Wisconsin centered 30 for 30 ideas

[homer]

Any ESPN 30 for 30 ideas based on a Wisconsin related story? Suzy Favor Hamilton comes to mind, maybe the rag tag Brewers of the 80's.

[bucks2281]

Maybe something related to Brett Favre's retirement.

[GAME05]

I like the story about Coach Donnelly and Craig Counsell: http://m.mlb.com/news/article/26376228/

 

Maybe a story on Boreland making it on the Badgers (wasn't he a walk-on?) and then retirement to highlight the concussion issue and the possibility of more players retiring early.

 

Rashard Griffith on high school athletes and that special brand of college admittance fudging. Also his choice to play in Europe over the NBA.

 

How Reggie White turned around an entire franchise.

 

Black athletes on life in rural and mostly-all-white small-town Green Bay.

 

Not Wisconsin-specific, but the life of a second-tier NFL player. I know someone who barely made the roster each year but did so for seven years, and I think his circumstance is a bit different from what we see of the stars. Lots and lots of moving, constant coaching changes and struggles between what you see as your role versus what the coaches see.

[LouisEly]

Good ones Game05. Really like the Rashard Griffith one. I'll add:

 

Steve Stricker resurrecting his career from almost being off the tour to being one of the best players in the world in his late 30's.

 

Dan Jansen and his bad luck at the Olympics, trying so hard for his sister.

 

The obvious one is Barry Alvarez turning around the entire football program. Or Pat Richter turning around the entire athletic department.

 

Mark Johnson and how he scored two goals in the "Miracle on Ice" game, yet Mike Eruzione and Jim Craig are the ones who are remembered from that team.

 

One has already been done - there's a documentary called "Under the Ice" about the sturgeon spearing season on Lake Winnebago.

 

The other obvious one is how Bud Selig brought baseball back to Milwaukee (and how his daughter was made a scapegoat for the awful teams in the late 90's/early 2000's).

 

Edit: And how could I forget, the one that I would produce, "The Curse of Gorman Thomas" - how the Brewers fell apart after the trade of Gorman Thomas. They haven't been back to the World Series since the trade, and after the trade many of the best Brewers and biggest accomplishments have been by Brewers that wore his #20 (Juan Nieves and the no-hitter, Jeromy Burnitz being the first Brewer in the home run derby in the All-Star game, Jonathan Lucroy, etc.).

[homer]

How about the stadium "stampede" at UW back in '93? Maybe that would just be part of the Alvarez doc.

[Baldkin]

I'd love to see something on the life of Al McGuire. He was mostly before my time, and the stories I've heard are pretty amazing.

 

They did one on how Marquette got it's unique uniform look (Danny Pudi put it together)

http://espn.go.com/30for30/film?page=untucked

 

Also one on Robert Indiana's MECCA floor:

http://espn.go.com/30for30/film?page=mecca

[nate82]

What about Wayne Embry the first African American GM in the NBA.

[RobertR]

I'd think the accomplishments of Eric Heiden could warrant a good look.

[LouisEly]

Bah! I had Heiden on my mind but forgot to put him down.

[tmwiese55]

The politics of getting Miller Park built.

[patrickgpe]

Marquette's '77 championship, with McGuire announcing it was his last season with the team

[Jimbo]

I'd think the accomplishments of Eric Heiden could warrant a good look.

 

I was watching the Tour of California last week and the winner of the stage was from Team BMC Racing and after the race as the show is wrapping up, sure enough there's Eric Heiden. He got some serious face time and the commentators were fawning all over him, mentioning him being a former national cycling champion/almost finisher of the Tour de France on top of his speed skating accomplishments. He must be on the BMC staff.

[Patrick425]

I guess I'm always thinking about my memories growing up watching the Brewers with these kind of things.

 

- The late 70's early 80's blue collar Brewers might make a good story. Harvey Kuehn tailgating with fans before games. Stormin and Vukes tavern. The close ties that many of those players still keep with the organization and the state. Outside of the Detroit Piston's "Bad Boys", there were not to many teams that reflected the culture of the city they played in like the Brewer teams of that era.

 

- The 87 Brewers team with the 13 game winning streak to open the season including the No-Hitter and miracle Easter Day game. The subsequent 12 game losing streak in May. Molitor's 39 game hitting streak and the ironic way that it ended. The abrupt end to Cecil Cooper's career...he was basically benched after not performing in the first half of the season. In fact, I remember seeing a "Cecil Cooper sitting streak" t-shirt being sold at Merle Harmon's Fan Fare.

 

Edit: Just noticed Louis Ely's post regarding "The curse of Gorman Thomas". Even though Thomas was traded in 83 (when he was batting .181), this could also be tied into the 87 team as Rick Manning, one of the players received in the Thomas trade, was the guy with the game winning hit that ended Molitor's streak. Thomas was one of those guys that from that era who kept close ties with the team and even ended up making his home here (I actually see him occasionally at the Sentry we shop at in Waukesha).

[homer]

I'd think the accomplishments of Eric Heiden could warrant a good look.

 

I was watching the Tour of California last week and the winner of the stage was from Team BMC Racing and after the race as the show is wrapping up, sure enough there's Eric Heiden. He got some serious face time and the commentators were fawning all over him, mentioning him being a former national cycling champion/almost finisher of the Tour de France on top of his speed skating accomplishments. He must be on the BMC staff.

 

He's also an orthopedic surgeon. Talk about a renaissance man.

[Baldkin]

The origins of tailgating (especially in Milwaukee) would make an amazing 30 for 30, I think.

[gypcasino]

The story of Mickey Crowe

[JimH5]

The story of Mickey Crowe

 

Absolutely.

 

I wonder if there is any film of him. He was the Pistol Pete of Wisconsin.

[nate82]

What about the Crusher?

[homer]

The story of Mickey Crowe

 

Absolutely.

 

I wonder if there is any film of him. He was the Pistol Pete of Wisconsin.

 

 

That's a really interesting idea.

 

Reason I ask all this is that I'm involved in the film industry and have a connection to a connection to a connection to a guy at ESPN that is influential in green lighting the 30 for 30 ideas. It's a super, duper lottery type long shot to actually get it made but I think I might have a decent shot to at least pitch the idea to the guy.

[Patrick425]

The story of Mickey Crowe

 

Absolutely.

 

I wonder if there is any film of him. He was the Pistol Pete of Wisconsin.

 

 

That's a really interesting idea.

 

Reason I ask all this is that I'm involved in the film industry and have a connection to a connection to a connection to a guy at ESPN that is influential in green lighting the 30 for 30 ideas. It's a super, duper lottery type long shot to actually get it made but I think I might have a decent shot to at least pitch the idea to the guy.

 

Ok, ashamed to say that at age 49 and a life long resident of Wisconsin, I don't know who Mickey Crowe is, so I had to look him up. Gotta say, after reading a few articles, that does look like it would make an interesting 30 for 30. Not only his HS basketball stardom, but his life path afterwards (at one point it sounds like he was basically stalking President Regan and he ended up witnessing the assassination attempt). Not sure if you are aware, but there is a book about his story called "Over and Back/Mickey Crowe".

[WV Brew]

Bushville wins.

[ReverendBrewmeister]

Bushville wins.

 

Good call there, WV Brew. Something about the Milwaukee Braves' 1957 season would be a good choice.

 

There's also potential in the greater Boston/Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves story, since that includes numerous matters that continue to affect cities and sports franchises:

(a) the westward movement of baseball in the 1950s

(b) the southward movement and expansion of baseball in later decades

© modern stadium construction

(d) multiple relocations of the same franchise

(e) competition among cities for relocation/threats to fans about attendance.

 

Those topics are still in play and cut across all sports.

[rwa12]

It's still pretty fresh, but I would think Whitewater athletics would be an interesting story.

[tmwiese55]

Kareem Abdul Jabbar trade.

[jerichoholicninja]

Bill Veeck and Milwaukee baseball. Heck, anything with Bill Veeck.