles is ultimately working for, and why he's willing to give it up for exactly 3.2 million dollars (not 3.4 like Ben even suggested). My favorite part there was the look on Ben's face when he first saw Kate and Miles walk through the door. I'm planning on watching the season one DVD of Lost pretty soon, but isn't hard to imagine when Lost was without the Ben / Henry Gale character?

Anyways, the whole incident pisses Locke off a great deal, and his payback is sticking a live grenade in Miles mouth to keep him quiet. I do agree with Zap2it's review when they suggest that the Locke clan is slowly turning into the Others. Locking people up, having weird methods to get what they want, and even living quite comfortably in the barracks once occupied from our friends on the other side of the Island.

Elsewhere, the helicopter seems to be missing (for now), but I'm increasingly beginning to agree with the suspicions there is some sort of time lapse between the real world and what happens on the Island. It would help explain why future Jack is unable to figure out what has happened. Also, there was a brief scene where Charlotte and Faraday seemed to be testing out some sort of ESP experiment, which I'm sure there will be pay off for later.

Back in the flashforwards, Kate is on trial for the crimes she has committed in her life before Oceanic Flight 815. Jack pops up in another flashforward, this time as a character witness in her trial. We already know she's not going to prison, as we've seen her in flash forwards that happen later than this one, but Jack's testimony was the best part of the episode in my opinion.

For some reason, they are telling the world that eight of them survived the crash, and two of them died on the way to the beach. Six of them were then rescued. But as you and I know, there were a lot of people that survived that crash, a lot of them we have come to know and love, and still plenty more of them that are extras. What happens to all them? How do just six people survive? And more importantly, what happens to Claire?

I ask this because that's the big twist of the episode, is that Kate is now playing mommy to Aaron, Claire's baby, and Aaron doesn't know the difference. I'd say the kid has to be about three years old in this episode, and clearly Kate is attached to him like a mother (or a crazy person). There was the fortune teller who once told Claire not to let anyone else raise her baby, but that's what seems to have happened. Aaron is one of the Oceanic Six, which now means we know all of them but one. For some reason, I wouldn't be surprised if it was Claire, but I sort of want to guess it's either Sun or Jin.

So clearly, as we've learned this season, something terrible in italics happened when they around the time of their rescue, and there is no way they can tell the world about it. Each week it seems like whatever happened seems worse than it was the week before. Some of the characters, Jack especially, can't seem to live with what happened and now feel it's time they do something about it.

I love this show, but I almost don't want to know what happened, but that's part of the game. It's like when someone has bad news for you, and you don't want to hear it, but you just have to. You have to know. And waiting to find out that bad news kills you. That's what this is doing. I'm nervous for the characters that they did something so regrettable it's impossible for them to live with. That's why this is such a great show, because I actually do feel that connection and that pain to the characters.

And Holy Shit!!!! Kate is raising Aaron!!!

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Fondy Cardinals Updates!!!

Maybe it's because I'm in Fond du Lac for the day, but an enormous amount of Fondy Pride has come over me in the last day in a half. I know many of you don't care about Fond du Lac High School athletics, some of you may have never even heard of Fond du Lac High School, and I'm sorry for that. But to my Fond du Lac faithful, just wanted to throw out a couple of updates about how our winter sports teams are doing.

Unfortunately, they are losing. The boys basketball team lost yesterday afternoon to Oshkosh West, a school you may remember from the honorable mention they received on my list of top ten teams I hate. Their season ended with a 72-68 loss.

The boys hockey team lost as well to Appleton United, 4-3, ending their season. The girls hockey team, however, with is combined with Waupun and called the WarBirds, has earned another trip to state. However, in Wisconsin girls hockey, there are only like eight teams and four make it to state. Those numbers aren't completely accurate, but they are pretty close, and forgive me for not spending more time researching girls hockey.

Not to be lost in the shuffle of this weekend is the fact the football team has hired a new coach! We're hoping for a bright future from Nate Lehman, especially after his 1-17 performance the last two years with the North Fond du Lac football team (we can't blame him however, as he was working with North Fond du Lac kids, never easy).

So that's your Fondy Cardinal update for the weekend! (and if you were annoyed by this, just wait until soccer season!!!)

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NFLN vs. ESPN 6

I'm going to be on the road for the rest of the day, but I thought I'd play the old "NFLN vs. ESPN" game one more time before I left. Remember, this is the game where I flip on both channels and see which network I'd rather watch. It was started after I said the NFL Network is way better than ESPN, now I'm trying to prove it.

NFLN: Kickers, Offensive Lineman, and Tight Ends are on display as part of the 2008 NFL Combine. It's being anchored by Rich Eisen, one of my favorite guys in television sports.

ESPN: College hoops, UConn at Villanova.

After a few minutes of deliberation, I'm going with the Combine on this one. One, I need to learn more about the 2008 draft. Second, someone from the Packers was running the drill, and I'm a homer that way.

ESPN 3, NFLN 3

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Padres Eyeing Gabe Gross?

"I can Only Imagine" a scenario in which Gabe Gross isn't in a Brewer uniform come Opening Day. According to MLBTradeRumors.com, St. Gabriel could be a Padre soon enough. I'm not sure if the Trade Rumors guy has heard something, or if he's just predicting, but I thought it was worth passing along. He says the Padres have been previously trying to work a deal for either Matt Murton or some Rangers that haven't worked out, and that Gross would be a good fit for them. He may be expendable to the crew, with an outfield of Braun, Cameron, Gywnn Jr., Hart, and depending on how much we like Kapler. Personally, I don't see us making any more moves before Opening Day.

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That Was Embarrassing

Well, even the most optimistic of Bucks fans have to be wondering where this team is headed after tonight's loss (even Prinze, the biggest supporter I know). After a 1st quarter which saw the Bucks up 35-33 against Detroit, I began to agree with my brother that maybe Wednesday night's win against the Pistons was the start of something different over there in Bucks Town (.com). But the Bucks quickly reverted to their old way, as they were outscored 32-11 in the 2nd quarter, and eventually lost the game 127-100.

The only impressive thing about tonight's game was the color commentary that Scott Williams provided for us on FSN Wisconsin (if you look closely, that's former Buck Joe Smith in the picture with him, and tell me again why the Pistons had those jersey's in the mid-9o's?) Filling in for Jon McGlocklin, I thought Scott provided some great analysis and had a good rapport with Jim Paschke. Of course, I like McG as much as the next guy, even though he's one of the biggest homers in all of announcing. But Scott Williams was in his natural role tonight. I'd much prefer to see him next to Paschke than I would with Craiggers.

As for the Bucks on the court, they're back in Milwaukee to take on the Nuggets tomorrow night.

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Badgers Tweak '08 Schedule

The Badgers have often been criticized in the past for having schedules that were considered soft. They've often scheduled cupcake teams like Bowling Green, Akron, and Northern Illinois to come into Camp Randall so they'd be able to profit from an additional home game. By scheduling teams they could easily beat, they also improved their chances at heading to another lucrative bowl game (I guess we can't forget the occasional trip to UNLV so the alumni can go to Vegas for a weekend). Their scheduling history is why I was surprised to see Virginia Tech was actually on the schedule at one point for the 2008 season.

The game was originally scheduled for September 20th as a part of a home and home with Virginia Tech over the next two years. The game was also scheduled before the Badgers were set to begin a difficult six week stretch which included Michigan and Ohio State in consecutive weeks. Barry Alvarez and the gang decided to postpone this home and home all the way until 2016 and 2017.

So what will replace the Va. Tech game as the Badgers 12th game? Buy your tickets now folks, because the November 22nd matchup against Cal Poly is still to be one that will rock Camp Randall (this game has "Exclusively on the Big Ten Network!" written all over it). Cal Poly, by the way, is a representative of the Great West Conference, and the illustrious Football Championship Subdivision.

Here's a look at the Badgers schedule now for the 2008 season:

8-30 AKRON
9-6 MARSHALL
9-13 at Fresno State
9-27 at Michigan
10-4 OHIO STATE
10-11 PENN STATE
10-18 at Iowa
10-25 ILLINOIS
11-1 at Michigan State
11-8 at Indiana
11-15 MINNESOTA
11-22 CAL POLY

Admittedly, that is a tough stretch of Big Ten games, but as a fan, it's disappointing they once again won't have a meaningful non-conference game until the Bowl Season.

(By the way, future schedules for the Wisconsin Badgers can be found here.)

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Name Change for Bradley Center?

It may soon be time to throw away any letterheads with the "Bradley Center" on it. Officials at the Bradley Center in Milwaukees are saying they're working with a Colorado firm to explore new sponsorships for the downtown sports and entertainment building. Currently, the center is named for Jane Bradley Pettit and her father, Harry Bradley. Pettit donated more than 90 million dollars for itsconstruction during the late 1980s. Big wigs at the Bradley center say the board will continue to honor Pettit in some way, but need naming rights to generate additional revenue for the aging facility. The Bradley Center is home to great teams like the Bucks, Golden Eagles, and Admirals, as well as extroadinary events like Seasame Street Live. It's the third oldest home among any arena in the NBA.

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Bucks Play it Safe at Deadline

Another trade deadline, another day of inactivity for Bucks owner Herb Kohl and GM Larry Harris. I've been screaming for weeks for the Bucks to do something, anything, to shake it up a bit. In fact, Bucks fan's have been on "Welcome, Zach Randolph" standby since rumors of him being traded to Milwaukee surfaced a little over a month ago. Whispers of deals in the works with the Bulls and Cavs added a little bit of an excitement level to a season which continued to fade away by the day. But the motto was simple for Herb Kohl and the 2008 Bucks. If you can't be with the one you love, honey, love the ones you're with. (By the way, thanks to TWolves Blog for the picture).

First of all, let me just say that there is no way this current Bucks team ever makes the playoffs. Not this year, not the next, not the year after that. No matter how bad the Eastern Conference may be after the top three teams, the Bucks will continue to be going home April after April if they don't do something.

Things need to change. Herb Kohl knows that. He's not making any money off of this team, but he is the only thing keeping them in Milwaukee. Larry Harris is probably on the way out after this year, and a lot of these current Bucks won't be Bucks two years from now.

But Kohl weighed his options, and realized there was nothing out there that he liked. He nixed a deal today that would have sent Zach Randolph and Fred Jones for Charlie Bell, Dan Gadzuric, and Bobby Simmons. Granted, Simmons and Gadz's contracts are terrible, and I was as shocked as anyone when we matched Miami's offer sheet on Bell. But Kohl was adament about not wanting Randolph, who would have been a bad contract himself, and with an less than stellar reputation.

The other trade options out there may have been the Newbie / Brown / Gooden combination from the Cavs, which would have been welcomed, but was nothing too earth shattering. We didn't have a shot at any of the big names that got traded unless we were parting ways with Redd, Bogut, or Yi, none of which were happening. This year's trade deadline just wasn't the right time for the Bucks to make a move.

But something needs to be done. This is a team that's 20-34 and doesn't seem to care. You know, maybe if they somehow weren't 3 1/2 games out of a playoff spot they would have traded Redd in a firesale. And while I would have liked to see them do something, anything, now may not have been the time. Let's take a look at the roster, and who's worth keeping.

Independsible: Andrew Bogut, Yi Jianlian

Bonafide Back-up: Desmond Mason, Charlie Villanueva (I say we keep him)

Young and Cheap: Royal Ivey, David Noel, Michael Ruffin

Twelve Man: Jake Voskuhl

So that's eight guys I think we should keep. Three to four of them starters. We're missing a quality point guard, and quality shooting guard that's not overrated.

Time to Say Goodbye: Charlie Bell, Dan Gadzuric, Michael Redd, Ramon Sessions, Bobby Simmons, Awvee Storey, Mo Williams.

If you like Bucks basketball, it's going to be awhile before this team is competitive again. They have limited trading chips, and guys that they are better off just eating thier contracts. It may be in their best interest to roll the dice with a lottery pick, and wait until the summer to make a play. I think Herb Kohl knows that, but he also knows that this season isn't going to be remembered for much more than the year all the old Bucks legends had their jerseys retired. And, for this season as least, he's done what the rest of the Bucks roster seemingly does each and every night.

He's given up.

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Review: Gauntlet III (RW/RR Sea.15/Eps.5)

Coming into this week the Vetrans led the Rookies 6-1, leaving 15 and 10 players left respectively. The previews of this week, last week, seemed to show that various mission throwing would be taking place during girl gauntlet days. You also got the feeling that Coral and Beth would be headed to the gauntlet to face each other. Well MTV continued to tell what would happen before it did, as during the first mission the Rookies won because of the Vetrans throwing the mission. Vetrans 6, Rookies 2. In the gauntlet Coral backed up her talk and took out Beth.

In the second mission, the Vetrans use their power in numbers and turned off 'throw-mode' to go on and win. Vetrans 7, Rookies 2. The Vetrans decide to save MJ, and then put in Derek. With Derek in, the team picks Ryan to face Derek. This should have been a slam dunk, but of course the puzzle gauntlet came up. Ryan beats Derek, sends home the most likely strongest Rookie player. Pretty much a worst case scenario if you are the Rookies. Vetrans have 14 players left, the Rookies have 9 left.

Before the male mission, once again MTV put the spot light on not only what team would probably win the up coming mission but also who would probably go into the gauntlet. They started the second half of the show with Derek saying, "I had a nightmare last night." Then went on to spot light Derek and Paula's relationship. Seriously the forshadowing on this show is more legit than the "Madden Curse." Go ahead and try it in the next episode, its kind of fun to say you were right.

I also thought it was unfair that during the guy gauntlet that the way the teams were lined up, one team could help a player and the other player is left to his own to figure it out. Ryan totally got help from the Vetrans, obviously because they wanted him to take out Derek. Nobody could even see Derek's puzzle so no one could help him out. Kind of lame if you ask me but whatever.

The Beth and Coral saga was kind of funny. In fact the whole mission leading up to that gauntlet was pretty comical. You have Evan, CT, and Brad just yelling aimlessly. Danny is just troting laps around the pyramid, meanwhile you have 8 girls who none of which notice that the guys are completely throwing this mission. The only guy who looked like he was actually helping was Eric. Then Coral freaking out because no one had her back when she said she didn't want Beth to be sent in. Well clearly the Vetran guys want to get rid of both Beth and Coral, as well as probably Casey, Katie and Robin. Also a weird allaince between life long foes in Coral and Beth, after they realize that the Vetrans screwed them both over.

One thing that will never happen again, in RW/RR Challanges, is that the teams will be this lopsided. The Vetrans were loaded with ticking time bombs in CT, Beth, Coral, and Danny, but have yet to really explode due to the Vetrans continually winning. All in all, pretty weak show as Travis said in one of the comment sections. I'm really pulling for the Rookies these next couple missions, to even things up. This season in general has been pretty weak, maybe the Challange needs to think about retiring the Gauntlet theme and sticking to the Duel, Inferno, and Battle of the Sexes.

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Badgers Move Back into First Place

Congrats to Bo Ryan and the Badgers for another 20 win season. The Badgers head into Illinois and come out with another victory, improving to 22-4 on the season and 12-2 in the Big Ten. This puts them into a tie for first place with Purdue, although Purdue did beat them twice this season.

Nevertheless, it was a good win for the Badgers. They started off cold, but managed to win this game because of turnovers. The Badgers only turned the ball over 7 times, compared to the 20 turnovers Illinois had. For the Badgers, Trevon Hughes led the way with 18 points, Marcus Landry added another 17.

The race for the Big Ten Season Title is down to essentially three teams, and let's take another look at their schedules here on out:

Wisconsin: @ Ohio State, Michigan State, Penn State, Northwestern

Purdue: Minnesota, Northwestern, @Ohio State, @ Michigan

Indiana: @ Northwestern, Ohio State, @ Michigan State, Minnesota, @ Penn State

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Bucks Avoid Complete Embarrassment

It wasn't because they were playing the Detroit Pistons that I thought the Bucks could blow a 20 point lead. It was more because I saw them blow a similiar lead to the NEW YORK KNICKS just two weeks before. Thankfully, they survived a comeback from the Pistons, and were able to go on and win the game 103-98.

Michael Redd had 27 points in what should be his last game as a Buck, Charlie Villanueva had 8 pts and 3 rebounds in what we think is his last game as a Buck but won't be, and Bogut had 14 points and 14 boards in what should be his final game playing with Bobby Simmons. Seriously, if they don't make a deal tomorrow...

I'm actually surprised the Bucks pulled this one out. As Scott Williams noted, even up 15 points they were playing not to lose. The Bucks have very little confidence, even when they are up big, late in the game, against a good team. This stems from the fact they don't have a leader, no matter how good Redd thinks he is. Rasheed kept nailing three's towards the end, but after an errant 3 point attempt, by I think Chauncy Billups, it looked like the Bucks had this one wrapped up. Well, Mo Williams decided to make it interesting by calling a time out he didn't have. This stems from the fact they don't have a good coach, and that Mo Williams isn't very smart.

Either way, the Bucks win keeps them in the playoff "race". They'll face Detroit again in just two days, as they complete their home and home Friday night at 7pm. Game, as usual, can be seen on FSN Wisconsin.

(Side note here, if you don't like the NBA, find a way to watch the last quarter of this Suns / Lakers game. Gasol, Kobe, Shaq, Amare, and Nash all on the same floor. Two quality teams playing their hearts out in front of an enthusiastic crowd. What's not to love?)

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Bill Simmons Works The Trade Machine

It's no secret we here at The Bucky Channel are fans of Bill Simmons. In fact, I often think about quitting my job and moving to Boston to bartend while writing this blog on one of the six nights I'm not out partying, just to be more like him. But that's a decision for another day.

With the NBA Trade deadline looming, Bucks fans across Wisconsin are wondering if we have the balls to make something happen. Mo Williams? Gadz? Bobby Simmons? Charlie V? Mike Redd? I've said it before, besides Bogut and Yi, none of these guys have a future in Milwaukee, and we need to shake it up before it's too late. Well, thankfully we have a guy like Bill Simmons who not only loves the NBA, but loves the NBA Trade Machine. Here are the two trades he's drawn up concerning the Bucks:

1. Milwaukee trades Drew Gooden, Shannon Brown and Ira Newble for Charlie Villanueva and Bobby Simmons.

2. Chicago trades Ben Wallace, Luol Deng, Chris Duhon and Adrian Griffin to Milwaukee for Michael Redd, Dan Gadzuric, Charlie Bell and Desmond Mason.

At this point, I don't really care what we do, but we have to do something. The first trade seems realistic, Villanueva and Simmons have been a rumored package deal all year, although I'm not sure how much it excites me. Bill says Gooden would be a much needed banger, but beyond that it's nothing spectacular.

The second trade is definitely interesting. The odds between the Bucks and the Bulls should be higher than normal, because both GM's might not have jobs at this time next year, so why not? I really don't think D-Mase will be moved, but Gadz and Bell wouldn't be surprising. Having Ben Wallace would be weird, and might attract a few people to the seats... for a week or so.

Basicially, if we don't make a move I'm going to be real upset. We're mostly likely not making the playoffs and will be a fringe lottery pick. We won't end up in the top ten, so why not make a run to the playoffs? Why not trade to mix it up? Why not just try and DO SOMETHING? Why is Larry Harris content with a team that doesn't play well together, and has a roster of guys that wouldn't even see time on most other teams? And what has Michael Redd done lately that he is so untouchable?

Come on Larry, do something before you get canned anyways. You have an internet sports columnist who thinks he can do your job, and is campaigning pretty hard for it.

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Marquette Wins Again

Would you believe me if I tell you I missed the end of this one because I was watching the Suns Pre-game intros against the Lakers on ESPN tonight? Regardless, Marquette knocks off St. Johns 73-64 tonight. The Golden Eagles continue to stay on track in hopes for a quality seed in the NCAA tournament.

It's now time to turn off the Suns game and flip on the sweet sounds of Wayne Larrivee on the Big Ten Network (and are the Bucks really up 15 against the Pistons?)

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I'm Not Taking Credit for This

It looks live my live blogs are 1 for 2 on the year. After taking credit for the Pro Bowl having the highest ratings it had in eight years, it looks like I could do nothing to save the NBA All-Star game. As Awful Announcing says, the NBA rating was down to a 4.5. Not good. In fact, the ratings have decreased every year since moving to TNT. The rating is also down 11.8% from last year.

I guess the love for All-Star games just isn't what it used to be. Even in Milwaukee, my targeted market!, ratings for the game were lower than usual. Nevertheless, as long as there are All-Star games (minus NHL), there will also be Bucky Channel Live Blogs!

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Packers Tag Corey Williams

When Ted Thompson took over as G.M. of the Packers, he bascially had no fans or supporters. Well, two years later, I've found a comfortable seat on the bandwagon, and this move just re-affirms my affection for the man. The Packers announced today they have placed their Franchise Tag on Corey Williams. This essentially protects us from losing him in free agency. As Tom Silverstein explains, if Williams is offered a contract by another team and the Packers don't choose to match it, we'll recieve two first round picks for him.

As it stands, this would mean Corey Williams could be signed to a one year, $6.363 million dollar deal. He can either sign it, or try to negotiate a long term deal. Or he could hold out and demand a trade, I guess.

My apologies to Bubba Franks for not getting his own post for this, but Franks has been waived by the Packers. Franks was going to account for $4.5 million against the salary cap this year, so it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone (not even Dan Franks himself), that he was let go. Franks was a first round draft choice in 2000 for the Packers. Look for the Packers to go after a backup tight end, perhaps even Alge Crumpler!!!

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Branyan to Return?

Look how far the Brewers have come. In the old days, signing a 32-year old Russell Branyan would have meant we'd have a new starting third basemen. Now, we'd be signing him because we have a roster vacancy in Triple A. The Crew is reportedly on the verge of signing one of my former favorites. Also in that article is a good little write-up on Ben Sheets care of the Journal Sentinel.

Update: Branyan has been signed, and designated to Nashville.

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The Bucky Channel Supports Ned Yost

If you're a Brewers fan, there's no question you've been frustrated by some of the actions by the man pictured above. We still can't figure out why he decided to bean Albert Pujols in a crucial game towards the end of last season, but beyond that he's made more than a few questionable decisions with pitchers and pinch hitting situations.

But unlike some sites who are dedicated to firing the man, we here at The Bucky Channel are throwing our support behind the man 100%. He his contract was renewed through the '09 season, which may or may not have been a measure aimed to reduced the "lame-duck" status, and eliminate questions about his future should the Brewers struggle for a period of time this year.

Again, it may not always be pretty, but this man has grown up along with our young guys, and deserves to manage the team this season with the support of his fans.

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Big Night of Wisconsin Hoops

Three games to watch for tonight:

* Marquette is taking on St. John's at 6pm. That game will be on ESPN2.

* The Bucks are playing for pride tonight when the host the Pistons at 7pm. FSN Wisconsin will be carrying the game.

* The Badgers head to Illinois for a Big Ten matchup tonight at 8pm. The game is on the Big Ten Network, so tip your bartenders nicely.

Updates on all three games later tonight on The Bucky Channel.

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Fondy Cardinals Advance

Just wanted to give a quick shoutout to the Fondy Cardinals boys basketball team. They are part of the broad Wisconsin sports we cover, so it counts. Plus, gotta give a little love to the alma mater. Tonight, they beat Hortonville 76-62. I'd add in the link from the Fond du Lac Reporter newspaper, but they aren't a very good source of news and don't have a link up yet. We beat them to it!

The Cardinals will now play the Oshkosh West Wildcats Saturday at 1:30pm at Oshkosh West. Good luck Cardinals!

Update: There we go Reporter!

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Badgers Still Alive for Big Ten Title

Even though he's apparently on his way out, Calvin Sampson did the Badgers a huge favor by leading his Hoosiers over the Purdue Boilermakers tonight, 77-68. Purdue still leads the Big Ten by a 1/2 of game over the Badgers and the Hoosiers, but the Badgers have swept the Hoosiers on the season. Tomorrow night, the Badgers will be taking on Illinois, a win would put them in a tie for first place in the conference.

Also, we want to give a Bucky Channel birthday greeting to our very own Bear!

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Bad News for Brewers Fans

Even more reason for Brewers fan's to tailgate at Miller Park. A 16-ounce plastic bottle of beer is going up 50 cents to $6.50. Other various food and drink items are increasing by a quarter, as are hot dogs, brats, Polish and Italian sausages. Bad news for Bear, as nachos are going up 50 cents. Also on weekends, parking is up to ten bucks.

Can't complain though, because our purchases help the Brewers win!

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Get Out and Vote Wisconsin (And Hawaii)

It's primary day in Wisconsin, and I'll be busy doing stuff with it for most of the day. If I'm out at the polls all day long, you should be too! I'm not going to tell you who to vote for, but if you have five minutes today, get out and vote. Sorry to be preachy, but elections are awesome!

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The Meanest Baseball Prank Ever

Kyle Kendrick will be a household name after his teammates pull a prank on him, making him think he was traded to Japan.

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Bucky in the Top Ten!

The Badgers have climbed back into the Top Ten in the ESPN / USA Today Coaches Poll, sliding in at number ten after their improbable win over Indiana this week. Marquette is 24 in the same poll.

The AP Poll has the Badgers at 11, Marquette at 25.

Former UW-Milwaukee coach Bruce Pearl has Tennessee in the two spot in both polls. They play at top ranked Memphis this weekend.

AP Notables

1. Memphis
2. North Carolina
11. Wisconsin
14. Purdue
15. Indiana
19. Michigan State
25. Marquette

ESPN/USA Today Notables

1. Memphis
2. Tennessee
10. Wisconsin
14. Indiana
15. Purdue
17. Michigan State
24. Marquette

Still no reason though that Purdue isn't ahead of Wisconsin and Indiana.

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Quick Brewer Updates

Couple of quick Brewers updates I've missed today.

* Mike Cameron has, in fact, made it to camp. He showed up a little late, but that means all the Brewers projected starters have arrived four days early.

* You can read Eric Gagne's full statement here.

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Brewers Not Wasting Any Time

I'm sharing this with you because I think it's a great sign. Today might be the first official day for just pitchers and catchers to work out, but that isn't stopping many of Ned's Nine from getting to Phoenix a little early. Every member of the Brewers starting line-up has already reported, even though they weren't scheduled to show up until Friday. Mike Cameron is the only projected starter not yet there. Gives me the feeling we're in for something special this year... (Also, here's an article from ESPN about Eric Gagne apologizing to his teammates for being a distraction.)

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Welcome, Wyoming!

We got em! We've only been around as The Bucky Channel for a few weeks now, but we've already managed to get visitors from every state, but one. The only state that alluded us was the great state of Wyoming. Well, welcome Wyoming! For those of you new to the site, we run a sports blog not just about Wisconsin sports, but about all sports (from Wisconsin's perspective, like the thing on the top says). We also have an occasional review about certain television shows, because of how much we watch TV that's not just sports related. So look around, give us a try, and thanks for coming!

Once again, a Bucky Channel hello to our friends in Laramie, Fe Warren Air Force Base, Cheyenne, Sheridan, Greybull, Casper, Torrington, Afton, and Buffalo!!!!

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NBA All-Star Game Live Blog (4th Quarter)

9:44 - Alright, one last reminder, to leave comments do so in the comment section, or IM at winkobot on the AOL. Don't email winks@thebuckychannel.com, because no one else has.

9:45 - Craig Sager interviewing Wayne Palmer.

9:45 - Oh wait, that's Byron Scott.

9:45 - The score is 106-93 East by the way.

9:46 - Comment from buckstown.com: Quit stealing our Jason Kidd jokes.

9:47 - Travis says the American Gladiators finale was great.

9:47 - A facial!

9:49 - Paul's 10th assist.

9:50 - East up 5.

9:51 - Comment from Bear: Oh, Tyler Perry's House of Payne is supposed to be funny?

9:51 - Comment from Bear: Something tells me Bush doesn't care about Tyler Perry's House of Payne

9:52 - LeBron, big 3 to stop West's 10-0 run. MVP!!!!

9:54 - Dirk answers.

9:54 - Tied at 110. 42 points away from the over.

9:55 - West lead for the first time.

9:55 - Chauncey answers.

9:56 - Remember when Chauncey Billups was going to be a Buck?

9:56 - LeBron airball. MVP???

9:57 - Comment from b2: jason kidds two sided jersey should say EAST on one side and WEST on the other

9:58 - Or bright orange.

9:59 - I really liked that Jordan commercial. Especially the shot of that kid looking nervous.

9:59 - Steve Nash not getting away from Craig Sager.

10:02 - Comment from Anonymous: this game sucks.

10:02 - Tied at 116.

10:04 - Big 3 for Allen.

10:04 - Jason Kidd's new photo for the Mavericks media guide has just been released.

10:05 - Ray with another 3, ties the game again.

10:05 - Ray hits another 3!

10:05 - MVP???

10:05 - Comment from b2: "he sure got some game..."

10:05 - Comment from Anonymous: Reggie Miller sounding good.

10:08 - Comment from Travis: eau claire clampus.

10:09 - East up 3 with 1:49 to go.

10:09 - Tie game again.

10:10 - LeBron puts them up two. If only the Pro Bowl was this good.

10:11 - Comment from Anonymous: We are all Witnesses

10:12 - Allen puts East up 6.

10:12 - Roy brings it down to 3.

10:12 - These last few minutes are giving me carpel tunnel.

10:13 - Comment from Stock Lemon: haha over sweating it out here

10:13 - Ray for MVP.

10:14 - Kidd and Dirk talking about their next opponent.

10:15 - East wins 134-128.

10:15 - We'll wrap this up after the MVP presentation.

10:15 - Gotta be Ray, who wasn't even supposed to be here today.

10:15 - Depends when people started voting though.

10:18 - LeBron gets MVP. Hmm...

10:18 - David Stern talking to New Orleans from his knees.

10:19 - LeBron had the stats, but Ray won the game.

10:20 - Comment from b2: LeBron knows Ray should have been MVP, and wishes he had Bibby.

10:22 - Anyone want to stick around for a live blog of the replay, coming up next on TNT?

10:23 - Thanks for coming everyone, we'll try to have another live blog soon.

10:23 - Good night.

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NBA All-Star Game Live Blog (3rd Quarter)

9:11 - Again, you can comment by leaving a message on the post, emailing me at winks@thebuckychannel.com, or IM me through AOL IM at winkobot.

9:11 - Comment from Jon: I spend most of my time at my real job reading the Bucky Channel...except for tonight while I am catching up on your old blogs (and adding comments of course)

9:11 -The half-time show was entertaining, but the whole rebuilding thing came off a little tacky.

9:13 - Comment from Bear: Never Back Down.... is that sequel to the fast and the furious?

9:17 - Bear said that about an hour ago, but I finally saw the commerical.

9:17 - 3rd Quarter begins.

9:18 - Who's got a better shot of making this game next year, Yi or Bogut? You gotta say Yi because of the Chinese support. He was probably left off the ballot because the NBA knew the Chinese would vote him in. I love the Chinese.

9:19 - Reggie Miller called Kobe "Triple Ocho". Has that been around? I think it's dumb.

9:22 - Couple of missed dunks.

9:22 - There's a lot of scoring, but this is a pretty controlled NBA All-Star game.

9:24 - Comment from Bear: Only Lebron could take a horrible shot, make it, then have announcers talk about how great it was

9:25- Ask my dad, that shot of LeBron's is the only one I can take when we're playing pick-up.

9:28 - Good article here about All-Star snubs. There's gotta be a way to get this kid to write for The Bucky Channel.

9:30 - I'm going to join the 50 Million Pounds thing.

9:32 - Either this has been a fast quarter, or I'm slacking.

9:32 - 98-87 East right now, gotta feel good about that over!

9:33 - Hometown boy David West cuts lead to 7.

9:34 - West making a comeback.

9:34 - Doug Collins is right, we're in for a good finish.

9:34- East break the century mark.

9:34 - Comment from reader: this game blows more than hurricane katrina. too soon? too lame?
9:36 - Bush won't do anything about that comment for at least a week.

9:39 - All-Star games aren't the same without Cheryl Miller's sideline reporting.

9:40 - Jason Kidd explaining to LeBron how to beat your loved ones.

9:41 - I've haven't seen a crowd of people in New Orleans this dead since...

9:42 - .... a Saints game. What did you think I meant?

9:42 - 3rd Quarter ends, forgot what the score was.

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