November 29, 2004

There Should Be NO Crying in Basketball!!!

By: Marty the Sports Chick
Milwaukeeworld.com
MartyCoultas@Yahoo.com

Welcome back Milwaukeeworlders, I swear to God I take one freakin week off to go on vacation and all HELL BREAKS LOOSE in the world of professional sports. I know I know, its old news by now but what in the hell was Ron Artest and the rest of those idiots thinking starting that brawl in Detroit two weeks ago? Not only do I feel that the fines assessed each player were deserved, many were much too lenient. Reggie gets one game, while Artest is out for the season?

Come on Stern, get some “balls,” pun intended, and ration out the punishments equally. But mind you my fellow sports fans, this fine and suspension were exactly what Artest was looking for, as his “album” is due to be released any day now, think about the fans and what we will be missing for the remainder of the season.

Professional sports is out of control. Not only the players, but the coaches, the big-wigs and the fans as well. Let’s hope this holiday season is not remembered for all the garbage that is produced on the playing fields, but for awesome victories and surprising defeats.

With that said Milwaukeeworlders, let us now concentrate on what we have in store for us in the upcoming holiday season…….

The Bucks beat the defending NBA champs but can’t seem to get it together when playing the lesser talented opponents. Is that an issue of intensity and desire? Are the Bucks really good enough to beat most teams? Do they lack the commitment and intensity to go out and play every night with enthusiasm and desire? I am not sure of the answer but, as a ticket buying, public customer, I think I have a right to know. If I or anyone else is going to pay $30 or more to attend a game, I have a right to see full fledged commitment and a burning desire to win from the team whose salaries I am making possible.

After all the recent turmoil in the NBA, it seems to me that all the players in the league would want to win over as many fans as possible. Thug behavior and a lackadaisical attitude will do nothing to win friends and influence people.

It is time for the NBA, Davis Stern, the owners and the players to start paying attention to their “Golden Goose.”

If they don’t someone may have it for Christmas dinner.

And in other disappointing news, the Badgers football team collapse came as a real surprise to me. I thought they were better players than they turned out to be. I thought they had players who were leaders and would motivate them to greater heights. I was wrong. I thought that the coaching staff was prepared to help them bounce back from that embarrassing defeat to M. State but I was wrong. DEAD WRONG! I cannot explain the collapse and I really cannot understand it but I do know it is one of the most unacceptable and disappointing failures I have witnessed in a long time.

Now I guess I know how the Chicago Cubs fans feel; Great expectations but no production.

I can only hope that Bo Ryan and company will make us proud this winter and that they will quickly rebound from that defeat in California to prevail in the ACC/Big Ten shootout against Maryland. The big Ten lost 7 of 9 match ups in this rivalry last year and we need to see the Big Ten do well this year, especially Wisconsin, if they are to get the respect they deserve nationally.

The big game, of course, is the Wednesday night affair between Wake and the Illini. Generally speaking, I think the ACC is overrated and the Big Ten underrated. I guess we will know more at the end of the week. I predict a hard fought Illinois victory and I predict that the boys from Wake will run into a buzz saw in Champaign on Wednesday night. Illinois is better coached and more disciplined than any team I have seen since the Argentine National Team in Athens.

Therefore, as we await the start of the Monday night football classic between the Packers and the Rams, I am reminiscent about the events of the last couple of weeks and whether they are preview to the future.

I am thrilled with the Packers last four games and I expect to be excited after the end of Monday night’s game. But I am still suspicious of the secondary and if Sharper continues to be absent, it could be nothing but disastrous. The Pack has managed to avoid the number one receiver for several teams this season but this week I believe Tory and Isaac will both be playing. Last year those two guys made us look like high school benchwarmers and we had a better secondary then than we do now.

I am glad that we are back to the 2003 defensive scheme and have given up on that silly blitzing strategy. One thing that Sherman and his band of merry men needed to realize is that you have to have the right mix of players to be successful in that strategy. We are undersized and too slow to make it work as a steady diet. The reason KGB has been more successful lately is due to the O linemen having to deal with traditional formations. Grady Jackson’s return has really changed the face of the defense but the strategy employed by the entire unit is more suited to the talent we possess and allows KGB and occasionally Roman and Jue (Hopefully Sharper) to match up one on one and even have an open lane once in awhile.

Give Sherman credit for learning his lesson early and abandoning that ill conceived blitzing strategy of the first four games. Nonetheless, having our corners bang the wide outs on the line and then slack off won’t work Monday night. Isaac Bruce has been banged by a lot better than Ahmad and Al. We need to depend on Grady in the middle and some really tough belly up play by the corners and the safeties and some contribution from Nick Barnett to be successful tonight. I expect that we will score 35 and I hope we can contain them. There are only so many times that we can win with last second field goals. While it is exciting, it is not a strategy that we can always hope will be successful now that the weather is changing and conditions are deteriorating.

We do however, still have Brett and luck seems to be on his side when it comes to snowy, rainy conditions when the game is played on national television. Let’s hope this streak can continue and we can go on a five-game win streak Monday as we head into two very difficult back to back road trips.

This week has been as stuffed with as much news as my stomach was on Thanksgiving afternoon. I hope all you had a wonderful holiday and are ready to head into the best time of year for national sports.

Remember Milwaukeeworlders, we have the Bucks in full-gear, the Badgers, Marquette and UW-M, as well as the home stretch for our beloved Green and Gold. Let’s hope that December is filled with the magical moments and miraculous performances that we all anticipate this time of the year.

Let us hope Milwaukeeworlders that this does turn out to be a Magical Holiday season and ring in 2005 with all the joy and excitement we Wisconsin fans deserve!

Until next week Milwaukeeworlders, remember to keep your ears open and your noses clean.

Ciao,

Marty the Sports Chick
Milwaukeeworld.com
MartyCoultas@yahoo.com

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