Sports Nut

Soon-to-be-Bucks owner Mark Lasry introduces himself to Milwaukee, with partner Wesley Edens (far right) and longtime Bucks owner Herb Kohl looking on. (Photo by Howie Magner) Meet the new bosses. Far from the old boss. We don’t know much yet about Mark Lasry and Wesley Edens, the soon-to-be-official new owners of the Milwaukee Bucks. We know they know how to make money, to the tune of billions. We know they’re big basketball fans. We know Lasry is pretty tight with some Navy guy named David Robinson. And we know both Lasry and Edens convinced Herb Kohl they deserved his trust.…

You spell Cardinals with nine letters. Unless you’re a Brewers fan, in which case it’s probably more like a four-letter word. Nobody needs to tell a Brewers fan what life’s been like against the Cardinals of late. In a word, bad. In a four-letter word… well, make up your own. But if you want some specifics to wallow in, here they are. Since 2013, St. Louis has won 16 of 21 against the Brew Crew. Since 2012, 25 of 36. And of course, in 2014, the Cards have won both of their games against Milwaukee by a combined score of…

All About Braun Ryan Braun may not have been the star of the game. He had a hit, stole a base and scored a run in Milwaukee’s 2-0 win. He even became a trivial footnote when his infield hit was overturned on replay, making him part of the first play reversed under MLB’s expanded replay rules. It was a nice game for Braun. It was not nearly among his best. And yet, because it was his first game back from his lengthy suspension, and because he got a hero’s reception from most Brewers fans, Braun was most definitely the star…

After every season, the rumors about Buzz Williams potentially leaving Marquette flew. And after every season, the rumors were proven wrong. But as Marquette fans are painfully aware, this was not like any other Buzz Williams season. For the first time in Williams’ tenure, Marquette missed the NCAA tournament. And for the first time in his tenure, one of the rumors proved true. Williams is leaving Marquette for Virginia Tech, reportedly on a seven-year, $18 million deal with the ACC school. A couple years ago, I wrote a piece about Buzz Williams and the future. Looking back on it, this…

It was way back in November, two days before Thanksgiving and long before UW-Milwaukee knew just how good things would get. But everybody already knew things were a whole lot better than before. Not that this was a particularly high bar for the Panthers. The previous season had seen them win all of eight games, a sorry slog that set the stage for coach Rob Jeter’s massive offseason renovation project. When it was over, he’d have far more new players on his team than returning ones, which didn’t keep preseason prognosticators from picking them last in the Horizon League. Well,…

Buzz Williams isn’t one to shy away from the subject of failure. On the contrary, he prefers to make the most of it. The Marquette basketball coach has often noted his belief that you learn more from your failures than your successes. “I don’t think most people believe that,” Williams says, “but I believe that.” So in that sense, Marquette has had more learning opportunities recently than its fans are accustomed to. There have been 10 losses this season. That’s more than the team experienced in each of the last two seasons, and the 14-10 record has turned the Golden…

Matt Garza’s Milwaukee Brewers marriage blindsided nearly everyone, but in retrospect, we probably should’ve seen it coming. The move didn’t have to be for Garza. It could’ve been another impressive move for another impressive name. But make no mistake, we certainly should’ve expected something. All winter long, the Brewers had been church-mouse quiet in the Hot Stove League. Their biggest news wasn’t about which free agent they signed, but which one they didn’t. And when Corey Hart left Milwaukee’s beer for Seattle’s coffee, the Brewers were left scrambling to find a first baseman. So they signed a couple of past-their-prime…

Photo by Howie Magner The growth of Giannis Antetokounmpo is the undisputed highlight in an otherwise dim Milwaukee Bucks season. Thought to be a multiyear project when drafted, he’s progressed faster and further than anyone expected, forcing the Bucks to rework their Grecian formula. Word came down this morning from Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski that the Bucks are close to putting Giannis into their starting lineup. And at just 19 years old, the kid from Greece can’t even celebrate with a beer and ouzo chaser. Throughout his rapid development, Giannis has served up the perfect balance between professionalism and wide-eyed innocence. For a taste of…

Photo by Ben Smidt Well, that sure came out of left field. Milwaukee woke up this morning thankful that Thanksgiving was 24 hours away, and learned that a Ryan Braun press conference was mere minutes away. Braun further broke his public silence today with an out-of-the-blue 9 a.m. media session. It was the first time the Milwaukee Brewers slugger faced cameras and reporters since Major League Baseball suspended him under its performance enhancing drug policy. The backdrop for his chat was a charity event for the Hunger Task Force in the Miller Park parking lot. And while you can question…

Photo courtesy of UWBadgers.com The last time the Wisconsin Badgers scored 100 points was 1995. The last time a Badgers player scored 43 points was never. So in one fell swoop Tuesday night, Frank Kaminsky changed Wisconsin’s history books. His single-game school record of 43 points spearheaded the Badgers’ 103-85 win over North Dakota. The last time Wisconsin cracked 100 was Dec. 23, 1995, in a 105-70 thrashing of Eastern Illinois. Which has some Badgers fans wondering, perhaps even salivating: Are they on the verge of a new and unfamiliar Badgers basketball era? Bo Ryan’s previous 12 seasons as Wisconsin’s…