USA & Canada Olympic Hockey Recap

Yesterday we saw the debuts of the American, Russian and Canadian Olympic Hockey teams. Each of the opponents for all of these teams (Switzerland, Latvia, and Norway respectively) were not expected to measure up to the NHL-caliber talent that comprises the American, Russian, and Canadian squads. The United States won 3-1, Russia trounced Latvia 8-2, and Canada blanked Norway 8-0.

It pains me somewhat to say that the United States is statistically the weakest and inexperienced team out of these three. With an extremely young roster, the United States has an arduous task ahead of them to get onto the podium. Also, we can't forget about the defending gold medal winners, Sweden, who also boasts a roster of mostly NHL superstars.

Personally, I'm hoping for a USA-Canada final game because I'd like to see the gold medal come back to North America. Naturally, I'm pulling for the Americans, but I also support the Canadians. Despite having the insufferable cry-baby, Sidney Crosby, on the roster, the Canadian roster features three Blackhawks (Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook). Canada also has one of my favorite players of all time, Dany Heatley (pictured above), who is also a former Wisconsin Badger.

Of the 8 goals Canada scored last evening, Heatley's was probably the prettiest. Streaking down the left side, Heatley unleashed a slapshot from the top of the circles. The puck flew to the upper left corner of the net, then flew across and hit the upper right corner of the net.

Two other UW alums are also playing on Team USA. Joe Pavelski and Brian Rafalski have been playing well and contributing to the team's run to the gold medal. Keep an eye out for these former Badgers to stand out as we progress through some exciting Olympic Ice Hockey.

Jefferson Dump Good Move

It seems as if the very unpopular dump of Richard Jefferson has paid off. Jefferson was not the missing piece the Spurs needed to get back to the championship. Jefferson is past his prime and with a number of injuries can not perform like he once did for the Nets. The Bucks new GM John Hammonds seems to have made many good moves since arriving with the Bucks. Hopefully he can offset the years of terrible moves by hair gel master Larry Harris..

Frank Thomas Best Non-Steroid Hitter of Era?

Joe Posnanski wrote a compelling piece on Frank Thomas that got me thinking of the best non steroid hitters of our era. He notes how unbelievable Frank Thomas' first 8 season stats were and how he compares to other greats of his time. He has very similar number in his first 8 years to maybe the best right handed hitter of all time, Albert Pujols.

While we are in a generation where you never know who used and who didn't. It is clear that Frank Thomas has been one of the biggest advocates against steroids. Looking like he could truck a linebacker maybe would make people skeptical of his steroid use, however even before steriods use was made public he was on the band wagon for more testing. Throughout his career he hinted that others were taking "shortcuts" that he refused to take. He has wanted to make steroids a bigger deal because he was not one of the people using them. I encourage you to read Posnanski's article above and try to think of a better hitter of this era. The only other person I would say is right there with him is Ken Griffey Jr. Although both Thomas' and Griffey's end of their careers have been plagued with injuries maybe that just shows you want happens to older bodies when you play 162 games a year... the natural thing, break down.

After reading this article is clear that Frank Thomas should be a first ballot Hall of Famer!

BUT THAT'S JUST MY TWO CENTS FROM THE NOSE BLEEDS!!

Brewers ST Preview 2010: Coaches

Ken Macha, Manager: Macha is returning for his second season as manager of the Brewers. As we saw last year, Macha has a very laid back manner, yet will tell it like it is. He has drawn some criticism for calling out his players, the complete opposite of Ned Yost, who would always defend his players in the line of fire. (Doesn’t at least a small part of you wish Ned was still around, if only for his great post-game press conferences?)

Rick Peterson, Pitching Coach: Peterson, a former Athletics and Mets pitching coach, rejoins Macha (they were manager and coach in Oakland) as his new pitching coach. Peterson uses the philosophy of “biomechanics,” where he will analyze a pitcher’s delivery to limit injuries and improve performance. The system stresses the repetition of a pitcher’s mechanics. In the past, Peterson has had success with many young pitchers such as Barry Zito, Tim Hudson, and Mark Mulder and he hopes to do the same for Manny Parra. Peterson replaces Billy Castro (who was fired mid-season) and Chris Bosio as pitching coach.

Dale Sveum, Hitting Coach: Sveum enters his second season as Brewers hitting coach, and sixth season overall. Only one of two holdovers from Ned Yost’s staff, he has filled the role of bench coach, 3rd base coach, interim manager, and now hitting coach with the Brewers, as well as a six year playing career with the Crew.

Willie Randolph, Bench coach: Randolph, another former Brewer, is the bench coach once again this year. Originally interviewed for Macha’s job, he accepted the lesser role of bench coach after being denied the job. He has ties with pitching coach Rick Peterson, as Peterson was the pitching coach while Randolph was manager of the New York Mets.

Brad Fischer, 3rd Base Coach: In his 2nd year as Brewers 3rd base coach, Brad Fischer is another former member of Macha’s staff in Oakland.

Ed Sedar, 1st Base Coach: Sedar is in his 4th season as 1st base coach, the other holdover from Yost’s staff.

Roger Caplinger, Trainer: (9th Season) and

Dr. William Raasch, Head Physician: (10th Season).

Stop By Tomorrow for a Preview on Pitchers and Catchers!!!

Brewers Spring Training Preview 2010

With pitchers and catchers reporting tomorrow all around Major League Baseball, it's that time of year again to start thinking Brewers! I recently completed my in-depth ST preview for the Brewers and was going to post it in its entirety today; that is until I realized that it was more than two full pages of text. Thus I have decided to break it up day by day until their first full workout on Feb 22nd.

Here's my tentative schedule:

Today (2/16): Coaches

Wed. (2/17): Pitchers and Catchers

Thurs. (2/18) 1st and 3rd Base

Fri. (2/19) 2nd Base and Shortstop

Sat. (2/20) Outfield

Sun. (2/21) Bench/Non Roster Invitees

Mon. (2/22) Top Prospects

Hope you enjoy!

Team U.S.A. gets first Olympic win against Switzerland

The United States hockey team saw its first action of the Olympics Tuesday against Switzerland.

The first period began with a bang, as the U.S. bombarded Swiss goalie Jonas Hiller with numerous shots throughout the first 10 minutes of the game. The Swiss defense, however, recovered and held the U.S. to only 1 shot in their first power-play attempt.

The game continued to be a physical affair with the puck remaining in the Swiss zone for the majority of the period until the 19 minute mark, when Bobby Ryan was able to score an unassisted goal on a deflection off a Swiss player. Ironically, Ryan and Swiss goalie Hiller both play for the Anaheim Ducks.

The U.S. took their 1-0 lead into the second period, and added to it just 6 minutes in. After an exceptional save by U.S. goalie Ryan Miller, David Backes took the rebound end to end for a fast-break goal.

A few minutes later Ryan Malone added a power play goal off the rebound of a shot by Madison native - and former Badger - Ryan Suter to give the U.S. a 3-0 lead, a lead they would take into the third period.



With 10 minutes to play in the game Switzerland finally got on the scoreboard after a power play goal from Roman Wick.

Team U.S.A. was able to hold off the Swiss advances for the remainder of the game to win 3-1.

The U.S. put 24 shots on goal in contrast to the Swiss’ 15. Most of the shots for the U.S. came in the first two periods, as not much was going for them offensively in the third.

The young U.S. team is not favored for medal contention this year, but today they showed they have the firepower to score goals. Add that to the impressive performance by goalie Miller, and you’ve got a legitimate chance at a medal for the Americans.

The U.S skates again against Norway on Thursday.

This article is also posted on the Bleacher Report.

Oprah tries to Wipe off Drew Brees Birthmark

What is worse Oprah trying to wipe off Drew Brees' birthmark or Ryan Seacrest trying to high five a blind guy? You decide....

Olympic Update

The U.S. took another gold medal on Monday as Seth Wescott won the gold in the men's snoboard cross, repeating his performance from the 2006 Torino games. Wescott remains the only Olympic gold medal winner in this event, which made its debut in the 2006 games.

Bode Miller picked up an alpine bronze, bringing the Americans to 8 total medals, still first among all countries.

Jon Leuer Practices

Jon Leuer practices with first team today, hopefully for Badgers fans' we will see him back in the starting lineup soon!

Bucks 2nd Half Season Preview

The second half of the NBA season is about to begin after the annual All-Star game concluded last night with a 141-139 Eastern Conference victory. Despite being represented by Brandon Jennings in the Rookie-Sophomore game on Friday night and in the Skills Challenge on Saturday, the Bucks have continued their All-Star game representation drought. Not since the 2003-2004, when Michael Redd was named to represent the Bucks, has there been a member of the team participating in the game. However, the draft selection of Brandon Jennings and the continued improvement of Andrew Bogut could prove to change this fortune next year. The second half of the season will give us a further glimpse as to what the Bucks future holds.


The center position and the point guard position, widely regarded as the toughest positions to secure in the NBA, appear to be in great shape for the Bucks. The first half of the season proved Bogut has finally arrived as a big-time player, and his consistency and continued improvement have the opinion around the league growing that he is the second best center in the East after Dwight Howard. This is something that Bucks fan should rejoice for, seeing as how we struggled for years with big men such as Ervin Johnson and a washed up Anthony Mason playing key roles down low for us. Those players simply weren't getting it done, and the Bucks franchise mettled in mediocrity for the longest time. Finally, we have a big man who can play with the best in the league down low.

Then there's John Hammond's selection of Brandon Jennings with the 10th overall pick in this past draft. From everything I had heard about him, I was very skepetical of this pick at first. This was not helped by the fact that Jennings didn't even show up to the draft until way later in the event. However, Jennings exploded onto the scene, and no one was questioning his shooting after the 55 point outburst againt Golden State. He worked hard on making his proclaimed weaknesses into his some of his strengths, and hard work is just what the franchise needed from the two most important positions in the game.


In addition to these two players, fan favorite Luc Richard Mbah A Moute brings a level of defense to the Bucks lineup that has long been lacking. Every night he guards the best player on the other team, outside of the center position. That versatility is something every good team needs. Carlos Delfino, now dubbed "Delthreeno" has brought that same kind of versatility in the offseason trade that brought him here from Toronto. You combine that with Charlie Bell's defense and veteran leadership and the Bucks have quickly assembled a pretty solid starting lineup with a bright future in what was supposed to be on the worst seasons in franchise history. The bench brings in hustle players Hakim Warrick, Ersan Illyasova, and Luke Ridnour, and recently signed Jerry Stackhouse for what is one of the strongest group of backups in the league. Since the Michael Redd injury, the Bucks have play much better as a team, and are rapidly ascending the playoff ladder.


The Bucks should maintain their team play throughout the second half of the season, while the team chemistry has only gotten better and better as the year went on. Jennings has had his ups and downs, and that will be no different in the next few months. Playing against different players and different defenses, in addition to the number of games played, is something he is not used to yet. While there most likely will be no more 55 point scoring clinics the rest of the season due to fatigue, expect Jennings point average to remain around 15-18 per game. Bogut should be even better due to the much needed rest he has gotten. Due to the lack of size for the Bucks, he played a lot of minutes in the first half of the season, and that should remain the case coming up. I fully expect him to average around 20 points and 11 rebounds the rest of the season, while maintaining his 2 blocks a game(he is currently second in the league behind Howard). Mbah A Moute has shown very scrappy play on the offensive and defensive side of the ball lately, and that should be the norm from now on as well.

Defensive-minded coach Scott Skiles has wanted him to be more aggressive, and the last couple weeks leading up to the break he certainly fit that bill. In addition to these 3, the veterans should continue their strong play because they are used to the length of the season and have been playing together fairly well. Overall, the Bucks will claim a playoff seed between 5-8. The trade deadline is coming up, and in my next blog, I will discuss possible trades that might happen and why the Michael Redd injury is a great thing for the Bucks for next year.

Congrats Brian Butch on D League All Star MVP

It was awesome to see Brian Butch take down D League All Star Game MVP. It seems as if this ex-Badger is discovering himself in the NBA Development League. After playing summer league for the Memphis Grizzles, Butch has now played for the Bakersfield Jam in the NBA D League. Butch is averaging 16.1 points a game and seems to be finding himself and hopefully will one day make an NBA roster.

Some other players you may know that were on the D League All Star team... Joey Dorsey (Memphis), Mustafa Shakur (Arizona), and Joey Crawford (Kentucky)...

Good to see the Polar Bear doing well....

Honest Duke Answer

Dartmouth must be bigger rivals with Duke than most college sports fan believe!

The Craziness of Short Track

While I was watching short track speed skating the other day, I couldn't believe the unpredictability of the race. While I do not want to underplay Apollo Ohno's silver medal, if you see how he wins it, its pretty crazy.

While some experts will say it was smart, that Ohno was in the back and out of the mess. I think that many times if fortune is on your side, and your talented and fast enough to be close... you can win.

I actually love the sport because its pretty much roller derby on ice! It's crazy to think about training for an event for 4 years and seeing the silver medal and then a teammate knocking himself and you out of the race. CRAZY!!!

Mark Mulder Retires From Baseball (Maybe)

Mark Mulder, a one time Cy Young Runner-Up and two time all-star, retired today. Mulder was considering returning to baseball with the Brewers because he had played under Brewers manager Ken Macha and new pitching coach Rick Peterson with the Oakland Athletics. Peterson had been in contact with Mulder all winter trying to convince him to give it one last try and the Brewers offered him a minor league contract last month. Yet Mulder wasn't able to commit himself to such a comeback after missing most of the last two seasons with a rotator cuff injury. This move doesn't have too much of an implication for the Brewers; it is likely that if he had signed, he would have had to spend some time in the minors and would've merely provided depth for the Brewers in case something had happened to their starting pitching. Mulder finished his career 103-60, with a 4.18 ERA. He played nine seasons with the Athletics and Cardinals.

UPDATE: Mulder's agent now claims that Mulder hasn't actually decided yet. We'll keep you posted...

Olympics Day Two

The United States added two more medals on Sunday to bring the U.S. count up to 6 medals, still first among all countries. Johnny Spillane took the silver medal in the Nordic Combine event, while Bryon Wilson took bronze in the Men's Moguls. This mogul race was unique in that the winner, Alexandre Bilodeau from Canada, won Canada's first gold medal in a home Olympics.

And the Hits Just Keep on Coming Floyd

Floyd Landis looks as though he is in trouble again. You may say, "Who is Floyd Landis?" Well if you remember Landis, won the Tour de France in 2006, the year after Lance Armstrong retired. After winning the event though he was stripped of his medal because of testing positive for high testerone levels. Now it looks as though a French judge wants a warrant for his arrest with a issue with hacking into the testing lab.

Highlights from the world's greatest pick-up game

UW Student Slam Dunk Contest

Here's a shout out to Steve Cyra, winner of the student slam dunk contest this past week at UW Madison. Notice he makes Jordan Taylor and NBA All-Star Jim Jackson to jump out of their seats.

U.S. Medal Count: Day 1

After one day of competition in Vancouver, the United States sits in first place in the medal count with 4 medals: 1 gold, 1 silver, and 2 bronze. Apolo Ohno and J.R. Selski took the silver and bronze, respectively, in the men's 1500 meter short-track speed skating. This silver medal ties Ohno with Bonnie Blair for the most number of medals for a U.S. Winter Olympian. On the women's side, Hannah Kearney earned the first U.S. gold medal in the women's moguls. Shannon Barkhe took the bronze in the moguls.

Brewers lose gamble with Hart hearing

With the Brewers losing their Corey Hart arbitration hearing today, they lost $650,000 in money that could've been used elsewhere in their operations. The Brewers hadn't gone to an arbitration hearing for 12 years, including Doug Melvin's entire tenure as GM, yet Melvin decided that a hearing was the best way to go. Was this worth the gamble? Reports stated that the Brewers stopped negotiations and withdrew their offer on Jan. 29, almost two weeks before the hearing. Usually the Brewers have been able to hammer out a deal at the very last minute, yet this year it seems like they didn't even attempt to do so. I feel they should've at least tried to negotiate a contract around the midpoint, like has been Melvin's tradition for so many years. By not doing so, we lost $300,000-400,000, not to mention any hard feelings that could result from the hearing.

Even though I feel that Hart deserves the 4.15 million and not the 4.8 million that he will make next year, I feel it would've been in the Brewers best interest to make a compromise for the benefit of themselves and to remain on good terms with Hart. More importantly, Hart only has one more year of arbitration left, and could very well be non-tendered a contract after this year if he doesn't prove his worth, as he gets more and more expensive every year. This is the year that he must prove he's worth anything to the Brewers in order to stick as their starting RF in the near future.

Corey Hart Wins Salary Arbitration

Well it seems as though hitting .260 with home runs and 48 RBI's means that you deserve a pay raise. A panel of arbitrators decided that Hart's wish for $4.8 million was more fair than the Brewers $4.15 offer. To me this was very surprising for a player that killed the Brewers for most of the season last year. This is the first time Doug Melvin has ever had a player to have an arbitration case. Seems as though baseball is the only job in America where you hurt your company and still get pay raises, that and government I guess.

BUT THAT'S JUST MY TWO CENTS FROM THE NOSE BLEEDS!!!

Packers Fan Announces He Will Return To Drinking For Another Season

Corey Hart in Contract Arbitration for 2010 season

This article is also published here on the Bleacher Report.

The Milwaukee Brewers and Corey Hart will participate in a contract arbitration hearing on Thursday.
Hart made $3.25 million last season, and through agent Jeff Berry, filed for $4.8 million. The Brewers offered $4.15 million and have not heard back since the passing of the team-imposed deadline on the deal.
As of now, Hart will be a Brewer in the 2010 season with at least a $900,000 raise.

My question is: Is Hart worth the raise?

Hart’s stats last season saw a significant decrease from his previous two seasons. Granted, he had an appendectomy midseason. However, he suffered nearly a two-month dry spell leading up to his appendectomy.

Hart isn’t in a position to tell the Brewers what he wants. If he can bounce back from the injury to get back to the player he was in the 2008 season, he may have a justifiable plea at a raise.

Personally, I see Hart sharing time with Jody Gerut to open the 2010 season and eventually being replaced in the starting lineup.

Hart’s major upside is his speed, but manager Ken Macha rarely gives the steal sign. When Hart made the All-Star Game in 2008, it was because of his consistency. He never did anything too special but always managed to do enough.

I’m not so sure that consistency is still there, but everyone has rough patches. Hart simply needs to prove his worth.

Regardless of the arbitration hearing, Hart will have a season left on his contract in which he can persuade the Brewers with his production going into contract negotiations for the 2011 season.

Kansas' Brady Moringstar's One Shining Moment

Another New Blogger Profile...

Hi Everyone,

My name is Eliot Pattee and I’m yet another new contributor to Two Cents. A little about me: I am a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Wisconsinite through and through. I am originally from Oshkosh, WI, so as a result I am a huge Packers, Brewers, Badgers, and Bucks fan. Here at Two Cents, my main focus will be MLB and the Brewers, especially as we are quickly heading into the baseball season. I will be writing such things as a Brewers spring training preview and an extensive MLB preview before the regular season starts, as well as periodic updates. And I will of course give my “Two Cents” on all things from the Winter Olympics to College Basketball.

I’m very excited to contribute to this blog and I also want to thank Brendan for giving me the opportunity to be a part of it. Look for more from me soon!

Funny Super Bowl Picture

Hey "Two Cents"

Hello my name is Mike Domini and I am currently a Sophomore at the University of Minnesota Duluth. I am majoring in Secondary Social Studies Education and minoring in Coaching.

I'm excited about my opportunity to contribute to the "Two Cents" nation and hope you enjoy my posts. Until now I am a first-time blogger but am an avid sports fan. I follow just about every sport out there but I will most likely be keeping all of you up-to-date with the hockey world.

Hockey has been my favorite sport to watch and play since the age of 2. I grew up in northern Wisconsin, learning to skate practically before I could walk. Growing up with a coach and also former NHL standout, Calder Trophy winner (Rookie of the Year), Silver Medalist, and member of the 1989 Calgary Flame Stanley Cup Champions, although he may be more famous for knocking Wayne Gretzky out of the '91 Canada Cup with a body check or knocking Paul Kariya unconscious and forcing him to miss the '98 Olympics, Gary Suter is one of the biggest reasons I am a Blackhawk fan today. He played for the Chicago Blackhawks from 1994 to 1998-when I was 4 until I was 8- he was then traded to the San Jose Sharks. I am also a huge fan of the Green Bay Packers and Milwaukee Brewers. I would like to throw a shout-out and thanks to Jimmy Oxley and Brendan Sweeney for giving me this opportunity!

2010-2020: The Decade of the NFC?

My latest article, about the potential for the NFC to succeed in the 2010-2020 decade after an NFC dominant 2000-2010, can be found here on the Bleacher Report.

Camp Randall Hockey Classic

The Wisconsin hockey teams (both men's and women's) took the field/ice for the Camp Randall Hockey Classic on Saturday. The stadium, normally home to the football team, belonged to the hockey players for the afternoon in the first hockey game to be played at Camp Randall.

While hockey games at the Kohl Center are usually played in front of a sell-out crowd of around 15,000 fans, Saturday's game brought in an audience of over 55,000.

The Badger women took care of business as they easily blew out Bemidji State, 6 to 1.

The Badger men had more of a struggle on their hands.

UW took a 1-0 lead just 3 minutes into the game, but Michigan came back, scoring a goal to tie the game up at 1 apiece. The game remained 1-1 until ten minutes left in the third period, when Michigan took their first lead of the game. With 5 minutes left in the game, the Badgers evened the game up at 2 with a power play goal by Brendan Smith.

Then, with under two minutes to play, another Michigan penalty put the Badgers on a power play. With just a minute and a half to go Smith scored his second power-play goal to put the Badgers up 3-2, a lead which they carried to the end of the game.

The Camp Randall Hockey Classic was an exciting event for students not only because of the chance for an outdoor game: the event gave students the chance to experience a "football gameday" atmosphere during hockey season. Tailgaiting and pregaming were prevalent throughout campus. Crowds of red swarmed towards Camp Randall. Had there not been snow on the ground you might have thought it was a regular Saturday gameday.

To cap off the "fan's experience," as is tradition at Camp Randall, Jump Around was played in the third period. Always a student section favorite, Jump Around not only pumped up the crowd and players, but also warmed up the fans after two hours in the cold.

All in all I think the Classic was a successful event for UW athletics. Despite the rink being dwarfed by the stadium, making it hard to follow the action, the experience was one-of-a-kind for fans and players alike.

Said Ben Street, the lone Badger who played in an outdoor game on Lambeau Field in 2006, "I think this one is a little more special. It was on campus, 'Jump Around' was so cool and then the way that we won it. To come back late, the crowd just kept getting fired up. We were cold but I think we had goose bumps because of how loud it was and because the way the game was going."

This article is also published on The Bleacher Report.

Letterman's Top Ten Excuses the Colts have for Losing the Super Bowl

The Great 8

Shortly before Drew Brees and Peyton Manning combined for a record 63 completions in last night's Super Bowl, another epic battle in the world of sports was waged. Alexander Ovechkin faced off against Sidney Crosby when the Pittsburgh Penguins visited the Washington Capitals on Sunday afternoon. Drafted number one and two overall respectively, the friction between these two young superstars has only intensified over the course of their five year careers. The relationship between these two players has excitingly progressed into one of the most intense rivalries in recent sports history.

In this particular game, Ovechkin's Capitals saw the Penguins go up 4-1 midway through the 2nd period, with the nemesis Crosby scoring two of the four goals. Despite the deficit, Ovechkin led his team back into the game by netting a three goals (one in the 2nd period and two in the third), and sent the game into overtime as the Capitals turned the tables on the Penguins. Riding this wave of momentum, Mike Knuble was able to score in overtime to put the game away for good. Guess who assisted him...

This four point (3 goals and 1 assist) spectacle by "Alexander the Great" wasn't anything new for the young Russian. Ovechkin has been doing wondrous things on the ice throughout his entire career. From scoring a goal on his back in Phoenix in 2006, to making New York Rangers defensemen look utterly silly in last year's playoffs, the Alexander Ovechkin Show never ends. He won the Calder Memorial Trophy (NHL Rookie of the Year), he has been selected to every All Star roster he has been eligible for, and he has won the Hart Memorial Trophy (NHL's Most Valuable Player) in both 2008 and 2009.

Aside from his momentous on-ice feats, he also leads quite an interesting life off the ice. He has not been shy about driving his car over 100 mph around the D.C. area, or smooching blonde women at Washington Wizards games. His athletic ability is so prolific, that even when he leisurely tries his hand (for the first time) at a game of golf, miraculous things happen (See below) His adept mastery of the game of hockey coupled with his off-ice persona make him one of the most intriguing and exciting athletes of the modern era. All we have to do is sit back and watch...

Selig's Statue

So the Brewers have decided to erect a statue for commissioner and former owner Bud Selig. While I do admire his ability to rise to the top of baseball for me his lasting image in Milwaukee is his All Star Game tie. When he looked like a hero to Milwaukee fans before that, bringing a baseball team back to Milwaukee, building a new stadium, and eventually having an All Star Game to Milwaukee; he found a way to mess it up. I think Selig is a good guy and do not want to ride him too hard for his poor managing skills or inability to make a tough decision. However, I do request that the statue erected outside the stadium is the typical Selig pose seen on the picture to the left. Selig's classic "I don't know what to do" pose is what I remember most about the guy

Hello Hello

Hello Blog World,

My name is Tom Llaurado, and I'm ecstatic to be a part of 2 Cents From the Nose Bleeds. I'm a junior here at the University of Wisconsin, and I hail from the Milwaukee area (New Berlin to be exact). I'm an avid Packers, Brewers, and Badger fan, but I'd have to say that the sports team I care about the most right now is the Chicago Blackhawks. This may seem puzzling, that I (a Wisconsin resident) support a team located south of the Wisconsin-Illinois border, but I grew up playing the game of hockey and the Milwaukee Admirals just didn't do it for me. Thus, from a young age I was drawn to the closest NHL team in relation to where I lived, and that team was the Blackhawks. In addition to the Hawks, I also watched National Hockey Night (Barry Melrose in his prime) on ESPN almost every evening, so I'm a pretty enthusiastic supporter of the NHL, and I try to watch as much hockey as a busy college student can.

In addition to these American sports teams, I'm also a passionate supporter of the illustrious Futbol Club de Barcelona. My grandfather grew up in Barcelona and still owns an apartment in the city. I've been fortunate enough to visit 6 times throughout the course of my life, and have attended multiple soccer (football) matches in one of the most beautiful stadiums in the world, Camp Nou. I've seen greats like Ronaldo (the Brazilian one), Kluivert, Ronaldinho and Messi play there. I was also fortunate to have lunch with their current coach Pep Guardiola (a fellow Catalan and past Barcelona captain) this summer when the team visited Los Angeles for their annual tour of America (picture above).

The main goal of most of my contributions to this blog will be to deliver interesting posts about hockey and world soccer, two sports that are typically outside America's focus. However, I'll still do my best to try and discuss more mainstream sports content on a frequent basis as well. With all that being said, I'd like to give a big "Word Up" to Brendan for letting me become a more direct influence of the 2cnb Nation. More to come...

Super Bowl

So if you didn't watch the Super Bowl then you probably do not read sports blogs, so there is little reason for me to give you the summary. Well if you are that one reader who missed the Super Bowl and read sports blogs, the Saints won!

After watching the game the one thing that stood out to me the whole game is the attitude of the teams. Saints played to win and the Colts played not to lose. On paper the Colts are probably a stronger team with a superior quarterback that should have won this game. The only problem was, the Colts actually believed that mattered. It seemed as if the Colts' play calling was as predictable as the ending of the movie "Titanic". Whenever it was third and short and general wisdom told them to run... the Colts would run. The Saints quickly picked up on this conservative play calling and stacked the line. On second and third in short, the Saints lined up in a formation where they had one linebacker behind the line and the rest on the line of scrimmage. The Colts rarely converted on these downs and their repetition in play calling made the Saints defense look better than it was.

While the Colts sat back and thought the game was theirs, the Saints grabbed it away. Starting in the first half the Saints were aggressive in their play calling. Early in the game when Sean Payton went for it on forth down, he sent a message. He wanted his team to know they were there to win and not stay close. Although they did not score it ended up with a similar result by getting the field goal right before half. The Saints started the second half with a surprise onside kick that turned the momentum upside down. Special shout out to UW Badger alum Jonathan Castillas for the recovery. Before this Super Bowl recovery, Casillas was most known for his MUI (mopeding under the influence) around Madison. The Saints passed it down field and took chances throughout the game and it ended up paying off.

The other thing I noticed throughout the game was the under rated running backs of both teams. Especially in the first half, the running backs Joseph Addai and Pierre Thomas ran incredibly hard. While looking at the stat sheet their numbers do not jump out at you these two backs were very crucial to their team's game plan. Brees and Manning continued to dump off short passes to their backs and they turned this screens into great runs. Breaking tackles and fighting for extra yards these two backs were keys to their offenses today. Now normally bringing up the play of starting running backs would be irrelevant. However, because today's game was hyped so heavily on the two quarterbacks, I think it worth noting how talented of backs these two guys are. Especially Pierre Thomas who many times gets overlooked by a lesser but flashier running back, Reggie Bush.

To be honest I was overall a little disappointed with the Colts. Manning "favred" it up at the end and never seemed comfortable the entire game. Reggie Wayne was just an average receiver today, did not step up to the occasion. Overall I thought it was clear who came into the game with the right mind set. I think we overlook experience and under-appreciate the attitude that a team brings in. WHO DAT? This Super Bowl celebration parade is going to make Mardi Gras look like West Allis Hale's homecoming parade.

BUT THAT'S JUST MY TWO CENTS FROM THE NOSE BLEEDS!!!

Favorite Super Bowl Commerical

Thank You Janet Jackson for Wrecking Half Time Shows

Thank you Janet Jackson because half of your boob has wrecked who we can pick for our half time entertainment. Because CBS is freaked out that someone may do something that the FCC does not approve of, they have decided to go in the old direction. They have decided to go in the direction of picking bands that are 20 years past their prime. The Super Bowl half time show has become a yearly check up on what plastic surgery can do and also how the plastic surgeons can not fix the off key singing of these old men. The Super Bowl Half Time Show use to be very entertaining where you could watch up and coming stars perform what is currently popular. Now they decide to embarrass old entertainers past their prime. Up next year Tina Turner, enjoy another year of fearing another "wardrobe malfunction" with a 70 year old woman performing...

BUT THAT'S JUST MY TWO CENTS FROM THE NOSE BLEEDS!!!

1st Half Thoughts

The Colts lead at halftime 10-6 but the game seems far from being a Colts dominated game. The offensive explosion expected for the game has not quite been the story thus far. The Colts have looked solid on offense with Joseph Addai running strong and Peyton making smart plays. They have lacked the big play but I doubt that it will be like that for the entire game.

The biggest play of the 1st half was the 4th down when Saints decided to go for it instead of kicking the field goal. I felt that it was the right decision for the Saints because it was probably a 50-50 shot of getting it and if they didn't convert the chance of the Colts going 99 yards is highly unlikely. Like the way it ended up Colts play conservative, Saints stop them use their timeouts and get a chance at a field goal. The failed 4th down proved to not be costly for the Saints and they remain close in this game.

My thought for the second half is that it is going to open up and start to throw more. The Saints got to the Super Bowl because they spread it out and threw the ball more than anyone in the league. It is hard to watch them run 3 times from inside 5 and not convert. Put the ball in Brees' hands and let the receivers make plays on the outside. The Colts should take some more chances throwing the ball on 1st and 2nd down more to catch the Saints off guard. Seems as if the playbook has been very predictable thus far.

BUT THAT'S JUST MY TWO CENTS FROM THE NOSE BLEEDS!!!

Goodell Delivers "State of the League" Address

NFL Commissioner Rodger Goodell gave the annual "State of the League" address Friday. Among the topics included were out-of-country games/teams and the NFL/CFL relationship.

Goodell highlighted the benefit of the two Buffalo Bills games played in Toronto this year, saying that the games were "tremendously successful" for the league. As Goodell stated, "We said the objective was to regionalize the Buffalo Bills and it achieved those objectives.” Goodell added, “When we first got into this, we wanted to make sure it was a good experience for the two teams ... and we achieved that objective. I'm very confident that next year's game is going to be bigger and better"

Goodell was asked of the possiblility of a permanent London-based team, and replied, “They have demonstrated that they’re tremendous football fans and that we’re continuing to grow our game over there. ... If that passion continues, maybe someday they will have an NFL franchise. But I’ve never put a timeframe on that."

While the NFL and CFL (Canadian Football League) do not have any current interactions, Goodell, in response to a question, said the two sides have a "great relationship." Said Goodell, "We had long negotiations with them and they determined in their best interests that they did not need an alliance or any type of formal arrangement. We will continue to do what's in the best interest of football. We would love to see our CFL partners be successful and we'll continue to communicate with them."

It seems as though the NFL is going global, or at least intends to. This can be seen both as a benefit and a detriment to the American game. The games played outside America have and will likely continue to draw large crowds. This is necessary to the continuation of the league, as money is a huge issue these days.

Despite this, the NFL is an American league. Shouldn't the games be played in America?? If Packer fans had to give up season tickets so a game could be played in Canada, many would be extremely angry. I can see teams such as Detroit who are struggling to fill their stadiums going outside the country for fans. (I guess even the Lions would impress the Canadians), but as long as successful teams are leaving the country to play, many American fans will be disgruntled.

Joining "Two Cents"

Hello to all the followers of "Two Cents from the Nosebleeds." My name is Jim Oxley, and I am currently a sophomore at UW Madison.

I'm happy to begin contributing here, and excited about the opportunities for new readers. Until now I have been writing my own blog - Quick Hits from the Ox - which I started with encouragement from Two Cents' own, Brendan Sweeney.


I have published my most recent articles, a Super Bowl preview and a Badgers-Michigan State analysis, on the Bleacher Report and Badger Herald's "Extra Points" blog, respectively.

13 year old USC committ

Yes you heard it right, USC has there first member of the 2015 class. Lane Kiffin recruited a 13 year old who is currently playing for his 7th grade team. David Sills, a Delaware youngster has been getting coached by an elite quarterback coach, Steve Clarkson. Sills flies to California and Clarkson flies to Delaware to train together. Clarkson believes that he is the next Jimmy Clausen, Lebron James, Tiger Woods... The video below shows him dominating other 13 year olds. If you watch the video though it looks as though he hasn't even hit puberty. In a game that football where maturity and growth have such a big part this is such a shocking story.



This story raises a serious question, "How early are football players going to be signed in the future?"

Badger Basketball

Looks like the Badgers did it again... They beat another top 5 team at the Kohl Center. The win over Michigan State may have been the most impressive of all the wins though because it came without their top two scorers. Playing short-handed with Jon Leuer still sidelined with a wrist injury and losing Trevon Hughes in the first half with his two quick fouls.

The Badgers jumped on the lead early and never looked back. Dominating the entire game on both ends of the floor, the 18 point margin made few people doubt the Badgers legitimacy. Being 2 games back with a favorable schedule and an injured Lucas the Badgers look on the edge of taking over the Big Ten.

There were two main things I took away from this game. First is that this Badger team is young and deeper than some may believe. While we do not go ten deep on the bench, when given the chance young players are stepping up and playing great. With Hughes out, you quickly forgot about the senior guard because Jordan Taylor completely took over. He gives Badger' fans a bright look into what the future will be like. Rob Wilson throughout the season has been an instant scorer when he enters the game. Many times it seems many Badger player do not want the ball in their hands on offense, except Wilson. Wilson drives hard to the basketball, shoots when open, and is not afraid to challenge a bigger player. While this may sound very fundamental, for this Badger team it is rare and it shows the confidence in the sophomore guard. It is clear that he should be the starting at the 4 for Tim Jarmusz. With the emergence of Wilson, Taylor, and redshirt freshman Ryan Evans it seems as though the future is bright for the Wisconsin basketball team.

Secondly, after watching the first half and beginning of second half I believe that our team will run better without Trevon Hughes. I think Hughes has incredible talent and he posses skills that can match any guard in the Big Ten, but I do not think he fits in the Wisconsin system. When Taylor is in the game, he drives creates for others, constantly on the attack. When Hughes gets the ball or is in the game, he holds the ball at the top of the key until the shot clock gets to 5 seconds and settles for a bad shot. He fails to run Bo Ryan's offense and even though he may average more points then anyone else on the floor I think he hurts the offense. I think our team will be better next year with Taylor running the point. Taylor has shown flashes this year that he could not just be good, but a great Wisconsin point guard. Taylor currently leads the entire country in his assist to turnover ratio at nearly 4:1 a/t ratio. Hughes' a/t ratio is a dismal 1.2:1 which is not Bo Ryan basketball.

I see big things for this team though, once Leuer gets back I think Badgers could make a run deep into the tournament.

BUT THAT'S JUST MY TWO CENTS FROM THE NOSE BLEEDS

Favre

Best Speech Ever... Oh My

McGwire's Guide to Hitting

Sports Science

Finley Catch Good Omen For Packers? - ESPN Video

Little Rascal

Most Amazing Shot Ever

Gotta Have More Cowbell

The Colts Imperfect Season

This weekend the Colts were on the edge of perfection, a half away from going 15-0 to a Jets teams who was outmatched by the Colts. The Colts were up by 5 in the 3rd quarter and Coach Jim Caldwell decided to pull their starters most notably MVP Peyton Manning. The Colts gave up their 5 point lead and said, goodbye to their perfect season. Caldwell expressed that having a perfect season was not in the Colts' goals this year. After seeing the faces of the Colts after they lost though, it seemed as if the locker room wanted it. To have a place in history above ever team in history would mean something to the Colts and I think Caldwell ignored that. I think the perfect season talk will probably be a sore subject for a few weeks, but the real question I have, "Does resting players before the playoffs really help teams in the long run?"

In recent years it seems as if the growing trend is that teams from the Wild Card Weekend seem to be reaching the Super Bowl more and more. Why is this? Three out of the last four Super Bowl champions have played on Wild Card Weekend. Last year, the Cardinals who were considered one of the worst playoff teams ever to make it, ended up almost winning the Super Bowl over another Wild Card Weekend team, the Steelers. This trend would seem to not make any sense because not only do the teams with superior records get to play at home, they also get this much needed rest.

I believe that this much needed rest is what is hurting these 1 and 2 seeds in the playoffs. With resting nearly two weeks with the playoff format and sometimes 3-4 when resting early, teams get out of sync. Football is a game of timing and when you have not played a competitive game in a month it is tough to get that back right away. I think teams that fight until the last week of the season to make the playoffs and play the first week have an advantage because they are in sync. Now in order to curb this teams like the Colts should play until the last week of the season. It makes no sense to rest a quarterback who has started 191 consecutive games because he may get hurt. Players always have the chance to get hurt but the way to increase it the most is to play like you have a lot to lose. The goal every Sunday is to win football games and at the end of the day win the Super Bowl.

A 14-1 team seems bummed and is down and is questioning what could of been, when they should be getting prepared for one of their biggest playoffs in their lives. Caldwell by resting his players and letting the Colts lose has created a distraction they may not of had otherwise. The problem is that even if the Colts win the Super Bowl, players will still be questioning whether it could of meant perfect. I think in order to help his team win the Super Bowl and have the chance to make history Caldwell should of kept Peyton Manning and the players in.

BUT THAT'S JUST MY TWO CENTS FROM THE NOSE BLEEDS!