I have a bunch of different things running around inside my mind today.

Good sport: There are plenty of NBA haters in this community, probably due to the lackluster performance of the Bucks in recent years.

But all you have to do is watch the playoffs to see what wall-to-wall, non-stop excitement this game is. It truly makes you hope that the Hammond-Skiles regime can bring playoff basketball back to this city.

I've seen just about every sport there is, both live and on television, and NBA playoff games are just about unmatched for sustained, passionate excitement.

When the team gets on a run and the fans climb with them, the raucous noise is breathtaking. You don't even need the artificial leadership of screaming scoreboards or loudspeaker-enhanced music. It's the crowd that makes the noise real.

There is nothing like it in sports.

Tired topic: If I hear the dopes on WSSP raise the issue of Brett Favre coming back to play this year one more time, I'm going to find a way to shoot their satellite out of the air, cut the cable to their microphones and bribe We Energies to halt all electrical service to the station.

Speaking of the prime example of broadcasting for children, I heard a discussion during afternoon drive time that included some snickering comments about a female high school athlete on a road trip who needed to stop at a convenience store for tampons. The hosts sure thought that was a big off-color joke and could hardly bring themselves to stop laughing about it.

These idiots act like sixth graders hiding behind the garage with Captain Billy's Whiz Bag, a stack of old Playboys and two stolen cigarettes.

Vroom! I said it a couple of weeks ago, but it bears repeating.

If you have never seen a major auto race, the chance to see all the stars at the Milwaukee Mile the week after the Indy 500 is almost too good to miss.

I think if you go with half an open mind, you will be surprised at how much fun it is and how much you enjoy it.

I don't know what it is, but the Indy car racers seem so much more like athletes than those redneck NASCAR guys. Plus, any race with both Danica Patrick and Helio Castroneves in it is a pretty good bet.

Franks for the memories: One of the things that hasn't gotten much, if any, notice in these parts is that Bubba Franks (yes, that Bubba Franks) has been a minor star in the OTA's for the New York Jets.

He made a couple of nice touchdown catches during one workout and has caught everything thrown in his direction. He signed as a street free agent with the Jets after the Packers released him.

I can't help but wonder if it wasn't the Packers system, requiring more blocking from the tight end, which caused the loss of favor for Franks. He's always been able to catch the ball, but the blocking demands may well have worn him down.

Fiscal responsibility: There has been lots of excitement in Milwaukee over the improved financial commitment that the ownership of the team has for the Brewers. The payroll has climbed steadily over the last couple of years.

But there is still a huge difference between the Brewers and the big boys of baseball, and nothing exemplifies that difference more than the Eric Gagne matter.

The Brewers spent $10 million on Gagne. That acquisition has to work out for the Brewers. There is no room for failure. If some teams, like the Dodgers, Red Sox, etc., spend $10 million on a player and it doesn't work out, they just shrug their shoulders and spend another $10 million on somebody else.