SOME SPORTS GIANTS PASS.

Bud Lea was covering the Packers before the city built a new stadium for a team that underwhelmed ten teams, overwhelmed one, and whelmed another, only to have that coach replaced by Vince Lombardi.

When Vince Lombardi showed up in ’59 to coach the Packers, things soon changed in a big way. The team became a dynasty, and just like that, Lea was covering the beat that other writers envied. He quickly became an expert on everything Lombardi, and readers eagerly awaited his next article.

“He was brilliant emotionally,” Lea said of Lombardi in a profile written by Gary D’Amato for the Journal Sentinel in 2017. “You never knew what to expect. Nothing measured up to this guy. He was very difficult to deal with, but I’m glad I did. It toughened me up for dealing with some of these other (coaches and athletes).”

Thus began a half-century of Lea covering the Packers as well as other teams in Milwaukee and the state. He succeeded Larson as Sentinel sports editor in 1972 while continuing to write a column, later relinquishing the sports editor role.

He continued to provide advice for the younger folks covering the current Packers.

Ted Thompson figured out how to keep the Packers in the playoff mix.

With him at the helm, the Packers advanced to a franchise-record eight consecutive playoffs. They played in four NFC championship games, losing three. Two were especially painful defeats: the 2007 overtime home loss to the New York Giants, and the 2014 collapse in Seattle.

The Packers had a 125-82-1 record in Thompson’s tenure, a .600 win percentage that ranked fourth in the NFL. Only the New England Patriots (.774), Pittsburgh Steelers (.649) and Indianapolis Colts (.605) had a better win percentage in that time.

Rodgers, a two-time MVP, was the biggest factor in getting the Packers their fourth Super Bowl title. But from 2005 to 2010, Thompson executed a series of championship-building draft choices. Six offensive starters and six defensive starters on the Super Bowl team, along with kicker Mason Crosby, were either drafted by Thompson or acquired as an undrafted rookie. Thompson also signed key defensive back Charles Woodson in free agency.

Don Sutton might be commonly known as part of those great Dodger staffs of the 1970s. He's justly respected in Brewer Nation as well.

On the final weekend of the season, they had a four game series with the Baltimore Orioles. The Brewers needed to win only one of the games to become AL East champions.

They lost the first three. Thus, they had to win the final game or else the Orioles would claim the division title.

That game featured Sutton vs. Palmer. Palmer lasted only five innings. Sutton lasted eight. Though often pitching with runners on base, he allowed only two runs. He departed after the Brewers scored five runs in the top of the ninth to clinch a 10-2 victory.

We honor their works.