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Nelson officially retires a Packer (AUDIO)

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Jordy Nelson & Aaron Rodgers embrace on the practice field Tuesday.

Jordy Nelson could have played at least another NFL season, but 11 years was enough.  Nelson was in Green Bay on Tuesday to make it official.

Nelson spent 10 years in Green Bay and finished third in receptions (550), fifth in yards (7,848) and second in touchdowns (69) in Packers franchise history.

Nelson said he had offers to extend his career with the Seattle Seahawks among them.  But Nelson said ultimately, it was time to move on.

“What it came down to for us is we didn’t want to move our family around, just kind of being honest with you,” Nelson said.  “My family hadn’t even been in California for a year, and then we’d have to move them to Seattle.  I mean, I didn’t know if it was one year, two years, whatever it would’ve been.  And at this point in time, I did what I wanted to do.  I have the Super Bowl ring, so I didn’t need to go chase one of those.  Stuff like that.  So it wasn’t us to do that.”

Nelson has moved back to Kansas and will build a home in the fall.  He said he’ll be back and forth from Kansas to Green Bay as he and his wife have developed great friendships both inside and outside the organization.  Beyond that, Nelson isn’t sure what is exactly ahead, although he admitted farming will be a part of it.

AUDIO: Jordy Nelson on why he wants to continue to farm :17

AUDIO: Jordy Nelson said Green Bay was a perfect fit for he and his family :22

AUDIO: Jordy Nelson said his career far exceeded expectations :19

Late defensive lapse cost Pirates

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Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Elias Diaz was called for base runner interference in the ninth, allowing a run to score, as the Milwaukee Brewers knocked off the Bucs 4-3 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh on Tuesday night.

Yasmani Grandal went 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles and an RBI as Milwaukee played without Christian Yelich, who was held out of action with a sore back.

Junior Guerra got the win while Matt Albers nailed down his second save.  It gave the Brewers their second straight win.

Bryan Reynolds hit  his second home run in as many games while Jose Osuna had an RBI double.  Pablo Reyes doubled in a run in the ninth, but was stranded at second base.  Francisco Liriano fell to 4-and-3 with the loss.  The Pirates have lost three straight.

 

Packers part company with Spriggs

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Given the opportunity to fill in along the offensive line over the last three seasons, Jason Spriggs never quite measured up to expectations.  The Green Bay Packers waived/injured the fourth year tackle on Tuesday, filling the roster spot by claiming running back Keith Ford off waivers from the Indianapolis Colts.

The Packers traded up to select Spriggs with the 48th overall pick in the 2016 draft.  He suffered a trapezius muscle injury at the start of training camp and never returned to action.

The former Indiana Hoosier played in 36 games, including nine starts over the last three seasons.

Alex Light has been working as the backup tackle on both sides of the Packers offensive line in training camp and will have a chance to bolster his position throughout the preseason.

 

Former Badgers football player wants to re-enter UW-Madison following not guilty verdict

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Former Badgers football player Quintez Cephus says he wants to get back to school following a not guilty verdict.

A jury found Cephus not guilty of sexual assault last week. Cephus was expelled from the school and dismissed from the football team last year when the allegations surfaced and charges were filed. 

He’s filed for readmission, and an attorney for Cephus says he wants an answer from UW-Madison officials by Thursday.

Yelich powers Brewers past Pirates

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Christian Yelich (File Photo)

Christian Yelich clubbed his league leading 38th and 39th home runs of the season, helping the Milwaukee Brewers knock off the Pittsburgh Pirates
9-7 in Pittsburgh on Monday night.

The second of Yelich’s home runs landed in the Allegheny River.

Rookie Trent Grisham got another start and drove in three runs, while Mike Moustakas also homered in the win.

Jordan Lyles picked up his sixth win of the year, pitching five innings against his former team as the Brewers ended their four-game losing streak.

Bryan Reynolds stole Moustakas’ first bid for a homer in the second at the left field wall, and then homered in the fourth for the Pirates.  Pablo Reyes hit a pinch-hit homer in the fifth and Kevin Newman added a bases clearing 3-run double in the eighth.  The Pirates have now lost three straight.

The Brewers didn’t gain any ground on the first place Cubs, who also beat Oakland 6-5 on Monday night.  But they did climb to within 1 1/2 games of second place St. Louis after the Cardinals were blanked by the L.A. Dodgers 8-0.

Game two of the series is tonight.  Chase Anderson gets the start for the Brewers.

Davies to the IL

The Brewers now have a third starting pitcher on the injured list.  Zach Davies is on the 10-day IL with back spasms.  Davies joins fellow starters Brandon Woodruff and Jhoulys Chacin, who are dealing with oblique injuries.

 

Crosby returns with exhibition games set to begin

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Mason Crosby – File Photo / UPI/Bill Greenblatt

After missing the first couple of weeks of training camp, Green Bay Packers veteran kicker Mason Crosby (calf) has been cleared to return to practice.  Crosby started the season on the non-football injury list.

Coach Matt LaFleur said Sunday that Crosby has been kicking on his own and doesn’t expect there to be any limitations.

Crosby said it was his kicking leg that bothered him, but he had no pain when kicking.  He said the issue came when he would try to run.

King sidelined with hamstring

Cornerback Kevin King was on the sidelines for the Packers 1 hour, 18 minute workout on Sunday.  After [Read more…]

Brewers swept by Cubs, offense struggles

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The Milwaukee Brewers got solo home runs from Christian Yelich and Trent Grisham, but that was about it.  The Brewers fell to the Chicago Cubs 7-2 at Wrigley Field, getting swept in the three game series.

The Brewers managed to score just five runs in the three games, stretching their losing streak to four games.  They’ve now scored just 14 runs in the first six games of their nine game road trip.  They went 4 of 38 with runners in scoring position in the six games, 2 for 17 against the Cubs.

Grisham led the Brewers offensively, collecting the first three hits of his Major League career.

Yu Darvish held the Brewers to one run in five innings to secure the victory.  The Cubs bullpen did the rest.

The loss goes to Adrian Hauser, who allowed four runs in five innings.

Milwaukee now trails the first place Cubs by four games in the National League Central.  They’re also 2 1/2 games out of the wild-card chase.

The Brewers wrap up the road trip with the first of three games in Pittsburgh against the struggling Pirates on Monday night.

U.S. Women’s Volleyball team secures Olympic berth

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Dana Rettke

The U.S. women’s volleyball team has secured its berth to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, beating Argentina in straight sets on Sunday at a qualifying tournament in Louisiana.

The third-ranked Americans went unbeaten in Pool C of qualifying this weekend, rallying from a set down and again from a 2-1 deficit Saturday night to beat 16th-ranked Bulgaria before the win over No. 11 Argentina.

The U.S. has never won an Olympic gold medal, capturing bronze in the Rio Games three years ago.

The U.S. team features two players with Wisconsin Badger ties.  Current Badger Dana Rettke and former standout Lauren Carlini are both a part of the squad.

Nelson set to retire as a Packer

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Jordy Nelson

Former Green Bay wide receiver Jordy Nelson, who played 10 seasons (2008-17) in Green Bay, has informed the team of his decision to retire with the Packers.

Nelson, who was selected by the Packers in the second round (No. 36 overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft out of Kansas State, played in 136 regular-season games with 88 starts during his 10 seasons with Green Bay.  He ranks No. 3 in franchise history in receptions (550), No. 5 in receiving yards (7,848), No. 2 in touchdown receptions (69) and No. 3 in 100-yard receiving games (25).  Nelson is the only player in team annals to record three seasons with 13-plus touchdown receptions (2011, 2014, 2016).  He and Sterling Sharpe (1992-94) are the only players in franchise history to register three straight seasons with 85-plus receptions (2013-14, 2016). [Read more…]

Brewers struggling to score runs, fall again to Cubs

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Ryan Braun (file photo)

There’s been considerable talk about the Milwaukee Brewers starting pitching rotation, but the teams offense has been the biggest disappointment of late.

The Brewers fell to 1-4 on their 9-game road trip after falling to the Chicago Cubs 4-1 at Wrigley Field on Saturday afternoon.  In the teams four losses on the road trip, the Brewers have scored a total of eight runs.

In three straight losses, the Brewers have gone 3-for-21 (.143) with runners in scoring position.  During the last six games (one win), the Brewers have played a total of 16 runs, a little more than 2 1/2 runs a game on average.

Ryan Braun knocked in the lone Brewers run on Saturday, a run scoring single in the sixth off of Cubs reliever David Phelps.

Gio Gonzalez was pulled before reaching five full innings, but he had pitched well to that point, allowing only a single run.

Cubs lefty Cole Hamels was solid in his return from the injured list, pitching five shutout innings before giving way to the bullpen.

Albert Almora, Jr., snapped a 1-1 tie in the seventh with a home run against Junior Guerra.  The Cubs scored two more runs in the eighth off of Freddy Peralta for the 4-1 win.

The Brewers will try to avoid the sweep on Sunday afternoon, sending Adrian Hauser to the mound against Chicago’s Yu Darvish.