Local Sports Columns

Big Ten fans can rest easy Aug. 28 Those familiar with my previous work know I bleed Wisconsin Badgers cardinal red. Much like the rest of the Badger nation and Big Ten fandom, the thought of going another football season without the Big Ten Network on Time Warner Cable sent shivers down my spine. I had done my homework on switching to dish, but just couldn't pull the trigger on a new deal. I like my cable. But I love the Big Ten. Late Monday night, when word broke that the Big Ten and Time Warner had reached an agreement to carry BTN, as well as its on-demand and high definition feed, I was giddy. That a deal got done was the main course. That on-demand and HD are included was dessert. And the fact that it's in time for Wisconsin's season opener against Akron (11 a.m. on Saturday) was icing on the cake. One look at the basketball schedule shows 21 games (at minimum) on BTN. When Trevon Hughes is breaking ankles in HD this winter, I'll reflect back on this week and smile. It was a good week for Badgers fans. And they didn't even play. Around the I-94 diamond: At the end of last month, I said that how the Brewers and Cubs handled their respectively soft August schedules would determine which team would win the N.L. Central. Until the Brewers' hiccup on Wednesday in St. Louis, it was a push. Milwaukee is 17-7 in August, but much to the chagrin of fans the Brewers have actually lost ground in the division. Chicago has put up an 18-6 mark heading into tonight's opener of a four-game series with Philadelphia at Wrigley Field. Barring a catastrophic collapse, both teams will be playing into October. And I still believe that the two teams should meet in the NLCS. The Cubs' record of 83-50 marks the first time they are 33 games over .500 since the end of the 1984 season. (Everyone keep Gatorade away from Derrek Lee's glove.) Following up: Thanks to a group outing late Saturday night, I was able to catch much of Team USA's gold medal victory over Spain live. As I kept my tired eyes open for the medal ceremony after a riveting game, I couldn't help but think how many people would have loved to see this as it happened. Give credit to Spain, Rudy Fernandez and Ricky Rubio were as good as advertised after stinking up the joint against Team USA in pool play. Because of their strong play, I split my "book it." USA won (118-107), but not by 15, making my record 14-11. Mark your calendars: The Philadelphia Phillies send talented lefty Cole Hamels (11-8, 3.20 ERA) against the Cubs' Ryan Dempster (15-5, 2.85 ERA), an emerging Cy Young Award candidate, at 7 tonight (WGN) at Wrigley Field. Book it: After a heartbreaking loss, the Brewers will drop 2-of-3 in Pittsburgh. Mike Larsen is a sports writer for the News. E-mail him at mlarsen@kenoshanews.com. Full Article Make 'em the boys of winter Aug. 24 I enjoyed watching the Olympics more than I thought I would since the games commenced with that $300 million opening ceremony two weeks ago. The marquee events such as gymnastics, swimming and track and field were predictably compelling. Basketball landed on my DVR menu so I could watch the superstars of the sport. However, it was the lesser-known sports that really grabbed my attention. Water polo, for example, provided a storyline worth following with the United States team making a rare run at a gold medal. Mongolia showed off its prowess in men's judo when Tuvshinbayar Naidan won a gold in the 100-kilogram division. Who knew the Mongolians were proficient in such things? What drew me to what colleges call "non-revenue" (and not secondary!) sports is that I knew I was watching the best in the world in these sports. These were the top rowers, shooters and fencers on the planet. Sadly, this is not the case when it comes to baseball, my favorite sport and, some would say, an obsession of mine. The Summer Olympics could provide baseball with a platform to display its top talent similar to basketball. While the Cubans and Koreans send their best to the games, it is obvious the Americans, Japanese and Canadians do not. Because the Major League Baseball season conflicts with the Summer Olympics, the Americans started John Gall instead of Ryan Braun in left field; the Canadians started James Avery instead of Ryan Dempster on the mound, and Japan went with Atsunori Inaba in right field instead of Ichiro. The seasonal conflict certainly had something to do with baseball-crazy countries such as Venezuela, the Dominican Republic and Mexico not even advancing to games in Beijing. Whether it was because of the (lack of ) talent level or the growing disdain of America in the international community, our national pastime (and its sister, softball) has been dropped as an Olympic sport. Come 2012 in London, there will be synchronized swimming, sailing, canoeing, equestrian but no baseball. The quickest way to get baseball back in the games and put on a legitimate tournament where the best in the world would emerge, is to turn the calendar upside down. Make the summer game a winter game. Baseball would seem out of place in a frosty venue, but with a dome over the likes of Derek Jeter, A-Rod and Big Papi, it would quickly become to the Winter Olympics what basketball is to the Summer Olympics. This would be accomplished without disrupting the regular season which happens in the NHL and the WNBA. Let's face it, too: The Winter Olympics, with its luge, bobsleigh and biathlon, needs a marquee attraction like baseball. David Marran is Sports Editor of the Kenosha News. Contact him at dmarran@kenoshanews.com Full Article Time is not on our side Aug. 21 I'm a huge fan of watching sporting events live. Therein lies the Olympic conundrum. Every four years, the greatest athletes in the world get together for the Summer Olympics (hands down better than the Winter, but that's a column for another day). But depending on where the Olympics are held, catching an event that you really want to see live is downright difficult. I get into the marquee sports of the Summer Olympics - swimming, track and field, baseball (moment of silence for the sport being taken off the slate for 2012), softball (ditto), gymnastics, basketball, soccer and volleyball (both beach and indoor). I'll even stretch my horizons into boxing, table tennis and water polo in lieu of a good MLB game on in the afternoon. But ever since Atlanta in 1996, we in the U.S. have been treated to Summer Games in Sydney, Australia (15 hours ahead of Kenosha), Athens, Greece (8 hours ahead) and now Beijing, China (13 hours ahead). The start times for Team USA basketball have become increasingly earlier. Wednesday's quarterfinal match against Australia started at 7 a.m. If the Americans reach the gold medal game, the only chance we in the States have of seeing that game live is to stay up really late - opening tip scheduled for 1:30 a.m. late Saturday night/early Sunday morning. That's not to say the NBC family of networks hasn't done a great job of giving us everything either live or on a tape delay, because they have. But in the era of instant information, it's hard to watch a morning sportscast or check the Web, see all the results and still commit to watching it later. In 2012, London (six hours ahead) will cause headaches because morning events will be in the middle of the night and primetime events will begin at 1 p.m. here. There may be no live primetime events four years from now. There is a sliver of hope. If Chicago can land the 2016 games, it would allow Midwest fans to take their live Olympic experience to a whole new level. Around the I-94 diamond: As much excitement as CC Sabathia has generated, even Milwaukee Brewers fans have to question why he is turning in a 130-pitch perfomance in a seven-run game. Sure, he's a rental, but you don't want to blow out the engine before October. The Cubs handled the front half of a weak August schedule with flying colors, entering Wednesday night's game with a 12-4 August record. Chicago has a good chance to match or surpass its win total (85) from 2007 before the month is up. Following up: Michael Phelps' Olympic performance was so good, not even the kiss of death could affect him, making my "book it" record 13-10. Mark your calendars: The Brewers head to St. Louis for a two-game series with their nearest wild-card pursuer Wednesday and Thursday. Book it: Team USA will win the gold medal late early Sunday morning. Doubling-up: They'll win the final by at least 15 points. Mike Larsen is a sports writer for the News. E-mail him at mlarsen@kenoshanews.com. Full Article