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Big Ten Conferences reduces schedule to conference games only

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The Big Ten Conference has decided to play conference-only schedules in all fall sports, should the league be able to participate in athletic events in the face of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The Conference issued a release detailing the latest news on Thursday.  Football, men’s and women’s cross country, field hockey, men’s and women’s soccer and women’s volleyball are all affected.

Details for these sports will be released at a later date, while decisions on sports not listed above will continue to be evaluated.  By limiting competition to other Big Ten institutions, the Conference will have the greatest flexibility to adjust its own operations throughout the season and make quick decisions in real-time based on the most current evolving medical advice and the fluid nature of the pandemic. [Read more…]

Brewers release 2021 schedule

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Even before the 2020 Major League season begins, the Milwaukee Brewers entire 2021 season schedule was released on Thursday.

The Brewers will open the 2021 season on Thursday, April 1 against the Minnesota Twins at Miller Park.  It will be the first time the Brewers will open a season with interleague play.

The Brewers get the next day off (Friday) before wrapping up the three game series on Saturday and Sunday.

Following the season opening home series, the Brewers will then head to Chicago to face the Cubs at Wrigley Field.  It’s the first of two trips to the Windy City for the Brewers in the opening month of the season.  The Brewers and Cubs will play a total of nine games against each other in April.

The Brewers will face teams from the American League Central during interleague play in 2021.  They’ll close the regular season with six road games, at St. Louis for three and in Los Angeles against the Dodgers for three.

The Brewers longest home stand will be 10 games from Sept. 17-26 against the Cubs (3 games), Cardinals (4 games) and Mets (3 games).  Their longest road trip also covers 10 games from Aug. 9-19 against the Cubs (4 games), Pirates (3 games) and Cardinals (3 games).

 

Ryder Cup moved to 2021

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The PGA of America made it official on Wednesday, postponing the 2020 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits until Sept. 21-26, 2021.

The PGA Tour resumed its season last month without fans, but the Ryder Cup and its rich tradition is difficult to be held without spectators in attendance.

But fans move from hole to hole in mass, following the golfers.  That scenario just simply isn’t safe with the coronavirus in play.

PGA of America chief executive officer Seth Waugh said Whistling Straits is still committed to holding the event next year.

Thousands of tickets for the 2020 Ryder Cup and can be rolled into next year’s event.  Fans also have the option of seeking a refund.

The Ryder Cup in 2021 will take the place of the Presidents Cup, pushing that event to 2022.  The next Ryder Cup, which was scheduled for Rome in 2022, will be pushed back into 2023.

Now the question is, will the world see a vaccine and/or treatment for the coronavirus in time to allow fans to be on hand in Wisconsin for the 2021 Ryder Cup?

UWGB adds familiar assistants

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Former Badger Freddie Owens is expected to be added to the coaching staff of the Green Bay Phoenix under new head coach Will Ryan.

Owens will be joined by De Pere native and Hillsdale (Mich.) College assistant coach Brandon Pritzl and Northern State University associate head coach Jared Swanson.

The moves were first reported by Scott Venci of the Green Bay Press Gazette.

Owens is a Milwaukee native who played at Washington High School.  He was an assistant at Loyola University Maryland last season and had previous assistant coaching stints at Holy Cross, Utah Valley, Oregon State and Montana.  He played guard at Wisconsin form 2000 to 2004 under Will Ryan’s father Bo Ryan.

Pritzl scored 1,337 points at De Pere and was the Fox River Classic Conference player of the year as a senior in 2010.  He was a three-year starter at shooting guard at Hillsdale and went on to serve as an assistant at that school under John Tharp.

Swanson spent last season at NSU with previous stints at NDSU and Ohio.  He started his coaching career as a grad assistant at Boise State.

Brewers sign first round pick

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The Milwaukee Brewers announced the signing of their first round draft pick, outfielder Garrett Mitchell, taken with the 20th overall pick out of UCLA.

The team had already announced the signing of their other four picks, making the Brewers 5-player class complete.

The 21-year-old Mitchell was drafted by the Oakland A’s in the 14th round in 2017 out of high school but chose to attend UCLA, where he led the nation with 12 triples during his sophomore season and went on to hit .349 that season.  Mitchell was hitting .355 in the spring when the season was halted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Wisconsin football won’t play at Wrigley

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Due to the uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic, the Wisconsin Badger football team will face the Northwestern Wildcats on November 7 at Ryan Field on the Northwestern campus in Evanston, not the originally scheduled location of Wrigley Field.

Northwestern’s vice president of athletics and recreation, Jim Phillips said, “The uncertainty of football and baseball schedules, and the possibility of limited attendance, made this an easy choice to make for our student athletes and fans.”

Latest Badger COVID Numbers

The University of Wisconsin reported Wednesday that seven athletes have tested positive for COVID-19.

The school originally tested 117 student-athletes with two testing positive.  Roughly a month later, the school conducted 428 tests with seven testing positive.

The University has isolated those who test positive and the athletic department’s infection response team is monitoring their recoveries.

Brewers to open 60-game season in Chicago against rival Cubs

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The Milwaukee Brewers announced their 60-game schedule for the 2020 regular season, which begins against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Friday, July 24.  Following three games against the Cubs, the Brewers will travel to Pittsburgh to complete their six-game road trip against the Pirates.

The Brewers will play their home opener on July 31, against the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Brewers are scheduled to play 30 games each in Milwaukee and on the road, with 40 games against division opponents and 20 Interleague meetings with American League Central Division teams.  The Brewers will play Interleague matchups in Milwaukee with Kansas City (3 games), Minnesota (3 games), Detroit (2 games) and the Chicago White Sox (2 games).

The Brewers schedule features a 10 game homestand from Monday, Aug. 24 to Wednesday, Sept. 2 against the Reds, Pirates and Tigers.  The teams longest road trip runs from Thursday, Aug. 13 to Sunday, Aug. 23 and features 10 games in 11 days against the Cubs, Twins and Pirates.

The 2020 regular season concludes in St. Louis on Sunday, Sept. 27, the finale of a seven-game trip that begins with a three-game set in Cincinnati on Monday, Sept. 21.

Prior to the start of the 2020 regular season, the Brewers will play an exhibition game against the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field at 7:20 p.m. on Wednesday, July 22.

 

Two Brewers test positive for COVID-19

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Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell announced Monday that two players, infielder Luis Urias and pitcher Angel Perdomo, tested positive for COVID-19.

According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Counsell said both players tested positive before last week’s intake for summer camp.  They’re both asymtomatic and are currently in COVID-19 protocol.

It’s another setback for Urias, who was acquired by the Brewers in the offseason in a trade with the San Diego Padres.  Urias sat out all spring after surgery on his left hand for a broken hamate bone.  Urias had worked his way back from the injury and was set to see his first Cactus League action when games were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The 26-year-old Perdomo got off to a great start in the spring, striking out 10 batters and allowing just one hit over four innings.

It’s a minor setback for both and Counsell said the Brewers expect them to contribute to the team this season.

 

Bucks close practice facility

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The Milwaukee Bucks shut down their practice facility on Sunday after receiving the results from coronavirus testing on Friday.  According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the team still plans to depart for training camp in Orlando on Thursday, but it isn’t expected to hold any more workouts before that time.

The Bucks haven’t released any details in terms of the closure or who among the team that might have tested positive for the virus.  Head coach Mike Budenholzer said last week that such information wouldn’t be made available to the media.

The Bucks still have more than three weeks before they resume their season against the Boston Celtics on July 31st, giving any members of the organization that may have tested positive, time to recover.

The Bucks had planned to have media availability on Monday, but that has since been canceled.

 

Braun could play beyond this season (AUDIO)

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Ryan Braun – (File Photo) UPI/Bill Greenblatt

When the Milwaukee Brewers started spring training back in February, veteran Ryan Braun was preparing for what appeared to be his final season.  But that was then.  Braun told reporters on Saturday that several factors have him considering at least one more season in 2021.

“To start with, we’ll only play 60 games instead of 162 games, so obviously at this age and where I’m at in my career, it’s very appealing to me to have the option to DH for a decent percentage of my at-bats,” Braun said.  “And this season will be an experience like we’ve never experienced before.

“So at this point, I feel like it’s more likely that I play another year than I anticipated a few months back.”

Braun is entering the final year of the five-year, $105 million extension he signed with the Brewers back in 2011.  The deal includes a $15 million mutual option for 2021 with a $4 million buyout. [Read more…]