The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Camp Report

NEWS OF THE DAY: The Brewers assigned three more players to their minor-league camp: right-hander Luis Pea, left-hander Jeff Housman and outfielder Brad Nelson. ON THE FIELD: Playing split-squad night games, of all things, the Brewers lost to San Francisco, 3-2, in Scottsdale in a contest called after 7 innings because of a power failure, but held on for a 6-4 victory over the Rangers at Maryvale Baseball Park.

Admirals 2 Moose 1; Winning One for the Ages; Hrkac has Upper Hand in Battle of Veterans

How fitting that it came down to this: good friends Tony Hrkac and Wade Flaherty, going one-on-one in a tension-packed shootout at the Bradley Center. It was a matchup of the two oldest players in the American Hockey League, the 38-year-old Hrkac and 37-year-old Flaherty, the goaltender who led the Milwaukee Admirals to the Calder Cup championship last season. But this time Flaherty was playing for the Manitoba Moose and making his first appearance in Milwaukee since last May.

Morel Approaches Pivotal Period; Madison Boxer Faces Title Bout, Assault Trial

Eric Morel has arrived at a crossroads, in and out of the ring. If the Madison boxer is feeling some pressure as he prepares for a pay-per-view fight against World Boxing Association 115-pound champion Martin "El Gallo" Castillo on Saturday night, it's understandable.

Stars of the Week

CAITLIN GIBSON Jefferson

Sheets Struggles; Fastball Betrays Ace in Second Spring Outing

Phoenix Ben Sheets had a succinct one-word assessment for his second outing of the spring Tuesday night. "Terrible," he said.

Storm Team 4; March Can Mix Up Its Lions, Lambs

An Alberta Clipper-type low-pressure system moves toward Wisconsin today, and that will bring some light snow to much of the state. The snow might mix with a little rain in southern sections, but most of the precipitation will be on the light side. Temperatures will remain around 40 degrees in Milwaukee today and into the weekend. March is considered a transitional month between winter and spring, starting with more wintry characteristics and ending with more springlike storms. The truth is t...

Nascar Suspends Three Crew Chiefs; Fines, Point Penalties Also Handed Out

NASCAR suspended three Nextel Cup Series crew chiefs including those from the top two finishers Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and handed down fines and points penalties Tuesday for infractions discovered over the weekend. Winner Jimmie Johnson's car failed to meet the minimum height requirement in post-race inspection, resulting in Johnson and his team being stripped of 25 points in both the driver and owner standings and crew chief Chad Knaus being suspended for two races and fined $3...

Diener to Coach Junior National Team

Milwaukee Vincent boys basketball coach Tom Diener has been named head coach of the USA Basketball Junior National Select team, and will lead the squad in the eighth annual Nike Hoop Summit April 9 at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tenn. Diener's U.S. team, made up of 10 top seniors from around the nation, will take on the World Select team, consisting of top players age 19 and younger from around the world. The game will be televised by Fox Sports Net.

Gymnast Goes to Great Pains; Westosha Central's Laho Is Area's Best

More than a week after winning two state gymnastics championships, Jessie Laho of Westosha Central is in search of a good doctor. Laho and her family are hopeful of solving a shin splints problem that was once serious enough for her to quit gymnastics altogether.

Wiaa Boys State Tournament; a Late Bloomer; Landry Blossoms Into One of the State's Top Players

Marcus Landry swears he knew this day would come. Even when he was an eighth-grader sitting on the bench for his AAU team; even when he was a gangly freshman at Milwaukee Vincent simply learning to play the game.

Ruegamer Rejoins Packers; He Could Become Starting Guard

After two weeks on the open market, offensive lineman Grey Ruegamer decided his best opportunity was with the Green Bay Packers, so he signed a one-year deal to return to the club that released him March 1. Ruegamer left as a backup center and he returns as a potential starting guard, which is where he is expected to work during mini- camps and training camp. The Packers lost starting guards Mike Wahle and Marco Rivera in free agency and are still seeking replacements, which makes Ruegamer's ...

Sportsday; Favre Drives His Mower Into Greener Pastures

Because Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre does so few endorsements, it becomes news when he does. Favre has declined or not pursued endorsement deals that could have brought him millions more in income.

Wing and a Prayer; Marquette has a Lot of Mending to Do As It Sputters Into the Big East

From the Final Four to first-round ouster in the National Invitation Tournament, the slide experienced by the Marquette Golden Eagles over the past two seasons has been eye-opening to some and expected by others. But the fact remains that without high-quality athletes in the backcourt and depth across the board, a team can't consistently compete at a high level in Division I basketball.

Mu Women Follow Point Guard's Lead

Asking Marquette women's point guard Carolyn Kieger to slow down on the basketball court used to be like telling a Porsche driver to obey the speed limit in a school zone. Regardless of the circumstances, she wanted to put the pedal to the medal.

Uwm; the Real Mccoy Emerges

When Jason McCoy transferred from Rutgers to UW-Milwaukee after the 2003 basketball season, Panthers coach Bruce Pearl knew he had something special in the stick-like, 6-foot-9 player with the wingspan of a Boeing 747. He just wasn't sure what he had.

Uw Prospers During Its Transition Game; Improved Guard Play Boosts Hopes

Madison A few months ago, Bo Ryan threw out a few words of caution about his team. Surrounded by a handful of reporters after practice, the University of Wisconsin coach was asked about the supposed depth he would have to draw from in the upcoming season. Depth? What depth? Ryan replied.

Dale Hofmann; in My Opinion; Truth Will Be Casualty of House Hearing

No one will win this week when baseball's continuing commercial for steroids finds a home in the House of Representatives. If there are any young people left in North America who haven't heard that illegal drugs can make them stronger, your congressmen will reach them at taxpayer expense. Unless, of course, the national pastime stages a ninth-inning rally and finds a way of preventing seven current and former players from having to tell the truth.

Giambi Gets Taken Out of the Lineup; Slugger Excused From Testifying at Congressional Hearing

Top members of a House committee looking into the use of steroids in baseball agreed Tuesday to excuse New York Yankees infielder Jason Giambi one of several ballplayers expected to testify under oath from a scheduled congressional hearing Thursday. U.S. Rep. Tom Davis (R-Iowa), chairman of the House Government Reform Committee, and U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), the ranking minority member of the committee, said Tuesday that they had excused Giambi from testifying "at the request of th...

Trying to Rebound; Porter Says Bucks Will Bounce Back

St. Francis There is a distinct possibility that things could get ugly over the final 20 games for the Milwaukee Bucks. An unsightly, 110-71 loss in Miami to the Heat on Monday night certainly qualified as the low point of the season, and it left the Bucks six games out of the final Eastern Conference playoff spot, currently held by the Orlando Magic.