NBA Playoffs Check-In: Most Likely Edition

It's been awhile since we checked in with the NBA Playoffs so let's do a pseudo preview two games into all of the series. 

Most Likely to Entertain: Oklahoma City-San Antonio - If this series ends in five, I would be stunned because these two teams are evenly matched. Both don't have an answer for the other. San Antonio's guards can't keep up with Russell Westbrook in company. Oklahoma City can't find a guy to put on LaMarcus Aldridge who is out of his goddamn mind. After the Game 2 fiasco, I'm interested to see how both teams respond in Game 3. I wouldn't be surprised if a blowout happen, but I'm thinking another close one.

Most Likely to Go Seven Games; Miami-Toronto - This is an old school playoff series from the early 2000's where you wouldn't have a lot of points, but you still get good games due to them all being close. The first two games went to overtime therefore it's a pretty easy assumption this could all the way to seven games. These teams are very evenly matched. DeMar DeRozan's free throws and Dwyane Wade's injuries are the current concerns.

Most Likely to Have a Superstar Missing: Portland-Golden State - I do believe the Warriors are doing the right thing by sitting Steph Curry, but that doesn't mean that we, the fan, aren't getting the best product. Golden State will probably take this five with Portland. This is a bad matchup for the Blazers whether Curry is on the court or not which is a bad sign.

Most Likely to End In a Sweep: Cleveland-Atlanta - How did we get here where Cleveland is beating everyone's ass into submission?  Cavaliers got hot at the right time and are on a whole another level than anyone left in the NBA Playoffs. I do believe Atlanta gets one at home, but I wouldn't be surprised if Cleveland goes 8-0. FU LeBron and FU Kyrie are a ton of fun. The chip on both their shoulders are huge.

Predators Win a Three-Overtime Thriller

It took 3 Overtime periods, but the @PredsNHL tied this series up in Game 4. Don't Miss A Moment. #StanleyCup https://t.co/b8aLfq8tLQ

— NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) May 6, 2016

Nashville Predators had never won an overtime game at their home rink.
Additionally, they have never been 2-2 with a team in the conference semifinals. Both changed on Thursday night as the Predators won in triple overtime with Mike Fischer finding the night to bring this series back to even. Great win for Nashville as they trailed late in regulation and needed a goal from James Neal with under five minutes left to force overtime.

The two teams will get together on Saturday night for Game 5. Good bar watch for those out on Saturday with the game starting at 9:00 pm.

Bench celly was awesome too.

A+ Bench Reaction https://t.co/gxRX2lbrhF

— NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) May 6, 2016

Charlie.

Justin Timberlake Notches Song of the Summer.

RED HOT FLAMES. I'm not a huge Justin Timberlake guy. I like him, but
recently, I'm not as into him as I was when he first start doing his solo stuff. But this is fantastic.  This is the Song of the Summer for sure, I don't really see how someone competes with this song. My man Feits made that claim yesterday and he was all over it. It's insanely catchy and just a feel good, summer, song.

Anna Kendrick dancing in this video doesn't suck either.

Charlie.

Reports Say Joe Paterno Knew About Sandusky's Child Abuse in 76'

The line in question states that one of Penn State's insurers has claimed "in 1976, a child allegedly reported to PSU's Head Coach Joseph Paterno that he (the child) was sexually molested by Sandusky."

The order also cites separate references in 1987 and 1988 in which unnamed assistant coaches witnessed inappropriate contact between Sandusky and unidentified children, and a 1988 case that was supposedly referred to Penn State's athletic director at the time. (via PennLive) 

Huge news out of the courts late Thursday afternoon told us the inevitable about Joe Paterno, former head football coach at Penn State. He knew all along about how vile Jerry Sandusky was and did nothing about it.  This is very much like the Catholic Church where they tried to cover it up and sweep it under the rug. This paints a very bad light into Paterno, the man, not the football coach. Penn State truthers are trying to deny this and defend Paterno as they do so weirdly yet this is a cut and dry fact versus speculation.

Charlie.

BrewCap Vol. 28: Help: Starting Pitching Wanted

Milwaukee Brewers faced a pitcher in Alfredo Simon who has been terrible to start the year. He's given up many home runs as well as can't really seem to find the strike zone. Yet Simon pitched into the eighth inning against Milwaukee as the starting pitching imploded for another day setting up a tired bullpen for the weekend in Cincinnati.

Player of the Game (Reds): Jay Bruce (OF) - Mama, there goes that man again. Jay Bruce will forever and always be the leader of the Brewers Killers Club, and that's not changing in 2016. He hit a three-run homer in the first inning to give the Reds a 3-0 lead very early on in this game. Why Brewers coaches haven't figured out a way to stop Bruce is puzzling.  It's been 10 years and he still those this stuff.

Golden Sombrero Honoree: Chase Anderson (P) - Remember when he started out the year with two scoreless outings?  Everyone thought maybe this guy will be the difference maker and become trade bait. Since then, he's been a disaster. Anderson surrendered six runs with one unearned on the night. It all happended in the first three innings of the game. Milwaukee cannot put themselves in a hole early on.

Lowlight: Great American always seems to not welcome Milwaukee - Brewers haven't been successful at Cincinnati for the past couple years, and tonight was no different. Anderson isn't a long-time Brewer, but it always seems Milwaukee loses any juice when playing at GABP. It could be a long weekend.

Highlight: For as bad as Anderson was tonight, Chris Capauno had his best night as a 2016 Brewer with two strong innings including five strikeouts. This is the first time in three appearances Capuano hasn't allowed a run.

Up Next; Wily Peralta is on paternity leave meaning Tyler Cravy gets the ball tomorrow night versus Tim Adleman making his second straight of his pro career. Could be a wild one.

Charlie.

Milwaukee Bucks Show Off Inside of New Arena

Milwaukee Bucks had a talk with the Journal Sentinel tonight at Turner Hall. They unveiled some of the looks of inside the stadium. This is completely different than what we have seen with the Bradley Center. The idea of the public bars, the club at the top level of the stadium along with the bowl being focused on basketball. The opportunities are endless for the Bucks with this new arena. It's much like when Miller Park was being built and the excitement around it. Look forward to seeing the finished product in two years.

Click to see the rest of the images. 

Charlie.

Packers WR Battle Shall Be Fascinating

Green Bay Packers are going to have quite the duel in the Dairyland for three Milwaukee Journal Sentinel said the only two 'safe' receivers are Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb. The rest could be cut or traded if need be to fill other roster needs. Here's how I see it shaking out for the Packers..
wide receiver spots with five receivers plus practice squad darlings available.

Ty Montgomery is your number three receiver, Davante Adams at four, Jeff Janis at five and Trevor Davis at sixth. Davis needs some time to grow, and Janis goes over Jared Abbrederis due to his special teams. If Montgomery has another injury, this could be a different story.  Love that Adams is getting targeted here. I see it as a bit of a motivation tool.

Charlie.

25 THREES THOUGH?????

How to hit 25 threes in a single @NBA game, courtesy of the Wine & Gold:#ALLin216https://t.co/nax4i1dU27

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) May 5, 2016

Holy hell. Cleveland Cavaliers announced themselves to the rest of the NBA
tonight. That's clear as day. They whooped the Atlanta Hawks with a rousing 123-98 victory where Cleveland, as a team, had 25 threes. J.R. Smith led the way with seven threes, and LeBron James scored 27 to lead all scorers. Only three Cavs players did not make a three, Timofey Mosgov, Tristan Thompson and James Jones.

Cavaliers have looked like the best team in the playoffs, and this isn't a weak Eastern Conference anymore. This series goes to Atlanta for Game 3 on Saturday.

Charlie.

BrewCap Vol. 26: Carter and Lucroy Carry Brew Crew

As the great Lou Brown once said, 'That's what we call a winning streak.'  After losing seven of eight, Milwaukee responded with three straight wins and will look for the sweep against Los Angeles Angels. This would be Milwaukee's first sweep of Los Angeles since 1996.

Player of the Game (Brewers): Chris Carter (1B) - Stay hot, Chris Carter. For the second time in three games, Carter belted two home runs in a game. He's had four home runs in the last three games. Carter is two off Nolan Arenado's lead for home runs in all of baseball. He's hitting .287 with a .356 OBP. Everyone wants to talk about trading Braun, but Carter will get a haul come July.

Golden Sombrero Honoree: Nick Tropeano (P) - Angels pitcher inherited a four-run and should have been able to cook from there. Instead, Tropeano gave up homers to Jonathan Lucroy and two to Carter resulting in five Brewers runs. It's a similar story to what happened with Jared Weaver last night.

Highlight: Not truly a highlight, but Junior Guerra settling down after the first three innings to pitch the next three without any issue. All of the damage happened early and it's worth seeing what he can do again on the mound when his start comes up again in the rotation.

The Big Moment: Michael Blazek nearly puked on his shoes in the seventh inning as he loaded the bases with no outs. Thankfully, he received some good defense from Yadiel Rivera then forced Yunel Esocbar to ground out into a double play. Good to see from this Milwaukee bullpen preserving a lead.

Up Next; As mentioned, Milwaukee will go for the sweep this afternoon. Hector Santiago has been very good to begin the year. Zach Davies has not and I believe if Davies struggles again, a move will be made with his spot in the rotation.

Charlie.

Not Many Will Remember Kyle Lowry's Buzzer-Beater

Classic Green Bay vs. Arizona situation for the Toronto Raptors tonight against Miami Heat. They trailed by three with three seconds left and no timeouts. This led to an amazing heave by Kyle Lowry at halfcourt for the tie.  Toronto would fail to capitalize in the overtime period and lose the game, 102-96.

If Miami wins this in five or six, no one is remember the shot Lowry took tonight. Also many will focus that Lowry is still practicing after the game into the wee hours of the night.

Charlie.

Ryan Reaves Blows Stars' Bench Kisses After a Scrap

Ryan Reaves blew the Stars bench a kiss, teammates copied him, Blues PA played Kiss by Prince #Mashup https://t.co/U8gHyYeT59

— CJ Fogler (@cjzero) May 4, 2016

St. Louis Blues trashed the Dallas Stars tonight in a 6-1 #BEATEMDOWN at Scottrade Center to get a 2-1 lead. Stars wanted to win the fight at the end of the game though, and enforcer Ryan Reaves was having absolutely none of it. He laid the literal #BEATEMDOWN on him, and after Reaves finished him off, he blew a kiss to the Stars' bench which is about as disrespectful as it gets. Game 4 will be on Thursday night.

Ryan Reaves has had enough of Curtis MacKenzie. Welcome to the #StanleyCup Playoffs, kid. #WeAllBleedBlue pic.twitter.com/q5psGLTckm

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) May 4, 2016

Charlie.

BrewCap: What We've Missed

Since it's my blog and I'm trying new things why not a BrewCap to summarize the last four days since blogging?  We do some Halo talk but mostly Fish. 

Angels-Brewers

Jeremy Jeffress with a nice Francisco Rodriguez tribute: Scared me half to death. 

Mike Trout likes Miller Park: Four hits in his first game. 

Jimmy Nelson is growing into a star: Great to see from the young pitcher who'se been real good thus far. 

Hope Braun and Santana are alright: Both outfielders suffered from minor muscle aches. 

Marlins-Brewers

Adam Conley's near no-no: Found myself at Miller Park for this feat and I couldn't have been more mad at Don Mattingly. While I understood posthumously why he did it, it sucked inside the ballpark. When will you see a no hitter live? 

The artist formerly known as Mike Stanton is pretty strong: That was some home run. Just an absolute moonshot from him. 

Same goes for Chris Carter: He came up big on Sunday with two homers to help push Milwaukee ahead. 

TRIPLE PLAY: It's awesome to see live because people who weren't paying attention have no idea why the Brewers are walking off the field.  

Wily Peralta is a bum: No excuse for giving up 13 hits and five runs in a game where your team spotted you eleven runs. Peralta isn't good and we might need to accept it. 

Two straight wins, two more before the famous tweet.

Charlie. 

Tapping The Keg Podcast Ep. 188: A Bar Crawl for Rants

0:00-8:00 Mitch and Charlie come back for another edition where they start on a happy note talking about Leicester City's improbable EPL championship.

8:00-15:00: We talk about how the 90's Pub Crawl here in Milwaukee this weekend is stealing your money.

15:00-31:00: We talk about the Packers draft pick as well as a pinhead report dedicated to sportswriters.

32:00-37:00: Mitch and I look at the NBA Playoffs as to where they stand now. Of course, the Thunder-Spurs play the best game of the playoffs and it's the night we tape, that's our luck.

37:00-42:00: We wrap with some Brewers talk.

Thunder-Spurs Fiasco Is Exactly What NBA Needed

The entire crazy ending to the OKC-Spurs game pic.twitter.com/UyE0wye2u2

— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) May 3, 2016

Last night's finish to Game 2 Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs game was easily the best finish in the playoffs thus far. A playoffs where 16 games have finished with over 20 point victories, and the league MVP Steph Curry is out with injury. NBA Playoffs lost interest with the casual fan until last night's game. That's what it takes to pull them back in.

Game 3 Thunder-Spurs on Friday night (Sidenote: Waiting until Friday for the next game is bullshit but whatever) is a must-watch game.  When have we said that about these playoffs? Not yet.  All that's needed is one more series to provide a little drama and intrigue, and the NBA Playoffs will be back in the front of everybody's brains.

As for the play itself, it's one big onion. So many layers to peel from this one. Dion Waiters probably hit Manu Ginobili and should have been called for an offensive foul. Ginobili hounded him and could have been called for interference. Kevin Durant got taken to the ground. Someone grabbed Steven Adams for Christ sakes!  Not to mention, Kawhi Leonard disappeared and San Antonio could have made an easy bucket for the win yet took the three-pointer.

i’m so woke i’m dead https://t.co/TLz7mQtjxO

— Greg Howard (@greghoward88) May 3, 2016

Charlie.

Letter From The Editor

Dear SnoTap,

Awhile back, I had said "We weren't going anywhere, but changes might be
coming from the post structure to how we're doing the day-to-day."  Flash forward to today, I haven't posted a blog since Friday morning. That's one of the longest spans of time in SnoTap history. One thing I promised myself is to always get back on the horse. People would start blogs only to end them three weeks later because it's hard and not easy.

That being said, we've failed you in many ways. I could be doing so many cool things utilizing social media and blogging yet I fail to capitalize due to being a human being. This isn't my job. I get paid elsewhere, and sure, I could kill myself to 3:00 am each day churning out blogs yet the message doesn't seem to be as effective as it once was for this site.

I like to blog, simply put. I'm not sure what I do without blogging. I'm sure I would read more which is probably good for me, but other than that, I could imagine there would be a void in my life. Maybe write a book, but who knows what that would be about for me. That being said, I didn't really miss it over the last four days. It sucked not to cover each Packers draft pick or bemoan about Brewers pitching yet I'm not getting the results I want from this space.

So what now?  I pride myself that we were ahead of the curve with sports/pop culture then fell behind while the ground swell of the market overtook the market. SnoTap 3.0 or 4.0 will make a comeback in that way.  As well as put our focus on Wisconsin sports and Wisconsin culture related topics more so Milwaukee and colleges.

I'm not quitting and turning out the lights here. Rather, I'm trying to develop something that will have a different feel for the City of Milwaukee and the State of Wisconsin. Right now, our city starves for things that aren't the same old thing. There will be an announcement similar to this when the NBA Finals come around.

Love you all and thank you for reading through the years, it's time to start fresh. Whatever that means.

Any suggestions, drop me a line on Twitter 

Charlie.

Scooter Heads to DL; Garza Moved to 60 Day

Milwaukee Brewers lost 7-2 against Chicago on Thursday afternoon. Milwaukee also lost Scooter Gennett for the next 15 games or longer with an oblique injury. Gennett started off the season with some spice will miss a good part of May. This means Jonathan Villar will get penalty of opportunities to hit at the two spot when Domingo Santana comes back from whatever he's dealing with currently. Gennett hasn't done a great job of staying healthy.

Matt Garza's injury was clearly worse than believed putting him on the 60-day means he's going to miss the first two months of the season. Not sure if Garza makes that much of a difference with these pitchers.

Charlie.

Johnny Manziel is a Nomad

Has anyone consider this theory?  Johnny Manziel might be a nomad walking around the United States looking for his next party. Last week it was Coachella, this week, it's a Justin Bieber concert in Columbus. Do you think when Manziel looks up at the draft, he goes 'What the fuck happen?'  Like he has to ask himself that question, correct?  I would.

Charlie.

Dee Gordon Popped For 80 Games due PED's

Big news very late last night featuring Dee Gordon of the Miami Marlins, the
Milwaukee Brewers next opponent. They swept the Los Angeles Dodgers only to have Gordon drop his appeal and take his 80-game suspension. They are two PED's, and this is a bad look for baseball from an optics perspective.

For starters, Gordon is a very good player, and this is most notable player since Ryan Braun. He also is African-American which hurts as the MLB continues to grow the game to black audiences, and one of their prominent black baseball players gets busted. Further, there's the whole Barry Bonds is their hitting coach, and what does that mean for Gordon? That's completely reckless yet the media is banging that drum.

Baseball has the strictest penalties and tests yet players are still being caught for PED's.  Gordon's brand doesn't change for me. I'm very anti-public shaming when a player does PED's. Mistakes happen and if Gordon did for injury recovery, he deserves to take thm.

Charlie.

Myles Jack Wasn't Worth First Round Risk

Packers fans are upset after the first day of the draft. In related news, water is wet and the grass is green. Kenny Clark isn't going to wow anyone right now because he's not a player from Alabama and his teammate Myles Jack did not get drafted in the first round. He projected as a top 10 pick, and teams are scared off due to his knee injury. 

A lottery ticket isn't a smart decision in the first round. Look at New England, they went after Dominique Easley two years ago in Round 1 who had multiple injury issues, and he ended up cut. There's no guarantee Jack would be a top flight linebacker for this team.  Jack could fit into the Packers system yet many see him as a tweener, not a legit middle linebacker. Green Bay went with the safe option, and I cannot fault them for that move. No one knows Jack's trajectory even if people are trying to make him an All-Pro. 

The Bama thing blows my mind a bit. All three players - Reggie Ragland, A'Shawn Robinson and Jarran Reed are great run-stuffers, but there's no evidence they can do anything against the pass. Just because they went to Bama doesn't make them a sure thing. 

Charlie. 

Should The Packers Trade Up Tomorrow?

Besides Laremy Tunsil, the headline of the NFL Draft will be many notable, high-profile, players are going to be picked in the second round. The biggest one, Myles Jack, who scared teams off with the potential of a microfracture surgery.

The other names who are still available in Day 2 -> DT A'Shawn Robinson, ILB Reggie Ragland, CB Mackensie Alexander, DE Jarran Reed, DE Noah Spence, WR Michael Thomas, DE Chris Jones, DT Andrew Billings and DE Kevin Dodd.

All of these players were mocked in a first round in the past month. Green Bay would be wise to trade up in the middle part of the second round if one of these players continues to fall tomorrow evening.  Although how this draft is developing it seems like talent will be there when the Packers pick late in the second round.

Fun first day, let's do it again tomorrow.

Charlie.

Packers Draft Kenny Clark from UCLA

Ted Thompson had a bevy of choices for the Green Bay Packers pick at 27th. There were linebackers available, defensive tackles and some offensive linemen as well. Thompson went with defensive tackle Kenny Clark from UCLA.  He's an absolute monster in the middle.  Clark showed well against the run for his entire college career and got better against the pass in his final year.

Clark is young at age 20 which is awesome and will have a lot of time to grow in the Green Bay Packers system. I'm not sure if it's a lock he's starting on day 1, but I wouldn't be shocked if that's the case.

Charlie.

Miami Takes Laremy Tunsil; Instagram Gets Hacked

Literally 10 minutes after I posted a blog about Laremy Tunsil, he gets drafted by Miami Dolphins and his Instagram hacked.  I feel terrible for Tunsil. This is supposed to be one of the greatest days of your life, and instead, he's dealing with a public relations nightmare.

The Instagram posts refer to paying rent through an Ole Miss coach which could make things a little interesting.

Charlie.

Laremy Tunsil Tanking Due to a Bong Hit

Gotta respect Laremy Tunsil tweeting out how strong his lungs are 10 minutes before he gets drafted pic.twitter.com/cq9SV3GdZ9

— Barstool Sports (@barstooltweets) April 29, 2016

Right before the start of the NFL Draft, Laremy Tunsil, the Ole Miss offensive
tackle, had his Twitter account hacked with a picture of him smoking weed out of a bong. Tunsil rocked a sweet executioner mask while doing it as well.  Many believe his stepdad who is suing him hacked his account and posted the video which is the one of the saddest things I've ever heard.

Who knows where Tunsil will go at this point. Seattle would be an absolute steal, and if I'm Green Bay and he's there, you take him.

Charlie.

Green Bay Packers Draft Favorites

Green Bay Packers will have the fourth-to-last pick in this year's NFL Draft. They will be picking 27th. The saturated marketplace that is mock drafts have Green Bay taking all sorts of players. In order to get a better understanding of tonight's proceedings, let's look at 10 mock drafts from 10 outlets and see if we can find a similarity. 

Andrew Billings (DT) - Baylor: Peter Schrager from FOX Sports (Don't think anyone would be complaining about that one). 

Collectively, CBS Sports is also on the Billings train

Kenny Clark (NT) - UCLA: Bob McGinn, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Say what you will about McGinn, he's the gawd at this game. Clark would be solid, and never doubt TT going back to UCLA for talent).   

R

Jarran Reed (NT) - Alabama: Matt Miller, Bleacher Report (This is 14 days old, my guess is Miller will run one today, but still worth nothing. Reed is a run-stop machine. 

Javon Hargrave (DT) - South Carolina State: Daniel Jeremiah, NFL Network (This would be the most Ted Thompson pick ever and with Jeremiah's past scout experience, I almost think it's happening) 

Vernon Butler (DT) - Louisiana Tech: Dan Kadar, Mocking The Draft (Butler is picking up momentum in the past few weeks. McGinn said if Clark and Butler are both available, he'd lean Butler too) 

Reggie Ragland (LB) - Alabama: Josh Norris, Rotoworld (There he is!  The Packers Pinhead golden child, not a fan personally). 

Peter King of the MMQB went with Ragland as well. 

Laquon Treadwell (WR) - Mississippi: Don Banks, Sports Illustrated

Darron Lee (OLB) - Ohio State: Doug Farrar, Sports Illustrated  (If either happen, I will be doing cartwheels down my street). 

The general consensus is Green Bay will look at defensive tackle in the first round. Only a few fray from that area of need for the Packers. Personally, I think Green Bay trading out of the first round.  Paxton Lynch, Christian Hackenberg or Connor Cook will be in need and some team will want to trade up for him. Maybe the Browns or Niners and Packers will do it. 

Charlie.  

Dwight Howard A Buck? Hope Not.

Rumors are swirling around what teams might have early interest for Dwight Howard. The candidates so far are Orlando, Charlotte, Portland and Milwaukee. All four have young, talented, rosters to be prennieal playoff teams. But are we sure Howard isn't a vile teammate who seems to always burn whatever bridge he's on?

Charlotte makes the most sense. They have the Michael Jordan influence to keep him in check, and Steve Clifford is a no nonsense coach. Milwaukee would probably be third. They are a young team needing veteran leadership, but that's not what Howard will bring to the table. Instead, he will bring demands to be the number one and try to be the star of the team taking the shine away from Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker.

If Howard were an above average role player and acted like it, I'm all for it. Howard's skills and stature are perfect for Milwaukee yet he's a diva, and Milwaukee isn't a place where divas succeed, ask Sheffield.

Charlie.

Mason Plumlee Can't Stop Getting Dunked On

DeAndre Jordan absolutely BAPTIZES Mason Plumlee 😳https://t.co/Stv2klf1np

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 28, 2016

Is it wrong of me to call Mason Plumlee, "Yung Shawn Bradley" because that's what it looks like out there. Plumlee loves to get dunked on. In Game 2, Blake Griffin did it and now in Game 5, DeAndre Jordan delivered the absolute ruckus.  Some might say 'Well, he's trying to block a shot' but in reality, he's the stereotype and making all big Caucasians look bad out there. The funniest part about this is Plumlee is having a great playoffs minus the getting dunked on.

Portland still won and will look for their second playoff series in win in three years.

Charlie.

Courtney Lee's Three Gives Hornets a 3-2 Lead

GAME CHANGER: Courtney Lee's 3 with 25.2 left in regulation brought the big W. #EnterTheSwarm pic.twitter.com/nnajA0TNgG

— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) April 28, 2016

What a game tonight in South Beach as Charlotte wins their third straight game to put Miami on the brink of elimination. I certainly didn't see this coming from Charlotte. I knew they played well down the stretch but thought Miami had the superior team. Charlotte battled again tonight with Miami, and after a botched layup, Courtney Lee hit the go-ahead three late in the game to put Charlotte ahead for good.

This will be Charlotte's first close out game at home since 2000-2001 where the swept the third-seeded Miami Heat in three games. They get another chance on Friday night.

Charlie.

Why Wouldn't An NFL Team Sign JaMarcus Russell?

I love comeback stories. They are always great, no matter the sport. There's a Sports Illustrated video coming out today with JaMarcus Russell, the former Oakland Raider. He talks about wanting to play again for an NFL team. This is a no-brainer for a struggling franchise a couple years away from competitive football.

NFL failed multiple times with this concept, but this is exactly why we need a D-League for football played in the offseason. Imagine Russell suiting up for an NFL AAA roster and being awesome then coming back full time?

Charlie.

Jaylon Smith is Worth The Risk For Green Bay

If the Fiesta Bowl didn't happen, we are talking about Jaylon Smith going
somewhere in the top 10. Smith was one of the best linebackers in college football at Notre Dame. There has been a great deal of discussion here in Wisconsin if Smith is there at 55 in the second, do you draft him knowing the concerns?  The answer is yes.

More and more, I think Green Bay is trading down to the high second round because the value is in the second and third rounds. If Ted Thompson gets an extra pick, Smith is a lottery ticket.  If he's great, the Packers have the steal of the last 10 years, and if he isn't, it was the worth the risk, you never know until it's tested out. Smith would be an impact player in a couple of years.R Packers have a real keen eye on second round talent as some of Thompson's best picks come out of the second round.

Reggie Ragland is the one everyone wants at inside linebacker, and I'm unsure about him. He doesn't strike me  as an upgrade from anyone on this roster. Smith would be an interesting route to solve the linebacker problem.

Charlie.

A.J. Hawk Released; Ted Wins Again

Look, I'm not trying to pour dirt on A.J. Hawk. Cincinnati Bengals released the veteran linebacker today. But like I've said before, this is why Ted Thompson is the General Manager. He rarely keeps guys too long (Uh, don't look at Bryan Bulaga, thx) and usually makes the right call on guys like Hawk. Just a friendly reminder when contracts are up next season for certain offensive linemen.

Charlie.

Is Drake The New Spike Lee?

Remember in the 90's, how annoying Spike Lee was to people who were and weren't New York Knicks fans. Watch the 30 for 30 'Winning Time' where Spike and Reggie Miller were the focus. People HATED Spike. I like Drake's music, but I cannot stand him as a basketball fan. I get the support and being a minority owner, but man, we are going to get a player x versus Drake moment and it's going to be awesome.

BrewCap Vol. 20: Milwaukee's Rally Falls Short

Year 2 of the BrewCap where we look at all of the things during one Milwaukee Brewers game. This is a rough year so we'll try to keep it light and humorous without getting too mad about things unless it's really terrible. 

Milwaukee Brewers knew they were in a for tall task against the Chicago Cubs
this week. Cubs hold the best record in baseball and have been destroying teams of late... Well just the Cincinnati Reds, but still, many believed this could be a rough series for the neighbors to the north. Milwaukee couldn't recover from a three run deficit and fell 4-3. It's their fourth loss in five games.

Player of the Day (Cubs) - Addison Russell (SS): I'm not ready to give Addison Russell, Brewers killer status, but he's getting up there. Russell seems to always play a hand in giving Chicago an advantage versus Milwaukee. Russell came through with a two-out two-run triple off Carlos Torres who replaced Jimmy Nelson in the middle of the inning. This broke a 1-1 game, and Chicago wouldn't look back.

Golden Sombrero Honoree - Scooter Gennett hurt: News came down from Craig Counsell after the game Scooter Gennett is suffering from oblique tightness. Not a good thing as Gennett has been a power source for the team and a productive hitter. Hopefully, he doesn't see any DL time, and I would guess he's out for the Chicago series given the weather conditions.

Lowlight: Ryan Braun's Stupid Off Day - Look I'm not mad at Ryan Braun. Everyone needs off days, and no one is Jason Kendall.  Braun planned to take Sunday off, but he was feeling it so he played thus given today off as a way to keep the back fresh. Braun came off the bench and a pinch-hit two-run double. He stays hot even when he's on the bench for most of the game. Braun.

Missed Opportunities - Braun did drive in two runs, but two hitters, Domingo Santana and Jonathan Villar, had a chance to drive in the Brewers slugger to tie the game and failed to do it.  Both left weakly with a strikeout and a popout. Also there's no reason the fourth run should have scored tonight. Milwaukee bungled that inning.

Next Up: Taylor Jungmann will try to rid himself of some Wrigley demons from last season while taking on one of the best in the game, Jake Arrieta. Crowd will be in full throat with Arrieta's return to Wrigley after a no-hitter. Brewers weren't hitting against him before it was cool.

Charlie.

Tigers Tyler Collins Has a Case of the Monday's

Looks like Tyler Collins will not be welcomed in Detroit anymore after this play...https://t.co/RydvHrYN1y

— 120 Sports (@120Sports) April 26, 2016

Detroit Tigers outfielder Tyler Collins misplayed a ball in last night's win against the Oakland Athletics. Detroit's fanbase gave him a hard time about losing the ball in the lights, and Collins promptly flicked them all off. This is a GREAT move.

We don't flick people off enough. It's the perfect non-verbal way to get your point across very quickly. Glad Collins went the bird route because the whole Andrew Shaw thing would have been a million times better if he had just went double bird and not gay slur.

Charlie.

Tapping The Keg Episode 187: NFL Draft, Trading Braun, RIP Prince

Given I'm limited on time, I'm going to do this a  little differently. You are going to have the same time stamps but there will not be much content behind it. We talked about Prince, NFL Draft, Steph Curry and the NBA Playoffs along with a bit of NHL Playoff talk plus should the Brewers trade Ryan Braun?

0:00-10:00: Prince

10:00-22:00: NFL Draft - More Packer draft talk around 13-20 minute mark.

22:00-31:00: To trade or not to trade Ryan Braun

31:00-34:00: NBA Playoffs

34:00-38:00: NHL and some new arena ice talk

Kevin Durant Drops a Bomb on Mark Cuban

Thunder's Kevin Durant responds to Mavericks owner Mark Cuban saying Russell Westbrook isn't a "superstar" pic.twitter.com/6jPw9WktV0

— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) April 26, 2016

Oklahoma City Thunder forward will not be appearing on ABC's "Shark Tank" any time soon. After Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said Russell Westbrook wasn't a star, Durant proceeded to answer the question for Westbrook then call him an 'idiot' a couple times and asked for a next question. Durant and Westbrook move to the second round to face the San Antonio Spurs in a series beginning on Saturday night.

Charlie.

Chris Paul Fractured His Hand in Game 4

Chris Paul has a third metacarpal fracture on his right hand and will not return

— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) April 26, 2016

CHAOS. A day after Steph Curry sprains his MCL, Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul breaks his third metacarpal in his finger which basically connects the middle finger to the wrist per Arash Markazi of ESPN. Paul is going to miss quite some time with his injury especially if this affects his wrist in any way. Just when the Clippers saw an opening with the Warriors star down with an injury, it gets closed shut with Paul's injury.

To make matters worse, Blake Griffin went to the locker room with a sore quadriceps, the same one he hurt earlier this year. Clippers currently trail Portland in Game 4.

Charlie.

Blackhawks Season Ends With a Double Post

Double Post?! An unbelievable finish to an unbelievable Game 7. Don't Miss a moment. #StanleyCup https://t.co/yGRoqWEFBv

— NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) April 26, 2016

It's been about an hour, and I'm still not sure how we didn't get overtime in Game 7 of Chicago Blackhawks-St. Louis Blues. Brent Seabrook could have sent this game to an extra period yet that didn't happen as the puck hit off the post twice failing to fall in the net. Brian Elliot did a great job getting a slight paw on it as well. St. Louis would hold on in the last four minutes to preserve the victory and move on to the second round for the first time in four years. They will play Dallas Stars which will be quite the contrast of stars.

Charlie.

Badgers Basketball Picks Up Two Recruits This Weekend

Wisconsin Badgers' 2016-2017 team is almost set depending on Nigel Hayes' decision to stay or go pro. Greg Gard picked up two recruits from ING Academy - D'Mitrik Trice and Aleem Ford. Trice is the younger brother of former Michigan State guard Travis Trice, and he's been gaining steam as a recruit since going the prep school route after high school. Trice is the first Wisconsin Badger point guard recruit in five years.

Ford is a player who picked up attention when Wisconsin looked at Trice, and Gard thought he would be useful on the team. My guess is one of these guys will rock a redshirt next season. Trice is more important for life after Bronson Koenig which begins after next season.

Charlie.

Charley Hoffman's Big Birdie Helps Take Texas

There were many things on television this weekend that were better to watch
than the Texas Open. Hell, Rickie Fowler's Snapchat stories was better than the tournament for the first three and a half days. But the finish on Sunday rivaled anything we've seen this year. Charley Hoffman finally closes out a tournament and had his first PGA Tour win in a couple years after being close a bunch of times. Hoffman is known for being a golfer there on Friday then somewhere near the middle by the end of it.

He closed this one out with Patrick Reed right on his ass. Reed who has been great this year without a victory nearly chipped in for eagle on the final hole. Reed made birdie to put pressure on Hoffman who had a 20-footer for birdie. He drilled it for the victory and Hoffman took home the Texas Open.

Winning putt. Winning reaction. 🏆

Congratulations Charley Hoffman on claiming the Valero Texas Open!https://t.co/kLiO5pCT1q

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 24, 2016

The PGA heads to the Nola where the scoring should be high and a pretty solid field, much better than this week.

Charlie.

Wild Fans are Still Wondering 'How Did That Miss?'

Here’s a look at how close the Wild came to tying it pic.twitter.com/9RA1fB3ZfV

— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) April 24, 2016

Poor Minnesota. We had Blair Walsh earlier this year and now we get the near miss by Minnesota Wild to force overtime versus Dallas Stars. This was a furious comeback by the Wild who trailed by four goals. This game itself played out into absolute chaos as there would be five total goals scored in the third period alone. Dallas will move on to face the winner of the Chicago/St. Louis Game 7 tomorrow night. (H/T Pete Blackburn) 

Charlie.

BrewCap Weekend Wrap-Up: Braun and Carter Help Prevent Sweep

Milwaukee could have had a real ugly weekend if the offense didn't come through in the sixth inning. A sweep to the Philadelphia Phillies at home isn't good, but it's even worse when the next series is at Chicago versus the red-hot Cubs. Thankfully, Milwaukee found a way to win one game out of the series before visiting the Northsiders on Tuesday. 

Sunday

Milwaukee 8 Philadelphia 5: Ryan Braun and Chris Carter are what make the Brewers click with their lineup. When both players are running hot, this offense can put up five or six runs. I'm curious whether Jonathan Lucroy will be moved to fifth in order to pair Braun and Carter back-to-back. Both players are red hot to begin the season. Good to see Kirk Niewenhuis, Jonathan Villar and Alex Presley all get in the mix as well.  Wily Peralta pitched okay which is his second straight average outing. Peralta still had some issues yet he worked around those problems. 

Saturday

Philadelphia 10 Milwaukee 6: Chase Anderson had another rough start on the mound as Maikel Franco took him to town as well as Osdual Herrera. Milwaukee came very close to stealing this one. Aaron Hill hit a sacrifice fly very deep into left which would have been a three-run homer and a Brewers lead if it carries a little bit more. Additionally, Milwaukee went from trailing by one to four in the ninth with a Cesar Hernandez double off Jeremy Jeffress then a Herrera home run.  Braun and Carter both went deep in this game as well. 

John Tavares Gives Islanders First Playoff Series in 23 Years

John Tavares IS Captain Clutch. #StanleyCuphttps://t.co/sKMZzymhJv

— #StanleyCup Playoffs (@NHL) April 25, 2016

It's hard not to like the New York Islanders. They have a group of young,
talented, players with a great deal of heart. Islanders played a great series last year versus Washington Capitals, and a few years ago with Pittsburgh Penguins. New York finally broke through beating the Florida Panthers in six games. Isles recovered from being down 2-1 to take the next three games. John Tavares, the leader of this team, was an absolute stud tonight with the game-tying and game-winning goal.

New York moves on to play the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Charlie.

Minnesota Wild's Prince Tribute Was Great

With the Minnesota Twins playing in Washington, the Minnesota Wild were the first team to play in the Twin Cities after the passing of Prince. They did a great tribute of one of Minnesota's golden children. I loved having the lights all dark with purple all over the arena. Wild also changed their goal song to a Prince tune as well.  Too bad for Minnesota, they would fall to Dallas, 5-4.

Charlie.

Steph Curry Is Hurt Again; This Time It's a Knee

Uh-Oh Steph Curry limping after slipping on the court pic.twitter.com/SzLkBzjieB

— gifdsports (@gifdsports) April 24, 2016

Golden State Warriors won Game 4 versus Houston, but they did it mostly without Steph Curry. At the end of the first half, Curry did the splits on the court leading to a knee injury. Warriors are saying it's a sprained knee, and others have said it might be a sprained MCL which would keep Curry out for a little bit.

If it is an ACL, the NBA Playoffs are completely different. We will not go there yet, but it feels like this isn't going to be easy for Golden State.

Charlie.

BrewCap Vol. 17: Franco's Big Flys Power Phillies

Year 2 of the BrewCap where we look at all of the things during one Milwaukee Brewers game. This is a rough year so we'll try to keep it light and humorous without getting too mad about things unless it's really terrible. 

Up and down we go with the Milwaukee Brewers. They win a couple in a row, and they lose a couple in a row. Currently, they sit at 7-10, and it would be great to not completely bottom out here with a road trip to Wrigley looming next week. Zach Davies struggled again in his second start of the season, and Milwaukee couldn't find their offense. Brewers have scored three runs in the last two games.

Player of the Day (Phillies) - Maikel Franco (3B): Philadelphia's big slugger sent out two home runs in this game to help Philadelphia push their lead out to four runs. Milwaukee only trailed by a run before Franco sent out a two-run shot yesterday. He added another one in the seventh inning. Franco hasn't been heard from much this season, but he liked playing at Miller Park.

Golden Sombrero Honoree - Domingo Santana: Zach Davies deserves some complaining, but Santana had a bad night at the plate with three strikeouts. First real time this season where a pitcher, in this case, Aaron Nola, gave him some real issues. I don't think there's any need to worry about Santana for the long run.

Lowlight: How long is Davies' leash? - Will the Milwaukee Brewers employ a 'Next man up' philosophy with their starters? Thus far, the returns on Davies aren't good yet it's only two starts. He makes his next one versus Chicago at Wrigley Field which might not be the fairest assessment. My guess is Davies gets two more starts before pulling the plug. 

Missed Opportunities - This isn't when the game turned yet Milwaukee could have done some real damage in the first two innings and failed to capitalize as they left multiple runners stranded in both innings. Brewers could have gave Davies more of a cushion than just one run.

Next Up: Chase Anderson looks to rebound from his rough outing versus Minnesota on Saturday night versus Philadelphia. Phillies will bring Charlie Morton, former Pirates pitcher, to the mound. Ryan Braun and Aaron Hill both have great small sample size numbers against him.
Charlie.

NBA Playoffs Recap: The Beard Awakens

I would love a more creative name than 'Playoffs Recap' but this is going up late among other things. Anyways, I'm hoping these will be up daily until we get into the championship series where we'll do more of a 'Bucks Buzz' feel to things. Enjoy. 

Houston 97 Golden State 96
Headline: Houston gives themselves a shot - After two games of lifeless basketball from the Rockets, they actually decided to give a shit, and it paid off for them. Houston should have won this game by double-digits, but they let Golden State back into the game with Ian Clark leading the charge. James Harden found his late-game mojo when he needed the most.

Player of the Game: James Harden - One of his best performances of the season. Harden finished with 35 points, nine assists and eight rebounds. He acted like the cock of the walk which we haven't seen from him most of the season.

Oklahoma City 131 Dallas 102
Headline: Things get chippy in Big D - Oklahoma City pulled away in this game, but the game did hover around 10 points for awhile in the third quarter. During that time and after, Oklahoma City-Dallas seemed to move to a near fight almost every three minutes. It started with Raymond Felton chicken-winging Steven Adams which is a fitting move for Felton's weight and a classic short guy move. All on team Adams.

Player of the Game: Russell Westbrook: Take your pick as Kevin Durant and Westbrook combined for 60 points tonight. Westbrook gets it due to being more efficient from the field as well as 15 assists. Good night for Russ.

Toronto 101 Indiana 86
Headline: Pacers lay a complete egg - Not sure whether Dwane Casey making some great adjustments or Indiana played over their heads in Game 1, but the last two matchups have been entirely different. Toronto set the pace early and jumped out to a 17 point lead at halftime. Raptors looked like they're ready to be here for a long time.

Player of the Game: DeMarre Carroll - If you want a subplot to these playoffs, keep an eye on Carroll. He had a huge playoffs for the Hawks last season, and it appears he's fully recovered from his knee injury. Carroll had 17 points tonight, the most since November 29th.

Charlie.

Wally Ellenson Departs From Marquette Basketball

Rumors bubbled on Thursday morning, Marquette forward Wally Ellenson would no longer be with the Golden Eagles basketball team. Cryptic tweets and unfollows from the Ellenson family pointed in that direction. It was made official on Thursday afternoon. This look doesn't appear to be a good one for Marquette at this juncture. Will that change?  Only Steve Wojciechowski will know that answer.

Ellenson is easily the most expendable player on the roster. Minus who his brother is, he doesn't have a role on this team. Marquette needed someone to go in order to get a big man. My guess is Wojciechowski still recruiting guys was a subtle attempt to get a player to transfer out of Marquette. Some thought Sandy Cohen or Sacar Amin might want a new team, but it didn't happen leaving Marquette with the Ellenson decision.

Wojciechowski cannot cite the track and field being a concern since they allowed that to happen last season.  Did he hint at wanting to try for the Olympics and that scared Wojciechowski?  Ellenson didn't have the best reputation out of Minnesota, and maybe, things changed when his brother left for the pros. Further, maybe there's a Jeronne Maymon situation where the parents are way too involved and pushed for Wally to be a starter. These are the only three things where it might make sense for Wojo to cut bait, and yes, it's pure speculation (For now).

One bridge was burned and two were lit on fire and still burning right now. Ellenson family will not look at Marquette like Jimmy Butler, Dwyane Wade and others do in the NBA so that's kind of awkward. One-and-done kids might be apprehensive to join Marquette given how they treated the Ellensons. The last one, and the biggest is how will brothers feel about this program. What's going through Sam Hauser's mind today?  He's better than Wally, but his younger brother, Joey, is a better talent than him, and a little worse than Henry.  Is it all a rouse to get to Joey?  I hope the Hauser boys aren't asking those questions. He did like Jeff Goodman's tweet, but who knows what that means for him.

At the end of the day, Marquette needs to win now, and sacrifices have been made for the team. My guess is L.J. Gill or Khalif Young are close to signing with Marquette hence why the move was made on Thursday. Both players would give the Golden Eagles the desired size needed for next season. Hope this move pays off for Wojo.


Charlie.

BREAKING: Nolan Murphy is taking his talents to...

Cleveland, I love you.

Many people, born and not born, in Cleveland will try their hardest to be here once that championship parade finally goes down Euclid Ave again. You can add me to that list. 

The teammates and mentors I have met here are unforgettable and the only reason I have been given the opportunity to take the next step. For all you wild friends I been able to roam around Downtown Cleveland with for the past three years, #BlessUp. 
 
Just like another Northeast Ohio male once did at the young age of 25 (Albeit he may have had more shoe endorsements than me) sometimes the next step is taking your talents to South Florida* is the next step.

With that I'm excited to announce I'm joining ESPN West Palm. I'm continuing as teammate of Good Karma Brands on Monday with soon-to-be announced amazing content opportunities. Looking forward to living in West Palm Beach, Florida. I'm coming for you Brooks Koepka and FAU!

Cleveland, Mamba out!

Well, until Cavs-Heat or Fantasy Football season!

Patrick Kane Game-Winning 2OT Goal Saves Chicago's Season

#Showtime! Patrick Kane scores the @Volkswagen 2OT Winner to save the Blackhawks from elimination. #TeamTiguanhttps://t.co/iCPXGODQQi

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 22, 2016

The mayor of Dangle City strikes again with a big overtime playoff goal. This is Kane's fifth goal in this situation. He always seems to find clutch moments and step up when it matters the most. That's been shown over the countless years of success for Chicago. This has to feel like a gutpunch for St. Louis. They come all the way back from being down 3-1 in the third period and skated better in the overtime period as the Hawks had tired legs yet still, Kane proved to be the difference.

Series goes back to Chicago on Saturday night which figures to be raucous crowd plus the Hawks get Andrew Shaw back.

Charlie.

BrewCap Vol. 16: Jungmann Scuffles Again

Year 2 of the BrewCap where we look at all of the things during one Milwaukee Brewers game. This is a rough year so we'll try to keep it light and humorous without getting too mad about things unless it's really terrible. 

We've been saying for the first 15 games how Milwaukee is the inconsistent darlings of baseball. They will do something great on Wednesday then shit all over the rug on Thursday. Basically, they are puppies. Brewers fail to win the series as the Twins steamroll the Crew, 8-1, in a game much closer than the final.
Player of the Day (Twins) - Ricky Nolasco: People probably forget or didn't know Ricky Nolasco was really good in his first start. While he struggled versus Los Angeles, he still didn't pitch horribly. Nolasco went 6.1 with five hits allowed, mostly in the first couple innings and seven strikeouts. He was very effective on the mound.

Golden Sombrero Honoree - Taylor Jungmann: Milwaukee needs to figure out what's wrong with Taylor Jungmann. He had a solid start versus San Francisco then it's been all down hill from there. Jungmann had issues with walks again with six, and he had a very ugly first inning giving up two runs with 16 of the 30 pitches being balls. Jungmann needs to rework some of the things he's been doing on the mound.

Lowlight: Carlos Torres and Sam Freeman: Get Out -  Two truly pathetic players on the Brewers.  I know we shouldn't really be mad at players during the rebuild but can't Milwaukee find something better than these two guys. Only positive is Torres and Freeman took their beating to preserve other parts of the bullpen. 

When This Game Turned - Eighth inning: Thanks to Freeman, Milwaukee didn't have a chance to come back versus the Twins bullpen. He gives up two runs including a Brian Dozier home run making it 6-1 and put it out of reach.

Next Up: Milwaukee will host the Philadelphia Phillies for a three game series. Phillies have been giving up the long ball thus far which could bode well for the Brewers. Aaron Nola takes on Zach Davies.

Charlie.