By Dave Begel Contributing Writer Published Apr 06, 2007 at 5:29 AM

When I was a kid, my parents used to slap me for asking so many questions.

It didn't work.

I still have a lot of questions.

Do I have it in for WSSP sports talk radio 1250? I don't know. I want sports talk to succeed in this city, but this station has collected the biggest confederacy of dunces under one roof I've ever seen. It's like a bunch of 6-year-olds and I can't believe their research. This week I heard an extended discussion of getting drunk, falling face down into breakfast and being hung over. I've done all that, but I didn't talk about it ad nauseum. Then I heard a long, long discussion of how to get into a party at Hugh Hefner's Playboy Mansion, complete with girls with big boobs. I also heard them say, over and over, "I wish I could put our off-the-air comments on the air." How stupid. They should take these guys named Cliff, Sparky, Rieger and Wickett and throw them back into second grade. This station is rapidly becoming an embarrassment to the city. Here's one more problem: You are either funny or you aren't. Trying to be funny and laughing at your own jokes is only pathetic.

Will the Brewers be victims of high expectations? The Brewers are the chic pick to win their division. They aren't shouting about it, but they are moving around with enough of a confidence that people are taking notice. Now, if they finish over .500 but don't make the playoffs or don't make a playoff run, will the season be a failure. John Steinmiller, the VP of the Bucks, invented the concept of Moderate Expectations. Enough to sell tickets and build excitement but not so much that anything less than a title will be viewed as failure. The Brewers might want to learn from him.

Why does the Journal Sentinel sports section suck so badly? In recent weeks we got our news of the hiring of Larry Krystkowiak from a paper in Utah. We got the best coverage of the Randy Moss dealings from a paper in Boston. I think our local paper has decided it just wants to be friends with everyone and not make anyone mad. They have a columnist who is an embarrassment. They never break stories. If it weren't for Bob Wolfley, Tom Enlund and Don Walker I could probably drop my subscription. A sports section is supposed to be the one exciting part of a major paper. Exciting? I think not.

What happened to Panthers fever? Remember all the talk about the new UWM spirit? Well, what's happened? I like Rob Jeter a lot. But the Panthers are falling back into an asterisk on the Milwaukee sports scene. As Lloyd Bentsen said to Dan Quayle, I know Bruce Pearl. And Rob Jeter is no Bruce Pearl.

Were Bo Ryan's Badgers a figment of our imagination? There was a period of about 84 minutes when the Badgers were the number one team in the whole country. Right! I can name five teams off the top of my head that are and were better than the Badgers. And none of those is UNLV. I liked the Badgers a great deal. But they were overrated most of the year and we all fell into the trap. And one more thing. Where was Mr. All-American Alando Tucker in the big games at the end of the season? Maybe I'll be wrong, and I love this kid, but I don't see a big pro career for him.

Who are the new sports guys at Channel 58? I hear Rock Rote is gone. When did that happen? What this low-rated station should do is go hire Jen Lada from Channel 6 and give her a camera and turn her loose. And speaking of local television sports guys and girls ... Ahhhhh. Let's not.

If the Bucks are playing to get the most ping pong balls in the draft, do I think it's all right? I don't know. I see good arguments on both sides of the question. This is one where I just can't make up my mind.

Dave Begel Contributing Writer

With a history in Milwaukee stretching back decades, Dave tries to bring a unique perspective to his writing, whether it's sports, politics, theater or any other issue.

He's seen Milwaukee grow, suffer pangs of growth, strive for success and has been involved in many efforts to both shape and re-shape the city. He's a happy man, now that he's quit playing golf, and enjoys music, his children and grandchildren and the myriad of sports in this state. He loves great food and hates bullies and people who think they are smarter than everyone else.

This whole Internet thing continues to baffle him, but he's willing to play the game as long as OnMilwaukee.com keeps lending him a helping hand. He is constantly amazed that just a few dedicated people can provide so much news and information to a hungry public.

Despite some opinions to the contrary, Dave likes most stuff. But he is a skeptic who constantly wonders about the world around him. So many questions, so few answers.