Welcome to Saturday Scorecard. Because it's the luckiest day of the year (7-07-07), and Summerfest is entering the home stretch, we'll keep the reading time under 5 minutes. Let's get started:

Pitching in: The Brewers scuffled during recent series in Chicago and Pittsburgh, where they haven't played well since the new park opened. If you're looking for reasons, you can start and stop with the starting pitching. The Brewers went a season-high six games without getting a "quality" start (6 innings or more, 3 earned runs or fewer). They were 1-5 in those games.

Friday night in Washington, Dave Bush limited the Nationals to one run in seven strong innings and Ryan Braun and Kevin Mench added the offensive firepower in a 6-2 victory.

The Brewers lead the second-place Cubs by 5 ½ games.

Strange surroundings: The Brewers looked a little lethargic during their trip to Pittsburgh, but a lot of teams drag in the week before the all-star break. That's not a legitimate excuse. But, they did have to deal with a convention of "furries" at the team hotel.

Yeah, we didn't know, either. But a Furry is an anthropomorphic animal character with human characteristics or a human who relates strongly, in whatever way, to the idea of the characters. Imagine a surreal invasion of mascots and you'll get the idea.

There is a hilarious picture of Bob Uecker posing with a furry here.

Trivia time: Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder leads the National League in homers. Name the other two Brewers players to lead the league at the all-star break (answer below).

Courtship of Yi: On one hand, fans can feel encouraged that Bucks general manager Larry Harris and coach Larry Krystkowiak met face-to-face with top draft pick Yi Jianlian in Las Vegas.

There is nothing wrong with healthy optimism. Though he's a touch behind, Yi has showed promise against NBA competition. He would definitely help the Bucks.

But, you can't help thinking that this recruitment is going to be frustrating, degrading and possibly embarrassing and potentially devastating for the franchise.

Stay tuned.

Summer school: Marquette's basketball team started practice last week in preparation for some upcoming games in Vancouver. Insiders say that Lazar Hayward has shown the most improvement during this off-season and that Maurice Acker, who sat out last season after transferring from Ball State, has been impressive.

Earlier this summer, Golden Eagles coach Tom Crean raved about the work ethic of his players, singling out forward Wesley Matthews. Crean said that Matthews' dedication to hard work is entering Diener / Novak territory. That's high praise.

New faces: Crean filled out his coaching staff by hiring Buzz Williams and Tim Buckley. Williams coached at the University of New Orleans; Buckley, who was on Crean's first staff at Marquette in 1999, served six seasons as head coach at Ball State and was an assistant to Steve Alford at Iowa. Williams and Buckley replace Jerry Sichting, who joined the Minnesota Timberwolves staff, and Jason Rabedeaux, who is taking a personal leave but is expected to return to the staff.

Hoops hype: If you're looking for a basketball fix next week, check out the alumni game between Rufus King and Wauwatosa East. The game is slated for 4 p.m. July 14 at King, 1801 W. Olive St.

Admission is $5 and the game will feature standouts from the respective schools, including former Marquette star Tony Smith, currently doing shows for Milwaukee's ESPN Radio 1510 Days / 1290 Nights.

Devin Harris, who played at Tosa East before moving on to the University of Wisconsin and the Dallas Mavericks, will not participate in the game. Harris will sign autographs from 10 a.m. - 11 a.m. tomorrow (July 8) at Pick n' Save location in Brookfield, 12735 W. Capitol Dr.

Waiting game: Former University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee star Ed McCants was at Summerfest this week and had a cautionary tale for young players dreaming of a glamorous future playing pro ball. McCants played professionally in Bulgaria last year and is still waiting to get paid for his services. The owners of the team reportedly died in a bus crash, which would explain a slight delay, but there are now reports that they may have faked their death.

Bite the Big Apple: The Rockies swept the Mets and Yankees this season. The last time a club swept two New York teams was 1956, when the Milwaukee Braves blanked the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants.

Oops: Former Brewers catcher Chad Moeller, now with the Reds, was a bit red in the face during a recent game. Moeller was making a return throw to his pitcher when the ball grazed the batting helmet of Philadelphia's Greg Dobbs. The ball caromed toward the visitor's dugout. Moeller scrambled after it, but the runner at second, Ryan Howard, didn't advance.

Answer: Ben Oglivie (1980) and Gorman Thomas (1981-‘82).