Welcome to Saturday Scorecard on what could be one of the noisiest weekends of the year, what with the Air Show and the vuvuzelas. (For non-football fans, the vuvuzela is the horn that makes every World Cup match seem like it is being played amid a bee colony.) We'll try to make some sense of the madness before the U.S.-England match and the Brewers-Rangers game.
On to the notes...
Musical chairs: Nebraska's admission to the Big Ten Conference was either a continuation of the early stage of a seismic shift in the NCAA landscape or a puff of air comparable to the Brewers switching from the American to the National League.
The answer lies deep in the heart of Texas.
The University of Texas will hold a Board of Regents meeting next week that will essentially decide whether the Big 12 lives or dies.
The smart money is on extinction.
If/when Texas bolts to join Colorado in the Pac-10, one would think that others Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State will follow. Texas A&M, inexplicably, is dragging its feet on the matter.
"One school leaving does not break up a conference," Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne said on Friday. "Two schools does not. Six schools leaving breaks up a conference."
Osborne seemingly is in denial, at least in a way. Texas calls the shots in the Big 12, which is part of the reason the Cornhuskers bolted. Texas, with one of the more successful athletic programs in the country, instantly raises the level of any association it joins.
Of course, many feel Nebraska did the same with the Big Ten.
"We are stronger today," Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany said in a Lincoln, Neb., news conference. "Nebraska is an unbelievable program with an unbelievable legacy. It will make us better than before they joined the Big Ten Conference."
While Nebraska and Big Ten officials celebrated their union on Friday, regents, coaches, athletes and fans of Missouri, Iowa State, Baylor, Kansas and Kansas State wait in limbo for their fates, which could be tied to the Mountain West.
The Big Ten should go ahead and add some of those schools, too.
Delany would love to add Notre Dame. Who wouldn't? But, the Missouri-Kansas axis is a more likely dance partner and opens up the St. Louis market to the Big Ten Network.
All this maneuvering is rooted in TV and revenue, anyway. The Big Ten should not stop at Nebraska. Iowa State vs. Iowa would be a great rivalry. Nebraska vs. Missouri would have history. The Big Ten should add some more teams to compete with what are sure to be super conferences in other regions.
Swing and a miss: Strikeouts once again are a hot topic in the major leagues. Pitchers who rack them up juice their pitch counts. Hitters who collect them kill rallies and strand runners at third, though statistical analysis reveal that strikeouts are no more costly than other outs.
In the wake of this, Diamondbacks manager A.J. Hinch gave a fantastic quote to AOL Fanhouse reporter Jeff Fletcher about strikeouts:
"That's the elephant in the room," said Hinch, whose team whiffs more than any in the majors. "No one likes to talk about it. No one knows the answer or how to change it... There is not a team in the big leagues who goes into a hitters' meeting and says 'Who cares if you strike out?' It's not as if it's accepted in the sense that people don't care."
LARRY KING LOUNGE
With the Rangers in town, there are now only two MLB teams who have not visited Miller Park: Oakland and Tampa Bay... Brewers centerfielder Carlos Gomez has struggled to get on base and has been dropped in the batting order, but at least he's playing. Minnesota's J.J. Hardy is on the DL with a bad left wrist... Speaking of Gomez, you had to love watching him score from first on Craig Counsell's walk-off sacrifice bunt. Better still was when Counsell compared it to Jake Taylor and Willie Mays Hays of "Major League."... If Casey McGehee doesn't make the all-star team, there is something wrong with the sport... Which Chicago cage match would you rather watch: Lou Piniella vs. Steve Stone; or, Ozzie Guillen vs. Kenny Williams? I'm going with Lou... Are you excited about the upcoming PGA Championship at Whistling Straits? Have you even thought about it? Will your opinion change if Tiger Woods wins the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach?... The newspaper industry lost another great one this week when Ray Ratto bolted the San Francisco Chronicle for Comcast, where he'll do TV work and Web columns... Kudos to the MACC Fund (Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer) for the their successful golf outing on Monday and the Trek 100 bike event Saturday... If Tom Izzo takes the coaching job with the Cavaliers and LeBron James bolts for another team, you have to question his motives... The Washington Nationals play a three-game series beginning July 23 at Miller Park. That will be the Brewers' only chance to see rookie right-hander Stephen Strasburg. The more anticipated matchup may come July 1 through 4, when the Brewers play four games at St. Louis and could see right-hander Jeff Suppan... Following the footsteps of former teammates Dominic James and David Cubillan, Marquette's Robert Frozena has secured an internship at 540 ESPN... Just saw a mock draft that had the Bucks selecting Texas guard Avery Bradley, who would make an interesting running mate for Brandon Jennings... By the way, the NBA Draft once again coincides with the first night of Summerfest... The current NBA Finals needs an injection of something -- besides "Big Baby" and Nate Robinson... If you haven't heard about Mandi Schwartz, check out this story and do what you can... Andy Pettitte is the third pitcher to win 200 games as a Yankee, joining Whitey Ford and Red Ruffin. Pettitte is one of several guys who will present an interesting Hall of Fame case... Why in the world was Ozzy Ozbourne on the field at Dodger Stadium the other night? Maybe because Lady Gaga was at Citi Field?... Vikings coach Brad Childress is mad that running back Adrian Peterson blew off a mandatory workout this week. What will "Chilly" say when his quarterback blows off training camp again?
Host of “The Drew Olson Show,” which airs 1-3 p.m. weekdays on The Big 902. Sidekick on “The Mike Heller Show,” airing weekdays on The Big 920 and a statewide network including stations in Madison, Appleton and Wausau. Co-author of Bill Schroeder’s “If These Walls Could Talk: Milwaukee Brewers” on Triumph Books. Co-host of “Big 12 Sports Saturday,” which airs Saturdays during football season on WISN-12. Former senior editor at OnMilwaukee.com. Former reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
