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Packers To Hold Joint Practices With NY Jets

By Adam Roberts – 7/2/2021

Joint practices in the NFL are nothing new, but it can be easy to forget that they happen during the training camp period. They can usually be a hotbed for pushing and shoving matches as players start to ratchet up their competitive sides.

Brian Costello reports that this year, Green Bay is set to practice against Zach Wilson and the New York Jets. The practices will be held August 18th and 19th before the two play each other in a preseason game August 21st. It will be the first time the Jets have had joint practices since 2018.

The Jordan Love vs Zach Wilson matchup could be interesting to watch, as well as give yet another chance to see how Joe Barry’s defensive schemes look against other teams.

Bucks Role Players Step Up In Game Five

By Adam Roberts – 7/2/2021

All day yesterday leading up to the Bucks-Hawks game, I had to hear about how the Bucks needed Khris Middleton to become Batman with Giannis out of commission. Not many considered the possibility that maybe, just maybe, the locker room would rally around their injured teammate and take the opportunity to spread the basketball around more (except for Pops on The Sports Lead, that is!)

That’s exactly what happened last night, with Brook Lopez’s playoff career-high 33 points pacing a balanced attack in the 123-112 win. The victory puts the Bucks on the precipice of their first NBA Finals appearance since 1974.

Behind Brook’s 33, Middleton, Jrue Holiday and Bobby Portis all had 20+ for Milwaukee. On a night when the starters needed to work as a cohesive unit and start strong, the Bucks took care of business.

Game Six is tomorrow night in Atlanta, and while Giannis will in all likelihood be out again the jury is still out on whether or not Trae Young will return from a bone bruise. Although with the Hawks down three games to two, Nate McMillan may face some pressure to save the series with who would be the best player on the floor. Our coverage begins at 7 tomorrow evening on ESPN La Crosse 105.5.

Giannis Antetokounmpo Out Tonight Vs Atlanta

By Adam Roberts – 7/1/2021

No surprises here, but tonight’s Game Five in Milwaukee will not feature the services of the Greek Freak.

Giannis was officially ruled out by the team this afternoon, a likely indication that Giannis will probably miss the remainder of the Eastern Conference Finals with his hyperextended knee. The good news of course came yesterday that there was no structural damage caused by his Game Four injury, but without him on the floor Milwaukee will have to find some source of paint presence that makes Giannis such a valuable asset in this series.

Don’t forget, our Game Five coverage begins this evening at 7 on ESPN La Crosse 105.5 and here at espnlacrosse.com!

Oneida Casino First In Wisconsin To Receive Sports Betting Approval

By Adam Roberts – 7/1/2021

It’s been apparent since the Supreme Court ruling, but the future of sports in America will in some way revolve around sports betting. Be it physical sports books, mobile betting, radio shows discussing lines and over/unders, betting is here to stay. Slowly but surely states have begun making plans to incorporate it in some way, but many people in Wisconsin believed that it would be one of the last to adopt.

News today from the Oneida Tribe would indicate otherwise.

The tribe announced today they had reached an agreement with Governor Tony Evers on an amendment to their gaming compact pending approval by federal officials. Assuming the approval is granted at the end of the 45 day window, Oneida will become the first casino in the state to offer any kind of sports betting.

As of right now, plans are calling for sports betting to be ready by the start of football season with options including kiosks and mobile wagering available at select Oneida properties and eventually a permanent betting lounge at the main casino. Things you’ll be able to bet on include nationally televised award shows, professional sports league drafts, and professional sporting events such as the NFL, NBA, and Major League Baseball.

Western Tech Names Cody Murphy First Esports Coach

By Adam Roberts – 7/1/2021

A few years ago, I wrote an article on the rise of esports around the world over the last 10 years. Since that article, the world of esports has continued to permeate into the mainstream. It’s to the point now where colleges and universities are committing resources to build competitive esports programs for their students.

One such college is WTC in La Crosse, which last month launched the Western Cavaliers Esports Team. The university has a dedicated gaming facility called the Cavalier Arena which will serve as home base for the school’s teams once competition begins next fall. Today the school now also has their first head coach ready to guide the inaugural season of WTC esports.

Cody Murphy has been announced as the first head coach of the program, a two-time graduate of the college with degrees in both Criminal Justice and Computer Support Specialist. When not prepping for the fall, Murphy can be found working on computers in the Lunda Center as a PC support technician.

If you are interested in learning more about esports at Western, visit www.westerntc.edu/esports or email athletic director Ryan Monroe at [email protected].

NIL Rules Set to Change Tomorrow; Badgers Add 4-Star Lineman Brunner

By Adam Roberts – 6/30/2021

Graham Mertz heralded the incoming changes to N.I.L. rules with the unveiling of his new brand logo earlier this week. And today, the change should become official across the collegiate sports landscape.

The NCAA’s Division One Board of Directors is today expected to approve allowing college athletes to make money from their name, likeness, and image. The board will vote on a recommendation that schools in states with so-called N.I.L. laws will be responsible for deciding whether athletes’ activities “are consistent with state law.” Ten states have passed laws or seen governors issue executive orders allowing athletes to make money from NIL and that number could grow to 15 by September 1st.

Meanwhile, the Badgers have added a handful of additional recruits over the last few days, including four-star offensive lineman Joe Brunner. He announced his commitment to Wisconsin yesterday afternoon. The 6-foot-6 offensive lineman is a Whitefish Bay native and number one ranked recruit in the state, number 55 overall in the country. Brunner chose Wisconsin over Notre Dame and Ohio State among many other powerhouses.

Giannis Hyperextends Knee; Bucks Fall To Hawks in Game Four

By Adam Roberts – 6/30/2021

The two teams playing in the Eastern Conference Finals are probably the two teams remaining this postseason who are completely different teams if their number one guy is not on the floor.

Entering Game Five tomorrow, it’s possible both #1s will not be able to play.

The Bucks are holding their breath as star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo battles a left knee injury. Antetokounmpo exited Game Four of the Eastern Conference Finals in the second half after hyperextending his left knee. He left for the locker room before coming back to the bench and leaving again. He missed the remainder of the Bucks’ 110-88 loss to the Hawks on a night where Trae Young was out with a bone bruise.

Even before the injury, Milwaukee appeared to be playing very uninspired basketball with a chance to go up three games to one; the Bucks scored just 38 points in the first half. So far this morning there has been no word on whether or not Giannis will be out tomorrow, out for the series, or out for the remainder of the postseason. Typically a hyperextension requires two to four weeks of recovery with limited activity that could further aggravate the injury, and the last thing Milwaukee would want to do is pull a Warriors-with-KD scenario and force their star back too soon.

The series is now tied at two games apiece. Our coverage begins at 7pm!

Badgers Add New Cornerback

By Adam Roberts – 6/29/2021

The news in college sports right now is rightfully around the upcoming name, image, and likeness changes coming later this week. Yesterday, we got a glimpse of what that might look like for Wisconsin Badger athletes with quarterback Graham Mertz unveiling a new brand logo.

But there is still a big recruitment push underway at the moment, and the Badgers have added some notable names this offseason.

Badgers football this week got a commitment from Texas cornerback Avyonne Jones. The Badgers had been targeting Jones for a while. Wisconsin now has added six commitments to the program in the past few weeks.

The Badgers begin the 2021 season September 4th at home against Penn State.

West Salem Names Mark Wagner New Boy’s Basketball Head Coach

By Adam Roberts – 6/29/2021

The West Salem boy’s basketball program has a new leader, and it’s somebody with more than enough experience to qualify them for the role.

Athletic director Ryan Olson announced earlier today that Mark Wagner will be the new head coach for Panther boy’s basketball starting this upcoming season. Prior to his arrival in West Salem, Mark has accumulated 20 years of high school coaching experience and a number of years coaching at the collegiate level as well. Between high school and college Wagner has racked up 484 all-time victories.

Wagner last coached high schoolers in 2018, his final year for conference rival GET. He takes over for Steve Kastenschmidt who resigned after last season with a 47-41 overall record.

Brewers Plate 10 in the 10th; Defeat Cubs

By Adam Roberts – 6/29/2021

Anytime the Cubs travel up to Milwaukee, it’s inevitable that American Family Field will be teeming with Chicago fans whether or not the Brewers are doing well. That was the case again yesterday, with estimates from those in attendance putting the Cubs:Brewers fan ratio right around 60 percent Cubs fans to 40 percent Brewers fans.

After the 8th inning, I think it’s safe to assume that ratio looked a little different.

The Brewers scored 10 runs in that frame to top the Cubs 14-4 in Milwaukee. The two were tied in the eighth at four before the Crew’s offense went on a tear that could seemingly not be stopped. Avisail Garcia, Willy Adames, and Keston Hiura all went deep. Hiura had a four-RBI night while Adames and Garcia had three each. Luis Urias and Jace Peterson also plated runs.

Devin Williams earned the win after tossing one scoreless relief inning. With the victory Milwaukee will enter the month of July at the top of the NL Central, which they currently lead by four games at 46-33.

The series continues tonight at American Family Field.