Brewers pitchers... Not sure I can trust any of you!

Another loss today by the Brewers has Wilber's Way making its May debut. Being shutout for the third time in four games has me changing a bit of what I was going to write here.
Regardless, the Brewers have now lost 8 of their last 10 games and were outscored by the Padres 21-2 in four games. So while pitching was a question mark coming in, the offense made sure to not let us forget about it having problems and being inconsistent.
Doug Davis, who has had his problems, was not so reliable in Game 1 of the series and the guy that came on in "relief" of that one was Jeff Suppan. When all was said and done, the Padres won 9-0.


Dave Bush  did pitch pretty good in Game 2 of the series, giving up just three runs in seven innings of work. But the offense couldn't get anything going and fell 5-0.
It marked the first time since 2005 the Brewers had been shut out in back to back games.
It was the best starting pitching showing since Yovanni Gallardo was solid against the Pirates on Monday night at Miller Park, but this time the offense did not back the up. Just the bad luck of baseball.

The Brewers did get a win Saturday night behind Gallardo. But even that was a chore. Yo went seven innings and struck out 11 on 118 pitches and had to hit a home run, his fifth of his career.
Hawkins, who has seen his share of troubles came on in the eighth and Trevor Hoffman, who you all know about his struggles, returned to the city where he saved 552 games, and closed the game out.


That sets the table. Now I have to ask the question. Who do you trust on the mound for this team? The problem has been mainly the starting rotation. Here are the lines (From Baseball-reference.com):
Yovanni Gallardo: 3-2, 36 IP, 40 K, 16 BB, 32 H, 15 R, 12 ER, 3.00 ERA
Randy Wolf: 2-2, 37.1 IP, 27 K, 16 BB, 41 H, 18 R, 16 ER, 3.86 ERA
Dave Bush: 1-2, 29.1 IP, 15 K, 12 BB, 30 H, 17 R, 15 ER, 4.60 ERA
Doug Davis: 0-3, 22.1 IP, 24 K, 10 BB, 38 H, 23 R, 22 ER, 8.87 ERA
Jeff Suppan: 0-1, 14.1 IP, 11 K, 3 BB, 22 H, 14 R, 13 ER, 8.16 ERA
Chris Narveson: 1-0, 15 IP, 12 K, 9 BB, 22 H, 12 R, 11 ER, 6.6 ERA
Now you can't take everything by those numbers, but know this. The team ERA ranks 13th of 16 teams in the NL. The staff has given up the second-most hits in the National League. That heps rank them 14th in the NL in home runs allowed (33).
Where was the help Doug Melvin was supposed to bring in? Nothing has changed from last year, at all. Now people claiming Doug Davis should be taken out of the rotation, are crazy. Who are you going to put in that spot? They made the one move with Narveson going in. I'm sure we'll see Manny Parra starting at some point this year, but not in place of a healthy but struggling Davis.

Like I said, this isn't going to be all about the pitching. The last three series' dating back to getting swept by the Cubs, then dropping two of three to the Pirates has worn on this team, which has lost 8 of 10.
The offense, up until this point, was one of the best in baseball. The numbers show that.
After checking Baseball-Reference.com, I found some pretty interesting numbers that I didn't realize (maybe because the pitching was so awful).
The Brewers are second in the NL in runs scored (128), first in doubles (56), fourth in homers (28), first in on-base percentage (.355), third in batting average (.273), second in slugging percentage (.452) and second in OPS (.807).
Those are some pretty staggering figures. To me, that says this 10-14 start is something that is on the pitching. Yes the last week has been rough for the hitters. I'm not going to put it on all of them, but I am going to single out one guy, Rickie Weeks Now I'm not coming down on Rickie, just pointing out some numbers.
Since the Brewers drilled the Pirates for that 20-0 win on April 22, Weeks' average has dropped from .344 to .258.
It's been seven games since then and during that time Rickie is 4 for 34 (.118 AVG), with 17 strikeouts, just one RBI (which came on his home run) and he's taken only five walks. Here's the link, again on Baseball-Reference.com. For a team built around Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder, having guys on base in front of them makes them dangerous. That makes Rickie getting on base imparative to the success of the team. It doesn't help that Macha is still struggling to find a suitable guy to put in the No. 2 spot. With Carlos Gomez and Jim Edmonds hurt, that has made things a struggle and put guys you wouldn't necessarily want in front of Ryan and Prince.

Ok, enough on the Brewers for now. That will resonate throughout Monday for me. We need some funny to lighten the mood. Leave it to Jimmy Kimmel and his unnecessary censorship. Damn funny!


I'm pretty sure these next two ladies are Brewers fans and would be very interested by the success of the team. Yep, the Maxim Hometown Hotties Contest is in full swing and we got a double feature of Nussies for you.
First is Franklin's Andrea. She likes Wii (take a look! Haha.) And Susana is from Richfield, which is like 15 minutes from me. The links take you to their profiles. There were a handful of other Wisconsin girls that made the initial cut. Be sure to check out the rest of the Hometown Hotties.
Here's Andrea.


Here's Susana

Post 101: Schooling you all on NFL Divisional playoff weekend

It just might be the great NFL weekend of the year. Four huge games that mean everything for next week's conference championship games is why this is the best.
Last week I went 2-2 in my picks thanks to that wild Green Bay/Arizona game. And I'm back for more to pick this round.
Let's go in chronological order on how these games will go down. So we going to Nawleans first for the Saints and Cardinals.
I'm going to say this, I'm really not sure which Saints team is going to show up for this game. They've been handed their hat in the past few weeks, so they really need to return to October form, as odd as that sounds, to win this game. Can they do it? Sure. Drew Brees is a leader of men and these Saints are not Archie's Saints.
The key is going to be starting strong. it's what got the Cardinals settled in last week against the Packers and let Kurt Warner find a groove. If they can get Warner to have to sling it around the field and put pressure on him both literally and figuratively, they will be able to win this game. But defense will once again be optional, so be ready for the fireworks.
Tomorrow night, Peyton, that's P-E-Y..., and company take on the Ravens. This one is going to be a cat and mouse game all night as Manning tries to outsmart this Ravens defense. It should be fun to watch, but I know he'll find a way to do it.
The key to this one is going to be what Joe Flacco can do against the Colts defense. If the Ravens can get the ball down the field, it makes it a lot easier for the defense to take some chances, obviously, and get to Peyton.
Sunday's fun kicks off at noon with the Vikings hosting the Cowboys. Two of Wisconsin's favorite sons square off as Favre and Romo take the field.
This is another one where the team that is at home limped into the playoffs. Don't be fooled by the Week 17 win by the Vikings. The Giants had cashed out and were just physically in the game.The Cowboys need to play this game like they did against the Saints four weeks ago. That means if DeMarcus Ware can fly around the field on the D-line against what has shown to be a pourus Vikings line, the boys in purple could be in trouble. Vikings will need that defense to step up and make Romo look a little silly, too. These quarterbacks are pretty much the same guy. The team that wins will have the one that makes the fewest and least costly mistakes.
The final game of the weekend will be in Cali where the Chargers host the J-E-T-S, JETS, JETS, JETS. This one is interesting, too. Can Philip Rivers continue to dominate? Will Darelle Revis show why he should be the Defensive Player of the Year? Can LT run on this defense?
It's all intersting stuff. and should be fun to watch. I say the Chargers offensive line is too strong for the Jets' front seven and finds a way to get LT going . That means a lot of Rivers getting it to Gates in the flat and to Sproles and LT out of the backfield. That makes Revis pretty much moot.

OK, so here's the picks. Straight up, as always:
Saints 38, Cardinals 34
Colts 24, Ravens 14
Cowboys 27, Vikings 20
Chargers 31, Jets 20

If you want more, why not check out the best NFL writer in the game, SI's Peter King. He's got a look at how the underdogs win these games.

Now for some goodness. If you're follwoing this latenight TV fiasco they delieverd some funny last night.
First Jimmy Kimmel was on Jay Leno. He launched jab after jab and Jay being the tool that he is could do nothing. Loved it! (Like Lyle!)



To take things even further against NBC, Conan put the Tonight Show up on Craig's List. Yeah pretty awesome!



Ok, tomorrow is my 27th birthday so I get to pick the Nussie today. The Nussie Hunter told me it was my present. So I was combing Maxim.com and found one of my old favorites Letica Cline. She was on Beauty and the Geek way back when. And she was actually on the Stern Show a year or so ago and rode the sybean. It was damn hot. Just like this picture!

Right this way to the glorious 100th post! Thanks to you!

The road has been a bit confusing in getting here, and with people like those two -  R.J. and myself - trying to show you the way, I'm not so sure I ever thought we'd get here.
Yep, this is the 100th post of Wilber's Way. I owe a lot of the success of this blog to you the fans, the faithful followers of "The Way"
To be honest I started this site back in July when I thought I was getting out of the one thing I worked for since I was three. I wanted to keep some connection to sports and writing. Well, plans change and I stayed on at that other site that pays me. And the rest, as they say is history.



Yep, the very first item on this blog was that very video. Kind of fitting if you think about it. I started out a bit misdirected and have since found my way *BOOM GOES THE DYNAMITE*
I've done some pretty good things on the blog over the first 99 posts. I'd have to say one I here the most about is the mancrush post. Yeah I sorta sweat a handful of guys. Not in a sexual way. I don't know what it is, the three I mentioned in that blog, Paul Rudd, Urijah Faber and Shia LeBouf are just confident young guys. Something I want to be.
I've also heard good things about man rules at sporting events. That one was one that I actually got input on from you the readers. There were some good notes in there. One I still stand by is the no proposing to your girlfriend at a game. I'm pretty sure I'm a sports nerd, I'm not tying that moment of hers to a game. No way.
On the sports side, the blog was pretty Brewers heavy during the Brewers season and I have my take on everything that has to do with the team.
And yes Wilber's Way endorsed a player. Of course we love Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder as well as Yovanni and Trevor, but those are obvious choices. Since spring training I had my eye on one Casey "Tits" McGehee. And as it was written Casey McGehee made a strong case for rookie of the year in the National League.
So much so that after the vote was released we recounted his personal Top 5 for the season, topped by the Holy Redeemer grand slam.
What was your favorite? Comment it below and tell me about it!



I went into a bit of new territory when I went away for a few days to cover the girls state volleyball tournament and turned the blog over to my friends. Vaughan (seen above pretending to take my life as he does from time to time) was the first to literally take a shot and he killed it. Then Amanda took a run at it and knocked it out the park. Then Wilber's Way picked up a college football writer in Golberg. Officially making it an eclectic staff for Wilber's Way.
There are plans for the Casey McGehee Fan Club's Co-President to pen a blog in a few weeks. Yes, El Rog will be taking over "The Way."
And honestly, I love seeing what other people have to say. I'm up for listening to educated sports discussions and seeing the funny others bring, too.
So, if I know you, shoot me a line. Pitch me an idea for your guest blog and I'll let you know a date. There will be some openings toward the end of March for sure during the state basketball run I'll be making at the Kohl Center.



Now for some new goodness for today's blog. I posted this on my Facebook the other day and it is just too awesome to not post here. I love LT, he helped me win a fantasy football title a couple years back, and this shows the man has some personality. Not the guy with the "Hit the Hole" shirt. Awesome mullett!



By now you've heard of the Jay Leno/NBC/Conan debacle going down. Well, Jimmy Kimmel, yes ABC's Jimmy Kimmel did his whole show Wednesday as Jay. Love the chin and love the lisp. Enjoy!



You thought that was good. Take a look at Conan's monologue last night. This is the whole episode, but the start pretty much sets the tone. Simply AWESOME!

Now for the 100th Nussie in Wilber's Way history. Did a lot of thinking about this and in doing the 99 Problems but a ____ Ain't one post the other day I realized this woman was not on the blog. Yes folks, I have neglected Jennifer Love Hewitt. She is one of my faves. Dunno what it is, but did you see Heartbreakers? Damn!



She was on the George Lopez show last night talking about "Vejazzling" Umm, you'll have to watch the video. That talk comes at about the 1 minute mark and again at 2:40. I'm not exactly sure what that is, but I might have to investigate ;)
And I have to give you a picture and pretty sure this one shows off J-Love!

Not sure I can even get more disappointed in the Bears...

Well, Amanda's Way has gone back to Wilber's Way (At least for now). She did a great job, but I'm back off assignment and after taking yesterday to sulk after a Bears loss, I'm back at it today.

Let's talk about the Bears. They haven't been very intimidating to anyone in the last month and have been downright awful at times. It seems like a regular Tuesday occurrence for me to spend time dissecting Jay Cutler's performance, but this week was especially hard to watch. As a sports guy and someone I think reads body language pretty well, you can just see him frustrated as hell at time Sunday night.
That five-pick game in San Fran last Thursday has surely gotten to him and now he's in his own head. I'm a baseball guy and something coaches teach kids playing the game is to have a short memory. You can't let that last at-bat influence you on the next one. The same can be said for him as a quarterback. He almost needs to forget that game ever happened. He has at least three passes that would have been touchdowns had he not overthrown Devin Hester or Greg Olsen by at least five yards.
Then the throws he does get to guys, they don't make plays on and you can see him just wanted to vent.
I'm very loyal to my quarterback (See me back in the Rex Grossman years) and I think he just needs some help. The line is awful and without a run game, teams are scheming just to shut Jay down and it's killing him. Add to that the fact only Greg Olsen is a receiver he trusts in the clutch and Jerry Angelo should take notice to get the man some help. Unfortunately that can't be done through the draft as the team has traded away its No. 1 and No. 2 pick this year for Jay and Gaines Adams, who has shown he is not worth the No. 2 at all!
On top of that, I'm not sure Ron Turner is a guy that knows how to handle a quarterback like him. He's been great with guys like Rex who he can have turn and hand the ball off, but Jay is a prolific passer and needs a guy to call the plays and have his back. Ron Turner is not that guy for Jay.
There is an embattled college coach at Notre Dame who could be on the way out that helped build Tom Brady into the best in the game. Maybe when he becomes free, he can help Jay. Just spit balling here.

While I'm on a Bears tip, I know it's not going to get any easier next week. And AJ isn't exactly helping things. I know you read her blog Thursday where she admitted to being a Vikings fan. Well, this is what she bought the other day... She's lucky she's awesome in so many other areas that I can overlook the being a Vikings fan and just realize she flat out looks good in purple...



Changing gears a little bit, saw this on SI.com's Hot Clicks today and had to post this hear. Ron Artest was on Jimmy Kimmel last night and showed up in his underwear. Dude is a bit out there. Not sure where he gets it from. This is Part 1. Be sure to check Part 2 of the interview, here.



Now to some randomness, that is rather awesome. My boy Golberg linked to this today on Facebook and when I saw it I knew it was great. I was a big fan of the Muppets when I was a kid and this is a great video that gets pretty much all of them involved. Who doesn't love a little Bohemian Rhapsody?



Well, boys and girls, it's now time for the Nussie Hunter portion of the broadcast. I'll be honest today, I'm letting things go and revealing I'm a sucker for a great Latin woman. Never had one, but wow, they sure as hell trip my trigger. Sofia Vergara is one of the best. She was in an episode of Entourage a couple years back and is just plain hot. I mean, check this pic and decide for yourself. WHOA!!!

Are guys in sports always this clueless?

Welcome back to the Way boys and girls. Had to take a day off to focus on my high school sports writing gig yesterday. Got you a midday edition today.

This week has been one of sports figures acting like the rest of the world is stupid and knows nothing. The first instance is Rick Pitino who is being extorted by a woman that he had an affair with then paid for her abortion.
That point I'm not calling him out on. What I am upset with is his calling out of the media for telling lies which have destroyed his family.
The woman did come to Pitino to get money from the coach, but the FBI is looking into her lying about what she alleges as sexual assault.
Take a look at the story. My problem with it is that the media has to cover it. And the only thing Pitino is yelling about is the medias playing of her disposition tapes. Rick, that's the only thing they have to go with. Well, until you just blasted everyone in your press conference.
They can't just ignore this story. It has to be covered. Maybe if he hadn't slept with this woman, he wouldn't be in this position. (No pun intended, but picture her on the table. Haha)



The other guy that does not have a clue is Milton Bradley, who signed with the Cubs for a ridiculous amount of money this offseason. Let's just say his numbers haven't come close to earning those millions.
He's been hearing from the Cubs faithful more and more lately and he finally fired back in the media, saying Cubs fans are racist.
Someone want to tell this bafoon that passionate fans know when a guy gets big money, he's supposed to come through. When he doesn't, boos follow. Just ask Bill Hall in Milwaukee.
Does he not know what the hell is going on with his season? He's missing it. He says he's never been comfortable at Wrigley Field, which isn't an excuse and he obviously going to get more comfortable when the boo birds rain down on him from all over the stadium.
Well, Bradley now has the Cubs in a spot where they are going to make a decision. One writer at the Tribune says, to let him go.
My take is that while some fans might be racist (that would happen regardless of which team they root for), that's not an excuse to fall back on for playing like crap. Be a man, and own up to it. Excuses from professional athletes to blue collar sports fans is not a good idea. No fan, regardless of where they are, will not sit for that.

Off my soapbox for now and on to some good stuff. First Shaq was on Jimmy Kimmel and played some Scrabble. As you might have guessed some goodness ensues.



I haven't really pushed music on here before, but when I heard this track, it jumped out at me. It's Drake featuring Eminem, Lil Wayne and Kanye West and it' called "Forever." Get on it!



Now to today's Nussie Hunter. I know your girl friend knows who Brody Jenner is. Well, you should know his girl friend, Jayde Nicole. The 2008 Playboy Playmate of the Year is amazing (and yes I follow her on Twitter!). Well, this story I found says she was beat down by Girls Gone Wild founder Joe Francis after she stepped in and threw a drink on him for getting pushy with one of her girl friends. Here's the story. Now take a look at Jayde. I'm not linking to any naked pics, but if you know how to use Google, you can find them.