Welcome to Saturday Scorecard. Before we begin, please say hello to Ashley and Liz, two of the infamous Packers bikini girls pictured above. You'll hear from the UW-Milwaukee students in a little while, but we want to make it absolutely clear that we didn't use their picture to try to titillate or trick you into clicking this column.
Our purpose was twofold:
First, it's to say a symbolic farewell to football season in Wisconsin. The Packers gacked against the Giants, adding two weeks to what has already been a brutal winter and denying fans a chance to see the bikini girls -- and the Packers -- unite for one more game in Glendale, Ariz.
The second reason we used the photo was more selfish. The longer our male readers linger over it, the shorter the lines will be at the car wash this weekend.
On to the notes...
One last look: If you can stomach it, take a look at the second picture in the photo montage above. It shows the view from behind Brett Favre on the fateful interception on Sunday afternoon. Discuss.
Tough times: With the Packers on hiatus, sports fans in the area may start paying more attention to the Bucks.
That might not be a good thing for the franchise.
A dismal 106-75 loss Friday night in Toronto dropped the Bucks' record to 17-27. Given the talent on the team, and the lofty preseason expectations, that mark should be a cause for anger. Unfortunately, many in the market have already written off the local hoopsters.
With attendance, ratings and fan interest sinking quickly, the Bucks are doing what they can to stop the skid. A few weekends ago, a young man walked through my neighborhood peddling discounted Bucks tickets door-to-door. On Wednesday, the Bucks put out a press release designating their Thursday night game against the Pacers "'80s Night."
This team has good and bad nights on the court. While the lack of consistency is a problem, the bigger issue is the fact that there seems to be a stale vibe around the entire team.
Bango and the Energee! dancers and the jugglers, tumblers and acrobats they bring out at halftime are doing everything they can do. But, there seldom seems to be a "buzz" at the Bradley Center.
Yi Jianlian looks like he's going to be a nice player, but you don't see a huge groundswell of interest in him or the team.
Larry Krystkowiak is a tremendous person and a promising coach. He's not to blame for the malaise and it's becoming clear that neither Terry Stotts nor Terry Porter was culpable, either.
Coaching is the least of the Bucks' problems. The team needs an injection of life from somewhere and they need it soon. Fans are growing apathetic, and that's the worst thing that can happen to a pro sports franchise.
The Vikings (14-6) will be ready for battle after a loss at Thursday night at UW-Green Bay. The Panthers are getting solid performances from several players, including surprising big man Marcus Skinner.
Something to watch: UWM plays five of its final six league games at home.
Foot in mouth disease epidemic: Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein and his Yankees counterpart, Brian Cashman, shared the podium recently during a lecture at William Paterson University in Wayne, N.J.
Perhaps the next roundtable at the school can feature The Golf Channel's Kelly Tilghman and ESPN's Dana Jacobson. Tilghman was suspended for suggesting that other players lynch Tiger Woods to keep him from winning tournaments. Jacobson was suspended for getting hammered and making profane, anti-Catholic remarks during a roast for ESPN Radio personalities Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic of "Mike and Mike in the Morning."
Speaking of anti-Catholic remarks, Milwaukee native Rick Majerus ruffled some rosaries in St. Louis, where he coaches the local college hoops team, by saying he was pro-choice and favors stem cell research.
Our take on the whole mess? Tilghman (and Tiger) will recover and thrive. Jacobson may be toast. Majerus will be judged like all coaches. If his team performs well, he'll weather this and other storms. If the team sputters, the people who want him out will prevail.
Skin to win: As for Ashley and Liz... The cousins visited Milwaukee's ESPN Radio the other day and were quite charming (Ashley's sister, Jen, was at home in Mauston waiting to resume classes at UW-La Crosse).
The girls were asked about their instant celebrity and future plans. "It's been pretty crazy," Ashley said. "It was really unexpected."
Liz and Ashley have been recognized at school, but only occasionally. "Sometimes people look at you kind of funny like they recognize you, but they don't know from where," Liz said.
With all three girls studying marketing, it's natural that they're trying to parlay their instant fame into connections that could lead to jobs after graduation.
"We're open to any offers," Liz said. "We've been talking a lot about the whole bikini thing. It'd be amazing to try to sell them and do something with the Packers.
"That would be really neat."
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.
