The Thursday Ten

Two days late, I know, but I've logged roughly 60 hours of work this week, and the week isn't done yet.

This weeks ten focuses on the worst draft picks in Wisconsin sports History.

Honorable Mention:
Vinnie Clark: Packers, 1991
Darrell Thompson: Packers, 1990
Antuan Edwards: Packers, 1999
Yi Jianlian: Bucks, 2007
Justin Harrell: Packers, 2007
Dick Weeks: Brewers, 2003

***NOTE***
Robert Traylor and Shawn Respert don't appear on this list because they weren't actual draft picks of the Bucks, they were acquired via trades.

10. Marcus Haislip

Drafted 13th overall in the 2002 NBA Draft, Haislip was supposed to fill the power forward void the Bucks had been missing for quite some time, the same void Anthony Mason wasn't filling.

Instead Haislip turned out to be more of a tweener. Not strong enough to excel in the post, but not quite gifted enough or a capable enough shooter to play on the wing. Haislip was eventually released in 2004, and by 2005 he was headed to Europe, where apparetnly he still plays to this day.

9. Jerry Reynolds

Ahh the Iceman, Jerry "Ice" Reynolds, not to be confused with Jamal Reynolds...foreshadowing? The 22nd overall pick in the 1985 NBA draft, Ice never averaged more than 8 points per game in his time in Milwaukee, and was gone by 1988, or so we thought. The Bucks somehow decided to bring him back for a second tour of duty in 1995. I got the chance to see that Reynolds play in a handful of games, man was he awful.

8. Todd Day and Lee Mayberry

The Arkansas teammate were both selected by the Bucks in the 1992 NBA Draft, and neither lived up to potential. While neither of the two were awful (Day actually averaged 16 ppg), they never turned into what Milwaukee thought they were getting. Mayberry was an adequate backup point guard and Day was best served as a scorer off the bench. Only problem was Milwaukee asked them both to start. With the same picks the Bucks used in that draft to get these two, they could have nabbed Robert Horry and Latrell Spreewell. Uggghhhhhhhhh.

7. JM Gold

Injuries, un-tapped potential and more injuries sum up JM Gold in a nut shell. Taken as the 13th overall pick in the 1998 amatuer draft, Gold was supposed to be the team's ace of the future. During his six seasons in the Brewers organization, the highest level Gold reached was high A ball, and in his final three seasons he sported an era higher than 6.60.

After the 2003 season, the Brewers cut the cord on JM Gold. He hasn't appeared in any organization since.

6. Green Bay Packers 2004 NFL Draft

Yes, I'm tossing this whole draft up there. How can you pick just one from the draft that gave us: Grabby Smurf (Ahmad Carroll), Joey Thomas, Donnell Washington, B.J. Sander and then inexplicably Corey Williams and Scott Wells. Todd and I are both convinced either Mike Sherman slept through those last two picks, thought the draft was over, or just didn't care. How else do you explain those two being a part of the same group?

Off subject a little bit too, but Mike Sherman hands in this draft (and numerous other personnel decisions like this) and yet Ted Thompson is the vilain and worst GM in Packers History? Sure.

Carroll and Thomas were both awful, Joey Thomas actually beat out Ahmad Carroll in camp, but turned into a turd himself, Donnell Washington was always hurt and just plain dumb, and B.J. Sander...there are no words to explain him. Not only did these guys suck, but they were turds as well.

5. John Michels

John Michels is the reason why you always need to have multiple plans heading into the draft. The Packers were absolutely in love with Miami linebacker Ray Lewis and had every intention of taking him. Only one problem, Baltimore snatched him one pick before them, so Ron Wolf panicked and took Michels.

Drafted as the heir apparent to Ken Ruettgers, Michels looked the part of a quality tackle his rookie season. At least for the first half. Michels took over for the injured Ruettgers and played relatively well, earning First Team All Rookie honors.

For as strong as Michels start was, his finish was equally horrendous. He became an awful tackle, seemingly overnight, and was eventually replaced by journeyman lineman and Abdullah the Butcher look-alike, Bruce Wilkerson.

Michels would spend the rest of his time in Green Bay doing one of the following: being injured, recovering from injuries, or sucking. He was eventually traded to the Eagles in 1999 for turd defensive end, Jon Harris

4. Jamal Reynolds

The next great outside speed rusher from Florida State...hold on for a second. While Reynolds may have been that, how many of these FSU rush ends transitioned well into the Pros? Reinard Wilson? Andre Wadsworth? Peter Boulware is the most successful (now that I say that I know I'm missing somebaody) and even he had a short lived career. But I digress.

Reynolds was an undersized speed rusher. He was extremely raw, looked lost and confused all the time and lacked any confidence what so ever. He was probably best suited to be an outside linebacker, but he had zero coverage skills. Oh, and did I mention he was selected 10th overall after the Packers traded Matt Hasselback and their 17th pick to the Seahawks for the 10th choice?

Reynolds was cut after just two seasons in Green Bay, not before they tried to trade him to the Colts, but true to form, Reynolds failed his physical. Eventually he was released and scooped up by the Browns...only to be cut shortly after again. Reynolds was Ron Wolf's last first round pick and will forever be remembered as Wolf's worst draft pick. Want more salt in the wound? The Seahawks used the 17th pick that we traded to them, along with Matt Hasselback, to select Steve Hutchinson.

Kill me now.

3. Kent Benson

The first overall pick in the 1977 NBA Draft, the Indiana center was a beast in college, helping lead the Hoisers to the 1975-76 NCAA Championship.
Benson's time in Milwaukee was short lived, spending just three seasons in Brew Town and never averaging more than 12 points or 7 boards per game. While the BTB isn't actually old enough to have seen Benson in action, man did I hear numerous stories about this guy, particularly how much he sucked, from relatives. His lone bright spot in Milwaukee was being part of the trade that brought Bob Lainer to town.

2. Antone Williamson

Who could forget Sal Bando's all-time favorite player? Williamson was a third baseman at Bando's alma matter, ASU, and had an incredible College World Series.

Drafted third overall in 1994, Williamson was a guy with holes in his swing and an absolute butcher defensively (maybe it's not a recent trend only for Brewers draft picks), but Bando loved him. Williamson was awful. He only played in 24 games for the Crew, batting just .204 with ZERO homers and SIX RBIs in his time in Milwaukee. AWESOME!

Wanna know just how bad he was? Try searching Wikipedia or google for the guy...good luck, you'll get the same two or three baseball-reference pages.

1. Tony Mandarich

Was there any doubt? The Packers finished 1988 with a 4-12 record, winning their final two games. Those last two wins would cost them the number one overall pick in April's 1989 NFL Draft (Dallas finished 3-13, losing their final game of the season) and any chance at getting Troy Aikman. While on the surface that would be a bad thing, lets not forget the Brett Favre era never happens if Troy Aikman is a Packer.

Mandarich was taken second overall, ahead of (in order)Barry Sanders, Derrick Thomas and Deion Sanders. Any of those would have been nice. We all know how much of colossal failure he was, spending his first season on special teams, and finally being released after three years.

Mandarich made a comeback in the mid/late-90's with the Colts, and actually resurfaced to as a capable lineman, but the damage was done. The "Incredible Bulk" will forever go down as the biggest bust in Packers, Wisconsin, and arguably NFL history.

Crew rounds out Tribe's Top 10 prospects

Baseball America is churning out its Organizational Top Ten Prospects lists and the baseball site touched on the Indians today. If you take the time to read through it all, it's loaded with interesting stuff to a Brewers fan thanks in large part to the CC Sabathia trade that sent the Tribe: Matt LaPorta, Zach Jackson, Rob Bryson and Michael Brantley. But one reason blogs exist is to point out the interesting gems so you don't have to do any of that boring reading stuff:

• Russell "3TO" Branyan was the Indians top ranked prospect in 1999. While the BTB is of the belief that 3TO transcends mankind, in all seriousness it shows you how off even the most in depth and knowledgeable sources can be. Titanic boomstick moonshot dingers guy? Yes.  #1 prospect? Not so much. But for the sake of our love for this man, Baseball America has never had a more accurate read on a man...ever. I REALLY want to read what the publication said about 3TO in 1999.
• The year after topping the Crew's Top Ten Prospects list, LaPorta checks in at #2 with the Indians. 
• Brantley ranks #9.
• Cleveland's #1 prospect, C-Carlos Santana, came to the organization via the Casey Blake trade. This is REALLY interesting. The crown jewel of the mega Sabathia deal is viewed as lesser a prospect than the main bargaining chip in the Blake swap? Shows you how much an All-Star caliber catcher is valued.
• Brantley also ranks as the best hitter for average and best athlete. He is not projected to be in the starting lineup on the Tribes starting 9 in 2012.
• LaPorta possesses the best hitter for power and is thought to be the 1B in 2012.
• Santana is an Indian because the Indians picked up the remaining $2 million on Blakes contract when they shipped him to Hollywood. (Subscriber info)
• One of LaPorta's listed weaknesses? Hitting soft stuff in hitter's counts! He would have fit right into the Crew's philosophy, I'm having nightmares of Jorge Campillo again.
• Brantley gets bad reads off the bat in center, taking bad routes to the ball and possesses a below average arm. (Subscriber info) Funny how he was thought to have been the CF of the future in Milwaukee. Maybe retaining Taylor Green will turn out to be a positive after all.

The Crew's Top Ten Prospects won't be published until Jan. 19.

Major Brad.....190 lbs of B A D

According to the world wide leader, more non football issues are plaguing the Minnesota Vikings. Troy Williamson, the former 7th overall pick in the 2005 NFL draft, and ex WR for the Vikings, apparently is not a big fan of Major Brad. The bad blood stems back to last season, when Williamson was fined a game check for attending his grandmother's funeral. The fine was later rescinded by the team (the elder statesmen of the team thought the penalty was unjust), but the hatred only deepened. Williamson said, "We can meet on the 50-yard line and we can go at it. After that, I had no more respect for Childress. That's gone out the window, and I don't see that coming back ever. That bridge is burned." Here is what Major Brad had to say about the issue. "Do you need my reach? I'm not like a woman; I'll give you my weight. It's 190 pounds of twisted steel and rompin', stompin' dynamite. Is that enough humor for you?" How this man is still a head coach in the NFL amazes me. He has my vote for DBAG of the week. Any thoughts?

The Sandman: 11/18

Here's your "The Sandman" update for the day:

The Sandman
» Report abuse Tuesday Nov 18, 2008 2:20 PM
Viva 1 playoff win in 4 years! Nevermind the fact that TT took over in 2005. 2005, 2006, 2007. Seems like three years to me. Unless of course, you're some sort of soothsayer or are friends with Biff and know which clubs are in the postseason in 2008. But what do I know?

I don't pay homage to my Brett Favre Fat Head three times daily and tout my 16 years of running the fumblerooski play as a Pop Warner coach, so I'm not qualified to post.

And some new turd, "thinkforyourself" that just couldn't take it, in reply:

thinkforyourself
» Report abuse Tuesday Nov 18, 2008 2:39 PM
sandman
You're right. It's actually 2 games over .500 in four years, one playoff win in 3 postseasons. Let's give him another extension, then.
Seeing as how they are .500 right now, it is safe to assume until proven otherwise they won't get in again, or, if so, won't beat anyone. Their 1-3 record against winning teams so far convinces you?

Again, I encourage everyone to start joining in on this fun.

Effing A, or NO WAY?

Dear BTB enthusiasts,

What are your thoughts on Lynn Dickey? Do you view him as the third ranked passer in Packers history behind "the Ole Gunslinger" and Bart Starr, and as a WI sports Icon; or do you view him as an old, washed up, womanizing name dropper? I personally had the experience of meeting this man through mutual business interests, and I feel that he is a great guy. I also know that at the ripe old age of 54, he was consistenly slaying 20 something year old bar flies in hole in the wall towns throughout Southeastern WI. He threw for 4,458 yards in 1983, which remains a team record to this day. His number 11 jersey has been retired by Kansas State, and was named the All Time QB of the Big Eight by the AP in 1996. The Jury is out. What do you think?

2 Games In - Some Quick Thoughts

Well with the Marquette season officially under way, I have a few thoughts:

-It's nice to see a couple cupcake games actually play out like cupcake games and not unnecessary nailbiters.
-When I was in school, a friend of mine would single out Wes Matthews and consistently yell the phrase "SHOW ME SOMETHING WES!" regardless of the game score or Wes' personal performance. Well Wes has definitely showed me something.
-Love to see free throw percentage up. We'll see what happens when there is more pressure on, but with how much driving to the hoop our guards will have to do, this is encouraging.
-Pat Hazel has made great contributions and looks to be a nice frontcourt addition off the bench.
-That being said, Dwight Burke's (lack of) contribution is worrisome.
-Also excited to see a solid player like Jimmy Butler be able to provide support. Marquette may actually have a suitable bench this year.
-Lazar Hayward's dunk was awesome. Just awesome. He has Marquette version of Alando Tucker written all over him. Medium height, ability to play guard and forward, and absolutely no upside in the NBA.


Those are my quick hits for the young season so far...the rivalry continues with UWM coming into the BC this weekend. My prediction: MU 92 UWM 71

JS Online Blogs: The Sandman cometh!

The Beat is delighted to bring you up to speed on a new operation of ours. Instead of of sifting through all of the deadbeat's comments on the JS Online blogs and Crown'in' 'Em on this site, we have registered a screen name with the JS with only one intention: Fire Missiles at the dummards early and often.

And we're all about full disclosure in this department, almost like this is some kind of investigative journalism in reverse. So in honor of one of our favorite television characters, Sandy Cohen from The O.C., we now exist on the JS as: The Sandman.

We strive to hop onto the Packers blogs and just bash the morons in efforts to discover just how incoherent one has to be to fit in over there. We're hoping this tactic catches on like wild fire amongst fellow sports bloggers. We try to say the most absurd things we can concoct. We'll do our best to post some of the responses people write after we bash them around the ball yard. The early key is that nothing is "too dumb." Keep in mind how much most of the frequent posters on that site lack in intelligence. 

The best tactic thus far is to log into one of the Packers blog posts, launch a missile at one of the morons that is still just drooling over his Brett Favre jersey or thinks that he clearly knows more about being a personnel executive for an NFL team, then get out for the day. Engaging this type of individual is a risky endeavor. 

Here is the short list of screen names we've already managed to irate by hitting them like a dump truck with propaganda:

old #4

REVENGE4FAVRE

Brett-Favre

Fan_of_Football

Sundog

The funny part being, all of these guys came after us for posting something to purposely get under the dummards skin's like: Jets would be 10-0 with Rodgers under center.

So monitor the fun or better yet, join us in our quest to turn the tables on these inferior beings!