New Bucks logo

It's about time. The Bucks have wisely ditched the purple and returned to a deep red. I'm guessing this is going to be their primary color and it might work, depending on if it is different than the one the Cleveland Cavaliers use.

The Bucks will unveil new uniforms in September, and here's hoping that they have a retro look to them. The purple uniforms were just awful and frankly, the Bucks didn't have much success in them.

Maybe they could dig up the old MECCA floor with the strategically placed deadspots.

Now that would be something to see.

Diener's future is in Orlando — for now

Sure, the Orlando Magic selected Duke sharpshooter J.J. Redick with the 11th pick at the NBA Draft, but that doesn't mean that Travis Diener will be out of a job next year.

For starters, Diener's true position is at point guard while Redick is a shooting guard. Both can find playing time with the Magic. And while Orlando has a plethora of guards, the only definite is that Jameer Nelson is going to be the starting point guard next season.

The positions next to and behind him, however, are up for grabs. If Redick doesn't step into the starting spot, it will probably be DeShawn Stevenson. Diener is still in a fight for the backup to Nelson with Carlos Arroyo and Keyon Dooling.

Diener is going to Orlando in a few weeks to play in a summer league. It's a chance for him to show what he can do with Redick in the same backcourt, and could go a long way in determining where he winds up next year.

One thing is for sure, the Orlando fans would hate to see Diener leave. Just like at Marquette, Diener already has a cult following in Florida.

Rockets a great fit for Novak

It was good to see Marquette's Steve Novak go to a team that really needs him.

Novak, one of the best 3-point shooters ever to play at Marquette, was selected by the Houston Rockets with the 32nd overall pick at the NBA Draft. He doesn't have a very diverse game; he lacks speed to play full-time on the perimeter and the size to consistently bang down low.

But what I think he can do in the NBA is what he did at Marquette his freshman year — come off the bench and hit a few 3-pointers. There's not much else that he's going to be able to give the Rockets, but that's OK. The Rockets don't need that. They were one of the worst shooting teams in the league last year.

In the Journal Sentinel story, Novak made mention that playing with Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady is just what he needs. He compared it to playing with Robert Jackson, Dwyane Wade and Travis Diener the year Marquette went to the Final Four.

Now, Novak's numbers weren't all that spectacular that year, but he was deadly during the NCAA tournament. Something that surely wasn't lost on the Rockets as they hope to make some noise some day in the NBA playoffs.

Brewers have to trade Lee

There are very few general managers that would trade the team's most popular player once, much less four years in a row.

But then again, Milwaukee Brewers GM Doug Melvin isn't your average general manager.

In the last three years, Melvin has dealt Richie Sexson, Scott Podsednik and Lyle Overbay and received more than market value for all of them. The Sexson deal basically gave the Brewers a new starting lineup they used to stay somewhat competitive. Podsednik brought in Carlos Lee which gave the Brewers the pop it needed in the lineup when Sexson left. And last winter's trade of Overbay brought the team much-needed starting pitching in Dave Bush and Zack Jackson.

It's time for Melvin to work that magic once again with Carlos Lee.

It's going to be tough for the Brewers to resign Lee. He's going to demand a contract of four years, $60-$65 million. The Brewers are going to offer a three-year deal worth around $40-45 million. That extra year is key.

The Brewers can afford to take on Lee's contract for another couple years because they are "underpaying" for players like J.J. Hardy, Prince Fielder and Rickie Weeks who won't be arbitration-ready for a few years yet. Eventually, however, they are going to have to pay those guys what they are worth.

At the same time, Melvin can't trade Lee for prospects. The Brewers are at a point where they need guys that can contribute either right away or within a season, otherwise they might miss their window of opportunity to be challenge for the postseason.

Ideally, Melvin would be able to get a starting pitcher in the deal as well as another major-league ready player. That might be a lot to ask, but teams around the deadline tend to be pretty crazy. That being said, here are a few places where Carlos Lee could end up at the end of the month:

St. Louis Cardinals: Sure they are in the same division, but if the Brewers don't trade Lee and don't resign him, chances are he'll sign with the Cardinals or Cubs anyway. St. Louis needs a LF and has ample pitching to trade (Anthony Reyes perhaps).

Chicago White Sox: If there is any team that has ample pitching, it's the White Sox. And with the offseason trade of Aaron Rowand to the Phillies, the Sox could move Scott Podsednik to center if Lee comes back in a deal. But I have a feeling that Ozzie Guillen's ripping of Lee for being soft may be a sign the two will never share a dugout again.

New York Yankees: Injuries have decimated the Yankees' outfield and because Lee is probably the biggest bat available, George Steinbrenner is naturally going to seek him out. There aren't many prospects left in the Yankees organization, but word is the Brewers have an eye on Philip Hughes, a Double-A pitcher. Perhaps if the Yankees threw in a major-league ready pitcher like Scott Proctor, the Brewers would bite.

Texas Rangers: Melvin has raided his old stomping grounds for waiver-wire pickups (Podsednik, Brian Shouse), so maybe its time he give something back. But Texas doesn't have much pitching, and the best name they could offer the Crew is outfielder Kevin Mench.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of Orange County of California of the United States: Of all the options, this is the one I like the best, and the one that is the most realistic. The Angels have been shopping around starter Ervin Santana and need a bat in the outfield. With the AL West always up for grabs, the Angels may go for broke this season. If the Brewers can get them to throw in catching prospect Jeff Mathis (who could supplant Chad Moeller as the Brewers No. 2 catcher ASAP), this is a must-deal for the Brewers.

FSI Running Diary No. 1

8:39 a.m.: Good morning! I'm coming to you live from the comfort of my living room where in 15 minutes the U.S. will take on Ghana and the Czech Republic faces Italy. I hope you know what the U.S. needs to do to advance to the round of 16, because it's way too early for me to be focusing on anything moving much less do math.

The most likely scenario that would result in a trip to the knockout round would be a victory by the U.S. and Italy. But of course that would be too easy for all involved so I have a feeling I'll be busting out the abacus at some time this morning.

Until then, follow along as I journal the morning's proceedings, my reactions to it, and anything else interesting that may happen in my life in the next two hours.

If for some reason you are following my blog live during this time, feel free to ask a question either by leaving a comment or through e-mail at jcasper@fdlreporter.com.

8:47 a.m.: It's still early and I'm still a bit groggy, but I'm pretty sure I just saw Eric Wynalda and Julie Foudy playing foosball on the ESPN set. Why is the foosball table there? Isn't that degrading to soccer? Someone?

8:49 a.m.: We've got our first Gatorade commercial sighting. As far as I'm concerned, it's the best one out there. If you haven't seen it, go here. I'm getting pumped.

8:56 a.m.: Is anyone else disappointed that Tommy Smyth isn't doing the analysis for today's game? I can't understand half of what he says, but he sounds like someone who should know what he's talking about.

8:57 a.m.: It's very hard to root against Ghana and for Italy. Just sayin'.

9:03 a.m.: An early cross doesn't lead too much but it's a good sign for the U.S. Apparently it's a public holiday in Ghana. They are the only African nation still alive. Very hard to root against them.

9:05 a.m.: What a surprise, our first yellow card of the game on Ghana. Are the refs getting paid per yellow card like bouncers for taking fake IDs? Meanwhile, Ghana is playing really tight. If the U.S. gets an early goal and some confidence, it's quite possible the floodgates could open.

9:08 a.m.: Marcelo Balboa (the color analyst) is already attacking the ref for another yellow card, this time against the U.S.'s Eddie Lewis. Considering two yellow cards in one game means a disqualification, he's right.

9:09 a.m.: The first real set piece of the game by Ghana isn't anywhere close.

9:10 a.m.: The Knicks have fired Larry Brown. Headline stealers.

9:15 a.m.: Both matches are still scoreless, but the Czech Republic nearly snuck in a goal off a rebounds. In case you were wondering, I have two TVs in my living room. They're right next to each other. And my mother wonders why I'm still single.

9:22 a.m.: A horrible turn of events for the U.S. Claudio Reyna lost possession of the ball dribbling upfield and Ghana took advantage for an easy goal. Reyna is down and Ghana is up 1-0.

9:25 a.m.: Teams scoring first in this World Cup are 25-5-5. I think the U.S. has never won in World Cup play when the other team scores the first goal. Meanwhile, Italy just scored the first goal of its match with the Czechs.

9:27 a.m.: Ghana is starting to play with more energy and intensity. And now the U.S. is starting to look flat. DeMarcus Beasley is still nowhere to be found and Ghana nearly scored another goal on a long run. And according to the bottom line, Isaiah Thomas is going to take over as the new coach of the Knicks. There's mass hysteria stateside.

9:33 a.m.: Ghana is winning every 50/50 ball and the U.S. is sloppy with its passing. At least thats what I think I'm seeing. I'm not really sure since I know almost next to nothing about soccer. But what I do know is that Ghana is taking every mistake by the U.S., and running it right back at them. Kind of like what the U.S. did against Portugal and Mexico in 2002.

9:35 a.m.: Landon Donvan just missed a good opportunity to score the equalizer. He hasn't scored in his last 17 national appearances and he's going bald. I think he's due for something good at somepoint. A free kick just outside the box goes nowhere for the U.S. and the clock seems to be moving a little too fast.

9:42 a.m.: The U.S. is starting to build up some good runs, but when that happens, Ghana counters with its speed. Claudio Reyna is out, which is a shame.

9:43 a.m.: GOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL! DeMarcus Beasley FINALLY does something other than annoy his coach. After winning a 50/50, he had a wide open path to the goal and sent a beautiful ball right in stride to Clint Dempsey, who finds the back of the net and does a little shimmy. Sam's Army is pumped. It's the first goal scored by the U.S. at the World Cup (Italy scored one for them). I'll take this 1-1 tie into the locker room, and if I'm Bruce Arena I show them the Gatorade World Cup commercial a few times and then you're set.

9:47 a.m.: Oh man, a penalty kick for Ghana. A horrible, horrible call to make in that situation. Both were going for the ball. You can't call that at the World Cup. Again, I should remind you, I don't know what I'm talking about.

9:48 a.m.: Ghana scores. 2-1. Horrendous. There better be a makeup call somewhere.

9:50 a.m.: That late penalty kick was devastating. The referee has way too much control in soccer. And the problem here is that there may be a makeup call in the U.S.'s favor later on in the match. Not a good way to officiate if you ask me.

9:59 a.m.: I'm still optimistic. If the U.S. is really one of the top sides in the world, it can put together two goals against Ghana. But its not going to be easy. Neither team has particularly looked crisp in its set offense and the U.S. is getting nothing off its set pieces. Either way, it looks like the winner of this match is headed to the second round, and it wouldn't be a horrible thing if Ghana got there. I'd like to see its speed match up against Brazil. That could be a high scoring affair.

10:06 a.m.: Marcelo Balboa is already calling for Eddie Johnson to get in the game, and he's right. The U.S. has 45 minutes to score two goals. It needs its best offensive options in there. There's no real reason to wait.

10:10 a.m.: The U.S. is 0-14-2 all-time in World Cup play when the other team scores first and Bruce Arena is 2-16-2 when his team trails at halftime. Everyone is due.

10:12 a.m.: Sam's Army is openly calling for Eddie Johnson to enter the game. Balboa is going to join them soon. Italy is still beating the Czechs, and the Italian goalkeeper is having himself a day.

10:15 a.m.: Even though it resulted in a free kick for the U.S., the reason I love watching Ghana is because they aren't afraid to pull out the bicycle kick.

10:16 a.m.: Apparently set pieces aren't Ghana's strength. And apparently the U.S. is pretty good at them. If they say so. ESPN just showed a graphic saying the U.S. has never won the third game in group play. It also has never won a World Cup match in Europe. Sometime these things have to come to an end, right?

10:22 a.m.: Here comes Eddie Johnson, who is apparently the savior of the U.S. hopes. He's got 30 minutes to score two goals. Balboa is excited, Sam's Army is excited and Johnson just fell down. Not looking good.

10:25 a.m.: Ghana just had a free run at the goal but the striker took it down a little too far. The U.S. dodges a bullet. It's pretty obvious its going to take a mistake or two by Ghana for the U.S. to get back in the match.

10:28 a.m.: A flurry of action in front of the Ghana net saw a header by McBride that hit the post and an opportunity for Donovan that never really developed. The U.S. is starting to create more chances, which is good.

10:31 a.m.: The U.S. has had three offsides calls in the last few minutes, and I'm guessing they are going to get some more. Ghana is playing the offsides trap, which is fine, but it could also set yourself up to get beat on a long run if the side ref misses it. At least I think. It always burned me on FIFA World Cup for the PlayStation.

10:37 a.m.: The clock is starting to move faster and faster and the referee is letting the boys play. Too bad he didn't let that happen in stoppage time in the first half. 15 minutes for the U.S. to score two goals.

10:43 a.m.: A golden opportunity for the U.S. went by the wayside with a free kick just outside the box. Italy just scored again and it looks like they are going to win the group. If this score holds, Ghana and Italy will advance. What a tournament for Ghana, beating the Czechs and the U.S. Is Brazil next?

10:50 a.m.: There's still a few minutes left, but there's not much chance for the U.S. now. And I must say it was a disappointing World Cup for the U.S. The 3-0 loss to the Czechs was an abberration, yes, but to only muster one point against Italy and Ghana is not what the U.S. is capable of. I'd think that Bruce Arena, once considered the savior of U.S. soccer, may not be back in 2010. This was supposed to be the World Cup that the U.S. proved it belonged on the international stage, and unfortunately, it hasn't happened yet.

10:57 a.m.: Ghana wins 2-1 and the U.S. looks forward to 2010. Sure you can point at the foul call in the penalty box and the red cards in the Italy match, but the U.S. did almost nothing on offense all tournament. And good for Ghana. Nobody gave them much of a chance at all to win one match, much less advance from the group. Balboa just said that's the beautiful thing about soccer, on any given day, any given team can beat any other team. I'm pretty sure everyone has said that about their sport.

10:59 a.m.: Well, that does it for me. Thanks for reading the blog and continue to check back at FSI for more special events such as this. Thanks to the few (one?) of you that posted comments.

We've seen this from Wade before... kind of

While Dwyane Wade continues to have one of the more remarkable NBA Finals in history, the columns singing his praises continue to mount.

But there was one in particular that caught my eye. Rick Bozich of the Louisville Courier-Journal recalled the 2003 NCAA Midwest Regional Final in which Wade tore apart Kentucky, then the No. 1 team in the nation, leading Marquette to the Final Four.

Wade's performance that day was remarkable. He had 29 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. But he had help. Robert Jackson, perhaps the most underrated player in the history of Marquette basketball, put up 24 and 15 against Kentucky. Steve Novak came up huge with a couple of key 3-pointers.

But, so far in the NBA Finals, Wade has done this by himself. It was pretty obvious on Sunday night that Wade was going to take the final shot of overtime — and Dallas still couldn't stop him. You can complain all you want if it was a foul or not a foul, but Wade doesn't get that call if he doesn't repeatedly take the ball to the basket.

What he's doing in these NBA Finals is legendary. Sure, a sign of the times to come came in college, but this is on a completely different level.

Why we should suspect Jorge Larrionda is out to destroy Sam's Army

I'm normally a sensible person. I search for all sides of the story and never rush to judgement.

All things considered, Jorge Larrionda is a corupt official that never should serve as a referee at any level of soccer — FIFA, WIAA, Fondy youth soccer, YMCA, Our Lady of Perpetual Sorrow Boys Camp, etc.

Okay, maybe that was a bit harsh. But there's no doubt that Larrionda played a larger role in Saturday's World Cup match between Italy and the U.S. than any referee should have. While it is the nature of soccer that the referee has that much control, there's no doubt that Larrionda maybe took that two an extreme.

He handed out three red cards, tying a World Cup finals record. He also completely changed the complexion of the game, and while the extra space created by the departures may have favored the speedier forwards for the U.S., the fact it was playing a man down did anything but.

But there's something fishy about all this. Larrionda is known for being a disciplinarian, but it seemed odd that most of the calls went against the U.S. (except for the red card against Italy's Daniele De Rossi for elbowing Brian McBride, which could have just as easily been a warrant for his arrest).

Italy, in case you didn't now, is embroiled in a scandal. Larrionda was suspiciously removed from the 2002 World Cup for "irregularities," whatever that means. It was a matter of hours before his Wikipedia page was updated, connecting the dots. Even Brent Musberger suggested something ways fishy (the video can be found on ESPN Motion at www.espn.com). One of my favorite sites, Deadspin.com, has weighed in on the issue.

Obviously, it's a big stretch, but still an interesting coincidence. I wonder if Larrionda will ref another match at this World Cup.

I'm betting he doesn't.

Wisconsin resident on cover of Sports Illustrated

Well, kind of.

Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz is on this week's Sports Illustrated cover. Ortiz, in case you weren't aware, played for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers when he was in the Mariners organization (his name then was David Arias). He met a Wisconsin gal and they now have three children and live in the Wrightstown area.

Tom Verducci, who is second only to Gary Smith as the best living writer on the face of the planet, wrote a wonderful piece about Ortiz in the issue.

From what I hear, Ortiz is one of the good guys in baseball. He's fun to be around, a delight to watch, and he produced some of the best goosebump moments of the 2004 playoffs when he hit the walk-off home run against the Yankees in Game 4 of the ALCS, sparking the Sox' dramatic comeback in the series. And I love how he spits on his hands then claps before digging into the batter's box. I tried doing that before I typed a story, but co-workers started to complain.

During the offseaon, Ortiz is often spotted at Appleton area hangouts such as the Fox River Mall. A friend once showed me a picture of Ortiz he'd taken on a camera phone.

The SI story worked out perfectly for the Timber Rattlers, who on Saturday plan on having David Ortiz bobblehead night. I'll be working, but if anyone goes, grab one for me, too.

The Wade Era has arrived

I've already waxed poetic (somewhat) about Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade.

Here are a few other stories from his fourth-quarter masterpiece in Game 3 of the NBA Finals to get you prepared for today's Game 4.

Chicago Tribune columnist Sam Smith, not to be confused with the ESPN car alarm Stephen A. Smith, suggests that Wade's Game 3 performance ranks up there with the great moments in NBA Finals history.

The Miami Herald's Dan LeBatard says that Wade was afraid, but trusted his teammates for a Game 3 comeback. The Dallas Morning News' David Moore says Wade, at this moment, is better than LeBron James.

Of course, Wade does have Shaquille O'Neal to help him out. This story in the Sun-Sentinel addresses that issue.

DeBoer has the goods

This was my first chance to really watch Tyler DeBoer pitch, and while his coach (and second cousin) Kevin DeBoer said that he struggled to get his curveball over, I was very impressed.

The kids got guts. He's probably going to be the best pitcher in whatever it is the ECFC-Lakes will be called next year and probably will be the best pitcher when Waupun moves to the Eastern Wisconsin Conference in two years.

If his curveball was working on Wednesday night/Thursday morning, there's no doubt in my mind he could have really flirted with a no-hitter. As it was, he held West De Pere without a hit for the first four-plus innings.

The kid will be back at Fox Cities Stadium at some point, don't worry.

Could Waupun have scored more early?

There are always things that teams wish would have turned out different after a loss, but I'll bet Waupun wished it had the first two innings back.

The Warriors had runners on first and second in each inning but only scored one run. Imagine if Waupun put up two or more in each inning, combined with the big innings in the third and the fourth. Waupun could have been looking at a 10-run lead in the fifth.

Just goes to show how much the little things (getting a bunt down, moving the runners over) come into play.

That was a late one

I'm used to working some pretty late nights, but never have I covered a baseball game that lasted until 2 a.m. Of course, an 11:30 p.m. start time will do that.

Waupun lost in a WIAA Division 2 state semifinal, 8-6, to West De Pere on Wednesday night/Thursday morning at Fox Cities Stadium, and although neither team blamed the late start for any sloppy play, there's no way it could have helped.

Although, I suppose everything about playing in the state tournament is so far from the norm that the starting time doesn't really matter.

I know it had an effect on me. We have a nightly deadline of 2:30 a.m. for the newspaper, meaning there are very few events we struggle to get in the paper. But when the middle innings started to drag, I realized that there was no way I'd be able to get a full story with quotes in the paper. Instead, we went with what reporters call a "running story," which is just that — a story written as the game goes along. I lucked out and managed to develop two fairly decent ledes by 12:30 a.m. or so — one in case Waupun won and one in case West De Pere won.

The game ended at 2:07 a.m. and I had a copy of my story to the guys back in the office by 2:11 a.m. Once I got back to my apartment, I added quotes for the online version.

Late night at the WIAA state baseball tournament

Conan O'Brien and David Lettermen won't be involved, but everybody will be staying up quite late at Grand Chute.

An early-morning rain shower and an extra innings affair pushed back the proceedings at the WIAA state baseball tournament almost three hours. There are buffers inbetween sessions that can be shortened, but the second session of the day didn't start until 4 p.m. Each session consists of two games. The games average about two hours.

Waupun, which was originally scheduled to play West De Pere at 8:30 p.m. in the last game of the third session of the day, probably won't take the field until 10:30 p.m. at the earliest. I'd be surprised if the game started before 11 p.m.

Until then, read a superbly crafted story about Waupun's two starting pitchers.

World Cup 101

If you're like me, you are enthralled by the World Cup. After it came to U.S. soil in 1994, I've looked forward to the event with much anticipation.

Also, if you are like me, you have no idea what international soccer is all about. I know that Brazil is good, the U.S. is a tad overrated and David Beckham plays for England.

So I'm not going to pretend to know more than I don't. That's why I read from others that do. Charles Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel is in Germany and updates his blog about twice a day. He really treats the blog as a complement to the regular coverage in the paper.

Of course, ESPN has about 523,872 people working for them, and more than a few contribute to their World Cup coverage.

I also like to check out the plethora of blogs from the Guardian, a media conglomerate in the United Kingdom. The writing is edgy, sharp, witty and most of all, nobody tries to dumb the lingo down to appeal to Americans.

All he wanted to do was watch some football

Todd Finkelmeyer of the Capital Times wrote an interesting column recently about a Wisconsin football fan that sent in a $500 "donation" to get the chance to buy season tickets.

I'll let you read Finkelmeyer's column to find out the rest, but as you probably can gather, he didn't get a chance to buy the season tickets. And he didn't get his $500 back either.

Sure it's nice to have a successful program, but at what costs?

Gotta love corporate sponsorship

At the professional level, almost everything has a corporate sponsor. It's not anything new and it's never going to go away.

And actually, I'm kind of surprised something like this hasn't happened before. The two arenas used in the NBA Finals are both sponsored by American Airlines.

To find out more information about the home of the Dallas Mavericks, the American Airlines Center, click here. To find out more information about the home of the Miami Heat, the American Airlines Arena, click here.

Or, to book a flight on American Airlines, click here.

What a year for Ripon

The fans at Ripon probably never wanted this year to end. What a year it was for the Tigers.

Sure, the football team and boys track team won state titles, but just about every other sport had a year to remember.

The boys basketball team won a conference championship and came within a few 3-pointers of beating eventual state champion Seymour in a sectional final. The girls basketball team dominated the conference en route to a crown. The wrestling team won the ECFC-Lakes as well. So did the baseball team.

I remember a conversation I had with football coach Rick Kelm several years ago. He said that one of the things he loved about having a good football season was that it set the tone for the rest of the school year. This time, he certainly was right.

Ripon was a sports powerhouse this year, and I'd expect the same for the next few years.

Brewers should just avoid the Pirates

If Bud Selig really wanted the Brewers to make the playoffs, he'd pass massive division realignment in the National League... pronto.

Hopefully then the Brewers can't have their momentum derailed by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Pirates haven't had a winning season since 1992. Yet they have managed to suck the life out of the Brewers at least four times in the last five seasons.

At the end of June in 2001, the Brewers, coming of a three-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs, had a 38-34 record. The Pirates were 20 games below .500. The result? Pittsburgh swept the Brewers in a four-game set. Milwaukee went 29-57 the rest of the season.

In 2003, the Brewers were seven games above .500 and 1/2 game out of the wild card before another four-game series with the Pirates. Again, they lost all four games and had one of the worst second halves in MLB history.

Last year, with the Brewers' first winning season since 1992 in reach, they only needed to win one of the final two games of the season at Pittsburgh. They lost them both.

And, more recently, another sweep of Milwaukee by the Pirates leaves Brewer backers scratching their heads. If Milwaukee is ever going to be a serious playoff contender, these are the games it needs to win. The difference between a .500 team and one that challenges for the wild card is, at the most, 10 victories. Spread that out over the course of a season, and that's two wins a month.

If that's the case, the Brewers can't afford to be swept by the Pirates. They just can't. In the last two years, when the Brewers have been somewhat respectable, they are 18-24 against Pittsburgh. Unless that number is turned around soon, it's going to be difficult for Milwaukee to turn around its losing ways.