Welcome to Saturday Scorecard. Is anyone else suffering from Brett Favre withdrawal?

Didn't think so.

To Bowl, or not to Bowl? They're going to play the Pro Bowl tomorrow in Miami. ESPN is going to treat it like it's a big deal. Packers star Aaron Rodgers will start at quarterback. Burlington native Tony Romo of the Cowboys will play. That means bunch of people across Milwaukee and Wisconsin will tune in.

I won't be one of them.

The Pro Bowl is the worst all-star game among the four major American sports. It's not even close. The NFL tried to spark interest this year by holding it in Miami, a week before the Super Bowl, rather than in Hawaii the week after.

That means that none of the players from the two best teams in the league, Super Bowl contestants Indianapolis and New Orleans will get to compete.

But, that doesn't really matter; the game still stinks. Let's count some of the reasons:

• The Pro Bowl, which has been held annually since 1950, used to be a point of pride for players. They liked the notoriety and the extra money. Now that salaries have skyrocketed to almost absurd levels, many star players see it as more of a chore than an honor. In addition to the 14 members of the Super Bowl teams, 16 other players -- including stars like Favre, Charles Woodson and Larry Fitzgerald -- have blown off invitations citing injury or (more likely) lack of interest.
• Of the six quarterbacks picked by players coaches and fans to play in the game, Rodgers is the only one who will take a snap. Defections by Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, Carson Palmer and Tom Brady mean that Jacksonville's David Garrard, a third alternate, will play. It's hard to be mad at him, but he had a mediocre season for a 7-9 team.
• How big is this game? Carolina Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers and Minnesota Vikings offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie are subject to fines for missing practice on Friday. Nearly half the players selected are blowing the game off. If you're going to show up, the least you can do is attend practice.
• Due to fear of injury, defenses are limited to basic formations and blitzing is banned. Quarterbacks can throw the ball away without fear of intentional grounding. The atmosphere is like a scrimmage. It's nothing close to the caliber of competition that makes the NFL so incredibly popular.
• The Pro Bowl the only all-star game that draws lower TV ratings -- significantly lower ratings -- than its regular-season broadcasts. That's because it's not really football. It's a junk sport in need of more pizazz or retirement.

Star gazing: Although it had an embarrassing tie in 2002 right here in Milwaukee, the Major League Baseball All-Star Game is the best of the "big four." I know that most pitchers only throw an inning and there is an "everybody must play" compulsion in the dugouts (see the 2002 tie), but the competition is the game -- the batter vs. batter matchups and the effort expended defensively -- is the closest approximation to a regular-season game of any of the exhibitions.

The NBA All-Star Game, which my 540 ESPN radio colleague Steve Haywood refers to as "Black Thanksgiving," has a very cool vibe. It's a global game. It's glitzy. But, it's usually buried on a hard-to-find cable channel and the players generally don't pay a lot of attention to defense.

I would rank the NHL All-Star Game above the NBA's, but interest in the NHL has diminished to the point that casual fans simply don't bother to watch the skills contest and the game, which features next to no checking or contact and -- like the Pro Bowl -- doesn't approximate the speed and violence of the regular season.

Bogut bypassed: The fact that Bucks center Andrew Bogut did not earn a spot among the Eastern Conference all-star reserves does not constitute a travesty. The rosters are tight and there were some tough decisions to be made.

Bogut deserved consideration. You can make a case that he belonged in the game as a true center behind Orlando's Dwight Howard.

But. . .

The Bucks aren't at a point where their players get a lot of attention or the benefit of any doubt when it comes to these matters. Although it was refreshing to see one of their players mentioned as a possible all-star, it's also disheartening to realize how far off the rest of the league's radar the franchise is today.

If Bogut continues to improve like he has this season, he'll make an all-star team some day and maybe he'll start to get a little more respect from referee's, too.

Larry King Lounge: Kudos to the Brewers for bringing in nearly all of their players for the On Deck event tomorrow at the Midwest Airlines Center. When you draw 3 million fans in a season, you have to make players available at events like that. It's good business.... Craig Counsell is the only player expected to miss the event. He booked a vacation during the brief period that he was unsigned. . . . If UWM coach Rob Jeter wants to boost attendance for home games at the U.S. Cellular Arena, he should schedule Valparaiso as often as possible. Ricky Franklin's winning jumper on Friday night capped the second electrifying finish between the teams this season. . . . Rumor has it that Kansas coach Bill Self watched Menomonee Falls standout J.P. Tokoto play recently. . . . The Brewers sign a veteran outfielder after a year off. The fans sigh in disinterest. The outfielder becomes a key contributor. Can Jim Edmonds follow the path of Gabe Kapler?