SPORTS LINE
The Milwaukee Bucks.
A year after delaying his dreams of playing at the next level, Alabama basketball star Mark Sears has his shot. The Milwaukee Bucks have added All-American guard from Alabama, Mark Sears, to a two-way deal. The 6’0” point guard spent five years in college and got better in each one. The lefty guard is headed to Milwaukee, where he’ll look to establish a role and make a big impact. Milwaukee is potentially in need of guard depth. Sears, 23, averaged 18.6 points per game last season in Tuscaloosa. In his final college season, Sears made history as Alabama’s first-ever consensus First Team All-American, finishing with team-leading marks of 18.6 points and 5.1 assists per game. He was also recognized as a Preseason All-American by the Associated Press.
By the end of his college career, Sears had tallied 2,706 total points, making him Division I’s active scoring leader. He was the only SEC player to rank inside the top two in both points and assists. His experience and established skillset make him the type of guy worth swinging on with a two-way contract for the Bucks. Sears fills Milwaukee’s last vacant two-way contract slot, with Pete Nance and Jamaree Bouyea occupying the others.
The Green Bay Packers.
The team sunk a considerable number of resources into improving its offense over the past several months to take a shot at a title in the next season. The Packers signed Aaron Banks, one of the top available veteran guards, to a four-year, $77 million contract in the first wave of NFL free agency. They also invested all three of their first draft picks into offensive players, adding two wide receivers and a left tackle. The result is a stronger supporting cast for Jordan Love as he heads into his third full season as Green Bay’s starting quarterback. The team is confident that it has struck gold with the first-round selection of Matthew Golden in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Since the very first day Golden arrived in Green Bay, he and Packers quarterback Jordan Love have worked on building a connection that could translate to the NFL season. Love has been impressed with what he has seen from Golden. The team broke its 23-year drought of not selecting a first-round receiver when they picked Goden. The 5-foot-11, 191-pound rookie has speed, agility, ball-tracking skills, and body control, making him a formidable receiver who excels at all levels of the field. He is also coming off a career-best season at Texas with 58 catches for 987 yards and nine touchdowns. The real question is whether the Packers are willing to feature Golden like a No. 1 wide receiver in Matt LaFleur’s offense.
The Milwaukee Brewers are progressing.
They roughed up the Rockies last week, bringing them within 2 games of first place in the National League Central Division. The Milwaukee Brewers scored 6 times in the fourth inning, finished with 13 hits, and defeated the Colorado Rockers 10-7 at American Family Field. Jackson Chourio hit a three-run home run, and Brice Turang added two RBIs. Chourio hit a run-scoring groundout, and Christian Yelich followed with a two-run double in the eighth to cap the scoring. Yelich has a 10-game hitting streak and in his last 28 games is batting .386 (44 for 114) with eight home runs and 33 RBIs.
William Contreras led off the fifth with a single, advanced to second on an error, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Isaac Collins, and then scored on a balk by Jimmy Herget, who replaced Freeland to open the inning, to make it 7-4 in the fifth. Contreras led off the fourth with a single, Collins followed with another, and Rhys Hoskins drew a walk before Turang hit a two-run single. After back-to-back fly outs, Hoskins scored on a single by Sal Frelick, and Chourio’s homer made it 6-0. Milwaukee is 39-9 this season when scoring at least four runs and 7-27 when scoring three runs or fewer.
