What were the top stories in Wisconsin sports in 2009? According to the staff at 540 ESPN Milwaukee which I am a part of, these were the top 20 stories. And to no surprise, the Brett Favre soap opera dominated the voting.

1. Brett Favre signs with the Minnesota Vikings
2. Brett Favre beats the Packers twice, throwing seven touchdowns and zero interceptions
3. Brandon Jennings scores 55 in a game to make the Bucks relevant
4. Prince Fielder’s career season
5. Charles Woodson’s career season
6. Wisconsin men’s basketball beats Duke
7. Packers fire six defensive coaches after a 6-10 season
8. Matt Kenseth wins Daytona 500
9. U.S. Bank Championship ends
10. Dominic James foot injury halts what could’ve been a special Marquette hoops season
11. Prince Fielder wins All-Star Home Run Derby
12. John Clay named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year
13. Packers win five in a row after 4-4 start
14. Brewers sign Trevor Hoffman
15. Packers switch to a 3-4 defense
16. Brewers poor pitching prevents another postseason berth
17. Wisconsin football surprises experts with 9-3 record, 5-3 in Big Ten
18. Vander Blues signs with Marquette
19. Michael Redd tears up knee
20. Steve Stricker wins three PGA events and finishes third in FedEx Cup standings

Packers coach Mike McCarthy said Mason Crosby is the Packers kicker, and the coach has no intention of bringing in another kicker to replace him.

Crosby has really struggled this season, missing a makeable field goal in each of the last four games, and it’s obvious his confidence is shaken. However, this late in the season, the odds of finding a better option are not very good, so learn to live with Crosby, unless he’s injured.

Sunday’s loss in Pittsburgh was not all Crosby’s fault. The NFL’s second-ranked defense allowed more than 500 yards through the air, and there were issues in tackling and wrapping up ballcarriers. Had that defense made a stop on any one of the crucial plays on that final drive, Crosby would not be the goat; instead, that honor would belong to Steelers coach Mike Tomlin for attempting an onside kick late in the fourth quarter with a two point lead. Interestingly, although that move backfired, it might have helped the Steelers win, because the Packers had a short field to work with, and they scored with more than two minutes left in the game, giving the Steelers enough time for their own game-winning drive.

Bottom line, it was the most entertaining Packers game in years. It reminded me of the 1983 Packers under Bart Starr (dynamic offense, no defense), but it probably will not affect Green Bay’s playoff chances. All they need is a win over Seattle on Sunday because either the Giants or Cowboys will lose at least one more game.

Many are saying the Tiger Woods scandal these last few weeks is the greatest fall from grace by any athlete in sports history. And while that may be true…I believe Tiger will be able able to bounce back.

I think it’s a great thing for the world’s number 1 player to take an “indefinite break” from golf and work on his marriage. Now he may not be able to save his marriage to Elin, but I think Tiger will be able to save the impressive career he’s built on the golf course. When Tiger does return to the PGA tour, he no doubt will be heckled by some fans on the golf course, but once he starts winning again…I think this whole Tiger drama will be put on the back burner.

Fans will slowly realize that the one golfer they looked up to all these years is not perfect in his personal life…but that doesn’t mean we still can’t root for Tiger when he’s on the course.

For years the mythical “state champion” in college basketball lived in Madison or in Milwaukee. Not this year. The best college basketball team in Wisconsin this season calls Titletown home.

UW-Green Bay shocked most everyone in the state and around the country last night when they upset 20th ranked Wisconsin 88-84 in overtime. Yes, the Phoenix won’t play Marquette this season and they have yet to face UWM, but after last night’s performance it’s tough to argue against Tod Kowalczyk’s club.

Wisconsin hosts Marquette Saturday afternoon. If the Badgers beat the Golden Eagles then there’s no debate, Green Bay is the undisputed state champ. If Marquette wins Saturday, you can argue either side.

Of couse, we could settle this on the court if the four Division 1 teams participated in a “state tournament” in a double-header format but that’s not going to happen in the near future. Schools do not like giving up the revenue that comes with home games. So we are left with the individual match ups. Each school plays each other each season except for Marquette and Green Bay and that problem will be fixed in the next few years. But until then, for the first time since the days of Dick Bennett, UW-Green Bay can call themselves the kings of Wisconsin basketball.

 It’s been a great season for several Packers rookies including linebacker Clay Matthews.

Matthews was just named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week after his performance Monday Night against Baltimore at Lambeau Field. In the Packers 27-14 victory over the Ravens, Matthews had 6 tackles, 2 sacks and a forced fumble.

He now has 7 sacks total this season and is tied with Washington’s Brian Orakpo for the most by a rookie.

But Matthews isn’t the only one in his family to accomplish such a feat. His father, Clay Jr., was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week twice during his career with the Cleveland Browns. They are the first father/son combo to win Player of the Week Awards.

So congrats to Clay Matthews on another solid performance. And I guess you can say it’s all in the family.    

Some observations from the Packers 27-14 win over the Ravens Monday night:

The UWM Panthers have landed a basketball recruit for 2010. He’s 6 feet 6 inches tall, a forward from Sudan, named Leek Leek. One of those rare athletes who’s name, when listed on a roster, appears the same whether the surname or last name is listed first.

It’s not only a big night for the Packers but for Ravens longsnapper Matt Katula. He’s facing his childhood team for the first time at Lambeau Field on Monday Night Football. Katula is a Brookfield native who went to high school at Catholic Memorial. After four successful seasons playing ball for the Wisconsin Badgers…Katula was signed by the Baltimore Ravens in 2005 and has been their longsnapper ever since.

More than 50 of Katula’s family and friends…including his mom and dad who still live in Brookfield…are at tonight’s game in Green Bay. Plus, Katula’s younger brother Sam…who plays college basketball at UW-Parkside…will get the chance to see his brother play professional football live for the first time. Matt Katula has been to only one other Packers game before as a fan. And tonight he gets to run onto the field as a player.

I just think it’s wonderful that a hometown athlete has made it big in the NFL. And even though he’s not a household name because of the position he plays…it’s great to see him have a lot of success in the NFL.

Katula is a lifelong Packers fan and that fact that he’s getting to play at Lambeau Field tonight…even though it’s on the opposing team…is a memory I’m sure he and his family will never forget.

I could write about Notre Dame firing football coach Charlie Weis, but everyone knew that was coming. I could write about Tiger Woods withdrawing from his own golf tournament this upcoming weekend, citing injuries from a car crash near his Florida home early Friday, but I would have to bite my tongue and not make any jokes. Besides, everyone in the free world is chiming in about Tiger.

Instead, I will write about four interesting facts I came upon today, involving the Packers, the Bucks, NFL wide receivers and Major League Baseball salaries.

Which team leads the NFL in total defense? That would be your Green Bay Packers, who have allowed an average of 281.5 yards per game through 11 games. That number has certainly been helped by playing four games against the Lions, Browns and Rams, who have combined to win four out of 33 games this season. However, that defensive ranking will certainly be tested in the final five games, playing without former Pro Bowl players Aaron Kampman and Al Harris.

Which injured player returns to the Bucks lineup Monday against the Bulls? If you guessed Michael Redd or Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, you are wrong. The answer is Andrew Bogut, who was supposed to be sidelined for two-to-four weeks with a leg injury, but returns to the court in less than two weeks. A very welcome sight for a Bucks team that has lost their last four games.

We all know Jerry Rice is the NFL’s all-time leader in receiving yards, but who ranks second? If you guessed Tim Brown, Chris Carter, Terrell Owens, Randy Moss or Marvin Harrison, you are wrong. The answer is Isaac Bruce, now a backup with the 49ers, who has 15,208 receiving yards in his career. He’s some 7,000 yards behind Rice, but has moved past Brown for second place. I know trivia pretty well, but Isaac Bruce would have been about eighth on my list of guesses.

And finally, which position had the highest average salary in major league baseball in 2009? If you answered starting pitcher or shortstop, you are wrong. First basemen averaged $7,385,135 in 2009, slightly ahead of designated hitters. Starting pitchers ranked fourth, shortstops were sixth, and relief pitchers bring up the rear with an average salary of “only” $1,782,084.

Buzz Williams was wrong, but I’m sure he wouldn’t mind admitting that. During an interview Wednesday in Orlando at Marquette’s practice before the start of the Old Spice Classic, Williams said his Marquette squad was the worst team in the tournament.

Buzz never worked under Lou Holtz, the master of downplaying his own team’s abilities, but he does like to “sandbag” a bit when talking about his team, so I doubt he really felt Marquette was the worst team in the tournament.

However, his squad came into this season receiving very little national respect after losing three of the top eight scorers in school history (Jerel McNeal, Dominic James and Wesley Matthews), so there may have been an element of truth in Buzz’s statement. Well, Marquette certainly opened some eyes with their play in the Old Spice Classic, knocking off a highly-regarded Xavier team in the opening round, then dominating 15th-ranked Michigan in the semifinals. Sunday night, the Golden Eagles jumped out to a 17 point lead against Florida State in the championship game, and that’s when their Achilles heel was exposed.

They finally ran out of gas against a much taller and deeper team, losing 57-56. In that championship game, Lazar Hayward, Jimmy Butler and Darius Johnson-Odom combined for 48 of Marquette’s 56 points, which means the rest of the team combined for a total of eight points.

The average height of the Golden Eagles six leading scorers is 6 feet 2 inches tall, which means they will struggle against taller, physical teams in the Big East conference.

However, Marquette’s strong showing against quality competition in Orlando proved they were not the worst team in the tournament; they aren’t the worst team in the Big East; and they will have a legitimate chance to play in the NCAA tournament, as long as they can avoid injuries to their top six players.