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September 2008 - Posts
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GREAT
In case you’ve been living in a hole somewhere…the Brewers made the playoffs! After an outstanding performance once again by CC Sabathia, and the winning home-run by Ryan Braun people went crazy! As if Braun wasn’t cute enough, he then had to go and make that play? Phenomenal! Does anyone know if he is married?
Anyway, in case you missed it, thousands of fans showed up to the pep rally celebration sendoff in downtown Milwaukee at the Summerfest grounds this Monday night from 4-8pm. Many of the players showed up to show their excitement and thanks onstage. Read more about it and the wager between the mayor’s of Milwaukee and Philidelphia here.
Congrats guys and good luck in Phili!!! We know you’ll make us proud.
BAD
Ahh the Packers. First I want to update you in case you haven’t heard: Rodgers shoulder has no structural damage, he is practicing, and has every intention of playing this Sunday against Atlanta.
The 30-21 loss to Tampa Bay was a tough one. It just seemed like there were so many opportunities that were missed and mistakes that were made. It was so hard watching Rodgers throw 3 interceptions (especially when Favre threw for 6 TDs this week)! He has been pretty consistent up to this point, and I know I shouldn’t compare him to Favre but it’s hard not to. Another almost appalling statistic is the 28 total rushing yards in 18 attempts for the Packers on the game…I think that speaks for itself.
The defense had a pretty good game picking of 3 balls, especially since they’re playing a lot of the 2nd string including Will Blackmon, Tramon Williams, and Aaron Rouse who have all performed well. There is always room for improvement on the defense’s overall tackling skills though. There are always a few plays where the opponents pick up an extra 10 yards or so on missed tackles.
Injury report (courtesy of packers.com):
In addition to the ones you already knew about… McCarthy reported on Monday that offensive tackle Chad Clifton and defensive end Jason Hunter have hamstring strains, linebacker A.J. Hawk has a groin strain, defensive end Cullen Jenkins has a strained pectoral muscle, safety Aaron Rouse has a sprained knee, and cornerback/returner Will Blackmon has a thigh bruise.
That's in addition to the five other injuries - safety Atari Bigby's hamstring, cornerback Al Harris' spleen, fullback Korey Hall's knee, receiver James Jones' knee and running back Kregg Lumpkin's hamstring - that kept players from suiting up on Sunday. Cornerback Charles Woodson also continues to play on a broken toe that has prevented him from practicing the past three weeks, and safety Nick Collins toughed it out Sunday when his bad back bothered him again.
Well let’s hope they can pull it together for Sunday!
UGLY
Wisconsin opened its Big Ten season play with a sick loss against unranked Michigan in what should have been a pretty secure win for the Badgers. It was such a crazy game to watch!
Leading 19-0 at halftime, Wisconsin recorded five turnovers (three fumble recoveries and two interceptions) in the first half alone, which they converted into 16 points. Phillip Welch made 4 of 5 field goals in the first half, tying a UW record for most field goals in a game. Two of those should have been TDs by the way.
So the lord only knows what happened in the second half when Michigan scored 27 points that went unanswered until there was only 13 seconds left in the game! And as if they didn’t have enough opportunities to score during that game, the fact that it came down to a 2 point conversion botched by a football 101 mistake? Ouch. We are taught in grade school football that a receiver and tight end cannot both line up on the line of scrimmage on the same side in order for that TE to be eligible! I know it was a very quick setup and emotions were high…but that’s when you should make sure to hit those fundamentals.
Well, that’s why they’re playing in college and not the pros yet. They need to learn from their mistakes, capitalize on the ones made by others, and then move past it and get ready for this weekend.
Top reasons to watch sports this week:
5) The now #18 Wisconsin Badgers play #14 Ohio State in WI at 8pm on Saturday night.
Ohio State had a 34-21 victory over Minnesota this past weekend, putting up 414 yards in total offense with the return of Chris “Beanie” Wells, and also showing a strong defense up until the last quarter when they made a number of substitutions. The Badgers will hopefully work on their passing game and come out ready to take it to the house.
4) The Packers might actually get back on track this Sunday. Playing at Lambeau against the 2-2 Atlanta Falcons who also lost to Tampa (24-9), which gives us hope. Will Rodgers be well enough to play or will young QB Flynn have to step in for his first NFL start? Either way it should be fun to watch.
3) Ok there are a lot of great games on this weekend, but I had a dream last night that Cincinnati beat Dallas this Sunday and T.O. started crying. How funny would that be?!? Hey, this is the NFL, anything can happen.
2) The Brewers play Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, AND Sunday! I don’t care what you had planned, if you live in Wisconsin, cancel it and cheer on the Brew Crew!
1) The #1 reason everyone needs to just stayed tuned into sports and relax over the weekend is because I also have a full time job in finance and these markets are killing me! Everyone needs to just chill out and turn on a baseball or football game! :)
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Well if you’re anything like me, you’ve already bought a few pounds of brats and wings, and checked the keg levels for tomorrow’s best match-ups! If you do not yet own a kegerator, it better be because you are either drinking at the actual sporting events, or because you are still in college, in which case a large plastic tub containing a keg will suffice. If you don’t fall into either of those categories, I will remind you that you live in Wisconsin, where we not only encourage the drinking of beer, but also the fact that you should own the proper materials such as large mugs or steins as well.
Get with the program… because it’s another football Saturday!!! I don’t know about you, but these are the games I will be focused on:
11am: Minnesota at Ohio State (14). I know we can all probably predict who will win, but this is a scouting game for us since they’ll be playing the Badgers next Saturday night.
2:30pm: Wisconsin (8) is at Michigan.
6:45pm: Alabama (13) at Georgia (3).
7pm: Illinois (23) at Penn State (15). Go Penn State! We want you to succeed now so it will be that much sweeter when WI beats you on Oct 11th.
I know there are other good games, but these are the ones which involve either WI or 2 top 25 teams against each other.
Let’s talk WI vs. Michigan.
Tomorrow, the 3-0 Badgers face the 1-2 Wolverines for the 62nd time in the schools’ histories. Although the overall series record is 48-12-1 Michigan, with WI winning only 6 of 32 games at Michigan, the Badgers are still favored in this one. Not only does Michigan have new head coach Rich Rodriguez, but they have lost a lot of their 2007 starters, including 4 Heisman candidates (QB Chad Henne, TB Mike Hart, WR Mario Manningham, and OT Jake Long).
I believe it will be a closer game than most people are anticipating. The Badgers need to keep their “1 game at a time” attitude and not think about the big Ohio State and Penn State match-ups ahead. Allan Evridge also needs to be ready to pass the ball again and not rely too much on PJ Hill. Don’t get me wrong, he is a fantastic RB, but Michigan claims to be ready for him. They have used stand-ins Kevin Grady, a 5-9, 228-pounder, and Mike Cox, a 6-foot, 208-pound freshman this week during practice to help the defense prepare to tackle someone of that size.
While the camera guys are busy watching out for the unavoidable WI student shirts that read “Ann Arbor is a *hore,” the WI defense will be keeping an eye on maintaining Michigan’s spread offense. They have had some difficulty with it in the past, but after adding some lateral speed, if linebackers Jaevery McFadden, DeAndre Levy, and Jonathan Casillas can contain the run, the Badgers look to be in a great position to walk away with a victory. 
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I never thought I would ever say this, but Green Bay needs a “diva.”
The NHL has Sean Avery, baseball has Carlos Zambrano and Manny Ramirez, NASCAR has Danika Patrick, soccer has David Beckam, the NBA has Gilbert Arenas and Kobe Bryant, and the NFL has T.O., Favre, and Ocho-Cinco.
Not that I want the Packers to stray from their wholesome team image and have some obnoxious player… I just feel like we need someone who is exciting to watch, and who can get the team AND the fans revved up out there! Especially now, when the Packers keep getting hit with injuries, and following the loss to the Cowboys. Even when a team is losing, one huge play/celebration/effort from any one player on the field can turn the game around.
The last few seasons we had Favre, who looked as excited as a little kid on Christmas day every time he scored a TD! Then there was Reggie White (Minister of Defense), Gilbert Brown (Grave Digger), Frankie Bag a’Doughnuts, and Robert Brooks with his Lambeau Leap and even a theme song to it!
 
We have some great players right now, but someone needs to step up and get these guys excited, whether it be Rodgers, Driver, Woodson, or someone else. Green Bay needs to have a “hometown kind of guy,” the kind of player that you can idolize on the field, yet still picture yourself grabbing a beer with after the game. We need a new “nicknamed” player.
Man law of the day: “Men who aren't diehard fans of at least one NFL team should be looked upon with scorn and suspicion.”
-Man, The Book
**On a completely unrelated note, this past weekend I had the opportunity and the honor to compete in the Miss WI USA Pageant! 500 ladies applied, 45 of us got to compete, and I took 2nd runner-up, yay! Congratulations to the winner, Alexandra Wehrley, who will compete this spring at the Miss USA Pageant hosted by Donald Trump. I know she will make Wisconsin proud!!!
Here is a picture of the top 5 (Alexandra with the crown, I am on her right in the black):
 Picture is property futureproductions.net
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Ladies running around in lingerie tackling each other on national television?
Yes that’s right! You probably all remember the pay per view Super Bowl halftime show in 2004, when 2 teams of models were matched up against each other to battle in out in what was known as the Lingerie Bowl. Well since then it has become so popular that the league is launching a 10 team franchise that is set to play games starting in fall of 2009 (which will air on cable TV no less).
Currently there are just four teams, the Tampa Bay Breeze, Miami Caliente, Los Angeles Temptation, and the Phoenix Scorch. These 4 will go head to head the night before the Super Bowl down in Tampa, FL for Lingerie Bowl VI. You can actually buy tickets to it on their website, www.lingeriebowl.com.
These 4, along with the 6 new teams will then start preparing for the first official 10 game season. Games will be played on Friday nights so they do not interfere with college and pro games… what better way to extend your football weekend? Here's the lineup:
Western Conference Teams: Eastern Conference Teams:
-San Diego Seduction -Chicago Bliss
-Los Angeles Temptation -New England Euphoria
-Seattle Mist -Atlanta Steam
-Phoenix Scorch -Tampa Breeze
-Dallas Desire -Miami Caliente
The more I read about this league, the more I like it! I wonder if I could play for the IWFL in the spring and the LFL in the fall? Of course it is hard to believe that the Lingerie League would be as serious or as competitive as the league I’m in now… but how fun! My question is, would you guys actually come to a game?
I went ahead and sent an email to the “Interested Players” link on the website just in case I decide that it would be a good idea. Can’t hurt right? I’ll keep you updated on how that goes.
The rest of the week:
Brewers are at Cincinnati, Badgers have a bye, and of course, the big Packers/Cowboys game Sunday night. With both teams 2-0 this will be a showdown! I actually had to turn down tickets to the game because Sunday is also the date of this year’s Miss WI USA Pageant…I can’t believe it either. Who schedules these things!?!? I’ll still be watching from a sports bar in Madison though. What’s the prediction?
As much as I love the Packers, and keeping in mind that they have never lost to Dallas at Lambeau, I have to go with the Cowboys winning a close game.
With Woodson and Grant sitting out of practice, even when they do play Sunday I don’t think they’ll be 100%. Our defense still has a few kinks to work out and this doesn’t help.
I hope the Packers prove me wrong though!
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Photo courtesy of ironmanfootballleague.com
The Madison Mustangs men’s semi-pro football team ended their perfect 12-0 season this past Saturday, winning Iron Bowl XII. With a 23-13 victory over the Roscoe Rush, the Mustangs of the Ironman Football League bring another winning football program to Madison, WI.
Also known as “the working-man’s NFL,” the league was started in 1996 by then 20 year old Chris Chudada of Pewaukee. The purpose of the league is to give guys an opportunity to play competitive, professional, organized football in the state of Wisconsin. There are currently 13 teams in 2 conferences with 12 regular season games, the Iron Bowl Championship game, and the All-Star Bowl, which will take place on Saturday, September 20th at Rock County Football Park in Beloit. Kickoff is at 3pm.
Just like our women’s pro league, these guys do not get paid; they play because they love the game. Almost all of them have excelled at the high school level, and quite a few have played at the college, arena, or semi-pro levels. They don’t fool around either. I have met their assistant coach and O-coordinator, Adam Smith, a few times and this guy means business. They would hold scrimmages before our team’s on Sundays in the spring and they are fun to watch. I offered up the idea of having our women’s team (WI Wolves) scrimmage them sometime… he hesitated and then suggested some 7 on 7 instead. I think they’re scared. :)
Either way, congratulations Mustangs (especially to our old line coach, Demetrius Walker)! We look forward to the All-Star Bowl and another winning season in 2009.
For more on the Mustangs and the IFL and how to get involved, check out their sites:
www.madtownmustangs.com and www.ironmanfootballleague.com
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