Hot! Pretty, Pretty, Good

The state of Wisconsin sports, is, well... pretty, pretty, good.

Forced to sum up the situation, Larry David, on HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm”, would often say, tongue in cheek, “pretty, pretty, good”. That description will have to suffice these days if you are a sports fan residing in the state of Wisconsin.

To the north, the Cheesehead Faithful can begin to rejoice for the onset of deer hunting season, five feet of snow, and now, officially, a first place team, the Green Bay Packers. At least for now, anyway, the 8-3 Packers sit atop the NFC North, one game ahead of the suddenly fading Detroit Lions. At least for one week that is, because the Slack will entertain Tom Brady and the New England Patriots next Sunday, in what surely will be the easiest game to bet the “over” on in so far this season in the NFL. Lest, you see, the leaky Packer “defense” can come up with an entirely new set of personnel against the offensive firepower of the Patriots, it could be a long day at Lambeau. So for now, a midst all the Super Bowl references, the Pack will have to remain, pretty, pretty, good.

In Madison, despite an incomprehensible 0-8 start from the usually successful UW Hockey team, the football and basketball programs are delivering accolades in spades, and rightly so. Melvin Gordon shattered the NCAA single rushing record for all of one week, and then he and the rest of his red hot football team escaped Iowa City with with a well-earned 26-24 victory yesterday, improving their record to 9-2. That means the Battle For Paul Bunyan’s Axe also doubles as the ticket to the Big 1O Championship game, because if the Badgers can dispose of those pesky Gophers from Minnesota, Gary Andersen’s Big Red will be back in Indianapolis for the 3rd time in four years with an outside shot at a New Year’s Day bowl game.

Inside the Kohl Center, the 3rd ranked Badger basketball team has looked nothing short of spectacular in their opening 4-0 start. They have covered double digits spreads in each of their games against some formidable opposition, including UW-Green Bay and Boise State. They are off to the Bahamas for the Atlantis tournament, featuring more challenging match ups against the likes of Florida and Georgetown. If Bo Ryan’s team, lead by senior Frank Kaminsky, can return with that trophy, the road back to a back-to-back Final Four appearance becomes more realistic every day. In all my years witnessing Badger basketball, I’ve never seen a team so talented, experienced, and deep.

For what it’s worth the UW Women’s Volleyball program is ranked 2nd in the country, and over in Milwaukee, the upstart Bucks, under the leadership of Jason Kidd, are a more than surprising 7-7 out of the gate. To make matters even better, the Brewers are playing golf and NASCAR has officially ended too.

So despite the falling temperatures and the reality of four more months of winter on the cold and gloomy horizon, the outlook around these parts, as far as sports go, is pretty, pretty, good.

And For What

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