Welcome to Saturday Scorecard. Thanks for dropping by on this Independence Day. We promise you'll be done readying by the time the grill is hot. Have a safe and happy Fourth of July.

On to the notes...

Close call: After watching the replay five times, the folks at Saturday Scorecard headquarters are convinced that the decisive pitch Brewers right-hander Mark DiFelice threw to Chicago's Jake Fox Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field was a strike.

But...

It never should have come down to that. DiFelice should have made better pitches to Geovany Soto and Fox, but the Brewers' offense squandered five decent scoring chances and a solid start by Jeff Suppan during the afternoon. The Brewers now need to win the final two games of the series to earn a split.

Not great at 8: Brewers manager Ken Macha has been creative with his lineups this season in a seemingly never-ending attempt to get production for players other than Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder.

Batting Jason Kendall in the leadoff spot is a bit of a reach, but that's not as bad as putting J.J. Hardy in the No. 8 spot. Hardy hasn't produced in that spot and he's been swinging the bat well of late, so dropping him in the order didn't seem to make a lot of sense.

The best play with Hardy is to tell him he's batting second and leave him there until absolutely forces you to remove him.

Tough times: It's hard to imagine a Milwaukee summer without racing at the Milwaukee Mile or PGA golf at Brown Deer Park. But, we may be without both events next year. The Mile is a financial cesspool and the U.S. Bank Championship is searching for a title sponsor to stay afloat after this season.

Mix in the troubles of the Wave, who are without a league and searching for new ownership, and the Bucks, who need a new moneymaking arena, and you can see how tough things are on the local sports scene.

Jane and Lloyd Pettit stepped up for sports in this market many times over the years, but they are both gone. It's time for someone else to help.

So long, CV 31: It has been fun following Charlie Villanueva on Twitter, but it doesn't seem that the Bucks will miss him that much. That will change, of course, the first time he drops 35 on Milwaukee while playing for Detroit.

Lesson one: Within a week after the draft, Bucks rookie Brandon Jennings got caught with his youth showing. Jennings spoke with a friend who had him on speakerphone and the conversation was recorded by a third party, who uploaded it to YouTube. Let's hope Jennings learns a lesson from the episode.

Memory lane: Remember when Wimbledon was must-see TV? As I'm not watching the men's final tomorrow, I'll think about how great it was to watch Connors, Borg, McEnroe, Lendl and others. Of course, that was before cable and the internet.

Good luck with that: In an interview with ESPN's Pedro Gomez, retired slugger Rafael Palmeiro continued to deny that he used performance-enhancing substances. He says he tested positive after taking what he thought was a B-12 shot. Anybody out there believe him?

Larry King Lounge: Speaking of performance enhancers, the Tour de France is underway. If Lance Armstrong is racing against the field, and allegations that he cheated his way to fame and fortune.... Nobody has said so, but it "feels" like Brett Favre will sign with the Vikings at some point in the next week or so. Maybe during baseball's all-star break?.... A national radio host angered some Brewers fans by saying that Ryan Braun doesn't "move the needle" in terms of national interest. The Mets were just in town. Did you see anyone sprinting to the turnstiles to see David Wright? There are only a few guys in baseball -- or in sports -- who make fans want to buy tickets. Braun isn't there yet, but he might be some day.... Casey McGehee's dropped popup/grand slam opera last week was the kind of episode that bonds players and fans, who love a good redemption story.... It was no surprise that Lambeau Field ranked first in ESPN's survey of pro sports venues. The Packers' game experience is tough to top. Even a (pardon the redundancy) meaningless pre-season game feels like a historic event at Lambeau... The Bucks should do whatever it takes to acquire Josh Childress. He seems like a Scott Skiles type of player.