Tag Archives: Badgers

Merry Christmas…

January 6, 2015 – 6:51 pm

…and Happy New Year!

Santa delivered a big win for a much needed bye week in the NFC North Division Championship Game against the Detroit Lions. That was followed up by a Barry Alverez lead Badgers football team’s upset of Auburn in the Outback Bowl on New Years day. Then the Dallas Cowboys took care of business in the first round of the playoffs and punched their ticket for a rematch of the Ice Bowl (yeah, I said it) this Sunday. Marquette’s Men’s Basketball team has been a pleasant surprise, and the Badger’s Men’s team has been holding it’s own. Sorry I haven’t been following them as closely as I should, but I will once the NFL season is over and we head into the sports doldrums and count down the days to the NCAA Tournament.

And don’t forget about the Bucks, who have already won more games this season than they did the entire last year. I’m not sure when Brewers pitchers and catchers report, but before you know it we’ll be listening to the dulcet tones of Bob Ueker coming from sunny Arizona while we dream of warmer days at Miller Park.

And just a quick note on the passing of Stuart Scott. I didn’t know the man personally, but I did invite him into my living room nearly every night on SportsCenter. He and Rich Eisen were often much more entertaining than the highlights that were played. By all indications, he was a decent guy with a great sense of humor, and more importantly, a very loving father. Where ever you are Mr. Scott, I hope the pillows are as cool on the other side as they are here.

By andylwellman | Posted in Andy Wellman, Green Bay Packers, Marquette Golden Eagles, Milwaukee Brewers, UW Badgers | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

From the Penthouse to the Outhouse

February 4, 2014 – 2:19 pm

With the latest NFL season now officially in the books, the annual sports doldrums are set to begin. While the NBA (which really doesn’t get interesting until the playoffs) and the NHL (which as a fan of sports in Wisconsin I REALLY have no vested interest in) seasons are currently ongoing, my personal interest begins to shift toward NCAA Basketball. The next big thing on the annual sporting calendar is March Madness, and how our four Division IA teams will fair.

Which brings me to the UW Men’s team. I can’t remember a more precipitous plunge in the rankings by one of these teams than what has happened to the Badgers over the last month. From at one point getting off to the best start, 16-0, in school history and being ranked as high as 3rd in the country, to losing 5 of 6 and completely dropping out of the rankings just boggles my mind. From getting some solid wins against quality opponents to losing at home to unranked conference rivals, it’s been the tale of two seasons so far. Now, how that will transfer to post season success, if they even have a post season, I can’t say. It will have to go down as one of the most disappointing performances that I can remember.

By andylwellman | Posted in Andy Wellman, UW Badgers | Also tagged , , | Comments (0)

Just A Few Thoughts

January 24, 2014 – 12:49 am

Here are a couple of topics that I was thinking about today. I won’t go into much detail about them, as I’m not very knowledgeable about them, and I also thought that it might be a way to spark some conversation in the comments sections.

First, the University of Wisconsin Men’s Basketball team. What the heck happened? The last time I wrote about them, they were 16-0 and off to the best start in school history. Since then they’ve lost 3 straight, including one at home, and have fallen in the rankings from 3rd to 9th. I hope I didn’t jinx them, but they’ve gone from nearly no national coverage when they were doing well, to everyone wondering if they were just lucky to start out the season so well. Should we be concerned about the rest of the season for the Badgers?

Second, the Milwaukee Brewers signed free-agent RHP Matt Garza to a 4 year, $52 million deal pending a physical. He was 10-6 last year with a 3.82 ERA while playing for both the Cubs and the Rangers. He has had some injury issues, but does appear to fair better in the National League. He gives up his fair share of homers, which could troublesome in Miller Park, but he doesn’t walk many, so that helps to limit the damage done by the gopher ball. How does this affect the outlook for the 2014 Brewer’s season?

Third, today ESPN declared that the Milwaukee Bucks were the worst run franchise in professional sports. That seems a little hard to believe when you consider the likes of the Cleveland Browns and the Florida Marlins (I can’t think of an NHL example, as I’m REALLY clueless about that league). Why are they the worst, and what needs to be done to change that?

So there we have some talking points. Feel free to comment, or write an entire post if you wish.

By andylwellman | Posted in Andy Wellman, Bucks, Milwaukee Brewers, UW Badgers | Also tagged , , , , , | Comments (2)

It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

March 22, 2013 – 12:57 pm

As I was saying to my Brother at BW3’s, amongst the beer and deep fried pickles, yesterday (and today) constitute one of the three best days in the sports calendar. Along with the Superbowl and Sunday at the Masters, the opening round (I still don’t consider the play in games as the first round) of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament are the most enjoyable sporting days of the year. And as fans of Wisconsin sports, we’ve been very fortunate in March. Both the Badgers and Golden Eagles have been annual contenders for going on a decade and a half now, and add to that the occasional appearance by UWGB and UW Milwaukee gives us all a lot to root for. Filling out brackets and settling in for an entire day of exciting college basketball action has become a right of Spring, and is as eagerly anticipated as Christmas morning.

Marquette gave as a heart stopping, bracket saving win yesterday, and today it is Bo Ryan and the Badgers turn. I have Wisconsin in the Sweet Sixteen and the Golden Eagles in the Elite Eight. So now I get ready to strap it on for another day of great company, thrilling wins and bracket busting loses. Here’s to hoping your having as much fun as I am!

By andylwellman | Posted in Andy Wellman, Marquette Golden Eagles, UW Badgers | Also tagged , | Comments (0)

Enough Already

September 9, 2012 – 1:56 am

When Barry Alvarez took over the moribund football program at the University of Wisconsin, an invite to the Billy Bob Bowl would be enough to get most Badger fans to do cartwheels in their underwear. But several Big Ten titles and Rose Bowl Championships later, and the bar was moved exponentially higher. When he stepped down to become the AD at Madison and handed the reigns over to Brett Bielema, he had built a perennial Conference Championship contender and a near lock for a January bowl game. The one thing that was never really considered was the possibility of a National Championship, and most fans were content with that. Afterall, we were in the same conference with recruiting powerhouses Michigan and Ohio State,

Then the Big Ten instituted a Conference Championship game and suddenly the idea of UW getting a shot to play for the AFCA Trophy became a real possibility. Along came Russell Wilson, and even the national pundits were seriously considering the idea of the Badgers playing for the National title. The problem was that over the years, Beilema’s teams had gathered the reputation for playing some very flat games. Usually one or two, enough to ensure that there would be no undefeated season and or a shot at finishing #1 on the polls. For whatever reason, he has been unable to keep his squads fully focused through every week of the regular season. And once again, today, this year’s team came out flat in an inexplicable loss to Oregon State. And once again, we will not have a BCS title in Madison thanks to Brett Beilema.

By andylwellman | Posted in Andy Wellman, UW Badgers | Also tagged , , , , , , | Comments (0)