Miller ParkAs a Wisconsinite this was an easy choice. As a baseball aficionado, it wasn’t as easy, but history has it’s place … in history. I remain pretty confident in Miller Park. The lore of Miller Park starts outside the stadium where a bunch of pavement quickly turns into a… Read more »

Spring Game not good indication of team’s progress in offseasonSpring games for a college football program typically generate a lot of hype from fan bases as loyal football gurus get their first look at their team since the bowl season or even earlier. The same goes for the Wisconsin Spring… Read more »

On Sunday, the No. 19 Wisconsin men’s hockey team played in a heavily-hyped outdoor game against the No. 2 Minnesota Golden Gophers in front of over 52,000 fans at Soldier Field in the Hockey City Classic. Look at this event on paper and it seemed perfect. Four ranked teams —… Read more »

“Crabcakes and football. That’s what Maryland does!” Danny O’Brien found this out during his time at the University of Maryland and decided that instead, he preferred beer, cheese and football. Personally, I can’t blame him; I’m not crazy for crab cakes. I’m not crazy for Joel Stave either. Danny O’Brien… Read more »

With returning talent, solid start, UW volleyball team to watchOn my dad’s side of the family, a heated series of volleyball games takes place at the annual family reunion. While a majority of the Korgers are talented athletes — with myself being the exception (flat feet aren’t ideal for athletics)… Read more »

Brats’ history, taste, make it superior When it comes to tailgating, there is no more frequent a visitor than the bratwurst. Our German ancestors not only made the wise choice of immigrating to Wisconsin; they brought brilliance to the meat game. Not only do words fail to describe it, but few… Read more »

Ball will always play in shadow of incredible 2011 stats Ball has the speed, power and vision to be one of the elite runners in the nation this season, but he simply set too high a bar last season to live up to this year’s preseason Heisman hype. It’s not… Read more »

Linsanity is here to stay The haters will continue to claim that Jeremy Lin won’t last in the NBA, that he doesn’t have the size or speed to last in an increasingly physical league. But the man who has singlehandedly taken over Twitter and has people around the country tuning… Read more »

Eric Wiegmann - Jay Cutler is awesome Bears down. With an injury plagued roster, the last few weeks of the season look pretty bleak. But, putting the horrors of a Caleb Hanie-directed offense behind us, it’s time to look to the future, a brighter future. That brightness emanates from one… Read more »

Kelly Erickson Just when it seemed like the world would be free of professional basketball for a year, the NBA finally got its priorities in line — so to speak. I really do like basketball, for the record. But I don’t like the NBA. Of all the pro sports, basketball… Read more »

Elliot Hughes For a team with sky-high hopes, the Alabama football team’s loss to LSU this past weekend was a devastating one indeed. Not only have the chances dimmed for the Crimson Tide to win the SEC West and, subsequently, the SEC itself, but now its hold on a BCS… Read more »

Elliot Hughes First off, unless you’re someone who’s seen Tim Tebow perform at a Denver Broncos practice, I don’t want to hear anyone say with an air of certainty that Tebow can’t and won’t ever become an NFL quarterback. It’s truly remarkable how little of a chance sports pundits —… Read more »

Kelly Erickson I will admit I’ve only recently joined the fantasy football lifestyle. Last year, in my rookie season, I was a failure. I drafted well, but with a slew of injuries throughout the season and a general loss of interest after a few weeks, my team was incredibly unimpressive.… Read more »

Fiammetta: This PCP could have been written July 8, 2010. That’s the date of “The Decision” heard ‘round the world: the day LeBron James took his talents to South Beach. Clearly, it’s also the day sports writers were set for life with new phrases to annoy readers with. When LeBron… Read more »

Fiammetta: If we’re talking about truly revelatory feats accomplished so far in Major League Baseball’s first five days of 2011, I guess the 16 home runs already belted in Yankee Stadium don’t count. Looking at individual statistics, there aren’t even many random surprise leaders — though Milwaukee’s Rickie Weeks does… Read more »

Fiammetta: There’s really not much else more annoying than those “The Butler Did It” headlines. Or any other Clue-related one, for that matter. Nevertheless, Butler’s return to the Final Four has been thoroughly captivating. Perhaps last year the Bulldogs were just the latest in the long line of Cinderellas. But… Read more »

Fiammetta:I’m all for keeping things interesting at the barbershop. Or, if Mike Bruesewitz cornrowed his new cornrows himself, I’m also down with doing it yourself.But make no mistake — the pending loss of first- and third-leading scorers, senior forwards Jon Leuer and Keaton Nankivil, is the most pressing issue… Read more »

Henson John Moffitt and Gabe Carimi were two of Wisconsin’s best players last season. They were also two of the team’s greatest leaders. But in a few weeks, those two offensive linemen will hear their names called in the NFL draft and the Badgers will need to find adequate replacements… Read more »

Max It always comes down to the quarterbacks. Super Bowl XLV is no different, and two of the National Football League’s best will be on display in Dallas. Ben Roethlisberger and Aaron Rodgers will go head-to-head for the ultimate prize, and the question has to be asked: which one would… Read more »

Holt: There will be plenty of college football games worth watching this bowl season. There will also be plenty of ridiculous bowl sponsorships, creating awkwardly long titles for ESPN’s announcers to have to say a few dozen times. Try saying “The Anheuser-Busch/Sony Playstation 3 Festive Bonanza Bowl,” three times fast,… Read more »

Holt: Scott Tolzien and the offensive line gave this Big Ten Champion team its identity. And for a team that set a program record in points per game (43.3), it’s hard to ignore such a prolific offense. But the defense, up and down as it was, came up big when… Read more »

Holt: Let’s not kid ourselves. Sure, the Heat are going to be expected to win by 70 every night. But one loss to begin the season is not the end of the world. One loss to end the season, though? That’s another story entirely. There should be no excuse for… Read more »

Holt: Eventually, Bret Bielema has to beat a top-10 team. This year’s Badger squad has the talent to do it, and while its showing at Michigan State might not have indicated, the drive to do it too. So when the Buckeyes come to Madison Saturday night, maybe Badger fans can… Read more »

Holt Once again, it’s the Evil Empire versus the scrappy Midwesterners. Except this time, baseball’s corn-fed boys aren’t quite as scrappy and can be – dare I say it – an intimidating force of their own. This Twins lineup isn’t based on Nick Punto and his understudies; it has Jim… Read more »

Fiammetta: In the interest of full disclosure for this sacred space that is Herald Sports’ Point-Counterpoint, I need to be honest — I am a Yankees fan. Not a bandwagon fan, and not one of those “baseball sucks so I’ll just go with a team that wins” fans. Nope, I’m… Read more »

Henson: Well, they say there is a first time for everything. And now, for the first time ever, a Heisman trophy winner is forfeiting college football’s most coveted award. After months of speculation, Reggie Bush is giving the Heisman back. Bush has embarrassed not only himself in the investigations involving… Read more »

Holt Boise State’s comeback win over Virginia Tech was probably one of the best college football games I can remember watching. Oddly enough, four days later, there’s one thing I’ll take away from that game: How damn ugly Va. Tech’s uniforms were. Have you seen worse digs in recent memory?… Read more »

Max Henson: 2,500 yards. That’s what Titans’ superstar running back Chris Johnson has promised fans this season after piling up 2,006 yards a year ago. Yeah, he’s not kidding. Now, most will laugh at Johnson’s outrageous declaration, but doubters are nothing new for the fastest man in the league, a… Read more »

Holt I’m not going to hide my disdain for the NBA. As enthralling as I find uncontested dunks and an absolute absence of team defense, it’s not for me. But really, why care about the NBA Finals when you have the Stanley Cup playoffs happening simultaneously? Both sports have the… Read more »

Bleach Like McDonald’s vs. Burger King, Jordan vs. Kobe and George vs. Fred Weasley debates, there is an obvious answer to the question of whether baseball should have a salary cap — but unfortunately, reasonable minds and Bud Selig continue to disagree. Why a column about a question that really… Read more »

Schelling In just two days, the Wisconsin football team will take the field at Camp Randall Stadium for its annual Spring Game. Personally, I couldn’t be more excited. Last year, the highlight of my spring semester was Curt Phillips’ dominating performance — the redshirt freshman completed 10 of 16 passes… Read more »

Holt With the NFL combine over and individual schools’ Pro Days starting, what better time to find ways to make next year’s version even better? It’s a basic truth of football that things like a player’s 40-yard dash time will be blown way out of proportion. Then there’s the infamous… Read more »

Schelling: It’s a new year, a new decade and along with it has come a new John Daly. One thing, though, that hasn’t changed about the recently slimmed down golfer is his lack of professionalism. Daly, who recently starting modeling for Slix, a new brand of men’s underwear, made headlines… Read more »

Holt It’s a trap! Officials at the University of Mississippi passed a measure allowing students to vote on who the school’s next mascot will be. The Rebels’ old mascot, Colonel Reb, was put into retirement in 2003 after concerns his confederate visage would be offensive. So who’s the frontrunner to… Read more »

Holt Aren’t the Winter Olympics great? There’s the bobsledding and alpine skiing and moguls — which is more a test of knee ligament strength than anything else. Don’t forget about figure skating, which is really only amusing if you like flamboyantly ridiculous costumes and watching grown men cry on a… Read more »

Schelling So Bud Selig will be immortalized in bronze outside Miller Park, joining legends like Hank Aaron and Robin Yount. Makes sense I guess, since Selig made one of the most infamous gaffes in Miller Park history when the 2002 All-Star Game ended in a 7-7 tie because they ran… Read more »

Adam Holt Blood might be thicker than water, but Bourbon Street is thicker still. Simply put, it would be a disservice to the city of New Orleans for Archie Manning not to root for the Saints. I mean, it is home, after all. The mere fact that Archie publicly said… Read more »

Holt As much as it saddens me to write this, there is a new curse in town. You can take your Billy Goats and Bambinos and video game covers and throw them out the window. The Herald Sports Curse is real. Four Herald sports editors wrote features this academic year… Read more »

Schelling What do Darrent Williams (may he rest in peace), P.Diddy, Greg Oden, John Clay and Trevon Hughes have in common? The fro-hawk. As detailed in a recent Seattle Times feature that is a must read, the fro-hawk is more than a hairstyle. It’s a statement. And athletes across the… Read more »

Bruan Papajohns.com Bowl. Little Caesar’s Pizza Bowl. Chick-fil-A Bowl. These are the types of bowl games people care about. You know why? Because all people care about is delicious fast food and good names. Enough with roses, oranges and tortilla chips. People are sick of great matchups in bowl games… Read more »

Braun: If the National Enquirer can make up its own “true story” about what happened at 2:30 a.m. outside Tiger Woods’ residence last week, then so can I. Here’s what really happened: Tiger got home at about 12:20 a.m. from what he claims to be a poker match with some… Read more »

Bleach The New York Yankees just bought themselves a World Series. Apparently they can buy awards as well. According to ESPN Tuesday night, shortstop Derek Jeter will be receiving the AL Gold Glove for the fourth time in his career. And just when I thought sabermetrics — aka, looking at… Read more »

Braun: Oakland Raiders head coach Tom Cable beats his wives, girlfriends and even members of his coaching staff. With that in mind, it’s really no surprise Cable and the 2-6 Raiders are once again in the cellar of the NFL. The recent exposure of Cable’s past and his actions this… Read more »

Bruan If predicting sports games were my job, you could add me to the 9.5 percent of those unemployed in the U.S. But with the World Series just around the corner, why not give it another shot? Third time’s the charm, right? At this point, I should be picking the… Read more »

Braun Talk all you want about the Terrible Towel or the terrible Metrodome, but there isn’t any room for curses in the real world. Only the worst team will go 0-16, and that team is the St. Louis Rams. Let’s see if we can think of enough adjectives to describe… Read more »

Braun: I’m one of those sports fans who knows when his team has absolutely no shot at winning a series. I think I proved that last week when I picked the Cardinals to win the World Series. Somehow, both teams Bleach and I picked to win the World Series wound… Read more »

Bleach Seeing as the baseball playoffs are more of a crapshoot, than, well, a craps table in Las Vegas, a fan must look for extraordinary circumstances when trying to predict the World Series winner. Whether its just good Karma (which the Yankees are missing), rolling a lucky eight-sided die or… Read more »

Braun:Believe me, when the Dodgers lost three out of four to the Pirates this past weekend, I was less than thrilled. I was enraged, or furious. Whatever. But then I remembered the boys in blue had clinched a playoff spot and can clinch the NL West division with one more… Read more »

Bleach Worst ESPN Analyst? Unfortunately, there are quite a few viable candidates to choose from. However, squirt gun to my head, I definitely will take Lou Holtz. Right now, Holtz is challenging Brett Favre for the “who can destroy a reputation faster” crown. While the Favre fervor has died… Read more »

Braun: The Raiders should consider changing their motto from “just win baby” to “just don’t get blown out baby!” However promising their 24-20 loss to the Chargers may have looked, it was just that — a loss. The defense performed well, giving up only 77 rushing yards and forcing… Read more »

Bleach The university has sent e-mails telling us to avoid class at all costs if we feel so much as a sniffle. And now at least 10 players on the football have been confirmed to have flu-like symptoms? We may as well cancel the season. Seriously, can anything be a… Read more »

Braun: The question that has challenged the UW football coaching staff all summer has been one with two answers. At least that’s what we thought. Who will start at quarterback for the Badgers? The most logical answers would be Dustin Sherer or Curt Phillips — either the experienced senior or… Read more »

Braun: After the ugly showing the UW football team put on last season, it only makes sense to assume it will once again be in the cellar of the Big Ten. I mean, without P.J. Hill and with new faces all over the defense, we could expect an even worse… Read more »

Braun: The UW men’s basketball team had a season to remember. Marcus Landry eclipsed the 1,000-point mark, Joe Krabbenhoft set a new record for games played and the Badgers bounced back to make the NCAA Tournament after losing six consecutive Big Ten games. But none of that compares to what… Read more »

Braun: If you read my column last Monday, you would know that while I am a Raiders fan, I’m not too satisfied with their draft choices. Former Wisconsin defensive end Matt Shaughnessy is no exception. He probably would have been available for another round or two, and his 4.95 40-yard… Read more »

Braun: With the NFL draft coming up this Saturday, we get the chance to see where the best college players will land. Quarterbacks like Matthew Stafford, Mark Sanchez and Pat White have been dominating football headlines over the past several weeks, and it’s always a pleasure to watch the great… Read more »

Solochek:�After this weekend’s spring football game, we will enter a strange void in collegiate athletics that many other schools don’t experience. While most universities have a baseball team to appease their appetites during the first few months of spring, at Wisconsin, we must look onto the next thing, which is… Read more »

Solochek: While the Polar Bear may have enjoyed the northern climate of Germany, there are those who are more akin to pasta, wine and the Italian way of living.At least that could have been the motivation for former Wisconsin quarterback John Stocco to make the move to Milan to play… Read more »

Braun: The Connecticut Huskies didn’t really have to make a statement going into the NCAA Tournament, but that didn’t stop them.As if their 27-4 pre-tournament record wasn’t enough to give everyone the impression they were among the nation’s best, their performance in the big dance so far has me wondering… Read more »

Solochek: At the end of each NCAA tournament, we get to see what made the “One Shining Moment” montage, which combines some of the best moment of the weeks that are March Madness.This year, March has not been that maddening. Of the 16 teams left in the tournament, all of… Read more »

Solochek: After an embarrassing loss in the 2006 World Baseball Classic in which Team USA was ousted from the tournament in the early rounds, it seems as if they are on a mission to win the tournament in what we call our national pastime. So far, Team USA has done… Read more »

Solochek: There have been some pretty interesting moves and millions of dollars spent by Major League Baseball teams in preparation for the 2009 regular season. The worst of them was probably made by the Chicago Cubs in releasing Kerry Wood and bringing in Kevin Gregg from the Florida Marlins. Sure,… Read more »

Braun: Since his miraculous performance at the U.S. Open last June, golf fans have been anticipating the return of the world’s greatest golfer, Tiger Woods.I hate to break it to you, but that miracle last summer won’t be repeated this weekend when Tiger hits the links at the Accenture Match… Read more »

Solochek: As the University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team prepares to finish up its season and make a run at the NCAA tournament, it will need to be clicking on all cylinders to make sure it gets a berth in the Big Dance. While essential players like Marcus Landry and… Read more »

Braun: I wrote earlier this week about how Alex Rodriguez betrayed the baseball world. I stand by that, especially with his recent admission about his dishonest career. But I still think he should be in the Hall of Fame. A-Rod claims he used steroids from 2001 to 2003. That’s three… Read more »

Solochek: With a 3-6 conference record, the Wisconsin men’s basketball team will certainly be making a tournament. Sadly, however, I do not think it will be the NCAA Tournament. In a league that is the most competitive as it has been in years, the Badgers might be the odd man… Read more »

Ben: As Super Bowl XLIII approaches this Sunday, every sports pundit, analyst, broadcaster and fan will be discussing who is going to win the big game. There is no question the Arizona Cardinals will come out on top, giving the team its first-ever Super Bowl Championship. Sure, the Pittsburgh… Read more »

Jonah After watching the Badgers’ continuous miscues and failures throughout the past season, it only makes sense for head coach Bret Bielema to make a serious change. Entering his fourth season as head coach, he can choose to start another senior or he can take a chance for some high… Read more »

Zetlin: Well, Mase, we’ve reached the end of the road. Tomorrow’s paper will be the last of ours as editors. It’s been a fun ride since you and I covered the women’s basketball team together two seasons ago. We’ve worked countless nights together in the office; you’ve done the majority… Read more »

Zetlin: The Wisconsin football team has one game left on its schedule, and it won’t be played in Camp Randall Stadium. But that doesn’t mean we can’t discuss the most glaring issue that looms around Monroe Street on game days: students not showing up on time. I don’t want to… Read more »

Zetlin: For years, debates have surrounded the true meaning of the MVP award in all sports. Should it be given to the best player statistically? Should numbers be thrown out the window entirely? Should it belong to the best player on the best team? Is a player deserving of the… Read more »

Mason: The way Bo Ryan’s teams work, there is never one guy held more accountable than another. True, there have been players like Alando Tucker who seem to touch the ball more than others. But with the swing offense, every piece of the puzzle is equally important. That’s not to… Read more »

Mason: It’s not uncommon for athletes to turn their attention from the playing field to the political arena when their careers are done. Former NFL wide receiver Steve Largent was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994. NBA great Bill Bradley served in the U.S. Senate for almost… Read more »

Mason: Bear with me while I throw some numbers at you. 3,147. 28. 8-0. Can’t figure out what they mean? Those are Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell’s passing yards, touchdowns, and the Red Raiders’ record (in that order, of course). Absolutely ridiculous. Harrell has proven himself as, statistically, the best… Read more »

Mason: Yeah, about that Angels pick I made… It’s tough to root against the Rays this October. They’ve become the media darlings of 2008 — from worst to first and all that jazz. You know what, though? The Phillies’ story isn’t a bad one either. Sure, they’ve been to the… Read more »

Mason: Looking at the NFC North six games into the season, it almost makes you want to vomit. There’s no team with a winning record, and three teams sit atop the division lead at 3-3— the Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings. And if that doesn’t make your… Read more »

Mason: After the football team’s loss to Ohio State Saturday night, much blame was put on the shoulders of senior quarterback Allan Evridge. In the team’s two losses on the season, Evridge has not impressed. He’s missed a number of passes to open receivers and seems to lack that overall… Read more »

Zetlin: Today, put the Badger banter on hold, put NFL talks aside; it’s Oct. 1, and the baseball playoffs are underway. Will the Red Sox repeat? Can the Rays continue their miraculous run? No, and no. It kills me to say it, but I think this is “The Year.” Yes… Read more »

Mason: In an effort to add a bit of excitement to the sport, the Western Collegiate Hockey Association decided to use the shootout format in women’s games to break ties. The way it’s going to work is the teams will first play a five-minute overtime period. If neither team can… Read more »

Mason: You’ve heard the old saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Well, the Brewers were broken. Something needed to be fixed. For nearly the entire season, Milwaukee has been in position to make a run at the postseason. The Brewers battled with the Chicago Cubs for the NL… Read more »

Zetlin: Tom Brady is done for the season. Now what? This situation reminds me a lot of the 2001 Patriots season, when the Jets’ Mo Lewis knocked quarterback Drew Bledsoe out of the game with a devastating hit along the sideline. In trotted a former sixth-round pick from the University… Read more »

Mason: No athlete made more headlines this summer than quarterback Brett Favre. First, he retired in March, then several months later had the “itch” to play again and eventually decided to un-retire. Turns out the Packers didn’t want him back, so they shipped him to the New York Jets. One… Read more »

Mason: It was the third time since Bo Ryan arrived in Madison that his Badger basketball team claimed the Big Ten Title, but a 77-41 win over Penn State in early March may have been the sweetest of them all. The script had been written for that day to become… Read more »

Tyler Mason: Four Badgers were drafted in this past weekend’s NFL draft, with two more signing on with teams as free agents shortly thereafter. But one of those UW alumni will make a better pro than the rest: kicker Taylor Mehlhaff, a sixth round of the Saints. It’s tough to… Read more »

Ackerstein: Defense wins championships. Chris Long is the best defensive player in the draft. Thus, St. Louis should make Long the second pick in this weekend’s draft. Long, a defensive end from Virginia, registered 14 sacks his senior year and was a destructive force for almost his entire time as… Read more »

Ackerstein: If you thought New Orleans would be one of the NBA’s top five teams this season, raise your hand. There shouldn’t be very many of you. The Hornets this year, with 55 wins so far, have come out of nowhere and it’s all thanks to one man, Chris Paul.… Read more »

Ackerstein:�Tiger Woods is the best golfer in the world. This year’s Masters should be a reminder of that fact.Though he might not have won a green jacket since 2005, he does have four Masters titles to his name already — about as good a track record as there is at… Read more »