Welcome to Saturday Scorecard, one of the few venues where "winter storm warning" and "opening day" do not seem strange when uttered in the same week.

On to the notes...

Closing argument: If the Brewers move forward with the plan to use Carlos Villanueva as interim closer, they'll find no argument in this corner of the Web.

Villanueva projected as the closer before the team signed all-time saves leader Trevor Hoffman, who opens the season on the disabled list due to a strained oblique muscle. Villanueva always seems cool under fire, so it's not a stretch to think that he can handle the job.

There is, however, one slight problem.

Moving Villanueva to the back end of the game weakens the Brewers' bullpen in the critical sixth-seventh-eighth segment of the game that often means the difference between victory and defeat.

Part of the reason Brewers fans feel comfortable with Villanueva holding Hoffman's place is that they've seen the right-hander get the final out or two of an inning (often with men on base) and follow that extrication with a clean inning behind it.

With Villanueva held in reserve, the Brewers will need Jorge Julio, David Riske and Seth McClung to pitch well. Riske has had a brutal spring and other two are hardly considered "sure things."

With starters still stretching their arms in the early weeks, the bullpen will be a key to the Brewers' success. A strong start by that unit could set the stage for a solid first quarter of the season.

Motown musings: With tipoff approaching at the Final Four at Ford Field, we offer the following predictions (for entertainment purposes only):

Connecticut 77, Michigan State 68 -- On a "neutral" court, this game wouldn't be quite so close. The Spartans, playing close to home, will keep the game close until the Huskies pull away in the last 10 minutes. Michigan State coach Tom Izzo has done a fantastic job this season, but the Huskies have better players.

North Carolina 82, Villanova 69 -- The Tar Heels are two games away from their destiny. Anything other than a title will be a disappointment in Chapel Hill, but this team has too much firepower to be bummed out on Saturday. The key today could be Tyler Hansbrough, the all-time leading scorer in the ACC. He was quiet against Oklahoma, but could have a big night against the Wildcats. Villanova is a terrific team and has played extremely well the past month, but UNC has an edge at just about every position.

Sorry, Charlie: We really like Bucks forward Charlie Villanueva. He's had a terrific season and he has embraced social networking like few pro athletes before him. (We hear he even liked our April Fool's Day story about him.) That said, it's hard to believe this "tweet" from CV31 on Friday morning:

"Going to practice, walking into the Cousin Center. Practice 2day, Memphis 2mrow. I dont want the season to end, not too happy. 5 gms left :("

We understand that Charlie is playing well and having fun doing it. The better he plays, the more money he'll make on his next contract. But, it's hard to believe he's not looking forward to the off-season. Teams that aren't headed for the playoffs often have their cars packed with two months left in the season. The fact that the Bucks are still trying hard is a credit to the organization and the players.

Of course, they are professionals and it's their duty to try. But, it doesn't always happen.

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Recent Talkbacks ...

Posted by Hainer on April 5, 2009 at 6:19 p.m. (report)

..again, love the LK lounge. Should be mandatory. D- Wade as MVP is a fair argument against call for investigation. Heat haven't an Ill-goss-kuss, a Mo, nor does DW get the extra hop-step to the rack that LJ gets, etc. UWM at MP is a great suggestion...

Posted by GC1967 on April 4, 2009 at 11:33 p.m. (report)

Great article Drew! Lots of information and bits of news! More than I've gotten in the JS in the past week...except for Tommy H's blog/columns.