SPORTS LINE
The Milwaukee Brewers.
They aren’t going to be judged on anything but postseason success this season. The Milwaukee Brewers are looking like one of the top teams in baseball heading into the second half of the year. They have been leading the NL Central and are hoping to climb into the top spot in the National League as the trade deadline hits in a few weeks. Over the weekend against the Miami Marlins, the Brewers displayed their clutch chops. The home run was nice.
The three-game sweep was nicer. But it was the bat flip that 36,451 fans may remember most about William Contreras’ walk-off, three-run homer for a 3-1 Brewers win over the Marlins on Sunday at American Family Field. Sweeping a series against a team firmly in the wild card hunt was an accomplishment enough, but doing so on a pair of walk-offs displayed the kind of playing that will benefit Milwaukee when it gets to October.
After being shut out for eight innings in Sunday’s series finale, the Brewers struck against Marlins closer Pete Fairbanks, as a furious rally concluded in a three-run home run for William Contreras. It was arguably the high point of the season so far. What a time for Milwaukee’s All-Star catcher to express himself. Shut out on a pair of singles through the first eight innings on Sunday, Jackson Chourio led off the bottom of the ninth with a single and Brice Turang walked before Contreras hammered a hanging cutter from Marlins closer Pete Fairbanks and sent his bat flying in the air along with the baseball.
Contreras didn’t start the game (he entered as a pinch-hitter in the seventh), but he sure finished it, smacking home run No. 10 this season and the second walk-off home run of his career. He was looking for a fastball. When Fairbanks went offspeed in a 1-2 count, Contreras was able to adjust in an instant. The Brewers’ second walk-off win of the series – Mitchell singled home the game-winner in the bottom of the 10th inning on Friday – gave them a three-game sweep of Miami coming out of the All-Star break and pushed Milwaukee back to 25 games over .500 with their 100th game of the regular season on tap Monday night – a premium pitching matchup of Jacob Misiorowski against former teammate Freddy Peralta and the Mets. Murphy gave Contreras the day off Sunday as a breather after a busy All-Star break, in which Contreras was the only player to appear for a Brewers team with the second-best record in baseball. But with Marlins starter Eury Perez finally out of the game in the seventh after six dominant innings, Murphy deployed Contreras as a pinch-hitter in the seventh.
Bucks. Giannis Antetokounmpo quietly paid Milwaukee the ultimate sign of respect. Even despite how things concluded in the end, there’s no doubting how much Giannis Antetokounmpo means to the city, and even how much the city of Milwaukee means to Giannis. That much should be clear, especially after his latest remarks reflecting on his time in the Milwaukee area. “The reason I changed my number is I feel like ’34’ holds so much weight and has so much history. Out of respect to the organization that drafted me and who I played with for 13 years, I decided to leave the number there,” Antetokounmpo said in his introductory presser upon arriving in Miami. Those are very powerful and important words.
Milwaukee made a lasting impact on him and his family. He even commented on how the city would let him be himself and allowed him to spend time in the city, especially with his family, without being constantly filmed, photographed, or stopped. They could live a ‘normal’ life. For more than a decade, the number 34 came to be more than just a jersey number in Milwaukee; it was a symbol of an era and a culture of hard work. When Antetokounmpo was finally traded, fans braced for the inevitable sight of their icon wearing that familiar number in a different jersey. But as it turns out, we won’t have to see that after all.
To recall, Giannis chose to wear the jersey number 34 because it combined the last digits of his parents’ birth years: his mother was born in 1963, and his father was born in 1964. For a player as family-oriented as the Greek Freak is, for him to leave that number behind in Milwaukee should say everything about the respect he still has for the city and the organization.
Giannis
Packers.
The Green Bay Packers will be recognizing Wisconsin mental health advocates affiliated with a Wisconsin advocacy group at their preseason Give Back Game on August 28. The 2026 Packers Give Back Game is the preseason matchup between the Green Bay Packers and the Arizona Cardinals, taking place on Thursday, August 28, 2026, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay. This marks the sixth annual Packers Give Back Game. This year, the event honors and supports Wisconsin mental health advocates, with special recognition given to individuals and organizations—such as NAMI Wisconsin—that provide vital resources and support. In collaboration with NAMI Wisconsin (National Alliance on Mental Illness), NAMI has invited individuals from its 24 local affiliates across the state, including staff, board members, volunteers and program participants, as well as NAMI On Campus student leaders, Raise Your Voice club advisors, state trainers, Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) coordinators, Youth Advisory Council members and other dedicated members of the NAMI Wisconsin community to take part in this special event.
Prior to kickoff, several honorees from NAMI will take the field to be recognized. NAMI Wisconsin is the state’s chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization, dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and families affected by mental illness. Packers Give Back is the team’s all-encompassing community outreach initiative that includes the Green Bay Packers Foundation, appearances made by players, alumni, coaches and staff, football outreach, cash and in-kind donations, Make-A-Wish visits, and community events. The annual overall charitable impact of Packers Give Back exceeds $15 million.
