Newsline 9 Sports Blog

All Eyes on Rodgers this Week

The Packers hit the field for Organized Team Activities (OTA's) this week and it's quite obvious the attention Aaron Rodgers draws.  I went to Green bay this afternoon and the crowd of reporters around him was unreal.  I'm talking people standing three and four deep.  He handled it very well, although he said he'd rather not answer all our questions.  But it's something #12 definitely needs to get used to.  Many did also notice how he's sporting his hair a little longer these days... it's actually past his shoulders.  Rodgers didn't comment on a definite date of a cut, but said his mom is pushing him towards it :)  This might be one of the biggest football stories of the year.  Can the first round draft pick from three years ago fill the shoes left by the legendary Brett Favre?  No doubt it will be fun and interesting to watch Rodgers as he steps in to his new role.  It's definitely a role he's excited about.  Even eith the crowd of reporters he was all smiles, I think happy to finally be "the man" in Green Bay.  As he said it's a chance he's been waiting for for a long time....it will now be fun to see how he handles it. 

Fenway Park One of Sports' Greatest Venues

It's pretty cool to see the Brewers play at Fenway Park (even if, at the moment I write this, trailing 5-3 in the 2nd game of a doubleheader) in Boston.  It's one of the best venues in all of sports and a place I got to visit back in 2004.  As a bit of background, I've seen ballgames in a little more than half of all major league baseball parks.  I didn't necessarily set out to do this but my job was taken far enough west that it was easy to visit Kansas City and Denver.  Chicago, St Louis and Minneapolis are pretty easy to get to.  In 2003, somehow my pregnant wife agreed to go on a trip with our 14 month old son, me and my sister to Cleveland (Father's Day and the day after playing Gus Macker in Wausau), Pittsburgh, Cincinnati (Sammy Sosa's first game back after the corked bat suspension) and Detroit.  We even made a stop at Triple A Toledo (one of the finest AAA parks around).Our son was learning to walk and people would say, "Is this his first game?"  And I'd say "yah" without further adding "in this city" out loud.  While growing up, my sister, Carrie, and I agreed that whenever Paul Molitor was inducted into the baseball hall of fame in Cooperstown, NY we would be there.  So in 2004 our two boys stayed with grandma and grandpa and my wife, sister, brother-in-law and I visited Toledo (again, love the place), Baltimore, Philadelphia, both stadiums in New York and Boston before heading to the hall of fame ceremony on a Sunday.  The toughest ticket to get out of all of these was by far Fenway Park in Boston.  But it was worth it.  The place is full of history.  I mean this park opened at the exact time the Titanic sunk in the North Atlantic.  It was festive party with people having fun in the streets outside the stadium.  We sat way up in centerfield.  To our right was the Green Monster.  We were above it.  You could see the Citgo sign and the John Hancock signature on the videoboard above us.  You could tell how the place was pieced together.  Our seats sort of faced rightfield and you had to turn your body to the right to see the infield.  You were practically on top of the person next to you.  It's the smallest ballpark around and they fill every nook and cranny.  Now this stadium, more than anywhere else I've been, you could tell the fans were into it.  Every single pitch brought some sort of reaction.  These fans are intense.  At the time there was talk of trading Nomar Garciaparra.  This was the year they would eventually win their first World Series since Babe Ruth played there.  By the way, that was after the Titanic sunk. 

One play stands out and I bring this up because it's replayed on ESPN from time to time.  Earlier this week you may have seen Red Sox leftfielder Manny Ramirez make a catch in Baltimore, high-five a fan, turn and throw as the Sox double up a runner at first.  So ESPN pulls out the greatest "Manny being Manny" plays and they show a play the announcer calls one of the craziest ever.  David Newhan of the Oioles hits a ball to center that sails over Johnny Damon's head.  From our viewpoint we had to literally stand to look down at Damon running to the wall.  Because of the layered seating, Damon disappears from sight and suddenly the ball flies out.  Now Manny has come over from leftfield and this is obviously a throw intended for the shortstop.  But Manny dives to his left and cuts it off!  From about 30 feet away.  Then he throws to short, who turns and fires home.  By that time Newhan has turned it into an inside-the-park home run.  What a crazy play.  So when it's replayed on ESPN I bug my friends by telling them I was there.  As if the trip wasn't already worth it. 

Wausau East No-Hitter Stopped by... Me???

This is my public apology to Amy Thompson.  She was pitching an outstanding ballgame for Wausau East and I blew it for her.  Not that she lost but that she could've reached the place pitcher stives for. She had a no-hitter on the line and I committed the cardinal sin of the game.  I opened my mouth, I talked about it.  I put it out there and layed the ultimate jinx.  Next time Amy sees me she'll want to sic one of those wasps flying around the Lumberjacks' home dugout on me.  But it's not totally my fault.  Jana, Russ and I were setting the gameplan for what we would cover this afternoon.  The tricky part for the 6pm anchor is getting to a game, staying long enough for some good highlights, getting back to the station, editing the highlights, getting your scripts together and slipping behind the desk to anchor your show.  So I show up at Wausau East with the home team batting in the bottom half of the second.  My view of the game starts with a 0-0 score.  The visiting Marshfield Tigers go 3 up, 3 down in the 3rd.  They get two aboard with walks in the 4th but are stranded at second and third.  5th inning... 1-2-3.  Same goes for the 6th.  It's a tight game.  East scored a single run in the 3rd and hold a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the 6th.  So I ask East coach Mark Hildebrandt if Amy has allowed a hit.  I don't think he understood what I was asking.  "What do you mean?" he asks.  I said I don't think she's given up a hit since I got here and that was in the bottom half of the 2nd.  Understandably, Mark's mind was elsewhere.  He was engrossed in a 1-0 game and wanted some insurance runs.  The time is winding past 5:30pm and I'm thinking I have to get back to the tv station.  But this is worth sticking around for if it's true.  Mark turns and says, "She didn't give up a hit in the first two innings."  So I'm thinking maybe we'll see something special here.  East is holding that slim lead, then suddenly they pop off a hit here and hit there, one run is in, here come two more.  It's 2-0, then 4-0, then 5-0 and 7-0.  Thanks to seven runs on six hits in that inning alone, they move ahead 8-0 with the bases loaded.  And who comes to the plate? It's Amy Thompson, the pitcher.  I wonder if she has any idea she has a no-hitter going.  Better yet, she can put the finishing touches on it, not with one of her strong windmill pitches, but with her bat.  There's 2 outs and a base hit could score two fellow 'Jacks and that would end it on the ten run rule.  Instead she makes the last out.  Now I'm thinking I hope I didn't screw this thing up for her.  Remember I opened my mouth and spoke of "that of which we do not speak" and that's the last thing you do.  Sure enough, first batter, lined shot over the leftfielder's head.  No-hitter gone and I'm waiting for Coach Hildebrandt to escort me from the premises.  Marshfield works a rally and pushes two across.  East wins 8-2.  I have my highlights and I need to rush back.  First, an announcement over the loudspeakers.  The final line.  Marshfield ends up with one hit.  I would bet Thompson never knew she had the no-no intact going into the 7th.  I saw the celebration at the end.  I'd also venture to say that win felt just as good either way.  So my apologies for the jinx.  I'll keep it to myself next time.

Derby City Meets Titletown

Now as you may or may not know, I'm a diehard Kentucky fan.  With that comes a dislike of Louisville sports naturally, as any true blue Kentucky fan will tell you.  But I can truly say I'm incredibly excited about to Louisvillians heading to play with the Packers this upcoming season.  I'm a native of Louisville, and it makes me proud when Brian Brohm, a guy who was born and bred in the Derby City as well, makes the NFL squad that I have the pleasure of covering.  I don't know as much about Breno Giacomini but he's a Louisvillian nonetheless as he did play college football for the Cards for four seasons.  Back to Brohm now though.  I've watched this kid play since high school.  Brohm suited up for Trinity High in Louisville from 2000 through 2004, and the other half of the story is of course that I attended Trinity's biggest inner city rival, St. Xavier.  Now this rivalry is considered by many to be tops in the country in high school football.  I believe these two still hold the record for attendance at a high school game.  But anyway, seeing those games between X and Trinity were some of my best high school memories...or worst considering Brohm torched St. X every time the two teams took the field, on his way to winning three straight state titles with the Shamrocks.  But the moral of all of this, just shows you what a small world it is when a guy that went to your high school's biggest rival somehow shows up with a team  that you cover four years later.  Itt really does make me proud of my hometown, and this may be one Louisville Cardinal I can actually cheer for.  So Brian, glad to have you as a Packer and I look forward to seeing you hit the field.  And hey, don't let anyone tell you you can't beat out Aaron Rodgers.