https://www.theberniebangoblog.com/tales daily 1.0 2023-02-27 https://www.theberniebangoblog.com/tales/coach-buds-coaching-tree monthly 0.5 2022-06-12 https://www.theberniebangoblog.com/tales/shock-heard-round-the-world monthly 0.5 2022-05-08 https://www.theberniebangoblog.com/tales/jlhmd8ptdn1apo2lk270s3nkc91le3 monthly 0.5 2022-04-17 https://www.theberniebangoblog.com/about daily 0.75 2023-08-05 https://www.theberniebangoblog.com/blog daily 0.75 2024-09-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62534889ad45801c8c6d525d/39e86b77-f9d5-4416-9f35-d05b2515d993/BCS.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62534889ad45801c8c6d525d/556214bd-1aa8-4a5c-9c66-80bd62a4c76e/BrewerClock.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62534889ad45801c8c6d525d/27522af8-a9cd-4720-a104-5f754fb3745a/BCS.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62534889ad45801c8c6d525d/83a883c2-0a56-476e-9165-34ec4a464d31/Favre.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62534889ad45801c8c6d525d/5335d800-bfe9-4fb1-9b73-ec08d93f9474/BCS.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62534889ad45801c8c6d525d/ac997199-5eb1-4033-a8c6-a846a4930fe0/BurnesAS.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62534889ad45801c8c6d525d/5eb59e11-0df1-42ee-a18a-b243651334c0/PackDraft23.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62534889ad45801c8c6d525d/a4135165-d531-4293-9bc8-9770548d3252/NIT_MatchupHeadline.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62534889ad45801c8c6d525d/ae6db130-ecc2-4ca5-8685-d03cb9103da7/GiannisSpaceJamjpeg.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62534889ad45801c8c6d525d/ab077156-9768-4ed7-a43b-62abc005730e/Rodgers.jpeg What's the Catch? - Should He Stay or Should He Go Now? 23 Jan 23 If he goes there will be trouble, if he stays there will be double. It’s beginning to feel like Deja Vu in Green Bay at the QB position. I can currently think of 3 different outcomes as we wait for his decision. #1 If A-A-Ron stays I don’t know if he’ll be back to MVP level, but I fully believe he’ll play better than this year. Hopefully, but doubtfully, he’ll show up at OTAs if he decides to return to the Pack. Either way he’s had last season at the preseason at this point to keep growing that chemistry with his young WRs. If he stays that means Packers brought back all is homies in Mercedes Lewis, Robert Tonyan, Randall Cobb, Allen Lazard, and David Bakhtiari. Packers wouldn’t be able to add any free agents due to cap space and would need to deepen their roster via the draft. If this is the case I would want to see them draft a TE, S, and an Edge Rusher with their first 3 picks, in no specific order. Although, we’d likely lose Jordan Love and would need to replace him in this draft which would hurt us in landing a rookie that could make an immediate impact. #2 Aaron and the front office agree to trade him to another organization. There’s only so many teams out there that could absorb Rodgers massive contract. Teams like Duh Bears and Cincy are happy with their young QBs and won’t be any part of this. Teams like the Jets and Titans, which are two teams that’d be great landing spots, would have to clear cap space to make that move. Maybe they wouldn’t be great landing spots though, depending on who they move. The other New York team has a major decision with Daniel Jones, but I think Daboll would like to keep him. There’s another tricky QB situation in Seattle with Geno, another great landing spot for Rodgers to win immediately. However, I think with 2 first round picks Seattle tags Geno and drafts his eventual replacement. Houston who has a laughable QB Room has the number 2 pick and could take a QB. I can’t imagine Rodgers wanting to go there anyways so nix that idea. That leaves us with two decent options. Atlanta and New England. Atlanta in the ever fluctuating NFC South is a team that could bring in Rodgers and at minimum win their division. New England, now that is an interesting one. Would Kraft bring Rodgers in, what do they do with Mac Jones? Patriots D is solid, but they’re lacking offensively. They were only one game away from making the playoffs. Rodgers and Belichick would have to get along though. If a trade occurs, Packers free up cap space, can make some moves to help with the Love Era in Green Bay. We could potentially land players or draft capital in a trade. I don’t mind this idea, but think it is the least likely to happen. #3 Aaron retires we’re left with 40 Million in dead cap and Aaron laughs all the way to the bank with nearly 60 Million. Then the Jordan Love Era begins during the middle of a Recession in Green Bay. This is my least favorite scenario. But in 2024, we can really start the rebuild of Titletown. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62534889ad45801c8c6d525d/e3150f80-07ad-438d-a549-027f3098e33d/Wahl.jpg What's the Catch? - Badgers Wahlowing in the muck and mire. 14 Jan 23 Badgers are currently on a 3 game skid and the talking heads are calling for the head of Coach Greg Gard. Badger star, Tyler Wahl, has been out since 10 minutes into the Gophers game on January 3rd. Badgers barely held onto that game against their rival. However, the first two games without Wahl the Badgers showed fight and had their chances. There was the 79-69 loss @ Illinois and a late blown game against MSU at home, 69-65. B1G losses are always tough pills to swahlow but there was hope there with Crowl and Hepburn carrying the team. However, this weekend both were MIA and only Freshman Connor Essegian scored double digits against the Hoosiers. The Badger critics were crying early into this one as there was hope the Badgers matched up well with a banged up Hoosier team that had lost 3 in a row. The “Fire Gard Bandwagon” is growing after our three losses without our star player. Badger fans are currently drunk from the “Big Fick” Football Energy Drink. The Hoosiers played with an urgent intensity of defense and played tough in the paint of offense with our top post defender out of the game. Trayce Jackson-Davis ate Crowl for lunch and came back for seconds and thirds. Indiana is now 9-1 at home on the season and they’ve righted their ship for the time being. Badgers now need to play with the same urgency and tenacity that they faced in Bloomington. Badgers will get Penn St. at home on Tuesday night. The Nittany Lions have only played 3 true road games this season and are 1-2. The key to this game will be guarding the perimeter and limiting the Lions open looks from 3. The Lions are leading the B1G in 3 pointers attempted, made, and %. With or without Wahl, Badgers will have a chance in this one and hopefully get the Fire Gard Crowd to quiet down for the moment. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62534889ad45801c8c6d525d/0723f4f6-53a9-4d78-a596-641a136cbd7d/HaderPadres.jpeg What's the Catch? - Bad News Brewers 05 August 2022 In the last week the Brewers made an okay trade at the deadline that quickly turned into a head scratcher. Then after the trade, they were sadly swept by the Pirates. Brewers Twitter has erupted in frustration. The Brew Crew faithful have targeted their criticism mostly towards owner Mark Attanasio. So far, I’ve just sat back and watched as the mayhem unfolded before me. I’ve had a lot of thoughts and feelings about this debacle and it’s time to share. Josh Hader: He’s been mentioned the last couple years to be a potential trade candidate. So, when I heard he was traded, I was bummed, but not surprised. However, what we got at first didn’t seem like the haul one would expect for one of the top closers in the game. Most of us were expecting a couple top prospects and a bat that could help immediately. Instead, we got an OF prospect (Esteury Ruiz, Padres 28th prospect) that might make an appearance this year; Taylor Rogers the Padres closer who has good numbers but the eye test shows Hader is more dynamic, Robert Gasser a LHP that is the Padres 7th ranked prospect, and Dinelson Lamet a solid pitcher that could start or be a middle relief type guy. To say, it was nothing to write home about, but the return for Hader was not completely satisfying. I tried being positive and said let’s just wait to see how it plays out. It didn’t take long. Dinelson Lamet: He was a Brewer for about as long as it takes an old man to take a shit. Just two days after acquiring Lamet, they Designated him for Reassignment. Huh? Yeah, that was a calm reaction compared to the explicit response from most Brewers fans. Lamet has since been claimed off waivers by the Rockies The Brewers continued picking up pitchers after their first trade. They traded INF Mark Matthais for RP, Matt Bush; and traded Single-A OF Tristan Peters for RP Trevor Rosenthal who hasn’t pitched in two years. Yes, you read that right, it’s been two fucking years since he stepped on the mound. As a result, Lamet DFA’d and then picked up by the Rockies. The Hader trade has left a bad taste in the fans mouth. Why trade for more pitchers when you got two that can help now for Hader. Matt Bush: The moment we acquired Bush, the links to his history quickly appeared on social media. Many fans siting that he is a straight up POS and has no place in baseball. As a person who has made poor choices in life and has burned some bridges along the way. I am a believer in second chances. Especially when you serve your time, do your best to make reparations, then keep your head down, mouth shut, and remain grateful for the rest of that journey. I do not condone or support any of Bush’s actions that led him to serving time. He pled no contest, which in my eyes means, I’m guilty and I’m not even going to try and justify or excuse my actions. Just give me my punishment. Although, some might see it as not wanting to fully admit. However you want to look at it, he served over 3 years in a correctional facility and let’s hope he corrected his flaws and grew as a human being. He’s a scorcher and can be a great relief guy. It hurt though when in his second appearance for the Crew he threw a wild pitch in extra innings giving the Pirates the sweep of the Brewers. In conclusion, the Brewers do not seem serious about playing for the world series. These moves seemed like money savers, while keeping them at a spot where they should at least play meaningful baseball throughout the regular season. The 90s kid in me looks up at me with a mouth full of Big League Chew and says, “At least they’re on TV everyday and they make the playoffs on the regular now too!” But the disgruntled nearly 40 year old that stands here today responds, “I wanna fucking win it all kid. You Play to win the Game! Hello?!” Either way you wanna cut it, I will never stop cheering for the Brewers, but it is time for Mark to shit or get off the pot. P.S. If we match up against the Padres in the Playoffs, look for Hader to go from our Savior to the nail in our coffin. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62534889ad45801c8c6d525d/1db874cd-a2fa-4721-b04b-de543996514f/BrewCrew.jpg What's the Catch? - Half Barrel Brew Time 04 July 2022 Happy Fourth of July! And happy halfway point of the Major League season. Your Milwaukee Brewers are 46-35 and in first place of the NL Central. They have a two game lead over the 44-37 St Louis Cardinals. Since an 8 game skid early in June, the Brewers are 13-7 in their last 20. They have two 4 game W streaks in those 13, with sweeps against the Reds and Rays. Unfortunately, the IL remains a revolving door for the Crew. One player gets healthy, one player gets hurt. Pitcher’s on IL Freddy Peralta SP 60-day Jake Cousins RP 60-day Miguel Sanchez RP 15-day Adrian Houser SP 15-day OF’s on IL Hunter Renfroe RF 10-day Tyrone Taylor CF 7 day Even so, the Brewers have led or have contended for the NL Central lead all season. Demonstrating the depth and diversity of this team. Not to mention Counsel’s constant chess moves. At the moment we have more Pitcher’s on the IL, but it is the position player’s that worry me at the moment. With two starting OF’s on the IL, our OF depth is being challenged. Renfore is on his second stint on the IL, with another lower body strain. Tyrone Taylor is on the concussion protocol after taking a double of his dome. Yes, you read that right, a double off of his dome. Our defense in the OF has been questionable at times this season, however Taylor and Renfroe’s bats might be what is missed most right now. Speaking of bats, Yelich is batting his best in nearly a few years. His slash line for the last 15 games is .328/.443/.448. Now while the slugging percentage doesn’t jump out at you. Yelich’s production is a sign of light, and maybe a new direction for his career. He is leading the Brewers in Hits (76), Runs (53), BBs (40), and SBs (12). This is exactly what we need from that leadoff position. Tellez and Adames continue to have surges of power and are tied for the team lead in HRs with 16 a piece. As a result, they are 1 and 2 on the team for RBIs. Tellez with 53 and Adames with 45. Even with those power surges, it is Hunter Renfroe that leads the team in Slugging Percentage (.490). Renfroe’s health will be key for a Brewers playoff run this fall. Other bats that have been helpful this first half have been McCutchen, Caratini, and Narvaez. Cutch leads the team in Batting Average with hitters over 200 ABs (.257). Hopefully, he can keep the average up as he will see less days DHing and more days in the OF due to injuries. Caratini and Narvaez continue with excellent defense behind the plate and with their timely hitting. It will be interesting to see what the Brewers do with the return of Pedro Severino. Finally, onto to pitching. Burnes looks absolutely locked in. Leading the team in wins (7), ERA (2.36), Ks (124), and QS (12). He will be competing for another Cy Young by seasons end. Woodruff has looked great in his last two starts since coming off the IL. He’s had a total of 18 Ks in the last two games and only one ER. Lauer was off to an electric start this season but has had some ups and downs recently. I expect him to refind his mojo during the All-Star break. Relief pitching has been nearly lights out in the 8th and 9th. I can’t think of another team that has a better combo of finishers coming out of their Bullpen. Devin Williams and Josh Hader will play with fire sometimes, but rarely get burned. Williams is leading the League with 21 Holds. While, Hader is leading the League in Saves (25). Other RPs chipping in from the BP are Boxberger, Milner, Gott, and Suter. Two things I would try differently coming out of the 1st Half Bat Wong in the 2 or 9 spot. He should be next to Yelich Return Jason Alexander to the starting rotation. Brewers start the second half of the season with a six game homestand. Three against the Cubbies and three against the Bucs. Now, I’d love to see them run the table in those six, I believe we go 4-2. Tyrone will be back before we hit the road. Renfroe will return after the All-Star break. Brewers will get healthier, fingers crossed, and continue to build on that NL Central lead. I’ll be back in a couple weeks when we hit the All-Star Break. #ThisIsMyCrew https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62534889ad45801c8c6d525d/82185463-d812-456d-a868-d8127c91d92e/USCUCLA.jpg What's the Catch? - USC/UCLA to the B1G 02 July 2022 It’s been 48 hours now since the announcement of USC and UCLA’s future transition to the Big Ten. At first I started having flashbacks to EA Sports NCAA Football where you are allowed to edit conferences. That’s what these conference changes are starting to feel like. Despite that feeling, I am for the pending super conferences. At this time it is clear the biggest factor in this move is money. We were talking about super conferences prior to the NIL. Now, the NIL has only sent us snowballing towards the end of the modern college football world. As I said, I like this addition to the B1G, but there are some drawbacks hidden in there as well. Here are a list of Pros and Cons to this change. Cons Tougher travel on the student athletes Strictly money motivated (Greed!) Breaking up rivalries in the PAC12? What happens with the Rose Bowl? Pros B1G will land a massive marketing deal B1G now has a West Coast presence Warm destinations for traveling fans New and intriguing regular season matchups More teams coming to the B1G is a certainty I know there seems to be a line drawn between fans, for and against this change. However, the only thing constant in life is change. As much as we love the history of these conferences, the traditions that were built, it’s become a billion dollar industry. Schools, as well as the NCAA, are guilty as charged when it comes to having their hand in the cookie jar. The last time the B1G expanded west was in 2011 with the acquisition of Nebraska. In 2014 the B1G reached the East Coast with the additions of Rutgers and Maryland. A decade after that expansion, come 2024, the B1G will reach from sea to shining sea. Next teams to potentially join the B1G Washington Oregon Washington St. Oregon St. Notre Dame Earlier I stated that there would be super conferences on their way. Texas and Oklahoma are already on their way to the SEC. The Power 5 are moving towards the Super 2. The Power 5 schools have a total of 65 teams. The Big Ten is currently at 14, but in two years time will be at 16. I believe this will put the B1G halfway to their goal. My guess is that there will end up being two super conferences, the B1G and the SEC. They will both grow to 32 teams. Then, break those teams down to 16 team divisions, down to 8 team groups and maybe even 4 team pods. They will do their best to keep rivalries alive, conference championships meaningful, while giving us a fresh look. Most of the Pac-12 will be absorbed by the B1G and the ACC mostly absorbed by the SEC. The Big 12 will be pecked at like leftovers. I’d love to see a Notre Dame USC Big Ten rivalry game or how about Bama and Clemson starting an annual rivalry? We will have the battle of the UWs Wisconsin vs Washington. How about the increased intensity between Miami, Florida, and Florida St all being in the same conference. We knew this day was coming and the dominoes are falling. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62534889ad45801c8c6d525d/775f837d-5f2a-4b57-bcd1-7674361d5cbf/BrewersCards.png What's the Catch? - Pivotal Series in the NL Central 20 June 2022 This is what baseball fans live for; almost 70 games into the season the Brewers and Cardinals are tied atop the NL Central as they prepare for a four game series. Tonight has the likelihood to be a pitchers duel and team defense will need to execute when the ball is hit into play. Game 1 starters are Brewers CY Young Winner Corbin Burnes and Cardinals Wins and Ks leader Miles Mikolas. This is one exciting way to start off this crucial series. Cardinals and Brewers are 10.5 games up on the 3rd place Pirates, so every matchup between these two clubs will be deciding factor come season’s end. Brewers are coming off a 3 game sweep of the lowly Reds. That might have been the medicine needed to cure the Brewers recent struggles. The Cardinals are in the middle of a 7 game road trip and just lost a series (1-2) in Boston to an incredibly talented Red Sox team. The Brewers Cardinals season series is currently tied 4-4 with four more games on the way. I expect it to be a playoff atmosphere at Am Fam park as Brewers faithful hit the summer running. We also know that Cards fans travel well and will happily drive across Illinois for this rivalry. Both teams are battling through some injuries. Brewers are short at second base and I expect to see a rotation of guys used there for matchups and defensive purposes. Brew Crew is still missing SP Brandon Woodruff but word on the street is he is back working in the bullpen and rehabbing. The Crew is also without their new bullpen piece Trevor Gott. However, the Brewers get their biggest bullpen weapon back in closer Josh Hader who was home on paternity leave. Cardinals will be without their pillar behind the plate in Yadier Molina. Brewer fans will not miss him as he has raked against them throughout his career. Cardinals will also be without SP Steven Matz and OF Corey Dickerson. It will be interesting to see how these injuries impact this series. Brewers bats seem to be rebounding from their 3 week slide. Yelich continues to impress from the leadoff spot. Renfroe is on a power surge. McCutchen is finding consistency. The catching combo of Caratini and Narvaez has been a pleasant surprise at and behind the plate. Plus, Urias is finally busting out of his slump. Even with the recent positives for the Brewers offense, they have not been as productive as the Cardinals. Paul Goldschmidt is having an MVP caliber season. Then on top of that the Cardinals can Hit, Score, and Steal. They rank in the top 5 in the Majors for Avg, RBIs, Hits, and Stolen Bases. Brewers pitching staff needs to be zeroed in to get it done this week. As it has been the last few seasons it will be the Brewers arms that determine this series. Here are the pitching matchups for the week: Monday- Burnes 4-4 2.52 ERA vs Mikolas 5-4 2.62 ERA Tuesday- Ashby 1-5 4.25 ERA vs Flaherty 0-0 6.00 ERA Wednesday- Lauer 6-2 3.57 ERA vs. Wainwright 5-5 3.06 ERA Thursday- Alexander 1-0 2.42 ERA vs. Hudson 5-3 3.31 ERA I love the matchups we will be seeing on the bump this series. We have potential for some pitching and defensive battles and a game or two of explosive offensive showings. Craig Counsell will need to find the right lineups and matchups in this game of chess. Now, while I would love the Brewers to take the series 3-1 at home, and I think they could possibly do so; my prediction is we split the series 2-2. Taking the season series to an even 6-6. Leaving both clubs as 40-32 and neither team taking the reigns of the NL Central. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62534889ad45801c8c6d525d/38cb8a3f-576b-46d6-ac45-34b6a905ee75/Yelichleadoff.jpeg What's the Catch? - Brewers’ slump busted? 13 June 2022 After going more than a week without a win, the Brewers won their series finale in DC against the Nats on Sunday afternoon. Losers of eight in a row the Brewers got a much needed W. They had lost 10 of their last 11 and due to injuries, their pitching staff looked human and their flawed offense looked horrendous at times. The offense was shutout three times in this stretch. Then when the offense was productive (5+ Rs) our pitching staff got knocked all over the ball park. We saw superhuman Hader get whacked for a couple solo shots to blow his first save this season. They also dropped a couple games in extra innings. If the ball bounces different in a few of those games, were not talking about a slumping team. However, It has definitely been a couple of tough weeks for the Brewers. But the big question is, “Are the Brewers busting out of their slump with this win?” 3 reasons why they are busting out of their slump. 1. Yelich hitting leadoff, last 5 games. (9 hits, 1 HR, 2 SBs, 4 Rs) This is the best production we’ve seen since he hit for he cycle on May 11th. 2. Jason Alexander continues to impress on the mound and the bullpen combo of Hoby, Box, Devin, and Hader pitched to what’s become the Brewers BP standard. 3. Adames seems to be healthy, his defense was a much needed boost in the infield and on Sunday his bat returned. (2-4, 1 HR, 3 RBI) 3 reasons why they are NOT busting out of their slump. 1. Their injuries don’t seem to be stopping, IL - Woodruff, Wong, Brosseau. Day-to-day - Urias. 2. The current team batting average is .231, putting them at 26th in the MLB. 3. The Brewers head to New York for a 3 game series against the NL best Mets, 12 of our next 15 games are against teams over .500. While I want to remain optimistic that the Brewers are going to bust out of this slump and get hot. I think they play around .500 ball over the next two weeks. We won’t see 8 losses in a row again this season, but we’re still in a tough stretch of games. Pitching will get back to form and the bats can hopefully get back to their average, which is the middle of the pack in the MLB. The Brew Crew will get back into first place, but it will be a battle with the Redbirds all season.. Brewers have got to start taking care of business against sub .500 teams, especially those in the NL Central. The best we can hope for against foes over .500 is to split them 50-50. I have faith we still have some hot streaks as a team to come and the Brewers will win the Central again. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62534889ad45801c8c6d525d/4db080bf-340a-42b4-ac39-671ebed1b346/memorialdayremembrance.jpg What's the Catch? - Soldier’s Bond Written Memorial Day of 2010 Today’s Date: 30 May 2022 There are soldiers that don’t know what it’s like to be missed. There are soldiers that will return and won’t be kissed. There are soldiers that will not be coming home; And some that will, but will be all alone. There were soldiers that were too young to die. There were soldiers that hung their heads and cried. There were soldiers who have lost their way; And some that won’t see another day. There are soldiers that have nothing better. There are soldiers that don’t even get a Dear John letter. There are soldiers who will sacrifice their lives; And some that won’t think about it twice. There were soldiers that fought for our nation. There were soldiers that fought for God’s creations. There were soldiers who were fathers and mothers; And some that lost their sisters and brothers. There are soldiers who fight for the right cause. There are soldiers who fight while their life is on pause. There are soldiers who will never be the same; And most will get no recognition or fame. We are soldiers and we will never quit. We have soldiers we will never forget. We are soldiers now and forever; And that’s a bond no one can sever. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62534889ad45801c8c6d525d/8e31efaa-33cf-40c8-8cba-92a414d26f69/barrelman.png What's the Catch? - Quarter Barrel Brew Time 22 May 2022 As I sit here and watch game 3 of the Brewers Nationals series, I realized we are a quarter of the way through the season. The Brewers sit at 26-14 and even though I’ve heard a lot of complaining about Brewers’ bats thus far, this is the best 40 game start in franchise history. But let’s take a closer look at those bats; the Brew Crew sits right in the middle of MLB standings at #15 with a team batting average of .238. Now while this doesn’t make teams fearful of their bats, we can be hopeful, because at the 16 game mark Brewers were #26 in team batting avg. Now while we remain patient and hopeful that their team average rises, we can be excited about their MLB rankings with 54 HRs (#4), 183 RBIs (#4), and 28 Stolen Bases (#3). The Brewers definitely have their feast and famine moments offensively but they are doing enough to be sitting atop the NL Central. Let’s take a look at those arms now. Woodruff isn’t quite off to the start we were hoping, but after his last outing, 6 IP, 6K, and only 1 ER, he may be settling in. Even with Woodruff’s struggles, he still leads the team in Wins (5). Lauer and Burnes really look like they’re dealing heat every time on the mound. Lauer has an ERA of 2.16 and Burnes an ERA of 2.26 are a great 1-2 punch. Lauer already has Brewers fans campaigning for a 2022 Cy Young tour. Hader picked up his 100th save and was the fastest pitcher to ever do so. Devin Williams is settling as the set up guy once again, as Counsel slides around the other puzzle pieces to the bullpen. Gott, Boxberger, Ashby, and Suter look to be the key pieces to really solidify that bullpen. But looking at the pitching staff as a whole we are in a great place; MLB rankings at this moment are up there: 26 Wins (#4), 3.34 ERA (#5), 18 Saves (#1), and 411 Ks (#1). This staff will continue to be the strength of this ball club throughout the season. Besides the Cardinals, the rest of the NL Central doesn’t seem to be too threatening. We should be able to collect many more wins from the Cubs, Pirates, and the Reds this season. The Brewers have a 10 day road trip coming up and we will get a very meaningful series @STL to potentially extend our NL Central lead. Brewers very much looking like they’ll make another playoff appearance this season; I’m impressed by the pitching staff and if we can get that team batting average up to .250 I will like our chances to make a run at the NL Pennant. Highlights from the Quarter Barrel 26-14 Best 40 game franchise start Hader reaches 100 Saves Keston’s walk off homer in Brewers’ first extra inning game The emergence of Rowdy Tellez’s power Urias is turning into an All-Star right in front of our eyes https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62534889ad45801c8c6d525d/5a026aa7-3648-4b50-9158-4d91e0533d83/GiannisRecord.jpg What's the Catch? - Final Reflection & Future 18 May 2022 Well it was a roller coaster of a series with a lot of woulda, coulda, shoulda’s. Woulda been a 5 or 6 game series with a healthy Khris Middleton. Coulda been viewed as a legendary series for Giannis if they won with his 200 Pts 100 Reb and 50 Ast (first player ever to do that in a series). Shoulda been a lot less flopping in the series and I hope the NBA does something about it. Nevertheless, those things didn’t go down that way and the Bucks season is over. I’m bummed we didn’t get to defend our title. I also understand that the battle of staying healthy is and always has been part of the playoffs. Last year people were shouting at us that our title should have an asterisk because of injuries on the Nets roster. If that were really the case, nearly every NBA title would have an asterisk on it, as many championship teams came upon opponents with injured players. I am proud of our Bucks and how they fought and never quit (until the second half of game 7) and nearly took down the hottest team in the league while missing their second best player. We’ll be back next year, Fear the Deer. As for the Future, the moment the game ended I started seeing fans demanding to tear it down already, fire Bud and trade for Dame were the two biggest angles. Bud has a flyer from me, he won it all last year and I think that gives him 3 years to try to make run at it again, minimum. Coach Bud needs to find some ways to create more offense in 1/2 court sets without Middleton and some new defensive schemes to switch to when the normal systems and strategies are getting torched. As for the Dame trade talk; I’ll pass on that and I hope it doesn’t happen. I love Dame, dude is a baller, I tune into Blazers games to watch him play. However, we would likely need to give up Jrue and/or Middleton for him. Plus, he has a monster 4 year 176 mil contract that we would need to take on. Yes Dame and Freak would be fun as hell to watch, but could we put enough around them to make a run for it all? What’s Dame’s D like? And this is The Freaks team, can he play second fiddle? Here’s the thing, our big three is still in their prime, we definitely have them for 2 more years, they have great chemistry, and we were missing one at the most important time. We have to hope for Bud to grow and find some new pieces in the supporting cast. George over the Hill has got to go. Wes I could take or leave him for another year, his D is still solid but is limited on O. Brook has got one year left and I think revisit that then. Bobby stays, Planet Pat Stays, and I like Grayson for one more year. Bye bye to Ibaka, Carter already said his farewells to the city of Milwaukee, and Nwora I could go either way. Three players I would love for us to target to add depth and scoring are as follows in no specific order: TJ Warren, Delon Wright, and Joe Ingles. I think small tweaks coaching and roster wise, with a healthy Middleton, and we will be back in the title hunt next year. Go Bucks! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62534889ad45801c8c6d525d/82ad37e8-f45c-46f7-9a41-014d4ff341e3/JrueTRex.jpg What's the Catch? - The Big Bang-O 12 May 2022 It’s just been over 24 hours and I am still in a bit of disbelief of last night’s win. I started cleaning and rearranging a book shelf in my living room going into the 4th quarter. I was getting into some negative, bummed out feelings and needed to distract myself. A few minutes later I was still feeling the same feels. With just over two minutes left in the game when Horford jammed down a put back dunk I was thinking “damn man, did Big Al just hit us with a nasty dagger?” That dunk was right after Milwaukee had multiple chances to make it a 2 point game and now it was a 6 point game. Then on our next possession we snagged yet another offensive board and it got kicked to Giannis at the top of the three point line and went straight into his shooting motion. I know I was not the only Bucks fan in the world that thought WTH Freak? Attack the hoop as he was going up, but he rattled it home and we were down 3. As he back pedaled down for D the camera zoomed in and with a trickle of blood seeping from his brow I thought this is going to be iconic, he is locked in right now. After a missed jumper by Tatum and exchanging turnovers, the Bucks got out in transition, I thought Bobby had a good look but he kicked it out to Jrue who didn’t even think about it and let it fly! Tie game, 105 up, with 43 seconds remaining. We got a couple clutch FTs from Tatum, some handholding defense by the Celtics, and then Giannis getting fouled on his way to the hoop, side out. Giannis gets the ball attacks the hoop again with Grant Williams on him and gets fouled. This is what the Celtics want in my opinion, up 2 with a 65% FT shooter at the line. My strategy would’ve been Hack-A-Freak if I am Boston. This is where my breathing started feeling like hyperventilating. Giannis sinks the first, exhale, whew, waiting for the second I was thinking sub in Brook and have two bigs for the O board.… Giannis put up the second, off the rim, missed it, Brown and Smart collide in the air going for the board. The ball seemed to hang there as Bobby plucked from mid air. Bobby put it right back up, off the back board, 360 around the rim and in! 108-107 we’re up? we’re up! 11.4 seconds left and Boston took a full TO and advanced the ball, I was looking for a play to Tatum but they in-bounded to Smart. Smart went straight to the hope and for a split second looked like he was going to get a clean look but Super Jrue flew out of no where with a clean block. OMG OMG I kept repeating, Planet Pat went on to knock down two clutch FTs in the arena he won a High School State title in. Allowing Jrue to go for the beautifully timed swipe on Smart and the Celtic’s last chance. GAME OVER. We got to see Smart’s saddest flop of all in those dying moments. Bucks players and fans rejoice. But the job is not done, there’s a lot of work left. Bucks in 6. (Special Thanks to Brent Suter’s Actual Raptor for the photo) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62534889ad45801c8c6d525d/1f2a0588-4ca3-4a72-814a-8eea23546d99/wisconsin-sports-collage-with-badgers-brewers-bucks-license-plate-art-v2-design-turnpike.jpg What's the Catch? - Rough Night to be a Wisconsinite 9 May 2022 Every multi-sport/multi-team fan is going to have some rough nights or weekends. Tonight was one of those nights for Wisconsin sports fans. Bucks trying to jump out to a 3-1 lead and Brewers trying to get back on track after back to back losses. Brewers heavily relied on their pitching staff last year and they rode them to an NL Central crown. With expectations on them this year fans are expecting great outing after great outing from the pitching staff. Tonight was one of those nights the pitchers got dusted up and the Reds could smell blood in the water. Brewers were able to produce 5 runs which would’ve won them most of their games last year. However, with Woodruff off to a rough start and the bullpen not having on their pieces in place there are going to be nights like tonight we give up 10 runs. Luckily, there’s a lot of baseball left, we’re 19-11 and still a couple games ahead of the Cardinals for 1st. The game that hurt more tonight though was the Bucks game. After nearly another dead even first half dog fight, the Bucks came out and played another good 3rd quarter. Not as nice as their game 3 third quarter, but good enough to give them a 7 point lead heading to the 4th. That’s when the Celtics completely took over again, and this time they didn’t need the refs help. Celtics completely caught fire, it felt like they didn’t miss the entire quarter. Bucks on the other hand couldn’t find their flow, looked lost a few times on D, offense became stagnant, and couldn’t knock down a few of their open looks. They were able to out rebound the Celtics 48-38, and 13-4 on the offensive glass, but with the Celtics shooting 50% from the floor and 90% from the FT line, the Bucks tough guy approach got taken down by the shooters touch. Tatum seemed to snap out of his funk with 30 points and Horford had a career night with 30 points. Bucks really have their work cut out for them going into game 5 in Boston. We still have Giannis and the shots got to start falling. Fear the Deer. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62534889ad45801c8c6d525d/2ff103c4-d80c-4cde-a39b-b74472ce3a5b/BucksCeltics.png What's the Catch? - Bernie Bango’s Bucks Bulletin 1 May 2022 Bucks have proceeded to the second round where they run into Boston; who is coming off a sweep of the preseason Eastern Conference favorite, Brooklyn Nets. Bucks won in 5 (which I predicted), but games one and two were rough. I was nervous coming into this series, as Boston looked focused and clutch in their series with the Nets. Bucks were looking better their last three games, after Khash went down with an MCL Sprain. Before game 1, I was thinking this could be a 7 game series with it going either way. I’m not sure if tougher competition and the loss of our second All-Star had me worried; but after game one today I am feeling quite a bit different. Lopez, Portis, and Giannis created a wall around the hoop today, Bucks only had 5 blocks but they contested shot after shot in the paint. The Bucks were +14 in points in the paint. Bucks also won the rebound battle 54-48. This looks like the key to this matchup. If Bucks control the paint on both ends of the floor they will control their own fate. Giannis had a triple double with 24 points 13 rebounds and 12 assists and made a dynamic duo with Jrue Holiday and his game high 25 points 9 rebounds and 5 assists. Bobby Portis chipped a double double with 15 and 11. This is going to be a physical series, reminiscent of the Bucks Celtics playoff match-ups in the 80s. However, Milwaukee has the best player on the court this time. As long as the Bucks assert themselves in the paint on both sides of the hardwood it’ll be Bucks in 6. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62534889ad45801c8c6d525d/cddcc5da-e029-460f-8143-0c01157b1ad7/NFLDRAFT1.jpg What's the Catch? - Cousin John’s 3rd Annual NFL Draft Party 29 Apr 2022 An event that has grown almost as big as the sport’s championship, the NFL Draft continues its American Tour this year in Vegas. Parties full of predictions pack pubs and homes around the country, and now we can even place bets on those predictions from the palm of our hand. However, millions of diehards have been choosing a more civil way to enjoy the draft via video conferencing. In fact Pat McAfee, Aaron Rodgers, and AJ Hawk were video conferencing/streaming their reactions and conversations live during the draft last night. Minus the live stream, there’s a handful of us that have linked up online to take in the draft the last few years. Started by my Cousin John, an avid Packers and Brewers guy who also cheers for the Bucks and Badgers is the organizer of this meeting of sports junkies. Fans of the Packers, Vikings, and Eagles were onboard last night to watch the first round. We were calling in from the states of Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota and Washington. The Vikings ended up being the punchline for most of the night due to their inexplicable trade which even their own fans and journalists graded it out as a D or F. After a quick shot at the Eagles fan about missing on more round 1 WRs, they put a great 1st round together with DT Jordan Davis from Georgia and trading pick 18 for WR AJ Brown. Then my brother Luke dropped in on the party just in time for the Packers picks. The Packers with two first round picks and nearly their entire fanbase demanding a WR, what do they do? They select a LB and a DL, both from Georgia and continue ignoring the glaring need at WR, for at least one more day. The day 1 pass catchers were all gone by picks 22 and 28, so they went with players they had rated high and have the potential of making the Packers D a top 10 Defense in the League. I’m pretty sure I heard screams of anger coming from the Dairy State last night, nonetheless WR frustration won’t set in here until after day 2 of the draft. With timely trash talk, season dreams spoken over Gentleman Jack, and No love for Jordan Love I look forward to connecting with this crew again next year. Fun Facts from the Night It has been a full 20 years since Packers drafted a WR in Round 1 Black Velvet makes an 8 year Aged Whiskey that is silky smooth Mark Sanchez is the all-time playoff wins leader for the Jets(4) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62534889ad45801c8c6d525d/d53e71e4-19b8-441f-9530-7f2f7b40a0d4/Bernie.jpg What's the Catch? - Brew Review at 10% 24 Apr 2022 We’re a tenth of the way through the season and the Brewers are second in the NL Central at 10-6. They have some arms that are looking strong: Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes seems to have picked up where he left off, Hader is serving his famous Haderade, and after some rough outings it appears Devin Williams won’t be punching a wall again soon. Gott and Boxberger are two bullpen guys I’ve really enjoyed watching throw. However, the bats almost seem nonexistent at times and could be the death of this Brewers team, again. It seems like yesterday we had the opposite problem, all bats and no arms. Yelich has his OBP over .300 but I doubt his AVG will ever see that number again. McCutchen has proven to be a solid pick up this year and leads the team at this time with 14 hits. Rowdy Tellez has gotten rough and rowdy with the ball 3 times this year, leading the team in HRs. Brewers are 26th in the Bigs when it comes to batting AVG, but lead the league in 5 quality starts from their pitching staff. Counsel is of course doing Counsel things and I will never doubt his management. I have a good feeling he’ll manage our Crew as long as they will let him. Expect more micromanagement from Counsel throughout the season, the Pitching staff will settle the rest of the way in and be one of the League’s best. But expect mediocrity from the bats, and slumps throughout the season, just hope they can get enough done so we can have playoff aspirations. Top 3 moments so far: Benches clear against the Cubs Sweeping the Bucs Lauer’s gem with 13Ks https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62534889ad45801c8c6d525d/f2be3586-9dea-4619-ae1d-6b3ce9ad0d3c/Fury.jpg What's the Catch? - A Gypsy Goodbye? 22 Apr 22 This can’t be it, can it? This weekend’s bout could be a farewell fight for the Gypsy King. From being born 3 months premature to retiring 3 fights premature in this boxing fanatic’s eyes. From the beginning of his life, Tyson Fury has been fighting. Fought his ol’man when he was 14 and broke his dad’s ribs. After winning the heavyweight title in 2016, battled addiction, suicidal ideation, and took his mental health battle public. Never have we seen a British fighter, or any fighter so transparent about his thoughts, feelings, and personal demons. Some may even forget he is British with his American-like swagger and lifestyle. He comes from a long line of bare-knuckle brawlers and is able to out-box or out-brawl his opponents. This weekend he steps into the ring to defend his crown against a former sparring partner; seems anti-climatic for a guy whose trilogy of fights against Wilder has the world begging for him to unify the heavyweight titles. But earlier this month Fury declared, “This is the final fight of my career, I’m retiring after this, $150m in the bank, healthy, young, I’m gonna buy a massive yacht abroad. I’m retiring, I’m out, this is my final fight, I’m done.” I feel like he is a man of his word, so I believe him when he says this is it. So, thank you sir, you were the best heavyweight since the man you were named after, Iron Mike. Here’s the three fights I wish you’d stick around for…. Oleksandr Usyk Anthony Joshua A young up and comer/new number one challenger https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62534889ad45801c8c6d525d/41b611d2-d9fb-4eb1-a348-5018bb36201a/BucksvsBulls.png What's the Catch? - Bucks vs Bulls 17 Apr 22 Easter Sunday typically brings us thought of resurrection, Christ rising after 3 days in a tomb. Bulls fans earlier this year were hyped and were getting those vibes that their team had been resurrected, especially when they spent some weeks in 1st place in the East. After dominating the 90s, and having the greatest player on the greatest dynasty, the Bulls were relevant again. Yes, they were a blip on the radar in 2010-11 with MVP Derrick Rose, but those dreams were short lived. In 2014-15 the Bucks and Bulls met in round one and after going down 3-0 the Bucks tried tackling their way back into the series but ultimately fell 4-2 in a game six beatdown. Back to to this season, just when Bulls became optimistic, Grayson Allen committed a flagrant foul on Alex Caruso and Bulls fans called for Allen to be crucified. But what this marked was not the resurrection of Bulls Nation, but the Revelation that the Bucks were the superior team in the Central Division. The Bulls’ prayers will not be answered because the Bucks are not looking to be seen as the savior of basketball. They are the Pontius Pilate, the villain of this rivalry, and they’re going to nail this series down in 5 games. 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