2/17/25 Hometown Broadcasting Sports Monday
17 February 2025 Sports
Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Brandon Woodruff said he exceeded his expectations Friday when he faced hitters for the first time since late in the 2023 season.
The two-time All-Star, who injured his shoulder on September 23rd, 2023 against the Miami Marlins, threw 20 pitches of batting practice.
“Obviously, I was nervous and jittery,” Woodruff said. “It’s the first time in a year-and-a-half, but I felt good. I think it went a lot better than I expected it to. I needed this. I needed to face hitters.”
Woodruff said his immediate focus was to build on this process and he didn’t know when he might face batters in spring training games.
“Or if I will,” Woodruff said. “But it’s a good sign I made it through today and it felt good, and that’s what’s important. I’ll take tomorrow for what it is, and we’ll build out something. It’ll be a little bit slower, but I’m happy with where I’m at right now.”
He was 5-1 with a 2.28 ERA at the time of the injury.
Whether the 32-year-old will be ready by the March 27 opener at the New York Yankees is unclear.
William Byron fortuitously missed the ferocious wrecks down the stretch at the Daytona 500 that knocked out contenders racing for the checkered flag and left him with a repeat victory in sight.
Still, sitting ninth with one lap left in an overtime finish, the odds seemed against the driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet to escape the rest of the race unscathed, or even have enough time to pull off the comeback win.
Thanks to one more crash, Byron used a clean ride on his final lap to escape the chaos and race to his second straight Daytona 500 victory. He dodged a string of late-race wreckage that knocked out a chunk of contenders and sent the Hendrick Motorsports driver into victory lane Sunday night at Daytona International Speedway.
Byron the first back-to-back winner since Denny Hamlin in 2019-20.
Tyler Reddick was second and two-time Daytona 500 champion Jimmie Johnson was third. Chase Briscoe was fourth and John Hunter Nemechek fifth.
In golf, Ludwig Aberg won the Genesis Open Sunday by one shot over Maverick McNealy. Aberg finished -12 under at Torrey Pines South.
The NBA’s refreshed All-Star Game format finished with a familiar result for Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry: being presented with the Kobe Bryant Trophy as the All-Star MVP.
Curry scored 12 points in Team OGs’ 41-25 victory Sunday in the first-to-40 finale against the Global Stars, to win the league’s new round-robin tournament to cap of the festivities.
With Team OGs, coached by Shaquille O’Neal, up 23-15 in the championship game, Curry showed off his otherworldly shooting range by hitting a 3 from half court. It put his group up by double digits and ignited the Chase Center crowd, which cheered on their hometown star. With no clear-cut MVP for the night until Curry’s half-court heave, the guard’s teammates kept feeding him the ball — encouraging the league’s all-time 3-point leader to keep shooting — and he delivered two more 3s to give his team an overwhelming 39-21 lead.
Jayson Tatum finished it off with a dunk to hit the target score and bring his scoring total to 15 points.
Khris Middleton thanked Milwaukee for helping shape him “into the person and player I am today” a week after the Bucks traded the three-time All-Star to the Washington Wizards.
“From the moment I stepped foot in this city, you embraced me,” Middleton said Friday in a social media post. “Together, we experienced the rebuilding years, the emergence of a championship contender, and ultimately, the unforgettable journey to the 2021 NBA Championship. That magical run will stay with me forever — the late-game shots, the comeback victories, and most importantly, bringing the Larry O’Brien Trophy back to Milwaukee after 50 years.”
Middleton, who had been with the Bucks since the 2013-14 season, was sent to Washington at last week’s trade deadline along with 2024 first-round pick AJ Johnson in a deal that brought Kyle Kuzma to Milwaukee. Both teams also received draft compensation in the trade.
Bucks general manager Jon Horst said this week that trading Middleton “has to be the hardest thing transactionally that I’ve ever done, from the human side of it, the roster side of it, the culture of the team, our community.”
Middleton thanked the Bucks in his post.
“To the Bucks organization: Thank you for believing in me, developing me, and giving me the opportunity to grow from a trade piece into an All-Star and champion,” he said.
Middleton, 33, is the Bucks’ career leader in 3-pointers (1,382) and ranks behind only two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo in games (735) and minutes (23,039). He’s third in franchise history in points (12,586) and assists (2,990).
Injuries had limited him to 33 games in 2022-23 and 55 in 2023-24. He didn’t make his 2024-25 debut until Dec. 6 after recovering from offseason surgery to each of his ankles.
“To the Milwaukee community: This city has become my home,” Middleton said. “The relationships built, the community initiatives we’ve worked on together, and the countless memories made both on and off the court will stay with me forever.
“As I begin this new chapter, I’m excited for the opportunities ahead. But Milwaukee will always hold a special place in my heart. This isn’t goodbye — it’s thank you
John Tonje scored 22 of his 32 points in the second half Saturday and Max Klesmit added 17 points and six assists to help No. 16 Wisconsin beat No. 7 Purdue 94-84.
Tonje scored 10 straight points during a key second-half stretch that gave Wisconsin a lead it never relinquished.
The Badgers (20-5, 10-4) won their fourth straight despite losing backup guard Kamari McGee late in the first half when a replay review resulted in a Flagrant 2 call and an ejection after McGee’s hand hit Trey Kaufman-Renn below the waist as he tried to guard Purdue’s Braden Smith.
Kaufman-Renn led Purdue with a career high 30 points. Fletcher Loyer scored 15 and Smith had 12 assists C.J. for the Boilermakers (19-7, 11-4), who lost their second straight for the second time this season.
Purdue honored All-American forward Caleb Swanigan at halftime. The 2017 Big Ten Player of the Year and first-round draft pick of the Portland Trail Blazers died in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in 2022 at age 25. The local coroner ruled Swanigan died from natural causes.
After a sluggish start, the Badgers showed what they’re capable of by nearly outscoring Purdue in the first half and playing much better defense in the second.
Wisconsin made 18 of 25 shots and 6 of 12 3s without turning the ball over in the second half.
The Badgers begin a three-game homestand Tuesday against Illinois.
Monmouth College 78 Ripon College 73-Cameron Ford led the Red Hawks with 18 points, Cade Tackmeier scored 17 and Luke Meinholz added 10. Ripon droped to 11-12 overall and 8-6 in the Midwest Conference.
UW-Lacrosse beat UW-Oshkosh 75-69 Saturday. Thomas Carter and Matt Imig led the Titans with 11 points as Oshkosh fell to 12-11 overall and 3-9 in the WIAC.
In women’s college basketball Saturday Ripon College beat Monmouth College 87-35. Halle Van Horn led Ripon with 16 points while Laney Havlovitz scored 15 and Vanessa Solano added 11. The Red Hawks improve to 19-4 overall and 13-1 in the Midwest Conference.
UW-Oshkosh lost to UW-LaCrosse 64-56 in overtime Saturday. Kate Huml led the Titan women with 15 points and Sammi Beyer scored 14. Oshkosh suffered its second loss of the season and is 21-2 overall and 12-2 in the WIAC.
Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich says he will be ready for the start of the season.
Six months removed from back surgery that brought a premature end to a resurgent season, Yelich arrived in camp Saturday at full strength with his sights set on an even better 2025 campaign.
“I saw before I came here that I might be a question mark for Opening Day and I’m not sure where that came from,” the 2018 NL MVP said. “Unless something crazy happens here, I don’t see why I wouldn’t be ready.”
The Brewers open the season March 27 at Yankee Stadium.
Yelich, 33, batted .315 with a .406 on-base percentage, .504 slugging percentage, 11 homers, 42 RBIs and 21 steals in 73 games last year before undergoing season-ending back surgery. His final game of the 2024 season came on July 23.
The hope was that the surgery would enable him to be ready for the start of this season while finally ending this lingering issue and preventing further extended absences in the future.
Along with being able to swing a bat without pain, something he started doing in January this year, Yelich says he doesn’t expect to be limited defensively. He plans on returning to his usual spot in left field when the season begins.
Manager Pat Murphy appears to be on the same page, noting that Yelich “is still our left fielder,” though he’ll rotate him through the designated hitter spot along with other players such as catcher William Contreras and first baseman Rhys Hoskins.
Boys Basketball (Mon.)
Cedarburg at Kettle Moraine Lutheran
Shawano at Menasha
Tigerton at Wild Rose
Appleton East at Stevens Point
Luxemburg-Casco at Fox Valley Lutheran
Montello at Markesan
Girls Basketball (Mon)
Berlin at Poynette
Omro at Waupun
North Fond du Lac at Laconia
Randolph at Saint Mary’s Springs
Markesan at Winnebago Lutheran
Ashwaubenon at Seymour
Wisconsin Dells at Adams-Friendship
Westby at Mauston
Dodgeland at Princeton/Green Lake
Horicon at Johnson Creek
Wayland Academy at Abundant Life/Saint Ambrose
Pardeeville at Montello
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