A few notes from the weekend's world of sports:

• Even Badger fans are amazed that the team is 5-0. I think if you would have polled fans before the season, the consensus would be that we'd be 3-2 (the losses coming to Michigan and either North Carolina or Bowling Green). If Wisconsin keeps it up, you're going to start to hear about how "easy" the Badger's schedule is. A few things to keep in mind:
  1. No, we don't play Ohio State, but under Barry Alvarez we've handled Ohio State just fine. Ohio State may be lucky not to play us
  2. The Badgers' bye week is the last week of the Big Ten season. That'll be rough as bodies start to get bruised and battered.
  3. The Badgers have the misfortune to hit a couple of teams (Indiana yesterday and Northwestern next week) that are coming off of their own bye week. That means the Badgers' opponents keep getting an extra week of preparation.
• Sports Illustrated has a nice article about the Badger pregame experience. I thought about trying to tackle that topic last week myself. This article focuses on students. Of course, it doesn't tell the whole story. I lived by Camp Randall my junior and senior years and part of the "fun" of football Saturdays included having your landlord pack in cars full of randoms in your driveway for $10 each (you wouldn't see a dime of that money), having slobby alums throw their trash in your lawn and finally, having to dodge the busy hands of drunken 30+year olds in the bars that night. I kind of hated football Saturdays as a student.

  Now, however, I am one of those drunken 30+year olds (although I do keep my hands to myself) and I love football Saturdays. I love the whole experience of being herded into crowded beer gardens like cattle. I like gratefully paying $3.50 for a can of beer. I even like the absolutely horrible music played (Last week I heard "Who let the dogs out?". I'm not even kidding). I love walking down Regent Street and watching everyone all decked out in their Saturday best Badger red. I love the smell of brats. I love the feeling of accomplishment when I finish that first, bitter morning beer. I love the camaraderie and the way that suddenly everyone in red is your new best friend. Sadly, there are only two more home games to go this season.

• I'm thinking of leaving the baseball-free zone and becoming a Milwaukee Brewers fan again. I think I'm ready to forgive and forget. Yes, it helps that they look like a team on the rise, but I think it's more about the fact that the Seligs don't own the team anymore.
• The Breeders Cup is just 4 weeks away. New readers should know two things about me:
  1. I love horse racing and know far more about it than most people.
  2. I almost never pick winners. But, I'll make Breeders Cup picks again this year. Around every 5-6 years I suddenly become almost infallible on Breeders Cup day, so you never know when I'll strike gold again.

  Right now, I think Rock Hard Ten should win the Classic, but the rest of the races are still kinda foggy. Heh, well actually not, that reminds that I also think that Lost in the Fog should make quick work of the field in the Breeders Cup Sprint.

• Finally, I'm proud to announce that my nephew John is kicking ass on Madison LaFollette High School's varsity cross country team. Yesterday he finished 4th (out of probably well over 100 kids) in the Stoughton Invitational. He's only sophomore, so the best may be yet to come.