Sky's the Limit

It's Christmas Eve, a magical time of the year. I'm sitting by my computer with a hot chocolate to my right, all decked out in my flannel pajamas. Everyone is all snug in their beds, with visions of ... you know how it goes.

I usually wait until the last minute to do my shopping, so I know Santa will understand when I email him my Prep Christmas Wish List for the local teams I cover in Brookfield and Wauwatosa.

Here goes.

Brookfield Central Boys Basketball Team - I wish for point guard Lee Severson to get healthy (Plantar Fasciitis) and resume his normal way of life first - and maybe get back on the basketball court and help out the Lancers down the stretch drive.

Brookfield Central Girls Basketball Team - I wish for talented sophomore forward Jesse Thomas to step out of the shadow of her big brother, Joe, and help spark the Lady Lancers this season.

Brookfield Central Wrestling - I wish for Jake Taylor to win this third Greater Metro Conference title and go deep into the brackets at the state tournament.

Brookfield East Boys Basketball - I wish for talented 6-7 senior Ryan Kursel to step up his play and give coach Andy Farley a solid No. 2 threat behind Brian Condon.

Brookfield East Girls Basketball - I wish for 6-5 sophomore Marley Blood to develop into a consistent scorer and rebounder and help this balanced Lady Spartans team get over the hump.

Brookfield East Wrestling - I wish for Zach Sines to win his first state championship and for Joey Woppert to bottle that passion he has and sell it to others in life who could use it.

Brookfield Gymnastics - I wish for a state tournament berth for senior Annie Seidcheck, who sometimes gets left out of the spotlight because some talented juniors and sophomores.

Brookfield Stars - I wish for a winning season for these hard-working skaters, especially senior captains Bill Hemp, John Jenkins and Kevin Vrany.

Brookfield Barracudas - I wish for a successful season for seniors Clare Chen, Jacob Gramling, Matt Heumann, KC Knutson, Eric Kuenstner, John Pringle and Bill Stenavich.

Wauwatosa East Boys Basketball - I wish for Tony Walls to do what's best for his future and don't rush back to a Red Raider basketball team which is one of the best in the state. A healthy - key word there - Walls would be frosting on the cake.

Wauwatosa East Girls Basketball - I wish for talented Margaret Panter to take more shots, Hannah Weinberg-Kinsey to dominate inside and for the team to understand that turnovers belong in bakeries and not on the court.

Wauwatosa West Boys Basketball - I wish for someone to step up and help Andrew Krenzien and Andy Minkley as a solid third scoring option and for the Trojans to continue to focus on defense, especially when there's a lid on the basket.

Wauwatosa West Girls Basketball - I wish for point guard Jackie Glaser to continue playing her great floor game, but not at the expense of passing up a good shot.

Wauwatosa Hockey United - I wish for the team to get their first victory and get it soon.

Wauwatosa Hurricanes - And a child should lead them - OK, he's not a child, but I wish for newcomer Jake Shackleford to continue the excellent season he is having for the improving co-op team.

Wauwatosa Wrestling - I wish for a Woodland title for coach Kent Morin and a successful trip to state for Nick Morin, Pat English and the improving Glen Kendl.

This is my Christmas wish list. If you have your list, feel free to share it the comments section.

I hope everyone has a healthy, happy, holiday season.

And remember, always be a hit and have a ball.

Those words were my first introduction to wrestling as I remember watching it on TV with my Nana Skibosh.

Roger Kent, the regular TV announcer, would always say that same line whenever a wrestler - usually the villain - put that dangerous move on his opponent. It consisted of turning your opponent upside down, facing you, putting his head between your knees (ugh) and then while holding him tight to your chest, you would drop to your knees, slamming his head into the mat and knocking him out.

Eventually as I watched wrestling I realized that the helpless wrestler's head never hit the mat, only the villain's knees did. Of course, if it ever did really happen, there would have been several paralyzed or dead wrestlers in the American Wrestling Association and that would have been bad for business.

My next exposure to wrestling happened as a freshman in high school. I was big for my age - 177 pounds at 14 - so they put me at heavyweight. Since there was no one my size to practice with, I worked out with two seniors who weighed between 230-250 pounds.

Back then we would practice on the stage in the cafeteria. They would close the drapes to keep the heat in and since I wore a rubber top, I would sweat a lot. One practice after I was tossed around by the senior heavyweights I lost 13 pounds. Nice healthy way of losing weight back then.

When it came to wrestling in a regular match I had to face guys who not only out-weighed me by 30-40 pounds, but they were better wrestlers. It's no wonder that before the year was over, I could tell you how many lights were on the ceiling of every gym in the Braveland Conference.

My next exposure to wrestling started last winter when I switched from sports editor to columnist/writer (and now blogger). I have been fortunate because my three wrestling teams - Brookfield East, Brookfield Central and the Wauwatosa East/West co-op teams are good teams with excellent coaches who put up with a lot of questions from me.

On Thursday, Dec. 20, Brookfield East hosts Central in the annual "Battle of Brookfield" - wrestling style. A few years ago Bud Sines, Spartans coach, moved the site from the cavernous gym to the claustrophobic cafeteria, where the fans are only a few feet from the mat and the several banners featuring the various East titles are hanging from the rafters. If you have never experienced a match there, try and take it in.

TOP GRAPPLERS - All three teams have some excellent wrestlers once again this year. Just to mention a few names here - Central's Jake Taylor and Dryden Holmes, both 11-0; East's Zach Sines (19-0), Joey Woppert (17-2), Alex Buchberger (16-3) and Louie Fehr (14-4) and Tosa's Nick Morin (11-1), Pat English (11-1)and Glen Kendl (11-1).

I'm working on some holiday blogs, so look for me later in the week.

And remember, always be a hit and have a ball!

With Brookfield Central traveling over to Brookfield East for a basketball doubleheader on Friday, Dec. 14 - the girls at 6 p.m. and the boys at 7:30 p.m., I figured now would be a good time to bring up something that's been on my mind since I've been covering Brookfield and Wauwatosa the past six years.

Cross-town rivalries in these two cities are really different.

In Brookfield, depending on the sport, there are times that Central is better than East and vice versa. There have been some great battles, especially in swimming, soccer, tennis and track - just to name a few. There never seems to be an attitude that one school is better than the other - only the typical pride if you are a graduate of one school or if your kids are students there.

I'm protected in Brookfield, because I am a Central graduate, but I sent four kids through East. I can't favor anyone. Of course, I wouldn't do that because I am a professional journalist.

I also notice in Brookfield that the rivalry is fairly friendly, more so from the athletes angle since they play together in the off-season in their various sports.

In Wauwatosa I've run into a whole different animal. There is a different feeling between Tosa East and Tosa West when it comes to cross-town rivalries. Without a doubt, the Red Raiders feel that they would have nothing to gain by playing the Trojans in some sports.

I have had some people from Tosa East come out and say that Marquette, not West, is the Red Raiders main rival - and since they play in the same conference, I don't disagree with them at all.

Like in Brookfield, the Tosa athletes know each other from their off-season competition and social gatherings and they probably enjoy it more than the coaches.

On West's side of it, I've had administrators and coaches say they understand East's side of it and they also feel it's more important to their teams to focus on their Woodland Conference rivals.

That's why when I see Tosa East basketball - one of the best programs in the area - play Tosa West - something George Haas and Brian Rusk brought back - it gives me a good feeling. When they packed the gym last year, with students standing and people cheering, for a good two hours - that's what I think a cross-town game should be all about - fun.

There is a place for good competition between Tosa East and Tosa West, but unlike in Brookfield, there is less riding on the bottom line, simply because it's a non-conference event. It's hard to be a true rival when you don't play in the same conference in my opinion.

Whether you agree or disagree, let me hear from you.

And remember, always, be a hit and have a ball.

They run the show. The game goes through their hands 90 per cent of the time. In the final seconds, the ball better touch their hands or your team could be in trouble.

We're talking about point guards, folks, and a quick look into the local scene shows for the most part, the area schools are in pretty good shape.

Let's take a close look at those situations in Brookfield and Wauwatosa and how I rank them as the season opens.

GIRLS

BROOKFIELD EAST - Junior Vanessa Brown is one of the best point guards I have seen this year - her quickness gives her a big advantage over other players - and this year she is scoring - 47 points in three games (15.7 ppg). Last year she would easily make a steal, race down court and miss the lay-up. This year she is finishing the play. East got killed in a loss to Homestead with Brown on the sidelines with an injury and Highlanders' coach Bill Scasny told me that was a big reason for his team's easy victory.

WAUWATOSA WEST - West's situation is in great shape with diminutive sophomore Jackie Glaser back for her second season at point. With a year under her belt, the soft-spoken Glaser has started to verbally lead this young Trojan team. With the game on the line, you want the ball in her hands, since she is an excellent free throw shooter. Coach Mike Pietrowiak has also encouraged the unselfish Glaser to take the open shot more.

BROOKFIELD CENTRAL - Senior Anna Butzlaff, who missed most of last season with a knee injury, is back for the Lady Lancers, and her ability to handle the point effectively gives Joana Bielefeld a chance to move back to the 2-guard, a more natural position for the offensive-minded junior.

WAUWATOSA EAST - Coach Rob Hamill starts a 3-guard offense, but when the ball is in the hands of Margaret Panter the Red Raiders are best off. An excellent shooter, like West's Glaser, the 5-6 junior needs to take more shots for Tosa East to be successful.

THE BOYS 

WAUWATOSA WEST - West has the advantage to start the season, as Andrew Krenzien is the complete point guard for coach Mike Landisch. He can handle the ball, play defense and make the big shot - from the field and the free throw line.

BROOKFIELD CENTRAL Senior guard Lee Severson finds it's hard to walk let along play point guard for the Lancers with his right foot in a boot. Central's sixth-man extraordinaire last year is suffering from plantar fasciitis, a painful ailment that affects the bottom of the foot and heel and is caused by overstressing the ligament that connects your toes to your heel bone. Coach Mark Adams is uncertain about if - or when - Severson can return. In Severson's absence, Adams has moved the talented Cory Degner to point guard. Adams needs his leadership and experience and the ball in the hands of his 6-1 senior. He is one of the most talented players in the area, but this is a new assignment for the likeable Degner.

WAUWATOSA EAST - Coach Tim Arndorfer expected to start the season with one of the better defensive point guards in the area. But when your soccer star gets hurt trying a field goal for the football team, well, things aren't going your way. Tony Walls has a knee injury that will keep it out until at least Xmas and maybe longer. So far Arndorfer has been relying on Mike Cupertino and Keondre Gholston to handle the chores in Walls' absence and they have been up-and-down, but two games doesn't tell you much. What helps is the Red Raiders are the most talented team in the Greater Metro Conference and that helps make up for the inexperience at point.

BROOKFIELD EAST BOYS - Not so for coach Andy Farley, who doesn't have enough fingers to plug the dike with all the holes his talented senior class left him last year. He has four returning letter-winners in name only, as only forwards Brian Condon and Ryan Kursel had enough playing time to gain any experience. Devonte Harper, a 5-7 returnee who didn't play much last season, is handling the position for the first time as a regular and he is surrounded by other inexperienced players. It could be a tough road to hoe for the Spartans this year.

Conference plays starts in the next week for everyone, so watch these youngsters if you have a chance. If you agree or disagree with my rankings, let me know.

And remember, always be a hit and have a ball.

Once given a choice between baseball and staying married, Wauwatosa East baseball coach Jerry Toubl picked baseball. Anyone associated with Red Raider baseball over the years was happy he took the latter.

Toubl officially hung up his spikes last week - and a detailed cover story which will be in the Dec. 6 issue of WauwatosaNow. But here's a quick behind the look scenes of how hard it was for the likeable coach to step down.

He's won four conference championships in four different conferences over his 27-year career at Tosa East. He won a state title in 1997, nine regional titles and three sectional titles. His lifetime mark was 446-350, a .560 winning mark and his conference record was 284-242.

Unfortunately, he had his worse season of his career last summer, winning only six of 37 games and going 0-21 in the Greater Metro Conference. Toubl says this was not the reason for his retiring last week and he emphasized that when his team asked him that question when they met last week.

But Toubl struggled last season. The losing tore him apart and there was pain in his voice whenever we talked. He talked about hanging it up and at one point this summer he typed up his resignation and turned it in to athletic director Linda Vitrano. But Vitrano refused to accept it and wisely told him to take some time and think about it.

Last week I received an email from him, telling me "It was just time." When I called Vitrano a few days later, she told me he was literally going into the principal's office in 20 minutes and they were still trying to talk him out of it. She called me the next day and told me Toubl stuck to his guns.

Toubl recalled many memories last Saturday during an interview, but the thing he will remember the most will be all the great relationships he had with parents, players, coaches and even umpires (ugh).

Toubl cared about Tosa East baseball. In fact, he put his money where his mouth was over the years, using his salary to buy his team bats, uniforms and everything the budget didn't cover.

Tosa East will probably lean on him when the plan to build another field next to the current one when the plan goes through. Some people feel that Toubl may not be done coaching. He went ahead and put together the 2008 schedule for the Red Raiders because he thought he would be back.

He's a young 52 and suddenly, for the first time in his life, he's going to have the summer off. We all hope he enjoys it and does the things he hasn't been able to do the last 27 years.

But people have a tendency to be selfish - me included - and I hope down the road I get another chance to see Toubl doing what he did best.

Coach baseball and influence youngsters in a positive way.