Sweet(s) Talk…

Milwaukee Brewers all-star right fielder Christian Yelich has made the best out of a potentially uncomfortable social media situation. Back in late August, the monthly issue of ESPN The Magazine featured the 2018 NL MVP posing in his birthday suit, which ESPN does on a periodic basis with a star athlete featured in its ‘Body Issue’. Yelich was scolded by random fan on Twitter named Roxanne, with her going as far as telling Yelich that he should be ashamed of himself for allowing such type pictures to surface. His Twitter response of “Relax Roxanne” got such a rise out of Brewers fans and Twitter followers, it ended up printed on t-shirts and even coffee mugs, while Yelich changed his walk up song at Miller Park to make light of the situation. Yelich’s song was changed to ‘Roxanne’ by the Police for a period of time after the incident. Earlier this week, Yelich and the scolding woman exchanged holiday pleasantries, with Yelich Tweeting out, “Merry Christmas Roxanne! From your Favorite magazine model!” Well played. …

Maybe it’s only me, but the amount of college football bowl games that are played in this day and age is entirely too excessive. In my opinion, nobody below seven or even eight wins should be invited to play in a bowl game. Yes, I know fellow Sparty fans, that means our team wouldn’t be playing in today’s Pinstripe Bowl, at 2:20 p.m. at Yankee Stadium. Or, that all five Michigan universities with a Division I football team, wouldn’t have had a chance to accept and play in a bowl game in the same season, like this year. Here’s a thought for the universities, especially in what are considered the power conferences. Let’s not accept bowl bids unless your team is above .500 for the season. But unfortunately everything is about the almighty dollar and bowl games generate money for nearly everyone involved. Sad state of affairs if you ask this writer. …

A local lifelong Dickinson County resident who would like to remain nameless but is the son of a former Iron Mountain milkman, is an avid fan of the Iron Mountain Mountaineers, Chicago Bears, Blackhawks and Cubs. The current East Vulcan resident went on record over this past weekend saying “The day I root for the Detroit Red Wings, is day they play the Green Bay Packers!” …

Something positive out of Foxboro, Mass. that can be applauded. Patriots owner Robert Kraft is loaning his chartered team airplane, free of charge, to the United States Naval Academy to transport the Midshipmen to the Liberty Bowl game from Annapolis, Md. The game will be played on New Year’s Eve, where No. 23 ranked Navy takes on Kansas State at 2:45 p.m. from the mammoth looking Liberty Bowl stadium in Memphis, Tenn. …

Hard to believe that on Wednesday, we turn the page to a different decade. It seems like yesterday that I came home to Norway on leave from Norfolk, Va., while in the Navy to be home for the turn of the millennium, 20 years ago. Where does the time go ladies and gentlemen. …