Welcome to Saturday Scorecard, certified organic since 2005. We are approaching a fantastic time on the sports calendar, with spring training underway, March Madness and The Masters looming and the mere thought of summer seemingly adding five degrees to the daily high temperature.

Some points to ponder before you make your rounds today:

Baseball justice: Plenty of Brewers fans were miffed, some were outright furious that Giants lefty Barry Zito gave Prince Fielder a temporary Rawlings tattoo during the Cactus League opener the other day in Scottsdale.

Clearly, the plunking came as retaliation for the infamous "bowling pin" celebration that the Brewers staged after beating San Francisco late last season at Miller Park. Fielder hit a game-winning homer, gestured to his teammates as he rounded first base, pounced on the plate with both feet and watched the surrounding Brewers collapse to the ground as he lifted his arms skyward.

The Giants, who were in a pennant race at the time, weren't thrilled with the choreography. Brewers fans weren't thrilled that Zito hit Fielder with a pitch.

"How could he do that?" people asked. "Don't the Giants know it's the first day of spring training?" (as if that has some sacred connotation).

My radio partner, Dan Needles, called the whole episode frivolous and referred to it with the "Goodfellas" line as being "real greaseball stuff."

Fielder and the Brewers laughed off the incident. The big fella even picked up the baseball and underhanded it back to Zito as if to say, "Here, you can use this again."

Do you have any idea why the Brewers, who are protective of their star slugger, didn't get mad about the incident?

I can think of two reasons:

First, they had it coming. Second, Zito and the Giants handled it the right way.

Don't get me wrong -- I thought the "bowling pin" scam was hilarious. It added some creativity and exuberance to a sport that at times takes itself too seriously.

But, I also understand why the Giants didn't like it. Teams at all levels get a little giddy after a winning hit, hopping and pounding the hitter on the helmet like kids on a playground. Guys who played in the 1960s and ‘70s likely think that it's a little much.

By current standards, it was a bit "over the top." Truth be told, Brewers manager Ken Macha -- who is from the old school -- probably didn't think that highly of it, either.

This might be tough for Milwaukee fans to understand, given how long they had to wait for a team that could even approximate something close to a swagger, but there are plenty of fans around baseball -- including a throng about 90 miles south of Miller Park -- who think the Brewers are a bit big for their britches.

Plenty of fans feel like one "one-and-done" playoff appearance and a couple nice attendance years in a quarter-century don't give you license to untuck your shirts after a victory (that could be another discussion) and choreograph your home run celebrations.

The Giants didn't like the way things went down at Miller Park. Some of them talked about it in the clubhouse after the game. Others just filed away a mental note -- baseball people have long memories -- and waited until they had a chance to let the Brewers know their feelings personally.

Sure, it was a "meaningless" spring training game, which is an exercise in redundancy. But, it was also the first time the Giants saw the Brewers on the field since the incident. The teams don't meet during the regular season until July. If they'd waited until then, the Brewers wouldn't have remembered the celebration and the plunking would have lost most of the little meaning that it had.

Zito, not exactly the hardest thrower in the league, delivered the message on Thursday and he followed the unwritten rule to the letter. He aimed for the buttocks and hit Fielder in the back, not up around the shoulder where there is risk of serious injury (not to mention the likely event of retaliation against Pablo Sandoval).

Fielder went to first and the game went on without incident. Many Brewers fans were outraged about the way things went down, but the Brewers took it in stride. As far as the Giants are concerned, the matter is now closed.

This was a case of players "policing themselves." It's the way things have been handled in the big leagues for decades. Not to mention anyone by name (Tony LaRussa), but some folks in baseball can go overboard with the "eye for an eye" approach. For the most part, though, the checks and balances work.

The Giants didn't like what the Brewers did after Fielder's home run. They let Fielder and the Brewers know about it. The chapter is closed, but some Brewers fans are still stewing about it.

Stay tuned: The Bucks are playing so well these days that plenty of smart people are talking about their chances of winning a No. 5 seeding for the Eastern Conference playoffs.

I think it may be a little early for that.

I'm not saying its out of reach. The team plays 10 of 15 games this month at home. Andrew Bogut has been awesome. John Salmons was a great acquisition and Scott Skiles has the guys believing they can -- and more importantly should -- compete with anyone they encounter.

It's just that there is a lot of season left and some tough games looming on the schedule. Let's see how the Bucks fare against Cleveland, Boston and Utah before we start thinking about a fifth seed.

For my money, the Bucks have made progress simply by being relevant at a time when -- in previous years -- we'd already be focusing on the draft lottery. If the Bucks make the playoffs in any slot, they are playing with house money because the year is an unqualified success.

Watching the Bucks these days is like watching the Brewers in Doug Melvin's first few seasons. They might not be ready for prime time yet, but you at least feel like they know what they are doing.

Staying put: Tackle Chad Clifton probably didn't want to go to Washington, but his meeting with the Redskins on Friday probably pushed the Packers to give him a three-year, $20 million extension that includes a $7.5 million guarantee. Clifton is a player on the decline, but the Packers don't have better options at this point. Their best bet is to re-sign Mark Tauscher and try to draft and/or develop replacements for both players as soon as possible.

Larry King Lounge: It's strange seeing Ben Sheets in a different uniform. When healthy, the guy is still one of the best in the game... If I was in charge, Brittney Griner of Baylor would be out for the rest of the year for that punch... Marquette says farewell to seniors Lazar Hayward, David Cubillan and Maurice Acker this afternoon at the Bradley Center. All three have played key roles this season, but Hayward is the soul of the team. It's hard to imagine a better ambassador for the program and the university. I'm happy that 540 ESPN is giving away gold headbands for fans to wear as a tribute. Pick one up before the game at CenterCourt.... How is that Olympics withdrawal going? Have you watched curling on the DVR this week? Me either.... Tisiphani, a captain of the Bucks' Energee! dance team, suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her knee during practice and will be sidelined the remainder of the season. Get well soon, Tizzy.