WQOW Sports Blog

WIAC Basketball: Veterans, Defense Needed

Last Saturday marked the beginning of the second half of the WIAC season, but don't expect either race to be over anytime soon.   

Eau Claire will likely take a one game lead in the womens standings to second-place Whitewater this Saturday, although the 8-1 Warhawks will face a tougher challenge at La Crosse Wednesday than the 9-0 Blugolds will that night at Superior.  For UWEC to remain in first place the rest of the way, the Blugolds have to prove they can win on the road--something they haven't done in previous seasons.  Eau Claire has a February 13th matchup at Stevens Point, but the rest of the Blugolds conference games are at Zorn Arena.   Tonja Englund's team has talented veterans in Michelle Burns and Heidi Arciszewski, good point guard play with Heather Witt and Missy Fremstad, to go along with excellent depth--all factors in UWEC's recent wins over UWSP and UWL.     The key against Whitewater, much like it was against Point last week, is to play tough defense.  UWEC is 2nd among WIAC teams in scoring defense (allowing 55.6 points per game), while UWW is tops in the conference in scoring offense (84.2 points per game).  The Warhawks blistered the nets in a win at Superior last Saturday, hitting close to 75% from the floor in the first half while scoring 61 points.

Two other teams could certainly challenge Eau Claire and Whitewater...Stevens Point has lost two straight but Shirley Egner will have her team ready for the stretch run...and don't sleep on Stout, which has won four of its last six WIAC games, and won't have the burden of being a conference favorite down the stretch.   

On the mens side, any of four teams could win the regular season title...Whitewater, Platteville, Oshkosh, or Stevens Point.  Right now, the Warhawks, Pioneers, and Titans are all 7-2, with the Pointers 6-3.   Point may have the most experienced roster, but if Pete Rortvedt's injury keeps him out of the lineup, UWSP is missing the conference's most dangerous outside shooter.   The Warhawks also have injury issues, you wonder how Rob Perry's absence (broken foot, out for the rest of the season) will hurt UWW's inside game.   Oshkosh has some impressive wins, but also some perplexing losses--it's hard to say which Titans team will show up down the stretch.  Platteville presents a matchup problem with 6-10 center Jeff Skemp.  His presence inside opens up the perimeter for a number of streaky shooters...remember when the Pioneers went 10-18 from behind the 3-point line in the first half at Stout?   

While those four teams battle for the lead, Eau Claire, La Crosse, and Superior will all look to move into the upper division, which means a home game in the first round of the WIAC playoffs.  The Blugolds' Dan Beyer is worthy of first-team all-conference consideration, but how much help will he get down the stretch?  The Eagles have a very good backcourt with Tony Mane,  and Chris Fehrenbach and Brandon Brown, but will UWL's inside game ever provide consistency?  And on the topic of consistency, the Yellowjackets youngsters (Shane Manor, Dan Culy, Jake Smith, Dwight Hill) are definitely talented, but are they hitting the proverbial wall?   

There are plenty of questions to be answered, but there's no doubt that exciting finishes await in both the mens and womens races.   I didn't pick the NFC Championship game correctly, but what the heck, I'll go out on a limb again:  Eau Claire will wind up on top of the womens standings at the end of the regular season, while Stevens Point will get on a roll to take first in the mens race.

-BOB BRADOVICH

Long Drive Home

The drive from Green Bay to Eau Claire following the Seahawks' game was a 4 1/2 hour,  white-knuckler through the heavy snow.  Last night's trip west on Highway 29 took a tidy 3 hours, but it felt twice as long as the previous week's trip.  We in Wisconsin have been spoiled over the last eleven seasons with plenty of Packers wins, but these recent playoffs have had their share of frustration...Michael Vick running around and through the Green Bay defense...Randy Moss mooning the Lambeau Field fans in the south end zone seats...4th and 26 in Philadelphia...and now this.

One of my sports media observations is the never-ending tendency to overinflate expectations, but when those expectations aren't fulfilled, then the blame game begins.   I had plenty of company picking the Packers to beat the Giants...all the ESPN studio analysts, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal writers...so maybe the fault lies in our inability to step back and see this Green Bay team for what it is (or now, was).

Regarding the blame game, my cursory internet browsing has unearthed two main culprits: Brett Favre and Al Harris, the former for getting worse as the game wore on (capping it off with a poorly-thrown interception in overtime rather than yet-another game-winning drive) and the latter for getting lured into a trash-talking war with Plaxico Burress, forgetting that the object at cornerback is to try to prevent pass completions.   

While I agree that those two were not at their best, they had plenty of company up and down the roster.  Also, I've noticed that one member of the organization seems to be getting a free pass from the media critics: the $4-million dollar man, Mike McCarthy.  Granted, his team exceeded all expectations during the regular season, but in the bottom-line world of the NFL, his team got outplayed and outcoached in its biggest game of the year.   To his credit, McCarthy acknowleged as much in his post-game comments...but the guy who pushed all the right buttons most of the the season had his game controller freeze up in the Lambeau Field chill.

One example: the Packers started the game with two well-designed plays, both using play action to draw the defense one way, then having Brett Favre throw safe, short passes to the other side.  The result was an 11-yard gain by Korey Hall, and a 12-yard gain to Bubba Franks.   Neither guy caught a single pass after that, nor did Green Bay go back to similar plays later in the game.   The Pack tried to pound away with Ryan Grant, they tried screens to the backs and wide swing passes to the receivers, all with little to no success.  When Green Bay got the ball to start overtime, I was waiting for the play-action bootleg series to re-appear.  Instead, we got another short run left by Grant, and then the Favre out pattern to Donald Driver which got picked by Corey Webster.

So it's over...it was a great Packers season, but one with with a disappointing end.   Since I'm one of those people that enjoys actual games much moreso than playing NFL general manager, don't even try to get me started on free agency and the draft.  That's a post for another time...months from now.

One more thing: after dealing with Giants' fans at our media hotel, there's no way I'm jumping on that bandwagon. 

To the guy in the hotel wearing a Mark Bavaro jersey who complained, "I'm trying to get on the computer, but there's a guy's writing a f***ing book on there," I'd been waiting for a turn at the lone desktop system in the lobby for at least an hour, and if you're going to complain about my using a hotel computer to blog for work and how I need a Blackberry, you should have one if you're going to try to buy game tickets 4 hours prior to kickoff.

To the two tipsy guys in the hotel lounge Saturday night: wearing Giants sweatshirts and jerseys prior to a game is fine, wearing your VIP game passes to impress people in the bar makes you look like an absolute idiot.

To the many fans in one of the hotel's conference rooms using blue aerosol spray-paint to change cheesehead color from yellow to blue: congratulations, you now have your own hole in the earth's ozone layer.

To the Newsday writer composing a feature piece on Lambeau Field tailgating, and sitting in the press box seat in front of me (where I was standing to actually see the field since the New York media overtook the row normally occupied by Wisconsin television stations and newspapers): it's "Weber" grill, not "Webber."  At least she thanked me for pointing out the typo...but it leads me to wondering if a Webber grill would take a timeout that it didn't have instead of cooking your food...

To the Packers media relations staff: thanks for all your help this season, and great job squeezing the 400 or so media people covering the NFC Championship into a press box area that was designed to accomodate half that number.  Thanks, also, for feeding us great food before the game and at the half, and for feeding us stats throughout.  But, if you're going to issue a pre-game announcment about how it's a working press box, with no cheering allowed, and violators will have their season credentials yanked, what was with that loud roar when the Giants booted the game-winning field goal?  Then again, the same thing happened with Zygi Wilf and his Vikings' posse a few years back...see above reference regarding painful playoff losses.

I'm done...I feel much better now.  When's that first minicamp?

-BOB BRADOVICH   

Hurry Up and Wait

Right now, I'm killing time in the hotel lobby, waiting for my News 18 sports cohorts Stephen Kelley and Lee DeJarlais to join me for our short drive over to Lambeau Field.   The DJ in the hotel lounge has been blasting music all afternoon...we've already heard Europe's "The Final Countdown," and House Of Pain's "Jump Around."  I think we've all heard this Jock Jams soundtrack before.

It's time for a prediction, but let me preface this by saying if you're using my input for gambling purposes, stop what you're doing, find a good growth mutual fund, and invest your money there instead.

For anyone who thinks the offenses will grind to a halt just because it's cold, don't forget the Packers put up 30 points eleven years ago against the Panthers in the NFC Championship game.  Today against the Giants, Green Bay's got the ability to take some shots against a wounded New York secondary.   The Packers receivers have made a living all season long with yards after the catch, and as long as Brett Favre stays upright, he has a chance to pick apart the Giants' defense.   But, balance will be important, so look for early trends as to whether Ryan Grant can gain good yardage behind the Packers o-line.

New York's not the kind of team that can strike quickly...the Giants will need to pound away behind a solid offensive line.  Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer are big targets, but I'll be very surprised to see them get behind the Packers secondary.

New York's hope has to be to keep the game close, much like they did last week in Dallas.   Still, if the Cowboys had made just one more play offensively (remember all the dropped passes, the false-start penalties, the late Tony Romo pick), I'd be sitting in Dallas right now.   

The Packers may not play as well as they did last week, but they'll play well enough to win.   So, here goes: Green Bay 24, Giants 10.

-BOB BRADOVICH

Greetings from Green Bay!

News 18 Sports has learned that it's cold outside....very cold....extremely cold.   Not much difference here on the east side of the state than it is back in the EC.   Thanks to all the people who, during the week, advised me to either "dress warm" or "stay warm."  However, with a seat in the press box, I'm sure I'll be a lot more comfortable than anyone on the field.

At Friday's news conference, several Packers players talked about how playing in these conditions will be a matter of mental toughness.   Green Bay showed it can win in the snow at Lambeau Field, now the challenge is how the Pack performs in the bitter cold.   Granted, the Packers' worst outing this past regular season was in some dismal weather conditions at Soldier Field, but I get the sense Mike McCarthy is using that experience as a teaching tool this week.   There are other differences from that game with the Bears: the team is at home for the NFC Championship, plus there's a whole lot more at stake.

I'll log into tomorrow with a prediction...

Until then, enjoy the weather!   (remember, this is all Doug Michaels' fault...)

-BOB BRADOVICH

Pursuit of Perfection

Before I immerse myself in all things relating to the Packers and the NFL, I thought it would be time to talk about three local teams in pursuit of perfection...the New England Patriots of high school sports (without a Spygate scandal), if you will.

But first, I digress...when will the media stop attaching the suffix "-gate" at the end of any scandal?  The break-in at the Democratic National Headquarters at the Watergate Hotel in Washington was June 17, 1972, which ultimately led to then-president Richard M. Nixon's resignation on August 8, 1974.   I remember these things...but then again,  I'm kind of old.  Does anyone in generations X, Y, or Z get the "-gate" reference?   So how about we agree to knock it off?

All right...back to the topic.  While the three respective head coaches may not want the focus on their teams' quest for an unbeaten regular season, I think it's worth noting.   All three of these teams are not only winning, they're winning in impressive fashion.

EAU CLAIRE MEMORIAL BOYS HOCKEY

Head coach Mike Schwengler says repeatedly that his team is focused on March, and not an unbeaten regular season record.  I'm inclined to believe him, and the players I've spoken to all buy into the company line.  With the exception of a 6-5 win at Superior, the Old Abes are blowing teams out.  In their last five wins, Memorial has outscored its opponents to the tune of 36-1.  The Abes made it to state last year after an unbeaten regular season, but suffered a tough loss to Fond du Lac in the state semifinals...the reason Memorial's sights are on March.   I think the Old Abes have a very good chance of running the table in the regular season again.  However, if the Abes don't roll to their second straight sectional championship, it'll be an upset of Chaminade-Virginia proportions (college basketball reference...if you don't get it, Google it).

ELEVA-STRUM BOYS BASKETBALL

What I just said about Memorial hockey applies to the Cardinals basketball team--although I'd say the Old Abes' 1-goal win over Superior was a lot closer game than Eleva-Strum's 13-point win at Regis.  The Cardinals are amazingly balanced, ridiculously athletic, and completely focused.   I've never seen a Dairyland Conference team that is capable of competing in the Big Rivers...until the 07-08 Cardinals.  Eleva-Strum's most difficult regular season challenge will probably come on February 4, when the Cards travel to play a tough Arcadia team.   But on March 7, if Eleva-Strum isn't playing in a Division 4 state semifinal at the Kohl Center, I'll eat a page out of my tournament program.   

FLAMBEAU GIRLS BASKETBALL

Head coach Ted Alberson presides over a bona-fide powerhouse.   Some years ago, at the state tournament, Alberson told me that when he first started with the Falcons, he wanted to emulate the program at Prentice, then one of the state's small-school powers.   Flambeau has long since surpassed that level.  The Falcons don't just win games, they collect conference titles and state titles on a regular basis...all in a high school with an enrollment of 207.   We've got a lot of good teams around the area...but this is a program along the lines of Menomonie football--a program that never, ever seems to have a down year.

Now...wasn't that more fun than discussing Tom Brady and his supermodel-dating life, the latest allegations against Randy Moss, and Bill Belichick's hoody?

-BOB BRADOVICH

Welcome to the Sports Blog!

News 18 Sports is now a member of the blogosphere!   (I vow to never use the word "blogosphere" again, but I just had to do it once)   Our main goal is to use the blog to go beyond the coverage we provide on our nightly sportscasts and the sports section of the website.  You can expect more observations and more opinions about sports in the Chippewa Valley and beyond.

However, another goal is to make this a truly interactive place on the News 18 website.   We don't want this to be one-sided; we hope that our viewers and readers will comment on our posts.  That's why we will welcome your opinions and thoughts.

While we're talking about goals, here's another: we'll do our best to post something every day, so keep coming back and checking out what's new. 

-BOB BRADOVICH