It’s Saturday and it’s Summerfest, so rather than limiting ourselves to one topic, we figured we’d spray a few line drives around the outfield.
So put on your cup, glove and eye black (not necessarily in that order) and let's look alive out there. Here we go:
Even Steven: In the wake of their 7-2 loss to the Cubs last night, the Brewers should consider renaming the swanky glassed-in dining area in left field.
How about the .500 Club?
The Brewers (44-44) are at the breakeven mark for the 15th time this season, tops in the major leagues. They also were 7-7, 8-8, 9-9, 10-10, 16-16, 17-17, 18-18, 19-19, 23-23, 26-26, 37-37, 39-39, 42-42 and 43-43.
In case you’ve forgotten, the Brewers’ record last year was 81-81.
Buono, bruto: Thumbs-up to the Brewers for their well-organized and nearly-successful campaign to get lefty Chris Capuano a spot on the National League all-star team.
Capuano finished second to Los Angeles first baseman Nomar Garciaparra in online and text messaging balloting, then was snubbed a second time when Astros manager Phil Garner picked his own pitcher, Roy Oswalt, to replace injured Pedro Martinez on the squad.
"It's been kind of a roller-coaster ride over the last week going back and forth, but it's nice that it's finally done and I can set my plans and set my mind on reality," said Capuano, who will spend his break relaxing on Cape Cod instead of at PNC Park.
Thumbs down to the Brewers for playing the Cubs tonight instead of this afternoon. The Brewers have shied away from Saturday afternoon games because they’ve found that attendance is higher for night games, but the game against the Cubs would sell out if they played at 8 a.m. The Brewers could have helped out Summerfest and maybe eased some traffic problems by playing this afternoon.
Quiz time: Which sports event this weekend excites you the least?
a) The World Cup championship match between France and Italy.
b) The Wimbledon championship matches.
c) The Tour de France.
d) Barry Bonds hitting his 720th homer.
Go ahead, take your time.
And, if you answer "a," you really must hate soccer.
"I have to admit, I’ve enjoyed watching a lot of the World Cup," Brewers outfielder Geoff Jenkins said. "The only thing that drives me nuts is all the diving that goes on."
You’re not alone, Jenks.
Panther party: Former UW-Milwaukee basketball standout Clay Tucker has earned a spot on the Cavaliers’ summer league team in Las Vegas and Joah Tucker and Boo Davis are hoping to do the same with the Heat and Pacers, respectively. Miami and Indiana players will participate in Orlando and not Sin City.
Speaking of the Panthers, the Rob Jeter Golf Classic is slated for Aug. 14 at North Shore Country Club in Mequon. If you don’t want to play in the shamble format, you can attend the auction and dinner. For more information, call (414) 229-2290.
One topic that may come up on the links: we’re hearing that a deal to have UWM games televised on Fox Sports North this season has fallen apart. Look for the Panthers to return to WMLW, which is known as Channel 41 or “the station with the catchy Pat McCurdy jingle.”
Food for thought: Brewers outfielder Carlos Lee, who turned 30, is six months younger than Nationals slugger Alfonso Soriano.
Milwaukee fans who think that Prince Fielder is a favorite to win NL Rookie of the Year honors haven’t been paying attention to Washington’s Ryan Zimmerman, who is producing game-winning hits and ESPN Web gems at an alarming rate. Prince is in the discussion, but Zimmerman will win the first-half award.
Broadcast news: Channel 41’s parent station, Channel 58, opted not to renew the contract of sports director Rock Rote. Rote had been wearing various vests on the CBS affiliate for nearly nine years.
Rote’s departure follows that of Matt Engel, who left the station last month to join a local video production company.
More broadcast news: Brewers play-by-play announcer Jim Powell has been talking to his bosses at WTMJ about a multiyear contract extension. Look for an announcement soon.
Meanwhile, things are strangely silent on the TV side, where Daron Sutton and Bill Schroeder have been getting the backburner treatment since spring training. Although neither man seems overly concerned, the delay is puzzling on a number of levels. In addition to being solid announcers, Sutton and Schroeder are good ambassadors for the club.
Sad news: Lynn Stanley, the wife of former Brewers assistant general manager / farm director Fred Stanley, was killed last weekend in a one-car accident while driving from Las Vegas to her home in Phoenix. A memorial service is scheduled for today in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Lynn Stanley, who was 58, was married to Fred for 38 years. Fred Stanley has spent the last seven years in the Giants’ organization, the last two as coordinator of minor-league instruction.
Nice gesture: Remember when Brewers infielder Bill Hall used the pink bat to hit a game-winning homer on Mother’s Day and his mom, Vergie, was in the stands to see it?
Thanks to Brewers owner Mark Attanasio, Vergie Hall now has the bat from that memorable game against the Mets.
The bat was up for bid in a MLB.com auction designed to raise money for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and Attanasio placed the winning bid of $25,535.
According to MLB.com, Attanasio's winning bid was the third-highest price in history for an item auctioned on the site. The top two were the lineup card from Game 4 of the 2004 World Series ($165,000) and an autographed Harley-Davidson motorcycle ($70,000).
Hoops hysteria? We drove past the Bradley Center on Friday to see if anyone was camping out for first-round NCAA basketball tickets. Apparently, the fact that the games will be held in 2010 is keeping people away for now. Hats off to Marquette for securing the event for the city. Although the Golden Eagles have done a good job of hosting games in four previous tournaments, it probably didn’t hurt matters that the NCAA’s Frozen Four hockey tournament was such a huge success.
Black eye: It didn’t get nearly as much attention as Matt Wise’s salad tongs injury, but Brewers catcher Damian Miller had a bit of an embarrassing mishap this week.
Miller said wore eye-black "for the first time in my life" and ended up with a nasty sunburn on the uncovered skin near his peepers. "I didn’t even think about it,"he said.
So put on your cup, glove and eye black (not necessarily in that order) and let's look alive out there. Here we go:
Even Steven: In the wake of their 7-2 loss to the Cubs last night, the Brewers should consider renaming the swanky glassed-in dining area in left field.
How about the .500 Club?
The Brewers (44-44) are at the breakeven mark for the 15th time this season, tops in the major leagues. They also were 7-7, 8-8, 9-9, 10-10, 16-16, 17-17, 18-18, 19-19, 23-23, 26-26, 37-37, 39-39, 42-42 and 43-43.
In case you’ve forgotten, the Brewers’ record last year was 81-81.
Buono, bruto: Thumbs-up to the Brewers for their well-organized and nearly-successful campaign to get lefty Chris Capuano a spot on the National League all-star team.
Capuano finished second to Los Angeles first baseman Nomar Garciaparra in online and text messaging balloting, then was snubbed a second time when Astros manager Phil Garner picked his own pitcher, Roy Oswalt, to replace injured Pedro Martinez on the squad.
"It's been kind of a roller-coaster ride over the last week going back and forth, but it's nice that it's finally done and I can set my plans and set my mind on reality," said Capuano, who will spend his break relaxing on Cape Cod instead of at PNC Park.
Thumbs down to the Brewers for playing the Cubs tonight instead of this afternoon. The Brewers have shied away from Saturday afternoon games because they’ve found that attendance is higher for night games, but the game against the Cubs would sell out if they played at 8 a.m. The Brewers could have helped out Summerfest and maybe eased some traffic problems by playing this afternoon.
Quiz time: Which sports event this weekend excites you the least?
a) The World Cup championship match between France and Italy.
b) The Wimbledon championship matches.
c) The Tour de France.
d) Barry Bonds hitting his 720th homer.
Go ahead, take your time.
And, if you answer "a," you really must hate soccer.
"I have to admit, I’ve enjoyed watching a lot of the World Cup," Brewers outfielder Geoff Jenkins said. "The only thing that drives me nuts is all the diving that goes on."
You’re not alone, Jenks.
Panther party: Former UW-Milwaukee basketball standout Clay Tucker has earned a spot on the Cavaliers’ summer league team in Las Vegas and Joah Tucker and Boo Davis are hoping to do the same with the Heat and Pacers, respectively. Miami and Indiana players will participate in Orlando and not Sin City.
Speaking of the Panthers, the Rob Jeter Golf Classic is slated for Aug. 14 at North Shore Country Club in Mequon. If you don’t want to play in the shamble format, you can attend the auction and dinner. For more information, call (414) 229-2290.
One topic that may come up on the links: we’re hearing that a deal to have UWM games televised on Fox Sports North this season has fallen apart. Look for the Panthers to return to WMLW, which is known as Channel 41 or “the station with the catchy Pat McCurdy jingle.”
Food for thought: Brewers outfielder Carlos Lee, who turned 30, is six months younger than Nationals slugger Alfonso Soriano.
Milwaukee fans who think that Prince Fielder is a favorite to win NL Rookie of the Year honors haven’t been paying attention to Washington’s Ryan Zimmerman, who is producing game-winning hits and ESPN Web gems at an alarming rate. Prince is in the discussion, but Zimmerman will win the first-half award.
Broadcast news: Channel 41’s parent station, Channel 58, opted not to renew the contract of sports director Rock Rote. Rote had been wearing various vests on the CBS affiliate for nearly nine years.
Rote’s departure follows that of Matt Engel, who left the station last month to join a local video production company.
More broadcast news: Brewers play-by-play announcer Jim Powell has been talking to his bosses at WTMJ about a multiyear contract extension. Look for an announcement soon.
Meanwhile, things are strangely silent on the TV side, where Daron Sutton and Bill Schroeder have been getting the backburner treatment since spring training. Although neither man seems overly concerned, the delay is puzzling on a number of levels. In addition to being solid announcers, Sutton and Schroeder are good ambassadors for the club.
Sad news: Lynn Stanley, the wife of former Brewers assistant general manager / farm director Fred Stanley, was killed last weekend in a one-car accident while driving from Las Vegas to her home in Phoenix. A memorial service is scheduled for today in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Lynn Stanley, who was 58, was married to Fred for 38 years. Fred Stanley has spent the last seven years in the Giants’ organization, the last two as coordinator of minor-league instruction.
Nice gesture: Remember when Brewers infielder Bill Hall used the pink bat to hit a game-winning homer on Mother’s Day and his mom, Vergie, was in the stands to see it?
Thanks to Brewers owner Mark Attanasio, Vergie Hall now has the bat from that memorable game against the Mets.
The bat was up for bid in a MLB.com auction designed to raise money for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and Attanasio placed the winning bid of $25,535.
According to MLB.com, Attanasio's winning bid was the third-highest price in history for an item auctioned on the site. The top two were the lineup card from Game 4 of the 2004 World Series ($165,000) and an autographed Harley-Davidson motorcycle ($70,000).
Hoops hysteria? We drove past the Bradley Center on Friday to see if anyone was camping out for first-round NCAA basketball tickets. Apparently, the fact that the games will be held in 2010 is keeping people away for now. Hats off to Marquette for securing the event for the city. Although the Golden Eagles have done a good job of hosting games in four previous tournaments, it probably didn’t hurt matters that the NCAA’s Frozen Four hockey tournament was such a huge success.
Black eye: It didn’t get nearly as much attention as Matt Wise’s salad tongs injury, but Brewers catcher Damian Miller had a bit of an embarrassing mishap this week.
Miller said wore eye-black "for the first time in my life" and ended up with a nasty sunburn on the uncovered skin near his peepers. "I didn’t even think about it,"he said.
Host of “The Drew Olson Show,” which airs 1-3 p.m. weekdays on The Big 902. Sidekick on “The Mike Heller Show,” airing weekdays on The Big 920 and a statewide network including stations in Madison, Appleton and Wausau. Co-author of Bill Schroeder’s “If These Walls Could Talk: Milwaukee Brewers” on Triumph Books. Co-host of “Big 12 Sports Saturday,” which airs Saturdays during football season on WISN-12. Former senior editor at OnMilwaukee.com. Former reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
