The Milwaukee Post

August 16, 2013 • Milwaukee Post • 11 Melvin made mistake by keeping Betancourt on roster I think Doug Melvin is a good general manager, but I still would have fired him for keeping Yuniesky Betancourt on the Brewers roster. He's old and he's horrible and should never be on a team that is so many games under .500. If I were the owner of the team I would have told Melvin if he can't find a better alternative for Betancourt, then I would find a better alternative in a general manger. *** If Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson didn't use PEDs, he should write a book about his recovery from knee surgery Every person in the world would . find something beneficial from his training program. He came back better and sooner than anyone thought possible. It might be that his body is one in a million, but even that alone doesn't explain his incredible return and phenomenal 2012 season. If he's telling the truth when saying that he never used any PEDs, his story is every bit as amazing as the Lance Armstrong story that turned out to be a lie. *** Packers head coach Mike McCarthy referred to the 17-0 loss to the Arizona Cardinals as "zero to 17." It's the oddest thing I've ever heard in 50 years of following football. I've never heard a coach at any level describe a score with the lowest number first. If I didn't know who had said it, I would have assumed that it was some woman who thought a quarterback was the change from a dollar on a 75-cent charge. *** I desperately want to be wrong about the Milwaukee Bucks and their first-round draft choice. I want to be wrong about the Bucks about everything. It's no fun being negative and always assuming the worst, though it's easy to be right because the Bucks consistently do the wrong thing. When the "Greek Kevin Durant" was selected, a family friend who played some basketball in Spain asked me what was wrong with the Bucks. He said the kid played in the second-best league in Greece, which is a very weak league by European standards. And he wasn't any good in that league. So, now I'm hoping that I'm wrong and my family friend is also wrong. *** Colin Montgomerie was a great European golfer who was easy to hate. He "HOMER" on SPORTS STEVE "The HOMER" TRUE always seemed upset about something and determined to find someone or something to blame for not winning a single Grand Slam event. He is now my favorite golf announcer. It's as if he's a different person. He's smart. He's got a great sense of humor. He can make the critical observation without seeming like a jerk. It's possible that he was same way as a player and my initial analysis was wrong, but I doubt it. *** I have no idea what happened to former Packers wide receiver Greg Jennings. He's gone goofy He talked about brainwashing . as part of life in Green Bay He's got a . future as an overnight radio talk show host discussing UFOs, aliens, and Abraham Lincoln's secret life as a vampire. With the Vikings, he will also miss the accuracy of Rodger's passes and take some serious hits on passes that Rodgers wouldn't throw because he didn't want to risk a major collision for his star receiver. *** When I fired Doug Melvin for keeping Betancourt on the roster, I would have congratulated him on a great second half of the 2013 season.There is hope for next season because the pitching has gone from historically horrific to elite among National League teams since the All-Star break. Wily Peralta has pitched like a ace, and the Brewers have a chance to be a contender next season. It's no sure thing with Gallardo pitching like a marginal starter, but there is hope for next season. Earlier this season, I wrote that it couldn't be done without major trades, and I was wrong. The Brewers should be able to get some offensive firepower back next season and avoid the 0-2 losses. Zero-2, not 2-nothing. Mike McCarthy couldn't have said it any better. (Steve "The Homer" True, host of "Homer and Thunder Show," heard from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays on 540 ESPN, can be reached at homer@espnmilwaukee.com) Winning ways get Scheffler in Short Track Hall of Fame By DANIEL MIKE Conley News Service MILWAUKEE – George Scheffler enjoyed winning. It was something Scheffler experienced a lot on the race track, and he was constantly working on his car to find an advantage. But he was not a win-at-all-costs kind of driver. "I remember wrecking my car, and he came to the parking lot and helped straighten out the car so I could race the next day," said Jim Letizia, who raced for nearly three decades against Scheffler. "We were doing Summer Nationals. We would go from race track to race track, and you'd usually go home after a car wreck. "He gave me parts he had in his trailer, his crew helped me out and I went on to fight another day." Scheffler, who died from injuries suffered in a 2010 ATV accident, was wellknown by dirt track racing fans in Wisconsin, and he raced several years at the Hales Corners Speedway. "He'd give anybody the shirt off his back," said Scheffler's son, Russ, who still races. "He helped people out in racing, he helped people out in business. He had many friends. "A lot of guys like to keep speed secrets to themselves, but dad was never that way. He loved life, and he loved peo- Submitted photo The late George Scheffler raced for many years at the Hales Corners Speedway. ple. The guy had so many friends." Racing became a family venture for the Schefflers, and it all began with George, who will be inducted into the Southeastern Wisconsin Short Track Hall of Fame on Nov. 2. In addition to founding Suburban Drywall in 1978, he and his sons founded Wild Incorporated, a company that creates banners, wraps and other race-related graphics for race cars as well as graphics for other businesses. "I grew up at the race track – all three of us did," Robin McGrath, George's daughter, said referring to her brothers, Russ and Rick. "He loved it to be a family deal. It was always about the family. "He would work on the cars at the garage at home when we were kids, and eventually both my brothers got into racing. My husband, and now my son, are in racing. Racing was my dad's life, and it got into the rest of the boys." The Hall of Fame honor is not a surprise. Scheffler was a well-known dirt track racer around the area, racing throughout Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana. "George was the Dale Earnhardt of the dirt track," Letizia said. "He was very competitive, tough, aggressive, a great racer. But off the track, he was a real gentleman. "He'd give you the shirt off his back, but on the race track, he wouldn't give me an inch." As dedicated to racing as George Scheffler was, he didn't pressure his children toward the sport. The sons spent countless hours working on cars as children, and it became natural to get behind the wheel when they were old enough. "When I was a kid I knew I wanted to race," Russ Scheffler said. "I didn't do much else. I never hunted. Fishing and racing used up all of our time." Russ Scheffler raced against his father for many years. "We rubbed a little sheet metal from time to time," Russ Scheffler said. "He At a glance Who: George Scheffler What: selected for induction posthumously into the Southeastern Wisconsin Short Track Hall of Fame on Nov. 2 Hometown: Waukesha Family: children Robin, Russ and Rick; grandchildren Mitch, Shannon, Stephanie and Taylor; great-grandson Tucker Notable: Scheffler died from injuries suffered in a 2010 ATV accident. had years of experience and knowledge, which all helps. He was always working on chassis setups. "He was one of those throttle-down guys all the time." While George Scheffler's racing credentials were worthy of a Hall of Fame induction, his son believes a lot more went into his father's résumé. "We figured he would get inducted from his charm and personality," Russ Scheffler said. "That's besides being a good racer and all that other stuff." Letizia said George Scheffler's Hall of Fame honor is well-deserved. "He definitely was a Hall of Fame guy," Letizia said. "He was around the circuit many, many years, and he was always one of the good guys." Contact Daniel Mike dmike@conleynet.com

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