The elements of sports for which I'm thankful in 2016
Hopefully the Thanksgiving holiday finds you spending time with loved ones and eating copious piles of yams. The kind with marshmallows, of course. I dearly love yams.
Every now and then, I take inventory of the elements in sports for which I'm thankful. Take note: these aren't going to be the heartfelt, serious things most people are thankful for around the holiday season, so don't expect to see obvious things such as family, employment, food to eat, children, etc. I'm not trying to make light of the tradition, just trying to have some fun.
And so, the 2016 list of things I'm thankful for:
Podcasting. I’ve had a great time creating a sort-of weekly podcast with JP Cadorin of Time Warner Sports Channel for close to 100 episodes now, but the past year has really been a revelation for me in the number of quality podcasts available. This ranges from the local (let me recommend a new one: “Garded Optimism” on the subject of Wisconsin men’s basketball from Twitter friends Kyle Ashauer and Curt Hogg) to the nonlocal (my favorite sports-related pods are “The Ringer MLB Show” and “CBS Sports Eye on College Basketball”). This reminds me to plug our show, “Initial Reaction,” which goes in depth on prep sports and Wisconsin sports at large. Making that show is my favorite part of each week. You can find us on iTunes, Stitcher and on LakeCountryNow.com.
The Watt family. Though JJ has been sidelined by injury this year, and Derek is just getting his feet wet in the NFL, TJ has been a huge component of the Wisconsin Badgers defense as they make a serious push to reach the college football playoffs. The Pewaukee natives have given us countless stories through the years, and they’ve also been really helpful in giving me a new batch of stories, set to appear on our site (LakeCountryNow.com) and in our Thursday Lake Country Reporter in advance of the Texans game at Lambeau Field against the Packers.
Wisconsin Badgers athletics. Speaking of the Badgers, how fun has it been to root for the football team this year? The Paul Chryst Era took an unexpected leap forward this season with a team on the cusp of a berth in the Big Ten Championship game, and perhaps even loftier goals beyond that. The defense has been of the highest caliber, and it’s delightful to think how many key contributors on both sides of the ball could be back next year. Throw in a basketball team with major aspirations, and it’s a great time to cheer for Bucky. That doesn’t even take into account a volleyball team that was ranked No. 1 at one point this year and elite women’s hockey and cross country programs.
Game 7. Honestly, is there anything better in sports at large? There can’t be. I know many of you were cheering against the Cubs (I happened to be cheering strongly for them, but you’ll never get me to say it out loud), but no matter your allegiance, the seventh game of the World Series lived up to expectations in a huge way. That came on the heels of a remarkable Game 7 of the NBA Finals in which the Cleveland Cavaliers rallied from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Golden State Warriors. We’ve been blessed with some seriously thrilling pro and college sports action this year, and it’s a rare year when both the baseball and basketball finals are that historic and memorable.
GIANNIS! Speaking of pro basketball, GIANNIS! As I write this, the Greek Freak is coming off a performance against the Orlando Magic on Nov. 21 when he finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, five steals and three blocks, a line matched only by Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon in NBA history. The Milwaukee Bucks are still a little bit of an enigma from time to time, but Giannis Antetokounmpo is absolutely a reason to watch, and eventually, he’s going to be the reason the Bucks return to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2001.
NFL RedZone Channel. This is my first year with NFL RedZone in my house. It’s one of those innovations that makes you wonder how people previously lived. One football game at a time? We were such Neanderthals.
The 2016 fall-season weather. This was the first year I really dedicated myself to covering football on the sidelines, getting as much video as possible, and that was made possible by the mild weather. State-championship Friday took a turn for the crazy when the Division 3 game was played in sunny, 68-degree weather and the Division 1 game was played in windy, bitter cold a few hours later, but it was about as perfect as we could expect this fall season overall. I like to join in the human tradition of complaining about the weather whenever possible, so I’ll take a moment to applaud Ma Nature when she does us a solid.
Cell-phone cameras. Speaking of sideline coverage, cell-phone cameras have gotten really, really good. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve filmed a touchdown or key moment with my cell phone and had someone ask retroactively if that video really came from my phone. It enhances our coverage when I can use something so small and common to take such high-quality detail.
Keon Broxton. He became my favorite Brewers player this season, and what I love about him is the fact that he’s a good representative of what’s to come for Milwaukee. Eventually, Ryan Braun will be gone –- maybe even this winter -– and the last major tie to the successful teams of 2008 and 2011 will have departed, and we’ll need a new batch of Brewers to root for. Broxton, an unheralded acquisition who outperformed expectations to the point that he could be a major player on the next good Brewers team, is the type of player general manager David Stearns needs to find to help this team return to prominence. Eventually, players like Broxton and Jonathan Villar and Chris Carter will be joined by prospects who will help this team go from occasionally competitive to contender.