I Love Mondays with Mike Heller
Mike Heller is back talking all things sports and all things Packers, Brewers, Bucks, Badgers and beyond.
I Love Mondays with Mike Heller
I Love Mondays-Episode 10, March 13, 2026
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It's an "NG Friday" with guest Nick Breusewitz. Talking Packers and the NFC North power rankings, and Badgers Basketball at the B10 Tournament.
I love Mondays.
SPEAKER_01Podcasting Lunda from an undisclosed bunker in the Badger State. This is I Love Mondays with Mike Heller. Powered by determination and a little bit of duct tape. Here's your host, Mike Heller.
SPEAKER_02Okay, so welcome in on a Friday. That means we've made it through, almost made it through another week. And this is uh this is kind of the tip-off to one of uh my great months of the year, and I get it that it is March 13th. So think of this. Happy Friday the 13th. Think of this. Um start March 10th or 11th and go to April 10th or 11th, and everything that's encompassed in that window from the players' championship, golf guy, uh, to the masters, which will be going on a month from now at Augusta, Georgia, conference tournaments in college basketball, and then the NCAA selection Sunday and the tournament underway, and the start of Major League Baseball. Not to be outdone, free agency in there in the National Football League. So everything, the only sport that doesn't capture me right now in this month is the finish to the NBA season, and the the Bucs laid one again last night. So, I mean, kinda don't care. Actually, take away the kinda, just don't care. And the Bucs are gonna have to make a transition in this offseason. I think you're seeing the final 30 days of Giannis Dedacumbo in a Bucks uniform. It's my opinion. We're not gonna go there today, but just throwing that out there for future conversation, I think that that is uh is is going to happen. But this is just such a great month, with the exception of the shitty weather going on this weekend into Monday. And by the way, a little bit later on, uh in in just a few minutes, uh I'm gonna bring in Nick Bruzewitz. It's an NG, the new guy, Friday. We had an OG, original gangster, old guy, original guy, however you want to phrase it, with Tom Oates on Wednesday. We'll do somebody else uh in that slot next Wednesday. And then I'm gonna go to the young guns, the under 25 crowd-ish. Not checking birth certificates, but uh Nick is gonna be that first guy there. Listen, we haven't uh we Nick and I haven't appeared on a broadcast together since September the 2nd. And on September the 2nd, we didn't know that that was it. We didn't know until later in the afternoon on September 2nd. So I'm gonna bring him him in in a couple minutes. And I just wanted to remind him, um, you know, I mean, he can swear, it's a podcast. Don't get used to it, because you know, you can't do that over the radio. And I only did it once. One time, and I was talking about uh my shitty fantasy football league team, and that's pretty much what I said. And uh I've never done it other than live on the radio, other than the one time, and it got dropped. There's a drop button in live radio that has about a 12-second delay that you can hit a drop button and it catches up and eliminates anything in that 12-second window that was said. So it never made the air, but all those shows are podcasted, and I don't know if it made the podcast or not. That would have been Nick's job to take care of that. All right, so let's set up the day and what it is we're talking about today. So uh a few things at play. The Minnesota Vikings brought in Kyler Murray. He will be their backup quarterback. I I can't tell you how a franchise went from playing to win the division in Detroit 16 months ago, 15 months ago, with the second best record in the NFC and laying an egg in that one with a quarterback that then this year won a Super Bowl, Sam Darnold. You didn't retain him. You didn't retain Daniel Jones, who was your backup quarterback. Instead, you put all your eggs in a very fragile basket that is led by JJ McCarthy, and then he played injured and plays with some reckless abandon that put him in harm's way last year and just wasn't good enough. And they stunk. So you fire your GM. And what do you do in this offseason? You roll the dice with JJ McCarthy getting a lot better for Kevin O'Connell, and you bring in Kyler Murray, who has a reputation of not being a guy who loves to hit the books. That might be fair, might be unfair. Don't know. Don't know the guy that way, but certainly that was out there. They had incentives in his contract to study. That's a bad sign. He's your backup. They could have a year ago kept what they had in Sam Darnold, paid him a premium. They could have kept Daniel Jones, who just got transition tagged, who's better right now than JJ McCarthy, some might argue, including my guest, when we come back to him in a couple of minutes. But how did that franchise go from having the second best record in the NFC and on the rise to screwing it up so badly that if they don't have a decent season next year, let's say they finish fourth in the NFC North, which is entirely possible. They've already let their GM go. Is Kevin O'Connell next? And I would agree, used to do a show with Bill Schmidt, and Bill thinks that Kevin O'Connell's the best coach in the division. At least he did think that. Um I don't want to put words in his mouth. Certainly liked him a lot as a coach. And I do too. But he's got to be part and parcel to the decision that brings Kyler Murray in. And I I I guess I don't get it. Think of what Minnesota could have done a year ago. They could have played in the Aaron Rodgers waters, they could have kept Sam Darnold, or they could have kept Daniel Jones. Instead, and to me, it it smells a little bit of arrogance. The quarterback whisperer head coach and the GM put their eggs in the JJ McCarthy basket. So that that might be part of the conversation. The Packers still need a backup quarterback. I don't know where they go in that world, but we have felt very comfortable. Once we saw Malik Willis on the field in the 2024 season, we grew to be very comfortable that the Packers had a really good backup quarterback. Right now, they don't have a backup quarterback. So they're gonna have to play that game in this offseason. Otherwise, there were no real moves, certainly nothing directly related to Green Bay. Um I wasn't a fan uh of the move that has Williams go to Seattle. He's he's not an RB1, but I thought he was a good RB2. I got some kickback from some on Twitter who said, you know, he's not a good pass pro guy, and he's uh not a good receiver out of the backfield. Just thought he was a really good number two running back. And then some think that he's a little too close to Josh Jacobs in style and that they need a different RB two for a change of pace back. Okay. I get it. But Emmanuel Wilson is now gone in uh Seattle, and Green Bay is gonna have to find who RB two is. So there's some of that conversation. Otherwise, there was no real news out of Green Bay yesterday, just the news out of Minnesota that I just brought up. And I'm I'm just curious if you are going to handicap the NFC North as we sit now. I said earlier this week, I would uh put the Bears at the top of the division. One, they won it last year. Two, um, I think they're ascending. Green Bay is level, but with eight starters being lost, essentially eight starters being lost this week in free agency, many of them that they knew were gonna happen. There's a bit of a revamp in Green Bay. Obviously, your core piece is there in Jordan Love. Your offensive line is in some transition. You got three guys that you decided, hey, we're gonna anchor with these three. But I don't know if the offensive line fills you with a ton of confidence. Wide receiver position is fine. Tucker Kraft coming back at tight end, you should be fine there. I know you lost Romeo Dobbs when I say wide receiver is fine. Uh that was a position group without a true one, but with a lot of depth. And I think Christian Watson has emerged if he can be healthy as as close to a true one as you're gonna get. And then on defense, uh you you're going to have to count on the return to full ability of Micah Parsons. And you just think that there are certain athletes that attack recovery at a level that you that you believe in that they're gonna come back and be that guy. And I would believe that in Micah Parsons. But again, to go back and handicap the division, I'm gonna put the Bears one, and I'm I'm not gonna apologize for that. I would like the Packers to be one, and I don't think they are as we sit today. They might make some other moves that uh could change my mind. I don't know. But if I were gonna handicap it, I would put Bears one, Packers two, I would put Lions and Vikings with a fairly significant step down to three and four. So one and two, Bears and Packers, and then skip a step on that ladder going down to Detroit, and then uh just below them Minnesota. But if Minnesota actually sucks this year and they are more of a distant fourth place, then Kevin O'Connell, once thought to be a hell of a head coach, and that doesn't mean he's not, but his job could certainly be in jeopardy. And I I think the same thing in Green Bay. We talked about this with Tom Oates on Wednesday, on an OG Wednesday. Even though they extended him, money's not the issue. If Matt LaFour, LaFleur's Packers failed this year, he could certainly be out of a job. They just pay the buyout. Financial concerns there are not the number one concern for the Packers. It's having the right guy in the position. And I think that LaFleur is. However, if they were to fail this year, I think um, I think that would go away. So I think all of those things are in play. What else do we have? We have the Big Ten tournament, uh, Wisconsin into the quarterfinals. They survived. They did not do a great job yesterday after they led by 18. I think it is human nature. I was talking with Courtney, who was our super fan in this week on Wednesday, and I talked to Courtney. I said, they got up 18 and they stopped playing offense. They started to not go in transition, especially in the last five minutes. They gave up transition opportunities and pulled it back. And I think it's hard to reaccelerate after you've slowed down. And I thought the badgers slowed down. Uh, probably not a great idea to do that, but it's what happened. Um we'll see. Uh uh, I want to ask this question. So James says, Mike, I know you you I love Mondays. This upcoming Monday might be different. Is that a weather question? Yeah, right. Well, I mean, the fortunate thing is even on Monday, if if you're talking about weather, I do the show indoors, so shouldn't be an issue. Um and then uh Alex says, I think there's a far better chance the Bears finish last in the north than first. Alex that seems to me to be um an emotional message that you send into the show, not one based in any reality. Um good coach, motivational coach, don't love him, but I think he's a good coach. And uh they've got a quarterback that might be great. He's certainly showed signs of greatness, might be great rolling forward. Don't know. We'll find out. So, yeah, I would I would install the Bears as the the favorite. All right, back on to the Badgers quarterfinal round against Illinois. They're gonna face in a line-eye team that they beat in overtime 92-90 back in early February, but that team was without Boswell and Stoyakovich in that game. They both averaged 13 and a half points per game. Uh, I would think Wisconsin is gonna be without Nolan Winter. I don't think that's in yet, but I would think that they're going to be cautious there. And I would add one other thing about the Badgers, the first of the quarterfinal games today, or the second of the quarterfinals, Ohio State and Michigan open after Wisconsin and Illinois, it will be Purdue, Nebraska, and then the nightcap is UCLA, Michigan State, into Saturday's semifinals. And that's the last game. Those semifinals tomorrow in the Big Ten tournament are the last ones that matter to the selection committee. I'll just remind uh you of that because when the selection committee goes to make their seed line decisions on Sunday, they essentially ignore the Big Ten championship game. It ultimately doesn't matter. They lock in, they they hard pencil in their seed lines before Sunday. And unless something extraordinary happened in that moment, those games don't matter. The Sunday uh Big Ten championship game doesn't matter. It's an auto bid, but everybody that's in that game is going into the tournament regardless. All right, so I wanted to make sure we covered off on some of that ground. I want to tell you uh quickly about our sponsors. Our I Love Monday program is presented by M3 Insurance. And I've said this and I will continue to say it because I think it's important. When we talk about our sponsors, A, I I appreciate them for their support of the podcast. And I appreciate you, the viewers and listeners to the podcast, for helping make this possible. But I also need you, when you can to support these sponsors. M3 Insurance, they help businesses and individuals manage risk, purchase insurance, and provide the right benefits to their employees, leveraging digital product and program solutions to protect and serve clients across the country. They equip their clients with the tools and guidance needed to confidently navigate insurance and risk management decisions for your companies. So if you're in that position, if your company is looking to better themselves as it relates to employee benefits and risk management and insurance, reach out to m3ins.com. That's the site you go to, m3ins.com. Also presented by the Neuroscience Group, Excellence in Brain, Spine, and Pain Care. Choose Neuroscience Group in Northeast Wisconsin, neurosciencegroup.com. If back pain is holding you back at Neuroscience Group, their spine specialists offer personalized care from therapy to advanced surgical options so you can get back to doing what you love. Neuroscience Group, neuroscience group.com, we've got your back. Also brought to you in part by Pottawatomie Sportsbook Hotel and Casino in Milwaukee. Now, they don't put out lines on in-state college games. So Wisconsin is not on a uh you can't pick up a line at Pottawatomie. Uh last check that I saw, Illinois was favored in this game by eight and a half. But when we do do, when we do, when we go to having lines, every odds lines, they're coming to us from our sports book, the official sports book of I Love Mondays. That is Pottawatomi Sportsbook and Casino. And this program is also presented by Habish Habish and Rotier. All of our injury updates here, including mine, are brought to you by Habish, Habish, and Rotier. 13 locations to ensure you get a hometown attorney who understands your life and the impacts of your injury and is personally committed to your recovery. All right. So we welcome in. I didn't want to do that. I wanted to do that. We welcome in Nick Bruzewitz to the program. I add him to the show. There he is. I can see him. I think he can hear me. I can hear you. And we can hear you. That's good. Those are dramatic improvements from what I did yesterday when I brought in Vinny Rettino to the show. Uh Nick Bruzewitz, young man, how are you?
SPEAKER_03I'm doing well, man. This is nice. I get to bust out my equipment I haven't used in six years and use it here. And uh you were 11. I that's true. I was an early uh early starter in this industry, Mike. That's how you land the job you do when I did. I um I you made me sit here and listen through all of that. I just I'm on the edge of my seat wanting to talk about Kyler Murray. I'm on the edge of my seat talking about the Vikings. You know where I stand on JJ McCarthy.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, where do you stand on JJ McCarthy? Remind for those who didn't listen uh back in the iHeart days years ago when you and I did a show together. Yeah, that's right.
SPEAKER_03Uh yeah, I'm a big JJ McCarthy guy. I think I was the guy that was kind of uh you know tootin' his horn and talking about him all day long, saying how he's gonna be a good player and in the offense with the coach he has. So uh yeah, not good. Um the best part about what the Vikings did, and what I would say is most troublesome, is that they were nine and eight, they had the same amount of wins as the Green Bay Packers, and they had arguably the worst quarterback situation in the entire NFL. I they they had Carson Wentz, JJ McCarthy, Max Brosmer, JJ McCarthy again. And now you input, you said backup. I I think that maybe you're being too kind. I think Kyler will be their starter. Um I think Kyler Murray is gonna be the starter.
SPEAKER_02Kyler Murray is QB1 in Minnesota.
SPEAKER_03I think it's hard to not say that that's the case because uh I just thought you were a JJ McCarthy guy.
SPEAKER_02I mean, you you're all locked in on McCarthy.
SPEAKER_03I think the what what I believe would have been more beneficial for a guy like JJ McCarthy is if he was put in a Packers type situation where he was able to sit and learn behind somebody. What he did in his rookie season was rehab an injury and then essentially enter last season as a rookie. Uh, you made mention that many times on the program that he's practically a rookie, and I would push back and be like, no, he's a second-year quarterback.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Um, and and he was put in a spot where he he wasn't ready for it, and now it's a matter of if he will ever be ready for it. And I think Kyler's got a chip on his shoulder. I would anticipate he ends up being their starter.
SPEAKER_02See, I called Jordan Love a rookie in his fourth year. Because it was the first time he was going to be under center or in the shotgun on a regular basis and leading an offense, and he was QB1, and I saw that as rookie year. So if we go back, um, I don't want to relitigate, I don't want to spend a whole lot of time on the Minnesota Vikings because to be honest, I don't much care other than that they are in the division. But if we really relitigate what they did, I don't think you could have messed it up worse. You had Sam Darnold, you could have paid him the money, and then he he you don't, and he goes to Seattle and wins the Super Bowl. Uh you had Daniel Jones as a backup, and he leaves, and now he's transition tagged to be the quarterback in Indy. And you go to JJ McCarthy, and although he did show signs, showing signs isn't enough in the NFL. And they rolled the dice with him. It cost their GM his job, right? I mean, GM gets gets canned, and I think that's the reason that he's out, is is because of that. And now you sit here and you get you you do keep Kyler Murray for nothing, right? Because Arizona's paying almost all of his money. I think Minnesota's less than two million.
SPEAKER_03It's like one point something million. It's not it's some ridiculously low figure, and that it's a it's a problem in the NFL now, or maybe kind of a modern day aspect of it, because you know, Tua's being paid by Miami, Gino's being paid by Las Vegas, Kirk is going to be paid by Atlanta, and they're all not on those teams. I mean, Aaron last year with the Steelers was paid, you know, majority chunk by New York. It's it's it's a death sentence if you're signing major contracts for guys that clearly aren't up for it. Um, and and for what it's worth, I think Minnesota is probably gonna be in the same tier as the Packers and Bears. I mean, it's just for me, and maybe it's overzealous, maybe I'm naive. I I do believe that the only thing that they needed to be better at was having a competent quarterback. And Kyler, to my eyes, appears to be that guy if he ends up getting that job. So I think my I think it's gonna be a very competitive division. People will forget Detroit finished in last place. I mean, nine and eight, there were a billion teams there at nine and eight in the NFC, two of which were in the north. Packers with the tie were slightly above them. Um, I I I think the Bears are gonna be regressing, at least in terms of winning games. In the final seconds, as your uh listener just messaged in. I it's a very intriguing division, very exciting time. Um, and I just feel like the Packers right now have kind of stood pat. And I guess for what it's worth, they were in the thick of it last year.
SPEAKER_02I don't love their offseason so far. Uh let me just say that about the Packers. I don't hate it. Um, I'm sort of ambivalent. I I think they have slightly less than treaded water. I think they've taken on just a little water in and they knew all the starters that were gonna leave. They knew that they were gonna lose Rasheed Walker, they knew they were gonna lose Elton Jenkins, they knew that the that they would lose Quay Walker. They I didn't know that they, you know, they obviously they made a trade on sending Wooden away to Indianapolis to get Zaire Franklin. Um they'd made the decision to uh cut with with Nate Hobbs. They knew that Romeo Dobbs was gonna find somebody with a pretty big bag of money to pay him. So they knew all these things. There's like eight essentially eight starters that were in Green Bay a year ago that won't be there next year. And in that, they've replaced with Zaire Franklin, and I like him. I like him as a leader, but I don't think he's as good. I I said this yesterday. I went on a podcast in uh Las Vegas talking about the Raiders. And I said the Packers fans are gonna miss Quay Walker because Quay Walker, I think, is going to be a very good linebacker. Now, I'm not saying Green Bay should have played the game with Quay Walker now, Nick, but they could have played the game with him a year ago. They would have had to have extended him during the season or before last season, and they chose not to, and then at that point, they're gonna lose him.
SPEAKER_03And I think that Packers fans, I can certainly pallet the loss of Walker. I think that people were certainly underwhelmed with how he performed in in his career in Green Bay. I think the expectations were high, and he maybe never could have lived up to them because of, you know, many people always feel Packers reach for players or that the players they take are the wrong ones. They like to play hindsight and say, well, this guy was on the board when they took this guy. But uh Quay leaving, Zaire coming in. You know, he ain't as good as he once was, but he was good once. Let's hope he can kind of squeeze a couple of years uh here in Green Bay out of what was his past. Uh Javon Hargrave, I think that's a valuable addition, though he is north of 30, so there's some age concerns there. Benjamin Benjamin St. Juice, do you bring him in? Hobbs just signed with the 49ers this morning, so someone took a flyer on Nate Hobbs. Rasheed Walker is still out there. Uh, there was some reporting this last couple of days that the market for him is not as abundant as they thought. So chances are he's gonna sign a one-year deal.
SPEAKER_02His agent would be surprised too. I think uh a lot of people thought he was gonna get a a big um ACH deposit uh right away. You know, what happened? And and it didn't happen right now. He's he's uh I don't know that he's broke, but he doesn't have any new money today, right? Right.
SPEAKER_03And I would wonder if the Packers, I mean, if it's gonna be a one-year deal, if it's gonna be a bargain, bargain shopping opportunity. I mean, do you not bring him back? No, you think Jordan Morgan's gonna be the guy at left tackle?
SPEAKER_02I mean, do you think they have to left tackle? That's the only reason they did all this, is that they believe Jordan Morgan is not just their left tackle this coming year, but their left tackle for the next three to five years.
SPEAKER_03So I and I would hope so, right? They take him in the first round. You know, we were at Buffalo Wild Wings trying to figure out technical difficulties at that moment. Um, but remember that it was I I mean, I I was very frustrated. You remember fondly, I'm sure, of me for four hours trying to put this back on air.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah, I can't. Never got on air that night.
SPEAKER_03I don't think Jordan Morgan was the right pick then. I don't know if he is the right guy, but they sure need to prove it. Um, let him get get a chance to do so. But yeah, to your point, I mean the Packers have seen a lot of talented players walk out the door, and it was the expectation that that would likely be the case. It's just about developing those that had lesser opportunities last year. Matthew Golden is the most obvious. Every fan wants to see more of him on the field. Well, you would imagine that happens now. No more Romeo Dobbs on the field. So that should be helpful. You see Tucker Kraft in addition from within. You anticipate, as you made mention of Micah Parsons, that you know, some of these elite athletes, these best amongst their positions, come back at you know, equal level to what they left or as close as possible. I mean, Adrian Peterson tore an ACL and came back in one MVP, nearly rushing for uh NFL record in yards. So you cross your fingers there. I I just wonder, you know, you think that they're gonna address some of the holes on their roster in the draft, but they don't have a first rounder anymore. Um, so I mean, Goody's gonna have to have one of his classes that that pans out.
SPEAKER_02Well, and they do have they've got cap space um with the other, so I thought maybe they might be a player with somebody of significance on the free agent market this week, but I don't know how many are left that would be of significance. And you know, Courtney uh was on Super Fan Wednesday, he had suggested, well, maybe Trey Hendrickson. Well, that didn't happen. I mean, he got uh he got too much money to uh change teams in the division, so that wasn't in play. Max Crosby staying in Las Vegas, you would think, um, and you know, kind of rehabbing from an injury, all that kind of stuff. I don't know where Green Bay makes a move. I'm I always have uh FOMO when somebody else does something, and I like that San Francisco went and got Mike Evans. Um, from from their perspective, how about going to get uh Nate Hobbs? Listen, Nate Hobbs was disappointing in Green Bay. How much of the disappointment was injury? How much of the, you know, and St. Just is not an everyday corner, he's a special teamer and you know, uh an extra corner, but Green Bay is kind of treating him coming in like maybe with what they have out there that he's uh you know, he's a number two corner. I don't know.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, that's a new defensive scheme, right? In general, I mean Jonathan Gannon comes in, the Packers are gonna be undergoing some change, you'd imagine, in terms of how they operate and their personnel. Gannon's a good defensive coordinator, but he wasn't a great head coach. Uh, I saw you pop up that uh that Darren message earlier about uh Kyler Murray.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, there it is. Uh Darren said, Nick, is see, this is just like the radio show we used to do. Uh now, Nick, did you watch the Cardinals play at all? Murray has not been uh not bent it for the last two or three years. Offense did nothing last year until Brissett took over. All right, Nick, go ahead.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, you you anticipate that, and maybe it's just kind of feeling like this is how the world works now, that when you get out of the negative situation, the Cardinals are the worst team in NFL history. Like people may not recognize that. They have the worst winning percentage of all of the NL NFL teams ever. They have a terrible ownership group, they clearly have gone through head coaches too quickly. I mean, Kyler Murray's in a position now where he's gonna hopefully have the stability he's never had in his career. And it wasn't too long ago that he was one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. And in however, you want to quantify that top half, top 10. I mean, he took the Cardinals to a playoff, they lost to the Cowboys, but you look at them and you say that's an organization that is dysfunctional to the highest degree. Kyler Murray was the first overall pick. If Sam Darnold can do it, I I would anticipate a guy that was drafted first overall is in a similar boat. I if if Kyler Murray is, I mean, 50% better than what JJ McCarthy was this past year, you're talking about two more wins, probably. That's an 11-win team. So I get it. I get it. You're down on Kyler. People have been down on Baker in recent years, and then he has has a resurgence. Geno Smith had a resurgence. I mean, there's these are guys that people wanted to count out and move off of, and and they have they've clearly become much more significant players in the league after those uh had been uh completely out on them.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it it is um so okay, so I did this, so I'm gonna have you do this a little exercise to go one through four in the NFC North final division standings in 2026 as we sit now. I would go Chicago, Green Bay, Detroit, Minnesota, one through four.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I I'm I'm fairly comfortable saying that I think the Bears are gonna regress, and I think that the Packers, I don't know where they've gotten better, so it's such a hard problem. I mean, it's such a hard hypothetical. I my opinion is that I think the Vikings are gonna win two more games. And I with Kyler Murray, I think that they have every opportunity to hopefully capture some of what they had two years ago. My opinion is that it's gonna be Bears, Vikings, Packers, Lions. I think that it's Bears are your one, you know.
SPEAKER_02Packers in third place. I I think that what that's probably not a playoff team.
SPEAKER_03It may not be. And last year I was kind of low on them. I think we had this conversation. We we did our who's a guarantee to make the playoffs in each conference. And I went back months later and I looked at it, and I was not particularly sharp, but Packers were not a guarantee for me, and they once again finished as the seventh seed. So they have not shown that they've gotten better so far this offseason. So I I think the Vikings have gotten better.
SPEAKER_02I would add this in. Now, I don't think they're gonna miss the playoffs. Uh, I do think, but if you have them third in the division and they miss the playoffs, I'm of this opinion, and and I don't know that what would change this opinion. If they don't make the playoffs, I think that uh Matt LaFleur is gonna be gone in Green Bay, even though they just extended him. I don't think that matters. Uh, if they fail to make the playoffs, I think he'll be gone.
SPEAKER_03I I agree. I think that Matt LaFleur is in a position where they have to prove that they are progressing, that they are getting better. I mean, they won they won playoff game in the first year with Jordan Love as your head or as your uh quarterback as the seven seed on the road at the two seed. You had every opportunity to beat the Niners the next week and advance to the NFC Championship game. And in the last two years, you found creative ways to put in put in really little to no inspiration to how you're going into the offseason. The first one, you get crushed by the Eagles, you understand that that team ends up winning a Super Bowl and they were so dominant on their way to doing it. But last year, I mean, you lose like that to the Bears. It you mean, you you have to have something this year that inspires.
SPEAKER_02Nick, let's uh transition into the Big Ten tournament. So on the Badger Radio Network, you do the post-game show. Although I had a hard time getting it yesterday. After did you guys have some technical issues?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I mean, there were some problems happening. There were some problems for sure.
SPEAKER_02You got to figure it out.
SPEAKER_03I hope so. I mean, we had a we had a different producer in there yesterday. Uh our regular Casey James was unavailable. Um, and there was some, you know, to peel back the curtain and use words that people probably won't recognize, there were some relay issues between Milwaukee and Madison and brakes being fired.
SPEAKER_02You got to hit the relay, man. Uh, in the chest is good. And and let that person then, you know, catch and then make the relay throw. And if you miss the relay, if you bounce that and it kicks away, which is what happened on the post-game show yesterday. So, in other words, I didn't get to hear it. I was trying to tune in. Um, Wisconsin, let's talk about yesterday a little bit. I thought it was a human nature game, and I think you see it in conference tournaments and sometimes even in the NCAA tournament. Wisconsin had a comfortable lead against a team they just blew out in Seattle a week and a half ago. They were up 18 with 14 minutes to play, and I thought they took their foot off the accelerator thinking that they could afford to. Human nature. And then it almost bit them. But here's the cool thing, it didn't survive and advance. They it's a cliche. Cliches are have reasons because they're many oftentimes so true, survive and advance. That's what they did. They got incredible play out of the backcourt in John Blackwell and Nick Boyd. They didn't get very much from the front court, somewhat expected without Nolan Winter, but Rapp and Billy Oscis did not have great days. In fact, I don't know. Did they have any other double-digit scorers other than Blackwell and Boyd? I don't think so. I don't think so either. All right. So they beat Illinois back in early February, second week of February, 92 to 90 in overtime in Champaign. No Boswell, no Stoyakovich. They both average almost 13 and a half points per game. What has to happen today, Nick, uh, on this, because this Illinois team is better than the one, healthier than the one Wisconsin played in Champagne.
SPEAKER_03Well, you need to do what you did the last time around, which is shoot lights out. I mean, that's been Wisconsin's recipe to success this year. They have one win, having scored 78 or fewer points, right? That that's their threshold. You've got to score a bunch of points, and they've been successful in doing that this year. I I look at Illinois, I would argue that they're just as good as Missy Michigan at their full health now. I know that Michigan is clearly the class of the conference and very well could just run the table and take this conference tournament. Um, but you you need to have some level of exactly what you saw yesterday, because I do expect Nolan Winter to be unavailable. I know that's not official, but it there really isn't much of an upside to bringing him back for this one uh because you know that you know ultimately what matters most is coming up in about a week. You look at what Illinois can offer, though. It is I they had Tomislav Ivasic score, I think, 23 or 24 points in the first half in the first matchup with Wisconsin. And that was with a healthy no one winter. So you're talking about the the big on the other side against our best big, puts up 24 roughly. And then the second half, for whatever reason, they went away from him. Keaton Waggler was just lights out, uh, truly unconscious, but the badgers were able to answer every blow. It seems like this team steps up for big games. I I would anticipate this one doesn't get out of hand, uh, but eight and a half point underdog, as you referenced earlier. You look at a rested and healthy Illinois team versus a short and you know, on one day rest, Wisconsin team, no rest. Uh, I I don't know how Wisconsin wins this one, but if they're going to win it, it would be because they score 85, 90 points like they did last time around.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, they're gonna have to do that. I got this note in from uh from my guy Packers Todds and N's in on my Twitter account. He said, Love the podcast with the gent with the gray hair and tons of memorabilia and the young Spike Buck with bare walls in behind him. That's right. But you don't know.
SPEAKER_03I mean, you're in the apartment, and well, it's kind of been a studio set up there, it's been a sort of a uh debate amongst the few friends that have been here, like that. It looks like Abby and I just moved in and we've been here for nine months. So uh yeah, I mean, I'm not one for decorating walls, and she is uh she is a a very much a second guesser and a planner, so she's like, we're not gonna put anything up until we know it. But uh, you know, I got this shoulder. I got this mirror. I mean, there's a mirror right there. Very nice mirror.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I like that of all the mirrors I've seen today. That one is pretty good.
SPEAKER_03That's it's a nice mirror. Uh, it's maybe a little tall. She put it up, she's five three. It doesn't necessarily use work well for her, but it works for me. Um, and yeah, to peel back the curtain a little bit, I'm using my her little, you know, I got a ring light, but it's actually her makeup one, her little makeup mirror. Yeah, so yeah, I mean, we're we're making it work. I still live that uh that that lifestyle of a of a young gun.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, you're you're a you're a kid, and uh listen, uh I I'll say this because I love what you do, and and I hope that we find you back on the radio on a regular basis, not just on post-game shows that can be hit and hit or miss technically. Uh, but I hope we find you back on the radio because I really um enjoy what you do and I enjoyed working with you. Um and you know, I mean, that's right. You're my first N NG guest, the new guy, the new gangster.
SPEAKER_03I appreciate that. I many people call me a gangster. It's just I mean it's curious.
SPEAKER_02I drip gangsta as I walk around. You were uh you were part of the gang.
SPEAKER_03You and I both on the wrong side of the train tracks, you know. Isn't that what it was? Um we made it out.
SPEAKER_02We did uh back on Wisconsin, the bracket matrix right now, which is the compilation uh of all of the brackets that are out there, it's uh at the aggregate of all of them, has them as the number two on the six line. If they win today, there's a fair shot that they could be a five seed. I don't know that six or five matters much because it really ends up being about who your matchup is in your second game, even in your first game. Um I think Wisconsin did from Nick what they what they needed to do from three weeks ago was get off the eight or seven line, which is I think where they were. That I think they were uh seven, eight, nine seed. And they needed to get off that. And I wasn't doing the podcast yet, yeah. I mean, in my head, I'm saying, just you gotta win. And I didn't know that they could do it. I didn't know that they could get that win at Purdue, which was the one that the loss at Oregon. I thought, shoot, that's gonna, that's gonna kill them. And then they win at Washington, and then you win the road game at Purdue. To me, they're no worse than a six. I don't care what happens today, they're no worse than a six. If they lose today, put them in on a six seed line. Win today, maybe you move them up to five. I think in either case, all we're looking at then is the matchup, and they've done their job from three weeks ago, was which was to get off the seven, eight, nine line.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, this is a team I tweeted out uh after one of the recent games, I think having beaten Purdue, and I said, what a fantastically weird season, because you know, they found ways to beat Michigan State, Illinois, and uh Purdue, but they also lost to Ohio State and Oregon. And it's like, who is this team? And that's kind of been how it's gone the entire season. I'm wholeheartedly with you. I thought with a win yesterday, they're they're six. I think that there are fans out there who want them to stay A6 opposed to being a five, because they like worried about 512. Right. And they'd also look at you know, that that side of the bracket, you ultimately would match up with the one seed on your way to the final or yeah, to the elite eight, right? I mean, in the elite eight, if I'm not mistaken, if you're a five. So you got an opportunity here to earn the sweet 16, excuse me. You have as a six, you would play 6'11, and then last year as a three, you know, you lose to BYU, who was a very talented team in a road environment that was practically a home environment for the Cougars. So, you know, you might want that path. I don't care really what the path is. I want to see them finish this particular game. If they lose today and they get blown out, I'm gonna have a far different perspective on their path I had if they win or if they're close than they would if they if I saw them get crushed. So I like what they have. I like that this team is is pretty resilient. Uh, yesterday's performance, you know, I talk about it a lot. You made you made mention of it, human nature. I I I always was like that. I playing video games with my buddies. I if I was up big, I'd I'd let them back into it, and then I'd lose, and then I'd be really pissed, and then I'd be like, I let you win. And they'd be like, No, you didn't. So that's exactly what Wisconsin avoided yesterday. They won the game, so they don't have to deal with that. Um, and I think that is if you look at how this season has played out versus how we thought it might play out after some of those early season really brutal losses, uh, you got to take it and you got to run with it. Because I think at this point, they're the most talented offensive team that I think Greg Gard has had. And if you have that, you have a lot to work with, it's just a matter of defensively getting that consistent effort.
SPEAKER_02Let me ask you uh a question. Uh it's kind of out of the blue. I didn't set you up for this one. If you could, in theory, make a trade, would you trade Nick Boyd for John Tanja today?
SPEAKER_03No, I don't think so. And I do think John Tanja is the more prolific player. I think that John is gonna have a more successful post-badger's career, and that's not a knock on Nick. That's a that's a feather in the cap of my guy, John Tanja. But how they're operating, how this team is is built, having that guy with the ball in his hands that can push the tempo, that can drive to the bucket, that can change the game. I I think that he's a better match for what they're looking to accomplish this season. Tanjay did everything he could last year. I mean, he his he went out on a bang. I mean, he had a chance to take care of business against BIU with that final shot, but no one's faulting him for a performance like that in a game like that. Um, but yeah, I I'm not trading Nick Boyd at this point with how this season has gone out. Um he has, I think, matched, if not exceeded, Alondo Tucker's points uh twenty point games. This season. I don't know if that carries into the postseason, but at the end of the regular season, he was at uh 19, so he would be tied now with 20 plus point games. Uh the record is 20 by Alando Tucker in one season. So, I mean, you gotta roll with the guys.
SPEAKER_02Uh, my other podcast, my Badger Connect podcast, uh went live yesterday. I had a sit-down with Nick Boyd that we did on Monday. For those who didn't see it, BadgerConnect.com is really good. He's a fantastic interview. Uh, he he is he's an open book. He says, you know, he answers all the questions. He doesn't walk around, it's not political speak. He doesn't just give you cliches. He's a really good interview. And I would back up one moment on that and say that what Wisconsin did two years in a row now in the addition, you could go back to AJ's store and say three years in a row, but uh uh AJ was more of a get his guy, I think. Um, and Tanja and Nick Boyd, three consecutive years and more so the last two years in Tanja and Boyd. That is outstanding work by Greg Gard and his staff to identify a player that's gonna be on the market, and then that the fit is gonna work, and you bring him in, and the guy's got to be willing to, he's got to be a willing learner because he's got to learn what they're gonna do and be coached. Tanjay wanted to be coached, Nick Boyd wants to be coached. They have done a fantastic job, uh, Nick Brucewood, so bringing in two guys in back-to-back seasons that have been perfect for the time and what the program is needed.
SPEAKER_03You know, I'm young, I'm naive. You know, last year I said Tanja, maybe top five season ever in you know, Badger Men's basketball, right? Just because of how quickly he had such an impact. You know, Boyd is right there. I mean, it's hard to differentiate. You you see an eyelash of difference in one category or the other, but credit to Coach Guard and his staff, and it's not just those three, because I will count AJ Storr because I do think that that was, you know, if you want to put it into a you know a baseball analogy, you know, that's probably a ground rule double, right? And then you hit a home run and a home run back to back years or a grand slam and a grand slam with Tanja and Boyd. But Andrew Roadie this season, Braden Carrington this season. I mean, these are two significant additions via the portal. You look at Austin Rapp, what he's done. I know he's probably been slightly underwhelming for some, but when he's right, when he scores double digits, they're undefeated. So you you look at what they've done just this season, not to mention in the past, even preceding a guy like AJ Storr to get Max Clesmet. I know he's a hometown guy, but you get him in the portal and he becomes a fixture of your program for four years. Kamari McGee, uh, UW Green Bay edition, and how big was he last season and the year before? So I I can't be more impressed by how quickly they have found the recipe here in the transfer portal because you look at other programs and they can't get it right. I mean, Indiana this year was supposed to be a big, bad team new coach with his son on the team, and they fall flat. So, yeah, absolutely one of the more remarkable uh trends currently in college basketball is that Wisconsin seems to be a destination for some of the best players. And on Butchie's Den this week, uh Guard joined Brian and he was asked about, you know, hey, you know, Brian asks, What are kind of the some of the struggles you have in recruiting now? Because it used to be I don't want to play with Wisconsin's slow pace and their offense that is not gonna let me shine. And and guard said, really, the only problem we're having now is for some reason some of these guys are saying, no, guard's gonna leave and take another job with a blue blood. And I'll he's not going anywhere, he's not gonna go anywhere, but it's a it's a good problem to have. It's a luxury to have a coach that people anticipate, I don't know, replacing uh being the next head coach in Kentucky or going to North Carolina. I mean, blue bloods are not many, and they're all the best programs ever.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. By the way, the answer to this question is me, uh, Alex Antioch. Uh probably who would we because you don't you're not a flip cup guy. I mean, uh, to me, that says Alex doesn't listen, didn't listen when we were doing the show together. Because Nick's Nick's not a bar game drinking game guy. So I'd have you played Flip Cup.
SPEAKER_03I have played Flip Cup. I I would say I'm average at best. I mean spectacular. If I'm gonna drink, which it's been man, it's probably been a couple years now. When I would drink, if there was a game involved, I was far more interested. So Flip Cup, um I I mean, I guess this is a podcast.
SPEAKER_02Unfamiliar, unfamiliar. OGs don't play bitch cup, apparently.
SPEAKER_03Uh maybe you called it something else, but you know, you you start with you know a 30, 40 red solo cups filled, you know, maybe a fifth full of whatever alcohol, and you have one person with a ping pong ball and a red solo cup, and they have to bounce it and land it in while the other person is trying to do the same. So you're like right next to each other. I got it. If the person behind you does it before you, they stack you. Oh, you grab a drink, you have to drink it and keep going. Yeah, you can't play that game. And long story short, the the bitch cup is the one in the middle at the end that's like uh a complete uh just hodgepodge of whatever random knickers and beers and crap you have.
SPEAKER_02It's not a game you should you or I should play.
SPEAKER_03No, well, at all. Absolutely. It's fun, but you don't want to be that one with the that last cough.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah. You better have a lot of confidence. By the way, we never got to uh to to finish some of those contests that we were gonna have. Like that's right, you know, who could throw the football further, you know, and you were working with a coach, uh Killibrew. That's right on you know, on trying to maximize your your throw distance.
SPEAKER_03Um you did get the you you beat me in the uh pitch speed at Brewapalooza. Um, yes, yeah, yeah. I I you know, news to me that you don't grip the ball really hard.
SPEAKER_02I mean uh grip when you when you overgrip it, that's that's called the changing of grip.
SPEAKER_03It was I was squeezing the ball as hard as I could because I you know, we're very fortunate that no one got hurt that day. And and Billy, you know, would have been the culprit in that case.
SPEAKER_02I mean, Billy Schmidt could have sent somebody to the hospital on the pro that he made that missed the screen and bounced, and it had a little juice on it, and it barely missed a person, and that person wasn't looking at the side of the head, side of the head, that person goes in an ambulance.
SPEAKER_03And we that was my fear, and for those that are unfamiliar, we had the station-wide opportunity to go to a brewer's game and host a tailgate, and and we had the pitch-you know, the pitch radar out there, and they lined up like a tunnel of people, like maybe five feet to each side of me.
SPEAKER_02Those people weren't being all that smart either. They have been maybe overserved or under uh valued how bad some of our throwers were gonna be.
SPEAKER_03Well, and that was why I gripped it as hard as I did. I mean, I was freaking out that I was just gonna work somebody. So you beat me in that cat that one. I think the punt catching and the 9900 mile an hour fastball one that we like, these are just hypothetical. I could we could do the punt one just fine. I don't, yeah, I don't think either of us are in any position to get behind a hundred mile an hour fastball.
SPEAKER_02You mean as a catcher? Yeah, dude. I I just did fantasy camp and catching a uh uh a high speed fastball is not gonna be a problem. Would not be a problem.
SPEAKER_03I mean, what were you catching?
SPEAKER_02How fast are these 55?
SPEAKER_03I was just troubling it. Oh, baby, you put me in the gear, that's fine. I mean, I guess I'd be I I'd be okay.
SPEAKER_02I would not I would not trust you in that gear. I that's not a contest I would have with you, um, because I don't think there's enough gear to protect you.
SPEAKER_03Well, I you know, I I I was a little league umpire for many summers, and I took I took plenty of pitches to the chest mile an hour fastballs.
SPEAKER_02Right 45 feet, so it hurts a little bit more. That's right. But hey, thanks for uh thanks for doing this. Um, I'm gonna reserve the right to to bring you back uh at another day, and and I hope that uh something good happens um here in the news department. So I'm not gonna ask you to, you know, unless you there's news you want to tell us.
SPEAKER_03No news, but I'm still around, you know, I'm still I'm still hanging out, we're doing our thing. Um, you know, it's it's a it's a challenging industry. Uh you know certainly more than I do. You you try to impart wisdom on me, but until I lived through it, you know, I would never learn. So uh, you know, we talked about it. You know, I I feel like we probably had equally as challenging Septembers, you know. I mean, I I you were let go, but I had to watch you leave, and I had to be the one to to to sit there without you. I mean, it's more emotionally hard for the guy that keeps his job and sticks around than the guy who's you know for six months, right?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, they did. Uh muzzles are no fun. So uh, so I'm through the muzzle stage now. And I appreciate you doing this. Nick Osen's gonna be doing one of these. Um, you know, I'm gonna get a list of guys from you, the uh 25 and undercrowd. Osun doesn't fit that though, does he?
SPEAKER_03He's no, no, we like to pick on him. I I think he's 29. I think he's the OG of the NGs. Yeah, he's a great dude. I I think that uh, you know, your listeners in your audience, if unfamiliar, will be spoiled with his breadth of knowledge on uh specifically the badgers. He's a bears guy, so you can oh I didn't yeah, okay.
SPEAKER_02Well, then maybe not.
SPEAKER_03Well, you bring him on and you pick on him, and he's like probably the the easiest dude to pick on because he's like gonna be like laughing the whole time and telling you that uh you're the best. So yeah, Nick Ossen's great. You know, there are plenty of young, talented people in this market, but you know, it's smart to start with me because then you can then go down the ladder from best to individually to the worst.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it on the way out. So Darren wanted to, you know, he never got to uh hear about your tears and whining after the Brewers beat the Cubs in game five. Uh, I didn't really directly either. You okay? Have you you recovered?
SPEAKER_00No, and by the way, were you and Killibrew?
SPEAKER_02Sean Kilabrew is a sales guy at iHeart who's also huge as a Bears and Cubs fan. Nick is a Cubs fan, not a Bears fan. Okay. I just set the record straight. But when Pete Crow Armstrong homered twice in the attempted comeback for Team USA, were you guys have you guys calmed down yet from you know the future first ballot Hall of Famer's performance a few nights ago?
SPEAKER_03I mean, gosh, Pete is such a beast. It's nice to see, you know, at that at that level that he can perform like that. Uh it it inspires hope. Last season was a little bit of a backslide for him. Tarang's been outstanding. This world baseball classic has been certainly in the headlines recently. Mark Tarossa with a couple of mistakes as manager, but uh from the Cubs fan tier perspective, um that was the day that Wisconsin got shut out at home by Iowa. I think it was 34 or 31, nothing. So I'm in the booth doing the post-game show with Billy. I had to fill in for Lance. And Luddy, our producer back in Milwaukee, Andrew Ludwig, is just playing Brewers highlights in and out of the breaks on the Badgers post-game. So it was kind of a double whammy, man. I watched my team lose in person. Uh I'm a badger. I watched them lose in the worst possible way, and then the Cubs had lost. But I'll say this you know, Cubs won more playoff games last year than the than the Brewers did.
SPEAKER_02So I mean, you know, suddenly, suddenly, um, I'm losing I'm losing you. What? You lose too much.
SPEAKER_03I mean, the Cubs won four playoff games. How many did the Blue?
SPEAKER_02I have the control of your audio, so I just brought your mic down to zero. So nobody can hear you right now. And with that, we hey, that's a podcast error right there. I can't believe you just did that to my podcast. Okay, I'll let you say goodbye. Get out of here.
SPEAKER_03All right. Well, I appreciate it, Mike. It uh it's it's nice to catch up, it's always great to be on air with you. I I miss doing it every day. Um, maybe we'll cross paths down the road again. Who knows? It's a weird industry, just in terms of uh a fixture. But you know, maybe I could get used to this. Maybe I could launch a rival podcast. Don't don't be competing. It'll just be all about Cubs.
SPEAKER_02Oh, yeah, that's not gonna go anywhere. Hey, uh, thanks. Thanks for doing this. I appreciate it. Of course, Mike.
SPEAKER_03Looking forward to the next time we get to do it.
SPEAKER_02All right, sounds good. Nick Bruzewitz, uh, take him out of the show, kind of like that. And uh, and that's listen, um fun for me. Uh Nick and I working together from the beginning, and it was uh, you know, an arranged on-air marriage. I didn't know Nick. I mean, honestly, the first time we had really had any conversation was on the air. And he's a year older than my youngest uh child. I mean, my son Jackson's 23. I I think Nick is 24. So I could have that wrong, but I mean he's a l just a little bit older than my kid, and I had to grow into uh him, but he made that very possible because he's actually uh I shouldn't say it that way. He's very talented. He's very good at at what he does, and he does have a bright future if he wants to continue through what can be a very volatile industry uh in the sports talk realm right now. But Nick is smart, uh, well opinioned, uh, really good actually in interviews. And and then I use the term actually again, and I shouldn't be surprised at any of this. He's a really good interviewer. Uh, he relates to Badger players when he gets to do their interviews. Uh talented young man who's uh who's got a bright future in whatever he chooses to do, but certainly in the media world and the sports world, he's got that. Um I wanted to add a couple of thoughts on the way out. Um, it is uh did you see? Here's my bottoms. I got a bottom going in. Big 12 got rid of their LED glass court for their conference tournament. I mean, kind of a cool idea because they could show graphics on the court, they could light the court, they could do all these different things. But did they they didn't think about its grip that it can be slippery, that the players who have never played on this all of a sudden in their conference tournament, they're gonna play on a plexiglass LED court. So they got rid of it. I applaud opportunity when people uh and and businesses try to innovate, but maybe don't innov innovate in an exhibition game, innovate in a holiday tournament, you know, a two-day holiday tournament kind of a thing. Innovating at your conference tournament when real stuff is at stake, maybe not such a great idea. All right. Badgers go today against the alumni. Uh this can be a tough one. But if Wisconsin wins, I think they move up a seed line for the NCAA tournament. They're a six right now, solid. If they lose today, they're a six. If they win today, they might move to the five line, which is a benefit. I know people get worried and freaked out about 512 in the NCA tournament. But I think Wisconsin can get to the five seed line if they win today. They're an eight and a half point underdog uh on ESPN. I normally on lines we go to Pottawatomie because they are our official sports book on I Love Mondays with Mike Heller, but they don't give in-state lines for Wisconsin and Marquette. And I understand why. But think of eight and a half point Illinois favored because that's the matchup gap in this one. But Wisconsin can beat anybody. Backcourt plays well. Nick uh Nolan uh Winter is uh he's out. All right. So that is now official. So no winter today. We expected that. Uh Nolan Winter status. Um, I don't think he'll play in this tournament, regardless of whether they advance to tomorrow or Sunday. I think the goal was to get him as close to 100% by Thursday or Friday when Wisconsin opens in the NCAA tournament uh a week from now. By the way, we're inside of two weeks from the Brewers season opening game at American Family Field in Milwaukee. What a fun day. Uh, fun uh for me to have Nick Beruzowitz on the show. I want to thank our sponsors. Uh, we are presented by the neuroscience group, neurosciencegroup.com out of the Fox River Valley. And if you are looking for something as it relates to pain relief or just a neurological issue, whether it's brain, spine, or pain care, choose the neuroscience group in Northeast Wisconsin, neuroscience group.com. We're also presented by M3 Insurance. They help businesses and individuals manage risk, purchase insurance, and provide the right benefits to their employees. Visit them at M3INS.com. Also presented by Pottawatomies Sportsbook Hotel and Casino. It's time to play. Pick your game from slots to poker, the best sports book anywhere, and more. Enjoy restaurants, bars, and a luxurious hotel, just steps from all of the action. Learn more at Pottawatomi.com. Must be 21 to enter their casino. Also, all our injury updates and the show is brought to you by Habish, Habish and Rotier. 13 locations ensures you get a hometown attorney who understands your life and the impacts of your injury and is personally committed to your recovery. Well, we're two weeks into this, and I couldn't be happier about what we've got going on, about the support we've gotten, about how many people are listening. Please share. I love Mondays with Mike Heller. Wherever you get your podcast, share with your friends your other sports-minded, uh like-minded folks, uh, that they can watch it live on Twitter and YouTube, and they can get it wherever they get their podcasts later on in the day. Hope you have a fantastic weekend. I try and do this part to push the right buttons on the way out the door. I think I may be getting a hang of this. We'll talk to you on Monday. Have a fantastic weekend, and thanks for being here.
SPEAKER_00I love Mondays with my hell.