March 7, 2005

Spring Break

By: Marty Coultas
Milwaukeeworld.com

Hello again Milwaukeeworlders.  How about that little blast of Spring we enjoyed on Sunday.  It almost made us think with a sense of renewed enthusiasm for all that has happened these past few months.  Illinois lost a Big Ten basketball game which gives us renewed hope that our beloved Badgers can win the Big Ten Tournament and get a better seed in the NCAA.  The sportswriters and management are singing the praises of our young Milwaukee Brewers while Coach Porter is concerned about spreading around the playing time for the remaining 25 games and then, to top it off, Tiger Woods reclaims his number one ranking by whipping up on America's favorite loser, Mr. Lefty.  So it is, in spring out thoughts turn to renewal.

The loss by the Fighting Illini to Ohio State seems such a shock to everyone.  Why?  The game was played in a Big Ten arena in front of frenzied fans where the home team was 9-0 in league play this season.  I assume the pundits thought that the Badgers, Spartans and Hawks were a bunch of patsies and that Illinois was invincible. Come on folks; don't ever buy into that nonsense.  Any time a visiting team wins in the Big Ten it is news.  When a visiting team loses, it is not news.  I don't care what the record or what the pundits say, when basketball games are played in major collegiate conferences, the home team has a big advantage.  Nowhere is that more true than in the Big Ten.  Did Illinois choke?  Probably.  Did they expose weaknesses that other teams can use to their advantage?  Maybe.  But they did not suddenly stop being the best team in the country, they just lost a game.  I am assuming that our boys from Madison will be able to summon the grit necessary to put away their Friday opponent and then beat Michigan State on a neutral court on Saturday.  That will set up the third meeting of the season with the Illini. Keep in mind that this will not be a neutral court against Illinois since it is being played in the United Center but, even having said that, I would not be at all surprised to see the Badgers win the Big Ten Conference championship.  There is no team in the country that matches up any better against Illinois than do our badgers and if we can get Wilkinson to have another magical game and have Tucker play with the intensity for which he is so  well known and if Chambliss and Taylor can stop the turnovers, we can beat Illinois.  We will know in a week.

I was interested to read this week that the Brewers are not all that concerned about injuries this year since we have Rickie Weeks and Prince Fielder in the minors.  If they can really play that well, why are they not going to come north with team at the end of the month?  You can always find room on the field for a great hitter and the story about getting more playing time in the minors and more seasoning; these guys aren't pitchers so there is no better place to get seasoning than there is in the major
leagues.  Admittedly, the trades for Carlos Lee and Damian Miller look good on paper but the truth will show itself on the field.  As I said last week though, we have the same record as the Red Sox and Yankees right now, so anything is possible.

For those who missed it, yesterday was an epic mano-a-mano showdown between Tiger Woods and Phil Lefty.  You remember Mr. Mickelson (loser of 39 out of the last forty majors), America's favorite white guy golfer.  “In the hole.” yell the golfing fans whenever Phil hits a shot.  They were all there yesterday to encourage Phil but sure enough, he wasn't up to the challenge of beating Tiger.  Oh sure, he had his moments, but in the end, he didn't have the stomach for it.  Sometimes you can just look at a guy and know that he won't be able to handle the pressure.  When Tiger would take his terrible swing (it must be so you know, the press says so) and hit his drive 20 yards past Phil, you knew that Phil was feeling the heat.  I am betting that a little voice in Phil's head was saying “oh no, it seems just like 2000.”  I am not really trying to pick on Phil (loser of 39 out of the last forty majors) but I am going to point out that Tiger Woods has a competitive nature that all the rest of his opponent’s desire and none will ever possess. It is a great time to be a golf fan because the man we are watching, Mr. Woods, is as uncommon as anyone has ever seen.  It is unlikely that people of our generation will ever see his likeness again.  My dad says he feels privileged to have personally seen Pavarotti, Ali, Mantle, Byrd and Favre. These are all uncommonly gifted people who did things others will never accomplish.  I submit that he add Tiger to that list of royalty.

I hope that the world treats you all well as you embark on your spring break trips.  And remember, keep your ears open and most importantly, keep your noses clean.  Hasta la proxima vez.

Ciao,

Marty the Sports Chick
Milwaukeeworld.com

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