We're back with our second edition of the Wisconsin Sports Roundup! Through a partnership between Brew Crew Ball, Acme Packing Company and Brew Hoop, we are excited to bring you sports news from across the state so you can get a monthly summary in one central location. We also hope to add more information about the Wisconsin Badgers (Bucky's 5th Quarter) and Marquette Golden Eagles (Anonymous Eagle) in the coming months. Here is the monthly summary for April.
The regular season is underway after what seemed like a very long offseason. The Brewers opened in New York against the Mets and went on to beat them in almost every way, picking up one win and posting a 3-0 record as they traveled to Milwaukee for the first time this season. Standout players from the first season include Brice Turang, Christian Yelich, Freddy Peralta, Rhys Hoskins and rookie Jackson Chourio. Milwaukee defeated New York 14-8 and outscored them 33-20 in the series, with Abner Uribe making two saves in two chances to open the season.
As the season progresses, an important area to pay attention to is the performance of the pitching staff. Freddy Peralta, DL Hall and Colin Rea did their jobs over the weekend by keeping the Mets off the field, but the back end of the rotation, which currently consists of Jakob Junis and Joe Ross, is still a big question mark. While the Brewers' offense looked strong over the weekend, they will need to maintain a balanced attack to stay atop the NL Central in what is sure to be a highly competitive division.
Headlines from Brew Crew Ball:
What's new at American Family Field in 2024? – Brew Crew Ball
Bold Milwaukee Brewers 2024 Predictions and Storylines – Brew Crew Ball
Milwaukee Brewers 2024 Regular Season Price Predictions – Brew Crew Ball
2024 NL Central Regular Season Predictions – Brew Crew Ball
Free agency hit the NFL in mid-March and the Green Bay Packers made plenty of headlines. Some were not surprising, such as the publications by David Bakhtiari and De'Vondre Campbell; Others were moves that Packers fans were hoping for but didn't necessarily expect, such as the arrival of Xavier McKinney, the best safety on the market. And then there's the running back situation, which caused talks between the Packers and Aaron Jones to fall through. That led to Jones being released and the Packers hiring free agent Josh Jacobs, formerly of the Las Vegas Raiders, to take his place. The Packers made some additional moves on the sidelines of the roster, bringing back All-Pro kick returner and slot cornerback Keisean Nixon and running back AJ Dillon as they build out the core of the roster ahead of next month's NFL Draft.
The draft will take center stage in April when the NFL travels to Detroit for this year's event. The Packers are looking to strengthen the middle of the defense this month, particularly at the safety and linebacker positions. Unfortunately, these are two spots where this year's draft class appears weakest, as opposed to positions like offensive line and wide receiver, both of which have deep, talented groups of young players. The Packers enter April with 11 total selections and five picks in the top 100, giving them plenty of capital to add to the roster. If the Packers decide to invest in another receiver after last year's impressive draft haul, there are a few names to keep in mind as APC's Paul Noonan breaks down his home-grown WROPS numbers to identify some receivers that may be undervalued or overvalued before the draft. Meanwhile, Justis Mosqueda and Tyler Brooke have been releasing weekly podcasts over the last month breaking down players at most of the Packers' key positions to find out who would be a good fit for the team, and the final episode in March will cover the results from Training college players during their professional years. For complete Packers coverage, especially before and after the draft, be sure to follow the Acme Packing Company podcast feed wherever you get your podcasts.
Acme Packing Company Headlines:
Packers 2024 Free Agency Roundup – Acme Packing Company
Draft Talk: Pro Day updates and the latest on the 2024 NFL Draft class – Acme Packing Company
WROPS' Most Overrated Wide Receivers in the 2024 NFL Draft – Acme Packing Company
WROPS' Most Underrated Wide Receiver in the 2024 NFL Draft – Acme Packing Company
The Bucks just completed a Western Conference-centric season March 8-6 that included impressive wins over the Thunder, Clippers (twice) and Suns, but also some discouraging losses to a few other Western playoff teams, including two against LeBron James -less Lakers. Still, they are two games ahead of the Cavs (and 2.5 ahead of the Knicks) in the Eastern Conference's two seeds, which would guarantee them home-field advantage for at least the first two rounds of the playoffs, which begin April 20. Facing such a tough schedule earlier this month, the fact that Milwaukee got above water and got past a collapsed, banged-up Cleveland is clearly a plus for them. During that time, they welcomed Khris Middleton back into the lineup after a severe ankle sprain that kept him out for a month, and overall he looked pretty good despite not having a huge minutes limit, averaging 15 .8/7.0/6.5 in his six games back, including a triple-double against Oklahoma City. After having the second-most difficult schedule in the league a month ago, they now sit in 12th place with eight games remaining in the regular season.
Just when it looked like the Bucks were at full strength, trade deadline signing Patrick Beverley tore wrist ligaments while dunking during warmups before last Sunday's victory. Beverley, long known for his talkative nature, broke the news of his injury on his podcast, which he tunes in at every opportunity. However, he also said that instead of having surgery that would end his season with a recovery time of three to four months, he could just play his way through it. In fact, after missing a game and then being listed as out on the injury report before Thursday night's game, he was upgraded to probable before hitting the floor that night. After being in a shooting slump over the last few games, he surprisingly had a great night in Atlanta on Saturday when Damian Lillard was absent for personal reasons, scoring 18 points on 6-for-10 shooting in what is easily his best performance as a Buck was. Who needs bands in their shooting wrist? Milwaukee is an important backcourt defender on a team that doesn't face much resistance there at all. Milwaukee needs to make sure he stays healthy enough to at least control opposing guards, but if that wasn't a fluke and opponents respect his jumper, he won. There is no liability on offense.
Brew Hoop Headlines:
Patrick Beverley suffers a torn ligament in his wrist – Brew Hoop
The reliable size of Giannis Antetokounmpo – Brew Hoop
Questions and Antlers with Bucks Legend Jim Paschke – Brew Hoop
Khris Middleton is about to make his return – Brew Hoop
We'll be back with another summary in May. Thanks for reading and here we go, Brewers, Packers and Bucks!
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