(Mostly) retired sports columnist for the Wisconsin State Journal and Madison.com. Joined the WSJ team in 1980.
Joined December 2010
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Jun 4
The Brewers have played 59 games and have one home run by a third baseman (Hamilton) and one by a shortstop (Ortiz). That side of the infield needs a change. Now.
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Tom Oates retweeted
Apr 13
Xavier Lucas wants to know if UW can sue the Big Ten for tampering. #tortiousinterference
Apr 13
Big Ten commissioner Tony Pettiti in a release announcing the hire of Badgers AD Chris McIntosh at the conference. McIntosh starts at the Big Ten on May 1.
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Apr 13
Wisconsin AD Chris McIntosh’s departure for the Big Ten Conference can be viewed as a great opportunity, but to me it looks more like he’s beating the posse out of town, especially now that his biggest supporter, chancellor Jennifer Mnookin, is bailing herself next month.
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Tom Oates retweeted
Apr 10
I received this from a prominent staff today "It’s an absolute shit show out here.People have no idea." Want to call it professional sports : well professional sports have guideline.Professional sports doesn't have year 2 year free agency.Agents shopping guys 24/7/12 Disaster
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Apr 3
A very reasonable take on the Fickell experience at Wisconsin.
Luke Fickell looks like he’s finally aligned with what works at Wisconsin.
Hard not to wonder: if Fickell had this approach from day one at Wisconsin, are we talking about a completely different start?
Did Chris McIntosh force the shift or did Fickell figure it out himself?
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Mar 29
So true. They keep up the offensive pressure until opponents break.
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Brewers play ball like a fighter kicking you over and over and over again in the leg until it gives out. Constant attacking.
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Mar 28
Four Big 10 teams in NCAA Elite 8 & #Wisconsin beat all four. Indeed, it was 5-2 vs. Michigan, Illinois, Purdue, Iowa. Yet, some are pushing narrative that the program isn’t competitive with the nation’s best after it again failed to make the second weekend. Facts say otherwise.
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Tom Oates retweeted
Mar 21
Not only are there just four double-digit seeds left, not only did all favorites win yesterday, the games haven’t been particularly close.
Per ESPN Research, the average margin of victory in the first round was 17.4 points, the highest since the tournament expanded in 1985.
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Tom Oates retweeted
Mar 21
Well, this is not an encouraging trend for Cinderellas. ...
The NCAA tournament went to 64 teams in 1985. Only 7 times have the 13-14-15 seeds all gone winless in the first round.
It's now happened two years in a row (for the first time).
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Mar 21
All true. And if Nick Boyd scores on his final drive, High Point would be gone too. They’re killing the golden goose. Upsets and narrow escapes on the first weekend made the tournament what it is. NIL and the portal creating a growing disparity between high majors and the rest.
Mar 21
Favorites went 16-0 yesterday.
This year's first round had 13 of 32 games decided by 20 points.
High Point only true mid-major still alive, and its NIL is probably most of any team in 1-bid league.
I hate to admit it, but due to NIL & transfer portal, Cinderellas may be dead.
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Mar 19
Well, that ended quickly. High Point did to Wisconsin what Wisconsin has been doing to its opponents: It got impossibly hot from 3-point range. Tough to stop once it gets started.
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Tom Oates retweeted
Mar 14
Nolan Winter @BadgerMBB who has not played since March 4th (ankle) has a chance to play today against Michigan. Was told they will reevaluate him this morning and make a decision.
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Mar 14
In win over Illinois, Nick Boyd (38) & John Blackwell (31) became third duo in #Badgers history to reach 30 points in same game. The others? Ken Siebel (31) & Jack Brens (31) in 94-72 win over Utah in 1962. Joe Franklin (31) & Chuck Nagle (30) in 104-84 win over Purdue in 1968.
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Mar 13
#Badgers were 10-for-41 from 3 and still beat Illinois, likely a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament. The headline? They finally found a Plan B for when the 3s don’t fall. Nick Boyd and John Blackwell, the nation’s best backcourt, just kept attacking the lane in the second half.
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Mar 7
#Badgers have won at Michigan, at Illinois, at Purdue. If that doesn’t get the attention of the NCAA selection committee, nothing will.
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Tom Oates retweeted
Mar 6
So sad to hear of the passing of former Packers president Bob Harlan. Just a wonderful, genuine man. One of the finest people I’ve met in a lifetime in sports. Treated everyone with respect. Visionary who made tough decisions that brought the Packers into the modern age.
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Mar 6
Bob Harlan may have resurrected the Packers, but his passion was college basketball. When he was team president, we would meet regularly in press boxes before games to discuss hoops. I suspect Sam Dekker, who married Bob’s granddaughter, has been his go-to guy in recent years.
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