Newsline 9 Sports Blog

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.

Brewers Count on Cameron in Several Ways

Mike Cameron finally made his Brewers debut last night and was it a coincidence they rap out a season high 17 hits?  Maybe it was but it was great to see.  Much like everyone else I was a little sceptical at first that the Brewers would sign a guy who would have to sit out the first 25 games before getting into the lineup.  But the more I heard about him the more I thought he could help the ballclub.  The suspension was for taking a supplement not on Major League Baseball's approved list.  It was not a connection to steroids.  When Brewers play-by-play announcer Brian Anderson was in Wausau earlier this year he said Cameron was a great clubhouse guy.  The Brewers already have a few of those in Gabe Kapler and Craig Counsell but Cameron is expected to start every day, bring gold glove caliber defense to centerfield and get on base.  To Cameron's credit he declined interviews during his suspension because he wanted the focus to stay on the players battling in his absence.  Now he's primed to help the Crew.  It's just one game but so far, so good.

NFL Draft from Lambeau

First... I'd like to say this is going much quicker than I origionally thought.  Even with the switch from 15 to 10 minutes, it seems to be moving right along.  Not many surprises I don't think in the first 12 picks.  Of crouse everyone already knew who would go number one.  But overall, no real surprises so far.  A few trades so far, which was good to see.  I think some people thought the less amount of time would discourage trades, but not the case so far.  Let me know your thoughts!!  I'm gonna watch a little and eat the delicious cookie the fine people at the Packers are handing out.

----Chicago drafts offensive tackle Chris Williams.  are they trying to find someone to protect their spotty quarterback situation??

---Detroit trades with Kansas City.  A runningback would really help the Lions out.... do they think they can get a solid guy in the backfield later on??

---maybe a surprise when the Ravens select Joe Flacco a QB from Deleware??  especially with OB's like Brian Brohm still out there.

--Jeff Otah to Carolina is the 5th Offensive Tackle drafted in the first 19 picks.  Kind of interesting to think about.  To play on the offensive line can be one of the most thankless positions in  all of football.  you protect the big name quarterback and I think Mark taucher said it best when he said if you DON'T hear your name during the broadcast, it's a good thing, it means you aren't getting beat. They don't get a lot of credit for what they do and a quick to be recognized for the mistakes they make. But if the draft is any proof, they are some of the pmost important pieces to an NFL team's puzzle.

---Ten more picks until the Packers are on the clock.  I sent my photographer Jack Rosenberg to get me another cookie :) 

---I'm back ----- if anyone was worried ----  Have to love the world of television. Jack and I just figured out our plan to get a story back for the 6pm news.  Of course the Packers will probably pick in the next 30-45 minutes so we're cutting it close.  Jack says it's a great plan, so hopefully he's right :)

--The Packers are almost on the clock.  No much whispering going on in the media room, although the idea of a trade has been thrown around by some folks.  A few of the defensive backs the Packers may have had their eyes on could be gone already.  Last year they threw me for a loop...so I'm sure any guess on the pick is a pretty good one right now :)

---Packers pick is in....

---Packers trade with the Jets...details to come

---not too much of a surprise though, General Manager Ted Thompson is known for trading down.  He has traded down in each of his previos three years with the Packers

----In exchange the Packers get a 2nd round pick at #36 and a 4th round pick at #114.  So no first round pick for the Packers this year.

---Thanks for the comments :)  Unfortunately for us we don't find out before we see it on ESPN, however they do come in and tell us what the Packers got in the trade before we see it on ESPN.  Ted Thompson has yet to come address the media...but they tell us he will after their next two second round picks. We don't get to see them work..they're in another part of Lambeau Field in the draft room, but man would it be interesting to see them work.

---as for their pick.  no surprise agian that Thompson traded down.  A receiver surprised me a bit since they seem pretty stacked at that position. But in his pre-draft conference Thompson stressed howo they like to create competition at the positions.  This might be a chance to push some of the other receivers.  Also, they might look at him to be on special teams.  They Packers have a few good returners, but none that have been completely consistant.

---Surprises still out there---maybe of note for the Packers and their quarterback situation.  Michigan quarterback Chad Henne still on the board and and Brian Brohm from Louisville. could the packers fnd a back-up for Aaron Rodgers in their next pick?

--Reminder they have 2nd round picks at 56 and 60.

----At 56 the Packers draft Brian Brohm.  You maybe have seen me reference him earlier in the day.  He's a quarterback from Louisville and to some was the best QB in the draft.  Of course the Packers need a quarterback on their roster to back up Aaron Rodgers...but maybe a little bit of a surprise here?  He could give Aaron a run for his money.

----FUNNY STORY FROM LAMBEAU--- The Packers always have their picks availale via conference call right after the pick.  Brian Brohm called in and answered about 2 questions before he stopped talking and said he had to go live w/ ESPN right now.... ha.  he got a good chuckle from the state media on that one.  He did say he'd call back :)

---Ted Thompson is addressing the media at this time.  Then i'm back to Wausau to put togethet a story for the 10pm.  So if you checked out my blog today, many thanks and have a great day! Jack and I are signing off from Green Bay

TV9 and 34 Has the Draft Covered from Green Bay

The NFL Draft is coming up this weekend and TV9 and 34 will have all the latest from Green Bay.  With the Packers holding the 30th pick, they're not expected to make their first selection until somewhere around 6:30pm.  Our own TV9 reporter Jana Jurkovich, along with photographer Jack Rosenberg, will be at Lambeau to bring you the latest on each pick made by Ted Thompson and company.  The draft runs a little different this weekend with the first round cut from 15 minutes per selection to ten and just two rounds instead of three.  That was a marathon, record-setting first day last year so this should make it run faster.  Of course the first round pick usually arrives in Green Bay Sunday for his first look at Lambeau Field.  Jana will be there for that as well.  Russ Owens will bring you all the information on the rest of the picks as well.

In addition, check out this blog during the day Saturday.  Jana will blog throughout the day on the events from Green Bay so you can get a feel for what it's like to cover the team from the "inside".  Another great feature here at TV9 and 34 is through our Official Packer Network status, we'll have our annual Packers Draft Special.  That will air Monday night at 6:30pm.                                                   

Bryon Graff

TV9  Sports Director

Talking Hoops Around a Good Cause

I have to tell about a wonderful Wake Up Wisconsin anchor Natalie Sparacio and I were part of last Saturday.  I should first premise it that I was a much smaller part of it because of another commitment.  We were mc's for the North Central Wisconsin Donate Life 2nd Annual Scavenger Hunt.  Ted Gerbig received a lung transplant a few years ago and asked us to get involved. 

The scavenger hunt is pretty simple to follow.  You get a list of items you have to either collect or get your picture taken while doing and earn points according to have tough it is.  Ted and his wife, Shelby, came up with a long list of interesting items.  It included milking a goat, washing a dog, jumping on a hotel bed, dye your hair purple, get your picture taken with Mayor Jim Tipple and the list goes on and on.  Some teams are pretty good about strategy.  The more you do it, the better you get.  And in some cases, the more confidence you have.  Like a certain gentleman from Team Estrogen in the pink shirt.  Ha Ha.  Of course the big theme is raising money and awareness for organ donation.  I know it hits home for Natalie with her cousin.

The cool thing that crossed over into the sports realm is that former Marquette assistant basketball coach Trey Schwab attended.  His story was well told during the Golden Eagles' run to the Final Four with Dwyane Wade, Steve Novak and Travis Diener.  Schwab has ties with the Timberwolves with Flip Saunders and even worked with Flip on those dynamite La Crosse Catbirds CBA champion teams.  Flip talked about being on the waiting list for a lung transplant during that Marquette Final Four trip and recalled all the reporters being aware that he could get "the call" at any time.  So his phone rings just prior to tip off in a game against Holy Cross and that grabs not only Trey's attention, but Tom Crean's and a whole bunch of reporters.  Turns out it was his stepmother asking what time the game was.  Trey said, "Turn on the TV."  Trey's story was well-documented in national reports and eventually received that double lung transplant.  Now he works with the UW Organ Procurement Organization.   

Back to the scavenger hunt, it looked like so much fun that Natalie and I are alking about getting a TV9 team together for next year.  So look out Team Phlegm and Team Estrogen, we're in.

Check out ncwdonatelife.org for more information on donor awareness and the North Central Wisconsin Donate Life Foundation.

Hammond Hiring Great for Bucks

I just saw the Bucks have hired John Hammond as their new general manager.  Judging from some of the info I've read about him and what others are saying it looks like a great move for the organization.  The number one thing is that he comes from a winning franchise.  He was the Detroit Pistons vice president of basketball operations the last several years.  Before that he was a scouting director and assistant coach.  So it looks like he has the tools to see what's wrong with the Bucks.  It actually doesn't take too much insight to figure that out.  They fall into so much of that no-defense, me-first offense that totally takes away from winning.  If there's a squad that embodies team basketball, it's the Pistons.  And that's something the Bucks desperately need.  This hiring kind of reminds of me of the Ernie Grunfeld hiring back in the late 90's.  The Bucks went outside the organization for a guy with a good reputation and he helped mold a team that contended for a berth in the NBA Finals a few years later.  Hopefully, Hammond can do the same.  Or at the very least turn them into a winner.

Pack Attack Host Once Did Laundry for... (gasp!) the Bears

Hey everyone.  I'll let you in on a little secret.  Ready?  Little closer.  I, the host of Pack Attack the last six years, once worked for the Chicago Bears.  People ask if that was part of my tv career.  Nope.  I once spent a summer washing the uniforms (and a few loads of personal laundry) for the hated, despised, rival Bears.  Yes, I was born and bred in Wisconsin and taught to loathe the thought of those so-called Monsters of the Midway.  But there I was dumping jocks and the jerseys into an industrial washing machine. 

It was the summer of 1994 and I had just finished my sophomore year at UW-Platteville.  A few buddies and I were ready to move into an off-campus house.  I planned to take a few summer classes and I needed a part-time job.  Well, I found one at Kentucky Fried Chicken.  But I had time for another and thought working for the Bears would be ok.  This is when the Cheese League was going strong in Wisconsin and the Bears practiced right there on the UW-Platteville baseball field with Wednesday nights inside the football stadium.

There were two different laundry shifts.  In one you had to wash their uni's following the morning workout, get it dried and back into their lockers by the afternoon practice.  At night you followed the same routine.  We also went through the dorms and picked up bags of bedsheets.  Every once in a while a player would send off their personal clothes and we'd take care of that.  Tom Waddle had a "world's best daddy" t-shirt.

Let me tell you it was actually a good time.  Dave Wannstedt was the head coach.  Steve Walsh and Erik Kramer were the quarterbacks.  Current ESPN analyst Merril Hoge was on that team but I don't remember him (unless of course he's reading this then I hope he enjoyed his clean, fresh-smelling jersey every time he walked up to his locker.  In that case he would ask me to work with him at ESPN).  Jim Flanigan and Curtis Conway were on that team.  A couple of us in this laundry group were Packer fans so we would look through a program while sitting in the laundry room and see who exactly we were working with.  We once gave assistant coach Mike Shula a ride to practice.  He went on to other NFL jobs and was the head coach at Alabama for a while.  We welcomed DC Everest's own Dave Krieg to Pack Attack a few years ago and I told him I missed washing his underwear by two years.  He played for the Bears in 1996.

Each time I stepped in the dorm I could look at their depth chart hanging on the wall.  It was cool to see the players walking through the local grocery store.  Or they'd stop into KFC for that matter.  Just like you and me.  Imagine that!

The Bears no longer practice in Platteville but their money helped improve the UWP football field in many ways.  Right now UW-Stevens Point is in the mix for landing the Rams.  So any of you young Pointers looking for summer job, take it.  So what if you're not a Rams fan.  They're not even a real Packers' rival.  I look back on those days with fond memories.  I even got a pair of receivers gloves and a t-shirt (I just don't wear them with that orange and blue all over). 

The economic impact is great for the city and, hey, it's football.  Point has a proud NFL tradition dating back to when the Packers practiced there in the '50s and the Jaguars in 1995.  If the Rams practice anywhere near Green Bay they'd be all for combining workouts with the Packers.  (I actually covered a Rams-Bears scrimmage in Platteville in '96 with Governor Tommy Thompson in attendance.  That was part of my budding tv career).  Maybe the Cheese League will rise again. 

East Grad Fischer Helps Winona State Win National Title

So many times during national letter of intent signing day, we see athletes from our area sign scholarship papers with one of the many NCAA Division II schools in Minnesota.  It makes sense, Wisconsin has just four Division I institutions and one D2 at Parkside.  That's what makes the WIAC, Lake Michigan and College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin so strong as Division III programs because you're getting a lot of young men and women to stay home who could perhaps play at the D2 level.

That takes me way beyond my original thought for this blog.  Wausau East grad Ben Fischer originally signed to play football at the University of Minnesota.  It didn't work out and he transferred to Winona State where he recently helped the Warriors (how's that for a former Lumberjack?) win the Division II National Title.  Congrats to Ben!  He played 24 minutes in that championship game and was a big cog in their come-from-behind win.  Throughout the season he was the first guy off the bench.  WSU not only rallied from a halftime deficit to win that game, but the one before it and the one before that. 

Soon Ben will be joined by his younger brother Jordan.  As far as eligibility, this was Ben's freshman year.  So I'd imagine those Fischers look forward to enjoying a few more rides to a national title.  The team is working on a 32 game winning streak.