The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Notes Florida State 42, Wisconsin 13; Long Drives Break Badgers' Spirit Key Calls Go Against Uw

Orlando, Fla. -- Here is how the pivotal drives in Florida State's 42-13 victory over the University of Wisconsin in the Champs Sports Bowl unfolded: First came an apparent fumble recovery, followed by the correct call from the replay official to overturn the call, and then another collapse by UW's defense.

Down the Lane

THIS WEEK IN THE NBA Orlando's game at Minnesota on Saturday was the first of a three- game Midwestern trip that takes the Magic to Detroit on Monday and Chicago on Wednesday before it returns home to play Miami on Friday. Last season, the Magic won 27 road games, two more than it won at home. This season, Orlando is doing a better job of protecting its court, as the Christmas Day victory over New Orleans was their eighth straight at home. "People say we haven't been protecting our home court...

On the Trail

Among its most notable activities for 2008, the Department of Natural Resources lists its acquisition of Rainbow Springs, the renovation of the Wild Rose State Fish Hatchery and a record spring turkey harvest. In October, the state purchased the 970-acre tract previously known as Rainbow Springs in southeastern Wisconsin. The former golf course lies in the Mukwonago River watershed; it will offer hunting, fishing and other outdoor activities and will be known as the Mukwonago River Unit of th...

Game Day Five Things to Watch

MR. DISAPPOINTMENT: On a team overloaded with disappointing players, LB Ernie Sims would have to rank near the top. "It's like he's played with blinders on this year," one personnel man said. "He actually has played a little bit better the last two weeks. But the first nine games, you'd have said he's a free agent." Sims, who was ranked by Pro Football Weekly as the NFL's 11th-best outside linebacker before the season, hasn't even played as well as teammate Paris Lenon. "This guy is a midget,...

Jennings Taking Driver's Seat but Wr Hopes Veteran Stays On

Green Bay -- Next year, there are no ifs, ands or buts about it, wide receiver Greg Jennings will be the Green Bay Packers' top offensive threat. Whether he has a rich new contract in hand or is an unrestricted- free-agent-to-be, Jennings will enter the 2009 season with exalted status, the guy whom you would expect coach Mike McCarthy and Joe Philbin to feature. On a team for which cornerback Charles Woodson is arguably the team's elite player, Jennings is the only other player on the roster ...

Michael Hunt; in My Opinion Bielema Needs to Upgrade

Orlando, Fla. -- Think Wisconsin is having buyer's remorse about the multi-million, multi-year rollover contract it gave Bret Bielema? All the embarrassments of a regular season gone wrong, the kind of mistakes that should've been fixed and therefore redeemed with a month to prepare, were compounded and repeated to an astonishing degree Saturday on the final proving ground for 2008, the Champs Sports Bowl.

Florida State 42, Wisconsin 13 Regrettable Performance Sherer Admits Playing Poorly

Orlando, Fla. -- With a little more than 12 minutes left in the second quarter of a scoreless Champs Sports Bowl, Wisconsin pulled out an exotic play it had never run, one that Florida State likely had never seen. From there, it was all downhill for the Badgers.

2-Minute Drill Speak Out Letters From Readers

Selig needs to implement salary cap Well, it looks as if the Brewers are back to their old ways, being the minor leagues for the Yankees. I don't blame Mark Attanasio; he's a good owner. I blame Dud Selig for not having enough intestinal fortitude to tell the players union there is going to be a salary cap.

All-Nfc North Division Team Personnel Review

Last week, executives in personnel from each of the four NFC North teams were asked by the Journal Sentinel's Bob McGinn to rank the top three players in the division at each position. They were not permitted to vote for their own players, and none of the comments that follow was made by a scout about a player on his own team. A first-place vote was worth three points, a second was worth two and a third was worth one. Asterisks denote unanimous selections. OFFENSE

Week 17 Preview

St. Louis Rams (2-13) at Atlanta Falcons (10-5) When: Noon today.

Game of the Week

Miami Dolphins (10-5) at New York Jets (9-6) When: 3:15 p.m. today (Ch. 58)

Tom Silverstein's Picks

Packers beat writer Tom Silverstein predicts NFL games this week: Game Point spread Straight up vs. spread

Tom Enlund Celtics Unable to Shake Off Pesky Cavs

Want to know the most amazing thing about the Boston Celtics' franchise-record 19-game winning streak that ended in a Christmas Day loss to the Los Angeles Lakers? The Celtics were able to create little separation between themselves and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the process.

Olympian Blade Remains En Garde Davis Won't Train with Hedrick

As they cooled down on the Pettit National Ice Center oval after a thrilling 5,000-meter race Saturday, Chad Hedrick approached Shani Davis and popped the question. "I would like to find a way to train with him," Hedrick said. "That's what I told him. The competition has risen to the next level now and if we want to go out and dominate the next Olympics, we've got to swallow our pride and start to work together."

Badger Hockey Showdown Bohmbach Delivers Late Goal, Two Assists

Madison -- After a three-week break, the University of Wisconsin's streak continues. UW notched a 5-0 victory over Alabama-Huntsville Saturday night at the Kohl Center in the Badger Hockey Showdown to extend its winning streak to six games. They'll go for lucky No. 7 at 7 tonight against Lake Superior State.

Uw Replay Game Awards

PLAYER OF THE GAME Florida State senior kicker Graham Gano, the 2008 Lou Groza Award winner, doesn't receive enough credit for his work as a punter.

Uw Replay Scoring

FIRST QUARTER No scoring.

Preps Plus Roundup Sussex Wrestlers Prevail

With four individuals winning their weight classes, the Sussex Hamilton wrestling team held off Waterford and Greenfield to capture the team championship in the Kettle Moraine Invitational on Saturday. The Chargers scored 238 points to win the 17-team tournament, topping Waterford's total of 222 and Greenfield's 216.

Preps Plus; Wisconsin Basketball Yearbook Shootout Roundup Wisco Overcomes Stumble

Shaking off a potentially disastrous third-quarter cold spell, Wisconsin Lutheran remained undefeated Saturday with a 42-37 victory over Racine St. Catherine's in the Wisconsin Basketball Yearbook Shootout at the Al McGuire Center. The Vikings (8-0) opened a 23-18 halftime lead, but St. Catherine's (4-1) held Lutheran scoreless for the first 6 1/2 minutes of the third quarter, opening a 27-23 lead with a 9-0 run.

Fun Ride in Bradley Center Comes to Screeching Halt

The Milwaukee Bucks saw their five-game home winning streak come to a crashing halt Saturday night at the Bradley Center, where they were blown out by the Detroit Pistons, 87-76. The Pistons broke open a close game by outscoring the Bucks, 27- 11, in the third quarter and then held comfortable leads throughout the fourth.