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Brewers, Bucks to see fan capacity increase

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The Milwaukee Brewers and Milwaukee Bucks are increasing fan capacity at American Family Field and Fiserv Forum increase from 25% to 50% capacity.  The increase for the Brewers will be effective beginning with Saturday’s game against the Atlanta Braves, while the Bucks increase at Fiserv Forum will become effective with the start of the NBA Playoffs later this month.

The Health Department’s new guidelines today grant higher capacities for businesses in Milwaukee County that have submitted an approved safety plan.

Fans will still be required to wear face coverings at all times when inside Fiserv Forum, except when actively eating or drinking.  Tickets will continue to be sold in pods.

 

Jordan Zimmerman announces retirement

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Pitcher Jordan Zimmerman announced his retirement from Major League Baseball on Tuesday.  The Marshfield, WI native became the 11th Wisconsin-born player to play for the Brewers.  He made two relief appearances with the Brewers after signing as a free agent on Feb. 9.

Zimmerman retires after 13 seasons in the Major Leagues with Washington (2009-15), Detroit (2016-20) and Milwaukee (2021).  He went 95-91 with a 4.07 ERA in 279 career games, including 275 starts.  He was a two-time All-Star (2013-14) and author of the first no-hitter in Washington Nationals history on Sept. 28, 2014 vs. Miami.  he pitched in the postseason with the Nationals in 2012 and 2014.

Zimmerman issued just 1.92 walks per nine innings during his Major League career, trailing only Josh Tomlin (1.32) among active pitchers with at least 1,000 innings pitched.  He finished seventh in 2013 National League Cy Young Award voting after producing a career-high 19 wins.  he finished fifth in 2014 National League Cy Young Award voting after posting a career-best 2.66 ERA.  Zimmerman made 30+ starts four times (2012-15) and twice was an Opening Day starter (2018-19).

Zimmerman was selected by Washington in the second round of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft out of the Division III University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.  He is a graduate of Auburndale (WI) High School.

 

North to tee it up at American Family Insurance Championship (AUDIO)

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After cancelling last year’s event because of the pandemic, the popular American Family Insurance Championship is returning to University Ridge Golf Course June 11-13.

This year, the AMFAM Championship has been upgraded to an invitational format, and the 81-player field for the PGA Tour Champions event will include Wisconsin native and 2-time U.S. Open champion Andy North, who’s served as a  tournament ambassador since the AMFAM’s inception in 2016.

The 71-year-old North has played only 19 PGA Tour Champions tournaments the last 10 years.  His last event was the 2019 Bass Pro Legends of Golf.

This year’s purse will total $2.4 million, the largest among non-major events on the PGA Tour Champions circuit. [Read more…]

Stricker falls short in Traditions playoff

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Steve Stricker

Madison’s Steve Stricker fell just short of winning the third PGA Tour Champions major of his career.

Stricker, who won the Regions Tradition the last time it was held in 2019, a month after winning the U.S. Senior Open, had a three stroke lead in the final round Sunday.  But Alex Cejka rallied to take the lead before Stricker came to 18 needing to make a putt to force a playoff, which he did.

But Stricker went on to miss an 8-footer for birdie on the first playoff hole and Cejka won the Regions Tradition after making the field as first alternate when Jay Haas withdrew on Monday.

Robert Karlsson was third while Ernie Els and Madison’s Jerry Kelly tied for fourth.

By winning Sunday, Cejka earns an exemption for the next two seasons.

UW lands Cincinnati big man

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After losing Nate Reuvers, Micah Potter and Aleem Ford after the season, the Wisconsin men’s basketball team landed Cincinnati 7’1 center Chris Vogt from the NCAA’s transfer portal.

It gives the Badgers an experienced big man going into next season with a number of young players returning.

Steven Crowl (12 games), Ben Carlson (7 games) and Carter Gilmore (9 games) are returning big men to the Badger roster, with a four-man freshman class adding to the mix.

Vogt averaged 11 points and 5.9 rebounds two years ago, then dropped to 5 points and 3.5 rebounds last season.

When his coach at Cincinnati, John Brannen was fired, Vogt decided to transfer.  He becomes the third transfer to join the Badgers, joining guard Jahcobi Neath from Wake Forest and guard Isaac Lindsey of UNLV.

Budget panel Republicans cut hundreds of items from Evers’ budget

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Democrats on the legislature’s budget committee are calling Republican cuts to  Governor Tony Evers’ proposed budget “foolish and embarrassing.”

Those comments came after the Joint Finance Committee removed a total of 380 items from the Governor’s budget on Thursday.

Representative Evan Goyke said the cuts would leave a “fiscal hole we will not be able to climb out of.” The Milwaukee Democrat expanded on that, in a YouTube video.

Governor Evers is calling on Wisconsinites to contact their lawmakers to push for items to be reintroduced into the budget, including expansion of Badgercare. “This is an embarrassing decision that will cost Wisconsin for decades to come,” said JFC Democrat, Senator Jon Erpenbach said of the Republican decision to reject federal funding for that.

Other provisions axed by the Republican majority included legalization of marijuana, and increased spending for education.

“The budget that we’re going to be adopting, I believe is going to be reasonable, responsible and realistic,” Joint Finance Committee co-chair, Senator Howard Marklein said prior to Thursday’s first JFC work session.

“It’s pretty clear the governor’s budget is unworkable, unrealistic and unsustainable,” said co-chair, Representative Mark Born. “No Wisconsin business or family would budget the way the governor has, and legislative Republicans will not either.”

Republicans will be working up a new budget off of base — that is, from current budget signed by Evers two years ago. A completed budget is expected to be ready by June or July, at which time Evers can use his extensive veto authority to modify it.

WRN’s Raymond Neupert contributed to this report

NFL releases dates for offseason workouts

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The National Football League released offseason workout dates for its teams.

The Green Bay Packers will start phase three of their offseason program with OTA’s on May 24.  OTA’s will run May 24-25, June 1-2, June 4, June 7-8 and June 10.

The Packers mandatory veteran minicamp is set for June 15-17.

All NFL teams are in phase one of the offseason program, which runs from April 19-May 14.  Activities during that period are limited to strength and conditioning, virtual meetings and physical rehabilitation.  The Packers have been going through phase one activities virtually.

The Packers will host a rookie minicamp May 14-15, before the start of OTA’s.

 

St. Norbert College hires new Athletic Director

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Cam Fuller

St. Norbert College has named Cam Fuller the college’s 15th Director of Athletics and Physical Education on Tuesday.

Fuller will take over on June 1 after spending eight years at the Horizon League office in Indianapolis where he is currently the league’s Assistant Commissioner for Competition, Branding and Sponsorship.  He began his career with the Horizon League in August 2013 as an intern for championships and communications and progressed into roles as Assistant Director for Competition, Director for Competition and Senior Director for Competition, Branding & Sponsorship before advancing to his current position.

Fuller succeeds Tim Bald, who is retiring after 17 years at the helm of Green Knights athletics.  He’ll be formally introduced to the college community in a press conference at 10 a.m. Monday, May 10 at Mulva Family Fitness and Sports Center.

Fuller is a native of Sturgeon Bay, Wis., and a 2013 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay with a Bachelor of Business Administration with an emphasis in marketing and management.  He was a standout golfer for the Phoenix, finishing as the Horizon League individual runnner-up in 2012, and was a four-year member of its Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.  He completed his Master of Science in sports management at the University of Indianapolis in 2020.

 

Yelich back on Brewers Injured List (AUDIO)

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Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich was activated from the injured list on Monday.  Twenty-Four hours later, Yelich landed back on the injured list after his

Christian Yelich

back didn’t respond to game action like they had hoped it would.

“I think it goes to finding more answers and trying to get a better hold on what we’ve got going on, stop it from happening and get back out there healthy,” said Yelich on Tuesday.  “I’m not where I need to be to go out there on an everyday basis.  I wasn’t where I needed to be yesterday.  It just wasn’t good.  I was able to make it through the game but being able to stack them on top of each other, just health-wise and be able to play at a certain level, just wasn’t there.  That’s pretty much back to where we are.”

Prior to Monday’s activation, Yelich has already missed three weeks because of the back issue and the Brewers don’t know exactly what they’re dealing with.  They’ve already had MRI’s performed on Yelich that show no structural damage. [Read more…]

Badgers add to non-conference football schedule

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The University of Wisconsin has added another solid opponent to its future non-conference football schedule, reaching a agreement to play Utah in 2028 and 2033.

The Badgers will host the Utes on Sept. 16, 2028 and play in Salt Lake City on Sept. 10, 2033.

In 16 seasons, Coach Kyle Whittingham has posted a 134-66 overall record, 80-54 in league play.

Besides Utah, the Badgers will face Notre Dame this fall, then have home-and-home non-conference series against Washington State, Alabama, Pittsburgh, UCLA and Virginia Tech.