August 2008 - Posts

• The Best Sporting Event you aren't watching

  Posted Aug 31 2008, 05:05 PM by TheRealBrewersGM

  In looking over my first two blogs I noticed I was missing something in both. My idea in wanting to write this blog was to talk about all sports and look back on great music from the 90's. So I figure now is as good of time as any to start sharing my love of the music from that time. While Labor Day usually signals the end of the summer, I wanted to reminisce about a great summer song from the past. "California Love" took over the number one spot on Billboard's Hot 100 on July 13, 1996. It was Tupac Shakur's most widely known song and biggest commercial hit. The song also featured raps from hip hop legend, Dr. Dre. The song is one of my favorites from Tupac. I find Tupac's music has always crossed all racial and economic lines if people allow themselves to really listen to his message.

  Every year as summer begins to wind down, I always look forward to the last week of August. The final Monday is August is the start of the US Open Tennis Championships in New York. I have been watching the Open for as long as I can remember. The second week of the US Open always brings back one childhood memory for me- my first cup of hot chocolate for the season. There's nothing better on a cool September evening to warm you up. Growing up it would always be hard to watch all the late night tennis due to school starting but I somehow managed to do it and grew to love the sport very deeply.

  It has been harder to get as emotionally wrapped up in the tennis the last few years due to the retirements of Pete Sampras and most recently Andre Agassi in 2006. Agassi was the face for tennis for 20 years.

  Both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have stepped up to become superstars of the sport everywhere in the world, with the exception of the United States. Federer has won 12 Grand Slam titles in his career, including the last four in a row at the US Open. He just recently lost the number one ranking in the world after holding it for a record 237 consecutive weeks. That's every week from February 2, 2004, until August 17, 2008. If you stop and think about that, it is simply and amazing feat to be at the top of whatever you do every week, for four and a half years. Have any of you, yours truly included, ever been the best in the world at something for a week, let alone four and a half years? Federer's accomplishments rank him as arguably the best tennis player of all-time and one of the great athletes of this generation.

  Rafael Nadal is only 22 years old yet he has risen to the top of the sport. He has won the French Open four straight years and has been called The King of Clay. Nadal finally broke through against Federer this year at Wimbledon where the two played the greatest tennis match of all-time. That title was Nadal's first non-clay Grand Slam victory. Nadal followed that up with a gold medal a couple weeks ago at the Olympics. He took over the number one spot in the world from Federer and is looking great at the US Open this year, his first tournament as the number one player in the world.

  Many people overlook tennis as a great sport and take for granted the true athleticism involved in the event. Tennis gives you something that no major sport in the United States does; a one-on-one battle of wills to see who the better player is. Emotions are raw and a rambunctious New York crowd adds to the drama of contests that routinely surpass the three-hour mark. You have to not only be strong physically but mentally as well and one miscue and can lead to an instant meltdown and an eventual defeat.

  The event itself as well as the grounds the event is held on is special in itself. The Billie Jean King National Tennis Center honors a pioneer in both women's athletics and civil rights in this country. The big matches are held inside of Arthur Ashe Stadium. Ashe won the inaugural US Open in 1968 and would later serve as a leader for civil rights around the world. 
  

  If you have never watched tennis closely before, I strongly recommend that you check out either CBS or USA sometime over the next week. You will see great athletes from around the world push each other to limits they have never been pushed to before. The US Open is a true gem on the sports calendar and should be watched and enjoyed by any sports fan.
  

   

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  Filed under: US Open, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Arthur Ashe, Billie Jean King, Tupac Shakur

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• So this is a Pennant Race?

  Posted Aug 27 2008, 12:07 PM by TheRealBrewersGM

  I have to say I am thoroughly enjoying this Brewers season. It feels different than the last few, mainly due in part to a certain left-handed pitcher that should get serious consideration for the Cy Young award no matter if he's only a National Leaguer for a half season or not. That, however, is another discussion for another time.

  Seeing as though I'm still six months shy of turning 30 (the world doesn't really end at 30, does it?), this is the first time I've been able to live the emotions of a pennant race. Sorry, I don't count last year as being in a pennant race. The Crew was scuffling down the stretch and even though the Cubs wanted to give us the division, the Brewers wanted no part of it.

  This, of course, is a new year and a new team. I don't watch the Brewers on a nightly basis hoping for a win; I expect solid pitching and defense, big bats to score a lot of runs and wins to pile up one after another. 90 wins is not only a possibility, the season would now be considered a disappointment if the Brewers don't get there.

  The Brewers had perhaps their best all-around game of the season last night with their 12-0 dismantling of the Cardinals. There has been no greater sign to me this season that the Brewers are poised for a playoff run than their performance last night. On the flip side of that, the Brewers do have the potential to lay a giant egg tonight and leave town with a split. Even if that were to happen, they will still sit in the same position they did before last nights game but with two fewer games for the Cardinals to make up any ground.

  This is going to be an unforgettable September in Milwaukee and specifically at Miller Park. There are 16 home games scheduled for September and thanks to my season ticket package and work schedule, I'll be lucky enough to attend 14 of those games. I'll also be there for the last three of the season against the Cubs. No, I didn't sell my tickets for the July series against the Cubbies and I sure as hell won't do it for the last series of the season. And if you happened to do that or will do that at the end of September, you are in no way a real Milwaukee Brewers fan. I don't care how much you are offered, it can in no way match the emotions you experience when being at the games for yourself.

  For those interested, I will be acquiring the full package of playoff tickets for the Brewers. That includes tickets to every playoff home game for as long as the Brewers are alive and parking passes for each game as well. The most important game for me to attend is the first home game for the Crew. I can't imagine the feelings I will have being inside of Miller Park for the first playoff game in Milwaukee in over a generation. I get goose bumps just thinking about it. I am willing to sell ticket for the remaining games however for those that might be interested. I won't accommodate any non-Brewers fans but everyone else is more than willing to share in the playoff experience. Don't worry; I'm not one to scalp tickets for an outrageous price. It isn't about the money with me. It's about being at Miller Park and sharing in a moment in time that I will treasure and keep with me for as long as I watch baseball, the game I love so dearly.

  I was lucky enough to be a teenager in Green Bay when the Packers won the Super Bowl in 1997. I still remember clearly the entire night. I watched the game at home, enjoyed a great steak dinner at halftime, swelled with pride as Reggie White carried the Lombardi Trophy around the Superdome and had many unforgettable memories later that night as I celebrated the victory at Lambeau Field with a group of friends. So with that being said, enjoy the next month baseball fans. Enjoy it for the highs and the lows. Ride the rollercoaster of emotions that September is going to bring you. It will be a special time in your lives and something you will hold onto the memory of for the rest of your lives.

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  Filed under: Milwaukee Brewers, Green Bay Packers

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• Drinking at the Bubbler and The Dream Team vs. The Redeem Team

  Posted Aug 24 2008, 04:38 AM by TheRealBrewersGM

  Hello, everyone! Welcome to Sports Nirvana. I thought before I get into any hardcore writing that I should tell you a bit about myself and my likes and dislikes in the world of sports. I was born and raised in Green Bay, so it'll be pretty easy to figure out where my loyalties lie in the NFL. And for those still unsure, they lay with the Packers...not Brett Favre. I grew up a Brewers fan as well but once the Seligs ran the franchise into the ground in the late 90's, I lost interest. I returned to the Crew in 2004 when a young infielder named Bill Hall brought passion, hard work and excitement to the game that I hadn't seen in Milwaukee in several years. I moved to Milwaukee on New Year's Day 2005, and I've been a Brewers' season ticket holder ever since. Needless to say, it looks like a good time to be a season ticket holder and have a guaranteed spot for playoff baseball.

  When approached to start my own blog, I was asked if I wanted a Packers specific blog or something more general. One thing you will quickly learn about me is that I'm a sports junkie. It is my drug, I'm addicted and I love it. I can't get enough and it doesn't matter the sport. From football to baseball, tennis to beach volleyball. If it's on, I'm watching or following along on my phone getting updates whenever possible.

  Other passions in my life include World War 2 history, my family's genealogy and 90's music. Having been born in 1979, I had a front row seat in my teens for the greatest decade of music in history. Although I didn't enjoy all the music at the time, I have since learned to enjoy and respect the musical talent and diversity that the 90's held. I combined that love of music with my love of sports and here you are at Sports Nirvana.

  As I write this, my clock reads 1:20 AM and I'm staying up late to watch the Gold Medal game of Men's Basketball. Spain will take on the current version of NBA All-Stars dubbed The Redeem Team. Their success has got me looking back and yearning for the original group of US Men's Basketball...The Dream Team. That team, of course, competed in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. I have heard many people comparing the current team to the group from '92 and some have even said that this incarnation of talent is better than the group that took the court in Barcelona.

  The Dream Team featured players that are still household names; Jordan, Magic, Bird and Barkley. 10 of the 12 players were named to the NBA's list of the 50 Greatest Players. The team featured Patrick Ewing and David Robinson, two of the best centers ever. Christian Laettner was the lone college player represented on the team. John Stockton, Scottie Pippen, Chris Mullin, Karl Malone and Clyde Drexler rounded out the squad.

  Larry Bird was the only player you could say was past his prime. Although Magic Johnson had been out of the game for a year due to acquiring HIV, he was still at the top of his game both physically and mentally. The rest of the team was full of players in their prime and at the peak of their games. The Dream Team won their games by an average of almost 44 points a game and was never seriously challenged. It was their involvement in the Olympics that served as the starting point for the rest of the world to improve in basketball.

  The rest of the world built on those Olympics and eventually got to the point where they defeated future US Basketball teams. However, don't confuse those games with having anything to do with other countries having superior talent to the US. The US team has always had and will always have superior talent in basketball. That talent does not only translate into great or even good teams. A once great team turned into 12 individuals with 12 separate agendas and it was only a matter of time before teams around the world, that played team basketball, would catch and pass the US.

  The Redeem Team is led by Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. Their one goal was to restore the United States back to basketball excellence. The team is thin in the frontcourt only having Dwight Howard, Chris Bosh and Carlos Boozer as legitimate power forwards or centers. Jason Kidd is the elder statesman of the group in a team rounded-out by 20-somethings Deron Williams, Michael Redd, Dwight Howard, Chris Bosh, Chris Paul, Tayshaun Prince and Carmelo Anthony.

  This is an outstanding group of young talent and may even be more athletic than their 1992 counterparts. However, I give the edge to The Dream Team in every other aspect of the game: ball handling and movement, shooting, defense and basketball IQ. The Dream Team had more depth in the frontcourt and the ultimate winner in Michael Jordan. The Redeem Team could have 12 Kobe Bryants but as long as The Dream Team had Jordan to lead the rest of the team, they wouldn't lose to anyone, anyplace.

  The US just beat Spain in a thrilling gold medal game, 118-107. It was definitely a game that I'm glad I stayed up to watch and enjoy. The Redeem Team did their job and brought the gold back to the United States. However, as great as this team was, nothing can ever compare to the original. The phrase "once in a lifetime" truly does apply to The Dream Team and we will never see another team like that ever again.
   

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  Filed under: Olympics

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