Welcome to Saturday Scorecard, a 10-minute diversion from the question that is will keep an entire state on edge until around 4:30 this afternoon:
What's the deal with Mel Kiper, Jr.'s hair?
OK, that was too easy.
Who will the Packers pick? We could make a bold prediction, but it a complete guess. Even Packers general manager Ted Thompson isn't sure how things will shake out in the first 80 minutes of the draft. (Though he's paid to have a pretty good idea).
Here are some notes to consider until we all find out whether the Packers draft Brian Orapko, Tyson Jackson, B.J. Raji, Michael Crabtree, Jason Smith, Andre Smith -- or trade down to get more picks.
On to the notes...
No silent treatment: Kudos to Brewers TV announcer Brian Anderson for talking about Dave Bush's quest to throw the Brewers' first no hitter in 22 years while the game was in progress. And a giant raspberry to anyone who got mad at Anderson for "jinxing" the no-no.
Everybody knows about the long-standing baseball tradition of not mentioning a no-hitter in the dugout. That ban, however, never extended to the stands, the broadcast booth, your office water cooler or your Facebook or Twitter page.
We hate to break it to folks who were offended by Anderson's presentation -- and, thankfully, they were in the minority -- but an announcer's comments don't impact what happens on the field. While we're at it, neither does your rally cap, favorite chair or lucky jersey.
"Times have changed a lot," said Anderson, who is in his third season with Fox Sports Wisconsin. "They basically require that we not only mention the no-hitter and what's going on, but sound all the bells and whistles and make sure everyone is alerted.
"It's a ratings business. We're trying to grab ratings. We want people to watch, especially a day game, and we want people to follow it. We do packages. We do re-joins, pretty much every half-inning... we basically turn into a national broadcast."
Anderson understands that some fans may have been offended.
"I'm totally fine with the argument against it," he said. "I understand the traditions. but, that's more for the players.
"Especially with a day game, we want to capture an audience right there. I would feel worse about a guy who was flipping through the channels -- specifically a guy named Mark Attanasio, who digests Brewers baseball on the television, mostly -- if he's kind of passing through and doesn't really get what's going on because we're not saying it. That's how you lose your job, right there.
"I know there are a bank of fans that want to observe the traditions. I would just say if it's that big of a problem for a viewer, that we're kind of walking through tradition here, then just turn the sound down. It's not stopping. I'm not trying to be a jerk about it. That's the way business is. It's not me, personally. It's how we do things."
A higher authority: Anderson got advice about the no-hitter from legendary Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully, regarded by many as the greatest ever. The two spoke in the men's room in the Miller Park press box after Ben Sheets pitched a complete-game shutout against Los Angeles on opening day in 2007.
"I asked him what to do he said ‘Not only do you shout it, you shout it from the hills and you tell the audience to call their friends and family,'" Anderson said.
On Sept. 9, 1965, Scully called Sandy Koufax's perfect game. A transcript of the ninth inning is available here, but the first paragraph tells the tale:
"Three times in his sensational career has Sandy Koufax walked out to the mound to pitch a fateful ninth where he turned in a no-hitter. But tonight, September the 9th, nineteen hundred and 65, he made the toughest walk of his career, I'm sure, because through eight innings he has pitched a perfect game. He has struck out 11, he has retired 24 consecutive batters, and the first man he will look at is catcher Chris Krug, big right-hand hitter, flied to second, grounded to short. Dick Tracewski is now at second base and Koufax ready and delivers: curveball for a strike."
After the first out, Scully said: "Sandy Koufax has struck out 12. He is two outs away from a perfect game."
Case closed.
Never mind: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell denied a British media report that the league is considering London as a site for the Super Bowl. The NFL may be slipping a bit in some ways, but there is no way they move their marquee event overseas.
First things first: Newly-elected NFL Players Association leader DeMaurice Smith held a press conference Friday in New York, and it was interesting on several levels. For starters, Smith hasn't signed a contract yet. Apparently, he and the players can't agree on financial terms. That became ironic when, during his meeting with the press, Smith said he wants owners to open their books so they can better negotiate the next collective bargaining agreement. The owners, not surprisingly, aren't going for it.
History lesson: The folks at collegefootballnews.com ran an interesting mock draft this week. They ranked the best and worst first-round picks of all-time, one for each position -- 1 through 32.
The Packers were better represented on the "bad" list than the "good" list:
Tony Mandarich (2nd, 1989) was on the list. No surprise there -- he was chosen ahead of Barry Sanders, Derrick Thomas and Deion Sanders.
Rich Campbell (1981, sixth pick) was mentioned because he threw three touchdowns and nine interceptions in three years.
Jerry Tagge (1972, 11th pick) was mentioned, too. He threw three touchdowns and 17 interceptions for Green Bay.
Craig Newsome (1995, 32nd pick) made the list, even though he wasn't a bad player and his career was derailed by injuries. There just haven't been that many players chosen 32nd.
On the plus side, Nick Barnett (2003) was chosen as the best No. 29 pick ever.
Former Wisconsin lineman Daryl Sims, chosen by Pittsburgh in 1985, was ranked as the worst No. 20 pick ever.
Soaring Eagles: The Web site hoopscooponline.com ranks Marquette's recruiting class -- Erik Williams, Junior Cadugon, Jeronne Maymon, Dwight Buycks, Darius Johnson-Odom and Brett Roseboro as the No. 1 class in the country.
Host of “The Drew Olson Show,” which airs 1-3 p.m. weekdays on The Big 902. Sidekick on “The Mike Heller Show,” airing weekdays on The Big 920 and a statewide network including stations in Madison, Appleton and Wausau. Co-author of Bill Schroeder’s “If These Walls Could Talk: Milwaukee Brewers” on Triumph Books. Co-host of “Big 12 Sports Saturday,” which airs Saturdays during football season on WISN-12. Former senior editor at OnMilwaukee.com. Former reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
