WW 193: Roadtrip can still be salvaged in Miami for Brewers

First off, I know I've been gone for a while. I've been writing some freelance high school baseball stuff for another Web site and doing it in the time I would have normally posted on here. So, I have a free night and figured I'd get back to updating things on "The Way."


After losing two of three games in Cincinnati this week, all the talk surrounding the Brewers is that the team can't win on the road. Well, they can't win in Great American Ballpark to save themselves, going just 2-12 in the last two years. Those are just awful numbers and may be playing mind tricks on the team. It was something the guys on 540 ESPN's D-List talked about with Tom Haudricourt a week or so ago and kind of makes sense in that the guys end up trying too hard. In baseball, you can't do that much if at all because it shows and works against you.
Looking at what is coming up in Florida against the Marlins, all is not lost and they could put some things together to get home with a .500 road trip when it is all said and done. Randy Wolf goes Friday and we should expect Wil Nieves to get the nod behind the plate. With him back catching Wolf, the lefty has allowed just seven hits in the two games. Ricky Nolasco is a guy the Brewers usually hit pretty well, so I'm not worried about how things shake out there.
On Saturday, Yovani Gallardo looks to follow up another gem last Sunday when he pushed his record to 7-2 on the years and watched his ERA drop to 3.89 on the season. Yo was the pitcher of the month for May and seems to have put the hiccups (that's what I'll call them) behind him in the last two weeks of April. Ricky Volstad didn't walk a bunch of guys in his last outing, but got rocked by the Diamondbacks and lasted just 3 1/3 innings. The Brewers offense should be able to deliver something similar. He's just 2-4 with a 5.91 ERA, too, so I see the bats having a chance to come around.
Sunday's game is the one with the biggest chance for a Brewers loss, in my eyes, with Chris Narveson going against Anibal Sanchez. Narvey has been bitten by one bad inning again this season, especially lately. Sanchez has been dominant of late, including his last outing where he went eight inning and gave up six hits and K'd eight.
Finally, on Monday Zack Greinke gets the nod and we are all still waiting for the dominant Zack to show his form. As it's noted in the MLB story I got the probables from, the Brewers are 5-1 in games he starts, so it seems even if he's just slightly above average, they play well behind the guy.
I know I focused a lot on the pitching, but it wasn't that bad in the two losses early in the week. If the offense can find a way to tack on the runs late in the game Wednesday, they win the game and the late rally means nothing. It's what they did Tuesday in earning the win and snuff out any chance of a comeback the Reds seem to have in close games there against the Crew.
Corey Hart continues to be hot at the plate despite his bout with dehydration and some are even hinting of a move for him to the No. 5 spot behind Ryan and Prince as opposed to in front of them. I'm not sure if that means going with Gomez and Morgan in front of them full-time. If so, I'm not sure I'm behind that. Gomez has done some good things and I'm not sure a platoon in the No. 2 hole is a good idea.


Just a short bit on the NBA Finals as it's on in the background behind me. I picked the Heat to win in six, but was hoping for some fight from the Mavericks. Through the first half, they are shooting much better and should be in this in the end. Hope they can steal this one and head to Dallas.
I'm loving the word that Cavs fans are printing up shirts and getting behind the Mavs. I say I love it because it's so comical, but I'm not sure I would be proud of the fact you are rooting against one man. I know he burned you, but get over it.

Now it's time for the Nussie Hunter. I good friend of mine got married over the weekend and when I saw the news Tony Romo did, as well, I couldn't resist to have more fun with Candace Crawford. Burlington's favorite native son has surely done himself well. She's amazing. I'm not behind the fact people are ripping him for having a bridal registry that included $10 and $20 items. Not everyone he knows is rich. Give him a break there. Makes complete sense. Anyway, here's Candace. Enjoy!

Fixing the Bears: What's the biggest key?

Two days removed now from Jay Cutler's historic interception fest with DeAngelo Hall and things are starting to come out about what the Bears saw and why they went after the former Falcons and Raiders DB.
Mike Martz told WBBM Chicago Hall just "guessed" and they had planned on going after him all game coming in and he guessed right throughout the second half.
Well, that's all fine and dandy, but I guess Jay must have gotten shell shocked with what what going on after the first couple that he could not make the adjustments in his head and make better throws when the rush was around him.
Martz does not throw Cutler under the bus in the interview, and actually talks him up.
Things are pretty clear though heading into the bye week for the Bears. They are ranked No. 5 in total defense and No. 30 in offense. That's why they are 4-3 and still in first place of the NFC North.
Going forward, things need to get better. If there is a way to cinch up the offensive line, that needs to be done. Mike Tice (yes former Vikings coach) runs that unit and to be honest, he's kind of in the same boat as Brewers manager Ken Macha was with pitching. There isn't much help there to work with and guys are just being taken to task. It's not so much they are missing one or two fundamental keys they can work on, it's much more than that with this crew.
But I look back at the Carolina game when the Bears HAD to run the football to get ahead and rely on Matt Forte to get them where they wanted to go. Well, with Jay back from injury, they went right back to a 65-35 pass-run split and at time forgot they had he and Chester Taylor in the backfield. It's been rather disappointing at times. The line showed, if for just a little bit, they could run block. So maybe they need to build some confidence that way and it will lend itself to the pass blocking. I"m just thinking out loud here.
The schedule doesn't lend itself to much more time to figure this out and the losses could start to pile up if things continue to go south in the second half of the season.


Now to turn attention to my other favorite sports team, the Brewers. Word from my guy Tom Haudricourt, is that the Crew has narrowed its list of candidates from eight to four. Only two of the four finalists are known, at the moment, though with White Sox bench coach Joey Cora (above) among them. The other is former D-Backs manager and current Mets scout Bob Melvin (below).
Since we know just two guys, I'm going to talk about those two, one of which I'm pretty high on, the other I'm kind of lukewarm on.
Cora would be coming from Chicago where he has seen how Ozzie Guillen has handled the Sox the last few years. Say what you will about Ozzie, but I'd guess those guys in the clubhouse love him because he gets every single one of those guys as players and can relate to them (after they figure out what he's saying, of course). Cora likely plays a big role in that, too, just a few years removed from being a player himself. That might be the one thing missing with Macha. The guys didn't really get along with him in the clubhouse and didn't really have his back. Makes it rather hard for guys to get motivated after he says something they don't find much sense in.
On the Melvin side, he has been away from the game a bit and his last stint at manager ended with him getting fired into a season and did not really show much after some of his talent went away. I know a coach and manager is only as good as what is around him, but it kind of shows what he really meant for the team: not much.
I'd almost lean toward the fresh face to breathe some life into the position and let the young players flourish. We went the old manager and bringing them back into the game before and he didn't really sync up with Ryan and Prince and it ended badly here. The second interviews are going down as we speak in Milwaukee and GM Doug Melvin, Asst. GM Gord Ash and owner Mark Attanasio are working on the matter. I'm hoping they make the right decision.


Today is opening night in the NBA boys and girls. To be real, I'm not really that into the NBA (but I could go for a game of the new NBA Jam about now). There is one storyline I am watching though, and that is how LeBron James and the Heat will fair this season and how will they be perceived. Early on it looks like the "Evil Empire of the Association" has been born. But with Dwyane Wade and King James being two of the biggest names in the game and with big endorsers, Nike and Jordan can't sit back and let their names be tarnished for long. I'm sure you've seen the ads by now, but here they are for D3 and King James.


And now King James:


We're pretty ACTION PACKED today, but I have one more thing before we get to the Nussies. Today, Oct. 26, 2010, is the 25th anniversary to the date in the first Back to the Future that Doc Emmit Brown is at Twin Pines Mall and has a run in with some Pakistanis. I encourage you to watch it if you call yourself a fan. I know I will be! GREAT SCOTT!

Alright, time for the Nussie Hunter portion of the broadcast. I was on the subject of Jay Cutler earlier and it's well known now that he is dating former The Hills star Kristin Cavallari. Well, she posted on her Twitter the other day that the two of them carved pumpkins. Be sure to check out the photo here (Shouts to BearsGoggleson.com).
I figure since we put one side of the couple at the top of the page, why not put the side you and me would rather look at, here. Then check out more pics of her, here.

A year of Wilber's Way: Of course we back MJ!

It's been a year since I went from standard sports nerd who would bicker to anyone who listened to a sports nerd with his own .com. It's hard to believe, but I have a couple special treats and thank-yous for you the fans that have made this space both a success and a blast for me to pen when I've gotten a chance in the past year.


I have to start the day with a discussion on Michael Jordan's comments regarding LeBron James and the trio that has formed in Miami. If you haven't read the comments, be sure to check them out, here.
Now before everybody jumps and asks what does MJ have to do with any of this, let me say he's one of the greats, of course some guy with a microphone on NBC is going to ask.
But I want to look at what he's saying for a minute. Michael is one of the fiercest competitors out there. And as he said he would have never called up Larry or Magic to join forces. And while it wasn't just him that won those six NBA titles, when the game was on the line, everyone, including Scottie, deferred to him to deliver. Then when MJ gave it up to Paxson, B.J. or Steve Kerr, they delivered.
I know you're thinking that Michael didn't speak up when Karl Malone and Gary Payton went to play for the Lakers. But look where they were in their careers. Both were in the twilights of it all and came on as role players to help Kobe. You almost wanted to see them win it.
And what about KG, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce in Boston? KG had suffered for years in Minnesota, getting one real legit run with Sam Cassel and Latrell Spreewell. And Ray made noise in Milwaukee with the Bucks in 2001, but nothing before getting dealt to the Sonics and was looking for something big. It made sense and you felt for all three guys. Especially after the Celtics lost out on the No. 1 pick in the draft months prior to Danny Ainge making the trades to get that team together.
This Heat team is different, LeBron is coming off back-to-back MVP seasons and Dwyane Wade carried the team to an NBA title a couple years back. He just needed help. So he goes and gets Chris Bosh, who has not even played in a playoff game, as an inside presence, and said two-time MVP. It seems to me like LeBron doesn't want to be "the guy" when it matters and will defer to Wade in the crunch time. Now Bosh is no Magic or Bird, but Wade and James are two of the top three players in the NBA right now. Some compare it to the AAU mentality that a lot of the guys have in the league today, and I see it. Most of the top teams have ridiculous names on the same team because they are friends. It's not something we've seen in the NBA, EVER.
I guess we'll just have to wait and see if it's the move that will get the Heat many titles, not just one.

OK, moving on to some fun stuff as part of the year-celebration, I found this picture of Carl Pavano growing his mustache.


Now I'm all about a guy growing his mustache out as part of the team, but Jimmy Traina at SI.com's Hot Clicks does not even mention John Axford, who saved yet another game tonight for the Brewers after taking over for the all-time saves leader, Trevor Hoffman.


Decide for yourself which is better, but I'm going with the Ax!

Alright, now for the REALLY good stuff as part of the year celebration, the Nussie Hunter has not one, but two Nussies for your enjoyment.
The first is Anna Kournikova, who threw out the first pitch at a Cardinals game a couple days ago. I'm the farthest thing from a Cards fan, but she looks great in pig tails and the jersey, if I must say so. You can see more here.


Alright, now the second Nussie of the day has been all over the dude sites the past couple weeks and next month with grace the pages the Playboy. If you don't know her yet in America, you need to. Her name is Kelly Brook and she really hasn't done anything than be a WAG, but she looks damn good in a bikini, as you can see below. And check out a ton more, here!

In it for titles or just for the money King James?

At this point I'm not sure where LeBron is leaning or what the latest report from some ESPN knucklehead has him going, but I know this, it is a downright joke what this whole NBA free agency thing has turned into. I'm not the biggest NBA fan in the slightest sense (Had you talked to me in 1998 when a certain No. 23 was playing it would be a different story), but I know the teams on the radar are at various ends of the spectrum.
Cleveland is near his childhood home and the place where he is looked at like a God, so I don't see how that can be too far down the list of places for him to go. It is also, in the way the NBA does things, the place that can give him the most money. I don't know enough about the cast LeBron has there, but the Cavs did fall in the Eastern semis last year and didn't really put up much of a fight in getting knocked out the last two seasons so it's safe to say LeBron will need them to get him some help.
The Bulls are on the list and in the news that Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade signed with Miami went out and got Carlos Boozer today as their big man. So, mark that off the list of potential pickups for the Cavs and put it in the category of a maybe for the Bulls. As an outsider, I can't see how he can't play there. You have to remember that LeBron, like me, idolizes Michael Jordan and went so far as to change his number for the upcoming season, giving up that No. 23 in favor of No. 6 because he didn't think any player should wear it because of MJ. Keep the "Michael's shadow" stuff out of it for that factor and with the argument that every storied franchise has to have a line of great players. Plus, Michael owns the Bobcats now.
The Knicks did sign Amar'e Stoudamire, but I'm  not sold that makes them much better. Phoenix tried everything in its power to trade him off in recent years and no one would take him. Plus with D'Antoni in NY the only defense being played at the Garden will be that of courtside security. That's not LeBron's style.
New Jersey thinks it's in the race because they have money and Jay-Z. Well, I'm going to make this fact known, Jay-Z owns 1 more percent of the Nets than me. Note: I don't own ANY part of the Nets. So I'm not sure what he will get LeBron, either.
It comes back to Cleveland or Chicago for me. Chris Broussard of that lame four-letter network said this morning Miami was the front runner, but I'm not sure I can buy that. Yes it's a big three, but why wouldn't they have done everything today in terms of announcing where he was signing. It makes no sense to me in that way.
If he goes to New York or New Jersey, it will be completely about the money and I will lose a lot of faith in what LeBron is trying to do as a player in the NBA. Is he in it for money or winning titles? Both of those teams WILL NOT COME CLOSE TO WINNING A TITLE THIS SEASON! That is a fact.
Cleveland is his home team, so I can't fault him for staying there and I can almost see him taking less money to allow the team to go get a free agent. Chicago is the team that shows the most upside to me and allows him to play his true position and step in and roll. Going to either one of those teams seems like LeBron has his head on straight.
If you tell me it's all about marketing in NY and NJ, you're nuts. What didn't LeBron get in Cleveland that he didn't get in NY in that regard? The only reason he leaves, I feel, is if he sees nothing is going to come around in terms of the front office getting him a supporting cast that would allow him to shine and win an NBA title.


If you're a Brewers fan and have any sort of connections on Facebook or Twitter, you probably already saw that picture there today, but it is begging for me to talk about it.
Adam McCalvy has the details on what the new scoreboard, which I was told will cost $12 million by a Miller Park tour guide earlier this year, will be like next season.
For those, like the Brewers Bar here, who think it is a bit too much, are forgetting a key in what the Brewers brass are doing.
First, that money comes from the stadium fund from the five counties and the sales tax collected, so don't say they should use the money to buy players just yet. Also, it's been in the works for a couple years. Have you seen the current video board? It's antiquated and will not get a tune up this year with the new toy looming for the offseason.
Second, Miller Park has been on the front end of MLB stadiums and pro sports stadiums since it was built. This is the next step in keeping it among the best. Back in the County Stadium days the black and white video board was top of the line for about a month before color was the order of the day and it never got updated. So get the park 1080p and Hi-Def that makes it one of three MLB parks and five professional venues in the country to have one and it is among the elite.
Just look around baseball, like Yankee Stadium, and there isn't much it has that Miller Park doesn't. If anything, Miller Park's roof (minus the leaks) make it the one thing other parks should have. I have been to other parks and back in Milwaukee we have a gem. And I'm not just saying that because I've been to almost 70 games in the last three years at Miller Park. I'd rather they upgrade instead of letting it rot away.


Now finally something we can all agree on. Not sure how many of you have been following the World Cup, but the final is set and it is going to be Spain and the Netherlands. That means Paraguay is out of it. That's disappointing because Larissa Raquelme said she'd run naked through her home country with just body paint covering her if her team won the title. Well, if only you could see the disappointment on my face seeing that she will not be running through the streets with body point. Here's a link to some great photos and a sampling below.

Could a win this week take Lovie off the hot seat?

Yep, it's officially Bears/Packers weekend. I can honestly say it's like two teams and fan bases going in complete opposite directions. The Packers have won four straight games and are now 8-4 while the Bears are struggling at 5-7 and have only beaten the Browns and the Rams since early October.
The question going into this game - Not whether Aaron Rodgers should rock that mustache year round even though I think he should! - is whether Lovie Smith can save his job with a win this week against the hated rival.
My answer to that question is that I'm not so sure one way or another. But I will say this, I don't think Lovie should go anywhere anyway.
Yes this is the third straight year the team has not made the playoffs, but this is a year different than the last two. The offense seems to have a piece in place to build around in the form of Jay Cutler.
My take on the matter is this, a strong showing this Sunday on the Lakefront, regardless of win or lose, will help Lovie keep his job. I'm still sold that Ron Turner will be out as offensive coordinator and someone will be brought in to work with Jay. General Manager Jerry Angelo will make this a priority in the offseason, even without draft picks as he needs to get offensive line help and a No. 1 receiver threat.
You'll give Lovie a pass on the defense because when Urlacher went down, the team didn't have a player that could step into that role. The only thing missing is someone to play the strong safety spot that will allow Peanut Tillman to be his usual ball-hawking self.
But to this game. If you saw my picks yesterday (just scroll down if you came right to the homepage and didn't follow a direct link) I did pick the Bears and if they win it will be a close one. The Packers though, are playing much better ball and have the confidence going in their favor. If the Bears can get pressure on Aaron Rodgers (and his lack of 'stache) they will have a chance. They might need to get something big out of Devin Hester and Johnny Knox on special teams to turn field position and give Jay and Co. a short field.
The Packers defense does fly all over the field, however, and that presents a problem to this Bears offensive line that couldn't stop a pack of chihuahuas from attacking Jay.
That said, my pick is simple (DUH!) Bears win this one if they keep the scoring down, 17-14.



Alright, I don't do a lot with the NBA on these pages, but was reading some nonsense today. And NBA fans are just lame. Houston Rockets guard Tracy McGrady is on pace to start the All-Star game. OK, that's fine, but he hasn't played a single second this season. How is that possible? So lame.
Let's give a couple guys that need to plea their case a shot at the big game. Amar'e Stoudamaire put together this video.



The Cleveland Cavs aren't making a case for the All-Star game, but they are paying tribute to Michael Jackson. Thought this was pretty funny! LeBron and Shaq make this awesome!



Alright, time for the Nussie Hunter portion of today's broadcast. A little bit of an unknown, but I'm pretty sure you'll want to remember her name for later ;) Ha! This little redhead is making a name for red heads everywhere with her awesomeness. Her name is Tiffany Ryan. She's done some Playboy stuff, but we don't put that here. Umm, just look for yourself at these and THOSE!

Looking to give the "Perfect Blog" today

Well, this afternoon was a perfect one for Mark Buehrle and the Chicago White Sox. Of course, I was doing other things at the office, but when word came over he was into the eighth with a perfect game in tact, I was glued to the Game Tracker, then the radio in the car outside of the office (Yes, 670 AM The Score reaches West Bend).

I tuned in just in time to hear Dewayne Wise make a home-run stealing catch on Gabe Kapler's shot to left center field. It sounded good when I heard it, but after seeing it, I knew it was crazy. Wow. The story is every perfect game and no-hitter seems to have a defensive play that is amazing and that fit the bill in this one.

Here's your comb around the Interweb for some stories on the gem of a game pitched by the somehow underappreciated southpaw. Mike Bauman talks just about that fact here and this one talks about Mark getting a call from Chicagoan who just happens to be President, Barack Obama.
Those are on MLB.com, these are on ESPNChicago.com. Nick Friedell writes how the scene was (obviously) wild at U.S. Cellular Field and this story looks back at his first career no-hitter in the bigs, back on April 18, 2007.
Finally, here's a look back at all the perfect games in MLB history as this was the first in 10 years. It was also the first no-hitter of the 2009 season. Here's a look back at the rest of the no-hitters in MLB history.

Yesterday, the main feature here was the Lebron dunk video and, to be honest, it was such a disappointment. So lame. Well, Ebaumsworld.com got a much clearer one. Same play, just as lame. Was reading a story on SI.com on the matter of confiscating the tapes and what it does for LeBron and I might agree with him a little bit. Take a read for yourself.
Here's the new dunk video:



Another great video today that I found today on SI.com's Hot Clicks, one of my usual spots, is this Joe Flacco NFL.com "Fantasy Files" They had the same feature last year. Take a look at some of the best here.



OK boys and girls, I've told you before I was a big fan of Entourage and this week's episode was a damn good one. But apparently Seth Rogen didn't get the joke. He's pissed about Turtle and the gang making fun of his fatness and looks. Here's the story.

While I'm on the subject of Entourage, I always have to make time to mention Sloan, or Emmanuelle Chriqui, who is one of my favorites on the show. Apparently Perry Reeves really likes her breasts. And well, how can you not? That folks, is our Nussie Hunter for the day!



A programming note for you: Tomorrow I'm covering baseball all day and won't have time to get a post in for sure. So might have a 3-day weekend as I make a trip back to Cuba City to handle some business and then see some friends. Keep looking for some great web knowledge.

So this is what all the fuss was about?!

Who is that player above? For those of you that don't know that is Jordan Crawford and he is involved in one of the biggest sports scandals in recent memory (Brett Favre please stay away).
He is the basketball player that dunked on LeBron James back at his basketball camp a couple weeks back and all the tapes of the incident had since been confiscated by Nike and LeBron.
Well TMZ.com bought the tape and debuted it today. It's kind of grainy and reminds me of the Zapruder tape shot on the grassy knoll that fateful day in Dallas the day President Kennedy was killed.
Either way, it is good to finally see some tape. Here it is for you to judge for yourself. I want to hear what you guys think. Be sure to leave a comment or E-mail me.


OK, now that we've moved on from that incident, it's time to move on with something more in-season like baseball. Conducting my daily reading today and SI.com unveiled it's list of 100 best players in MLB today. One look at it and two Brewers are in the top 13 as both Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun check in at No. 11 and No. 13.



Also worth a mention for the Brewers is Yovanni Gallardo who makes the list at No. 97. Good recognition for the Crew as they press to make the playoffs for the second straight season.
On the list as a whole, I'd say it is pretty right on. I'd like to say I know everything about every baseball player, but I have my own sports coverage to study and aside from my guys in fantasy baseball, I can't study everyone. So, if you take a peak at the list, let me know who you think should make it. I don't really have a problem with no additional Brewers on the list. I'd imagine Trevor Hoffman is somewhere in the next 20 or 25 players.
The No. 1 player on the list is Albert Pujols and I don't think many would have a problem with him hold that spot. Heck, he's been the driving force to my fantasy team this year that is is first place.

In some other sports stories I'm following, the Erin Andrews story continues to draw headlines. The New York Post posted stills from the video in Tuesday's paper and on their site. Well, I still won't get anywhere near the video because it's just damn wrong. ESPN (while I ripped them yesterday) followed with a ban from any of their employees on their outlets.

Now these last two items aren't sports, they are something I'm high on which is the "Pussification of America." It was discussed on the Covino and Rich Show yesterday (During Pussification Tuesday) that Miley Cyrus is being sued in a class action lawsuit by some Asian woman for (get ready) $4 Billion. Whoa! Here's the picture. Not how almost everyone in the pic is squinting their eyes. This is the lamest thing I've ever heard in my life. Does anyone get a damn joke anymore? Damn people! Here's a link to U.S. News and World Report that basically laughs at this lady.



OK boys, it's Nussie Hunter time. Today is a Hometown Hotties edition. I got the new Maxim yesterday and this month they have all 100 of the semifinalists in the competition. Two of the 100 are from Wisconsin and I say we get behind them. There were 14 that made the competion on some level, but these two made it through to the final 100.
First up is Tanya from Sussex. And Megan from Verona. Be sure to check out both pages and watch their videos. Both seem like great girls. Not going to say which one I like more to poison the sample here, but take a look for yourself with a double dose today. And don't forget to vote both of them into the finals on Maxim.com.

First up is Tanya from Sussex



Megan from Verona