For a franchise that has had its share of low moments, Tuesday, April 27, 2010, won’t soon be forgotten.

It was a day that began with news that 40-year veteran radio announcer Bob Uecker would need heart surgery, and therefore would not be in the broadcast booth for the next 10-to-12 weeks.  The day concluded with Brewers closer Trevor Hoffman blowing a save opportunity in the 9th inning,  allowing a solo homer to Ronny Cedeno, and then a grand slam to Ryan Doumit, turning a 3-2 lead into a 7-3 loss to the lowly Pirates.

Bad news, to be sure, but not catastrophic, on either front.  Any heart surgery is a serious matter, but Uecker’s falls into the category of a fairly routine procedure.   He is expected to make a full recovery.  

What about the Brewers baseball team?  That’s a little more difficult to predict at this stage.  For whatever reason, Hoffman’s not throwing his out pitch, the changeup, and hitters are feasting on his fastball, which has been topping out in the mid-80′s.   It’s no surprise that with spotty starting pitching, a struggling closer,  combined with an on-again, off-again offense, Milwaukee has lost 11 of its first 20 games.

 Bob Uecker was one of the few things the Milwaukee organization had going for it during the lean years…and when a radio broadcaster is the biggest star, you realize just how bad the on-field product was.   Uecker’s wit made listening to the Brewers entertaining, even when the game itself was not.

Cory Provus is a pro in the radio booth, and he’s sure to do a solid job in Uecker’s absence.  Davey Nelson will help fill the gaps, but those two combined and multiplied by ten don’t come close to what Uecker gives the radio broadcasts in terms of entertainment.

If the Brewers on-field product doesn’t improve, this is shaping up to be a long, difficult summer on any number of fronts. 

-BOB BRADOVICH

Posted under Hometown Sports

You have to hand it to the marketing machine that is the NFL, a league that’s managed to  turn schedule unveiling into an media event.  Then again, these are the same brain wizards who decided to stretch the already overblown draft spectacle into a three-day orgy of opinions…so there’s no telling what the league will come up with for next year.

At least the NFL does these things at a point in the  calendar when it’s not stealing that much time and attention away from other sports that are actually in season.

I’ll leave draft speculation and analysis to others, including my News 18 colleague, Stephen Kelley.  As I’ve blogged before, I prefer talking about actual NFL games.

Seeing as those won’t start until September, I can only offer relatively uninformed opinions about the Packers 2010 schedule.  Then again, in April, does anyone have informed opinions?  It’s like handicapping the 2012 presidential campaign: there are far too many variables that will impact what will happen.

Still, that’s not stopping me from speculating about the Pack.  Mind you, when I think of the 2010 Green Bay Packers, I’m envisioning the unstoppable offense from the playoff game vs. the Cardinals, only with a slightly better offensive line and greatly improved defense.

September-October
 If Donovan McNabb still played for the Eagles, I’d be inclined to say the Pack would lose its season opener, but this will be Kevin Kolb’s quarterback debut with the Eagles.  Philly fans have been known to boo Santa Claus in the past…just imagine what they’ll unleash on Kolb after consecutive incompletions or an ill-thrown interception.  Green Bay should sneak out of Lincoln Financial Field with a win.  Other wins should come vs. the Bills, Lions, Redskins, and Dolphins.  Potential pitfalls: Bears. Vikings, Jets.   Best case scenario would be 8-0, and it’s not that far-fetched, but a more likely scenario is 6-2, assuming that GB’s O-line issues don’t resurface or the D-backs don’t get healthy.

November
Generally, this is the month when playoff teams start separating themselves from the rest.  With the bye week, the Packers only play three games–whether this is a good thing depends upon the outcome of the first eight contests.   I do like the notion of a bye before a trip to the Metrodome.   Still, for whatever reason, the trip to the Georgia Dome scares me more than that annual trek to the Teflon Dump of downtown Minneapolis.   Given the caliber of the three opponents, 2-1 would be cause for celebration at 1265 Lombardi Avenue.  I’ll say GB beats Dallas, but loses at the two domes.

December-January
It should be a very interesting stretch run for the Packers, who’ll play three of their final five games at Lambeau Field.  Advantage?  A lot depends upon the weather: wind seems to affect a passing team like the Pack a lot more than rain, snow, or cold.  We’ll see if the GB ground game has emerged by then.   None of these five opponents will be pushovers, and I dread what may happen in New England, assuming Tom Brady and Wes Welker are healthy, and if Randy Moss is motivated.   Still, 4-1 isn’t out of the question…

Do the math:  6-2, 1-2, and 4-1 adds up to an 11-5 season.  More prognostication: Mike McCarthy and Ted Thompson keep their respective jobs.

Those are my predictions and I’m sticking to them…at least until training camp is over and we all have a better idea of just what kind of team the 2010 Green Bay Packers will be. 

Then again, we’re at the point of the NFL season where words get tossed around just for the sheer fun of it.   (For the record, I’ve  used 616 words in this entire blog entry…that’s about one Bill Simmons paragraph or 30 seconds of Mel Kiper, Jr.) 

-BOB BRADOVICH

Posted under Hometown Sports

Granted, it never actually left the Twin Cities…but, for baseball purists like myself, it was a sad day when the Twins left Metropolitan Stadium (after the 1981 season) for the awful indoor confines of the Metrodome.   The Met was no architectural marvel (some have called it The Erector Set on the Prairie), but it was the first major league park I attended–with my dad, no less–and when you’re eight years old, that’s pretty special.

Moving out of the Met was bad enough, but worse was how both the Twins and Gophers got roped into the downtown dome deal that was largely orchestrated by the Vikings.  Call it karma that now, the Twins and Gophers get to play in brand-new stadiums, while the Vikes are still stuck inside Metrodome.   Zygi Wilf may oneday get his dream of a retractable roof, state-of-the-art NFL stadium somewhere in the seven-county mosquito control district, but there’s some justice in the fact that he has to wait for his building, even though he’s been lined up at the public financing trough for a while.

But, this blog is about baseball…so let me wax poetic about how nice it was to see downtown Minneapolis absolutely buzzing with activity before, during, and after the Twins’ home opener.   It was even better to see a baseball game under the daytime skies on green grass, and not under that infernal teflon roof.  We only spoke with a fraction of the 38,145 fans on hand, but none of those had any desire to go back to indoor baseball. 

I haven’t been to every single major league park (yet), but Target Field ranks right up there in terms of overall game day experience.  Of  the baseball parks I’ve been in, each has its unique qualities that make it special.

With that in mind, here are the Brado ballpark ratings:

1) Fenway Park, Boston: old with a modern touch here and there, very historic, and totally idosyncratic…in other words, just like the city in which it resides.   Bonus ponts for fans that are both passionate and knowledgeable, fueled by years of futility followed by a couple of World Series titles.

2) Wrigley Field, Chicago:  The place to be if you’re a 20-something looking for a good party, with baseball as a backdrop.   Maybe the most picturesque park in the majors, and the only one located smack dab in a in a residential/commercial neighborhood.   An awesome place to be in the summer, although the collective angst of Cubs fans is palpable once September rolls around.

3) Miller Park, Milwaukee:  Having a retractable roof means some odd shadows during day games, but the tradeoff (never having a game postponed, not having frigid temperatures for baseball) is worth it.   Speaking of tradeoffs, its location in a parking lot takes away from any neighborhood feel, but the tailgating spectacle can’t be beat.  

4) Target Field, Minneapolis: All was wonderful for the home opener, but even though I’m no weather guy, there will be days when it’s really cold and miserable–let’s see how happy those Twins fans are then!

5) Jacobs Field, Cleveland: I’ve been in this stadium; however, not during a game…but it looks nice.   The place has led to neighborhood revitalization, which is never a bad thing. Cleveland fans get bonus points for being long-suffering.

6) Comerica Park, Detroit: Another stadium I’ve seen up close–just not during a game.  It may actually be a better facility than Jacobs Field, but that gets a slightly higher ranking based on a better neighborhood.   Adams Street, between Ford Field and adjacent to Comerica Park, has its share of good establishments, but I’m not terribly comfortable venturing off Adams–in any direction.  Still, the view of Comerica Park from the 3rd-level patio at Cheli’s Chili Bar down the street is quite impressive.

7) U.S. Cellular Field, Chicago:  First of all, they ditched the Comiskey name for a cell phone company…not a fan of that.   The stadium itself is a little sterile, although it has wide concourses and good array of food selections.   The lower bowl seats aren’t bad, but if you suffer from vertigo, you may want to avoid the upper deck.  I’d also suggest avoiding a stroll through the neighborhood before or after any games.

Gone but not forgotten: Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington;  Comiskey Park, Chicago; Tiger Stadium, Detroit

Places I need to go: AT&T Park, San Francisco; Busch Stadium, St. Louis; Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City; Petco Park, San Diego; Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles

Your thoughts?  Your rankings?  Feel free to add your comments.

-BOB BRADOVICH

Posted under Hometown Sports

If Don Kerr were keeping stats on my attending major life events in 2010, the tally would read as follows: funerals  (2), all other (0).   Of course, being Don, he’d make sure to point out that it’s still early in the calendar year, and with grad parties and weddings on tap for the spring and summer, the joyous events would soon outnumber the sad ones.   Don was always quick and accurate with stats, but he also knew how to keep them in context.   

Don’s own funeral contained its share of sad moments, but there were far more opportunities for story-telling and laughs…just the way Don would have wanted it.   The venue itself was appropriate: the Poynette H.S. gymnasium, a place where Don spent a lot of time since he and his wife, Judy, relocated to the community.   Among the many things Don did in retirement, was be the public address announcer for Poynette high school  basketball.  Fittingly, members of the Pumas boys and girls basketball teams wore their jerseys (with dress clothes) to the ceremony.  Of course, the venue was also necessary, since it was probably the only facility big enough in Columbia County to accomodate the large crowd.

Also fitting,  considering Don’s working life was devoted to education : a Don Kerr Memorial Scholarship will be established at the school.   Hopefully, the future recipients will get a chance to understand just what kind of a man he was, what kind of a life he lived, and how many people he touched over his 74+ years.

My colleague, Bryon Graff, pointed out in his blog, that he’ll miss the fist bump Don gave the TV broadcast announcers prior to each of the games we called.   I’ll miss that, along with the not-so-subtle thumbs-up Don would give us, just in case we forgot to stand when it was time to play the national anthem. 

The state tournament broadcasts will, of course, go on…but they simply won’t be the same.  Don Kerr, you will be missed by one and all.

-BOB BRADOVICH

Posted under Hometown Sports

In the 52-week sports calendar, there are plenty of exciting 7-day periods, but it’s hard to top this first full week of April, which contains: opening day for Major League Baseball teams, three NCAA championships (men’s and women’s basketball, men’s hockey), and golf’s first major (The Masters).   Each year, that event brings with it the sideshow that is Tiger Woods, but the 2010 Masters is sure to attract even more eyeballs–mostly focused on Woods, who not only is the best golfer of his generation, but also, in the relatively short span between Thanksgiving and Easter, has managed to transition from the cover of golf magazines to gossip magazines   Perhaps you’ve heard the reasons why…

It’s also the start of the good stuff locally, when it comes to spring sports.   For instance, the WIAC baseball and softball seasons both begin this week.  On top of that, there are no shortage of interesting matchups on the high school diamonds.  How about the baseball matchup Tuesday between an Altoona program that went unbeaten in the ’09 regular season but lost in a Division 2 regional final, and an Eau Claire North program that’s made five trips to the WIAA Division 1 state tournament since 2000?   Or, how about Thursday’s game between defending Division 2 sectional champ Bloomer, and defending Division 4 champ McDonell?   There’s also a Thursday game in the Dunn-St. Croix that bears watching: defending Division 3 sectional champ Elk Mound, hosting Boyceville, a rematch of last season’s regional final.

Weather permitting, the softball diamonds will also be busy this week.  Tuesday, a couple of perennial powers collide, when Chippewa Falls hosts Medford.  Cloverbelt Conference play begins on Thursday, while Friday’s schedule includes an Altoona at Fall Creek matchup.   Throw in a slate of tennis, soccer, and track & field…and the local schedule is chock-full of events.  Which means, after a brief respite, it’s full steam ahead for the News 18 Sports Department.

Some of us, however, will get to blow off some steam later this week.   For instance, I fully intend to transition from impartial sportscaster to insufferable fan on Thursday, when I plan to spend my first vacation day of 2010 by parking it in front of  a TV set to watch the Badgers in the Frozen Four.  

Vacation Day #2 of 2010 is slated for Friday.   With baseball being back, and the golf season getting started, there will be no shortage of things to watch.  Still, as long as the weather holds up, there may some more opportunities for me to actually swing the sticks.   It’s a rare April 5th that I’m playing nine holes at Eau Claire’s Princeton Valley Golf Course…and after today’s round, I’m ready to start keeping score again–for better or worse.

Still, as long as I’m off the cover of the gossip tabloids, can I really complain about a round of bogeys?

-BOB BRADOVICH

Posted under Hometown Sports