OldSchoolSnapper

I think Favre beats Giannis, but not the others mentioned. Rodgers is the best player of those 4 mentioned, but he didn't really rescue the Packers and just carried their torch of relevance. Culturally he wasn't Favre either, he was an outsider whereas Favre gelled very naturally with WI culture. Reggie White didn't come up with the Packers and even though he was HOF quality with them, he was *slightly* down from what he was in Philadelphia. I didn't forget Starr, just don't think he's at quite that top tier though I'm sure anyone who was 15 in the 60s disagrees. Giannis checks every box though, he grew up with MKE, stayed when he had a chance to leave, reached the promised land and embraced the city. Really put the Bucks on the map again, got an arena built...I really had doubts the Bucks would stay in Milwaukee before he got here. I do think it's quite clear though that Favre is the most culturally iconic WI athlete during my lifetime.

That's one of the better balanced groups, but Belgium is head and shoulders the most talented team in it, so I will take Egypt every day of the week. Looking like USA vs. Bosnia on 7/1, and USA vs Iran/Egypt on 7/6. I really want Iran. You just can't get better TV than that.

I am curious about those dismissing Hank from the conversation and wonder if they have any insight as to his effect on the community. I am too young, but he was my Dad's idol, and Hank was a massive icon in the community and a bridge during the Civil Rights era, during a time in which baseball was far and away the country's favorite sport. For Favre, this seems like huge recency bias, and curious how old you are. For one, the Bucks just aren't big outside of the Milwaukee metro. It might be a conversation, but landslide times a billion? Favre was huge, HUGE when he came onto the scene. Not just in WI but all over the country, where the Packers resonate much stronger than either of the other teams. People really liked his salt-of-the-earth schtick, the beer, the tractor, etc. Then of course the Packers long-standing failure at the time. Favre really brought them back to relevance for the first time since Lombardi was there. They were going 9-7 and had the state on fire for them. Every kid in this state wanted a #4 jersey for Christmas from about 93-98. If there were a WI Sports Mt Rushmore, Favre is probably the second guy getting carved after Vince Lombardi. Now that's a fun topic. I'd probably go Favre, Lombardi, Giannis, Hank. Kareem doesn't make it due to longevity and his lack of commitment to MKE during his time here. Rodgers is better than Favre but not the cultural icon. Uecker is probably my first guy on the waiting list. Yount isn't quite the pull of the others. Then there are others like Curly Lambeau, but tough to argue with the guy whose name is on the trophy.

I agree with your assessment that they aren't going to be top 5 bad. I could actually see them getting into one of those play-in games if the coaching is strong. These players aren't bad. For Miami I think they'll be fine. It's a go-for-it thing and they are one of a few teams that have a perpetual escape hatch because they're Miami. There will always be someone willing to be traded there.

Giannis's team takeover is 100% the fault of the Bucks management. That's your job. Assert control over your team. A very good GM shakes up the roster and gets it younger immediately after winning the championship, not doing everything to retain every last piece because you just won and it's what makes Giannis feel warm and fuzzy inside. You don't trade Donte, and you move on from Brook Lopez before he's a complete tree trunk. You don't double down on Pat Connaughton. By 2023, Middleton was a huge mistake and you can't say that's hindsight, a lot of people saw what was coming with him. Giannis would have sent a pouty Tweet, and moved on quickly when he kept on winning. It's true that his roster vision was bad, but it's also true that your ownership can never let him get to that point.

Miami will always have a stream of guys who want to play there, likely preventing any of the picks from being that great. But these trades always seem to be judged against make-believe scenarios, not the actual list of options available. Nobody of Giannis's stature signs off on a trade to Orlando, Charlotte or New Orleans. It's part and parcel for mega stars to cherry-pick 1-3 places and that's just what you have to deal with. At the end of the day, we won an NBA title, something I accepted was never happening for the Bucks in my lifetime, long, long ago. Whether it's decades of the doldrums or we put things back together in a few years, I just can't be too upset about it. The Brewers are the last things I need checked off.

I really don't have a quarrel with Giannis. This is completely run of the mill for Superstar coming up on his last competitive window. He knows the end is nearer than the beginning and wants a chance for more championships. He was more committed to MKE than many, many athletes would have been and ultimately did deliver.

That's being conservative. I would put him safely in the Top 20. He has two MVPs but really should have about five, a DPOY and is first team on both ends any year he isn't hurt. What he gives you defensively is exceptionally rare for a 30-pt scorer. Bigs who are not even as good as him defensively can carve out 10-year careers doing that and scoring 4 points a game.

This list goes back 9 years. His injury history really isn't egregious for a big. Especially not one that gets load managed constantly and was shut down this season for the sole purpose of being healthy when he gets traded. This just feels like copium to downplay how great he is, which should be indisputable. He's a phenomenal player, I don't think anyone is cumulatively better on both ends right now. IMO his biggest problem is that he has to let himself be coached and accept a role in a system that might take the ball out of his hands more than he wants. At his age he needs to accept the things he doesn't do well and stop doing them. Is he willing to see the PPG drop to 24? He needs to be.

Still great, but the last few iterations of the Bucks have required him to be a LeBron type player who can score from anywhere on the court by himself, which he is not and never has been. If he stops getting hurt, I'm not sure Giannis isn't still the most impactful player in the league on both ends of the floor. Jokic is a better offensive player but not even close defensively. We're talking about a player that nearly averaged a triple double in 24-25 with an additional 6.5 APG. He's great. The one thing about Giannis that will always be mystifying to me is how he went from a perfectly fine FT shooter to bad. He was between 72-77% in years 2-6. Then drops 10-15%. Bizarre.

It's fine. It's up to the Bucks hitting on picks for how things ultimately shake out. Herro should be traded as well. Zero value for what the Bucks are going to be.

If Belgium doesn't win the group, they get dumped into a different side of the bracket. The US, if they make it past their knockout game, will play the winner of a Group G winner vs. a 3rd place team. That was pretty much penciled in as Belgium before the tournament. Now there's a real chance it's Iran or a 3rd place team they lose to. They will likely win G still if they just beat New Zealand, but they've left the door open now. Iran win + another Belgium draw, Iran wins the group. Then there's New Zealand winning, which could knock Belgium out completely.

Couldn't script this.

Bosnia has slipped into the most likely opponent spot for the USA. Qatar and Jordan also in there. They would be a heavy favorite and Belgium is likely to meet them after that. That would probably be their first game as an underdog, but a team they can beat behind a home crowd. If they got a win there, this would have to be seen as a hugely successful tournament. That is what I'd like to see happen, win one game they shouldn't. They'd probably meet their maker with one of the big boys in the quarters.

Ideal outcome last night, they will now have essentially gotten Pulisic 3 weeks of rest.

Every 3rd place team with 6 pts will advance.

You'll have a decent idea after the opposing pools complete their 2nd run, it will be a 3rd place team from one of E, F, I or J. Most likely R32 opponent right now is Ivory Coast, but that's assuming the most likely outcomes. Others likely are Senegal or Algeria. The tough luck draw would be the Netherlands slipping into 3rd. If the US won that matchup, Belgium in Seattle for R16 looks likely. A geopolitically loaded game with Iran is also possible there.

I'm completely out on trading any top guys in our pipeline for a rental 30 y/o pitcher off (minor) elbow surgery. We are 17 games over .500 in June. That just makes no sense to me and flies completely in the face of how we consistently get where we are. If I could magic wand anything, it would be a lock down closer. MeGill and Uribe are good players, but I really am shaky with either one closing out a 3-2 game in October.

I'm expecting him to not play particularly well, go back down, and read a few posts that he may not be what we paid for.

There's a lot of funny here. Amy playing the role of down-and-out working class Milwaukeean who's getting priced out of something is pretty LOL. I don't really feel too bad for her. I don't have a big issue with it. I usually sit in mid-range seats, I find most of the seats at AmFam solid, though. The Brewers are a great value for anyone willing to do a few things to save a few bucks. You don't have to buy beer and food, you don't have to buy a jersey, you don't even have to park on site if you don't want to. I can't fault them for doing new things to squeeze out what they can. I don't have any doubts they'll get enough corporate sponsors buying these seats. I think they'll be empty on weekdays, sure, but they'll force these companies to buy packages. I only hit a game or two per season anyway.

Miz pitching twice in a 7-game series is the only thing that makes you think there's a real chance to beat the Dodgers. He's good enough to shut down any lineup and then it's just stealing 2 games. It makes somewhat plausible.

Definitely didn't see this coming but probably should have.

I wouldn't go higher than a 3 even if they were performing optimally because I don't think it's realistic for them to beat the Dodgers in a 7-game series. Shohei could blow out a knee and it's a blip on their radar. It's a league problem not a Brewers problem. I think they're one of the top 5 teams in baseball. There's just unfortunately a Great Rift Valley between 1 and everyone else. There is always the chance they get lucky at the right time, it's baseball after all, and any team is capable of losing 3 in a row at a bad time. It's just going to take a ton of luck for the talent LAD has acquired to go collectively cold at the right time.

I absolutely love extending Watson. On the surface it looks risky for a guy that doesn't stay healthy, but his recent injuries have been more of the random variety than the ones that were really concerning. The repeated hamstring things seems to have been solved and that's the kind of injury that would give me pause. They would not be able to replace his skill set next offseason in FA or the draft. They absolutely need him as part of their offense. I was really hoping this would happen this season once they felt confident he was healthy. Even better they got it done now.

Garrett is better than Parsons but also 3 years older which is not trivial. Both are gamechangers, but he really elevates LAR to be the preseason overwhelming SB favorite. Parsons would do the same, but they are different kinds of deals. A player of Parsons ability NEVER becomes available at the age he was.