2/24/22 Hometown Broadcasting Sports Thursday
24 February 2022 Sports
Sports for Thursday
Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst says he’s not giving Aaron Rodgers any deadlines on when to decide on a possible return and he believes the four-time MVP will reach a resolution soon. Rodgers has said he hasn’t made up his mind regarding his plans for next season and hasn’t ruled out returning to the Packers, retiring or requesting a trade. Rodgers, who won his second straight MVP award this past season, has said he’d like to make a decision by the time the free agency period starts next month. He wants to give the Packers enough time to prepare for life with or without him. Gutekunst acknowledges Rodgers’ decision will factor into other choices the Packers make as they build their roster for the 2022 season and noted the 38-year-old quarterback is well aware of that.
Rodgers’ status is the most pressing of several offseason issues facing the Packers, who fell in the divisional playoffs this past season after two straight NFC championship game losses. The Packers are nearly $43 million over the salary cap according to overthecap.com and have several noteworthy potential free agents, including All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams and linebacker De’Vondre Campbell. One option the Packers have is to give Adams a franchise tag. The window for applying franchise tags started Tuesday and runs through March 8. Gutekunst said he’d rather avoid taking that step with Adams, but acknowledged it’s a possibility.
Gutekunst confirmed that the Packers restructured defensive tackle Kenny Clark’s contract and added that “there will be many more (contracts) that we touch along the way.” But he doesn’t believe the Packers’ cap situation should cause them to make major cuts to their roster.
Gutekunst also addressed other team-related issues. He expressed confidence that left tackle David Bakhtiari can make a successful return from the torn anterior cruciate ligament that sidelined him for most of the 2021 season. Bakhtiari, who injured his left knee on Dec. 31, 2020, returned to play 27 snaps in Green Bay’s regular-season finale against Detroit, but didn’t play in the Packers’ 13-10 playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
He said there’s a possibility the Packers keep outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith, but acknowledged the Packers’ cap situation complicates matters. Smith played just one regular-season game because of a back injury but returned for the playoffs and had a sack against the 49ers.
Steven Crowl scored 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds for 13th-ranked Wisconsin, and the Badgers fended off Minnesota for a 68-67 victory on Wednesday night. Tyler Wahl added 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Badgers (22-5, 13-4), who pulled into a first-place tie in the Big Ten with Purdue. Illinois is a half-game behind. Wisconsin hosts the fourth-ranked Boilermakers next week.
Jamison Battle had 17 points and Payton Willis and E.J. Stephens each scored 13 points for the Gophers (13-13, 4-13), who faced their biggest deficit of the game at 59-51 before a pair of 3-pointers by Willis fueled an 8-0 spurt to tie it.
Badgers star Johnny Davis fouled out with 2:35 left and just 12 points. That sent Willis — who missed the last game with COVID-19 and came off the bench for the first time this season — to the line. He split the pair of shots to even the score at 62 — the eighth tie of the game.
Jordan Davis, the twin brother of Johnny Davis, made a layup with 2:18 remaining for the lead. Then Crowl banked in a hook at the shot-clock buzzer to make it 66-62. With a layup by Willis the Gophers got back within two points, but Wahl worked the board to keep alive a miss by the Badgers and reset the shot clock. Brad Davison, the Big Ten’s leading free-throw shooter at 89.1%, made two foul shots to seal it.
The Gophers went 13 for 19 from the free-throw line.
Wisconsin visits Rutgers Saturday. The Badgers lost the first matchup 73-65 at home on Feb. 12th.
The UW-Oshkosh women’s basketball team last night were beaten in the second round of the WIAC Tournament by UW-Lacrosse 65-50
There’s a new member in the Green Bay Packers Fan Hall of Fame. Jeff Yasick’s induction was announced Wedneday afternoon at Lambeau Field. Yasick, from Mazomanie, in Dane County, was chosen from among 10 finalists. His fandom dates back to when he met Reggie White outside training camp in 1994. Yasick’s cousin nominated him for his perseverance and loyalty while overcoming cerebral palsy. He can show how much he’s a fan this season. He won free club seat tickets to a home game, a road trip to an away game, and $500 to spend at the Packers Pro Shop.
Yasick also gets his name permanently displayed as the 24th member of the Fan Hall of Fame.
The Wisconsin Herd, the NBA G League affiliate of the Milwaukee Bucks, lost to the Motor City Cruise 110-107. The Herd held the lead at the end of the first quarter, but the Cruise battled back to go ahead at the end of the half. Wisconsin battled back from a 14-point deficit to be down by three at the end of the third quarter. The two teams went back and forth in the fourth quarter resulting in two lead changes and three times tied. The Herd came within one point, but the Cruise held on to win.
Lindell Wigginton led the Herd with 30 points while Sandro Mamukelashvili followed with a double-double of 24 points and 14 rebounds. Wenyen Gabriel added a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Luka Garza led Motor City with 22 points while three players added 16 points.
The Herd will play back-to-back and host the Westchester Knicks on Thursday, February 24 with tip-off set for 7:00 p.m. CST.
One day after the MLB Players Association increased its ask on minimum salaries, Major League Baseball responded with a new proposal in an effort to move the collective bargaining talks forward. The league made a proposal for a $640,000 minimum salary in 2022, one that would increase by $10,000 in each of the four subsequent seasons. The $69,500 raise from the current minimum would be more than twice as much as the $27,500 increase in the last collective bargaining agreement, a 12% raise compared to 5% in the last CBA.
The bump would also represent a bigger raise than the $63,000 increase players saw in the minimum salary over the course of the entire five-year CBA from 2016-21.
Tuesday, the MLBPA made a proposal for a minimum of $775,000 in 2022, with a $30,000 raise in each of the next four seasons – an increase over its prior proposal.
MLB chose its deadline for a deal with the belief that Feb. 28 is the latest possible date to get camps open by March 3. If the season doesn’t open on March 31, the league spokesman said any cancelled games would not be rescheduled, as the constant presence of Interleague games would make it unfeasible to reschedule them as doubleheaders.
Girls Basketball Regionals (Wed.)-Postponed from Tuesday
Winneconne 43, Ripon 39. Lucy Buethin led the Lady Tigers with 11 points and Alison Bumby scored 9. Joey Perry led the Lady Wolves with 15. Ripon ended its season at 11-14. Winneconne plays at Waupun Friday night.
Berlin 40, Lomira 37
Plymouth 48, Oshkosh North 45
Chilton 64, Campbellsport 15
Omro 70, Mayville 29
North Fond du Lac 52, Wautoma 50
Seymour 71, Marinette 35
Clintonville 34, Northland Pines 17
Oconto Falls 52, Little Chute 24
Peshtigo 49, Waupaca 37
Adams-Friendship 42, Arcadia 38
Westby 75, Mauston 22
Sevastopol 60, Central Wisconsin Christian 18
Valders 72, Horicon 32
Hustisford 56, Reedsville 50
Lourdes Academy 63, Elkhart Lake-Glenbuelah 50
Oakfield 72, Sheboygan Christian 29
Randolph 75, Wayland Academy 33
Hilbert 52, Cambria-Friesland 40
Fall River 64, Madison Country Day 21
Waterloo 45, Markesan 42
Wittenberg-Birnamwood 68, Montello 26
Colby 63, Princeton/Green Lake 58
Rio 74, Faith Christian 9
Boys Basketball (Thurs.)
Ripon at Kewaskum
Plymouth at Berlin
Winneconne at Waupun
St. Mary’s Springs at Campbellsport
Laconia at Mayville
Winnebago Lutheran at Lomira
Omro at North Fond du Lac
Beaver Dam at Monona Grove
Green Bay East at Menasha
New London at Green Bay West
Seymour at West De Pere
Shawano at Xavier
Fond du Lac at Oshkosh West
Neenah at Kaukauna
Appleton North at Hortonville
Appleton East at Kimberly
Clintonville at Denmark
Oconto Falls at Fox Valley Lutheran
Marinette at Freedom
Wrightstown at Little Chute
Luxemburg-Casco at Waupaca
Wautoma at Mauston
Westfield at Adams-Friendship
Nekoosa at Wisconsin Dells
Central Wisconsin Christian at St. Lawrence Seminary
Wayland Academy at Dodgeland
Valley Christian at Horicon
Oakfield at Hustisford
Pardeeville at Cambria-Friesland
Fall River at Rio
Markesan at Randolph
Montello at Princeton/Green Lake
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