Welcome to Saturday Scorecard, one of the few venues where "winter storm warning" and "opening day" do not seem strange when uttered in the same week.

On to the notes...

Closing argument: If the Brewers move forward with the plan to use Carlos Villanueva as interim closer, they'll find no argument in this corner of the Web.

Villanueva projected as the closer before the team signed all-time saves leader Trevor Hoffman, who opens the season on the disabled list due to a strained oblique muscle. Villanueva always seems cool under fire, so it's not a stretch to think that he can handle the job.

There is, however, one slight problem.

Moving Villanueva to the back end of the game weakens the Brewers' bullpen in the critical sixth-seventh-eighth segment of the game that often means the difference between victory and defeat.

Part of the reason Brewers fans feel comfortable with Villanueva holding Hoffman's place is that they've seen the right-hander get the final out or two of an inning (often with men on base) and follow that extrication with a clean inning behind it.

With Villanueva held in reserve, the Brewers will need Jorge Julio, David Riske and Seth McClung to pitch well. Riske has had a brutal spring and other two are hardly considered "sure things."

With starters still stretching their arms in the early weeks, the bullpen will be a key to the Brewers' success. A strong start by that unit could set the stage for a solid first quarter of the season.

Motown musings: With tipoff approaching at the Final Four at Ford Field, we offer the following predictions (for entertainment purposes only):

Connecticut 77, Michigan State 68 -- On a "neutral" court, this game wouldn't be quite so close. The Spartans, playing close to home, will keep the game close until the Huskies pull away in the last 10 minutes. Michigan State coach Tom Izzo has done a fantastic job this season, but the Huskies have better players.

North Carolina 82, Villanova 69 -- The Tar Heels are two games away from their destiny. Anything other than a title will be a disappointment in Chapel Hill, but this team has too much firepower to be bummed out on Saturday. The key today could be Tyler Hansbrough, the all-time leading scorer in the ACC. He was quiet against Oklahoma, but could have a big night against the Wildcats. Villanova is a terrific team and has played extremely well the past month, but UNC has an edge at just about every position.

Sorry, Charlie: We really like Bucks forward Charlie Villanueva. He's had a terrific season and he has embraced social networking like few pro athletes before him. (We hear he even liked our April Fool's Day story about him.) That said, it's hard to believe this "tweet" from CV31 on Friday morning:

"Going to practice, walking into the Cousin Center. Practice 2day, Memphis 2mrow. I dont want the season to end, not too happy. 5 gms left :("

We understand that Charlie is playing well and having fun doing it. The better he plays, the more money he'll make on his next contract. But, it's hard to believe he's not looking forward to the off-season. Teams that aren't headed for the playoffs often have their cars packed with two months left in the season. The fact that the Bucks are still trying hard is a credit to the organization and the players.

Of course, they are professionals and it's their duty to try. But, it doesn't always happen.

Nowhere to run: The Bonecrushers were slated to play the Miami Valley Silverbacks tonight in Troy, Ohio, but the game was postponed because of a unique logistical problem:

The Silverbacks didn't have a place to play.

The franchise initially chose not to play in 2009 due to the lagging economy, but when the planned West Virginia Wild franchise folded just prior to the start of the season, the Silverbacks accepted an offer from the Continental Indoor Football League to resume operations and assume the Wild's planned schedule.

Hobart Arena, however, was not available to the Silverbacks for use this weekend. Thought was given to moving the contest to the U.S. Cellular Arena, but all parties wanted to make every effort to play the game in the Troy, Ohio area. When options were finally exhausted, it was too late to coordinate efforts for the U.S. Cellular Arena to be used.

"Right now, there is just not a suitable place to play the contest," CIFL Co-founder Jeff Spitaleri said on the league Web site. "We exhausted all of our options when it came to finding a place to play this game; it is unfortunate that we have to postpone the game, but it really is our only option."

The Bonecrushers and Silverbacks will each continue to play the remainder of their respective schedules and are set to meet Sat., May 30 in Milwaukee at 7:30 p.m. If the postponed game has playoff implications, they'll tack it on to the end of the schedule.

Larry King Lounge: The crossover between college hoops, baseball and The Masters constitutes an underrated segment of the sports calendar. ... We know things are tough at the Journal Sentinel these days. The fact that the paper isn't represented at the Final Four in Detroit is a sign of how tight things are at 4th and State. ... Brewers fans may be bummed about Trevor Hoffman's stint on the disabled list, but at least he won't blow a save on opening day like Eric Gagne did. ... Yet another reason to hate the Yankees: they are selling Pabst and Schlitz "tall boys" out of a "retro" beer stand. The cost is $9 per can. ... Doesn't former Marquette standout Wes Matthews look like he'd make a good wide receiver? ... Whether you loved or hated Billy Packer, you have to admit that the Final Four won't be the same without him. ... Now that the Bears have made the Cutler trade, NBC's decision to showcase the Packers-Bears season opener on "Sunday Night Football" doesn't seem strange. ... Hats off the Buell, the motorcycle folks in East Troy. When Danny Eslick beat Kawasaki's Jamie Hecking at the AMA Daytona SportBike doubleheader last week in Fontana, Calif., Buell became the first American company to win a race against Japanese motorcycle manufacturers since the Nixon Administration. ... Will Carlos Villanueva get more save attempts or starts this season? Place your bets now. ... Now that the Admirals have lost a few players and incentive (after clinching a playoff spot), they seem to be losing a bit of their edge. Look for coach Lane Lambert to remedy that problem pretty quickly. ... We know they want to keep the grass nice and all, but wouldn't it be nice if the Brewers let UWM play a few baseball games at Miller Park when the weather is crappy?... LeBron James is the NBA's MVP. If he doesn't win the award, there should be an investigation. ... When it snows in mid-April, do you think the folks in Minnesota are wondering if they should have put a roof on their new ballpark? ... For the second straight year, pro wrestling legend Honky Tonk Man visited Maryvale Baseball Park.