By Drew Olson Special to OnMilwaukee.com Published May 23, 2009 at 12:05 PM

Welcome to Saturday Scorecard, the holiday weekend edition. Since relaxing can be very taxing and tiring "work," we promise to keep things breezy today. Remember the vets, enjoy the parades and be kind to each other in the parking lots of the garden centers and grocery stores.

On to the notes...

Down cycle: The Brewers began their final visit to the Metrodome in ugly fashion when they dumped a 11-3 decision to the Twins in interleague action Friday night.

Lefty Manny Parra served up eight hits, three walks and nine runs (eight earned) in 3 1/3 innings, so the only drama that remained after that was whether Michael Cuddyer would hit for the cycle.

He did.

(Side note: I know people get excited when players hit for the cycle because it's pretty rare, but it's more of a fluke than an indication of a batter's hitting prowess. For proof, we cite Chad Moeller, April 27, 2004.)

The game wasn't exciting, but there were some interesting developments. J.J. Hardy's back tightened on him and he left the game. That's something to watch. Parra's bad turn, too, sends up some red flags because he had been throwing the ball well of late. It's still amazing that a guy whose stuff is roughly equal to Phillies ace Cole Hamels can't put things together on a consistent basis.

The other thing to watch with the Brewers this weekend is the plight of Bill Hall. If Hardy has to sit, it could mean some playing time for the slumping third baseman, who is trying to undergo an emergency swing makeover and keep his sanity in the face of a severe slump that has been exacerbated by the promotion of prospect Mat Gamel.

King James: If you didn't catch the end of the Cavs-Magic playoff game Friday night, here is what happened in a nutshell:

LeBron James saved the Cavalier's season, cemented his status as league MVP and helped exorcise the ghost of Craig Ehlo.

James' buzzer-beating three-pointer was a highlight for the ages. The guy is a walking, dunking freak show and, with all due respect to a fine outfit from Orlando, the NBA Finals will be empty without him.

Happy homecoming: Padres outfielder Tony Gwynn, Jr., had a terrific debut in San Diego. Arriving Thursday in a trade that sent Jody Gerut to Milwaukee, Gwynn entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the ninth inning, drew a walk from Giants closer Brian Wilson and scored the winning run on Scott Hairston's two-out single to seal a 3-2 victory and three-game sweep of the Giants at Petco Park.

"I was able to calm my nerves and have a good at-bat," Gwynn told the San Diego Union-Tribune's Tom Krasovic. "I felt comfortable. I really did."

Krasovic pointed out that Gwynn's father hit a sacrifice fly against the Giants in his Padres' debut in 1982. The pitcher in that game, Mike Krukow, was in the San Francisco broadcast booth Thursday. And, the flyout scored Tim Flannery, who is now the Giants third base coach.

Dreams come true: The Bucks' pre-draft workouts this week included local players Dominic James and Wesley Matthews of Marquette and Joe Krabbenhoft and Marcus Landry of Wisconsin.

"It's a dream," Landry told reporters. "It's my favorite team. Me and my brother grew up watching the Bucks. As a little kid, I never thought that I'd be here and be able to be part of this."

Tax trouble: Did you know that former Mets pitcher Jerry Koosman, 66, lives in Osceola, Wis.? You might have heard about it when Koosman pleaded guilty to federal tax evasion on Friday. He'll be sentenced in July and could face up to a year of prison time.

This just in: The folks at "Inside Edition" ran a doozy of a story this week. Did you know people consume lots of alcohol at the Brewers' home opener? And that it's especially messy if the Cubs are the opponent?

The shocking story can be viewed here. Be sure and tune to "Inside Edition" in February when they blow the lid off the "people get drunk during the New Year's Eve party at Times Square" story.

 

Drew Olson Special to OnMilwaukee.com

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.