Welcome to Saturday Scorecard.

Today's edition is dedicated to the memory of Gilbert B. Laur. "Gil," who spent more than 30 years as an usher in and around the press box at County Stadium and Miller Park, died earlier this month at age 96.

In tribute: Brewers right-hander Braden Looper didn't pitch his best game, but after working seven solid innings and posting a victory over Cincinnati Friday night at Miller Park he received the game ball.

And it meant as much to him as if he'd thrown a no-hitter.

While his teammates fanned out across local shopping malls, movie theaters, restaurants and leather Barcaloungers on their day off Thursday, Looper was in Granite, Okla., where he attended the funeral for his 84-year-old grandfather, LaVerne Looper.

"Essentially, he was my father, he was the guy who got me started in baseball," said Looper (5-3), who was headed for a no-decision when Corey Hart smacked a 435-foot solo homer in the bottom of the seventh.

The Brewers, who have been sputtering at the plate, collected three hits in the game, including Hart's homer and a two-run shot by Prince Fielder. Hart, who had been in a deep slump for three weeks, lost his grandmother late in the 2005 and was happy to help lift his teammate's spirits.

"That home run by Corey was a gift," Looper said. "It's special. It's one of the games I'll remember for a long time."

In the hunt: Edgerton native Steve Stricker spent last weekend meeting with friends and fans and playing a fun practice round at Towne Country Club, the course he played as a youngster.

Apparently, the trip home helped.

Stricker dominated the first two rounds of the Crowne Plaza Invitational at the Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth. Stricker shot 63 in the first two rounds and his 14-under 126 broke the previous 36-hole record by two strokes.

"It was a lot of fun -- again," Stricker said.

Stricker, a soft-spoken player who is universally liked and respected on the Tour, is playing well enough that some experts consider him a candidate to compete for his first major championship very soon.

Not turning the page: When the University of Wisconsin announced this week that it won't be publishing media guides, cynics in the media were stunned that the school did. Like many schools in "major" conferences, UW put little useful information in the bulky books, which were basically used as recruiting brochures.

Nobody would have minded had the school taken some of the records and historical information and put it online. That didn't happen, though, so the guides won't be missed.

Let's hope that UWBadgers.com, the school's official Web site, will see an upgrade and include the information.

The move is expected shave $200,000 off the athletic department's budget.

Trophy time: GMR Marketing, the New Berlin-based firm that does event marketing and sonic branding, was named 2009 Sports Event Marketing Firm of the Year at SportsBusiness Journal's annual Sports Business Awards Thursday in New York City.

GMR was selected for its wide scope of sports marketing partners, vast number of successful sports event productions, extensive work with other brands to provide fans hands-on experiences and the ability to generate positive media coverage. GMR relies on 30 years of experience building best-in-class solutions for clients in sports event marketing, works with a wide scope of partners, including MillerCoors, Lowe's, Gillette, Comcast and Ask.com.

"It's a great honor to have the Sports Business Journal recognize the work GMR does for our clients within the sports marketing arena," GMR President Craig Connelly said. "We have a passionate group of sports professionals and this award is a testament to their commitment to their clients and the industry."

GMR produced more than 7,500 events over the past year on behalf of more than 25 clients, ranging from the Daytona 500 to concerts at tailgate parties to intimate, VIP hospitality at the International Consumer Electronics Show, providing seamless integration with top companies and brands.

Larry King Lounge: The Brewers-Reds game turned Friday night when Cincinnati first baseman Joey Votto left with dizzy spells and vertigo-like symptoms which are believed to intensify after air travel. Maybe the Reds should see if they can rent the Madden Cruiser. ... Weren't we supposed to get some Brett Favre news by the end of this week? The hurry-up-and-wait continues. ... The temperature inside Miller Park was 69 degrees at game time Friday. Outside, it was 61. When the split is that small, you'd like to see the roof open. ... Actor Windell Middlebrooks, who plays the Miller High Life delivery guy in commercials, will crash tailgate parties on Saturday and throw out the ceremonial first pitch. ... The Brewers are 91-93-1 in their all-time series against the Reds. The teams have split six games so far this season. ... Milwaukee is 17-5 when scoring first this season and 20-6 when out-hit by the opponent. ... Marquette coach Buzz Williams attended the game Friday, as did Indianapolis 500 champ Helio Castroneves. ... The Iron signed former Mustangs quarterback Todd Hammel to an af2 contract and he'll be in uniform tonight in Albany. The interesting thing is that Hammel played for the Mustangs from 1995-'99 and saw his jersey retired by the Iron on opening night. Now, it's unretired. The students at Coppell Middle School in Coppell, Texas, will be thrilled. Hammell is one of their gym teachers and coaches the seventh grade football squad. ... The Chorizo is picking up momentum in the nightly sausage race at Miller Park. Friday marked another victory. ... The Lakers have looked shaky at times, but it's still hard to envision them losing the NBA Finals. ... For those still keeping track, Manitoba and Hershey are battling for the American Hockey League's Calder Cup. Hershey's nickname is the Bears, not the Squirts.