How good must Betancourt be to satisfy Brewers fans?

First off, Happy Opening Day of Spring Training to you and yours!
There was a lot of talk last week and I had a couple thing going on so I didn't have a chance to get to it, but Yuniesky Betancourt stands to be at the center of a lot of controversy this season as the new Brewers starting shortstop. There was plenty written by the two man Brewers beat writers about him last week. Most of that downplayed his weaknesses with the team brass doing a bit of spinning the numbers and trying to sell the acquisition to the fans. Tom Haudricourt's piece in the Journal-Sentinel had a different take: He's no better than Alcides Escobar.
It was a bit different, but he's right. Clearly the two players are at opposite ends of their careers, so us fans looked at what Escobar did last year a bit differently than Betancourt's season, despite eerily similar numbers. Here they are, in case you were curious, courtesy of MLB.com. (Betancourt stats | Escobar stats)
That leads to a key question: How good does Betancourt have to be to satisfy Brewers fans?
To truly answer that question, it is clear he doesn't have to lead the team in home runs. The top five Brewers hitters can jockey for that honor with the likes of Rickie Weeks, Corey Hart, Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder and Casey McGehee all capable of hitting the long ball. So, that responsibility is off the board.
He doesn't have to lead the team in RBIs. Again, last year four of those five guys had over 100 RBIs and that one that didn't many are expecting a career year as he nears toward free agency of the biggest payday of his life.
The answer is a tad complex, but straight forward. He just has to be a smart player. The team will win in spite of him if he has another season with a .299 on-base percentage and cannot live with his bevy of errors in the field. He will hit in the bottom-third of the batting order, but has been speculated already that he could he sixth. Still, odds are he will hit seventh or eighth and will need to take pitches in front of the pitcher and at least pretend like he has a clue. Expecting a drastic change from his erratic ways either in front of or behind another free-swinger in Carlos Gomez, may be too much to ask, but like Gomez, he must take the walks that are out there and not get himself out.
"Esky" as some fans in Kansas City called him, does have some pop and did lead the Royals in RBIs last season. They weren't staggering numbers by any means, but it's a start and he is capable of getting the big hit with runners on base. With manager Ron Roenicke thinking of hitting him sixth, he's looking for a way to give some pop behind McGehee and offer him some sort of protection. If he's hitting .238 that won't be much help at all, but he'll surely see pitches that will give him a chance to drive in runs. Roenicke may be onto something there. It wouldn't be uncalled for to try to give him a shot in the No. 6 slot.
Of course, it could go sour and the worst case scenario is that Betancourt has to slide down the order to No. 7 or No. 8. Or, as Roenicke hinted on the first day of camp, No. 9 was he's entertained the idea of hitting the pitcher eighth. He is a career .272 hitter and if he can have that average, the team will be overjoyed with him. It's the 3.4 percent walk rate everyone wants him to improve on. The guy could get it up to 10 percent, still not good, but better, and those same people would be overjoyed. It seems that simple.
What about in the field for Betancourt? He had exactly the number of errors as Escobar last season. As the Brewers brass has said, better pitching will put fewer balls in play and make guys look like better fielders. That's not a false statement and could help not only Betancourt, but everyone in the field for the Brewers are are marginal defenders. But for Betancourt in particular improving just slightly and not throwing the ball away, or throwing it at all for that matter, on close plays is what he needs to strive for.
Basically, no one is asking Betancourt to be great. Essentially, fans just don't want him to be "bad." Here's hoping he can at least pull that off.

Now to the Nussie Hunter portion of today's show and having had the Oscars on in the background while doing some prep work for a certain high school sports Web site that I have just signed on to do some work for, I couldn't help but notice Mila Kunis. While she didn't win any awards, she certainly caught eyes. Yes, there's a reason she's one of the Wilber's Way favorites.

Axford opens selection of entrance music to Brewers fans

The opening of the Major League Baseball season is about five weeks away and Brewers closer John Axford has yet to choose his entrance music for the ninth inning at Miller Park.
Well, to be clear, he has narrowed it down to 15 songs and left the rest up to the fans to help him pick the one he will use as early as April 4 at Miller Park.
He made the announcement on his Twitter and Facebook pages and posted a poll, equipped with links to all 15 songs on his Facebook page. Be sure to check out all 15 of the choices and vote for yourself. This is a full democracy!
I went through all 15 songs and tried to imagine them raining over Miller Park for the ninth inning with the game on the line and came down to my Top 5. I weighed song title and open of the song as to how it would be received by the fans when the mustached man makes his entrance from the bullpen. I'll start you down from No. 5 to the one I voted for.

5. Rush "Working Man" The title says it all and I like the guitar riff at the start. Rush is always a good choice.


4. Audioslave "Cochise" This one starts out so strong and would be an absolute banger at the Cathedral. Pretty badass for a closer because of how it builds up to the open.


3. Omen "The Axeman" Umm, doesn't the title say enough? He IS the Axeman. I wouldn't be upset if this won.


2. Metallica "For Whom the Bell Tolls" Pretty sure this is an obvious choice given what Trevor meant to the development to John last year when he took over the roll. The only thing I could see against this would be that he wouldn't want to ride Trevor's coat tails and would want to move on to something fresh.


**My Pick**
1. Linkin Park "No More Sorrow" I love the buildup this song has and can totally see John trotting in from the pen and the place absolutely going nuts. And of course, he has no sorrow for those left in his path in earning save after save as the team rolls.


Going to move right into the Nussie Hunter portion of the broadcast and introduce you to Gemma Merna. I've never heard of the show Hollyoaks, but I guess she's good in it. Well, the one thing I do know is she looks damn good in her underwear in the latest Loaded Magazine. Take a look for yourself with these and the sample below.

Track record shows Zack Greinke is not one to worry about

There has been a lot of talk circulating on Twitter and the blogosphere expressing concern with Zack Greinke's comments to the beat reporters Tuesday.
Here's a link to Adam McCalvy's story on Brewers.com that was up late Tuesday. Over on the J-S side of it all, Tom Haudricourt gave way to Michael Hunt to do more of a column on the sitdown with the 2009 Cy Young winner.
Both also came back yesterday with reactionary stories on the interview. MLB.com got McCalvy's story saying manager Ron Roenicke is a fan of Greinke and Hunt had another column today, as well, saying you make special exceptions for the exceptional talent and that Doug Melvin knew what he was getting into by trading for Greinke.
He said some pretty powerful things in those pieces and was brutally honest, which I love and respect. It's something you don't hear from Major League players anymore because they expect to have their words ripped apart (kind of like what we're doing now).
He said he finds fans annoying and that media is a bit annoying. Should I have a problem with that? I'd guess most fans are annoying. That's why if I see a guy or player out about the town I question whether I should say anything to him. Yes, it would be cool to say hi, but he hears that all the time and doesn't want to be bothered. Plus, some fans are downright annoying when trying to get autographs.
And media, outside of maybe the beat guys you see everyday at the ballpark from mid February through September and hopefully into October, could be annoying. The beat guys can build a friendship with the players and have some repore established. I'd guess he's talking about the national guys who come to town and try to get something quick out of guys and then bolt. Those guys, unless they've been around for a while, aren't well known and don't have those relationships established. I don't have any problems with these.
The other comments he made, to me show off his work ethic and gives you a clue what baseball means to him. He would rather the game be played without money involved like it is today. He's prefer to make what a "normal" person makes to play the game. He said he hates the distractions and just comes to work everyday, whether it's his day to pitch or a day in between where he has to do prep.
I can respect that. Yes, I'm giving him a slight pass because of his social anxiety disorder, but once the season starts he's got blinders on and is focusing on working. In a way, I wish more players had that focus. I'd probably be surprised how many guys come to the stadium drunk or high on a given day.
The other part that raised eyebrows was him saying in Kansas City last year there were times he started to "dog it" at the end of the season. Some people were shocked by this. Come on now. Tell me if the team was losing game after game you wouldn't start to think the same thing. Of course he was working hard, but not to the extent or level he had for himself in the second half of the season. There's been times at past jobs where I've busted my tail and seen others there do much less and still get their check. It makes you question why you work so hard and I totally understand it.
The best way for the Brewers to make sure he doesn't cash it in before they're eliminated from contention is by winning and with the team they have assembled, I don't think that should be a problem this year.


The only problem that could derail the Brewers from contending this season is injuries and Wednesday, just the second day of full-squad workouts, was a bad day. Four different players, including Greinke were bit by the injury bug. Greinke was held out of throwing live BP yesterday, but did throw today and pitching coach Rick Kranitz said he was very happy with what he saw. Here's Haudricourt's "Brewers Blog" post on it.
Of course, there was somewhat major injury news yesterday that Jonathan Lucroy would miss a month of spring training after breaking his right pinky, needing to have a pin placed in it to ensure it heals straight. Add to that Mat Gamel would miss a week with a strained oblique and things looked pretty rough around Maryvale. Let's hope things fall in going into Monday's Spring Training openers with games against the Cubs and Giants.

Onto some pop culture for the day. If you haven't seen the Hangover 2 teaser trailer that has leaked, be sure to take a look. It has some promise and we can only imagine what the guys have gotten themselves into now. It doesn't show us a lot of details, but it's a glimpse. What's up with Allan?


Also big is this fake ET 2 trailer. This isn't real, but shows what the sequel would be like if it were made today. My one question, why are the Jonas Brothers at the center of it?!


OK. Back to reality and the Nussie Hunter of the day. You probably remember Michelle Trachtenberg from back in the day on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Well, she's 25 now and has grown up quite well. Take a look for yourself and check her out in the new Maxim.

Was this best offseason in Brewers history?

Today was the second day of workouts at Brewers Spring Training at Maryvale Baseball Park, leaving me little time to reflect on the offseason that was for Principal Owner Mark Attanasio, Doug Melvin and the Brewers going into the 2011 season. I'm not sure any person in the fanbase felt the team would appear to be this good on paper with the season six weeks from starting. That begs me to ask the question is this the greatest offseason in Brewers history?
After doing a little bit of research and pondering my media guides accumulated over the last few years, only the offseason leading up to the 1981 season seems to compare. That winter General Manager Harry Dalton went to the Winter Meetings looking to improve the team and did he ever. When it was all said and done, he had acquired Ted Simons, Pete Vukovich and Rollie Fingers. All three were vital parts of the Brewers winning the second half of the 1981 AL East and making the playoffs and winning the AL Pennant in 1982. All three are all also part of Brewers lore as some of the greatest of all time and Rollie has his number retired by the team. I'd say that's pretty good.
This offseason Melvin went out and got the 2009 AL Cy Young winner in Zack Greinke and another ace in Shaun Marcum to add to his rotation. Those moves alone were great for a team that badly needed pitching and addressed the failed moves made by Melvin the last two years with signings of Braden Looper and Doug Davis that were thought to address needs, but were more reaches and temporary stop gap moves just to fill out the rotation.
Throw in the way Melvin made both trades to bring Opening Day starters in from last season, keeping Prince Fielder in town, and it's the best move he didn't make. That alone keeps the offense on the same path from the last few seasons with pitchers having to get through a pretty solid 1-2-3-4-5.
That No. 1 in the order is also part of his great offseason. Signing Rickie Weeks for this season was not in question. It was whether or not Weeks was going to be around and the Brewers were in danger of losing the entire right side of their infield going into next season. Weeks showed what he could do when healthy and as I said in Wednesday's blog, was great for now and the future as when Prince leaves town he is likely to slide down in the order to help keep some pop and RBI opportunities alive.
All of those moves are big, but the biggest move to me could end up being the hiring of Ron Roenicke as manager of this team. He was the darkhorse pick and the guy that came out of nowhere, but Wisconsin sports fans will remember a certain coach of their now Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers was also the darkhorse in that hiring process, too. The job was supposed to go to Brad Childress. Sure he got to an NFC Title game before the Packers, but McCarthy is now the one with the Super Bowl Ring and the trophy to his credit, now.
Roenicke seems to have an idea of what he wants to do with this team and with the pieces in front of him doesn't seem to worried that this team can't do everything he wants to this year. Usually it takes a couple years. Anyone who knows what they are talking about says a manager and coach is only as good as the players on the field and if Roenicke keeps everyone grounded and pulls the right strings with this team, the Brewers could be great right away for Roenicke.
Add in some minor moves like Melvin keeping Craig Counsell in town for another year and the signing of Mark Kotsay as a bench utility player and everything seems to be coming together for this team.
Is it the best offseason EVER for the Brewers? The season will tell us for sure, but to start, it certainly could be the best since 1981. Either way it has certainly brought baseball excitement to Milwaukee and should make for a fun season at Miller Park.

Shifting gears a bit, the NBA All-Star weekend is upon us. I don't really care about the NBA, but pay attention to the Slam Dunk Competition a little bit and there is one guy everyone is watching. His name is the amazing Blake Griffin. The good folks at DeadSpin have put together all 140 of his dunks in a video. Be sure to check them out and use it as your precursor to the Slam Dunk Competition Saturday night. It should be fun.

Here’s A (Nearly) Exhaustive Video Compilation Of Blake Griffin Dunks from Deadspin on Vimeo.

Now, into the Nussie Hunter portion of the broadcast. It's been unseasonably warm here in Sconnie the last few days and it has gotten me thinking about spring and the beach. I found this gallery of Michelle Lewin on my daily run on Guyism and she fits the bill for today. Check out the preview below and be sure to check that link for more!

Could Michael Jordan score 10 points a game off the bench?

 Listen to Spike tell you a story....


OK, OK, today is a very special day here on Wilber's Way. It's the day I celebrate my favorite athlete of all time. Heck, I'm even wearing a jersey with the man's name on the back of it writing this to help me channel some of his greatness. Yes, my MAIN MAN MONEY Michael Jordan turns 48 today.
This has become almost an annual post for me. You can check out last year's blog, here. This year I'm going to take a little bit of a different angle and it was inspired by Michael himself when he suited up for Bobcats practice last week.
Here's the post on Bobcats.com, in which Gerald Wallace says "Michael's Still got it" which brings me to the question of this blog.
COULD MICHAEL SCORE DOUBLE FIGURES OFF THE BENCH IN THE NBA TODAY?
My simple answer to that is probably. He's now 48 so he's certainly lost a step or three and couldn't run with the young bucks consistently. But he is certainly still sharp as a tack on the floor and knows where he has to be and knows what needs to be done. His biggest thing is getting in shape and being able to keep his wind to get consistent minutes. There's no doubt about that coming in a short time and he'll be fine.
As every player that was at practice last week with him, said he's still got his jump shot. That doesn't go away. How many guys in the NBA live on spot up jumpers on the baseline and behind the arc? Michael could come in and score for a team if he wanted to and was needed.
So, yes, I think he could still do it. Now, I'm not sure his body could take lot of minutes because even at the end of practice with the Bobcats, he had to ice the knees down. But he didn't have to get hooked up to an oxygen machine and showed at almost 48, he was still in damn good shape. He could be a damn good role player and help any team out in a run to make the playoffs.
Will that happen? No. He is the principle owner of the Bobcats and NBA policy prohibits any owner from playing for the team they own. And no he wouldn't go play for another team and have to play against the team he owns. Essentially, just like he did in Washington, and Magic Johnson did for the Lakers back in the 90s, he'd have to sell off the portion of the team he owned to play. Even then, neither was a controlling owner like he is now.
Looking at what the Bobcats have done, Michael is essentially working with head coach Paul Stilas to add something to the team in practice as another coach. I'm pretty sure guys, especially those who live in North Carolina where Michael is as Godlike as he is in Chicago, will listen to most anything he says and brings the best out of them. Heck, they did just knock off the Lakers and are now in the hunt for the final playoff spot in the East.
In closing, happy birthday Michael. You were my idol growing up and showed me hard work gets you what you want in life. I'm living it now and will keep working to get what I want out of life...


We'll run into the Nussie Hunter portion of the broadcast now and I've pretty much extinguished all Jordan related Nussies in my Jordan posts here over the last almost two years. So we have to shift gears a bit. Diora Baird is set to be in the new Maxim out soon. She's making me think spring with her ability to work in a garden. Check it out, here. And a sample below.

Weeks signing shows there could be life after Prince

I know it's late, but I needed to get this posted as I have something pretty big planned for a certain sports hero of mine's birthday.
The Brewers signing of Rickie Weeks to a four-year, $38 million contract Wednesday added to what was a great offseason for the Brewers (Check Tom Haudricourt's story on the signing from the Journal-Sentinel, here). Had Rickie left with Prince at the end of the season, the right side of the infield would have been in disarray. Now, with Rickie back, the Brewers get a player they know will work hard and has worked out. They even factored into the contract his health for a fifth year. Essentially if he's an every day player that fifth year will kick in. The Brewers call it a vested-option (Adam McCalvy's story on Brewers.com), Weeks' agent just calls it a five-year deal worth $50 million. Essentially, they're both right. Weeks expects to get 600 plate appearances in 2014, which would trigger the fifth year. If there is any question he'll get that PAs, Ryan Bruan got 687 last year in 157 games, so if he plays every day, like he did last year, that should come without a problem.
As I said last week, this NEEDED to get done. Now that it has, looked what it means to this team. The Brewers will have the likes of Ryan Bruan, Corey Hart, Casey McGehee, Yovani Gallardo and Rickie Weeks under contract through the 2014 season and possibly through 2015.
That looks like a solid 2-5 in the batting order to me (I really want to move Rickie down in the order to No. 3 or No. 4 if/when Prince departs) and at some pretty respectable salaries in today's era that should be managable enough for them to add some other guys to keep things competitive.
To me, that's the biggest thing after Prince goes. No matter what happens this year, I don't want to be the 1999 Chicago Bulls or the Florida Marlins that awful the year after winning championships because key pieces left. Obviously looking at it now, expectations will likely be down going into next year, but they won't be plummeting to awful depths like the Bulls did after Michael, Scottie and Phil all left town.
Dare I say the Brewers could still be relevant going forward for years to come? Prince will be a Class A free agent at the end of the season and when he goes, he'll net the Brewers two compensatory picks. Those who say the farm system is trash, myself included, will notice how much that will help refurnish the system.
This sets up Doug Melvin and company to make a couple moves going into 2012 and 2013 that should still keep a pretty darn good and entertaining team in Milwaukee.
And as part of the discussion that isn't part of the future, one of my storylines to watch going into spring training is pretty much now a moot point. Weeks has his contract. He won't have to worry about performing for free agent money now. I was more worried about how he'd handle it than I was Prince. Fielder has had talk about him signing long-term here now for years and he has shown he can push it to the side after the initial discussions in the spring. Rickie has not had those talks and them circling may have been a factor.
The Brewers need a season out of him similar to last season. He doesn't have to be great, but the batting average can come up from last year, lifting the on-base percentage in the process, stolen base numbers should skyrocket and his overall value will go through the roof this season. Heck, his home run numbers can even come down and I'd be happy with him. Just get on base and I'll be making my "C'mon RRRRRRRRRRRRRRick!" Chant from section 223 Row 6, Seat 7 for this season and a many more to come!

Going to get right into the Nussie Hunter portion of the broadcast right away now. Was talking with a friend of mine today and Sofia Vergara came up. She has come a long way from being the hot Latin chick on Entourage. She is now one of the stars on one of TVs best shows. That accent is just as good as her body, too.

Top 5 Brewers storylines to watch in Spring Training

Pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training for the Brewers tomorrow (Woooooohoooooo!) in Maryvale Baseball Park. It promises to be an action-packed month and a half going into the start of the season on March 31 in Cinncy.
There are some things to watch develop or see if they do develop during the time in Maryvale that should set the tone for the regular season. (Counting down from 5 to 1 with 1 being most important.)
5. Who fills the few roster spots left? This is the first time in recent memory, to me anyway, only two spots on the bench and one or two spots in the bullpen are up for grabs. If position battles are you what you like to watch in spring training, the Brewers will not be your camp to keep an eye on. Every starting position is filled. From the starting five of Greinke, Marcum, Gallardo, Wolf and Narveson to the position players, everything has been answered over the winter on who will start. In the bullpen, one one or two spots remain, with a couple of the young arms likely being sent down to Triple-A Nashville to stay stretched out and possibly come up and make a spot start or two, if needed. That being Mark Rogers, of course. I worked things out on the roster a while back in an Examiner.com post last month after the signing of Takashi Saito that he would join John Axford, Zach Braddock, LaTroy Hawkins, Kameron Loe and Manny Parra as returnees. That would leave Mike McClendon, Mitch Stetter and Sean Green to fight it out for one, maybe two spots, depending on if the Brewers carry 12 or 13 pitchers.
For position players, all eight starting spots are set, leaving four our five spots left on the bench. Two of those spots are filled with Craig Counsell and Mark Kotsay, the latter of which was just signed, but should make the team as a pinch hitter. There are two question marks left to fill on the bench. The first is, who will be the backup catcher? George Kottaras is back in the mix, but so is Mike Rivera and Wil Nieves. To many, Nieves has the experience the Brewers want to help mentor Jonathan Lucroy. They will let those three duke it out in spring training. Mat Gamel is the other question. Would you rather he make the team and site on the bench and pinch hit or stay in Triple A and get regular time at the plate and in the field?
Even manager Ron Roenicke says it is pretty much set. His take on it is pretty good, though. "That means we have a pretty good team going into camp." Yep.
4. Will contracts (or lack thereof) be a distraction? Rickie Weeks is working on an extension leading into his arrival to Spring Training and Prince Fielder is likely in his last year with the Brewers. Roenicke feels that in the business of the game, those guys will not let those things bother them once they get on the field and play. To me, it will probably only be a distraction when it is brought up in the clubhouse by the media after the games. Mainly with Rickie, it will probably be a distraction in Spring Training if a deal is not done. that gives him a few weeks to move on from it and be ready for Opening Day on March 31. The good thing about it, too, is that for the rest of the guys this isn't a distraction. I don't worry about it distracting Prince, at all. He has had this talk circling him for a couple years now, so he'll continue to play his way through it at his high level. Rickie is the same way. There has always been talk surrounding him about his injuries, but last year he showed what he could do when healthy and should be fine now. I don't see it bother him, either.
3. Will Roenicke be true to his word and be more aggressive on basepaths? Spring Training will be the first chance we will get a chance to see if Roenicke will be true to his word and run more on the bases. As Tom Haudricourt points out in his post today in the Journal Sentinel, Dale Sveum hinted the players are excited for the move and with guys like Weeks, Ryan Braun, Corey Hart and Carlos Gomez it's clear why. There is plenty of speed on this team and getting out and putting pressure on the defense to stop them from running could be a key to this offense putting more runners in scoring position. Everyone within the coaching staff things running is a good thing for the team and is the one thing they have not done much of over the last couple of years. It will give the team that chance to manufacture more runs. How many times did Yovani Gallardo lose games when he gave up just one or two runs? Putting runners in motion will open things up to squeeze a handful more wins out of the season which could be a difference in the race the Brewers hope to find themselves in.
2. Will the starting pitching live up to expectations? This one won't be answered in Spring Training, but like that saying goes "You can't win a race at the start, but you can lose it" the Brewers just hope things build for the regular season. Part of me also thinks there are a lot of unrealistic expectations put on Greinke especially to be the savior of the franchise this season. Yes, he is and is going to be good, but there is a chance he will lose a handful of games through the season, if not more. And that doesn't even mean he'll pitch bad, that's just how it goes over a long season. Of course, Shaun Marcum and Gallardo have some expectations to live up to, as well. Both were Opening Day Starters last year, as well, and want to be considered 1a and 1b choices for this team. It's hard to get a real gauge on how guys will pitch in the regular season, though from the spring. Some guys work on pitches in the spring and are all over the place. Then, by the time the season gets here, everything is taken care of and they settle in. If they pitch well, they can't be anointed as heroes like that, either. This one will set itself up for the season and we'll have to wait for an answer. I'll revisit it later.
1. Willl the defense be able to help out the pitching that is now in place? Amidst the trades to acquire pitching, the Brewers dealt some solid fielding away. Alcides Escobar was not great, but pretty good in the field and Lorenzo Cain was great when he was in last year. In their places are Yunesky Betancourt at short and Carlos Gomez back in center. For Gomez, defense was never the thing that anyone questioned. He's pretty good in the field, but it's his bat that got him benched. Betancourt is somewhat similar, but has some questions with his glove. Of course, on the infield, there's a bit more pressure and detail to work on. Can he turn the double play with Rickie. There has to be a solid effort from both guys to put this together.
Outside from them Ryan Braun and Corey Hart had their own "D'Oh" moments last year that made you scratch your head with their play in the field. They kept their spots in the lineup because they were hitting the face off a baseball, but still have work to do. Casey McGehee at third was the same way, but is solid with the glove, as was Rickie at second base. And Prince, well, he's Prince. He led the league in walks last year. Finally, there's Jonathan Lucroy he played at Double-A, Triple-A and the Majors last season and will be the starter this season. I'd guess Roenecke will have him as almost as everyday as a catcher can be (thinking 4 of 5 games in most cases). He improved by leaps and bounds during the season last year. Give him an offseason to prepare and a full spring as the No. 1 guy and I expect him to be very solid behind the plate this season.

That's all I've got for now. Did I miss any? Let me know in the comments and I'll put something together during Spring Training.

Now on to some other pop culture news from yesterday. The first is a biggie. If you know me, you know I was once a huge WWE fan. I've since cooled off on it, checking in every now and then to see what they have going on. Last night was a big night though because of one ELECTRIFYING MAN!

Here's Part 2...


Before we get into the Nussie Hunter portion of the broadcast, here's a bit of a teaser. Ten of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit models were on David Letterman for the reveal of the cover model and did the Top 10 list. Take a look. Not the best list, but you're not listening to what they're saying, except for the accents, anyhow.

Now to the cover model. Irina Shayk rocked the cover and looks great in the magazine, judging by what I saw on the new SI.com Swimsuit Website. Wow! Here's a preview!

Loving Ron Roenicke's take on his first year as manager

It's 50 degrees outside (well, I'll round up from 44 degrees, Haha.) and we were just days away from Brewers pitchers and catchers officially reporting to Maryvale Baseball Park for Spring Training. That's enough evidence for me to see spring on the horizon. The first official workout for the pitching staff will be Thursday and that will be the first official time Ron Roenicke will take on manger duties for the Crew.
Getting to know a little about him over the winter and actually meeting him at Brewers On Deck a couple weeks back, he should fit in quite well with the team. He said some pretty powerful things and while he has never managed at the MLB level before, he seems to always say the right things.
As was evident in a Saturday story by Tom Haudricourt in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel story that was a pretty telling Q & A. It touched on a number of points to kind of wet the whistle of us fans giong into Spring Training.
I like that he has a pretty good feeling with the staff. I would guess baseball is one of the few sports that, even after a manager or coach change, has a number of hold over coaches. That may be one of the biggest keys into making a smooth transition going into the season. Guys like Ed Sedar and Dale Sveum know this team quite well and should have him up to speed in no time once everyone gets to camp.
He was asked about the defense of the team. Like him, I don't feel real bad about the defense. Of course, they could always get better in the field, but it's not an awful weakness. He did hit on a pretty good point, that with better pitching, less balls will get sent their way which should lessen the effect of defense on them and give them a better chance to succeed.
I also liked his comments on injuries to the pitching staff. I, like him, think the team could survive for a short time if one, and maybe even two guys go down with injuries. But only for a short time with Manny Parra and Mark Rogers available to start if needed. If things go for more than a couple weeks, then it could get dicey and Roenicke agrees. Like he said, any team that thinks it can win with the seventh or eighth guy in their system starting for an extended time, they have some screws loose.
The last question Tom asked was on the expectations of this team. Ron hit on this at the On Deck event a couple weeks back when he was on stage, and he echoed it again in the interview. Of course, with the new pitching arrivals, expectations have shot up, but he welcomes them and he has high expectations, too.
To that end, I saw a story on OnMilwaukee.com last week that said a Packers Super Bowl win put the expectations of the Brewers at ridiculous levels for fans around here. I can agree with that. People now are thinking the Crew must win the NL Pennant, which I would love to see, but have to see how things pan out first. Baseball is a weird game and sometimes odd things happen to pitchers and hitters. Obviously the pieces are in place and, on paper, this team can go far, but it has to perform on the field and not on paper.

Going to quickly jump into some pop culture talk now. The Grammys were last night and were pretty good. My fave performance, of the night was, of course, Eminem with Dr. Dre and Skylar Grey doing "I Need a Doctor." To me, this is pretty deep stuff. Enjoy it...


On to the Nussie Hunter portion of the broadcast today. The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover model will be unveiled tonight on David Letterman. The secret is guarded with secrecy and I'd expect Bar Rafaeli and Brooklyn Decker to be front runners for the spot. I also think Chrissy Teigen has a good shot. You can follow her on Twitter, here. And check her out in last year's Swimsuit Issue. Here's a sample below.

Annoyance of the week: Packers dynasty talk

Maybe it's the Bears fan in me, but I'm thinking it's more of the sports fan in me when a talk of "Dynasty" comes up. That's what made all the talk this week about the Packers being able to get back to the Super Bowl for MANY years to come.
My favorite Packers writer, Jason Wilde, had it about right with his post earlier this week on them "being built to last" but that doesn't mean they'll get back to the big game multiple times over the next handful of years.
Now, before you jump down my back, hear me out here. You can look at history to show you dynasties don't come around too often. You can look at more recent history and see they are even more uncommon.
Let's look at that recent history. Dan Marino went to the Super Bowl in his rookie season. He never went back.
The very next year, the Chicago Bears were supposed to be the next dynasty after winning the Super Bowl with the youngest team in the NFL. Well, the strike in 1987 derailed that, after the Bears made the NFC title game in January 1987.
The 49ers, Cowboys and Bills are all dynasties of the 90s and late 80s, so there's a point to you Packers fans thinking it was going to happen.
But the Packers in 96 and 97 were thought to have many more coming, but Brett Favre never made it back after that, either.
In the 2000s the Rams had two years. The Giants have gone twice, with vastly different teams, but the last team, that beat the Pats was supposed to be a young group and could be a dynasty, but that went nowhere.
Yes, the Patriots are the only dynasty in the last 10 years. I would not count the Steelers, because for me, one of the criteria for a dynasty is at least back-to-back appearance in the Super Bowl.  Yes, they could have won three, but that doesn't do it for me.
So, can the Packers become a dynasty? It's possible. For me, though, for all of those guys that had to step up this year, that means more guys think they deserve a piece of the pie and want to get the payday they feel they deserve either with the Packers or somewhere else if the Packers won't give it too them. That will make things a little more difficult for the Packers. That will already start this offseason (after a CBA gets agreed upon) when a handful of guys, including A.J. Hawk could end up in different places. Hawk is due $10 million if he stays around and was on the trading block before injuries went down, but Ted Thompson is not the guy that spend big money on good players.
To me, it was a perfect storm that got the Packers here. The story surrounding the Packers is injuries, but for them to not strike the key parts for multiple games (Aaron Rodgers and Clay Matthews each missed one) and it was up to the role players to come through when called upon. The chances for those guys to come through in the future is less likely. Obviously the core should stay in tact, but look at every title team in every sport and it's those role players that make the difference. Dare I say this was the best group of role players ever assembled outside of the big time players on the team and if a big chunk of them seek out the big payday, things could go south.
The one thing the Packers have to control this is what Thompson and Mike McCarthy have taken a lot of credit for over the last couple of months and that is talent evaluation. They might be two of the best at it in the NFL. That will be the biggest key to keeping things going and getting the Packers back to the Super Bowl. If some of those role players leave, different guys will have to be ready.
Things will have to fall perfectly for that to happen, though, and I don't think it will.


The big news yesterday from 1 Miller Park Way was the Brewers announcing their bobblehead days. As a fan, this might be as big of a day for me as Opening Day. This is the day I plan out and know at least a handful of games I will be attending. Leaving with some free garb doesn't hurt things.
Here's the schedule (And the full schedule from the Brewers)
Sun. April 24: John Axford Bobblehead (It's what's pictured and looks awesome!)
Sun. May 22: Casey McGehee Bobblehead (My favorite guy, so you know I'm pumped for this)
Sun. June 12: Zack Greinke Bobblehead (The Cy Young winner and the guy lots are putting all their hope behind)
Sun. July 10: Hot Dog Bobblehad
Sun. Aug. 14: Craig Counsell Bobblehead (Milwaukee's favorite son in his final season)
Sun. Sept. 25: Randy Wolf bobblehead (Have to give the big money guy his bobble)
While I was a bit upset there was no Yovani Gallardo bobble, I saw Adam McCalvy post this on his blog and it was pretty clear he was flexed out in favor of Greinke in what could be his only year in town. It's a safe choice and Yo is here for a few more years, so it's not the time to get upset about this. Either way, this should be a great season. All of those, minus the hot dog, will be welcome additions to my bobble family.

A bit of this day in history before we get into the Nussie Hunter segment. Bust Douglas knocked out Mike Tyson on this day in 1991. So good and so historical.


Now to the Nussie Hunter. The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue will show up in my mailbox next week and the folks at SI are drubbing up the press machine for it. One of our favorite girls, Brooklyn Decker was featured on this promo poster below. Will she make it back to back years on the cover? We'll have to see. Either way, check this out. And get ready for Monday night on Letterman to see who is on the cover!

Brewers need to sign Weeks to long-term deal

This is a post I have in at Wisco Sports Talk. Wanted you to get it here, first before it goes live.

In 2010, the controversy at Brewers On Deck was that Corey Hart was taking the Brewers to arbitration. This year, it was Rickie Weeks announcing a deadline to work out a long-term deal with the Brewers.
While some would argue he doesn’t deserve one, take a look back at what Weeks did last season, when he showed what he can do when healthy at the top of the Brewers batting order.
He played in 160 games last season (his previous high was 118 in 2007) and scored 111 runs, had 83 RBIs and blasted 29 home runs, all easily career highs. (Weeks’ page on Baseball Reference) That led to him submitting a $7.2 million number for arbitration, which was countered by the Brewers $4.25 million.
Regardless of how the arbitration hearing goes later this week, I would dare say this controversy is more of an uncertainty with the team than Weeks and many fans feel, especially after watching the Brewers trade away Brett Lawrie, the only other prospect in line at the position, this deal needs to get done. Things are more uncertain with Prince Fielder likely leaving after the season offense is going to be in high demand from the other players on the team going forward.
While some would hold back and wait for Weeks to show he can stay healthy for a year, there really is no time to do that with his free agency looming after this season. General Manager Doug Melvin needs to bite the bullet on this one and make this deal happen now before a bidding war breaks out.
My counter to wondering if he can stay healthy is looking at the 25 times he was hit by pitches  and sat just two games at parts of the season as mere “mental days” more than anything else.
The talk in the arbitration hearing is going to be about his somewhat low .269 batting average and average .366 on-base percentage. As a leadoff hitter, of course you want a little more in both spots, which the Brewers will surely bring up to bring the salary figure down in the arbitration hearing, but that doesn’t take away from what Weeks should look for long term.
I mean, as a leadoff hitter and a second baseman he has more pop than most guys that play his position. Of course, he had never played that deep into a season, so there is room for improvement. I’d even take a slight drop in home run numbers if his batting average came up to around .290 and his on-base teetered .400 for most of the season.
The key to it all is going to be experience for Weeks and that comes with being healthy. The Brewers have worked out long-term deals with Ryan Braun and Yovani Gallardo that have seen rather small numbers at the start of the contract and are backloaded years down the road. I propose something similar to that, giving low risk now and rewarding him down the road.
In the field, Weeks has turned things around and has become more consistent. We will see if that continues this season with Willie Randolph out of town. If he can keep it up, he’ll prove he was worth the contract.
Is signing Weeks a risk? Of course. But wasn’t trading four of your prime prospects for Zack Greinke a risk? Yes. Both should prove to be well worth it down the road if the players play up to what the back of their baseball card shows.

Super Bowl XLV a microcosm of Packers season

Rub your eyes and pinch yourself, I am going to speak the praises of the Green Bay Packers and for good reason. They started the season with one group of guys and essentially had to work with another group of guys to bring it all together and make a run when they needed to to win the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Think about it. They score two touchdowns in 24 seconds (Jack Bauer would be proud), making us all think they were going to roll to an easy win. And heck, even at 21-3 in the second quarter, I figured the rout was on.
They were doing everything right, getting pressure on Ben Roethlisberger and making him make throws that he didn't make. The interception return for a touchdown came on a play were Ben's arm was hit, leaving the ball to float like a punt.
Ben had another interception in the game and throughout just didn't look himself. Having led a game-winning drive against the Cardinals just two years ago in the Super Bowl, you almost figured he was going to deliver the same magic, again, but never came through. His three straight incompletions to end the game showed how erratic he was.
Then, things got interesting in the second half. Just like the Packers season when, in Week 6, that team was 3-3 and didn't look like they'd be able to live up to all the "Super" expectations put on the team at the start of the season.
Even as Aaron Rodgers looked pedestrian in the third quarter, the Packers defense came up and slowed things down enough to keep the Packers in the game. The offense needed it too, as James Jones and Jordy Nelson at times looked like they couldn't catch anything and had no business being on the field.
To me, they were the single biggest reason the Steelers were even in the game. There was easily one touchdown in there and a couple others, that, if caught, could lead to more points.
Either way, Rodgers had tons of time to throw all game, which is a tribute to his offensive line. I cannot remember Troy Polamalu even being a factory in the game really, which is a tribute to that front and to Rodgers for not making the silly throw with him in coverage.
Then, of course is the Packers defense. it gave up 398 yards, putting the Steelers on a short list of Super Bowl teams to outgain an opponent and lose. But Clay Matthews, who missed out on Defensive Player of the Year by two first-place votes, made the big play forcing a Rashard Mendenhal fumble on the Packers 33 yard line, the Steelers third turnover of the game, which slammed the door and got the Packers the momentum back. You have to think if they keep going with that drive, the Steelers kick the Packers even farther back on their heels, take the lead and seem to ride on to victory. Matthews knew it was his time to make a play and he did it. That's what a big-time player does.
I can do nothing more than bid the Packers congrats on the victory. Oh, and, if you read the blog Friday, you saw my score prediction of 33-28. Well, it was 31-25, so I was pretty close.

Alright, now to the other big part of yesterday: the commercials. They were not as good as in past years, but a couple stuck with me.
My man, Eminem, was in two of them, which were pretty good. This Brisk one:


This Chrysler one was my fave though. Here's the extended cut...


My fave of the day, though, had to be the Volkswagon Passat commercial. This is why I like VW.


Oh, and how can I forget this one, from the NFL itself.


Now for the Nussie Hunter portion of the broadcast on the Super Bowl Sunday recap edition of the blog. One inparticular stood out to me, featuring Kim Kardashian.


But, she is not our Nussie Hunter feature of the day. For that, we go to Jaime Edmondson. We have to pay tribute to the Super Bowl Champs, no? To be fair, she pays tribute to every NFL team, here, but hey.

The winner of Super Bowl XLV will be...

Super Bowl weekend is finally here. As much as the Bears fan in me still aches at the thought of the Packers playing in the big game, it is still the Super Bowl and the biggest game of the year. That means it gets my full attention as a sports nerd, enthusiast and writer. All week I have been biding my time and reading up on the specifics of the game to come to a conclusion on who I will take. So here we go with my full Super Bowl XLV preview.


Let's start with the Packers. Yes, I'm a Bears fan, but I live in Wisconsin and end up reading up and watching most everything on them throughout the season. There is a story on ESPN.com Insider section (HEAD TO SUPER BOWL CENTRAL) talking about their six losses this season. The keys to the Packers losing is simple, they've given up sacks, lost the turnover battle and failed in the defensive secondary.
On the offensive side, the Packers have protected Aaron Rodgers (above) much better over the last month. A lot of that gets hidden with his escape ability, but still, sacks have not been prevalent during this five-game winning streak.
Rodgers has relied on his feet a lot more during that span. While that has helped him, it is also what got him hurt in what was one of his worst games of the season, the 7-3 loss to the Lions which saw Matt Flynn come in. He has been smarter after the concussion that followed, but the key for this game will be his ability to run and get down. The Steelers have a few head hunters who love to hit and would love to lay the smack down on the Packers QB. That jumps out to me as one of the keys to this game. If Rodgers can use his feet to get a few yards and a couple first downs to keep key drives alive, the Packers will be in good shape.
He has fixed the turnover thing, as well, but has not played the Steelers defense during that time. He did, however, play the Bears defense and threw a pair of interceptions in the NFC championship game. With many believing the Packers will try to spread the Steelers out and go with four or five receivers, he has to be smart with the ball against one of the best defenses in the NFL.
That leads me into a couple of the key matchups the Packers position players must win.  The first of which is going to be the head games that will take place between Rodgers and Troy Polamalu. Troy will be lined up all over the field and it will test Rodgers' ability to call him out and the Packers O-line ability to pick him up if he comes on a blitz.
Also, when the Packers go with four or five wideouts, they will have to survive going across the middle. If they can win that area of the field, they should be able to march the ball up and down the field.


On the Steelers side, Ben Roethlisberger can also run. The difference is that he is a big guy at 260 pounds and it hard to bring down. He is not just a threat to run and any attacks on his ability as a quarterback are just from people who do not like him in the first place. The guy threw for 500 yards in the meeting against the Packers last season and can do that again. Will he in this game? I doubt it, but he has the ability to lead a team with his arm. There is a good story in Sports Illustrated this week about what he went through during his four-week suspension at the start of the season and I can kind of feel for the guy. If he wins this game, it is going to be big for him. Dare I say, this could be the one that helps land him in the Hall of Fame if the Steelers win. Before you question that, remember Terry Bradshaw had the Steel Curtain in the 70s to help him lead the Steelers to four titles and he is in the Hall, so don't laugh at that too fast.
Back to this game, Big Ben is going to have a similar head game that Rodgers will with Polamalu with Charles Woodson. Woodson is by trade a cornerback, but likes to cover the slot receiver when the Packers are in nickel and comes on a blitz. That could be a key and he will have to be accounted for.
I wouldn't make as big of a deal of the Steelers being without their rookie center Charles Pouncey in this game as many will. They have had two weeks to prepare for this game and as I have picked up throughout the week, things have been simplified and should be OK for the Steelers line. The Packers will still want to send rushers through the middle though and is the best way to attack Big Ben.
Another key matchup to keep an eye on is Mike Wallace. He caught the game winner in the Steelers 37-36 win over the Packers last season and while he has been quiet during the playoffs, has the speed to attack this Packers secondary and go off for a big game.
On the other side of that coin is Heath Miller. There might not be a better target in the red zone not named Tony Gonzalez. While Clay Matthews is a great rusher, I'm not sure how good he is in coverage and Miller is great at getting open for Ben to find.

I'm going to make you wait for the picks. Take in the rap songs made for both teams.
First, the "visiting" Steelers: "Black and Yellow" by Wiz Kalifa


For the "home" Packers it's "Green and Yellow" by Lil Wayne


THE PICK: Had to tease you a bit. Here we go. With all of what was said above, I have a hard time thinking the Packers don't have what it takes to win this game on all front. Aside from special teams, they have everything covered.
If they can start strong and not be start struck, they'll be fine. That said, I don't see them winning this game by four points or less. It's just their track record. Either way, this will be a great one to watch and enjoy.
So, with my grandpa on my mind, I know he'll be happy to know I'm picking his Packers to win this one in a shootout, 33-28.

The Super Bowl isn't the only big game being played this weekend. Sunday during halftime of the game in Dallas, the Lingerie Football League will be holding Lingerie Bowl VII. The game keep rising in popularity. I'm pretty sure, though, it's not for the great football being played, as you can see on Coed Magazine and below...

Was Polamalu right choice for NFL DPOY?

There was a lot of outcry, at least in these parts, about Troy Polamalu (yes it's spelled right) winning the AP's Defensive Player of the Year earlier this week. To be fair in this discussion there was no clear player that jumped off the page. Sure Packers fans all though Clay Matthews should have won the award running way, but that was not an open-and-shut case like they thought.
Matthews, like Polamalu missed time during the season. Both are however, the glue that hold their respective unit together. I'll admit I was a little shocked Polamalu shot to the top of the list for the DPOY over Matthews. But let's be real here, this award is voted on by 50 members of the AP not the Football Writers Association of America so there could be some discrepancy and issues with this.
To be fair, I actually thought Julius Peppers and Brian Urlacher would be high than fourth or fifth, but they were both right there. Maybe it was my fandom that though this was close.
Polamalu is great and does impact games, but I'm not sure he was better than Matthews this season. Maybe in past seasons, but not this one. He did make a couple more plays that directly effected the outcome of games and tipped things in the Steelers favor. Matthews, while great, did not have many plays where you can say turned the game late in the Packers favor. I may be wrong on this, so let me know, but I can't remember any ideas off the top of my head.


So now the question become which of the two; Polamalu and Matthews is more of a factor Sunday? My answer is Matthews and here's why. I see guys like Lamar Woodley and James Harrison being more of a factor with Aaron Rodgers for the Steelers Sunday than Troy. The biggest key for the Steelers is going to be keeping Aaron Rodgers in the pocket or at least containing him where he won't run away from guys on the outside. Harrison says he's going head hunting, which is nothing new for him, but with him I wouldn't be surprised if he gets caught trying to lay a hit and Rodgers runs right past him.
On the Packers side of the defense, I see Matthews having more of an impact on getting to Ben Roethlisberger. Both teams blitz, but I see the linebackers for the Packers being more part of that with Matthews and A.J. Hawk likely being a big force in not only getting to Big Ben, but stopping the Steelers running game.
Does this mean Polamalu doesn't deserve DPOY? No. It just means in this matchup, he is going to be doing other things and won't have as big of a factor than Matthews.

I've hit a couple points the last two days leading up to the Super Bowl, but tomorrow is the big day where I will break down the game closer and make my pick for the game. If you have yours be sure to comment below or shoot us an E-mail.

Next up is some news on this blog. I am proud to announce this site which has seen 170 posts (including this one) will now be in conjunction with WiscoSportsTalk.com. Be sure to check out the site. I will still be covering all sports here, but will share some content and write some original content for them during the Brewers season as their Brewers beat reporter. It's a great opportunity for me to broaden the audience here and get a chance to do what I love covering a team I love. Should be fun.


Now to the Nussie Hunter portion of the broadcast. I'd like to introduce you to Kate Upton, an Australian model who is in a Guess ad campaign you can see here, and is also seen in some bikinis you can see here, and sample below. She is said to be the next big thing. So check her out!

Time to hunker down on Super Bowl XLV matchups

Super Bowl media day was Tuesday and while the day itself is full of crazies, yahoos and in the case of Ines Sans, hot crazies, hot yahoos.
There is absolutely nothing anyone who follows football takes from Media Day any more, but it is the kick start to Super Bowl week. Both teams had practice today and we can start getting into the meat of breaking down the game as it nears closer.
I'm not going to get too specific just yet as I have a bit of research to do on how the Steelers will handle some things, but I do have one thing of note to talk about.
No, it's not that Clay Matthews has great hair. I actually hate long hair on guys, but something more football related.
It is actually the debate on whether Ben Roethlisberger is a good quarterback or not. I was reading some things on my friend's Facebook pages that pretty much said he was worthless. While yes, off the field, he is not the best of guys, those who are on his team turn to him for leadership and he delivers. Yes, he has a great defense around him, but you can't ignore the fact that in big games he wins. You can go all the way back to his time in college at Miami of Ohio to see him winning big games. When he got to the NFL he has done nothing but win the game. He could have faltered under the pressure, but he has shined.
Some called him a game manager. Yes, he's not real flashy. And for a 260-pound quarterback he doesn't try to be. But when he's called upon to lead a big drive, you can't ignore what he has done. Just look at the great throw to Santonio Holmes to beat the Cardinals a couple years back. You couldn't have asked for better placement of that ball and Ben put it there.
Yes, Aaron Rodgers is becoming one of the best in the league, but you cannot ignore what Ben has done on the field. He wins games. The Steelers don't win games in spite of him, they win games because of him and the defense.


I didn't get time for a Brewers On Deck post to recap my day with the Brewers (Check the photos here) but again, there was controversy. Last year it was on Corey Hart taking the Brewers to an arbitration hearing and this year it is Rickie Weeks giving the Brewers a deadline for his multi-year contract.
After reading Gord Ash's comments on Tom Haudricourt's JS Brewers blog, it is being downplayed because that is the deadline the team had anyhow, but it is a bit significant. The way things sound they are so far apart it looks rather certain a deal won't get done, as Weeks submitted a number over $7 million for his arby hearing and the Brewers had one over $4.5 million.
The only difference from last year's deal with Corey Hart is that Weeks is coming off his best year as a pro and seems to deserve the money. I remember thinking Corey was dumb for taking it to a trial, but he ended up winning and then having a career year on top of it. Weeks seems set to go down the same path with his free agency looming.
If I were the Brewers, I'd swallow a little pride and get this deal done NOW. They cannot afford to lose him to free agency having just traded the prospect at the position away to bring in pitching. Rickie needs to be in the core of this team and deserves the payday.

Now to the Nussie Hunter portion of the broadcast of today's show. AskMen.com released it's list of 99 Most Desirable women Tuesday with Blake Lively being now at the top spot. I was unsure of the decision, but after checking up on her a bit closer, it may be a good call for a up and coming star. Here's some samples on top of the one below.