PREPS
Area high school baseball
Turner drops Edgerton; Evansville wins undisputed Rock Valley title
Area girls track
WIAA regionals scheduled for Mondayh
Area boys track
WIAA regionals scheduled for Monday
Craig soccer team ties Wauwatosa East
Fashing, Benson give Cougars a 2-0 halftime in 3-3 game
Parker nets soccer win over Westosha
Vikings complete regular season with 14 victories
STATE SPORTS
Sheets caves late, Brewers fall to Dodgers
Milwaukee Brewers starter Ben Sheets and Los Angeles Dodgers starter Chad Billingsley were tossing goose eggs at the opposition yesterday, until Ben Sheets blew up in the 7th.
Sheets surrendered home runs to Andruw Jones, Jeff Kent and Gary Bennett during a six-run seventh inning, giving the Dodgers a 7-2 win over the Brewers and two of three games in the series.
Bennett wasn't even scheduled to play but got the start when third baseman Blake DeWitt's lower back started hurting just before the game.
On the same day that he signed a new long-term contract, outfielder Ryan Braun clubbed his 10th home run of the season in the loss for the Brewers.
Milwaukee opens a weekend series at Fenway Park in Boston against the Red Sox.
Brewers make roster moves
The Milwaukee Brewers made a couple of roster moves. Yesterday, the Brewers placed right handed reliever David Riske on the 15-day disabled list with a hyperextended right elbow. The Brewers replaced Riske on the roster by calling up Mark DiFelice from triple A Nashville.
The Brewers today sent left handed reliever Mitch Stetter back to the minors and called up left handed pitcher Zach Jackson.
Braun's deal works for both sides
It's hard to say for sure what might have happened five or six years down the road, but my initial observation is that Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun could have landed a sweet deal as soon as he's eligible for free agency. But Braun valued financial security right now instead of waiting for the big pay day, so he probably took a little less, yet feels great about the deal.
For the Brewers, they locked up one of the teams two best players for a deal that is the richest in team history. A few years down the road, the richest deal in team history will probably belong to somebody else. And that's OK.
What Brewers fans must hope for now is that other rising young stars follow suit. Prince Fielder would be the natural next choice, but there's no guarantee he'll give up any free agent years with a potential block-buster deal in his potential future.
But perhaps the Brewers could lock down JJ Hardy and Corey Hart. And don't forget about Yovani Gallardo and Manny Parra.
The Brewers say they're always open to discussion and so far nobody has taken that beyond spring training. But owner Mark Attanasio has his pocket open and is willing to spend. The Brewers are hoping those young players will see what Braun was able to do and follow suit.
Braun signs historic deal with the Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers have signed outfielder Ryan Braun to a 7-year, $45-million contract that will keep him in a Brewers uniform through the 2015 season. It marks the longest contract in franchise history and will take Braun through what would have been his first two years of free agency.
The guaranteed deal could climb to $51 million if Braun qualifies for salary arbitration after the 2009 season as a "Super 2" player.
Braun's agent, Nez Belelo told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that his client received a $2.3-million signing bonus payable this year, on top of the $455,000 salary he already had agreed to.
Braun's deal also includes a full no-trade clause for four years, a limited clause (12 teams) for the next two years and a further limited clause (six teams) the final two years.
Braun has been one of the top offensive players in all of baseball since making his Major League debut last season on May 25 at San Diego. Since that date, he ranks among the Major League leaders in total bases (1st, 376), extra-base hits (1st-90), RBI (2nd-126), home runs (T3rd, 43), slugging percentage (4th, .611), runs (T6th, 111), hits (7th, 193) and on base percentage (9th, .968).
Braun hit .324 with 34 home runs and 97 RBI's last season and was named the 2007 National League Rookie of the Year.
NATIONAL SPORTS
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How some NFL teams break the rules
NFL teams get away with cheating. But is the risk worth the reward?
