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    In Sports Commentary
    Sunday Scorecard: Fielder is Prince of video games
    Prince Fielder is featured on the cover of "The BIGS 2."  
    By Drew Olson RSS Feed Twitter Feed
    Senior Editor

    E-mail author | Author bio
    More articles by Drew Olson

    Published July 26, 2009 at 1:14 p.m.
    Tags: prince fielder, the bigs 2, peter berg, hank aaron, jerry crasnick, doug chickering, anthony witrado, art kabelowsky


    Welcome to a special Sunday Scorecard. Let's begin by saying that, at "press time," Drew is very much looking forward to sitting on Drew's couch and watching Drew's TV as Rickey Henderson goes into the Baseball Hall of Fame. (Disclosure: A friend used a variation of that bit last night, and it was too good to pass up).

    On to the notes...

    Prince of video: He's been a first-round draft pick. He's hit 50 homers in a season. He's helped lift a franchise to a playoff berth, made a couple all-star teams and won a home run derby championship.

    In other words, Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder has experienced a lot of exciting events during his still-young big-league career.

    But, few match the thrill of being featured on the cover of and the commercial for "The Bigs 2," a new video game from 2K Sports.

    "It's pretty cool," Fielder said. "It's one of those things, that, growing up, you think about being on the cover but you never think it will happen."

    Fielder is part of a generation of players who grew up playing video games, particularly "Ken Griffey Jr. Baseball" on Nintendo 64, and like many gamers is thrilled with technological advances such as stadium details and player idiosyncrasies that have made the games seem more realistic. He still plays a lot, but mostly in the off-season.

    "We don't get home until midnight on most days, so it's tough to play a lot," he said. "In the off-season, I play almost every day."

    Although he is known for power hitting rather than speed, Fielder is featured in a commercial running like a locomotive over a Cubs catcher. The spot, directed by Peter Berg ("Friday Night Lights," "Hancock") was filmed in Chicago during a day off earlier this season.

    "I'm not that good at acting," Fielder said. "When I saw (Berg), it was cool. He made me helped me get over feeling uncomfortable. He helped me out a lot."

    Fielder said he's happy with the result.

    "I like the commercial a lot but my kids (Jaydn and Haven), they get really excited. Most of the time, I'm just "Dad." But, when they see me on that train, they say 'Wow, that's pretty cool.'"

    And, who wins when the family sits down to play?

    "I'm still the champion in my house," Fielder said.

    A tough spot: Journal Sentinel baseball scribe Anthony Witrado wrote an interesting piece on Bill Hall.

    It's no secret that Hall has not performed well and has become a lightning rod for fans. I know salary / lifestyle that athletes enjoy can make it tough for fans to feel sympathy, but Hall has been a good citizen in the community and some of the same people ripping him now were happy when the team gave him a multi-year contract. It's another example that most long-term deals end badly.

    Hammer time: Former Braves and Brewers legend Hank Aaron filled the notebooks Saturday in Cooperstown by suggesting that players from the steroid era have asterisks on their Hall of Fame plaques.

    "The thing is, do you put these guys in, or do you put an asterisk beside their names and say, 'Hey, they did it, but here's why?'" Aaron told several reporters in Cooperstown. "To be safe, that's the only way I see that you can do it."

    Here is ESPN.com writer / Scorecard friend Jerry Crasnick's story on Aaron's comments.

    Bleak outlook: FoxSports.com writer Charley Rosen isn't excited about the Bucks or their chances for success this season. To wit:

    "Michael Redd is a shoot-'em-up scorer and Andrew Bogut is one of the most unathletic centers in the league. Brandon Jennings is a brash, undisciplined rookie who's not at all ready for prime-time competition. The only defensive-minded players currently on the Bucks' roster are Kurt Thomas (who's rapidly approaching his 37th birthday), and Bruce Bowen (age 38).

    "The Bucks will lead the league in at least one category: Being on the short end of the most blowouts."

    Happy trails: After 23 years, Doug Chickering steps down Friday as executive director of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association. Though I've quibbled with some of the body's decisions during his run (almost everyone has), I always felt like Chickering was an honorable guy in an incredibly difficult job. He has set the bar very high for his replacement. Art Kabelowsky, prep sports czar at the Journal Sentinel, gave Chickering a nice sendoff.

    Larry King Lounge: Has it really been five years since Paul Molitor was inducted into the Hall of Fame? It could be a long time before another Brewers player heads to Cooperstown.... It was nice to see former Brewers announcer Jim Powell this weekend. Powell is doing well in his first season with Atlanta. It helps that the team is playing well, too.... A female companion was disappointed with the baggy Negro League throwback uniforms the Brewers and Braves wore Saturday night. I thought they were cool, but the female demographic apparently likes things a little more "form-fitting.".... After watching Alberto Contador ride through the streets with champagne in his hand, I wondered if France has a law against open intoxicants... Wave employees return to work this week as efforts to sell/revitalize the franchise continue. They're still looking for pledges in the "Save the Wave" campaign. The phone number is (414) 224-9283.... The Iron didn't make the af2 playoffs, but the Racine Raiders are off to a 4-0 start in the North American Football League.... Looking for another reason to dislike Chicago fans? Check out the Miller Park version of the Deadspin.com feature "Why your stadium sucks."



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    Posted by sandstorm on July 27, 2009 at 10:05 a.m. (report)

    yeah, because all it takes is a newspaper article about you to magically improve your hitting skills.

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    Posted by alba on July 27, 2009 at 8:42 a.m. (report)

    You'd think Bill Hall would react to an article like that with a break-out performance on Sunday. Nope, he predictably struck out in his only at bat.

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    Posted by High_Life_Man on July 26, 2009 at 2:57 p.m. (report)

    The first "The Bigs" was a boring, repetitious piece of crap. Not going to be suckered into buying it again. I wish they would make a solid baseball game for the XBOX 360.

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