Welcome to the Saturday Scorecard, where our mission today is to build a bridge between Lucky Charms, green beer and shots of Jameson's...

Or else, we'll provide some sports nuggets to consider before everybody goes and gets Irish jiggy:

New sheriff: During his introductory press conference, new Bucks coach Larry Krystkowiak promised to emphasize defense. That was music to the ears of many frustrated fans tired of watching their favorite team languish near the bottom of the rankings in most key NBA defensive statistics.

Krystkowiak basically said that defense has more to do with attitude and desire than talent and guys who don't play it with gusto won't play.

During a radio interview on the "The D-List" Friday on Milwaukee's ESPN Radio 1510 Days/1290 Nights, Krystkowiak said one of his first acts as coach was to tweak some team rules to reinforce the notion that the locker room is a place of business. When a coach is standing in the middle of the room, he doesn't want players unlacing shoes, removing tape or clipping their nails. He wants their undivided attention.

It might sound like a small step, but little things like that can quickly change the culture of a team. Brewers manager Ned Yost did something similar when he banned loud music in the clubhouse and required players at optional spring workouts to dress in full uniform rather than sloppy shorts and raggedy T-shirts.

The Bucks have a lot of work to do and it's way too early to tell if the gamble on Krystkowiak will work. But, the early results seem encouraging.

Jumping ship? We can understand the frustration Marquette fans are feeling after a disappointing first-round exit against Michigan State. But, when people are calling for Tom Crean to be fired and hoping that Dominic James heads to the NBA Draft, you have to wonder if they truly are fans. Marquette's first two-seasons in the Big East have included a lot of highlights and the program -- while lacking a big man and a consistent outside shooting threat -- certainly seems headed in the right direction.

Long view: The Marquette game got off to a horrible start and I'm not talking about the nearly 10-minute scoring drought in the first half. The high mid-court camera position in Winston-Salem made me feel like I was watching from the cheap seats. The NCAA should consider things like that when selecting sites.

Down to the wire: It seems strange to see the Wave battling for a playoff spot. After dominating the MISL for what seems like an eternity, Keith Tozer's group has five games left to punch its ticket to the postseason. At 1 p.m. Sunday, the team hosts the Baltimore Blast at the U.S. Cellular Arena. The Wave will wear green jerseys in honor of St. Patrick's Day. The jerseys will be auctioned off, with proceeds benefiting Children's Hospital of Wisconsin.

Enshrined: Speaking of the Wave, three players who helped establish the franchise in its early years are being inducted into the Wisconsin Soccer Association Hall of Fame. Congratulations to Peter Knezic, Tom Alioto and Tim Alioto - all of whom were born in Milwaukee and raised in the area. The induction dinner is Saturday night at the Bavarian Club, 700 W. Lexington Blvd.

Lifting spirits: A tip of the cap to Admirals players and coaches, who visited Children's Hospital this week to pose for pictures, drop off prize bags and generally raise the spirits of dozens of patients and their families. Visits like this happen a lot in the community and they don't always get the attention they deserve. It's one of the benefits of having pro sports teams in town.

Wakeup call: The Brewers invited lefty Joe Thatcher to walk across the parking lot from minor-league camp to the big-league side last week, then insisted the move was not designed as a "wakeup call" for any of the struggling relievers in big-league camp. All due respect to the brain trust, but we prefer to believe otherwise.

Disturbing sight: ESPN has run some clever commercials in the past, but the sight of John Kruk wearing leather pants and Peter Gammons wearing a long white wig in some sort of heavy-metal homage to fantasy baseball is so strange that I fear it may seep into my dreams. I think I saw my friend Buster Olney in the chorus, though, so I'll have to ask him what it was like to hang with Geddy Lee.