If it's a choice between Larry Brown or Rick Carlisle as next coach of the Bucks, give me the Hall of Fame nomad, the legendary rebuilder of teams, the 60-something guy with nearly 1,300 career wins who would bring an air of discipline, respect and sophistication to a franchise that sorely lacks all those things at the moment. ...

If John Hammond, the new Milwaukee general manager hired to re-energize the once-proud NBA franchise, really got a no-meddling promise from owner Herb Kohl, then put Hammond in a three-way tie for first place on the list of shrewdest pro sports GMs in the state. ...

Hey, it's great that Prince Fielder has embraced all things vegetarian, but if this lack of muscle keeps up much longer -- a year after 50 home runs, he has none after 12 games -- Brewers fans are going to have to have an intervention for their favorite first baseman and everyone is going to bring a ribeye for grilling. ...

Should you have a spare thought for a good man, send it along to ailing Packers media legend Lee Remmel. ...

If University of Wisconsin football coach Bret Bielema wants to fill Camp Randall Stadium for a glorified exhibition game, he should up the entertainment ante in the future. How about a scrimmage with the NCAA small-school powerhouse just down the road in Whitewater? ...

Is it too late to rethink this Summer Olympic thing in Beijing? When the globe-trotting flame needs a massive security detail and President Bush is taking questions on an American boycott of the Games -- fans of basic human rights have had issues with China for years -- you can 't help but get the feeling this isn't going to go well. ...

Dick Vitale in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, and it didn't include a general public admission fee? This much we know: The bar has been lowered. ..

The best sarcastic laugh from the young baseball season came courtesy of Dodgers coach Rick Honeycutt, who accused San Diego ace Jake Peavy of using pine tar to doctor the ball. This is the same Honeycutt who once got busted with a thumb tack in his glove for exactly the same purpose. ...

If you're compiling a list of the most frustrated pro athletes in the state, the line might start behind Matt Kenseth. He's 15th in the NASCAR points standings after finishing 38th at Phoenix, where he was heard chewing out his pit crew on the radio after a crash on the 41st lap. ...

The list of free agents that bolted the Brewers and came back to torment them is pretty short -- Paul Molitor occupies the first four slots -- but Reds reliever Francisco Cordero just might crack the top five. ...

Instead of getting bent out of shape over what Brett Favre said -- he'd consider coming out of retirement to play for the Packers if incumbent quarterback Aaron Rodgers got hurt -- think about it this way: Such a move would have to start with an invitation from Green Bay, one that, from here, wouldn 't be forthcoming.