Welcome to Saturday Scorecard. Summer is flying by and it's too nice to be inside today -- unless you just got your Madden NFL 10 -- so we're going to spray some line drives around the park.
Pack attack: Five things we'll be watching as the Packers open their exhibition season with a game against the Browns tonight at Lambeau Field.
- The No. 1 offense. The skill players won't be on the field long, but it'd be nice to see Aaron Rodgers display a good tempo, Ryan Grant show a little burst and the line display more cohesion than confusion. (Keep on eye on Breno Giacomini and Allen Barbre at right tackle).
- Just for kicks. The punters are under the gun. Jeremy Kapinos and Durant Brooks are in competition for the job, but there is a chance neither will win.
- Change of scenery: Aaron Kampman makes the switch from elite defensive end to newbie outside linebacker in the 3-4 defense. It'll be hard not to watch him.
- In the spotlight. Backup quarterbacks Matt Flynn and Brian Brohm can relax a bit now that Michael Vick won't be coming to Green Bay. OK, guys, that's enough. Flynn has been the better player and Brohm has scuffled. They'll get a chance to sink or swim tonight.
- Fashion statements. It's going to be a hot night at Lambeau, so we'll be checking to see what B.J. Raji wears on the sideline and how many Favre jerseys we see (Packers and Jets) we see in the stands.
Working man: Stay tuned to OnMilwaukee.com for more information about Bucks guard Charlie Bell and the upcoming "Hey, Charlie -- Do My Job" video series that will debut next week. Bell, a terrific guy, traded jobs with a handful of people who entered a contest at Bucks.com. The results were quite enjoyable.
How do you figure? The most baffling thing about J.J. Hardy's season is the fact that he's hitting .271 with a .347 on-base percentage at night. During day games, he hit .133 with a .189 on-base percentage. That's downright bizarre. Is the guy a vampire?
A trip to Nashville probably wasn't the worst thing for Hardy, but if his ascension to free agency is delayed as a result, the players' union is going to have a pretty strong grievance....
Larry King Lounge: Who were those guys beating up on Wandy Rodriguez last night?... If you agree with our theory that it's going to take 88 or 89 victories to win the National League Central Division title, the Brewers need to go 32-15 in their 47 remaining games in order to make things interesting. Not likely.... Maybe it's a good thing that the Wisconsin Badgers were dissed by preseason pollsters. Coach Bret Bielema and his staff can play that ever-popular "nobody respects us" card. That can't hurt.... Diamondbacks TV announcer Daron Sutton said that Felipe Lopez is a talented player who has trouble staying "interested" in the proceedings. Looks like D-Sutt was dead on about that. Lopez has had some less-than-stellar moments in the field and has failed to touch first base on a few groundouts. Things like that tell you why a guy with his skills has traveled as much as he has.... We had a long week here at Saturday Scorecard, but Brewers catcher Mike Rivera must really be tired. The guy played two games. In a row.... Marquette fans are thrilled that center Youssoupha Mbao was ruled eligible by the NCAA Clearinghouse. Now, they hold their breath to find out about Junior Cadougan.... Who would you rather have dinner with next week -- Rick Pitino or Michael Vick? Discuss.... Speaking of Vick, who is more angry about his signing with the Eagles -- Philadelphia fans, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) or the producers at "60 Minutes" whose Sunday "scoop" was negated when Vick met with reporters Friday?... The Admirals unveiled a revamped Web site. Check it out here.... Padres pitcher Mike Adams, who began his career with Milwaukee, admitted that he felt a lot of emotion on the mound Wednesday. Adams was bummed that Castro was fired. "It was kind of disappointing to see Billy get fired like that," said Adams. "For him to be the scapegoat after everything he's done for this organization, it's sad."... Speaking of sad, while celebrating the life of guitar legend Les Paul, we also mourn the tragic and senseless shooting of European basketball star Lavelle Felton.... On a more uplifting note, the Yankees did a nice thing for kids from Camp Sundown.
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.