Not quite so weekly the past two weeks I know. Last week I almost went my first week without posting a Wank since I started them recovered in the 12th hour and then totally missed the window this week. If you have glanced at this blog before you may remember that I am the tired father of two young, endlessly energetic children under the age of 3 as well as an IT professional, the kind who troubleshoots networks, so I usually keep abnormal hours and have to be awake when most sane people are sleeping. I say all this to provide a reason for the delay in posting to the regular reader, but if you've seen this sight you know I have no regular readers so on with the show.
One good thing about skipping a week here or there of a running series gives me a chance to replenish. Especially this time of year when sports news is so sparse we get excited about kids who wear their favorite jerseys too long (if you don't get the reference go to any Packer blogger I link to and you can find an explanation somewhere, it's too cliche to link to now). So without further ado . . .
Packers.
Packers got a few feel good stories going on this week. First off Bill Schroeder retired as a Packer last week. You remember Billy don't you? He used to be one of the premier big tough white boy receivers with the Pack in the late 90's in receiving corps that included Antonio Freeman and Robert Brooks. A native of Eau Claire, WI and graduate of UW-LaCrosse Schroeder was selected by the Pack in the 6th round of the 1994 draft and managed to stick to the roster for five years getting a ring for all his efforts. We finally let him walk after the 2001 season in a push to gather more talent around an aging Favre, but he still had a few more snaps in him going on to play in Detroit and Tampa for three more years (just missing out on the ring the Bucs won in 2003). So all in all he had a career that I think a kid from Eau Claire should be proud of. Proud to have you retire as a Packer Bill.
Here's some kind-of news Packers signed a free agent tight end out of Stanford by the name of Evan Moore. I know nothing about this kid, but I know Stanford had an alright year under new coach Jim Harbaugh, meaning they didn't suck as they had since Ty Willingham left. So perhaps the 6'6" 237 pound Moore can add depth if nothing else at the TE position. The MJS Packers blog also has a good post on Aaron Rodgers expressing his opinion on his reputation for being 'injury-prone'. If you are still nervous about the Pack's outlook with Rodgers under center there are some good things you can take from it. First I like the tone of his response, he's going to stick for himself and it doesn't seem like he is going to cave mentally to any of pressures from expectations. Also he brings up some valid points to rebutt the label he's been stuck with and brings light to some previously unreported facts.
But you know with any good news comes some bad. Ryan Grant has declined to sign his standard tender offer for 1st year players, which means that now is in effectively without a contract. Not allowed to participate in any OTAs. I understand Grant is trying to get while the getting's good but he may wind up fucking himself. The track record of the Packer's dealings with players who get the big head after one good year does not suggest that this is the course of action to take with this team if you really want to be rewarded. On this team we pay our most consistent, loyal performers first with not a lot of exceptions. Ryan sit down and speak to Donald Driver about what I just said, then talk to Javon Walker. That should be more than enough perspective.
In league wide news, the owners opted out of the CBA last week, a move many saw coming. With two years left and the distinct possibility that everything the league has established over the last 20 years would be ruined by a strike or uncapped year it's safe to say it is premature to push the panic button but Brats-n-Beer has a good take on how this could impact professional sport's only publicly owned franchise.
Bucks.
I guess the big deal with the Bucks right now is who they are going to take in the draft a little less than a month from now. Pretty soon the Bucks will start tipping their hand by bringing in certain guys to work out and in between now and June 26 everybody from my brother to Bango the mascot will have an opinion on who to pick. BrewHoop even has a great comprehensive survey where you can voice your opinion and learn a little more about who the media says may be your next Milwaukee Buck. I have to say that no name I have heard associated with the pick has roused the tiniest bit of excitement in me. Gordon will be a bust (as I've said many times before). Russell Westbrook? Eh. D. J. Augustin? (T.J. Ford 2.0? And don't we already have a shoot first point guard?) Ehh. Kevin Love? I remember another forward who was highly regarded his senior year as such a complete player but whose game could have also been characterized as 'under the rim': Danny Ferry. Nuff said. Mayo will probably fall a little bit but I would still pass even at the 9th spot (he's gonna bust too). No one excites me or seems to have that oomph like a David West or Brandon Roy (though I am still intrigued by The Bratwurst's suggestion of Richard Hendrix). So with Hammond shopping just about every player but Yi and Bogut like crazy, I am hoping for a draft day trade that not only yields some real returns but shows that there is an actual plan in place for building this roster. But if they do hang onto the pick I will take comfort in Hoops Marinara's post on the enigmatic history of 8th spot picks. In other non-draft news Ersan Ilyasova (our pick a couple of drafts back) is tearing up the Spanish league and the JournalSentinal had a nice piece about homegrown hero (sometimes pariah) new Bucks assistant Joe Wolf.
One good thing about skipping a week here or there of a running series gives me a chance to replenish. Especially this time of year when sports news is so sparse we get excited about kids who wear their favorite jerseys too long (if you don't get the reference go to any Packer blogger I link to and you can find an explanation somewhere, it's too cliche to link to now). So without further ado . . .
Packers.
Packers got a few feel good stories going on this week. First off Bill Schroeder retired as a Packer last week. You remember Billy don't you? He used to be one of the premier big tough white boy receivers with the Pack in the late 90's in receiving corps that included Antonio Freeman and Robert Brooks. A native of Eau Claire, WI and graduate of UW-LaCrosse Schroeder was selected by the Pack in the 6th round of the 1994 draft and managed to stick to the roster for five years getting a ring for all his efforts. We finally let him walk after the 2001 season in a push to gather more talent around an aging Favre, but he still had a few more snaps in him going on to play in Detroit and Tampa for three more years (just missing out on the ring the Bucs won in 2003). So all in all he had a career that I think a kid from Eau Claire should be proud of. Proud to have you retire as a Packer Bill.
Here's some kind-of news Packers signed a free agent tight end out of Stanford by the name of Evan Moore. I know nothing about this kid, but I know Stanford had an alright year under new coach Jim Harbaugh, meaning they didn't suck as they had since Ty Willingham left. So perhaps the 6'6" 237 pound Moore can add depth if nothing else at the TE position. The MJS Packers blog also has a good post on Aaron Rodgers expressing his opinion on his reputation for being 'injury-prone'. If you are still nervous about the Pack's outlook with Rodgers under center there are some good things you can take from it. First I like the tone of his response, he's going to stick for himself and it doesn't seem like he is going to cave mentally to any of pressures from expectations. Also he brings up some valid points to rebutt the label he's been stuck with and brings light to some previously unreported facts.
But you know with any good news comes some bad. Ryan Grant has declined to sign his standard tender offer for 1st year players, which means that now is in effectively without a contract. Not allowed to participate in any OTAs. I understand Grant is trying to get while the getting's good but he may wind up fucking himself. The track record of the Packer's dealings with players who get the big head after one good year does not suggest that this is the course of action to take with this team if you really want to be rewarded. On this team we pay our most consistent, loyal performers first with not a lot of exceptions. Ryan sit down and speak to Donald Driver about what I just said, then talk to Javon Walker. That should be more than enough perspective.
In league wide news, the owners opted out of the CBA last week, a move many saw coming. With two years left and the distinct possibility that everything the league has established over the last 20 years would be ruined by a strike or uncapped year it's safe to say it is premature to push the panic button but Brats-n-Beer has a good take on how this could impact professional sport's only publicly owned franchise.
Bucks.
I guess the big deal with the Bucks right now is who they are going to take in the draft a little less than a month from now. Pretty soon the Bucks will start tipping their hand by bringing in certain guys to work out and in between now and June 26 everybody from my brother to Bango the mascot will have an opinion on who to pick. BrewHoop even has a great comprehensive survey where you can voice your opinion and learn a little more about who the media says may be your next Milwaukee Buck. I have to say that no name I have heard associated with the pick has roused the tiniest bit of excitement in me. Gordon will be a bust (as I've said many times before). Russell Westbrook? Eh. D. J. Augustin? (T.J. Ford 2.0? And don't we already have a shoot first point guard?) Ehh. Kevin Love? I remember another forward who was highly regarded his senior year as such a complete player but whose game could have also been characterized as 'under the rim': Danny Ferry. Nuff said. Mayo will probably fall a little bit but I would still pass even at the 9th spot (he's gonna bust too). No one excites me or seems to have that oomph like a David West or Brandon Roy (though I am still intrigued by The Bratwurst's suggestion of Richard Hendrix). So with Hammond shopping just about every player but Yi and Bogut like crazy, I am hoping for a draft day trade that not only yields some real returns but shows that there is an actual plan in place for building this roster. But if they do hang onto the pick I will take comfort in Hoops Marinara's post on the enigmatic history of 8th spot picks. In other non-draft news Ersan Ilyasova (our pick a couple of drafts back) is tearing up the Spanish league and the JournalSentinal had a nice piece about homegrown hero (sometimes pariah) new Bucks assistant Joe Wolf.
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