Welcome to Saturday Scorecard, a 10-minute diversion from the question that is will keep an entire state on edge until around 4:30 this afternoon:

What's the deal with Mel Kiper, Jr.'s hair?

OK, that was too easy.

Who will the Packers pick? We could make a bold prediction, but it a complete guess. Even Packers general manager Ted Thompson isn't sure how things will shake out in the first 80 minutes of the draft. (Though he's paid to have a pretty good idea).

Here are some notes to consider until we all find out whether the Packers draft Brian Orapko, Tyson Jackson, B.J. Raji, Michael Crabtree, Jason Smith, Andre Smith -- or trade down to get more picks.

On to the notes...

No silent treatment: Kudos to Brewers TV announcer Brian Anderson for talking about Dave Bush's quest to throw the Brewers' first no hitter in 22 years while the game was in progress. And a giant raspberry to anyone who got mad at Anderson for "jinxing" the no-no.

Everybody knows about the long-standing baseball tradition of not mentioning a no-hitter in the dugout. That ban, however, never extended to the stands, the broadcast booth, your office water cooler or your Facebook or Twitter page.

We hate to break it to folks who were offended by Anderson's presentation -- and, thankfully, they were in the minority -- but an announcer's comments don't impact what happens on the field. While we're at it, neither does your rally cap, favorite chair or lucky jersey.

"Times have changed a lot," said Anderson, who is in his third season with Fox Sports Wisconsin. "They basically require that we not only mention the no-hitter and what's going on, but sound all the bells and whistles and make sure everyone is alerted.

"It's a ratings business. We're trying to grab ratings. We want people to watch, especially a day game, and we want people to follow it. We do packages. We do re-joins, pretty much every half-inning... we basically turn into a national broadcast."

Anderson understands that some fans may have been offended.

"I'm totally fine with the argument against it," he said. "I understand the traditions. but, that's more for the players.

"Especially with a day game, we want to capture an audience right there. I would feel worse about a guy who was flipping through the channels -- specifically a guy named Mark Attanasio, who digests Brewers baseball on the television, mostly -- if he's kind of passing through and doesn't really get what's going on because we're not saying it. That's how you lose your job, right there.

"I know there are a bank of fans that want to observe the traditions. I would just say if it's that big of a problem for a viewer, that we're kind of walking through tradition here, then just turn the sound down. It's not stopping. I'm not trying to be a jerk about it. That's the way business is. It's not me, personally. It's how we do things."

A higher authority: Anderson got advice about the no-hitter from legendary Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully, regarded by many as the greatest ever. The two spoke in the men's room in the Miller Park press box after Ben Sheets pitched a complete-game shutout against Los Angeles on opening day in 2007.

"I asked him what to do he said 'Not only do you shout it, you shout it from the hills and you tell the audience to call their friends and family,'" Anderson said.

On Sept. 9, 1965, Scully called Sandy Koufax's perfect game. A transcript of the ninth inning is available here, but the first paragraph tells the tale:

"Three times in his sensational career has Sandy Koufax walked out to the mound to pitch a fateful ninth where he turned in a no-hitter. But tonight, September the 9th, nineteen hundred and 65, he made the toughest walk of his career, I'm sure, because through eight innings he has pitched a perfect game. He has struck out 11, he has retired 24 consecutive batters, and the first man he will look at is catcher Chris Krug, big right-hand hitter, flied to second, grounded to short. Dick Tracewski is now at second base and Koufax ready and delivers: curveball for a strike."

After the first out, Scully said: "Sandy Koufax has struck out 12. He is two outs away from a perfect game."

Case closed.

 Page 1 of 2 (view all on one page)

Next >>

3 comments about this article. Post a comment / write a review.

Recent Talkbacks ...

Posted by The_Doodle on April 26, 2009 at 2:30 p.m. (report)

Regarding The No Hitter Broadcast. Let me start by saying that Brian Anderson and anyone else who said THE PHRASE During the Game did not cause Dave Bush to give up that home run in the 8th. (Although the ball barely hit the foul side of the foul pole - Karma? you decide) However his call of the game walked all over a time honored tradition of our American pastime. In was imperative for Anderson and anyone else calling the game to call attention- rather - scream attention to what was going on, call attention to the fact that it is a major deal, and the fact that anyone within listening or viewing distance of the broadcast should stop what they were doing and alert everyone they know to tune in. Alert them to the fact that through X innings that the only 2 or so runners to reach were by a walk and a hit batter. Alert them to the fact Bush is doing something that hasn't been done by a Brewer pitcher in 22 years, or perhaps do just as I did by telling everyone I know to "Stop what you are Doing and Turn on the Brewers Game and witness something special." To everyone's point - he obviously has to talk about it. I just did and you know what - I did it without using THE PHRASE. It was his choice to use THE PHRASE. I believe it was a poor choice. And I do not believe that Fox Sports Wisconsin dictated to Brian Anderson to actually use THE PHRASE or any variant of it. And if they did - I would suggest to them they should spend more time getting every game on the Air in HD and less time censoring - or I suppose reverse censoring their broadcasters. The bottom line for me: there is a tradition, you don't "change" tradition you only either honor it or you don't. It is a relatively innocuous -tradition surrounding the game - the game that is our national past time, the game which was put into perspective by Darth Vader - er James Earl Jones in the Movie Field of Dreams - "The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It's been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt, and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game, is a part of our past, Ray. It reminds us of all that once was good, and it could be again....." It is a tradition that it woven into the fabric of the game, that tradition does not stop when you yourself stop playing the game. It's a tradition that doesn't impede progress, it doesn't hurt anyone, and has no cost. So you either honor that tradition or you don't. As far as the responsibility of the announcers to the audience - well you tell me - "At the MLB level Should the on Air Talent have the skills to communicate a No Hitter is in progress - without actually saying "No Hitter"? I would say the answer is a resounding Yes! Whether they choose to is a different question. The announcers who respect the tradition and have the ability to convey the meaning of a no-hitter without saying it earn the respect of the people who follow the tradition. The announcers who don't respect or are not aware of the tradition, or don't have the ability, or choose not to honor the tradition earn the ire of those same people Recently I have listened to 2 no hitters called on TV and Radio Clay Buchholz 2007 John Lester 2008 In neither of those did the Announcers use "The Phrase" Last week I listened to the 6 7 and 8th Innings on Radio of the Bush game and Bob Uecker, didn't use the "The Phrase" Judging by the response on local radio - excluding the idiots who actually think there is a cause and effect - I am glad to see that there are a still a few people who respect the tradition - even if Anderson doesn't Also with regard to Vin Scully's broadcast of 42 years ago - he didn't say "No Hitter" as it related to the game you mentioned. Also it is not fair to compare Anderson to Scully.

Posted by viewfromnyave on April 25, 2009 at 12:26 p.m. (report)

I buy the MLB radio package just so I can listen to the first three innings (Scully in the booth by himself) of the Dodgers West Coast games. He's getting up there in years, but he still has the best voice in the game. It's velvety smooth, with just a hint of his Bronx upbringing. With the passing of Harry Kalas recently, any baseball fan owes it to themselves to try and listen to this legend, at least one more time. So, sit on the porch with a beer this summer and listen to Vin call some baseball over the radio, you won't regret it.

Posted by sandstorm on April 25, 2009 at 6:43 a.m. (report)

what i love about the photo is how glum Weeks posture is. i like it that he seems to care as much as Bush. he's a good kid. and, yes. i know people shouldn't bother correcting spelling on the internet but i gotta make an exception for names. the Packers QB was Jerry Tagge, not Tagee. my grandmother, a teacher in Green Bay, actually taught the little guy how to read. what i didn't know is she also must have taught him how to throw.