Will the Packers improve?

This wouldn't be much of a sports blog without Packers discussion, and while I don't consider myself the foremost authority on all things Green and Gold, I believe that I can offer something that many media outlets in Wisconsin cannot — an unbiased, semi-educated look at the team.

There are some reasons to get excited about the Pack this year. The defense seems to be improved and linebacker A.J. Hawk is going to be a treat to watch. Brett Favre is back for another year and he's entered the realm of guys like Michael Jordan, Barry Bonds, etc., in that you never turn the channel when they are on TV.

While some might think the playoffs are a possiblity, I'm not so sure. In years past, when the Packers were mediocre at best at positions like wide receiver, running back, etc., they always had the NFL's best offensive line. That is defintely not the case this year. The defense is improved and will keep the score close, but without an ability to consistently move the ball, the Packers are going to struggle big time.

I'm seeing a six-win season at best and maybe a shot at the top pick in next year's draft, and perhaps the quarterback of the future, Brady Quinn.

I'm still here

Forgive the absence of posts the last few days, but I spent the last few days moving to an apartment in Fond du Lac. I thought that would be a nice way to spend the hottest weekend of the summer, lugging dusty furniture and boxes of books that I keep only because I think they make me look smart.

But a lot has happened since we last met, and before all the Brewers fans start writing angry letters to Doug Melvin and lamenting the loss of Carlos Lee, pay attention.

It's not a bad trade. Melvin, the Brewers general manager, has done this before and gotten value in return every time he's done so. This was no different.

This was not a trade meant to significantly increase the Brewers' chances of winning this season, but it wasn't a trade for the far future either. This was a trade for next year. Any other proposed deal, from what I heard, involved prospects that wouldn't be ready until late next year or the year after. Aside from Lee leaving in the winter and getting nothing in return, that would be the worst case scenario.

Instead, what Melvin got in return, was a trio of players that could help immediately, but more importantly, could contribute next year as well. Players like Corey Hart and Tony Gwynn are still a year away from being every day players. Guys like Kevin Mench and Laynce Nix will bridge the gap. Adding Francisco Cordero to the bullpen might be the most important part of the deal.

And I wouldn't be too concerned about Nelson Cruz. According to various baseball Internet sites, his projected numbers are comporable to those of Mench, and there has to be a reason Cruz has toiled in the minor leagues since the Brewers picked him up in a trade with the Athletics two years ago.

This is a good trade, not a great trade. It's going to help the Brewers more next year than it does right now. This is not a playoff team in 2006, but it sure is looking like one in 2007.

Let the dealing begin...

ESPN.com is reporting that the Chicago White Sox are close to receiving the biggest name of this year's trading deadline, Alfonso Soriano. If that deal can get done quickly, it should send off a domino effect and help the Brewers in their cause of trading Carlos Lee.

One such team that could become desperate is Detroit. In an effort to stay ahead of their AL Central counterparts, the Tigers could part ways with pitching prospect Humberto Sanchez.

It may not seem like a fair trade for the Brewers to give up Lee for just a minor league pitcher, but Sanchez could get a spot in the rotation this year. He's a big power pitcher (6-6, 230) and has shown promise for Triple-A Toledo.

So while it might waive the white flag on '06, Sanchez is a guy that could really help bolster the back end of the Brewers rotation for years to come.

A list of potential future Brewers

With the trade deadline approaching, the Brewers are still in the mix. Whether or not the team decided to trade Carlos Lee is somewhat irrelevant; the team can still remain competitive without him in the lineup everyday, provided they get major-league ready talent in return.

With that in mind, here are some players that could find themselves on a Midwest Airlines flight to Miller Park in the next two weeks:

1. Greg Maddux, Cubs: This rumor started when the Brewers played a four-game set at Wrigley Field but has died down since then. Brewers pitcher Tomo Ohka is set to come off the disabled list on Tuesday to make a start against the Giants. Ben Sheets shouldn't be far behind, although it remains to be seen if he will actually make a start this year. Still, it never hurts to have too much pitching, and there aren't too many that'd be opposed to having Maddux join his pitching coach brother, Mike, in Milwaukee.

2. Bob Wickman, Indians: With Derrick Turnbow on the fritz, it also never hurts to have valuable bullpen help. Wickman, a former Brewer, isn't what he used to be but he's better than anything the Brewers have in the bullpen now. It'd probably take a low-level prospect to get him and while nobody has won a World Series on the strength of a set-up guy, these are the types of trades that pushes a team over the top.

4. Jon Garland, White Sox: Teams that are contenders are usually looking for pitching, not trading it away, but the defending World Champs have six starting pitchers they can deal with. In case the Yankees or Red Sox don't sweep in and pick up Javier Vazquez or Freddy Garcia, the Sox may be willing to part with Garland for a package of Brady Clark and Jorge De La Rosa.

5. Jack Elliot, Nagoya Chunichi Dragons: The fictional character from the 1992 movie "Mr. Baseball" really doesn't fit any pressing need on the Brewers, but I'm watching it right now on TBS and it'd be nice to have a left-handed power bat off the bench. Plus, with the quick defensive reflexes needed to play on Japan's all-dirt infields, he could make a great late defensive substitution for the worst fielding team in baseball.

Is Abreu an option?

I'm not an ESPN Insider (at least not anymore) but on the main page of ESPN.com Sunday there was a picture of Bobby Abreu next to the headline "Strange Brew?: An NL central team more accustomed to selling than buying has inquired about Bobby Abreu."

Using my superiour intellect I deciphered the headline has something to do with the Brewers possibly thinking of acquiring Abreu.

It's an interesting development, but one that makes sense for the Brewers. If Brewers GM Doug Melvin is serious about making the playoffs this year, he could probably get Abreu for a current every-day player plus two prospects. Last offseason, the Phillies traded Jim Thome to the White Sox for Aaron Rowand and two prospect, and you'd think a similar offering (perhaps Geoff Jenkins/Corey Koskie/or Bill Hall plus one of their Triple-A pitchers (Ben Hendrickson/Carlos Villanueva/Dana Eveland) and minor-league catcher Vinny Rottino could get it done.

Abreu has one more year left on his deal, and while he'd make 16 million next year, he'd be off the books after then and the Brewers could turn the centerfield position over to Tony Gwynn Jr. or Corey Hart.

Considering it doesn't look like Carlos Lee is going to be with the club next year, trade or no, this buys the Brewers a little bit of time while their youngsters get major league experience and keeps them competitive in the meantime.

Travis Diener having a solid summer

While most of the attention at the Pepsi Pro Summer League was on top picks Adam Morisson and Tyrus Thomas, former Fondy star Travis Diener showed his team and others that he deserves a spot in the NBA.

Diener averaged 20.3 points and 6.5 assists in four games, including a 34-point performance against his childhood favorite team, the Chicago Bulls. Now, he's not playing against all-star competition, but it's a great showing from someone that was in danger of making the Magic's roster next year. Orlando brought in Syracuse guard Gerry McNamara to challenge Diener, and whether it was that or something else, it lit a fire under him.

"This was probably the best thing that could have happened to me,'' Diener told a reporter for ESPN.com. "My confidence is really high. I can go back home now and just get myself ready for training camp.''

Diener told me earlier this summer that he expects to remain in Orlando and from different reports I've read, that seems to still be the case. However, there was a story in the Orlando Sentinel that said other teams may make a push for him.

I'll see if I can get a hold of Diener this week for an update in The Reporter.

FSI Running Diary No. 2: MLB All-Star game

Greetings! We're coming to you live, once again, from the comforts of my living room for another running diary. In case you missed the last one, I painfully chronicled the U.S.-Ghana World Cup match. This is going to be a long game, so the updates may be more sporadic, but be sure to check back often. Hope you enjoy the game.

7:02 p.m.: Someone better fire an intern. The over-the-top-dramatic introduction by FOX was cut short by a runaway commercial break, at least in this market. We came back from the commercial just in time to see Phil Garner say "No matter how wild the pig, let's bring home the bacon." It's not exactly Gene Hackman in Hoosiers, but it works. I guess. Maybe there's a reason the National League hasn't won this thing since like 1923.

7:15 p.m.: My favorite part of the game is the introductions. When I was a kid, I had a bunch of All-Star games on tape. For some reason, I loved watching the introductions again and again. I'm not sure why. Also, when I was a kid, I didn't have very many friends. This may explain a whole lot.

7:19 p.m.: There are three Brewers in this game, the first time that has happened since 1983. It's been a while since a Brewer played a significant role in the All-Star game. And I don't think it's going to happen this year. I bet Carlos Lee plays four innings in relief and goes 1-for-3 with a double. Derrick Turnbow pitches to three batters in the eighth and gets one out. And Chris Capuano does not participate.

7:26 p.m.: There's been some debate over whether or not every team should have a representative at the All-Star game, considering the Royals' Mark Redman is on the team despite a 6-4 record with a 5.27 ERA. I think it's a good rule. But I'd tweek the voting a little bit. While this game is for the fans, I'd rather see them pick what player from their team they'd like to play in the game rather than the starting lineup. That way, if the guy sucks, at least its someone the fans want to see and it will keep the starting lineups from being a combo of the Red Sox, Yankees, Mets and Cardinals. Likewise, any stadium that hosts the game should have at least one player in the starting lineup. It's neat to see the home crowd get behind their guy, just like the Pittsburgh fans did for Jason Bay. At least they can forget for a few moments that they are 38 games out of first and have absolutely no hope for the next 10 years of fielding a competitive team.

7:42 p.m.: Fire another intern. This one put "Suzuki" in the batting order instead of "Ichiro." That's like putting "Derek" instead of "Jeter." You have dishonored your country. And apparently the commercial mishap during the introductions occured only in the Green Bay market. I'm not completely ready to watch the game yet. I'm not quite foaming at the mouth. Good thing I downloaded "Let's get it started" by the Black Eyed Peas. I'm going to listen that until I'm ready.

8:03 p.m.: The first inning ends without anyone scoring, although Carlos Beltran had a one-out double for the NL. Brad Penny struck out the AL side throwing nothing but gas. I love how all the experts said the AL is so much better than the NL. Sure, the NL hasn't won this game since 1996, but it's not like they are Chico's Bail Bonds or something. I hope the NL wins just to shut everyone up.

8:12 p.m.: Vlad Guerrero just swung at a pitch at his neck and put it into the right field bleachers for a 1-0 AL lead. I'm proud of announcers Joe Buck and Tim McCarver for not making gushing comparisons between Guerrero and Roberto Clemente, who played right field for many years in Pittsburgh before dying in a plane crash delivering food and supplies to earthquake victims in South America. Nobody can be compared to him, ever. I don't care if Guerrero doesn't use batting gloves. No comparison.

8:48 p.m.: During in-game live interviews with both managers, both revealed that they have no signs for today's game. In fact, Alfonso Soriano stole second then was thrown out at home while NL manager Phil Garner was interviewed. Carlos Beltran stole third and later scored. Some key decisions being made here. Don't forget, this one counts. And in the introductions, Joe Buck kept saying how these managers are treating this like Game 7 of the World Series. Yikes.

9:07 p.m.: More signs that this game shouldn't count for anything: Bud Selig and his posse just stopped the game to present a lifetime service award to Roberto Clemente. Aside from the fact that it shouldn't have taken this long to present Clemente with such an award, the ceremony deserved to be held at this point and given its proper respect. This is what the All-Star game should be... a celebration of the game. Not a forced competition. Anyways, Joe Buck had to serve as the emcee for the presentation, which meant when the following inning started, Tim McCarver was flying solo in the booth. Surprisingly, he didn't break down and start saying stupid Tim McCarver things where he repeats himself over and over to make a point.

9:29 p.m.: The Brewers' Derrick Turnbow is in the game. First appearance by a Brewer. It looks like Garner is going to use his four relievers in each of the last four innings, assuming Turnbow doesn't serve up one to Paul Konerko right here.

9:32 p.m.: Turnbow is in his regular-season form, giving up a single to Paul Konerko and has now fallen behind Troy Glaus. But his teammates bail him out as they turn a double play and Matt Holliday makes a nice catch in right. Good job, Gomer. Doesn't look like Chris Capuano is getting in this game, as I said earlier.

9:47 p.m.: Carlos Lee is now in the game in left field, although since he entered for Jason Bay, it's doubtful he'll get an at-bat unless the AL ties the game or the NL bats around in the eighth. Either Phil Garner wanted to stick with his starters this long or he forgot he's managing in an All-Star game.

10:06 p.m.: One strike away from the NL snapping its nine-year skid, the AL takes the lead on a two-out triple by Michael Young. Looks like Carlos Lee might get an at-bat after all.

10:20 p.m.: Unbelievable. The AL wins 3-2 thanks to late-inning heroics by Michael Young. Carlos Lee makes the last out, weakly popping out to the second baseman. The AL streak continues. There were plenty of players that didn't play, and Phil Garner may have to answer to the fact that instead of putting Nomar Garciaparra in the game to leadoff the ninth, he let Freddy Sanchez hit. The Pirates fans leave disgusted knowing that if their team makes it to the World Series, they won't get home field advantage. Overall, the Brewers didn't do anything embarrasing, although it would have been sweet to have Lee get the game-tying hit there.

Until next time, so long.

Brewers shake up their roster

It's nothing major, but the Milwaukee Brewers tinkered with their lineup following Wednesday's dramatic 6-5 victory over the Reds in 13 innings.

Chad Moeller is no more. The struggling catcher was designated for assingment, which usually means the only way he'll stay with the Brewers is if he agrees to play for the team's minor league affiliate in Nashville. If he refuses, he's a free agent and can frustrate another team's fan base for the next few months.

In his place, the Brewers called up catcher Mike Rivera, who was hitting .298 with 10 home runs for Nashville. Rivera,

Rivera, 30, was hitting .298 for Nashville with 10 home runs and 46 RBIs in 58 games. He has not appeared in the majors since 2003, when he played 19 games for San Diego. He also played part-time for Detroit the previous two seasons.

It's not a long-term answer for a backup catcher, but it will do for now. Moeller was awful, and his offensive struggles started to carry over to the defensive end.

In another move, the Brewers sent down starting pitcher Carlos Villanueva and called up Dana Eveland. Eveland's previous stint this year was as a starter, and he struggled in his five appearances with an 0-3 record and a 8.51 ERA. This time, he'll come out of the pen. The Brewers won't need a fifth starter until July 18, at which time Villanueva could be called back up, Rick Helling could make a spot start or Tomo Ohka will be ready to come off the DL.

Quick recruiting update

Although he's a very good player, I'll have to admit I was a bit surprised Wisconsin offered Oshkosh West's Tim Jarmusz a scholarship (which he accepted) before the fall signing period. I knew that Jarmusz can play at that level, but with Andy Polka commanding most of the attention on the Wildcats last season, Jarmusz went unnoticed to some. But a solid summer thus far as well as an outstanding performance at the Wisconsin advanced camp put Jarmusz on the radar of several schools. There has been some discussion on message boards that he's not a Big Ten player because the only other Big Ten school that was recruiting him was Northwestern. Well, I remember a certain player that wound up at Marquette that was only recruited by Bradley, DePaul and Illinois State. His name? Dwyane Wade.

While Jarmusz is probably the only Fox Valley player that will sign with a major Division I school, look for recruiting interest to heat up with some players in the Fond du Lac area.

Waupun's Ryan Rasmussen is having a big summer, as is Fondy's Eddie Gilgenbach, Springs' Mitchell Schneider and Laconia's Kieran Weed.

Mark Miller of www.wbby.com and www.wishoops.net does a tremendous job with state high school basketball and his Whispers column is a must-read for anyone that likes high school hoops.