Coach B's December report

It’s been a whirlwind of activity in wrestling since I last submitted anything to the blog. There is no way to adequately address everything that has gone on in the last few weeks but I’ll hit on a few of the highlights and hope some will chime in with more detailed information.

The big news in D2 for December…

Oconto Falls beats Coleman -- ranked No. 3 in the state in Division 3 – on Dec. 5. (http://www.wiwrestling.com/rank/team/index.htm).

Seymour beats Oconto Falls on Dec. 11 -- Oconto Fall was ranked No. 7 in the state at the time, same reference as above -- while Seymour was listed as honorable mention.

The Thunder beats Luxemburg Casco -- ranked No. 3 in the state at the time, once again, the same reference -- on Dec. 18.

Seymour jumps to No. 3 in the rankings on Dec. 24, making three Bay Conference schools in the top 10 in Division 2.

A couple of area schools are making their presence known around the state as well.

Ashwaubenon dropped from fifth to honorable mention between the Dec. 12 rankings and the Dec. 24 ranking, while Pulaski went from honorable mention to eighth in those same two polls.

You’ve got to wonder if Ashwaubenon doesn’t make their way back into the top ten after their performance at the Oshkosh On The Water tournament (http://www.twnode4.com/predefinedtournaments/MainFrame.jsp?sport=wrestling&TIM=1230915327483&pageName=&ie=true&frameSize=500) last week.

They took second by only five points in the brutal 57-team tournament. Coleman (No. 3 in both polls) was just 4.5 points behind Ashwaubenon, so it looks as if its No. 3 ranking is not only safe, it might be low. Coleman finished ahead of No. 3 ranked Kewauskum in D2 and D1 honorable mention’s Hartford and Waupaca.

It bears mention that Hortonville (from the Bay Conference) made a strong showing at OTW by finishing seventh and Freedom finished ninth.

Wrightstown finished eighth in the D1-laden Mid States Classic (http://www.twnode3.com/predefinedtournaments/MainFrame.jsp?sport=wrestling&TIM=1230915473887&pageName=&ie=true&frameSize=500) and maintains their honorable mention status in the D2 rankings.

Six of the 15 teams ranked (either by number or honorable mention) in D2 will face off in the West De Pere Sectional Individual on February 21st.

It is a small wonder then why this area produces so many champions at the state tournament. If you like to watch elite sporting competition, you should take that event in. Many of those kids will also be in the state finals. Last year a number of the finals or 3rd place matches were re-matches of this sectional.

In another holiday tournament I was able to find results on, Oconto Falls and Pulaski did battle in the Northern Exposure (http://www.twnode2.com/teamtournaments/MainFrame.jsp?sport=wrestling&TIM=1230915559041&pageName=&ie=true&frameSize=500) in Merrill.

Oconto Falls took second, losing to No. 1 ranked Lodi (D2 – Many considered them untouchable this year) by a score of 44-32. This is a similar score to its Seymour match (44 – 33).

In wrestling, it is all about how your strongest and weakest kids match up. But you can’t help wondering just how close Seymour may be to a real shot at a state title.

Pulaski took fourth in the 24-team event.

A couple other local D3 teams that are ranked are Brillion and Reedsville.
Brillion is listed as honorable mention in the D3 poll and finished a very respectable 22nd in the Oshkosh Tournament.

Reedsville is ranked ninth in that same poll, but I couldn’t find any recent tournament information on them.

The five dual meets I could find information on were all impressive wins.

It also finished fourth in the Little Chute tournament we were both in back in early December. Wrightstown won that one followed by Little Chute and Kimberly.

I’m sure I’ve missed some other very good competitions, so I hope anyone who notices will give us an update on what they know.

Rosenbaum leads chase for Wheaties shirt

With less than 20 hours to go in the race to own a piece of vintage memorabilia from De Pere star Brent Jorgensen, it appears a fellow student could be the big winner.

Andrew Rosenbaum -- also known as #1JorgyFAN7344 -- has bid twice on the shirt, including once after just returning home from vacation.

"I'm probably Brent Jorgensen's biggest fan," Rosenbaum said last week.

Among others who have bid on the item include the Original Ombudsman, in what could be an attempt to get back into the good graces of blog readers and the blog after he or she recently was fired due to conduct detrimental to the blog.

Even our own Coach B put in a $15 bid to support a fellow De Pere guy.

But at this point the blog is hoping Rosenbaum gets the shirt. The guy is a true Jorgensen fan, and we want the piece of memorabilia to go to a person who will appreciate it.

Reports have surfaced that Rosenbaum perhaps thought the auction ended last night and that he won the shirt, but the auction still runs until 11:59 tonight.

Top blog moments of 2008

Before we begin blogging in 2009, we thought we should look back at some of the top blog stories of 2008.

In the last year, our blog commenters have made our blog the hottest one in the nation with over 100,000 hits.

We thank you. You thank us. Together, we make a great team. Happy New Year to all of you.

We'd now like to present our Top 10 Blog stories of 2008.

For those not mentioned -- people such as Dan Lukes, Chris Becker, Coach B, Nick Goddard, Ben and Joe Vanden Avond, Taylor Garceau, Kaitlyn Bettiga, Mike Taylor, Kevin Penza, Tyler Steenbock, Marc Shield, Ryan Sullivan, Nate Rykal, Otis Chambers, Dave Johnson, Orlando Anderson, Pat Prochnow, Zac Cibula, Yo Adrian and Dexter McNabb -- just know we appreciate all of you.

Actually, we just mentioned those people. For the people we didn't mention, kudos to you.






10. Meeting the Turriffs, March 22, 2008

It was blog kindness at its finest. After commenter Retro won the boys' basketball pick'em contest in March, she selected a West De Pere baseball game-used lineup card with star names such as Ethan Turriff, Brock Larson and Tom Tollefson as her prize. But she didn't keep it for herself. She donated it to fellow commenter Phantom Alum, who then requested that it be given to the T&C Bar and Grill, owned by the parents of Turriff.

It turned out to be an interesting meeting.

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/ic/blogs/preps/2008/03/blog-cover-story-meeting-turriffs.html






9. Blog suspends tennis coverage, Oct. 20, 2008

After a tennis parent from Green Bay Notre Dame wrote a letter to the blog complaining about what they felt was our "corrupt tennis scout," we decided we had to suspend all prep tennis coverage for two months. When a blog gives tennis any kind of love, you best show some love back.

The suspension recently was lifted, and we all have learned their lesson.

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/ic/blogs/preps/2008/10/blog-suspends-tennis-coverage-for-two.html






8. Madison Bound! Bay Port's sixth man helps Pirates get to state

This blog entry had 149 comments, many of them deleted due to vulgar uses of many words that can't be repeated here. The incident caused the blog for the first time to have to approve comments before they could be published. The ban was lifted a week later, but another incident late in 2008 caused the blog to issue a statement that we will forever have to approve comments. It was a statement endorsed by many of the blog regulars.

By the way, kudos again to the Bay Port basketball fan section. Uh, oh.

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/ic/blogs/preps/2008/03/madison-bound-bay-ports-sixth-man-helps.html







7. Blog's fantasy football draft, Aug. 22, 2008

The first ever fantasy football high school draft did not go off without controversy. The 10-round draft was taking forever, so the blog let those in the league pick at a fast and furious rate, letting them make multiple selections while other general managers weren't around.

Blog favorite T-Rep was not happy when he returned to his computer to see that five or six rounds had passed without him.

"I was patiently waiting for my turn to pick, and then as soon as I am at school and away from my computer, that's when you say free for all and now my team is dead," T-Rep said that day. "Not cool."

T-Rep finished sixth overall with a 43-42-5 record.

Weston Lee Hod, meanwhile, selected the De Pere passing game with the first overall pick and won the league with a 63-21-6 mark. Retro didn't win the league, and we'll leave it at that.

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/ic/blogs/preps/2008/08/de-pere-passing-game-selected-first.html






6. The Berken Diary, April 12, 2008

The diary of future Major League pitcher Jason Berken started in April. For more than three months, Berken took readers inside the world of pro ball as he spent the season in the Baltimore Orioles organization. He already has signed a diary contract for 2009, and will continue to answer questions even after he makes it to the Majors.

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/ic/blogs/preps/2008/04/berken-diary-week-1.html






5. Phantom Alum joins blog, Aug. 4, 2008

We often have said that we can't believe the star Phantom Alum has become on this blog. Certainly not after his debut here in 2007, when he appeared confused by the blog and its quirkiness during his first visit.

But this guy learned quick and developed into the most recognizable figure on this board. He got so popular that the blog offered him his own space back in August, and he accepted despite rumors that we were just attempting to find other people to do our work.

Phantom has penned two columns since, and both have been hits. The lazy butt hasn't done one in like three months, though.






4. Blog delivers pizza to Green Bay Notre Dame, Nov. 25, 2008

A word of advice: Never make big promises that you may have to keep. Because when the time comes, it could cost you more than $250.

Kudos to Notre Dame for winning our pizza contest.

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/ic/blogs/preps/2008/11/blog-delievers-pizza-to-green-bay-notre.html






3. The saga of Meredith Salenger, April 15, 2008

The award-winning actress and "Dream a Little Dream" star was courted by the blog over a four-part series. It ended with us asking if she'd consider marrying us. She of course said yes and added we were cute three times.

This was a controversial blog entry, as a few people got really mad that we were blogging about it and not about their favorite sports personality.

However, it also caused one Green Bay East baseball player to ask us if we could hook him up with Salenger.

Salenger has since become a regular on the blog, including voicing her support for Obama.

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/ic/blogs/preps/2008/04/part-i-my-date-with-meredith-salenger.html

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/ic/blogs/preps/2008/04/part-ii-my-date-with-meredith-salenger.html

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/ic/blogs/preps/2008/04/part-iii-my-date-with-meredith-salenger.html

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/ic/blogs/preps/2008/04/grand-finale-my-date-with-meredith.html






2. Ken Golomski becomes charter member of Blog Hall of Fame, Jan. 10, 2008

The former Ashwaubenon football coach became the first person to be inducted into our Hall of Fame, perhaps the most prestigious honor a local athlete or coach can receive. Since then, stars such as Tony Bennett, Jay DeMerit, Jason Berken, Aaron Stecker and Terry Jorgensen have made their way through the Hall doors based on votes from blog commenters.

West De Pere football coach Bill Turnquist has become a major topic during each month of the Hall vote, as he's gotten the Ron Santo treatment and not been voted in. A few personalities up for induction to the Hall already have stated that they refuse to go in until Turnquist is elected, although they don't really have a choice.

It's a good bet that 2009 will be Turnquist's year.

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/ic/blogs/preps/2008/01/golomski-charter-member-of-blog-hall-of.html






1. Blog readers give back, Sept. 17, 2008

This was our proudest moment of the year when it came to how we felt about our readers and what we think this blog is all about.

You all came out in force for our first ever summer auction, donating $109 to be used to buy presents for two kids at a local hospital. The blog matched the funds, and with the help of Weston Lee Hod and the fine folks at Bellin, we had a great day.

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/ic/blogs/preps/2008/09/blog-readers-give-back-2008.html

Jorgensen Wheaties t-shirt offered to his fans in auction

It could be the greatest item ever offered in our blog auction.

Better than a Ken Golomski signed mini-helmet.

Better than a 2007 Bay Port autographed basketball by the boys team.

Even better than a Don Majkowski bobblehead.

After raising over $400 for charity in 2008, we are starting 2009 with a bang by offering perhaps the most valuable piece of sports memorabilia in the past decade.

If you ever dreamed of owning a Wheaties t-shirt worn by De Pere star quarterback Brent Jorgensen but didn't know how to get one or ask him for one because you feared looking greedy, here is your chance.

Rumors have surfaced over the year that Wheaties actually contacted Jorgensen early in the 2008 season about appearing on its box of cereal. Reports had indicated that Wheaties wanted to make Jorgensen the centerpiece of its campaign.

Jorgensen has been known to eat Wheaties and already owned a Wheaties shirt, which some close friends say was his favorite.

Anyway, the story goes that someone acquired the shirt from Jorgensen and told a blog source about it. The two felt they should make the shirt available to the public, as a way for a true Jorgensen fan to own a piece of sports memorabilia from their favorite player and one of the most accomplished athletes in the area.

Jorgensen was a first-team pick in the Fox River Classic Conference this season and led the Phenomenal Ones to the Blog's high school fantasy football championship.

The Wheaties shirt was co-signed to the blog for an auction, with proceeds going to the charity of the winner's choice.

"I was able to acquire it from a source who got it from him," said the co-signer, who wished to remain anonymous because he or she didn't want the good deed to appear like he or she was attempting to get publicity for the kind act.

Along with the Wheaties shirt comes a certificate of authenticity from the Phenomenal Ones, signed by team owner Weston Lee Hod.

We contacted former Sports Collectors Digest columnist Chris Nerat on Monday to find out what this shirt could fetch. Nerat recently left SCD to join MEARS auction house, which holds a sports auction each month with items that include Michael Jordan game-used jerseys.

"Everyone who knows anything about sports or trading cards knows that the highest demand sports card is a rookie card," Nerat said. "Well, how much better is this? This is a pre-rookie item. It doesn't get much better than that."

Jorgensen could become either an NFL or MLB player in the future. Imagine owning a vintage early career piece when that happens. It would be like blog commenter Retro owning a game-used jersey from former De Pere standout Casey Kopitzke, now a manger in the Chicago Cubs organization.

The auction starts now and ends on Jan. 5, 2009 at 11:59 p.m. We wish everyone good luck. The estimated value of the shirt is $200.

"Whenever it comes to a one-of-a-kind piece, I don't like to throw out numbers. Your guess is as good as mine. But the blog has been known for getting probably 10 to 20 to 30 times what people thought it would go for. It will be exciting to see, and it's for charity. It will go for a lot more than an item on eBay, that's for sure."

-- Chris Nerat
MEARS Auction House

Natalie Taylor girls' basketball rankings

(Blog note: Natalie Taylor did not help in ranking these players this week. It's just a way to honor a former area basketball player).

We at the blog hope your Christmas was great. That you got to spend time with your family, open presents, eat food and then get to leave once the extended family -- or perhaps even ma and dad -- started annoying you.

Although we weren't able to buy you all something for Christmas, please take our girls basketball rankings as a gesture of friendship from our family to yours.

Enjoy the rankings. Or don't. Or just feel indifferent.

1. Adrian Ritchie, De Pere (Last ranking: 1; Number of weeks ranked: 2)

De Pere coach Dave Johnson recently told us that Yo Adrian has gotten even better from last season, when she was the blog’s player of the year and committed to the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.

The 5-foot-11 Ritchie entered last week leading the Fox River Classic Conference with 16.0 points and 6.5 assists per game, while contributing 6.5 rebounds and 4.5 steals per night.

She was at her best on Saturday in a win over Janesville Parker, when she had 19 points, eight rebounds, 10 assists and three steals.

2. Sam Zastrow, Algoma (Last ranking: 2; Number of weeks ranked: 2)

We never thought we’d see the day somebody would rival Magic Johnson at the point guard position, but that day has come with Zastrow.

The UWGB recruit, who attends the same high school De Pere American Legion manager Dan Lukes graduated from, can’t be stopped. She scored 20 points in a win over Manitowoc Lutheran last week and is averaging 8.7 points and 7.7 assists per game.

3. Karissa Laskowski, Pulaski (Last ranking: 3; Number of weeks ranked: 2)

The Red Raiders are a very balanced team led by one of their seniors in Laskowski. The UW-Parkside recruit doesn’t score huge points in every game, but she is a key piece in Pulaski’s 8-0 start.

Laskowski is averaging 9.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.

“She is such a hard worker,” Pulaski coach Jim Doell said. “It’s very seldom that someone outworks her. I think some of these young kids are following in her footsteps, and that definitely helps. To have someone that works that hard and is successful that they can look up to.”

4. Kiah Simon, Algoma (Last ranking: 4; Number of weeks ranked: 2)

The senior center continues her strong play to start the season, proving again that UW-Parkside knows what it is doing in locking up the local talent.

Simon is leading the Packerland with 16.7 points per game and is second with 9.7 rebounds.

The Wolves are 7-0 and lead the Packerland by one game over Southern Door and Kewaunee.

Simon scored 18 points in a win over Manitowoc Lutheran on Monday and might be the best post player in the entire area.

5. Krista Hawkinson, Bay Port (Last ranking: 6; Weeks ranked: 2)

Reports have surfaced that the “Hawk” might prefer the nickname “K-Dog,” although we have not been able to confirm it.

Krista continues to play well, entering last week averaging 11.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.5 steals per game.

The Pirates started the season 0-3 but have won three of four since. Their only loss during that time was against a tough Pulaski team, a game in which Krista scored 14 points.

6. Kenzie Perrtu, Green Bay Preble (Last ranking: 5; Weeks ranked: 2)

Perhaps the best freshman prospect since Carmelo Anthony led Syracuse to the National Championship, Perrtu continues to help the Hornets climb back to some respectability with help from teammates such as Janna Eckert.

The Hornets are 2-1 in their last three games, including a 48-33 win over Manitowoc on Tuesday. Perrtu scored 12 points in that game – Eckert shined with 14 points, too – and is second in the FRCC with 15.8 points per game.

While her shooting percentage is not great at this point, we like a freshman who doesn’t play scared.

7. Haylee Lucht, Oconto Falls (Last ranking: NR; Weeks ranked: 1)


“The Comet” is leading the Bay Conference with 14.8 points per game. She is shooting 55.8 percent from the floor and is fourth in the league with 7.6 rebounds a contest.

The Panthers are off to another fine start at 5-1 and look like they’ll challenge New London and perhaps Seymour for the top spot this season.

Lucht scored a game-high 19 points in a win over Sturgeon Bay on Dec. 19.

8. Alyssa Sekadlo, Southern Door (Last ranking: 7; Weeks ranked: 2)

She entered last week averaging 13.0 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in the Packerland and is perhaps the biggest reason why the Eagles continue to be one of the top teams in the league. They have won five of their last six games.

9. Courtney Ullmer, Denmark (Last ranking: NR; Weeks ranked: 1)

Ullmer might be the best rebounder since Dennis Rodman roamed the lane for the Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs and Chicago Bulls. Not so much the Lakers or the Mavericks.

The sophomore standout is leading the Bay with 9.8 rebounds per game and is averaging 5.8 points a contest.

“Worm.2” had a huge game in a win over Luxemburg-Casco on Tuesday, finishing with 18 points, eight rebounds and three steals while shooting 9-for-15 from the floor.

10. Olivia Danforth, Seymour (Last ranking: NR; Weeks ranked: 1)

The junior guard is doing a strong job in a number of areas for the Thunder, contributing greatly to its 6-2 start.

Danforth leads the Bay in assists and steals while also chipping in 4.5 points a night.

A blog scandal: Ombudsman fired

Now we know how Illinois feels having to deal with a corrupt governor.

Just weeks after the Rob Blagojevich fiasco, the blog has been rocked with its own scandal.

On a day when we should be discussing basketball rankings, wrestling with Coach B or perhaps wishing everybody a Merry Christmas, instead we have to report that the blog has fired its Ombudsman due to major violations.

After a two-week investigation, the blog has confirmed that our own Ombudsman – the person hired to look out for the best interest of blog commenter’s and the blog – has engaged in conduct detrimental to the blog.

A blog report released on Tuesday morning shows the Ombudsman recently attempted to post as an anonymous commenter. The comment, however, was rejected by our screeners due to its nature.

It was in August when we asked the Ombudsman about the high level of bickering that had been taking place during that month.

“Some people are just miserable, insecure human beings and can't see any good outside of their own little world,” The Bud said at the time. “Instead of working to better their own situation, they'd just as soon tear others down because it's an easy way out and it deflects attention away from their own problems, whatever that may be.”

The blog knew there was a problem about a month ago, when we approached Bud about the idea of requiring people to sign up for a user name, thus making everybody a bit more accountable for their words.

Back in August, Bud was all for it.

"I would prefer to go away from the total anonymous option on the blog," Bud said at the time. "If you need a "handle" to post then you know where everything is coming from. Now it could be one anonymous person spewing the same thing in five different posts. If you have handles, you'll get a better read on opinion because you very well could have five different people with the same opinion. But now you have no way of knowing."

However, when we told Bud we were going to carry out the recommendation last month, Bud balked at the idea during a private e-mail conversation.

"No," Bud said. "Then I wouldn't be able to post as an anonymous."

We were shocked. Dismayed. Horrified.

Combined with that comment and a confirmed attempt to post an unproductive comment, Bud has been released from his two-year contract with the blog. Any attempt by Bud to post as the Ombudsman also will not be allowed.

With the news of Bud's firing, the blog already has hired a replacement.

We are pleased to announce that Press-Gazette photographer Corey Wilson, who took the picture of Ashwaubenon guard Kaitlyn Bettiga's game-winning steal in the 2006 state title basketball game, has signed a one-year contract.

Wilson was arriving home on Tuesday after working the Packers-Bears game and was in no mood to comment for the story.

"It's been a long day," Wilson said.

Wilson's role as the new Bud is effective immediately.

The Diary of Bay Port's Jake Hottenstine: "I definitely don’t regift"

(Bay Port standout basketball player Jake Hottenstine has agreed to provide the blog with a diary throughout the season. The 6-foot-3 senior is considered one of the best players in the Fox River Classic Conference playing for perhaps the best team. Bay Port enters the week 4-0. It will host Pulaski at 6 p.m. tonight).


Bay Port has scored 70 or more points in all of its games so far this season. Is this the type of offense you felt the team would bring?

Yes. Although we have scored 70 or more points in each of our games, we feel that we have much to improve on as a team. We have all the offensive components that a great team needs, but in order to reach our potential we are going to have to improve our motion offense until it looks as if we are moving as one fluent unit.

Sheboygan South entered its game against you unbeaten before falling to the Pirates. How pleased were you with the performance?

I thought our performance was pretty good. I’m always happy when we come out with the “W". I think this was a good early season test to see where our team is at in the FRCC this season.

Is it better to have a balanced offense than one or two big scorers?

In order to be a successful team I think you need to have a great all around team. If a teammate is having an off night or our opponent has decided to focus on one player in particular we will step up in other areas of our game. As an opposing coach, it would be hard to look at the stats of our team and say that if you stop a certain player that you’re going to win. By us being so balanced, we can play a style of offense where we have the versatility to do whatever we want because there are no significantly weak areas.

Have you noticed teams giving you their best effort, trying to test themselves against last year's state tournament team?

I hope any team we play gives us their best effort and I hope we do the same. I don’t really know if teams are out to get us because of last year’s tournament team. This is a new year and a new team. Hopefully teams give us their best effort because of the team we have this year, not the team we had last year.

From Dec. 23 to Jan. 6, the Pirates play one game. Is that being viewed as a good break, or can it hurt a team playing just once in two weeks?

I think this will be perfect for our team so we can really tie our whole game together. We all realize we have much to improve on and in two weeks we can get a lot accomplished. I’m sure we all wished we could get another game or two in there somewhere. But like I said, we have some things to work on.

How do you get mentally prepared before a game? Do you do the Michael Jordan thing of visualizing what's going to happen in the game?

When we are playing in bigger games against rivals and such it’s hard for me to concentrate at school. I’m mostly thinking about the game and visualizing different in-game scenarios. The day seems like it is never going to be over. I don’t like to talk much about the game to people besides my teammates because I know my teammates feel the same way I do. Right before games, in the locker room, there is a time when I just keep to myself. I just clear my mind and tell myself to have fun and work hard. After that the locker room is pretty talkative with excitement. I’m not sure how other teams prepare before games but we try to keep things feeling loose.

What is the one thing you're hoping to get for Christmas?

NBA 2K9 for Xbox 360 and some Jordan and LeBron clothes.

Do you spend a lot of money on family and friends for Christmas? Or do you re-gift?

I try to get my family presents for Christmas without spending too much money. I definitely don’t regift. C’mon, who re-gifts?

Happy Holidays to the blog!

Blog Hall of Famer Berken to have scout at baseball camp

Jason Berken, a Blog Hall of Famer and future Major League Baseball pitcher, informed the blog on Thursday night that a scout of sorts will be attending the “Berken Baseball Camp” for the first time ever. The camp is scheduled for Jan. 17th and 18th.

Berken was sitting in his Baltimore home on Thursday morning and living the life of a professional baseball player who hangs out all day and does nothing from November to early February, when his phone rang.

Sure, it would have been great had it been Baltimore Orioles general manager Andy MacPhail telling Berken he would be the Birds' No. 3 starter this season, but MacPhail is busy trying to land free agent Mark Teixeria right now.

Instead, it was a man named Dewey Decker, who actually has kind of a baseball name.

Decker is a Wausau resident who works for the National Scouting Report, and a guy the blog has talked to in the past.

The NSR is an organization that basically looks for high school talent and then does its part in helping land them a – listen up, parents! – college scholarship. We’re pretty sure the twist is that you have to pay some fee to actually work with the National Scouting Report, but it’s likely not as much as having to pay for your children’s education if they don’t get that coveted offer.

The National Scouting Report doesn’t just take any prep player. So, they go around scouting and looking for some quality talent. When they find it, good things often happen.

Keep in mind that the NSR does not get a prospect a scholarship. That would be against NCAA recruiting rules and would be the biggest violation since Nick Nolte gave Shaq O’Neal a car, Penny Hardaway’s mother a house and Matt Nover’s father a tractor so they would play for his Western University basketball team (Blue Chips, 1994).

The NSR just helps out by providing a player’s profile to every coach in America and perhaps Mexico and Canada, too. Its website gets about 2.5 million hits per month, which is only about 400,000 fewer hits than us.

“His main thing is to get kids exposure that normally wouldn’t get it,” said Berken on Thursday night while watching some sissy password game show with THE Mrs. Berken. “It’s great. When you see a guy with a radar gun there, scouting people and creating profiles to help kids out, these kids really see that it could happen.”

Kevin Rankin boys' basketball rankings

(Blog note: Kevin Rankin did not help in rankin (get it? get it?) these players this week. It's just a way to honor a former area basketball player).

It took slightly more than one year for these basketball rankings to make blog history.

For the first time ever, three players from one team have hit our top-10, a listing that means nothing but can be fun to talk about.

They must be from Ashwaubenon, you say?

Bay Port?

Green Bay Notre Dame?

De Pere?

Whatever other school you feel we love more than yours?

Well, count us as Oconto fans then.

The Blue Devils have been picked to win the Packerland Conference this season, and so far they have lived up to the hype.

They’ve got a trio of players that could be the most impressive triplets since Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Alvin Harper.

Or at least since Magic Johnson, James Worthy and Kareem or Bird, Parish and McHale.

Enjoy the rankings. Or don’t. Either way, we love you and you love us. That's all that counts.

1. Logan Ellman, Oconto

Ellman can get overshadowed by his two star teammates, Charlie Olson and Antowan Epps, but the man is absolutely playing lights out to start the season.

He already has recorded two triple-doubles, including going for 12 points, 10 assists and 19 rebounds in a win over N.E.W. Lutheran.

The junior forward leads the Packerland Conference with 18.0 points, 13.7 rebounds and 8.0 assists per game and is attempting to become the first player since Oscar Robertson to average a triple-double for the season.

2. Antowan Epps, Oconto

We’ve got to be honest. The biggest regret we had in our rankings last season was that Antowan “Don’t call me Omar” Epps never got past the “others receiving votes” category.

We weren’t going to let that happen again. The senior guard is off to another fine start, averaging 13.0 points and 5.0 assists per game for the Blue Devils after being a co-player of the year in the Packerland last season.

3. Jake Hottenstine, Bay Port

The senior guard-forward, who contributes to the blog with a diary of his basketball season, is one of the big reasons why the Pirates have scored more than 70 points in all three of their games this season.

Hottenstine had 14 points in a win over Sheboygan South on Tuesday after going for 15 points apiece in wins over Green Bay Notre Dame and Denmark.

With players such as Marcus Ruh, Andrew “Don’t ask me to ask my dad about what sex your baby is going to be,” Murphy, Ben Hall, Brad Rogers and Branden Tachick on the club, it’s going to be difficult to narrow down just a few deserving Bay Port players in the rankings this season.

If Bay Port continues to play well, it might become just the second team -- and the first since the Bay Port girls last season -- to get its entire squad ranked on here.

4. Brandon Pritzl, De Pere

The Redbirds have one of the best players in the Fox River Classic Conference in Pritzl.

The junior guard will be counted on even more after De Pere lost Eric “Welcome Back” Cotter to a torn ACL and MCL.

Cotter was the Scottie Pippen to Pritzl’s Michael Jordan, and without Pippen, who knows just how could Jordan and the Bulls would have been?

Anyway, Pritzl is ranked 15th by Wisports.net for the 2010 class, and he’s done nothing to show he doesn’t deserve the nod.

He has scored at least nine points in every game this season – including 20 against Seymour and 18 against Green Bay East – for a De Pere team that is 3-1 after a win over Ashwaubenon on Tuesday.

5. D.J. Rhodes, Green Bay Southwest

The Trojans are expected to take a leap in the FRCC standings in the second season of coach Mark Ziebell’s system. It also helps to have players like Dean Rhodes Jr.

The junior guard helped the Trojans get their first win of the season by scoring a game-high 16 points against Sheboygan North on Tuesday.

“Don’t call me Dusty” is averaging 17.6 points per game this season.

6. Ben Kitkowski, Marinette

Talk about pressure. The senior guard is being counted on to replace some of the production of Taylor Garceau, who just happened to be the blog player of the year in 2007-08.

But Kitkowski appears up for the challenge after being a first-team all-conference pick last season when he averaged 14.6 points per game.

The 6-foot-3 guard entered the week leading the Bay with 26.0 points per game.

While some people figured the Marines would be down with the graduation of Garceau, Kitkowski and company could have something to say about that by the end of the season unless they end up losing more games than they win.

7. Charlie Olson, Oconto

The senior guard is averaging 17.3 points per game for a Blue Devils team that has started 4-0.

Olson was a co-player of the year in the Packerland last season and appears to have picked up where he left off. He’s also averaging 3.0 assists per game and shooting 50 percent from 3-point range (8-for-16).

8. Jamie Koebe, Seymour

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out Seymour no longer is the dynasty it was earlier this decade.

But you still can’t count out a team led by coach Jon Murphy, and the 6-foot-3 Koebe continues to play strong after a quality campaign in 2007-08 in which he made second-team all-conference in the Bay.

Koebe is averaging 21.5 points per game and shooting 54.5 percent from the field early on. He scored 27 points and hit five 3-pointers in a win over Oconto Falls on Friday.

9. Paul Giesler, Green Bay Preble

Reports have surfaced that the big man was not overly happy with our rankings at times last season.

But the Chicago Cubs fan and University of Wisconsin-Green Bay soccer recruit at least can’t argue with this selection.

Giesler has helped lead Preble to a 4-0 start this season. He scored 23 points in a win over De Pere on Saturday and is part of a balanced Hornets attack that is averaging 55.3 points per game.

10. Joel Koppa, Oconto Falls

The Panthers have gotten off to a 0-2 start, but the junior guard is keeping things interesting.

He scored 24 points in an 82-78 loss to Seymour last week and is averaging 23.0 points per game and shooting 48.4 percent from the field.

You ask the blog, we ask Otis

Blog commenter "gogirls" wondered yesterday why the FRCC basketball schedule still has the boys and girls teams playing on the same night in opposite venues this season.

The topic got pretty heated last season, when Ashwaubenon parent Tom Tomashek gave us an exclusive interview about the difficulties of having a daughter and son playing on the basketball teams. He documented how his wife made him go to the away games while she went to the home games.

"I would have to say that the person or people in charge of the basketball scheduling was wide open for a 3-foot shot and fired it 17 feet out of bounds," Tomashek told us. "I and a lot of other people came to the conclusion that this was the easy way out. When the boys play this night at home, let's schedule the girls the same night away. There, that was easy."

We decided it was time to go to FRCC president and blog favorite Otis Chambers. The Bay Port athletic director always is willing to answer questions and help try to educate people like us.

The blog called Chambers today to ask the question "gogirls" asked us. In our first ever installment of "You ask the blog a question and we get it answered," Chambers documented what an AD in the FRCC goes through in making a schedule and the difficulty of scheduling girls and boys games on different nights.

The following is the man we call OT (you should call him Mr. Chambers if you don't know him) in his own words:

“Basically, what the conference does is they schedule the boys and girls on the same night, and individual schools then have to separate the games they want to separate and bring the changes back to the commissioner.

So, basically, the commissioner sets the schedule that has boys and girls playing on the same nights. He plays no Monday, no Wednesday and no Saturday games. And then individual schools will review the schedule and separate the games that they can or that they want to.

For example, next year we separated Pulaski, Ashwaubenon, De Pere and Notre Dame. But that’s it.

Coaches don’t want to play on Monday, and you can’t play on Wednesday. They don’t want to play every Saturday, either.

So you have Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Now, Thursday you have wrestling. So every other week or every third week, you may have a home wrestling match. So that takes a date off.

There are just so many days and weeks (you can work with). You are playing two days a week and only three days a week to play. So if you’re playing schools you want to split, that’s four games and you have three days to do it in.

Now, do the math for me on that one. There just are not a lot of days."

That concludes OT in his own words. We thank him for answering our question, and we thank you for not laughing at his picture. At least not around others. At least not around him.