By Adam Roberts – 7/29/2021

To provide some relief from the constant Rodgers talk you’ve bravely endured through this week, here’s a daily check on what’s going on in Japan as the Tokyo Olympics continue:

• The United States added another gold medal to its count after Suni Lee finished first in the women’s gymnastics all-around final with a score of 57.433. Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade was awarded the silver with a score of 57.298 and Angelina Melnikova of the Russian Olympic Committee finished in third with a score of 57.199 for the bronze medal.
• Florida native Caeleb Dressel set an Olympic record in the men’s 100-meter freestyle after winning the gold medal with a time of 47.02 seconds. Dressel finished 0.06 seconds ahead of Australia’s Kyle Chalmers, the silver medalist, while Kliment Kolesnikov earned the bronze after finishing in third place with a time of 47.44 seconds.
• And on the first day of Olympic golf, Xander Schauffele and Patrick Reed had the lowest score among Americans after shooting three under par and sit in an eight-way tie for 12th place. Collin Morikawa trails by one shot while Justin Thomas was even after shooting a 71. Sepp Straka sits atop the leaderboard at eight under par.

At the moment, the Americans lead the overall medal count at 38, 14 of which are gold. This could need some updating though; it’s been a busy day at the station and no one here has a Peacock account so I can’t be 100% up-to-date. China has 31 medals followed by Russ..er, sorry..the Russian Olympic Committee with 28.

By Adam Roberts – 7/29/2021

Despite an offensive burst the Brewers received in the Willy Adames signing, there is no such thing as an off-the-table option for a team looking to go all-in on a World Series run.

The Brewers acquired infielder Eduardo Escobar from the Diamondbacks yesterday in exchange for two prospects. Escobar has 22 home runs this season and made the All-Star game. He can play any infield position and will likely be at third and first base, meaning the infield will now consist of Adames, Escobar, Kolten Wong, and Rowdy Tellez at first base. The deal was completed before the Brewers defeated the Pirates 7-3.

Catcher Cooper Hummel and infielder Alberto Ciprian were sent to the Diamondbacks in the trade.

Milwaukee still holds a seven game lead in the NL Central over the Reds.

By Adam Roberts – 7/28/2021

We knew today would be a very busy day at the Packers’ training camp podium. Earlier this morning, general manager Brian Gutekunst was peppered with questions by the gathered media about the offseason, and what the team’s plans were for Aaron Rodgers after this year. Gutey answered in his usual calculated manner, and also navigated around curious reporters wondering why the team was trading for Randall Cobb when they drafted Amari Rodgers a few months ago.

Then it was Aaron’s turn to speak. And to quote one of my favorite Twitch streamers Flatz: “I’ve got a goodie for you today!”

In response to the opening question from NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero about what the whole situation was about for him, Rodgers elaborated that he was frustrated with the way the organization handled outgoing veteran players in the past such as Charles Woodson, Jordy Nelson, Julius Peppers, Clay Matthews, Randall Cobb (who of course is on his way back), James Jones, John Kuhn, and others. Rodgers said a commitment beyond 2021 was not given to him, either.

Rodgers also indicated he wanted to have more input with the free agents that was not utilized by the team, and that by being a recruiter he can bring in more high profile athletes, since in his own words “I think we can all understand Green Bay isn’t a huge destination vacation.” He also made a point to mention it never has been about money at any point, using the analogy of a worker asking for a raise after a good year on the job to which your boss says “we’ll see..” then coming back and saying you now have a new job opportunity and the boss suddenly wants to make sure you stick around.

Ladies and gentlemen, start your reactionary engines! Noah is filling in for John on The Sports Lead again today, and will certainly have some thoughts on the day. We’d love to hear from you as well; give Noah a call today at 608-487-8111.

By Adam Roberts – 7/27/2021

While all the highlights of pre-training camp noise has revolved around the Packers, the Vikings are not without their own stories today as well.

The team is cutting ties with rookie Jaylen Twyman before he ever steps onto the field. The former Pitt Panther was cut on Monday for a non-football injury after he was shot four times during the offseason. The defensive tackle was selected in the sixth round, 199th overall by Minnesota. According to ESPN, however, the move may just be procedural, as if he clears wavers, he reverts back to the Vikings and will be able to be retained without the team losing a roster spot.

The team also  announced today that Phil Rauscher will replace Rick Dennison as the team’s offensive line coach this season. ESPN says Dennison, who is not vaccinated against COVID-19, will remain with the team as a senior offensive adviser.

By Adam Roberts – 7/27/2021

Traditionally, the Wisconsin men’s basketball team has started their year with some fun in the sun at the Maui Jim Maui Invitational, and that will be the case again this year.

Wisconsin will be a part of the eight team field participating in the annual early season nonconference showcase. Joining the Badgers will be Butler, Chaminade, Houston, Notre Dame, Oregon, Saint Mary’s, and Texas A&M. The Aggies will be the Badgers first opponent on November 22nd; it’ll be the first time the two have met since 1984, a 71-69 Wisconsin win in Madison.

After that, Wisconsin will face either Butler or Houston on the 23rd.