Random Thoughts

Brewers -
1) Ryan Braun and Yovanni Gallardo are really, really good players. I think that the Brewers might be more formidable next year because guys like Prince and JJ Hardy (the first half was a career first half by the way, be happy with .300 and 15-20 HR's a season) will start to become veterans and the front of the rotation will feature two aces with Gallardo and Sheets.

2) I think Rickie Weeks will be a late bloomer at best. Remember, the success of good prospects is not a guarantee. Between Prince, Braun, Gallardo, Hardy, Weeks and Hart, you have the Brewers best prospects from the last few years. Generally speaking, if 4/6 of those prospects turn out to be major league average or above, you are doing pretty well. Right now, it looks like the Brewers are at 5/6 with the potential for all 6 to hit that point if Rickie can blossom. If he doesn't, Brewers fans should not fret - not all the best prospects turn out.

Badger Football
3) I think the Badgers are going to have a great defense again this year (with a SEC caliber LB core and a 1st round CB), but I think their offense will falter. I think they are going to wind up using both Donovan and Everidge at some point because I don't think either of them will have resounding success. Further, I think PJ Hill will have a down year. Finally, I think that both Beckum and Jack Ikegwuonu will be drafted by the middle of the second round in the NFL draft, with the potential to be well higher.

NBA
4) This ref scandal is totally crazy and worse for basketball than a comparable scandal in any other sport because of all the griping that already goes on about officiating in the league. I think the NBA should create strong financial incentives to referees who do a good job. Nothing causes people to improve their craft more than money.

5) Bogut looks ridiculous. The whole Bucks team looks ridiculous to me, actually. Michael Redd is a stud, but really a 1b as opposed to a superstar. The remaining cast includes an overpaid PG who plays shoddy D (not saying his re-signing was a bad move, but...), an oft injured, role player who makes too much money (Simmons) or a swing man who cannot shoot at all (Mason), a center who appears to not like anyone in the NBA (Bogut) and cannot play a lick of D other than taking repeated charges, a 3-4 who cannot play defense and hangs around the perimeter too much (Charlie V) and finally, a guy from China who doesn't even want to play for the Bucks and is raw as some sashimi grade Ahi tuna. That does not sound like a good team to me.