Sometime this week, the New York Yankees will probably make the mistake of firing Joe Torre. Three seconds after that, sports talk radio callers will clamor for the Milwaukee Brewers to hire him.
Their reasons will be compelling. Torre’s a class act. Torre’s got World Series rings. And Torre could come bearing gifts – like Yankee free agents Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettite.
Besides, after the Yankees were eliminated from the playoffs, Torre sure didn’t sound like a man who was done managing. “I’m certainly not ready to move somewhere and not do anything, I can tell you that,” he said. “Whatever comes next, if I have some options, I’ll look at it.”
And why wouldn’t he look at Milwaukee? The Brewers have a collection of young talent that’s practically unrivaled in the league, so Torre won’t be in rebuilding mode. He also played here for the old Milwaukee Braves, and unlike Gary Sheffield, he never slammed the city in a tell-all book.
But it won’t happen. Despite the widening belief that Ned Yost is a below-average manager, the latest salvo coming from the well-respected Hardball Times, the Brewers have shown no signs of ditching Yost. The closest they came was ditching Nick Leyva, so apparently the late-season problems were traced to the third-base coaching box.
To Be Frank…
The star of baseball’s postseason isn’t Manny Ramirez or Troy Tulowitzki or Curt Schilling’s bloody sock. It’s a major league screwball from Waukesha with ridiculous comedic game.
By now, Frank Caliendo’s a household name, even if that house is an igloo in the Yukon. Word is college students have a new drinking game. One student drinks for every “Frank TV” promo. The other drinks whenever Tim McCarver says something dumb. Both contestants pass out by the third inning.
But if you still haven’t seen enough of Caliendo’s ubiquitous promos, here’s where to find more of them. And Frank’s well-versed on the national mood with an up-front warning: “this blog interrupted by a frank tv promo.”
Jokes and promos aren’t the only reason to visit Frank’s Web site, though. His blog offers an intriguing, personalized look at a rising star, the kind of insight you can’t get from articles in People magazine.
We’re just waiting for Frank to come up with a McCarver impression. Then maybe he can replace McCarver in the booth.
Do it for the kids, Frank.
Packing for the Playoffs
Much was made of Brett Favre setting another record Sunday, this one for most interceptions thrown. But of course, the real story was another Packers’ victory. Now 5-1, Green Bay will only miss the playoffs if it does something ridiculously incompetent. Like hiring Ann Coulter as team spokesperson.
Family Ties…
Once upon a time, the Milwaukee Journal employed a talented writer and columnist named Gary Van Sickle. So talented, in fact, that he went on to be a senior writer at Sports Illustrated, where he now covers the golf scene.
And one day soon, that scene could include his son.
Mike Van Sickle is the top dog on Marquette’s men’s golf team. Now a junior, he’s won four individual tournament titles for the Golden Eagles, including the Windon Memorial title a week ago. This on top of his super sophomore season, which saw him become the first Marquette golfer selected to play in the NCAA Tournament. Other sophomore highlights for Mike included first-team All-Big East and honorable mention All-American honors.
In other words, if the kid’s not a future PGA player, we’ll eat our lob wedge.
And we’re betting Gary gets dibs on Mike’s first exclusive.
Pearl of Wisdom
Marquette kicked off its college basketball season with a surprise visit from Dwayne Wade, who judged the slam dunk contest at Saturday night’s Marquette Madness. Is there another NBA superstar with such close ties to his alma mater? We can’t think of one.
Along those same lines, no college basketball coach may be more fondly remembered by his former school than Bruce Pearl. Though he’s now at Tennessee, nobody did more for UW-Milwaukee basketball than Pearl. And this was before he started going topless.
The photo of Pearl isn’t the only reason to click on the link. Reading the story by Sports Illustrated’s Grant Wahl is like catching up with an old friend.
And finally…
Caught the Milwaukee Admirals home-opener Friday night, and a few things stood out. First, Ads goalie Pekka Rinne defends the net like Johnny Cochran on skates. As long as Rinne’s in between the pipes, Milwaukee won’t be out of a game.
Moreover, there may not be a better $15 ticket in town, and not just because of the hockey. Minor league sports live off their promotions, and the Ads are no exception. Friday was magnet schedule night, and in addition to the free schedules, the team gave one fan a refrigerator to stick it on.
But the team’s best promotion has to be the human hockey puck, which by itself is worth the ticket. Take one human and put it atop a plastic disc. Add a giant slingshot and six bowling pins. Mix until collision. Helmets are encouraged.
Don’t forget to get a taste of our Bar Time column. And I’ll be on Tuesday’s edition of WUWM’s Lake Effect. Listen to 89.7 FM at 10 a.m.
