Time To Solve The Road Woes

The Milwaukee Brewers had a successful home stand going 5-1, putting their record at home at 13-6. The Crew has been nearly untouched when they tap the keg at Miller Park. But when they leave the friendly confines of Miller Park, they struggle like a Double A Baseball team with a record of 6-15.  I am one not to worry about things too early, but I really think the Brewers need to start showing some promise on the road in the upcoming four games on the West Coast. To me, it would be a sign that this team isn't average and inconsistent at best.

I know the Crew does not play well on the west coast, I really cannot explain it either. I don't know if the players get caught up in nice weather, the strippers, or the Sunset Strip, but they cannot seem to lock down on the West Coast. With their record currently at 18-21, winning the last five of six, the last thing the Brewers could afford to do is lose 3 of 4 and then be back where they started at the beginning of May. The NL West right now is garbage, and the Brewers take advantage of it this week.

They did last week against the San Diego Padres who they play again for two later this week. I mean excuse the Wednesday afternoon implosion, they played pretty solid against the Spanish Fathers. The Brewers send out Shaun Marcum tonight who is the Brewers best pitcher right now, and Randy Wolf goes the following night who has been a mixed bag all year. But Wolf has always seem to pitch well in his home state of Californina.  I also know these two guys need to have solid starts to try to preserve this bullpen. The rate we are going, I think Kameron Loe's arm will fall off the mound in a horrifying scene at some ballpark in the middle of June.

My dad and I talk all the time about how the Brewers are a team of mental giants.  They overthink everything, and I do believe they think they cannot hit the ball outside of Miller Park. Both of these stadiums are tough to get the balls into the bleachers so it will take a string of singles for the Brewers to get victories this week before heading back to Miller Park for another large home stand. If the Brewers could say get three out of four, the Brewers could be looking at a great month of May. 

-Charlie.

DOY: Taj Gibson!

I really think I need to go to the gym when I watch sports because something cool happens all the time. This happened in the gym, and the Big Cat working out next to me, I went absolutely bananas.  Big Cat looked at me like I was a Leper.  Seriously, just an awesome dunk. I love Dwyane Wade's attitude about the whole thing saying "I have done that 90 times to people, and it happened to me once."  "I will take the 90 to 1 ratio."

-Charlie.

First Taste: Houston's Superhero

Wow.  I have to assume that this guy was drunk because you can do some special shit with a nice buzz working like superhuman stuff.  If he did not have anything to drink, my next assumption is this guy is a parkour warrior, and he bet his friends he could escape Minute Maid back.  What an American hero. I got a couple things ready to go, but then I will be on my No Days Off flow for the rest of the day.      

-Charlie. 

NBA Bracket Challenge Second Round Update

NBA Bracket Challenge: My table isn't going into Blogger right now, but basically as you can see the first number is the first round numbers, then the next number is the second round. The final number is the total amount of points. Mike Fant doing it big with Eric falling from 1st to 5th.
Mike Sant 32 34 66
Patrick 25 34 59
Charlie 26 30 56
Mitzy 27 22 49
Rocky 26 20 46
Easy E 32 12 44
Jordan T 25 12 37


If you forgot the rules here they are.  If someone feels I messed up the math, let me know.

Heat-Bulls Preview

If you were to rank the NBA Playoffs right now from the best teams to the worst remaining, BCS style, would the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat get the top spots?  I mean it might be crazy to think but if a team like Memphis or Oklahoma City gets into the NBA Finals, I will believe whoever loses this series got robbed at an opportunity to play for the Larry O'Brien Trophy.  People have jumped back on the 'Heat are unstoppable bandwagon,' and some are even calling for a quick series. I don't see that, and nor do I think the Heat are winning this series as I am taking the Chicago Bulls in seven games.

The first reason is obvious, Derrick Rose. The Heat has no point guard that can keep up with D-Rose in an enduring playoff series such as this one. Dywane Wade will do his best, but I do think a la Paul Pierce, his offensive numbers will fall off by exerting so much on the defense. Even though Wade is a top notch defender, Rose is so much quicker than anyone else on the court and find his way to the basket efficiently.  I think he learned a lot after losing game four by shooting over 30 times that he needs to do his best to get everyone involved in the offense.

While I was wavering on who to pick for this expected great series, Michael Wilbon of ESPN and noted Chicago fan made a great point about Luol Deng and Keith Bogans.  He said 'They are defensive-minded guys first, Deng and Bogans would rather being doing that then scoring on offense.'  That earned a complete co-sign from me and think Chicago's man to man defense is going to cause the role players of the Heat to step up in ways we haven't seen all year.  If the Heat's much criticized bench lives up to this challenge, they deserve to win because as I have said before, I will doubt something until you make me a believer.

The point about Deng and Bogans also means Chris Bosh needs to play at another level in this series for the Heat to win. We haven't seen it out of Bosh all playoffs, but with the Bulls' only defensive liability in Carlos Boozer, Bosh might get his opportunity to put his stamp on this team. Also trust that the Bulls will give him his shots, just like no one forgets the kid who peed his pants in the 6th grade, no one forgets Bosh's woeful 1 for 18 performance against the Bulls earlier this season. I assume the Bulls attempt to shut down LeBron and DWade, and make the other players beat them. Call it the Anti-Dwight Howard if you will. 

The Heat are playing at the highest level, so are the Bulls, this usually equates to a great series. I think you are going to see LeBron get his chance to close out a pivotal game (Game 5 did speak volumes to me personally).  You also will see a bunch of great defense, and I will be shocked if either team gets over 100 points in regulation. There is a lot of things to like in this series and I for one cannot wait for tip off in the Windy City tonight.

-Charlie.

Brewers-Pirates Preview

I don't know what to think about the Milwaukee Brewers' season so far. It is like a bad season of Entourage right now where you get a couple good episodes here and there, but it's really just a shit season.  The Brewers have been far too inconsistent for me to consider them worthy of challenging for the NL Central crown.  They have owned the Pirates like I do with life so hopefully that trend continues for the both of us.



Friday
James McDonald (2-2 5.65) v. Yovani Gallardo (3-2 5.11)- Don't let McDonald's numbers fool you, he has pitched very well in his past three starts. He is a guy who a lot of people expected to make some noise for Buccos so the Brewers could have their hands full. Yovani takes the rubber after a near no-hitter on Saturday afternoon. I swear my motivation post inspired him to do great things. Yovani needs another good start in an attempt to get on track.

Saturday
Jeff Karstens (2-1 3.61) v. Chris Narveson (1-3 4.38)- So happy to see that asshole Karstens take the mound on Saturday afternoon.  I think it's fair to say that Karstens has been the chief instigator for a lot of the Brewer-Pirate bad blood. I hope for 4 long balls from Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder.  Narvie needs to get on track quickly or I would recommend Marco Estrada take some of his starts. He is having problems again with the big inning, and it's hurting the Brewers.

Sunday
Kevin Correia (5-3 3.25) v. Zack Greinke (1-1 5.40)- Correia had the Dave Bush Disease where he blew up in the sixth inning against the Brewers earlier this season in April.  He has good stuff and has pitched well this season therefore you cannot expect another bad start. Greinke tows the rubber for his second-straight home start. With the Sunday crowd, you always get a good atmosphere, and I assume it will be even better for him.

-Charlie.

Only Acceptable Heat Rant

I don't like the Miami Heat whatsoever. If you read my work on the NBA, you know that. But this is epic. Dan LeBatard did something along these lines for the New York Jets, but this is even better. He just comes at with line after line.  One word to say to you on this Friday... BAM!

-Charlie.

What If Dirk Played For The Milwaukee Bucks?

Jason McIntyre who is a fantastic writer for The Big Lead posted a question on Twitter yesterday afternoon about if people remembered that Dirk Nowitzki got traded on draft day. As a Milwaukee Bucks fan, I sure as hell do, the Bucks traded Nowitzki away for Robert 'Tractor' Traylor, that's like dealing Kate Upton for Kristie Alley. My buddy Bails pointed out that the Mavs were the only team who went overseas to scout Dirk so this trade was pretty much inevitable, but here is my question… why the hell didn't the Bucks scout Dirk? If you think about Dirk is perfect for Milwaukee. He is German and Milwaukee is a German-based city. The man would have had a beer named after him by the third year plus so many more endorsements from the Brew City.




Whenever we talk about these what-if situations, people always wonder if a player would be the same if he played elsewhere. My answer would be yes for Nowitzki because I truly believe he is a top 20 player of all time right now, and will climb up that ladder if the Mavs win the NBA Finals. I think a majority of the NBA teams could have drafted Dirk, and he would have been a great player. I believe 1998 was the last year that the Bucks picked in the lottery for a long time because Ray Allen hit his stride, Sam Cassell was brought in, and Glenn 'Big Dog' Robinson had already been in his prime at the time of drafting him. Nowitzki would not have any pressure in Milwaukee, and been allowed to grow in the first couple years. Let's also remember the Bucks missed out on Paul Pierce who was drafted a spot below Dirk, got to love the Bucks in the NBA Draft! 


If the Bucks kept Dirk, they would have easily been in the NBA Finals. The 2001 team that should have been in the NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers in the first place if it wasn't for David Stern playing the role of Vince McMahon guaranteeing the Philadelphia 76ers and Allen Iverson would be playing the Lake Show. It was a screw job, and everyone who watches basketball knows that. Sorry my rant is over about that, but Dirk would have played the four with a monster lineup that would have been the best team in the Eastern Conference. 


That team would have had Cassell-Allen-Big Dog-Nowitzki-Tragic Johnson with Tim Thomas coming off the bench as a vital sixth man. The other question I have, would Ray-Ray have played in Milwaukee for another 10 years? The naïve side of me that has purple jersey hanging in my childhood bedroom would like to think that could have been a possibility. To me, Dirk would have been the first basketball superstar the city of Milwaukee has seen in over 30 years. They had some great players in the 80s and in the 90s but no one at the level of Dirk. I do hope that Brandon Jennings or Andrew Bogut becomes that guy for a franchise that seems to be stuck in neutral.


The other side of this would be what if Dallas never got Dirk? I still think they find their superstar somewhere down the road because with Mark Cuban's money, they really were able to afford anyone. They might have kept Steve Nash and paired him up with another player. It's fun to play these sorts of games and wonder what if sometimes. Because these dreams will never be realities, rather just a wish that something better would have happened for your team. 

 
-Charlie.

First Taste: Falling Star (R3K Remix)

This is a pretty awesome mash-up. It has a funky beat plus includes two artists I enjoy very much in Kid Cudi and Florence and the Machine. A good jam to play outside today when working on homework, or when you get done with your finals. I will be away from the Tap today sadly after the 10 AM, so enjoy me while you can a-holes.

-Charlie.

Closing Time: Andrei Kirilenko Channels His Inner-Birdman

(Props to Ball Dont Lie) Seriously, this might be the scariest thing I have seen since the Betty White Sex Tape (kidding, thank God). Like what the hell is that? Gotta love Russians though, just pour AK47 some vodka and give him this tat in full. I bet he didn't even move a muscle for this enormous tattoo. Another thought... he has to have mirrors on his ceiling because that's the only way, this makes sense. He can watch his tattoo give his 'I don't care if you sleep with other women' smokebomb wife the business. Obviously, I await the Chris 'Birdman' Anderson counter. Your move Mr. Birdman.

-Charlie.

Tell Tale Signs From Triple Overtime

Last night I thought it would be just a normal sports night with nothing going on and allow for my hiatus to continue from writing some lengthy posts.  Oh, how wrong I was as the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Memphis Grizzlies in three overtimes last night 133-123. It was one of those games where there ended up being so many interesting story lines that came out of this game, and could define the rest of the NBA Playoffs.



The first thing the Tuesday Morning Point Guards have jumped on has been the lack of coaching that went on in this game, which made for a sloppy overtime period.  Now, I agree there were some horrific moments in this game, but when two teams play 63 minutes, it is obvious there are going to be a lot of flaws for us to nitpick.  Additionally, Lionel Hollins versus Scott Brooks is not like Phil Jackson versus Chuck Daly. Hollins made an obvious error by putting O.J. Mayo out there to foul when he had five, and don't even get me started with Mr. Brooks.

I tweeted yesterday that Brooks is the Ned Yost of the NBA.  The guy is absolutely clueless. There is no offense, and he has no idea how to manage his big guys. I understand Serge Ibaka's ankle is weak and had five fouls, but why did Ibaka only get in the game after Kendrick Perkins fouled out in the third OT?  It makes zero sense to me.  At least rotate him for defensive help, but BrooksYost babied his ankle way too much.  The other problem with Brooks' style is he forgot to tell Russell Westbrook to pass the ball.

Westbrook had 40 points, but it was a forced effort. He did not let the points come to him, instead Westbrook decided that he would have the ball at all times attempting to score each time down. He ignored the fact that he had Kevin Durant on his team who by the way, only shot 20 times compared to Westbrook's insanely high 33. Not to mention, Westbrook played six minutes less than KD making that number even more ridiculous.

The only fair defense of what happened last night would be Durant facing guys like Shane Battier and Tony Allen, two guys who are lock down defenders. Even so, I think KD can make things happen against those individuals. Durant not touching the ball for nine minutes is inexcusable. Westbrook's style of play reminded me of Allen Iverson or Stephon Marbury.  It was finally clear last night that Westbrook wants no part of being the second banana of this team.

I would like to see Westbrook dish it off to James Harden or Durant, and start to move around the court to create a better shot.  Westbrook has this theory about himself that he can do similar things to Derrick Rose, which he sure as hell cannot.  Oklahoma City isn't going to win a ton of games with Westbrook throwing up garbage at the rim. The worst thing about this all is that Brooks cannot handle these personalities so if this napalms on the Thunder, they will be split up like the Minnesota Timberwolves did back in the day when Marbury didn't realize his role of number 2.

-Charlie.

First Taste: Well This Is Awkward

Big Cat gave me this last night, and as a journalism student, I feel bad for the blonde who had to do the Shake Weight report then I feel bad when the anchor refers to South Park. That's when things got weird and the most sexual innuendo I have ever seen from a newcast. I am assuming they got in some trouble, but then again, it's Los Angeles. They live a fake life there.

-Charlie.

Closing Time: Jack Sparrow-The First Jam Of The Summer

Lonely Island has a new CD out this week. I don't know if I would recommend an entire CD by Samberg and the boys, but this song is golden. Michael Bolton who hasn't been relevant since Office Space absolutely kills it.  Oklahoma City-Memphis will be talked about tomorrow.

-Charlie.

First Taste: Live Jack Johnson To Start Your Monday

I know I haven't been around much to take care of my pride and joy SnoTap that it makes me sick, but just want to let you guys know that I am still around here.  Trust me, give me until next Wednesday and I will be back in full force for the summer. We do have Mitchy getting a press pass for Greinke Fest tonight (Sike! but really he is going).  Enjoy a nice Jack Johnson live tune I have been digging lately, and have a good one.

-Charlie.

Motivating The Milwaukee Brewers

(Might be the greatest montage of all time)

The Milwaukee Brewers have lost seven straight games, and find themselves in last place in the National League Central.  They also have the worst record in the National League along with two other teams. While I am not ready to join the done club, I am starting to get worried. It feels like this losing streak will never end, and the Brewers are making all the wrong moves whether it be pitching, defense, offense, etc... I thought about doing this a couple beers deep tonight to really get fired up, but instead, I restored to coffee, heavy metal, and this montage to rally the troops right now.



As Bruce Boudreau said once upon time, "So shit's not going right?  It's not f---ing working the last 10 days, f---ing, get your heads out of your ass, fucking make it work by f---ing outworking the opposition."  Seriously, sums up how the Brewers are playing right now.  A couple things are not working in the Brewers favor in what will be known as The Road Trip From Hell...

1.) The bullpen is having trouble holding leads, thank Uecker the Crew sent Sean Green's corpse to Nashville, and hopefully the others can figure that shit out because if they cannot, Milwaukee will be looking up at the rest of the division for the entire year.

2.) When the Brewers get down in game, they give up. They don't think they can rally and make something happen. When I can tell in Eau Claire, Wisconsin that you have quit on that game, nothing is more effing frustrated than that.  That has to stop immediately. If the Brewers get down in the next couple of games, I would like to see Ron Roenicke get tossed out of game... just flip shit on an umpire.

 3.) If Yovani struggles this afternoon, put his ass on the Disabled List saying he has elbow tightness or as I like to call it, The Jeff Suppan Special. Surely, the Crew can find someone better than Yo right now.  I hope he finds a way to get shit done against the Cardinals this afternoon.

4.) Start playing small ball again. They were in the beginning of the year, and it's disappeared into thin air. Start manufacturing runs, instead of looking for the long ball.

If you want me to provide some optimism, they only play on the road seven more times this month. Currently, their record stands at 5-14 on the road, and 8-5 at home. Hopefully, the fans at Miller Park can rally around this team without the boos and start providing additional motivation.  I am holding out hope that this something we as fans can laugh at by August 1st. But who knows, it has to start today against Kyle Lohse. The Crew have to turn the corner in the upcoming 10 days, or it could be another disappointing Milwaukee summer.

In case, the Brewers continue to look like a Class-A ball club this afternoon.  Here is an awesome Kate Upton video that can make any man feel better.



-Charlie.

Lights Out In Los Angeles?

I am really trying to remember the last time I remember a seven-game series in any sport that has been more polarizing than the Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Lakers.  I mean I am stunned.  I thought it would be good series, and put my ass out there saying this would be the best series out of the four.  Now, the Mavs have the Lakers on the brink of getting bounced from the Western Conference Semifinals. Even though I am struggling this Saturday morning to find the words to talk about this series, I am going to do the best I can.  

Before we talk about the Lakers struggles, Dirk Nowitzki is playing out of his mind. There is no question who is the best player on the court in this series. It seems like no shot is impossible for Dirk right now. Last night watching the game with my friends, I think we thought every shot Dirk took down the stretch was going in. Funny thing, Dirk didn't miss. I have ragged on Dirk for his playoff misfortunes in the past couple of years, and I need to give a ton of credit when it's due.  

The Lakers are a mess.  Right now, they look like the model-thin hot girl who is celebrating her 21st birthday weekend.... Just a drunken mess. They have no team concept whatsoever. The Lake Show turned into the Shit Show. My friends and I could not believe that Kobe Bryant didn't touch the ball nearly enough in the final three minutes last night as Dallas went on a 17-5 run to close out Game 3. The crazy thing about it is Bryant didn't give up like he is sometimes known to do, rather every other player tried to get theirs. For example, Pau Gasol tried backing down Dirk then tried to hit him with a Dirk-like fade away, clank. Lamar Odom sized up a defender, and attempted to isolate with Kobe's hands failing in the air also a clank. This team's chemistry is destroyed.  

 The Lakers are like this long time cruise liner that used to be very luxurious, but has suddenly become old with holes. Those holes are Derek Fisher, Steve Blake, Matt Barnes, and Pau Gasol turning into Charmin again. This ship is sinking fast, and Kobe Bryant cannot save it. I don't think Kobe can no longer carry his team to victory.  He just doesn't seem to have the ability to do it anymore. It's crazy to say that, but I think the exorbitant amount of games has finally caught up to Mr. Bryant. 

A part of me wants to see the Lakers win Game 4 and then the possibility win Game 5 making this a series again. But the other part of me who hates dynasties wants to see this team just quit and give up get blasted by twenty plus tomorrow afternoon. Sunday, very well could end the latest era in the NBA. 

-Charlie.

First Taste: The Golden Age

This is a good tune that you might have heard on the Heineken commercial in the past couple of months. I was downloading some music from Barstool U, and this song came up, which sounded familiar. It is a good way to start your Cinco de Drinko.  This probably the worst fake drinking holiday in the 12th month calendar, I mean it's suppose to show Mexican independence and heritage, but college kids just get hammered. St. Patrick's Day is pretty much the same way.

-Charlie.

Closing Time: Grilled Cheese of Champions

These guys are blowing up recently. I have seen a bunch of these in the last six months, and so have you probably. But if you haven't, this needs to be shared.  I am big fan of grilled cheeses, I make them frequently for lunch and sometimes for a quick dinner. You are lying to yourself if you wouldn't at least have a bite of this awesomeness. The batter alone might be worth my time. Cheesy Puffs and Jaegermeister is all a man needs.

-Charlie.

No Excitement For Ethier

In my opinion, Joe Dimaggio's 56 game hitting streak is one of the hardest records to break in all professional sports. It's not impossible for someone to do, yet it is really hard to see someone stay that consistent over an extended time period.  So I pose the question, when is okay to start monitor a hitting streak?  When I say that I mean, a baseball fan whether from Arizona, Iowa, or Wisconsin refreshing their gamecast to see if the player  got a hit that night.

The Los Angeles Dodgers' Andre Ethier has now hit safely in 29 straight games, and the buzz around him is starting to build. Now, it could be that he plays for a team in Los Angeles and he is a pretty notable player, but still, the national media has their focus on Ethier.  It personally does not excite me if you look at the numbers.



If Ethier hits safely in his next game, he will be the twentieth player in Major League Baseball history to have hit in 30 straight games. In addition, it's only ranks 35th on consecutive hitting streaks according to the Baseball Almanac.  While exciting for the hometown fans, it should not draw attention from the national media. By the way, the media is spinning this story as the Dodgers could use a positive story for the 2011 season with their ownership problems and fan violence. Anytime a player gets a significant hitting streak, everyone think this is the one to beat Joltin' Joe. Ethier has the ability to take down the Yankee Clipper, but let's not ask those questions yet.  Let's start building the buzz about Ethier when he gets to 35 because we know America loves round numbers, so if I were to tell you he has a top 20 hitting streak at game 33, I would get looked at like I am a leper.

Ethier heads out to the city that never sleeps for a three games against the New York Mets, then it's off to Pittsburgh. Both pitching staffs are not stellar, and Ethier might get some good pitches to extend that hitting streak. Definitely keep an eye out for this story in coming weeks, but do not get too riled up about it... yet.

-Charlie.

Chewy Wishes You A Happy Star Wars Day!

I read on Twitter that today is Star Wars Day. Who know that it's an actual holiday, but I am sure it's celebrated by a ton of people. Personally, my favorite character in Star Wars is Chewbacca. I love Chewy, the guy is awesome plus my friend Doz does the best Chewy impression in all our the greater midwest.  Hopefully, we have more stuff today, but school is getting very busy.

-Charlie.