What now Obama?

So, in the Wisconsin primary back in March, I voted for Obabma because I thought he was different.  I thought he could pull this country together.  I bought his book, The Audacity of Hope.  The words in that book don’t sound like a politician.  They sound like someone with some common sense.  But, his campaign has changed as of late.  He is starting to sound just like the rest of the people he’s competing with rather than the guy willing to try something different.

That was the guy I wanted, not this new incarnation as he seems to be trying to be different things to different people so he can get the votes he needs.  Is the stress of it all getting to him?  Is he feeling picked on much the way Hillary claimed back in February?  I had hope that things would be different, but apparently everything that is presidential politics changes people into less of themselves.  They change to fit the image of the day.  I’m convinced this is what the average American is sick of.  We hear it every 4 years. 

Washington politics, do you really want an insider?

Everyone groans when its time for a presidential election rolls around.  Yet, as the election moves closer we end up going along with all of the gas bags on the radio and TV.  We’ve heard it for 18 months.  We’re sick of it and want it to end.  Just give us the latest poll numbers, tell us why they’re wrong and who I should vote for because you’ve worn me out and I’ll cry, “Uncle!”

This is where I thought Obama would be different.  I thought he could rise above this kindergarten like foolishness and bring the country together.  Perhaps I was wrong.  I wanted the guy who wrote that book, and I wonder if he’s still around anymore.  I think thanks to the run for the White House, he may no longer exist.  Which leaves me with…what now?

The draft…one week later

So, I’ve had a week to ruminate over the Packers draft.  I think it’ll end up being a pretty good one.  Ted didn’t really reach on any players and he got guys at positions in which we needed help.  He didn’t get a RB, which is disappointing, but I don’t think there was one available at the times the Packers picked worth the pick they had.  Granted, Ted could’ve traded up to get one, but after 5 going in the 1st round, I’m sure it didn’t seem worth it to him to break from character.

I think Rodgers will prove out to be okay at QB, but his contract is almost up.  And, if he truns out to be a china doll, Brohm will be there.  Jordy Nelson is Driver’s heir apparent and can return kicks in the meantime.  Patrick Lee is Al Harris’s heir apparent, although Tramon Williams might have something to say about that.  Sitton looks like Tauscher’s heir apparent.  And so on.

This draft was definitely about the future for the Packers.  Even Finley, the TE they took in the 3rd, has enough talent to make an impact this year but he was red-shirted sophomore.  It’s going to take him a year or 2 to make an impact.  All-in-all a decent draft, but I wonder…what if Favre hadn’t retired?

I sure hope the draft for the Packers would’ve had a decidedly different feel.  Certainly wouldn’t have needed 2 QB’s.  I wonder if Ted would’ve traded up then.  What am I thinking, this is Ted Thompson we’re talking about!  Those picks are like gold to him.

The Brewers…a road team?

I can’t believe the Brewers are a better road team than home team.  This is a team that was 17 games under .500 last year.  They now sit at 9-6 on the road and only 7-6 at home.  They are 1.5 games out of first thanks to winning the second series at Wrigley.  They’re now 4-2 against the Cubs this year and all of the games have been played in Chicago.  Plus, it was a come from behind victory in the 9th today.  Braun’s bat is waking up and the pitching is still strong.

This is a team that is still not playing they’re best baseball.  The base running was atrocious and it has been for a while.  Ricky Weeks ran through the stop sign from the 3rd base coach in the 9th.  That cost the Brewers at least 1 probably 2 runs.  Fortunately, Gange closed out the 9th inning and 1 run was enough.  Coach Svuem never should have sent Fielder earlier in the game.

But, its only the first of May and they’re winning anyway.  This is good news for Brewers fans.  There is plenty of room for this team to get better.  That’s bad news for the Cubs, and that’s always a good thing.

Ted stays true to himself

Give the guy some credit, he knows who he is.  He traded out of the first round with the Jets to get a second round pick just 6 picks later and he picked up another 4th round pick.  That trade neither surprised me nor disappointed me.  The talent was going to be about the same and the cost was going to be less.  A perfect Ted Thomspon kind of move.  Which leads us to Jordy Nelson.

My first reaction to the pick was, who?  And, why a WR?  He certainly is none of the “sizzle” Thompson claims to have.  After checking out who he is, he may end up being a good pick for the Packers.  He reminds me of the Jennings pick.  Plus, when you look at where he excels, short routes over the middle and returning kicks, you can see why Teddy likes him.  With Driver 33 and Jennings under contract for just 2 more years (I hope that changes) Nelson looks like Driver’s eventual replacement.  Just seems like he could have been had a little later.

I was disappointed to see Ray Rice go right before the Packers pick.  I was surprised he was still available.  I was surprised Brohm was still available too, but figured Thompson wouldn’t create any problems for his boy A-Rod.  But, he stayed true to himself and his board and picked the best player available.  I love this pick.  If Rodgers falters or gets hurt, you’ve got a kid who everyone said was a top 5 pick in last year’s draft.  He decided to return, and it cost him a lot of money, but the Packers made out like bandits.

I like the Patrick Lee pick as well.  The Packers have a need there and they got a guy who was projected to go in the second round.  I like that he’s at his best in press coverage.  So many CB’s these days seem to fit the cover-2.  It’s hard to find guys that can be left out on an island.

Now comes day 2.  I hope the Packers pick up some offensive linemen unless they believe Barbre and Coston are enough to push Colledge and Spitz to play better.  I hope they pick up a DE somewhere along the line.  We’re still short at TE and RB as well.  With one pick in the 3rd and 3 picks in the 4th, we should be able to address those needs.  But, Thompson has stayed with his board and he’d surprise me if he didn’t continue that way.  So, here’s some value for his board:

• Jamaal Charles, RB, Texas - Fits one cut style of play the Packers prefer.  Should go in the 3rd round
• Andre Fluellen, DT, Florida State - A bit undersized but could end up being Corey Williams replacement or play strong side DE
• John Greco, G, Toledo - Because he’s from a small school he’s lasted this long, but he could help solidify the Packers line
• Chad Rinehart, OT/G, Northern Iowa - Another small school guy, but he excelled in the Senior Bowl.  Additionally, his value is being able to play both tackle and guard.

But, remember this is Thomspon.  Expect someone other than these names to show up.  Like Josh Johnson from San Diego to make the team’s 3rd QB, or Pat Sims to select another extra large DT.

The Crew

These guys are gonna put me on high blood pressure medication before the season is done.  Every stinking game is close because they do something stupid enough to make it close.  Corey Hart should not have tried to turn a lead off double into a triple.  Instead of having a guy in scoring position with no outs, they ended up with no base runners and 1 out.  They also had guys at the corners with 1 out and came away with nothing.  And when was the last time you saw a pitcher throw someone out by going back to first?  If you watched the Brewers game yesterday, you saw it twice.  That’s right, not once, but twice.

I guess the good news is this team is not playing as good as they are capable of playing and they are still only 2 games out of first place.  The Cardinals and Cubs are playing out of their minds.  Once the bats come around I think they’ll be okay.  The starting pitching is certainly doing its job but the bats and the base running need to improve.  I never would have thought I’d see this Brewers team winning games with pitching and defense.  But, I could sure go for a blowout one of these days.  My blood pressure would certainly appreciate it.

Happy NFL Draft Eve!

I gotta admit, this year’s draft snuck up on me. Too busy with the rest of life I guess. But, it’s finally here!! This is like Christmas for Packer fans because it’s the only way Ted Thompson acquires new players it seems. So, without further ado, Packer draft predictions:

1. The Packers will select a cornerback on Saturday (rounds 1 and 2 are on Saturday).  One of their first 3 picks will be a cornerback.  Has to be.  Why?  Because as many as 2 dozen corners will be taken in the first 2 rounds.  There might not be any superstars, but there’s a lot of talent at that position.  Making it likely that Ted’s philosophy of taking the best available will in fact be a corner.  Plus, the Packers could use another one with how slow Al Harris looked against elite wide receivers last year.
2. The Packers will select a quarterback, but it won’t be until Sunday.  Why?  They have to have another QB.  They do.  Why do you think Daunte Culpepper was in Green Bay 2 days ago?  But, Ted won’t use a high pick because with Favre retired, he’s finally got his guy at the helm.  He doesn’t want any other distractions or fans clamoring for the rookie to play.  So, I don’t see them taking Flacco or Henne in the second round.  More likely a Josh Johnson kind of guy who is a raw talent and has potential.  That will give Rodgers a couple of years before anyone could really challenge him for the position.
3. The Packers will select multiple offensive linemen.  Ted’s been trying to solve this line problem every since he got there.  He keeps adding guys in hopes of finding someone who can play.  Perhaps he should let someone else choose who that lineman actually is since his track record isn’t very good.
4. Despite the need for running back, Ted will continue to amaze everyone with his inability to select a runningback of any worth.  In fact, it seems the only offensive players Ted is capable of finding are wide receivers.  Everyone else he places such little value on that he trades low round picks off the scrap heaps to try to get buy.  Ryan Grant was a great pickup, but what else have you got?
5. There will be more defensive players selected than offensive players.  It’s in Ted’s blood.  Given 2 equally talented players, Ted will always take the defensive player.  More linebackers and defensive linemen to go with the aforementioned CB.  Probably another CB too.  Or maybe a tweener guy in the late rounds to see if he can find a cheap safety.

I always liked Ron Wolf’s philosophy of always taking at least one CB and at least one QB in the draft.  Those are two positions you can never have enough talent at.  Sitting at 30 is a perfect place for Ted because he doesn’t have to justify his pick to anyone.  He can simply say it was the top guy on their board.  The Packers have no glaring needs, but they need help at plenty of positions.  Also in Ted’s favor.

So, at 2:00 tomorrow turn on your TV to ESPN and “getcha popcorn ready”.

Some beers just keep getting better

Remember the posts I had about the beer that just didn’t seem to want to ferment?  I have…scratch that…had 3 bottles left from that batch of beer.  I had one the other night for my birthday, and you know what?  It keeps getting better.  I’m tempted to save the last 2 bottles for a year or so to see what they taste like.  Everytime I open one, the head retention is better, the aroma more enticing and flavor more complex and full.  I’ll have to post the recipe for that one to share the wealth but its not readily handy as I type this.  But, keep an out for it and you’ll get an easy to make beer with some awesome quallities.

Pieces of Eight…I mean Harbor 550

There’s a restaurant in downtown Milwaukee that’s been there for at least 40 years called Pieces of Eight.  It is the only restaurant in Milwaukee that looks across the harbor towards downtown.  It has gorgeous views of the Calatrava addition to the Art Museum, Veteran’s Park and the Milwaukee skyline.

The problem?  The interior had become dated, the service was hit or miss, and the food also had become hit or miss.  My wife and I love the views so we roll the dice and go there occassionally anyway.  Such was the case last Saturday.

Much to my surprise the interior is been remodeled.  The bar area has expanded and might have even better views than the rest of the restaurant.  Additionally, the patio area has been re-done and is scheduled to open in May.  It’s a larger area complete with outdoor fire pits and outdoor patio heaters.  Plus, the views.  They’ve also renamed the restaurant to Harbor 550.  All that was left was the service and the food.

Well, I can tell you the salmon I had was really good and my wife really liked her lobster.  And when you compare the per plate costs of meals there to other restaurants in the downtown area, they tasted even better.  Most of the entrees are under $20 — with the exception of the lobster and a seafood pasta dish that includes lobster, crab, scallops and shrimp.  How about the service?  The were almost too fast with the food.  Granted we were dining a little earlier than usual to make it to my nieces play so they weren’t real crowded yet.  But, still I have no complaints about the service whatsoever.

We’ll have to go back this summer and try the patio.

Can this guy stay healthy?

Perhaps its a bit of an over-reaction, but with Ben Sheets history, can you blame me?  He came out of the game early.  A game where he was pitching very well.  Ned Yost claims the triceps had tightened up after Sheets last outing.  Sheets says he was hoping to go through the 6th inning and about 90 pitches.  He almost reached his goal and Yost says he pulled him because its April and they had a 5 run lead and the Sheets could have gone longer if this were the pennant race.

We’ll see if that’s the case.  What you’ll probably see next is Sheets missing his next start.  I would bet Gallardo pitches in Bush’s spot and Bush pitches in place of Sheets for his next start.  That way Sheets only sits out one start.

The Brewers need this guy for the long haul, so I do like Yost’s reasoning.  It’s only April.  But, Sheets has pitched in 4 games including a complete game shutout.  He’s 3-0.  His ERA is .096.  He’s pitched in 28 innings which is 11 more than the next highest Brewer and he’s only given up 3 runs.  All in the same game.  If they’re going to make the playoffs, they need this guy healthy.  The question is, can he stay healthy?

Let the gutting begin

So, aftrer the Bucks let GM Larry go they brought in John Hammond who quickly dumped Coach Larry after the season mercifully ended.  With any luck he’ll start dumping other people off this roster and adding ones that might actually want to play in the NBA.  I will say this: all of the rumored coaching candidates all have had teams that play defense.  A huge plus.  Must be his experience with the Pistons.

It’s okay to score lots of points, but I just don’t think a team that doesn’t play defense has a lot of heart.  Why?  Because that’s what defense is all about — heart.  It takes a certain amount of God given ability to be a good scorer.  Anybody with enough talent to make the roster can play defense because its all about desire.  If you can’t put forth the effort to keep the other guy from scoring on you, then you just don’t have what it takes to win a championship.

So, let’s start by dumping contracts like Bobby Simmons, Dan Gadzuric, and I’d look long and hard at Mo Williams, Charlie V. and even Michael Redd.  Some of those guys never had it in the first place.  Some of them have all of the talent in the world, but not the desire to make the most of it.  And I want guys who realize what could be if they just put the heart into it.