Tim_VanVooren's Blog

To me, there isn't much more entertaining than watching two teams or players who just don't like each other go at each other.  The latest installment was the Brewers and Cardinals in St. Louis Wednesday night.  Carlos Villanueva wouldn't have been as chesty about getting out of a big jam if he wasn't pitching against the Redbirds and Albert Pujols wouldn't have taken such offense if it wasn't the Brewers.  Remember Ned Yost and Tony LaRussa having their issues late last year ??  The media can and will stir up Packers - Bears rivalry talk this NFL season, but their historic series will pale in comparison to genuine dislike between teams like the Packers and Vikings.  The Raiders and Broncos engender that kind of true hatred - as an example, some Denver fans were booing last week at Invesco Field during a moment of silence for former Raiders Hall of Famer Gene Upshaw, the late head of the NFL Players Association.  The Brewers don't play the Cardinals again this season, but just as there was carryover from last season to this, chances are there will carryover to next year.

Over the weekend, I posted a blog about Packers rookie lineman Ryan Considine getting his picture in the game program in Denver Friday night.  Since he was cut by Green Bay on Monday, he has extra reason to hold onto a copy of that program.

You have to hope that Packers rookie offensive lineman Ryan Considine kept a copy of Friday night's game program from Denver.  He is an undrafted free agent from Louisiana Tech who faces quite an uphill batlle to make the roster, or probably even the practice squad.  Some NFL teams put the picture of all of the opposing players in the game program.  The Packers generally do that, while others only put in the head coach and a key player while others put in the starters, etc.  Denver chose to spotlight about 25 Packers in the program Friday evening.  Aaron Rodgers was in there and Al Harris and Aaron Kampman and even the injured Ryan Grant.  And so was Ryan Considine.  I don't know why and he may not know either.  But it could turn out to be his NFL highlight. 

I was asked this week if the trade of Brett Favre was the biggest sports story of my time at FOX6.  I initially thought yes, after all, who ever thought we'd see it.  But then I thought about the Packers winning Super Bowl 31.  After all, we never thought we'd see that, either.  I'd pick that story as bigger.   What about you ?  And this isn't an either-or question - if  you have another choice, feel free to mention it.  For the record, my time at WITI dates to September of 1990, so that's our sample - fall of 1990 to today.

During our pre-pre-pre scrimmage coverage of Brett Favre and the Packers on Sunday night, I referred to the story as being akin to thoser "Bourne Identity" movies.  And after everything play out Sunday night, that's even more apt.  You can't kill Favre - he's just like Jason Bourne.  It may like completely implausible, but then there he is, coming out on top.  The media coverage of his return trip, with airplane tracking and everything, was as much like the movie series as you can find.  And when lightning delayed the activities at the stadium, Favre's landing had the stage to itself.  The whole thing might make a pretty good movie, or three.  Of course, there'd have to be a FOUR-th version.

Packers coach Mike McCarthy drew tremendous applause when he stepped to the microphone during the team's shareholders meeting at Lambeau Field Thursday.  The coach rarely addresses this group, but then again, a coach rarely has had to deal with an offseason like McCarthy's.  This is a guy who had made his name in the NFL by coaching quarterbacks and especially young quarterbacks.  He calls the plays in his offense, he designs most of the plays and formations.  So he designs an attack for Aaron Rodgers to run, all the while wondering if Brett Favre was unretire or not.  That situation mushroomed into something that is the lead story on sportscasts locally and nationally day after day.  When most coaches were getting what ever kind of time off an NFL coach can get, McCarthy was dealing with an ever-escalating problem.  Mike McCarthy was seen by many as the league's coach of the year in 2007 and there is no doubt in my mind that he deserved that recognition.  But he'll show even more this season if he is able to be on top of his game late in the season.  Will he have anything left in his tank when it matters most ?  If so, the Packers will be able to separate themselves from the messy Favre saga of late July.  If not, the saying that what happens in the offseason dictates what happens in the regular season will never have been more correct.

Who's your pick as the second baseman for the Brewers for the next two months of the season ??  Rickie Weeks or newly acquired Ray Durham ??  By the way, there is no way GM Doug Melvin trades for guys like CC Sabathia and Durham and then allows the bullpen to be an achilles heel for the team.  In other words, the Brewers aren't done dealing yet.  But that's for another blog, right now:  Weeks or Durham ??

Everyone in the world seems to be writing or talking or blogging about Brett Favre.  Which prompts this question: Do you want to read or hear or access any more ?  This is an unscientific survey, and obviously we are going to continue to follow the twists and turns on FOX SIX and MYFOXMILWAUKEE.COM.  But are you ?

Hopefully you've seen the video by now - Corey Hart's teammates mobbing him as he holds his youngest daughter during a press conference regarding his selection to the National League All-Star team.  The moment shows a couple of things, A) that the majority of this Brewers team really does get along.  It's not a lip service deal, and it was good to see CC Sabathia in the group.  And B) that boys still will be boys.  The All-Star game is supposed to be about fun (even with the winner deciding homefield for the World Series) and the Hart - teammates exchange was just that. 

There is no, repeat no, downside to the Brewers recent trade for CC Sabathia.  If they fail to make the playoffs, it will be a disappointment, but that won't make the deal a bad deal.  The Brewers see an opportunity to make the playoffs this season and they are doing what they can do try and seize that opportunity.  The fact that they haven't been to the postseason since 1982 isn't even that much of a factor.  In professional sports, it is all about the now.  You can mark it down, the Brewers are not going to re-sign Ben Sheets or Sabathia after this season because each man is going to command much more than this market can bear.  Therefore, the team can run them out there as often as necessary in big games down the stretch... three days rest, no big deal... 130 pitches, no big deal.  Again, it's about the now.  When they leave, the team will land draft choices as compensation, which means that one of the best scouting departments in baseball will be able to take its shots.  Matt LaPorta was selected two years ago.  GIve the Brewers scouts 5 high picks again and the organization is bound to hit on at least a couple of those players.  And if there is need for pitching, they can go for college guys who are more major league-ready.  Next  year, the rotation will probably be Gallardo, Parra, a mid-level veteran free agent signee, Suppan and whoever earns the fifth spot.  That's not awful and it's not expensive.  But it's also not what the team is thinking about.  Because it is thinking - NOW !

So what do the Packers do now ??  Brett Favre has the "itch" to come back and play.  That fact alone gets fans and media stirred up about the possibility, while giving the quarterback the opportunity to gauge reaction without being on the hook for expressing anything concrete.  While there are certainly those who feel that Favre's long and glorious run should just end, there are just as many who would take him back in the Green and Gold in a heartbeat.  The Packers organization is now put in the position of having to take the emotion out of the situation and make an astute football decision.  Assuming Favre actually follows through on his desire to scratch that "itch", here is what the Packers should and should not do.  Do not release him - that gives Favre complete control of where he goes.  Do not allow the situation to be lingering when training camp starts - that puts every coach and player in the position of having to answer questions about it, which is a losing situation for every guy.  Do not let the public see your coach or g.m. rolling his eyes over this new / old issue.  You know they were doing just that.  Do find out once and for all what Favre himself is going to do, not what he might want to do, not what his family wants him to do. Then you make this decision - can you live with being the bad guy(s) who turned him away ?  If not, reinstall him as your starter and hope for a magical situation (after all he's been a part of those before).  However, if so, there are two choices: trade his rights to a team you select and for an offer you deem worhy or, and this takes major guts, put him on your roster and make him your third quarterback at 12 million dollars a year until and unless you need him.  And if your decision is to trade him, make that decision as public as possible - put the onus on other teams.  Shift the focus of this distraction to teams like the Bears and Vikings.  Can you imagine the clamor of the fans of those teams to get Favre.  Don't trade him there, but get them stirred up.  Again, remember that to this point, this is still conjecture.  Just as it was conjecture when we all had "breaking news" during the playoffs of Favre's decision to return in 2008.  Remember the family get-together at the ice cream store ?? That conjecture didn't pan out - this latest may not, either.  

Joe Alexander seems like a good fit for the Bucks.  His selection in the first round of the NBA draft on Thursday is anything but a surprise, given the rather public courtship between team and player in the weeks leading up to the draft.  However, the acquisition of Richard Jefferson on draft day is probably a significantly more important move, even though it doesn't garner as much attention as warranted because of the backdrop of the draft.  Jefferson is an All-Star level player who is a proven scorer in the league (who also makes a ton of money).  Yi Jianlian is traded away in order to acquire Jefferson, and that pretty big too, given the hype attached to the Chinese rookie over the last year.  What's most striking about the trade, though, is that it comes as a surprise.  There is so much chatter on sports radio and the internet these days that trades are often publicly debated before they ever officially go down.  But not so with this deal, and I think you have to commend those involved for that.  In the media, it's great to have inside information and it's much more fun to discuss potential deals with at least a few nuggets of validity to them.  However, a brand new general manager keeping his cards close enough to the vest involving a couple of major commodities to surprise even the national experts is worth acknowledging.  John Hammond still has a lot of work to do in remaking the Bucks, but it appears we may not hear about some of that work until it is already done.

Ben Sheets is a money man.  You can take that a few ways.  He's paid big money and hasn't always been able to answer the bell during the years of his current contract.  He's going to be in line for big money after this season from the Brewers or some other team because he figures to be the most desirable starting pitcher on the free agent market when he'll only be 30 years old.  Yes he has had injuries, but he also has a pretty low total pitch number on his arm despite his service time.  However for now, the most important way to take the term "money man" is that Sheets is money when he takes the mound.  He's 6 and 0 on the road for a team that needs improved play on the road this season.  He's 9 and 1 at the head of a rotation that takes its cues from him.  With him grooving, how much better have Manny Parra and Seth McClung been ?  Sheets has been so good by himself that the guys around him can realistically think about the wild card and maybe even catching the Cubs in the Central division.  Then they could earn some playoff - money.

The Brewers have heard the criticism - they don't play small ball.  In other words, they don't utilize sacrifices and walks and well-placed groundouts to manufacture runs or keep innings alive.  And guess what, they don't care !  Sunday, their best hitter, Ryan Braun, was hitless.  However, the next three guys in the order combined for seven hits and six runs batted in.  In that same game, they concluded their homestand with a 6 and 3 record by beating Baltimore.  In those six victories, they hit 15 home runs.  The Brewers are a power hitting team, with big bats up and down the lineup.  As we saw earlier this year, they aren't going anywhere without consistent pitching.  But the pitching they do have looks a whole lot more effective when the offense is bludgeoning opposing pitchers.  And since the Brewers are not prone to keeping rallies alive, their best scoring option is the home run.  They just aren't small-minded. 

Talk about a dichotomy.  Javon Walker has a huge new $55 million dollar contract with the Oakland Raiders, but that didn't stop him from winding up unconscious in a driveway in Las Vegas Monday morning.  There are some juicy aspects to the incident regarding how Walker spent his time and money over the weekend that have given this story a little run on the entertainment shows and websites.  But if you've known Walker, the specific whens and hows aren't as striking as the why.  Why has a guy who really was pretty humble and appreciative of his opportunities early in his career gone down such a tough road since ?  Was it agent-for-a-time Drew Rosenhaus ?  Was it his family's inner-circle ?  Was it a knee injury that robbed him of his "armor" ?  Walker always struck me as impressionable, which you could argue is more appealing than arrogant.  However, perhaps that  impressionable nature betrayed him when the influences weren't positive.  The reality is, Walker has made a series of choices regarding football and life that have left him in a worse position than he used to enjoy.  Even a $55 million dollar contract can't protect him from that reality.