Well, it’s certainly been a brief four years my friends. I’ve covered countless beats during that time. I toiled through rebuilding seasons with the soccer teams, a season with each tennis team respectively as they tried to find the right mix, two wonderful years with the women’s hockey team that… Read more »

Students are about to peace out for the summer. Of the 40,000-plus that currently call themselves Badgers, a healthy amount will graduate or go home or head overseas or mosey on back to the kitchen of their local pizza parlor. Of the group, nearly everyone has a summer destination. A… Read more »

With the help of Sports Illustrated, NBA free agent Jason Collins made public  that he is gay Monday morning. While attempting to focus on the topics of my Communication Arts lecture, I experienced — for the first time in awhile — a “Hell yeah!” moment. Finally, an active athlete playing a major… Read more »

If there was any concern that the Wisconsin football team would go without a night game in head coach Gary Andersen’s first season, that was wiped away Monday. Wisconsin will face Ohio State on Sept. 28, opening its Big Ten season on either ESPN or ABC at 7 p.m. It… Read more »

From its humble beginnings in a New York City hotel conference room in 1980 to the now three-day spectacle held in Radio City Music Hall, the NFL draft has elevated to the status of an ultimate live in prime-time reality show as analysts, fans and players wait in desperate anticipation… Read more »

Instant replay. Two words that have generated a tremendous amount of controversy over the last few years in just about every sport you can imagine — becoming a buzzword of sorts and earning a mention in almost every sporting event that is played. And yet, when instant replay is consulted,… Read more »

For the first time in 2013, the Wisconsin softball team welcomed a Big Ten team to Goodman Diamond and didn’t disappoint the home crowd, coming away with three conference victories. Wisconsin (33-9, 10-5 Big Ten) began their series against Ohio State (27-17, 6-9) with a pair of wins Saturday, including… Read more »

The Wisconsin volleyball team will cap off its spring schedule by hitting the road for the first time this spring to compete in the Minnesota Spring Invitation Saturday at the Sports Pavilion in Minneapolis. Wisconsin will face Minnesota-Crookston, Ohio and tournament host Minnesota-Twin Cities in a two-game match format instead… Read more »

Wisconsin set a record this year, but it wasn’t by playing games. Instead the Badgers accomplished, if it can be called that, a school record of 37 games without playing a single one at Goodman Diamond. However, whether for better or worse, the Badgers finally played their first home games… Read more »

Oftentimes when teams have disappointing seasons, some quarrels and unrest among players are common. The Wisconsin men’s tennis team, however, could not be a stronger, more tightly-knit unit, regardless of its 2-7 Big Ten conference record. “Playing with these guys is so much fun,” freshman Oskar Wikberg said of his… Read more »

Augusta National Golf Club — known around the world for hosting the most important golf tournament in early April each year — isn’t for everyone. Until just recently, it was a boys-only fraternity house of sorts that allowed only the most lucky and hallowed of guests onto its grounds. Women… Read more »

Growing up a Chicago Cubs’ fan in south central Wisconsin, I often had many disputes with my friends about which was the better team; the Cubs or the Milwaukee Brewers. Naturally, I was always outnumbered and I therefore received a great deal of ridicule for being a fan of a… Read more »

The hangover has faded, all but disappeared. Spring football and an intriguing quarterback battle has replaced the dark memories of a certain game in Kansas City that’s buried in the furthest reaches of every Wisconsin fan’s mind after less than three weeks. Like every college socialite who pledges to never… Read more »

A solid offensive performance and a third-set comeback pushed the University of Wisconsin (25-13, 24-26, 17-15) to a 2-1 victory over UW-Green Bay Saturday, earning the team a 2-0 record in the spring season. UW’s offense excelled thanks to sophomores Ellen Chapman, Deme Morales, Courtney Thomas and junior Julie Mikaelsen. Chapman… Read more »

Most people would do anything for a million dollars. If they were given a salary of $1 million a year and promised a reasonable position, the money would be many times too much to even bat an eye in deliberation. Yes, yes, please sir. A salary like that — actually… Read more »

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — For the first time since 2006, the Wisconsin men’s basketball team left its opening round game in the NCAA tournament with a loss after falling to Mississippi, 57-46. Both fifth-seeded Wisconsin (23-12, 12-6 Big Ten) and 12th-seeded Ole Miss (27-8, 12-6 SEC) struggled to find any… Read more »

March Madness. It’s a time for filling out brackets, decreased productivity in offices across the United States and enough college basketball to rot your brain into a gooey pulp. This year, unfortunately, the unofficial national holiday of the NCAA tournament’s opening round of games (because, let’s be honest, play-in games… Read more »

Only six days short of seven years ago, the memory is still as vivid in my mind as when it happened. The date was March 26, 2006. After a typical Wisconsin winter, it was finally springtime and, at about 50 degrees in the late afternoon, it was warm enough outside… Read more »

Imagine you have just painted a wall in your house or apartment. You are immediately disappointed because the color doesn’t look anything like what you expected. But, you already put it up there so you might as well sit and wait. Throughout time, the paint very slowly begins to dry… Read more »

Even before the opening tip of Wisconsin’s Big Ten tournament championship game with Ohio State at the United Center Sunday, it felt like the Badgers’ newfound mojo might start running dry. Bo Ryan’s group, the one pegged for its ugly style and lack of “talent,” had orchestrated a stunning offensive… Read more »

The Wisconsin Badgers are just a team. Nothing more, nothing less. They seem to prove it just about every game: Wisconsin is made of a group of players, each of them playing their role within the Wisconsin system; a system so unsexy that it is only marginally recognized when run… Read more »

Before he grew to the size of a tree, before he was a Division I college basketball player, the Wisconsin Badgers’ Frank Kaminsky dreamed of playing one day at the United Center. Growing up as a fan of the Chicago Bulls in Lisle, Ill. — he even has an aunt… Read more »

In times of defeat, it is easy to look at everything that was working against you. Blame the opponent, or the coach or look back at previous performances and wonder. Fault the fans for being no-shows, or injuries or question the outside powers for putting you in a predicament in… Read more »

If the Wisconsin football coaching staff based its quarterback selection purely on physical tools and mechanics, Bart Houston likely would have already locked up the starting gig. Standing at 6 feet 4 inches and weighing 230 pounds, the redshirt freshman has the strongest arm in the rotation and the quickest… Read more »

Statistics are the lifeblood of sports. They prompt the debates, the arguments, the lists and rankings. Sheer numbers define what is good, what is poor, what is great and extraordinary. They fuel the expectations by which they are eventually judged. Well, the expectations for Bobbie Kelsey’s women’s basketball team were… Read more »

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Maybe Traevon Jackson made his buzzer-beating 3-pointer because Penn State forgot he was left-handed. Or maybe it’s because of the free run Jackson had to his spot on the left wing. What the Wisconsin guard cared about most was that the bucket allowed the 22nd-ranked… Read more »

After two weeks of long distance traveling to Florida and California, the Wisconsin softball team is headed to Illinois for the SalSaluki Invitational this weekend. Only being one month into the season, the team has shown a lot of promise for what is to come in the remainder of the… Read more »

Just a little more than a week after running a 4.66 second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, the 19th best time out of 33 participating running backs, running back Montee Ball posted a 4.46 at the Badgers’ Pro Day. Back on his home turf at the Dave McClain Center,… Read more »

They put up 10 goals with 10 different Wisconsin men’s hockey players notching a point. Rub your eyes. Read it over a few times. Maybe just sit and think about it. Anything to let that fact sink in. After infamously starting the season 1-7-2, 1-5-2 in the WCHA and averaging… Read more »

The Wisconsin women’s hockey team will be packing their bags and heading to Minneapolis next weekend for the WCHA Final Face-Off after a dominating first-round series against St. Cloud State University. The No. 2-seeded Badgers (23-9-2) took care of business against the No. 7-seeded Huskies (9-24-3), sweeping SCSU out of… Read more »

The long 32-game regular season is over and while the Wisconsin women’s hockey team cannot boast a sparkling record like that of the 2011-2012 team, this season’s team is in position to make a similar postseason run. Wisconsin (21-9-2, 17-9-2 WCHA) started its 2012-2013 campaign off with a whimper, winning… Read more »

Understanding the success of the Wisconsin men’s basketball team this year starts with one underlying principle: Bo Ryan doesn’t change. As the world surrounding him gets caught up in the Twitter-verse, as coaches toss out playbooks and start anew in search of the best system for today’s game, head coach… Read more »

In the devastating loss Monday night to Penn State, the Wisconsin men’s hockey team now finds themselves at a pivotal point in their season. Prior to the faceoff against the Nittany Lions (13-14-0), the Badgers (14-11-7) found themselves tied for No. 17 in the PairWise Rankings — a system designed… Read more »

ORLANDO, Fla. — If this weekend was supposed to be a replicate of Big Ten play this season, the Badgers set the right example to duplicate. Sweeping the three-day Diamond 9 tournament with three wins over both George Southern (7-7) and Boston University (1-4), Wisconsin (10-1) is suddenly off to… Read more »

The team was ranked No. 1 in every week of the season except one. The program that had won two of the previous three national titles in 2009 and 2011 — missing the 2010 tournament with its coach and two best returning players competing in the Olympics — boasted a… Read more »

Danica Patrick is NASCAR’s little dolly, pretty much regardless of what she thinks. Of the first 10 pictures that lead the Google search “Danica Patrick,” only two show Patrick sporting her popular NASCAR jumpsuit. The others include her in a much more revealing sense, erotically clad as an article accentuating… Read more »

When it comes to criticism, the National Basketball Association is never far from reach.This really isn’t a huge revelation — NBA players have 82 games during the year to boost their stats as much as they can to increase their salary, their fame and their SportsCenter highlight reels. It should… Read more »

In the world of athletic directors, the phrase “no news is good news” generally runs pretty true. If the head of the athletic department doesn’t have to set up a press conference and make an announcement, that usually means the department is sailing smoothly on open waters. The tides are… Read more »

The 2012 NFL season is now over and every team but the Baltimore Ravens is disappointed with the way its season ended, especially the Green Bay Packers, who have strong aspirations of winning the Super Bowl these days with Aaron Rodgers under center. With the offseason upon us, the Packers… Read more »

Everybody loves a fairytale ending. Don’t lie to me guys - you watched Disney growing up. You sat in your one-piece pajamas and watched “The Lion King.” You died a little inside when it didn’t work out between Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries (THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO BE TOGETHER FOREVER)… Read more »

In striving to find their way to the top of the WCHA standings, the Wisconsin men’s hockey team battled for a crucial victory against Bemidji State Saturday, winning 3-2 after a disappointing tie Friday night. The Badgers (12-9-7, 9-6-7 WCHA) now sit tied for fifth place in the WCHA with… Read more »

After seeing a 3-0 lead be cut down to just a one-goal favor, the Wisconsin men’s hockey team battled a late-game surge by Bemidji State Saturday, but managed to escape with a victory. “I think the mood after the game was we got the two points, we landed a wounded… Read more »

As most baseball fans have undoubtedly heard by now, Milwaukee Brewers superstar and former-MVP Ryan Braun is being linked to performance-enhancing drugs for the second time in his six-year career. Yahoo! Sports reported Tuesday night that Braun’s name appeared on the records of a clinic – Biogenesis of America LLC… Read more »

A day after addressing the need for a quarterback in his inherited recruiting class with junior college transfer Tanner McEvoy, new Wisconsin head coach Gary Andersen reeled in another commitment from a JUCO player to address needs in the secondary. Needing to replace three starting defensive backs from last season’s… Read more »

This time, when I heard the news a new quarterback had transferred to Wisconsin, I didn’t even blink. In what has become the third annual announcing of a transfer quarterback at UW, it came as little surprise when new football head coach Gary Andersen added yet another quarterback — junior… Read more »

He took the ball down the floor, abruptly planted his feet from the right wing and tossed up a Hail Mary three-point attempt. The ball fell through the bottom of the net and a Wisconsin sports hero had stamped his legacy with his first signature moment on a national scale.… Read more »

I watch a lot of SportsCenter, but not nearly as much as I used to. Too many times on this campus, I have filled out a questionnaire on the first day of class and informed my teacher that yes, it is my favorite show on television. I think differently now,… Read more »

Last week one of our writers, Sean Zak, wrote a column about holding back optimism for the Wisconsin football team in 2013. My simple question in response is, why? I understand last year’s new assistant hires and all of the transition that followed led to bumps and bruises, but there… Read more »

It wasn’t long ago, on Nov. 27 to be exact, that I wrote a column concerning the dire situation that was Wisconsin men’s hockey. At the end of the first half of the season and heading into final exams here at the University of Wisconsin, the team sat at a… Read more »

After dropping consecutive dual matches against two of the Big Ten’s best just a week ago, the No. 20 Wisconsin wrestling team righted the ship in a solid 26-9 defeat of Indiana Friday night at home. The Badgers (7-4, 4-2 Big Ten) took seven of the 10 individual contests, including… Read more »

Uncertainty is a frank description, but it ran through the veins of the Wisconsin football program throughout the 2012 season. That Bielema guy fired an assistant from the SEC. Then that Bielema guy grabbed what he could (in assistants) and left for the SEC. In leaving, he left the door… Read more »

If Tiera Stephen wasn’t on top of the world in April 2009, she seemed to be pretty close. Stephen was a point guard for the Louisville women’s basketball team and the Cardinals were playing in the school’s first ever Final Four. The circumstances were pressure-filled, daunting by any standard. She… Read more »

Wisconsin improved to 176-16 at the Kohl Center under Bo Ryan, including a mark of 86-9 in Big Ten Conference games. The Badgers are 3-0 in Big Ten play for the first time since 2008-09. Wisconsin’s current six-game winning streak is the longest since Jan. 12-31, 2012. The Badgers have… Read more »

PASADENA, Calif. —There weren’t any surprises New Year’s Day at the Granddaddy of Them All. Two teams, two old-school styles of football and two relentless defenses graced the field in a low-scoring, smashmouth affair that many already saw coming. But, on one particular afternoon, No. 6 Stanford’s defense (12-2, 8-1… Read more »

Last night, as I stared up at the ceiling from my bed around 3 a.m. with bloodshot eyes, there were a few thoughts that were rushing through my head. One was, “how did I drink that much coffee and not die?” The other, well, you have to go back more… Read more »

While I would never tab Bret Bielema as much of a speedster, he sure took off in a flash.As the news broke of him taking the head coaching position at Arkansas, the utter surprise filled Twitter to the brim, but I was as blind as a blind side could get;… Read more »

For long-time soccer icon David Beckham, it is now safe to say no expectations are too high. After announcing weeks ago that the 2012 Major League Soccer season would be his last one in a Los Angeles Galaxy uniform, Beckham finished his American career with a bang by winning the… Read more »

INDIANAPOLIS — Surely it was just one lucky run from the fuel-injected legs of redshirt freshman tailback Melvin Gordon.Then, a bobbled pass off the hands of the Cornhuskers’ Kenny Bell found the outstretched arms of the Badgers’ Marcus Cromartie. As the redshirt senior raced 29 yards to the end zone… Read more »

Nearly three months ago, The Badger Herald titled its season preview for the Wisconsin football season “On the Brink,” the bold, oversized lettering itself representative of the expectations surrounding this team. My own hands were among those that helped build the towering expectations for this team, fully convinced there would… Read more »

It’s all happening, right before our eyes. It started a few years ago and is heating up. We just have not realized it yet. The Big Ten and the SEC, each now boasting 14 nationally prominent college allegiances, are dead set on a collision course to dominate college athletics. The… Read more »

For the Wisconsin men’s hockey team, it’s quickly becoming do-or-die time. Once upon a time, Wisconsin hockey was the best in the business. As of 2006, it had won six national championships since 1973. It also made an appearance in the 2010 title game. That last run to the championship… Read more »

It felt pretty incredible to be present for Penn State’s final home game of the season Saturday. And that feeling had nothing to do with the Wisconsin football team I’ve been covering for The Badger Herald. For this Nittany Lion program, the past 12 months have been a whirlwind of… Read more »

Wisconsin softball head coach Yvette Healy announced the signing of three recruits to national letters of intent Tuesday. Chloe Miller (Bettendorf, Iowa), Sara Novak (Shorewood, Ill.) and Nyah Rodman (Lakewood, Calif.) will become the newest Badgers in the fall of 2013. “Above all, this class is filled with great students… Read more »

Let’s play a game of word association. Ready? OK, here’s the word. Big Ten. So what’s the first word that comes to your mind? Maybe it’s one of the sports like football and basketball that the conference is renowned for. Then again, maybe it’s one of the schools that make… Read more »

Anything felt possible. Curt Phillips just orchestrated one of the best two-minute drills in recent Wisconsin history to force overtime Senior Day. Montee Ball had a renewed chance at breaking the NCAA career touchdown mark after earning the record-tying score in the second quarter. And the defense — which housed… Read more »

As a timid freshman more than three years ago, I walked into the McClain Facility to interview a freshman running back I knew nearly nothing about. He was a somewhat lauded four-star recruit who had just earned the first carries of his young college career, a player still buried beneath… Read more »

This past Friday in Tuscaloosa, Ala. — just like many other Fridays every fall — hundreds of thousands of people awoke from their work or school-induced slumber. Not because the workweek had finally ceased, not because a beautiful, sunny weekend was in its approach and certainly not because Sean Zak… Read more »

While the season may just be warming up for the Wisconsin men’s basketball team, expectations for what type of team this year’s squad will offer have already begun to surface at the proverbial office water coolers across the state. Unlike years past, when the Badgers’ success rested largely on the… Read more »

I’m a big intangibles guy. Talent matters, but when it comes down to it, what separates the good and the great in sports — and in life for that matter — is that little extra something you can’t touch or see physically on the field or court of play. If… Read more »

Earlier this week, Badger Herald Sports Content Editor and fellow Columnist Nick Korger wrote that any outcome from Saturday’s game with Indiana would come at no surprise. He is exactly right. A Wisconsin victory would reshape the crumbling confidence surrounding the program. An Indiana victory would all but take the… Read more »

The state of fandom may just be one of the hardest burdens to bear in the sports world. A fan — whether because they were born into their fandom, or developed it over time — is often a lifetime supporter through sickness and in health. A fan knows the ins… Read more »

In the strangest of seasons, one where the Badgers still have a clear shot at the Rose Bowl with three losses to their name, an unfamiliar unit has acted as the reparative glue for this team: the defense. It is a complete reversal of scripts from the 2011 season, when… Read more »

After the public unveiling of the Wisconsin men’s 2012-13 basketball team Sunday during the annual Red/White Scrimmage, Badger basketball fans may have less to worry about this season than they originally thought. Call me crazy, but maybe expectations should even be raised. With the losses of Jordan Taylor, who graduated… Read more »

To say this season has been surprising would be an understatement. Every emotion the brain can produce — joy, anger, rage, hope, disappointment — it’s all been encapsulated within the already wobbly and extending frame of Wisconsin’s 2012 campaign. And boy, could it get even crazier Saturday. The Badgers haven’t… Read more »

At the moment, Wisconsin sports may seem tumultuous. The starting point guard goes down with a season-ending injury, quickly followed by the starting quarterback. The same thing happened to my high school in 2007, when an outstanding athlete — one who carried the torch of Sturgeon Bay High School sports… Read more »

The old Welsh poet George Herbert once wrote that, “Life is half spent before we know what it is.” Such is also true with football. Especially in the NFC North, where a few W’s and L’s springing up in unexpected places changed the way we initially thought about these four… Read more »

It was almost as if everyone was in denial. As Joel Stave collapsed on the field, rabid fans in the student section and reporters in the press box alike needed a minute to digest the situation. We knew Stave had been driven into the ground by the beast known as… Read more »

A few weeks ago, I wrote a column that overflowed with optimism at the rapidly growing scene that has been soccer in the U.S. over the last decade. But that was before American soccer star Landon Donovan had an interview with ESPN FC, ESPN’s soccer blog, revealing his reservations about… Read more »

If there’s something I’ve learned in my life as both a fan of sports and as a journalist, it’s that athletic prowess and success can be taken away at the drop of the hat. Or a single hit. Or an ACL tear. But that’s just the nature of sports. The… Read more »

There’s a scene in the epic Martin Scorsese film “Gangs of New York” in which Daniel Day-Lewis’ character, Bill the Butcher, refers to a picture of his long-dead rival on the wall and utters, “He was the only man I ever killed worth remembering.” To me, the only rivalry in… Read more »

There once was a time during the nonconference season when the very idea of the Wisconsin football team playing its Big Ten slate was enough to make one recoil in fear. After letting one too many wheel routes get past them against Northern Iowa, taking more than 58 minutes to… Read more »

Just like that, the memories came rushing back. There were the Wisconsin running backs, streaking through the Greyhound Bus-sized gaps along the offensive line and continuing to pound the ball down the field. Minnesota knew exactly what was coming next — James White or Montee Ball bull-rushing his way into… Read more »

Growing up, like many other kids my age, I used to wear the emblematic yellow Livestrong bracelet wherever I went. It was a symbol of what hard work and determination could do in the face of adversity. While I stopped wearing it long ago, Lance Armstrong always remained a hero… Read more »

What took place on the field Saturday was football. What was held against the goalpost in celebratory tree-chopping symbolism was a trophy. However, what happened at Camp Randall this weekend was supposed to be a rivalry — but it wasn’t. Wisconsin winning the rights to hold Paul Bunyan’s Axe for… Read more »

Just when you think you’ve got things figured out, something crazy happens. This fall season of Wisconsin sports has taken just about every possible direction on about every playing field. Just when we thought the UW football team was primed for greatness (it still might be), a seemingly unimaginable road… Read more »

The place: the Metrodome. The date: Oct. 15, 2005. With the Gophers lining up for the punt, the Badgers, down 31-34 with just 38 seconds remaining in the game, send an all-out block. Minnesota’s punter, Justin Kucek, his back leg near the goal line, fumbles the snap and Wisconsin’s Jonathan… Read more »

When point guard Jordan Taylor took his final steps on the hardwood in a Wisconsin uniform in a heartbreaking one-point loss to Syracuse seven months ago, he left a power vacuum for the lead role of the Badgers’ offense. Who would fill in for his 14.8 points and 11.5 field… Read more »

While the Summer Olympics officially ended over two months ago, repercussions from one game in particular in the women’s soccer competition still haven’t faded away. The game, played between the U.S. women’s national soccer team and Canada’s women’s team in the semifinal of the Olympic competition, would not be decided… Read more »

“Is this the game you’ve been looking for all year?” asked a reporter following Saturday’s game. “Uh, yeah,” Bret Bielema said with a slight smile. The Wisconsin football head coach couldn’t seem to find any more words, stumbling over cliché phrases and something about “moving forward” as usual. But he… Read more »

Remember the guy that led Wisconsin to an 11-win season in his first year as head coach? That same man coached the Badgers to back-to-back Big Ten Championships, consecutive Rose Bowls, and has cemented Wisconsin as a top-notch program in the world of college football. On his record as head… Read more »

Raise your hand if you are on Twitter or Facebook. Yeah that’s what I thought. It’s ok folks, I’m constantly tuned in to both. But these days words like “make your profile private” and “don’t share any of your personal information online” are becoming everyday turns of phrase just like… Read more »

For just one week, for 60 minutes on the field, head coach Bret Bielema must toss aside his prized “1-0” mentality and realize the significance of this week’s matchup in West Lafayette, Ind. When asked about the importance of this game, Wisconsin’s head coach has continued the typical coachspeak —… Read more »

If I were to tell you I watched a sporting event this weekend that had a crowd of 66,452 people in the stands, what sport would you guess I was watching? Your first guess would probably be a football game of some kind. Or maybe you would have guessed a… Read more »

And I thought “As the World Turns” was the best soap opera on TV. OK, I’ve never watched a soap opera, you caught me. The only time I’d be suckered into watching that sappy genre of a television show has been when I’m sick and stuck at home, too ill… Read more »

Wisconsin fans are in a weird situation. For the first time since Allan Evridge was handing off snaps to P.J. Hill, things just don’t feel right about University of Wisconsin football. For some reason (actually many reasons, as pointed out by my fellow Herald columnists this week) the 2012 football team… Read more »

In the days since the Wisconsin football team muffed its chance at reversing the gloomy narrative its season has going for itself, several specific plays have refused to leave my mind alone. Up 14-3 with under five minutes left in the first quarter, Wisconsin lines up on 2nd and 9… Read more »

Déjà vu, anyone? No, you weren’t seeing a replay of last year’s Wisconsin team on the road this past Saturday, and yes, Nebraska scored 20 unanswered points to overcome a 17-point deficit in the third quarter to beat Wisconsin 30-27, the second biggest comeback in Huskers’ history. Once again, in… Read more »

Since Saturday’s second half implosion in Lincoln, Neb., the quarterback controversy has certainly gained the most publicity over the last several days as being one of head coach Bret Bielema’s biggest mistakes so far this season. It was a fact that became glaringly obvious after a miscommunication between quarterback Danny… Read more »

Every Wisconsin fan watching the game Saturday did a double take when No. 6 entered the game on the game-deciding drive with just under three minutes left in a Memorial Stadium growing louder with each snap. No, there was no way Danny O’Brien, the transfer savior-turned backup quarterback and clipboard manager could… Read more »

The setting is perfect. For the game of golf, the Ryder Cup is as good as it gets, and I had the pleasure of witnessing it Thursday. The Ryder Cup, for those who may not know, is sort of like the Olympics for professional golfers. The event is played once… Read more »

Growing up in Madison, Alex Brill has witnessed first-hand the dynasty-like success Wisconsin men’s cross country has achieved throughout the last 13 years. He was in third grade when the current string of 13 Big Ten titles began for the University of Wisconsin, and now, as a junior, Brill has… Read more »

I was sitting in my living room, enveloped in the large forest green cushions of my couch, when Antonio Freeman made “The Catch.” It was Nov. 6, 2000. I was only 9 years old — a wee little fourth-grader — yet I remember that catch as if I were a… Read more »

It’s amazing how expectations can change in a month. It seems like just yesterday the sky was the limit for a Wisconsin football team that many predicted would not only be a lock for the Rose Bowl, but also a national championship contender. The buzz surrounding this year’s team in… Read more »

After four games, it’s hard to find the words to describe how to feel after the first month of Badger football. Maybe it’s comparable to that relationship where things just seemingly don’t work right away, but optimism remains that it will come to fruition eventually. Or maybe it’s more along… Read more »

Would you hire Michael Vick as a dog sitter? No, because he went to jail for hosting dog fights. Would you let MC Hammer handle your finances? No, because he quickly found fame and found bankruptcy even quicker. These are easy decisions. The common thread is society has a hard… Read more »

Ever go through a frustrating time that perhaps forced you to behave in a somewhat harsh manner, to the point where you suspect you might be acting harsh and become self-conscious and worry if your colleagues are saying anything unflattering about you and your erratic behavior consequently worsens? (Exhale.) Some… Read more »

Rose • ŸBowl-itis (n.): a disorder leaving fans with excessive feelings of confidence or hope before the season starts; symptoms include booking flights to Los Angeles and hotels in Pasadena in August; most prevalent in the Midwest I, too, was a victim of the hype, my dreams driving deeper with… Read more »

Through the first half of Saturday’s game against Utah State, the most impressive unit to grace the field for Wisconsin was not the Badger football team. After an abysmal showing in the first half that left UW down by 11 points and barely clinging on to life, the expert execution… Read more »

If adversity builds character, then this Wisconsin team has it in spades. After another nail-biting, come-from-behind win in week 3 against a solid Utah State team, the Badgers have made it clear that this year, it’s all about survival. Even with the offense looking more like a David than its… Read more »

Sometimes change is good, and sometimes change is bad. Sometimes change is inevitable, and sometimes change should have never occurred. Around college football the past year or so, everything is changing; this we already know. Universities are attempting to “stay ahead of the curve” by swapping conferences for competition, dishonoring… Read more »

When it comes to the sports I cover, I never like to make predictions. People will ask me my thoughts on how the team looks for the coming season, and while I readily give an answer, once they start asking where I think that team will finish, I immediately refuse… Read more »

While the UW men’s basketball season may still be nearly two months away from its regular season opener at the Kohl Center Nov. 11, it’s already that time of year again for UW students to reserve their spots in the Grateful Red student section for the 2012-2013 season. Since its… Read more »

Bret Bielema just launched a high-stakes experiment. When Wisconsin’s head coach decided to replace offensive line coach Mark Markuson after a rocky start, he showed unbridled confidence not only in himself, but also in new coach Bart Miller. A program swept by change over the last nine months, Bielema’s decision… Read more »

After losing multiple starters and coaches in the offseason, it was understandable to expect the Badgers to go through the typical bumps and bruises associated with breaking in a new team during the nonconference part of its schedule. But after just two games, it’s fair to say nobody expected this.… Read more »

With only one loss on the season to No. 2 UCLA, the No.15 Wisconsin women’s soccer team hopes to keep up their early season success as they wrap up their home non-conference schedule Sunday against Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) opponent Illinois State. Wisconsin (4-1) is going into Sunday’s game at… Read more »

There’s no doubt in anyone’s head who the go-to man for the Wisconsin football team is. No Badger fan would particularly want to daydream about what this UW team might be like without Montee Ball. But running back is a funny position. When a team’s — or, more specifically, an… Read more »

Not much has changed for Wisconsin football’s defensive line since last year. With a junior, two redshirt juniors and a redshirt senior, the line is one of the most experienced groups on this 2012 Wisconsin squad. “We have definitely high expectations and high standards for ourselves because we’re a group… Read more »

The past two years, the Wisconsin Badgers have made the trip to Pasadena. That’s a remarkable feat for any team. Two consecutive years of finding a way through the highs and lows, rebounding from last-second losses and finding a way to get to one of the premiere stages in college… Read more »

Well, damn. Another semester has passed by, except this time for so many other seniors and myself, it’s our last one. This is my final column for The Badger Herald, and as nostalgic and teary-eyed as I’d love to make you, I don’t think that’s what these spaces are for.… Read more »

For what now seems like an eternity, the New Orleans Saints have been rocked by scandal and suspensions for what can only be deemed as “Bountygate.” As an NFL investigation revealed, the New Orleans Saints implemented a bounty system under defensive coordinator Gregg Williams from 2009 to 2011 in which… Read more »

Back-to-back Rose Bowl appearances go a long way in building a nationally recognized football brand. But in 2012, the Wisconsin football program has the chance to take a final, long-awaited step forward. After spending years adjacent to the circle that surrounds college football’s “elite” programs, Wisconsin has the opportunity next… Read more »

While it’s a topic somewhat removed now, I can’t help but shake off the nagging thoughts that came immediately after the Washington Capital’s right-winger Joel Ward ended the Boston Bruins season. Fans, not only loyal to Boston, but other NHL teams as well, took to Twitter expressing their disappointment in… Read more »

I never knew Junior Seau, nor did I know much about him as a person prior to this week. I was well aware he was an All-Pro linebacker who spent several seasons (13, to be exact) with the San Diego Chargers. There, he forged an identity as a talented, relentless… Read more »

There are a few things every crazy sports fan of Wisconsin athletics should do before graduating. Witnessing in person a historic upset, waking up early for College Gameday even when you felt like Frankenstein’s monster from going out Friday night — these are just a few things every Badger fan… Read more »

Summer is generally a time for Wisconsin athletes to rest up and prepare for the challenges of the looming season. Football players put in long hours in front of the empty Camp Randall bleachers, envisioning the fall gamedays when it will be packed with more than 80,000 fans. Cross country… Read more »

If you’re an unorthodox sports fan, you may very well rue the day when Mr. Irrelevant is called and the NFL draft ends. It’s a fantastically underrated sporting event. For me, a football fan, all I need to consider is the fact that there hasn’t been any football on television… Read more »

On Saturday, I covered just my second Wisconsin football spring game since being on campus. And let me tell you, like every other year, it was much ado about nothing. As great as it is to touch base with the team and see how it’s starting to develop in the… Read more »

Everywhere we look, the National Football League seems to be expanding. Perhaps a lingering characteristic of this post-lockout era, last night’s opening round of the NFL Draft capped a weeklong media binge that tested the mettle of even the most football-savvy minds. Imagine being a mock draft expert this week.… Read more »

Bo Ryan is the anti-John Calipari, a coach whose teams usually feature veteran, overachieving shooters instead of the rotating carousel of Kentucky’s freakishly athletic one-and-done crews. As part of their contrasting mentalities, it’s rare a freshman earns a starting spot or even serves as a major offensive weapon for the… Read more »

Less than a week before the NFL Draft, we already know how the top two picks will shake out. League sources have confirmed two of the worst kept secrets in recent memory, that Andrew Luck will be heading to Indianapolis and Robert Griffin III will be Washington-bound at No. 2.… Read more »

How long has it been since a player on the Wisconsin men’s basketball team transferred out of the program? Seriously, can anyone tell me? These were the questions I methodically repeated to every die-hard Badger fan I knew Tuesday. Every time, I received the same puzzled look, as various men… Read more »

In the middle of April, with deliciously warm days and baseball finally getting in full swing, hockey simply is not on the radar. But much to the contrary, the NHL playoffs are upon us. And oh boy, what a post season it has been so far. Between unbelievable upsets, buzzer-beaters… Read more »

It may finally be the year for one of the most futile franchises in baseball. And I’m not talking about the Cubs (that one’s hopeless). Although I may be the only fan in the Midwest who cares, the Washington Nationals are off to a surprisingly strong start in their first… Read more »

It is said that something good can always come out of the bad. The Wisconsin women’s tennis team hopes that holds true for its recent woes on the tennis court. The Badgers (10-9, 1-6 Big Ten) are currently weathering the storm of a four-match losing streak over the past two weekends,… Read more »

It’s been a while since the Wisconsin softball team has been able to claim the spotlight. Since the program’s creation in 1996, the team has only reached the NCAA tournament three times, with its last berth coming in 2005 under former head coach Karen Gallagher. In fact, Gallagher took the… Read more »

The Wisconsin Badgers (22-12, 6-3 Big Ten) swept the Western Illinois Leathernecks (22-17, 12-3 Summit League) in a story of day and night Tuesday. In the night game, the Badgers got the best of the Leathernecks in a pitching duel, as Wisconsin star pitcher Cassandra Darrah (14-6) went the distance… Read more »

Let’s say I was presented with a cache of tickets to various places and events, all within the United States. Some would be plane tickets and reservations to resorts in warm climates, like Miami or San Diego. Some would be tickets to music festivals, like Coachella or Bonnaroo. Tickets to… Read more »

In the week prior to the 2012 Masters at Augusta National Golf Club, concerns over whether Tiger Woods would finally notch his 18th major or not stormed through sports media. Well, after finishing five over par, the clear answer is no. But through all the questions following Woods like a… Read more »

Wisconsin just played the role of thief once again. In what could become known as the “Russell Wilson Effect,” the Badgers pulled their latest robbery from the rest of college football this past Wednesday when former Maryland quarterback Danny O’Brien announced he will transfer to play in Madison. The wait… Read more »

It’s hard to push away the initial frustration — to come to terms with a down-to-the wire, heartbreaking loss. It seems impossible to shake the visions of what could have been, with the Elite Eight or even Final Four glory possible if not for that disastrous three-point heave to close… Read more »

As general manager of the Green Bay Packers, Ted Thompson wields the awesome power of assembling and designing Wisconsin’s beloved professional football team. The architect of Green Bay’s 2010-11 Super Bowl-winning team, Thompson is basically the supreme football being in the Dairy State. He is The Creator. And what is… Read more »

If there’s one thing that the Wisconsin men’s tennis team can say about its back-to-back losses this weekend, it’s that the Badgers were consistent. In two home losses against Michigan at 5-2 and Michigan State at 6-1, Wisconsin clinched the doubles point in both duels. Unfortunately, the squad was also… Read more »

BOSTON — The Wisconsin Badgers’ season ended with a heartbreaking thud Thursday night once Jordan Taylor’s last-second heave fell short, but it began with outside expectations that made a Sweet 16 berth seem laughable. Wisconsin, after losing three starters — two in the frontcourt — was tasked with completing a… Read more »

No time to waste! Wisconsin Badgers, Syracuse Orange. Let’s break down the keys for a Badger victory. Beating the Syracuse 2-3 zone We’ve heard about it the entire college basketball season, how Syracuse’s hyped 2-3 zone defense is one of the hardest to beat in the nation. There’s plenty of… Read more »

Although the Wisconsin Badgers have played two of their most impressive games of the season in the NCAA tournament, they’ll face arguably the year’s toughest competition in the Sweet 16. Thursday night, the No. 4 seed Badgers face the top-seed Syracuse Orange in Boston, where Wisconsin will be looking to… Read more »

It wasn’t until the third period that I realized I wasn’t ready for the hockey season to be over. Listening to WIBA’s Brian Posick’s call the final game of a best-of-three series Sunday night against Denver was one of the very few times in my reporting career I felt the onset… Read more »

Tournament time calls for top players to step up big time, and for the Wisconsin women’s hockey team, that’s exactly what happened in a 3-1 victory over Mercyhurst Saturday night. The Badgers will head to Duluth, Minn., for the Frozen Four next weekend against Boston College. A win Friday would… Read more »

Under Bo Ryan, the Wisconsin Badgers have never lost on Senior Day. The program defined most commonly by its consistency is 11-0 in home regular-season finales under its head coach, but last Sunday’s 70-56 Senior Day win over Illinois seemed a little more picturesque than usual. Jordan Taylor had a… Read more »