With the NFL season done, and the sun melting (albeit slowly) the snow on my lawn, that can only mean that America’s pastime is right around the corner — that right, baseball is right on your doorstep. This past week I got the opportunity to travel down to Arizona to take in a few spring training games. 

  If you have never had the chance, I would recommend leaving the sub-artic weather of Western Wisconsin to fly down to the 80-degree home of your favorite baseball team. The ballparks are gorgeous, the mood is relaxed, but that does not mean that the play on the field is lacking. You might see a few players that you did not know existed, but with these players having to fight to fulfill their major league dreams, these guys work hard. Plus, if you are a sports nut like me, you have to love getting a first glimpse at the players who will make take your team to the next level a year or two down the road.  

 

      Spring training is not only about making the regular season roster, but also earning a role. If you are a fan of the Crew, you know this team is full of talent. That means that this spring holds plenty of competition for not only starting spots, but for backup positions. While players like Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun, and Ben Sheets always are impressive, here are a few players who are fighting for a roster spot who really impressed me this week:

 

  Tony Gwynn Jr., CF

  There is a lot in a name. Gwynn will probably never be able to live up to the career of his father (and really, not many could), but this young guy plays the game with a passion that is sometimes lacking in professional players nowadays. Since being drafted in the second round in 2003, Gwynn has struggled to find playing time in a crowded outfield. Last season Gwynn appeared in 69 games batting .260.

 

   However, don’t be surprised to see him get more time this season. The outfield is still stacked with starting spots going to Corey Hart, newly signed Mike Cameron, and last year’s Rookie of the Year Ryan Braun, but Gwynn is seriously making a case for himself this spring. He’s batting an impressive .353 with three steals, two triples and a homer. His bat might be hot, but it can be argued his glove his better. Against the Royals on Thursday (3/20), he caught a ball over the shoulder that made you think you were watching Willie Mayes.

   

    Character wise, Gwynn is a class act. He signed autographs before and after each game this week, spending a few moments sharing stories with fans. In spring training, it is common for the starters leave and board a bus during the seventh inning stretch. To watch Gwynn take the time to sign autographs speaks volumes about his character. He probably won’t win a starting role, but he’s definitely deserves some more at-bats this season.

 

    Seth McClung, RP

    McClung has been in the league for a few years, including appearing in 14 games with Milwaukee last year. This spring, he’s has a 2.35 ERA in five games. Against the Royals (3/20), McClung pitched three innings. Through the first two, he looked dominant at times. He does a great job of mixing his pitches, including some incredible power (he topped out at 97 mph), and some finesse (his changeup dropped all the way down to 73 mph). The impressive thing is that his arm motion is so similar; batters looked like Elmer Fudd swinging at Bugs Bunny. They would swing, then sit and wait for the ball to finally cross the plate. The Brewers spent some big money this season on relievers (Salomon Torres, Eric Gagne), but McClung has the stuff to be an effective bridge between the starters and the end of the bullpen.

 

   Manny Parra, SP

   Prior to the game I watched, Parra had a 2-0 record with a .64 ERA. He was roughed up a bit against the Royals, giving up 8 runs in just 3.2 innings. Even in the defeat, this kid flashed some major potential. The left-hander is just 25, but already has some major league experience appearing in nine games last season in limited work. However, now with LHP Chris Capuano appearing all but gone, there is a need for a strong lefty in the rotation. Parra showed off four effective pitches, including a 95 MPH four-seam fastball that really has some zip, a two seam fastball that averages around 90, an effective slider that he can throw between 82 and 85, and a changeup that dips down to 74.

 

   It’s obvious he has the makeup to pick up the ball every fifth day, but he has to be careful about tipping off his pitches. His leg kicks much higher when he’s throwing hard. On his slider, his arm motion is noticeably different from his other three pitches. Also, he struggled getting back into the game after giving up four runs in the first inning, and appeared frustrated on the mound. The latter should change as he gains more experience on the mound. I think he can be very effective this year, and the Brewers will need to rely on him.

 

   Others who impressed: Alicides Escobar, SS; Mitch Stetter, RP; Gabe Kapler, OF; and Mike Rivera C.

 

   Spring wasn’t kind to every player; here are a couple people who did not shine:

   

   Gabe Gross, OF

  He played in both games I attended this week. Gross is an experienced veteran who is savvy at the plate and gets a good jump in the outfield. But this spring he’s batting just .238 and hasn’t looked good in the field or at the plate. Against the Angels (3/18), he was fooled badly by pitchers such as Darren Oliver and Jason Bulger. He has showed some pop, hitting four home runs, but he swings for the fences too often. Not helping his cause is the fact that the outfield is loaded this season.

 

   Derrick Turnbow, RP

   It just seems like yesterday that the shaggy haired pitcher was tearing up the mound as the Crew’s  closer. However, Turnbow has really struggled the past four seasons. Maybe it’s because he can’t see the field (Honestly, it’s hot out. A haircut wouldn’t kill you) or he is trying to become comfortable with the setup role, but he’s had a hard time getting people out. He gave up three runs in an inning of relief against the Angels (3/18). He has an ERA of 9.0 this spring. The Brewers need the Turnbow of a few years ago to make a playoff run.

 

   Eric Gagne, Closer

   It’s never good when two of the pitchers with work to do are the setup man and the closer. Unfortunately, Gagne has struggled even more than Turnbow this spring. An 11.25 ERA is excessively high for a man who holds the record for most consecutive saves in MLB history. On top of if, teams are batting .450 against Gagne this spring. Gagne needed a strong showing in Arizona after severely fizzling down the stretch for the Red Sox last season. 

 

   He looks to be forcing some pitches. They would have worked few years ago, but with his velocity now in the high 80s, it isn’t fooling anyone. He’s still has a few pitches that are very effective, but they don’t work if he can’t set them up with the heat. Gagne has been around for awhile, so look for him to figure it out as the season goes on, but I can’t help but be concerned for the Brewers in tight games.

 

   Others who struggled: Jason Kendall, C; Rickie Weeks, 2B; Jeff Suppan, SP; Dave Bush, SP

 

                          The experience in Arizona was fantastic. The ballparks are gorgeous, the people are all very friendly, and it’s amazing to see the turnout for a Wednesday afternoon game. Baseball fans are truly some of the most devoted fans in all of sports.  I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait for the first pitch and the months of baseball ahead.

                                                                                     -STEPHEN KELLEY

Posted under Sports

There is always a ton of excitement and joy when those brackets first get announced on Selection Sunday, but then reality hits on the first day of the tournament.  People say "you’re the sports guy, you should be great at picking winers," but those people are wrong.  I am terrible at filling out brackets.  I pick too many upsets, and when upsets actually happen, they are the wrong ones.  I was convinced Georgia would beat Xavier, but I was wrong.  One of my good friends had 1 game wrong after the first day of games this year.  What game was incorrect?  The one I talked him into changing…USC vs. Kansas State.  If you don’t know me well, you may not know this, but I am a huge USC sports fan.

One positive to the games was our former Weekend Sports Anchor David Kmiecik coming back to Eau Claire to watch the games.  We headed down to a local watering hole to watch the games.  It was very humorous to watch him pace and scream at the televisions during the Marquette-Kentucky game.  But afterward, I realized one of my brackets was done because I had USC in the Final Four.

As for the Wisconsin Badgers, I can honestly say that I have been impressed.  The game against Cal State Fullerton wasn’t the best of games, but Wisconsin did pull away at the end a little bit.  One of my friends, a big "sports fanatic", missed Thursday night’s game because he was at the Avril Levigne concert in Minnesota…and he went to Madison.  If I were the team, I would take that as a slap in the face.  The win over Kansas State was a very nice one.  I would like to describe it differently than "nice" but they just really looked good.  I didn’t think a team without any "standout" players could do much damage but they are proving me wrong.  After all, I am the guy who can’t win a NCAA pool.

Bill Port

Posted under Hometown Sports

Our four area teams represented themselves very well in Madison this past week.   

Flambeau took home a Division 4 state title for a third straight year, an amazing accomplishment for head coach Ted Alberson’s program.   The Falcons join some pretty elite company in Wisconsin girls high school hoops (Milwaukee Washington, Cuba City), as the only schools to have won three consecutive state titles.   Once again, Flambeau’s balance, depth, unselfishness, and defensive pressure helped carry the Falcons to a title–the same characteristics of Alberson’s previous teams.   

Altoona should be proud of its first trip to state, but the Railroaders may be wondering "what if" for a long time.   What if Altoona hadn’t started out so cold against Monroe in their Division 2 semifinal?  It may very well have been the Rails hosting a gold ball on Saturday afternoon instead of the Cheesemakers.   Still, congratulations to coach Scott Harmon and his team, for a great comeback against Monroe in one of the most entertaining games of the entire tournament.

Likewise, congratulations go out to head coach Joe Doucette and the Colfax Vikings, for making that program’s first trip to state since 1994.   Colfax competed very well against a talented Markesan team, and like Altoona, the Vikings kept it close after falling behind early.   Watching all the players in the tournament, I didn’t see anyone shoot the 3 better or from a longer distance than Courtney Doucette did for Colfax.

Eleva-Strum’s performance against Flambeau in the semifinals showed that the Cardinals may have been the second-best team in the  D4 field.   The Cardinals look to follow the same blueprint that brought a boys state title back to Eleva-Strum: get through to state one season, then make it to the championship game the following year.   With all the starters returning, Kyle Kaufman’s team figures to be one of the area’s top teams in 08-09.   

Thanks to all the players and coaches from all the teams for a very entertaining 2007-2008 season!

-BOB BRADOVICH

Posted under Hometown Sports

I haven’t been around as long as some media members across the state, but 2008 was the 14th WIAA boys basketball tournament I’ve witnessed in person.  I was courtside for the 1992 and 1993 tourneys as an intern at WKOW-TV in Madison, and since I became sports director at WQOW-18, I’ve had the privelege to do play-by-play at every tournament since 1997.

Start to finish, this may have been the most competitive tournament of all those I’ve seen.  Every single game had its share of drama…clutch shots…intense play…and great hustle.  I’ll always remember Eleva-Strum’s Nick Zander hurdling a courtside photgrapher in pursuit of a loose ball, then calling a timeout before crashing into the E-S band’s bass drum. 

Since I’ve called Eau Claire home, I always enjoy seeing teams from this area compete at state, although there have been a few years when the locals aren’t at the same level with teams from other parts of Wisconsin.  2008 will be remembered as the year when Chippewa Valley teams proved they were every bit as good as the others from around the state.

Let’s start with Eleva-Strum.   The Cardinals have been a joy to watch all season, with their unselfish, hard-nosed play and their suffocating defense.   E-S took apart perennial power Randolph in the Division 4 semi’s, then gutted out a win over a vastly improved team from Suring to win the school’s first-ever boys basketball state title.  It may be a long time before we see another small school suit up a collection of athletes like the Cardinals put on the floor.   Much like the Randolph teams of Greg Stiemsma and Ryan Tillema could have competed in any division, I think the ’07-’08 Eleva-Strum Cardinals could have done likewise.

The other local teams may have dropped their first games at state, but all certainly had chances to win.  Eau Claire North was within 3 points of eventual Division 1 state champ Wauwatosa East with 1:30 to go in the 4th quarter.   The Huskies’ height and 1-3-1 zone defense gave the Red Raiders fits all game.   With 6-11 Evan Anderson, 6-7 Tyler Brown, and 6-5 Andy Kleist all returning for next season, I’d be very surprised if North’s not a top 10 team.

Eau Claire Regis also returns plenty of talent (guards Adam Ganske and Jack Eaton) for next season, although the Ramblers have to replace their front line.     This season, head coach Bill Uelmen was able to overcome the loss of four starters from the ’06-’07 team, so it won’t be a surprise if other players step in for next year.

Luck also loses some starters, but the Cardinals return a real talent in forward Brennan Olson.  However, anyone who follows high school hoops knows getting to the state tournament doesn’t guarantee a return trip the next year.   

Thanks to all the area coaches, players, fans, and bands who made the 2007-2008 boys basketball season one to remember!

-BOB BRADOVICH

Posted under Hometown Sports

There are probably more than a few Packers fans that feel that way, now that Brett Favre’s retirement became official on March 4, 2008.  We think it’s official, anyway–whether or not Favre pulls a Michael Jordan and un-retires remains to be seen.   

Our former weekend sportscaster at News 18, David Kmiecik, once proclaimed in his website bio, that he would "…weep openly when Brett Favre retires."   I don’t know if David is weeping now, but I know that he didn’t return a text message or a voice mail today…of course, he could be like the rest of us in the sports media, working non-stop all day trying to manage one of the biggest stories that will ever break here in the state of Wisconsin.

Being in the media, you have a different rooting interest than the average fan…but it was always easy to root for Favre.   On the field, he did things that left you shaking your head and wondering, how on earth did he just do that…throw a 40-yard dart perfectly placed into the arms of a receiver…or avoid a loss by throwing the ball underhanded for a big gain.  There were also the times he left you wondering why on earth did he just do that…e.g., the overtime interception in the infamous "4th & 26" playoff game in Philadelphia, or the overtime interception just over one month ago at Lambeau Field against the Giants.   No matter what he did or how he did it, we watched–intently, never wanting to miss anything, because deep down, we all knew his kind wouldn’t be coming around any time soon in our lifetimes.

Beyond his play on the field, I always enjoyed his meetings with the media.  In a league where players take great pains in their off-field appearance, Favre cultivated a look that went well beyond casual–like he’d just rolled out of bed and grabbed whatever clothes were lying in a rumpled heap on the floor.   After Favre broke Dan Marino’s career TD pass record in a win over the Vikings at the Metrodome, I bet a fellow media member on what grubby attire Favre would wear for such a historic occasion…I won the bet, by the way, since I predicted attire closer to Favre’s actual wardrobe, but neither me nor my colleague could have imagined Favre would turn up in a pair of baggy cargo shorts with hiking boots.   Later, we found out that he’d broken a zipper while getting dressed, and used a safety pin to keep his shorts settled around his waist so that they wouldn’t drop to the floor.

His was casual in his appearance, but he was the polar opposite of casual in his burning desire to compete and win.  He managed to be supremely confident without appearing arrogant.   He walked in a different stratosphere than the fans and the media, yet had a way of connecting with everyone.  His private struggles with painkiller and alcohol addiction were very public, but they only made him a more endearing figure.  He was the public face of a proud franchise; however, it was a face that showed the pain of losing a father and a brother-in-law.    His wife is a cancer survivor; his family survived a devastating hurricane.  Somehow, through it all, even late in his career, old by NFL standards, on Sunday he put on a green and gold uniform, stuck his head with its buzz-cut graying hair into a helmet with the classic "G" on the side, and morphed back into the little boy who loved nothing more than to play football.

It’s a sad day for some, but I’m of the mindset that his is a career to be celebrated.   Favre did it his way…and he walked away on his own terms.    The memories of his final season are good ones…the 13-3 record that was unthinkable back in August during training camp…and a quarterback in his late 30′s looking like he was having the time of his life playing football for the Green Bay Packers.

Just to make those memories better, I may just take our season archive tape and edit out that final interception to the Giants’ Corey Webster.    However, after meeting New York offensive lineman Rich Seubert in person, I have to say I’m no longer bitter about that Green Bay loss.  The Giants seem to have good human beings on their team as well.

Let the Aaron Rodgers era begin, and let it be better than the eras of John Hadl, David Whitehurst, Randy Wright, and Don Majkowski–but honestly, I can’t imagine how it could be better than the Brett Favre era.

-BOB BRADOVICH   

Posted under Hometown Sports

Since moving to Eau Claire in September of 1996, I’ve had the opportunity to cover plenty of great moments in high school sports.   But I can’t remember a day quite like this past Saturday, with Memorial winning a state hockey title (the 1st state championship for an EC high school in a team sport since North girls golf in 1996), North and Regis winning boys sectional titles, while the Memorial, North, and Regis girls all won girls basketball regional titles.

I had the opportunity to witness two of those accomplishments.   It was a thrill to have the play-by-play call on the state-wide network as the clock ticked down to zero, while watching the Old Abes hockey team stream onto the ice for a wild celebration.    Afterward, in a medium-sized room off the arena’s lower concourse, the players traded in their skates for athletic shoes, but they kept their uniforms on for a spirited reunion with their families.   I’ve gotten to know a number of the parents over the years, and seeing the joy and pride on their faces is something I’ll never forget.  The same goes for the players, who were experiencing the whole range of emotions–you could tell they didn’t want the moment to end.

Speaking of emotion, there was no shortage of that later in the day in the cavernous Marshfield High School Fieldhouse.  After I left Madison, I drove straight to Marshfield to catch the end of the Division 1 boys basketball sectional final.   In the same facility where the North girls had experienced a gut-wrenching loss in a sectional final not that long ago, the Huskies boys made sure there was no end-of-game drama by combining an efficient offense with a suffocating defense in a 20-point win over Wausau West.   Even though I didn’t get to Marshfield until partway into the 3rd quarter, there was no shortage of highlights: two thundering dunks by Evan Anderson, Tyler Brown barreling to the hoop for the finish and the foul, plus several nice backdoor cuts by North.   But I’ll never forget the sight of head coach Pat Hammond, standing on a ladder, snipping the final strand of the net and then shaking his fist much to the delight of his players and the North fans.

We call this the Magic Of March….clearly, it’s more than just a line in a promo.

Hopefully, Eau Claire fans can have more moments like these in the coming weeks.  Thanks in advance for tuning into all the state tournament broadcasts.

-BOB BRADOVICH

Posted under Hometown Sports