It’s ladies night….The WIAA post-season begins for Wisconsin’s girls basketball teams this week.  Here are some thoughts on our local teams:

Div. 1:  The only team I see with a chance to make it to state is Logan and that road became much bumpier with the loss of senior Michelle Mueller to a knee injury.  Before she was injured I thought Logan was a lock to receive the #1 seed in their sectional.  But they received a #2 instead with Middleton a #1.  The Rangers still have the talent to get to state.  Losing their emotional leader and best all-around player will make it more difficult.  Kudos, to Central’s and Coach Ambrose for securing a winning season.  A once proud program that was among the state’s elite for most of the ’90’s has fallen on hard times since the late ’90’s.  Perhaps their 12-10 record is a sign that better days are ahead.

Div. 2:  West Salem went undefeated in the Coulee Conference this season yet only received a #3 seed.  When has that ever happened?  Obviously, many think the Coulee Conference was down this year.  Still, Mike Malott’s teams have made a history of making it Sectionals, so he’ll have them ready.  Sparta is the #2 seed in our local Regional after taking second in the MVC.  Coach Greg Dull is another coach who’s taken teams into the sectionals as well.  Going to be tough for either team to advance further though.

Div. 3:  Westby is a team on the rise and Aquinas did better than I expected this season after losing some talented girls from last year.  Aquinas has made it a habit of making it to Sectionals and I wouldn’t be surprised if they get their again.   Arcadia is the #1 seed in our area’s Regional.  No matter who survives locally top-ranked Cuba City awaits on the other side of the bracket.  If any local team makes it to state from this Sectional it would be major upset.

Div. 4:  How about the Seneca girls?  They went 22-0.  Where did they come from?  They handled the pressure of being undefeated with poise towards the end of the season.  But the post-season is a different bird.  This Sectional is loaded with talented small schools.  Independence, Cashton, Royall and Weston are all teams with a shot to get to state as well.  This is a sectional worth keeping an eye on.  I’ll go with Seneca to make it to state for the first time since 1983.

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Let the Magic of March begin (that’s right the “Magic of March”, not “March Madness”…that’s for the NCAA Tournament). The WIAA released it’s brackets for the boys Sunday.  Here’s a breakdown, along with some  thoughts and predictions:

Div. 1:  No local team was worthy enough to earn a home game in the first round.  Most of the power in this Sectional is in Madison.  Central is a 9th seed, Holmen a 10th and Logan 12th.  Doesn’t look good when you’re in the same sectional as state powers Madison East and Madison Memorial.  With that said, I give Central the best chance to win their first round game.  They take on Baraboo.  But the winner takes on top-seed Madison East.  Coach Todd Fergot has used a lot of players this season in the games I saw in person.  So they have good depth but will have to play a perfect game to spring an upset in the 2nd round and move on.

Div. 2:  Onalaska may provide the best opportunity to advance to state from our area.  A potential match-up with underrated G-E-T awaits in the Regional Final.  If they win there, they should make it to the Sectional Final for a re-match with Northwestern, a team they barely lost to in the Sectional Final last year.  Northwestern has been without their top player all season because of injury.  This time I think the Hilltoppers will get them.

Div. 3:  This regional is loaded in our area.  There are two teams that made it to state last year (Blair-Taylor and Aquinas).  But they’re not even the top seeds.  Those went to Coulee rivals Arcadia and Westby, who’ve been fighting it out for the conference title all season.  Whitehall, behind one of the state’s top scorers Ryan Sygulla won the Dairyland Conference.  See what I mean, loaded.  Circle Saturday, March 6th on your calender for a potential Arcadia vs. B-T match-up or Arcadia vs. Whitehall.  On that same day look for a Westby vs. Aquinas showdown.   Then on Friday, March 12th the winners of those two games will meet at Central HS in the Sectional semifinal.  Then, if you survive that, undefeated Cuba City will likely await on the other side of that bracket with the winner going to state.  So, while there are some state-worthy teams in DIv. 3 in our area clearing that last hurdle will be the toughest.

Div. 4:

Our area’s div. 4 regional and sectional lacks some star power.  No ranked teams at all from the area.  With that said, the door is open for a good team to get hot and make it to state.  North Crawford is a candidate.  The Ridge and Valley champs were ranked for much of the season early on.  Otherwise, it’s up for grabs.

Let the games begin Tuesday, March 2nd.  Can’t wait to see how it breaks down.  Perhaps a local team will raise a gold ball on March 20th.  See you court side at the Kohl Center.

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Another Sports Connection Banquet is in in the books.  Sunday night we crowned winners in seven different categories in an all-star gala at the La Crosse Center Ballroom. We also inducted three new members into the Greater La Crosse Sports Connection Hall of Fame.  As the MC I had a front row seat to the excitement and the emotion.  Here are some random thoughts I came away with:

–Caledonia supports it’s programs as much as any town in our area.  What a great contingent they brought.  They must have a monopoly on great coaches.  Girls basketball coach Scott Sorenson won Coach of the Year.  It’s the second year in a row a Caledonia coach has won the award (football coach Carl Fruechte last year).

–I was reminded that even though we’re considered “small market”  we can produce some big time talent. We had a future UW Badger (Michelle Mueller), two future Gophers (Bobby Juan and Isaac Fruechte) and a current Iowa Hawkeye (Karl Klug) up for awards.

–I think I’ve figured out why Michelle Mueller is so good…confidence.  Every time I’ve seen her compete she always seems to have a smile…a confident smile.   I’m sure she’ll approach her rehab from her knee injury with the same confidence and have a terrific career as a UW softball player.

–Dick Bennett is about as humble a person as I’ve ever met.  Everybody I spoke with afterwords talked about how they enjoyed his message. His main message is that successful people aren’t afraid to fail, they’re not afraid to take risk.  Afterword, we talked briefly and he apologized for not being at his best.  I thought he was very compelling and his message was well delivered.

–Terry Erickson gave a very eloquent speech about his friend, Derrick Kroll, who was inducted into the Wall of Fame posthumously.  Erickson talked about “privilege.”  It was a privilege to have Derrick in his life.  What a tremendous compliment to someones life.  It raised a question for me…which people in your life are you “privileged” to know?

Let me know your thoughts.

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I not a big fan of “best ever” lists.  Especially when I hear it debated endlessly talk radio.  Questions like who’s the best quarterback of all-time?  Who’s better  Kobe, LeBron or Jordan?  Too many variables to consider and there is no wrong answer.  With that said, when I heard the news about Logan’s Michelle Mueller season ending knee injury, I couldn’t help but wonder…was she the best female prep athlete this area has ever seen? I’ve been covering local sports in the La Crosse area since 1990 and I thought long and hard about this.  Look at Michelle’s resume’.   She was a varsity starter in three sports (volleyball, basketball, and softball) since her freshman year.   Not only that, she earned all-state recognition in all three sports.  As many of you know, Mueller will head to U of Wisconsin next fall on a softball scholarship.  The only other person I can remember that’s close to her is Kelley Paulus.  The former Central star was an all-stater in basketball and played collegiately at Wisconsin.  I also remember Paulus as an excellent volleyball and softball player.  Another person that came mind is Holmen’s Kristi Johnson.  Johnson was an outstanding basketball player, who played collegiately at Marquette and was also a multi-sport star….although I’m not sure to the extent Mueller was.   West Salem’s Courtney Oldenburg made it to the state meets in all three sports she competed (cross country, gymnastics, track) in all four years of her prep career.

There have been other athletes who have excelled at one sport and received Div. 1 scholarships.  But I think Michelle could’ve played division one in all three of her sports.  With that said, I feel comfortable saying Michelle Mueller is the best female athlete the Coulee Region has ever seen.  What do you think?  Is there anybody else I’m missing (may be from before my time)?  Who else would you put in her category?

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Over my 24 years living in the La Crosse area I’ve come to enjoy the peacefulness, togetherness and overall friendliness area residents have for one another.  Even the city sports rivalries between the high schools are intense but respectful.  Come football Sundays though, we are a Coulee Region dividied.  For most of us it’s either green and gold or purple and white.  But I couldn’t help but wonder if Packers fans wanted to reach out and console their Vikings brethren.  Afterall, it was Brett Favre who ripped the hearts out of fans with his overtime interception against the Giants in the 2007 NFC Championship game.  “Been there, seen that”  Packers fans could have said.   Now both sides of the border know what it’s like to live by the Favre and die by the Favre.  And now Vikings fans will get their first full-blown taste of off-season Favre retirement talk.  Over the next 7 months you’ll see talking heads on TV like me deliver stories about what so and so said or what Brett told one family member who just happened to speak to such-and-such reporter.  Even if Favre announces his retirement within the next couple of months don’t believe him.  We know now that he can change as mind just as easily as he can throw an interception in overtime of an  NFC Championship game.  My advice…don’t listen to what Favre or his inner circle say.  Watch what he does instead.  Is he throwing with the high school kids in Hattiesburg?  Is he working out?  I mean, we all know we won’t know the true answer on his retirement until next season begins.

Other thoughts:

–On a visit to a local radio show in December I was asked if the Vikings could win the Super Bowl.  I said they defeintely have the players but I don’t trust the head coach.  Tuesday, Brad Childress took responsibility for the 12th man on the field penalty.  See, I don’t trust the head coach.

–The pass interference penalty against Ben Leber in overtime was a joke.  Reminded me of the helmet-to-helmet hit Aaron Rodgers took against the Cardinals in OT that was missed.  See Vikings and Packers fans….we have more in common, bad calls in OT.

–Favre is not made out of human tissue.  Any person who takes on that punishment and stays in the game is not human. 

–The Vikings will still be the favorite to win the NFC North next season even with Tarvaris Jackson at QB.  Hey, they won it in 2008 with Jackson and Gus Frerrotte. But I don’t think they can reach the Super Bowl without Favre (or if they trade for Donovan McNabb).

Your thoughts….

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Well, that was a gut-wrenching way to go out.  But Sunday’s 51-45 OT loss in Arizona left me with some lasting images to keep in mind down the road.  The first is that judging an NFL team should not be done on a week-to-week basis.  The NFL should be digested in chunks, so as not to overreact to the ebb and flow of the season.  With that said here are some more random thoughts:

–The Packers defense, while significantly improved, still has a ways to go.  They had a trouble shutting down elite quarterbacks with great passing attacks.  Losses this year included two to Brett Favre and the Vikings, Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers and Kurt Warner and the Cardinals.  In fact, the only elite quarterback and offense the Packers truly shut down was Tony Romo and the Cowboys.  The Packers finished the regular season ranked 2nd in the league on defense.  But most of those good stats came against bad teams (Lions twice, Browns, Rams, etc.)  In order to be an elite defense you have to shut down bad offenses, and the Packers did that.  The next step for Dom Capers and this crew is to slow down great offenses next season.  Then they can consider themselves an elite defense.  Overall,  good start for the new 3-4 scheme.

–I’m hearing a lot of complaints about officiating from Sunday…specifically on the face mask missed call on Aaron Rodgers on the last play.  To be honest, I’m OK with that no-call.  The Cardinals defender (Michael Adams) didn’t pull and tug on the face mask until after he knocked the ball out.  So it really had no effect on the play.  It wasn’t like Rodgers was going to get up and make the tackle.  The play that bothered me was two plays before.  While Daryn Colledge was getting called for holding, Rodgers was getting a helmet to the head.  The video doesn’t lie…an obvious personal foul on Arizona.  It would have negated the holding call and given the Packers 15 yards and a first down.  On the replay you can see the back judge Scott Greene looking at the holding while Rodgers takes the hit.  I thought the number one job of the back judge was to protect the QB on hits like that?  An egregious miss by Greene.  Also terrible was the no-call on what should have been a offensive pass interference on Larry Fitzgerald when he ran over Charles Woodson.    On that same play, Cullen Jenkins was basically tackled into the legs of Warner.  Even FOX announcer Troy Aikman said it was holding.  Jenkins was seen celebrating the flag that was thrown, thinking he had drawn a holding no call.  Nope.   Personal foul on Jenkins for going low on the quarterback.  Are you serious?  Not a good day for Scott Greene’s crew.  I better not see them ref a playoff game the rest of the post season.

–Aaron Rodgers is going to win a Super Bowl someday.  He’s got the right demeanor and leadership to do it.

–There will be a kicking and punting competition in training camp next summer.

–I  thought this was the one game the Packers missed Aaron Kampman since he went out with injury.  He’s better against the run than Brad Jones and would’ve been much better rushing the passer.  I know he has limitations in pass coverage but nobody was covering receivers on Sunday anyway.

–The Packers need to re-sign Mark Tauscher and Chad Clifton next season at a reasonable rate.  Then they need to sign a veteran offensive lineman via free-agency…even if it’s just for a back-up spot.  Then draft a couple of tackles to develop.  Rodgers is too valuable to put a shoddy group of lineman in front of him.

–Draft needs….offensive tackle, defensive backs, punter (yes, in the name of Mike Sherman, it would be OK to draft a punter this time).

Let me know what you think…send me your comments.

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We are roughly 6 weeks into the prep basketball season.  It’s something we follow very closely at WXOW 19 because we televise the WIAA Girls and Boys State Tournaments in March.  With that, I offer some random thoughts from some of my observations:

Girls:

–Logan is obviously the premier team in the area.  I know, that’s not breaking news to anyone.  Head Coach Cameron Bruce senses it too.  You can tell by how he set his non-conference schedule this season.  He traveled to Milwaukee to play perennial powers Vincent and King (going 1-1).  He also got Janesville Parker to come to Logan for a holiday tournament (Rangers lost that game).  Bruce is getting his team tournament ready now, which is a good idea because he won’t find that kind of competition in our area.  If Logan makes it to state (which I think they will) they will look back on these tough non-conference games as great preparation.

–While nobody compares to Logan’s talent Caledonia is the premier program on the Minnesota side in our area.  I thought this was supposed to be a rebuilding year for Scott Sorenson’s squad.  Not so.  The defending champs look good again.  Also, I’m impressed with La Crescent’s fast start to their season.  Head Coach Shelly Gates has her team playing great.  Now they need to navigate their way through the tough HVL.

Boys:

–The usual suspects are good.  Onalaska, Logan and Blair-Taylor are who we though they were.  Onalaska and Blair-Taylor are state tournament caliber teams.  I know Ona. is in the same sectional as top-ranked Northwestern.  But remember the Hilltoppers lost a squeeker to Northwestern in the sectional finals last year.  Most of those players are back for Ona.  Logan has potential Div. 1 recruit Trevor Jorgenson, but because they are in the same sectional as Madison Memorial making it to state is a long shot.  The Rangers just ran through a gauntlet of three games in three days during the holidays against really good teams and did not fair well.  I wonder if they’ll have anything left for the MVC season or if their confidence will be shaken a bit.  Blair-Taylor also returns most of the team that made it to state last year.  But this year they moved up to division 3 which will make their road to state a little tougher.

–My surprise team is Onalaska Luther.  Head Coach Brad Schaper tries to get 90 possessions a game.  90 possessions in a high school game!  I’ve seen them play in person a couple of times already and they are fun to watch.  They are my sleeper team to go far in the post-season.  By the way,  so far I haven’t seen a better finisher going to the basket than Cody Krueger.  There are a lot of terrific athletes in our area who can get to the hoop.  But I haven’t seen anyone who can finish like Krueger can (plus he can shoot the three).

–I’ve been covering local sports since 1990 and I haven’t seen an influx of talented freshman than we have now.  Bronson Koenig of Aquinas and Matt Thomas of Onalaska have already been called upon to take big shots in clutch situations for their teams.   I know division one coaches will  have these guys on their radar soon if not already.  Two more to keep an eye on…the Wagner kid from G-E-T and Clint Rihn from Onalaska.

Those are some of my observations so far.  What have you seen?

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I’m finding it rather amusing ready various reports from Wisconsin media suggesting how fans should great Brett Favre when he walks onto Lambeau Field Sunday wearing a purple jersey.   Some say boo like crazy, others say cheer then boo.  One even suggested (in a tongue in cheek manner) silence would be best.  My head is spinning.

Here’s the thing.   You know Favre’s legacy as a player.  Plus, with all he went through as a person off the field (vicodin addiction, dad death, wife breast cancer, brother-in-law death) we felt like we went through these tragedies with him.  We mourned with him.  We felt his pain because most of us can relate to one of the life-changing things listed above.  So we became more emotionally attached to Favre than any other sports figure in Wisconsin’s history.  He was one of us even though he made millions.

Then after the ugly divorce from the Pack he manipulated the system to join the Vikings.  This after he told Sports Illustrated he wanted to “stick it to Ted Thompson.”  Even though many Packers fans still have apathy for Thompson, to many, when you say you want to stick it to the guy who’s in charge of football operations, you’re saying you want to stick it to the Packers as a whole.  In other words, “stick it to us.”   Suddenly, we as fans think, ‘hey, where’s the loyalty to us?’  Fans offered support during all those major life-changing moments when he was a Packer.  Many of you, I’m sure donated to his Four-ward Foundation charity because of him.  That’s where the anger comes in and I don’t think it’s logical to think any fans can suppress that.  I’ve read a lot blogs and columns about how Packers fans should keep it classy and not boo.  Fans can still boo and be considered good fans.  Just keep it clean, don’t get too personal.

Where does that leave us Sunday?  Well, I bet the Packers set some sort of record for early arrivals.  Favre will likely take the field at about 2:30 for warm-ups.  If it was me and I was in the stands I’d boo like crazy.  He’s the enemy now and his actions and some comments suggest he doesn’t give a hoot what Packers fans think (otherwise he would’ve stayed retired instead of creating this firestorm).  When the Packers retire his number and he goes into the Hall of Fame I will cheer loudly and maybe get a little misty-eyed from all the fond memories from Sunday’s past.  You see, I too, was one of those emotionally invested fans.  As for this Sunday, I will be there as a member of the media covering one of the most surreal moments in Wisconsin sports history.  I will be simply observing.  What do yo think?

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I can’t go anywhere without someone asking me who’s going to win Monday night.  It’s the not the Super Bowl but in this part of the nation it might as well be.  With that said let’s compare the match-ups:

Packers running game vs. Vikings run defense:

Packers are struggling rushing the football with Ryan Grant so far.  The Vikings have one of the best run defenses in the league thanks to the Williams Wall.   Advantage:  Vikings

Packers pass offense vs. Vikings pass defense:

Normally I’d take the Packers receivers over anybody.  But with the way the Packers are protecting the quarterback, not so sure. Aaron Rodgers has been sacked a league-high 12 times.  Yikes!  Plus, the Vikings have a terrific pass rush with the Williams’ and of course Jared Allen.  Double Yikes!! Even if Chad Clifton is able to play it will be a huge challenge for the Packers.  They had touble keeping Rodgers upright in the dome last year.  I like the Vikings CB’s Winfield and Griffin but the jury is still out on their safeties.  It could be that breakout game for Jermichael Finley that we’ve been talking about for weeks now.  But, because of the Packers suspect pass protection….Advantage:  even.

Vikings run offense vs. Packers run defense:

The new 3-4 scheme is built primarily to stop the run.  Still waiting.  The Packers have allowed two 100-yard rushers in their three games this season.  Oh yeah, did I mention the Vikings have Adrian Peterson, the best running back in football?  No further analysis needed.  Advantage:  Vikings

Vikings pass offense vs. Packers pass defense:

This is where old #4 comes in to play.  The Vikings receivers are decent, especially with Percy Harvin.  The Packers are getting more pressure on the quarterback so far this season and Favre has taken some hits.  I’m curious to see if Favre will be able to handle his emotions early on.   Don’t forget, the Packers have three Pro Bowl players in the defensive backfield with Collins, Harris and Woodson (the NFC Defensive Player  of the Month in September).   The Packers will need at least two picks to win this one.  Advantage:  Packers

Special Teams:

Interesting here.  The Vikings have already given up a punt return for a score this season and Will Blackmon returned one for a score vs. Minn. last year.  Percey Harvin returned a kickoff for a score last week and has added a new dimension to the return game for the Vikes.  Mason Crosby has the stronger leg.  Ryan Longwell has experience and is great in the clutch.  Advantage: slight edge Vikings.

Overall:  Forget about Favre vs. Rodgers, Favre vs. Ted Thompson, Favre wanting to stick it to the Pack.  This comes down to one guy and he wears number 28.  Kregg Lumpkin.  Just kidding.  Lumpkin’s not even on the Pack anymore.  The other #28.   Adrian Peterson has rushed for over 100 yards in 3 of the 4 meetings between the two.  He does it again Monday night and the Vikings win, 23-13.   What do you think?

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This is what the Vikings are paying Brett Favre $12-million dollars for this season.  It’s for moments like Sunday when he threw a 32-yard laser to Greg Lewis in the back of the end zone to beat San Francisco with :02 left.  So what does it all mean? 

On the surface, it moves the Vikings to 3-0 and keeps them a game ahead of Green Bay and Chicago in the North.  But let’s look into our magical “View from the Sideline” crystal ball.  Think down the road for a moment.  Think seasons end.  In today’s NFL, there is a razor thin margin for error when it comes to making the playoffs.  (Remember 2003 when the Cardinals completed a miracle TD pass on the final play of the season to beat the Vikings and eliminate them from the playoffs and put the Packers in?)  Now think about the possible playoff scenarios this year.  What if the Vikings end up tied with Chicago or Green Bay?  What if the Vikings end up winning the division by one game?  The tiebreakers are head-to-head,  division record then record between common opponents.  The 49ers are a common opponent for the Vikings and Packers.  The 49ers look like they’re going to be a formidable team this season.  What if the Vikings need a tiebreaker over the 49ers to get into the playoffs or maybe to secure a higher seed?   All of this which could lead to a home playoff game for Minnesota, which means more $$ for the Vikings and of course an easier road to the playoffs (although homefield didn’t work out so well last year for them).  By the time January comes around, last Sunday’s win will be a distant memory.  But it may go down as the most infuential game of the season for the Vikings, Packers and Bears.  If it does the Favre investment will be more than worth it.  Stay tuned!

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