By Bob Brainerd Special to OnMilwaukee.com Published Sep 30, 2006 at 8:23 AM
Why?    

Why did the Bucks wait so long to unveil their new uniforms?  They are shiny, bright and  bold with a nod to the past.  And I haven’t seen any merchandise on the local store shelves either.  Kids would have been walking billboards for this stuff all summer long had it been available.

Why do the Brewers blame Butch Wynegar and Dave Nelson for their troubles in 2006?  I know that "This is baseball" and all, but when you rely on so many young players, subtract your best one, and lose a bunch of them to injury, there isn’t much to work with.

Why does Bret Bielema always wear that red, no-waist jacket?  Even on the warm days as a coach last season, Bret would be sporting that windbreaker.  What’s underneath?  How about a polo shirt or a fleece sometime, coach?  And for that matter, why was Mike McCarthy all bundled up with a jacket INDOORS at Ford Field in Detroit last weekend?  Someone turn up the heat ... the coaches are chilled!

Why do baseball teams who clinch playoff berths celebrate with champagne soaked displays?  Shouldn’t the deal be, when you earn either the wild card OR the division title, then you can crazy-go-nuts?  Are we going to see this all over again by from the Twins and Tigers when they figure out their place in the playoffs?

Why must NBC Sports try to reinvent the wheel on its "Sunday Night Football" pregame show?  Here’s what every pigskin fan wants before watching one last game on Sunday... highlights!  Copy what Chris Berman and company did at ESPN for years and the fans will flip, sit back and enjoy.  Less
junk," more pictures please!

Why are local TV stations still leading with the Pack?  This is an average to bad football team obviously in the rebuilding stage, and it doesn’t deserve to be at the top of the heap ... even on a Sunday.  I am well aware that the Packers pack them in with ratings numbers, but it would be refreshing to see a few news operations truly lead ... with news.  It’s always awkward when a meaningless Packers story precedes local soldiers killed in action.

Why do we care if T.O. decides to off himself?  Is this guy getting tips on how to garner media attention from Dennis Rodman?  Remember when The Worm went to extremes to get the focus on himself?  Don’t put it past this clown to have this whole thing engineered to be bigger than it is.

Why must we wait a year to get the Marquette-UWM basketball series up and running?  Too bad it got hung up in channels, but at least the two sides got the deal done.  It’ll be great for hoops fans downtown.  Now Tom Crean needs to work on having former assistant coach Tod Kowalczyk bring his UW-Green Bay Phoenix in once a season.

Why would anyone pay to see 40-year-old Mike Tyson step into the ring again?  And he says he needs the money?  Makes you wonder what the "baddest man on the planet" squandered it all on, doesn’t it?  Probably bail money and attorney fees ... for starters.

Why do certain TV sportscasters insist on strolling the sidelines where the players and coaches stand during high school football games?  There’s a box around these guys for a reason, and while the videographers will occasionally slip in and out to grab a quick shot from a better angle, there is absolutely no reason to see a reporter standing toe to toe, side by side with the head coach.  The teams’ space is not your space!  Get out, or get a headset on and help call plays!
Bob Brainerd Special to OnMilwaukee.com
Born and raised in Milwaukee, what better outlet for Bob to unleash his rambling bits of trivial information than right here with OnMilwaukee.com?

Bob currently does play-by-play at Time Warner Cable Sports 32, calling Wisconsin Timber Rattlers games in Appleton as well as the area high school football and basketball scene. During an earlier association with FS Wisconsin, his list of teams and duties have included the Packers, Bucks, Brewers and the WIAA State Championships.

During his life before cable, Bob spent seven seasons as a reporter and producer of "Preps Plus: The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel High School Sports Show."

And the joke is, Bob has a golf shirt from all four Milwaukee television stations. Sad, but true: Bob has had sports and news anchor/reporter/producer stints at WTMJ, WISN, WDJT and WITI.

His first duty out of college (UW-Oshkosh) was radio and TV work in Eau Claire. Bob spent nearly a decade at WEAU-TV as a sports director and reporter.

You may have heard Bob's pipes around town as well. He has done play-by-play for the Milwaukee Mustangs, Milwaukee Iron, and UW-Milwaukee men's and women's basketball. Bob was the public address announcer for five seasons for both the Marquette men and women's basketball squads. This season, you can catch the starting lineups of the UW-Milwaukee Panther men's games with Bob behind the mic.

A Brookfield Central graduate, Bob's love and passion for sports began at an early age, when paper football leagues, and Wiffle Ball All Star Games were all the rage in the neighborhood.