paul253

I have heard through the grapevine that cost is definitely one of the factors behind the move to HS sites, but I doubt the WIAA would ever admit that. It will be interesting to see how Saturday's games go. I'd be really disappointed in both the WIAA and the local colleges if cost was a factor. Do they really want to jeopardize safety for the sake of saving a couple hundred bucks, or whatever it may be? I had the bleachers at about 85-90% full. I'm terrible at estimating crowds. How many people do you think were there? Maybe 2500?

He says this was completely blown out of proportion by the newspaper. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised by this. If it was really that bad there would have been suspensions, but suspensions weren't even considered it sounds like. Typical Journal Sentinel. Trying to make a story out of nothing. I will be at King at WA Central tonight. WA Central was not pre-selling any tickets and had no worries about a sell-out. I decided to go to this game too. First of all let me say, what a game. West Allis Central is a heck of a lot better than I realized. I thought for a minute there in the third quarter they were going to take control of the game. King ended up winning by 4. I actually think that coaching was a big difference in the game. King's pressure defense forced a ton of turnovers in the first half. Central's coach needed to get his team to slow down and stop trying to dribble through the full court press. King handled Central's pressure much better than Central handled King's. But again, props to West Allis Central. They went about 9 or 10 deep and only had 3 seniors so they should be pretty good again next year. That being said. This gym was too small for this game. And Central's gym is actually pretty big. But the bleachers on both sides were pretty much full and there were a good number of people standing on the south end of the court. I left my seat and started walking towards the exit when there was about 30 seconds left and I am glad I did. Getting out of there after the game would have been tough. And Temke maybe you can comment on this, but when I was leaving I saw 2 West Allis PD squads scream up lights and sirens about 2 minutes after the game ended. I was already walking to my car by then. Then, when I was driving away I saw a State Trooper driving lights and sirens in the direction of the HS as well. This was in addition to all the cops and MPS security staff who were already there. Was there some sort of disturbance after the game or were those extra cops there for just traffic control or something? Did you notice? This is why I said I wish the WIAA would realize how many people attend these games and play them at bigger venues. The Al McGuire Center seats about 4,000 people. Assuming everyone who went to the game tonight would also have gone if it were at the AL, the arena would have been at least 3/4 full.

Another move I'd love to see the Bucks consider this off season would be to bring Ray Allen back. He is still in decent shape and was a HUGE fan favorite when he was here. The Allen-Payton trade had to be one of the worst trades in the history of the franchise. I'm not counting on him to turn the franchise around or anything, but I think he's still a decent player and would draw some interest back in the team. And if I remember correctly he enjoyed his time here as well. Two lottery picks and Ray Allen and I'd definitely show some interest in the team next season.

It's 8 games right? Not 8 starts. So essentially if he is listed as the #4 or #5 starter he'd only really miss one start?

None of those guys ever had close to the year Axford had in 2011 or the year and 4 months since he was named closer for that matter. Throw out Fingers strike shortened MVP year and Axford posted the best year by a Brewer closer ever. Don't get me wrong. I'm not suggesting that we get rid of him. But he's under team control for what, like 4 more years? He broke out a little later than most and while he had a heck of a year, he'll be in his 30's by the time he can hit free agency. All I was getting at is that you can generally find a cheap closer who can provide you an ERA around 3 relatively easily. There is no need to spend big money on one, especially when you already have him and he is super cheap. The Brewers' finances are stretched thin enough and we desperately need to resign either Greinke or Marcum. There is no point in giving Axford $3 or $4 million dollars a year more than he makes now.

I think what he was getting at is with this new collective bargaining agreement and the financial restrictions it puts on the draft, if you draft a bunch of of HS guys and pay them accordingly you will not have any room under this new contract to sign your remaining top 10 choices. It's not a matter of being willing to pay what it takes anyway. It's a matter of deciding which is more important, signing your top choices or signing most of your top 10 picks. For what it's worth, I also don't think we should sacrifice talent in the first few rounds for the sake of money. I'd feel more comfortable signing our our first 4 picks this year (two 1st rounds, a supplemental, and a 2nd round) then maybe our first pick and then picks from the fourth-tenth rounds. I haven't thought much about the new rules, I just hope they don't prevent a lot of teams from being able to sign their picks. That being said, I also don't think that HS players are automatically worth drafting ahead of college players. I think you need to specifically compare two players against each other, factor in the cost but only a little, and then decide which one you should take. I;d love Nick Williams and have no interest in Brian Johnson because I think we could use a third basemen but have plenty of first base/corner outfielder type players. However, I also wouldn't mind Diekroeger, assuming he hits like he did his freshmen year and the Brewers believe he can stick at shortstop.

I think Marshall will be a decent NBA player, but is nothing to get reall excited about IMO. A good role player, can run an offense, but not a key building block for a team needing to rebuild. I get what you are saying and I don't mean to imply that I think he will be a perennial all-star. Nor I am implying we should take him anywhere near the top 15. He's not even my first point guard choice. But if we happen to get a second 1st round pick somewhere in the low teens or high 20's I think we could do worse than getting a Kendall Marshall. And this is assuming he even decides to go, which he might now. But I think if you can get a guy that can give you 10 points and 7 or 8 assists a game, that's something I can get on board with. It's going to be an interesting 10 days until the trade deadline. Right now the Bucks are 4 games out of the playoffs, and playing Philly, Chicago and the Knicks this week. I don't generally root for teams to lose so they get better draft picks, but I kind of hope the Bucks do lose all three. It's the only way they will accept that not only are they not a good team, they need to blow up this team and start over. Milwaukee and it's casual fans will not get behind a team that is a perennial 7th-10th place team. If losing all three games convinces them to trade away some guys and gets them extra first-rounders this year then that's what I want to see happen.

I can understand your view on Sullinger. Marshall, however, I think would be a solid pick if he falls to the second half of the first round. While, he's not going to give you 20 points a game, he is second in the country in assists right now at over 9 a game. I watched him a few days ago against Duke and while he forced a few passes at times, he seemed to really be a pretty decent point guard. I think if he realizes his role as a pass first point guard he'd be a solid player. So assuming the Bucks get him, they'd definitely need a scorer with their other first round pick. I really like Thomas Robinson but I think you need a top 3 pick to get him. I think Barnes will eventually turn into a guy that can get you 15-20 points a game. There are others too. Barnes is just a name I threw out. But like I said, Robinson is the guy I'd like most.

I was thinking about this the other day. And keep in mind I don't pay much attention to the NBA. But I've heard talk about Boston looking to trade Rajon Rondo. Is there any chance we could work some sort of three way deal in which Boston gets Brandon Jennings, Rondo goes to a third team, and we get a first round pick in return? Depending on who the third team is we could also maybe get an additional second rounder. Or we could include another player (Stephen Jackson, Ersan Ilyasova) and get another first round pick in 2013. The Bucks need to commit to a full fledged rebuilding project. Being the 7-10 team in the conference every year does make you any fans, and typically getting the 10th-15th pick in the draft isn't going get you a solid contributer right away. If they trade Jennings, get lucky in the lottery and maybe get a top 5 pick, then get another pick down in the 15-20 range in this deep draft I think they can start the rebuilding mode right away. Maybe get a Thomas Robinson, Jared Sullinger or Harrison Barnes for the front line along with a guy like Kendall Marshall or Troy Wrotten to replace Brandon Jennings.

I know it was only a second round game, but http://www.jsonline.com/sports/preps/nw1boys04-cs4e5go-141320203.html this should be a major concern for future playoff games. If this happens again, I would support a rule saying MPS teams are not allowed to host playoff games. Absolutely disgusting and a black eye for the tournament. I hope if any King players were responsible for this they are suspended accordingly.

It wasn't even on ESPN3. Anyway, can anyone comment on how Gardner looked? He's a key player down the stretch.

I hope we take at least one third basemen or shortstop with one of the first three picks.

I thought I was reading that wrong but the comments I see on here makes me realize I didn't. The team with the best record in the league has to play the first two games in a best of 5 on the road? This is quite possibly the worst idea you can have. I don't like the expansion to begin with. To me, having a one game first round is stupid enough. It's like they are just putting more teams in the playoffs just for the heck of it. It should either stay the way it is, or move to 6 teams like the NFL. Everything about this plan irritates me. You're better off having the second best record than the best record.

It's nice to see Top 10 lists with decent comments about each player as opposed to a list thrown together. Nice work on this. I was surprised to see Hall's name on that list. A breakout year by him would be a nice surprise for a system needs some more stars. Hopefully this next draft can produce the same type of talent this past draft did, though the 2011 draft was apparently a once a decade type draft.

We have a closer for the next five years. One less position to worry about. Just like we had a third basemen for the next four years when we extended Bill Hall I'm just messing around but I am really opposed to this deal. I think closer is the most overrated position in baseball. Look at all the successful closers we've pulled out of nowhere in the last decade or so. Wickman, Turnbow, Torres, Axford, Dejean, Dan Kolb, Axford. Two of the worst closers we had were the expensive "established" closers we paid big money for in Gagne and Hoffman, though admittedly both were well past their prime. I just don't see any reason to extend him. Let him pitch and be cheap for the next few years and when he gets to get more expensive in his arby years trade him. He'll still be cheaper than the FA closers. Plus, if the Brewers are out of it this year or next year he'd be a key trade piece because of how inexpensive he is.

For the most part I agree with you, but there are a lot of teams who would have trouble if their two biggest men went down for an extended amount of time. It's not just that their two biggest guys went down. It's that the two were their two only big men. There is absolutely no depth in the area of size. It'd be like the Brewers continually developing and signing top relief pitchers while only having 5 starters in the entire organization. Players like Jamil Wilson and Jae Crowder were already playing out of position, and that was when everyone was healthy. In terms of how some of those players you listed would match up against MU, are they that much better than a guy like Andre Drummond, who will be the 2nd or 3rd pick in the draft and who Crowder shut down a week or two ago? I think there is a major difference between Drummond and those guys I mentioned. Drummond may be drafted that highly but it would be about 90% on potential and 10% on actual current ability. He's only averaging 10 points a game. The three I mentioned are all putting up better numbers than he is. Robinson and Sullinger's game are much more advanced than Drummond's is. I doubt Crowder shuts them down like he shut Drummond down. And Davis is just a monster on defense. MU would have zero luck in the paint against Kentucky. Like I said, I am a huge MU fan so I don't mean to make it seem like I am bad mouthing the team because I don't like them. But how many 6'4''-6'6'' guys do you need?

Watching games like the MU-Cincinnati game right now just gets me absolutely irritated at Buzz Williams (and I had the same problem with Tom Crean) for the utter lack of ability to recruit big men. I'm not even talking about top 100 players. I just mean anyone who is taller than 6'7'' and can play defense and get a rebound. Williams has this idea he can have a token big man on his team and win a bunch of guys standing 6'3''-6'7''. Two injuries later and they play 8 games without anyone taller than 6'7''. And even before Gardner's injury. It's not like he is a true center. He is only 6'8'' and out of shape. Cincinnati is absolutely dominating MU in the paint right now and MU looks helpless to stop it. MU, and don't get me wrong I am a huge fan, but they have no chance of beating teams like Ohio St, Kentucky, or Kansas because they'd have no way at all to stop these teams' big mean. I shudder to think what guys like Thomas Robinson, Anthony Davis, or Jared Sullinger would do to Marquette should they meet up in the tourney.

Greinke and Marcum would receive plenty of interest should they be dangled. Teams don't trade for guys like Greinke and Marcum so they can get draft picks. They trade for them because they think they can win the World Series. Milwaukee would have still traded for CC even if they didn't get comp picks for him. The new rule may affect what you get for him a little bit, but there will be plenty of teams interested in these two. My opinion at least.

Temke: I've gone to some sectional finals games, mostly at Oak Creek HS IIRC. I guess my thinking is that it was just so crowded there that I felt I like I was sitting on top of everyone. I'd rather go to a game at the AL where even though it may only be 2/3 full it is much more comfortable of a setting. Plus, it gives the HS teams a chance to play at an arena they'd usually never get an opportunity to play. I can see your points and don't disagree with them. But I'd like to see them use bigger facilities where more people would be able to go and watch. *and I just remembered way back when I was in HS going to some games at the UWM Klotsche Center. There were lines out the door to get tickets to some of those games. It was like that at Wisconsin Lutheran College one year I went there as well.

The Bucks need to admit where they are at as a franchise and go into a full fledged rebuilding mode. This is the year to do it. Bogut can't stay healthy and Jennings has more or less said he isn't coming back when his contract runs out. Instead of constantly adding pricey vets and overhauling the roster every year in the hopes of being the #8 seed in the playoffs, they need to get a new core to work around. Their drafts have been horrible lately (Sanders, Harris, Alexander, YI). But this is a strong draft. I think they could net an extra lottery pick by trading Jennings and maybe another one by trading Bogut. That would give them 3 lottery picks in a strong draft. They could draft a big man, a point guard and scorer. Guys I'd like to see in Milwaukee would be Anthony Davis and Thomas Robinson (may need a top 2 pick to get either of them), Sullinger, Perry Jones, Harrison Barnes, Austin Rivers, Drummond, Tyler Zeller, Bradley Beal, Kendall Marshall (pass first point guard) among others. I think with 3 picks you could draft two more "safe players" and maybe one project. But either way, Milwaukee definitely needs to go in a new direction. Right now they are happy with losing in the first round of the playoffs. The problem with this is that 1) it accomplishes nothing and 2) it lowers your draft choices in a draft that in more and more becoming a crap shoot like the MLB draft. I can't get excited about bringing in guys like Stephen Jackson and Drew Gooden. I'd get excited about Harrison Barnes and Perry Jones.

I've watched a lot of these games on tv, but I've also been to a lot in person. For all of those who may not have ever taken a game in, I highly suggest it. The game looks much faster and the players much bigger in person than they do on tv. I remember a few ago going to the state championship game between Madison Memorial and Milwaukee King. It was the year Wes Matthews was a senior at Memorial. It was one of the most exciting basketball games I've ever been to, at any level. Matthews was unbelievable to but King had a kid that outplayed him and almost single handedly won them the state championship. King finished as the #22 ranked team in the country that year by USA Today.

Apparently Victor Roache just broke his wrist and may miss the entire season. This will definitely hurt his draft status. Is he around at #38 now and if so do we take a chance on him?

This might be the first list I've seen Thornburg ranked ahead of Bradley and Jungmann. I think Thornburg is really getting forgotten about by many people, myself included. Hopefully he takes it personally and really goes out there with something to prove this season.

I don't think Morgan would bring much in return. Granted he had a pretty decent year last season, but he's a year older and a year closer to being expensive than when we got him. And all we gave up for him was Cutter Dykstra. I'd rather just keep Morgan then get a Cutter Dykstra type prospect who most likely won't pan out.

Barring an early season injury to one of their starting outfielders the Braves may not be willing to give up either Vizcaino or Delgado for Hart My thinking is that Atlanta may end up sticking some of these guys in middle relief which really diminishes their value. Atlanta was really high on Corey Hart a few seasons ago. If they still really like him perhaps they would be willing to give up one of their plethora of major league ready starters as opposed to having them waste away in the bullpen. The only bad thing in my argument is that even though some of them don't have anything left to prove in the minors, a few of them still have options and could just be set aside in AAA until they are needed.