CC Sabathia must be a heckuva hypnotist. Because he sure made everyone forget about Brett Favre.
Seems like just a few days ago that the consummate Flip-Flopper gave Packer Nation a collective coronary with the ultimate case of jock “itch.” But today… who cares?
Sorry Brett. The Brewers just made the ultimate grab for the brass ring. Write if you get work.
Yes, it takes quite the sledgehammer to knock the Packers off the top perch around here. But the Brewers have found one, and his name is Carsten Charles.
Pair CC, the American League’s reigning Cy Young winner, with Ben “Contract Year” Sheets and nobody in baseball has a better one-two pitching punch. And I’ve heard that pitching wins championships.
It’s scary, really. When CC helps Milwaukee to its first postseason berth since ABBA’s death, think of the havoc in the state’s sports-time continuum.
Do you catch that Packers home game against Atlanta or a Brewers playoff game against Philly? I can see the Cheeseheads exploding already.
Methinks it’s worth the mess. And it sure has people talking.
Brett’s Back?
All right, so we didn’t completely forget about Favre, much to the chagrin of the Packers front office.
Basically, he’s made a mess, one that Sports Illustrated’s Peter King captures in all its gory glory. Is Favre being selfish? Are the Packers being ungrateful? Yes and yes.
This was the perfect marriage, a legend with a legendary franchise. But the sad truth is that some marriages end in divorce, and this has turned into a lose-lose situation.
Even if the Packers accept Favre back, it won’t be wine and roses. My guess is that he returns to a divided locker room, and it’s tough to win with those. Favre won’t get the John Elway sunset ride that he covets.
And if the Packers refuse to take him back, then everybody has to watch him do the unthinkable and suit up for someone else. Worst-case scenario, for someone in the NFC North. Can you imagine the most popular player at Lambeau Field dressing in the visitor’s locker room?
This could end worse than “Seinfeld.” And nobody wants that.
Favre’s Audible
On first blush, you’d think nobody’s angrier about Favre’s flip-flop than Aaron Rodgers. After all, the man’s sat the bench so long, his splinters are sprouting roots.
Personally, I think he at least a litttle relieved.
It’s easy to forget this, but the big Packers story on the morning of July 2 was Rodgers himself. Specifically his Sports Illustrated piece, which included the quote, “I don’t need to sell myself to the fans. They need to get on board now or keep their mouths shut.”
Not exactly the way to win votes in Packers Nation.
But by mid-afternoon, the spotlight was on Favre, not Rodgers. Suddenly, Rodgers went from backpedaling like a unicyclist to being quite the sympathetic figure.
Nice of Brett to call that audible and cook up a diversion to take the heat off Rodgers.
Corey’s Campaign
Corey Hart sure looked ready for an election campaign at Sunday’s postgame press conference. He did, after all, show up with an ice-cream-eating child who sported a Hart jersey. The only thing missing was a few American flags in the background.
“It’s not even his kid, either,” quipped Ryan Braun.
To which Hart replied, “I’m just trying to show I like kids.”
No problem, Corey. I hear Giuliani had the same problem.
But hey, when it comes to stumping for the All-Star Game, you pull out all the stops. And Hart is just a few Yes We Cans away from a career highlight.
In case you missed it, Hart wasn’t named directly to this year’s National League All-Star Team, but he’s still got a shot. Milwaukee’s versatile outfielder is one of five players eligible for the N.L.’s Final Vote slot. Fans can cast ballots through Thursday, and the player with the highest vote total gets a ticket to the July 15 game at Yankee Stadium.
Hart’s certainly got the numbers to make a strong case. He entered the week batting .296 with 14 homers, 55 RBIs and 13 stolen bases. Of Hart’s Final Vote competitors – Carlos Lee, Pat Burrell, David Wright and Aaron Rowand – only Wright can boast such an all-around game.
And the Brewers obviously know how to get out the vote. Look no further than Braun’s successful campaign. He not only overcame huge vote deficit to make the N.L. team as a starter, but ended up being the second-highest vote-getter.
“Campaign manager Mike Vassallo was awesome,” said Braun, referring to Milwaukee’s media relations director.
Maybe John McCain should make a phone call.
Anyway, it didn’t take long for the Brewers to ramp up Hart’s election campaign, and it already looks promising. Not long after Hart made the Final Vote competition, the Brewers were in marketing mode. Brewers broadcasters encouraged fans to vote and the team’s Web site became campaign headquarters.
And the crowning touch was the logo, now splashed all over Brewers.com. With the All-Star Game set in the Big Apple, Corey’s new slogan was made to order: I Hart New York.
Hardy Boy
J.J. Hardy’s not just a baseball player anymore. He’s a phenomenon.
“It’s like watching Babe Ruth,” gushed Bill Hall.
“It’s stupid,” marveled Braun.
That’s what people say when you spend the last week batting .600 with six homers and 12 RBIs. And Hardy’s teammates aren’t the only ones in awe.
Sunday afternoon, as Hardy rounded the bases for his second homer of the game, the press box looked like a bobblehead convention. Writers just shook their heads in disbelief. Most notable was the Journal Sentinel’s Tom Haudricourt, who’s seen pretty much everything in baseball, simply laughing and smiling, laughing and smiling. (Moments later, after a foul ball nearly smashed into Haudricourt’s laptop, he made somebody else smile. Haudricourt picked up the ball and flipped it into back into the stands.)
Things are going so well for Hardy that even when he screws up, he’s golden. After that second homer, he actually hit a popup. (Unthinkable for this new “Babe” Hardy.) And of course, it ended up as a bloop double down the left-field line. Later on, he dropped a line drive. And turned it into a double play.
Time to buy a lottery ticket.
And finally…
Apparently one German soccer fan took the Euro 2008 finals defeat a tad hard.
And he got up to his gills in trouble.
Tune in every Tuesday morning during the 6 o’clock hour when I join Doug Russell and Mike Wickett on SportsRadio 1250 AM. And don’t forget to check out our Bar Time column.
