'Sconnie Six Pack 11/17
The Packers welcome home a legend to join the Ring of Honor during Thursday Night Football, Brewers trade rumors, brewery recommendations, and more in today's top stories
Happy Thirsty Thursday!
Happy Thirsty Thursday! As both a Wisconsin sports and beer-themed newsletter, I’d be remiss to not celebrate properly. On Thursdays, I’ll highlight a Wisconsin brewery and I’m starting this week with Company Brewing in Milwaukee. I visited Company Brewing for the first time earlier this week and I could not have been more pleased. Company Brewing seeks to be a place actively trying to welcome all members of the community, they include the price of service in their bill as an effort to pay all their employees a living wage, and they, of course, brew great beer.
During Packers games, Company Brewing runs a special featuring $1 tap beers until the opposing team scores or until halftime (whichever comes first). Even if you aren’t a fan of the Packers (a mistake on your part), this brewery gives you a great reason to cheer-on the green and gold. If you can make it there, I highly recommend the Milwaukee-Style Lime Lager.
If you have a recommendation for which Wisconsin Brewery should highlight Thirsty Thursday next week, let me know in the comments!
Without further ado -
Packers host Titans for Thursday Night Football
Riding high from the victory over the Dallas Cowboys just a few days ago, the Packers play another home game tonight against the Tennessee Titans. You can catch the game at 7:15PM CST on Amazon Prime Video.
The Tennessee Titans (6-3), currently leading the AFC South with a two game edge over the Indianapolis Colts, bring the NFL’s second best run-defense by yards allowed to Green Bay. That run defense could present a tricky matchup for a Packers team that seeks to run the ball with a heavy dose of Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon. The Packers, however, may have a newfound edge with Aaron Rodgers seemingly returning to form last week against the Dallas Cowboys. If Aaron Rodgers can remain on-target, he can take advantage of a Titans defense that has allowed the fourth-most passing yards in the NFL this season.
On defense, expect the Packers to give everything they have to stop Titans star running back Derrick Henry in this game. The Titans offense has struggled to move the ball through the air this season as they have the worst passing offense in the league by yards gained. The Packers pass defense, conversely, has been excellent allowing the fifth-fewest yards through the air yet this season. Managing to get a lead early, keeping Derrick Henry out of the equation, and forcing the Titans to pass the ball would be a recipe for success for the Packers.
On the injury front, the Packers have some good news coming into tonight’s game. Wide receiver Randall Cobb has been activated from injured reserve and will be available to play tonight. Offensive linemen David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins are questionable.
LeRoy Butler to be added to Packers Ring of Honor during halftime
Following his induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame earlier this year, former Packers safety LeRoy Butler will have his name forever added to Lambeau Field in a ceremony to be held at halftime of tonight’s Packers game.
Butler spent 12 seasons in the NFL, all of them with the Green Bay Packers. When he retired, Butler was the first “20-20” safety in NFL history notching over 20 interceptions and 20 sacks throughout his career. Beyond just the 20-20 title, Butler’s numbers are even more staggering - he finished his career with 38 interceptions - as he was perhaps the NFL’s most outstanding defensive player in his era. He blitzed like an outside linebacker, he covered like a cornerback, and he brought the Lombardi Trophy back to Green Bay. With five interceptions, six-and-a-half sacks, and a forced fumble during the Packers 1996 season that culminated in a victory in Super Bowl XXXI, Butler played an instrumental role in bringing Green Bay its first championship in 29 years.
Oh, and he invented the Lambeau Leap.
Shorthanded Bucks win over the Cavaliers at home with an impressive performance by Brook Lopez
Despite only having six reserve-players available, the Bucks defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers by a score of 113-98 and improved to 11-3 on the season. Milwaukee shot the ball well, beating their season averages in both field goal and three-point percentage, to deliver a decisive victory.
Brook Lopez and Jordan Nwora delivered from beyond the three-point line as they added 29 and 21 points respectively. Lopez shot seven of nine from three-point range including a stretch in the third quarter during which Lopez appeared simply unable to miss. That outburst helped the Bucks outscore the Cavaliers 34-18 during the third quarter, giving Milwaukee a 17-point lead that all but put the game away. Nwora had his own impressive showing with a season-high in points including shooting five of nine from three-point range.
The Bucks resume play tomorrow night in Philadelphia against the 76ers.
Wisconsin football loses two recruits in 2023 class; Jim Leonhard comments on recruiting difficulties
Two verbal commits to Wisconsin’s 2023 recruiting class decommitted from the Badgers in a span of just a couple hours this morning. Defensive line prospect Jamel Howard and athlete Collin Dixon are each three-star recruits per 24/7 Sports composite ranking.
Losing recruiting commitments in the midst of a coaching change is nothing to be surprised by in college football. What some may find concerning, is that if Wisconsin Athletic Director Chris McIntosh already has the next head coach on staff in Jim Leonhard, not publicly naming him to the role is causing the loss of recruits unnecessarily. In recent comments, Leonhard acknowledged that the uncertainty of Wisconsin’s future at the head coach position is making recruiting more difficult.
Perhaps, however, McIntosh is not certain yet that Leonhard is the right person to fill the head coach role. McIntosh’s job is to ensure the long-term success of the football program. If that means one recruiting class slips during a coaching transition, that is a much better outcome than making the wrong hire and perhaps missing on the next handful of recruiting classes.
Brewers 2B Kolten Wong subject of trade rumors
Jon Morosi reported this morning that the Seattle Mariners have inquired with the Milwaukee Brewers on the trade-availability of second baseman Kolten Wong. Wong has one year left on his contract with Milwaukee before becoming a free agent.
It is important to note, Morosi has not reported that the Brewers have interest in trading Wong. The report only indicates that the Mariners have asked if Wong would be available in a trade.
Earlier this month, the Brewers decided to bring Wong back for the 2023 season by using the club-option on Wong’s contract. The option pays Wong $10 million for the upcoming season instead of the Brewers paying the $2 million buyout they would have owed Wong if they decided not to bring him back. Wong hit a career-high 15 homeruns last season.
If the Brewers did have interest in trading Wong, perhaps to bring in a cheaper player at second base, it is difficult to find a player within the Mariners’ prospect pipeline that would be a good fit for a trade. The Mariners’ top infield prospect, according to MLB.com, is shortstop Cole Young. Young, however, was drafted just this year and is not expected to arrive in the major leagues until 2026. Overall, as the Brewers organization has spoken highly of Wong in recent days and there does not appear to be a great trade fit, this may rumor be more smoke than fire.
Topping-off the six pack: Wisconsin women’s basketball is worth keeping an eye on
We need to be honest with ourselves here: Wisconsin women’s basketball has not given fans much of anything to be excited about for a long time. Personally, I don’t think I even realized the Badgers had a women’s basketball team until after I became a student at UW. With no appearances in the NCAA tournament since 2010 and ten consecutive years of finishes in the Big Ten at 11th place or worse, calling this program an afterthought for Wisconsin fans was putting it politely.
At the risk of speaking too soon, things might, might, just be trending upwards for this program for the first time in a long time.
Marisa Moseley is in her second season as head coach of the Badgers. She came to Wisconsin with three seasons of head coaching experience at Boston University and prior to that spent nine seasons as an assistant at UConn. In her first year at Wisconsin, Moseley led the Badgers to five Big Ten wins and an 11th place finish in the conference - both better finishes than the program had in each of the previous seven seasons.
Moseley is continuing to build something out of nothing in Madison as her team defeated Bradley by a score of 103-49 at the Kohl Center last night. It was a game that set all kinds of records for the Badgers including the single-game field goal percentage, single-game team record for assists, and the single-game team three-point shots made record. Beating down a much-lesser opponent is not something many programs would see as progress, but simply put: this kind of victory has not been seen by fans of this program in a long time. Keep an eye on this team Badgers fans, Chef Moseley just might have something cooking.
On, Wisconsin.