Whether it's because of the heat, the training camps or the tightening wild-card standings, the sports columnist's mind tends to wander in August. It's also the time of year that most of us take our vacation, so as you prepare for your trip to Europe, Florida or Rhinelander, sit back, have a cold drink and contemplate the following.
- How much of this disappointing Brewers' season can be blamed on injuries? Starting pitchers Ben Sheets and Tomo Ohka missed approximately half the year, J.J. Hardy has been sidelined since May, Corey Koskie could miss from mid-July on with a concussion, Rickie Weeks is shelved for the final two months and the bullpen has had assorted bumps and bruises. Do these justify the club being eight games under .500 when merely average baseball would have put them in prime playoff position?
- Personally, I don't think so. But manager Ned Yost will clearly get a pass for 2006. But if the Brewers struggle out of the gate next spring, Yost's job could be in jeopardy. Who would have guessed that a mere two months ago?
- Speaking of Yost, I commend the way he handled the Geoff Jenkins situation. Because of the money Jenkins makes, his tendency to get hot in the second half and his seniority, Yost couldn't bench his starting right fielder much earlier than he did.
But Yost also realized the team's playoff hopes are realistically dead and it's time to look ahead to 2007. Plus, Jenkins was not cooperating with attempts to "showcase" him over the last few months; you need to hit for that to work. The proper amount of respect was granted a tenured, though increasingly unproductive veteran. - The Packers 17-3 drubbing at the hands of San Diego in the exhibition opener Saturday brought back lousy memories of last August. While the 2005 Packers beat the Chargers in their official preseason opener (recall Ryan Longwell's field goal in the rain), they looked lousy in a scrimmage and then an exhibition game with Buffalo, both of which panicked the faithful. Saturday night wasn't much better than either of those embarrassments.
- Coach Mike McCarthy stressed that most of the mistakes are correctable, and of course he's right. And the loss provides the new staff with a perfect teaching opportunity over the next days and weeks leading up to the season opener vs. the Bears. But I'm starting to understand why most prognosticators are picking the Packers to finish last in the NFC North.
- Positives from Saturday: A.J. Hawk has reportedly been MIA in practices, but he had a few nice sticks in the first quarter in San Diego. He was beaten badly in pass coverage on a pass to Antonio Gates, but I was more interested in seeing how his pursuit and tackling translated to the NFL; each seemed solid. Everyone finally saw why rookie receiver Greg Jennings has earned raves in practice.
Other than a fourth-down drop that cost the Packers points in the first half, Jennings looked great. And though he hasn't gotten much ink since Saturday, Aaron Rodgers looked good to me. He threw a nice, running sideline pass to Rod Gardner in the fourth quarter that led to the team's only points, and he hit on his first 8 passes before throwing an incompletion. - I believe that Badgers QB John Stocco, currently recovering from knee surgery, is among the most underrated players in the nation. He posted great numbers in 2005 (2,920 yards passing, 21 touchdowns, nine interceptions, 60.1 completion percentage) and made some memorable big plays, including the winning scramble vs. Michigan and a few tremendous throws under pressure in the bowl victory over Auburn.
- Unfortunately, Stocco lost literally his entire skilled supporting cast. Brandon Williams, Jonathan Orr, Owen Daniels and Brian Calhoun made his job a lot easier, so Stocco could be better in 2006 and post worse numbers. That idea also points out how much the Badgers will rely on an improved defense this season. If it's as porous as last year's unit, the Badgers will finish sub-.500 in conference play.
- Say this for Bucks GM Larry Harris: he's not boring. The team has revamped its roster this summer, starting with the T.J. Ford-for-Charlie Villanueva deal and continuing on through the recent Ruben Patterson acquisition. But are the Bucks any better?
It's difficult to say right now, but I still see a subpar defensive team, which has been the team's primary weakness for a decade or so. Patterson is a stopper, but he isn't a starter and brings a lot of personal baggage to his new team. Dan Gadzuric and Brian Skinner have some defensive skills, but -- again -- they don't start. Andrew Bogut and the new point guard rotation (Charlie Bell, Steve Blake and a dash of Mo Williams) will need to make defensive strides if the Bucks want to avoid another early playoff ouster, assuming they get there. But I credit Harris for keeping it interesting at the Bradley Center. - And finally, a question for the readers: Which will happen first -- A Brewers playoff season, a Packers division title or a Big Ten title for Bret Bielema's Badgers?
Sports shots columnist Tim Gutowski was born in a hospital in West Allis and his sporting heart never really left. He grew up in a tiny town 30 miles west of the city named Genesee and was in attendance at County Stadium the day the Brewers clinched the 1981 second-half AL East crown. I bet you can't say that.
Though Tim moved away from Wisconsin (to Iowa and eventually the suburbs of Chicago) as a 10-year-old, he eventually found his way back to Milwaukee. He remembers fondly the pre-Web days of listenting to static-filled Brewers games on AM 620 and crying after repeated Bears' victories over the Packers.
